Chapter 84

Chapter 84
## Chapter 84: Sovereign of the Maze

Every player in the world had received that notification at the exact same moment, causing the online forums to descend into a state of total chaos.

-Labyrinth City ruler? LOL.

-Ruin City vs. Labyrinth City, which one is actually better?

-Labyrinth City is confirmed Salvation Empire land.

-Wait, seriously?

-Yeah, Salvation Empire artifacts were discovered in the sub-levels of the maze.

-Holy crap… Salvation Empire loot is worth a literal fortune.

-People kept saying there was nothing worth looting there, but were they secretly hoarding the good stuff?

-Obviously. Those in the know were keeping quiet while they stripped the place bare.

-Looks like they all just got kicked out by force, though.

-So, back to the question: Ruin City or Labyrinth City?

The urban centers rising from the dark depths each possessed their own specific benefits. Since these were civilizations that had been submerged for ages, the treasures they held and the environments they offered for player progression were vastly different. Among the territories currently held by players, the one governed by Master was overflowing with massive ruins, earning it a reputation as a literal gold mine.

-Why is this even a debate? Salvation Empire land is vastly superior.

-The Archon Empire is only top-tier because they swallowed up all the old Salvation Empire territories.

The revelation of Labyrinth City made it clear that the global hierarchy was about to be shaken. Currently, the Archon Empire held a near-total monopoly on Salvation Empire lands. That nation sat at the very top of the continental power structure precisely because it had claimed the full inheritance of the Salvation Empire’s ancient glory.

-But isn’t this risky? The Empire isn’t going to just watch from the sidelines.

-We have to wait for the protection window to close… every major guild is going to be salivating over this.

-Just disable the warp gates.

-If you keep them shut after the protection ends, the city drops back into the abyss.

-True. The warps act as anchors to keep it floating. No connection to the sky means it falls; that’s just how the physics work.

-You need at least three linked cities to keep it stable.

-Who would actually dare to mess with Phantom God, though?!

-Besides, invading a labyrinth is a nightmare.

-You saw how he cleared that maze and you still want to pick a fight? You don’t have a human brain; you have the memory of a goldfish.

If Labyrinth City truly belonged to the Salvation Empire lineage, countless factions would stop at nothing to claim it. The world watched with bated breath to see how Randolph would manage the situation.

-Man, this is so satisfying to watch.

-Seriously, it’s like a blockbuster movie played out in real-time.

-I’m dying to see Gracia’s expression right now lololol.

-100% chance she looks like she just bit into a lemon.

-She’s probably staring at her screen wondering what the hell just happened.

-She probably didn’t even believe it when she saw Randolph’s name.

-When the “mincho” notification popped up: “You finished what I couldn’t?” Guaranteed tilt.

-But “mincho” was trying 24/7, so she must have been sweating it lolol.

-I’d be too mortified to show my face in public for a month.

-Gracia might hide, but Master is thick-skinned enough to act like nothing happened.

-Is it possible Randolph is already more powerful than Gracia?

-Randolph is untouchable. Phantom is a literal deity!

-Phantom God is all-seeing and all-powerful!

-Phantom God!

-Phantom God!

-Phantom God!

《Various constellations within the Pantheon are in a state of agitation.》

《The completion score for the maze, the points for finishing the False Myths, and particularly the survival time bonus—the grand total has massively surpassed the constellations’ projections.》

Riley’s essence had been pulled toward the shimmering, brilliant throne of radiance. The Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule had been active for more than 1,400 hours solely to facilitate this summoning of his soul. The entities of the Pantheon seemed caught off guard; they clearly hadn’t anticipated such a massive expenditure of resources.

‘Survival bonuses. It seems the rewards scale based on the duration spent within the labyrinth.’

It appeared that the metrics for conquering the maze and the metrics for time survived were calculated independently. By clearing the abyssal labyrinth as a solo player while maintaining an incredibly long survival streak, he had pushed the quality of the rewards far beyond the standard tiers.

‘To elevate the grade of the reward pool, the constellations have to pay a price.’

This confirmed that these divine beings couldn’t just hand out top-tier loot for free. They likely had to sacrifice a portion of their own power or essence. No sacrifice, no upgrade—which explained why they only acted generous when someone broke through established limits. The higher the quality of the prize, the more it cost them, leading to their obvious reluctance.

‘When the Mystery was finalized, they claimed the Tower had no rewards left and offered their own personal items instead.’

