Chapter 49

"It's just the first invasion. It shouldn't be much of a problem."

"We need to handle it as stylishly as possible."

"Even if he's called the 'King of Dimensional Rifts,' he's probably just at the level of a low-tier abyssal ruler."

Everyone was optimistic.

They were more concerned with how to make the monsters look more impressive on camera than how to deal with the invasion.

A mere 10%.

With such a low-level invasion, it shouldn't be much of a problem.

But the confident attitude of the heroes changed in an instant.

"Hold on, what...?"

"Strategy... who...?"

They all started to panic simultaneously.

They had no choice.

{'The strategy for the 'King of Dimensional Rifts' is in progress.'}

{'The 'King of Dimensional Rifts' has died.'}

He died in an instant.

It was a complete massacre.

But no monsters were observed in any dimensional rift.

Who could it be?

Who is strategizing?

And even killed him?

{'The 'King of the Dead, Ahram' is reviving.'}

{'Phase 2 has begun.'}

"Ahram...!"

Some of the heroes were shocked to see the name of the revived king.

Who would have thought that the 'King of Dimensional Rifts' would be the 'King of the Dead, Ahram'!

The gatekeeper of the first hell of the Demon World, the 'Swamp of the Dead.'

Those who participated in the Grand Expedition knew the terror of Ahram all too well.

After all, nearly half of the participants were killed by him.

'Ahram, a monster of that caliber, couldn't be secretly strategized against, right?'

The undead and hybrids he controlled were massive, ranging from a few meters to several dozen meters in size.

Moreover, Ahram himself was a top-tier undead Death Knight, a powerhouse capable of altering the terrain. Secretly strategizing against him was out of the question.

{'The 'King of the Dead, Ahram' has died.'}

...All players couldn't take their eyes off the floating window.

'He strategized against Ahram in less than three minutes?'

'Is that even possible?'

'Only a Gracia or a Master could do that!'

It had been less than three minutes since Ahram's revival.

But neither Gracia nor the Master was strategizing.

A third party.

Someone other than the Eight Heroes was strategizing at an unimaginable speed.

But no one knew where or how it was happening.

And that wasn't the end of it.

{'The 'Hybrid Fusion Ahram' is reviving.'}

Hybrid Fusion!

Ahram was endlessly reviving.

Each time he revived, he became stronger, and the time required to strategize against him grew longer.

A hybrid fusion.

The name alone was terrifying.

After five minutes, which was longer than the initial strategizing time, the players secretly rejoiced.

'Finally, it failed, I guess.'

'He must have started to struggle while trying to secretly strategize.'

'No idea who it is, but now it's our turn.'

They couldn't just stand there and do nothing.

If he died from overambition, it wouldn't affect the rankings anyway.

They would just look foolish for helping him.

But their expectations were quickly shattered.

{'The 'Hybrid Fusion Ahram' has died.'}

{'The 'Black Star Ahram' is reviving.'}

"..."

{'The 'Black Star Ahram' has died.'}

{'The 'Main Quest ??? : Eliminate the King of Dimensional Rifts' has been completed.'}

"What did you say?"

"...What the hell is this?"

The players naturally let out their frustration.

It was that absurd.

Not only did he not strategize, but he didn't even invade.

There wasn't even a single ant to be seen.

But what?

Strategy completed?

The main quest is over?

Soon, 'Pangaea' in the sky began to fade.

People started to notice something was off.

-Why aren't the monsters appearing?

-What, it's disappearing?

-The sky is returning to normal!

-Is this the end?

The world returned to its original state.

No monsters were seen invading.

It was as if they had only threatened and then retreated.

But the players had no time to satisfy the curiosity of others.

Instead, they were denying the reality with their trembling pupils.

They saw it.

{'The contribution to the 'Main Quest ??? : Eliminate the King of Dimensional Rifts' is being evaluated.'}

{'Rewards will be given based on the contribution ranking.'}

{'1st Place – Randolph'}

{'The Hall of Fame will be updated.'}

"..."

"!!!"

1st place in contribution.

The only name on the list.

...Randolph.

*

The Giant of Annihilation and all the Star Guardians, including Dramut.

They still couldn't believe it.

It was unprecedented for a Corpse Crow to be recognized as a Star Guardian!

But the Star Guardians could clearly feel it.

The star currently held by the Corpse Crow, Randolph, recognized him as its guardian.

"Strictly speaking, he is a bit different from us."

At that moment, the Giant of Annihilation added.

One of the Star Guardians asked curiously.

"What's different?"

"We are guardians of the Earth Goddess 'Lea,' but the Corpse Crow is the sole guardian of the Sky Goddess 'Pina.'"

The 32 stars belong to the Earth Goddess 'Lea.'

But the 33rd star was clearly one of the eyes of the Sky Goddess 'Pina.'

However, it can't be said to be completely different.

The Goddesses Lea and Pina were twins.

Without both existing together, the world couldn't exist.

Strictly speaking, they can be seen as the same.

The Giant of Annihilation corrected.

"Even so, as a Star Guardian, he has the same 'qualifications' as us. I will officially recognize the Corpse Crow's promotion to Star Guardian."

"Hmm. Indeed, he even destroyed a Unique-grade mystery."

"Moreover, he sealed Ahram."

"His qualifications are sufficient as a Transcendent."

The Star Guardians began to nod one by one.

The Corpse Crow was not just a Corpse Crow.

