Having received their equipment, Kellibey and Hannibal declared a week's vacation, refusing any further requests and departed. My main party and I decided to re-enter the dungeon to rendezvous with the other party members who were still exploring, aiming to finish our search.
We used the teleport gate to return to the 'Research Lab' dungeon, but...
"Guys, we're ba..."
Whooosh.
Flames crackled and roared everywhere.
"...?"
What... What's happening?
The 'Research Lab' was already in ruins, with fires raging in various locations. About twenty other party members sat dazed and covered in ash in the safety zone.
"What the hell happened?"
A disheveled Verdandi, her usually shimmering green hair now a mess, approached me with a weary face.
"Lord Ash... You're back..."
"Yes, Verdandi. What exactly happened?"
"...Let me explain from the beginning."
She began with a defeated expression.
"We had received information that the Holy Grail we were seeking was located in this research facility."
"Ah, so that's why you volunteered to search."
"Yes. It was the most promising lead we've had in the past 100 years. We were actively searching every corner when..."
Verdandi presented a leaf, which, despite the surrounding inferno, radiated a refreshing green hue.
"It's a leaf from our World Tree. This confirmed we were in the right place."
The Holy Grail Seekers' mission was to revive the World Tree, and the Grail was deeply connected to it.
"We were confident the Holy Grail was here..."
"I see."
But why was this place a blazing inferno?
"As we excitedly ventured further in..."
She shot a resentful glance to the side.
Beside her, Dusk Bringar, attempting to act innocent, put her hands behind her head and casually whistled.
"That dragon... suddenly unleashed a breath attack, destroying the research facility's structures. The resulting collapse and fire forced us to flee here."
"...A dragon's breath? Like, a beam from her mouth? She can do that? And why did she?"
Trying to justify herself, Dusk Bringar cut in.
"Well, there were trolls hiding. They ambushed us. I was so shocked that I accidentally hiccuped."
"...When you hiccup, you breath fire?"
"Sometimes?"
Dusk Bringar smirked confidently. This wasn't the time for showing off!
While Verdandi looked ready to draw her sword and attack Dusk Bringar, she was clearly outmatched in terms of combat capability and only fumed silently.
I tried to reassure her by patting her shoulder.
"Just wait a bit. Once the fire dies down, we'll re-enter and continue the exploration-"
Before I could finish,
BOOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted from the research facility.
Intense heat waves followed, and debris from the facility rained down like hail.
Rushing to our aid, Evangeline extended her shield.
Swoosh!
The ice elemental Glaciar, housed within the shield, started spinning rapidly, extending an icy barrier that multiplied the shield's size by tens of times.
THUD!
The massive shield caught all the debris from the collapsing facility. Evangeline, her face flushed with excitement, cheered.
"Woohoo! My new shield rocks!"
Hey! That's great and all, but read the room!
The crystal-clear ice shield provided a clear view, showcasing the entirety of the Research Lab as it was obliterated in the explosion...
"..."
Verdandi dropped to her knees, a lost expression on her face.
"It's all over..."
"No, Verdandi, not yet..."
"It's over. All our efforts over the past 100 years, our race's future... it's all gone."
She held the leaf of the World Tree, which fluttered desolately in her hand. Embracing it, Verdandi let out a hollow laugh.
"It's the end! The end for elves! Accept our demise!"
"Hey, snap out of it, Verdandi!"
I quickly took out an emergency sunflower seed(?) and popped it into her mouth.
Preparing to sing an elvish lament, I finally told Verdandi the other piece of information.
"The Holy Grail isn't here. I know where it is."
Her clouded eyes cleared instantly.
She hurriedly swallowed the sunflower seed in her mouth and asked, "What?"
"It's not here. I know its location in the game. It's in the 8th Zone Tower."
The 8th Zone dungeon, the "Mage Tower," was the advanced version of this research facility—think of it as the difference between college and graduate school.
She looked up at me with her moist eyes, licking the sunflower seed crumbs from the corner of her lips and hesitantly asked, "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"No, I'm not. I promise. If it's not there, I'll personally ensure that your race survives."
"How will you take responsibility?"
"Even without the Grail, I'll ensure your race thrives. Really! Don't worry."
Well, it's bound to appear in that location anyway.
Verdandi cautiously reached out her hand.
"Promise?"
"Yeah, yeah, promise."
I shook her hand. She grasped it tightly, shaking up and down with enthusiasm.
The situation was finally under control, and with the dungeon in ruins, there was no reason to stay. I ordered a retreat.
As the other parties vanished one by one through the teleport gate, I approached Dusk Bringar, frowning.
"Your Grace... why would you suddenly unleash a breath attack and blow the dungeon to smithereens?"
If it's destroyed to this extent, the dungeon's function is nullified. The monsters that would respawn every season won't return.
We lost a farming spot. What's this right after the dungeon debut?
Dusk Bringar shrugged nonchalantly.
