Chapter 78

Chapter 78
## Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Reunion with the Se-ah Saintess

Naturally, my brow furrowed in a deep scowl.

······ That was simply impossible.

“Um.”

············ It was her, the Se-ah Saintess.

There was no room for error.

The recollections of Wilhelm, passed down through the essence of the stars.

The visage contained within those ancient memories was an exact replica of the woman currently lying before my eyes.

Furthermore, the holy pressure radiating from her form was undeniably the distinct energy signature of the Se-ah Saintess.

A completely unforeseen encounter, occurring in a location and at a moment I never could have predicted.

“How dare you threaten the Queen!”

“Prepare to die!”

In the background, Isaac and Isabella were already trading blows with the tribal barbarians.

However, I found myself paralyzed, unable to shift even a centimeter.

It had been a very long time since I had experienced a mental jolt of this magnitude.

‘How can she possibly be among the living?’

Did she truly manage to outlast that lethal malediction and the total destruction of that place?

And for what reason was she wandering these subterranean corridors all by herself?

I gave my head a firm shake.

I quickly understood that the mechanics of her survival were secondary to a much darker question.

‘Why is she allowed to be alive?’

To what end?

Who orchestrated this, and what was their motive?

Based on the records of the great expedition’s conclusion as I knew them, there was only a single entity possessing the power to rescue the Se-ah Saintess.

‘The Demon King.’

Was it possible the Demon King himself stepped in?

Had he deposited her into this maze as part of some convoluted plot?

“Ugh······.”

Almost as if responding to my thoughts, the Se-ah Saintess emitted a soft moan as she began to regain consciousness.

I moved my hand swiftly.

Thud!

I struck her, sending the Se-ah Saintess back into a deep state of unconsciousness.

I had been feeling quite inquisitive regarding the actual combat effectiveness of Greed.

His level was certainly high, but because his growth was centered almost entirely on speculative gambling talents, I suspected his direct martial prowess might be a letdown.

Contrary to my skepticism, Greed handled the Desert Queen with remarkable efficiency.

He clearly grasped the nuance of “subjugation,” ensuring he didn’t accidentally end her life.

He shredded the leather membranes acting as her wings, grabbed her firmly by the neck, and used his weight to pin her down with a knee. It was a masterclass in suppression.

‘Quite the performance.’

Even a fallen tiger is still a predator.

Greed had held the mantle of an abyss ruler once, after all. I took a moment to reconsider my previous low estimation of his skills.

I shifted my focus toward Isabella.

“Isabella. This kill belongs to you.”

I offered her the chance to decide the Desert Queen’s end.

Different from her previous state, her frame was no longer racked by tremors of terror.

* He-help me. My darling child. I have always cherished you above all.

“······ It is alright. The Queen no longer holds any power over my heart.”

Isabella declined with a shake of her head.

She had no desire to simply take credit for a victory that had already been secured by others.

Nevertheless, the Desert Queen had represented the core of Isabella’s lifelong trauma.

I had intended for her to personally cut out that rot, but it seemed she had already conquered her inner demons.

If anything, the intensity of the look Isabella directed at me only seemed to sharpen.

There was no reason to press the issue if she claimed she was fine.

I gave a casual shrug and readied the bow of Shatiros.

Twang!

Thump!

-Aaaargh!

Following a brief shriek, the status effect of terror took hold.

Simultaneously, one of her random attributes likely suffered a 10-point penalty.

Twang!

Thump!

I continued to loose arrow after arrow.

With every successful strike, another piece of her power was stripped away.

* St-stop! I beg of you, cease this! Please! Gack!

It was a gruesome spectacle.

To consciously feel your very essence draining away as you approached the end.

To lose your lifeblood, trembling in the face of a death from which there was no retreat.

After dozens of projectiles had found their mark, the Desert Queen lost the strength to even cry out.

Every single one of her statistics had been reduced to zero.

Only then, lying motionless and unable to even move her lips, did the Desert Queen finally expire.

《You have provided a primary contribution to the defeat of the ‘Desert Queen’!》

《You have earned the Achievement: ‘Challenger Who Slew a Superior Realm Enemy’.》

《Your Honor has increased by 200.》

《You have obtained the ‘Essence of the Demon Blood Clan’.》

《You have obtained ‘Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule 226h’.》

《1,000 points have been granted.》

A thousand points.

