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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Main Quest 2
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"...Not even the slightest reaction?"
"Yes."
Isabella, having received the report from the women, sat on a chair made from lion's hide and stroked her chin.
She had ordered them to wash his feet—women of such beauty that any man would react. It was the highest treatment in the desert city of Paysalmer, and at the same time, a trap to gauge the Star Awakener.
And it was a trap no one could escape, man or not.
These women were trained so thoroughly that they could detect changes in heart rate and the slightest tremors in the skin. Regardless of gender or age, anyone touched by their hands would reveal their true reactions.
Yet there was absolutely no reaction.
It was perplexing, but a smile crept onto Isabella's lips.
'An unmoving heart that doesn't waver. Just as the rumors say.'
Isabella had heard and sought out countless stories and rumors about the Star Awakener.
The most fundamental among them was this unmoving heart. It was said that the Star Awakener, who had devoted everything to the stars, would not be swayed by any temptation of the present world.
"Anything else to report?"
The five women spoke in turn.
"He requested the foot-washing from the start. He knows Paysalmer's customs."
"He entered the palace without hesitation."
"He remained calm even seeing the monster bones on the walls. Far from startled, he admired them and praised the taxidermy and mounting skills."
"His skin was as soft as silk. But his muscles were as elastic as those of a wild horse."
"Above all, he seemed to place great importance on communication with the stars."
Isabella nodded at the women's honest impressions and reports.
Nothing about him was ordinary.
First, he knew Paysalmer's customs well enough to request the foot-washing himself. That level of knowledge meant he must have visited Paysalmer in the past.
Moreover, slaves or commoners were always overwhelmed by the palace's grandeur. If he moved through it without hesitation, his status was clearly no ordinary one.
'A noble, or perhaps royalty?'
His confident demeanor and speech. The way he looked at her without flinching and refuted her without wavering—it certainly evoked images of nobility or royalty.
Though said to be born from the stars, Star Awakeners were ultimately children of man. And children of man inevitably had distinctions of birth.
To recognize taxidermy and mounting skills required specialized, extensive knowledge. Accessing such knowledge would require a certain status.
'Skin as fine as silk, muscles like those of a wild horse... A contradiction, but it all makes sense for a Star Awakener.'
Star Awakener. What a truly magical term.
There were no Star Awakeners in the desert. With no one knowing their true nature, whatever was said about them had to be believed.
Having organized her thoughts, Isabella spoke.
"You said he was communicating with the stars?"
"Yes."
"I need to see him myself."
"B-But... If he's interrupted during communication, he loses his qualification as a Star Awakener..."
Isabella chuckled softly.
"Does one more person make conversation impossible for you?"
The women clamped their mouths shut.
One extra person nearby wouldn't make conversation impossible.
If he wanted a quiet talk, they could simply watch in silence.
A conversation just between the two of them?
Isabella couldn't hear the stars' voices anyway. They were already communicating alone—her presence wouldn't interfere.
Isabella rose from her seat.
And strode quickly toward the Star Awakener.
*
...A little later, and it would've been trouble.
Isabella von Dersian. When I opened my eyes, she was staring right at me.
Good thing I logged in as fast as possible.
After roughly handling things in reality, I logged back into Pangeniar. My calmed reason and sharpened judgment had led me here.
'Monsters from reality, summoned players have appeared. As Pangeniar characters, no less. The failure of this expedition was likely due to them.'
At some point, this game Pangeniar's difficulty skyrockets exponentially.
NPCs you'd been getting along with suddenly betray you, companions turn into highway robbers out of nowhere.
Even considering every possibility, the interference came in ways beyond imagination.
This expedition was the same.
...But what if all those 'interfering elements' were players?
Not all of them, of course, but if a significant number of 'trolls' were involved?
If someone not aiming for the ending—or seeing me as a rival—was deliberately sabotaging...
'I'll cut them all down.'
Harmony? Camaraderie? We've already crossed an uncrossable river.
Hundreds of characters deleted by such interference. Even my strongest character, containing all my essence, was killed and deleted.
Suddenly, I recalled what a soldier said when I was first summoned here.
—Fuck. If it weren't for the infighting, the expedition would've succeeded...
There were inside stories I didn't know.
I'd faced the Demon King alone, yet at some point, I was one of the 'Eight Heroes.'
That meant there were 'speakers' capable of fabricating such achievements. They could be individuals or a group.
No, a group.
