Chapter 246

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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“He’s finally moving. I thought I was going to die of frustration.”

Inside the Grand Temple of the Holy State’s capital, in the Gallery of Glory where the top-tier players of the Sacred Body Faction stayed, two people sat facing each other.

“But what does our great singer think?”

Xiao Hui, ranked 9th, twisted her blue hair with her hand and threw out a playful question.

The brown-haired woman sitting opposite her was Everett, ranked 5th.

“Call me singer one more time, and I’ll hold a press conference and distribute only photos of you crying,” Everett said, slightly moving only her green eyes.

Xiao Hui, who was dazed for a moment, showed a late reaction.

“…How do you have that?”

“Your older sister and I are a bit close, you know?”

“Oh, seriously!”

Opening her eyes wide, she quickly moved her hands, trying to send a message to her sister.

Watching that, Everett gave a smirk.

“I heard she’s going to France for a vacation. You probably won’t be able to reach her.”

“Sigh, all of that is my money.”

Xiao Hui let out a sigh at the fact she hadn’t known. Leaning her body over the sparkling table, she tapped her fingers.

“Whatever that human is, what do you really think?”

“About what?”

“It’s the first death of that Black Dragon, isn’t it? There’s no way Mister Sirius would fail. Wouldn’t the Goddess of Silence have prepared something?”

“Hmm…”

Everett pondered for a moment at the repeated question.

A top-tier player who was hardly known even within the Holy State, let alone the Sacred Body Faction, Sirius was the pinnacle among them. He was an existence in a different league, and it was difficult to even guess the principle of his power. The only thing that could be known was the fact that the place where he received oracles was different.

“Thinking common-sensically, he would obviously succeed. But the opponent is Black Dragon, just as you said. You never know what kind of extraordinary move he might use.”

“Hey, still, surviving from the 1st ranker is strange.”

“If you’re curious, at least watch the broadcast.”

“I hate watching other people’s screens because it’s dizzying… Well, since I’m bored, shall I watch?”

Xiao Hui, whose mind had changed, quickly turned on the Recorder and entered Black Dragon’s broadcast.

「Excellent judgment.」

“See. I said it was a success, didn’t I?”

Sirius, shown on the screen, was thrusting his sword into Black Dragon’s chest.

However.

「Did you think I’d just die?」

Suddenly, Black Dragon raised the corners of his mouth and embedded a tree branch into Sirius’s neck. Then, the vines extending from the neck moved to the World Tree’s trunk and began to assimilate.

“Eh?”

The flustered Xiao Hui brought her face close to the screen. Sirius’s voice followed immediately.

「…Excellent resourcefulness.」

Fwoosh—!

Black Dragon’s body was wrapped in flames along with his last words. Simultaneously, Black Dragon’s broadcast cut off.

“He’s dead… right?”

Xiao Hui, who wore a dazed expression for a while, turned her head and asked. Everett, who received the question, was equally puzzled.

“At the last, it looked as if Sirius was also caught by the World Tree. For now, the situation…”

Flash—!

Then, a person appeared along with light from the inner part of the gallery. It was Sirius, who had been on the screen until just a moment ago. The reason he looked somewhat different from usual was unknown.

“Mister, you killed Black Dragon, right? Right?”

Xiao Hui rose and approached him. But Sirius shook his head with an expressionless face.

“He did not die.”

“What? He disappeared while being burned. You say that’s not dying?”

“There was no reward from PK, nor gold and item drops from penalty. The oracle received is also still valid. He really disappeared from before my eyes.”

“?”

Even at the nonchalant explanation, Xiao Hui did not understand. Everett, who was watching that conversation, took her gaze off the closed broadcast screen.

“The Goddess of Silence must have used her power, right?”

“I cannot be certain. Perhaps it could be a situation even Black Dragon did not expect.”

“…I can’t believe that, but anyway, it means he escaped from death. The plan has gone awry.”

The players of the Grand Temple who had tried to check Black Dragon’s death and the changes appearing in RP—the top-tier rankers who had not received an intervention oracle regarding Black Dragon until now—thought this was the starting point for action. But the large-scale plan where the 1st ranker had moved ended in failure at the very first step.

“Isn’t this oracle a bit strange?” Xiao Hui said while furrowing her brow.

“What do you mean?”

Sirius’s voice, as he asked back, was sharp. But the party who brought it up did not notice.

“Isn’t it? What have we obtained from the oracles that targeted Black Dragon until now? Even though people much weaker than us were deployed, it was a wild-goose chase every time. Isn’t it better for us to judge and move slowly?”

“Are you saying you will go against the words the Goddess of Turbulence has given?”

“Rather, it’s listening better. We’re moving for the Goddess’s victory, aren’t we? What if we lose like this?”

“We do not lose.”

“It’s not a matter of such confidence…”

“It is not a matter of mentality. I shall come to possess power that deviates from the principles of this world. This is the grace the Goddess has bestowed upon me.”

Whoosh—

Sirius left the gallery after leaving those words. Watching his retreating back, Xiao Hui spoke in an absurd voice.

“What, is he sulking? Even putting on all that bluff.”

“There’s no way Sirius would speak lies in the name of the Goddess. Surely he has some kind of method.”

“Then it’s even stranger. Aren’t we on the same side? Why is he becoming strong through a method only he knows!”

“Well.”

Sacred Body Faction players grew in their respective ways after receiving oracles. Especially the top-tier rankers had walked a golden path while receiving the benefits of immensely high-efficiency quests, dungeons, and hunting. It was a matter carried out in the special areas of the Holy State where even the Investigation Team could not enter. But it seemed Sirius was planning to use yet another method.

“Anyway, the situation is over.”

Everett stood up from her seat while turning off the black screen. In that moment…

Ding—!

