Chapter 241

Chapter 241
## Chapter 241

—

The Rule Breaker

I grasped it now.
The true objective concealed behind this trial.

‘Retrieving what was stolen. That is the essence of this contest.’

What is the sensation of having your most valued treasure snatched away?
One would experience a nameless fury and a hollow sense of bereavement.
And if one were subsequently locked in a cell where they were powerless to act on those feelings?

‘They would descend into insanity.’

Agitation would take hold, and their sanity would fray.
The hunger to get it back would only grow more frantic.
Launching an expedition by collecting starlight was merely a surface-level excuse.
This entire game was centered on the act of taking someone’s heart’s desire and the struggle to win it back.
In that cycle, if one encountered the hidden ‘reality’… the ‘most prized possession’ would eventually be demoted to the ‘most worthless burden.’

Was that not the truth?
Could the Heavenly Demon still cling to the Heavenly Demon Map after uncovering the Evil God’s true plans?
Would the Master of the Tomb, upon accepting that its master was truly deceased, wish to persist in its own existence?
Raiga… would he still pursue the leadership of the Eight-House, the very entity that had orchestrated the death of everyone tied to his bloodline?
The same logic likely applied to every participant, myself included.
The second they were confronted with the truth, they would be met with frustration, hopelessness, and the bitter regret of years spent in ignorance.

‘Still, I have to know.’

Even if it meant leaping into a pit of filth, if it provided a chance to rectify what was broken, I would take it.
If I only realized the truth after even more time had slipped away, there would be no way to mend it then.
What did it matter if the recollections were blurred, shredded, or damaged?
Any truth was superior to the remorse of being unable to do anything at all.

“My physical form… is still whole.”

I was in a void of total darkness.
I ran my hands over my limbs, my neck, and my face to ensure no part of me was missing.
My corporeal self was intact.
The rhythm of my heart was steady.

‘Winter and the Primordial Armor are here as well.’

Since the body was fine, I checked my gear next.
The things I valued most.
The most exceptional pieces of my arsenal were undoubtedly ‘Winter (Final Twilight)’ and the ‘Primordial Armor.’
While the Throne of Light was also in my possession, it was an objective fact that its tier was slightly below those two unless it underwent further refinement.

‘Everything remains in its place.’

Nothing had vanished.
And yet, I had distinctly viewed the notification claiming that my ‘most precious thing’ had been looted.
Because I had been plundering others until this point, I naturally assumed I would have suffered a loss in return.

‘What has been taken?’

……It was baffling.
Nothing was gone.
There were no gaps in my physique, my weaponry, my tools, or even my own history.

‘The bonds are still active.’

To be certain, I tested the ‘link’ with Hell, Baal, and Hana, the Blade Dragon Queen.
I felt a faint, lingering pulse.
The moment I confirmed they were still tethered to me, a thought occurred.

‘Is there something even more valuable? Something I am unaware of myself?’

What could it be?
Something that held far more weight than these, more than Winter or the Primordial Armor, and even more than my own life.

I reviewed every person I shared a bond with.

Wilhelm.
I hadn’t lost his memories, his quirks, or even his star.

Isabella, the one suspected of being a Specter of the Night who journeyed with me to the Abyss.
Serengeti, the Pure White Knight, my most trusted confidant who never wavered.
Hudson, the tireless worker who gave everything to my cause.
My avatars, Isaac and Valte, who were advancing at a rapid pace.
Hana, the Blade Dragon Queen and Dragon God of Earth.
My ultimate assets and dear children, Isera and Lucaria, who addressed me as father.
I had no doubt they had already settled the matters of the Balan Kingdom by this time.

Was there anyone else?
I pushed my consciousness to remember the rest.

Priest Andrew, who likely reached the Elven Forest—the world’s edge—by now.
Marquis Wyzer, Serengeti’s father, and Andasar, Priest Andrew’s son who had turned into an Archlich.
The White King, ruler of northern Kramdel, and his daughter Aria.
The Pillar-Pillar, Great Earth Dragon, Qung-gi, Medusa, and the Serpent King, who were prisoners of the Black King.
Even the Saintess, Se-ah.
I certainly hadn’t forgotten the elf Auril, who had only recently joined us.

