Chapter 62

Chapter 62
## Chapter 62: The Game of Volition

Isabella slowly unsealed her eyelids.

A vision of a small girl shimmered in the air before her.

It was Sonora.

Isabella was the one who had ended the young girl’s life—a girl who had been a potential successor to the throne.

“I won’t deny it. I took that child’s life. The Queen was a hollow creature, maintaining her eternal youth by consuming the girl’s essence. Since a binding curse prevented me from striking the Queen herself, I chose to grant the child peace instead.”

The Desert Queen was a predator masquerading as a monarch.

She hunted young girls possessing potent mana, harvesting their lifeblood until they withered.

Isabella was scheduled to be the next sacrifice after Sonora.

Despite the shadow of her own impending death, Isabella had acted to terminate Sonora’s agony.

It was a confession she had kept buried in her soul until this very moment.

Isaac turned his gaze toward Randolph and spoke with blunt honesty.

“It’s true. I sabotaged every gate in the excavation site and watched the city plunge into the void. Those unable to flee were swallowed by the earth. And as wretched as it sounds, I felt a sense of relief. So, does that make my grief a lie?”

Serengeti offered her own calm testimony.

“I’ll admit, when I first crossed paths with Hudson, I was jealous of his autonomy. I leaned on him as a reprieve from my grueling regimen. But the roots of affection grow differently for everyone. Sir Wilhelm remains the mentor who shaped me, the commander I serve, and the paternal figure I aspire to—a bond entirely separate from what I feel for Hudson.”

Their words were sincere.

However, the trial showed no signs of concluding.

Even if they answered every remaining inquiry, the atmosphere remained stagnant.

Yet, a shared realization struck the three of them simultaneously.

Isabella, Isaac, and Serengeti.

They all spoke out with unwavering boldness.

“This realm… and the people standing here… are nothing but illusions.”

“If I’m being honest, the Star Awakener wouldn’t waste time with such pathetic riddles. Why are you babbling to yourselves, you hollow fakes?”

“This is the only response you’re getting, you mindless dungeon construct!”

*Snap—*

In that instant, the fabric of the simulated reality began to fracture.

—

The ‘Will’ had miscalculated.

The recreation of the environment and the people had been flawless.

Constructed from the deepest recesses of their own subconscious, it should have been impossible for the trio to identify the deception.

And yet, they had answered with total honesty while simultaneously rejecting the reality of the trial.

The Hall of Verity.

A chamber designed to force the truth from its occupants.

But that was merely the surface.

The actual challenge was for all three participants to see through the lie before the third question was posed.

‘How is this possible…!’

Humanity was a species defined by the snowballing effect of doubt.

Once a seed of mistrust was planted, cooperation should have crumbled. They were supposed to turn on each other as the pressure mounted.

This psychological trap had a perfect success rate.

‘What went wrong? Why are they so certain?’

Logic dictated they should be suspicious.

Their most guarded shames had been paraded in the open!

The natural reaction should have been to find a scapegoat, and Randolph was the easiest target.

Suspicion leads to fury, and fury leads to collapse—it was a foolproof formula.

That formula had just been incinerated.

In a heartbeat.

The ruse was exposed after a single round of questioning.

It defied explanation.

Such absolute confidence. Such mutual reliance.

What had they experienced together?

What foundation had they built to remain so unshakably united!

Even the greatest icons of history harbored internal rot.

Pure-hearted mortals?

They were a myth.

Only those blinded by idealism believed in them, and such delusions were easily shattered.

This instance should have been no different.

“So, you were lurking here after all. The miserable scrap of the creator’s consciousness.”

…The outcome had seemed certain until that voice cut through.

The ‘Will’ stared at the figure standing before it, eyes wide with alarm.

Heavenly Spirit.

The ‘Master Floor.’

It was exactly as I suspected.

The location where I could be forcibly extracted—while I was busy manipulating and defying the trial—was here, the Master Floor.

The sanctum where the dungeon’s heart beats and where supreme control is exercised.

As the trial disintegrated, the Master Floor was forced into the light, dragging the ‘Will’ out with it.

—Who… what are you…? I have never encountered an ‘Irregular’ of your caliber…!

The manifestation of the demigod’s consciousness trembled in shock.

The entity took the shape of a dark, flickering silhouette.

