Chapter 126 – Nesos (12)

Lloyd might be right.

The Book of Revelations Hans told me about was just some nonsense scribbled by some madman.

“Putting everything else aside, there’s no way a legendary bird like that would appear in a neighborhood hill like this!”

That was certainly true.

Mount Rutangka was a nondescript mountain that could be found anywhere, a mountain whose name wouldn’t even be mentioned unless you were a local resident.

In short, it was too humble a place for a legend to appear.

Nevertheless, climbing to the summit of the mountain and practicing the Mana Breathing Technique like this was a refreshing and enjoyable experience.

The feeling of my body healing and becoming stronger, even if by a speck, with each inhale and exhale, was always uplifting.

Lloyd seemed to regret following me here today, more so than usual.

When I start my Mana Breathing Technique, it usually lasts for at least three hours.

At first, while waiting for me, he seemed to enjoy the night view and meditate in the clear air, but he soon grew tired of that as well.

Since Min Ha-rin wasn’t here today, he seemed bored too, so he picked up a twig and was playing by digging in the dirt. As he did so, he kept muttering to himself.

Things like how late it was getting, and how it was time to go.

Of course, I wasn’t one to be swayed by such things.

I only opened my eyes after I had finished all the Mana Breathing Technique I wanted.

“Honestly, I thought you were sleeping!”

What a ridiculous thing to say.

Night had deepened, and the stars in the sky were profusely embroidering the black background.

The insects still chirped restlessly, and occasionally, the chirping of nocturnal birds joining this ensemble could be heard.

And amidst that, a faint sound was detected.

It carried a very foreign energy.

‘No way?’

That unidentified sound was getting closer and closer to us.

I looked up at the sky.

A sky veiled in deep darkness.

At this hour, when only the moonlight illuminated the world, a black silhouette was flying in from far above in the sky.

Lloyd, as if sensing this energy, looked at the sky and shouted.

“Johan! What is that?”

A legendary bird. I didn’t know if it was Fortuna, but one thing was certain.

“It’s clearly a bird.”

“A bird? Was there such a large bird?”

There was no other way to explain it other than a bird.

Nesos was not a civilization with airplanes like Earth.

Whoooooosh!

For a moment, the elegant sound of nature filled Mount Rutangka.

And then came a massive flap of wings.

At that sight, Lloyd’s jaw dropped.

“Th-there’s something like that!”

I too had never seen such a large bird.

Would a wyvern be about this size? Of course, a wyvern was a species classified as a monster, so a comparison between the two was meaningless.

Anyway, that fellow Lloyd. In the end, it was a good thing he followed me.

Because today was a day for good sightseeing.

But it was a pity.

If it had been day instead of night, I would have been able to see its proper form more clearly.

Whoooosh!

The giant bird that was flying towards us suddenly began to soar up into the sky.

“What is that!!”

Lloyd shouted.

For a moment, I was sure it was Fortuna.

The reason I could recognize Fortuna, which I had never seen before, was because of the bird’s unique signature, the soaring flap of its wings. It was exactly as Hans had described.

I hurriedly began to move towards the point where the giant bird had ascended.

There was one more reason to believe it was Fortuna.

Just before it ascended into the sky, I could see a small silhouette that it had dropped to the ground.

It was clearly the shape of an egg.

Although a bit of a drastic method, I had heard that was how Fortuna laid its eggs.

“Johan! Where are you going! Let’s go together!”

“Wait there.”

“Wait?”

“Yes. I’ll be right back.”

I heightened my senses.

I had to find it quickly.

I had heard that Fortuna’s eggs hatched quite fast.

‘It must be somewhere around here…….’

All around was a dark grassy area.

No matter how good I was, it wasn’t easy to find it at once.

But if the coin in my pocket was truly a lucky item, it should have an effect in a situation like this.

As soon as I had that thought, I was able to shout in triumph.

[You have acquired Fortuna’s Egg.]

[You have cleared the hidden quest.]

Although it was hidden, it was a truly unkind quest.

But its fruit would be very sweet.

[The mystical power of Fortuna is bestowed upon you.]

[You can synthesize items you possess to create higher-tier items.]

[The following items are available for synthesis.]

[Guyeopcho’s Necklace] [Pallas’s Ring] [Coin from Lloyd]

[Would you like to synthesize?]

There was no reason to refuse the reward of a hidden quest.

There would certainly be no loss.

[You have decided to synthesize.]

[Please designate one of the three items to be used as the main item. The other two will be used as synthesis materials.]

Used as materials…….

That meant their existing functions would be terminated.

It was a moment of important choice.

What to keep.

I needed to review them one by one.

First, Guyeopcho’s Necklace.

It was a very grateful item that replenished my mana pool right away.

The biggest problem that had plagued me since I was reincarnated as Seo Ji-han was the lack of mana.

Thanks to this item, I rarely experienced mana depletion even when fighting multiple monsters.

But, at some point, its effectiveness was gradually decreasing.

It boasted extreme efficiency when my mana pool was small, but as my mana capacity gradually increased, this item no longer made me ‘Full’.

Of course, it was still useful now, but thinking about the future, it was an item I would have to part with someday.

If I proceeded with strengthening this as the main item, it would be significantly improved, but when I thought about the time when I would have recovered all my past strength, I had no choice but to shake my head.

