Kalis and Lia exchanged a glance, surprise flickering in both their eyes.
"We'd never make it to the Divine Sanctuary or Abyssal Realm at our current levels," Lia spoke first, her voice laced with helplessness. "And what exactly is the Tower of Eternity?"
The Abyssal Realm was a forbidden land accessible only to powerhouses above Level 150, while the Divine Sanctuary was a godly domain that even peak Level 250 players dared not tread.
Both perilous zones had strict level requirements and entry conditions, far beyond the reach of ordinary teleportation arrays. In their minds, the Tower of Eternity was the only feasible option to find the Divine Dew Spring.
But they were wrong.
Dafiona shook her head slowly, her voice carrying the distant weariness of years gone by: "The Tower of Eternity is no mortal realm. It is a trial dungeon forged by the Creator God's own hands—untraceable, visible only to those blessed with destiny and immense fortune. Legend says the tower has nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine floors, each guarded by trials deadly enough to slay the strongest of warriors.
Only those who pass the tests claim bountiful rewards and ascend to higher floors. The Lunar Archbishop once had the honor of entering it, yet he could not progress past the hundredth floor. Even the Supreme Gods who rule the divine realms can only reach the thousandth floor, never to go further."
The two stared at her, dumbfounded, their faces etched with disbelief.
Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine floors!
Even the Supreme Gods could only make it to the thousandth!
What terrifying strength would it take to reach the top?
"On which floor can the Divine Dew Spring be found?" Kalis collected himself, asking in a grave tone.
A flicker of reminiscence crossed Dafiona's eyes, her voice tinged with uncertainty: "I once caught a few fragmented lines in an ancient scroll from the Lunar Temple. The records state that the Divine Dew Spring once manifested on the eighty-fourth floor."
"The Lunar Archbishop, with his Level 220 strength, only made it to the hundredth floor. By that calculation, the difficulty of the eighty-fourth floor would be roughly eighty percent of the Archbishop's power, translating to at least Level 185 Mythic-tier combat power to clear."
Lia ran the numbers quickly in her head, then shook her head firmly.
It was impossible!
All three locations were far beyond their current capabilities. What was more, the Tower of Eternity's entrance was a complete mystery; even if they wanted to brave it, they had no way to find it in the first place.
"Lady Dafiona, finding the Divine Dew Spring is clearly not a task that can be accomplished overnight," Lia said with a troubled look, her voice softening into a plea. "I'm due for my Second Advancement soon. If I fail to bring back the Lunar Orb, the Archbishop will never officiate my ritual."
Understanding dawned in Dafiona's eyes as she spoke slowly: "If you are willing to journey for me and find the Divine Dew Spring, I can make an exception and preside over your advancement. Once the deed is done, the Lunar Orb shall be yours to keep; no need to hand it over to the temple."
It was clear she was doing everything she could to persuade Lia to take the quest.
But to Lia, the mission's difficulty far outweighed the allure of an artifact. She was about to refuse when Kalis suddenly spoke up.
"I happen to have a way to enter the Abyssal Realm. With my current strength, navigating it shouldn't be too much of a challenge."
"What do you mean?" Lia's head shot up, surprise giving way to a glimmer of hope. "Are you going to help me?"
"What are you even thinking? You're dreaming!"
Kalis rolled his eyes, annoyed, quickly distancing himself from the idea. "I'm here to steal the quest. That artifact you're brushing off? I'd kill to get my hands on it!"
Like Eira, Lia was a Chosen One who had inherited a Supreme God's legacy. She'd been gifted three level-unbound Mythic items right after her first advancement. To her, a single artifact was nothing special, nowhere near as important as her advancement quest.
But Kalis thought differently.
Even the most unassuming artifact was an invaluable treasure, worth an astronomical sum of gold. What was more, from Dafiona's vague words, it was easy to infer that the Lunar Orb was no ordinary artifact; it could sustain a dying life and prolong one's years. It had to be a top-tier artifact, possibly even a Transcendent-tier treasure that surpassed Mythic quality!
After all, in the NPCs' understanding, "Mythic gear" and "artifacts" were two completely different concepts; the latter's power was a hundred times greater than the former's!
"You're impossible!"
Lia's face flushed bright red with anger, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she accused him, her voice thick with grievance: "I was just trying to complete my advancement quest! Not only are you blocking me, but you're also stealing my side quest! You're completely unreasonable!"
"Funny you should say that, because I am unreasonable."
Kalis grinned, looking thoroughly unrepentant, his thick skin impervious to her accusations.
"You're despicable!"
Lia stamped her foot in frustration, clutching her spellbook tightly as she threatened him, cheeks puffing with rage: "I just don't want to pick a fight! Don't think I'm afraid of you! I'm a proud heir to a Supreme God's legacy, wielding three artifacts! So what if you're a higher level? If we fight, you might not even win!"
Kalis burst out laughing at that.
With his current power, a single Meteor Descend could deal over a hundred million damage. Even a casual basic skill packed over ten million damage.
Not even a Level 100 Mythic BOSS would dare stand his ground against him, let alone a Level 150 Epic Boss that couldn't survive three hits from him. A measly Level 39 girl daring to boast to him like that, she really had no idea how far out of her depth she was!
