Chapter 49

Chapter 49
## Chapter 49: The Soloed Rift King

‘It’s merely the opening wave. No big deal.’

‘I just have to maintain my composure and handle this.’

‘The Sovereign of the Dimensional Rift is likely just a minor Abyss Lord at most.’

The atmosphere among the heroes was brimming with optimism.

They weren’t even bothering with tactical meetings; instead, they were preoccupied with how to eliminate the invading hordes with enough flair to impress the media.

A mere 10% manifestation.

Creatures emerging at that threshold wouldn’t pose a significant threat.

However, the heroes’ arrogant expressions vanished in a heartbeat.

“Wait, what is happening…?”

“Who is… actually clearing this…?”

Mass panic erupted among them simultaneously.

It was unavoidable.

《’King of the Dimensional Rift’ is currently being cleared.》

《’King of the Dimensional Rift’ has been annihilated.》

The entity perished in an instant.

It was a complete one-sided slaughter.

Yet, not a single monster had been spotted emerging from any of the local dimensional fissures.

Who was responsible?

Who was doing the fighting?

They actually managed to kill it?

《’King of the Dead Ahram’ undergoes resurrection.》

《Commencing Phase 2.》

“Ahram…!”

A collective gasp rose from several heroes at the mention of the revived monarch’s name.

To think the ruler of the Dimensional Rift was actually the King of the Dead, Ahram!

He was the sentinel of the first circle of Maegye, the ‘Swamp of the Dead.’

Anyone who had participated in the Great Expedition remembered that nightmare vividly; it was a trauma carved into their very souls.

Half of that entire expeditionary force had met their end at his hands.

‘An entity like Ahram cannot be defeated in secret.’

The legions of undead and monstrosities he commanded varied in size from several meters to dozens of meters tall.

Furthermore, Ahram himself was a premier Death Knight. He was a titan capable of altering the landscape through raw power—completing a hidden clear against him should have been a physical impossibility.

《’King of the Dead Ahram’ has been annihilated.》

…Every player found themselves unable to look away from the notification window.

‘Defeating Ahram in less than three minutes?’

‘Is such a feat even achievable?’

‘Unless Gracia or a Master-ranked titan is on the field!’

Barely three minutes had elapsed since Ahram’s revival.

But Gracia and the other Masters weren’t currently engaged in a clear attempt.

It was a third party.

Someone outside the circle of the Eight Heroes was progressing at a speed that defied logic.

And the ordeal wasn’t finished.

《’Hybrid Fusion Ahram’ undergoes resurrection.》

Hybrid fusion!

Ahram continued to rise again and again.

With every rebirth, his power surged, which should have naturally extended the time required to defeat him.

A fusion of hybrid horrors.

The mere title was enough to inspire pure dread.

In contrast to the earlier stages, when five minutes passed without a kill notification, some players began to feel a sense of relief.

‘They’ve finally hit a wall, haven’t they?’

‘Did they get cocky trying to solo the raid?’

‘Whoever they are, it’s our turn to step in now.’

They couldn’t afford to just watch until the timer ran out.

If reckless greed resulted in death, it wouldn’t help their rankings anyway.

The unknown player would just be a sacrificial lamb helping the rest of them.

But those hopes were crushed immediately.

《’Hybrid Fusion Ahram’ has been annihilated.》

《’Black Star Ahram’ undergoes resurrection.》

“……”

《’Black Star Ahram’ has been annihilated.》

《’Main Quest ???: Eliminate the King of the Dimensional Rift’ is finished.》

“What is the meaning of this?”

“…What kind of total nonsense is this?”

Players couldn’t help but let their unfiltered frustrations fly.

The situation was that preposterous.

There were no recorded clear attempts and no visible invasions.

Not one monster had appeared, not even a single insect.

And yet?

The clear was finalized?

The main quest was already over?

Pangeniar began to slowly vanish from the firmament.

It was at that moment that people started to realize something was deeply wrong.

-Why didn’t any monsters show up?

-What? The rift is fading?

-The sky is returning to its original color!

