Chapter 355

Chapter 355
## Chapter 355

—

【Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero (Beginner): I also offer my gratitude. Your narrative never fails to send a shiver down my spine. There is a great deal more I would love to convey, but I must apologize beforehand; the capacity granted to me here is quite limited, so I cannot respond at length.】

It appeared he was restricted in how much he could write.

Looking back at the replies from the other higher beings, it was true that none of them spanned more than five lines of text.

I couldn’t help but wonder if the permissible length of these messages scaled with one’s divine status.

I moved my gaze to the final portion of the correspondence he had provided.

Naturally, there was only a single sentence remaining at the bottom.

【Constellation of the Most Brilliant Hero (Beginner): Select the Feather of the Outer God.】

…The Feather of the Outer God.

Out of all the options, that was the one I had paid the least attention to.

He was advising me to pick the very item I had dismissed from the massive list of possibilities.

In my mind, I had assumed the correct choice would be something like Ouroboros or the Source of Magic.

Regardless, there was no reason to doubt or stall any further.

《You have made your selection: ‘Feather of the Outer God’ from the list of 100.》

《Every ounce of accumulated starlight will now coalesce into the ‘Feather of the Outer God’!》

That solitary recommendation from him was all the justification I needed to lock in the choice.

—

Feather of the Outer God.

An unanticipated phenomenon took place.

Actually, it would be more accurate to call it a total paradigm shift—a transformation so profound it felt like a world-altering cataclysm.

“What is this World Tree Community?”

“Wait, are the constellations actually responding to users?”

“Can you really earn Fragments of the Golden Rule just by sharing game walkthroughs?”

Pangenia was a world defined by its hoard of rare, guarded secrets.

It was an age where even the most fundamental progression guides were locked away as top-priority alliance intelligence.

The primary reason powerful alliances maintained their dominance and growth was through the strategic monopolization of data.

They didn’t distribute knowledge; they enforced a strict culture of silence.

However, the emergence of the ‘World Tree Community’ shattered the foundation of those alliances’ power.

“The ‘Droplet of Aiel’ is hidden in the Takan Desert? I’ve been looking everywhere but there!”

“I can’t believe ‘Dry Fire’ wasn’t an actual fire, but the name of a mountain trail…”

“The constellations really do reply. This is unbelievable.”

Simple information was no longer something one had to bleed for.

Now, anyone could get a direct response from a divine being just by posting an inquiry on the board.

Of course, the price in Fragments of the Golden Rule scaled upward based on how vital the question was.

Naturally, the constellations weren’t infallible, and their levels of expertise varied wildly from one entity to the next.

But the mere fact that players were no longer under the thumb of arrogant alliances made the ‘World Tree Community’ a literal treasure trove for solo-oriented Awakeners.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

-Darkhoden: The optimal Talent Tree for the ‘Great Merchant’ Class (5h)

-Evaseba: Secret Method to unlock the ‘Oblivion’ Trait! (100h)

-Hou: The quickest path to completing Main Quest 10 (20h)

Users could now monetize their expertise while staying completely anonymous.

Intel that had been guarded by massive unions and guilds for years was suddenly flooding the public forums in a matter of seconds.

Among the posts, much of the data was already common knowledge, and some users were clearly trying to scam others with astronomical prices for basic tips.

“There’s nothing truly groundbreaking here.”

“This is just stuff ‘Phantom’ already documented years ago.”

To the eyes of a seasoned veteran, there was very little information that provided a competitive edge.

Back when Phantom was a legendary gamer.

In the era of the official Pangenia web portal, he had already posted the bulk of these guides multiple times over.

But if you looked past the standard ‘walkthroughs’, there were some genuinely intriguing discussions happening.

The board wasn’t strictly for gameplay guides; it became a hub for all sorts of leaks.

-Abdo: Absolute Bombshell! Corruption Scandal within the Council of Seven Heroes (500h) [0 Purchases]

-Abdo: Regarding the clandestine Cult of the Death God (100h) [0 Purchases]

-Abdo: Unbelievable! The True Face of Phantom (1,000h) [0 Purchases]

There were those who specialized in high-stakes gossip to bait the curious.

The most prolific among them was a user going by the handle ‘Abdo’.

Predictably, most of these posts were viewed with heavy skepticism regarding both their price tags and their accuracy.

The boards were essentially a wild west of speculation.

Reliable, high-quality contributors were few and far between.

“It’s just a bunch of con artists.”

“Nobody here knows what they’re talking about.”

Since the ‘World Tree Community’ was in its infancy, finding a trustworthy source was like searching for a needle in a sandstorm.

The anonymity of the platform made it impossible to verify anyone’s identity.

It was in that climate of doubt that something changed.

“Wait, what?”

“Look at that username…”

“Is that… Phantom?”

A new post had suddenly appeared.

The headline was understated and plain.

The issue, however, was that the poster’s registered name was ‘Phantom’.

