Chapter 177: because I don't want to change the terms too much. {ta-King, you get it?}

"Let's start with an explanation of what [Named Solo Subjugator] is, shall we?"

Hakuyo's expression became serious once again as she said this, and she faced me and began to speak.

"First, I'm sure you're aware that the [Proof of Named Solo Subjugator] was gifted to you by the Creator God?"

"Yes, somehow."

This is the accessory that I got when I defeated Aria the Red Wolf.

It's only appeared as a flavor text, but it clearly states that it is an item [Given by the gods when you subjugated a Named Boss monster alone].

If the god in this refers to Creator God, then indeed, you can say that this item was a gift given directly by her.

The thing is, I haven't heard of any other players obtaining this item until now.

It's not an item that can be obtained by solo defeating any other Named. In fact, there are reports that a player who has defeated a party Named alone was unable to obtain it.

"Monsters that have made a name for themselves in this world are called "Famous" or "Named". They have a characteristic that no matter how many times they die, they will come back as the same individual. That's only possible because their existence was engraved in the World's memory."

"Identical individuals?"

"When ordinary monsters appear in the forest, there are individual differences in their levels, right? A Named monster has none of that. They will always come back with the same status."

"Oh, I see... Now that you mention it, it does seem that Named monsters come back at the same level."

The monsters status that appeared in the field fluctuated when they spawned. For example, the level of the wolf in the City of Beginnings southern part varies between levels 3 to 5.

With a few exceptions... the Named boss monsters in each field always appear at the same level as Hakuyo described.

That being said, it was true that the way Named appeared was strange compared to normal monsters.

"But, including the Red Wolf that you defeated, there are six very special [Name-Holders] in this world. Their level changes according to the strength of the challenger. And they are only allowed to be challenged alone. Only those who have defeated one of these six Famous Named will be given [Proof of Named Solo Subjugator] by the Creator God."

Listening to Hakuyo, I remembered the story I had heard when I met Kohaku.

There are different types of Named Boss Monsters.

Solo Named ones can only be challenged alone, for example, Aria, the Red Wolf of Solitude.

There are also Party Named Monsters like [Doldora, the Immovable Demon Boar] that can be challenged by up to six people per party.

And then there are the Raid Named Monster, which can be challenged by raid parties, such as Ars Nova, the Great Dragon of Waves.

When a Named battle begins, a barrier will be erected around the area, preventing interference from outside. These barriers will control the number of players allowed inside.

In addition to that, the players can't escape unless the monster is defeated, so if the battle goes badly, they may end up dead.

What Hakuyo was referring to was probably the Solo Named.

Kohaku had previously mentioned that the Solo Named could change their stats according to the challenger. And since I was able to get the Proof of Subjugator from Aria, it confirmed Kohaku's story.

And if Hakuyo's is correct, then the condition for obtaining the [Proof of Named Solo Subjugator] is not [Defeating a Named alone] but [Defeating a Solo Named].

"And here is the important part... the path to the Seven Star Kings, which was closed by Iris, the Creator God, will be opened to those who can successfully defeat the Named alone."

"The Seven Star Kings... such as... Requiem?"

"That's right. after one has defeated the Red Wolf, which is a clone from the Wolf Kings, then one will be given the mission to defeat the Heavenly Wolf Kings, Requiem."

Hakuyo let out a big sigh, probably feeling a bit relieved since her long explanation had finally come to an end.

Currently, the known existences of the [Seven Star Kings] were [Requiem, the Heavenly Wolf Kings] and [Siren, the Diva], who were the masterminds behind the previous event.

As Hakuyo mentioned earlier, Requiem is related to the Red Wolf, and as for Siren, I only know her as the mastermind behind the previous dungeon event.

I'll try to sort out the newly revealed information this time.

[Proof of Named Solo Subjugator] is an accessory that can be obtained by defeating a Solo Named.

There are a total of six types of solo Named.

And those six Solo Named are connected to the Seven Star Kings.

There is no doubt in my mind that Aria the Red Wolf is the key monster to open the path to Requiem. Shuten also mentioned this.

