[Translator - Pr?ks]

[Proofreader - Pr?ks]

Chapter 81

Footsteps echoed.

Despite clearly seeing it, Seonghyun couldn''t discern if it was a man, a woman, an old person, or a child.

All he could perceive was its undeniable presence.

Its identity remained shrouded in mystery.

As this being turned its head, it felt as if their eyes met.

''Can it see me?''

The thought flashed through Seonghyun''s mind.

The being surveyed the area, including where Seonghyun was, and then gazed up at the sky.

It was likely just a coincidence.

After scanning the surroundings, the being murmured with a hint of pity.

-So, Fiora, you''ve gone too. You should have heeded ■■■■■■''s advice.

Seonghyun could sense the regret and sorrow in the being''s voice and the almost melancholic gaze.

But that was all.

The being placed a note on Fiora''s charred remains and spoke again.

-I will be in the Dark Fortress. If the successor they so eagerly await arrives, tell them to come.

With those words, the isolated space seemed to tremble, and the entire garden shook.

Then, the being declared,

-If they wish to carry on the Overlord''s legacy, tell them to come to the Dark Fortress. Until then, I will not acknowledge any successor.

Having spoken, the being vanished without a trace.

How it could appear in this isolated space, or how it disappeared, remained unknown.

Yet, Seonghyun gleaned one thing from this:

''This is the start of the main quest.''

It was the prelude to the main quest.

Soon after the being''s final words, Seonghyun returned to his original world.

At the end of the dungeon, upon witnessing the start of the main quest and reading the note, a new message appeared.

[『Overlord』-exclusive quest, the main quest, 『Entrance to the Dark Fortress』, has been generated.]

''So, it''s a search quest.''

『Entrance to the Dark Fortress』.

Perhaps it''s not yet discoverable?

Or is the quest to find the entrance first?

As Seonghyun pondered, the quest window materialized.

The note''s contents were also listed within the quest window.

『Entrance to the Dark Fortress』

→《Main》

→Main Quest.

→It is said that after the death of the Overlord, who existed since ancient times, the Overlord''s followers formed a group called the Over Palace.

However, not all of the Overlord''s followers joined them.

There were those who chose a different path from the Over Palace, led by the former Overlord''s disciple.

Perhaps realizing they could not coexist, they lived quietly in the shadows, unlike the Over Palace.

And you, one of them, discovered a note left by that being.

『If this note is found, it must be the one who possesses Fiora''s reincarnation, the successor to our Lord.

While the Over Palace may not, we have no intention of accepting a successor yet.

However, to deny you without even giving you a chance would be a great discourtesy to our Lord.

Therefore, we convey this to the nameless successor.

Seek me out.

To the Dark Fortress.

We await here with the legacy left by our Lord.』

Currently, the only clue is this note.

You must find the entrance to the Dark Fortress.

You could ignore it, but for some reason, you strongly felt that you shouldn''t.

Find the entrance to the Dark Fortress.

→Overlord-exclusive Main Quest.

→Reward: Leads to the next quest.

→Failure: Main Quest lost, some Overlord-exclusive skills and items lost.

It was quite lengthy.

Focusing on the main point:

''So, they want me to come because they''ve placed something important there?''

Will they acknowledge me if I find it?

A rather unfriendly note and quest.

However, he couldn''t just leave it be.

First, since the note was the clue, he carefully folded it and placed it in his inventory.

It seemed to be a clue that couldn''t be used right away.

However, Seonghyun had various individuals with him.

First, Helena''s memories were a pass.

He couldn''t read all her memories, and some were locked, so they weren''t complete.

It seemed Seonghyun''s abilities were not yet sufficient to read all of Helena''s vast memories.

So,

''It would be great if Helena were here.''

But seeing as she hadn''t awakened yet, there might be no guarantee even if he waited.

So, he could ask the other two.

Fiora and Baltar.

Seonghyun looked at them and pondered for a moment before asking.

"Do you happen to know where the Dark Fortress is?"

-Oh my, the Dark Fortress. It''s been a while since I heard that name.

-Ah, the Dark Fortress...! Helena''s garden was also in the Dark Fortress! It''s, it''s separated now...

"Oh?"

They answered faster than he expected.

''It should explode upon impact, not just for enemies but anything.''

