Chapter 100

Chapter 100
## Chapter 100: Initiating with 13 Concealed Attributes

Rather than a direct confrontation, the most effective strategy to halt the Four Evils with minimal casualties involves consolidating power to drive them back when they strike specific, high-priority targets.

Regardless of the logic, the bulk of the regional rulers remained unconvinced by this proposal.

“There is no certainty that the Four Evils will actually transform into the ‘Abyss itself.'”

“True. Other sovereigns within the Abyss might move to constrain the Four Evils themselves.”

“They might forgo an invasion entirely.”

“Precisely my point. Isn’t Lord Jeraph basing his entire argument on a ‘worst-case’ scenario?”

*Tremble!*

Jeraph was shaking with suppressed rage.

‘These idiots!’

They were completely closed off to rational thought. They had convened this assembly with the sole intention of dismissing him from the very beginning. They required a consensus to sever the existing warp connections.

“……Even if you disconnect the warps, it doesn’t mean your territories will be shielded from harm.”

A neutral city lord who had remained silent until now finally chimed in. He was a hairless monk draped in vibrant orange monastic garments. He continued speaking in a soft, measured tone.

“Just link to the warps in the unmanaged zones that require no authorization. Even if the Four Evils don’t evolve into the ‘Abyss itself,’ you’ve essentially provided them with a platform for endless expansion, haven’t you?”

“……Are you suggesting we all just perish?”

“If we follow that path, the cities are doomed!”

The monk let out a quiet, mocking laugh.

“Either way, whether the end comes here or there, we are already walking corpses, are we not? If you intend to act out of pure self-interest, then I am forced to do the same.”

He was making it clear he would drag them all down with him if they tried to cut ties unilaterally. If they truly desired isolation, they could sever every warp and allow themselves to be swallowed by the Abyss. Then, a different Abyss lord would simply claim them in place of the Four Evils.

“Hah.”

“This is getting us nowhere……”

Ultimately, the discussion stalled. Futile debates carried on as they chased a resolution that didn’t exist.

—

“……Have you thought of a good explanation, Black Night?”

The Master wore a look of pure disgust as he personally stormed Black Night’s sanctuary. His irritation stemmed from the fact that he had paid 50 million gold only for the informant to go silent.

“Well…… I truly didn’t anticipate the ‘Four Evils’ making such a sudden appearance……”

Black Night, who had been caught mid-escape, shifted uncomfortably.

“So, you have zero intelligence on Phantom and you failed to seize the White King’s daughter?”

“Heh, well……”

“I’m not in a joking mood, Black Night.”

The air grew heavy with tension. A murderous glint sparked in the Master’s eyes, causing Black Night to gulp audibly.

“It’s not like I came back empty-handed. Information regarding the Black King and the Four Evils should be worth a fortune, right?”

“Start talking.”

“Rak Tusha, a primary lieutenant of the Black King, went head-to-head with the Four Evils.”

“Rak Tusha…… You mean the Swordmaster Rak Tusha, that legendary orc warrior?”

“Exactly! And listen to this—the orc grew to a massive size instantly. Based on what I’ve seen, the Black King has the power to bestow ‘Hidden Traits’ upon his inner circle.”

The Master rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The growth was likely the ‘Giant’s Magic Resistance’ attribute. This meant the Black King possessed the rare capability to grant Hidden Traits. Was this the leverage he was using to challenge the White King so boldly?

‘We’ve only identified seven Hidden Traits so far. The Black King likely knows of many more.’

Simply establishing a line to the Black King to acquire these traits would be incredibly lucrative. If he could map out the various Hidden Traits and their corresponding talents, ten million gold would seem like a pittance. After years of searching, the Master had only found seven:

* Void
* Dexterity
* Weapon Master
* Beast Lord
* Giant’s Magic Resistance
* Golden Grace
* Glutton

There were certainly others. However, no matter the effort, they remained elusive. If the Black King held the keys to the rest, it was worth forcing an interaction.

“The issue is that Rak Tusha still fell to the Four Evils. And that’s despite him being level 13.”

“So the Four Evils are ranked even higher?”

“Yeah. Level 14 or beyond. How are we supposed to stop threats on the same tier as the White King or Black King? Unless the ‘Holy Grail Knights’ from the Goddess Church intervene directly.”

