Chapter 300

Chapter 300
Chapter 300

—

The Encounter.
Looking back on those days, even I would categorize them as “insanity.”
For a relentless stretch—nearly ten full days—I lived as Wilhelm, barely closing my eyes.
It was only achievable because I was what society mocked as a “Time Billionaire”… a man without a job.
Since employment eluded me and gaming was the only pastime that didn’t drain my wallet, it felt as though a peculiar, stubborn spite had taken root in my soul.

“Fine. I’ll beat this, no matter the cost!”

In the world of Pangenia, there existed a movement mechanic known as “Prone.” It wasn’t some legendary ability; it was a basic command to belly-crawl across the earth. It was designed as a way to traverse terrain while minimizing detection from aggressive monsters that attacked on sight. However, it was a tactic almost universally ignored because of its extreme impracticality. Transitioning from a crawl to a standing position was agonizingly slow; if a beast spotted you, you were essentially a sitting duck. Furthermore, the travel speed was pathetic, and you couldn’t perform any other maneuvers while on the ground. Most players agreed it was far more efficient to just bolt.

Yet, there was a hidden nuance that the general public overlooked.

‘Surviving in a prone state gradually inflates your evasion stat. It also yields massive survival bonuses.’

That was my specific target. With high evasion, one could practically ghost past aggressive predators. Moreover, the chance of an attack resulting in a “miss” would skyrocket. This was the logic behind my endless crawling sessions around the cave; I wanted to maximize my evasion before even thinking about exiting the woods. The more I played a high-stakes game of chicken—brushing past lethal monsters by a hair’s breadth—the faster my evasion climbed, until I finally reached a threshold where I could slip out of the forest alive.

However.

‘…Wilhelm had been conscious of it from the very start.’

I realized that Wilhelm, the character himself, had been aware. When his Sword Mastery hit Level 31 during that initial clash with Lyca, a fragment of Wilhelm’s suppressed memory surged forward, forcing me to witness a specific moment. It was the game’s “Prologue.” A scene where he cursed me as a “dog-like God” and vowed to reduce the entire world to cinders.

But that wasn’t the half of it. Wilhelm. His inner spark had been present since the “very moment” of character creation. Long before he ever took a step outside the Nabelung Forest.

‘To think you were trapped here for that entire duration…’

I scanned my surroundings. It was a void of absolute black. Total blindness. This realm, the marsh of mental imagery, was a terrifyingly desolate and frigid void. Voices carried no sound; movement led to no destination. Even the passage of seconds was distorted. It felt as though time dragged dozens of times slower than the waking world. A single hour for Wilhelm felt like an entire day to me. Perhaps even longer. To that extent, existence here was a living purgatory.

Over five years had passed since the character was born. In this mental swamp, how many years had Wilhelm actually perceived? A century? Two centuries? The deeper he sank, the more sluggish time became. I couldn’t even fathom the duration of his stay; it was simply a vast, unreachable distance. Any normal mind would have shattered into a thousand pieces. No, that’s wrong. Not a single soul besides Wilhelm could have dared to survive this isolation.

‘…Wilhelm never stopped swinging his blade.’

Even during that hellish span of time, Wilhelm practiced his swordsmanship. He had been desperate to break through the barrier and reach me, training without a moment’s rest. But I hadn’t heard his struggle. I hadn’t even suspected his existence. It was logical, after all. To me, Wilhelm was just a digital avatar I was leveling up. I merely assumed he was progressing faster than others because I had optimized his starting stats so effectively. I never dreamed that Wilhelm himself was the one securing special abilities or triggering unique traits.

‘That’s the reason I felt compelled to hunt for the hidden objectives.’

After clearing the Nabelung Forest, a specific “hidden quest” appeared that I became obsessed with completing. In Pangenia, there were seven official “hidden quests.” These were whispered about as the “Seven Wonders” because their requirements were deemed impossible. Up until that point, I hadn’t even considered attempting them. Not out of modesty, but because the goals were objectively absurd.

The quest required the player to slay the King of Pipul Mountain at Level 1, entirely solo. At Level 1, you had to take down the King of Pipul Mountain, a Level 7 raid boss. Furthermore, you had to scale a mountain crawling with orcs, challenge the boss alone, emerge victorious, and descend safely.

‘I felt that if I didn’t seize the chance then, it would be lost forever.’

In Pangenia, progression was primarily tied to “grinding.” While quests gave experience, it was a pittance compared to combat. Naturally, climbing Pipul Mountain meant fighting orcs, and fighting orcs meant gaining levels. The moment my level increased, the hidden quest would be permanently failed.