Crowned and seated at a great circular table, it had been playing God, mocking those who wandered into its web.

It treated existence like a sport.

But now, facing the threat of deletion, its true, cowardly nature was showing.

“Didn’t I make myself clear? I am the one who ends you.”

I am your finality.

The time had come to settle this ancient debt.

This twisted dungeon had overstayed its welcome in the world.

Trait Dungeon. The name implies a test of synergy, where one must balance the talents and characteristics of a team to prevail.

Most who entered, myself included, fell for that superficial interpretation.

But that wasn’t it.

The Demigod Trait Dungeon could only be conquered by deciphering the personality of the ‘Demigod’ itself.

In other words, this creature.

You had to understand the petty, manipulative nature of the Will and discard every established rule to reach this point.

‘What a tedious play on words.’

Vile entity.

Furthermore, this was no longer a place of restriction.

The shackles that had been dampening my power evaporated.

I unsheathed my two supreme iron blades.

At that moment:

《Every Constellation within the Baekseongjeon shifts their focus toward you and the ‘Will.’》

The celestial observers finally took notice.

Having their attention on me was fine.

However, the fact that they were also scrutinizing the ‘Will’ felt peculiar.

*Clang! Schwing—!*

I delivered two lightning-fast strikes toward its throat, but the blades only produced a heavy, metallic resonance as they were deflected.

‘Physical Nullification.’

Ordinary strikes were useless against this form.

So, how was I supposed to erase it?

*Bzzzt! Static!*

Simultaneously, the silhouette of the ‘Will’ began to distort like a corrupted digital broadcast.

In its fractured state, the entity spoke.

—I see, you are a tool of Ruin. The ‘Absolute Evil’ dispatched to terminate me, the sovereign will!

It branded me as Absolute Evil, a counterpart to Ruin.

But its aura had shifted significantly.

Phase 2.

True to form, this thing was the dungeon’s true boss.

—Absolute Evil, let us engage in one final contest. A noble game of destiny!

…Was it truly delusional?

Nobility? Glory? I had no idea why it would even use such terms.

The Will was the antithesis of those concepts.

Abruptly, the crown it wore vanished, and three figures materialized around the round table.

They were perfect mirrors of Isaac, Isabella, and Serengeti.

—Your comrades against my puppets in a duel to the death. However, they cannot act on their own. You and I shall be the puppeteers!

The glitching ‘Will’ produced a single parchment.

—Bind yourself and your companions to this oath! Only then will you truly act as ‘one’! If fear grips you, then flee, Absolute Evil!

What a farce.

It proposes a contest where it holds every imaginable card and dares to call it ‘fair’?

According to the contract, I would be able to pilot my teammates’ bodies as if they were my own extensions.

The catch was that every physical sensation, particularly agony, would be shared.

If the pain became unbearable, their spirits might fracture, causing them to fight my control.

Beyond that, maneuvering multiple bodies simultaneously was no simple task.

“This could be amusing.”

Regardless, this was a ‘game’ in the truest sense.

Like a player moving a digital avatar.

The sensory input would be worlds away from a controller and keyboard, but this was Pangeniar—and I was the one who had developed Isaac and Isabella’s potential from the start.

The Will was unaware that it was facing a ‘gamer.’

I wasn’t sure how intuitive the interface would be, but if it allowed for the level of micro-management I was used to…

—The pact is sealed! Hahahahahaha! Let me hear your cries of extinction, Absolute Evil!

The Will erupted in a fit of maniacal laughter.

—

*Whoosh.*

A man wearing a crown rose regally from his seat.

Then.

*Fwoom!*

Flames began to dance atop candles throughout the void.

One hundred lights, including his own.

“You must have been waiting for this spectacle, oh fallen stars.”

The Constellation of the Radiant Hero.

He directed a smirk toward the other celestial beings hovering above the candlelight.

“A clash between my former shadow and the rising star of this era. Where do your loyalties lie?”

The Radiant Hero prompted the assembly to cast their votes.

Yet, the decision was far from easy.

His talent for directing, crafting, and commanding heroes was legendary.

How could anyone hope to best the ‘Radiant Hero,’ even if they were only facing a fragment of his past self?

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly.

A torrential storm of Golden Rule swept through the chamber like a gale. It condensed into a shimmering golden hawk, perching quietly upon the floor.

