Chapter 40

Reverence

Isaac and Isabella exchanged glances.

'They're getting more and more.'

'......'

'Shouldn't we make a move even among ourselves?'

Shaking his head.

As Isabella shook her head, Isaac frowned.

The situation was taking a strange turn.

As the Tower of Mystery began to change, monsters from all over Kramdel gathered.

Not only that.

Gonggi appeared, and now all the Saju-ryeok, the actual rulers of Kramdel, were present.

There was no way out.

'They might recognize my transformation......'

Isaac was inwardly anxious.

Among so many monsters, there might be one that recognizes him as a human.

If that happens, it's instant death. He would never make it out alive.

But the danger wasn't just for him.

'I can't shake off the feeling that I'm deeply involved.'

The half-dragon woman and the King of Corpse Crows in front of him.

Their appearance changed Isaac's daily life in an instant.

Despite not being found for the past year.

He couldn't shake off the thought that his carefree life in Kramdel was over.

However, he couldn't just run away.

So, Isaac desperately wanted to ask.

'Could the Corpse Crow have created this situation?'

To the half-dragon woman.

Isabella. Her eyes were filled with a strange certainty.

But he couldn't ask.

The moment he opened his mouth, even the slightest sound would be caught.

They would read even the subtlest movements of the thousands of monsters gathered around.

He would be beheaded the moment they sensed anything suspicious.

Or he might turn to stone and be hung on the door forever.

Either way, it was the worst.

'I need to think about how to get out of here.'

Isaac stroked his chin.

Self-proclaimed Seongjakja. He pondered how to smuggle out the King of Corpse Crows.

The moment the tower opens, the 100 monsters already inside will burst out simultaneously.

He could only smuggle out the Seongjakja.

A way to move while avoiding the eyes of the Saju-ryeuk and the ten thousand monsters......

'There's no way that exists.'

He inwardly shook his head.

No matter how skilled Isaac was at running, he couldn't escape the Saju-ryeuk.

He would be caught within 10 seconds, even if he poured all his resources.

...Honestly, probably in less than 5 seconds.

He had no intention of racing against Gonggi, the fastest in the world.

Avoiding the widespread gaze of Medusa was impossible, and a single breath from the Great Earth Dragon would block all escape routes.

If his soul was caught by the Four Kings, he would meet a miserable end.

There were thousands, tens of thousands of ways to escape, but none of them would work here.

Swallow!

'But......'

Isaac, who swallowed his saliva, carefully observed the Saju-ryeuk and tilted his head.

'They all seem to be tense......?'

Something was off.

The Saju-ryeuk gathered in front of the tower felt strangely tense.

But it didn't make sense.

What were the Saju-ryeuk (四主力)?

Each one was an invincible sovereign.

Monsters capable of sweeping away an entire city on their own.

For example, the Four Kings once swept away the large city now known as 'Necroberry' in one go.

The capital of a prosperous kingdom was turned into a pile of ashes in just one day by the Four Kings.

Now it is a city of the dead, with only corpses and graves remaining.

After that, humans never set foot in Kramdel, where the Saju-ryeuk resided.

Moreover, four beings of the same level as the Four Kings gathered.

Monsters capable of killing even a Demon King, and they were tense?

Just because of the tower's transformation?

'When the rings became five.'

It was clear that they weren't this tense when there were only four rings.

When the rings became five, they were visibly tense.

No matter how much it was a trial of myth, could the transformation have such significance to make the Saju-ryeuk tense?

Whooooo!

Then.

A change occurred in the five rings hanging at the top of the tower.

The five rings simultaneously emitted a brighter light and began to merge.

One ring transformed into a crown.

......But that crown.

It looked familiar.

'Seongjakja...... It's the crown the King of Corpse Crows wears.'

It's maddening.

No matter how he looked at it, it was clearly the crown of the King of Corpse Crows.

Could it be that the self-proclaimed Seongjakja really created this transformation?

Could just one person draw the attention of all the monsters and the Saju-ryeuk in Kramdel?

"They're coming out!"

"The tower has opened!"

As the monsters inside the tower began to emerge, they were inevitably taken aback.

"S, Saju-ryeuk......!"

"What are they all gathered here for?"

Numerous monsters, including the Saju-ryeuk.

But they were not the same monsters.

Especially the Saju-ryeuk, their level was so different that just looking at them was overwhelming.

There was no monster in this place that wouldn't tremble in front of them.

The Mythic and Illusory species, such as Imugi and Phoenix, were somewhat less affected, but they still couldn't move.

One by one, the Saju-ryeuk came out of the tower and examined the frozen monsters.

Among them, there must be a Transcendent.

A real monster that surpasses the achievements of the White King with five rings!

"......Are you all waiting for me?"

Then.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the being that came out of the tower.

He was not at all intimidated by the Saju-ryeuk in front of him.

On the contrary, he was relaxed and even made a joke.

The monsters watching from a distance murmured quietly.

"Imugi!"

"Imugi, it's not impossible."

The monster that appeared was the Mythic Imugi.

And it was an Imugi just about to become a dragon!

The wish bead embedded in his chest was swollen as if it would burst.

'Sure enough, the Saju-ryeuk. They must have noticed my potential.'

Imugi puffed out his chest.

To have such spectators from the Saju-ryeuk.

The reason for such a grand spectacle was obvious.

It must be a reaction to the 'Mystery' he obtained.

What else could it be if not to recognize his potential and welcome him?

"The 'Mystery' I obtained is like a 'Proof of Kingship.' It is the very qualification to surpass even the Great Earth Dragon! What more is there to say? It is the Legendary Mystery, 'Illusory Dragon's Fog'!"

