Chapter 368

Chapter 368
## Chapter 368

“It took less than ten seconds to wipe out every ranker from second to tenth place.”

Choi Kang-nam couldn’t even register Park Hyunmyeong’s movements. He had been crushed in an instant, losing consciousness before he could react. It wasn’t just him; every other top-tier ranker had shared the same fate. None of them could recall when Park Hyunmyeong had closed the distance or the method he used to strike them down.

“The typical level for those who cleared the tutorial was 5.”

Since the tutorial ended, Choi Kang-nam had been obsessed with tracking Park Hyunmyeong. He had interviewed countless participants, gathering fragments of their experiences to build a complete picture. His data suggested that the average level of survivors was around 5. To systematically eliminate nine high-ranking players in ten seconds, someone would realistically need to be at least level 8.

But that was the problem. Everyone had entered the Island of God simultaneously, starting as unawakened humans. Reaching level 8 in the lightning-fast duration of the tutorial was fundamentally impossible. Even if Park Hyunmyeong had hogged every single kill and completed every objective alone, the math didn’t add up.

“He has to be a bug user.”

There was no other logical explanation. Since that day, Park Hyunmyeong had continued to dominate the Hall of Fame. His scores were so astronomical they even pressured the territory of Randolph, the man widely believed to be Phantom. Yet, despite this fame, Park Hyunmyeong was a ghost. No one could claim to have actually seen him in action.

From Main Quest 1 through 6, there wasn’t a single eyewitness account. It begged the question: where was he actually performing these feats?

“Second-generation Awakened can’t cross over to Pangenia yet, and Earth only has a handful of locations where Main Quests can be progressed.”

That was the core of the mystery. Outside of the initial tutorial, Park Hyunmyeong seemed to have vanished into thin air, which should have been a physical impossibility given the requirements of the quests.

* Main Quest 1: Survival
* Main Quest 2: Obtaining a Class
* Main Quest 3: Climbing the Tower
* Main Quest 4: Seal the Rift in the Dark Space
* Main Quest 5: Obtaining a Mystery
* Main Quest 6: Clearing a Party Dungeon

The sites for these objectives on Earth were extremely rare—usually limited to one or two specific spots globally. The most recent ‘Party Dungeon’ was the most baffling. By definition, it required a group. He had to have entered with other humans from Earth, yet no one knew who his teammates were or which dungeon they had tackled.

Choi Kang-nam wasn’t alone in his suspicion; the entire global community of Awakened was baffled. Randolph—or Phantom—was a legendary veteran of Pangenia who likely possessed ancient secrets, so his success was somewhat expected. But Park Hyunmyeong was a second-generation human tied to Earth. How could a man restricted to this planet constantly challenge the scores of a legend?

“I don’t care what kind of exploit he’s using; it won’t fly here!”

Choi Kang-nam’s decision to provoke Park Hyunmyeong was a calculated move. The expedition gathered here was composed of elites—monsters of the Korean scene with unique traits and high-level abilities. There was even a transcendent among them. Under such intense scrutiny, a ‘bug’ would be easily spotted. Furthermore, Choi Kang-nam had pushed his Observation talent to its absolute limit, determined never to be humiliated by the man again.

“That’s enough.”

The intervention came from Vice-President Lee Arin. As soon as she stepped forward, the air in the room turned heavy. The gathered experts watched her with visible nerves. Known as the Great Master, she was rumored to be even more powerful than Association President Park Taewoo. Her reputation was built on both her immense strength and her cold, uncompromising nature.

“…Vice-President. We can’t be expected to trust our lives to someone whose abilities remain a total mystery,” Choi Kang-nam argued, unable to stay silent.

His logic was sound. They were preparing to enter the Black Dome, a mission of extreme danger. You didn’t walk into a death trap with a stranger whose skills were unverified. However, Lee Arin simply dismissed his concerns with a slow shake of her head. She looked toward Park Hyunmyeong before turning her sharp gaze back to Choi Kang-nam.

“Choi Kang-nam. You stand absolutely no chance of winning against him.”

She wasn’t just stopping the fight; she was stating a factual conclusion. There was no point in a test because the outcome was already decided.

“That’s only if he’s using some kind of cheat…!” Choi Kang-nam sputtered.

“He isn’t using a bug.”

“…How can we be sure without a demonstration?”

“Because I have seen him myself.”

Arin’s eyes remained on Park Hyunmyeong. They had crossed paths once before. She knew he wasn’t a product of glitches; he was a practitioner of pure martial force. Even before his official awakening, he had instinctively tapped into primordial energies. She recalled him slaughtering monsters while radiating a dark, overwhelming power that she had initially confused for the Heavenly Demon’s Reigning Steps.

Back then, she suspected he might carry the burden of the Heavenly Killing Star—a rare destiny that appeared once in an age. People like that couldn’t stay hidden; they stood out like a sharp needle in a silk bag. They were anomalies of nature, much like Wilhelm.

“I see it now.”

