Chapter 89

Chapter 89
## Chapter 89: The White King’s Decree

That was his personal property, after all.

Was he truly meant to yield to a common scavenger like that?

However, the Great Earth Dragon fell into a stunned silence at the White King’s subsequent admission.

“That creature might be the solitary existence capable of ending my life.”

“······!!!!!”

This was a staggering confession; the White King had never uttered such words before.

If a being existed that could actually slay the White King, the Great Earth Dragon required no further clarification.

The other Four Lords shared this sudden, heavy realization.

“The Fifth Lord’s ambition is an ‘equal seat.’ Essentially, he has no intention of making me his adversary. Since we have found common ground, there is no logic in declining the arrangement.”

“B-but! We possess no certainty regarding the location of the ‘fang,’ do we?”

The Fifth Lord had presented the deal as his final terms.

The White King’s own fang, stripped away by Wilhelm.

The creature asserted it knew where the relic had vanished following Wilhelm’s demise.

“No, the Fifth Lord speaks the truth.”

Had he merely claimed it remained within the labyrinth, they would have dismissed it as a fabrication.

But the Fifth Lord had provided a compelling narrative to support the claim.

—The fang shifted to a ‘unique sanctuary’ once its bearer perished, caw.

—Even if I divulged the location, none of you could ever set foot there, caw.

Relocated to a realm unreachable even by the White King and the Four Lords.

That implied a deliberate, intentional intervention.

After Wilhelm fell during the Great Expedition.

Randolph was certain that he alone held the secret and the means to access it.

Consequently, he demanded a price of equivalent worth in exchange for the fang.

‘Equal value. I shall accept nothing less.’

But what could possibly match the worth of his own fang?

Such a thing did not exist.

The White King’s fang was the most singular treasure in existence.

How could he part with something of equal magnitude a second time?

“What must I surrender to bring the fang home?”

“Does this mean… you are agreeing to the terms······?”

The Great Earth Dragon stammered, his expression dazed.

The weight of these revelations was becoming difficult to process all at once.

The White King offered a casual shrug.

“Agreement is not the hurdle. The true dilemma is the offering. It must parallel the fang’s importance and satisfy the Fifth Lord’s criteria.”

Following a stretch of quiet, the Great Earth Dragon finally spoke, his voice tinged with a sense of inevitability.

“…There is one option.”

“······One? You cannot mean the one I am thinking of?”

“Indeed.”

“You are suggesting my daughter?”

“I am.”

“······Hm.”

The White King thoughtfully rubbed his chin.

He did possess one precious daughter, a girl he protected and cherished more than his own sight.

A child he valued as much as—perhaps even more than—the lost fang.

“Randolph is male, is he not?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Hmm. The lad is still in the midst of his growth, however.”

“Have you ignored the reports that the Black King’s forces are congregating at the Mountain of Trainees? We would be forced to withdraw her soon regardless.”

“It is a calculated maneuver, if nothing else······.”

The White King let out a heavy breath.

Randolph, the only one who might actually kill him.

By binding him to his daughter through matrimony, every threat would be neutralized.

Furthermore, he would secure a formidable, permanent companion.

The complication lay in the personality of the girl herself.

‘I wonder if she will submit to my will.’

He had little confidence that the headstrong girl would follow his command.

He had dispatched her to the Mountain of Trainees for discipline and growth, but heritage was heritage.

She mirrored her siblings, possessing a spirit as unyielding as tempered metal—he entertained no fantasies that she had grown compliant.

Yet, if it could be achieved, no better outcome existed.

“Hmmmmm.”

The White King’s thoughts spiraled deeper into contemplation.

—

Following the conclusion of the Abyss Labyrinth invasion.

The forums of Player Talk were hit by a massive wave of transformation.

-Knight Bom? There’s a news piece in Korea regarding Randolph.

-Yeah, Bom. The guy has absolute nerves of steel.

-Kim Hana? Isn’t she the journalist who scored the Gracia interview?

-Right. It seems Kim Hana released some anonymous Intel.

-‘The genuine savior Randolph battles entities alone within a separate realm.’

-Well, it’s technically accurate lolololol

-The person who leaked that is definitely a Phantom Church devotee.

-Aren’t the Master’s hitmen terrifying?!

