Chapter 84

All players simultaneously witnessed the message, and the bulletin board was not just overloaded but exploding.

- The Ruler of the Labyrinth City ㄷㄷㄷ

- Which is better, the Ruins City or the Labyrinth City?

- This is the Labyrinth City, where the land related to the Ancient Empire is.

- What? Really?

- ㅇㅇ I heard that artifacts from the Ancient Empire are coming out from the underground labyrinth.

- Crazy;; If it's related to the Ancient Empire, everything is expensive.

- I thought there was nothing to eat, but it turns out everyone was secretly hoarding?

- Of course, those who already knew were quietly farming in the underground labyrinth.

- But now it seems they've all been forcibly expelled.

- That's why they're asking which is better, the Ruins City or the Labyrinth City.

The cities that rose from the abyss each possess unique values.

Because they are lands that sank in ancient times, the artifacts they hold and the environments for growth vary greatly.

Among the cities ruled by players, the Ruins City ruled by the Master truly contained an enormous ruin.

Thus, it was called the prime land.

- Why are you asking such an obvious question? The Ancient Empire's land is much better.

- The reason the Arhon Empire is so strong is that it has annexed all the lands of the Ancient Empire.

The appearance of the Labyrinth City would inevitably push the rankings down.

The current Arhon Empire almost exclusively rules the lands of the Ancient Empire.

The reason the empire is the best on the continent is due to inheriting the legacy of the Ancient Empire.

- Isn't that dangerous? The empire won't just sit by.

- We'll have to wait and see when the protection period ends... influential players will also be eyeing it.

- Just lock the warp.

- After the protection period, if you lock it, it will sink back into the abyss.

- ㅇㅇ The warps are connected, so they float in the sky. Without the connected lines in the air, it's the same as falling.

- It needs to be connected to at least three cities to be maintained.

- Who would dare to touch the Phantom God!!!

- But wouldn't it be hard to invade a labyrinth? 😂

- Even though I saw the labyrinth cleared, if you touch it, it's not a human, it's a goldfish.

If the Labyrinth City is truly related to the Ancient Empire, many forces will be eyeing it.

It also raised curiosity about how Randolph would handle the situation.

- Ah, refreshing. This is what soda is.

- Really, it's like watching a whole movie.

- I wonder what Gracia's face looks like right now 😂😂😂😂😂

- 100% a shit-eating grin.

- She must be wondering what's going on 😂😂

- She probably didn't believe it when she saw Randolph's name.

- When a commoner challenged, they must have said, "A nobody like you can't even touch what I can't defeat."

- But with a 24-hour challenge, they must have been nervous 😂😂😂😂

- If it were me, I'd be too embarrassed to show my face for a while.

- Gracia, I don't know, but the Master is shameless and would carry on.

- But hasn't Randolph already become stronger than Gracia? Is that even possible?

- Randolph is invincible. Phantom is a god!

- The Phantom God is all-knowing and all-powerful!

- Phantom God!

- Phantom God!

- Phantom God!

*

《Some of the thrones in the Hall of the People are in a panic.》

《The total score from clearing the labyrinth, completing the false myth, and especially the survival time score, far exceeds the thrones' expectations.》

Riley's soul was summoned to the Throne of Radiant Light.

During the summoning, the broken fragments of the Golden Rule were used for over 1,400 hours.

The thrones in the Hall of the People seemed surprised that they were used to such an extent.

'Survival reward. It seems the reward is additionally accumulated based on the survival time in the labyrinth.'

It appears there are separate scores for clearing the labyrinth and surviving.

Since I cleared the abyssal labyrinth alone and the survival time was overwhelmingly long, it seems to have caused a delay in upgrading the reward tier.

'To upgrade the reward list, the thrones need to bleed.'

This means the thrones can't just randomly upgrade the reward tiers.

They probably need to give up something they possess.

Without bleeding, they can't upgrade the reward tier, and perhaps they only show favor to those who exceed the standards.

The greater the reward, the greater the bleeding, and they might hesitate.

'When the myth was completed, the thrones offered a separate reward plan, saying there was no reward to obtain from the Tower of Mysteries.'

The treasure of the thrones.

