Chapter 266: Ragnarok (12)

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To give all the points at this stage, huh.

It could have been pure goodwill, or perhaps a method to disarm their vigilance.

However, Carl simply nodded lightly without showing any reaction.

“The Demon Realm faction already overtook us at the second gate. There’s no other choice.”

“…Yes. At this point, a strategic agreement is necessary.”

Cardinal Nadram also cooperated, perhaps thinking there was no other option.

As the meeting concluded, Crown Prince Yulian discreetly proposed a private meeting.

“Carl. Can you trust the Church?”

“The Church?”

Was he bringing up the suspicion first?

When Carl asked, Crown Prince Yulian nodded.

“No matter how I think about it, something feels off. The Holy Church may tolerate the existence of other sects, but they don’t acknowledge the gods those others believe in. They act for social ethics and coexistence, but their religious doctrine is monotheistic.”

That was something Carl knew well.

That was also why he had approached the matter of the demigods with caution.

And why he had listed the Church as a strong candidate for betrayal in the first place.

“I know you suspect me. And the Imperial Palace.”

“……”

But what came next was something even Carl hadn’t anticipated.

As Carl stayed silent and merely looked at him, Crown Prince Yulian chuckled and said,

“Even if all I did was meddle from behind, it’s been quite a while since we’ve spent time together. I’d like to think I have a good eye for people.”

“Haha.”

Carl let out a brief sigh of laughter.

Truly, he had the makings of the next emperor.

To reveal one’s thoughts so openly even while knowing he was being suspected—it took guts.

It was a bold and aggressive way of breaking through, the kind that demanded belief.

Still, Carl did not completely cast aside his doubts about Yulian.

“…I understand what you mean.”

On the surface, he pretended to agree and shook his hand, but the path he had walked had been too perilous to trust anyone so easily.

“There’s not much time left. Let’s talk again after this trial ends.”

“Sure.”

After finishing the meeting with Crown Prince Yulian, Carl returned to NOX.

When he shared the details of the conversation with the executives, Queen quietly expressed the same sentiment with a tone of admiration.

“He knows how to strike at human psychology. Even if you know it in your head, it’s not easy to expose like that.”

“Thanks to that, things just got more troublesome. Let’s think about it after this trial.”

“Master, this time’s participant…”

Second’s eyes sparkled.

Since Gallon For and Six had taken part in the last trial, she was clearly asking for her turn this time.

The other executives looked at Carl with similar expressions.

“……”

Queen also remained silent, but the way she twisted the ends of her hair betrayed her intentions.

Carl gave a soft chuckle and immediately made his selection.

“Queen and Second, get ready. The rest wait outside.”

“Understood.”

“Yes.”

The chosen two replied with confident expressions, while the rest withdrew, swallowing their disappointment.

Eventually, when the time came, Mabel the Fairy King appeared and announced the start of the trial.

-Then let us begin the third gate: ‘Wisdom.’

Pop!

The participants from each faction were transported to the trial ground.

When Carl opened his eyes, he found himself facing the entrance to a cave that seemed to lead somewhere.

Next to him were Queen and Second.

Both stood beside Carl with confident expressions.

“I’ll take the lead.”

Second, with a compact White Tiger Spear slung across her back, struck her gauntlets together to show her resolve.

In terms of combat power, she was easily the second strongest in NOX, only behind Carl and King.

When Carl nodded, she strode forward with confident steps.

“This third gate is about wisdom, right? We’ll need to push ourselves if we want to score higher than them.”

“Let’s hurry. We need to close the point gap.”

Carl and Queen exchanged glances.

Truthfully, the score didn’t matter.

Judging from the outcome of the second gate, there was a strong possibility that even completing Ragnarok normally would not result in the elevation of divinity.

Therefore, in the upcoming gates, they decided to focus less on the trials themselves and more on finding traces or clues left behind by participants of previous Ragnaroks.

Of course, they’d have to deceive the eyes of the Fairy King Mabel and the Guardians, who could be watching from anywhere.

‘The space the Saint of Rest left behind was constructed with a barrier that even the Guardians couldn’t observe. There’s a good chance somewhere like that will appear again.’

After all, these were beings once called ancient heroes.

They would have left behind measures for others to recognize, in some form or another.

-Master. What will you do about joining the other factions?

-Let’s wait and see. If we happen to meet, fine, but I won’t go looking for them.

-Understood.

With the Demon Realm faction in the lead, it would do no good for their side to split up.

So, on the surface, he appeared willing to cooperate and funnel points to NOX, but Carl had no intention of joining the other factions.

Tap!

The three figures surged forward at high speed, racing through the cave’s interior.

They came across what appeared to be ruins along the way, but since scoring wasn’t their goal, they didn’t stop running.

‘Deeper inside.’

If the previous cycle’s participants had left anything behind, it would be in a hard-to-reach or hidden place.

Somewhere the other Guardians or unrelated participants wouldn’t be able to find.

