[The restoration of the doc.u.ment has been complete.]

[Epic Quest: ‘Einherjar’s Legacy’ has been given.]

As he lifted the manfilled feather pen from the paper after writing the final letter, the system message had covered his vision.

As expected, the issued quest was related to the Einherjar.

It probably meant that he had to fight against a past hero.

Woohyuk put the Nag Hammadi Chronicles into his Sage Pocket and read the quest information window.

[New Quest]

Name: Einherjar’s Legacy

Type: Epic

Description: Summon an Einherjar with a soul stone at the Northern Sea Island. The summoner must defeat the summoned Einherjar alone.

Others: Retry after a failure is not permitted. Only one chance.

“The format is the same as last time. Though, I’m not sure if the rewards will be the same,” Woohyuk muttered.

“According to the Prophecy, you will be going through a lot in this quest. Now that the Creator’s intervention/involvement has begun, the Prophecy may have changed, but please take note anyway,” Helena, who was standing next to Woohyuk, said with a worried look.

The original Getia’s Prophecy was what Pina, the G.o.ddess of Fate in her previous life, had written down after peeking into her future through forbidden knowledge.

Therefore, Getia’s Prophecy existed for Woohyuk’s sake and was high credibility, but it may also have become useless through the Creator’s intervention.

This was because the Creator was a transcendental being that ruled over every hierarchy and was superior to the G.o.ds.

Woohyuk nodded his head in agreement and said, “I must ask Maria, the Saintess of Prophecy, for help. Where is she now?”

“She is currently under the protection of our Etheria Rodinus. You can call her anytime you need her,” Helena replied.

Her reply meant that Maria was somewhere in Inotia.

After asking Helena to bring Maria, Woohyuk stared at a map of the Eeth Continent on a magic screen.

‘If I leave for the Northern Sea Island this time, I’ll probably be gone for at least a week.’

Since he had sent off the 72 Demon Kings to all corners of the continent to loot dungeons and find the epic dungeons, he was still concerned about others finding the epic dungeons before him.

So far, it was confirmed that two epic dungeons were created in the East and two in the West.

The epic dungeons in the West were not a problem because he had full control over the area, but the problem was the East dungeons since he had little influence over that part of the continent.

‘… Marcus, formerly the Mad Lord, is still there as well.’

Marcus was a figure who had taken control of the Theresian Empire in the East and attempted multiple large-scale Western expeditions in Woohyuk’s past life.

Marcus would use any means to ascend to the Divine Thrones. In Woohyuk’s mind, Marcus’ t.i.tle ‘Mad Lord’ didn’t do him justice.

Thus, due to these thoughts and concerns, Woohyuk that he needed to rely on others during his period of absence.

After contemplating a bit longer, Woohyuk decided to hold an informal summit meeting with his va.s.sals, talents, and staff.

Beep.

With a simple hand gesture, the Eeth Continent map disappeared from the magic screen, and a list of major Western characters appeared.

‘I should call upon Eleanora regarding the Holy Aperian Empire.’

He had maintained a friendly relations.h.i.+p with Emperor Tiberius since the engagement, but it was difficult for Woohyuk to completely trust him.

Methodically, he removed people, like the Emperor, from the list, leaving exactly six people.

Ganiev, leader of the Beastman Alliance in the Talis Kingdom.

Legion General Maximus, governor of the Dane Kingdom.

Princess Eleanora, the Emperor in waiting of the Holy Aperian Empire.

Death Knight Huperion, the military commander of the Norton Kingdom.

Joanna, Queen of the Rhine Kingdom.

Ophelia, the Elf Queen of the Croix Princ.i.p.ality.

All of these individuals were leaders in their areas and who he trusted from past experience. Furthermore, they possessed the requisite political and military might that was needed to take large-scale actions and they had a low probability of betraying his trust.

After a moment, the faces of the six leaders appeared one after another, on his magic screen.

[Hero King, what’s so urgent? You don’t contact me so often, so I rushed to my office to see what was wrong.]

[It’s been a while, Chun Woohyuk. Ganiev is always ready to listen.]

Ophelia and Ganiev looked at Woohyuk and spoke first.

Their offices were equipped with the same magically engineered screens that he had, as they were all developed by Aris, so real-time video conversations were possible at any time after ident.i.ty authentication.

