The Tideborn Spirit warrior looked down at Queen Huyan, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said with a sigh, "Your Majesty, we should go. Coral Fortress needs you to take command over there."
"I know..." Queen Thalassa of the Tideborn Spirit slowly rose to her feet.
A flicker of authority and determination crossed her face as she turned and walked out of the palace.
Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...
Once the palace was empty and silent, the lifeless egg sitting in the center of the chamber suddenly began to glow faintly. Google seaʀᴄh novel_fіre.net
At that exact moment, a system notification chimed in Ethan’s ears.
"Congratulations, player ’Valkarion’, you have successfully triggered a special hidden chain quest: ’Awakening of the Kirin’!
Quest Objective: Unknown (explore on your own).
Quest Duration: Unknown
Quest Chain: Step 1 / ?"
"Special Notice: S+ difficulty quests are extremely challenging. Please prepare accordingly!"
"Congratulations, player ’Valkarion’, you have triggered the first step of the special hidden chain quest ’Awakening of the Kirin’: Repel the Pirates!
Quest Objective: Assist Queen Thalassa of the Stellamaris Kingdom in driving back the invading pirates.
Note: The more enemies you kill, the higher your completion rating.
"Whoa—!" Ethan froze as the system messages echoed in his mind. His pupils contracted sharply, and his expression shifted to one of pure shock.
An S+ hidden chain quest?
And it’s a multi-stage one?!
What the hell is going on?
No way... this can’t be real...
"My lord, is something wrong?" Draven asked, clearly picking up on Ethan’s sudden change in demeanor.
"It’s nothing..." Ethan shook his head, forcing himself to stay calm, though inside, he was practically buzzing with excitement.
A quest —what did it mean?
It meant massive rewards.
And an S+ hidden chain quest?
That meant insane rewards. The kind that could change everything.
What really caught Ethan’s attention, though, was the name of the quest:
Awakening of the Kirin...
"This has to be related to a Kirin unit," Ethan muttered under his breath, eyes gleaming. "But is it a Kirin troop type... or a Kirin hero unit?"
His heart was pounding now, adrenaline kicking in. He couldn’t help but get hyped.
In the world of Glory Lords X, the Kirin race was on par with dragons—legendary, powerful, and incredibly rare.
Even the weakest among them were Tier 13 Legendary Units or higher.
And heroes born from Tier 13 Legendary Units? Nine times out of ten, they were Crimson Ultimate-class heroes.
Ethan had already sensed traces of Crimson Ultimate energy from Sevrin, the Tideborn Spirit hero under Darek’s command. That alone had stirred his curiosity.
Now his imagination was running wild.
If this quest really led to a Crimson Ultimate hero from the Kirin bloodline...
No exaggeration—Kirin-born hero units were absolute rulers of the sea. Their power was unmatched. If Ethan could get his hands on one, he wouldn’t even need to conquer territory the hard way. He could just pick a spot, plant his flag, and boom—his faction would skyrocket.
For his Emerald Castle, this wouldn’t just be a step forward.
It’d be a game-changing leap.
"We’ve reached the dimensional rift. Step through, and you’ll be inside the Coral Fortress of the Stellamaris Kingdom."
Pirate King Darek’s voice rang out just as a series of sharp whooshes sliced through the air—whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!
One after another, towering figures emerged, each one drenched in blood-red armor, with twisted demon horns jutting from their foreheads and massive scythes clutched in their hands.
Ethan’s pupils narrowed slightly, his gaze sharpening.
These were 13-Tier Legendary Units—Inferno Devils.
And among them... even more terrifying presences—14-Tier Mythic Units, the Inferno Arch Devils.
Seyric and Draven both tensed up at the sight, their expressions darkening. The way they looked at the Inferno Devils was filled with caution—and a hint of dread.
"Open the rift," Darek ordered, his voice low and commanding.
One of the Inferno Arch Devils stepped forward, raising its massive scythe. With a single slash, the air twisted and warped, and a massive dimensional gate slowly tore open before them.
Through the swirling portal, Ethan could clearly see what lay on the other side—a colossal fortress, majestic and imposing.
And beyond that, an army. A sea of troops, stretching as far as the eye could see.
"So it really is here..." Darek muttered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He grinned, then raised his hand—and summoned his full force.
Thirteen 13-Tier Black Dragons.
Thirty 12-Tier Wyvern Monarchs.
Eighty 11-Tier Wyverns.
The sky darkened with the sheer number of wings.
Seyric didn’t hesitate either. He unleashed everything he had:
Two 13-Tier Green Dragons.
Five 12-Tier Naga Swordmasters.
Thirty 12-Tier Wyvern Monarchs.
Twenty 11-Tier Naga Swordsmen.
Fifty 11-Tier Wyverns.
Draven followed suit:
Three 13-Tier Kirins.
Twenty 12-Tier Naga Swordmasters.
Fifty 11-Tier Naga Swordsmen.
But the moment Draven’s troops appeared, Darek’s expression twisted into a scowl. His brow furrowed deeply as he turned to glare at him.
"Draven... this is all you brought?"
Darek knew Draven well enough to know this wasn’t his full strength. Not even close. He could easily double that force. Which meant—he was holding back. Slacking off. Not committing.
Before the tension could escalate further, Ethan suddenly spoke up.
A swirling vortex of space opened beside him, distorting the air with a low hum.
From within the vortex, a massive dragon emerged—its entire body radiating a terrifying, violent aura. The sheer pressure it exuded made the air feel heavier, thicker.
Darek, who had just been fuming, froze mid-breath.
His pupils shrank to pinpricks.
His voice trembled as he stared at the beast in disbelief.
"Th-that’s... a Crimson Ultimate Hero?!"
"Cr... Crimson Ultimate Hero?!"
In the blink of an eye, the doubt on Pirate King Darek’s face twisted into sheer terror.
Around him, his elite crew and even the other Pirate King, Seyric, along with their men, all gasped sharply, the sound of their collective shock rising and falling like crashing waves.
"Oh my god! That’s the Crimson Ultimate Green Dragon Hero?! How is that even possible? A legendary figure like that showing up here?!"
"Cr... Crimson Ultimate Hero... Holy shit, I never thought I’d actually see one in my lifetime. This is insane!"
"No wonder Draven only brought a small force... With a Crimson Ultimate Hero on his side, nothing else matters!"
"I can’t believe someone like that is backing Draven. That’s a Crimson Ultimate Hero we’re talking about... Who the hell is he really? Where did he come from? Is he from one of the superpower nations? Or maybe a major faction?"
Whispers spread like wildfire among the pirates.
Some of them even started backing away in fear.
Clearly, the presence of a Crimson Ultimate Hero was more than enough to shake everyone to their core. Even standing alone, that kind of power was enough to dominate the entire battlefield.