If that's the case, does that mean that the other five Solo Named monsters are also key monsters connected to the Seven Star Kings somehow?

"Umm, is there a connection between special Named and the Seven Star Kings?"

"That's correct. Each of them represents one 'King'. And there is no doubt for that."

After listening to Hakuyo's answer, a question came to me.

"Wait a minute. I never thought about this since I was only aiming to defeat the Wolf Kings, but why are there only six Named monsters under the name of Seven Star Kings? Shouldn't it be seven?"

The name literally Seven Star Kings; shouldn't there be seven of them?

There are only six Solo Named, and each one has a connection to Seven Star Kings. They are missing one entity.

"To explain that I have to tell you about the story Seven Star Kings. No... should I start with 'that'? Because I'm sure the Sirens' invasion has biased you, but the Seven Star Kings itself is not an enemy of humanity."

"....?"

I tilted my head at Hakuyo's words as she pondered how to answer my question.

As far as what Gold had told me, the Sirens were definitely the aggressors. And we were there to try to stop them.

So, I thought that Seven Star Kings is also a similar being; if so, they are more likely to be enemies.

When I told her my conclusion, Hakuyo shook her head.

"The Sirens are the only exception to that. The creator gods originally chose the Seven Star Kings to guard the treasure known as Iris's Treasure."

"You mean they are the treasure's guardian?"

"To put it bluntly, the Sirens are monsters who deviated from their original mission and became enchanted by the power of the treasure, and by gaining new enormous power, while being drunk in it, she ravaged the world in an attempt to steal other treasures, and as a result, she was exiled in the other dimension by the Creator God."

The guardian of the treasure became enchanted by it. Which means the measure against the thief has become the thief themselves.

"As long as the Sirens still has possession of the treasure, they are still counted as the Seven Star Kings. However, there is no way to interfere with her from our world to get the treasure back. That's why there are only six of them that are functioning normally as guardians."

In other words, one of the Seven Star Kings has rebelled and been exiled, which left six of them in this world.

It's a bit complicated, but it makes sense that the Sirens are the only enemy and the others are not.

Well, the important thing is the relationship between Solo Named and the Seven Star Kings, not this part. Somehow, I got sidetracked.

"This becomes a long story, but all you need to understand is, by holding the [Proof of Named Solo Subjugator], you are allowed to pursue the treasure of Iris."

"Yeah, I understand."

I nodded at Hakuyo's summary.

☆

"So, Hakuyo. I'm still don't understand why Kishin-sama is calling out Sukuna."

"Oh, that's right."

When I was feeling self-satisfied, Kohaku posed such a question. Previously, I thought it was because my name is similar to Shuten's best friend.

And perhaps Hakuyo also forgot that she intended to explain the reason behind it. She clapped her hand and began to speak.

"The creator gods sealed away Kishin after destroying half the world, but they also used one of the treasures of Iris as a key to sealing her because of her immense power. And the wolf Kings Requiem is the guardian of the treasure that serves as the lock of that seal."

"...Does that mean that the Wolf Kings Requiem is guarding Shuten's seal?"

"Simply say... yeah!"

Leave aside Hakuyo, who laughs happily as if she saw something funny. I'm starting to understand how the story goes.

While I was desperately trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, Kohaku seemed to have already put her thoughts together.

"According to legend, Kishin-sama will interact with someone who becomes Douji. The question is, why was only Sukuna chosen? wasn't there another Traveler who became Douji two weeks earlier than Sukuna?"

"I guess it's because she was the [Solo Subjugator] of the red wolf that led to Requiem, the guardian of the seal."

TaKings over Kohaku's words, Hakuyo finally got to the heart of the matter.

That's what I thought too. If the same conditions were met, there was the possibility of someone else receiving the intervention of the Kishin. However, it seems that defeating the red wolf was the biggest obstacle.

A month or so has passed since then, and the number of reports of Named subjugation itself is gradually increasing.

Even so, there have been no single reports of Aria being defeated, so I guess the difficulty of defeating The Red Wolf remains high as ever.

To begin with, some encounters are left to luck, that right... when I talked to Arthur before, I think she mentioned that Aria would stop appearing at higher levels...?