However, this was the first time that several people held a meeting together on this platform.

“I have something to tell you all. It’s an important issue, so if there is someone around you, have them go outside.”

[All the maids were sent out. Neither Father nor Granver has any reason to find me, so they won’t be bothering us.] Eleanora, wearing an official gown, replied with a smile.

It seemed she was pleasantly surprised to see Woohyuk, even if it was through a video/image portal.

Huperion and Joanna said a few words of greeting as well. It seemed that everyone was happy to see him and reconnect.

[Please, rest a.s.sured, all the undead are obedient and prepared for your orders, Master. How is life in the Heavenly Island?]

[If I have a chance, I want to visit. That place may have something to do with Queen Iona.]

The two seemed to be interested in the Erendia Kingdom, where Inotia, the City of Magic and Engineering, was located.

Woohyuk briefly told the history of the place and how he was doing before returning to the original topic.

“… Anyway, there are two main things we need to care of at this point: The Epic Dungeons and the Eastern Forces.”

[Regarding the epic dungeon, one of them is here. Although it’s under my control, a number of other races have continued to stream into the general area. Their numbers also seem to be increasing, which is making it hard to maintain and enforce a perimeter.]

[The Norton Kingdom is also falling into confusion because of this. I don’t think that your va.s.sals and clans will be able to handle the increased pressure from outside forces.]

The Western Eeth Continent epic dungeons were in the Croix Princ.i.p.ality and the Norton Kingdom.

They were similar in lat.i.tude, but quite far apart longitudinally.

Thus, even if others provided support, they had to properly divide their troops.

Woohyuk spoke after hearing the details from Ophelia and Huperion, “The Norton Kingdom side is relatively safe. I can send my va.s.sals through the Dimensional Gate of the Dead at any time to reinforce that perimeter. However, the Croix Princ.i.p.ality epic dungeons location doesn’t have such facilities for transportation, and it is close to the Theresian Empire in the East, so we need to pay extra attention to that epic dungeon’s location.”

[What should I do? Recently, I’ve been getting constant requests for cooperation from Tiberius.]

Emperor Tiberius was showing considerable interest in the Game of Divine Thrones, which was opened by the Creator.

Perhaps, as a person of power in this world, he desired a higher, new seat.

Woohyuk frowned after hearing Ophelia’s words. It seemed that Tiberius was planning something for selfish, evil reasons.

“You must never respond. If you allow access to the epic dungeon, Tiberius will send his seven Paladins there,” Woohyuk replied.

[Do you think the Seven Paladins can successfully attack the epic dungeon? Didn’t they struggle with the Demon King Alliance in the Northern Front?]

“The problem is not about whether they’ll be successful or not. If the seven Paladins enter the epic dungeon, the Holy Aperian Empire will become unstable and a prime target for the Eastern Forces.”

Furthermore, various lawless forces, including the Awakened, were raging across the Eeth Continent.

It was very undesirable for the seven Paladins to leave their seats in such an unstable and tumultuous situation.

If they took a wrong step, it could lead to a larger crisis in the West and possibly the end of the Empire.

Hearing Woohyuk’s explanation, Eleanora made an expression of discomfort.

[I don’t know if my father will listen to me. He’s so interested in mythology…]

Tiberius, who had enjoyed all the secular wealth of the world, desperately sought a way to live forever.

It was similar to the reasons why Egyptian pharaohs turned their bodies into mummies and the Emperor of the Qin Dynasty sought out the medicine/pill of immortality.

Seizing a place atop a Divine Throne would obviously present him with a way to achieve his goal of immortality.

Of course, the G.o.ds also died if they suffered fatal injuries, but at least they didn’t have a finite lifespan like humans.

Once he grasped Tiberius’ ambition, Woohyuk made a decision in his heart.

‘He’ll need to be removed someday soon.’

If the Imperial Emperor was a.s.sa.s.sinated, great chaos would spread throughout the land, so he had been putting it off.

Furthermore, Tiberius was just a minor objective in this jumbled, larger chess game.

He felt sorry for Eleanora, but…

‘I’ll have to plan and quickly a.s.sa.s.sinate the Emperor.’

It would have been quite difficult in the past, but now, he had nothing to worry about.

