At the entrance of the alley, where a wall had collapsed, Carnage, wearing a skull mask, clicked his tongue and asked.
The man, drenched in blood and sprawled on the ground, knelt and pleaded.
"S-Save me. We're both players, right? PK in the real world is a foul, right...?"
"Foul? Who decided that?"
"T-That Gracia said so. She said we should avoid PK in the real world."
"Is Gracia's word the law?"
"Well, not exactly...!"
"Tsk."
Carnage made a gesture as if slicing his own neck.
Thud!
The man's head fell to the ground.
Carnage sighed.
'Another failure.'
He had set up numerous items in the secret auction to 'phish' for Phantom.
But the only ones caught were these small fry.
He had killed the man in the real world because this guy happened to be nearby. Thanks to the fragment of the broken Golden Rule, his location was pinpointed.
But this guy wasn't Phantom either.
If it were Phantom, a mere 5-minute transformation wouldn't have ended the summoning state.
He was also too weak.
Carnage pondered.
'Where should I go to catch Phantom?'
There were limits to catching him in the real world.
The fact that he didn't buy the Twin Talisman with hidden options suggested he might not be using the secret auction at all.
The ones caught through 'phishing' were all mediocre.
Carnage stroked his chin.
'The Tower.'
The content of Main Quest 3 came to mind.
Climbing the tower.
'Phantom, being Phantom, wouldn't climb an ordinary tower.'
He wouldn't climb a basic tower like the Tower of Foundations. To be number one, he would need to climb a higher-level tower.
For example, the 'Tower of Typhoon' he had climbed, or the 'Tower of Immortals' that Gracia had climbed.
'The problem is that he might delay by leveling up...'
Gracia had only completed Main Quest 2 and raised her level to 7 to climb the Tower of Immortals.
The reason for the brute-force leveling was to conquer the Tower of Immortals and achieve the highest score.
Even though she was incredibly strong, it was a miraculous feat that she climbed the tower to the top at just level 7, a feat that is still talked about.
Can Phantom surpass the score Gracia set?
'The towers higher than the Tower of Immortals are tough even for me now.'
Carnage is strong. He is level 10 and almost at the one-star level.
But even he finds it difficult to completely conquer the Tower of Immortals. A higher-level tower? It's questionable whether he could climb it even if he prepared for death.
Let alone Phantom, who just became a player, climbing such towers is impossible.
But from the way Phantom is moving, everything is happening 'quickly.'
He wouldn't spend months leveling up like Gracia.
'...The Tower of Transcendence. I'll go there.'
That's the only place where he can achieve the highest score regardless of level.
The Tower of Transcendence.
An arena for warriors who excel in combat and are obsessed with fighting.
However, the gap between being a gamer and a player is an insurmountable wall. No matter how good a gamer is, they don't necessarily fight well as a player.
But, even so, Phantom is different.
The legend of Pangea.
'From the score in Main Quest 1, it's clear that he fights like a madman even as a player.'
When a gamer becomes a player, they face extreme situations.
The score is distributed based on how well they survive and fight without panicking. In that, the Randolph presumed to be Phantom secured the top spot.
He didn't panic at all and not only survived tenaciously but also mercilessly killed the enemies.
'He dealt with the situation more flexibly than I did...'
Carnage suddenly recalled when he became a player.
Main Quest 1, Survival.
He woke up in the Chimera Laboratory.
As one of many test subjects. He was slightly startled but quickly adapted to the situation, assassinated the doctor and guards, and managed to escape.
Even then, he only scored 163 points.
The 220 points Randolph received are still a mystery.
Anyway, such a formidable opponent is likely to go to the Tower of Transcendence.
'I'll wait at the Tower of Transcendence.'
Carnage smiled.
Phantom is the one who kills him. He cannot tolerate anyone else killing Phantom.
*
"Captain. We've checked all the surrounding CCTV, but there's no trace at all."
A member of the Union, who had thoroughly searched the Cheongdam Steak House area, sighed deeply.
The man called Captain also shook his head.
"What a mess. Even the people inside the building at the time don't know anything."
It seems all the CCTV within a 1km radius has been checked. Even the people who were inside at the time have been met, but there are no clues about the man who killed 'Chid Mamba.'
