The Solar Holy Sword

As soon as I arrived at school, I began a large-scale reorganization of the raid team.

Early that morning, before heading to school, I sent gold through the in-game mail system and removed users from the raid group list who kept mindlessly spamming tank-mimicking damage without contributing much else. Despite their efforts, they couldn't catch up to the tank in performance.

It was a sign of a lack of talent. When I brought it up in the raid group's chatroom, most members agreed with the decision. However, a few expressed their determination to stay, pleading for another chance.

But I don't show mercy in matters like this. One must be decisive in drawing the line. I cut them off with no hesitation, resulting in half of the raid group suddenly becoming vacant.

"What's got you so focused?"

"Oh, Sohee."

When had she approached? I thought I'd arrived at school quite early, but Sohee was already walking around the classroom.

I gave her a small smile and tucked my phone into my pocket.

"Just dealing with a problem."

"Hmm… Should I help?"

Her offering help without even knowing what the problem was, shows just how kind-hearted Sohee truly was. It wasn't a bad feeling—in fact, it gave me a gentle, ticklish sensation in my chest.

"It's fine," I said, shaking my head. It was an issue related to the game, and there was no way for Sohee to get involved.

She tilted her head slightly at my response, then handed me a piece of candy. This time, it was a large green grape-flavored candy.

Thanks to the late-night study sessions with Harang, I'd started to feel like I was vaguely keeping up with math class recently. Seeing my notebook filled with dense solution steps gave me a sense of satisfaction.

5:00 PM. School ended, and I arrived home just in time for my 5:00 PM login to Deren.

Since I'd returned to the capital city earlier in the day to mail out gold, I once again woke up in the heart of the capital. Carefully, I moved while adjusting my helmet.

Though unintended, I'd ended up on a live broadcast. Not all players had been watching, of course, but it never hurt to be cautious.

After the raid, I inspected the items I had obtained. The necklace, [Heart of the Warrior], which I won with a 3,000-gold bid, was set to remain a best-in-slot item until the next season. While its base stats were decent, the most important feature was the attached skill [Berserk].

The skill increased attack speed by 50% and reduced the cooldown of all abilities by 50% during its 20-second duration. While the short duration was a drawback, any physical damage dealer who equipped this accessory could turn into an unstoppable wrecking machine.

If the item's properties hadn't changed in this world, it should have the same effects here. But the necklace wasn't what truly mattered.

[Right Fragment of the Sun]

[Left Fragment of the Sun]

The Sun Fragments Series.

Who would've thought both fragments would drop during the first raid? My heart nearly leaped out of my chest when the other fragment dropped from the final boss. It was a struggle to hide my trembling hands and the wild grin threatening to spread across my face.

Although I needed to recruit more members for the raid team, I still had time to spare. For now, I decided to focus entirely on the hidden quest, even rejecting Harang's earlier requests without hesitation.

I equipped the two rings and headed to the Lunaris Temple.

The quest began with a priest NPC located deep inside the temple.

"Adventurer...? I can sense another divine power emanating from your body," the priest said, closely observing me.

"A sacred power… But it feels strangely familiar. Would you like to hear the story?"

When I nodded, the priest continued,

"There is a snow covered mountain range far away from the capital of Lunaris. That is my homeland. The elders of my village often spoke of a time when the mountains were always filled with warmth and vitality."

"Does that mean it's no longer the case?"

"Yes, that's right. The god who watched over the mountains has vanished. However, traces of that god still remain. The sacred energy lingering in a ruined shrine deep within the mountains is proof of that."

"Are you saying that the sacred energy you sensed in the shrine is similar to the one you feel in me?"

"I cannot say for sure… but the divine power emanating from you feels very similar to what I felt back then."

As the priest finished speaking, a semi-transparent message window appeared before my eyes.

[Traces of the Vanished Sun]

ㄴ[ You've heard a story about a long-lost god. To uncover more details, you must travel to the snow-covered mountain range mentioned by the priest.]

The priest said no more, signaling that there was no further information to be taken from him. I quickly left the temple and stepped into a portal bound for the snow-covered mountains.

The mountain range lived up to its name, with its massive peaks blanketed in snow. The monsters in the area ranged from levels 22 to 25 and were primarily beast-type creatures.

It wasn't a popular hunting ground due to the [Biting Cold] debuff applied throughout the map. The debuff slowed movement speed and inflicted periodic health damage. Additionally, the blinding snowstorm irritated many players.

