Episode 404

Zeke clutched his throbbing head and spoke.

“Richmond, I asked you to repair the ship, not turn it into some kind of demonic war vessel.”

Richmond beamed with pride. “Hehe, isn’t it magnificent? I put a lot of effort into it to reflect your grandeur, Master.”

Unlike the oblivious Richmond, Bane noticed Zeke’s grimace and quickly moved to his side. “Master! I tried to stop him, but he insisted this would please you…”

Bane was quick to throw Richmond under the bus to save his own skin.

Zeke pointed at the ice blades embedded along the ship’s sides and the massive ice horn adorning the bow. “Bane, why did you attach those things to the ship?”

Bane, moving his skeletal jaw, replied, “I thought they might at least cover up Richmond’s ghastly bones, so I tried to make it look cool!”

It seemed they had tried to mask one bizarre taste with another, resulting in this disaster.

‘It’s my fault for entrusting this to those from Nirvana, who are far from common sense.’

With a sigh, Zeke leapt onto the ship. The interior was surprisingly ordinary.

‘Well, a bigger ship is better than a dinghy.’

Resolving to stay positive, Zeke harnessed the power of the wind to steer the ship toward the sea.

Whoosh!

The ship sailed forward, riding the wind. Despite not straying far from the coast, as the fishermen had warned, the waves were rough, tossing the ship about.

True to its name, the stormy sea unleashed fierce winds that threatened to capsize the vessel.

‘The wind’s against us, and the ship won’t move forward.’

Zeke furled the sails and summoned Nahuel for the first time in a while.

Rumble—

Nahuel let out a contented sound upon being summoned.

“Nahuel, I’m sorry to put you to work right away, but I need your help to break through this storm.”

Nahuel nodded and began pulling the ship, cutting through the waves and wind.

Just then, a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.

[The title ‘Glory of the Sea God’ stabilizes the turbulent sea.]

[The title ‘Grace of the Divine Beast’ synchronizes with the spirit beast Nahuel, expanding the range of the Sea God’s Glory.]

[The title ‘Blessing of the Fairy’ further extends the stabilization range.]

Thanks to the abilities of Zeke’s titles, the waters around his ship calmed, and the winds subsided, making it easier for Nahuel to pull the vessel.

‘Thank goodness. I didn’t expect the titles to be so effective here.’

It seemed they would reach the storm fortress more easily than anticipated.

With Nahuel leading the way, the ship swiftly approached the stormy region.

Zeke decided to spend the time meditating in the cabin until they reached the fortress.

As he closed his eyes and sought a breakthrough to a new level, an odd sensation pulled him from his trance, and he opened his eyes wide.

‘What is that?’

He quickly ascended to the deck. Though it should have been morning, the sky was shrouded in thick clouds, leaving everything in darkness.

Outside the area protected by his titles, the sea was a chaotic mess of crashing waves and howling winds.

Zeke scanned the surroundings and spotted an island beyond the tumultuous waves.

‘Is that the storm fortress?’

The ship, guided by Nahuel, steadily approached the visible island.

Then, it happened.

Rumble—

Something began to rise from the turbulent sea below.

‘Something’s coming up.’

Sensing the ominous energy, Zeke drew Bahamut.

Roar!

A terrifying wail echoed as if from the depths of hell.

A massive form emerged from the water’s surface.

“An octopus?”

What surfaced was an enormous octopus tentacle, so large it was impossible to gauge its size. Each tentacle rose like a towering spire, surrounding Zeke’s ship.

If those tentacles were to strike the ship, no amount of protection from his titles would suffice.

Zeke gathered his mana, eyeing the colossal tentacles.

‘Could this be the legendary storm fortress monster?’

The creature that, according to legend, was banished to the island by the Hero King and summoned violent storms in defiance.

Zeke tensed at the sight of the monstrous tentacles, whose size defied comprehension.

Just then, another message appeared before him.

[The unidentified system connects to the administrator’s system.]

[Authorization code required.]

[Searching for relevant code.]

[Extracting authorization code from the title ‘Blessed by the Ancient Dragon.’]

[Updating authorization code.]

[Connecting to the city’s system.]

[Connection successful.]

[Welcome, Administrator. Welcome to the deep-sea city of ‘R’lyeh,’ where the Constellation ‘Master of the Great Dream’ resides.]

‘The deep-sea city of R’lyeh.’

Zeke recalled the golden city of Blanca, where Hades had been imprisoned.

Like Blanca, the storm fortress was an ancient city protected by a Constellation.

With the message, a massive portal appeared before the island.

Vroom!

Richmond and Bane, watching from beside Zeke, glanced fearfully between the giant tentacles and the portal.

“M-Master, something’s not right here.”

“This place is unknown. Perhaps we should turn back…”

Ignoring the fearful liches, Zeke steered the ship into the portal.

“Ahhh! M-Master!”

“Is this how I die?”

Bane, already a lich, made a pointless remark.

As Zeke’s ship entered the portal, it vanished instantly.

Simultaneously, the enormous tentacles that had appeared also disappeared back into the sea.

---

‘Huh?’

Zeke opened his eyes in an unfamiliar space after passing through the portal.

It was a completely new place, not the ship he had been on.

