Chapter 81

Chapter 81
## Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Completion of the Failed Myth

‘…Should it not at least provide a reason for the failed summoning?’

Whether it was the total absence of a soul, the limitations of the Radiant Light, or an insufficient quantity of Fragments of the Broken Golden Rule—some specific explanation was surely warranted.

The notification was the pinnacle of unhelpfulness, leaving behind nothing but a hollow sense of futility.

Kuaaaah!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Chaos reigned outside. The Earth Dragon was far from conceding.

Waiting for its stamina to deplete wasn’t a terrible plan in theory.

‘Yet it remains overflowing with vitality.’

For a creature that had been locked in combat for more than twenty-four hours, its energy was remarkably high.

If the situation remained stagnant, the rate of erosion would only continue to climb.

Resting his jaw against the Throne of Radiant Light, he let his eyelids fall shut.

The thunderous cries vibrating around him began to take on the quality of a rhythmic melody.

Names flickered through his consciousness, pulsing in time with that internal beat.

Among those choices.

The one individual guaranteed to bring down the Earth Dragon.

‘That specific one should be capable.’

The player discussion boards were more frantic than they had ever been.

* …Is that name I’m seeing actually real?
* Has anyone spotted Randolph inside the labyrinth?
* How would you even identify him without knowing his face?
* Where did he even come from?
* He’s just borrowing a famous name, right?

It appeared that contenders were allowed to select any moniker they desired when taking on the challenge of Sword Saint Riley.

Only Gracia was referred to as the Sword Saint, while conversely, the player MintChocoDelicious had simply utilized their own handle.

Therefore, ‘Randolph’ was merely whatever identity the challenger chose to adopt.

This realization ignited a massive debate over whether it was truly the legendary Randolph.

* Based on his reputation, this doesn’t feel like something Randolph would do.
* I don’t know, he climbed with those insane scores, but skipping the Abyss Labyrinth initially was always suspicious.
* Think about it rationally. Did anyone see Randolph during Main Quest 6? Has anyone even heard that name mentioned properly?
* I agree. He probably leveled up in some quiet corner. In some strange way we haven’t figured out. He even stopped the first invasion by himself.
* Exactly. So why would he suddenly join the ‘Abyss Labyrinth’ that everyone else is flocking to? It doesn’t fit his established pattern.
* If he truly stopped the first invasion alone, isn’t he already at Wilhelm’s level? Of course he’d take on the Abyss Labyrinth then.
* Man, this is annoying. That logic doesn’t hold up. To hit Wilhelm’s level, you need a five-star rating and eight unique-grade items. We’d notice if someone had that gear.
* Five stars are one thing, but Wilhelm’s stars weren’t standard, right?
* …That’s just hearsay anyway. Regardless, Wilhelm gave a glimpse of his stats during the major expedition, and by those standards, Randolph is nowhere near. He doesn’t seem like the type for reckless gambles.
* But those stats are impossible anyway. How does a human get 5-stars and 8 uniques?
* …That’s beside the point. Either way, the Randolph in there right now is an impostor. Don’t get your hopes up; just get ready for what’s next.

The reasoning was sound.

The name Randolph was likely a distraction intended to cause uncertainty.

A fake name picked to mask a true identity, and Randolph just happened to be the choice.

No matter who it was, success seemed like a pipe dream.

It was better to brace for the ‘second invasion’ than to waste time hoping for a miracle.

That was when a new update arrived.

* Just finished the trip. Met the Death King and made it back.
* You’re insane. You actually survived?
* This guy is a fake too.
* It was a real encounter. He was actually more civil than I thought? I gave him a labyrinth ticket as an offering, so he gave me some praise and only severed one of my arms.
* How are you even typing?
* That guy is an undead monster just wearing a human face, I saw it clearly.
* Did you fix the arm?
* Used an Elixir. It’s barely attached, I thought I was a goner.
* You’re pretty tough yourself.
* But is that Randolph the one I’m thinking of? The Death King actually seemed to recognize the name.
* The Death King knows who Randolph is?
* What does that imply?
* I smell total lies!

The assertion that someone had met the Death King sent the community into a frenzy.

How could the Death King possibly be familiar with Randolph?

Were those massive Main Quest totals somehow linked to the Death King?

It defied logic.

The Death King of Cramdel was notorious for his hatred of humanity.

No person had ever encountered him and walked away with their life.

Thus, the claim of surviving an audience with him was hard to swallow—especially the part about losing an arm being considered “praise.”

