Chapter 7

Chapter 7
## Chapter 7: The Lair of the Ancient Monarch

—

From innate talents and earned skills to specialized stats, high-end gear, and mystical talismans capable of etching unique properties onto equipment—the path is varied.

In the world of Pangeniar, numerous powers guide players toward “hidden elements.”

These abilities might expose veiled passages, reveal secret attributes on gear, or unlock the mysteries of cursed relics…

Yet, none of those navigational powers can hold a candle to this specific dormant quality.

**Mutation.**

It is one of the thirteen latent traits I hold, a force providing the supreme authority to drag every “secret” into the light.

‘I can perceive it.’

The concealed trail. A confidential route crafted to remain completely undetectable to the naked eye.

*Whooooosh!*

A sprawling bridge spanned the gap, linking the peaks to the sanctuary perched upon the precipice.

A violent updraft howled from the depths of the canyon, threatening to pull everything into the void.

The architecture was malicious; unless one crossed the spindly bridge with absolute mental fortitude, the wind would simply pluck them off.

“Wh-what do you think you’re doing right now?!”

Isabella let out a sharp, panicked yelp as I vaulted high from a precise coordinate next to the bridge. She clearly assumed I had chosen to end my life.

However, her shock transformed into confusion in a heartbeat.

“Stay right behind me.”

“…Did the stars reveal that a path existed there?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Isabella watched me with a look of profound bewilderment.

Hovering throughout the sanctuary were invisible, compact blocks of stone suspended in the air.

They were barely wide enough for a single person to find purchase. A single clumsy step meant a terminal fall—yet to my eyes, they were as solid and visible as the sun.

‘No reconnaissance skill can compete with this.’

When my previous avatar ventured here, I was decked out in every imaginable tool and sensory enhancement.

Even the legendary “Keen Eye” at its maximum level of 10 couldn’t illuminate the hidden path with the clarity I now possessed.

That skill merely hinted at the presence of ground; the difference between reading a description and seeing the reality with your own eyes was night and day.

The downward suction was so powerful that even magical wings were useless.

The abyss below was crawling with “deep-sea fish,” ensuring that anyone pulled in would meet an inescapable end, regardless of their level.

Only the solid earth offered safety. You had to maintain contact with the ground to live.

‘Is a 100% exploration rate possible now?’

Even as a side objective, this was the exploration of a sanctuary.

I had reached the conclusion of this area once before, but my progress had hit a wall at 97%.

At that percentage, I had secured the unique artifact “Horn’s Glory.” If I could push it to the full 100%, a legendary-tier treasure might be waiting.

I leaped to the next floating block and glanced back.

“…? What’s the holdup?”

Isabella wasn’t moving; she was frozen in place, hesitating.

She stared at me with an unreadable expression.

“My leg… it’s cramped.”

…I was momentarily speechless.

This was the same woman who moved with the grace of a predator when she was slaughtering soldiers earlier.

The excuse was as flimsy as a dog pretending to eat grass.

“You have to regulate your power when you jump. It’s vital. If you slip up, the draft will catch you, so stay sharp.”

The distance between the blocks wasn’t the issue; it was the wind.

The gusts were so fierce that a minor error in balance would send you spiraling.

Even for someone as coordinated and high-level as Isabella, falling meant certain death.

“Undetectable walkways in the sanctuary…”

“Just jump. We’re losing time.”

“Do you honestly believe we’ll find the ‘Star Blessing’ this way?”

Just look at her.

“Are you frightened?”

“Ha, don’t be ridiculous.”

She attempted a dismissive scoff, but I caught it—her damp eyes were vibrating with terror in the oppressive dark.

Was she always like this?

To climb to the position of second-in-command within Paysalmer, she had to have been a stranger to fear. That was the only way to earn the Queen’s favor and the respect of the patriarchs required to be titled a princess.

An iron-willed woman. That was the reputation of the Snake Princess Isabella.

I let out a soft laugh, poking fun at her.

“You’re more of a coward than I anticipated.”

“…I am unfamiliar with the concept of fear. My leg truly did seize up.”

She made a show of rubbing her calf before finally making the leap.

Upon landing on the initial block, Isabella beamed at me with a look of forced triumph.

*See? No fear.* That was the energy she tried to project.

But she didn’t dare glance down once.

Is it possible she has a phobia of heights?

“Nicely done.”

“How many more steps?”

“Hmm.”

I did a quick mental tally of the glowing blocks ahead and gave her the answer.

