Eternal Monarch Randolph
The infinite vessel that had already existed within my body.
It was the Gate of Truth, and at the same time, a vast universe.
Just gazing upon that endlessly expanding, endlessly stretching expanse left me overwhelmed.
It’s no wonder anyone would think a god dwells inside me.
Everyone who had ever seen this must have thought the same thing.
A god.
Compared to this universe, I was an utterly insignificant existence. It would not have been strange to offer tribute, make offerings, and revere it.
But not me.
I offered nothing. I did not revere it.
And so I chose to use this gate as my vessel—as a tool to contain the mana that overflowed without end.
—Congratulations. At last you have found your ‘gate.’
With those words, the ‘mouth’ vanished.
It could not have been mere congratulations for finding a gate. No—it was congratulations for discovering my own correct answer.
Certainly, those who had laid eyes on this gate might be more numerous than one would expect. There would be those who had opened it, and quite a few who had offered their most precious things to the Gate of Truth. Those who obtained something in return would have gained powerful authorities—abilities akin to superpowers.
But not me.
I truly desired nothing from it. I wanted nothing from the Gate of Truth.
One might ask whether I, too, needed to offer something in order to use the Gate of Truth as a vessel. That was not the case either. I was simply collecting rent from this ‘Gate of Truth’ that had arbitrarily occupied my body all this time.
Above all, I did not regard this gate as a ‘god.’ That would mean I myself was a god—and I was not a god. I was human. Only those who sought to become gods offered their precious things to this ‘Gate of Truth.’
This gate is nothing more than a vessel.
It was merely my possession. Nothing more, nothing less.
You possess the Hidden Trait ‘Heart of the Eternal Monarch.’
You have mastered the Hidden Quest ‘Monarch’s Mindset.’
The ‘Gate of the Eternal Monarch’ reacts.
All ranks merge and become one.
The Hidden Traits ‘Heart of the Eternal Monarch’ and ‘Eternal Randolph’ merge.
The two Hidden Traits have fused and transcended into ‘Eternal Monarch Randolph.’
As if my attitude toward the Gate of Truth had pleased it, another gate that had been locked somewhere within the Gate of Truth swung open.
The Gate of the Eternal Monarch!
It was qualification. The right to become the Eternal Monarch had merged with my own rank.
Of course, that was never going to be the end of it.
Origin — Race Reconstruction
The ‘Eternal Ascetic’ is sealed on God’s Island.
If you become the master of God’s Island, the Eternal Ascetic will awaken.
An Origin Quest?
I had seen plenty of Secret Quests and Hidden Quests, but this was the first time I had ever encountered an Origin Quest.
The race that is the origin of the Hidden Trait… reconstruct that race?
The origin of the Hidden Trait. Yet it had not been the Heart of the Eternal Monarch from the very beginning. The Heart of the Iron-Blood Monarch had evolved into the Heart of the Eternal Monarch. Possessing the evolved Hidden Trait must have been the first condition. Only one who held the Heart of the Eternal Monarch, opened the Gate of Truth, and satisfied certain other requirements would receive this Origin Quest.
Sealed on God’s Island… so they were not completely wiped out by Ruin?
Had something been left behind for the sake of race reconstruction? What was certain was that among the twelve stars beyond the Gate of Truth that the Sunken Emperor had spoken of, this was one of them. Whether it referred precisely to my qualification or to the sealed Eternal Ascetic, I could not yet say.
Once I become the island’s master, I will know.
If I claimed God’s Island, I would learn everything. It was simple. I only needed to win this game. I had intended to do so anyway. If I had not, I would never have come here. Nothing had changed.
Time to leave.
Outward. I could not drift forever on this endless sea.
I tore open the egg that had imprisoned me. I smashed the walls that barred my way, shattered them, and cast off everything that had held me captive.
‘Molting’ has been completed.
And I stepped out into the world.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a dark cave.
As I prepared to leave, an unidentified Night Spirit blocked the path.
Hm?
What was this? The starlight I carried was stirring violently—this was unmistakably a Night Spirit. Why, then, was a Night Spirit barring the cave entrance?
No hostility, though.
It was not blocking me so much as protecting me—from the ‘presences’ I sensed outside.
A Night Spirit is protecting me?
It made no sense. The auras outside belonged without question to the other participants: Abyss Dominators and Primal monsters. I could not fathom why a Night Spirit would stand against them on my behalf.
“Stand aside.”
When the sun rose, the Night Spirit would vanish. I was going to face those outside anyway. I had no intention of avoiding them. Now I had one more reason to become the master of this island.
I stepped forward and spoke again.
“You’re in the way.”
If you have no intention of fighting me, move.
The shadowy form glanced at me once, then slowly retreated deeper into the cave. Its steps carried a lingering reluctance.
There was a battle here.
But right now the situation outside mattered more than the Night Spirit. A major battle had clearly taken place. Countless craters scarred the land as though meteors had fallen and brought about the end of the world.