* He seemed genuinely excited when Randolph’s name appeared. Yeah. That’s probably the only reason he let me crawl away…
* Are the Death King and Randolph allies?
* I don’t have the specifics. He just started laughing the moment the challenger’s name showed up. Then he took my arm.
* He still cut the arm off though…
* What a monster…
* He must have been in an incredible mood to stop at just one limb.
* What kind of history do they have?
* So Randolph has been hiding in Cramdel this whole time?
* That explains why nobody saw him.
* How does a human even get into Cramdel lol that makes zero sense.

Cramdel was a fortress where no human was permitted to walk.

The idea of Randolph entering and befriending the Death King was preposterous.

At least, it was within the realm of what they considered possible.

But if it were Randolph—that elusive Phantom—perhaps the impossible was true.

* Wait?
* What’s happening?
* Are you all seeing the screen right now?

The entire forum was once again submerged in a sea of confusion.

A sudden broadcast had just been triggered.

* Is someone actually trying to finish a myth inside the labyrinth?
* What does ‘myth completion’ even mean?
* …?? What on earth is going on?
* What is happening right now?

《You have called upon the spirit of ‘Sword Saint Riley’.》

《A person of honor worthy of the ‘Throne of Radiant Light’.》

《Consumption of ‘Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule’ has increased by 500 times.》

《Hidden Quest: ‘Completion of the Failed Myth’ is now active.》

The soul he had summoned to the seat was none other than the legendary Riley.

The notification that his spirit, which had been lost in the depths, had returned to the threshold of the Golden Rule was what prompted the summon.

Recalling that prompt, he called Riley forth.

「Earth Dragon……」

A resonant voice spoke.

It felt as though Sword Saint Riley was communicating directly with his mind.

Simultaneously, a flood of memories surged through him.

He was a dragon.

A creature of such immense power it was titled the Earth Dragon.

But he was also a man.

A hybrid of human and draconic origins.

A man carrying the legacy of dragon blood in his veins.

「My other half, my eternal burden.」

Yet that draconic heritage had been Riley’s greatest source of suffering.

It provided him with unparalleled strength and skill, granting him the status of Sword Saint, but every time that power fully manifested, it left nothing but destruction in its wake.

To Riley, his blood was a curse.

He had attempted to purge it from his being, but he had ultimately failed.

If his six companions hadn’t joined forces to restrain him every time he turned, he would have surrendered to the dragon within forever, destroying the world.

That monstrous form was the physical manifestation of his failure.

‘A legend warped by the other six champions. Riley desires to bring that myth to a proper conclusion.’

Hence, the ‘Completion of the Failed Myth’.

「To have that curse standing before you means you are on the precipice of falling into the abyss yourself.」

Riley had surrendered to the depths.

Then he had locked himself away.

He chose to exist as the ‘Earth Dragon’ to serve as the ultimate guardian of the seal.

His resolve was so potent that he could never truly become ‘the abyss itself’.

“Rest easy. The city will not fall to erosion.”

Kyakyak!

Hell was perched upon his shoulder.

Though it had quivered when the Earth Dragon first appeared, it had now fully composed itself.

With Hell present, the spread of erosion was halted.

If Hell ‘denied’ it, the erosion caused by the warp simply could not take hold.

「I see…… A creation born of the ‘Heavenly One’ and ‘the abyss itself’ working in tandem. And the ‘Throne of Light’…… Who might you be? Your face is unfamiliar to me.」

The tone suggested he possessed some hidden knowledge.

Was it a result of being immersed in the abyss for so long?

There were many inquiries to be made, but.

“We don’t have time for talk.”

Time was a luxury they lacked.

The Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule was evaporating.

And it was doing so at 500 times the normal rate.

With a reserve of over 1,500 hours, he could sustain this for perhaps three hours, but every passing second was precious.

「Relinquish your physical form to me. I will settle this curse with my own hands.」

“I will handle it.”

「Do not be arrogant. You don’t even possess a swordsman’s class, do you? Even if you did, you could never hope to replicate the power of my ‘Dragon Swordsman’ status.」

Only the original owner could exercise the full extent of those talents.

He understood that much.

No one could utilize his gifts better than he could.

However, this was also a vital chance for himself.

‘Dragon Swordsman. A profession that has never been recorded.’

To his knowledge, it was a class that had never once surfaced in the world.

A legendary title that only a true hybrid like Riley could ever hold.

But he was already categorized under the ‘Star Successor’ class.

A single individual was typically restricted to one class.

Even with later advancements, the foundational identity remained singular.

Except for him.

“Leave this to me, Sword Saint Riley.”

「The control remains yours. But consider your choice carefully…… Hm?」

Sss.

Suddenly, hard scales began to manifest on his hand.

They were identical to the scales of the Earth Dragon.