I obtained the Gynoah by using the hair of an unnamed throne.

This allowed me to successfully seal Ahram just before the first invasion.

So, should I offer the treasure of the thrones this time as well?

Suddenly recalling the situation back then, I stroked my chin.

'... Upon reflection, it wasn't an upgrade but a complete replacement of the reward list.'

Since there was no reward list to obtain from the Tower of Mysteries, they just gave the main quest points and replaced the reward.

But this time, with the abyssal labyrinth, it's different.

They said they would upgrade the reward, but they were surprised when the scores were revealed.

They probably never dreamed I would use it for 1,400 hours.

It's already a done deal.

《The 100-tier upgrade of the reward list is in progress.》

《The presence of seventeen thrones has faded.》

《Seventeen new thrones have emerged.》

Indeed, a done deal cannot be undone.

... A situation I've never encountered before.

It seems something is needed to maintain the presence of the thrones when upgrading the reward list.

By forcibly using it, seventeen thrones were replaced by others.

Could there be something like throne candidates?

A system where only those who rank in the top 100 can enter the Hall of the People, like a hall of fame.

'I hope none of the thrones I often see are among them.'

For example, the Throne of Fortune or the Throne of Exploration.

I sincerely hope the familiar thrones I often see are not among the seventeen.

But such thoughts did not continue.

The messages that immediately appeared.

My attention was completely focused on the finally revealed rewards.

《You have obtained 'The Complete Golden Rule (1)'.》

《You possess a Fortune Dice.》

《The reward list has been upgraded to 101 tiers.》

《You can choose two rewards from the following eight options.》

《The Incarnation of Extreme Annihilation》, 《The Mark of Ouroboros》, 《The Baal Helmet》, 《The Pureblood Blueprint》, 《The Armor of Incarnation Zyglet》, 《The Aspect of Dorian》, 《The Soul of the Lava Giant》, 《The Eye of the Ram》

Whew!

I couldn't help but whistle.

All the rewards that appeared were at least of the Mythic tier.

Even among the Mythic tier, they are a half-step above the Terror of Shatiros.

'The Complete Golden Rule.'

Moreover, it's the complete Golden Rule, not just a fragment, for the first time.

I slowly examined the rewards.

'The Pureblood Blueprint. This is a Unique-grade blueprint.'

The first Unique-grade blueprint I've seen.

The blueprint should also list the required materials and qualifications.

It naturally piques my interest.

But even the other items are incredibly excellent.

'... The Mark of Ouroboros. Could this be a mark that reveals the position of a star?'

One of the stars that hasn't appeared yet is Ouroboros.

Like the Ymir Mystery that Isabella possesses, it's a snake-related star.

Even if it's not, the name Ouroboros alone is significant.

'Furthermore, a piece of the Mythic-grade Baal set has appeared.'

The Baal Helmet.

One of the three sets of equipment named Baal.

It's said that when all three are collected, they form a Unique-grade level of power.

But it's just a rumor since no one has ever collected them.

This is also tempting.

What about the Soul of the Lava Giant?

A giant's soul, this is also the first I've seen.

Zyglet is one of the Hexagonal Heroes. His armor is famous enough to be mentioned in epics.

The Aspect of Dorian and the Eye of the Ram are also not to be underestimated.

'Crazy.'

There's nothing that doesn't tempt me.

Each one is something I'm unfamiliar with.

I have to choose two from among them.

What should I choose?

After much deliberation, I selected two options.

《You have chosen the rewards.》

《Your experience has drastically increased due to new experiences.》

《Your level has increased!》

Ah.

'... Finally!'

I closed my eyes and clenched both fists as hard as I could.

The level that didn't increase even after fighting a dragon and dueling the Sword Saint Riley!

The level that didn't budge even after clearing the labyrinth!

Finally, it has increased, reaching level 7.

A wave of emotion washed over me.

Because reaching level 7 means new possibilities.

《You have reached level 7 and are now eligible to enter 'The Mountain of Practitioners'.》

《'Main Quest 7: Achieve Proficiency Level 15 in the Mountain of Practitioners' has begun.》

Main Quest 7 automatically starts when you reach level 7.

