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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Hall of Fame
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Two steps higher dice roll, courtesy of the two constellations.
Not a single one out of the ten options was worth discarding.
'They just handed over a raid set like it was nothing. Should I complete the Michella set right here?'
The Michella set was one of the best armors to equip early on, but it was equally hard to assemble.
There were only a handful of players who possessed all three pieces.
And they tossed it to him as a main quest reward. A treasure that required blood, sweat, and tears of grinding to obtain.
'...All ten are treasures that only drop from specific raid monsters.'
But there was a reason he had to hesitate.
He wasn't a newbie. He was a super veteran of Pangeniar. He knew full well that the other eight were just as valuable as the Michella set.
In the first year of Pangeniar, everyone would naturally go for the Michella set first.
But...
'Guardian Amulet. It lets you activate a safe rest area in the field so monsters won't attack.'
In this game, if you didn't log out in a designated spot, you'd be brutally murdered.
But as you progressed, 'save points' became scarcer. That's where artifacts like the Guardian Amulet came in, allowing you to set up safe zones.
It wasn't just useful for logging out—it was essential for resting during hunts too, making it as valuable as the Michella set.
The downside? It was consumable.
'The problem is the limited uses.'
Items that forcibly created safe zones all vanished after a few activations. They were true treasures because they were so damn hard to obtain, forcing careful use.
'Sea Gill is essential for exploring seas or rivers.'
Same story.
Oceans and rivers hid plenty of dungeons. Most were for level 7 and up, but scrambling for a Sea Gill later could make you spit blood.
So securing one early was a smart move.
[Great Enemy's Anvil] was something he coldly didn't need. With his hidden trait Dexterity, leveling production skills via anvil would be quick, but he wasn't a blacksmith.
[Red Knight's Banner] and [Red Horse] weren't important to him either. Delivering that banner to a specific kingdom granted a knighthood, but it came with strings attached. And the Red Horse was a mount, but he already had Hydragon's Soul.
[Palam's Armor], [Fairy Queen's Tear], [Shadow Cloak]... Among these, the one that drew him most was undoubtedly.
'Shadow Cloak.'
A cloak that hid the wearer in shadows.
It gave stealth for free.
As long as the cloak didn't break, it was permanent—a total steal.
High-tier detection tools or high-level scout skills might spot you, but those were rare.
Above all, this cloak would be insanely useful in reality too.
Invisible man. A dream everyone had as a kid, right?
[You have selected 'Shadow Cloak.']
[You can select one more reward.]
He chose the Shadow Cloak without hesitation.
Now, one left.
His eyes gleamed as he stroked his chin.
Which one to pick?
Which would make him look like he chose wisely if word got out?
*
「...」
Space-time was crumbling. Everything was shattering. He couldn't even tell if this was reality or a dream anymore.
Of course, all this chaos was happening solely within Dramat's worldview.
Dramat watched the man in stunned silence.
He thought for sure he'd burn to death in the [Star].
Yet he walked up calmly, lifted the [Star] as if it had always been his.
'A dream. This isn't real.'
Dramat denied it. A manipulated reality. An illusion someone was showing him. Yeah, he must be trapped in a hallucination.
He'd slept too long. Or maybe eaten something bad. Were there hallucinogenic mushrooms around?
Dramat revved up his metabolism. If it was poison, detox and return to reality—that was all.
Close his eyes, open them, and he'd wake up.
Blink!
The moment he squeezed his eyes shut tight and snapped them open.
Whoosh!
A cascade of starlight poured down.
'...This is insane.'
Looks like that mushroom he ate this morning was some potent poison. How else could the [Star] choose that guy?
The [Star]'s owner was like Dramat's own master.
The previous owner, 'Wilhelm,' had been a mighty human. A perfect superhuman, flawless for Dramat to serve.
The instant they met, Dramat sensed the vast gap in power. Even if he had a thousand or ten thousand lives, he couldn't match that man. So he humbly guided Wilhelm to the star.
But look at this one.
'Not even as strong as the golem outside, and I have to serve him as master?'
Not a speck of transcendence in sight.
Did he even have the qualifications?
No.
He wasn't even prepared to hold the star.
Far from it—he was weaker than the golem outside, weaker than the rabbits at the mountain's base.
The gap between them was immense. Heaven and earth? More like different dimensions entirely.
So when he challenged it, Dramat laughed his head off. Convinced he'd burn in the star.
But.
"Dramat, kneel."
「...」
"Oh, right. Snakes don't have legs."
This damn bastard was making the exact same demand Wilhelm had right after becoming master.
