Chapter 354

Chapter 354
## Chapter 354

—

It was truly peculiar.

The Constellation of Purity had explicitly claimed to be a traveler who had crossed the threshold of the ‘Gate of Truth’ and returned. Now that the veil was lifted, a question surfaced naturally for this entity who possessed ‘secrets’ even he was blind to.

“…Precisely who are you?”

“Haha. Regrettably, my own identity remains a mystery to me as well. However, there is one certainty I hold.”

“And that would be?”

“The necessity of securing Park Hyunmyeong to emerge victorious in the clash between the hundred Pantheons of the People!”

In this existence, there were exactly 100 Pantheons of the People. Within them resided a total of ten thousand constellations, entities that bestowed trials and prizes upon the masses of mortals. By observing the narratives of these mortals and harvesting starlight alongside the Golden Rule, these constellations expanded their divinity.

And at this moment, Park Hyunmyeong had performed a miracle that the system itself could not quantify. It was a foregone conclusion that every Pantheon of the People would swarm to witness his legend. They were undoubtedly desperate, praying he would reach for the specific tributes they laid out.

“What sort of bounty should our 13th Pantheon of the People present? How do we ensure Park Hyunmyeong selects our offering from the mountain of alternatives?”

“…You are telling me there are ninety-nine other Pantheons of the People identical to this one?”

“Indeed, for the Pantheon of the People dedicated to humanity is not the sole collective. But the situation has shifted. The constellations of the Pantheons of the People originally tasked with overseeing other races have all turned their gaze toward Park Hyunmyeong.”

He stood apart from Randolph. He was the sole individual to achieve a feat the system surrendered its ability to rank. Previously, it had always managed to squeeze out a numerical value. Though they were currently unaware that Park Hyunmyeong and Randolph were one and the same, whichever Pantheon of the People provided the chosen reward would likely uncover that truth.

The rivalry would reach a fever pitch, and there was a looming risk that Park Hyunmyeong might slip from their grasp entirely. The Constellation of Purity gave a nonchalant shrug.

“Now then, what masterpiece shall we offer him?”

—

Having processed the hidden lore and reached a verdict, I exited the dungeon immediately. At that precise second, messages began to flood my vision.

《Party Dungeon Cleared!》

《You have obtained 267 ‘Souls of Forgotten Knights’.》

《Dignity surpassing 1,000 points will be exchanged for 1 ‘Intact Golden Rule’ per 100-point interval.》

《Furthermore, the Commander may elect to revive one of the discarded noble knightly orders from this tomb.》

《Their spirits and resolve shall manifest as ‘Divine Knights’.》

《’Divine Knights’ stand as the antithesis to ‘Knights of Ruin’ and grant augmented strength within the ‘Land of Divinity’.》

《The ‘Land of Divinity’ is automatically established at the location where a ‘Forgotten God’ is restored.》

《Alternatively, you may utilize 1 Sanctification to hallow a territory governed by a deity.》

…

…

《O, pioneer who has conquered the inaugural dungeon.》

《O, sovereign entity who has surpassed a localized ordeal!》

《Total Points: 1,000+? points》

《Precise evaluation is unattainable.》

《You have earned the title ‘One Who Has Broken Through a Primeval Grade Dungeon’.》

《You receive 3 Sanctification.》

《You have earned the title ‘One Who Has Reclaimed the Name of a Forgotten God’.》

《You receive 1 Sanctification.》

《You receive 3 ‘Intact Golden Rule’ and ‘Fragment of Broken Golden Rule (3,000h)’.》

《You have received 5,000 Interest Points.》

《You are in possession of a Luck Die.》

《The quality of the prize selection will be elevated by 101 ranks.》

《The constellations of all Pantheons of the People have pooled their celestial radiance to finalize the reward tiers.》

《Pick one from the 100 reward options listed below.》

《The Ninth Night》, 《The Source of Magic》, 《Feather of the Outer God》, 《The Two Moons》, 《Stone of Tananush》, 《The Completed Star Map》, 《Jewel of Jurn》, 《Ouroboros》, 《The Primeval Arrow》, 《Purity》, 《Courage》…

The notifications rolled on without end.

“…”

Staring at the list, I found myself speechless. Primarily because the concluding reward inventory was staggering. A catalog of 100 prizes was cascading down as if the heavens had burst. I had never encountered a selection of this magnitude.

Yet, what truly shocked me were the ‘titles’ themselves. As impressive as the quantity was, the names of the artifacts offered were even more profound.

“…This is madness.”

I was completely stunned.

—

The World Tree Community.

Throughout my journey, I had conquered many challenges and claimed various prizes. But this was the first instance where my vision felt, quite literally, ‘blurry’ from the sheer scale. Many names were foreign to me, yet.

