This character was created half-jokingly to check if this bloated game company was actually running the game.
Despite starting as a joke, a lot of effort was put into it, but it turned out to be a "troller" in every sense of the word, wreaking all sorts of havoc across the continent.
For example, stealing from named NPCs, joining as a mercenary in a city at war and plundering the supply lines of the allied forces, or robbing the priests of the Goddess's temple.
'That was just a warm-up.'
However, with no punishment given, Braindead Hunter's actions became even bolder.
He cut off all resources heading to a city, assassinated key figures, and froze the warp to trigger a monster wave.
This was recorded as the first monster wave caused by a player, and although an entire city sank into the abyss, there was still no punishment.
'Back then, I thought the game company was just letting the game run.'
Why didn't they do any marketing for such a well-made game?
I agonized over the decreasing number of concurrent players many times.
...Now, looking back, it seems that the number of players was being summoned into the game, but I had no way of knowing that at the time.
If I had known, it would have been the scariest horror game ever.
I was witnessing people disappearing one by one in real-time.
In any case, after that, I had no choice but to go all out.
As a result, I couldn't even log in as Braindead Hunter.
...Because there was no place in the entire continent where a bounty wasn't placed on him.
'It's been about a year since I last logged in.'
But here is a character that has been neglected for a year.
Of course, for half a year, I only played Wilhelm to prepare for the grand expedition to the Demon Realm, so most of my characters had been neglected for at least half a year.
The neglected characters were moving freely.
As if they had become NPCs.
'They must have hidden here.'
Kramdel. The city of monsters.
Here, even if the whole continent searched with all their might, they wouldn't find me.
It was a wise choice.
“Meeting a half-dragon here, caw. Isn't it 150 years, caw? Isabella, right? I'm Isaac.”
“...Yes. It's been 150 years since I've met a fellow half-dragon.”
Perhaps because she had experienced all sorts of things in a short time, Isabella no longer panicked at sudden events.
She even showed a calmness that matched my rhythm.
'She's grown.'
Isabella, who was trapped in the desert, was learning about the world.
“150 years?”
Isaac was surprised.
150 years.
Humans can't live that long.
Moreover, I, the king of corpse crows, was standing right next to him. Thanks to my testimony as a monster, the credibility of my words increased.
If I had turned Isabella into a real half-dragon.
Isaac was still a fake pretending to be a half-dragon.
And this place is Kramdel.
If he were found to be human, he would die.
There's no place to run inside Kramdel's fortress.
I saw the panic flash in Isaac's eyes.
“Still, I'm curious, caw. There are cases where humans pretend to be half-dragons, caw?”
“Yes. There were humans who used the weapons of the glorious Celestial Dragons to pretend to be half-dragons.”
“What did you do to those humans, caw?”
“...I killed them all.”
Swoosh!
Isaac stood up from his seat.
He was only covering his vital parts with a small towel.
But his wings were still visible, for a simple reason.
'He used a Transparency Potion for Equipment.'
Isabella was using the same thing, so I was sure.
He was hiding the appearance of his equipment with a 'Transparency Potion for Equipment.'
Still, I could see all the equipment Isaac was wearing.
'The items are still there.'
It seemed that the treasure-level items I had equipped in the past were still intact.
After a while, hesitation appeared in Isaac's eyes.
'He's considering whether to run or not.'
But this is Kramdel.
Even if Isaac had treasure-level items of level 10, it would be impossible to escape once he entered.
He would turn to stone the moment he was spotted by the Medusa's eyes.
The Medusa's eyes scan the entire Kramdel 24/7.
There are no warps inside Kramdel, and teleportation scrolls can't be used.
Therefore, running is only possible in dreams.
Isaac must know this.
“Haha! I, a half-dragon of my caliber, was momentarily stunned to see a fellow half-dragon after so long. Isabella, right? I'm Isaac.”
Isabella just stared blankly at his hand.
“Still strange, caw. Shaking hands isn't a half-dragon's way of greeting, caw?”
“Yes. It's a human way.”
The moment Isabella answered, the surroundings became noisy.
“What, a human?”
“Was it a human in disguise?”
Especially the Snow Maidens with Isaac.
With their transparent skin and two horns on their foreheads, they are one of the monsters that most despise humans. If they found out Isaac was human, they would tear him into hundreds, thousands of pieces.
As the suspicious glances continued, Isaac's laughter began to waver.
“Haha... Sorry. Because I lost my parents when I was young, I never learned the proper way to greet a half-dragon. If you tell me now, I'll try my best to do it the same way.”
His words were smooth.
Indeed, Braindead Hunter.
The sorrow in his voice when he mentioned losing his parents was palpable.
His bitter expression and self-deprecating gestures.
It was a character I had raised, and it seemed his behavior from back then remained intact.
But if you know he's a con artist and approach him, there's no easier target.