This pushed my current balance up to 2,350.

I was a bit short of my goal, but it wasn’t a cause for concern.

“It’s time to mop up the rest of these barbarians.”

There were still plenty of targets remaining to pad the numbers.

The users on Player Talk were pouring out their frustration and hopelessness on the message boards.

-Pretty much everyone has logged out by now.

-If you’re weak, you just don’t belong in this place…

-Does anyone have eyes on what Gracia is doing?

-She’s probably pulling her team together for another attempt, right?

-What’s the fallout if the labyrinth remains uncleared?

-The speed of the erosion is definitely picking up pace.

-What the hell. Seriously? It’s already at 13%?

-It climbed a full percentage point in just twenty-four hours???

As the progress in clearing the labyrinth hit a standstill, the rate at which Pangeniar was being eroded began to accelerate.

To be more exact, the tempo increased significantly once ‘Sword Saint Riley’ transitioned into his fourth phase.

The value stood at 12% only yesterday—now it had reached 13%.

At this velocity, the world would hit 20% erosion within the span of a single week.

-Is the unsealing of Riley actually linked to the erosion speed?

-Does hitting 20% kick off the second phase of the invasion?

-Phase 2 starting in a week? That’s way too fast for comfort.

-Randolph managed to halt the first phase, but can he really stop this one?

-What the hell is the Master doing? He’s just talking big every single day.

-He’s too busy running his interdimensional social media accounts lololol.

-Dammit, someone should have flagged that erosion was speeding up sooner. I wouldn’t have logged out if I knew;;

-Like you staying logged in would have changed a single thing, you moron.

More players were taking the threat of dimensional erosion seriously than one might have guessed.

Their voices were simply drowned out by the opportunists who treated the entire situation as a joke.

-Somebody needs to post about the erosion acceleration on the interdimensional community boards.

-The post got deleted immediately.

-Why would they delete information like that?

-Gracia messed up her run, so now nobody wants any other challengers to step up lololol.

-What about the other legendary heroes?

-They’ve likely all retreated from the labyrinth by now.

-The Darkstar group took one look at the Four Kings and bolted.

-They want the honor but none of the weight? What kind of crap is that?

-Why can’t everyone just group up for a massive raid? Why are you guys trying to solo this?

-That is exactly what I have been sazzzz.

-For those wondering how to reach the underground maze: Buy a ticket from the labyrinth merchant, smash through the sealed walls, and the stairs leading down will show up.

-Thanks for the tip now? Everyone has already abandoned the run.

A handful of players kept making attempts, but eventually, even they threw in the towel.

There was no point in squandering valuable shards on a mission that seemed destined for failure.

Besides, the shards that remained on the market were nothing but low-quality junk.

Revealing the secret to the underground levels at this stage was a futile gesture.

-Somebody should tell the Four Kings how to get to the lower levels.

-I’d rather take a long walk off a short roof.

-If you want to be isekai’d, go find a dump truck; don’t go looking for a death sentence from the Four Kings.

-My buddy says it’s official from Gracia’s camp: she’s going back in.

-For real? Thank god. That’s real class, unlike that fraud Master!

-Stop lying, you actually believe the rumors on this board lol.

It was at that precise moment.

-Wait? Is this for real?

-OH MY GOD!!! Mincho has appeared!!!

Without warning, a system notification flashed across everyone’s interface.

‘MintChocoDelicious’ was now initiating a challenge against the Sword Saint.

The discussion boards were instantly buried under a mountain of posts.

-There’s no way the Mincho Squad is actually legitimate.

-The real heroes always wait until the final act to show up.

-Go get ’em, Mincho-mon!

-I honestly feel like Mincho > Gracia at this point.

-No way.

-Please, just get the clear.

-If you pull this off, I’m officially joining the Mincho Squad.

-I’ve already declared for Mincho back in Vera lol.

-I even went and ordered mint chocolate pork belly to celebrate.

-Another notification!

-What’s this one about?

But the surprises weren’t finished.

A second global announcement followed immediately after!

-A Unique grade item was crafted?

-Someone just made Unique gear?

-Who was the blacksmith?

-… ‘Radiant Unique Grade Equipment’?

Sword Saint vs. Randolph

Gracia materialized and scanned her surroundings.

