The only thing in this world that only I can do.
Tower of Mystery.
Its official name is the Mystery Hall.
A place where countless monsters enter, to obtain the “mystery” suited to themselves.
For any monster that had entered Kramdel, like the hot spring, it was a place they would pass through at least once.
“Do you know why there are so many beasts wearing helmets of the same color in Kramdel?”
“……?”
Isaac, leaning against the tower’s wall, said to Isabella.
When Isabella looked over, Isaac tapped the tower’s wall with his right hand, thuk thuk.
“They say your rank gets decided by the mystery you gain in here.”
“Really?”
“……Really? Feels like you’re being a bit short with me?”
“You’re the second attendant.”
“Then…… you’re the first attendant?”
Nod!
When Isabella bobbed her head with a face so expressionless it was almost absurd, Isaac was dumbfounded.
“Then should I call you senior?”
“No.”
“Do you not want to talk to me?”
“Keep going.”
She’s telling me to keep babbling.
Looks like she’s curious.
That crow called the Star Bearer is strange, but if we’re talking about being strange, this woman doesn’t fall behind at all.
‘Strange, my charm should work on any human-type female, regardless of species.’
Isaac has plenty of self-objectivity.
Objectively, he’s handsome.
Charm overflowing.
There is no woman who doesn’t fall for his charm.
If she’s human-type, regardless of species.
But the woman in front of him was far too cold, a chill practically puffing out of her.
‘Those particular eyes, like she’s looking down on someone beneath her, the eyes of a queen.’
Still, Isaac sees through all women.
Isabella’s eyes are the eyes of a queen who never bows.
She had that unique atmosphere only someone who has ruled, and governed, can possess.
‘Which makes it even stranger, she’s not the type to submit to some corpse crow.’
Someone who ruled is being ruled.
By nothing more than a corpse crow.
She had completely submitted, yet her nature hadn’t died. To everyone except the self-proclaimed Star Bearer, she would show the same gaze.
“Then you also made a one-year service oath?”
“Something like that.”
“What did you get in return?”
“Freedom.”
“Freedom?”
Nod.
The moment Isabella left the desert, she had already gained freedom.
But it wasn’t complete freedom.
She wanted to know her own bloodline, her own place of origin.
To do that, she made a contract with the Star Bearer, a one-year service agreement.
‘He’s gathering people, people who will serve him for a year, by what criteria?’
Isaac folded his arms.
He had suddenly come looking for him, talking as if he knew everything. It was obvious he came knowing Isaac was in Kramdel from the start.
But there was no one who knew Isaac’s story in such detail. Because he had never told anyone pointless backstories.
‘Is it because he’s truly a Star Bearer and knows everything?’
I had no idea.
No clue at all.
Why he came to find him, what job he intended to make him do.
What was certain was that he was searching for those who crave freedom.
‘That look, she wants me to keep talking.’
Isabella was staring at Isaac without saying a word.
A silent pressure to continue.
She’s more curious than I thought.
“……Anyway, they say there are cases where the mystery you can obtain differs by species. Lower species like goblins usually gain some paltry mystery and wear white worker helmets.”
“What about black helmets?”
“That’s a color exclusive to guides. Beasts who gained a mystery that lets them see hidden paths usually wear black helmets. Blue is for upper-grades who handle the workers.”
“Other colors?”
“Red is the administrator class of Kramdel. In Kramdel they wield quite a bit of power, if you compare to humans, they’re basically the noble class. Above them, the ruling class wears fang-shaped crowns, you could practically call them Kramdel’s royalty.”
“Just like humans.”
Like humans, the ruling class and the ruled class were clearly split.
Even so, the reason beasts kept trying to belong to Kramdel was simple.
Fragments of evolution and the goddess’s hot-spring water.
What was given to ordinary guests, and what was given to Kramdel’s laborers, differed in quality itself.
Isaac shrugged.
“Just like humans.”
Beasts elsewhere aren’t like this.
Only Kramdel, only the beasts that flocked to Kramdel, are like this.
Isaac slowly turned his back and looked up at the tower.
‘What mystery did he go in to obtain?’
The mysteries of humans and the mysteries of beasts are different.
In meaning, and in use.
Human mysteries are merely proof of position, or minor assistance to ability.
For example, the standardized mysteries you get by becoming the ruler of a city, or the master of a guild.
Simple showy effects you can buy from a mystery sorcerer.
‘Human and beast mysteries are definitely different, but.’
Human mysteries don’t mean much.
So humans don’t put much meaning on mystery either.
But beast mysteries are like the qualification of the beast itself.
Because depending on the species’ standard and the beast’s own inherent rank, the mysteries you can gain and use are all different.
Yet that corpse crow entered the Mystery Hall.
‘No matter how nicely you rate a corpse crow, it’s a mid-grade species. The mystery it can obtain won’t be anything special…….’
Even if it reaches the end of the helm, the mystery it can obtain would be impressive by human standards, but by beast standards it would be petty.
