Chapter 8

Chapter 8
## Chapter 8: Claiming the Celestial Fragment

The Ancient Sovereign, Dramat.

He served as the lithic sentinel of the star, a gargantuan divine entity of immense proportions. Dramat’s genesis lay in his existence as a wandering spirit that expanded in physical magnitude and intellectual depth by absorbing the astral resonance of the star.

His title—his primordial true name—had been granted by the star itself.

Under normal circumstances, that name was a secret held only by the star.

Only the individual who successfully subjugates the star and claims its power can ever hope to learn that hidden designation.

Wilhelm—only I, occupying the role of the ultimate protagonist, possessed that forbidden knowledge.

“My… my hidden name—how is it you speak it? Did you receive word from Wilhelm?”

Dramat shifted his massive head and rose from his resting place, his voice heavy with shock and confusion.

“You lack wit. Have you truly discarded the specifics of your own oath?”

I countered. According to the contract, the disclosure of that true name was strictly forbidden.

It was a metaphysical impossibility for the contractor to reveal it to an outsider.

Of course, since I wasn’t currently a party to that supernatural agreement, I could speak the name as casually as I pleased.

‘Curse it. This is no deception.’

The thick scales covering Dramat’s body shuddered.

As the guardian of the peaks, he possessed the innate ability to filter veracity from falsehood.

If I had been spinning a web of lies, he would have been free to nullify the pact, succumb to his primal rage, and feast upon my flesh.

But he felt the weight of truth. There wasn’t a hint of a lie in my words.

Even my claim regarding the return of the sovereign rang true to his senses.

‘A mere mortal I have never encountered knows my secret name and the intricacies of my bond. He even invokes the name of Wilhelm.’

The contract’s silent mandate was clear: if the details were ever shared with a third party, the speaker would perish instantly and the bond would dissolve.

Furthermore, Wilhelm was a five-star transcendent. A being of such immense stature, whose every breath shaped reality, would never stoop to breaking an oath just to leak secrets to a random human.

If the contract had been violated in such a fashion, Dramat would have felt the magical backlash immediately.

‘Yet Wilhelm has perished. The stars have descended.’

Still, the death of a contractor usually results in the termination of the agreement.

Wilhelm was gone. All five of his celestial marks had vanished. This signified a total cessation of his existence, meaning all metaphysical ties associated with him were severed.

Consequently, there was no active contract between Dramat and the human standing before him. Knowing the true name was, at this point, merely a profound shock rather than a legal breach.

“Show me the path. The star itself will provide the validation you seek.”

What gave this fragile creature—someone Dramat could crush without a second thought—such incredible arrogance?

And what was that? The star would prove it?

“You, seeking to claim the star? The mere heat of its presence will turn you to ash before you even reach it.”

Dramat let out a mocking sneer.

The human was inadequate. He didn’t even come close to meeting the requirements for absorbing the star’s essence.

As the star’s sentinel, Dramat had a visceral understanding of the power level required to commune with it. This man didn’t just fail the high-level criteria; he seemed to lack even the fundamental spiritual basics.

The guardian couldn’t figure out why his divine pressure wasn’t crushing the human. He assumed the man was leaning on some sort of high-tier artifact or hidden tool to survive the atmosphere.

“Or perhaps you’ve confused the woman at your side for the actual aspirant?”

The female companion was slightly more impressive, but still far from the mark. To devour a star, one had to possess a spirit that matched or exceeded Dramat’s own power.

In his eyes, she would be vaporized long before she could make contact.

The star was infinitely benevolent to those it deemed worthy, but it was a heartless executioner to the unqualified.

“I am the one who will take the trial.”

A trial? For that weakling?

“Gwahahaha!”

Dramat’s massive frame buckled as he erupted into thunderous laughter. He simply couldn’t contain the absurdity of the situation.

It took several minutes of him roaring with mirth before he could finally pull himself back together.

It had been centuries since he had felt such genuine amusement.

‘Better for him to be incinerated by the star than for me to waste effort killing him.’

It was a perfect solution. This uncanny individual who knew his secret name and spoke of Wilhelm was unsettling, but the star would judge him appropriately.

No matter what treasures or gear he carried, they would be stripped away in the star’s presence. The celestial essence only recognized the raw, inherent nature of the soul.

“Very well. I shall lead, fledgling. Try to keep up.”

With a sudden movement, Dramat turned and began escorting us toward the heart of the sanctuary.

The star.

It served as the “cornerstone of the boundary,” a catalyst required for a being to break past the shackles of their race and reach true cognitive enlightenment.

To be more accurate… it was a remnant of a corpse.

The fragmented remains of the slain twin goddess, Lea, were what we referred to as “stars.”

There were thirty-two of these fragments scattered across the expanse of the Pangeniar continent.

