I prepared in advance to take control of this war.
"Isaac, when the spores burst and the smoke thickens, make a commotion."
"What kind of commotion do you mean?"
"Shout in as much pain as possible."
"Ah."
Isaac nodded, realizing his task.
Isabella asked,
"What should I do?"
"Create more chaos. Strike quickly before the smoke clears."
I didn't plan to stay for long.
I intended to get the necessary points, make the purchase, and leave.
The longer I stayed, the higher the chance of encountering an unbeatable enemy.
Soon, people began to appear.
《I have slaughtered over ten challengers!》
《Achievement ‘Massacre on the Battlefield’ unlocked.》
《40 points earned.》
《40h 17m of Broken Golden Rule fragments obtained.》
《Broken Golden Rule fragments have exceeded 1,000h!》
I had obtained the necessary points.
A total of 50 points.
I then bought the items I needed from the vending machine.
《‘Detector (10)’ purchased.》
《Cannot be purchased again.》
《‘Labyrinth Ticket (1)’ purchased.》
《‘Labyrinth Ticket’ stock depleted.》
《‘Mirror of Additional Conditions (1)’ purchased.》
《‘Mirror of Additional Conditions’ stock depleted.》
The numbers in parentheses indicated the remaining stock of the items for sale.
I had bought all the limited items, except for the detector.
There were quite a few other items, but nothing particularly special.
‘The Labyrinth Merchant keeps appearing.’
I had a hunch.
The list likely varied depending on the merchant who appeared.
The items sold by the current merchant were mostly needed in the early stages.
After quickly leaving the area, I checked the items I had bought.
【Detector】
-Detects challengers within a 10km radius.
-The higher the points they have, the larger they appear on the detector.
-5 uses.
【Labyrinth Ticket】
-Allows you to pass through a wall once.
-1 use.
【Mirror of Additional Conditions】
-Adds a ‘condition’ to the actions of one ‘challenger’ in the ‘Abyss Labyrinth’.
-1 use.
-Requires the target to be reflected in the mirror or called by name. If the name is incorrect, the mirror disappears.
All items had a limited number of uses, but their effects were nearly absolute.
They were essential tools for navigating the labyrinth.
‘It’s a bit disappointing not to have a map.’
A map was for sale.
For 1,000 points.
Of course, no one could afford it right now.
I knew most players had a pitiful amount of ‘Broken Golden Rule fragments’.
A player who had collected over a thousand hours?
I was confident there were only a few.
But anyone with a thousand points would inevitably be detected by the detector.
People with many points are targeted.
‘First, I need to get out safely.’
There would still be a crowd around here.
So, getting out of this place quickly was a priority.
Small dots appeared on the fist-sized detector, representing a 10km radius around me.
"There are a lot of people gathering around."
As Isaac said, there were at least 400 dots.
About 50 people were gathered around the Labyrinth Merchant.
I had no idea how big the labyrinth was, but 400 people within a 10km radius was a lot.
I had no idea how many people had entered in total.
"…There’s a large dot right in front of us."
Isabella said, sounding tense.
My brows furrowed.
Among the 400 dots, there were two large ones.
And one of them was right in front of us.
I didn’t know who it was, but it was clearly a powerful killer.
The speed at which it was approaching was abnormally fast.
Behind us, the area was filled with people targeting the Labyrinth Merchant.
A difficult situation.
Should I use the ticket to break through the wall and escape?
Ding!
The sound of a bell rang.
Ding!
The bell sound quickly approached, shaking violently.
"It doesn’t seem like they’ll just pass by."
Isaac and Isabella gripped their weapons.
I also drew my bow, ready to face the threat.
In that moment, the figure appeared.
‘…A silver fox mask?’
The figure wore a silver fox mask.
But that didn’t matter.
The level displayed above the figure’s head.
【★★】
Crazy.
I held back the curse that almost slipped out.
A 2-star Transcender was right in front of me.
The strongest being I had ever encountered.
‘Black Bell.’
And a black bell hung from the figure’s waist.
I suddenly remembered what Serengeti had said.
-“I don’t know the details, but be careful. Their obsession and persistence in finding their ‘sinners’ are beyond imagination. According to rumors, they are the ones who hide a ‘black bell’ that doesn’t ring.”
The black bell was a symbol of the Death Cult.
But, it was supposed to be silent, right?
Ding! Ding! Ding!
…Why is it ringing so wildly?
Empire
The moment I spotted the silver fox mask, the figure was already in front of me.
A speed beyond mere quickness.
I lowered my bow.
Isaac and Isabella also put their weapons away.
They realized the futility of facing such a level head-on.
The silver fox mask was a living natural disaster.
The best choice was to show that we had no hostility.
"…"
However, the silver fox mask remained in front of me, tilting its head.
‘What is it doing?’
The black bell was still ringing wildly.
Was it because I was a player?
Or was there another reason?
The figure was the strongest in the 10km radius, having cut down everyone in its path.