He was a Transcendent who destroyed a Unique-grade mystery and sealed Ahram.

His rank was more than sufficient to become a Star Guardian, regardless of his appearance.

"Wait. He is not a Star Guardian."

At that moment.

The Giant of Annihilation frowned at the voice that suddenly came from the side.

"...White King. Don't interfere in our affairs."

"Ours? He is already a Five Elements Lord, not a mere Star Guardian."

"What do you mean?"

The White King shrugged.

"Before coming here, I granted him the qualifications of a Five Elements Lord. The other Elemental Lords agreed."

It was actually a split decision, but that wasn't important now.

The domains of Star Guardians and Elemental Lords are completely different.

They can never overlap.

One must choose one or the other.

Moreover, the White King had already secured the position and made it clear that the Star Guardians couldn't take it away.

But the Giant of Annihilation shook his head.

"When the star recognized him, he became a Star Guardian. The qualifications granted by the Goddess cannot be overturned by the likes of you."

"Everything has a cause and effect. Even the gods are not free from this law. Since I granted him the qualifications first, he should naturally step aside."

"Are you threatening to see blood?"

"I brought you to Kramdel out of respect for the Goddess, but my patience has its limits."

"Ha, White King. Do you think I fear you?"

Their gazes clashed intensely in the air.

It was clear that neither would back down.

"Why are you deciding my fate, caw?"

It was absurd to listen to.

Two monsters were fighting over my fate.

The Giant of Annihilation looked at me and said.

"We are not deciding, but it is already decided..."

"No, Randolph is right. One's fate is decided by oneself."

But the White King chimed in.

At the same time, the attention of all the Star Guardians, the White King, and the Four Elemental Lords focused on me.

As if challenging me to make a decision.

But this was not a satisfying answer.

I slowly looked back and forth between the Giant of Annihilation and the White King and said.

"Prove which side will benefit me more, caw."

From the beginning, the premise was wrong.

If they were scouting, shouldn't they start with the salary?

*

While no dramatic agreement was reached, the two factions decided to discuss it over time, clearly understanding my intentions.

They would measure my value and make a proper deal.

In the meantime, I was organizing what I had obtained from the Demon King's castle.

'Level 6.'

My level had already reached 6.

It seemed that the decisive role I played in killing Ahram had earned me a significant amount of experience.

Thus, level 6.

If I were a regular character, I would have hit level 9 long ago, but the increased experience required for leveling up also had its benefits, so there was no need to be disappointed.

Most importantly.

'Status window.'

<Status Window>

Name: Randolph

Class: Heir of the Stars

<Attributes>

Level: 6

Strength: 82 (72 + 10) Health: 82 (72 + 10) Agility: 82 (72 + 10)

Intelligence: 82 (72 + 10) Magic: 82 (72 + 10)

<Activated Hidden Traits>

【Void】

【Handiness】

【All Master】

【Weapon Master】

【Giant's Antimagic】

【Druid's Nature Affinity】

【Iron-Blooded Ruler's Heart】

【Beast Lord】

【Grace of Gold】

【Heavenly (天上)】

【Mutant】

【Gourmet】

【Great Sage】

【Eternal Randolph】

A smile naturally formed.

The attributes were very sweet.

At level 6, the attributes were at the average level of a level 10 character.

This was due to securing two stars and the 'Heir of the Stars' class trait, which increased all attributes by 10.

The feeling of grandeur was indescribable when I confirmed the fourteenth hidden trait.

While leveling up was slow, the growth of attributes was even better.

'Anyone would call this a bug character.'

Even I found it hard to believe, let alone others who would be shocked.

Leveling up, and the stars.

But this is not all.

'Main Quest 1st place. Naturally, since I was the only one who contributed.'

The only participant.

Naturally, 1st place was mine.

'Anyway.'

I placed the reward I obtained this time on my palm.

A square object emitting a brilliant platinum light.

'A Platinum Box?'

A reward I had never seen before.

I had no idea what was inside.

Unlike other main quests, the invasion had predetermined rewards based on ranking, and the 1st place reward was this Platinum Box.

-Caw!

At the sound of a scream, I turned my head to see Ahram struggling.

Ahram was in pain with a long hair wrapped around his head.

Moreover, his appearance was very different from before.

'He has shrunk a lot.'

The long hair had sealed Ahram, reducing him to the size of a child.

'If it can seal Ahram so easily...'

The hair of the unnamed constellation was a powerful sealing tool, the Long Hair.

It was clearly a transformation of the Long Hair.

At first, I was puzzled, but seeing Ahram sealed, I felt I had made the right choice.

'The Long Hair not only seals but also takes one ability from the sealed creature.'

If it only sealed, it would have been a bit disappointing.

But the true ability of the Long Hair was to steal the abilities of the sealed target.

Similar to the Gourmet hidden trait, but different.

'And it takes the ability completely.'

One of Ahram's abilities was completely transferred to me.

The Gourmet trait requires transforming into the species and leveling up the skills from scratch, but the Long Hair allows the use of the target's inherent skills directly.

Of course, using the Long Hair doesn't necessarily mean sealing.

If the Giant of Annihilation hadn't held him, the sealing would have failed.

'There is a restriction of needing to immobilize the target for 10 seconds, but thanks to the Giant of Annihilation, I could use the Long Hair.'

Moreover, the target is warned.

But if the target can be immobilized for 10 seconds, the Long Hair can seal anything.

Even if the target is a Demon King or a god.