‘The Source of Magic, Ouroboros, Purity, Courage…’

Even the titles I recognized or could guess at represented an entirely different league. One thing was certain.

‘These are artifacts that have never surfaced in Pangenia before.’

The core issue was that even if similar names had been whispered, these specific items had never manifested physically. Consequently, I couldn’t immediately determine their power level. But seeing as these were the spoils of a ‘Primeval Grade’ dungeon, I could tell with a glance they were incomparably prestigious, far beyond a standard ‘Unique Grade’.

‘At the very least, Formless Grade!’

The ranking hierarchy within Pangenia was complex. Unlike the digital version of the game, the grades in this reality had evolved. For instance, Formless Grade, Out-of-Spec, and Primeval Grade were absent in the original game code. Thus, the actual hierarchy I had mapped out was ‘Normal, Legendary, Mythical, Unique, Supreme Unique, Formless, Primeval, Out-of-Spec’.

‘However, there isn’t a massive performance gap between Formless, Primeval, and Out-of-Spec. Their utility determines their superiority.’

From Formless Grade upward, items possessed attributes that defied logic. Moving to a higher tier didn’t necessarily mean a direct upgrade in raw stats. Instead, they became more ‘refined’.

The Primeval Armor, the Gauntlets of Sin and Ash, the Out-of-Spec Mystery that Destroys Mysteries, Randolph of Eternity, and the War God—even the Formless Grade band I wore, ‘Dignity of the Brilliant Pureblood’—were all relics that performed impossibly well in their specific niches.

Therefore, every one of the 100 items on this list.

‘Are artifacts with traits that have never been seen.’

They had to be treasures of immeasurable worth! I had gained much during the dungeon crawl, yet I was currently paralyzed, unable to gather my wits as the rewards poured over me like a tsunami. Furthermore, this was fundamentally different from previous reward menus.

‘The constellations of all Pantheons of the People have gathered their starlight…’

Wasn’t that phrasing odd? It didn’t say all constellations of *the* Pantheon, but all constellations of *all* Pantheons. It implied a massive coalition of multiple divine groups. That wasn’t the only anomaly.

‘There’s no feedback from the constellations either, which usually happens when I clear a mission. There were times they even refused to pay out when I hit a transcendent score.’

Deities utilize starlight to forge rewards. If they exhaust it entirely, they fade into nothingness. They often reacted to the trial’s outcome and tried to strike a bargain with me. But now, there was silence—no counter-offers, no dialogue. This, despite the fact that creating such a bounty would require a cosmic amount of starlight.

That suggested a specific reality.

‘I suspected there were multiple Pantheons of the People.’

Because there were instances where unfamiliar constellations had swarmed me, begging for an apostle bond. I had guessed there were either multiple groups or simply far more gods than I had initially calculated. They had tried to negotiate even for Unique Grade items, and here was a list of 100 rewards that transcended that.

‘Everyone is desperate to give me a gift…’

I brushed my chin thoughtfully. Perhaps the act of choosing was more significant than I realized. If they had all agreed to stay quiet and simply present their ‘offerings’, waiting for my decision in a tense truce… No, maybe it was a trial. A test of my intuition. Who was to say they hadn’t hidden a piece of junk behind a majestic name?

…But regardless of how I analyzed it, these names were too distinct and legendary for that to be likely.

‘Ouroboros. A star name that has never appeared.’

Ouroboros in particular caught my eye. I held a mark tied to it. The Stigma of Ouroboros, which granted strange health boosts and the ‘Indomitable’ trait to push past the limits of agony! But the actual source of that name was a ‘star’. It was one of the 32 fragments of the shattered Lea, a star that had remained hidden until now. An elite-tier entity presumed to outrank even Isabella’s ‘Jormungandr’. Taking the name literally, did they intend to hand over the actual star of Ouroboros to me?

‘Purity, Courage… virtues that stand as the total opposites of sin.’

And that wasn’t the end of it. The other rewards were equally formidable. Not a single one could be dismissed lightly. My indecision grew.

‘This is a problem.’

I simply couldn’t make a choice. One pick. One prize. No matter how legendary it was, if it didn’t fit my needs, it was effectively garbage. Then, a spark of inspiration hit me.

‘The Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero. He would know exactly what I require.’

If there was one god I had bonded with most, it was him. The Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero. He was the one who followed my path, sponsored Randolph, and never held back his help. Just as he had steered me toward ‘Winter (The Final Twilight)’ previously, there was a high chance he was involved here too.

‘If only I could talk to him.’

Right then.

