Fortress city Kramdel
The reason Kramdel is called a fortress city is because the entire city is fortified.
A gigantic castle, so huge it’s hard to find even in the human world. That endless mass you’d only barely see depicted in comics or movies, that colossal body was Kramdel.
At its center stood a statue of a white tiger.
‘White King.’
White King, the guardian deity of the north.
Likewise, Kramdel too was under White King’s protection.
As long as White King protected it, neither the Demon Realm, nor the ruler of the Abyss, nor humans could covet this place.
‘We made a promise, but it should be fine.’
I had promised that I wouldn’t set foot in the north again with that guy, but right now this body wasn’t Wilhelm, it was Randolph.
Besides, what I want is the ‘strongest mystery.’
In the process, all I had to do was take Andasar, the daughter of Priest Andrew, along.
There was absolutely no chance I would run into White King.
“Uh, it’s incredible.”
“Certainly, a castle of this size exists only in Kramdel, caw.”
“That’s not what I mean······ I’m talking about the monsters trying to enter the castle.”
Isabella said it as if whispering.
The castle entrance was bustling.
It was packed with monsters trying to get in.
But the ranks of those monsters were truly all over the place.
Still, by common sense, it was hard to imagine monsters ‘lining up’ to enter a castle.
‘Monsters with intelligence.’
They were on a different level from ordinary field monsters.
They were evolved monsters.
Just as corpse crows evolved by devouring players, they too had evolved through various methods and become able to see the ‘hidden path.’
From ordinary monsters all the way to boss monsters.
Sometimes even mythical species were mixed in.
‘Why are monsters of this scale gathering in Kramdel?’
Even I, well-versed in Pangaenia, didn’t know the exact reason they were gathering in Kramdel.
I think I’ve heard a story that this place is a paradise on earth for monsters.
Grrrrr!
‘······ Judging by Glutton reacting, it’s certain.’
Even though I was disguised as the king of corpse crows, Glutton reacted.
Looks like the cores of evolved monsters are Glutton’s staple food.
But I can’t let myself get tossed around by a single trait.
If I cause trouble here, I really might not be able to get out.
<This is a region where teleport is impossible due to White King’s protection.>
I can’t use a Teleport Book here either.
Naturally, there’s no warp inside the castle as well.
Meaning, I have to do only what I came for as quietly as possible, and get out.
‘There are three lines.’
The problem was that there were three lines.
A line for ordinary monsters, a line for monsters of a different rank, and a path where ancient species like mythical species or fantasy species passed through for free.
Well, monsters are even more class-obsessed than humans, after all.
I hesitated briefly, then stood in the ordinary line.
An endless procession. Judging by how slowly it was shrinking, I’d have to wait a whole day, but there was no other way.
“Half-Dragons and ‘kings’ should stand in the second line.”
Then the ‘flower cactus’ in front said.
Flower cactus is a level 3 monster that appears in desert regions.
【Lv.5】
But the flower cactus before my eyes had surpassed that standard.
A normal flower cactus is a monster with almost no intelligence.
This one too was an evolved species.
“Thanks for telling me, caw.”
I gave a short greeting and moved spots.
The second line was much shorter.
It seemed entirely possible to enter within half a day.
“A mere corpse crow dares to stand in front of me? Move.”
When I turned my back, there was something wearing a black pointed hood-like cloak.
A being of the Abyss called a ‘Chaos Cowl.’
【Lv. 8】
Seems the story that Abyss monsters were in Kramdel was true.
Of course, since nobody knows what’s in the Abyss, it’s not impossible for such peculiar individuals to exist.
‘Ignoring it is best.’
Why else would all these monsters be lining up neatly in a place where every kind of monster gathers.
“You dare ignore me?”
As I openly ignored it, the Chaos Cowl’s voice sharpened.
“Fighting, forbidden. If you fight, you, become, like that.”
The burning skull ‘Fire Skull’ in front of me said, looking toward the center of the castle wall.
At the center of the wall, countless kinds of statues were displayed.
“The gate's master, Medusa, turns you to stone.”
