Seeing the quest details, Kaito muttered under his breath, "Sure enough, the Abyss Demons are behind this."
It made sense. No other force on Glory right now had the strength or the recklessness to move directly against the royal families of the major kingdoms. And the fact that Princess Leona was hidden here, inside the Misty Palace of all places, only confirmed his suspicion. If it had been another high-ranking NPC, maybe he could have doubted, but kidnapping a princess and hiding her in a dungeon crawling with Abyssal energy? There was no mistaking it. This had the demons' hand written all over it.
Kaito also knew just how serious this was. Among humans, there was no crime worse than associating with the Abyss. Even kidnapping a princess was nothing compared to siding with those creatures. If word ever came out that a human was working with the Abyss, that person or their entire faction would be hunted down by every power across Glory. Holy kingdoms, neutral kingdoms, independent cities, it didn't matter. To be linked with the Abyss was to become the enemy of all humanity.
Now, with Princess Leona lying before him sealed in ice, Kaito faced a problem. How was he supposed to open this coffin? He had no past-life knowledge about this quest. The guidebooks never covered it because this mission had been completed only once, and the player who had done it kept most of the details secret. That left him with nothing but his instincts.
Destroying the coffin was out of the question. If he shattered the ice with brute force, he might also shatter the princess within. He couldn't take that risk. So instead of panicking, he forced himself to stay calm. He examined the coffin closely. The runes along its surface flickered faintly, but they didn't carry the same oppressive power he had felt earlier when the Mist Queen Demon was alive.
Kaito thought for a moment, then made a simple decision. He placed both hands firmly on the cover and pushed.
To his surprise, the heavy slab of ice slid aside with little resistance. The lid moved smoothly, as if it had only been waiting for someone to try.
Kaito let out a small, relieved smile. His guess had been correct. Since he had already killed the Mist Queen Demon the guardian of this place the Abyssal energy that had powered the seal must have weakened. The runes that once locked the coffin shut no longer had the strength to resist.
Other players, he thought, might waste hours or even days trying complicated rituals, looking for hidden keys or chanting spells. But he had trusted in the simplest answer. The dungeon had been cleared, the guardian defeated. The system would leave a way for players to progress, and that way wouldn't be impossible for level 15 adventurers.
Sometimes, the most direct path was the right one.
And this time, his gamble had paid off.
As soon as Kaito pushed the lid aside, the ice coffin gave off a sharp cracking sound. He barely had a moment to react before BOOM! the crystal-ice coffin shattered in a burst of blinding light. Shards of frozen mist sprayed across the small chamber, scattering against the walls like broken glass.
From within the fragments, a figure slowly rose. She was nothing like Kaito had expected. Her skin was pale and flawless, her features delicate yet noble, and her long silver-white hair flowed like liquid moonlight around her shoulders. This was Princess Leona the missing princess of the Solaris Kingdom.
Kaito's eyes widened. Without hesitation, he activated his observation skill. The character panel flickered into view before him:
Princess Leona ? ? ?
Rank: ?
HP: ?
Attack: ?
Every detail was hidden, marked only by question marks. Kaito's stomach tightened. The last time he had seen something like this was when he had tried to observe the mysterious bard outside the dungeon an illusion that had fooled him. But this was different. The princess standing before him was real. And unlike the bard, her power was beyond anything he could measure.
Instantly, Kaito made a decision. He slowly lowered his guard, unequipping both the Solstice Blade and the Dragon Fang. He placed his hands by his sides and tried to appear harmless. In Glory, figures like Princesses, Princes, Generals, or Heroes were not ordinary NPCs. They were special characters legendary existences tied directly to the world's main storylines. To offend one was to risk becoming the enemy of kingdoms themselves.
Princess Leona's silver eyes studied him for a moment. Then, in a calm, clear voice, she asked, "Adventurer, did you save me?"
Kaito swallowed and nodded almost reflexively. "I… guess I did."
Her gaze didn't waver. After a long silence, she spoke again, her tone level but carrying the weight of authority. "You freed me. For that, I owe you. I will give you two choices. You may only take one."
Kaito's heart thumped. Finally the hidden quest reward.
She raised a hand lightly, as though presenting something invisible in the air. "The first choice: you are already recognized as a Viscount of the Solaris Kingdom. I can elevate your status further. You may become an Earl of the kingdom. And with it, I will grant you a territory of your own."
Kaito froze. His eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat. Becoming an Earl was one thing he already knew ways to climb the noble ladder from his experience in his previous life. With honor quests and enough contribution, reaching that rank was possible given time. But a territory? That was something entirely different.
A territory wasn't just land. It meant a place under his name resources, buildings, taxes, manpower, and recognition. It meant a foundation, something no ordinary player could get in the early stages of the game. In his previous life, territories were only gained by top guilds or powerful organizations after years of grinding merits and NPC politics. The idea of gaining one now, at level 15, made his head spin.
Kaito's thoughts raced. So this is the reward for the hidden mission… No wonder that unknown player in my last life had shot up to god-level after this.
His eyes burned with excitement, but he forced himself to stay calm. Across from him, Princess Leona stood tall, her silver gaze fixed on him, as though she could read his every thought.
Kaito took a slow breath, suppressing the thrill in his chest, and asked steadily, "What about the second thing?"
Leona raised her hand. A faint glow spread across her palm as she revealed a light-blue jade pendant. Its surface shimmered softly, giving off an aura of calm power.
"This," she said, "is an item passed down from the Age of the Abyss Invasion. It grants its wearer eighty percent control immunity."
Kaito's eyes widened. His mind sharpened instantly.
Eighty percent control-free? That's insane.
Effects like that were abnormal almost unheard of. Control immunity was one of the most valuable traits in Glory. It protected you from stuns, freezes, shackles, charms, and countless other effects that could instantly decide a fight.
Leona's calm voice cut through his thoughts. "What is your choice?"
Kaito hesitated only for a breath. His mind went back to his memories of the future, the knowledge he alone carried. The Earl's title and even land… those were things he could gain on his own. With his experience, he knew how to get there step by step. Nobility in the Solaris Kingdom was nothing new to him. Earl was only the third-lowest among the noble ranks anyway. And while Solaris Kingdom was decent in the early game, in the later stages, its importance diminished.
But this pendant…
This pendant was priceless. Its effect was powerful at level 15, and it would still be powerful at level 200. It wasn't something he could let slip by.
"I choose the jade pendant," Kaito said firmly.
Leona's eyes flickered. For the first time since meeting her, she showed a trace of surprise. She looked at Kaito as if she hadn't expected him to turn down a title and territory, choosing instead what seemed to her like a mere piece of equipment.
But Kaito didn't waver. He knew exactly what he was doing.