The laughter fueled Lia's anger, and she raised her hand, ready to cast a spell and settle the score once and for all.
Just then, Dafiona's brows furrowed slightly, her voice turning grave: "Someone else is coming."
Someone else!
Which meant the second hidden-class player from the Lunar Temple was here to assassinate her!
"Leave this to me."
A cold glint flashed in Kalis's eyes. He reached for the staff at his waist, his sharp gaze locking onto the tavern door.
Squeak—
The wooden door creaked open slowly, and a male archer stepped inside, clad in intricately patterned leather armor with a longbow slung over his back. He was about to open his mouth to ask a question when Kalis gave him no chance to speak. Lightning crackled at his fingertips, and a searing bolt of electricity shot through the air.
Lightning Bolt!
Zap!
"Uh… holy crap, I'm dead?"
The man—whose name was Caelum—stared in shock as a massive damage number exploded above his head:
-22,800,000
In the next second, the world faded to black and white in his eyes.
"This place does not welcome followers of the Lunar Temple. Leave," Kalis's voice was cold as ice, and his ID glowed crimson with the mark of murder.
Caelum lay sprawled on the cold floor, his tone dripping with innocent grievance: "I was just passing through to ask for directions! Who the hell is this guy… wait a second! Over twenty-two million damage? That's impossible!!"
He'd been about to plead his innocence when he saw the terrifying damage number. He froze completely, the rest of his words dying in his throat.
"Twenty-two million?"
Lia gasped, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at Kalis, fear replacing the earlier defiance in her gaze.
"Now you know who you're dealing with. Scram!" Kalis snorted, his voice sharp with impatience as he ordered him to leave again.
"Y-yes, sir! Right away!"
Caelum was scared out of his wits. He didn't dare linger a second longer, crushing a Return Scroll immediately and vanishing in a flash of white light.
"Uh…"
Lia quietly slipped her spellbook back into her inventory, completely cowed. Any lingering thoughts of fighting him vanished without a trace.
If a basic skill could deal over twenty million damage, she didn't even want to imagine how powerful his ultimate moves were! Fighting a monster like him, she didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell!
Silence fell over the tavern once more, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Lady Dafiona, you've seen what I'm capable of," Kalis put his staff away, turning to face the old woman with a fawning smile. "Forget the Abyssal Realm, I'd even dare to venture into the Divine Sanctuary if I had to. I'm the perfect person for the quest to find the Divine Dew Spring."
His expression practically screamed, "I want the artifact!"
As a Level 150 Mythic Boss, Dafiona could clearly see how absurdly overpowered Kalis's attack was. She nodded slightly, a flicker of admiration in her eyes: "Indeed, you are far from ordinary. To possess such strength at your age, your future achievements will be limitless. However…"
Her tone suddenly turned solemn, her words hanging in the air: "However, the Lunar Orb is an artifact that can only be wielded by devout followers of the Moon God. Even if I gave it to you, you would never be able to use it."
The first half of her sentence had filled Kalis with joy.
But the second half hit him like a bucket of cold water, dousing his excitement instantly.
"Well… then how about some other artifact instead? I'm not picky!" Kalis quickly switched to a pitiful expression, grinning sheepishly as he haggled.
Dafiona chuckled at his antics, shaking her head slowly: "There are no more than a few dozen artifacts in this entire world. The Lunar Orb is the only one I have owned in my lifetime. I have no others to give."
A few dozen?
Kalis and Lia froze, exchanging a stunned glance.
Kalis's earlier suspicion resurfaced in his mind!
It seemed the Lunar Orb really wasn't a mere "Mythic" item in the players' understanding—it was a treasure tied
to divine authority, a Transcendent-tier item that surpassed Mythic quality by leaps and bounds!
Otherwise, there was no way there were only a few dozen artifacts in the entire world of Eternal Realm Online!
After all, with the number of hidden-class players in the game, plus drops from dungeons, lottery rewards, and other channels, the number of Mythic items alone had to be well over a hundred!
Transcendent quality!
So far, the only Transcendent-tier item Kalis had ever encountered was his own Ultimate Amplification talent. And his Transcendent talent was over ten times more powerful than his roommate Eira's God-tier talent!
It stood to reason that a Transcendent-tier artifact's power would be at least ten times greater than any Mythic item!
As the two reeled from this earth-shattering revelation, Dafiona spoke again, her tone earnest and solemn: "Adventurer Kalis, if you truly wish to help me find the Divine Dew Spring, I promise you this—once the quest is complete, I shall reward you with a treasure whose value is no less than that of an artifact."
"No less than an artifact? What is it?" Kalis's eyes lit up, leaning forward eagerly to ask.
But Dafiona chose to keep him in suspense, smiling mysteriously: "Let's just say it will exceed your wildest expectations."
"Deal! Since you put it that way, I'll take the quest!" Kalis agreed without hesitation, afraid she might change her mind.
"Wait a second!"
Lia suddenly panicked, squeezing forward eagerly, her voice filled with urgency: "What about me? What about me? I'm the one who needs the Lunar Orb the most!"