The surroundings were made of transparent glass, revealing a breathtaking underwater scene outside.

Vibrant marine life and beautiful coral reefs created a fantastical yet unfamiliar sight.

‘Where am I?’

Zeke tried to sense his summoned creatures, Richmond and Bane, but they were nowhere to be found.

Nahuel was also absent, leading him to suspect this was no ordinary space.

‘Is this a mental realm? Or perhaps… a unique domain like the Inverted Tower?’

At that moment, someone approached Zeke.

“Zeke Draker, I apologize for bringing you all the way here.”

A tall man in an ash-colored robe appeared. His face was hidden by a hood, but his voice and mannerisms exuded wisdom and experience.

“Please, have a seat.”

As he spoke, a table materialized out of nowhere.

The table was made of a material Zeke had never seen before, neither metal nor wood, making it impossible to deduce the nature of this place.

Seated, Zeke addressed the man.

“Are you the leader of the Highlanders?”

The man nodded. “Yes. I’m the one who expressed a desire to meet you through the Sage of Stories.”

Though it was the first time Zeke heard the Sage’s name, he didn’t show it.

The leader extended his hand, and a teapot and cups appeared on the table. He poured steaming tea into the cups.

Once the tea was poured, the cup moved on its own to Zeke.

Zeke eyed the cup, then took a sip, savoring the aroma.

“The tea is excellent.”

The leader nodded, sipping his own tea. “It’s a variety you won’t find in this era.”

“This era… Does that mean this space is from a different time?”

The leader shook his head. “Manipulating time is the exclusive domain of Chronos. Even I can’t meddle with that.”

Zeke had asked on a whim, but the Highlander leader surprisingly knew about Chronos’s power over time.

‘Who is this man?’

The leader set his cup down and looked at Zeke.

“I brought you here not only to meet you but also to seek your cooperation in addressing the events unfolding on the continent.”

Zeke regarded the leader. “I thought the Highlanders were a group that hunted demonic beasts.”

The leader shook his head. “Hunting demonic beasts is not our sole purpose. The Highlanders aim to maintain the balance of the material world.”

“The balance of the material world? Why would the Highlanders take on such a task? I understand the organization doesn’t operate for profit.”

“Profit is a relative, human-centric concept.”

The leader waved his hand, and a map of the continent appeared on the table.

It showed not only the central, northern, and southern continents but also the eastern continent across the sea.

The leader gestured to the map. “We’ve been pursuing the Abyss for a long time. Since the Demon King was sealed, his followers have hidden in the shadows, waiting for their time.”

Zeke was taken aback by the leader’s words.

‘The Highlanders have existed since the Demon King’s sealing?’

Zeke hadn’t realized the Highlanders’ history was so extensive.

But recalling his master Nigel’s transcendent strength, it made some sense.

The leader waved his hand again, and black spots appeared across the map.

“The forces of the Abyss find the cracks in the world and burrow into them. Greed, desire, jealousy, sloth—every negative emotion fuels them. The Abyss uses these to fracture the world and sow discord.”

“So, the Highlanders have been thwarting even the Abyss’s schemes?”

“Indeed. We go by many names, one of which is connected to your mother, Laura Agamemnon.”

Zeke’s eyes wavered at the leader’s words.

“Are you saying… the Dawn Society is part of the Highlanders?”

“As I mentioned, our goal is to maintain the balance of the physical realm. The activities of the Dawn Society are just one aspect of our work, much like hunting beasts or guarding forbidden knowledge.”

Zeke had never imagined that the Dawn Society shared roots with the Highlanders.

He looked at the leader and asked, “Then, is the Highlanders’ ultimate goal to completely annihilate the Demon King?”

The leader paused in silence before speaking slowly.

“To completely annihilate the Demon King… In terms of maintaining the balance of the physical realm, you could say that.”

Zeke felt a twinge of fatigue from the leader’s cryptic way of speaking.

Sensing Zeke’s weariness, the leader addressed him directly.

“Zeke Draker, from what I’ve seen, you have a clear goal and pursue it with precision and efficiency. That’s a strength I lack. I’ve lived too long, and my thoughts often get tangled, causing me to hesitate and miss opportunities.”

He paused, gathering his thoughts, then continued.

“That’s why I want to entrust this task to you.”

“What task?”

With a wave of his hand, the leader conjured a holographic image of a figure in a black robe on the table.

Zeke studied the figure and asked, “Who is this?”

The leader spoke slowly.

“This is the Priest of the Abyss.”

Zeke furrowed his brow, glaring at the holographic priest.

The leader continued, “He has led the Abyss for a long time, building its current power. Despite the efforts of myself and the other recluses of the High Table, our movements are too restricted to stop him effectively.”

“Is this priest the one conspiring with Siemens to resurrect the Demon King?”

“Yes. He’s been obsessed with immortality for ages. His goal is to obtain the Book of the Dead, which seals the Demon King’s power, to create an immortal being.”

As the leader spoke, something clicked in Zeke’s mind.

“An immortal being? The experiments to create one…”

He recalled the forbidden alchemical reports on creating immortals, information he’d seen in Nirvana’s system.

The leader spoke again.

“The Priest of the Abyss is Harvey West. Once a brilliant doctor and one of Nirvana’s necromancers.”