Chapter 296

Chapter 296
## Chapter 296

### With My Everything

Back when he first launched “Pangenia” and rolled the character Wilhelm, Park Hyunmyeong came dangerously close to hitting the delete button immediately.

“······This difficulty is pathological. Is it even worth playing?”

The circumstances surrounding the freshly spawned Wilhelm were catastrophically poor. He awoke in the suffocating blackness of a cavern, his status screen riddled with debuffs like “Hunger,” “Weakness,” and “Dehydration” from days of starvation. While RNG occasionally dealt a bad hand during character creation, he had never witnessed a start so crippled that the avatar couldn’t even crawl.

And the location?

“The starting zone is… ‘Nabelung Forest’? Isn’t that a Level 9 zone at minimum?”

It was a death sentence. Nabelung Forest was a primordial wilderness untouched by civilization, a high-tier hunting territory swarming with lethal predators. Only a seasoned Level 9 warrior with optimized gear could hope to survive there, and even then, most players avoided it due to the sheer unpredictability of the monster spawns.

Being expected to survive there as a novice was a joke. Stepping outside the cave without a proper blade meant dying within minutes. He had nothing but his own stubbornness and a refusal to lose.

“···Small mercies. At least I’m familiar with the layout of Nabelung Forest.”

The massive woodland was actually a lucrative spot if one could adapt. Standard grinding zones were usually overcrowded and repetitive, but this place offered total isolation—provided one could handle the constant, nerve-wracking tension. It had once been a favorite spot of his, but—

‘Is it time to reroll?’

The reality was that he was Level 1. Deleting the character felt like the only logical move to save time. Even if by some miracle he didn’t starve, he couldn’t hunt, and the journey out of Nabelung Forest could take weeks. No matter how god-tier his mechanical skills were, a Level 1 character simply could not bridge the gap to slay a Level 9 beast.

He weighed the options before finally sighing.

“Well. I’ll find a way.”

He chose to persevere. Dragging his weakened frame across the cave floor, he reached the entrance and began sampling the local flora. Much of it was lethal, but his knowledge of the game’s botany allowed him to find the few edible stalks. He sustained himself on morning dew licked from leaves and scavenged insects, focusing entirely on stabilizing his vitals. On the rare occasion he stumbled upon a predator’s leftovers, he treated the scrap of carrion like a feast.

He spent three days in that state just to regain his strength. It was a feat bordering on the impossible. Had he been locked in a first-person view, he would have failed, but Pangenia’s flexible camera allowed him to switch to a third-person perspective. He mapped out the patrol routes of distant monsters, moving only when the math favored him. The denizens of Nabelung Forest were hyper-aggressive and prone to “Preemptive Attacks,” but they had narrow cones of vision. If one understood their patterns, they could be ghosted.

“This really is the worst start imaginable······.”

Even with his health restored, he was trapped. He considered bringing in one of his alt characters to provide an escort, but he realized Wilhelm was currently in the heart of the territory ruled by the “King of Nabelung Forest.” That raid boss had remained undefeated since the game’s inception. Sending a high-level alt in would just be risking a valuable asset for a character that seemed like a lost cause.

Unless he could navigate out of the core territory, he was on his own. Yet, escaping without engaging a single enemy was a Herculean task.

‘The only thing I can do is practice in this hole.’

His only asset was a flimsy, hand-carved training sword made of wood. He lived in constant fear of a monster sniffing out his hiding spot. Yet, the absurdity of the challenge began to spark something in him.

*Whoosh! Swish!*

He began to train. For days that bled into weeks, he swung that wooden stick. Again, and again, and again.

······It took a grueling month before he finally set foot outside Nabelung Forest. Perhaps that was why he felt such a fierce connection to “Wilhelm.”

He became obsessed with the character’s potential. He wanted to mold him into the ultimate knight—a paragon of honor and unbreakable resolve. A symbol of the spirit that refuses to bend. Maybe he was trying to find that same strength within himself.

Because his foundational training was so rigorous, Wilhelm’s growth exploded. He tore through impossible trials with ease. By the time he was crowned the Knight King and hailed as a savior, a new ambition took hold.

‘The Great Expedition.’

The goal was to slay the Demon King—the ultimate endgame of Pangenia. Victory meant the end of the journey and the granting of a “wish.” He raised a legendary Order of Knights and unified kingdoms for the cause. He even stripped his other characters of their best gear to turn Wilhelm into a literal god of war.

But at the precipice of victory, a “bug” occurred, and Wilhelm perished. The fury Park Hyunmyeong felt was cold and deep. To have a perfect campaign ruined by a glitch was unbearable.

‘Or was it me? Was I the flaw?’

······He had always believed his playstyle was flawless. But seeing Wilhelm’s sword now—feeling the weight of the blade the man wielded of his own volition—he realized the truth. He had been the one lacking. The Wilhelm who was currently ascending the Tower of the War God was a different being entirely from the avatar he once controlled.

He gripped his hilt in the oppressive dark.

*Swish!*

He tried to replicate the motion, but he couldn’t grasp the essence. Despite having Sword Mastery Level 33 and manifesting Sword-light, Wilhelm’s current prowess occupied a higher plane of existence.