If it climbed to work in Kramdel, it would immediately be given a white worker helmet.
If it’s lucky, a blue upper-grade helmet.
A red administrator helmet requires a high-rank mystery and overwhelming force.
And above that, the ruling class is practically impossible to become.
‘Special beasts have special mysteries.’
In the world of beasts, mystery is like a lion’s mane.
Who has the fuller mane, that’s what they judge by mystery.
They say that mythical species or fantasy species, whose species value is inherently high, receive legendary-grade mysteries from the helm by default, but Isaac hadn’t seen it himself so he wasn’t sure.
Anyway.
‘At best, it’ll be something like Corpse Eyes, an amplification mystery.’
Beasts obtain mysteries related to their species traits.
Corpse crows are a cursed-trait species.
Naturally, the chance is high they obtain a mystery that amplifies curses.
At best, a mid-grade level mystery.
A corpse crow obtaining an immense mystery that spans all of Kramdel, like Medusa’s, is simply impossible.
Kuurung!
That was when it happened.
“The tower……?”
The ground began to shake along with the tower.
That wasn’t the only change.
“G, golden light……!”
Isaac was so flustered he couldn’t finish his sentence.
The tower had suddenly begun to dye itself golden.
But this was the first time he had ever seen such a phenomenon while being in Kramdel.
“What is this?”
“The tower is enraged!”
The surrounding beasts were startled too.
Countless beasts were climbing the tower, or waiting in line for their turn.
As everyone was shocked by the unexpected event,
“The tower has directly bestowed a trial upon the challenger!”
A beast in the form of a black goat trembled as it spoke.
The murmuring around them grew louder.
“The tower?”
“Has that ever happened?”
“Someone so strong went in that the tower had to give a trial itself?”
“Could it be…… the Minotaur King who just went in?”
“It must be that young fantasy species who went in earlier.”
“What are you saying, of course it’s Leviathan.”
Each of them threw out their own speculation, focusing on the phenomenon.
The tower’s master had directly imposed a trial on someone who entered.
But many had entered the tower. If a special trial was given to one of them, opinions differed wildly on who that target was.
Isaac inwardly shook his head.
‘No way……’
The timing is too weird.
It happened the moment he entered.
Could it be, that self-proclaimed Star Bearer?
‘No.’
Isaac shook his head.
After all, why would the tower directly bestow a trial on nothing more than a corpse crow?
***
Suaaah.
The moment the tower turned golden, Medusa, the Queen of the Gate, who had been sitting on her throne, reacted.
Her sleeping snakes began to move, tongues flicking out.
“Lady Medusa is……!”
“How many years has it been since she moved!”
Serpents that resembled Medusa, but far smaller in size.
The serpents born from Medusa’s blood cried out in jubilation at her movement.
Because to heal the wounds she suffered after ‘that incident,’ Medusa had spent several years with her main body unmoving, focusing only on recovery.
Chwaak. Chwaaak.
The serpents’ hands moved busily.
They were endlessly wetting Medusa’s body with hot-spring water containing the tears of an upper-grade goddess.
A monster of her exalted rank could not be healed by ordinary means.
But Medusa’s reaction was extremely brief.
‘Someone has opened the mythical Mystery Hall.’
The mythical Mystery Hall had opened twice before this city bore the name ‘Kramdel.’
Once by the White King.
Once by a dazzling golden ancient dragon.
The White King succeeded in breaking through the mythical hall, but the golden ancient dragon failed, and met a miserable death.
‘It has never opened since then.’
The Mystery Hall is a place to grant mysteries to beasts.
But the Mystery Hall distinguishes species.
Unless you were an ancient dragon or the White King, beings who transcended all species, a mythical-grade hall would not open.
So someone similar to those two was challenging it?
‘Either way, they won’t succeed.’
Even the splendid golden ancient dragon met death.
Even the White King was sick to his bones of it.
The Mythical Mystery Hall continuously gives impossible trials depending on the species and rank of the challenger.
The White King, guardian deity of the north, challenged the Mythical Mystery Hall, gained immense power and a fitting mystery, yet still could not reach the end.
—It is impossible to see the end of this mythical trial. It was designed that way.
The White King himself judged it so, there can be no dissent.
So she was certain.
They would not succeed anyway.
Still, just in case, she floated a single eye above the mystery tower.
She had to watch the tower’s change.
***
Caw!
Caw!
Two corpse crows flying through the sky.
Sharing vision with those corpse crows, I looked down beneath the cliff.
‘Incredible.’
The moment I reached the mythical Mystery Hall, I witnessed a scene I couldn’t believe.
Dalgurak.
Dalgurak, dalgurak!
An endless procession of skeleton soldiers.
There had to be at least ten thousand of them.
‘You want me to kill all of these alone?’
The problem is, this is only the start.
Still, there is one saving grace.
【Lv.4】
All skeleton soldiers are level 4.
<The level of ‘Skeleton Soldiers’ matches the challenger’s level.>
<All tools except equipped gear are forbidden.>
<All blessings and protections are stripped away.>
They are ordinary monsters, but their number is ten thousand.