He had many deception items, and he had 72 Demon Kings and numerous capable va.s.sals under his command.

Woohyuk called a break during the meeting and connected with Agares, the 2nd rank Demon King.

[Agares, are you available?]

[Yes, what is it?]

[There is someone you need to deal with.]

[Oh, who is he? Since you’re asking, he must be a pretty big figure.]

[I guess you can say he’s a big deal in this world. I need you to eliminate the Emperor of the Holy Aperian Empire.]

[…]

Silence ensued for a while.

Afterward, Agares asked Woohyuk in a puzzled manner, [Are you thinking of taking the Emperor seat yourself? Even if you don’t have to do that, you’ll be able to control the entire empire from behind the scenes.]

[No, the next emperor will be Eleanora. I have another reason for why he needs to disappear.]

Woohyuk told her the story of how Tiberius was trying to send his empire’s seven Paladins to the epic dungeon and how he was ultimately aiming for a seat atop a Divine Throne.

Hearing his explanation, Agares replied in a cooperative tone, as she became fully convinced, [Certainly, it is difficult if such a person occupies a Divine Throne seat. It’s unacceptable even to me, a moderate member of the demon world. Can I do whatever I want?]

[No, I’ll lure him to the right place. It would become difficult if the capital of the Western Empire is thrown into confusion and chaos.]

Delpheon’s (Capital of The Holy Aperian Empire) castle walls had a magical barrier that guarded against a demon camp attack. Furthermore, the imperial palace was guarded by expertly trained guards and specialists, making it difficult to penetrate.

This was why Baal, in the past, led a demonic army and engaged in an all-out war against Emperor Tiberius.

‘To catch a rabbit, I’ll have to first make it come out of its den with its own two feet.’

Catching rabbits meant setting fire to their dens, but in the case of Emperor Tiberius, there was a better way.

He was obsessed with the Divine Thrones, so one could lure him out by feeding him false information about it.

Of course, he would not move alone. He’d probably be accompanied by a large troop, including his seven Paladins, but this scenario was much better than trying to attempt an a.s.sa.s.sination in the Imperial Palace.

As Woohyuk secretly shared his plans, Agares nodded.

[Stating that one of the conditions in completing the epic dungeon quest requires an imperial treasure… if such information is leaked, Emperor Tiberius will mobilize for certain.]

[You may face conflict with the empire, but my va.s.sals cannot mobilize on this matter. So, thoroughly decorate it as an act of demonic retribution.]

[Hoho… don’t worry. Unlike Baal, I am attentive to details.]

That was probably why Woohyuk entrusted her, instead of Baal, with the a.s.sa.s.sination of the Emperor.

When Agares responded with a confident voice, Woohyuk activated the magic screen and resumed the summit meeting.

[I’m sorry. I had to deal with an important task that just came up.]

[You must be very busy, Chun Woohyuk. These days, we, the Beastman Alliance, are also suffering from headaches because of the new Game of Divine Thrones. The existing quest to defeat the 72 Demon King has been changed to a step-by-step achievement.]

The 72 Demon Kings had already been collected by Woohyuk in Lemegeton, so it was impossible for someone else to seal them.

However, Woohyuk did not reveal this fact and moved on to another agenda item.

[Anyway, it’s during times like this that we need to strengthen our alliances. Our enemies are gradually increasing their power even now.]

[Do you mean the Theresian Empire in the East? A lot of ominous rumors have been swirling around recently. Rumor has it that the Theresian Empire’s imperial family is promoting forbidden experiments.]

Like the Norton royal family, who wanted to obtain immortality, the Imperial Family of the Theresian Empire was also pursuing forbidden experiments for the same objective.

The result was infighting and loss of divine power.

The recent confusion of the times was a great opportunity for them, as they were barely able to maintain their sovereignty in the East anyway. This recent spell of confusion allowed them to conduct their experiments and ward off rising enemies.

[If we start a war in the East, we will cross the Krobaichen Isthmus strait. From now on, let’s plan a countermeasure.]

From his past experiences, Woohyuk already knew what strategies the Eastern Forces would employ.

Eventually, a map of the Eeth Continent unfolded on the magic screen.

Soon, Woohyuk his explanation of the grand operation.