They were all monsters turned to stone by Medusa.
Putting them on display like ornaments, that’s a special kind of bad taste.
‘Medusa is a super elite raid boss monster.’
Medusa is a level 11 super elite raid boss monster.
A monster among monsters that requires at least twelve 1-star transcendent, or at minimum three 2-star transcendent, to hunt.
It’s called level 11, but it wouldn’t be wrong to see it as higher than that, an absolute being.
Unlike players, a monster’s level is determined by its standard.
‘The longer the modifier in front of a monster, the stronger it is.’
For example, if an ordinary monster is level 11, that means a single level 11 player can hunt it easily.
If it has the ‘boss’ modifier, then at least two level-11 players have to gather, and if it has the ‘raid boss’ modifier, it means four people must gather to face it.
An ‘elite raid boss’ monster requires eight same-level characters, and a ‘super elite raid boss’ monster is something twelve must coordinate against just to begin a strategy.
Beyond that standard, there are only guys like White King or the Demon King.
‘She was definitely one of White King’s four close retainers.’
Moreover, Medusa was one of the Four Heavenly Kings who followed White King.
A being everyone feared.
Fire Skull turned its gaze to the Chaos Cowl and said.
“Cowl. A mark, appeared, on your cheek.”
“What?”
Above the Chaos Cowl, Medusa’s mark had appeared before anyone knew it.
A warning and a curse from Medusa.
“H-hiiik!”
The Chaos Cowl made a fuss, spinning its body around and around.
As expected.
Ignoring it was the answer.
There was a reason the notable monsters lined up neatly and there were no fights.
If Medusa, who never lets go once she curses someone, is guarding the gate, they have no choice but to behave.
If I had reacted to the Chaos Cowl, Medusa’s curse would have been carved onto my cheek too.
······ What an interesting place.
“It's a ‘star guardian’!”
“Two of them, even!”
That was when it happened.
Suddenly the area grew noisy.
‘Star guardian?’
Turning my head toward the center of the commotion at that familiar ring, I saw two ‘fantasy species’ and ‘mythical species’ approaching the gate.
One was a fantasy species, phoenix, its whole body blazing with blue flames.
The other was a mythical snake so long its end couldn’t be seen.
“That snake is······?”
Even Isabella seemed shocked, staring at the snake with wide eyes.
I was just as surprised.
······ Why is Dramut here?
Being called a star guardian means it entered here with that same qualification.
But aren’t star guardians unable to leave the vicinity of the stars?
That doubt lasted only a moment.
In an instant, the phoenix and Dramut went inside the castle.
Fire Skull said.
“Seems the rumor, that a new star, has appeared, is true.”
“What is a new star, caw?”
“A rumor, that the thirty-third star, appeared, in Kramdel, exists.”
What is that supposed to mean?
There are thirty-two stars on the continent.
That hasn’t changed for five years.
It’s the same even if you look through Pangaenia’s history.
But a thirty-third star?
‘The goddess died and split into thirty-two pieces, those pieces are the stars.’
Does that mean there was a part hidden away?
I quietly rubbed my chin.
Dramut, who never leaves the holy land, appeared in Kramdel.
And monsters were talking about a ‘thirty-third star.’
But I don’t understand.
Yet my interest surged like crazy.
‘If it’s true, I can’t let it go.’
I felt like I needed to learn a bit more about it.
And if I can secretly make contact with Dramut too, that might be fine.
***
Inside Kramdel.
Unexpectedly, the interior wasn’t very different from a human city.
But if there was one especially striking feature,
“Come to the ‘Affection Hot Spring’ for purification of body and mind! Half price today only!”
“You must purify your unstable body! We will serve you kindly, to the ‘Kindness Hot Spring’!”
Steam rising everywhere.
It all seemed to be vapor from hot-spring water.
But this is the north. Outside is covered in snow, hot springs here?
Seeing that even the monsters who came here went to the hot springs first, it looked like their purpose itself was there.
‘It’s changed a lot since I came as Wilhelm.’