“It's a joke, caw.”
“...”
“Let's shake hands, caw.”
“...”
Isabella took Isaac's hand.
Isaac was staring at me with a blank look.
Regardless, I slowly submerged my body in the hot spring water.
Honestly, I was curious.
Why did the evolved monsters crave the hot spring water of Kramdel?
'Hmm.'
The moment I submerged my body, I understood the reason.
...It felt incredibly stable.
It felt like I could stay in the hot spring forever.
It seemed that the evolved monsters, which had become unstable, could regain their stability just by soaking in this hot spring water.
At that moment,
Rumble! Rumble!
“Caw?”
BOOM!
Swoosh!
...The hot spring water exploded.
*
Due to the sudden explosion of the hot spring water, 'Jeongseong Hot Spring' had to close for a day.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Isaac tried to run, but it was a futile attempt.
“Braindead Isaac, caw.”
“...Do you know me?”
Outside, at the alley entrance, Isaac stopped.
He seemed surprised to hear that name here.
I shrugged.
“Don't even think about running, caw. If you try to escape with 'Lightning Speed,' I'll report you to the owner of the gate, caw.”
“...!”
The owner of the gate, Medusa.
There's no escaping her.
Moreover, if he tried to leave Kramdel, he would die.
Those chasing Isaac wouldn't let him go.
“You approached intentionally from the beginning. So, are you both humans?”
“I'm a Seer, caw.”
“A Seer? A Guide of the Stars?”
I nodded.
Isaac must have been in Kramdel for a while.
Moreover, his habits wouldn't have changed, so he must be very knowledgeable about Kramdel's situation.
“Do you know the rumors about the 33rd star, caw?”
“...I do know.”
At that moment,
Medusa was looking this way.
Was it because of the hot spring water explosion?
'She's only looking at me, it seems.'
Since neither Isaac nor Isabella reacted, it seemed only I could detect Medusa's eyes.
If I made any suspicious remarks, Medusa would engrave a curse.
Especially if it was a sensitive topic, she would look even more closely.
We needed to move to a different location.
The clueless Isaac opened his mouth.
“That star...”
“Caw! What's all this commotion, caw! Let's go to a different hot spring, caw!”
“...?”
Isaac blinked in confusion.
I immediately walked out, pulling Isaac along.
“What are you doing?”
“Half-dragons need to catch up, caw! You should come with us, caw!”
*
I needed to learn more about the star.
The blind goddess's hand was searching for me.
And the hot spring water containing the goddess's tears.
It all seemed related to the 33rd star.
“Where are we...?”
Isaac, who was dragged along, looked around.
A shabby underground warehouse.
But in Kramdel, there was no safer place than this.
“Medusa was watching the hot spring area, caw.”
“...!”
Isaac's eyes twitched.
If we had continued the conversation there, the consequences would have been terrifying.
“How did you know about Medusa's eyes?”
But no one can detect Medusa's gaze.
At least, none of the monsters he knew.
“Nothing is impossible for a Seer, caw.”
“...This is ridiculous. So, is this place safe?”
“Medusa's eyes can't see here, caw.”
“Is there a place in Kramdel where you can avoid Medusa's eyes?”
Isaac asked in genuine surprise.
Not just here, there were a few places where Medusa's eyes couldn't reach.
But there was no need to tell him about those places.
“Tell me about the star, caw.”
“Why should I?”
Isaac, who had come to his senses, was being prickly.
Still, Isaac was like Sun Wukong on Buddha's palm.
“I know where the 'Shape-Shifting Potion' is, caw.”
“...Why would I want that?”
“Don't you want to roam the continent freely, caw?”
Isabella and Isaac both had desires.
Isabella wanted to break the queen's curse and leave the desert.
Similarly, Isaac must want true freedom.
Both their lives were limited by my playstyle.
It seemed my guess was correct, as a subtle change appeared on Isaac's face.
“...It has to be the highest-grade Shape-Shifting Potion.”
The highest-grade Shape-Shifting Potion.
It not only changes the appearance but also the name engraved on the soul.
Just changing the appearance wouldn't be enough to escape trackers.
There were plenty of ways to track someone in Panginea, such as observation skills, names, appearances, or evidence.
The only way to completely avoid them was the highest-grade Shape-Shifting Potion.
Using it would be like being reborn.
But it was extremely difficult to obtain. Or rather, almost impossible.
The ingredients were insane.
‘Wish Orb, Baldr’s Scale, Giant’s Finger...’
Each one was a top-tier treasure.
It was like they were telling you not to make it.
But I knew where the only highest-grade Shape-Shifting Potion in the continent was.
“Of course, that's what I mean. Do you want to make a deal, caw?”
“What makes you think I'll trust you? You could be lying, caw?”
“Trust or not is your choice, caw.”
“...It was nice meeting you. Let's not run into each other by chance.”
