Chapter 198

Chapter 198
## Chapter 198: The True Treasure of the Prototype

“What in the world is happening?”

“Hold on. Is this actually real?”

“This is bizarre. Has the game’s code completely broken down?”

The player communication channels were once again a sea of bewilderment.

Following the conclusion of the conflict and the demise of Isera, the list of top contributors was finally unveiled. To most observers, the majority of the names featured on the leaderboard were predictable and well-deserved.

Park Tae-woo’s inclusion was a given, and even though Dark Star had retreated from the field, his efforts in mobilizing alliance members from across the globe were undeniable.

“But didn’t he stay away from the actual front lines?”

“Did he enter the fray under a secret alias?”

“That’s impossible; someone would have spotted him. We’re talking about the number one spot here!”

“Exactly. That implies he outperformed the player who summoned the Dragon God Lucaria. How could such a feat go unnoticed?”

“It makes zero sense.”

It felt like an eternity, but when the identity of the top contributor was finally disclosed…

Not a single player could wrap their head around it.

Had he been present on the battlefield, his presence would have been unmistakable. Regardless of how well he might have masked his persona, taking the top spot was another matter entirely. He had eclipsed Park Tae-woo, the man who had called forth Dragon God Lucaria and fought until the very end. It was inconceivable that he could have achieved this in total secrecy.

…It defied all logic.

“If it had been Randolph, at least that would be believable!”

“Even Phantom, the master of the Blade Dragon God, would have been a credible choice.”

“Precisely. So why wasn’t it Randolph?”

The community might have made peace with the result if Randolph’s name had appeared. He was famous for accomplishing the impossible time and again. But because it wasn’t him, the players were left in a state of utter confusion.

“MintChocoDelicious is at the top…?”

“What kind of joke is this?”

“MintChoco fans, our moment has arrived!”

“The Phantom worshippers have suppressed us for too long! Our time is now!”

“…You people are losing your minds.”

—

Gracia’s face twisted into a deep grimace.

A notification window hovered directly before his eyes. The contribution standings, which had been broadcast to every player simultaneously, featured a name at the very peak that no one had anticipated.

《The Top Contributor has been revealed!》

《#1: ‘Gate Destroyer Who Blocked Additional Invasions, MintChocoDelicious’》

《Our sincerest congratulations!》

—

In an age long forgotten, during the dawn of time when all things existed only in their most fundamental, “prototypical” states.

There lived a dragon god who spent his existence gathering the original versions of everything that had been lost over the passing cycles of history.

“Why bother with such trinkets?”

“This is nothing but crude debris… Your vault is a glorified junkyard!”

At the time, these items were certainly not viewed as riches. The other ancient dragon gods found his obsession incomprehensible. To them, a deity hoarding refuse in a sacred vault was the height of eccentricity.

“You are all shortsighted. When the eons have passed, the true worth of these objects will be revealed.”

He remained indifferent to their scorn. Without a word, he continued to fill his sanctuary with the primary iterations of every creation. The first blades, the first poles, the first sets of protection—the gear of the world in its rawest form.

Naturally, the first of any creation is bound to be unrefined. They are merely stepping stones until they are refined and transformed into “superior” iterations.

“They lack the luster of gems and do not glow with power. They are far too primitive for beings of our status.”

“Indeed. What is the value in collecting the works of mortals who have only just discovered their own minds?”

“It is beyond reasoning.”

And so, they ridiculed him. What was the point of preserving such worthless remnants?

“…Your own vanity will be the seed of your downfall one day.”

The primordial dragon god countered their mockery with his own. They were beings who created nothing. They were fools who leaned entirely upon their inherent divinity and remained stagnant. Born with overwhelming power and no rivals, they felt no need to evolve.

Mortals, however, were of a different breed. Driven by the necessity of survival and armed with intellect, they began to function as creators in their own right. From the moment they claimed “fire” from the heavens, their progress was relentless.

‘We are frozen in time. Yet humans can build the unimaginable from a single flicker of light. That is why I will preserve these prototypes.’

The ancient dragon god lacked the spark of innovation required to bring something new into being. That was the inherent limitation of his kind. However, he possessed the clarity of vision to prepare for what was to come. He would safeguard the initial blueprints.

As the ages rolled by and creations evolved through endless cycles, the original prototypes themselves would eventually attain a level of supreme “majesty.”

‘…We are powerless to halt the coming end.’

Those who refused to change would eventually be consumed by “destruction.” The primordial dragon god had witnessed countless worlds fall to that very fate. It was a relentless loop of catastrophe that would never cease unless someone intervened.

‘Deep in the future, when these original forms have amassed enough majesty, a being capable of challenging destruction will stand before me.’

Eventually, the primordial age reached its conclusion. The dragon god sealed his sanctuary, leaving only his spirit behind to keep watch.

Thousands of years turned into millions, and eventually, individuals who possessed the necessary “merit” began to find their way into his vault. They were heroes without equal. They were legendary figures who had earned their place in the primordial realm through deeds that transcended the natural world.

‘Only those who possess the power to reshape the course of history may tread upon this ancient soil.’

Such individuals appeared perhaps once in a millennium, or once every ten thousand years. Occasionally, the vault remained silent for even longer, but eventually, they arrived—those who possessed the strength to force the gates open.