The power output was also slightly stronger, but that was due to Seonghyun''s absurdly high stats, so the error would be reduced.

First of all, the fact that it didn''t explode when hitting terrain was the worst.

Using it for defense like that was also beyond expectations.

If it were to be corrected, a duration would have to be set, and the setting that it explodes upon impact with anything would have to be added.

Of course, changing it wasn''t a big deal.

It could be changed with a single click in Immortal.

But the problem was,

''If user Seonghyun protests, it''s over...''

Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong quickly searched for previous Epic-rank skill error cases and checked the compensation.

And he had a look of despair.

''Same skill given...''

And it was Legendary, of all things?

Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong hung his head low.

If Associate Oh Jinhyeok had spoken a little sooner?

They could have somehow covered it up with the treasure vault''s rewards.

A gnashing sound was heard from Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong''s mouth.

"Eek!"

"Hoo... well, I have to submit this reward compensation approval. Legendary, of all things..."

"B-but, if they still protest after that..."

"...We''ll have to give additional compensation. I''d probably do the same. So, don''t just give one Legendary item and call it even; give other rewards too..."

He felt like his insides were turning upside down.

No, they really were upside down.

He had a stomach cramp.

His insides were churning, burning, and a mess, but they couldn''t do anything about it.

Because if he didn''t clean up the mess they''d made now, he''d be in bigger trouble.

Anyway,

''Now the main quest is starting.''

It was troublesome, but at least it was a relief.

With this main quest, they could buy some time.

There weren''t any hidden secrets or anything in the main quests.

It was just Seonghyun getting what he was supposed to get.

Was it somewhat okay?

Plus,

''The Hero side is also temporarily taken care of. At least things won''t be too busy, right?''

They had temporarily reduced some of the Over Palace''s restrictions to hinder the Hero side''s forces.

So, it was difficult for the Hero side to move.

Moving individually was one thing, but at least the Hero side as a group wouldn''t move.

The Heroes moving individually could be a big hindrance to Seonghyun now, but

it didn''t seem likely.

If they had any sense, the Hero side''s organization would keep the Heroes from acting recklessly.

That was his hope.

Still, that was some consolation, and his stomachache seemed to ease a bit.

Or not?

As Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong tried to get up, feeling the burning stomach acid, he saw on the screen that a colleague from the next team had urgently sent him a message.

What was going on?

He hoped it was nothing serious, but of course, it wasn''t.

Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong urgently checked the message.

[Emergency! Hero descendant Luke and Sage descendant Flinky discovered a clue about the ''Dark Fortress.'' Confirmed to be a location related to the Overlord. They say they''re going to investigate. Please verify the Overlord side.]

Dark Fortress?

He had definitely seen that somewhere.

Not that long ago. Just now.

"??????"

With a blank expression, he peeked at Seonghyun''s quest window.

Main Quest - Entrance to the Dark Fortress.

And the clue found by Hero Luke was the Dark Fortress?

So, were they going to meet?

Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong''s mind went blank for a moment as he stared at it.

Then he urgently rushed to Team Leader Jung Jihye''s desk.

Thump! Clatter!

He almost tripped on the way, but somehow managed to keep his balance and ran.

Team Leader Jung Jihye also looked at Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong with an ominous expression, as he said,

"H-Hero Luke is going to the Dark Fortress."

"Dark Fortress? Out of the blue?"

"And based on Seonghyun''s play, the main quest has started..."

"N-no way!?"

Just as "no way" often becomes reality, Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong nodded.

Team Leader Jung Jihye closed her eyes and made an internal call to someone.

And when a man with a manly face, who always laughed with a "Heo-heo-he!" answered the phone, she said,

"Deputy Manager Lee Jaekyung... we need to mobilize the Over Palace."

-Hehehe! I said I would, didn''t I? Okay, release the Over Palace apostles'' restrictions up to the second stage!

As if something terrible was about to happen, Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong and Team Leader Jung Jihye closed their eyes.

In the end, the Over Palace was mobilized.

"...N-nothing bad will happen, right?"

"...I hope so."

It wasn''t an answer that things would be okay, but a statement filled with personal hope.

But why?

Team Leader Jung Jihye realized for the first time that those words sounded so cruel.

[Translator - Pr?ks]

[Proofreader - Pr?ks]