〈System Alert: A new quest has been added to your quest logs!〉

'It feels like I'm slowly starting to turn into a delivery service.'

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Quest Name: A Concerned Ancestor

Recommended Level: ???

Recommended Party Size: N/A

Quest Rank: SS

Quest Objective: Tal'Nis is concerned about her descendants of the Seventh Demon Clan, one of the mysterious races that once resided in the Danger Lands. After the Fourth War of the Titans, the Seventh Demon Clan was forced to flee the ruined Danger Lands along with the other mysterious races. Tal'Nis has lost contact with her descendants through the «Seven Flames of Tal» for generations and is unable to establish a connection for some unknown reason. Therefore, she has entrusted you with seeking out her clan members of this generation. It is currently believed that the Seventh Demon Clan resides somewhere within a certain sacred forest. Seek them out and hand over the «Seventh Origin Flames Necklace» to their generation's clan leader.

Time Limit: 1 year

0/1 Visit the underground chambers of the «Holy O'Tohelm Sanctum» to discover clues regarding the whereabouts of the Seventh Demon's Clan's hidden abode.

0/1 Locate the Seventh Demon Clan's hidden abode.

0/1 Deliver the «Seventh Origin Flames Necklace» to the Seventh Demon Clan's current generation clan leader.

0/1 Assist the Seventh Demon Clan in re-establishing their connection to the «Seven Flames of Tal».

Reward:

-Max favor with «Lady of Everlasting Rain, Tal'Nis»

-Max favor with the Seventh Demon Clan

-Acquire one of the «Seven Flames of Tal» of the Seventh Demon Clan(Trait)

Failure:

-Decline of the Seventh Demon Clan for another generation.

-«Lady of Everlasting Rain, Tal'Nis» will look upon you less favorably.

Special Note: This quest cannot be shared.

'That guy must be a pretty big deal in the Divine Realm. Though no one would ever think so with the way he speaks.'

As Izroth read over the question information, he thought about his brief exchange of words with the God of Craft, Mazi.

At the time, Mazi was able to form a direct link and speak to Izroth personally from the Divine Realm. Back then, he mentioned that doing so for a prolonged period of time was too costly. But, it seemed that even in the Divine Realm there were those with wealth and those without.

After all, if it was just re-establishing the connection with her descendants that Tal'Nis was worried about, why did she not use the same method as Mazi to communicate with them?

Given that Mazi was willing to pay such a hefty price to communicate with him, Izroth wondered what kind of standing the God of Craft had compared to Tal'Nis.

However, Izroth understood that even if he asked about it, Tal'Nis would not, or rather could not, give an answer.

'Setting that aside... The Holy O'Tohelm Sanctum—if what I've read about it is accurate, it's going to be a pain to gain access to the underground chambers there.'

The Holy O'Tohelm Sanctum was considered a holy place for followers of the Rekshaun, a book that contained the sacred teachings of the Divine One. From what Izroth knew, the citizens there were all fanatics and looked down on those who did not embrace their way.

Of course, the headache truly came from the fact that O'Tohelm was extremely protective of their sacred grounds. Those who trespassed would be attacked first, and asked questions later. That is if they could even survive the encounter.

'O'Tohelm... I was there briefly when I visited the Roaming Village of the Netherworld, but I didn't come across anyone from O'Tohelm.'

At the moment, O'Tohelm was the only kingdom that did not have a hand in the ongoing war. Even Pzenium, who claimed a neutral stance, had several different mercenary groups participating on both sides.

Therefore, while they were not viewed as enemies, neither could they be regarded as allies of Amaharpe or the other kingdoms fighting against Tempest.

'The only clue about the Seventh Demon Clan's hidden abode is that it resides inside of a sacred forest. But, what one person considers sacred is not necessarily the same for another. There are hundreds of sacred forests, but searching them one by one is out of the question. It seems I have no choice but to look into a way to enter the Holy O'Tohelm Sanctum's underground chambers.'