There was a player group deliberately targeting and killing characters suspected to be me. And they'd spread fabricated rumors about me throughout Pangeniar.
Eight Heroes, my ass.
They'd intentionally tarnished the superiority and uniqueness of my final, deceased character.
So what I needed to do was get strong fast.
Secure safety in both game and reality.
To do that, I needed her.
"...The sanctuary isn't for just anyone."
"You can get me in."
Isabella von Dersian.
A character I created but abandoned.
Despite no such history, she was now called the Snake Princess and Paysalmer's second-in-command.
Not even the nickname I gave her.
'Asuka Kirara...'
...Somehow, I felt sorry. But in Pangeniar, nicknames were treated as aliases. The real name and body already existed, with the player possessing it.
Anyway.
"If we're caught sneaking someone in..."
"This is your last chance to leave the desert. Think carefully before you answer."
Isabella's eyes wavered.
"How did you know... I wanted to leave the desert?"
"The stars told me."
"..."
She had nothing to say.
Of course, there was no setting where Isabella wanted to leave the desert.
No such setting could exist.
But Isabella was a player character. Meant to roam the world and see the ending.
Bound to the desert by a curse—how frustrating must that be.
I'd been there myself. That's why I gave up.
'The fourth star I obtained.'
And while raising previous characters, I discovered it: the supreme star hidden in the desert sanctuary. Its location was known only to me among all players.
That star was undoubtedly special. If obtainable, best to get it as fast as possible.
"...The sanctuary kills the unpermitted."
"No need to worry about that at all."
I'd already seen its end once.
All the traps there were long since mapped out.
Among my hidden traits, several worked in sanctuaries.
Hearing my answer, Isabella shot me a glare.
"At dawn today. When the moon begins to tilt, stay awake."
Then, with an expressionless face, she turned sharply and left.
*
Dawn.
"Gurk!"
In the palace basement. I swiftly followed the hidden path behind Isabella. She handled the occasional soldiers we spotted.
Even to my eyes, her strikes were clean and ruthless. She struck and killed without mercy.
Isabella had talents specialized in assassination. So nimble that most soldiers closed their eyes without even realizing they were dying.
'Like a ghost.'
My neck felt chilly.
If Isabella had wanted me dead from the start, I'd already be gone from this world. Not just me—most so-called powerhouses would meet the same end.
Nothing more reassuring than having her as an ally.
Pressing on without pause, a massive altar came into view.
Moai statues lined up around the central stairs leading underground.
"This is the sanctuary."
Her eyes asked what I'd do.
Even she looked reluctant. The desert sanctuary was that complex and chaotic.
But no turning back. We'd crossed too far a river for that.
Why else would Isabella kill all those soldiers?
'Evidence disposal.'
A resolve not to let anyone know she'd trespassed into the sanctuary.
Say I wanted to turn back, and she'd sever my head without hesitation.
"I'll go first."
I shrugged and stepped onto the stairs leading underground from the altar.
Countless messages cluttered my vision.
"You have entered the Hidden Desert Sanctuary."
"Sub Quest: Explore the Sanctuary."
"Rewards obtainable based on exploration rate."
"Caution. You do not meet the recommended level for sanctuary exploration (8)."
"Caution. Overflows with poison and demonic energy. If magic resistance is low, refrain from entering."
"Protected by Hidden Trait 'Giant's Magic Resistance.'"
"Hidden Trait 'Mutation' applied."
A hidden sanctuary. A place a level 2 beginner couldn't normally enter.
Only reachable with the queen's permission or by defeating powerful warriors.
We'd bypassed it with a trick, using Isabella as the front.
The rewards from sanctuary exploration were quite substantial.
But that wasn't all. From the start, I hadn't aimed for some sub quest.
"Main Quest 2: 'Acquire Class' has begun."
"Acquire a class in the sanctuary."
"This quest ends the moment a class is acquired."
"Reward: Tiered based on class grade obtained."
The second main quest.
'Tiered by grade, huh.'
Seeing the conditions, a smile formed naturally.
The strong devour all—that's the law of the world. Nowhere more certain than Pangeniar.
But it differed subtly from the first main quest.
Even the strong needed luck for a good class.
Not everyone skilled gets a top class.
No worries, though.
'I'll take first place again.'
I had skill, luck, and hidden traits encompassing both.
One of my thirteen hidden traits: Mutation.
'Hidden paths are visible.'
The trait began activating, letting me see what human eyes could not.