Huh.
Even looking at the traces alone sent a shiver through me. Yet I calmly examined the aftermath and reconstructed what had happened.
Three combatants. One is that bastard on the horse. One is Raiga, sprawled over there. And the last… the Heavenly Demon.
Traces of Cheonma Shingong were everywhere. Yet the Heavenly Demon himself was nowhere to be seen. Had he fled? Raiga lay face-down in a pool of his own blood, utterly wretched. It seemed the horseman had reduced both of them to that state.
Goooooh—!!
At the same moment, another presence turned its hostility upon me.
A colossal golem. That ancient golem was a powerhouse that had activated of its own will and come to dominate the Abyss.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Filled with murderous intent, it charged madly toward me.
I reached into my coat and flung a copper coin at it.
“I’m giving it back.”
……Gooooh.
The golem that caught the coin skidded to an abrupt halt, as if it had never imagined its prize would be returned so easily.
In an Expedition Duel the loser forfeited their most precious possession and the victor claimed it. There was, however, no rule forbidding the victor from returning it. The only case in which something could never be reclaimed was when it had been taken by a Night Spirit.
I looked at the Owner of the Tomb standing dazed with the coin in its grasp and spoke.
“Owner of the Tomb. That is the final memento left by the one who created you. Are you still searching the Abyss for your master?”
Clinging to that single coin, the ancient golem had wandered the Abyss. What I had seen was not only the memories within the Cheonmado. I had also read the memories bound to the Owner of the Tomb’s coin.
The creator is already dead.
Just before dying to Ruin, the child had created this golem—leaving behind only that single coin. Yet the Owner of the Tomb was utterly convinced the child still lived somewhere in the Abyss. And so it had continued to roam, without rest, for endless ages.
The Owner of the Tomb does not know the memories bound to the coin.
One’s most precious thing. The most precious memory attached to it. The Heavenly Demon had not known the will of the Evil God dwelling in the Cheonmado, and the Owner of the Tomb knew nothing of the story tied to its coin.
What did that mean?
I, too, do not know. I do not know my own most precious thing, nor the memory bound to it.
Only by having it taken could one learn. Only when the opponent who stole it read the memory and told it back would one finally know. And that unknown memory was almost certainly something of tremendous importance—just like the contents of the Cheonmado and the coin.
I must learn it as well. My most precious thing, and the story bound to it.
God’s Island was not merely a place for pursuing the Star’s Memory. This was a space of memory where one came to know oneself truly.
Therefore—
“I know where your master is.”
Follow me, Owner of the Tomb. Just as I returned your most precious thing, you need only return mine to me.
This game could not be won alone. I needed allies—participants who would move solely according to my will. To uncover the hidden things, it was essential.
—……
The Owner of the Tomb gave no response. Yet that was enough. Its hostility had long since vanished.
I turned my head.
The man astride the azure-flame steed.
His business isn’t with me—it’s with the spirit inside the cave.
Likewise, there was no hostility toward me. But he clearly took great interest in the Night Spirit that had retreated into the cave. If I did not move, he looked ready to fight. Step aside or fight—choose one, his gaze said.
Everyone is watching.
Other participants were here as well, observing the scene from afar without even bothering to hide. If I stepped aside, they would brand me a coward. Moreover, whatever its reasons, the Night Spirit inside the cave had protected me. Had it not blocked the entrance during my molting, my challenge would have ended in failure.
If I did not yield, only one option remained.
Battle.
The man on the horse had simultaneously crushed both the Heavenly Demon and Raiga. Even after molting, he would not be an easy opponent. Of course, I only needed to hold out until morning. Once it became a Star Expedition Duel, I could not lose.
Still…
Even that feels unsatisfying.
Enduring and then winning by some other means would look strange. A weakling’s desperate victory would not impress them. I had to display overwhelming strength. More than becoming master of God’s Island, planting a proper sense of caution in them was crucial. Even if I became the island’s master, if they looked down on me they would come to seize it at any moment.
What I desire is ultimate victory.
I did not want mere victory in a game. I wanted true victory. I wanted to ensure that no one would dare casually touch what was mine—whether in Pangenia or here in the Abyss.
Furthermore, to make the Owner of the Tomb obey me completely, I needed something that transcended everything.
“…As it happens, I have a decent mount of my own.”
I spoke while looking at the azure-flame steed that exhaled fire. I, too, possessed a rather fine mount. And I had long been curious.
How would the Dominators of the Abyss react when they saw ‘this’? Exactly what standing did ‘this’ hold within the Abyss?
They know. Of course they do. It would be strange if they didn’t.
They would possess far more information about ‘this’ than I did. With so many Dominators of the Abyss gathered in one place, there would never be a better opportunity to satisfy my curiosity.
And so I summoned it.
“Baal.”
…Four Calamities Baal.
KRAAAAAAAAAANG!