‘That person is…?’
It was when he stepped in to board the private jet.
A man caught Gracia’s eye.
An elderly English gentleman.
He was old, but there was no way he was mistaken.
‘Melson! Why is he in Korea?’
Melson.
A legendary figure who had reached the pinnacle in a particular field.
There had been rumors that, after retiring, he had been appointed as a liaison to the British royal family, but after that, it was as if his existence had been erased.
And that man had come to Korea.
Together with another man.
‘…A guest of the royal family?’
Even so.
Would someone like Melson personally come all the way to Korea just to pick that man up?
He couldn’t understand it.
Just who was he?
Melson was not someone who would personally escort even the president of Korea.
On top of that, Melson did not spare so much as a glance for himself, the one called Gracia.
There was no way he didn’t know of him, the world star, the strongest man on Earth.
Yet toward that man, he was smiling with endless kindness.
‘……… Who is he?’
He had no way of knowing.
***
“Young master Oliver. Are you going to meet your girlfriend today or something? You’ve really dressed yourself up~”
In front of the vanity.
At the old woman’s words, Oliver shook his head with a stiff expression.
Then, staring at the full-length mirror before him, he opened his mouth.
“It’s not like that. More importantly… do I look healthy?”
“Of course~ you look very healthy. No one outside would ever think you were sick, you know?”
A neatly tailored suit.
As the old woman knotted his tie, she checked Oliver’s face once more.
His pale face had been covered with makeup.
To make him look as if he had color in his cheeks, as if he looked healthy.
‘How silly, for someone my age. Why do I feel like crying?’
The old woman furtively wiped away her tears.
It had been nearly five years since Oliver had gone out to meet anyone.
For the past five years, Oliver had not taken a single step outside this castle.
Oliver, who had been interested in nothing, who had given his attention to no one, was now dressing himself up like this to go and meet someone.
Because she had taken care of Oliver since he was a child, the old woman regarded him like her own son and worried for him. But Oliver, born with a weak heart, looked as if he might die tomorrow.
He had no will to live.
He did not so much as glance at this reality.
And yet now, Oliver was energetically making preparations.
Without resting, for half a day straight.
He probably wouldn’t have prepared this much even if he were going to see a girlfriend.
“Do I really look healthy?”
This was already the umpteenth time he’d asked the same question.
Each time, the old woman had just smiled brightly and nodded.
“I told you, didn’t I? I did the work, and even I can’t tell. It’s perfect.”
“Then… it’s fine. Let’s go up now.”
With his whole body tense, Oliver climbed the stairs.
As they headed for the rooftop, the rough sea around them came into view.
“There’s still a long time until the estimated time of arrival, will you be alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine. The air outside feels nice.”
“Shall I bring something for you to throw over your shoulders? It’s cold.”
“No, really, I’m fine.”
Oliver just kept staring up at the sky.
Because the plan was for the guest to cross the sea by plane and then transfer to a helicopter to arrive here.
Oliver’s appearance, standing there, how should one put it, he looked almost devout.
Facing the sun, Oliver was silently preparing himself.
The old woman, who had watched over him for so many years, shivered as she saw his attitude.
‘He’s getting ready to stand against the world.’
Because she realized that Oliver was finally preparing to break out of his shell.
And so, preparing himself to stand against the world.
For a full two hours.
Oliver, with that sickly body, did not move an inch as he waited for the helicopter.
And at last, when the helicopter came into view, skimming the horizon of the sunset-dyed sky—
“……”
Oliver clenched his fist with all his strength.
What should he say?
With what words should he welcome him…?
Nice to meet you, I am Hudson.
No, I’m Oliver.
Which name should he use?
Lord Phantom? Lord Randolph? Or Mr. Park Hyun-myung?
“They’ve arrived, young master.”
[Abyss Labyrinth] The best possible start
I quietly stared out of the helicopter.
An endless stretch of ocean. A single small island, barely visible in the distance.
‘This is like a comic.’
A lone castle rising from the center of that island.