“Oh, come on, it’s obviously an impostor.”

“Someone just snatched the name the second the site went live.”

The ‘World Tree Community’ used unique, anonymous handles.

There were no duplicates allowed.

Whoever registered a name first held it exclusively.

Naturally, thousands of Awakeners had tried to claim the name ‘Phantom’.

The forums were already cluttered with knockoffs like Phantom1, Phantom2, and so on.

“It’s a total grift.”

“The price is actually cheap, though. Should we just see what’s inside?”

“I’ll admit… I’m curious.”

The desire to see who had the nerve to claim the original legend’s name was too strong to ignore.

Users looked at the title of Phantom’s post one more time.

-Phantom: Guide to Entering Kramdel (1h) [0 Purchases]

“Kramdel. Isn’t that the fortress-city of the northern beasts?”

“Isn’t that the place where they execute any human on sight?”

“There’s actually a way to get in there?”

To date, there had never been a verified guide on how to infiltrate Kramdel.

It was a terra incognita to humanity, a region shrouded in mystery and danger.

It was a tempting offer.

For the cost of just one hour’s worth of fragments, one could potentially unlock the secrets of an unreachable land and unmask the person claiming to be Phantom.

The click was inevitable.

【The northern stronghold of Kramdel, a frozen waste where the storms never cease. It stands as the premier city of monsters and remains largely untouched by human feet. Ruled by the White King and his elite guard, the name Kramdel translates to ‘Territory of the White Tiger.’ It is a land rich in untapped veins of iron and copper. However, the primary objective for any visitor is the ‘Tower of Mysteries’…】

It was a massive wall of text.

As they read on, the reactions changed.

“Why is this intro so damn long?”

“Wait a minute. This writing style… I recognize this!”

“It’s that obsessive guy who cares about Pangenia lore more than his own life!”

“I… I think this really is the real Phantom.”

Shock spread through the community.

The veterans who had memorized every word Phantom had ever written on the old official site were the most stunned.

…It was a perfect match.

The formatting of the guide.

The specific cadence of the prose, the unnecessarily exhaustive introduction, and the deep dives into etymology that no one had asked for!

The signature arrogance of Phantom, displaying his encyclopedic knowledge as if it were a casual flex, was so authentic it was impossible to deny.

As people began to devour the actual mechanics of the guide, they hit the jackpot.

【After you have kitted yourself out in the Heavenly Dragon Human gear, you must track down the ‘Warp’ portal, which shifts its coordinates in real-time. Possessing the ‘Mutant’ Hidden Trait simplifies this significantly, but even without it, you can access Kramdel via a static warp that manifests once every 30 days. For the record, this fixed portal is located at the rear of the ‘Crow Graveyard’ within the city of the dead, ‘Necrovalley.’ If you encounter the graves of two children along the path, pause to offer a silent prayer for them. If you do, the carrion crows will act as your guides.】

“Wait, is this actually legit?”

“The level of detail is insane.”

The sheer volume and precision were undeniable.

Only the true Phantom was capable of producing content of this caliber.

Driven by the guide, people began to mobilize.

They sought out the Crow Graveyard in the depths of Necrovalley.

After a grueling trek through the ‘Crow Graveyard Dungeon,’ they found it.

“He wasn’t lying. There’s a cemetery here.”

“I found the headstones!”

“Jinha? Jinwoo?”

The graves were exactly where he said they would be.

The resting places of two children named Jinha and Jinwoo.

The identity of the occupants was confirmed by the items left behind.

A small, blue t-shirt featuring an elephant embroidery and a pair of spectacles.

“Rest in peace, little ones.”

“I’m here to pay my respects.”

“Please, let this journey be successful.”

Everyone who reached the site clasped their hands in prayer.

Meanwhile, a search began back on Earth to identify the owner of the t-shirt.

If the children were players summoned from Earth, their parents were likely still out there, grieving and searching.

A week later, the search bore fruit.

“Oh god… these are Jinwoo’s glasses and his favorite shirt. Jinha, Jinwoo…!”

The parents were located in Korea.

They were in a state of emotional ruin after years of not knowing the fate of their children.

Thanks to the Awakeners who retrieved the items, the children—or at least their memory—could finally return home.

With that, all skepticism evaporated.

“It’s Phantom!”

“There’s no doubt! He’s back!”

“The God of Walkthroughs has returned to us!”

The community was in a state of religious fervor.

And why wouldn’t they be?

It wasn’t just that he was the icon of the Phantom Cult.

His previous guides were effectively the scriptures for every serious Awakener.

Every piece of advice he gave was gold.

But his output had stopped abruptly years ago.

When everyone was pulled into the game, the old web forums became inaccessible.

Consequently, those who had read his very last posts before the transition had been able to monopolize that late-game information to become the strongest players.

A hierarchy built on information hoarding had formed.

But the status quo was dead.

Everyone now knew the real Phantom was active.

And if Phantom was writing guides again…

The monopoly on power held by the elite guilds was about to crumble.