Those were constellation artifacts. A strand of hair from an anonymous deity had provided the Ginguar, which had successfully neutralized Ahram just before the initial strike. So, why couldn’t they just hand over more divine treasures?

Rubbing his jaw, he thought back to that specific event.

‘…Now that I think about it, they didn’t actually upgrade the loot table back then—they swapped it out entirely.’

Since the Tower of Mystery was empty, they simply granted main quest progression and provided substitute items. However, the conquest of the abyssal labyrinth was different. They had promised an upgrade, but the final scores left them stunned. It was as if they never imagined anyone would spend 1,400 hours in there. It was a finished transaction; the cost had already been incurred.

《The reward pool is undergoing a 101-tier upgrade.》

《The essence of seventeen constellations begins to dim.》

《Seventeen fresh constellations take their place.》

Truly, once the choice was made, there was no going back. This was an unprecedented development. Improving the reward list required a sacrifice of the constellations’ very presence. By forcing the upgrade, seventeen entities had lost their status, allowing newcomers to seize their positions. Were there candidates waiting in the wings? Was the Pantheon like a leaderboard where only the top 100 could hold a seat?

‘I just hope none of the ones I actually like were replaced.’

He thought of the Constellations of Luck or Exploration. He genuinely wished those helpful regulars weren’t among the seventeen who had vanished. But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. The interface updated immediately, and his attention snapped to the prizes that were finally being unveiled.

《You have obtained the ‘Perfect Golden Rule (1)’.》

《‘Lucky Die’ is currently in your possession.》

《Total reward tier has been boosted by 101 levels.》

《Select two prizes from the following eight options.》

《Incarnation Diagram of Extreme Annihilation》, 《Ouroboros’ Stigma》, 《Baal Helmet》, 《Pureblood Blueprint》, 《Incarnation Zigret’s Armor》, 《Dorian’s Presence》, 《Lava Giant’s Soul》, 《Ram’s Eye》

A low whistle escaped his lips. Every single item on the list was at least of the Mythic variety. Even among Mythic items, these felt a step above something like Shatros’ Terror.

‘The Perfect Golden Rule.’

This wasn’t just another shard; it was the complete, functional Golden Rule itself, appearing for the first time. He scanned the descriptions with calculated focus.

‘The Pureblood Blueprint. That’s a Unique-tier item.’

The first thing that grabbed him was a blueprint of a grade he’d never encountered. It would surely require rare materials and specific prerequisites. His curiosity was piqued. Yet, the other options were just as legendary.

‘…Ouroboros’ Stigma. Does this track astral coordinates?’

Ouroboros was one of the stars that had yet to manifest. Much like Isabella’s Jormungandr mystery, it belonged to the great serpent lineage. Even without that connection, anything bearing the name Ouroboros carried a heavy weight.

‘And a component of the Mythic Baal set.’

The Baal Helmet. It was one of three pieces of gear named after Baal. Legends claimed that completing the set would unlock power equivalent to a Unique-grade item. No one had ever actually managed to collect them all; it was mostly just myth. Still, it was a tempting prospect.

Then there was the Lava Giant’s Soul. A soul from the giant race—another rarity. Incarnation Zigret was a figure from the legends of the six heroes, and his armor was a staple of epic poetry. Dorian’s Presence and the Ram’s Eye were equally formidable.

‘This is unbelievable.’

There wasn’t a single bad option. These were items that even he, with all his experience, found unfamiliar. He had to pick only two. After an agonizing internal debate, he made his choices.

《Selections confirmed.》

《A massive amount of experience is granted for your latest achievement.》

《Level Up!》

At last.

‘…It finally happened!’

He shut his eyes and squeezed his fists tight. His level had remained stubborn even against the Dragon of Ruin or the legendary Sword Saint Riley. It hadn’t budged after clearing the maze, either. But now, it had finally ticked over—he was level 7. A wave of pure relief washed over him. Reaching level 7 opened doors that had previously been barred.

《Level 7 reached. You are now eligible for the ‘Mount of the Trainee’.》

《‘Main Quest 7: Reach proficiency level 15 at the Mount of the Trainee’ has commenced.》

The seventh main quest triggered automatically. He had been worried that his stagnant level might stall his progress indefinitely, but the path was clear once more. However, there were immediate concerns to handle first. He stepped through the portal of the Golden Rule, returning to the maze where his team was waiting.