It looked like something out of a comic or a movie.
It was my first time in England, but it was also my first time seeing such a castle in person.
Ah. It was also my first time floating in the air for twenty-five hours straight.
In many ways, it had been a day of first experiences.
‘Hudson lives here?’
An island and castle this large, the helicopter, the private jet.
No matter how I thought about it, he did not seem like someone of ordinary status.
I had just thought of him as a resourceful gambler from the Golden City Arcana.
“We’ve arrived.”
Melson, who had been piloting the helicopter, spoke up.
The helicopter quietly landed on the top of the castle.
A moment later, when the door of the helicopter opened, I slowly stepped down onto solid ground.
“Welcome.”
A single, well-built man greeted me.
I studied the man carefully.
He looked about one hundred eighty-five centimeters tall.
Curly golden hair, blue eyes.
His frame was on the slender side, but he left a strong impression.
This man was Oliver. Hudson’s true form.
“I am Hud… Oliver.”
“I’m Park Hyun-myung.”
I grasped the hand he offered.
His palms were slick with sweat, as if he were extremely nervous.
And the smile at the corners of his mouth was as awkward as could be.
He was completely different from Hudson in Pangaenia, who had always carried himself with such boldness.
He was clearly trying to look composed, but still.
“Excuse me, just a moment.”
Suddenly, Oliver raised his hand.
A faint golden light gathered at his fingertips.
It was the Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule.
When he pressed that golden light to my head, I felt my mind clear a little.
“Can you understand what I’m saying?”
“…It has a translation function too?”
I was slightly surprised.
I had never imagined that the Fragment of the Broken Golden Rule would have a function like this.
It would have been nice if it had told me so beforehand, but what more could I ask.
That was just the kind of game this was from the start.
Oliver gave a small laugh.
“Yes. The Fragment of the Golden Rule has an automatic translation function.”
Automatic translation, huh.
It might have even more functions than this.
When I turned my gaze to the old woman behind him, Oliver hurriedly spoke.
“Ah. You can trust all of these people. They are as dear to me as my own heart.”
“I can see that.”
“There’s no one in this castle besides the four of us. Security is airtight, and this island doesn’t exist on any map, nor can it be detected by satellite, so you can rest easy.”
An island not marked on any map?
A place even satellites couldn’t pick up?
A sudden question rose to mind.
“How do you get food and other supplies?”
“Melson brings them once a week by supply run. In any case… you must be tired from the long journey, so allow me to show you to your quarters first.”
So they flew the supplies in by helicopter.
After that, Oliver took the lead.
The old woman and Melson watched his back with strange expressions.
So this is what it feels like to watch a child step out of his cage.
‘He seems to have a story of his own.’
I shrugged.
He did seem to have a story, but prying into it would be meddling.
Besides, one should not dig too deeply into another family’s affairs.
Unless they brought it up first, there was no need for me to ask.
***
After unpacking, we sat at the table and shared a meal.
The courses started with turkey, followed by grilled vegetables and steak, lasagna, and wine to go with it.
Watching Oliver seated with impeccable posture, eating with such precise manners, made me feel like I was the only one here from another world.
‘A real noble, huh?’
It wasn’t just his demeanor.
The paintings and photographs hanging around the castle, the various objects, none of them looked ordinary.
“If I may be so bold, where did the two of you meet?”
Melson, dressed in a butler’s uniform and standing to the side, asked.
I had felt it since we departed, but it seemed he knew nothing about me and Oliver.
For a moment, Oliver’s eyes filled with confusion.
It was hard to give a neat, accurate answer to the question of where we’d met.
…Should we just say at a gambling hall?
It would be amusing to mention the fact that we had made a deal with each other to obtain the Fairy Queen’s Tears.
I spoke as if it were nothing special.
“We met in a game.”
“Ah! So you’re gaming friends!”
Somehow, hearing it put that way made it sound rather trivial.
But it wasn’t wrong.
Melson burst into a hearty laugh.
