Chapter 127

Chapter 127
## Chapter: 127

### Chapter Title: Constellation Meeting

‘A massive catastrophe.’

Following the confrontation with the malevolent deity Baal and my flight from the void, an endless stream of notification windows manifested.

Alongside a staggering contribution score, twenty-seven entities from the Hall of the Hundred Constellations had flickered out.

This wasn’t an entirely new phenomenon.

‘During the conquest of the Abyss Labyrinth, seventeen of them lost their luster as well.’

It wasn’t merely the act of clearing the dungeon.

I had struck down Riley and brought a deceptive legend to its conclusion. Specifically, the total duration I utilized the Golden Rule had generated a score that defied imagination.

The circumstances mirrored the past, yet the number of vanished watchers was far greater this time.

‘…The missions involving Baal never stopped climbing in grade.’

Initially, when Baal emerged, the objective was simple ‘suppression.’

It was designed so a multitude of players could take part.

However, once the five metropolises foundered and sank into the darkness, Baal transformed into ‘the Abyss itself.’

As the mark shifted, it was only logical for the mission’s difficulty and rank to skyrocket.

The true complication arose afterward.

He had become the void incarnate—and was on the threshold of manifesting a ‘deeper abyss’ beyond even that state.

The mission grades ascended without limit, transforming even the smallest actions into massive points.

And I had faced Baal in a solitary duel.

It was a level of contribution that broke the established limits of the compensation system.

‘They were forced to boost the prize tier by sacrificing the essence of the constellations within the Hall of the Hundred Constellations.’

That left them with a single path.

They had to inflate the reward tier to match.

The process of elevating those rewards relied entirely on the ‘constellations.’

Ultimately, every celestial being in the Hall of the Hundred Constellations that had been tracking my progress was drafted. They manually pushed the reward rank to align with my feats, and as a consequence, twenty-seven stars went dark.

A disaster without precedent.

《’Constellation Meeting’ has commenced.》

《Kindly remain patient until the discussion concludes.》

Was this a novelty for them as well?

This was the first time I had witnessed them convening a ‘meeting’ rather than providing a list of prizes immediately.

Naturally, I harbored suspicions.

Hadn’t the reward tier already been set and locked in?

Perhaps even pushing it to the 101st level wasn’t sufficient.

‘There must be more to this.’

Regardless, they weren’t in a position to deny me.

A resolution would surface, one way or another.

There was no point in being restless.

The ones feeling the pressure were those stars, not me.

“······.”

The Hall of the Hundred Constellations.

The thrones of the hundred celestial watchers.

Twenty-seven of those beacons had dimmed.

They had lost their substance and faded into nothingness.

The remaining seventy-three observers fell into a heavy silence.

Though shaken, none of them had anticipated a ‘narrative’ of such overwhelming proportions.

“The newest ‘stars’ have vanished to the last one.”

The Radiant Hero’s Constellation.

The entity that had once wagered against me in the demigod attribute dungeon.

He shifted his attention toward the vacated thrones and spoke.

“They scattered their ‘starlight’ recklessly for no valid reason. Furthermore, they never guessed it would be a person like him.”

The Constellation of Adventure.

The one presiding over the ‘adventure’ domain spoke with a hint of mockery.

A person like him—meaning Randolph.

The seventeen newcomers had drastically underestimated what Randolph was capable of.

They had poured their ‘starlight’ onto mortals with abandon, only for this sudden crisis to suck them dry before they could replenish their stores.

“-Even so, this event is over the top. Has the ‘worth’ of this narrative not been appraised far too generously?”

The Cursed Constellation gave voice to its bitterness.

They were effectively the audience of a chronicle.

Stars watching from a great distance.

Yet, to consume a story, they were required to pay its ‘worth.’

Unique tales naturally demanded a higher price, but Randolph’s chronicles had a habit of being valued at an extreme premium.

This specific instance was particularly exorbitant.

“If the price tag offends you, you should have stopped watching at the beginning,” the Constellation of Adventure mocked.

Why choose to suffer if you could simply look away?

But Randolph’s journey was impossible to turn away from, regardless of the effort.

A fresh legend. A feat deemed impossible. Dramatic shifts and heroic flair. Even the use of unorthodox tactics.

It contained everything.

Extremely few beings possessed the ability to weave a ‘story’ of that quality.

The Constellation of Adventure pushed further.

“Nobody forced your hand. Beyond that, he is the sole ‘creator’ capable of such masterworks. His tales fill our inner void and bolster our own legends. Isn’t that why we gamble everything just to ‘witness’ them?”

“······ It appears you fail to grasp the meaning of ‘excessive.’”

“I personally find the value too low. I am beginning to wonder if we even watched the same events.”

The Constellation of Adventure was buzzing with excitement.

Randolph’s exploits never failed to give him a rush.

His personal favorite was the tale of ‘Riley and the Earth Dragon,’ but this ‘Baal hunt’ was just as gripping.

A hopeless disparity in strength.

Turned on its head by the Most Radiant Light’s Constellation.

It had turned into a grim portent that cornered Baal, only to succumb to a ‘glitch.’

Followed by a resurrection triggered by ‘Eternal Randolph’!!!

A perfect work of art, lacking a single wasted moment.

A glitch eradicated by an even more profound glitch.

Riley’s tale had been moving, but for sheer entertainment, the Baal hunt was in a league of its own.

And they had the nerve to call it excessive?

“That is enough. The die is cast. If we do not ‘balance’ that contribution, an even greater ‘upheaval’ will take place.”

The Radiant Hero’s Constellation intervened.

Squabbling among themselves would achieve nothing.

The time had come to weigh their options.

