Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 238: Triggered a quest?

Ethan hadn’t expected this at all—he was once again being targeted by the Sea King from the Tidesworn faction. Someone must’ve leaked information about Kyros. But who?

He thought for a moment, and immediately, the Crimsonstar Kingdom came to mind.

Other than them, who else would pull something like this?

Just then, Corvan, who had been quietly watching Ethan’s expression, suddenly gritted his teeth and spoke up.

"They say it was Crimsonstar Kingdom who reported it to Lord Maelthorak."

He paused, then continued, "Lord Maelthorak was seriously wounded tens of thousands of years ago by Nomarg, the Thunder King from the Tower faction. His Primordial Force as a Crimson Ultimate hero was damaged and has never fully recovered. These days, he can barely use thirty or forty percent of his original strength."

"Lord Maelthorak comes from the Legendary Units Kirin bloodline. If he could get his hands on a Crimson Ultimate Hero Kirin egg—one of his own kind—he could completely restore his Primordial Force and return to full power..."

Corvan’s tone shifted slightly as he added, "But stealing a Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force is a huge taboo among all the major factions. It’s absolutely forbidden. Especially stealing from your own bloodline—if you get caught, the consequences are catastrophic. Even someone like Lord Maelthorak wouldn’t dare make a big scene about it. He can only move in secret..."

Ethan stayed silent for a long moment after hearing that. Then he suddenly turned to Corvan, a sly smile playing on his lips.

"Sounds like you’re not just some random guy. Otherwise, how would you know all this?"

Corvan froze for a second, then gave a bitter laugh.

"I’m the Seventh Prince of the Storm Kingdom... though, well, I’ve already been cast aside."

Seventh Prince of the Storm Kingdom?

Ethan shot him a surprised look but didn’t press further. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the bow of the ship—because out on the horizon, through the shimmering heat, he could just make out the faint outline of an island engulfed in roaring flames.

"That’s Blackwake Isle," Corvan said, noticing it too.

"Blackwake’s been burning for as long as anyone can remember. The heat’s insane—so bad that even 7-Tier or 8-Tier units can’t survive there for long."

He paused, then added, "As for that dimensional rift you mentioned... if I had to guess, it’s probably somewhere on Blackwake Isle. I’ve never been inside myself, but I’ve heard the generals back home talk about it."

"Got it," Ethan nodded, then turned his eyes toward Kyros, who was floating in the sea nearby.

"Kyros, go check it out."

"Yes, Master!"

"ROAR!"

With a thunderous roar, Kyros surged toward Blackwake Isle.

But just as he approached, the island suddenly erupted with movement—massive figures emerged from the flames: towering 12-Tier Naga Swordmasters, fierce 11-Tier Naga Swordsmen, and an entire army behind them, their numbers stretching as far as the eye could see.

At the head of the army, a burly old man with a mane of wild, lion-like hair stepped forward. He wore heavy, battle-scarred armor, and his presence was overwhelming. His sharp gaze locked onto Kyros, a flicker of shock and suspicion flashing in his eyes.

"Kirin..." he muttered under his breath.

At the same time, Corvan, who had gotten a clear look at the man’s face, stiffened in shock. He sucked in a sharp breath and blurted out,

"That’s Paxton—the Tidebreaker from Gemspire Kingdom?!"

"You know him?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah..." Corvan swallowed hard, his face pale with fear. "Gemspire Kingdom has two Orange-grade Legendary Heroes. The Tidebreaker Paxton is one of them! He’s insanely strong—rumor has it he’s already undergone a second awakening... Damn it, what the hell is he doing here?"

"Second awakening?!" Ethan froze for a second, his expression darkening.

"Kyros, fall back!" he shouted toward the sea.

Kyros had only just reached adulthood, not even level 20 yet. Throwing him against a second-awakened Orange Legendary Hero? That was suicide. Not to mention, Paxton had a whole army backing him up.

If they lost the initiative here, their chances of winning would be basically zero.

"ROAR!"

Kyros let out a furious roar across the waves, shooting a deep, wary glance at The Tidebreaker Paxton. Sensing the danger, he didn’t act recklessly and quickly retreated back to Ethan’s side.

At the same time, Ethan steered his dark-gold Tier 2 warship slowly toward Blackwake Isle, pulling up right in front of The Tidebreaker Paxton.

The two sides faced off.