Even that line about no legs was identical.
"Isn't your gaze a bit too high for greeting a new master?"
Ssssss.
Damn. Damn. Damn it all!
No matter how he resisted, he couldn't. Dramat pressed his face to the ground. His body automatically adjusted to match the man's eye level.
An unbreakable chain he couldn't refuse or resist.
It meant that human was truly the [Star]'s master—his master.
"Good boy."
Tap. Tap.
The human patted Dramat's snout and smiled.
How dare he.
How dare this fool who was called the Old King, guardian of the star, treat him like a pet!
"I'm Randolph. Looking forward to working with you, Old King Dramat."
「...」
"Hm. Too overwhelmed to speak, huh."
「...」
"Fine. Then, as a show of loyalty, let's start with sacred realm exploration."
This is a dream. A vicious dream!
Dramat denied reality.
But Dramat's nightmare was only beginning.
*
Thump! Thump!
Isabella's heart began pounding like mad.
Because of the star? Or because this Star Awakener suddenly claimed it?
She didn't know. What she did know was that she was in a state of extreme tension.
"Isabella."
"...Yes."
She spoke formally without realizing it.
The moment he took the star, the Star Awakener was no longer just that.
He was the star itself. A goddess.
She stood before a god now.
No matter that she was Paysalmer's number two, the desert city's princess adored by all—she couldn't compare to a goddess.
Before a god, she was infinitesimally small. A speck of dust that could blow away.
She managed everything like a servant before that colossal being. Maintaining her old attitude toward such an existence was blasphemy.
"What do you want to do once the curse is lifted?"
"Leave the desert..."
"And after leaving the desert?"
"...I... I want to find my roots."
"The Dersian family, you mean?"
"...Yes."
He knew everything. Pierced every secret.
Isabella von Dersian. She wasn't born in the desert. She was nobility from the Dersian family somewhere on the continent.
She learned she was Dersian from the Queen. The Queen cast the curse and revealed her secret.
But she added this:
If you want the curse lifted, obey.
Rise to princess, and then I'll free you.
...The Queen broke her promise.
He knew a secret she'd never told anyone. Even if the star told him, a mere Star Awakener couldn't know that.
But the star's master—the star itself—could.
"I'll bestow a blessing. However, there's a condition."
"A condition...?"
"Serve me for one year. After that, I'll grant you freedom and help find your roots."
"Ah..."
"Do you think it's a lie?"
Isabella shook her head.
The star smiled.
"I'm not the Queen. I don't lie."
Just serve for one year, and he'd grant freedom.
Even if it was a lie, it didn't matter.
As long as the curse was lifted. As long as she could escape this damn desert.
"...I will serve."
Isabella pledged her loyalty.
*
<[The Hall of Fame has been updated.]>
<[Rankings for 'Main Quest 2 – Acquire Class' will change.]>
[1st: 230 points. Randolph]
[2nd: 198 points. Gracia]
[3rd: 190 points. MintChocoDelicious]
[4th: 166 points. Black Night]
[5th: 160 points. Master]
...
<[You are outside the rankings for 'Acquire Class.']>
<[The next 'Main Quest 2' privilege granted to 'Massacre' is revoked.]>
<[Privilege to the 'Secret Auction House' has been revoked.]>
Cough!
The sudden message made 'Massacre' scowl.
"Fuck, what the hell?"
Privilege revoked?
It was a perk revealed only to those in the rankings for Main Quest 2. His access to the Secret Auction House was gone.
'Massacre' was a ranker, but his class was ordinary—the only reason he clung to the bottom of Main Quest 2 rankings. And now he'd been overtaken out of nowhere.
But the irritation was brief.
"Randolph... 230 points?"
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he misread.
He'd finished Main Quest 1 with 220, and now even higher.
230 points? What class did he get to score that?
He knew the 2nd place Gracia had passed two secret classes to snag the super class 'Sword Saint' for 198 points.
And 230?
"This bastard really Phantom?"
Randolph. Was he really Phantom?
Probably. The only one who knew all of Pangeniar's secrets and could snag a class better than Gracia's was Phantom.
His character got deleted in the great expedition, and now he'd been summoned into Pangeniar for real.
'Kill him. Must kill him.'
Massacre ground his teeth. No matter how good a class he got, he'd be weak right now.
Find him, kill him for sure.
In Pangeniar or reality. Wherever he was, just find him.
'But first, recover my ranking.'
Hoo. After a deep breath, 'Massacre' calmly assessed.
Regain the privilege first.
It wouldn't be hard.
Killing anyone above him in the rankings would restore it naturally.