This was substantial intelligence. The fact that the Four Evils were level 14 or higher was a powerful piece of information. He could flip this data to the cities bordering the Cultivator’s Mountain immediately. Still, it didn’t quite justify a 50 million gold price tag.

Sensing the Master’s lingering hostility, Black Night added quickly:

“Also, Phantom likely isn’t at the Cultivator’s Mountain anymore.”

“What makes you say that?”

“If he were still there, I would have spotted him, or I’d be dead by now.”

Black Night had scouts monitoring the mountain’s base. The middle section was overrun by the monster army, and the peak was occupied by Rak Tusha and the Four Evils. If Phantom were present, he would have been detected.

Was that logical?

‘There are caps on proficiency levels……’

Sword Saint Gracia held the top spot at level 24. The Master himself was ranked 3rd at level 22. Climbing higher on that mountain was no simple task. It was usually more practical to hit a ceiling and transition to the subsequent quest.

“Furthermore, the Cultivator’s Mountain has collapsed. There’s no more time left to grind proficiency levels, is there?”

That held weight. Proficiency gains were a matter of time investment. Even with peerless talent, the destruction of the mountain removed the possibility of further training.

‘So he actually reached level 15 at the Hall of Fame without overextending, and then departed?’

Randolph, who had utterly crushed the competition in main quest 6 to take first place. For that same Randolph to settle for 7th place now? It was strange, but it made sense logically. If Randolph had bypassed the Abyss Labyrinth, his window for training on the mountain was a month at most. It was impossible to surpass level 24 in such a timeframe, regardless of how broken his class or talent might be.

‘Yes. That must be it……’

A peculiar sense of calm washed over the Master. Black Night’s certainty acted as a balm for his anxiety. Indeed, even the legendary Phantom had constraints. No matter how unconventional his tactics, Phantom couldn’t achieve the impossible. He was only human. Some treated him like a deity, but he was flesh and blood.

‘Phantom is just a man.’

Men can be challenged. Men can be defeated. The Master realized he had been momentarily blinded by the sheer gap in scores. Finally! The moment that terrifying monster was proven to be human had arrived. No ordinary human could dismantle the empire he had built. That realization alone made the 50 million gold a worthy investment. He had intended to kill Black Night after extracting the info, but he decided to show mercy.

‘Phew! I’m going to live!’

Black Night felt the shift in the Master’s gaze and breathed a mental sigh of relief. His gambit had worked. The Master offered a thin smile, and Black Night mirrored it.

*《The rankings for the Hall of Fame have been updated.》*

“……”

“……?”

*《Main Quest 7 Hall of Fame: 3rd -> 4th.》*

“……”

“……??”

*《1st – Randolph (500)》*
*《2nd – Gracia (420)》*
*《3rd – MintChocoDelicious (410)》*
*《4th – Master (400)》*

“……”

“……???”

Panic surged through Black Night. His eyes darted around frantically.

‘Wait, hold on a second.’

The Master was looking at him with an expression that seemed to have crawled out of the deepest pits of hell.

············ He was absolutely dead.

—

*《Calculating quest rewards.》*

*《Current level significantly surpasses established benchmarks.》*

*《Sword Proficiency Level 30: ‘Heavenly Realm’ attained.》*

*《Final Score: 500!》*

*《Obtained ‘Largest Fragment of the Golden Rule (300h)’.》*

*《Obtained 100 Dominion Points.》*

*《Dominion Points can be utilized to augment your territory.》*

*《All observing Constellations are being compelled to enhance reward brackets.》*

*《Lucky Die is active.》*

*《101 reward tiers have been elevated.》*

*《Select one blade from the five options provided.》*

*《Great Cleaver》, 《Dragon Slayer Sword》, 《Bone Smasher》, 《Lu-》, 《Transcendent Earth Sword》*

Because this was a reward for sword proficiency, every option was a blade. And every single one was breathtaking.

‘……They are weapons that increase the maximum level of sword proficiency.’

Max proficiency could be raised by classes, star ratings, and on very rare occasions, specific weapons. It was exceptionally rare for Unique-grade weapons or lower to offer such a boost. Yet, all five of these swords possessed the ability to break those limits.

‘Each one has a very specific utility. I have to choose wisely.’

These were specialized tools. They were formidable in general use, but they became transcendent under the right circumstances. I rubbed my chin in silence, a grin spreading across my face.