Izroth removed his Shadow Necklace and placed it into his inventory before equipping the Seventh Origin Flames Necklace. Although he lost a bit of agility from doing so, the effects of the Seventh Origin Flames Necklace more than made up for it. It was, in all sense, a lifesaving item that could even take a direct blow from someone at the peak of the legendary realm!

The only downside was that the effect could only be activated twice. In addition, if one wanted to access the item's true powers, it required them to be a member of the Seventh Demon Clan.

'A one-year time limit is quite generous. And, compared to other S-rank and above quests I've done, the penalty for failure is rather easygoing. As for the rewards... Possessing max favor with a being in the Divine Realm and their descendants isn't bad. But, I'm more interested in the Seven Flames of Tal.'

This was the first time Izroth saw a trait listed as a quest reward. And, seeing as how it was a part of an SS-ranked quest, Izroth gathered that it was anything but ordinary.

After checking over the quest information, Izroth closed out his interface as Tal'Nis waited patiently for him to finish.

"Should the occasion present itself, I will see to it that this necklace makes it to your descendants," Izroth stated calmly.

"Then, I shall thank you in advance, Izroth. I have high expectations of you. It brings me a great deal of enjoyment to know that my name will be remembered by those I have acknowledged this generation." Tal'Nis replied as she smiled gracefully.

She then continued, "I have taken up enough of your time. I am sure your companions are worried about you by now. Plus, it would be a shame to have come this far and leave without first obtaining your official rewards."

Tal'Nis pointed towards Izroth as a transportation magic circle formed beneath his feet.

〈System Alert: Transporting in 20 seconds...〉

"I am certain that the path you choose to take will be riddled with formidable challenges. However, I hope that you continue to hold your head high and tread onward." Tal'Nis stated.

"It is not the challenge itself I fear, but the absence of it. Rest assured, my path is not easily blocked." Izroth responded casually.

"Fearing the absence of a challenge... is it? I see. Well said." Tal'Nis gave a small nod of approval.

Tal'Nis sensed no trace of arrogance in Izroth's words. Instead, there was the presence of an unshakable will—as if that saying was truly a part of him.

5...

"Ah, I almost forgot. I have prepared an additional gift for you. Think of it as my way of saying thank you for allowing me to see some interesting things after all these centuries." Tal'Nis' mentioned.

1...

'A gift?'

"May your journey be long-lived, Izroth." Tal'Nis bid a final farewell as the magic circle activated.

〈System Alert: Transporting...〉

...

'Oh? It's gone.'

After being transported back to the waiting room by Tal'Nis, the first thing Izroth noticed was that the transparent barrier had been replaced by another white wall.

"Welcome back. We were beginning to get a little worried since our messages weren't going through." Niflheim said as he approached Izroth.

He then inquired, "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did the two of you talk about?"

"Nothing too important. I'll fill you in later." Izroth answered.

Niflheim nodded and said, "Alright. That aside—you should hurry and collect your treasure chest. Also, a small black box randomly appeared on top of your treasure chest just before you arrived. Since it's soulbound to you, no one else can open it. But, as you can expect, everyone is curious as to what's inside. Of course, no one dares to ask since it's an unspoken rule."

"Oh?"

Niflheim explained to Izroth how no one opened their treasure chest and simply placed it into their inventory.

Even though they all worked together to complete the crusade, in the end, as top players, there were still certain things that they preferred to keep a secret. This was even more so when it came to grand rewards from something like clearing a crusade.

After Niflheim explained the situation to him, Izroth walked over to the center of the waiting room and stopped before a black treasure chest. The treasure chest gave off an overwhelming pressure that was on the verge of being oppressive. And, sat atop the intimidating object was a small plain-looking black box.

'Is this the gift she mentioned at the end?'

Name: [Izroth's] Third Stage Crusade Treasure Chest(Soulbound)

Rank: ???

Usage: Contains rewards for clearing the third stage of the «Crusade».

Special Note: This item can only be opened by its owner.

Name: [Izroth's] Mysterious Black Box(Soulbound)

Rank: ???

Usage: Contains a special item.

Special Note: This item can only be opened by its owner.