The Perfect Entry
The four had already been decided.
One spot remained.
One name rose immediately to mind.
“M-me? The Rift Tower? Really? Together?”
Spear master Valte.
With that, the party was complete—balanced, formidable. It was the Avengers in all but name.
‘Achievement Shop’ has opened.
You may use points earned from Achievements to shop in the Achievement Shop.
The shop’s inventory changes according to your Hall of Fame ranking.
Welcome to the Achievement Shop, 1st place—Randolph.
Randolph, you currently hold 4,500 Achievement Points.
Right before entering the Rift Tower, one final preparation remained: the Achievement Shop, a privilege that had appeared after clearing Main Quest 8.
The shop list materialized before my eyes.
‘……Jackpot.’
I couldn’t help but shout “Eureka” once more.
The Most Perfect Entry
“Alliance Leader, Master is going to take a huge hit after dropping in the rankings.”
Inside the Korean Hero Alliance, one member smiled as he spoke to Park Taewoo.
During the Jeju Island disappearance incident, Master’s political maneuvering had nearly cost countless lives. Even the government had demanded he withdraw from Jeju. Most of the Alliance now viewed Master as an enemy—and Park Taewoo was no exception.
“Mm. He won’t be able to monopolize and sell Warp Stones anymore.”
The most valuable item in the Achievement Shop was the Warp Stone. The places that supplied them were extremely limited, and Master had been one of those sources. By selling Warp Stones purchased from the shop to other players, he had amassed considerable wealth.
“He even put the ruins inside the city up for quick sale. Master must be hurting financially.”
“This incident definitely dealt him a serious blow.”
“Alliance Leader, do you think Phantom might sell Warp Stones cheaply?”
“Hard to say. I don’t know if he even has enough points to spare.”
Randolph had accomplished extraordinary feats, yet there was still a limit to the points one could earn from Main Quest 8. Master, on the other hand, had pushed every Main Quest to its absolute limit and possessed far more breathing room.
“Still, he should have at least 500 points, right?”
“Given his track record, probably a bit more than that.”
Even so, it was unlikely he would buy Warp Stones just to resell them at a loss. Phantom pursued practical gains over mere profit.
Park Taewoo shook his head.
“He’ll probably use the points to raise his privilege level. That’s the wisest move.”
“A shame. It would’ve been nice if he sold them cheap.”
“Even if he buys Warp Stones, he won’t sell them cheaply.”
That was the kind of person Phantom was—never one to take a loss.
The member’s eyes gleamed.
“……Shouldn’t we start laying the groundwork to claim a city of our own?”
Owning a city in Pangenia carried immense power; they all knew it. Yet the Korean Alliance still lacked a foothold there. The talk of Warp Stones had surfaced precisely because the time to dominate a city was approaching.
Park Taewoo remained skeptical.
“The second invasion is coming soon. Our best move right now is to climb the Tower.”
“You mean the Rift Tower.”
Exactly. Every player was preparing to ascend the Rift Tower. Korea was no different. When two separate announcements appeared, it meant the rewards inside were substantial.
‘The Abyss Labyrinth was once the territory of the old empire. The Rift Tower may hold even greater value.’
Park Taewoo steeled his resolve. To succeed, he needed the strongest possible party. Recruitment, including several reclusive players, was nearly complete.
‘This time, for sure.’
This time they would produce results. The stronger the Alliance became, the stronger Korea would become. Only then could they avoid being tossed about like during the Jeju Island incident.
‘……Phantom will challenge it too.’
And if they encountered Phantom inside the Tower……
‘I’ll have to pass on what I read in that diary.’
The diary Kim Hana had shown him contained several peculiar entries. She had never revealed its author, but Park Taewoo had been able to understand and infer enough.
‘MintChocoTasty. He could be the most dangerous one.’
The possibility that MintChocoTasty posed the greatest threat to Phantom.
You have seized 1st place in the Hall of Fame with an astonishing score!
The Achievement Shop’s sales list has been upgraded one tier.
You possess 4,500 Achievement Points.
Immortal Warp Stone (300), Warp Stone (20), Guardian Wall (11Lv) Level Up (1,100), Guardian Wall Duration +1 Second (500), Expand Golden Rule Shop List (1,000), Reduce Golden Rule Shop Refresh Time (1,000), Increase Simultaneous Listings in Secret Auction House (500), Status Window Level Up (10,000)……
That was why I had called it a jackpot. The items available in the Achievement Shop were simply that extraordinary.
‘I never expected to be able to raise the grade of my privileges.’
The required points were high, but if I could purchase them, no shop could possibly be better. Some items even exceeded my 4,500 points.
‘Status Window Level Up? What changes if the status window’s level increases?’
The status window was simply an objective numerical representation of my condition. Raising its level…… I couldn’t even begin to guess what that would do. Still, the fact that it alone demanded 10,000 points suggested it was far from trivial.
‘I’ve been wanting to raise the Guardian Wall’s level anyway. Perfect timing.’
The Guardian Wall was the privilege that protected my body on Earth while I was in Pangenia. At level 11 it nullified attacks of 1-star or lower for 30 seconds. Impressive, yet it still couldn’t guarantee absolute safety.
‘Guardian Wall’ has been upgraded to level 12. -1,100 points
‘Guardian Wall’ has been upgraded to level 13. -1,200 points
‘Guardian Wall’ has been upgraded to level 14. -1,300 points
‘Guardian Wall’ has been enhanced and begun to shine.
No need to hesitate. What mattered most right now was raising the Guardian Wall’s privilege level. The corners of my mouth curled upward of their own accord.
A moment later the Guardian Wall’s window appeared before me.
【Advanced Guardian Wall (14Lv)】
★ Protects and warns the logged-out body from danger.
