Episode 262
“What did you say appeared?”
Zeke had barely arrived at Agamemnon Castle when he was hit with an unbelievable piece of news before he even dismounted his horse.
They had discovered a ‘Medusa’—a creature only heard of in legends—on the southern archipelago they were exploring.
Aster, who delivered the news, spoke with an unusual excitement, a stark contrast to his usual lethargic demeanor due to insomnia.
“My lord, do you think a Medusa could really exist?”
Diego, standing beside Aster, nodded vigorously.
“We have a similar legend back home. A wicked witch who turns people to stone with just a glance!”
Watching Aster and Diego chatter away, Zeke felt a headache coming on.
He quickly convened a meeting with the knights’ leaders in the conference hall.
Once everyone was gathered, Clone slammed the round table with urgency.
“Captain! They say a Medusa has appeared! We need to head to the archipelago immediately!”
Zeke calmed the excited Clone and took his seat.
He turned to Boris for clarification.
“Boris, can you give us a clear rundown of the situation?”
Boris, looking a bit troubled, explained to Zeke.
“While exploring an island meant to be a central hub, Rick’s party seems to have discovered a dungeon.”
“A dungeon? There was a dungeon in the southern archipelago?”
“Yes, it’s located in the middle of the Sea of Death, a place rarely visited, which is probably why it went unnoticed.”
“So, they found a Medusa inside this dungeon?”
Boris shook his head.
“They didn’t find a Medusa, but they did come across several statues.”
“Statues?”
“Yes, according to Jason’s report, the statues vary in style and era, and their expressions are eerily lifelike.”
Zeke pressed his temples.
“Did they conclude a Medusa exists just from those statues?”
“They also found ancient symbols and architecture they’ve never seen before inside the dungeon.”
Boris handed Zeke a drawing of the symbols that came with the urgent report. Zeke studied it, feeling a sense of familiarity.
“I feel like I’ve seen this symbol somewhere before.”
As Zeke examined the drawing, Boris added, “We haven’t confirmed if a real Medusa is there, but it does seem to be an ancient site of some kind.”
Zeke nodded at Boris’s words.
“It could be a dungeon containing remnants of a civilization from before the Hero King era.”
At this, Clone jumped up again, agitated.
“Then we really can’t waste time! We need to rescue the princess before something worse than a Medusa shows up!”
Zeke agreed with Clone’s urgency.
“Sister Clone is right. If there’s an unknown ancient site, who knows what else might emerge.”
He ordered the knights to prepare for a journey to the southern archipelago.
They planned to sail directly to the archipelago aboard the Triangle, docked at Jason’s harbor.
After the meeting, Zeke headed to Hades’ workshop.
He intended to ask about the symbols Jason had sent while they prepared for the voyage.
However, upon reaching the workshop, Hades was nowhere to be found.
The attendants informed him that Hades had gone out with Yellin and other Ishtar members to gather materials.
‘I hope Hades and Yellin are managing okay in the unfamiliar central continent.’
Fortunately, Boris had assigned Liam as their guide, which reassured Zeke somewhat.
Once preparations for departure were complete, Zeke, still puzzled by the symbols Jason had sent, led the Black Sword Knights towards Jason.
“Wow, my lord. The sea looks completely different from before.”
Felix marveled at the calm waters of the Sea of Death from the deck of the Triangle.
Since the sea god reclaimed his divine status, the once-turbulent Sea of Death had become tranquil, transforming the seascape entirely.
Especially for Zeke, who was blessed by the sea god, the ship he sailed on was safe from storms and sea monsters.
Previously, they had to take a long detour around the treacherous Sea of Death, extending their voyage. Now, they could reach the southern continent much faster.
Moreover, Captain Kidd’s treasure, the Triangle, was faster than ordinary ships, allowing them to reach the southern archipelago in just a few days.
“Land in sight!”
Zeke enhanced his vision to scan the island’s coastline.
Ahead, he saw the Neverland, the Reinhardt Trading Company’s ship, and the Syndicate’s vessel gathered together.
The Triangle swiftly headed towards the shore.
As soon as they reached the coast, Zeke leaped off the ship and landed on the island.
A camp was set up on a hill above the favorable landing spot on the coast.
Zeke quickly ascended the hill.
However, the camp showed signs of use but was eerily devoid of any presence.
‘What happened here?’
Clone and the others, who had followed Zeke, were equally shocked to find the camp deserted.
Clone, pale with worry, turned to Zeke.
“Captain, where is the princess?”
“Calm down, Clone. You know there are few who could threaten Lady Arina on this continent. Secure the ships first.”
Arina, a 7th-circle master of light magic, was one of the top ten mages on the continent in terms of combat power.
Despite her delicate appearance, she specialized in offensive spells, so even if monsters swarmed, they couldn’t lay a finger on her.
Zeke scrutinized the traces left in the camp with his enhanced vision.
“There is blood here and there… but most of it belongs to monsters. It seems there was a battle.”
The traces led from the camp into the forest.
Zeke, having assessed the situation, summoned Kaiman and the Dragon Warrior unit, along with Gurab and the Shark Dragon unit, to track the trail.
[You called, my lord.]
“Kaiman, lead the Gurab unit and scout the area. Report any suspicious activity or people immediately.”
[Understood, my lord.]
Gurab nodded in agreement.
As Kaiman and the Gurab unit dispersed, Zeke decided to fortify the camp.
“Richmond.”
Richmond emerged from Zeke’s shadow, shimmering.
“Alright, once I finish this, I’ll finally succeed… Oh, my lord?”
