Emergency Quest...?
- This is the first time an emergency quest has appeared so suddenly since the Beauty Fragment, Master.
The emergency quest had appeared the moment Kang Hyunsoo opened the hidden door in the floor.
Seeing the glowing text, Kang Hyunsoo frowned.
It was his first time encountering a quest labeled "emergency" that had appeared so abruptly.
Though it wasn’t explicitly stated, the circumstances strongly suggested a connection to his Beauty talent.
With things as they were, there was no way he could ignore it.
Drawing his twin swords, Kang Hyunsoo took a step down the underground staircase.
“I’ll go down first.”
“Hunter Kang Hyunsoo, by yourself? You’re not going to wait for reinforcements?”
“Yes, I think it’s for the best. This is an investigation, after all, and besides...”
As he descended, Kang Hyunsoo racked his brain for a way to convince Choi Jiwoo.
But just as his foot touched the first step—
Whoooosh!
“...!”
A fierce gust of mana-laden wind erupted from below.
The source of the dense mana was unclear, but there was a clue.
At that moment, a new message appeared:
[The hidden altar’s door has been opened.]
[Seal the altar again or prove your qualification within the time limit.]
[Failure to resolve the issue within the time limit will result in the complete release of the sealed entities, leading to chaos.]
[Time remaining: 30 minutes.]
Not only Kang Hyunsoo, but Choi Jiwoo could also see the message in her field of vision.
“The... the hidden altar’s door? Did you see it too, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo?”
“Yes, I did. We don’t have time to wait for reinforcements. Whatever is inside, we need to resolve this within 30 minutes.”
Though the exact nature of what was sealed inside was unknown, it was clear that failing to address the problem would lead to powerful foes running rampant.
“Hunter Choi Jiwoo, please wait here for reinforcements. I’ll handle this alone.”
“H-Hunter Kang Hyunsoo...!”
Ignoring Choi Jiwoo’s call, Kang Hyunsoo swiftly descended into the darkness.
The underground space was pitch-black.
There weren’t even the luminous stones typically embedded in dungeon walls to provide minimal visibility, making it difficult to see even an inch ahead.
But Kang Hyunsoo charged forward without hesitation.
Turning on his phone’s flashlight provided some visibility.
- There are no obstacles ahead. Just follow me, Master!
Swallow flew ahead, scouting the path for him.
The corridor was a straight shot.
Clearly artificial, the path stretched in a perfectly rectangular shape, its origin unmistakably man-made.
Before long—
- Master, there’s a dead end ahead!
Despite running for only a short while, they reached the end of the path.
At the end of the oppressive darkness stood—
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“Grrr...!”
[Lv 500. Fragmented Altar Statue]
[Lv 500. Fragmented Altar Statue]
[Lv 500. Fragmented Altar Statue]
Twelve towering statues wielding massive greatswords stood, their crimson eyes glowing ominously.
Their identity was clear as soon as Kang Hyunsoo saw their status tags and those gleaming red eyes.
[Destroy all Fragmented Altar Statues to reseal the altar.]
An explanatory message appeared in the air.
“So, all I need to do is take them down?”
“That seems to be the case, Master.”
Victory wasn’t out of reach.
Though their size and level—500—were imposing, they were still equivalent to monsters from an A-rank dungeon.
Pausing briefly, Kang Hyunsoo crossed his twin swords and prepared for an all-out offensive.
The statues hadn’t attacked yet, so his plan was to unleash long-range skills and eliminate them in one swift assault.
With the factory and Choi Jiwoo above, choosing the right skill and moderating his strength were critical.
But just as he was about to unleash his attack—
“Hunter Kang Hyunsoo!!”
Choi Jiwoo’s voice rang out from behind him.
Swallow immediately went into stealth mode, while Kang Hyunsoo turned around, still holding his twin swords.
“Hunter Choi Jiwoo...? What about the reinforcements?”
“I couldn’t just let you go in alone! Let’s fight together. Two are better than one, aren’t they?”
Though Kang Hyunsoo was confident he could handle it alone, Choi Jiwoo still viewed him as a mid-to-upper-level hunter and couldn’t bring herself to let him take on the danger by himself.
She moved to his side, analyzing the situation as she stared at the statues.
“Their levels are quite high. If we don’t defeat them, the system said the seals will break, right?”
“Yes, that seems to be the case.”
The two stood at the end of the corridor, where a faint, reddish energy swirled through a crack between two walls, leaking ominously.
The statues likely needed to be defeated to close the gap and properly reseal the altar.
“Then I’ll go first. Just support me from behind, Hunter Kang Hyunsoo!”
“W-Wait a second...!”
Before Kang Hyunsoo could stop her, Choi Jiwoo dashed forward, rapier in hand, and charged the statues.
Her slender sword seemed ill-suited for dealing with such massive stone foes.
But its destructive power was anything but weak.
“Graaaah...!”
“Haaah!!”
The moment Choi Jiwoo’s rapier clashed with one statue’s greatsword—
Clang!
The massive greatsword shattered into two pieces and clattered to the ground.
- Ho...? The dainty lady is quite impressive!