Great spirits that caused the heavens to tremble.
The lone conqueror who brought the entire continent under one banner.
The slayer of gods who brought down the Sun Deity.
The leviathan that shattered the very foundation of the world.
The golden child favored by a thousand gods.
The shadow child marked by a thousand curses.
The King of the Void who governed the deepest realms.

‘…None of them see the truth.’

The primordial dragon god could only sigh in disappointment. While their power might have rivaled or even eclipsed his own, not one of them could grasp the significance of the “prototypes.”

Power alone was meaningless. If one lacked the perception to identify a true masterwork, they were effectively sightless. A treasure only reveals its brilliance to those who understand what they are looking at.

‘The most significant prototypes remain untouched within my walls.’

As the eras shifted and time marched on, destruction remained unchallenged. No one had claimed the true treasures of the prototype. Of course, the other items in the vault were far from worthless; every object stored there possessed incredible potential. They were unique, authentic artifacts.

But… was everyone truly so ignorant?

‘Is there really no one who shares my perspective?’

It was disheartening. These intruders were no better than the peers who had mocked him so long ago. He assumed this latest visitor would be no different.

‘…It has been quite some time.’

His spirit, which had been resting in silence, stirred to life. Someone had fulfilled the requirements and breached the threshold.

‘Let us observe. What manner of legacy has this one built?’

He harbored no great expectations, yet a small spark of interest remained. For mortals, their “deeds” translated into “majesty,” which in turn allowed their spirits to expand. This was the source of human innovation—a quality the stagnant gods lacked. Everyone who had ever entered this place had arrived with a history of staggering achievements. Surely, this one was the same. He was simply curious to see the nature of those feats.

‘Well now…’

The spirit of the dragon god hummed in silent approval as he studied the newcomer. The man was physically less imposing than those who had come before him, yet he was burdened with a staggering weight of accomplishments. It wasn’t just the work of a single lifetime.

‘The sheer scale of these deeds matches or exceeds that of any predecessor. Even the most minor hurdles were met with total commitment, pushing past every boundary to see the path to its conclusion.’

There are rare individuals like this. They pour themselves into tasks that others dismiss as trivial, persisting where everyone else would quit. They drive themselves without mercy, breaking through their own limits until their souls become exceptionally noble and untainted.

‘But this is peculiar. It is as if he has experienced several different lives…’

This was a first among those who had entered the sanctuary. Since only mortals were permitted entry, living through multiple destinies should have been a physical impossibility. Yet this human was an anomaly. There was no doubt about it.

The primordial dragon god had the power to see every achievement of those who entered. Within these walls, any attempt to “block observation” was futile. The act of entry itself granted the god the right to see the truth. As he sifted through the man’s history, his surprise turned into genuine shock.

‘He has slain a Demon King, eliminated the herald of destruction, brought a deity back to life, and even played a role in the birth of a new god… Who exactly is this person?’

He had never encountered such a diverse and heavy list of feats concentrated in a single individual. Typically, an intruder might have one such legendary achievement to their name. There had been one other who was somewhat similar but occupied the opposite spectrum… This was unique. Beyond unique.

However, one reality remained.

‘…He will likely lack the insight to choose correctly anyway.’

Regardless of his history, the man probably wouldn’t see the truth. Every previous visitor had proven that. No matter how extraordinary they were, they all ended up being the same in the end. They would inevitably gravitate toward some radiant, impressive-looking relic.

‘I should return to my rest.’

The visitor had been assessed. The god’s task was complete. He would let the human take some high-quality item and depart. There was no reason for the god to intervene personally. He hadn’t expected anything from the start.

There were treasures that shimmered brilliantly near the entrance. There were weapons that radiated the god’s own majesty lining the corridors. They were far too enticing for any normal being to pass up.

‘Wait…?’

But this intruder was behaving strangely. Contrary to all expectations, he paid no mind to the “shining” artifacts. He gave them a fleeting glance and continued walking, never once looking back.

‘Could it be?’

…No. He was probably just performing a general scan of the room. The god’s spirit tucked his hopes away once more. But when the man came to a halt in a specific location, the spirit felt a faint jolt of excitement.

‘Does he actually… perceive it?’

The man had stopped in a very specific place. Right there lay a “prototype” whose value surpassed everything else in existence. It was an object that had been ridiculed by all, ignored for countless ages, and left to gather dust in the vault—known only to the dragon god himself.

It wasn’t a blade. It wasn’t a spear or a long-distance weapon. The vault was overflowing with such things. While those were prototypes as well, they were nothing compared to this true original.

Where the man now stood, he was positioned before a treasure that made everything else look like a toy. It was the absolute “prototype” from which all other things were derived.

‘Is he truly going to pick it?’

Up until this moment, not a single soul had recognized it. Not even the world-altering monsters of the past. How could a mere human see what those stronger and more “superior” beings had missed? Was it just a stroke of luck? Or was he simply taking a break at that spot?

‘Ah…!’

A moment later, the spirit felt a genuine tremor of awe. The man reached out and took hold of the treasure.

The very spark of all invention. The flame that humanity had claimed for themselves. The very first prototype that had served as the vessel for that flame!

……A blackened, scorched piece of wood—the most ordinary-looking object in the entire world.