Richmond seemed bewildered, as if interrupted during an experiment.
“Where are we, my lord?”
“We’re in the southern archipelago. We’re planning to develop this place into a trade hub.”
Zeke instructed Richmond to summon a wall of bones to strengthen the camp’s defenses.
Richmond not only summoned the bone wall but also skeletons to organize the area and rebuild the fortifications.
Watching the skeletons scurry about, Aster asked Diego, “Is our lord knowledgeable in magic too, like the sleep sand he gave me?”
Diego pondered for a moment before nodding.
“Our lord’s abilities are endless. It’s best to just accept it as it is.”
Aster nodded at Diego’s response.
To them, Zeke was no longer seen as an ordinary human.
Under Zeke’s command, the camp was quickly reinforced.
Just as the fortifications were completed, a signal came from Kaiman.
[My lord, we’ve found something suspicious here.]
Zeke informed Boris.
“It seems we’ve found something. Keep an eye on the area in case others return.”
Leaving the camp in capable hands, Zeke summoned ghost soldiers to scout the surroundings and headed towards Kaiman’s location.
Deep in the forest, Zeke found Kaiman and the Dragon Warriors.
The area was littered with the corpses of monsters, likely defeated by Kaiman’s unit.
[My lord.]
Kaiman greeted Zeke with a respectful gesture, placing his hand over his left chest.
“What did you find?”
Kaiman pointed to a spot hidden among dense foliage.
One of the Dragon Warriors parted the bushes to reveal a cave.
“A dungeon?”
Zeke asked, and Kaiman replied.
[We cannot enter this place.]
Zeke’s expression changed at Kaiman’s words.
“What do you mean you can’t enter?”
[The energy emanating from inside the cave prevents us, shadow spirits, from approaching.]
This meant that neither Kaiman nor the other Dragon Warriors could enter the cave.
An unknown force from within was blocking their entry.
Zeke tested it with ghost soldiers, but they too were unable to enter.
“Richmond.”
Zeke promptly summoned Richmond to the cave.
Richmond, once again caught off guard by the sudden summoning, was startled.
“Ah! What is it, my lord?”
“See if you can sense anything inside that cave.”
Richmond approached the cave to investigate but suddenly shivered.
“Ugh!”
He quickly retreated.
“What’s wrong, Richmond?”
Richmond, sweating, replied.
“I can’t get any closer.”
“Hmm.”
The fact that neither the shadow spirits nor Richmond could enter suggested that the dungeon connected to this cave was protected by powerful ancient magic or sorcery.
Zeke cautiously approached the cave.
A low hum resonated as he neared, a force trying to repel him.
He raised his hand and employed a magic suppression technique.
A sharp, resonant sound filled the air as he unraveled the flow of the magical field emanating from the cave.
Zeke twisted the magical field blocking the cave and stepped inside.
‘It doesn’t seem like a barrier… Is it possible for such a strong magical field to form naturally?’
Zeke barely managed to slip inside, but in that brief moment, the magical barrier had already restored itself, preventing his summoned creatures from following.
He sent Richmond back to his original position and tasked the other summons with scouting the area.
Then, he ventured deeper into the cave.
The long, winding tunnel was pitch black, with damp walls that seemed to close in on him.
Zeke used his dragon sight to peer into the darkness.
That’s when he heard it.
A low growl echoed from deeper within the cave.
The space was tight, so Zeke drew Anexi’s dagger, ready for whatever lay ahead.
Through his enhanced vision, he saw them—beastly creatures resembling gnolls.
They crawled slowly, their red eyes glowing ominously from both the floor and ceiling.
The growling intensified as the beasts charged at Zeke.
With a swift motion, Zeke dodged their attack and swung his dagger.
The creatures were no match for Zeke, who had recently ascended to the rank of a black knight.
He extended a chain from his left hand, connecting it to the dagger, and hurled it at the oncoming beasts.
The chain wrapped around them, immobilizing their movements. Zeke gripped the chain and unleashed an electric skill.
Electricity surged through the chain, causing the creatures to convulse violently.
Moments later, Zeke released the chain, and the beasts fell lifelessly to the ground.
With a quick flick of his dagger, he finished off the ones still clinging to life.
“Finally, some karma points,” he mused.
On the island of the Deep Sea Tribe, he hadn’t had much opportunity to hunt monsters and gather karma points.
Satisfied, Zeke devoured the fallen beasts, relishing the substantial points they provided.
“To think such creatures would appear right at the cave’s entrance.”
This place seemed more perilous than most A-rank dungeons.
“Surely, Medusa isn’t really here,” he thought, feeling uneasy as he pressed on.
As he ventured further, the cave opened into a vast chamber.
Stepping into the chamber, Zeke felt a strange sensation.
“What is this?”
The moment he entered, his mana began to churn wildly within him.
Dizziness overcame him, and he stumbled, nearly falling.
“Whoa.”
Catching himself against the wall, Zeke noticed the chamber’s walls were studded with sharp, crystalline rocks.
He realized these rocks were emanating a peculiar energy.
Drawing Anexi’s dagger, he chipped off a piece of the rock and examined it closely, but its nature eluded him.
“Maybe I can identify it with my dragon sight.”
Focusing intently, Zeke scrutinized the rock with his enhanced vision.
―Rock Information―
Description: Known as Blackstone or Fairy Stone.
Unique Ability: Mana Absorption
Characteristics: Fairy Stone continuously absorbs natural mana, storing it within.
Zeke was taken aback by the revelation.
“All of this is Fairy Stone?”