‘Every connection is solid. I have forgotten nothing, and I have lost nothing.’

Did that mean something so mundane I didn’t even notice I had it—yet was precious—had been taken?
Would the answer reveal itself once I exited this cage?

【You have been moved to the ‘Star Prison’ for the first time.】

【The fundamental ‘rules’ will now be explained.】

A flurry of regulations appeared since this was my first arrival.
They were all concepts I had already mastered or deduced.

‘So this is why the others, including the Heavenly Demon, acted differently after being sent here.’

The system only bothered to inform you properly after you had tasted defeat and entered the cell.
It implied they knew these contestants would only take the game seriously after failing.
However, there were a few directives I hadn’t encountered yet.

【If you achieve victory in a ‘Star Expedition’ against a rival who stole your treasure, you may choose to take that rival’s ‘most precious thing’ or recover your own stolen property.】

To pillage or to reclaim.
The choice was left to the victor.
In either case, the message was clear: give everything to the game if you want your treasure back.

【The first individual to win a ‘Star Expedition’ against all participants will become the master of the ‘Island of God’ and the ‘Holy Star.’】

But a question surfaced.
Did ‘all participants’ mean only the Masters of the Abyss and ancient beings?
Or did it include the ‘Specters of the Night’?
If it was the latter, things were about to get grim.
A Specter of the Night would be erased from existence if they lost a Star Expedition.

‘The Divine Skin Hybrid…’

I rubbed my chin in thought, considering the mastermind of this trial.
The ruler of the island and the deity of the hybrids.
Through the others, I had become sure the island’s owner was the ‘Divine Skin Hybrid,’ but the mystery remained as to ‘why’ he had designed such a game.

The inhabitants of Pangaea and the players were used to this format.
Dungeons and towers were always filled with specific rules and gaming mechanics.
But that wasn’t the case here.

‘The Abyss dwellers are not accustomed to these types of games.’

Even if some were, it was only myself and Raiga.
And since Raiga had spent his time wandering the Abyss, I had to assume I was the only one truly familiar with this structure.

……Was this made specifically for me?

‘That’s ridiculous.’

I dismissed the thought.

The Divine Skin Hybrid.
It wasn’t as if we had no history.
I had encountered him twice.

The first was during ‘Main Quest 4: Fill the Gaps in the Dark Space,’ at Marquis Wyzer’s lands, where he tried to manifest.
Luckily, I finished the quest before he could step through.
The second was after I took down Baal.
Specifically, when the people of Jeju and the players trapped in the Abyss were making their escape.
It was when I emerged from the ‘Black Egg.’
Countless ‘eyes’ of the Abyss had been watching me then, and the ‘Divine Skin Hybrid’ was definitely one of them.

‘……No.’

Hold on.

‘How can I be so certain it was the Divine Skin Hybrid just by seeing eyes?’

I hit a logical wall.
I had never actually looked upon the Divine Skin Hybrid.
I had never seen his full form.
He wasn’t summoned in Main Quest 4, and the eyes that appeared in the Abyss back then numbered in the thousands.
How did I distinguish him from all the others?
More importantly, why had I been so sure of it without a shred of doubt?
I recognized a monster I had never seen as if it were instinctual.
As if it were destiny.
As if the knowledge was just… natural……

“Who are you?”

I looked out into the void.
A place of nothing but oppressive blackness.
This was the Star Prison.
Stars were memories.
If this was a cage for memories, I would surely find an anomaly here.

I reached out into the dark.
My fingers brushed against a coarse, textured screen.

‘These are iron bars.’

A cage meant to hold captives.
What restricted them wasn’t the area itself, but these very bars.
Normally, trying to grab and break them would be futile, but…

‘I don’t play by your rules.’