I was worried that if my level didn't increase, I might never start Main Quest 7, but fortunately, it seems I can start it.

Of course, there was something I needed to address first.

I slowly opened the door of the Golden Rule and returned to the labyrinth where my companions were.

There, I saw Greed, Isaac, Isabella, and the still unconscious Saint Seia.

'Saint Seia.'

My eyes fixed on Saint Seia.

It was time to wake her up.

The appearance of Saint Seia, as seen through the memory of a star, matched almost perfectly.

There might be slight differences, but she is not someone else.

Snow-white hair, long eyelashes, flawless, clear skin.

But it couldn't be.

It was impossible.

'Even if her body was corrupted by the curse of the Demon Realm.'

Saint Seia's role in the Great Expedition was significant.

She alone protected me and the knights from countless curses.

Despite the complete annihilation of over a hundred priests and an equal number of Holy Knights, she steadfastly followed us.

But due to the overwhelming number of curses she absorbed, her body rotted away.

Pus flowed from her entire body, her skin and organs swelled, and she reached a state where she could no longer be considered human.

- Go, go forward. I will bless you with my life!

Until the end, the Saint was resolute and beautiful.

Her voice is as vivid as if it were yesterday.

Her death was certain.

She couldn't survive.

It was impossible in that situation.

But... she is alive.

I should be happy, but I can't just be happy.

The only possibility for her to survive.

'The Demon King saved her... ...'

The Demon King.

He must have been involved.

But why?

What was his ultimate goal in removing the curses from her body and regenerating her skin and organs?

【Lv. 12】

Level 12.

An impossible value.

A human's level cannot exceed 10 without transcending by consuming a star.

But the Saint is not human.

She is a human in form but a being who upholds and accepts a goddess.

Thus, it is possible for her to exceed level 10.

However, she cannot transcend by consuming a star.

Occasionally, there are beings treated as non-human despite being human.

'I don't sense any curses.'

After a careful examination, I found no signs of curses.

I extended my fingers to touch her skin, and the sensation was undoubtedly hers.

I then slowly lifted her eyelids to check her pupils.

'... Red eyes.'

Something had changed.

Saint Seia's eyes are red.

The brilliant golden eyes are gone.

Are they the eyes of something else?

I shook my head inwardly.

'These are Saint Seia's eyes. The change in pupil color is due to the curse from the Demon Realm.'

As the curses accumulated in her body, her pupils turned red.

She lost her brilliant golden eyes due to excessive blessings.

It seems even the Demon King couldn't restore her eyes.

However.

'He must have inscribed something inside her eyes.'

I found a small curse inscribed under her eyes.

It was so small and insignificant that it was hard to notice.

No...

'A mystery in the form of a curse.'

That makes sense.

The most sinister Demon King wouldn't release the Saint without any precautions.

'It's a mystery that makes humans feel hostility.'

A mystery with only that one function.

That's why it was hard to detect from the outside.

I was lucky.

If the Holy Knights of the Goddess Church had found and protected her first, a massacre could have occurred in the labyrinth.

Holy Knights are powerful and fanatical, unlike ordinary knights.

There is nothing as terrifying as their corruption.

It was a stroke of luck that Isaac and Isabella captured the Saint before making contact with the Goddess Church.

<'Eternal Randolph' is activated.>

<The 'Mystery, Hostility' inscribed in the opponent's eyes has been removed.>

Removing a mystery is easy.

Eternal Randolph has the power to destroy one of all mysteries.

Finding and detecting it is more difficult.

"How did you capture Saint Seia?"

I asked, and Isaac replied.

"She was unconscious. There were signs of a battle all around."

A battle.

Even though the Saint has a high level, her combat power is low.

Her self-blessing and regeneration are at an incredible level.

I don't know who subdued her, but it seems we were lucky.

Even with low combat power, it would have been difficult for Isaac and Isabella alone to capture her.

'I don't know who it was, but I'm grateful to the one who only knocked her out.'

I thanked the unknown person who subdued Saint Seia. If it weren't for them, things could have gotten complicated.

Soon, Isaac looked at my head with a voice close to shock.

"But, successor. That appearance, no, what you're wearing on your head...?"

Ah, this?

I shrugged and answered.