Chapter 303: 303
Chapter 303 – Tartarus (3)
Team: HH, thursdays, Yahiko (300(0)/12)
『Where did you find this information, sir? It was something that not even our union had…… . 』
Atran returned after a few hours later with an excited face .
Yeon-woo asked in a low voice .
“So you found something?”
『Of course I found a lot of information! It was just hard to compile it all . But once I finished, it seemed about right . We also gained nice information from this too . Hehehe!』
It must’ve been priceless information because Atran had a huge smile .
Yeon-woo added two more chests on top of the original three he was going to give .
“I’ll add these two more for being discreet . ”
『I love you, sir customer!』
Atran bowed . He looked ready to kiss Yeon-woo’s feet if they weren’t talking through a hologram .
Yeon-woo shook his head as he spoke .
“The three Cyclops brothers first . ”
『You said the three Cyclops brothers moved towards Persephone’s temple 200 years ago, right?』
Yeon-woo nodded .
『To be exact, it was 192 years ago . And they were the apostles of the three cyclops brothers . 』
The three Cyclops brothers weren’t well-known, but they were the first gods to be born from Ouranos and Gaia in the legends of Olympus .
Beings born from the union of the sky and earth . They had the cruel deformity of only having one eye, but their abilities of handling iron were on par with Hephaestus .
『I was able to confirm that they visited Persephone’s temple from the official records of visitors . You’re aware of the hidden stage on the 30th floor, right?』
Yeon-woo nodded . There was no way he wouldn’t know .
On the 30th floor, after finding the antidote for the soul poison, the necessary trial is finished . But upon ascending to the 31st floor, two choices are presented .
You could move onto the next floor through the portal or get to it through the hidden stage .
The hidden stage of the 30th floor could be called an “extension” of the test . An exam that tested you on everything you obtained from the floors in the twenties .
Of course, there wasn’t any penalty for not doing it . It was like extra credit .
‘But after the hidden stage, you can earn a lot of Karma . You can also train yourself . Since it’s a place you can actually call the Beyond . ’
The stages between the 27th to the 30th were based off of the Beyond . To be exact, it was based off of the “path to the Beyond . ”
However, the hidden stage was actually the Beyond .
There were two parts to it—a court for judging the dead souls and 10 different gates that punished players based on their ruling .
Each of the gates were so horrifying they could all be called hell . There were a lot of rankers who liked to brag about how far they reached, how long they endured, and what they earned .
They were all perverts . But like the Sadhu on the 21st stage, the hidden stage of the 30th floor was like heaven for people who wanted to train themselves .
If the Five Mountains of Penances were for sharpening your senses and Consciousness, the 30th floor was to train your mentality and mind .
It was easy to enter it .
‘Persephone’s temple is at the very end of the 30th stage . ’
Persephone’s temple was the entrance and marker of the hidden stage .
『Anyways, the three Cyclops brothers requested to enter the ten gates, and on the sixth, they went off the grid . 』
Yeon-woo’s eyes shined .
“Off the grid?”
『Yes . They went missing . The Bureau must’ve thought that they were just among the many who died… . . and there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary to make them think otherwise, so it seems like they just moved on . However… . . 』
Atran’s voice faded away, as if he had found something amusing that he didn’t want to give up easily .
Yeon-woo lifted the Yaltabao Chests and shook them in the air . Atran pouted and resumed in a complaining voice .
『Before the three disappeared, it’s said that they met with someone . And the youngest, Arges, said this when he was drunk . 』
-Hades called us .
Yeon-woo’s eyes widened .
‘Hades called them?’
What kind of bulls*** was that?
『Thinking that something was strange, I also looked into Hades . However, the information about him… . . there is almost nothing from the last hundred years . He has never showed interest in the lower world, and for the last thousand years, he hasn’t had any apostles, so most players do not care about him . 』
Atran’s eyes shined keenly .
『You know something, don’t you?』
Yeon-woo grinned unknowingly .
“So you want to know, huh?”
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『It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t curious . The lower world cannot see the actions and business of the gods . It’s always them who are watching us, not us watching them . 』
Yeon-woo tossed the five Yaltabao Chests towards the hologram .
[You have supplied ‘Yaltabao Chests × 5’ to ‘By the Table . ’]
“It’s not a good habit to get involved in players’ businesses . ”
『I already know that you have no intentions of telling me . 』
“Then is there nothing related to Hades?”
『He disappeared before the three Cyclops brothers . This is all I have . There’s nothing else . I can’t find anything either . It looks like he suddenly disappeared . The only records left are what I just told you . 』
Hades called us . The words that the apostles of the three Cyclops brothers said in passing . Hades had hidden himself much better than Yeon-woo had thought .
‘When the gods and demons of death were expressing themselves, Hades remained quiet . Even when Astrape and Triaina were absorbed into the Cast of the Black King . ’
Yeon-woo thought that the disappearance of the three Cyclops brothers 192 years ago and Hades’s silence were related .
