Shaking her head, Isabella shook her head, and Isaac frowned.
The situation was taking a strange turn.
As the Tower of Mystery began to change, monsters from all over Kramdel gathered.
Not only that.
Gonggi appeared, and now all the Saju-ryeok, the actual rulers of Kramdel, were present.
There was no way out.
'They might recognize my transformation......'
Isaac was inwardly anxious.
Among so many monsters, there might be one that recognizes him as a human.
If that happens, it's an instant death. There's no way he can survive.
But the danger wasn't just for him.
'I can't shake off the feeling that I'm deeply entangled.'
The half-dragon woman and the King of Corpse Crows in front of him.
Their appearance changed Isaac's daily life in an instant.
Despite not being found for the past year.
He couldn't shake off the thought that his carefree life in Kramdel was over.
However, he couldn't just run away.
So, Isaac desperately wanted to ask.
'Could the Corpse Crow have created this situation?'
To the half-dragon woman.
Isabella. There was a strange certainty in her eyes.
But he couldn't ask.
The moment he opened his mouth, even the slightest sound would be caught.
They would read even the subtlest movements of the thousands of monsters gathered around.
The moment any suspicious signs were detected, his neck would be cut.
Or he might turn to stone and be hung on the door forever.
Either way, it was the worst.
'I need to think about how to escape.'
Isaac stroked his chin.
Self-proclaimed Seongjakja. He pondered how to smuggle out the King of Corpse Crows.
The moment the tower opens, the 100 monsters already inside will burst out simultaneously.
He could only smuggle out the Seongjakja.
A way to move while avoiding the eyes of the Saju-ryeok and the tens of thousands of monsters......
'There's no way that exists.'
He inwardly shook his head.
No matter how skilled Isaac was at running, he couldn't escape the Saju-ryeok.
Even if he poured all his resources, he would be caught within 10 seconds.
...Honestly, probably less than 5 seconds.
He had no intention of racing against Gonggi, the fastest in the world.
Avoiding the widespread gaze of Medusa was impossible, and a single breath from the Great Earth Dragon would block all escape routes.
If his soul was caught by the Four Kings, he would meet a miserable end.
There were thousands, tens of thousands of ways to escape, but none of them would work here.
Swallow!
'But......'
Isaac swallowed and carefully observed the Saju-ryeok, tilting his head.
'They all seem to be tense......?'
Something was off.
The Saju-ryeok gathered in front of the tower felt strangely tense.
But it didn't make sense.
What were the Saju-ryeok (四主力)?
Each one was an invincible sovereign.
Monsters capable of sweeping away an entire city on their own.
For example, the Four Kings once swept away the large city now known as 'Necroberry' in one go.
The capital of a flourishing kingdom was turned into a pile of ashes in just one day.
Now it is a city of the dead, with only corpses and graves remaining.
After that, humans never set foot in Kramdel, where the Saju-ryeok resided.
Let alone the Four Kings, four beings of that caliber gathered.
Monsters capable of killing even a Demon King, and they were tense?
Just because of the tower's changes?
'When the rings became five.'
It was clear that they weren't this tense when there were only four rings.
The moment the rings became five, they were visibly tense.
No matter how much it was a trial of myth, could the changes have such significance to make the Saju-ryeok tense?
Whooooo!
Then.
A change occurred in the five rings hanging at the top of the tower.
The five rings simultaneously emitted a brighter light and began to merge.
One ring transformed into a crown.
......But that crown.
It looked familiar.
'Seongjakja...... It's the crown the King of Corpse Crows wears.'
It's maddening.
No matter how he looked at it, it was clearly the crown of the King of Corpse Crows.
Could it be that the self-proclaimed Seongjakja really created this change?
Could just one person draw the attention of all the monsters and the Saju-ryeok in Kramdel?
"They're coming out!"
"The tower has opened!"
With the monsters' cries, the monsters inside the tower began to emerge one by one.
They were inevitably stunned upon exiting the tower.
"S, Saju-ryeok......!"
"What are they all gathered here for?"
Numerous monsters, including the Saju-ryeok.
But they were not the same monsters.
Especially the Saju-ryeok, their level was so different that just looking at them was overwhelming.
There was no monster in this place that wouldn't tremble before them.
Even the Mythic and Illusory species like Imugi and Phoenix were less affected, but they still couldn't move.
One by one, the Saju-ryeok emerged from the tower and examined the frozen monsters.
Among them, there must be a Transcendent.
A true monster that surpasses the achievements of the White King with five rings!
"......Are you all waiting for me?"
Then.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the being that emerged from the tower.
He was completely unflustered despite the Saju-ryeok in front of him.
Instead, he acted casually and even made a joke.
The monsters watching from a distance murmured quietly.
"Imugi!"
"Imugi, it's not impossible."
The monster that appeared was the Mythic Imugi.
And it was an Imugi on the verge of becoming a dragon!
The wish bead embedded in his chest was swollen as if it would burst.
'Sure enough, the Saju-ryeok. They must have recognized my potential.'
Imugi puffed out his chest.
To have such spectators from the Saju-ryeok.
The reason for such a grand spectacle was obvious.
It must be a reaction to the 'Mystery' he obtained.
What else could it be if not to recognize his potential and welcome him?
"The 'Mystery' I obtained is like a 'Proof of Kingship.' It is the very qualification to surpass even the Great Earth Dragon! What more is there to say? It's the Legendary Mystery, 'Illusory Dragon's Fog'!"
Fog enveloped Imugi.
Seven colors, like a rainbow, poured out from within the fog.
Illusory Dragon's Fog!
A Legendary Mystery and the remnants of the Illusory Dragon, as legendary as the name suggests.
By mentioning the Great Earth Dragon, one of the Saju-ryeok, he was essentially declaring his ambition.
Seeing the confident Imugi, the Saju-ryeok spoke in turn.
"No."
"No."
"Hmm. Definitely not."
"......"
Unanimous.
The Great Earth Dragon, Gonggi, the Four Kings, and Medusa all shared the same opinion.
This Imugi is not a Transcendent.
Next, the True Blood race emerged, but they also shook their heads.
"All of them are not."
The Saju-ryeok agreed with the Great Earth Dragon.
99 participants emerged one by one, but all were disappointing.
None of them were worthy of being called Transcendents.
They didn't even evoke any emotion from the Saju-ryeok.
The same went for the Mythic and Illusory species, whose values were different from other races.
It was extremely disappointing.
But it wasn't completely over yet.
'The last one to come out must be the Transcendent.'
Sure enough.
Thud.
The last participant emerged from the tower.
Upon seeing the final participant, all the Saju-ryeok could only swallow their disappointment.
"Hmm......?"
"Corpse Crow......?"
The King of Corpse Crows.
......Among all the participants, he was the least impressive.
*
《You have cleared the 'Species Barrier (5)' trial.》
The message that he had cleared the trial appeared