Even though every star in the Hall of the Hundred Constellations had boosted the prize tier—leading to the loss of twenty-seven—that ‘contribution’ remained unfulfilled.

“Like the previous time, could we not simply sacrifice our personal artifacts?” one star suggested.

However, the Radiant Hero’s Constellation dismissed the idea.

“Is there anyone among us who still possesses enough starlight to forge a treasure?”

Not a single hand was raised.

It was to be expected.

They had drained immense amounts of ‘starlight’ through the ‘Baal hunt’ alone.

And it wasn’t a one-time occurrence.

Randolph’s exploits had been bleeding them dry repeatedly.

“Furthermore, that contribution will persist unless we provide a ‘Unique-grade’ prize.”

“That is preposterous. A Unique-grade item?”

“Radiant Hero’s Constellation, rewards that surpass the Mythic tier are beyond our jurisdiction.”

It was true.

Unique-grade prizes were outside their reach.

The highest tier the Hall of the Hundred Constellations could offer was Mythic.

There were no exceptions… or perhaps, there was one.

“······ Then only a single course remains. We must grant him ‘special rights’ and convince him to take the prize.”

The observers erupted in whispers.

“A celestial from the Hall of the Hundred Constellations making a bargain with the creator?”

“It has never happened.”

“What sort of special rights?”

The Radiant Hero’s Constellation spoke with measured words.

“······ What if we permit him entry to the ‘bazaars’ under our jurisdiction?”

I wonder how much time had ticked away while they debated?

《You have obtained a ‘Very Large Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule (300h)’.》

《You have obtained the ‘Intact Golden Rule’.》

《You are permitted to choose one of the following prizes.》

《Resurrection Doll》, 《Cursed Talisman》, 《Dark Lace》, 《Devotee’s Candlestick》, 《Gore Armor》, 《Twin Omens》, 《Shoes of the Clinging One》

《Choosing a prize will also grant the bonus effect of a ‘10% markdown at all bazaars’.》

…What’s the meaning of this?

The list of items was standard, but the bonus perk at the bottom was entirely unprecedented.

Why had this suddenly appeared?

‘Every item here is of Mythic quality, but they feel like scraps compared to the Baal hunt.’

It was enough to wipe out twenty-seven stars.

For that kind of achievement, they should be presenting something in the Unique category.

But since they couldn’t manage that, they had pivoted to this secondary perk.

‘The bazaars must refer to the Golden Rule shop.’

Who would have guessed the Hall of the Hundred Constellations held sway over the Golden Rule shop?

No—it likely went deeper than that.

‘…It implies other marketplaces will unlock as I clear more main missions.’

The phrasing ‘all’ suggested the Golden Rule shop was just the beginning.

More merchants would appear as the plot progressed.

I thoughtfully rubbed my chin.

Looking at the long game, a 10% markdown was a massive advantage.

It would be useful in the Golden Rule shop right away.

However.

“I decline.”

10% was a lowball offer.

‘Who do they think they’re trying to swindle?’

Look at what I sacrificed to take down Baal.

The Light Throne with the ‘Most Radiant’ title—worth 4 billion gold—the Intact Golden Rule, and even a second chance at life.

A single Mythic item and a 10% discount weren’t even close to breaking even.

《Do you intend to reject the prize?》

《Please provide your justification for the refusal. It will be forwarded to the Hall of the Hundred Constellations.》

“Do I look like an amateur to you?”

《Transmission to the Hall of the Hundred Constellations is complete.》

《‘Constellation Meeting’ is ongoing.》

…Just as I thought. The Hall of the Hundred Constellations was clearly attempting to ‘negotiate.’

If I didn’t take the deal, it seemed to hurt them as well—perhaps threatening to extinguish the rest of them.

‘I need to find a middle ground at the right time.’

The Hall of the Hundred Constellations wasn’t just there to hand out gear.

It might have other functions to help me later on; there was no way to know for sure.

There was no sense in making enemies of them for no reason.

A fair trade and a bit of haggling would be enough.

‘Of course, I’m the one who decides what “fair” means.’

That said, I had no intention of letting them take advantage of me.

With a relaxed grin, I stepped into the teleportation gate.

The city of monsters, Cramdel, spread out before me.

It was a dedicated gate linked to the city of the labyrinth.

The last time I had used this path, the Death King had been there to meet me.

But today, the Death King was nowhere to be found.

“Who are you? How did you access this gate?”

“This passage is for the ‘Five Lords’ only.”

Rat-monsters wearing crimson helms appeared.

They were overseers who had proven themselves in Cramdel.

They had been assigned to protect the high-priority gates.

This one, connected to the maze, was a top priority.

But they didn’t know who I was.

They had no reason to recognize me.

‘…It’s gone.’

The Gluttony attribute could only support one form at a time.

The appearance I had maintained as the King of the Corpse Crows had dissolved when I switched to ‘Darkness Igniter.’

“The more I look at you…”

“Hah. What a repulsive monstrosity. Identify yourself, or prepare to die.”

They grew aggressive.

I let out a soft sigh.

Then, I reached into my tunic and pulled out the ’emblem.’

“…A token of the Five Lords?”

“I-Is that real?”

A badge of office marked with a crow’s image, something the White King had crafted and given to me personally.

When they saw it, the rat-monsters’ glares turned even more lethal.

“Did you murder one of the Five Lords?”

“We have to alert the others…!”

Within seconds, the monster battalion surrounded me in a chaotic frenzy.

They were convinced a beast who had assassinated a Lord was trying to infiltrate Cramdel.

I shook my head slowly and finally spoke.

“I am the Crow Lord, caw.”