"I had my reasons for burying this place."
"What? The breath wasn't an accident?"
"Do you think I, a dragon, can't control my own breath?"
She flashed a shark-like grin, revealing sharp teeth, and pulled something out.
"Do you know what this is?"
It was a small, black... piece of thorny wood.
I took it, puzzled. What's this?
"This is a branch from the Guardian Tree of Humanity, the black thorn tree that has been with the empire since its foundation—'Everblack.'"
"What?"
"I found it in this research facility. So, I destroyed the place to prevent others from delving deeper."
I examined the wooden piece more closely.
Now that I thought about it, it did resemble the enormous tree I saw in the imperial palace's reality...
"But why is it here?"
The tree connected to the origins of the Everblack Empire.
Why was it discovered in the ancient ruins of the Lake Kingdom, hundreds of years old?
"Well, it's worth pondering upon."
Dusk Bringar, shrugging her shoulders, headed for the teleport gate.
"It seems the secrets of the Lake Kingdom... are deeper than we anticipated."
Flash!
She disappeared into the gate, leaving me standing there, stunned.
'Everything is connected.'
All the events leading to the true ending are linked in one way or another.
I had an intuition. Just like in the game, simply defeating monsters and clearing dungeons wouldn't lead to the true ending. Only after uncovering the truths hidden behind this world would I finally grasp it.
But how?
How...?
***
The free exploration ended.
The exploration was easy since it was an unusually large party of 25 members. However, the problem was:
'Since we split the XP... I didn't get much...'
The experience needed to level up from 49 to 50 was significant. Even though we defeated many monsters and gained a lot of experience, splitting it among 25 members wasn't enough for me to level up.
Thus, my awakening was delayed... There were downsides to operating such a large party.
'I can't wait to unlock my ultimate skill...'
I was curious about which ultimate skill I would acquire.
Anyway, no need to rush. I'll safely earn my experience, and eventually, I'll reach level 50.
"Ah."
Upon returning to Crossroad from the dungeon, I stepped into the backyard of the manor.
I felt something cold touch my cheek. Looking up, I saw white snowflakes falling.
"It's snowing."
I muttered, catching the snowflakes.
The fluffy snow painted the sky and ground white. The younger members of the party had already started a snowball fight.
Watching them laughing and tossing snowballs, a smile formed on my face. They weren't even tired after the dungeon raid.
"It's still late fall, but the first snow came early this year."
Lucas, who was next to me watching the sky, calmly said. A white breath escaped his lips.
"Winter is approaching fast."
"The season when I first set foot in this world."
And also – the season of drastic changes.
My first year in this world was coming to an end.
Soon, the second year of my conquest would begin.
***
[Free Exploration Ended!]
[Leveled Up Characters]
>Sub Party 1
- Tuesday(R) Lv.45 (↑1)
- Wednesday(R) Lv.45 (↑1)
- Bucky(R) Lv.45 (↑1)
- OnTheRock(R) Lv.43 (↑1)
>Sub Party 2
- Godhand(SR) Lv.47 (↑1)
- Bodybag(R) Lv.42 (↑1)
- Burnout(SR) Lv.41 (↑1)
- Lilly(R) Lv.37 (↑1)
- Margarita(R) Lv.40 (↑1)
[Deceased or Injured Characters]
- None
[Acquired Equipment]
- Cross Family Spear - Ifrit Edition(SSR)
- Cross Family Shield - Glacier Edition(SSR)
[Acquired Items]
- Summon Scroll: Magic Tower
- Standard High-Grade Magic Core(SR): 5
- Standard Advanced Magic Core(R): 10
- Troll Legion Fluid: 40
- Troll Legion Magic Stone: 52
***
A few days later.
With the next stage drawing near, I was finalizing our defense strategies and inspecting the soldiers' weapons and equipment one last time when...
"Your Highness!"
Serenade burst into my mansion, gasping for breath.
Perched gently on her shoulder was a massive eagle, glaring at us with sharp eyes.
It was the messenger hawk the Silver Winter Merchant Guild used for fast, long-distance information exchange. This was my first time seeing one in person.
And with Serenade arriving in such haste with the hawk, there could only be one piece of news urgent enough to warrant such urgency.
Catching her breath, Serenade exclaimed,
"News from the central continent... The Imperial Army's 1st Division has clashed with the Imperial Capital Defense Force!"
The party members who were with me gasped in unison, and I clenched my fist tightly.
The First Legion of the Everblack Empire, responsible for the western front and border defense.
The Imperial Capital Defense Force of New Terra, a standing army directly under the Imperial Family, responsible for the outer defense of the Imperial Capital.
The fact that these two forces had clashed meant, in other words...
"And on the same day, Prince Lark, the first Crown Prince, and Prince Fernandez, the second Crown Prince, declared war on each other...!"
A bloody internal strife.
The civil war within the Everblack Imperial Family had finally begun.