“Roughly 70 more and we’ll be across.”

“70…”

“Maybe 80?”

“…”

“Could even be 90.”

Isabella’s brow began to twitch in irritation.

—

‘How can he be so indifferent to the danger?’

The Star Awakener, Randolph. He was an enigmatic and startling individual.

The sanctuary was thick with toxins and chaotic energy that eroded the very essence of life. Only those blessed by the divine or possessing bodies of immense resilience could even step foot inside.

Yet Randolph strolled through the area without a single piece of protective gear or a holy buff. Even Isabella was finding it difficult to draw breath.

He was even spotting trails that had been buried for millennia, dodging traps triggered from every angle as if he had memorized the layout, maintaining total calm.

‘How could he know of routes that I didn’t…’

She was the second-ranked power in Paysalmer, yet he was navigating paths unknown even to her—and likely unknown to the sanctuary’s own high priests—without a moment’s doubt.

Most of these paths were completely transparent. Every one of them was a high-stakes gamble where a single blunder resulted in a fatal drop.

She was forced to trail behind Randolph, clinging to her memory and instincts—a task that required her absolute focus.

Still, it felt bizarre.

This dynamic of following someone else’s lead.

Had she ever pursued someone’s back with such desperation before?

‘Never.’

Not once.

She had always been the one at the front. A dominant force stationed where no one could overtake her, charging ahead without a backward glance.

It was all for the sake of breaking the curse.

She had sprinted toward her goals with reckless abandon, fueled by the Queen’s oath: claim the princess’s throne, and the curse would be lifted.

But the Queen had lied.

“Take a breath. On the count of three, jump. I’ve got you.”

They had navigated down the cliffside via the hidden path, and now the route required them to climb.

They had to ascend a series of translucent steps to reach the vaulted ceiling.

When her momentum faltered, Randolph spoke up.

Isabella shook her head firmly.

“You go ahead. I’ll catch up at my own pace.”

“That’s not an option.”

“…”

Isabella went silent, pressing her lips together.

That tone, that look in his eyes.

It felt alien to her.

It was as if he had known her for an eternity, his gaze touched with a sense of familiarity.

“Why…”

The question of why he looked at her that way almost escaped her, but she stifled it.

Instead, she asked something different.

“Have we encountered each other before?”

“Not in the same physical realm.”

“…What is that supposed to mean?”

“I witnessed you, but I remained invisible to you.”

If anyone else had spoken such riddles, she would have lost her temper out of sheer annoyance. But this was the Star Awakener.

“So, the stars revealed me to you?”

“Something along those lines. Now, move. We have to reach the destination before daybreak.”

Once the sun rose, the news of the fallen warriors would reach the masses. Isabella’s absence would immediately cast a shadow of doubt on her, and the Queen’s elite hunt-squads would be mobilized.

If the sanctuary was put under lockdown, there would be no way out.

“One, two…”

At Randolph’s final count, Isabella threw herself into his arms without thinking.

They were squeezed together on the narrow tile, their breathing heavy and close in the tight space.

“Just get on my back. It’ll be much quicker.”

He was correct. If she had set aside her pride earlier, they would have already reached the top. There was no room left for ego.

The complication was that Isabella had never once been carried by a man in her entire life.

In the desert cultures, a woman riding on a man’s back was a symbol of deep intimacy.

She would have preferred death over letting a stranger carry her.

“…”

Biting her lip in resignation, Isabella hoisted herself onto Randolph’s back.

She tucked her head down, hiding her face.

As they reached the ceiling, the world suddenly inverted.

‘Domain Barrier!’

An area-wide enchantment was in effect, revealing a hidden zone only to those who followed the precise entry sequence.

She had no idea the sanctuary held such a massive secret.

A field of vibrant flowers appeared, leading toward a hill.

*Rumble! Roooar!*

Unexpectedly, the landmass she had mistaken for a hill began to shift and stand upright.

‘Golems.’

Three massive constructs. Based on the complexity of the runes glowing on their chests, they were at least high-grade entities.

Now, it was her time to act.

*Shing.*

Sliding off his back, Isabella unsheathed daggers in both hands.

—

I gave a satisfied nod as I watched her dismantle the constructs.

‘It’s like having an auto-battle feature.’

The moment threats surfaced, she engaged them without needing a single command. Golems that would have been a nightmare for my current stats were sliced like butter by her blades.

In the blink of an eye, she shattered their internal cores and returned her weapons to their sheaths.