The pieces finally clicked for her. She understood how he could shatter records in ways that defied logic and how he had easily toyed with nine other rankers during the tutorial. For a master of pure martial arts, such feats were as natural as breathing. Such individuals were non-existent on Earth and incredibly rare even in Pangenia—with Wilhelm being the only other example. These were beings who had already moved beyond the standard human framework.

She had tried to recruit him back then, hoping to refine his raw potential herself. But Park Hyunmyeong had never answered her call. He had simply continued to evolve in the shadows, guided by his own instincts. The fact that he had reached this level without formal instruction was nothing short of terrifying.

“He is a transcendent.”

Choi Kang-nam’s eyes went wide. The rest of the room fell into a stunned silence. Among the second-generation Awakened, transcendence was a myth. Most people were still struggling to reach level 10. The idea that someone had already breached that wall was unthinkable.

‘That has to be a lie…!’

How could he have done it? First-generation heroes achieved transcendence by absorbing Stars in Pangenia, but second-generation users on Earth had no roadmap for such a feat. It was the kind of secret people would kill for.

In truth, even Arin wasn’t entirely certain of his status. She couldn’t sense a traditional presence from Park Hyunmyeong at all. If he had used a Star, she should have smelled the distinct celestial scent on him, but there was nothing. She surmised that his martial mastery or perhaps a specific ‘Hidden Trait’ allowed him to mask his power so perfectly that even she couldn’t gauge his ceiling.

‘He holds several Hidden Traits. Some of them are likely beyond even my knowledge.’

After all, Park Hyunmyeong had been the one to approach her. He had boldly stated that they needed eight Hidden Traits to proceed and that his presence would satisfy the requirement. He knew the classified entry conditions of the Black Dome—details Arin only knew because of her ‘Great Sage’ trait.

This meant Park Hyunmyeong likely possessed ‘Great Sage’ as well. But that trait was supposedly impossible to acquire on Earth. Even the entity controlling Wilhelm shouldn’t have known how to trigger it. The fact that Park Hyunmyeong had it, along with several other rare traits, was all the proof Arin needed.

“If you find this unacceptable, you are free to leave.”

She directed the ultimatum straight at Choi Kang-nam. She had no patience for his ego or his complaints.

“….”

Choi Kang-nam went quiet, his teeth clenched. Arin might be his mentor in name, but she was a frigid, distant figure. He knew that if he pushed her any further, he would be cut from the team without a second thought. She had no sentimental attachment to her “disciples.” She never offered praise or warmth; she only demanded results.

‘What makes this Park Hyunmyeong so special?!’ Choi Kang-nam screamed internally. It felt as though a stranger had walked in and stolen his place. What hurt most was that Arin—the woman he worked so hard to impress—was the one shielding him.

‘I’ll prove I’m the better choice. Just wait.’

—

On the flight to the United States, I could feel Choi Kang-nam’s jealous, burning gaze fixed on the back of my head. I ignored it.

The real reason for the tension was the woman sitting next to me: Lee Arin. Every Korean knew her name. She was a national icon, the fastest-rising Vice-President in the Association’s history, and the only person said to keep the formidable Park Taewoo on his toes.

‘She’s the real deal.’

Even with my ‘Eye of Truth’, I couldn’t see her stats. It meant she was protected by gear or a passive mystery of ‘Null’ rank or higher. She was the first person I’d encountered whose status remained a total blank. That alone was a testament to her power.

We had met once before when she tried to scout me. At the time, I saw no reason to involve myself with the Association. But circumstances had changed drastically.

‘To think the Elemental Tower would be destroyed and its shards scattered across Earth.’

The collapse of the tower had leaked its contents into our world. The biggest issue was the Elemental Kings. They were currently in a state of primal fury. Even Isera, who was bound to the Fire Elemental King Agnis, had been swept up in the frenzy. Blade Dragon God Hana and Lucaria were busy trying to contain the chaos, and the Demonic Blood Clan was operating at full capacity to assist. I couldn’t rely on my usual inner circle for this mission.

‘Hudson is also tied up acting as my proxy at the Pope’s election.’

Between that and the Goddess’s Festival, my regular allies were spread thin. I could have gone in solo, but the Black Dome was a wild card.

‘I don’t know which Rulers of the Abyss are lurking inside. Drawing too much attention early on is a bad idea.’

The situation was unprecedented. I needed to scout the interior and understand the mechanics of the dome before making a major move. If the Rulers recognized me and decided to team up, things would get messy. It was better to play it safe.

That’s why I decided to step out under my real name. Not as Phantom, not as Randolph, and not as Wilhelm. Just Park Hyunmyeong.

‘This is a first.’

My first time acting as a public hero on Earth. It was an inevitability I had to face eventually; I couldn’t stay in the shadows forever.

“I’m hurt. Why didn’t you ever come to find me?”

The voice came from Lee Arin, sitting right beside me. She looked at me with a playful, mischievous grin, her words heavy with a tone that was bound to be misunderstood by everyone else on the plane.

Immediately, the temperature in the cabin seemed to drop as a dozen more murderous glares locked onto me.