Chapter 154

Chapter 154
## Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Isaac’s Return

Raktusha’s expression shifted to one of gravity, while the dark elf merely gave a noncommittal shrug.

“Does this imply that the forces under the White King have been reduced by half?”

“They were never counting on the primary armies to begin with. The White King is our sole objective.”

The bulk of the forces could be dealt with at any moment.

Their true fixation remained, unsurprisingly, on the White King.

Eliminating the White King by himself would be synonymous with taking control of the North.

‘There is no reason to bring up the Five Main Forces.’

Consequently, Raktusha remained silent regarding the Five Main Forces.

The Great Earth Dragon had boasted of their ability to slay the White King, but to her, the claim felt preposterous regardless of how she analyzed it.

Just how much power could a corpse crow truly wield?

It was a nagging irritation, likely nothing more than a deception cooked up by the Great Earth Dragon to shake her resolve.

“If the focus isn’t on the White King’s faction, then who is it?”

“The group that claimed the top spot is a coalition of humans and dryads.”

“What a bizarrely mismatched pairing.”

While the others debated the possible identities of the leading party, Raktusha cut through the noise.

“The second floor becomes accessible in 60 days. We must heighten our preparations and confront it then.”

“However, a full party requires five individuals. Aren’t we currently missing one?”

“Indeed, we cannot attempt the challenge until we find a replacement. And it must be an individual who fits our ‘caliber.’”

They couldn’t simply recruit any random master.

For this endeavor, they required a flawless team that matched their elite ‘caliber.’

Furthermore, every member of their group held hidden traits.

This meant that gaining entry would not be a struggle in itself.

However, the criteria for entering the second floor were twofold.

The entire five-person unit had to possess hidden traits.

With their master deceased and only four members remaining, an immediate challenge was impossible, even if the gates opened in two months.

“The ‘vessel’ should be relatively stable by that time.”

“Ah, we can utilize that individual.”

Ultimately, it wasn’t a dead end.

There was one highly suitable prospect.

‘Vessel of Despair. Including him practically ensures the conquest of the second floor.’

Raktusha gave a firm, decisive nod.

With the Death King, who had transitioned into the Vessel of Despair, navigating the second floor would be a simple task.

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

The prizes for completing the floor were staggering.

A massive influx of SP for talent development, Golden Rule fragments equivalent to 500 hours, achievement points, and prestige.

Yet, the most significant reward was something else entirely.

‘The maximum level has risen by 2.’

My personal level ceiling had shifted to 12.

Standard humans were capped at level 10, requiring the consumption of a star to transcend and gain further power.

If I could attain level 12 without needing to ingest a star, that was the statistical equivalent of a two-star transcendence.

‘Those languishing at level 10 are going to be ecstatic.’

There were countless individuals stuck at the tenth level, unable to find or consume a star.

Since the quantity of stars was finite, even those with the potential for growth remained stagnant.

Now, all of them would surge toward level 11 immediately.

The hitch, naturally, was my own progress.

‘…How long will it take me to hit level 12?’

I was currently only level 8.

Reaching even this point had demanded that I survive a gauntlet of near-impossible challenges.

The experience requirements scaled exponentially, making level 12 feel like a distant horizon.

Nevertheless, if I could eventually reach it… the advantage I was building would become insurmountable.

Unlike the rest, I had the ability to enhance my maximum stats per level by an additional 20%.

‘Regardless, the struggle to conquer the second floor is about to become a bloodbath.’

It was a certainty: the race for the Rift Tower’s second floor in 60 days would be more cutthroat than ever.

A tectonic shift was coming, involving every race and major power.

I had to ensure my own readiness.

Whiiiing!

Suddenly, a brilliant radiance erupted next to me.

I turned to see Serengeti’s form bathed in a shimmering glow.

“…I’ve leveled up.”

Serengeti blinked, looking slightly dazed.

But it wasn’t unexpected.

‘Her pent-up experience points must have finally triggered.’

Serengeti had been sitting on a mountain of experience.

