Chapter 776: A State Of Instability, A Familiar Face
'A chain quest?'
Quest Name: The Rebel & The Liberator(2)
Quest Difficulty: S
Recommended Level: N/A
Recommended Party Size: N/A
Objective: The «Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis» wants to enlist your help in gathering some allied forces located on the other side of the «Mountain of the Blighted» outside the «Ancient Wilderness».
Time Limit: 8 hours
0/1 Cross the «Mountain of the Blighted».
0/1 Find «Ilioreas» in the «Sunstone Cave».
0/1 Convince «Ilioreas» to send aid to «Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis».
0/1 Accompany «Ilioreas» to the «Hidden Celestial Abode» and meet up with «Rebellious Son of Thunder, Astratis».
Reward:
-x1 Access to the «Cyclops Workshop» located inside the «Hidden Celestial Abode».
-x1 Token of Promise
Failure:
-None
After giving it a quick read-over, Izroth wasted no time accepting the quest.
'It might be a chain quest, but the difficulty level went down. There's also no penalty for failing the quest. Well, at least, no direct penalty.'
While there was no penalty listed under the failure category, Izroth knew that if he failed, it was likely that any potential chain quests that were supposed to come after would never arrive. After all, he doubted things would merely end after finding this Ilioreas person and bringing them to Astratis.
'Is this his way of testing me?'
Since his favor with Astratis was maxed, Izroth knew that the Son of Thunder truly did trust him. However, trust and reliability are two different sides of the same coin.
Even if Astratis trusted Izroth, there was still the matter of whether or not he would be useful in the long run. In the end, he did not personally see Izroth's battle against Maragos and the other anzeyta; therefore, it was understandable that he wanted to give him a personal test.
Of course, Izroth did not find this to necessarily be a bad thing. If this was, in fact, Astratis' way of testing him, then that meant as long as he succeeded, an even more difficult task awaited him. And, with high difficulty came great rewards!
'I have to find the one called Ilioreas... is it? That part should not be difficult now that my Energy Vision Sense can properly sense Ethos. However, having to convince him is...'
Izroth knew nothing about Ilioreas and even if he did, the person in question would see him as nothing but a stranger. If Astratis wanted their help, it made more sense for them to go in person as it would increase their chances of succeeding.
'Even if it's as a test, he does not seem like the reckless type who has no forethought. Then, could it be that something with a higher level of urgency requires his attention?'
As Izroth pondered Astratis' potential train of thought, the Son of Thunder spoke.
"I need you to find someone for me. But, I'll be honest with you—I don't expect much." Astratis sighed.
"Oh? I'm quite good at finding people." Izroth commented.
Astratis shook his head and said, "Alas, if that alone was the problem, it would be a simple task. However, if you truly defeated an anzeyta of Maragos' caliber, then finding Ilioreas should not be too difficult. It is convincing them that will be the troublesome part."
He then continued, "If possible, I would have liked to make the trip myself. But, now that I have returned to full strength, I must return to the frontlines. Since my enemies do not know that I have regained my strength, I plan to use it to its full advantage."
"I see. That certainly makes sense. But, if you think it's pointless, why bother sending me to such a place to begin with?" Izroth inquired.
"Because, that ring on your finger—it belongs to Gaea, does it not?" Astratis said as he pointed to Izroth's hand.
"I failed to notice it before because of my injured state, but I'm certain that ring contains the breath of life that can only be granted by Gaea," Astratis noted.
'I see. Since he made no comment when he first met, I thought he overlooked it or failed to recognize it. Instead, it turns out it's like this. Though seeing as how he did not immediately attack me upon discovering it, it's safe to assume he is not an enemy of this Gaea.'
One of the rings on Izroth's fingers was called the Breath of Gaea. It was given to him by the system upon entering the Secret Realm; however, it did not have any powerful effects attached to it. If anything, it seemed to be an object that was solely sentimental in value since revealing it to someone would potentially label that person as an ally or enemy.
Izroth looked down at the Breath of Gaea on his finger.
'Does this Gaea have some type of personal connection to the one I'm supposed to convince?'
"As long as you mention my name and show that ring, Ilioreas should be willing to meet with you and hear you out. But, the rest will be up to you. I know it is unreasonable of me to make this request without being able to provide you with any feasible methods. Nevertheless, I hope that you will find a way to surprise me, Izroth." Astratis stated.
...
Approximately 20 minutes later...
〈System Alert: Portal closure of «Secret Realm: Era of Titans» [Time Remaining: 22 Hour(s) 58 minute(s) 13 second(s)]!〉
'An hour has already gone by since I entered the Secret Realm. Since my time here is limited, I have to gain as many benefits as possible in the shortest amount of time. For now, my main focus will be completing the chain quest and hopefully opening a new path. That being said, I should not ignore something of value as long as it's not too far out the way.'
Izroth halted his steps as he finally reached the outskirts of the Ancient Wilderness.
The moment he arrived, the first thing that entered Izroth's eyes was a small village in the distance at the foot of the mountains.
Before Izroth parted ways with Astratis, he was informed that he should stop by the village to gain some insight into the Mountain of the Blighted.
Even though the mortals of this realm were apparently powerless, Astratis mentioned that it was not uncommon for peddlers to stop at the village.
Since coming from the other side of the Mountain of the Blighted was an arduous journey for them, peddlers would often rest there before they continued their journey.
'The Blighted... I have yet to come across any since I was teleported to this Secret Realm. I'm curious as to how they differ the monsters back in the Mortal Realm. I suppose gathering some information before I go would not cause too much of a delay.'
After briefly gathering his thoughts, Izroth made his way towards the village located at the foot of the mountain.
...
'Strange, according to Astratis, this village should be lively around this time, but this atmosphere... Did something happen here recently?'
Although it was called a small village, the village itself was at least three times bigger than average.
But, at the moment, it was like a deserted ghost town. There was not a single individual anywhere in sight—at least, on the surface.
Izroth scanned the village with his Energy Vision Sense and immediately noticed that there were more than a hundred people hiding in what appeared to be underground tunnels.
'Hm, this is...'
Izroth caught something with his Energy Vision Sense; however, just as he did so, a familiar scent drifted by his nose.
'This smell... Cherry blossoms?'
Soon after Izroth inhaled the scent, a storm of cherry blossoms emerged from out of nowhere and completely obstructed his view.
The next moment, a strong aura of frost filled the atmosphere.
Without warning, a thin and graceful blade emitting a similar frost aura to the one in the atmosphere peeked out from the storm of cherry blossoms and right towards Izroth.
Swoosh! Ding!
Before the blade could strike, Izroth swiftly unsheathed his Sword of the Storm and intercepted it.
At the same time, Izroth's gaze met with a pair of lily-colored eyes as strands of long flowing pink hair swayed in front of them.
"Are you with them as well? I will have you know, my life is not that easy to claim." An elegant voice sounded. However, despite its elegance, there was a trace of chilling killing intent underneath it.
'I thought I sensed a familiar presence with my Energy Vision Sense. So it was her.'
This elegant voice belonged to one of the individuals who entered the Secret Realm before Izroth, the Thousand Blossom Maiden, Sychia.
However, according to his Energy Vision Sense, they did not appear to be in a good state.
"I don't know what you're going on about, but I have nothing to do with it. However, if you still wish to fight, then... I don't mind doing things the forceful way.." Izroth said with a carefree expression as he released his Soul Pressure.