Chapter 41

Chapter 41
## Chapter 41: Eternal Randolph

The disparity was more than twofold.

He had laid hold of a truth so deep that no observer could fathom the method of his success or the magnitude of his prize.

‘Phantom.’

The name echoed.

The monarch who once stood at the peak of Pangeniar had met his ruin. Having been stripped of his glory and cast into the depths, he was now striking back with the ferocity of the desperate.

“What is your move?”

The Master stood up, his eyes fixed on the view beyond the glass. They were at the summit of the grandest skyscraper on Wall Street, a property that had very recently acquired a new commander.

‘The world is split between the dominant and the subservient.’

With every action, the Master was carving his path to becoming a genuine sovereign. The supernatural might granted only to the elite made it inevitable that the one at the zenith of such power would rule the globe.

‘I am a ruler by nature. In the era appearing on the horizon, only the capable shall hold the reins.’

The future was shifting. This wasn’t like the minor upheavals of the past; it was a violent, total transformation. Those players who could subjugate the nightmares of Pangeniar were destined to be the masters of Earth.

This was the dawn of that age.

Everything appeared to be aligned perfectly, yet the Master found himself in a foul temper. Being forced to yield even a single inch regarding the objectives of Main Quest 5 was a grievous setback.

‘How to proceed.’

Phantom, however, was a king in exile. While his feat of raking through half the demonic territories was respected, top-tier players like the Master did not tremble at the thought of the Demon King. On the contrary, their strategy involved exploiting the demon realm to cement their own authority in Pangeniar and, by extension, Earth.

Most importantly, Phantom was dead. If he had returned as a player after his demise, there were functional ceilings to his potential growth. Furthermore, Phantom was notorious for his lack of allies; how could a solitary ghost close the distance between them?

‘I intended to take him alive for his secrets.’

The Master had hoped to capture the fallen sovereign to bleed him of his knowledge. Yet, despite years of pursuit, the man remained elusive. It was clear that the Master’s individual reach had found its limit.

“…I must call for the ‘Round Table Meeting.’”

“I shall notify the Eight Heroes immediately, Master.”

The attendant shadow dissolved into nothingness. The Master turned his gaze back to the sprawling city below.

‘He is starting to become a nuisance.’

The irritation was growing. The subtle machinations of that discarded king were beginning to chafe. It was time for a correction.

—

《The Tower offers no further prizes.》

《The standard reward registry has been replaced by the boons of the Constellations of the Hundredfold Citizens.》

《Select a single tribute from the list of one hundred.》

The opening notification confirmed he had seized the ultimate hidden truth of the structure; there was simply nothing left to give.

‘A replacement list?’

He tilted his head in confusion at the second prompt, but the inventory that materialized before his eyes provided instant clarity.

《The Hourglass of the Clockwork Constellation》

《The Ring of the Adventure Constellation》

《The Four-Leaf Clover of the Luck Constellation》

《The Spear of the Battle Constellation》

《The Armor of the Silver Moon Constellation》

《The Invention of the Alchemy Constellation》

《The Hair of the Anonymous Constellation》

《The Weapon Schematic of the Blacksmith Constellation》

…

A hundred options, each tied to the identity of a celestial being, shimmered in the air.

‘The specifics are hidden.’

The interface showed no stats, abilities, or passive traits. He was forced to make a choice based entirely on the titles of the constellations themselves.

‘There is no rush.’

This required careful thought. These were rewards offered by divine entities putting their own reputations on the line. Every single one was likely a world-altering relic. A careless choice was out of the question.

‘Regardless.’

His harvest was already immense. He had locked down 300 hours of the Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule. His Reputation had also surged by 500 points—a staggering leap considering typical quests offered a mere 10 or 20.

But the true prize lay elsewhere.

‘Eternal Randolph.’

An out-of-spec mystery: Eternal Randolph!

Back when it was merely Unique-grade, it bore only his name. Now, having transcended those bounds, it had gained the ‘Eternal’ designation. It was a prefix he had never encountered, and it commanded his full attention.

It was a power without a physical shape, scent, or hue. Yet, the status window confirmed its presence with absolute coldness.

【Eternal Randolph (Out-of-Spec)】

★ A truth bestowed upon the one who defies all classifications.

★ Capability to permanently annihilate mysteries of ‘Eternal Randolph’ rank or lower (affects active manifestations; restricted to one use per individual).

★ Indestructible (immune to all forms of ruin, including the Hammer of the Destruction God).

★ Uninterferable (negates all external forces or effects that attempt to manipulate mysteries).

★ Permanent (endures through all conditions and environments).

★ Hidden Attribute ‘Eternal Randolph’ has been unlocked.

The description was concise, yet every word carried weight.

‘…This is madness.’

He stood paralyzed, the blood rushing to his face as his heart hammered against his ribs.

‘The power to erase an opponent’s mystery.’

The ability to delete Unique-grade powers meant he could effectively strip his enemies of their essence forever. Furthermore, it possessed the “Holy Trinity” of top-tier defensive traits: Indestructible, Uninterferable, and Permanent.

‘And a new hidden trait.’

His count of hidden traits moved from 13 to 14. This was the first time he had ever acquired a trait through a mystery rather than innate talent. There wasn’t a single wasted line in the description.

