The next day, Broken quickly logged back into Immortal Legacy and found himself in the forest where he had last logged out. Ivana was out hunting with Charmelyn, and the game showed it was still morning.
“Has Charmelyn not logged out since then?” he wondered.
Seeing how long Charmelyn had been in the game, it seemed like she should have logged out by now. He reached out to ask where they were. Charmelyn replied that she’d be back in a few hours, as they were focused on recovering Ivana’s lost levels, so they were spending all their time hunting.
“But there’s no way they can recover all of Ivana’s lost levels in just one day, right?” Broken thought to himself.
But then again, Broken reminded himself that Ivana had leveled up pretty quickly, hadn’t she? Maybe NPCs, with their unique leveling systems, handled things differently, and their progress could vary in unexpected ways.
Even so, getting Ivana’s levels back up was a top priority-she had incredible potential. It would be a real shame if she fell behind after everything she’d done to help Elowen.
In fact, her sacrifice had made a huge impact. She had managed to bring back Elowen, whose soul was almost shattered in her attempt to kill Gremory. And yes, Elowen truly deserved that help. She had shown she wasn’t thinking of herself when she made that self-sacrificing choice.
While waiting, Broken took out the Demon Egg from his inventory and checked its progress, which had now reached 97%. However, they only had two days left in Hell. Would that be enough time to actually hatch this egg?
He tried supplying the egg with Mana again.
[The Hatchling rejects this Mana… It’s bored with the same Mana over and over again. It needs Mana from higher creatures, a royal, something above lesser beings.]
“Wait… it’s now called ‘The Hatchling”?” Broken realized the status had changed.
But why wasn’t the egg accepting his Mana anymore? And how was he supposed to push it to 100%?
Broken then pulled out the vial of blood he had got from Gremory. He carefully dripped it onto the egg, and, sure enough, the egg absorbed it. But no progress was made. He tried several more times, but nothing changed.
Frustrated, he tapped the demon egg’s shell lightly. “Hey, little demon… could you be a bit more cooperative and hurry up and hatch?”
His mind wandered back to what the egg had done during the battle against Gremory. It had controlled blood magic, even unlocking a new element, a fusion of Blood and Shadow. It had even consumed Gremory afterward. Surely, this wasn’t just any ordinary egg, right? But now, it just sat there, unresponsive.
He tapped the egg again, trying to talk to it. “A higher creature? Royal?”
He pondered for a moment. “Does it have to be from the Demon race, or could it be from another race?”
The only royal he knew was Princess Alora. Maybe he could ask her to help supply Mana for the egg. But that would mean leaving Hell first, and who knows if the progress would continue normally once they were out of Hell?
This uncertainty was really starting to bother him, especially since the egg’s progress was so close to completion.
But then, a thought crossed his mind-maybe it was time to consult someone who knew more about these things.
That day, Elowen was preparing to bring everyone they had rescued back to Yunatea. The members of the Shadow Wolves were busy shuttling people to a designated open area in the forest, where the portal for their return would be set up.
Broken also planned to take Ivana back to Yunatea using Marlene’s exit portal, while he’d ask Charmelyn to use Blackthorn’s portal and summon the golem from Yunatea. This way, they could avoid any unnecessary fuss between Marlene and Charmelyn.
Broken was also keen on keeping Ivana’s presence a secret from the other Shadow Wolves. He figured he could simply ask them all to leave first, and then he and Ivana could exit afterward, avoiding any suspicion.
Technically, Ivana could leave with Elowen through her route out of Hell, but for some reason, Broken didn’t want Ivana too far from him. Sure, if she went with Elowen, she could help ensure everyone reached their destination safely.
But knowing Ivana, with her habit of going the extra mile for others, she’d probably end up escorting everyone to the doorstep of their homes-and that would take a lot of time. Time she needed to recover her lost levels quickly.
Yes, the plan was set.
Broken rode his Petal Charger through the forest toward the gathering spot where Elowen and the others were assembling. As he arrived, he noticed Marlene and a few others were already there.
He approached her. “Is everyone here?”
“No, there are still a few groups left. Subaru is bringing them over in turns,” Marlene replied. They walked a bit away from the crowd, as Broken had something specific he wanted to discuss with her. He explained the situation with the demon egg-how its progress had stalled despite being close to hatching, and that they would soon need to return to Yunatea. “Mana from a royal member?” Marlene repeated his words thoughtfully. “Well, at this point, I don’t think you need to worry about bringing the egg back to Yunatea, even if the progress isn’t at 100%.”
“Uh, really?”
“Yes… we can assume your business with the egg here is done. You can continue the hatching process outside of Hell, though I’m not sure how you’ll meet the egg’s demands,” she paused briefly, considering. “Given the request for royal Mana, and the fact you’re connected to Princess Alora, you might be able to ask her to supply the Mana for the egg.” freewebnσvel.cѳm
Broken absorbed the information and nodded in agreement, acknowledging Marlene’s suggestion. It aligned perfectly with what he had already been considering.
In fact, he had obtained the demon egg during the Trial Domain challenge alongside Princess Alora, and now that the egg was demanding something only she could provide, the timing felt almost too coincidental.
Broken had also been planning to meet with her after his expedition in Hell, to deliver the sword she had ordered from him. This would be the perfect opportunity to handle both
matters at once.
A few minutes later, everyone who was heading back to Yunatea had gathered, including
Elowen and Mira.
“Come to Slumdon. We’ll welcome you with open arms,” Broken said.
Elowen raised an eyebrow playfully. “I hope your hospitality doesn’t disappoint. We’ll head
to Slumdon right after we return everyone to their homes.”
“Thanks, Mr. Broken,” Mira chimed in. “Uh… does that invitation include us too?”
“Yes, it’s for everyone. Come to Slumdon and meet me there,” he replied with a nod.
“Thanks… I’m really happy to hear that offer,” Mira said with a warm smile.
After that, Elowen and Mira walked a little farther away. Elowen pulled out something that looked like a necklace, holding it tightly as she began a long chant. When the chanting
finished, the necklace crumbled, and a portal appeared before them.
One by one, everyone stepped through, until only Elowen and Mira remained.
“Thanks for your help,” they said, waving as they disappeared into the portal.
Broken’s mind lingered on the item Elowen had just used. What was that necklace? Could he craft something like it? He made a mental note to ask her about it later.