I once infiltrated Kramdel as Wilhelm to hunt White King.
Just a year ago.
Back then there weren’t this many monsters in Kramdel.
And there were no hot springs.
In only one year, a change on the level of a Great Cataclysm had occurred.
“Are you perhaps a half-dragon? There’s a half-dragon at our hot spring right now too, would you like to bathe together?”
A goblin in a white helmet approached Isabella.
All the goblins out promoting their shops wore those white helmets.
The monstrous rat that guided us wore a black helmet. Seems the helmet color had different meanings.
“There’s a half-dragon, caw?”
“Yes. A half-dragon said to be extinct. Isn’t this a perfect chance for the same race to let off steam together?”
The option Celestial Dragon that activates when wearing the Michella set.
But that Celestial Dragon is only an option that grants Celestial Dragon wings.
Not a real Celestial Dragon, so they’re called ‘half-dragons.’
You could say half dragon. But true half-dragons went extinct long ago.
‘······ A human.’
Therefore, a human.
Just like Isabella, there’s a human infiltrating Kramdel while wearing the Michella set.
Maybe even a player.
‘I need to check.’
Anyway I’m the king of corpse crows right now.
As long as they think Isabella is a real half-dragon, that’s enough.
“What do we pay with, caw.”
“Ah, it seems you’re new to Kramdel? Ten minutes worth of ‘shards of evolution’ will do.”
“Shards of evolution, caw?”
“Right here.”
A faint golden light settled over the goblin’s whole body.
Then as the goblin drew in that golden light, very fine gold dust floated above its hand.
‘······ Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule?’
Fragments of the Broken Golden Rule were being used like currency here too.
Strange. Weren’t fragments of the Golden Rule something only players could have?
More than that, here those fragments were called ‘shards of evolution.’
‘So fragments of the Golden Rule are the cause of evolution.’
Evolved monsters.
Thus they gained intelligence and became stronger.
To think the cause was fragments of the Broken Golden Rule.
Which means, just like corpse crows, all the monsters here possess fragments of the Broken Golden Rule.
‘And they can trade them, too······.’
They can trade Golden Rule fragments with each other.
The Golden Rule shop suddenly came to mind.
Maybe it’s a similar context.
Trying it with the same sense as when using fragments in reality, a light of the Golden Rule began to rise around me.
“Oh?”
“For a corpse crow, you’re quite something.”
In an instant, monsters’ gazes focused on me.
The remaining Golden Rule time was about 19 hours.
Even that alone seemed like a lot here.
Like the goblin did, I touched the glow of the Golden Rule and peeled off a fragment.
“Is this enough, caw?”
“Welcome, you two!”
***
Meticulousness Hot Spring.
A fairly decent-sized hot spring located a bit away from Kramdel’s center.
I don’t know why all the names are like this, but at this scale it was enough to unravel the secret of the hot-spring water.
After paying in the lobby, getting guided, and heading deep inside, the hot spring came into view.
Amid countless monsters enjoying the bath,
“······ Hm? Half-dragon?”
A man with Celestial Dragon wings was bathing in the center together with snow maidens.
The man looked at the newly entered Isabella and frowned.
Of course, I had to knit my brows at the man too.
‘Human.’
As expected, that guy is human.
【Lv.10】
And a level 10 powerhouse at that!
A lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
A golden hair design like he’d been struck by lightning.
Even a special-grade mystery in the form of static electricity surrounding him.
No matter how you look at him, he was someone who couldn’t help but stand out, and he was definitely someone I knew.
And the shock of seeing him was no less, and perhaps even greater, than the shock of seeing Dramut.
‘······ Why is that guy here?’
There was no way I saw wrong.
No way I could mistake those features.
Just like Isabella······ because he’s a character I raised.
‘Annihilating Thunder Hunter.’
Annihilating Thunder Isaac!
Even though he was max level and had quite a few treasure-grade items, he’d done so many bizarre things that he couldn’t even log in.
The unfortunate character who, the moment he logged in, would be on the verge of being executed by named NPCs, was now staring at me right in front of my eyes.