Kang Oh couldn't hide his shock. Why did the God of Creation suddenly appear before him?

"You are..." Maya's voice resounded throughout the room.

Only then did Kang Oh get a hold of himself.

"Greetings, Supreme One." Kang Oh bowed immediately.

"There's no need for that." Maya raised his light encased hand, and Kang Oh's body automatically stood up.

"Thank you. But... may I ask why you have suddenly appeared?"

"Of course. I appeared because of these children." Maya pointed at the nearby gold giants.

"These children are from the Bargon Tribe. They were exterminated during the war against the Mayanes."

"Is that so?"

It seemed like the dragons weren't the only species that participated in the war.

"The crimes that the Mayanes committed... are ultimately my fault. I wasn't able to guide them properly. Thus, I wish to recreate the Bargon Tribe. I want to see them thrive once more."

"Then why did you seal them?" Kang Oh asked.

"These children were powerful enough to stand in the frontlines against the Mayanes. Thus, I can't afford to just resurrect them as I please."

"Mm."

They clearly looked strong.

If they were released into the world, then they could follow in the dragons' footsteps and become apex predators. Plus, some of them would likely turn evil like Evil Dragon Inarius.

"Are there other ancient tribes like them?"

"There are four other tribes. All of them perished against the Mayanes, but they're all powerful in their own right."

"Hoo."

If they were all released into the continent, then it'd be absolute chaos.

"Their fate is tied to your decision," Maya said.

"I beg your pardon?"

'What's this out of the blue?'

"You make the decision. Whether I release their seals or they remain sealed here forever."

Maya had decided to let their fates be decided by an individual who lived on the continent, rather than him. Thus, he had sealed them within a few of the dungeons he'd created.

"Wait, why are you asking me..."

"I'm asking you as a powerful member of the continent. I want to know if you're confident that you'll be able to handle them."

There was a condition to reach this place, the area where the Bargon Tribe were sealed. The player had to defeat the Serpentra Queen by themselves. Kang Oh had accomplished this feat.

"Objectively speaking, how strong are they?" Kang Oh asked.

"They're stronger than you."

"One of them is stronger than me?"

"Indeed."

"Are they stronger than a dragon?"

"They're weaker than a dragon."

"I think they should be sealed."

You should just let sleeping dogs lie.

"Don't be hasty and think hard. The fate of their tribe lies in your hands," Maya said harshly.

"Mm." Kang Oh rubbed his chin. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't allow them onto the continent. It would completely break the balance between the races.

Plus, what if they decided to use their strength for evil? He would be the one who cleaned up their mess as the Guardian of the Continent.

'I already suffered through the Mayanes. That's enough ancient races for me.'

Kang Oh made his decision.

"Please keep them sealed."

"Is that... the best decision?" Maya said regretfully.

It seemed like he yearned for the past, where ancient races lived together in harmony. If not, then perhaps he was feeling guilty for their deaths at the hands of the Mayanes.

"If ants live among humans, then the ants will be trampled on."

"Mm. I understand." Maya's voice was tinged with regret.

Kang Oh scratched his head. 'He won't cause trouble, will he? Mm.'

Maya didn't have a good track record. Kang Oh was sure that he'd cause trouble in the future if he didn't deal with this now. Thus, he gave Maya another option.

"What about removing their strength and recreating them?"

"They would no longer be the Bargon Tribe. They'd be another tribe that looks like them."

It seemed like Maya had no intention of changing their power, their appearance, etc.

"Hmm, then how does this sound?"

"I'm listening."

"Unseal them and then isolate them."

"What do you mean?"

"You said there were four other tribes. What if you created an island far away from the continent where the five tribes lived together? Those who live on the continent won't be harmed by them, and the ancient tribes should be able to prosper if left to their own devices. Ah, and if possible, please create it in the Southern Sea. To be more specific, please place it behind the Devil's Sea. That way, neither side can easily cross paths."

Maya seemed to be locked in thought.

Kang Oh silently waited for him to answer.

"Is that your decision?" Maya asked.

"That's the best I can come up with. The ancient tribes can prosper once more, and peace in the continent will be maintained."

'I want to live in peace too!'

"I'll do as you ask."

Maya and the golden giants were engulfed in light, and disappeared someplace else.

Sometime later...

A small earthquake rocked the southern part of the continent, or the Great Forest.

"Uheok, it's an earthquake."

"Another one?"

Unlike before, there wasn't a huge change.

The inhabitants and the players within the Great Forest looked relieved.

No one knew.

A new continent about 1/4 the size of the continent had appeared behind the Devil's Sea.

Kang Oh's decision had resulted in the creation of a new continent. And this continent wouldn't be revealed to players for a long, long time.

* * *

Kang Oh safely returned to Altein.

Then, he examined the three items that the Serpentra Queen had dropped.

First, he took a look at the rare material.

[Queen's Noble Scales]

The Serpentra Queen's scales. It seems like it contains an extremely noble and unique ability.

Material Rank: S.

'Hoffman will love this.'

Kang Oh looked over the next item. It was a thick grimoire.

[Black Doom]

Unleashes powder that possesses the darkness element. Absorbs a portion of the stats of anyone it touches. Anyone affected by the powder will take damage over time, and all their abilities will fall.

'Hoh.'

Darkness element grimoires were rare. Their prices matched their rarity. However, the spell was amazing too.

'I should sell this to Helena or the Tower.'

No matter who he sold it to, he would make a huge profit.

The final item was a long spear.

Ornate engravings lined the spear shaft, and the weapon itself was well balanced. The spear tip was shaped like a giant drill, which was a mixture of white and black like a twisted breadstick.