"By the way, Hakuyo. A friend of mine told me that red wolves can't be encountered after you passed a certain level."

"Hmm? That's probably speculation on their part. The Red Wolves will appear when the number of consecutive wolf species killed by a single person exceeds a certain number. But of course, you won't be qualified if, for example, you hunt a level one wolves when your level is already exceeding level 100."

"I see."

That may be the truth. My impression as someone who has fought with him is; Red Wolf is loaded with a typical battle-crazed AI that loves to fight with the strong.

The Red Wolf probably won't be motivated to fight if you're hunting small fry that is too far out of your league.

"I don't know how strong your acquaintance is, but if he hunts a series of wolf species of a similar level with his own, he might be qualified to challenge the Red Wolf."

"So it was like that!"

Hakuyo's words were so satisfying that I almost clapped my hands.

I don't know if this is correct, but it's enough to make me think it's worth a try.

While I was feeling a little excited that this was quite interesting information, Hakuyo once again spoke seriously.

"Sukuna. Do you know why I have told you so much?"

"No idea."

"Please at least pretend to wonder!"

Hakuyo shouted, then sighed, "Good grief".

"The fact that you are a Solo Subjugator does not necessarily mean that you have to defeat the Seven Star Kings. As I said before, it's up to you to decide. But regardless of your will, the Creator God will give you trials in order to raise a strong entity worthy of challenging the Seven Star Kings."

"Does that mean I'll have more chances to fight strong monsters?"

"Yes. Regardless of you want it or not, the strong will come to you. As a foreign traveler, you will not die a permanent death, but you will be exposed to hardships many times in the future... That's why I thought it would be unbearable for you to continue to be exposed to endless hardship without knowing your ultimate goal."

I see, but I don't mind! because I'm happy to fight strong monsters.

But... if what Hakuyo says is true, and I'm the only one who will encounter a lot of strong rare monsters and named ones, it might seem unfair from other player's point of view.

But with this, I can shut them up with a single phrase, [I'm the Named Solo Subjugator!], that's why the information I have now is very valuable.

This info also means other players should be motivated to go get the [Proof of Named Solo Subjugator] and defeat the solo Named in the future.

"Still, if you feel that the burden is too heavy for you, you can go to the temple in the Holy City of Sephira. And pray to Iris, the god of creation, to have its burden lifted from you."

"To Sephira... I understand."

The Holy City of Sephira. That's the name of the seventh city that Sekka told me about.

Hakuyo said that once I reach that place, I could abandon the burden of this accessory.

I'm glad to hear that there's a way to decline, though it's probably for those rare people who want to get the Red Wolf material but don't want to be troubled by Solo Subjugator trials.

"Haaah... I'm tired after talKings for so long and so seriously. Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"umm, nope, not at the moment."

From what I didn't understand, I was able to ask on the spot, and for more detailed information, I can throw the recording of this stream in the archive for people to review later.

I guess I'll report back to Rin-chan first. I've got a lot of things going on today.

"Okay then, With this, I'll call it a night. Also, remember, the full moon is four days from now; come to this mansion around 7:00 p.m. on that day. I'll show you the path to the Moon Wolf."

"Thank you for everything, Hakuyo."

After I thanked her, she waved her hand lightly and said,

"Don't worry about it. It's not just for you, either. And you'll need to have as much power as possible before you take on the Moon Wolf."

"Of course, I will."

"I'll walk you out, then."

"UAHHH!! Oh...it's you Kokuyo?"

She kept quiet behind Hakuyo all this time, but before I knew it, she was standing next to me.

I know I was being a bit distracted. Still, she managed to stand next to me without maKings a sound, and I was so surprised that I could not help but shout.

There was nothing interesting after that, and while being seen off by Kokuyo and Kohaku, I simply logged out.

A Note

The long explanation session is finally over.

Hakuyo once lost her husband to the Solo Named. She didn't dare say it out loud, but she was simply worried about Sukuna.

Tl Notes:

Yeah, once again, sorry for taKing so long, but I need to find the previous translator chapter because I don't want to change the terms too much. {ta-King, you get it?}

And damn, that was long.