This was a level beyond the Wilhelm of the game. This was something the man had forged himself in the lightless abyss, swinging his blade in a swamp of silence where time had no meaning.

*Whoosh!*

The sound was heavy, yet ethereal. In this void, Wilhelm had birthed a style that belonged to him alone.

The Creation of Heaven and Earth. A technique designed to split the firmament and reshape reality—a manifestation of a soul yearning for a world where it could breathe free. Park Hyunmyeong had thought he mastered it, but he had only been mimicking the form. Wilhelm’s version existed on a transcendent frequency.

‘Opening the Heaven.’

*Cheon* (Heaven). The awakening of the Upper Dan-jeon. Most warriors focus on the Lower Dan-jeon at the core to build physical energy. The Upper Dan-jeon, centered in the mind, governs transcendental powers. Using it usually burns away one’s life force, making it a forbidden path for those who haven’t mastered the physical vessel first.

But Wilhelm inverted the logic. His path began with the Heaven—the mind.

‘Opening the Earth.’

*Ji* (Earth). The principle of acceptance. He funneled the celestial energy of the mind back into the Lower Dan-jeon. Through this, he perceived the fundamental laws of existence. He saw, he felt, and he moved.

‘Opening the World.’

*Gae* (Open). He finally synchronized with reality. Wilhelm used his sword as a bridge to communicate with a universe that had ignored him. In the darkness where no one cared if he lived or died, his blade was his only voice.

Yet, he still had not reached *Byeok* (Creation).

‘Opening myself······.’

One can understand the cosmos, but understanding the “Self” is the ultimate wall.

*Swish!*

Park Hyunmyeong swung his sword, chasing Wilhelm’s shadow. He followed the arc, desperate to reach the same heights. He wanted it because Wilhelm had wanted it for him. He began to pray for the man’s success. How long had he been swinging?

[System: ‘Sword Mastery’ level increases.]
[System: Sword Mastery has reached Lv 34.]
[System: You have completed the Hidden Quest ‘Mastery Level Transcendence (9)’ generated by the ‘Lord of the Mountain of Practitioners’!]
[System: This is the abyss of the soul. No one can witness your struggle.]
[System: There is no one to offer praise.]
[System: You have reached the pinnacle, yet only silence remains.]
[System: You may claim the reward ‘Unknown.’]
[System: Do you wish to receive the reward?]

No witnesses. No glory. Even having reached a realm of legends, there was nothing. Yet Wilhelm had never stopped. Park Hyunmyeong felt the same drive. But there was one crucial difference between them now—

‘I am here to witness you.’

He offered his wholehearted support. He marveled at the man who climbed out of the dirt. But Wilhelm’s current state on the 30th floor against Randolph was horrific. It was Nabelung Forest all over again—a hopeless, broken situation.

But in that first month years ago, they had been one. They had shared a single mind and a single sword.

*Vrummmm.*

As he tapped into the memory of that bond, the “Golden Rule” flared into existence. Shimmering lines of light erupted from him, stretching out to bridge the gap to Wilhelm. He understood intuitively what was happening.

‘I will give everything I have to see you win.’

《 All ‘Fragments of the Broken Golden Rule (6,000h)’ are expended to cheer for ‘Wilhelm.’ 》

The threads of light pulsed with blinding intensity. They were linked. But it wasn’t enough. The gap was too wide. He had emptied his reserves, but there was one more card to play.

《 ‘Main Quest 2: Obtain a Class’ is complete. 》
《 ‘Main Quest 3: Climb the Tower’ is complete. 》
《 ‘Main Quest 4: Fill the Gap in Dark Space’ is complete. 》

He triggered all the pending rewards at once. He hadn’t expected the “Dark Space” quest to trigger, but the system apparently recognized this void as such.

《 Level Up! 》
《 All ‘Fragments of the Broken Golden Rule (14,000h)’ earned as rewards are expended to cheer for ‘Wilhelm.’ 》

He didn’t hesitate. He poured every point of karma and every reward into those fragments. He sent his entire soul through the connection.

······The damage was undone. Curses woven by the Primary Gods—afflictions that should have been eternal—were burned away by a blessing of impossible magnitude. It was a surge of power that dwarfed any collective prayer he had ever felt.

*Shimmer—*

The iconic weapons, the heavy plate armor, and the legendary helm of the Knight King materialized. Wilhelm stood in his absolute prime. This was the man who had stood at the gates of the Demon King’s castle, his martial power fully restored.

“······.”

Wilhelm surveyed his restored form in silence. There was no celebration, no sigh of relief.

“···Ridiculous. Was it you who dragged me back from the ‘Gate’ again?”

He slowly turned his head to face his shadow.

The Eternal God Randolph.

But the hollow shell was gone. In its place stood the version of Randolph who had been lost to the Gate of Truth—the butcher who had annihilated the Lords of the Abyss and the ancient gods on the Island of the Gods.

That catastrophe, known as Ruin, stared at Wilhelm with a look of pure, mocking disdain.