She wasn’t back in the labyrinth—she was on the mainland.

Standing directly in front of the spatial warp gate.

A forced logout.

‘Disgraceful.’

The prospect of having to retrace her steps from the very beginning made her face twist in annoyance.

But there was no alternative.

The power level of Sword Saint Riley was simply nonsensical.

The opening stages had been manageable.

She possessed the strength to demolish all three of the sealing orbs.

The true nightmare began with phase 4.

The moment those three binding chains were shattered.

‘He became something else entirely.’

Sword Saint Riley underwent a metamorphosis every time a chain was removed.

He grew swifter, more powerful, and more durable, drifting further and further away from the constraints of the Thousand Swords’ influence.

But the shift at the fourth phase was on a different scale.

A total paradigm shift. He was unrecognizable compared to his previous forms.

‘That specific appearance was definitely······.’

She gripped her hand into a tight fist before letting it go.

The mere act of remembering that moment caused her muscles to lock up with tension.

It was a variable that defied all her calculations.

One conclusion was undeniable.

‘There is no defeating that entity without a specific type of preparation.’

She required more groundwork.

She had been arrogant and underestimated the challenge.

She had gone in believing her success was a foregone conclusion.

To be fair, that certainty was built on an mountain of research regarding the legend of Sword Saint Riley.

More than a hundred scholars had delved into the grand archives, picking apart every myth and historical account of his life. They analyzed every single footnote.

They had simulated everything, creating a complete profile of his combat style and personal ticks. They had drafted a perfect strategy before ever stepping foot inside.

With the ‘Blue Aurora’ buff active, she felt invincible.

But an unknown factor had upended it all.

A force so overwhelming it triggered a forced logout.

‘I didn’t expect the Empire to stick their noses in, but even they must have been terrified by that fourth phase.’

The Empire’s Three Swords.

It was the first she’d heard of the title, but the Empire was famous for its layers of secrets.

They likely possessed more data on Sword Saint Riley than anyone.

And yet, even the Three Swords of the Empire had chosen to retreat upon arrival.

Why? Because that sudden escalation in power was something even they hadn’t anticipated.

《’MintChocoDelicious’ is challenging ‘Sword Saint Riley’.》

《Phase 4 is currently in progress.》

The system alerts manifested in her field of vision.

······ Seeing that specific name listed as a challenger against the Sword Saint, Gracia’s expression turned cold and rigid.

‘So you were lurking in the shadows… trying to snake the labyrinth.’

MintChocoDelicious.

A high-ranking player who stayed out of the spotlight.

A figure notorious for avoiding any public appearances.

She had assumed he would sit out the Heartless Labyrinth.

The risk of being identified was usually too high for someone like him.

Yet there he was.

Attempting to capitalize on the progress she had made by jumping straight into phase 4.

‘You honestly believe you can finish what I couldn’t?’

It was preposterous.

Utterly laughable.

Gracia was well aware of MintChocoDelicious’s reputation.

A premier necromancer who specialized in the manipulation of remains.

Specifically, the creation of ‘jiangshi.’

Affixing enchanted slips to corpses to command them—a ‘spirit charm sorcerer’ or some such nonsense.

Gracia didn’t care about the technicalities between a jiangshi and a standard undead…

The fourth phase of Sword Saint Riley wasn’t something a few cheap puppets could handle.

He would be kicked from the server soon enough, following the path of the Empire’s Three Swords.

Then, a new realization struck her.

《A new ‘Unique Grade Equipment’ has been successfully crafted!》

What was happening now?

“······ A Unique grade craft?”

A global broadcast amidst her growing migraine.

World announcements were reserved for events that shifted the balance of power or the arrival of legendary figures.

The creation of a new unique item certainly qualified.

One thing was certain:

‘A player was the one who made it.’

The artisan was a user.

If the indigenous people of Pangeniar crafted a unique, it wouldn’t trigger a system-wide alert.

But who had the skill?

Pinpointing the owners of unique items was a top priority. While uniques were bound to individuals, they represented the strategic power of an entire legion.

Furthermore.

‘A brand-new unique. This wasn’t made using the old materials dropped by Wilhelm.’

The loot recovered from Wilhelm’s death during the great expedition.

Those had been bought through the Golden Rule shop and turned into gear by players.

But those items didn’t count as “newly crafted” in the eyes of the system.