The Return of the Legendary All-Master

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 325

Jeong-Hoon, along with Siron and Dregar, returned to the Union Hall.

The leaders who had witnessed Dregar's humiliating defeat stared at him with baffled expressions.

He had boldly stepped forward, claiming he'd deliver a proper lesson, yet he couldn’t even last three minutes before losing.

Receiving everyone's stares, Dregar flushed red and hurriedly retreated to his seat as if fleeing.

"I believe this is enough proof of his qualifications... Does anyone have any objections?"

Siron asked the leaders.

The hall remained silent.

No one dared to speak.

Even after about ten seconds, the silence persisted. Siron smiled faintly and added,

"Very well. I'll take that as unanimous agreement."

Above Siron's head, an exclamation mark flickered.

It was proof that he had completed the quest by proving his qualifications.

[Quest Completed.]

[You have gained 20,000,000 experience points.]

[You can now proceed to the next quest.]

The first step had been completed perfectly.

Another notification appeared above Siron's head, this time with a question mark.

[Episode Quest: Union Hall (1)]

- Requirement: Complete the Qualification Quest

- Reward: ??

- Description: Join the Union Hall and lend them your strength.

Now, Jeong-Hoon was eligible to join the Union Hall.

When Jeong-Hoon accepted the quest, a new message appeared before him.

[Would you like to join the Union Hall?]

[You can choose an affiliation.]

Affiliation.

In other words, he had to choose which leader to align himself with.

'Will the quest change depending on my choice?'

In this hall, the only one who had previously been acknowledged and progressed with the quest was James Marcus.

He had chosen the Fairy Queen Niaiv and had been assigned relatively easier quests, allowing him to complete the episode successfully.

That's why everyone said that when choosing an affiliation in the Union Hall, selecting Niaiv was the safest option.

Due to limited time, Jeong-Hoon intended to follow that advice and select Niaiv.

[You have acquired the qualifications to access the Secret Episode.]

[A new affiliation has been unlocked.]

However, instead of the expected result, a new affiliation appeared before Jeong-Hoon. A rainbow-colored box had emerged.

[Hero (Grand Master) Siron]

Hero Siron.

‘Does this mean I can join Siron’s faction?’

Jeong-Hoon tilted his head in confusion.

When James Marcus had made his choice, he had been forced to choose from the remaining leaders excluding Siron.

That meant joining Siron's faction would allow him to access the Secret Episode.

‘Could it be because I defeated Dregar in the duel?’

That makes sense.

The problem was the difficulty of the Secret Episode.

Could he finish that episode and reach 99% completion within a week?

'There's no need to take that gamble right now.'

Protecting Earth was the priority over challenging the Secret Episode.

With that in mind, he was about to choose Niaiv.

[Since you meet the qualifications, the Secret Episode will automatically begin.]

Before Jeong-Hoon could make his choice, the Secret Episode was forcibly initiated.

[You have joined Hero (Grand Master) Siron's faction.]

[You have successfully joined the Union.]

While Jeong-Hoon stood dumbfounded with a wry smile, Siron approached him and extended his hand for a handshake.

If their first handshake was a greeting, this one conveyed trust for the future.

"I look forward to working with you."

"...Sure."

Jeong-Hoon shook his hand and nodded.

The choice had already been made.

Instead of wasting time questioning it, he needed to complete the episode quickly to minimize Earth's damage.

[Quest Completed.]

[You have gained 20,000,000 experience points.]

[You can now proceed to the next quest.]

With his entry into the Union Hall, the quest was complete.

The next quest followed.

[Secret Episode Quest: Union Hall (2)]

Requirement: Complete the Union Hall (1) Quest

Reward: ??

Description: Follow Siron's command. The quest will be completed upon meeting the criteria.

The next quest required him to follow Siron’s lead.

"You may already know this... but the world is already on the brink of destruction. The reason we've all gathered here is to prevent that."

"Yes. So what do I need to do?"

The original Union Hall episode was mostly about support roles.

There were no quests involving dungeon subjugation or facing transcendent beings, which was why the episode could be completed quickly.

In fact, players could even obtain marks through NPC interactions during the support process.

However, since the Secret Episode had begun, it was clear this would take a different direction from the one James Marcus had experienced.

"You’ll be assisting me in subjugating an Abnormal Dungeon."

"Subjugation?"

It was clearly different.

"Yes. Abnormal Dungeons are appearing rapidly."

Abnormal Dungeon.

Even on Earth, Abnormal Dungeons had begun appearing after reality’s transformation. Simply put, they were dungeons that imposed penalties.

Jeong-Hoon had successfully removed several of these penalties by preemptively subjugating Abnormal Dungeons.

"What’s the current damage level?"

The fact that they were appearing rapidly was proof that the damage level was high.

"71%."

71%.

As expected, it was a high figure.

"I see."

"I've already confirmed your abilities. Please lend your strength to our Union."

Seeing him subdue Dregar, the leader of the Giants, in an instant had convinced him.

That outsider would be a great asset to Siron himself.

"Understood. Then please tell me which dungeon we need to subjugate first."

"Yes. Follow me."

Siron nodded and guided Jeong-Hoon.

* * *

Siron and the outsider left the hall through a portal.

Only then did the Fairy Queen, Niaiv, speak to Dregar.

"Dregar... I didn't think you'd go down so easily."

"……."

Faced with her contemptuous gaze, Dregar couldn’t say a word.

His pride was completely shattered, but the defeated had no right to speak.