'Heop.' Kang Oh's eyes widened as he looked over the information.

[Light and Darkness Spear]

The legendary Dwarf Blacksmith, Bargo, put his heart and soul into this spear. It is also his final work.

Light and darkness, which cannot coexist, somehow exist in harmony within this spear. It is impossible. How did he manage this?

Blacksmiths will do whatever it takes to see this weapon in person.

What's worse, the weapon has an ego of its own. It remains dormant at the moment, waiting for its rightful owner to awake.

+ Light and Darkness: Deals both light and darkness damage. The two energies clash, annihilating one's enemies.

+ Spear Master: Significantly increases the power and speed of any spear-related actions. Cuts the cooldown of all spear techniques in half. It will occasionally give you a hint to reach Enlightenment.

+ Chaos Spear that Pierces the Heavens: Unleashes chaos energy that annihilates one's opponent. Cooldown: 10 minutes. MP Cost : None. Every enemy kill reduces this skill's cooldown by 10 seconds.

+ Summon Armored Horse Eternal: Allows you to summon and ride Eternal, an unrivaled steed garbed in armor made of the mysterious metal, Archon. Eternal provides a significant boost to its rider's abilities. However, the rider must possess High-Rank Horseback Riding or higher in order to ride Eternal.

Rank: SS.

Abilities: Attack Power 1714, Penetration +500, All Stats +70, Light and Darkness Damage +30%.

Minimum Requirements: Level 500, a Master Spearman class, and at least one mastered offensive Spearman skill.

It was said that Max created the finest blades, while Bargo created the finest spears.

Bargo was another legendary blacksmith that stood alongside Max, who created the famed Max Series of swords.

Spear King Hernandez's favored weapon was a product of Bargo's youth. However, this spear was Bargo's final work!

It followed that its abilities would be absolute bonkers.

The spear's attack power exceeded even his demon sword's. However, it also had four item effects, which were all ridiculous in their own right.

Moreover, it was an ego spear!

If awakened, this ego would add another ability into the mix, or may greatly increase the power of the weapon itself.

Of course, it made sense why the equip requirements were so crazy.

How much would this be worth?

He couldn't even begin to guess!

If he showed this to Hernandez, then he would likely do anything to obtain it, offering money, treasure, another tremendous item, or even the vice-captain position in exchange.

In any case...

"Jackpot! I struck gold!" Kang Oh clenched his fists and raised them into the air.

How long had it been since he'd struck gold from a dungeon?

"Yeah!"

Kang Oh joyfully danced around.

It felt like he was rewarded all at once for everything he hadn't gotten from his Guardian of the Continent quests. It also felt like God was giving him a gift for living a proper life.

"Hahahahaha!"

Kang Oh couldn't contain his excitement.

It felt like the world was in his hands. Though he would have to think about how to deal with this spear in the future.

He had no intention of selling it for the time being.

Why would he do others a favor?

* * *

"Aaah, Unni!"

"It's Soo Ah!"

"Lee Seul, look over here!"

"Hyo Min Noona!"

People cheered at Triple Lower's appearance.

"Thank you. I love you all!" Soo Ah, who wore a red sweater, waved her hand. The other members of Triple Lower followed her into the van.

Soo Ah lowered the window and said her goodbyes. The other members in her group did the same.

Though she'd gotten wildly popular, she hadn't forgotten her roots. She knew that her popularity was all due to her fans. The other members of her group followed the same line of thought.

"You won't be seeing us for a while, but please don't forget about us!" Soo Ah said.

"We won't!"

"No! I won't let you go!"

"Aah, Unni!"

The van slowly drove off, and Soo Ah closed her window only after seeing her fans off.

"Hoo."

Only then did Soo Ah breathe a sigh of relief.

"Here, Unni." Lee Seul, the team's youngest, passed her a bottle of water.

"Thanks."

She guzzled it down. 'Mm, now I feel more alive.' Her busy schedule for today was finally over.

Soo Ah hadn't just finished today's schedule. Her schedule for the entire nation had ended.

"Did you finish packing?" their manager looked at the back mirror and asked.

This manager of theirs sure was strange.

He was always sitting in the driver's seat, stating that he didn't trust the automatic driving feature of his car. Plus, he considered himself ten times better than a machine at driving.

Then again, he really was good at driving.

"No, not yet," Hyo Min, their oldest member, said.

"Where would we have found time to pack? We only slept four hours a day and had to get through our schedule," Lee Seul said tiredly.

"That's why I told you to cut back a little," their manager said pitifully. It was as if he were saying, 'Why do you go through so much hardship?'.

"Oppa, our fans here won't be able to see us when we go abroad. That's why we have to see them as much as possible while we still can!" Lee Seul said decisively.

"She's right," Hyo Min chimed in, and Soo Ah grinned.

That's right. Triple Lower would perform abroad in Europe, and was scheduled to leave tomorrow.

They would only be there for about two days. Their stay could be longer if they were received positively. They would just have to go and see how it went.

"Oppa, I'd like to use this now." Soo Ah raised her virtual reality goggles.

There was someone she wanted to meet.

"Yeah, alright."

Soo Ah often played virtual reality games while she was in the car, so the manager didn't have any problems with it and nodded his head.

Hyo Min and Lee Seul smiled impishly. It's always the quiet ones.

She seemed quite anxious.

Soo Ah avoided their eyes and quickly wore the goggles.

A short while later...

She logged into Arth.

Soo Ah transformed into an armored, western blonde beauty!

She immediately sent a message.

- Oppa!

- Where are you? I'll be right there!