The Return of the Legendary All-Master

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 295

[Player Information]

- Nickname: Hoon

- Level: 544

The Absorption Art was incredible.

Was it because he had absorbed a Transcendent?

Jeong-hoon's level had risen to 544, and his stats had significantly increased as well.

[Detailed Stats]

- Strength: 754(+75) → 829

- Agility: 751(+75) → 826

- Stamina: 724(+73) → 797

- Defense: 722(+72) → 794

- Wisdom: 701(+70) → 771

- Mana: 1,265(+126) → 1,391

- Divine Power: 921(+92) → 1,013

- Mental Power: 671(+70) → 741

Before using the Absorption Art, his stats had been in the 600s, but they had instantly surpassed 700.

Moreover, his Divine Power had also exceeded the threshold of 1,000.

“Hoon, your level is 544…?”

Yeo Min-Ji, who had checked Jeong-hoon's level, was startled.

She clearly remembered that before they entered the forest, his level had been 519.

“Yes. It’s thanks to the Absorption Art.”

“Wow… But still, you gained 25 levels in one go?”

Everyone had already witnessed the power of the Absorption Art.

However, they had never seen a level skyrocket like this.

“The creature lurking inside had a level of 1,600.”

“1,600?!”

They had known it was high, but 1,600?

Did that mean Jeong-hoon had defeated a level 1,600 monster alone?

Yeo Min-Ji was left speechless, her mouth agape.

“If I hadn’t used my skills properly, I would have been in trouble. It was truly a formidable opponent.”

Jeong-hoon deliberately exaggerated the strength of the ruler of the Great Forest.

Saying that he had barely managed to win sounded far more believable than claiming he had taken it down with ease despite being only level 519.

[Eh, wasn’t it actually not that bad?]

‘Honestly, the Puppet felt much stronger.’

[No, it was about the same. More than that, Master has gotten a lot stronger.]

‘I can’t deny that.’

[Even though the fight dragged on, you had a level of composure that wasn’t there before!]

Mukho and Anima were right.

Back when he had faced the Puppet, he had not yet reached the realm of the Ultimate.

Because of that, he had struggled greatly.

If Shadow Blade’s instant kill hadn’t triggered by sheer luck… he might have failed to obtain the power of the Ultimate.

But now, Jeong-hoon had ascended to the Ultimate Realm, and everything, starting from his very presence, had risen to another level.

No matter how formidable the master of the Great Forest was, they were no match for Jeong-hoon.

“Wow… Hoon, just how strong are you planning to get?”

Ha-jin clicked his tongue in disbelief.

Jeong-hoon smiled.

“Who knows? I wonder how strong I can become.”

“At Level 544, doesn’t that make you the world’s number one?”

Bong-Goo chimed in.

“That’s right! At Level 544, you should be ranked first in the world!”

“Wow… does that mean Hyung-nim is now the world's strongest player?”

“No, he was already number one from the start. Hoon was the first to surpass Level 510.”

World’s Number One.

Everyone was making a fuss, but Jeong-hoon didn’t think much of it.

‘Being number one doesn’t mean I can finish the game.’

Jeong-hoon’s goal wasn’t other players—it was the Architect above them.

* * *

Duke Delphos was still seated in his office, waiting for a report.

“Your Grace!”

How much time had passed?

A knight standing guard outside the castle gates burst into the office, breathless.

Seeing the knight’s flustered expression, Duke Delphos unconsciously rose from his seat.

“Did it succeed?”

“Yes! The Hero has successfully completed the subjugation and is returning as we speak!”

“We must go at once!”

Duke Delphos hurriedly left his office and made his way to the castle gates.

Just as the knight had said, the Hero was returning safely.

And he was completely unharmed.

‘Oh, gods, thank you truly.’

Delphos offered a silent prayer of gratitude and rushed toward the Hero.

* * *

As Duke Delphos sprinted toward him, a blinking exclamation mark appeared above his head.

‘It’s over.’

Jeong-hoon instinctively realized that the episode had concluded.

[Episode: Duchy of Delphos has been fully completed.]

[Episode Collection System is now open.]

[The following episode has been added to the Episode Collection.]

[Episode Rank: SSS]

[Episode has been registered in the Collection.]

[Synergy achieved with Monster Collection.]

[Synergy Level 3 applied.]

[All stats +10%, Damage +10%, All skill damage +10%]

Synergy had reached Level 3.

As a result, all of his stats, damage, and skill damage had increased by 10%.

However, there was one problem.

‘The Hidden Episode hasn’t been completed.’

The Hidden Episode, which should have been completed after subjugating a Demon King-class Transcendent.

However, the Hidden Episode remained incomplete.

Jeong-hoon looked at Duke Delphos.

But there was no response above his head.

This meant no further quests were being given.

‘There must be something I missed.’

Something very important.

“Thank you so much! Thanks to you, we were able to overcome a great crisis safely!”

Duke Delphos grasped Jeong-hoon’s hand and expressed his gratitude.

“I’m glad. There should be no more threats now.”

“Yes! Without the Hero… this duchy would not have survived. Come now, don’t just stand there—please, come inside! Tonight, we shall hold a grand banquet!”

At the mention of a banquet, everyone’s faces lit up.

Jeong-hoon started to say something but soon closed his mouth.

‘Let’s just go with the flow for now.’

He would surely find a clue about the Hidden Episode.

However, even after the banquet ended, no clues had surfaced.

“Hoon, is something wrong?”

As soon as they returned to their room, Ha-jin asked as if he had been waiting.

“Hm? Why?”

“It’s just… you don’t look too happy.”

“Is that so?”

“Are you disappointed with the reward?”