That was why “Prone” was the key. When he left the Nabelung Forest, Wilhelm was still Level 1. But because I had boosted his evasion so high, I was certain I could remain invisible to the orcs.

‘The only task left was to force a one-on-one with the King of Pipul Mountain.’

Still, the King of Pipul Mountain remained the ultimate hurdle. There was only a sliver of hope if I could trigger a warrior’s duel to isolate him. Since such a duel was only available to a character who hadn’t killed a single orc, it was a “now or never” gamble.

That was why I threw myself into it so recklessly.

‘Without Wilhelm, I would have failed.’

The technique that manifested during the fight with the King of Pipul Mountain—it wasn’t just a byproduct of high stats. It was a skill forged because Wilhelm’s spirit had willed it into being. If the “Sword Parrying” technique hadn’t triggered at that exact second, the duel would have ended in my death.

‘…We were both fools.’

As I sifted through Wilhelm’s memories, a wry smile crossed my face. The emotions Wilhelm felt toward me mirrored my own current feelings. To be confined in a pitch-black abyss, doing nothing but training with a sword. Was it truly possible to maintain that focus for an eternity while being unseen, unacknowledged, and without hope of escape? That staggering amount of time, that sheer labor.

…I felt I finally grasped the weight of it.

“I only exist because you endured.”

Knowing the words wouldn’t truly reach him, I still offered my sincere thanks.

“You did an incredible job, Wilhelm.”

I acknowledged his monumental effort.

“But was it really necessary to call me a ‘dog-like’ God instead of just a ‘bastard God’? I was just trying to keep us alive.”

I also voiced a small grievance. I realized now that the label “dog-like God” wasn’t just an insult born of spite. It was a literal nickname because I had spent so much time making him crawl on the floor like a stray. It was ridiculous, but without that absurdity, I would have lost my mind long ago.

“…This ‘dog-like’ God is in your corner now. Go on, show them what you’re capable of.”

The totality of Wilhelm. The strength he wanted to prove to me! He was undeniably powerful. Far beyond my expectations. He had surpassed the limits of a mere game character. Yet even this was just the beginning. The Wilhelm who had reclaimed his history and realized his true self—

“……”

Watching him, I was struck dumb. I could only stand there, trembling in silence. Wilhelm. He had ascended to a plane of existence that defied comparison. The perfection of the Creation of Heaven and Earth. It was fundamentally different from the swordsmanship I thought I understood. He no longer cried out to me. He didn’t seek my approval. He simply demonstrated his reality.

‘…Is it my turn to struggle now?’

He was showing me that it was now my time to fight. To reach for something that seemed impossible, no matter the effort.

“Hahaha!”

Observing his methods, I couldn’t suppress a burst of genuine laughter. I understood the message Wilhelm was sending and the feelings he wanted me to experience. It was truly…

“A real dog-like bastard, through and through.”

There was no other way to describe him.

—

Randolph shifted his tactics. If even the fate-altering Supreme Sword couldn’t end him, he would have to find another way to crush his spirit.

‘Mystery Destruction.’

He sought to shatter Wilhelm’s Mystery. The essence Wilhelm wore now was clearly transcendent compared to that of common mortals. As Wilhelm’s status climbed, the quality of his equipment had evolved. Therefore, Randolph would simply dismantle them piece by piece.

[System: A ‘Standard-defying’ Mystery is immune to destruction.]

…The attempt failed.

‘Winter.’

Whiiiiiiiiiiish!

The legendary blade of the Supreme. He activated the unique power of “Winter (Final Twilight).” A wave of absolute zero meant to flash-freeze the foe. Yet, this too was useless. For Wilhelm, this chill was nothing compared to the supernatural cold he had endured within his own mind.

Sshhhhhhh!

Randolph’s form was suddenly swallowed by shadow.

‘Horrible Ill-Omen’s Eye.’

He expanded his dark influence. It was a terrifying power designed to graft the “Horrible Ill-Omen’s Eye” onto a victim, granting him total control over their body. Moments later, the “Ill-Omen’s Eye” tore open on Wilhelm’s chest. But Wilhelm didn’t twitch. His physical form and mental fortitude had already grown too vast to be used as a mere puppet. More importantly, he had already spent a lifetime under another’s control.

“……As the Deity of the Demon Blood Race, I command you. Defend me.”

Invoking his divine authority over the Demon Blood Race, he attempted to call upon the Blade Dragon God and his two children. Yet, the air remained empty.

