Chapter 7

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The Old King's Territory

Talents, skills acquired later in life, ability values, various equipment, and talismans that can engrave special options on equipment—there are many types of abilities that can reveal the 'hidden things' of Pangea.

For example, finding hidden paths, discovering hidden options on items, or uncovering the secrets of seals...

However, no such ability can compare to this one hidden characteristic.

It is a mutant.

One of the 13 hidden characteristics I possess, it is a power akin to the authority to uncover all 'secrets' that are hidden!

"I can see it."

Hidden paths. Secret shortcuts designed to be invisible to the human eye.

Whoosh!

A long bridge connected the sanctuary on the cliff.

Strong winds that could suck one down were also blowing from below the cliff.

The structure was such that if one did not concentrate and walk carefully on the narrow bridge, they would fall to their death.

"Wh-What are you doing...?!"

When I jumped high from a specific spot beside the bridge, Isabella gasped in shock. She must have thought I was trying to commit suicide.

But her shock quickly subsided.

"Follow me closely."

"Did Bel tell you about such a path?"

"Are you asking a ridiculous question?"

Isabella looked at me with a strange expression.

In the sanctuary, there were invisible small blocks of land floating in the air.

They were barely wide enough for an adult to stand on. If one didn't step correctly, they would fall to their death, but to my eyes, they were crystal clear.

'This is far beyond any exploration skill.'

When I entered this place with my previous character, I had all sorts of tools and skills.

Even the 'Keen Eye' exploration skill, which had transcended to level 10, couldn't reveal the hidden paths as clearly as what I see now.

It's like the difference between reading about something and seeing it with your own eyes.

The downdraft is so strong that even flying with wings is useless.

There are 'deep sea fish' at the bottom, so once you get sucked in, you'll die regardless of your level.

The only way to survive is to step on the ground and walk.

'Is 100% exploration possible?'

The side quest is no less than exploring the sanctuary.

When I entered before, I saw the end but the exploration rate stopped at 97%.

Since I received a special item, 'Horn of Glory,' at 97%, filling it to 100% might yield an epic treasure.

I jumped one more step and turned my head.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

Isabella was hesitating and not jumping.

She looked at me with a strange face.

"There's a cramp in my leg."

...I was momentarily speechless.

When she was attacking soldiers, she was as agile as a fish in water.

There was no sign of hesitation.

"Controlling your strength when jumping is essential. If you don't, you'll be swept away by the downdraft, so be careful."

The gaps aren't wide, but the problem is the downdraft.

The wind is so strong that a single mistake could sweep you away.

Even if Isabella is high-level and agile, death is certain in that moment.

"There are invisible paths in the sanctuary...?"

"Jump quickly. We don't have time."

"Will we really receive the 'Blessing of the Star' if we go this way?"

Look at her.

"Are you scared?"

"H-Hell no."

She forced a laugh, but I can see through it. In the pitch-black darkness, Isabella's moist eyes were trembling strongly.

Is this the character I know?

To rise to the second-in-command of Faisalmere, one must build a wall against fear. To be recognized by the queen and the elders, one must earn the title of princess.

A woman of iron and blood. That was the impression I had of the snake princess, Isabella.

I chuckled and teased her.

"You're more afraid than I thought."

"I... I don't know the word 'fear.' I just had a cramp in my leg."

She pretended to stretch her leg and then jumped.

Isabella landed on the first block and looked up at me defiantly.

Look, I'm not afraid. That's what she seemed to be saying.

But she never looked down.

Does she have acrophobia or something?

"Well done."

"How many more are left?"

"Hmm."

I counted the blocks I could see and told her.

"About 70 blocks to go."

"70...?"

"Or maybe 80?"

"..."

"Maybe 90."

Isabella's eyebrows started to tremble.

*

'How can he be so calm?'

Randolph, the Holy Knight. He was a strange and fascinating person.

The sanctuary's poison and miasma consume life. Only those chosen and blessed, or those with the physical ability to withstand it, can enter.

Yet, Randolph was freely roaming the sanctuary without any special equipment or blessings. Even Isabella, who found it hard to breathe here.

Moreover, he seemed to know the hidden paths that had been undiscovered for thousands of years and effortlessly avoided traps flying from all directions.

'How did he know paths I didn't...?'

As the second-in-command of Faisalmere, she didn't know these paths, and perhaps even the sanctuary's priests didn't know them.

Most of them were invisible. And they were all one-way paths where a single misstep meant death.

Following Randolph's path required extreme concentration, relying only on memory and senses.

Yet, it felt strange.

To be following someone else like this.

Had she ever pursued someone else so desperately?

'Never.'

Absolutely never.

She was a leader, always moving forward, a position where no one should be in front of her, an absolute powerhouse.

All for the curse.

She had rushed here, believing the queen's promise to lift the curse if she secured the princess's position.

But the queen broke her promise.

"Relax. Count to three and jump. I'll catch you."

If we had descended through the invisible path, this time we had to climb up.

We had to reach the ceiling by following the transparent stairs.

As our speed slowed, Randolph spoke.

Isabella shook her head.

"Go ahead. I'll follow slowly."

"That's not possible."

"..."

Isabella clamped her mouth shut.

That attitude, that look.

It was unfamiliar.

It was as if she had known me for a long time, a loving gesture.

"Why...?"

She was about to ask why he was looking at her like that but clamped her mouth shut again.

Instead, she asked another question.

"Have we met before?"

"We haven't met in the same space."

"..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I've seen you, but you've never seen me."