-Exactly. From the Master’s perspective, they’d want to scrub the name Randolph from existence no matter the cost…

A Korean article published under Kim Hana’s byline.

Beyond those who arrived via ‘Dimension Warrior,’ the report highlighting ‘Randolph,’ fighting a lonely war in another world, had triggered a sensation.

Naturally, the actual details were sparse.

Just a mention that a man named Randolph existed in a different dimension—nothing more.

The issue was the mere public acknowledgment of the name.

-Can someone break down the article?

-The new portals are gateways from ‘labyrinths’ in another world designed to colonize Earth. A champion named ‘Randolph’ risked everything to halt them.

-Wait, that’s all?

-What do you mean ‘that’s all’? People are going to start digging into who Randolph really is.

-Does the reporter have a death wish or something?

-Maybe they can’t touch her because her profile has skyrocketed lately?

-My bet is they’ll just suppress it quietly without making a scene.

-Is that all they have? They probably held back the juicy stuff just to get it past the editors.

-Ugh, this tension is killing me.

-Guys, focus. Pangeniar is falling apart.

It happened right then.

Just as the community was debating the article.

Suddenly, players currently logged out began shouting about events in Pangeniar.

-Why? What’s going on?

-It’s chaos every day, what’s new lolol

-A formal decree was sent to every settlement. Issued in the White King’s name!

The White King, out of nowhere.

There wasn’t a player alive who didn’t recognize that title.

-The White King? The ruler from the northern reaches of Kramdel?

-Wow, even the top guilds running cities are losing their minds.

-What the hell does the decree say?

-Wait for it. He’s claiming the labyrinth city as official White King soil. His second formal annexation after Kramdel. Lay a finger on it and you’re dead.

-What? Didn’t Randolph just take the labyrinth city?

-The sovereign of the city is the newly crowned Fifth Lord Randolph, King of Corpse Crows?

-…?

-?????

-The Fifth Lord?

-Yeah. The fifth monarch recently installed in Kramdel. Randolph, King of Corpse Crows.

-No way, what?

-What kind of nonsense is this?

-So the person who conquered the Abyss Labyrinth wasn’t our Randolph, but some Corpse Crow version?

-The same name?? Right now???

-I am beyond baffled.

-My brain is literally melting.

-So it wasn’t Phantom Randolph, but a monster called Corpse Crow Randolph?

-Is this for real……?

-Who in the world is Corpse Crow Randolph?

-I’m losing it, the guy we were cheering for was a monster, not Phantom?

-Kramdel doesn’t allow humans, so he has to be a legitimate monster.

-Then where is the actual Randolph?

-The Mountain of Trainees, maybe?

-Someone needs to go verify this.

-You can only enter that place once you hit level 7.

-Monstrosities have swarmed the base of the mountain, the paths are sealed, if you go there you’re dead.

-Wow… literal goosebumps.

-Truly legendary,,,,…

—

Mountain of Trainees.

A zone that triggers automatically upon reaching level 7 and finishing Main Quest 6.

A mandatory proving ground where you are granted a single entry and cannot leave until your class proficiency hits level 15.

‘The level of proficiency you attain is the ultimate metric.’

While the White King weighed the cost of his fang, I intended to scale the Mountain of Trainees.

However, I needed to be meticulously prepared to ensure a flawless finish.

A single opportunity.

No second chances.

From my arrival to my departure, I required nothing short of legendary results.

‘Maximum proficiency caps vary by profession.’

For a common role like ‘Archer,’ one can cap bow skills at 15.

15 levels. That is the standard.

Obtain a higher-tier class, and that ceiling climbs.

In that regard, I held a massive head start.

‘Ultimate Sword Saint. A secret class that allows sword mastery to reach a staggering 30.’

The hidden class, Ultimate Sword Saint!

Validated and refined by both the Ultimate Dragon and Sword Saint Riley himself.

No other class could dream of a cap of 30.

Certainly, consuming specific stars could push beyond a cap, but starting at 30?

‘I need to hit at least 23 before I descend.’

But once you pass 20, the true trials begin.

Utilizing Baal’s helmet and my Dexterity, I could likely force my way to 23.

And the individuals who reached 23 on the Mountain of Trainees were a rare breed.

“Let’s move.”