【Notice. The ‘World Tree Community’ has been inaugurated.】

【Within the ‘World Tree Community’, you may interact directly with constellations under a veil of anonymity.】

【By posing a query using a ‘Fragment of Broken Golden Rule’, the constellations will provide responses.】

【The higher the quantity of Golden Rule fragments offered, the greater the divine engagement.】

【Should you find a suitable reply, please confirm it. Failure to select an answer may result in decreased divine interest.】

【Note, however: Not every answer from the constellations is factual.】

【Additionally, in the ‘World Tree Community’, you may acquire ‘walkthroughs’—wisdom amassed over aeons.】

【Conversely, you may sell your own ‘walkthrough’ for a fair price.】

【Walkthroughs are restricted to the buyer alone per a mystical oath.】

【Violation of the oath will result in a ban from the ‘World Tree Community’ and severe penalties.】

A sudden, unexpected notification.

‘What on earth is this…’

…Now that I thought about it, I recalled seeing a mention of this earlier. It had been lost in the flood of messages, but to think it served this specific function. I decided to test it immediately.

【You have entered the ‘World Tree Community’.】

【This is your first entry into the ‘World Tree Community’.】

【You have earned the title ‘First Entrant’.】

【1 Sanctification is granted.】

【Please establish a pseudonym for use within the ‘World Tree Community’.】

A pseudonym? It was asking me to use a fake name to join the conversation. I rubbed my jaw. A hub where I could talk to the gods. If every Awakener had access…

【Would you like to register as ‘King Wang Jjang’?】

“Ah…”

Definitely not that one. I paused to reflect. I had built countless characters in the past, but the hardest task was always naming them. After a moment, I tried another.

【Would you like to register as ‘Phantom’?】

I gave a slight nod. This was, after all, a name that mirrored my true nature.

【Welcome, ‘Phantom’.】

【Initializing list.】

【1. Query the Constellations】

【2. View Top Answerers】

【3. Browse Walkthroughs (0)】

【4. Submit a Walkthrough】

The interface was remarkably minimalist. Only four options were visible. I went straight to the ‘Query the Constellations’ section.

【You may submit a question to the constellations with a bounty ranging from 0 to an infinite amount of Golden Rule fragments.】

【Question privacy is strictly maintained.】

How many hours’ worth of fragments should I bid? I shrugged and set the amount for the post.

【’Phantom’ is drafting a query using 0 hours’ worth of Golden Rule fragments.】

…If my hunch was right, there was no need to pay anything. They were desperate for me to pick their reward anyway.

【Question Title: There are too many prizes. Which reward is the best choice?】

【Question Content: 《The Ninth Night》, 《The Source of Magic》, 《Feather of the Outer God》, 《The Two Moons》, 《Stone of Tananush》, 《The Completed Star Map》, 《Jewel of Jurn》, 《Ouroboros》, 《The Primeval Arrow》, 《Purity》, 《Courage》… Please specify which I should take and explain your reasoning.】

I meticulously typed out all 100 names from the list. Now, how would the heavens react? For a brief moment, there was nothing but silence.

‘Was 0 hours too insulting?’

Perhaps I should have tossed in 1 hour just for the sake of manners. In that split second.

【Ding! A reply has been posted by the ‘Constellation of the Immortal Ninth Night’!】

The Ninth Night. A deity sharing the name of one of the rewards had chimed in. I opened the message instantly.

【Constellation of the Immortal Ninth Night (Beginner): Claim The Ninth Night, without hesitation. If you possess it and survive the ninth darkness, you shall inherit the power of immortality!】

It wasn’t exactly warm, but it was a solid lead. However, I felt a sense of skepticism.

‘He’s trying to recruit me as an apostle.’

It was transparent that his goal was to bind me to him. The promise of immortality was incredibly enticing, but hadn’t I learned from the ‘Forgotten Gods’? That being eternal wasn’t the ultimate solution.

‘Is ‘Beginner’ the tier of the answering deity?’

Would they climb the ranks as their advice was accepted? Ranking the gods themselves—it was a fascinating concept. And from that point, the floodgates opened.

【Ding! A reply has been posted by the ‘Constellation of the Cruelest Night’!】

【Ding! A reply has been posted by the ‘Constellation of Deeply Reflective Prayer’!】

【Ding! A reply has been posted by the ‘Constellation of the Source’!】

The answers began to arrive in a relentless stream. They came so fast I could barely skim them. The titles of these constellations were equally impressive—beings that felt far too powerful to simply ignore. How much time drifted by as I read?

【Ding! A reply has been posted by the ‘Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero’!】

…At last, the one I was waiting for had spoken. Furthermore, it felt like our first genuine back-and-forth.

【Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero (Beginner): It is a pleasure to see you, Phantom.】

I found myself grinning. It appeared he was just as pleased to connect as I was.