Having served as Wilhelm’s primary confidante for ages, she had achieved a staggering number of feats.

Despite being qualified, she never gained a new star because she hadn’t found one that resonated with her.

Stars, after all, required specific affinities.

I looked up at the display above Serengeti’s head.

【12Lv, ★】

…Wait.

Was I seeing that correctly?

Level 12?

‘She bypassed two levels in a single jump.’

…She must have had an incredible surplus stored away.

Still, there was something odd about it.

If she possessed enough experience for level 12, the Star Awakener should have manifested a long time ago.

Affinities were crucial at level 1, but a discrepancy of two levels usually meant a person would have instinctively bonded with any compatible star.

Unless the accumulation happened recently.

‘Did the experience from resisting the Demon King’s curse build up to an astronomical degree?’

Ah.

That made sense.

The Demon King’s curse. By enduring that torment, she had likely gathered a lifetime’s worth of experience.

I felt a surge of pride at how far Serengeti had come.

“By the way, Successor.”

Serengeti, still buzzing from her sudden empowerment, gestured toward the side.

“Why is that giant dragon sprawled out over there?”

“Hmm.”

I was pondering the exact same thing.

Even though we were teleported outside the tower, this was a specific instance where separate parties shouldn’t overlap.

And yet, just a short distance away, a dragon lay bleeding and broken.

‘What is the Great Earth Dragon doing in this place?’

One of the White King’s core champions, the Great Earth Dragon.

He was currently dying in real-time, right in front of us.

After a portal was established to the Labyrinth City, Saintess Seya provided medical aid to the Great Earth Dragon.

The Great Earth Dragon remained unconscious, showing no immediate signs of recovery.

However, the lethal wounds were closed, and his life was no longer in immediate danger.

When I made my way to the stronghold afterward, Hudson was waiting for me, looking deeply troubled.

“Why the grim face, Hudson?”

“We have a major situation.”

“A major situation?”

That came out of nowhere.

The city was finally beginning to look like a real settlement.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Short of a surprise invasion, there shouldn’t have been any crises.

Gulp.

Hudson took a nervous breath.

“Isaac is here.”

“Isaac has come back?”

“Yes. And he has transcended after consuming a star.”

…?

Hold on.

He didn’t just wander off—he went out to find a star to eat?

And he actually succeeded in transcendence?

‘It can’t be…’

Did Isaac regain his past memories, much like Isabella did?

But Isaac’s situation was a world apart from Isabella’s.

I had used the Isaac character to commit countless horrors just to test the limits of the game’s programming.

If he realized that his body had been moved like a puppet, where would that fury be aimed?

Looking at Hudson’s paralyzed expression, I feared the worst.

If Isaac somehow discovered that I was the one pulling his strings, the consequences would be catastrophic.

“…You have returned at last, Lord Randolph.”

A voice reached me from my immediate flank.

I turned my head to see a very familiar face.

…Isaac.

He was looking at me with eyes that burned with pure resentment.

Park Hyun-myeong’s profile was laid bare.

A somber voice.

A face like stone.

But the wrath radiating from his gaze was impossible to ignore.

The reason for that anger being directed squarely at me was obvious.

I didn’t have to look far for the cause.

【11Lv, ★】

…He had transcended.

Just like Isabella, the act of transcending must have restored his memories.

Memories of being treated as a digital avatar, forced to move against his own volition.

The recollection of every atrocity he had been forced to commit.

Isaac watched me, his voice low and dangerous.

“Why did you do it?”

…He went straight to the heart of it.

That was a heavy, loaded question.

Was it just the memory of his body being possessed, or was it something even deeper?

He might have deduced that I was the player who controlled his every move.

The clarity gained from transcendence could have been even more vivid than Isabella’s.

I had no way of knowing the depth of his understanding.

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

Even if he had figured it all out, I couldn’t simply confess.

A confession would turn suspicion into an undeniable reality, and that reality would lead to total destruction.

There are things better left in the dark.

Had I known this wasn’t just a simple game, I never would have treated the characters that way.