“Understood~”

Saintess Seya replied from my side.

She appeared a bit distracted, but she was the only person present who had never set foot on the Mountain of Trainees.

Unlike players like Isaac or Isabella, having been born as a Saintess of Pangeniar, she never had the requirement.

A faint grin touched my mouth.

The person standing before me wasn’t just a saintess.

‘An inexhaustible healing battery.’

An asset to mend my broken body and spirit during the climb.

To ensure non-stop training,

She was a healing tool.

And the most potent one available, possessing terrifying levels of holy energy.

That wasn’t the extent of it.

‘I might even surpass 23 if the variables align.’

If my strategy held, seizing the top spot in the Hall of Honor for Main Quest 7 was within reach.

Perhaps even more than that.

Star of the Beheaded.

Volcano.

A site revered as the sacred heart of flame.

Kieeeek!

In that place, a colossal avian made of fire let out a piercing cry.

A Phoenix, a creature regarded as being in a different stratosphere even among mythical beings!

Yet currently, it was pinned down, blades driven through both of its wings.

“Relinquish the star gracefully, star guardian.”

Standing before it, Gracia manipulated his celestial blade and spoke.

The Phoenix served as the guardian of the fire star.

A unique entity that tested those with potential before bequeathing the star.

But the Phoenix shook its head at Gracia.

—You are far from prepared······!

Rumble!

Kaaaak!

Under the relentless pressure of the celestial blade’s strikes, the Phoenix was slowly fading.

Yet Gracia remained indifferent to its plight.

The Phoenix had already been dismissed from his concerns.

《The sovereign of the Abyss Labyrinth, ‘Sword Saint Riley,’ has been bested by the contender ‘Randolph.’》

《Phase 5, ‘The Very Abyss Itself,’ has been purged by ‘Randolph.’》

《’Abyss Labyrinth’ finalized! ‘Randolph’ ascends as the lord of the labyrinth city.》

……Those announcements were haunting him again.

Gracia clenched his teeth.

He had faltered where that man had triumphed.

Of course, he was now aware it wasn’t Phantom Randolph, but Kramdel’s Fifth Lord and King of Corpse Crows—yet, the agitation remained.

‘I am still deficient.’

He confessed it to himself.

His own hubris.

Drunk on the prestige of being a Sword Saint and wielding a legendary weapon, he had stopped evolving.

The result was his inability to even defeat the former Sword Saint.

‘I believed I had outdistanced Phantom. I was mistaken.’

Phantom’s pinnacle persona, Wilhelm, would have crushed Sword Saint Riley.

And if, by some impossible twist of fate, that Randolph actually was Phantom······.

‘I have to grow more powerful.’

Gracia shifted his gaze back to the Phoenix.

“Give me the star, guardian.”

Ding!

Diiing!

At that moment, the chime of dark bells echoed from the rear.

Even in the heart of the volcanic sanctuary, the harvesters had found him.

Lately, their appearances had become more frequent.

Furthermore, the reapers pursuing him were distinct from the ones seen previously in Korea.

In both count and form.

Only two. Triple horns protruding from their brows.

Yet the aura they radiated was on a different level.

Gracia’s expression turned cold.

“······Fine, I’ll finish things with you lot as well.”

—

“············This is the proclamation from the White King?”

“It is, Master.”

In the office of the desolate city, a figure in a mask responded.

He presented the document that had arrived at their gates.

Reviewing it, the Master’s brow furrowed in deep frustration.

—To all regional rulers! I announce the labyrinth city as a protectorate of the White King.

—Regardless, the practical sovereign of the labyrinth shall be the newly appointed Fifth Lord, Randolph, King of Corpse Crows.

—Be warned, those who toy with fire shall be reduced to cinders.

A message completely stripped of diplomatic grace.

What?

‘Reduced to cinders if we toy with fire?’

Even for a figure as powerful as the White King, circulating such a notice to every city was an overstep.

It wasn’t even a formal challenge······.

Did he fear nothing?

Ultimately, the Master could only offer a sharp, resentful comment.

“······That lunatic truly has no equal.”

“Should we terminate the operation?”

“If the White King is intervening, we have no alternative. Cancel everything.”

The operation.

Nothing other than the planned takeover of the labyrinth city.