"Ha, if you can talk, say something."

That annoying wench.

He wanted to rip apart that mouth that kept flapping without a thought.

He was trying to hold back because of the setting, but if she said one more word, he would lead the Giants to wipe out her and the entire Fairy race.

"Enough. Niaiv, what do you gain by provoking Dregar here?"

But before Dregar could explode, Kanteon, the leader of the Dragons, intervened.

"Tch."

Niaiv clicked her tongue and shifted her gaze away from Dregar.

"Still, it's surprising. I didn’t expect Siron to step in personally."

The leader of the Beastkin, Yuranas, stared at the portal where Siron had disappeared with curiosity.

"That’s because the outsider proved he was strong enough to take down Dregar."

Dregar was hot-tempered, but among the leaders, his strength was undeniable.

The fact that he held his position—a role earned by sheer strength—was proof of that.

For someone to subdue Dregar so easily spoke volumes about their abilities.

Siron had ample reason to step in personally.

"Even so, I’m not sure he's someone you can entrust with dungeon subjugation."

Ereshion barely suppressed his discomfort as he muttered.

The outsider’s strength was proven.

But that was all.

Was it right to entrust a mission that could determine the fate of the world to someone whose strength was the only verified trait?

"We're not really in a position to be picky right now."

Pallud understood Siron’s decision well.

A person capable of subduing Dregar.

And more importantly, someone who wielded a legendary weapon reminiscent of those used by the ancient Titan race.

If he joined, they might be able to delay the increasing damage level, even if only slightly.

"That's right. Since he's strong enough to crush Dregar with just one finger, we should make full use of him, shouldn't we?"

Bang!

At Niaiv's words, Dregar slammed his fist on the table and shouted.

"Shut up! It wasn't just one finger!"

"Yes. The loser should keep quiet."

"You XX! Shut your mouth before I rip off all your wings!"

"Oh my, is that so?"

With Niaiv's continued taunts, Dregar finally exploded.

"That damn insect, I'll kill her with my own hands! Before the world ends, I'll wipe out your entire race first!"

Whirr—

At that moment, a hologram appeared in the middle of the table.

[Everyone, gather immediately.]

The hologram displayed Siron's face prominently as he issued an order for the leaders to assemble.

As a result, Dregar had no choice but to stop once again.

* * *

The place Siron led them to was a small portal.

A portal barely big enough for one person to squeeze through.

It was even concealed by the surrounding grass, making it difficult to find.

"Here it is. Among the abnormal dungeons, this is the oldest one."

The oldest.

That was a troubling statement.

"The oldest? Then why haven't you tried to subjugate it?"

At Jeong-Hoon's question, Siron fell silent for a moment.

Furrowing his brow, Siron stared at the portal before speaking slowly.

"Because if we go in, we'll all be wiped out."

Judging by the sheer amount of mana flowing out, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were indeed annihilated.

[Lv. 2,500]

The dungeon’s level was an overwhelming 2,500.

Attempting to clear it with their current strength was practically impossible.

But wasn't the Union established to delay destruction by subjugating abnormal dungeons?

If they were hesitating out of fear, what was the point of forming the Union in the first place?

Jeong-Hoon couldn’t comprehend their logic.

"So you created the Union just to sit back and watch the world end?"

"...No. Things have changed now."

"Changed?"

"Yes. Now that preparations are complete, we'll start by closing this dungeon."

"Preparations?"

Siron nodded.

"Yes. I'll be direct. Can you defeat me?"

Seeing Siron's serious expression, Jeong-Hoon responded with equal seriousness.

"Yes."

"That's exactly it. With you joining us, we finally have a chance at victory."

Siron’s calm demeanor suggested he had already anticipated this answer.

"Well, I roughly understand. Let's get started then."

Since time was limited, there was no point in arguing.

After all, this was just an episode.

The world had already perished, so no matter how hard Jeong-Hoon tried, changing the outcome was impossible.

All he needed to do was focus on completing the quest.

"Thank you. Then I'll call everyone in."

Siron smiled brightly and attempted to contact the leaders.

Not long after, all the leaders had gathered in front of the portal.

Dregar didn’t bother to hide his discomfort, but the other leaders ignored him and continued speaking.

"You want to clear this place right now?"

"This dungeon's difficulty was the reason we kept delaying it."

A dungeon so challenging that even the leaders avoided it.

"You all know it. We can’t delay this any longer."

With Siron’s firm statement, everyone fell silent.

"...I agree with that. So, you're suggesting we lead all the races and launch an assault now?"

Kanteon seemed ready to summon all the dragons immediately.

However, Siron shook his head.

"No. We'll go in by ourselves."

"What? Are you serious right now?"

Kanteon’s face twisted in disbelief.

Attempting to clear a high-difficulty dungeon with barely ten people?

"Kanteon, you know this dungeon isn’t one that can be cleared with sheer numbers."

Abnormal dungeons are typically controlled by transcendents.

Since it's not a place that can be overcome with sheer numbers, going in with a smaller group minimizes casualties.

With a mountain of dungeons still left to subjugate, wasting their forces here would be disastrous.

"That's true, but..."

Kanteon trailed off, staring at the portal.

‘At this rate, it'll take all day just to get inside.’

Jeong-Hoon sighed and walked toward the portal.

Seeing this, Siron and the others were startled.

"W-Wait a moment!"

Siron hurriedly tried to stop him, but Jeong-Hoon had already stepped into the portal.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]