Even if he's not Phantom or an admin, the person who subdued Chid Mamba artistically is a formidable fighter. He has the qualifications to join the Union.
But there were no clues.
It felt as if he had evaporated into thin air.
"Should we go see Jung Jin-woo again?"
"It's no use. He seems to have lost his mind."
Jung Jin-woo is still in the hospital, having gone mad from the shock of losing his arms. It would be a waste of time to visit him again.
The young member asked the Captain again.
"What about Kim Hana? She seemed to know something, didn't she?"
"Are you suggesting we raid the CK Broadcasting Station?"
"No, that's not what I meant... We could wait for her outside."
"Don't bother. It'll just cause trouble."
"Is there something behind Kim Hana?"
"Did you know Gracia is visiting Korea?"
"Yes. It's causing a stir among all the Korean players."
"He's said to be conducting a one-on-one interview with Kim Hana."
"Huh? Did he fall for her at first sight?"
"I don't know, kid. Just don't stir up trouble."
Gracia.
The undisputed strongest player.
A true hero revered by all players!
He suddenly announced his visit to Korea.
And rumors are circulating that he is secretly conducting a one-on-one interview with Kim Hana.
The world is in chaos due to invasions and incursions. At a time when even taking care of one's own country is a challenge, Gracia is coming to Korea.
Despite the US government's attempts to dissuade him.
'Something big must be happening.'
Kim Hana is a hornet's nest.
While I'm curious, if Gracia is involved, it's best to stay away.
If I were to offend him, the Union itself could be crushed.
The Captain is the fourth-ranked member of the Union. A powerful level 10, just one step away from transcending once he finds a star. Even he has no confidence in lasting three seconds against Gracia.
The Sword Star (εζ), who has transcended by consuming stars.
No one knows how many stars he has consumed.
There are even rumors that he was a match for Wilhelm, a five-star transcender.
"Who would win if Gracia and Wilhelm fought?"
"Wilhelm is dead. Such comparisons are meaningless now."
"Still, aren't you curious? After all, they're both 'Eight Heroes.'"
I'm curious too.
Wilhelm, the character Phantom spent the most time and effort cultivating.
He fed him five stars and wrapped him in unique-grade equipment, making him a legend and myth in Pangea's history.
What about Gracia?
He continues to write the legend as a player.
His limits seem boundless, as if he's using bugs or cheat codes.
No one truly knows how strong he is, as he hasn't faced an opponent who could push him to his limits.
'He's said to have consumed another star recently?'
This is also a rumor, but if true, it means he's even stronger.
How much stronger? How strong is he?
'But Wilhelm is still stronger, right?'
The Captain judged objectively.
Wilhelm is an unprecedentedly strong player.
Most importantly, the Captain has seen Wilhelm fight.
He also participated in the Great Expedition to the Demon Realm.
The overwhelming power Wilhelm displayed when cutting down demons.
If there were a god of martial arts, it would feel like that.
The thrill from that time still hasn't faded.
Additionally, it's clear from how Gracia avoided meeting Wilhelm that he was wary of him.
But Wilhelm is dead.
And Gracia is still alive and getting stronger.
'Why is Gracia mentioned as one of the Eight Heroes? He didn't participate in the Great Expedition...?'
*
As I entered the Tower of Spirits, Isabella and Hudson, who entered with me, disappeared.
From here on, it's individual.
Each person is guided to the door of the spirit that suits them.
The Tower of Spirits only answers those who are earnest. If Hudson truly desires and yearns for something, he will achieve it by climbing the tower.
The same goes for Isabella.
At the entrance of the tower, a face protruded from the giant stone door.
One of the spirits and managers of the stone door, it also serves as a measurer, opening the appropriate door for those who climb the tower.
-Amazing. You possess affinity with all attributes.
The mouth moved, reading my talents and expressing amazement. After all, having affinity with all attributes is also a talent.
The door measures the most suitable attribute affinity and opens the corresponding door.
If you have the water attribute, it opens the door of the water spirit; if you have the fire attribute, it opens the door of the fire spirit.
But if you have affinity with all attributes, it becomes difficult to open any one door.
-You even possess opposing attributes. The attribute of void... However, it's too much to be just void.
The spirit of the stone door pondered.
Originally, no being can possess opposing attributes