This was the ultimate power that even the celebrated Knight King Wilhelm had failed to grasp. It was, in the most literal sense, the strongest. No other adjective sufficed.

He allowed the wave of triumph to wash over him. In his previous life, even after collecting eight Unique items, he had never felt a thrill this enduring.

‘Time to leave.’

After ten minutes of quiet reflection, he began to move. His vitals and energy had been fully restored by his recent level gain. Since he had effectively hollowed out the Tower of Mysteries, there was no reason to linger. He stepped into the shimmering light of the warp gate.

‘…The Four Powers?’

The moment he exited, he found himself staring down the four dominant entities of the region.

—

The final person to exit was merely the King of Corpse Crows.

He appeared to be the least significant of the participants. The Four Powers were privately baffled; all one hundred challengers had returned, yet not a single legendary figure was among them.

“Hmm…”

“I cannot make sense of this.”

Despite the Crow’s humble appearance, they couldn’t dismiss him. None of them could accurately gauge his strength; he was an enigma that defied their senses. The only certainty was an underlying aura that made their skin crawl.

“That… that circlet…”

“Is that the crown forged from the five rings?”

“Ah.”

The realization rippled through the gathered monsters. The crown resting on the head of the King of Corpse Crows was the unmistakable result of merging the tower’s artifacts.

“Did this wretched bird truly outshine my own mystery?”

Imugi refused to believe it. He could not stomach the idea that he wasn’t the protagonist of this event. In a fit of wounded pride, he unleashed his Legend-grade power, the ‘Mist of the Illusion Dragon.’

“Look upon me! Witness true majesty! I hold a power a common scavenger could never dream of!”

The atmosphere grew heavy with his killing intent. Imugi lunged toward the Corpse Crow, intent on forcing the lesser creature to acknowledge the gap in their status.

“Move, caw.”

That was all the Crow said.

In that heartbeat, the Mist of the Illusion Dragon evaporated.

“What—?!”

Panic seized Imugi. His power hadn’t just been suppressed or toggled off.

…It had been obliterated.

He couldn’t process it. Mysteries were supposed to be absolute, immune to the interference of others. They were the fundamental truths of a monster’s existence—more than just a buff, they were the proof of one’s soul. Yet, his was gone in a flash.

The King of Corpse Crows hadn’t even raised a hand. He had simply looked at the mystery, and it had ceased to exist forever.

“Nnh…!”

The Four Powers recoiled in shock. They had felt the fundamental erasure of that power. Common logic had been shredded; the scales of the world had just tipped violently.

“H-how did you destroy my soul’s truth…!”

Imugi’s shock curdled into a murderous rage. The rewards from the Tower were unique; he had bled and struggled to earn that power.

“I will rip you apart…!”

*Snap!*

The threat died in his throat. In a flash of light, Imugi was transformed into a lifeless statue of stone.

Watching the scene, the King of Corpse Crows spoke with chilling arrogance.

“At least one of you has the sense to use your head, caw.”

He stood before the Four Powers without a hint of submission. His tone suggested that had they moved, he would have simply erased the entire clearing. Yet, the arrogance didn’t feel unearned.

‘Dignity.’

An overwhelming weight of authority radiated from the bird. It was impossible to disregard. It was a sensation of such gravity that even the White King hadn’t quite elicited it. If all four of them felt it, it was no trick of the mind.

One thing was clear: he wasn’t a subordinate. But he wasn’t an enemy either. What was he?

The Crow’s next words left them speechless.

“Fetch the White King, caw. None of you are worth my time, caw.”

—

Facing the Four Powers immediately upon exiting was a gamble. Seeing the gathered legions, I knew the Tower must have broadcasted my feat to the entire city. This was a far cry from my quiet entrance.

【Lv.12】

I had assumed the Four Powers were level 11, but they had climbed higher in the interim. They weren’t just standard mobs; they were Super Elite Raid Bosses. In this game, a single level difference was an ocean of power.

‘If we fight, I’m dead before I can blink.’

I hadn’t planned for a direct confrontation, but I couldn’t run. If I showed weakness now, it was over. I had to double down on the persona.

Luck, however, was a fickle friend who happened to be smiling. Deleting Imugi’s mystery had terrified them. Because of my 14 hidden traits and the effects of ‘Eternal Randolph,’ they couldn’t read me.

Specifically, the ‘Species Dignity’ trait was doing the heavy lifting. It infused my voice with a command that even these titans couldn’t easily ignore.

‘…I really didn’t want a second meeting.’

And so, I found myself being escorted to the palace of the White King—the one entity I had hoped to avoid forever.

“The White King approaches.”

At the Great Earth Dragon’s announcement, the Four Powers—now in their demi-human forms—dropped to their knees. I watched the throne. There was no escape now.

The White King (Revised).

I was already riding the tiger. I had built too much momentum to hop off, and I had said too much to take it back. It was all or nothing.

‘The final boss, then.’

Despite my cold exterior, my nerves were screaming. If not for the Iron-Blooded Lord’s Heart, I would have collapsed from the sheer pressure. I had successfully bluffed the Four Powers, but the White King was a different species of monster entirely.

Still, the fact that they brought me here instead of killing me proved one thing: they were afraid of what I might be.