I was one who bypassed the system.
I was Eternal Lord Randolph, the Rule Breaker.

Riiiiiiip—

I exerted my strength and tore through the screen.
And there, behind the veil, I found the ‘eye’ that had been observing me.

-It is remarkable. No one else held in this place has ever managed to find me.

The Divine Skin Hybrid.
……It wasn’t him.

This was the warden of the jail.
A beast that stood guard over the prisoners.
An entity meant to stop any escape or deviant behavior.
At the same time, it was the essence of the Star Prison itself.
I realized I knew his identity.

“……Eternal Monk.”

The Eternal Monk!
The central figure of the quest that triggered when my Hidden Traits combined and evolved into Eternal Lord Randolph.

【The quest ‘Origin – Race Reconstruction’ has been received.】

【The ‘Eternal Monk’ is held within the ‘Island of God.’】

【If you claim ownership of the ‘Island of God,’ the ‘Eternal Monk’ will be released.】

The Eternal Monk, who was supposedly locked in the Island of God.
He was the one imprisoned within the Star Prison.

A moment later, the massive eye shifted.

-That is correct. I am the Eternal Monk. However, after being bested by ‘Destruction’ and losing my physical form, I have been kept in this cell, Eternal Lord.

Gooooo.

The Master of the Tomb tilted its head in confusion.
The second the starlight contest ended, the Terrible Omen had vanished.
Baal had also retreated from sight.
Even the Fragment Hunter had been beaten by the Terrible Omen and sent to the jail.

But something remained behind.

Gooooooooo—.

Looking at the object in its grip, the Master of the Tomb felt conflicted.
This was the most prized possession of the Terrible Omen.
Much like its own treasures, it was something he could never abandon.
Yet, it couldn’t figure out what it actually was.

It was something that pulsed and glittered.
A tiny, circular object that radiated golden light, then emerald, then shifted to a pure, stark white.

Gooooo?

It didn’t just shine, though.
It also faded into a deep black.
Moreover, it seemed so delicate that it might shatter if held too tightly.

Gooo. Gooooo.

Indeed. After staring at it for a long time, the Master of the Tomb felt it understood a bit more.
It was due to a fragment of memory that had leaked out.
A hidden truth that one might be happier not knowing.
However, no matter how much it pondered, this object didn’t seem to fit the Terrible Omen at all.

Should it simply destroy it?

Gooooooooo.

The Master of the Tomb sank into a deep internal debate.
The Terrible Omen had given up his coin without asking for anything in return.
It had never met such a person in all the Abyss.
He even claimed to know where its master was.

He was a savior.
Even if his title was the Terrible Omen, he was a being of brilliant light.
In contrast, ‘this,’ his most precious treasure, was far too erratic.
Furthermore, he was likely completely unaware that ‘this’ even existed.
That was the conclusion after sifting through the memory.
For the sake of the Terrible Omen, it might be kinder to just crush it and be done with it.

Gooo. Gooo. Goooo.

The indecision lasted until the following day.
In the midst of debating whether to break it or keep it.

“……Give it back to me now.”

The Terrible Omen reappeared.
Had its hesitation lasted too long?

Gooooo.

The Master of the Tomb hesitated for a second.

“Are you refusing to return it? Or do you also believe it’s better if I don’t have it?”

Gooo?

The Master of the Tomb was confused.
What did he mean by ‘also’?
Who else had come to the same conclusion?

“Give it back. That is undoubtedly ‘my most precious thing.’”

It couldn’t understand why he wanted to claim something so unstable, but if he was that insistent, it had to comply.
Finally, the Master of the Tomb handed the object over to the Terrible Omen.

Upon receiving it, the Terrible Omen spoke its name.

“……Park Hyunmyeong.”

He uttered the name of Randolph’s most vital treasure.
The one who had been moving in his place for so long.

“My most precious existence.”

……A name that held more weight than even the Goddess or Wilhelm, or any lover he had ever known.