Exiting the portal, I was greeted by a desolate scene. A few players were completing quests near the base of the mountain, but no one ventured toward the upper slopes.

I began my ascent into the mountain range.

And then it happened.

[The power of the sun imbues your body, driving away the cold.]

The two rings I wore emitted a radiant glow, and the freezing chill around me was instantly dispelled.

I hadn't expected such a hidden detail.

Had I not retained knowledge from my past, I would have needed to gather information from a village within the mountain range. But I already knew everything about this quest. Skipping the intermediate steps, I headed straight for the gorge where the ruined shrine was located.

[Grrrr!]

True to the mountain's nature, white-furred beasts with excellent camouflage sprang out at me. A snow leopard lunged, its claws slicing through the air. I dodged and countered with a swing of my sword.

Blood splattered across the pure white snow.

Surrounded by white on all sides, it was hard to detect approaching monsters.

"Whew…"

White breath escaped my lips as my gaze swept over the still, snowy surroundings. It seemed getting to my destination peacefully was out of the question. The sheer number of monsters around me was overwhelming.

Abandoning the restrictive helmet, I swung my sword with precision, carving a path through the onslaught of beasts. Progress was slow due to their numbers, but after an hour of relentless fighting, I finally reached the mountaintop.

At the summit stood a small shrine, almost completely buried under snow. If I hadn't looked closely, I might have missed it.

Brushing off the snow on my body, I approached the shrine. As I did, the rings I wore erupted with light, instantly melting the thick snow surrounding the shrine.

The newly revealed structure bore traces of what must once have been a grand temple. Scattered ruins hinted at its former majesty.

[The light of the sun shall guide you.]

A faint voice emanated from the shrine as its light illuminated the mountain base below, showing the direction I should go.

Following the light, I descended the mountain. Eventually, I reached the edge of the map, where a massive block of ice stood. Encased within the ice was a blurry object.

The light from the shrine pointed directly at the ice.

As I approached, the rings I wore glowed brightly, melting the ice. A soft golden light began to radiate, warming the surroundings.

When the ice fully melted, a sword floated out and hovered before me.

[Solar's Sacred Sword]

ㄴ[+30 Strength]

ㄴ[+30 Health]

ㄴ[Increases max HP by 10%.]

ㄴ[Increases attack speed by 15%.]

ㄴ[+300 Attack Power]

ㄴ[+70 Defense]

[Unique Effects]

ㄴ[Solar Sanctuary]:

 ㄴ[ Once per day, create a sanctuary that increases all stats by 25% and restores 1% HP per second for 60 seconds.]

ㄴ[Solar Mantle]:

 ㄴ[Grants an aura that deals continuous damage to nearby enemies and reduces incoming damage by 10% for 10 seconds.]

Though I already knew the stats, seeing them again was overwhelming. A legendary item I'd only ever seen from afar in my past life was now in my hands.

The moment I reached for the sword, my body moved involuntarily, slashing through the empty air.

Swoosh!

Brilliant sunlight erupted from the blade, radiating in all directions and melting the snow covering the mountain range.

I stood in awe of the unfolding scene.

In my previous life, I'd watched videos of this hidden quest being completed. The final scene was shown as a cinematic cutscene, with no impact on the map itself.

But in this world, Deren's hidden quest effects had been taken to a whole new level.

The melted snow evaporated, revealing the rocky terrain beneath. Even the clouds in the sky parted, unveiling a blazing sun.

[The Solar's Sacred Sword has revealed itself!]

A server-wide message appeared—one usually reserved for maintenance announcements.

Panicking, I used a teleportation stone to return to the capital.

Every Deren player saw the server-wide announcement.

Curious players flooded the game company with inquiries but received only a single response: It was neither a bug nor a mistake by the developers.

On forums like the Deren Online Gallery, speculations ran wild:

[Probably just the start of some event, right?] [5 comments]

[The Solar Sacred Sword is probably just an item reward] [7 comments]

[This seems related to the sun god and the snow-covered mountain range.] [21 comments]

[What if the Sun God went into hiding as a high school girl ninja? Can't find them, lol.] [-1 comments]

Though interest in the mountain range surged briefly, it soon faded as the area reverted to its usual snow-covered state. The buzz surrounding the event gradually died down.