So it was eliminated.

Next was Pallas’s Ring.

An item like a guardian deity, with a function that deployed an intangible shield to automatically protect me.

Since I was still often the underdog, this shield was activated frequently.

Of course, it wasn’t omnipotent in all situations.

It had limited durability, and when it exceeded its limit, the item’s function would be suspended for a significant period of time.

Nevertheless, the reason for my hesitation was that this was an item that could save my life several times.

And sometimes, I would have thoughts like this.

‘Back in the days when I fought the Red Dragon, if I had Pallas’s Ring, could I have won?’

The gap I felt with the dragon was just a hair’s breadth.

If I had Pallas’s Ring, I might have gotten at least one more fleeting attack opportunity.

Of course, I couldn’t be sure if the difference between us was really a hair’s breadth, but this question was very important to me.

Because the biggest reason for my second life was to reunite with the Red Dragon.

In that respect, giving up Pallas’s Ring was unthinkable.

But there was a slightly more fundamental question than this.

‘Can I really meet the Red Dragon again?’

Even in my Johan Raven days, meeting a dragon was as rare and difficult as plucking a star from the sky, but it was true that we lived under the same sky.

But under the skies of Earth, there was no Red Dragon anywhere.

The only thing I could hope for was the mystery of the Abyss.

I could only hope that this Abyss would become a link between two different worlds.

But the Abyss was a vast place.

No one knew how far the yet unknown, unexplored lands stretched.

‘If I’m not incredibly lucky, I might never be able to meet it.’

When my thoughts reached this point, the choice became even more difficult.

Pallas’s Shield, or the lucky coin.

As if sensing my dilemma, Bastian offered his opinion.

Friend! The most important thing in the world, that is, without a doubt, luck.

“Why is that?”

The fact that you were born with a heavenly talent, wasn’t that also luck, when you think about it?

For a moment, I couldn’t refute it.

Because when I was born, I was a genius.

Also, the birth of me, the Holy Sword Bastian, was also luck. Because even that legendary blacksmith could never make a sword exactly like me again!

I didn’t know if this was sound logic, but I was convinced.

In fact, my heart was already leaning a little more in this direction.

[Starting synthesis.]

I wondered what would be created.

I held my breath and waited.

[Nike’s Ring has been created.]

[When worn, luck is greatly increased.]

A message so plain that it felt like I had been tricked.

But, that couldn’t be the case.

The Abyss’s rewards were always satisfactory.

Anyway, the coin Lloyd gave me. I thought I would have to leave it behind here, but I ended up taking it with me again like this.

[Fortuna is hatching.]

Simultaneously with the message, the egg began to crack open.

I was now able to see the legendary bird, Fortuna, up close, which I hadn’t been able to see properly before.

Craaaack!

The small bird that had completely broken out of the egg was standing on my two hands.

But its movements were unusual.

“Are you trying to fly already?”

Fortuna was flapping its small wings as soon as it was born.

And the movement of its wings began to get faster and faster.

It really looked like it was about to fly away.

“Hey, Johan. What are you doing there!”

Lloyd couldn’t wait any longer and came looking for me.

Unfortunately, it seemed this guy was not fated to see the legendary bird, Fortuna, up close.

Flap.

Flap.

This small baby bird flapped its wings vigorously and then immediately flew up into the sky.

Looking in the direction Fortuna had flown, a smile naturally formed on my face.

“Johan! I’ve been thinking about it, but that thing from before. Don’t you think it was an optical illusion?”

Lloyd, for the life of him, didn’t seem to think it could have been Fortuna.

***

In Nesos, a total solar eclipse occurred once every 26 years.

Today was that very day, and it was also the day I had decided to assassinate Nepaya.

Nepaya was scheduled to give a speech in the plaza today.

The known content of the speech was about the overall operation of the night market.

But according to Hans, Nepaya was going to announce something much more important today.

Namely, a declaration of war against a neighboring territory.

Nepaya planned to gain support by talking about the justification for this war in front of a large crowd.

Of course, shills mobilized with enormous funds were scheduled to be active.

“You are a truly insane bastard. The idea of killing Nepaya is crazy, but why of all days is it today?”

Hans couldn’t understand my decision.

“Because today is a perfect day for Nepaya to die.”

“Crazy bastard. Don’t tell me it’s because of that Book of Revelations? Right? You want to complete that Book of Revelations with your own hands. If that’s what you’re thinking, please just put it away. No matter how I think about it, that Book of Revelations has too much nonsense.”

I wasn’t the superman on a white horse who appeared in that book, but there was a prophecy that had already been fulfilled.

The actual appearance of Fortuna.

I explained to Hans why I had chosen today.

“An open space like the plaza. Nepaya will be in the most visible place, and the moment the eclipse occurs will be an excellent opportunity.”

“But today, Nepaya’s security will be tighter than ever.”

“If I’m not confident I can break through it, then I wouldn’t be able to do it even if it wasn’t today.”

“Fine! Let’s say you kill Nepaya during the eclipse. Then what? Is it over once you kill Nepaya? The countless troops that will flock there will riddle your body with holes like a beehive.”

That didn’t matter.

The moment Nepaya died, the quest would end, and I would disappear from Nesos like the wind.

After all, I was the mysterious person Hans had spoken of.

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