If someone else had said this, she would have wondered what they were thinking and probably torn their head off. But the speaker was a Holy Knight.

"Then did the star show you?"

"Something like that. Come on, let's go. We need to arrive before dawn."

When dawn breaks, the death of the warriors will be known. Isabella, who is not in her place, will be suspected, and the queen's pursuit team will be formed soon.

If the sanctuary is sealed, there will be no way out.

"One, two..."

At the moment Randolph counted to three, Isabella jumped into his arms without realizing it.

As she barely climbed onto the narrow tile, she could hear his breathing close by.

"Just let me carry you. It'll be faster."

He was right. If she had let him carry her earlier, they would have already reached the ceiling. In this situation, there was no point in being stubborn.

The problem was that Isabella had never ridden on a man's back in her life.

In the desert, a woman riding on a man's back meant a special relationship.

She would rather die than ride on a stranger's back.

"..."

Biting her lip, Isabella climbed onto Randolph's back.

Then she bowed her head.

When they finally reached the ceiling, the world flipped.

'Terrain Barrier!'

A barrier covering the entire area, revealing another region only to those who follow the designated path.

I never expected such a thing to be inside the sanctuary.

A flower field and a hill.

Rumble! Rumble!

Suddenly, the hills began to stir and rise.

'Golems.'

Three golems. Judging by the size of the runes on their chests, they were at least high-level.

Now it was her turn.

Swish.

Isabella, who had climbed down from his back, drew two daggers.

*

I nodded as I watched the golems being dealt with.

'Does it feel like this when you auto-hunt?'

When enemies appeared, Isabella handled them without a word. Even golems that were difficult to fight at my current level were like tofu in front of her.

She quickly destroyed their cores and put her daggers away.

At that moment.

['Golem Crafter' class can be acquired.]

[Do you wish to acquire it?]

As expected.

The hidden dungeon of the sanctuary. This place was originally designed to acquire skills.

If there was a class, she might have acquired a skill like 'Golem Destruction.' But since there was no class, she was given the 'Golem Crafter' class instead.

I don't know if this was the creator's intention.

To begin with, one needed to be at least level 7 to withstand the sanctuary's poison.

There was no level 7 character without a class, and even if someone like me solved it with a hidden characteristic, finding the hidden paths and hunting golems was not an easy task.

'I refuse.'

['Golem Crafter' class acquisition refused.]

Golem Crafter. A high-level class. In Pangea, classes that summoned or fought alongside something were rare.

But it wasn't the class I wanted.

I couldn't record the first place in the hall of fame with a class of this level.

'He treats what Isabella hunts as if I hunted it.'

However, there was something puzzling.

Pangea has a party system, but everything is divided according to 'contribution.'

Skills or classes can only be obtained by hunting with high contribution.

So I planned to contribute a little by dealing the final blow. If I repeated this a hundred times, I would get it once.

But it succeeded on the first try, even without any contribution.

'Did we suddenly enter a party state?'

There was no change when killing the warriors outside or the small monsters inside the sanctuary. But suddenly, this change occurred.

I didn't know the reason, but good things are good.

['Demon Hunter' class can be acquired.]

['Rune Warrior' class can be acquired.]

['Spear of Hunger' class can be acquired.]

...

The system's voice and messages kept coming as we continued hunting.

'I refuse them all.'

They were all excellent, but they weren't the classes I wanted.

After walking for a while, we finally arrived at a massive mountain.

['Arrived at the Mountain of the Nameless Star.']

[Caution. Your level is far below the recommended level (10).]

[The owner of the mountain, the 'Old King,' is enraged at the intruders.]

*

The owner of the massive mountain. To kill this giant, one must be at least level 10.

But in the past, I didn't kill the Old King.

There was no need to.

The Old King recognized the gap in power and didn't attack. At the time, I had transcended by consuming three stars, far surpassing the Old King.

'Now, I'm weaker, so he's easy to handle, right?'

...Was he not a helper NPC?

Honestly, I thought he was a kind helper NPC who pointed out the way.

He was just strong against the weak and weak against the strong.

"Did you dare to think you could survive after entering the Old King's territory?"

A voice echoed throughout the mountain.

A body that shone like a gem.

A massive obsidian snake!

"AH."

Facing the giant, Isabella's body stiffened.

Level 10 is the level just before transcendence. Even though Isabella's level is 8, the number 10 is an insurmountable wall and a gap.

Moreover, the howling from the snake made it seem like a dragon.

Shiver!

Isabella trembled. She knew she would die if she stayed still, but she couldn't move. Like prey facing the apex predator of the pyramid.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue and moved forward. Isabella's eyes widened. No human could move freely in the Old King's absolute domain.

But he was clearly moving.

"Step aside. You don't have the right to guard this place."

"Are you a human, babbling nonsense? If I don't guard this place, who has the right?"

The Old King extended his tongue.

He was approaching as if to swallow me whole.

"Wilhelm."

But before he could reach me, the Old King froze.

"...... How do you know that name?"

How do you know that name?

"The true owner of this mountain is not you, but Wilhelm."

Because I am Wilhelm.

Even though I died and was deleted, the owner of this mountain is not the Old King, but me.

The Old King transferred it to me, and thus I became the owner of the star.

Therefore, the illegal intruder is not me, but him.

"Even if you know his name, he is dead, and the star has fallen. The same goes for this mountain!"

The Old King, now free, opened his mouth wide.

Just as he was about to pounce on me.

"Your master has returned, Old King—Dramut."

Rumble!

In an instant, the creature's head, which had sharply changed direction, dragged along the ground.