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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Old King's Lair
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Talents, skills acquired postnatally, stats, various equipment, talismans that can engrave special options onto gear, and so on.
There are many types of abilities that lead players to Pangeniar's "hidden elements."
They might reveal hidden paths, uncover concealed options on items, or unveil secrets of sealed objects...
But none of those abilities that offer such guidance could even compare to this one hidden trait.
Mutation.
One of the thirteen hidden traits I possess, a power akin to the authority that unearths every single "secret"!
'I can see it.'
The hidden path. A secret route designed to be invisible to the human eye.
Whooooosh!
There was a long bridge connecting the sanctuary atop the cliff.
A powerful wind sucked everything downward from below the cliff.
It was structured so that without focusing one's mind to cross the narrow bridge, you'd plummet off the cliff.
"Wh-what are you doing right now...?!"
When I leaped high from a specific spot beside the bridge, Isabella let out a cry of alarm. She must have thought I was trying to commit suicide.
But her astonishment faded in an instant.
"Follow closely."
"...The stars told you this path existed?"
"You're asking the obvious."
Isabella looked at me with a peculiar gaze.
Scattered throughout the sanctuary were invisible small blocks of earth floating in midair.
Barely wide enough for one adult to stand on. If you didn't step precisely, you'd fall to your death—but they were crystal clear in my eyes.
'Nothing like search skills can compare.'
When my previous character entered this place, I had all sorts of tools and skills equipped.
Even the transcendent "Keen Eye" search skill at level 10 couldn't reveal the hidden path as clearly as it lay before me now.
It only hinted that there was ground there somewhere—the gap between reading words and seeing with your own eyes needs no explanation.
The downdraft was so fierce that flying with wings was useless.
The bottom teemed with "deep-sea fish," so the moment you got sucked in, no matter your level, death was certain.
Only solid ground. You had to step on earth to survive.
'Exploration rate 100%—possible?'
Even as a sub-quest, this was sanctuary exploration.
I'd seen the end before, but my exploration rate stalled at 97%.
At 97%, I got the special item "Horn's Glory"... Filling it to 100% might yield a legendary treasure.
I leaped one more block and turned my head.
"...? What are you doing?"
Isabella wasn't jumping; she was hesitating.
She stared at me with a strange expression.
"My leg... cramped up."
...I was dumbfounded for a moment.
She'd flown like a fish in water when ambushing the soldiers.
It was like a dog gnawing grass.
"Control your strength when jumping. It's essential. One mistake and the downdraft will sweep you away, so be careful."
The gaps weren't wide, but the downdraft was the problem.
The wind was so strong that a single misstep could send you flying.
Even for high-level, agile Isabella, death would be instant.
"Invisible paths in the sanctuary..."
"Jump quickly. No time."
"You really think we'll get the 'Star Blessing' this way?"
Look at her.
"Scared?"
"Hah, as if."
She forced a scoff, but I could see it—her moist eyes trembling vigorously in the pitch-black darkness.
Was she like this?
To rise to Paysalmer's number two, she had to be divorced from fear. Only then could she catch the Queen's eye and earn the elders' recognition to be called princess.
A woman of iron blood. That was the impression of Snake Princess Isabella.
I chuckled and teased her.
"More cowardly than I thought."
"...I don't know the word fear. My leg really cramped."
She pretended to stretch her leg, then jumped.
Landing on the first block, Isabella looked up at me triumphantly.
See? No fear. That was the vibe she gave off.
But she never looked down.
No way she had a fear of heights?
"Good job."
"How many left?"
"Hmm."
I calculated the approximate number of visible blocks and told her.
"About 70 blocks and we're there."
"70..."
"Or 80 maybe?"
"..."
"Could be 90."
Isabella's eyebrows began to twitch.
*
'How is he so unfazed?'
Star Awakener Randolph. He was a bizarre, wondrous man.
The sanctuary's poison and demonic energy gnawed at life itself. Only the chosen blessed ones or those with bodies strong enough to overcome it could barely enter.
Yet Randolph roamed freely without any special gear or blessings. Even Isabella struggled to breathe here.
He even spotted paths hidden for thousands of years and dodged traps flying from all directions as if he knew them all, with perfect composure.
'How did he know paths even I didn't...'
Paths unknown to her, Paysalmer's number two—or perhaps even the sanctuary's high priests—were traversed without hesitation.
Most were invisible. And all were one-way paths where a single misstep meant death.
She had to follow the path Randolph took, relying solely on memory and senses—an act demanding utmost concentration.
Yet it felt strange.
This situation of chasing someone's back.
Had she ever desperately pursued another like this?
'Never.'
Not once.
She was the frontrunner. An absolute powerhouse positioned where no one could be ahead, charging forward without looking back.
All to lift the curse.
She'd raced madly, believing the Queen's promise: seize the princess's seat, and she'd lift the curse.
But the Queen broke her word.
"Relax. Count of three, then jump. I'll catch you."
Having descended the cliff via the invisible path, now it was time to ascend.
They had to follow transparent stairs to reach the ceiling.
Her pace slowed, prompting Randolph to speak.
Isabella shook her head.
"Go first. I'll follow slowly."
"No can do."
"..."
Isabella clamped her mouth shut.
That attitude, that gaze.
It was unfamiliar.
As if he'd known her forever, laced with affection.
"Why..."