★ The strength of protection varies with the Guardian Wall’s level.
★ A level-14 Guardian Wall nullifies attacks of 4 stars or lower for 30 seconds.
★ The Advanced form provides even greater protection to the body.
Advanced Guardian Wall. One of the four reinforcements of Extreme Annihilation Slash had been applied. “Advanced” was the modifier that pushed the function itself to its absolute limit.
‘An extra effect is never a bad thing.’
If I raised the level further, the remaining reinforcement modifiers would likely attach as well. In any case, nullifying attacks of 4 stars or lower meant my body on Earth was now reasonably secure.
‘900 points left.’
The remaining points were awkward. Most privileges required at least 1,000 points to level up.
‘Immortal Warp Stone and regular Warp Stone.’
The item Master had monopolized and sold was the Warp Stone. Yet I had never even heard of an Immortal Warp Stone before. It must have been added to the list because I had cleared the quest with an overwhelming score.
Rubbing my chin, I read the description.
◈ A warp containing an Immortal Warp Stone cannot be destroyed.
◈ A warp connected by an Immortal Warp Stone cannot be forcibly disconnected.
◈ Only one ‘Immortal Warp Stone’ may be installed per city.
My shoulders twitched the moment I saw it.
“……This is a jackpot too.”
Even the cheapest regular Warp Stone cost well over a million gold. An Immortal Warp Stone that had never appeared before? City lords would drool and rush to buy it. While a regular Warp Stone cost 20 points, this one required 300—equivalent to 15 million gold at face value. Add rarity and the price would double, perhaps even reach the hundreds of millions.
Because an Immortal Warp Stone……
‘……prevents a city from sinking into the Abyss to a certain extent.’
That single fact alone made it worth far more. It even blocked the vicious tactic of forcibly disconnecting a warp to sink a city. Being limited to three per city was a bit disappointing, but……
‘One for Labyrinth City, and one to sell.’
Even though Labyrinth City was former imperial territory, I had already spent far too much gold. Between the city’s finances and the Throne of Light, I needed more gold.
Decision made, I reopened the Achievement Shop list.
You have purchased two ‘Immortal Warp Stones’. -600 points
One ‘Immortal Warp Stone’ has been listed in the ‘Secret Auction House’.
Auction duration set to 7 days.
Starting bid: 10,000,000G.
No one would fail to recognize its value. It would sell itself.
Now almost every preparation was complete.
‘Ah.’
……Except for one thing.
Connecting to the ‘Golden Rule Shop’.
You possess 2 Perfect Golden Rules and 2,355 hours of Golden Rule fragments.
Loading the refreshed Golden Rule Shop list.
Serenghetti, High Dryad Rommel, Valte, Andrew, and myself—five party members headed for the Rift Tower.
Standing before the tower, Andrew swallowed hard and spoke.
“……Successor, do you doubt my healing abilities?”
The question came right after I began distributing the Supreme-Grade Elixirs I had purchased.
“I trust you. But just in case, take three each.”
I trusted Andrew. His abilities as a priest were exceptional. Still, without knowing what lurked inside the Tower, a safety net was necessary. The Golden Rule Shop had sold Supreme-Grade Elixirs for 30 hours each; I had bought exactly fifteen and was dividing them.
“Three Supreme-Grade Elixirs each……”
Valte accepted the bottle with a dazed expression. Even on ordinary subjugation quests, people didn’t bother carrying elixirs. Three of them? It was pure luxury.
But that wasn’t all.
“Take one of these as well.”
“This is…… a whistle?”
When Serenghetti asked, I nodded.
“A whistle that lets you know each other’s location even from a distance. Only the owner can use it, so there’s no risk of theft.”
Another purchase from the refreshed Golden Rule Shop. At the very least, we wouldn’t lose one another. And if we did, we could find each other quickly.
“Successor……”
“I’m moved!”
“I never thought you cared about us this much……”
“Thank you, brother.”
……Why were they being so disgustingly sentimental?
The reason I had prepared so thoroughly wasn’t only for safety. The fact that climbing floors in the Rift Tower could release level limits was weighing on my mind. Not everyone would receive that benefit, however. The party itself needed to achieve high scores. This was simply an investment toward that goal.
“Let’s enter.”
“Yes!”
Serenghetti shouted energetically.
The moment we stepped into the Rift Tower—
The ‘Rift Tower’ entry conditions have been satisfied.
1st Floor — Fractured Level Tower.
Areas are divided according to level.
Do your best in your respective areas!
Depending on the combined score, the final ‘Raid Boss Area’ will open and determine whether you may proceed to the 2nd Floor.
‘Eternal Lord’s Heart’ has activated!
‘Fractured Level Area’ has been released.
‘Randolph’ may enter from the 1st Level Area onward.
‘Rift Master’ frowns.
The Brilliant Hero’s Constellation
The one who had gathered every starlight and completed a Unique-grade reward was truly satisfied.
Satisfied—yet……
‘Still, it’s a shame I never saw the true end.’
The only regret was that he had never witnessed a true ending. But there was no remorse. Emptiness had been filled, and he could now see the choices he himself had never made.
‘A minor sacrifice for the greater good. I dressed it up as a cause worth dying for, but in the end I never intended to sacrifice myself.’
He had originally been a hero. Before becoming a constellation, he had been called the pillar of an entire world—a radiant, beautiful, true hero. Yet looking back, his life had been nothing but regret. He had ultimately failed to protect anything and met a miserable end in defeat. Even while sacrificing countless people in the name of saving the world……
‘I believed only I could save the world. As a result, I drove others into despair in my place.’
That was why he had wanted to see it—a hero willing to sacrifice and devote himself. But he had never found one. No such person existed.