They were distributed as follows:

Ten digits of the hands, two arms from wrists to shoulders, the torso, the cranium, two eyes, the nose, the jaw and mouth, two ears, the neck, the lower torso, and the ten digits of the feet.

These were the thirty-two components of Goddess Lea’s physical form.

By claiming a star and surviving its ordeal, one could finally achieve transcendence.

The specific nature of that transcendence shifted depending on which anatomical part was claimed.

And the fragment of Lea held here, within the ‘Mountain Where the Nameless Star is Buried’…

“Is… is that the object of power?”

Isabella’s voice trembled with terror. Her eyes were wide with horror as she looked at the “star” resting upon the stone pedestal.

Her reaction was logical.

She had grown up on legends of the stars, but this was her first time seeing one in the flesh.

More importantly, in all the lore regarding Star Awakeners, no one ever mentioned that the source of power was a literal piece of a cadaver.

“That… it’s a skull…?”

It was a bleached cranium, missing its lower mandible.

“Show your respect. You are looking at the face of Goddess Lea.”

“Oh…”

Isabella’s legs gave out, and she stumbled. It was partly the psychological blow, but the area surrounding a star always suffered from reality distortions and anomalies.

“Advance no further. It is too perilous.”

Dramat remained at a distance, watching with a predatory curiosity, likely waiting for the moment I would burst into flames.

I signaled for Isabella to stay back and took my first steps forward.

From this point on, my survival was a toss-up.

This secluded island in the divine realm was designed to allow a person to acquire professions and abilities in any discipline.

The mountain and its star should follow those same rules.

In my previous life, I already possessed a class, so I had simply taken the star to trigger my transcendence.

《……》

Script began to manifest in the air.

It was less like reading and more like hearing a choir of voices.

The signals were chaotic and layered with static, making clear communication difficult.

Still, I recognized the source of the transmission.

It was the fallen twin goddess, Lea. She whose essence was now nothing more than cosmic debris strewn across the world.

《The Emptiness.》

As I took another step, the voice became distinct.

With every inch I gained, the voices multiplied in number and clarity.

《Finesse, Master of All, Sovereign of Blades, Titan’s Occult Warding, Nature’s Kinship, Heart of the Iron-Blooded Monarch, Lord of Beasts, Celestial, Gilded Favor, Divergent, Ravener, High Oracle.》

The goddess was cataloging my thirteen hidden attributes.

And then, she spoke again.

《The one who stood against ‘Collapse.’》

I reached out and slowly took the goddess’s skull—the star—into my palms.

Flash!

A violent eruption of blinding radiance surged from the bone, flooding into my veins.

[You have obtained the unique class: ‘Star Successor’.]

[Your Mana pool has been transmuted into ‘Star Power.’]

[Primary Skill ‘Star Claw (Lv.1)’ and Passive Skill ‘Star Blessing (Lv.1)’ have been learned.]

[Passive Stat Bonus (All Stats +5) applied.]

[Successors gain exponential power based on the variety and quantity of stars held. These benefits remain active even after reaching transcendence.]

…

The notifications were endless.

A torrential flood of data that was impossible to digest all at once.

[‘Main Quest 2: Secure a Class’ – Completed.]

[Calculating performance…]

[Unprecedented! You have achieved a result that defies expectation.]

[Total Score: 230. Main Quest status elevated to ‘Hall of Fame.’]

[Beginner’s Fortune! The ‘Lucky Constellation’ beams with pride. Reward Tier: Upgraded.]

[The ‘Constellation of Adventure’ cheers for your insanity. Reward Tier: Upgraded.]

[Several Constellations from the ‘Citizen War’ have turned their gaze toward your path.]

The Constellations of the Citizen War?

I was stunned. I hadn’t expected them to notice me this early in the game.

Those arrogant, high-ranking entities usually wouldn’t spare a glance for a novice.

When I played as Wilhelm, they only started paying attention after I had consumed my third star.

‘Is it because of the Star Successor class?’

This was a profession I hadn’t even heard of during my time as the strongest character.

Regardless, having the eyes of the Citizen War Constellations on me was a massive boon.

They had boosted my rewards.

I narrowed my focus on the specific items being offered to me.

[Obtained ‘Shard of the Fractured Golden Mandate.’]

[The reward die has been boosted by two tiers. Select two items from the list of ten:]

[‘Armor of Michella’], [‘Great Helm of Michella’], [‘Talisman of Warding’], [‘Anvil of the Defiant’], [‘Lungs of the Deep’], [‘Banner of the Crimson Order’], [‘The Scarlet Charger’], [‘Palam’s Plate’], [‘Tear of the Faerie Monarch’], [‘Mantle of Shadows’]

After scanning the list of treasures, I couldn’t help but whisper under my breath.

“This is absolutely broken.”