Ten days after that initial post went live.

【Ranked #1】

-Phantom: Guide to Entering Kramdel (1h) [Purchases: 38,784]

Phantom’s writings had reclaimed their status as the ultimate authority.

—

Ten days had passed since the completion of the World Tree Dungeon.

During this interval, I had been focused on preparation.

My goal was to ‘sanctify’ the region surrounding the World Tree of Honor.

《The ‘Sanctuary of Honor’ is officially declared the domain of ‘Hypnos’, the God of Dreams.》

《The soil becomes sanctified.》

《Expending Fragment of the Golden Rule (2,000h) to begin construction of the ‘Temple of Dreams’.》

-Visitors to the ‘Temple of Dreams’ will be granted peaceful slumber (Vitality +10).

-Furthermore, children blessed with the essence of ‘Hypnos’ will begin to be born across the realm.

-These children can be sheltered and trained within the temple walls.

《Expending Fragment of the Golden Rule (1,000h) to begin construction of the ‘Tower of Dreams’.》

-Scale the ‘Tower of Dreams’ to face personified nightmares.

-Those who endure the trials will be granted unique traits.

《Expending Fragment of the Golden Rule (1,000h) to begin construction of the ‘Garden of Dreams’.》

-Within the ‘Garden of Dreams’, mythical creatures such as unicorns will manifest.

《The proficiency of ‘Divine Architecture’ has increased.》

《Additional ‘Divine Architecture’ blueprints are now available for construction.》

《The sanctity of the territory has deepened!》

Structures were rising one after another.

This was a new capability unlocked after the revival of a deity.

The power to manifest divine buildings using fragments of the Golden Rule!

The costs were staggering, but for me, that was irrelevant.

‘I’m practically swimming in fragments.’

I had only uploaded one guide, but the revenue was unlike anything I had ever seen.

Even after the platform took its 30% cut, I was left with a balance of roughly 27,000 hours.

No matter how much I spent on construction, the pile barely shrank.

‘I didn’t anticipate this level of engagement.’

The Kramdel entry guide.

I hadn’t touched on that subject back in the old days.

While the Heavenly Dragon Human gear is easier to find now, it was once incredibly rare.

Moreover, while I had used my influence as one of the Five Great Powers to set up that 30-day fixed warp in the Crow Graveyard, without that specific intervention, the city was practically unreachable.

In any case.

‘This should suffice.’

The foundational work was complete.

I had successfully overhauled the Sanctuary of Honor.

Moving forward, this land would function as a ‘Divine Territory’ centered around the presence of Hypnos.

But there was another reason I had invested so heavily in this location.

*Swoosh.*

I pulled the ‘Feather of the Outer God’ from my belt.

Suddenly.

《The necessary prerequisites have been satisfied.》

《Activating ‘Feather of the Outer God’.》

《A ‘Dimension Warp’ is manifesting!》

*Crrrrrrack!*

A massive rift tore through the atmosphere, swirling with an ominous crimson radiance.

A Dimension Warp!

This portal possessed several unique properties.

First.

《The ‘Dimension Warp’ is now linked to every existing ‘Warp’ across the globe.》

As long as a destination had a warp point, I could reach it, even if it wasn’t on the standard network.

In Pangenia, there wasn’t a single relevant region without a warp.

Essentially, the entire world was now my backyard.

I could infiltrate even the most isolated, restricted zones.

That utility alone was priceless, but there was more.

《The ‘Dimension Warp’ bypasses entry restrictions for territories designated as ‘closed’ to the user.》

《Currently synchronized with the ‘Isle of Gods’.》

《You may now summon the ‘Fairy Dragon’, which has reached maturity on the Isle of Gods.》

《Furthermore, you can manifest the ‘Left Arm of the Outer God’ through the ‘Dimension Warp’.》

《The summoned ‘Left Arm of the Outer God’ will serve as a guardian of this sanctified land as per the pact.》

The final point was what truly mattered.

The Left Arm of the Outer God.

I was intensely curious to see exactly what that entailed.

Without hesitation, I initiated the summons for the ‘Left Arm of the Outer God’.

《The ‘Left Arm of the Outer God’ is emerging through the ‘Dimension Warp’.》

In that split second.

*KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG—!*

A thunderous boom shook the very foundations of the earth.

“…”

When I saw the physical manifestation of the arm that materialized, I found myself completely speechless.

—

Within Adrium, the sacred capital of the Goddess Cult.

The central warp gate suddenly began to vibrate with violent intensity.

“What’s happening? Why is the warp reacting?”

“That… that portal is supposed to be sealed.”

The warp at the heart of the holy city was a restricted gate, permanently deactivated.

It was designated for use only in the direst of emergencies.

Only the Pope held the authority to wake it.

Under normal circumstances, it was kept cold to prevent unverified intruders from bypassing the ‘Goddess’s Barrier’ and appearing in the city center.

And yet.