[System: ‘Blade Dragon God’ ignores the summons.]
[System: ‘Isera’ ignores the summons.]
[System: ‘Lucaria’ does not respond.]

…They had never been his to command. From the start, they had sensed that the current Randolph was an impostor, not the master they followed. They had only appeared as hollow shells in the earlier phase. Had they truly answered, they would have manifested in their “true” forms for Phase 2.

Gnash!

“Do you dare defy me? I am the true master. I am the real Randolph!”

Randolph ground his teeth in fury. It wasn’t just his subordinates; even the powers of the “Successor of the Stars” were locked away. Randolph’s gaze turned icy and lethal. If they wanted a demonstration…

“……Very well. I will show you. I will show you why I am the ‘mightiest’.”

I will prove my status. I will show you the power that butchered the Abyss Lords and the ancient gods on the Island of the Gods. Randolph hoisted his blade.

Thwack!

He plunged the steel into his own heart. And then—

BOOM!

Obscure black mist erupted from the wound, and countless “eyes” began to ripple across his flesh.

“You haven’t witnessed this form yet. The true utilization of the ‘Fragments of Ruin’.”

Eternal Randolph. Normally, he could cheat death once by spending “life force.” But there was a darker path. Tapping into the “death energy” harbored within the Fragments of Ruin. It was a terrifying strength exclusive to the current “Randolph.” The very power that fueled the massacre on the Island of the Gods. Randolph curled his lips into a smirk.

“I am your ‘Ruin,’ Wilhelm!”

—

The blade swings.

CRASH!

The fabric of reality is torn. Space is shredded and erased. Randolph’s strikes deleted everything in their path. Whatever he touched was consigned to non-existence. He looked like a living “glitch” in the system of the world.

CLANG!
RUMBLE!

The Tower groans. It felt like the apocalypse had arrived. But as their swords collided, a realization dawned on Wilhelm.

-Will you stand with me to bring down the ‘Heavens’?

The true motive of the bluebird. Seeing Randolph channel the raw power of the “Fragments of Ruin” so purely, Wilhelm finally saw the truth.

‘Ruin is a tool sent from the Heavens.’

It was a celestial weapon designed to wipe the world clean. It existed for no other purpose than planetary extinction. It hadn’t spontaneously corrupted Pangenia; it had been deployed by the “Heavens” to dismantle it. And it wasn’t the first. Countless civilizations had been incinerated in the same way.

The realization settled in. The current Randolph was a direct conduit for the “Heavens.” Had the dog-like God known this all along, orchestrating this confrontation between them?

‘How dare they try to claim this…’

Wilhelm’s purpose became razor-sharp. He understood why the dog-like God had placed his bets on him.

‘This world belongs to me.’

It wasn’t a playground for celestial beings to manipulate.

‘It is our world.’

And so, he would unveil the absolute peak of combat.

“Genesis of Heaven and Earth.”

An infinite reality that the heavens could never conceive. Wilhelm struck.

—

Ooooooooooh—!

The foundations of the world tremble. Everything begins to be pulled into the epicenter of the Tower of the War God. The entire structure is swallowed by a profound “darkness.” A vacuum where a new world begins.

“Where… where am I?”

Randolph stammered. His mind had been shattered by the intricate layers of truth and the ultimate martial principles woven into Wilhelm’s strike. It was a style of swordsmanship that didn’t exist in the Gate of Truth or any known archive. When his vision returned, he found himself here. In the marsh of mental imagery, drowned in shadow.

The cold was biting. Sight was impossible. He was paralyzed. Randolph felt the weight of eternity pressing down on him. He tried to destroy this world with the power of ruin, but the void simply regenerated and consumed him again. A cycle without end.

‘Ah……’

The agony was unbearable. It was a suffocating, eternal torture. It felt as though time itself had died, leaving him buried forever. How many ages passed in that silence?

Thud.

A single blade struck the ground before him.

Schwing.

As a hand gripped the hilt, a figure stepped out of the gloom.

“Time to vanish, you fraud.”

…Park Hyunmyeong stepped into the light.

—

[System: You have defeated ‘Eternal God Randolph’.]
[System: Entering Hidden Phase.]
[System: ‘???’ has manifested.]
[System: Time remaining for ‘Intact Golden Rule’: 8 minutes]

Wilhelm, having just unleashed the absolute pinnacle of his art, felt his features turn to stone as he looked upon the Randolph who had risen once more.

“……Oh, you ‘dog-like God’.”