Chapter 148

Chapter 148
## Chapter 148: The Master’s Astonishment

‘Wilhelm has been gone for less than a year.’

What exactly is a year?

In reality, it has only been slightly more than six months.

Even if a full twelve months had passed, it would be difficult to swallow, but to bridge the gap and overtake everything in just half a year?

To possess martial capabilities exceeding 3 stars in such a fleeting window?

Barring some sort of exploit or cheat, is such a feat even achievable?

Consequently, there is no way this person is Randolph.

The individual standing before him could not possibly be Phantom.

“I find this impossible to believe.”

“If you truly were Phantom… you would have undoubtedly tracked down and seized Wilhelm’s ‘that star.’ Yet, you haven’t manifested the strength of ‘that star.’”

“I haven’t hit level 10 yet.”

“……?”

“My current level is 8.”

“…………..What?”

The Master stood frozen.

What kind of ridiculousness was this person uttering?

Level 8?

He hadn’t even reached the tenth level, meaning he was barred from accessing the transcendent authority of the stars?

“There’s a limit to how much one should jest…”

“‘The Star That Drinks the Nebula.’ That is the celestial body one can only locate through a specific Star Awakener after attaining level 10. I simply haven’t reached level 10, so I haven’t claimed it yet.”

“……!!!”

The Master’s pupils dilated.

The Star That Drinks the Nebula. He actually cited its specific name.

That was the very star the Master had yearned for, only to have Wilhelm snatch it away.

The man in front of him was aware of the star’s title—a secret known to only two people in the entire world.

……Was he truly Phantom?

Wilhelm’s predecessor, the legendary figure who had developed an endless array of characters.

The solitary gamer in this realm who had constructed countless strategies and held more data than even he did—could it be this man?

《‘Master’s’ ‘Ruler’ ability activates.》

《‘Master’ demands information disclosure from the target.》

Fine. If you possess such certainty, then prove it to me.

The Master didn’t carry his title for no reason.

He held the power to inspect an opponent’s status window.

While the target had to give their permission, if his claims were genuine, he would have no reason to hide.

‘He won’t agree to it anyway.’

Everything he just uttered was a fabrication.

It was already hard enough to credit such preposterous claims.

The fellow likely didn’t even realize the Master possessed this skill.

Go ahead, try to deny it. I’ll have a good laugh at your expense.

《The target has granted temporary ‘information disclosure’ to ‘Master.’》

……He gave consent?

Information disclosure.

Under normal circumstances, this was strictly confidential, but the Master could petition other players to reveal their data.

Naturally, it was a tool he seldom employed.

Especially in a climate where the very fact that they were players remained a guarded secret from one another.

Furthermore, what was unveiled during a disclosure was the ‘status window.’

The most unbiased record that laid bare every single flaw.

Occasions where it was shown were incredibly rare.

Usually, it happened only when the Master was bringing in new guild associates or forcing someone into submission.

And yet, the man before him had readily agreed to this ‘information disclosure.’

In that instant.

[Status Window]

Name: Randolph

Class: Star Successor

Class: Supreme Sword Saint

Level: 8

Strength: 127 (102+25)

Vitality: 125 (100+25)

Agility: 126 (101+25)

Intelligence: 125 (100+25)

Divine Power: 138 (113+25)

[Additional Stats]

Natural Regeneration: 315%

Overall Penetration: 12.8%

Curse Penetration: 15%

Curse Reflection: 30%

Curse Duration Increase: 30%

1: Owner of ‘Star Successor – 3 Stars (All Stats +15)’

2: ‘Transcendent Baal Set’ merged with physical form, contributing associated stats. Able to equip new armaments on those body parts again.

3: Raw stats modified by the ‘Eternal Randolph’ effect.

4: Contains ‘Baal’s Core (Fragment of Ruin)’ within the heart.

5: Strength (2), Agility (1), Divine Power (3) boosted by the ‘King of the Dead’ ability.

6: Wielder of Unique-grade ‘Winter’ (All Stats +10)

…… .

“What… in the world… is this… .”

His words shook against his will.

The Master couldn’t trust what his eyes were seeing.

He questioned if a status window like this was even allowed to exist.

From the name Randolph,

To the dual classes.

Level 8.

Attributes that far surpassed the constraints of his level.

Already in possession of three stars, and then that mention of ‘Baal.’

‘Baal’s Core?’

Every detail was dubious, but the most incomprehensible was Baal’s Core.

Cores were exclusively dropped by slain monsters.

How could Randolph possibly have it?

Embedded in his heart, of all places?

‘It can’t be…… .’

No.

That was impossible.

The Baal that had manifested on the Mountain of Cultivators.

That entity had eventually reached completion in the void and launched an assault on Jeju Island.

Following that, reports said it had been consumed by a being known as the ‘Black Egg.’

‘The Guardian of the Black Egg.’

…Furthermore, nearly every survivor from Jeju Island possessed at least one image or snapshot of the entity referred to as the ‘Guardian of the Black Egg.’

That protector looked exactly like the Grim Reaper.

And the ones who commanded the Grim Reaper were none other than the Empire’s Reaper Church.

‘Ah…… .’

Only at that moment did the disparate pieces of the puzzle click together.

This man—Randolph—was clearly a high-ranking member of the Reaper Church.

The leadership of the Reaper Church could control the Grim Reaper.

This meant the ‘Black Egg entity’ that had destroyed Baal was Randolph. The entries in that status window were the proof.