Isaac turned to leave.
I slowly spoke.
“The 'Mining City' should have been destroyed, caw.”
“...!!!”
Isaac stopped.
Rough waves appeared in Isaac's eyes. He hadn't expected me to know even this.
“If left alone, more people would have been kidnapped and died in the mines, caw.”
“Where did you hear this? Don't pretend you know.”
“The corrupt priests of the Goddess's temple, the city lords who started wars to line their own pockets... They all had their reasons, caw.”
“...”
Isaac's eyes wavered.
Braindead Hunter was a vigilante in his own way.
At least at first.
He didn't refrain from evil deeds, but he acted according to his own rules.
He went off the rails later, but there was no need to mention that.
“Serve me for a year, caw. After that, I'll give you true freedom, caw.”
“Serve? Ha, I don't move without a price.”
“Then consider it an advance, caw.”
I took out an item from my inventory.
Isaac's whole body trembled when he saw the item I handed him.
“...The Cataclysm Talisman?”
“It might even give you the 'Complete Transformation' option, caw.”
The Cataclysm Talisman!
I bought it from the Golden Ratio Shop.
A talisman that randomly changes all options, with a very low chance of getting the 'Complete Transformation' option.
It was extremely difficult to obtain, but I could just buy another one from the Golden Ratio Shop.
It was urgent to bring Isaac to my side.
Handing over such a rare item without hesitation, Isaac asked with a suspicious look.
“What makes you trust me enough to give me the Cataclysm Talisman?”
“I trust everything about you, caw.”
Since he was a character I raised, it would be contradictory if I didn't trust him.
Isaac stared at my eyes.
‘What is this guy?’
Isaac couldn't understand the current situation.
It felt like he knew everything about me.
But a king of corpse crows, even if he were a Seer, couldn't possibly know all of this.
‘It’s an extremely low, almost zero probability, but...’
Isaac looked at the Cataclysm Talisman in his hand.
It was a possibility, however slim.
It was the hope he had been desperately seeking.
“...Damn. You’re a weird one. Fine, I’ll help you as long as I’m in Kramdel.”
That was enough motivation for Isaac to move.
He didn't even ask what it was about. He said he would help regardless.
Isaac, a powerful player with level 10 treasure-grade items, would speed up my schedule.
This investment was not at all a waste.
*
The rumors about the 33rd star started when the 'Star Guardians' visited Kramdel.
More than ten Star Guardians had already gathered in Kramdel, and it was known that they were investigating the hot spring water.
It seemed to be deeply related to the appearance of Dramut.
‘I need to find the mystery first.’
So, I needed to set a priority.
I had many questions, but the most urgent was the mystery.
《You have met the conditions to enter the 'Mystery Tower.'》
《You can obtain a special mystery in the 'Mystery Tower.'》
《Main Quest 5: 'Obtain a Mystery' has started.》
《This quest ends the moment you obtain your first mystery.》
《Reward: Varies based on the mystery obtained.》
《TIP: You can also purchase mysteries from the city's mystic.》
Mystery Tower.
The name of the giant tower located in Kramdel.
As the name suggests, nothing is known about it. There was no information about it among gamers.
‘Only non-human races can enter the Mystery Tower.’
It was natural, as the entry condition itself prohibited humans from entering.
Kramdel was a city untouched by humans. It was a legendary place among gamers.
There was no way to know about a tower built in such a place.
‘The strongest mysteries can only be obtained in the Mystery Tower.’
I was the only one who knew that the strongest types of mysteries could be obtained here.
There was no choice.
I had to use the Mikela set to transform into a half-dragon to even qualify.
Obtaining Mikela's Sword from the set was extremely difficult.
Moreover, no human would risk their life to enter Kramdel.
Only someone as strong as Wilhelm would even consider it.
‘When I played as Wilhelm, I didn't know I could only obtain one mystery.’
But even with such a strong character, I couldn't obtain the strongest mystery.
Due to a hidden, cursed condition.
Only one mystery could be obtained from the Mystery Tower.
If I had known that, I would have naturally chosen a better mystery.
The lack of information led to this mistake.
I just took the first mystery offered.
‘So, I later regretted it bitterly.’
I climbed the Mystery Tower several times but couldn't obtain another mystery.
It felt like having a delicious soup in front of me but not being able to eat it.
Thinking about it still makes me grind my teeth.
‘That won’t happen again.’
I made a mistake once, and that was enough.
I will never repeat the same mistake.
With a firm resolve, I stepped into the Mystery Tower.
《You are entering the 'Mystery Tower.'》
《Hidden Tip: The state of the tower you enter may vary depending on your race value. However, humans are excluded.》
《The confirmed race values of the current entrants are: Void (10), Giant (10), Druid (10), Celestial (20), Corpse Crow (5).》
《Race value 55 points. You have achieved the hidden final condition of the tower.》