Even Swallow, watching from the sidelines, was impressed by her strength.
Choi Jiwoo didn’t stop there.
As soon as she destroyed the greatsword, she surged forward, her rapier slicing at blinding speeds, too quick for the eye to follow.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Though it initially seemed like she was swinging wildly at the air—
The results were clear.
Boom! Crash! Rumble!
The colossal statue shattered into countless fragments.
Her rapier, though slim, had proven overwhelmingly effective, leaving no trace of weakness.
A satisfied smile tugged at Choi Jiwoo’s lips.
However—
“One down... nine to go.”
No sooner had she grinned in triumph than something unexpected occurred.
The fragments of the shattered statue began to reassemble.
Krrrk...! Clatter-clatter-clatter!
The scattered fragments of the statue on the floor began moving on their own, drawn together as if by a magnetic force, returning to their original form.
“What... What the—?”
Choi Jiwoo stared wide-eyed at the statues as they reassembled in an instant.
Less than a second had passed, but the consequences were significant.
Not only had the shattered statue pieced itself back together—
Whoosh!
The remaining statues, observing nearby, swung their greatswords toward Choi Jiwoo in a coordinated assault.
“...!”
I let my guard down!
She realized the danger too late.
The massive blades were already upon her, attacking from every angle with no blind spots.
Rather than attempting to evade, Choi Jiwoo braced herself, curling up in anticipation of the impact.
But even as she prepared for the worst—
BOOM!
Nothing happened to her.
Despite the thunderous roar and the shockwave that accompanied it, her body remained unscathed.
The reason was simple.
“These things aren’t ordinary, are they?”
Standing before her, Kang Hyunsoo had deflected every single attack with his twin swords.
The surprises didn’t ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ stop there.
As soon as Kang Hyunsoo entered the fray—
- We greet the Successor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The menacing statues suddenly dropped to one knee, bowing in a knightly manner.
“What... What is this...?”
Choi Jiwoo wasn’t the only one confused.
Is this some sort of quest gimmick?
Kang Hyunsoo cautiously observed the statues, his twin swords still raised.
The truth soon became clear.
A new message appeared in the air as the statues knelt like knights:
[The Fragmented Altar Statues recognize the Beauty Successor and offer their reverence.]
“The Beauty Successor...?”
Choi Jiwoo murmured, repeating the text that had appeared in her field of vision.
At that moment—
RUMBLE!
The solid wall at the end of the corridor began to part, revealing an altar radiating crimson energy.
[Emergency Quest]
[Discover the hidden altar (1/1)]
[You have found the hidden altar.]
[Prove your qualification on the sealed altar (0/1)]
Kang Hyunsoo’s emergency quest was partially completed.
Simultaneously—
Whoosh!
His body was suddenly pulled toward the altar as if sucked in by an invisible force.
“Ugh...!”
“Hunter Kang Hyunsoo...!!”
Alarmed, Choi Jiwoo tried to follow him, but the statues barred her way.
- Interference is not permitted.
The statues swung their greatswords, creating a gust of wind that hurled her back toward the corridor.
“Kyaaah!”
Choi Jiwoo was flung in the opposite direction of Kang Hyunsoo, her trajectory threatening to slam her into the wall.
But just before impact—
Buzz!
A protective blue shield enveloped her, cushioning her fall.
“I will look after the lady. Please focus on the altar, Master!”
The source of the shield was Swallow, who had conjured it to save her.
A small bird flapping in midair, Swallow earned a bewildered look from Choi Jiwoo as she tilted her head and spoke.
“A... talking swallow...?”
“My name is Swallow. I would prefer you call me that instead of simply ‘swallow,’ my lady.”
Such a show-off...
Kang Hyunsoo shook his head from atop the altar as he glanced back at the corridor.
Though the force pulling him was impossible to resist, it hadn’t caused any significant damage.
Now, Kang Hyunsoo stood on the altar, the statues remained kneeling, and Choi Jiwoo was protected by Swallow.
The next step was simple: finish the quest.
There were two options:
One, destroy all the statues and reseal the altar.
Two, prove his qualification as the message had suggested.
The choice was clear.
Both the flow of events and the quest directive pointed to the second option.
[Emergency Quest]
[Prove your qualification on the sealed altar (0/1)]
Kang Hyunsoo moved to the center of the altar, where a crimson beam of light was radiating.
Placing his hand over the light, he awaited the outcome.
[You have proven your qualification with Absolute Beauty.]
[Prove your qualification on the sealed altar (1/1).]
[Emergency Quest completed.]
[You have proven your qualification.]
[The Gate of Sin is closing.]
It was the correct answer.
Simply holding his hand over the crimson light had completed the emergency quest and stabilized the ominous energy emanating from the altar.
But just as Kang Hyunsoo sighed in relief—
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The cavern began to quake violently. Crimson energy from the altar surged upward, concentrating on the ceiling.
CRASH!
A message appeared:
[Reward]
[You have obtained a Divine Quest.]
[Divine Quest]
[The Path to Divinity (0/3)]
As the message displayed, crimson light poured over Kang Hyunsoo, filling the cavern with its brilliance and marking the beginning of a new challenge.