Fog enveloped Imugi.

Seven colors, like a rainbow, poured out from within the fog.

Illusory Dragon's Fog!

A Legendary Mystery and the remnants of the Illusory Dragon, as legendary as the name suggests.

One of the Saju-ryeuk, the Great Earth Dragon, revealed his ambition by mentioning it.

Seeing the confident Imugi, the Saju-ryeuk spoke in turn.

"No, it's not him."

"It's not him."

"Hmm. It's definitely not him."

"......"

Unanimous.

The Great Earth Dragon, Gonggi, the Four Kings, and Medusa all agreed.

This Imugi is not a Transcendent.

Next, the True Blood race, a bloodline species, came out but also shook their heads.

"All of them are not it."

The Saju-ryeuk agreed with the Great Earth Dragon.

99 participants came out one by one, but all were disappointing.

None of them were worthy of being called Transcendents.

They didn't even give the Saju-ryuk any sense of excitement.

Even the Mythic and Illusory species, whose value was different from other species, were no exception.

It was extremely disappointing.

But it wasn't completely over yet.

'The last one to come out must be the Transcendent.'

Sure enough.

Thud.

The last participant of the tower appeared.

Seeing the final participant, all the Saju-ryeuk could only swallow their disappointment.

"Hmm......?"

"Corpse Crow......?"

The King of Corpse Crows.

......Among all the participants, he was the least impressive.

*

《You have cleared the 'Species Barrier (5)' trial.》

The message that the trial was cleared appeared before his eyes.

It was the fifth trial.

This meant that the five stages of trials, from Corpse Crow to Void, Giant, Druid, and finally Celestial, had finally concluded.

'Was the trial for Celestials the refusal of the final reward?'

The first four trials were all battles.

He had been gradually enhancing the skeleton soldiers by adding one characteristic at a time.

He had no strength to move a finger, so the characteristic of the Celestials, with a species value of 20, seemed impossible to break.

Then the phrase 'final reward' appeared.

The phrase 'completed myth.'

It even named it with my name, calling it a Unique Mystery.

If it wasn't attractive, it would be a lie.

Everyone would have accepted the reward and finished.

Why would anyone challenge if there were no more rewards? The reason for all the challenges so far was to upgrade the rewards.

But with a nagging feeling and a sense of disbelief, I refused.

'......Could this really be the correct answer?'

If it was the correct answer, that was a problem in itself.

'Then what is the characteristic of the Celestials?'

What I ultimately wanted to know was the characteristic of the Celestials.

I wanted to find out why the Celestials were given a score twice that of other hidden characteristics.

Or was this choice itself related to 'Celestials'?

At that moment.

《The indomitable challenger who runs towards the end he has chosen.》

《The tower feels reverence for your choice to complete what you aimed for.》

《You have achieved the achievement 'Challenger who became a Myth itself.'》

《Your honor has increased by 500.》

《The tower promises that your challenge will be recorded in the Chamber of Mysteries forever.》

《You have obtained the Out-of-Specification grade Mystery 'Randolph of Eternity.'》

Out-of-Specification.

This was a grade I had never seen before.

It meant a grade beyond Unique.

Therefore, it was Out-of-Specification.

It seemed to indicate that further challenges and choices were meaningless.

《All the constellations of the Hall of Heroes doubt their eyes.》

《At the completion of what should not exist!》

《The constellations tremble at the ultimate mystery.》

《'Main Quest 5: Obtain a Mystery' has been completed.》

《You have obtained 300h (200+100) of 'A Very Large Piece of the Broken Golden Rule.'》

Finally, the purpose of coming to Kramdel was achieved.

To complete Main Quest 5 with overwhelming success!

The constellations' comments didn't even register.

I was completely focused.

《Summarizing the content.》

《Out-of-Specification grade cannot be summarized.》

But...... it couldn't be summarized.

It meant that a non-existent grade couldn't be converted into points.

As I frowned, another message appeared.

《Unanimously awarded the highest score.》

《Total score: 500 points.》

《Updated to the 'Hall of Fame.'》

《The 'Constellation of Luck' gives a thumbs up. The reward content is upgraded.》

《The 'Constellation of Adventure' calls your name repeatedly. The reward content is upgraded.》

《The 'Constellation of Clockwork' recognizes your contribution. The reward content is upgraded.》

《The 'Constellation of Moonlight' nods.》

《The 'Nameless Constellation' quietly raises a hand.》

......

......

......

《Your level has increased!》

Overwhelming

At the same time.

All players around the world were shocked.

"Is my eyesight wrong?"

"Has anyone seen such a score?"

"What the?"

"No...... Is this possible?"

"I thought 250 points was the limit?"

The ranking for Main Quest 5 changed, and those who checked the Hall of Fame witnessed an unbelievable score.

"500 points? Not even a question mark, 500 points?"

Main Quest 5.

Obtain a Mystery.

No player would risk their life for this simple quest.

It could be cleared by simply purchasing any mystery from the common mystery mages in the city.

Moreover, the mysteries used by the humans of Pangaea were originally insignificant.

Unless it was a mystery of a king who built a kingdom or a ruler of a decent city, it didn't even have special options.

"......Master."

And the top of Main Quest 5 was originally 'Master.'

240 points.

The strongest monster in the human world, firmly holding the top position with a difference of over 50 points from second place!

He was the owner of the ancient city of Rundella and a king who had already established a kingdom with the most players as his subordinates.

He was confident that this record would never be broken.

Even Gracia had given up, so who would dare to challenge his achievement?

But, it was challenged. It was surpassed. By an overwhelming margin.

Absolutely unreachable.