If it had deemed us enemies, there would be no need to waste time.
It could just cut us down.
Yet, it was wasting time in front of me.
Clearly heading towards the ‘Labyrinth Merchant,’ yet standing in front of me in a situation where every second counted.
‘It’s not looking at me.’
I finally realized the silver fox mask’s interest wasn’t in me.
The white eyes. I couldn’t tell where they were focused.
‘It’s not looking at me, but at Hell.’
Kyaa?
Hell, noticing the gaze, tilted its head with its scythe.
"…?"
Kyaa kyaa?
"…"
Kyaa kyaa kyaa!
"…!!"
…Could they be having a conversation?
Hell’s sharp reaction made the silver fox mask’s shoulders tremble.
"I greet the True Heir."
Then, the figure knelt on one knee in front of me.
…It was a series of surprises.
I didn’t understand the situation at first, but my emotions quickly turned cold, and related knowledge came to mind.
‘True Heir.’
A term used to describe Hell.
A phrase written alongside the celestial spirit.
It meant the heir to something, but the exact meaning was unknown.
Now, the silver fox mask’s knight had called Hell ‘True’ and me the ‘Guardian of the True Heir.’
The silver fox mask knew Hell’s true identity.
Then, who was the silver fox mask?
"By my mission, I must eliminate the Labyrinth’s dead, and I apologize for not being able to accompany you."
"…"
Mission.
Labyrinth’s dead.
Only one thing came to mind.
Could it be that they came to eliminate the Sword Saint Laili?
In any case, when nothing was certain, silence was the best response.
There’s a reason why the saying “silence is golden” exists.
"Please accept this."
Eventually, the silver fox mask took out a golden badge from its cloak and handed it to me.
A badge shaped like a circular plaque.
‘This is…’
I was surprised by the image on the badge.
A large pentagram with a smaller pentagram at its center.
I recognized it immediately.
‘The Golden Pentagram. The symbol of the Arhon Empire.’
The Arhon Empire!
The strongest nation on the continent, with over 50 major cities.
But as a gamer, the Empire was the hardest place to access.
Their royal family was still largely unknown.
Even when I was active as Wilhelm, there was almost no contact.
‘A knight carrying a badge with the emperor’s seal.’
Moreover, the emperor’s seal on the badge was even more astonishing.
With this badge, I could enter any city in the Empire, even the most secret castles where the royal family resided.
Not to mention, if I sold it to players, there would be a long line of buyers.
It could fetch the price of a small city.
And they gave it to me.
"In 87 days, the ‘Feast of the Four Horsemen’ will be held at the main temple of the ‘Death Cult.’ Come wearing the golden goat mask with this badge."
The silver fox mask bowed once and then left.
It was clearly busy.
In the blink of an eye, it had reached the Labyrinth Merchant.
Checking the detector, I saw that over 50 dots disappeared after it arrived.
It had slaughtered everyone targeting the merchant.
I recalled the question I hadn’t dared to ask.
…So, where is the Death Cult?
*
Isaac and Isabella’s expressions changed subtly.
They realized they were no match for the silver fox mask.
A pure difference in level.
The gap in martial arts was too vast.
"We can reach it."
Isaac and Isabella.
Both were characters I had raised.
They had the potential to transcend.
Especially Isabella, who, upon reaching level 10, would automatically know the location of a star.
One of the few stars that had never been discovered, the Transcendent Yormungand.
Isaac also had a high chance of receiving the guidance of a star if his stats were slightly higher. He would either be guided by a saint or discover it naturally.
So,
"I will make you reach it."
Don’t worry.
I’ll make you reach it, even if you don’t want to.
Their expressions relaxed when I made this promise.
They seemed to have questions but didn’t ask. They probably wanted to know about my connection with the Death Cult.
The name ‘Death Cult’ had recently become known in Pangea.
Rumors spread that Maxim, one of the 8 Heroes, was a ‘sinner’ and had assassinated the duke who followed him.
The name of the Death Cult naturally gained prominence.
The 8 Heroes officially expelled Maxim, now reduced to 7 Heroes.
The one handling such a powerful speaker was likely among them.
‘Highly likely the Master.’
The Master operated a ‘Transdimensional Community’ on Earth.
He was the best at handling and utilizing speakers.
He was also likely the one who heroized the others, like Wilhelm.
In any case,
‘This labyrinth is too large.’
I was currently pondering.
No matter how I thought about it, this labyrinth was too large.
I had no idea where the ruler of the Abyss was located.
It would take a year to explore the entire labyrinth on foot.
If I got lost and logged out, I would be reset to the worst state.
However, the entry condition was ‘Broken Golden Rule fragments.’
Based on my experience, no one would have a year’s worth of fragments.
This labyrinth was either designed to be unbeatable or…
‘There must be a shortcut.’
A shortcut.
A hidden space.
Or another warp.
There must be something.
This labyrinth is not meant to be navigated on foot.