‘I can push this even further.’

This wasn’t the end of it.

*《Declining Hidden Quest (6) reward.》*

*《Commencing challenge for a higher proficiency tier!》*

*《Achievement: ‘Challenger Writing Proficiency Level Myth’ reached!》*

*《Fame increased by 300.》*

The Hidden Quest from the mountain lord! Reaching sword proficiency level 30 had already boosted the rewards sixfold, but if I could break the level cap, everything changed. This achievement signaled that by surpassing this threshold, I would finalize my own ‘myth.’

‘This is where the real journey begins.’

I couldn’t even fathom what level 31 would look like. Just as I had gained an out-of-spec secret by overcoming the trials of the Myth Observatory, completing this self-styled myth would surely result in at least a Unique-grade payout!

The Letter from the Empire.
The rewards for surviving the Abyss Labyrinth.
Calling upon the spirit of Sword Saint Riley through the glowing throne, burning through a thousand hours of the Golden Rule, and reaching enlightenment for seventeen Constellations!

Even compared to the moments I chose the Baal helmet or the Ouroboros brand, the tension now was higher.

‘《Great Cleaver》 is, as its name implies, a blade built for sundering.’

In the combat logic of Pangeniar, there is a fundamental difference in ‘depth’ between a strike and a cleave. A strike is a surface-level hit, whereas a cleave creates ‘deep lacerations’ for a finishing blow. The 《Great Cleaver》 adds a 5% penetration factor to sword attacks. Penetrating strikes cause damage that is nearly impossible to heal. Penetration is an essential stat whenever it’s available.

‘《Dragon Slayer Sword》, specialized penetration against dragons.’

However, the Dragon Slayer offered 10% penetration specifically against draconian foes. It was twice as effective as the Great Cleaver, but limited to dragons. Given that dragons are consistently top-tier threats, it would always be a valuable tool. I would inevitably cross paths with more of them, like ‘Mad Dragon Ainhassar’ in the tenth quest.

‘《Bone Smasher》, a heavy, blunt-force greatsword. Modifies sword aura.’

It sounded crude, but it was the signature weapon of the greatest giant warriors. It was a massive slab of metal larger than my own body, capable of crushing foes. Only those with high sword aura control could swing it with ease, and it significantly amplified the damage of that aura.

‘《Lu-》, a modular holy blade. Powerful once assembled.’

As the name suggested, Lu- was a piece of a holy sword. It was tied to divine energy. Holy knight classes would see a 50% increase in divine effectiveness—which was staggering. While it could be combined with other blades to add effects, I had no affinity for holy classes or divine magic. I could use it depending on what I paired it with. To finish Lu-, I would need a matching half like ‘-Ra’ or ‘-Aie.’ It wasn’t an immediate power spike, but it promised peak performance later.

‘Lastly, 《Transcendent Earth Sword》, a blade that evolves.’

A growth weapon. Upon hitting certain thresholds, it would automatically unlock ‘Extreme, True, Annihilation, and Pierce’ attributes. Once all four were unlocked, the fifth ‘Transcendence’ effect would trigger, completing the weapon.

‘……Only one.’

Each sword had a distinct identity. I could only take one. I looked toward my future path to see which would be most effective. My destination was already decided.

‘The Empire.’

Going after the Baal armor would lead to conflict. There was a high probability of clashing with Imperial legions and knights. Even after securing the armor, battles with the Four Evils or their peers were likely. I needed a weapon that performed reliably regardless of the variables.

‘Discard the growth and modular types.’

I needed power right now. I have never strayed from that rule. If I had two choices, I might pick one for the future—but with only one slot, immediate strength was the priority. Lu- and the Transcendent Earth Sword didn’t meet the immediate requirements. It was a shame, but I might encounter them again.

‘The versatile Great Cleaver, the specialized Dragon Slayer, or the giants’ Bone Smasher.’

The final three candidates. It was a difficult decision. After much thought, I made my move.

*《You have chosen the ‘Bone Smasher’!》*

—

The Player Talk forums were once again overwhelmed with discussions about Phantom.

* 600 points total? Are you kidding?
* A 180-point lead over 2nd place?
* What am I even looking at?

Every player participating in main quest 7 witnessed the leaderboard shift. The Hall of Fame, which tracked the scores of all quest participants, had a new king at the top.