Soon, blood gathered at the surface of his skin, coalescing into the shape of a crimson blade.

[Through the hidden trait ‘All Master’, you are temporarily assuming the ‘Dragon Swordsman’ class.]

[Achieve the approval of ‘Sword Saint Riley’ to permanently inherit the ‘Dragon Swordsman’ class.]

[Activating skill ‘Dragon Sword (Lv.10)’.]

[Under the ‘Dragon Swordsman’ class, the cap for sword proficiency is increased to Lv.26.]

[Through the ‘Soul of Sword Saint Riley’, proficiency is boosted to the absolute maximum.]

[Physical parameters are being temporarily recalibrated.]

[Through ‘Sword Saint’s Intimidation’, parameters are further boosted.]

……

…

The stream of notifications was relentless.

Once the synchronization was finished, he made a test swing with the glowing red Dragon Sword.

A lingering trail of sword aura blossomed in the air.

This was the unique energy unleashed only after surpassing sword proficiency Lv.20.

But it wasn’t a state achieved through levels alone.

A specific mental technique was required to call forth sword aura.

It was a sign of someone who had become one with their blade—not something that could be faked through mere mimicry.

It was the hallmark of a master who had reached that height through sheer willpower!

「……Truly incredible.」

Sword Saint Riley was left speechless by the sight.

He watched the blade move.

What exactly is sword aura?

It is a state of being achieved only after countless years of punishing, relentless training.

Most warriors lived and died without ever seeing a spark of it.

Even after decades of practice, without a moment of true spiritual clarity, it remained unreachable.

And yet, here it was, being wielded as easily as a child’s plaything.

‘He isn’t even a true disciple of the sword. And yet……’

He held no swordsman class.

His actual sword proficiency was shallow and underdeveloped.

He shouldn’t have been able to use the skills properly, much less manifest the aura.

‘It is said that more than just swordsmen can call upon the aura.’

There were stories of those who achieved it through the spear or the bow.

Grandmasters who had reached the absolute zenith of their respective crafts.

‘But it isn’t even that.’

The issue was that the man before him had achieved mastery in nothing at all.

Sword Saint Riley.

He had the instinctual ability to measure the depth of an opponent’s soul.

He could see their proficiency levels clearly.

True warriors possessed high proficiency backed by spiritual depth; those with only high physical levels were nothing more than empty shells.

And to Riley, this man appeared.

‘……Lacking.’

Pathetic, even.

His sword proficiency hadn’t even cracked Lv.10.

He had never truly studied the art of the blade.

Even if Riley’s soul pushed the proficiency to the limit, the lack of fundamental understanding and enlightenment should have made it unusable.

It was like suddenly trying to lift a sword a thousand times heavier than normal—it should have been impossible.

Unless one was already used to that weight from the beginning, they should have faltered and collapsed.

And yet…… he called forth the sword aura.

Manifesting it by pure luck was a mathematical impossibility.

‘He knows the Way of the Sword as well?’

With the Throne of Light and a heavenly entity at his side, it was clear he was no ordinary person.

But if he could call upon the aura, what was the state of his swordsmanship?

Sword Saint.

He was the man who had stood at the very peak of martial skill in the ancient world.

No one under the sun could withstand his strike.

That was why he was a founding member of the Six Heroes.

The most formidable of the group that had protected the Empire.

「If the burden becomes too great, you must relinquish control. The Earth Dragon cannot be bested by sword aura alone. You will eventually require my direct intervention.」

So, if it became overwhelming, he should put aside his pride and hand over the reins.

No one could utilize this body more effectively than the original owner.

No one knew how to slay the Earth Dragon better than him.

“Hmm……”

He tested the sword using the active skill, shifting his weight and checking his range of motion.

The adjusted stats and the techniques etched into Riley’s soul felt natural.

Even the Dragon Swordsman class felt like it belonged to him.

Strength flooded his limbs, making him feel as though he could fly.

It was a radical transformation from just a few minutes prior.

Most people would require an eternity to synchronize with such power.

“This feels right.”

《Activating prefix skill ‘Radiant Light’ from the ‘Throne of Radiant Light’.》

《The Prefix has been consumed; in 60 seconds, the ‘Throne of Radiant Light’s’ basic protection will deactivate.》

Basic protection: a passive trait.

Remaining on the Throne of Radiant Light nullified all incoming damage—a state of total immunity.

It was a loss, but a necessary step for the plan.

‘I can always restore the Radiant prefix later.’

…Though the cost of doing so was staggering.

It had already taken half the treasures taken from Greed and the sacrifice of the mythic Shatyris’ bow.

But if it secured the Dragon Swordsman class, the trade was more than fair.