Tap.

Carl came to a halt in a vast chamber deep within the cave, where a giant waterfall thundered down.

Shwaaaa.

The sound crashing against the ceiling and walls assaulted their ears.

Carl raised his internal energy to protect his eardrums and stood at the center, scanning his surroundings.

“There are thirteen places in total. Each of us will take one section. Make sure not to go over one hour. Regroup here every hour to recheck positions.”

“Understood.”

“Yes, sir!”

Following Carl’s instructions, they dispersed in all directions.

Roughly one hour later.

After searching all thirteen areas, they regrouped to share their findings.

“Most of them are ruins or artifacts.”

“We did get points, but…”

Second scratched her head.

Finding records left by participants from previous cycles was a more urgent task than scoring in the trial.

But with no clues, all they could do was wander aimlessly.

As Carl pondered while staring into the water, he suddenly realized the bottom of the lake formed by the waterfall was deeper than he had expected.

Splosh.

When he slowly dipped his hand in, an unexpectedly cold temperature rushed over him.

—Vmmm.

At the same time, Carl felt the Heavenly Thunder Sword on his waist give off a light vibration.

“…Just now.”

“Yes?”

“Did something happen?”

Queen and Second looked around on alert, seemingly having heard nothing.

Carl shifted his gaze back under the surface and, after thinking for a moment, gave a nod.

“There’s something down there.”

“Down there…”

“Indeed. There’s no better place to hide something than a lake like this.”

The three of them looked at one another, and as if by silent agreement, all dove into the lake at once.

Splash!

The deeper they descended beneath the surface, the more the bone-chilling cold pressed in.

They drew upon their internal energy to protect their bodies as they continued diving deeper.

“……”

Carl scanned the lakebed with sharp eyes.

He wondered if there might be a path or entrance leading somewhere, but all he found were the corpses of those from previous cycles—clearly identifiable as past participants.

‘So others had the same idea.’

At Carl’s signal, they split off in different directions to search.

Since all of them were masters of their craft, holding their breath for a while was no issue, and they roamed freely in all directions.

Ssssssh!

Then came a strange, sharp sound as something cut violently through the current.

Turning his head to look, Carl saw a human-sized figure rushing toward them from below.

‘A mermaid? No… a monster?’

It was a grotesque creature, so bizarre it defied description.

Sensing the bloodlust radiating from it, Carl drew his sword without hesitation and swung it like a lightning strike.

Shwaaak!

Being underwater didn’t hinder him at all.

The current split as his sharp slash surged forth, and the creature charging toward him was instantly cleaved in half.

Carl, watching it bleed and float upward, was about to sheath his sword—but then furrowed his brow and looked up.

‘It’s not just one or two.’

He could feel the same ominous presences—dozens of them—approaching from beyond.

Ssssssh!

They cut through the water, all rushing straight toward Carl.

At that moment, Carl noticed something strange.

‘They’re all coming from one direction.’

The waterfall itself didn’t show anything particularly unusual.

Which meant these things had a nesting ground.

He traced the direction and confirmed it was toward the cliff beneath the falling water.

‘Good.’

Just as Carl formed a plan, Queen and Second swam over, having assessed the situation as well.

They each took position at his flanks, weapons drawn and ready for battle.

—Queen, Second. There’s something below the waterfall cliff. We’re moving in.

—Understood.

—Let’s break through right away.

Ssshrraak.

Second unslung the spear from her back and launched a powerful thrust.

At the same time, a massive vortex began to swirl around her.

Swaaash!

The approaching monsters were dragged into the whirlpool and shredded apart.

Carl and Queen followed the path she carved, slaughtering any monsters that came close, until they finally reached the base of the cliff beneath the waterfall.

KWAOOOOO!!

The sound of the waterfall from beneath the surface was utterly destructive.

The current was fierce, and the water was deeper than anywhere else, requiring caution, but the three of them paid it no mind and began searching the area.

Tap.

That was when Queen raised her hand, drawing the others’ attention.

She had found a narrow passage that led inside.

Carl nodded and went in first, squeezing through the tight opening, followed closely by Queen and Second.

“…Phew.”

After pushing through the narrow tunnel for a while, Carl emerged into a spot where the surface was visible and let out a short breath.

“Puha!”

Queen and Second followed, surfacing and catching their breath.

Holding their breath for so long while fighting wasn’t easy.

Splash.

Above the water was another passageway that seemed to lead somewhere.

Unlike the cave outside, however, this place bore obvious signs of having been artificially carved.

Carl climbed out of the water and gently stirred his internal energy.

He expelled the moisture from his body using Heating Energy, instantly restoring his condition and wiping away the chill that had gripped him.

Queen and Second did the same and soon returned to their original states.

“…This place.”

“Whatever it is, it looks like we’ve found the right spot.”

Vmmm, vmmm.

The Heavenly Thunder Sword, which had been trembling before they entered the lake, now quivered even more violently.

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