Treasure Goblin.
Seong couldn't help but recall his old acquaintance, Kahku, the treasure goblin who had proven invaluable in the past. Was this map linked to Kahku? Or was it from another treasure goblin?
With growing curiosity, Seong examined the map, its familiar handwriting confirming his suspicions.
“This is Kahku's map.”
He verified it by cross-referencing Kahku’s memories, which he still carried. While he had planned to visit the location eventually, finding the map here was an unexpected bonus.
“Hmm.”
Although Kahku’s memories provided a rough idea of the location, they weren’t perfect. He knew the general vicinity but not the precise entry point. Without the map, Seong would have had to wander around the area until something clicked.
Now that he had it, navigating would be significantly easier.
Of course, the key compass needed to unlock the site was still missing. However, that wasn’t a dealbreaker. As long as Seong dealt with the traps and monsters guarding the area, he could force his way through.
One problem did come to mind.
“The third vault was crawling with monsters, wasn’t it?”
While there was no boss monster guarding it, the vast expanse of Dune Wild Trail had naturally become home to countless creatures. They’d formed habitats that effectively acted as the vault’s defense.
The result was something akin to a Red Minotaur’s lair—a densely populated monster zone. The treasure vault was situated at the heart of this zone, and clearing it would likely require sweeping through the entire area.
If he had the key, he could bypass the monsters entirely. But without it, brute force was the only option.
That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“I do need to level up, after all.”
While Seong had gained significant skill proficiency from the Hall of Knights, his level hadn’t budged. Though he’d sweetened his stats by absorbing memories, his overall level remained static.
[Status Window]
『Seong』
『Lv 115』
『Class』 → 『Overlord』
『Titles』 → 『Sovereign (Legendary)』... and 32 others.
『Stats』
→ Strength: 236 (180+55)
→ Agility: 221 (200+21)
→ Vitality: 221 (200+21)
→ Intelligence: 266 (241+25)
→ Wisdom: 266 (241+25)
→ Spirit: 133 (120+13)
→ Dexterity: 7 (6+1)
『Bonus Stats』 → 0
The stat distribution was impressive—almost absurdly so. Other players might have been gathering stats here and there, but Seong’s numbers were on an entirely different level.
If he had focused on Intelligence and Wisdom, he’d be an unstoppable force as an Overlord. But with his stats balanced across Strength, Agility, and Vitality, he was just as formidable in close combat, capable of going toe-to-toe with melee classes.
Still, his relatively low level was noticeable. After the large-scale Leonic awakening event, his level hadn’t increased, which made grinding necessary.
“Looks like the timing couldn’t be better.”
Acquiring Kahku’s map gave Seong a clear objective. As he pondered his next steps, his three loyal subordinates chimed in.
“My lord, have you decided on our next destination?”
“We’re ready to follow you, Lord.”
“I’ll do my best too!”
Seong chuckled at their enthusiasm. While leveling up had become increasingly difficult, having loyal followers helped ease the burden.
He hadn’t encountered another Almighty-tier class yet, but among such players, leveling was notoriously slow.
“It’s because I share my experience points with my summons,” he thought.
Between his Legion of the Dead, Fiora, and his demon knights, his experience points were split among numerous entities. This mechanic, while powerful, naturally made leveling up a more arduous task.
But it wasn’t an insurmountable issue—it just meant more hunting.
With that thought, Seong summoned Anemore.
“All right, let’s get moving.”
1.
Scene Transition: Somewhere in Japan.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
A man burst out of a capsule in a cramped room that resembled a small apartment. His face was twisted with frustration and rage, and it didn’t take long for him to erupt.
“Damn it!!!”
With a crash, he swept nearby objects to the floor, shouting and grinding his teeth in fury.
The man’s name was Ookami Kenji, known as Oboro in Eternal World. His anger was fueled by the humiliation of being defeated by Seong.
Checking his phone app only deepened his despair. One of the items he’d dropped during his death was the map—a Hidden Piece.
“Damn it, damn it. I have to do something.”
Reclaiming the item himself was no longer an option. With the penalty for dying, he wouldn’t be able to log back into the game for at least a day.
But Kenji wasn’t entirely without options.
“If I tell him...”
He hesitated, but soon dialed a number on his phone. The call connected quickly.
[“What the hell does a filthy villain like you want?”]
Kenji cleared his throat. “Ahem, Kyō-kun? Are you still in the Dune Wild Trail?”
[“Spit it out, dumbass. What do you want?”]
Kenji gritted his teeth but forced himself to continue. “I have... a Hidden Piece.”
There was a pause before the voice on the other end sneered.
[“A Hidden Piece? And you’re giving it to me? You, of all people? The greedy bastard who never shares?”]