-Is it really over just like that?

The world shifted back to its normal state.

There were no invading beasts to be found.

It was a looming crisis that simply vanished as quickly as it arrived.

However, the players didn’t have the luxury of soothing the public’s curiosity.

Their wide, trembling eyes refused to accept what they were seeing.

They had witnessed the final tally.

《Calculating contribution for ‘Main Quest ???: Eliminate the King of the Dimensional Rift’.》

《Distributing rewards based on contribution tier.》

《1st Place – Randolph》

《Entry updated in the Hall of Fame.》

“……!”

“……!!!”

First place in contribution.

The only name appearing on the leaderboard.

…Randolph.

—

The Giant of Evil Subjugation, Dramat, and the gathered Star Guardians remained in a state of shock.

They still found it difficult to process.

A Corpse Crow being elevated to the rank of ‘Star Guardian’ was something that had never happened before!

However, the Star Guardians felt the truth in their spirits.

The celestial body now held by the Corpse Crow, Randolph—it had truly accepted him as its protector.

“Technically, his nature is somewhat distinct from ours.”

The Giant of Evil Subjugation spoke up to clarify.

A Star Guardian asked with genuine interest.

“In what way is he different?”

“We serve under the Earth Goddess ‘Leah,’ but that Corpse Crow stands as the solitary protector of the Sky Goddess ‘Pina.'”

The 32 stars were the domain of the Earth Goddess ‘Leah.’

But this 33rd star—it was unmistakably one of the eyes belonging to the Sky Goddess ‘Pina.’

Yet, the distinction wasn’t absolute.

Leah and Pina were twin deities.

One half of the world could not exist without the other.

In the grand scheme, they were two parts of a whole.

The Giant of Evil Subjugation adjusted his stance.

“Regardless, as a peer among Star Guardians, he clearly possesses the necessary ‘merit.’ I officially acknowledge the Corpse Crow’s ascent to Star Guardian status.”

“Indeed. He even managed to obliterate a ‘Unique-grade’ anomaly.”

“And he successfully bound Ahram.”

“For a transcendent entity, his qualifications are beyond reproach.”

The Star Guardians began to murmur their agreement one after another.

This was no ordinary Corpse Crow.

He was a transcendent who had dismantled a Unique-grade mystery and neutralized Ahram.

Setting aside his physical form, his sheer power exceeded the requirements for a Star Guardian.

“Hold on. He is not a Star Guardian.”

The Giant of Evil Subjugation glared at the figure standing beside him.

“……White King. Do not meddle in our internal affairs.”

“‘Our’? He is already a member of the Five Main Forces. He isn’t some mere Star Guardian.”

“What are you implying?”

The White King simply gave a nonchalant shrug.

“Before arriving at this spot, I officially designated him as part of the Five Main Forces. The other leaders of the Main Forces have already concurred.”

Technically only half of them had, but that was irrelevant now.

The realms of the Star Guardians and the Main Forces were entirely distinct.

There could be no overlapping membership.

It was one path or the other.

Furthermore, the White King had already claimed the spot and finalized the deal.

There was no way the Star Guardians could swoop in and take him—the situation was settled.

However, the Giant of Evil Subjugation shook his head in disagreement.

“The moment that star recognized him, he became a Star Guardian. A person like you has no authority to override a blessing granted by a goddess.”

“Everything is governed by karma. Even the divine are bound by the laws of causality. I made my offer first—so back off.”

“Are you intentionally trying to provoke a conflict?”

“I permitted your entry into Kramdel out of respect for your goddess, but my tolerance has reached its limit.”

“You are being foolish, White King. Do you honestly think I am intimidated by you?”

Their eyes met in a violent clash of wills.

Both stood their ground, neither willing to yield an inch.

“Why are you two deciding my path for me, caw?”

As I listened in silence, the whole thing felt ridiculous.

These two monsters were bickering over which faction I belonged to.

The Giant of Evil Subjugation turned his gaze toward me.

“It isn’t us making the choice—it has already been determined……”

“No, Randolph is correct. One’s destiny is theirs to command.”