Against the same level, at most a few dozen would be the limit for anyone.
‘Good thing I’m not an ordinary level 4.’
My level is 4, but I far exceed what “4” is supposed to mean.
Every time I level up, all stats hit max, and those stats are multiplied to 1.2, so.
If every stat is 48, that’s about the level of an average level 6–7.
Not only that.
Because I possess Stars, all stats rose by another 5.
Meaning I could even face an average level 7 powerhouse.
‘If my level were high, I’d have been screwed.’
If my level had been 10?
A level 10 skeleton soldier is not a normal skeleton soldier.
It would use skills, infuse mana into bone, turning itself into something like sword energy.
It would be the same as facing ten thousand swordsmen who can use sword energy.
So it was better that my level was low.
I used to curse at the insane required EXP, but maybe this is what they call a blessing in disguise?
Dalgurak! Dalgurak!
The skeleton soldiers were surging toward the cliff.
If I stay still, I’ll be crushed to death by that mass.
“Rise, caw!”
With the shout, choosing a target and activating the skill, a corpse crow circling overhead fell straight down and entered the body of a skeleton soldier.
Dalgurak!
A corpse crow is a level 4 boss monster.
It can easily take over an ordinary level 4 skeleton soldier.
“Combine, caw!”
And the King of Corpse crows could make corpses even more beautiful.
“Artist of corpses” would be the right phrase.
The corpse crow that possessed the skeleton soldier began to possess nearby skeletons one after another.
Then, when I added my star power, the possessed skeleton soldiers fused, transforming into a hulking body like a golem.
Two corpse crows link the skeleton soldiers, and I control them.
‘Corpse Manipulation Arts, Art of Corpses.’
Skills that became usable only after becoming the King of Corpse crows.
There couldn’t be better skills for clearing this trial.
“Smash them all, caw!”
Kwaaaang!
***
How many hours did I fight?
<The skill level of ‘Corpse Manipulation Arts’ has increased by 1.>
<The skill level of ‘Art of Corpses’ has increased by 1.>
<The skill level of ‘Corpse Crow Summoning Arts’ has increased by 1. You can summon one additional corpse crow.>
<The skill level of ‘Corpse Manipulation Arts’ has increased by 1.>
<The skill level of ‘Art of Corpses’ has increased by 1.>
<The skill level of ‘Corpse Crow Summoning Arts’ has increased by 1. You can summon one additional corpse crow.>
…
……
It keeps raising endlessly.
In a way, that was only natural.
My hidden trait ‘Dexterity’ not only gives +1 to proficiency for every skill and piece of gear, it also raises skill EXP at an absurd speed.
Even more so in an extreme situation like this.
And when the endlessly pouring skeleton soldiers finally started to feel nauseatingly tiresome.
Caw!
Caw!
Caw!
Before I knew it, seven corpse crows were flying around me.
Skill level 7. If I hit level 10 like this and summon ten crows, the skill will undergo transcendence.
But the joy from the skill leveling up wasn’t even 1% of the happiness I felt right now.
“Kkaaaaaaaak!”
From the top of a mountain of shattered bones, I screamed with all my might.
‘I won!’
At last, I broke through the wall of ten thousand.
You cursed bastards!
If I hadn’t been the King of Corpse crows, I wouldn’t even have cleared half of them.
Now even the cries of corpse crows felt friendly.
《You have cleared the trial ‘Wall of Species.’》
《As a reward, you may obtain the mythical-grade mystery ‘Overload.’》
《Do you wish to obtain it?》
《If you do not obtain it, you will proceed to the next trial.》
Don’t tell me this isn’t the end?
A mystery name I’ve never seen in my life.
If I get this, I can get out!
‘If it’s a mythical-grade mystery, anything is enough.’
A mythical-grade mystery used by monsters is an insurmountable wall.
Whatever it is, it’s obvious it will have a tremendous effect.
I didn’t even have the strength to keep fighting.
I can’t move a single step.
Just seeing bones now makes me feel like gagging.
And yet, this isn’t the end of the trial.
But continuing to challenge a trial that might never end is a foolish act.
It’s an act of courting death.
《You have refused to obtain ‘Overload.’》
If someone saw this, they’d scream asking if I’d lost my mind and wanted to die.
‘If not now, I’ll never clear it.’
If my guess is right, the only time I can climb this mythical Mystery Hall is now.
The higher my level gets, the difficulty will rise exponentially.
What if I level up while challenging?
‘My level is fixed anyway.’
Even after killing ten thousand skeleton soldiers, I didn’t level up.
Even if I kill hundreds of thousands, millions of monsters of the same level, my level won’t rise.
In other words, this place is essentially the only place in this world where only I can see the end.
《The challenger attempts a trial of a higher stage.》
《You have achieved the achievement ‘Reckless Challenger Who Challenges a Higher Myth.’》
《The Constellations of the Pantheon begin to focus on you.》