"I am Paxton of Gemspire Kingdom," Paxton said, his sharp gaze flickering as he studied Ethan. "And you are?"

"Emerald Castle. Valkarion," Ethan replied calmly.

"Emerald Castle... You’re the lord of Emerald Castle?!" Paxton’s eyes widened slightly, a sharp glint flashing through them. Clearly, if even a fallen prince like Corvan knew about Ethan, there was no way someone like Paxton—the pillar of Gemspire Kingdom—wouldn’t.

In fact, Maelthorak’s secret orders had already reached him too:

If he found the target, he was to capture them immediately.

But now...

Paxton’s gaze flickered uneasily toward Kyros, who floated in the sea behind Ethan. His mind was racing.

Wasn’t it supposed to be just an egg? How the hell is it already hatched?!

The truth was, even if it had only been an egg, harming it would’ve been considered a blood feud by the Kirin race—an unforgivable crime that would end in endless pursuit and death.

But now? It wasn’t just an egg anymore. It was a living, breathing Kirin.

If anyone dared lay a hand on it, the Kirin clan’s top powerhouses would tear them limb from limb without hesitation.

Thinking of that, Paxton wisely decided to "forget" Maelthorak’s orders.

Instead, he plastered a friendly smile on his face and said,

"Lord of Emerald Castle, I’ve heard so much about you! That battle—you really gave Crimsonstar Kingdom a bloody nose. Impressive work!"

"Just lucky," Ethan said with a casual smile. Then he asked, "So, what brings you here?"

Paxton hesitated for a second, but didn’t bother lying.

"We tracked some Inferno faction activity. They’re hiding inside a dimensional rift here on Blackwake Isle. But there’s an Infernal Lord among them—pretty tough customer. That’s why I had to come personally."

"Infernal Lord? Inside the rift?" Ethan blinked, caught off guard.

Wasn’t this supposed to be the Diamond Golem’s dimensional space? How the hell did Inferno get involved?

Just then—

Ding!

Congratulations, player Valkarion, for triggering the Orange-grade hidden quest: Shadow of the Demons — Countdown to the Manufacturing Project. Quest difficulty: S+. Remaining time: 2 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes! Please begin the quest as soon as possible.

Ding!

Warning: This quest is extremely dangerous. If you exceed the time limit or abandon the quest, it will be considered a failure!

"Triggered a quest?" Ethan blinked, then his eyes lit up with a sharp gleam.

Clearly, there really was an Infernal Lord lurking inside that dimensional rift. But with his current strength, there was no way he could take on an Infernal Lord head-to-head...

Wait—hold on.

A thought suddenly struck Ethan like lightning.

He turned his gaze toward The Tidebreaker Paxton, eyes narrowing slightly, a calculating look flashing across his face.

Maybe...

He muttered to himself internally, then smiled and said to Paxton,

"Tidebreaker, how about we team up? Inferno’s the enemy of all of us. If I can help, I’d like to."

"Good!" Paxton’s face lit up with genuine relief, and he agreed without hesitation.

Honestly, he hadn’t been feeling too confident about this mission.

Sure, he was strong—but an Infernal Lord was a whole different level of terrifying. Deep down, he knew there was a real chance this operation could end in disaster.

But if Ethan was willing to lend a hand?

That changed everything.

After all, this was the guy who had made Crimsonstar Kingdom eat dirt. No way he was just some lucky amateur—he had real power.

"Tidebreaker, no point wasting time. Let’s move now," Ethan said decisively.

As he spoke, he turned to glance at Corvan and said casually,

"You’re free to go."

"Huh?" Corvan blinked, looking completely lost.

"What, you wanna stay locked up?" Ethan teased.

"N-no, I mean, I..." Corvan stammered, finally snapping out of it. He shook his head quickly, then gave a bitter laugh.

"But I can’t leave! I’m stuck here!"

"You can either wait here for me," Ethan said with a shrug, "or kill yourself. Your choice."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and strode straight toward the burning heart of Blackwake Isle.

Seeing this, The Tidebreaker Paxton gave Corvan a brief glance, but didn’t say a word. He simply turned and followed Ethan.

He vaguely remembered Corvan—some prince from the Storm Kingdom or whatever.

But that had nothing to do with him.

He was from Gemspire Kingdom, not Storm Kingdom.

Not his problem.

...