In that very moment:

《You are eligible to acquire the ‘Golem Crafter’ class.》

《Would you like to accept?》

Just as I suspected.

This was a hidden dungeon within the sanctuary. This area was specifically designed for class acquisition.

Normally, a player with an existing class might receive a skill like “Golem Destruction.” But since I was classless, it offered the “Golem Crafter” path instead.

Whether the developers intended for this to happen is anyone’s guess.

Surviving the sanctuary’s miasma solo required a minimum level of 7.

Typically, no one reaches level 7 without picking a class, and even if a mutation-user like me did, finding the path and defeating the golems was a tall order.

‘I refuse.’

《Acquisition of the ‘Golem Crafter’ class has been declined.》

Golem Crafter was a high-tier class. Summoners or those who fought with mechanical allies were rare and valuable in Pangeniar.

But it didn’t fit my long-term goals.

It wouldn’t allow me to dominate the high-level rankings.

‘It’s crediting her kills to me, interesting.’

There was one strange detail.

Pangeniar allows for party play, but rewards are usually distributed based on “contribution.”

To unlock skills or classes, you need to have done the heavy lifting.

I had planned to step in for a final blow to get at least a tiny bit of credit. I figured I’d have to repeat this a hundred times to trigger a reward once.

Yet it triggered on the very first try with zero effort on my part.

‘Did we somehow trigger a formal party status?’

Nothing had changed when she killed the perimeter guards or the minor sanctuary pests. But now, this.

I wasn’t sure why the system was behaving this way, but I wasn’t going to complain.

《You are eligible to acquire the ‘Demon Hunter’ class.》

《You are eligible to acquire the ‘Rune Warrior’ class.》

《You are eligible to acquire the ‘Spear Master of Hunger’ class.》

…

The system’s voice and notifications flooded in with every kill she made.

‘Decline all of them.’

They were all top-tier, but they weren’t what I was hunting for.

After a long trek, we stood before a monumental mountain.

《You have reached ‘The Mountain Where the Nameless Star is Buried.’》

《Warning. You are significantly below the recommended level. Recommended level is 10.》

《The lord of the mountain, the ‘Old King,’ is enraged by your intrusion.》

—

The ruler of this massive peak. One would need to be at least level 10 to even think about slaying that monster.

However, my past self never actually killed the Old King.

There was no point.

He had sensed the overwhelming power I held back then and chose not to strike. In those days, having consumed three stars, I was a being far beyond the Old King’s reach.

‘But now that I’m weak, he thinks I’m an easy meal.’

…He wasn’t much of a helpful guide after all.

I had once viewed him as a benevolent entity guarding the path to the Star.

In reality, he just preys on the vulnerable and bows to the mighty.

“You have the audacity to step into the Old King’s domain and expect to walk away?”

A booming voice resonated across the entire mountain range.

A massive form began to shimmer like a mountain of gems.

An obsidian serpent of gargantuan proportions!

“Ah.”

Confronted by the titan, Isabella’s entire frame went rigid.

Level 10 was the threshold of transcendence. She was at level 8, but that gap of two levels represented an impassable wall.

Furthermore, the serpent’s presence was so overwhelming it felt more like a dragon than a snake.

*Tremble!*

Isabella was shaking. She understood that paralysis meant death, but her muscles refused to obey. She was a rabbit staring into the eyes of a wolf.

*Tsk.*

Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I walked past her. Isabella’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. No normal human should have been able to move freely within the Old King’s aura of absolute dominance.

Yet I was walking as if I were in a park.

“Step aside. You don’t have the right to protect this place.”

「The senseless chatter of a mortal. If I do not hold the right, then who does?」

The Old King flicked his forked tongue.

He began to coil closer, as if preparing to swallow me in a single gulp.

“Wilhelm.”

Before the beast could strike, it froze mid-motion.

「…How are you aware of that name?」

How indeed.

“The true sovereign of this peak isn’t you—it belongs to Wilhelm, does it not?”

Because I am Wilhelm.

The character might be dead and the data deleted, but the master of this mountain was me, not this snake.

He had surrendered it to me once before, making me the true guardian of the Star.

Therefore, the only trespasser here was him.

「I do not care how you learned that name, but he is gone! The star has fallen, and this mountain belongs to me!」

Snapping out of his shock, the Old King unhinged his jaws.

At the exact moment he lunged:

“Your master has come home, Old King—Dramat.”

*Kwarrrung!*

The serpent’s head was violently slammed aside, his massive body dragging across the dirt.