The White King cut in.

Every Star Guardian, the White King, and the members of the Four Main Forces all fixed their eyes on me.

It was as if they were telling me to make the final call.

But even this didn’t quite sit right with me.

I slowly shifted my gaze between the Giant of Evil Subjugation and the White King.

“Show me which side offers the better incentives, caw.”

They had approached this from the wrong angle.

When you’re trying to recruit someone, shouldn’t you start by discussing the benefits and the salary?

—

While no definitive agreement was reached, both sides understood my position and agreed to take time for further deliberation.

They needed to assess my worth and prepare a proper negotiation.

In the meantime, I retreated to the Castle of the Four Kings to organize my spoils.

‘Level 6.’

I had already reached level 6.

Taking down Ahram so decisively had provided a massive influx of experience points.

Thus, I hit level 6.

A standard character would have likely reached level 9 by now, but because of my specific experience scaling, the raw stat gains far outweighed the level gap—I had zero regrets.

Most importantly.

‘Status window.’

[Status Window]

Name: Randolph

Class: Star Successor

Level: 6

Strength: 82(72+10) Stamina: 82(72+10) Agility: 82(72+10)

Intelligence: 82(72+10) Magic: 82(72+10)

[Activated Hidden Traits]

【Void】

【Dexterity】

【All Master】

【Weapon Master】

【Giant’s Magic Resistance】

【Druid’s Nature Affinity】

【Iron-Blooded Lord’s Heart】

【Beast Lord】

【Golden Grace】

【Heavenly】

【Mutation】

【Glutton】

【Great Sage】

【Eternal Randolph】

I couldn’t help but let a small smile form.

These stats were incredible.

I was only level 6, yet my attributes were on par with a level 10 character.

This was the result of claiming two stars, which granted a +10 boost to every stat through the Star Successor class.

Seeing the fourteenth hidden trait listed there gave me a profound sense of satisfaction.

My leveling was slow, but my qualitative growth was far ahead of the curve.

‘Anyone who saw this would assume I was a bugged character.’

Even I found it hard to believe—others would have lost their minds.

I had the level gains and the stars.

But that wasn’t the full extent of it.

‘1st place in the main quest. I cleared it solo—so that’s expected.’

Since I was the only participant, the top spot was naturally mine.

‘Regardless.’

I held the reward from this quest in the palm of my hand.

It was a small cube radiating a brilliant platinum light.

‘A Platinum Box, interesting.’

It was my first time encountering one.

I had no idea what was hidden inside.

Unlike other main quests, the rewards for the invasion scaled based on performance—and the 1st place finisher received this Platinum Box.

-Kraaaack!

A sudden shriek pulled my attention toward the struggling Ahram.

Ahram was currently flailing under the weight of the band wrapped around his head.

His physical appearance had undergone a radical transformation as well.

‘He has shrunk significantly.’

Under the sealing power of Gingoa, he had withered down to the size of a small child.

‘It neutralizes Ahram with ease.’

The hair from the Nameless Constellation served as the ultimate binding tool, Gingoa.

I had fashioned it into a hairband for a bit of style.

I was skeptical at first, but after seeing it contain Ahram, I knew I had made the right choice.

‘Gingoa doesn’t just bind demons—it actually usurps one of their powers.’

A simple seal would have been underwhelming.

The true strength of Gingoa was its ability to claim the innate skills of the target it trapped.

It was similar to Glutton, but functioned differently.

‘And the copy is flawless.’

One of Ahram’s core abilities had been transferred directly to me.

While Glutton requires me to transform and build up skills from level one, Gingoa provides the target’s natural abilities exactly as they are.

Of course, Gingoa isn’t a guaranteed win.

If the Giant of Evil Subjugation hadn’t been physically restraining him, the seal would have failed.

‘I have to keep the target pinned for 10 seconds—but the Giant made it possible to apply the band.’

It even gives the target a warning.

But if you can hold them down for 10 seconds, Gingoa can bind anything.

Even the lords of the demons or the gods themselves.