‘I need to find the three Cyclops brothers first . ’
Yeon-woo checked his body . The change was almost complete, and the Divine Blessings were held in place . His abilities were urging him to grow faster after absorbing the Summer Queen’s soul .
“I have one last question . ”
『What is it?』
“Hades’ holy artifact, Kynee . Do you know where it is?”
Atran shook his head .
『Since he didn’t have any apostles, it’s unlikely his artifact would be on the lower floors . 』
Yeon-woo nodded in understanding and quietly put away Freesia’s Jade Mirror .
Again, he had a lot of things to do .
Yeon-woo finished getting everything together and left the cave . Shanon and Hanryeong went back inside of the shadow, exhausted from keeping guard all this time, and Nike flew out to replace them .
『The air here is so damp!』
Nike looked upset at the air of the 30th floor . It seemed he didn’t like the world of the souls since he symbolized life .
Yeon-woo stroked Nike’s head and headed north, when he felt the shadows suddenly becoming heavier .
They turned in that direction . A large wyvern covered the sky . Soon after, Creutz lightly stepped down from the wyvern .
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“Cain!”
Even after having fallen from quite the height with his characteristic heavy armor on, Creutz seemed fine .
“How are you? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Creutz spun around Yeon-woo, checking to see if Yeon-woo was injured anywhere .
After the battle, Creutz looked in every nook and cranny of the 30th floor to search for Yeon-woo . He was the precious friend of the Regiment Leader, so he was worried that he might be hurt somewhere .
Yeon-woo swept Creutz’s annoying hand to the side .
“Stop, It’s alright, so stop . ”
“It’s a relief that you’re alright . Still, you might be hurt somewhere that you can’t see, so why don’t you stay still and call over a priest or a doctor?”
Yeon-woo didn’t say anything further because it was annoying . He used Blink again, spreading his wings of fire apart . Creutz had a stunned face and quickly got onto the Flying Dragon to chase after Yeon-woo .
‘Just who is this Regiment Leader for Creutz to be so faithful?’
Yeon-woo thought to himself as he saw the shadow of the wyvern following him . Just who was the Fantasy Regiment Leader that he was able to have such loyalty from his subordinates?
Yeon-woo headed south with the map he received from Atran . After staying awake for four days and nights, he was able to reach the end of the stage .
The South was extremely hot . The sun was simmering, and the ground was filled with forests and swamps, so it was hard to move .
“The temple of Persephone? Are you headed towards the hidden stage?”
Creutz looked dismayed . He already knew about the hidden stage on the 30th floor because he was a ranker .
The ten gates were so difficult that even he wasn’t guaranteed to get through all of them . It was a place filled with trouble .
It would be painstaking for Yeon-woo since it was his first attempt .
The Yeon-woo that Creutz had observed until now would never leave the 30th stage until he cleared all the gates .
Since he wanted to lead Yeon-woo towards their Regiment Leader as quickly as possible, he felt frustrated .
And it wasn’t like he could strike the back of Yeon-woo’s head and force him to move with him . He had to persuade him somehow .
But… . .
Yeon-woo ignored him whenever he tried . He slowly stepped through the swamp and moved towards Persephone’s temple .
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Creutz sighed .
It seemed like he would have to follow Yeon-woo into the hidden stage .
He looked at Yeon-woo with amazement . He was throwing himself into another trial although it hadn’t been that long since he fought Benteke .
‘Is this why he’s called the greatest of the Six New Stars… . . ’
It was now the Five New Stars since Benteke was dead . But it truly was amazing .
He hardened his resolve to save Yeon-woo if he was in danger again .
Urrrng, urng—
His holy sword, Zulfikar, shook as it cried, reading his thoughts .
Yeon-woo arrived at a cottage at the end of the swamp with an annoying acquaintance in tow .
It was a tiny cottage house that looked like a resting spot for a hunter .
The long vines on the walls stood out . There were beautiful flowers on the walls with pleasant scents .
There was also a magical mood to it .
This was Persephone’s temple .
It was the holy land of the goddess who ruled over the Beyond along with Hades .
Just then, the door to the cottage burst open, and a priest wearing a leaf-green robe quietly walked out . The man’s emerald hair was quite striking .
“You’ve come . I’ve been waiting . ”
Creutz’s eyes widened . He realized who the priest who greeted them was .
Bodi of Green Shade . It was Persephone’s apostle .
Most people were led into the hidden stage by Persephone’s priests or students, but it was extremely rare for her apostle to come himself . Also, Bodi said that he had been waiting for them .
Despite this, Yeon-woo nodded, like it was to be expected .
He had clashed with Poseidon, and all the gods of Olympus would know that he was looking for Hades . He had expected Persephone would react to this, too .
“Please come this way . The great Persephone is waiting inside to greet you . ”
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