As I maintained my facade of confusion, Isaac’s face twisted into something even darker.

“You know precisely why I am asking this.”

…Actually, I don’t.

I understand it stems from the memories he regained.

But whether he knows I am the ‘gamer’ or if there is another catalyst, I couldn’t be certain.

“Is this because of your transcendence?”

I threw out a test.

Isaac gave a slow nod.

“I assume Isabella already informed you. That both she and I possess… buried memories.”

“That seems to be the case.”

“I have spent a long time wondering. How did you, Lord Randolph—a man I had never encountered—locate me while I was hiding in Kramdel? Why were you so determined to recruit me, just as you were with Isabella?”

I didn’t go out of my way to hunt him down.

…This was getting complicated.

Once a seed of doubt is planted, every past action is re-examined.

Realizing that he and Isabella were in identical situations had clearly turned his suspicion toward me.

“You knew everything about me from the moment we met, Lord Randolph. The same was true for Isabella. You claimed to be a Star Awakener, but after meeting the genuine article, it became clear that was a fabrication.”

That was also a valid point.

When I first recruited them, I used the title of Star Awakener as my shield.

I told them I knew their histories because of that status.

I told them I could see their secrets because of who I was.

But the appearance of the real Star Awakener had stripped away my cover.

My claims were proven to be lies.

“Wasn’t that issue resolved during the Demigod Trait Dungeon?”

The Demigod Trait Dungeon.

Inside the Chamber of Truth, we had been subjected to a trial of honesty.

A question had been posed asking if I truly was the Star Awakener, and I had answered in the affirmative.

The Demigod had verified it as truth.

“Yes. That is why I found it so confusing. But Lord Randolph… your name does not appear on the ‘Star Awakener registry.’”

A Star Awakener registry.

Did such a database even exist?

And how had Isaac managed to gain access to it?

“It doesn’t matter. You might not be a Star Awakener. But Isabella and I were both burdened by the same ‘affliction.’ Was it truly just a random occurrence that you hired us both?”

The affliction.

The same malady mentioned by the Dersian woman who shared Isabella’s name.

To hear it confirmed by Isaac as well…

It was a disease that remained a mystery to the vast majority of the continent.

And yet, I had specifically sought out two people who suffered from it.

Could that really be explained away as luck?

“It was merely a coincidence.”

“People who suffer from the ‘affliction’ lose their sense of self; their bodies are hijacked and forced to act. I lived through that. When I finally regained control, I had already committed unspeakable crimes. For years, I believed those actions were my own choice… how much…!”

“Isaac. What are you trying to say?”

“…Why did you do it?”

He repeated the question, over and over.

Why did I do it?

Was he asking about the lies?

Or was he asking if I was the entity that had seized his body to commit those sins?

…The mistrust in his gaze was becoming an abyss.

I met his eyes in silence.

Finally, Isaac spoke again, his voice trembling with suppressed feeling.

“You already knew the truth, so why…!”

There was no longer any room for redirection.

Isaac was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was aware of everything.

He knew they both had the affliction, and my insistence on bringing them together pointed to one conclusion: I was the gamer.

The one responsible. The player who had toyed with their lives.

That was why he was letting his anger boil over.

I was lucky he hadn’t drawn his weapon yet.

However, Isaac’s next words took me completely by surprise.

“Why did you permit Isabella… to encounter the Dersian lady?”

…What?

The Dersian lady.

The woman I had encountered at the imperial auction had prostrated herself before me, pleading for mercy once she realized I was an official of the Reaper Church.

In exchange for her life, I had given her orders.

Investigate any members of the Dersian family who were plagued by the ‘affliction.’

After that, she was to travel to the Golden City Arcana to meet with Hudson.

‘The Dersian lady must have reached Hudson while I was busy in the Rift Tower.’

The timing was remarkably synchronized.

Just as I was ascending the tower, she had found Hudson.

Furthermore, Isaac—whom I believed had deserted us—had returned at the exact same time.

In the middle of all this, Isabella had crossed paths with the Dersian lady.

Two women who shared a name, a family, and a history.