The words stung because they were true, but Kenji swallowed his pride. “Yes, yes... that’s right. I can’t use it anymore, so I thought...”
After explaining the situation, he heard mocking laughter.
[“Ha! So you got wrecked and now want me to clean up your mess? Fine, send me the coordinates. You’re lucky I’m interested. But if you call me again for something this stupid, I’ll hunt you down myself.”]
The call ended abruptly, leaving Kenji fuming yet relieved.
“Just you wait,” he muttered with a bitter smile. “Let Kyō-kun deal with that cocky swordsman.”
Even as he tried to enjoy the thought of revenge, the wreckage of his room brought him back to reality. With a heavy sigh, he began picking up the pieces, muttering to himself all the while.
2.
In the East Asia server, whenever a standout player emerged, it usually hailed from one of three countries: Korea, China, or Japan.
Currently, the most talked-about figure was Seong, but apart from him, the buzz revolved around three other names: Meirin, Junhyuk, and Kurosawa Ren. Following closely was the Luna Team from the Rapid Guild.
Before all these rising stars, however, there was one rookie who had left an unforgettable mark. A player who went by the nickname "Kyo" had once laid waste to his competition, earning the moniker The Rookie Slayer.
[DungeonParkingMaster: By the way, what’s Kyo up to these days?]
└ [MobPullExpert: Oh, that Rookie Slayer guy? Yeah, he’s been off the radar ever since he got blacklisted by guilds and started being hunted down.]
└ [BuffStackGod: LOL, but let’s admit it, he was insanely strong.]
└ [ValueDealer: Totally. If he’d joined a decent guild, it would’ve boosted their prestige big time.]
└ [NoHealsGang: Kyo was nuts, for sure. Even if he’s blacklisted, guilds would probably still take him if he decided to join. That’s how good he is.]
└ [SummonerBuddy: Agreed. Kyo is no joke.]
Despite his young age, Kyo had gained a reputation for exceptional control and devastating firepower. Though he wasn’t widely known initially, his rise to fame began in the Dune Wild Trail.
Kyo treated the area like his personal proving ground, systematically crushing rookies from various guilds. His relentless streak of victories earned him fame—and infamy. No rookie guild player could best him, and his dominance was particularly apparent against swordsmen.
This constant hunting spree eventually led to some rookie players—once considered the pride of their guilds—quitting the game entirely. The aftermath saw Kyo blacklisted by most guilds in the Dune Wild Trail.
But Kyo didn’t care.
“Why would I join a guild full of weaklings?”
Even while blacklisted, Kyo continued to elude pursuit teams with ease. His unbroken streak of victories only seemed to fuel his cockiness.
Within villain circles, Kyo’s reputation was nearly on par with Seong’s, though Kyo personally despised villains. He looked down on them, claiming they lacked conviction—justifying his actions with a textbook case of teenage arrogance. Few were aware of his hypocritical disdain for the very community he dominated.
Yet, despite his disdain for villains, Kyo had a peculiar connection with one—Oboro.
It was a bond that had started in the real world but had since dwindled into an occasional in-game contact. Even then, it was mostly one-sided, with Kyo keeping Oboro at arm’s length due to his villainous reputation.
“Damn fool Kenji actually had the nerve to ask me about this,” Kyo muttered, shaking his head.
That Oboro would bring such information to him was surprising. While Oboro wasn’t weak by any means, being taken out so quickly suggested the enemy was significant.
Even so, Kyo smirked. “Still no match for me, though. Heh.”
Looking at the coordinates Oboro had sent him, Kyo’s grin grew wider. The fact that Oboro had contacted him immediately after his defeat showed just how badly he’d been humiliated. It was clear he’d swallowed his pride entirely, hoping Kyo would avenge him.
Kyo, of course, didn’t mind. For information like this, a bit of revenge seemed fair compensation.
“This is the location, huh?”
The mention of a swordsman who wielded a Crimson Storm intrigued Kyo. He hadn’t heard of anyone like that recently, though he had a hunch.
“A swordsman with crimson storms...”
Pulling up some videos, Kyo quickly found footage uploaded by the Rapid Guild. It featured a user with remarkable swordsmanship, tearing through Echo Willow’s elites with ease.
“The Demon King, huh?”
Kyo’s grin widened. This was going to be interesting.
Climbing into his capsule, he logged into Eternal World.
“If I beat the Demon King, that makes me the best, doesn’t it?” he muttered confidently.
As if he’d already won, Kyo carried no doubt about the outcome.
“This’ll be my first time fighting another Almighty-tier class. Hehe, this should be fun.”
Among the rare Almighty-tier players across all servers, Kyo was about to clash with another. And he was ready to prove, without question, who stood at the top.