Greed, Isaac, and Isabella were there, standing over the still-insensible Saintess Se-ah.

‘Saintess Se-ah.’

He looked down at her. It was time to bring her back to consciousness. She was the legacy left behind by the incarnation of the abyss. Based on the Star Memories he had seen, her physical form was almost an exact match. There were minor discrepancies, but not enough to doubt her identity. She had hair as white as fresh snow, long eyelashes, and skin that looked perfectly translucent. But it made no sense.

‘Her body was supposed to be completely decayed by the demonic curse.’

During the Great Expedition, Saintess Se-ah had been an indispensable pillar. She had single-handedly protected him and the rest of the warriors from an onslaught of debilitating hexes. Over a hundred other clerics and holy knights had fallen, yet she had endured. But by absorbing so many curses on her own, her physical form had rotted away. Her skin had blistered, and her internal organs had failed—she had ceased to look human.

-J-Just keep moving. Don’t stop. I will give my very life to bless your path!

Even at the end, she had maintained her grace and inner beauty. Her voice remained etched in his mind as if she had spoken only yesterday. Her death had been a certainty. There was no way she could have survived. And yet… here she was. He should have been overjoyed, but his happiness was tainted by a grim realization. There was only one way she could still be breathing.

‘The Demon King brought her back……’

The hand of the Demon King was undeniable. But to what end? Why would he go through the trouble of cleansing the lethal toxins from her body and reconstructing her skin and organs just to use her as a puppet?

【Lv. 12】

Level 12. An absurd, impossible number. Humans who wanted to surpass level 10 had to harvest stars to achieve transcendence. But the saintess wasn’t a typical human. She was a mortal vessel, yes, but one capable of hosting a goddess. That allowed her to break the level 10 barrier, even if she couldn’t use stars to transcend. There were rare cases of humans who were categorized as non-human entities.

‘I don’t detect any lingering curse energy.’

He checked her meticulously, but found no traces of corruption. When he touched her arm, the sensation was undeniably human. He gently pulled back her eyelids to inspect her eyes.

‘……Deep red.’

Something was definitely different. Her eyes were now a dark crimson, and that brilliant golden light was nowhere to be found. Were these eyes not her own? He dismissed the thought.

‘No, these are her eyes. The color turned red because of the demonic hexes she endured.’

The buildup of curses had stained her pupils, and the constant strain of using her blessings had stripped the gold from her gaze. Even the Demon King couldn’t undo that specific change. However…

‘Something is etched inside the pupil.’

He spotted a microscopic curse mark hidden just beneath the surface of the eye. It was so tiny and seemingly harmless that most would never notice it. But he knew better.

‘A Mystery disguised as a curse.’

It made sense. The Demon King, the most cunning being in existence, wouldn’t just release the saintess without a contingency plan.

‘A Mystery designed to trigger mindless aggression toward humanity.’

That was its only purpose. Because it was so focused, it remained undetectable on the surface. It was a stroke of luck. If the holy knights of the Goddess Church had found her first, there would have been a bloodbath inside the labyrinth. Those paladins were fanatical warriors whose power dwarfed that of standard knights. There was nothing more dangerous than their blind zeal. The fact that Isaac and Isabella had secured her before the church arrived was a stroke of divine intervention.

[‘Eternal Randolph’ is now active.]

[The ‘Mystery: Hostility’ etched into the target’s eyes has been dismantled.]

Dealing with Mysteries was straightforward for him. Eternal Randolph possessed the specific power to nullify any single Mystery. The difficult part was simply finding them.

“How did you manage to secure Saintess Se-ah?” he asked.

Isaac responded quickly. “Sh-She was already out cold when we found her. There were signs of a massive struggle all around her.”

A fight. Even with her high level, the saintess wasn’t built for direct combat. Her defensive blessings and healing factors were legendary, but she wasn’t a fighter. Whoever had neutralized her had done them a huge favor. Even without her being a combat specialist, Isaac and Isabella wouldn’t have been able to take her down on their own.

‘Whoever you are, thanks for just knocking her out.’

He felt a silent debt to the mystery attacker. If the saintess had been conscious, the situation would have spiraled out of control. Then, Isaac stared at his head, his voice trembling with shock.

“B-But sir. Your new look—no, what exactly is that thing you’re wearing on your head……?”

Oh. This? He gave a casual shrug as he prepared to explain.