“I’ve heard that in this day and age, it’s not at all strange to make friends through games.”
“…Melson. I would like to focus on the meal.”
“Yes, young master.”
Melson nodded readily.
Judging from how composed he’d been earlier, he did seem to know that Oliver was a Dimension Warrior, but it appeared he didn’t know the full story.
As I cut into my steak, I slowly turned my gaze to Oliver.
‘Sure enough, I can see it.’
Just as I’d been able to see Hudson’s status window, Oliver’s status window came into view as well.
<<Oliver (Hudson) / Male / 29 years old / Neutral Good>>
Special note: Illegitimate child.
Special note: Heart disease (worsening), abnormalities in liver and pancreas, diabetes, and 18 other complications.
There were no stats, but the special notes were crystal clear.
An illegitimate child, huh.
I knew Britain still had some remnants of a class system, but did that mean he really had noble blood?
And with a body in such a condition that it wouldn’t be strange if he died at any moment, that too was clear as day.
Along with the gulf between Hudson and Oliver.
‘So the reason he clung to Pangaenia was because of his real body.’
It wasn’t simply that he had fallen in love with Serengeti.
With his real body like this, of course he would cling to something outside of reality.
For Oliver, Pangaenia must have been a splendid refuge.
An ideal world where he could live a completely different life under his second identity, Hudson.
‘At this point, even an elixir wouldn’t work.’
Even if you used a top-tier elixir, damaged internal organs wouldn’t regenerate. It wasn’t that it would have no effect at all, but in a body like that, it would be of little use.
Of course, it wasn’t that there was no way to fix it.
‘If it were a saintess…’
If a saintess personally bestowed her blessing, there might be a chance at revival.
But there was no way to bring a saintess down to Earth, and the saintess who possessed that level of star power had already died during the great expedition.
…Saintess Seah.
If it were her, she could have cured him.
“Does the food not suit your taste?”
“No. It’s good.”
I forcibly shook my head.
He was trying his best not to show how sick he was, but I had already grasped the full state of his body.
Even if I didn’t want to see it, it was right there.
But there was nothing I could do for him right now.
I did have one blessing-related skill, but Star’s Blessing erased curses, it wasn’t a skill that healed the body.
The best thing I could do for Oliver at this moment was—
‘Don’t let it show.’
To treat him normally.
***
After the meal, Oliver led me down into the depths of the castle.
In the underground of the castle there was a massive circular door, and after several layers of authentication, a sterile, laboratory-like space was revealed.
Looking at the huge circular pod in the center, I asked,
“What’s that?”
“It’s a state-of-the-art life support device. It has auxiliary power, so even if the castle’s power goes out, it will maintain operation for at least half a year.”
There was a reason Oliver had said he could be of help.
This place was not just a castle, it was a fortress.
A state-of-the-art fortress outfitted like a bomb shelter.
And all of it had been created for one person, Oliver.
“Impressive. But why are there two?”
“One is mine, one is yours, Mr. Park Hyun-myung.”
Of course. If there had been only one, it would have been awkward. The reason these life support devices were here was surely to prolong Oliver’s life.
In any case, the preparations were perfect.
With a facility like this, it felt like we could hold out until the labyrinth was completely cleared.
Honestly, it was more than I’d expected.
How many people would prepare to this extent before diving into a labyrinth?
“I’ll be in your care while the labyrinth is in progress.”
“Yes! Just leave everything to me.”
Only then did Oliver finally seem to relax a little, as he gave me a vigorous smile.
***
Oliver couldn’t control his pounding heart.
Phantom. The man was standing right in front of him.
Even though his impression was quite different from how he’d been in Pangaenia, his aura was the same.
‘So the rumors were true.’
The rumor that Phantom was probably Korean.
It was true.
But aside from that rumor, not a single person existed who had actually met Phantom.
There were, of course, those who claimed to have met him, but all of them were lying.
‘I’m the first.’
The first person to stand face to face with Phantom.
How could he not be excited?
Phantom was a legend, and a myth.