Observing this, the Radiant Hero’s grin widened.

“Constellation of Adventure. Your obsession with impossible odds remains unchanged.”

The one who transforms miracles into reality.

The Indomitable Adventurer, famous for a spirit that never yields.

It was a predictable, yet amusing, choice.

*Whoosh!*

*Whoosh!*

Following the lead of the Adventurer, the other stars began to declare their sides.

Looking at the tally, the Radiant Hero rubbed his chin, intrigued by the narrow margin.

50 to 49.

Even if this was a remnant of his youth, that ultimate technique was the ‘real thing.’

To think the vote was nearly split even with that knowledge.

Was it because of the inexplicable feats the challenger had already performed?

But lightning rarely strikes twice.

“Then I shall cast my own lot.”

Waves of Golden Rule rippled behind the Radiant Hero.

—

‘So, this is how it feels.’

My perspective shifted, hovering in the air like an external camera.

To put it simply, it was like viewing party members through a high-definition display.

With that familiar sensation, I began to direct the three of them.

“……!”

Isaac, Isabella, and Serengeti.

They looked momentarily bewildered as their limbs moved via an external force.

However, they quickly yielded to the sensation. They trusted that I was the one pulling the strings.

The mechanical feeling was identical to gaming, but the difficulty lay in the multi-tasking.

I had never tried to micro-manage three separate units simultaneously in a real-time environment.

“Prepare yourselves. I shall grant you a moment to synchronize with your new forms.”

The three puppets on the far side spoke with a single voice.

They were the Will’s carbon copies.

It maneuvered them with practiced ease, their power and abilities mirrored perfectly.

The Will acted as though this was a final act of mercy, which was nauseating, but it was a testament to its arrogance.

It was convinced it was untouchable.

I tested the grip of their hands, shifted their weight, and signaled them to draw their steel.

Watching this, the ‘Will’ let out a snicker.

“Finished already? How bold. I offer you a handicap out of the goodness of my heart, and yet…”

How dare this insect act so high and mighty when I have shown such divine leniency.

The Will gave a dismissive shrug.

‘Now, let’s see you drown in hopelessness.’

This was a match the Will believed was impossible to lose.

—

‘What’s going on?’

The Will’s mental projection faltered.

It had expected to crush the opposition from the very first second.

Initially, things proceeded as predicted—it seized the momentum.

Each strike landed, drawing gasps of pain from the challengers.

Shared agony usually causes the connection between the pilot and the puppet to snap.

Once the control is lost, the consciousnesses collide, resulting in a mental meltdown.

Yet, after the initial flurry of three hits, the opposition began to parry everything.

It was as if the pilot had a lifetime of experience in remote manipulation.

‘Did his time commanding the dead sharpen his focus?’

Now that I think about it, didn’t he inhabit the form of a carrion bird to lead the warg pack during the earlier phase?

Mastering necromantic control might translate to this type of puppetry.

‘But even so…’

*Clang—!*

The moment Isaac parried a strike and rolled low, Isabella launched a piercing thrust as if they were sharing a single mind. Behind her, Serengeti shifted to block any possible retreat.

Their coordination was flawless.

*Rip!*

In the end, the Will had to sacrifice the arm of its Isaac-copy.

It scrambled to reposition the other two puppets to break the rhythm and save the wounded unit, but the Will was reeling in confusion.

‘……How?’

Observing and then reacting usually creates a slight delay, a sense of artificiality.

But their movements weren’t just fluid.

They were something more.

‘He’s overriding their limiters.’

He was forcing their physical stats and traits to the absolute peak and then pushing further.

Exactly like the Will’s own inherent power.

The Will possessed the ability to drive a body past its breaking point.

But this human was doing it to three people at the same time.

How was that possible?

Actually, it wasn’t just that.

‘It’s like he’s performed these exact motions millions of times before…’

Inhabiting another’s shell is notoriously difficult.

But he was operating them as if he had practiced these specific patterns for centuries.

It made no sense.

This was leagues beyond simple necromancy.

Furthermore, at the very start of the match, he had been clearly clumsy.

‘And he’s achieving perfect synchronization as the seconds tick by?’

In this tiny window of time? It was preposterous.

He was clearly a novice at the start.

It looked like his first time ever remotely piloting another person.

Let alone three.

It should have been an impossible feat.