She almost asked why he looked at her that way but sealed her lips again.
Instead, she said something else.
"Have we met before?"
"Not in the same space."
"...What does that mean?"
"I saw you, but you never saw me."
Anyone else saying that, she'd have cracked their skull out of curiosity. But this was the Star Awakener.
"So the stars showed you?"
"Something like that. Now, let's go. We need to arrive before dawn."
At dawn, news of the warriors' deaths would spread. Absent Isabella would draw suspicion, and soon the Queen's pursuit squad would form.
If the sanctuary got sealed, escape would be impossible.
"One, two..."
On Randolph's count of three, Isabella leaped into his arms unthinkingly.
They barely fit on the narrow tile, their breaths mingling close.
"Just piggyback. It'll be faster."
He was right. If she'd done it sooner, they'd be at the ceiling already. No room for stubbornness now.
The issue was Isabella had never once ridden on a man's back in her life.
In the desert, a woman on a man's back signified intimacy.
She'd rather die than let an outsider carry her.
"..."
Biting her lip, Isabella climbed onto Randolph's back.
Then bowed her head deeply.
They reached the ceiling, and the world flipped.
'Domain Barrier!'
A barrier over the entire area, revealing another zone only to those who followed the set path.
Who knew the sanctuary hid such a thing.
A flower field. And a hill.
Rumble! Roooar!
Suddenly, what she'd thought was a hill stirred and rose.
'Golems.'
Three golems. Judging by the rune size on their chests, at least advanced-grade.
Now it was her turn.
Shing.
Slipping off his back, Isabella drew daggers in both hands.
*
I nodded as I watched her dispatch the golems.
'Feels like auto-hunt.'
Enemies appeared, and without a word from me, she handled them herself. Golems tough for my current level were mere tofu before her.
In a flash, she destroyed their cores and sheathed her daggers.
That instant.
"You can acquire the 'Golem Crafter' class."
"Acquire it?"
As expected.
The sanctuary's hidden dungeon. This place was meant for skill acquisition.
With a class, you'd probably get something like "Golem Destruction." But without one, it offered the "Golem Crafter" class instead.
Whether that's what the creator intended, who knows.
To overcome the sanctuary's poison alone required at least level 7.
No one at level 7 lacks a class, and even if a hidden trait freak like me managed it, finding the hidden path and hunting golems isn't easy.
'I decline.'
"Declined acquisition of the 'Golem Crafter' class."
Golem Crafter. Upper-grade class. Summoning or allied combatants were rare in Pangeniar.
But not what I want.
It wouldn't top the leaderboards at this tier.
'Counting her kills as mine, huh.'
One oddity, though.
Pangeniar has parties, but everything divides by "contribution."
Skills or classes require high contribution to obtain.
I'd planned a final hit for minimal contribution. Repeat a hundred times, get it once.
But it worked first try. Zero contribution.
'Did we suddenly enter party status?'
No changes when she killed outer warriors or minor sanctuary monsters. Then this.
Don't know why, but good is good.
"You can acquire the 'Demon Hunter' class."
"You can acquire the 'Rune Warrior' class."
"You can acquire the 'Spear Master of Hunger' class."
...
System voices and messages with every hunt.
'I decline them all.'
Excellent, but not what I seek.
After trekking far, we reached a massive mountain.
"Arrived at 'The Mountain Where the Nameless Star is Buried.'"
"Caution. Far below recommended level (10)."
"The mountain's master, the 'Old King,' rages at intruders."
*
The massive mountain's master. Minimum level 10 to slay that colossus.
But my past self didn't kill the Old King.
No need.
He sensed the vast gap and didn't attack. Back then, having devoured three stars, I'd transcended far beyond the Old King.
'Now I'm weak, so he thinks I'm easy pickings.'
...Not a helpful NPC guide after all.
I'd thought he was a kindly NPC pointing to the Star path.
Just preys on the weak, yields to the strong.
"You dare enter the Old King's lair and think you can leave alive?"
A voice echoing across the entire mountain.
A body sparkling like jewels.
An obsidian serpent of colossal size!
"Ah."
Faced with the colossus, Isabella's body stiffened.
Level 10 was just shy of transcendent. Hers was 8, but 10 was an insurmountable wall, a tier.
Moreover, the serpent's aura made it seem draconic.
Tremble!
Isabella shook. She knew staying still meant death, but couldn't move. Like prey facing the pyramid's apex predator.
Tsk.
Clicking my tongue, I stepped forward. Isabella's eyes widened. No human could move casually in the Old King's absolute domain.
But he was doing it.
"Step aside. You're not fit to guard that place."
「Foolish human babble. If not me, who has the right to guard it?」
The Old King flicked his tongue.
Approaching as if to swallow me whole.
"Wilhelm."
Before he could close in, the Old King froze.
「...How do you know that name?」
How?
"The true master of this mountain isn't you—it's Wilhelm, isn't it?"
Because I'm Wilhelm.
Dead and deleted, but this mountain's master was me, not the Old King.
He yielded it to me, making me the Star's owner.
Thus, the illegal intruder was him.
「I don't know how you know that name, but he's dead, the star fell. This mountain too!」
Freed, the Old King gaped wide.
The moment he lunged.
"Your master has returned, Old King—Dramat."
Kwarrrung!
His head abruptly veered, dragging across the ground.