Jeong-hoon nodded honestly.

“The episode isn’t fully completed.”

“It’s not fully completed?”

“Yeah. Episodes in the Collection always include the Hidden Episode. But this time, it’s incomplete.”

“Hm, does that mean there’s another condition to fulfill?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

The problem was that he had no clue what it was.

Bong-Goo, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up.

“Hyung-nim, what if you completely remove the barrier?”

“The barrier?”

“Yes. The lingering effects of the barrier are probably why the extreme cold is still persisting, right? If we resolve this cold, it might complete the Hidden Episode!”

Completely removing the barrier.

Ah, so that’s it!

Jeong-hoon stood up.

“Bong-Goo, you actually used your head for once?”

“Hehe, this is nothing.”

“If it doesn’t work, you’re not getting away with it.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m kidding. Get some rest first.”

Jeong-hoon hurried off to find Duke Delphos.

* * *

Duke Delphos returned to his office after concluding the banquet.

His face was still flushed with excitement.

‘It’s done. With this, our territory is finally safe.’

Despite facing the worst possible situation, they had made it through without a single casualty.

All thanks to the Hero.

If not for him, this duchy would have long since fallen.

Knock, knock.

Just then, someone knocked on the office door.

“Who is it?”

The door opened, and a knight stepped inside.

“The Hero has come to see you. How should I proceed?”

“Hm? The Hero? Bring him in immediately!”

“Yes!”

With his permission, Jeong-hoon entered the office.

Delphos rose from his seat to greet him warmly.

“You must be exhausted. What brings you here?”

“I came to discuss something with you.”

“Hm? I see. Please, have a seat first.”

Delphos guided him to a chair.@@novelbin@@

Then, he ordered a servant to bring Horan tea, known as the finest in the duchy.

Before long, the tea was served.

A tea with a reddish hue.

At a glance, it resembled black tea, and its subtly sweet aroma was its most captivating feature.

Jeong-hoon took a sip before slowly speaking.

“It’s about the barrier.”

“The barrier? Yes.”

“The barrier doesn’t seem to have been completely broken yet. Am I correct?”

“You are.”

Delphos nodded.

The barrier was still partially intact, causing the extreme cold to persist.

If the barrier were to disappear entirely, they would finally be free from this relentless chill.

“Then, is there a way to completely remove the barrier?”

“I can’t say for certain, but we might find an answer at the Magic Tower.”

The barrier had been erected by the former Tower Masters of the empire’s Magic Tower.

That meant clues about it could be found there.

The problem was that those in the Magic Tower wouldn’t give up those clues so easily.

“The Magic Tower… Looks like I’ll have to pay them a visit.”

Jeong-hoon stood up without hesitation.

“T-The Magic Tower?”

“Yes. The extreme cold is still ongoing, isn’t it? If we leave it as it is, it will continue.”

“No! There’s no need for you to take on such a troublesome task, Hero. I will handle it myself.”

He had already restored peace to Delphos.

That alone was a debt they could never repay—how could they ask him to resolve the extreme cold as well?

"Can you do it?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm asking if you can go to the Magic Tower and get rid of it."

"That is..."

It probably wouldn't be easy to resolve.

Those bastards at the Magic Tower wouldn’t try to eliminate the barrier. Instead, they would look for a way to restore it.

And there was only one reason for that.

Because no one knew when another dungeon might appear.

"That's exactly why I'm going. As an outsider, I don’t have to bother with formalities."

"…I don’t even know how I could ever repay this kindness."

"It's fine. I'm not doing this to receive anything from Your Grace."

Jeong-hoon gave a slight smile and left the office.

A clue had been found.

This episode was about restoring peace to the Duchy of Delphos.

Of course, peace had been restored by eliminating the dungeon, but the extreme cold remained.

'Because of the barrier.'

So if the barrier was completely removed, the extreme cold would disappear as well.

That would bring true peace to the Duchy of Delphos.

'That’s the key to completing the hidden episode.'

Returning to his room, Jeong-hoon looked down at Ha-jin and Bong-Goo, who were fast asleep.

"Guess I’ll have to go alone."

Once this episode ended, he would be busy again.

So he didn’t want to disturb their rest.

Leaving behind a note, Jeong-hoon set off for the Magic Tower of the Empire.

* * *

Early the next morning.

Bong-Goo was the first to wake up.

As he stretched and sat up, he looked around the room.

Jeong-hoon was nowhere to be seen.

"Yawn… Where did hyung go? Did he wake up already?"

He's really diligent.

This was a rare chance to rest, but he could have taken it easy for once.

Just as Bong-Goo was about to get out of bed to wash up, he noticed a note left on the bedside table.

"Hm? What’s this?"

Carefully unfolding the note, Bong-Goo read the message.

It was a note left by Jeong-hoon.

"Uh…?"

It said that he was heading to the Magic Tower and that they should get plenty of rest.

'M-Magic Tower? Why…?'

Bong-Goo hurriedly shook Ha-jin to wake him up.

"Hyung! Ha-jin hyung!"

"Ugh… What? Why are you waking me up?"

Ha-jin groggily opened his eyes and asked.

"Jeong-hoon hyung went to the Magic Tower!"

"Huh…? What are you talking about!"

At the mention of the Magic Tower, Ha-jin shot up in bed.

"I don’t know… He left this note."

Ha-jin took the note and read through it before letting out a deep sigh.

"Sigh… He always disappears the moment you take your eyes off him."

"Shouldn’t we go after him to the Magic Tower?"

"…No. If he wanted us to come along, he would have woken us up."

Since he left quietly, it must be something he had to handle alone.

In that case, waiting patiently would be the best way not to interfere with Jeong-hoon.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]