My SSS-Rank Class Is Blood Monarch!-Chapter 338 - The World Of Eternal Torment (Part 7)

Arthur was in a dilemma and a very bad one. On the one hand, giving this man his shard was simply not an option. It was by far the most precious thing he owned. He didn't know what use he had for it, but the thing had saved him several times and had saved him again against these blind Void men.

However, this was also not something he could easily do since his goal was to leave that place as soon as possible. He had no time to explore this vast void and search for a way out. This man was his best chance at leaving this void quickly, and refusing his request could potentially ruin everything.

'Dammit… It's a risk to show him the crystal. But… If I don't, all my plans will go to ruin.' He clenched his teeth as he looked at the man. It was a huge gamble, but Arthur decided to take it.

So, he opened his menu and pulled the shard out. The moment it landed in his hand, he heard everyone around him gasp in shock. Then, whispers spread everywhere like wildfire. Arthur looked around him in confusion before his eyes locked on the old man who had finally shown a reaction for the first time since they met.

His cold, aloof face twisted, and his eyes widened. He was at a loss for words, and Arthur could see it. Then, the cane fell from his hand.

"It can't be…" He muttered. "Can you get closer, child?" he asked in a desperate tone.

Arthur hesitated for a moment before he slowly walked toward him. The man's eyes didn't leave the shard the entire time, as if it was the only thing he could see.

"It's… so beautiful." The man muttered in a quiet tone. A myriad of emotions passed through his old eyes, from happiness to awe, to regret and sadness. The boy didn't know why the man was reacting that way to this shard, but he didn't want to ask either.

"Where… Where did you find it, child?" The man asked.

"It was hidden in the misty forests. It was quite hard to acquire as it tried to put me under an illusion and kill me." He said. "But, I still don't know why it was there or why the Divine Shard was broken into pieces in the first place. Isn't it a Divine creation? Why would it be broken?"

"... The misty forests? So that's where it was… Hahahaha…" Suddenly, the old man started laughing loudly. His laugh was cold yet also amused. "For so long we have searched for it… Yet it was so close to us this entire time… Hahahahahaha!"

The man held his face as he laughed loudly till he started coughing. Arthur stood there, watching the man with curiosity.

"*Cough* *Cough* my apologies, child. I have not been this amused in a very long time. See, that thing in your hand… It had been in search for over a hundred years now. The empire had invested all of its power to find that broken part to complete the full Divine Shard. The Royal bastards lost their minds. Hahahahaha!"

"The Royal bastards? Are you talking about the royal family?" Arthur asked.

"Those old devils." Locking his fingers together, the old man stared at Arthur with a cold glare. "They have desired that broken shard like nothing else. They were ready to kill every single human being in that God-Forsaken capital to find it. Yet, the Divine Shard knew their blood-tainted hands and didn't give them what they wanted."

'He's really speaking in a lot of mystery. But… To think this shard was this precious… I knew it was priceless…'

"Kill the entire capital for this? Why? What would happen if they get this last part?" He asked.

"Then it's all over for us. The fate of this entire world will twist and turn. The 'Age Of the Shard Wars' will come back. Death will become the only constant in the world again!" As he spoke, the man's hands started to shake, and he almost fell forward. His tone was filled with horror and anger.

Quickly, two men appeared next to him and grabbed him before he fell, before giving him his cane again. The man adjusted his position and looked at Arthur again.

"You, child… State your name." He said.

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"... I'm Arthur."

"Arthur… Interesting. You, Arthur, have been chosen by that broken shard of all people. It had guided you to it. It wanted you to find it out of countless beings." He said. "You're special."

"Guided me? But why? I'm nothing special. I was simply travelling."

"I do not know why. But it has seen something in you that no one else has seen. You are the perfect carrier of that shard, and it shall guide you to where it wants you to."

"I don't want that." Arthur cut him off. "I don't know what's going on with this thing. It helped me quite a bit. But I don't want anything to dictate where I go or what I do."

'Screw fate and whatever this thing is trying to do. If what he's saying is true, then it has been causing me nothing but trouble ever since I found it.' Arthur mused with a scoff.

"You do not understand, Arthur. The old devils wanted that last part for a reason. The power held within it is something they're ready to kill for. I would've taken it from you had I been seeking power like everyone else. Keep it safe, and it shall bring you to the peak of power in the Divine Realm."

"..." Arthur blinked slowly. "You really know a lot about this thing, old man. Who are you?"

"I'm Yonathan." The man replied.

"Yonathan…" Arthur muttered his name. 'This man is clearly very special. If I have to guess, then he has some kind of relationship with the Royal Family. From what I can see, he has some kind of problem with them, and it's a very deep one at that. I'm glad I didn't antagonize him yet.'

"Hey, can I ask you something, Yonathan?" Arthur asked. "How can I leave this place? I want to go back to the outside world. I have a lot of things I need to do."

"Leave?" The old man raised an eyebrow. "You cannot leave this place, child. It's the Void… It is completely detached from the Divine Realm in a dimension of its own."

"..."

"..."

Arthur stared blankly at Yonathan, his face comically frozen as if he didn't understand what the old man had said. Then, he snapped out of it.

"WHAT?! NO WAY OUT?!" He blurted. "Then, what the hell am I supposed to do?! I need to leave this place!"

Crouching down, Arthur grabbed his head. 'What am I supposed to do? If I don't leave this place, then I'm quite literally stuck in the game. I can't log out.'

Arthur assumed that the game would let him leave any time he wanted. But, there were certain situations where the log out button doesn't work. One of those cases is when the player is stuck in particular areas or the world or is in danger fighting against monsters or other players.

This case, it seems, was one of those situations.

"My deepest apologies, child. I would've helped you if I could. But I have been stuck in this place for over a hundred years now. If I could leave, then you would've not found me here." He said in a calm yet regretful tone.

"A hundred years?... So long." Arthur looked up. "How did you survive for so long?"

"I have survived on the food left behind by the fleets of broken ships. I have also been planting trees and fruits constantly. My children worked hard to keep us all alive for so long." He said.

"... Is that so?" The boy muttered under his breath. "So, what am I supposed to do now, Yonathan? I need to leave this place no matter what. I have a lot to do."

For a second there, Arthur's eyes flashed with the silhouette of a particular person, and his desperation increased. "Is there really no way I can leave this place? It doesn't matter what method it is, and I don't care how hard it is… I just need a way out, and I will do it." He said.

Arthur didn't care about danger or threats, he had to meet Isla again. He couldn't wait to see her and apologize for everything he had done. Even if he had to do the impossible, he had to find his way out.

"Any method… huh?" The old man looked down, seemingly in deep thought. "Well, I wouldn't call this a way out, and it isn't something I'm certain of. But, far up north into the void, there is a certain place I still don't fully understand. But, after years of exploring it, I can only arrive at the conclusion that it was possibly the way out of the void… Except I never found a single lead to prove that."