‘Just what has he been doing in such a short span of time?’

Yet, there were still numerous things he couldn’t wrap his head around.

Power that defied all logic.

Particularly at level 8, having base stats exceeding 100? Did that even follow the rules?

A character’s individual stat was normally limited to a gain of 10 per level.

Unique circumstances might push it higher, but not by a margin of 20.

The two classes were just as baffling.

What kind of path did he have to walk to achieve such a state?

A few seconds later, the Master discovered the cause.

《‘Randolph’s’ hidden trait is briefly disclosed to ‘Master’ exclusively.》

Hidden trait.

If a variable of this magnitude could be generated, it had to stem from a hidden trait.

The Master was aware of a total of seven hidden traits.

He had anticipated acquiring one more while ascending the tower.

‘But even owning a single hidden trait is a monumental task.’

He knew of eight in existence, yet the Master himself only possessed two.

However, if the person before him was Phantom, he might hold perhaps five.

But upon viewing the window that surfaced immediately after.

“Th-this… what… ?!”

The Master could only gasp in profound, unparalleled shock.

And for good reason.

[Activated Hidden Traits (15)]

【Void】

【Dexterity】

【All Master】

【Weapon Master】

【Giant’s Magic Resistance】

【High Druid’s Great Nature】

【Eternal Lord’s Heart】

【Beast Lord】

【Golden Grace】

【Heavenly】

【Mutation】

【Glutton】

【Great Sage】

【Eternal Randolph】

【King of the Demon Blood Clan】

……It was a preposterous quantity.

Randolph possessed 15 active hidden traits.

More than double the amount he even knew about.

Confronted by a status window that felt completely disconnected from reality, the Master was struck dumb.

But it couldn’t be a trick.

His own power confirmed it.

There could be no falsehoods in a status window displayed via ‘information disclosure’ with the target’s authorization.

‘A monster…… .’

If every irrational element was the result of those hidden traits.

Then Randolph was a creature that existed beyond the bounds of common sense.

A being that no one could possibly measure.

An anomaly existing outside the established laws.

“It seems you finally believe me now.”

“…… .”

The Master’s fighting spirit evaporated.

There was no scenario where he could emerge victorious.

The stats were lower than he had envisioned, but he realized this wasn’t a predator that could be measured by numbers alone.

If he had finished off Baal, it meant his true strength was far beyond that.

……Phantom.

Only Phantom could produce such impossible results.

And the fact that Phantom had allowed him to witness the ‘status window.’

“……Have mercy on me.”

It meant he was marked for death.

Phantom never revealed his data to anyone.

He never, ever left a trail behind.

There was no chance he would permit someone who had seen his status window to continue breathing.

The end for those who saw things they shouldn’t was always the same.

Regardless of the circumstances, Phantom would not let him go.

“I thought about it many times. But I couldn’t grasp it. You surely must have utilized the ‘builds’ I created and leveled up as well. Why did you turn on me?”

“Turn on you… ? What are you saying?”

“I am asking why you caused the Great Expedition to fail. You were aware that slaying the Demon King would restore tranquility to the world. The other players knew it too.”

In a crisis where every bit of help was vital, they had desired the Great Expedition’s downfall.

Numerous players, the Master included.

He questioned him as if the logic escaped him.

The Master gulped.

“We’re… junkies.”

“Junkies?”

“Game addicts who turn into nobodies the moment the game is finished…… .”

By becoming players within Pangeniar, they had tasted power.

Traveling between the real world and Pangeniar, they began to lead entirely different existences.

What if they took down the Demon King and the game ended?

Would they be locked out of Pangeniar forever?

They were terrified of returning to their mundane previous lives.

They were sick with the fear of going back to being treated like livestock.

That was why they stayed away from the Great Expedition.

“You fed intelligence to the Demon King for that reason alone?”

“……Fed intelligence to the Demon King? I-I never did that…… .”

They simply chose not to take part.

Passed info to the Demon King?

What information was he referring to?

Tsk. He let out a quiet click of his tongue.

“As I suspected, you aren’t the one. I sensed it from the beginning, but you aren’t the mastermind.”

“…… .”

“One final inquiry. Who is the person behind you pulling all these strings?”

Sssss.

A freezing sensation crept up the back of his neck.

The Master trembled at the feeling.

Randolph was certain he wasn’t the architect of this scheme.

Would he perish in silence like this, or gamble on a tiny flicker of hope?

The Master slowly parted his lips.

“Th-that’s…… .”

“Th-that’s…… Phantom…… .”

Phantom?

He scowled instinctively at the Master’s claim.

Where did that come from?

He was aware they referred to him as ‘Phantom.’

He had already achieved fame as Phantom back in his days as a gamer.

But the Master was surely referring to a different Phantom, not himself.

“Are you claiming there’s someone posing as me?”

“I-I don’t know. He was a player, yet not a player. Nothing else…… .”

“You’re being dishonest. You aren’t the sort of person who acts just because someone tells them to.”

Crack!

Winter grazed the Master’s throat.

Simultaneously, the flesh around his neck began to frost over.

Bit by bit, ‘Winter’ was consuming the Master.

The Master was prudent in his own fashion.

He didn’t take action without a degree of certainty.

Even setting aside whether that belief was correct or misplaced, he absolutely was not the type to serve as a puppet for some nameless figure.

I gazed slowly into his eyes and spoke.

“Tell me. Who is it.”