Along with an alarm, a golden message popped up before her eyes.

[Player Black Dragon has succeeded in ascending to an Investigation Team member in the shortest episode.]

[An opportunity for reset and retry is granted to players who cleared the existing Episode 7.]

[The 2nd Update of Record Project will proceed.]

“Eh? What’s this? Update? They’re doing it again?”

Xiao Hui, who saw the same message, opened her eyes wide. Everett was surprised as well, because the 1st Update was only a while ago, and there was no oracle at all regarding this situation.

“Let’s go to the Pope.”

Everett turned and moved hurriedly outside the gallery. Xiao Hui, who was looking at the golden text, also quickly followed behind.

***

‘What is this again?’

Han-bit, standing on the shore, furrowed his brow while looking at the golden message. It was because of the news of the 2nd Update that appeared abruptly. Even while chewing it over, it was a change that came too fast.

Splash—!

While he was falling into such worry, the approaching elf boat stopped. The appearance of people on board moving to a small boat entered his eyes.

“Let’s go check!”

Charlotte, who was watching the boat, stepped forward first. Han-bit, who closed the world message, also followed behind.

Slosh—!

As the small boat anchored on the land, people got off. The twins, Ping-pong, and several other Investigation Team members followed. Successively getting off were elves, numbering around ten.

“Everyone has woken up. It’s a relief.”

Charlotte let out a sigh of relief while looking at her friends’ faces. The one who approached furthest ahead was Kyle. Walking straight, he stood in front of the two people. Then he placed his right hand on his chest and showed the elf’s courtesy.

“I heard you stopped a terrible tyranny. My sincere thanks.”

Kyle’s words had two meanings. One was saving the elf village that was on the verge of destruction after being encroached upon by external power. The other was gratitude for stopping him from nearly killing his own kind. Han-bit also had no thought of wanting to see such a tragedy.

“It was a task that should have been done.”

“That is a difficult decision. I shall make sure not to forget this grace.”

Han-bit knew the sincerity contained in the nonchalant voice. While Kyle showed courtesy once again, a familiar voice echoed.

“Black Dragon!”

The waiting twins and Ping-pong approached closely. Han-bit distanced himself from Charlotte’s group with a hand gesture.

“I didn’t know you would carry out a counterattack there! So that was how you used the World Tree’s branch?”

“I thought something big happened when the streaming was interrupted. Isn’t it too much of a cheat for the 1st ranker to suddenly come?”

Haneul and Ping-pong brought up the earlier situation. Surely the appearance of Black Dragon seen through the broadcast screen would have been nothing more or less than death.

“What will happen with the 2nd Update? It’s been only a few days,” No-eul said, recalling the golden message once again.

Thinking about it again, it was an all too short time interval.

“The variable that arose in this episode’s progress must have been large. It’ll come out as a notice, so let’s wait.”

The 1st and 2nd Update periods both appeared with Han-bit’s episode clear. In other words, until now, the only subject that gave a large change to the game was the player Black Dragon. The Sacred Body Faction players who received oracles would have been using the element of episodes as mere tools for interference anyway. Somehow, he received a feeling that they would clash more after this update.

‘It’s a relief I obtained the World Tree’s power.’

Many things had happened, but ultimately Han-bit had obtained the Legacy of the World Tree. The role from now on was the exploration of uncleared areas where the Investigation Team’s hand did not reach. Ultimately, the goal was to head to the devil’s territory in the subterranean area. With the current progress speed, it was not a story that was very far off.

“Ah, you guys still have the main quest remaining, right?” Han-bit, who had a sudden thought, asked the three people.

Because no one could involve themselves in the matters that broke out in the World Tree’s area.

“Our main quest was different in content from Number 9. It was content to help the elves’ recovery. Number 10 was coming here,” Haneul continued her words while looking at the quest window.

Listening to the story, Han-bit looked at the arrived Investigation Team members. Among them, one person caught his eye.

Roald had used a provocative tone on the flying ship. He hadn’t been able to meet him in the elf village, but he seemed to have been protecting the elves on the forest side.

“Listen well. Probably you guys will investigate the World Tree’s inside along with Roald. There, you just have to obtain one clue regarding the Investigation Team’s uncleared areas. The place where the clue is is a space called the False Roots. It’s a place even the World Tree itself doesn’t know, and the location is…”

Han-bit delivered detailed explanations to the three people. If the achievement built in the elf village and this achievement were added, they could sufficiently rise to official Investigation Team members.

“You three there. Come this way.”

Then, Roald, who was sharing a conversation with Charlotte, called the group. His eyes toward Han-bit had softened considerably compared to the flying ship.

“We’ll be back.”

“We’ll try to finish as quickly as possible.”

The twins, who were listening to the explanation while crouching, rose. Then Ping-pong, who shouldered his shield, said with a smirk.

“Just trust me. I’m also good at finding paths.”

“Mister, you got lost even in the village.”

“A bit even in the Cube of Hell…”

Ping-pong showed confidence while the twins showed doubt. Watching their receding backs, they seemed to have become quite close now.

The time already exceeded 2 AM. Thinking of the top priority goal of private area strategy, staying up all night was meaningless, because for the preliminary preparation, he had to go outside for now. Probably Ibella would arrive here tomorrow, so moving via magic was best. There was no need to turn on the broadcast right now either.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the rankings.’

He wasn’t particularly interested in the rankings that were updated every midnight. No, the time to show interest was ambiguous. Han-bit, who was also curious about other players’ rank changes, moved to the homepage.

‘The rankings are… eh?’

Han-bit’s gaze, which was about to scan the list, was stuck in the center of the homepage. There, one new notice item was floating.

[Revealing the key changes of the 2nd Update.]