Unconquerable

There was one question every Player had wondered about at some point.

— Just how strong is Randolph?

It was pure curiosity about Randolph's raw combat power.

From the moment he appeared, he had reclaimed the number-one spot in the Hall of Fame without pause. Randolph had racked up so many myths and scores that ordinary thinking simply couldn't account for them — and yet, when it came to his actual fighting strength, almost nothing was known.

The reason was simple.

— He never shows himself.

— Phantom was always like that.

Theories about why he stayed hidden ran wild. He preferred bug-level play. He hated dealing with people. He wasn't human. He was an admin. On and on…

But no real answer had ever been confirmed.

In Pangenia, Phantom was one of a kind. The countless "guides" he had written were still treated as gospel among Players. And that wasn't all. Every character Phantom raised was absurdly strong for its level — not just a difference in control, but a fundamentally different approach to growth. He never raised a single character half-heartedly. No wonder people called him Phantom God.

Plenty of people had claimed to be Phantom over the years.

— This time it's real.

— This is the real Phantom!

Randolph was Phantom's character. When Phantom was summoned into Pangenia, the body he possessed was Randolph — the one he had raised with the purest passion and the most absolute dedication.

Why Randolph had become a target for "subjugation" was still a mystery. But if that was the case…

— This is our chance.

— A chance to finally see how strong Randolph really is!

Just how strong was Randolph? This was the perfect opportunity to find out.

The Four Calamities — Baal!

The instant he faced that impossibly colossal beast, Union, the Mage of the Golden Rule, felt his heart stop.

…Phase 1? Not Randolph — Baal?

He had rushed in to confirm his opponent, only to find it wasn't Randolph at all. To face Randolph, he would first have to defeat Baal.

Union — the same man who had invaded Earth alongside Isera — drew a deep breath.

Fine. Stay hidden all you want. I'll be there soon enough.

Union was confident. He had been deceived by an Orthodox and crushed in his duel with Isera, but since then he had gritted his teeth and clawed back nearly all of his original power.

How dare you steal my experience potions…!

Just thinking about it made his teeth grind. He hadn't been weak. He had been forced into weakness because every last experience potion he had stockpiled had been stolen. If he had been at full strength, he never would have lost so pitifully to Isera.

But that was then.

I'll prove it. My power.

With his original strength restored, Union was sure of himself. He wanted to prove it — by crushing Randolph, by single-handedly subjugating the Champion of the Tower of the War God, and reclaiming his pride. After all, the Tower of the War God could be climbed from Earth as well.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

— GROOOOOOAAAR—!

A crushing curse erupted in every direction. The Four Calamities — Baal. Most people would have coughed up blood and died just from standing in its presence.

"You pitiful beast who once stood at the peak."

Whoooosh!

Union raised his staff, blazing with the Golden Rule.

"Die."

In that instant—

BOOM!

KRA-KA-KA-KA-KA-KABOOM!

Meteorites summoned from every direction came crashing down on Baal.

Union's defeat. Most people had expected it — but it hadn't been a total waste.

If someone could chip away roughly 15% of its HP alone, maybe it was doable after all.

That was when, across Player Talk, questions about Randolph began bubbling up one by one.

Consensus settled on one conclusion: Randolph was the God of the Black Egg. Which meant, at the same time, that Randolph was also the Dreadful Omen.

Everyone trapped in the Abyss had watched the Dreadful Omen drive Baal into a corner. That grotesque, nightmarish curse power had frozen every single person there just by being seen. And that was Randolph?!

The one the people of Jeju Island followed like a god. And when Isera invaded, the Death God of the Black Egg had appeared once more and turned the tide.

The mood shifted. It wasn't just the shock of Randolph's identity. His devotion was starting to hit home, piece by piece.

Until now, Randolph had carried an image of someone who simply lived well on his own — and that, too, was the Hero Alliance's doing. They had poured everything into destroying Randolph and Phantom's reputation. Their slogans had been simple:

Phantom is alone. He never thinks of others, never even notices them.

Whether Earth falls or not, he will never show himself.

Besides pushing the main quest, what has he actually done? Has he done anything at all?

Propaganda that painted him as both a mysterious figure and a selfish one. But all of it was wrong. Unseen and unthanked, he had been moving for everyone, alone and in silence. He had thrown everything he had into saving them. He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been doing work far more important than revealing himself or chasing popularity.

From solo-clearing the King of the Dead — the Demon Army's first invasion — to saving people from Baal, to playing a decisive role in the second invasion against Isera.

The boards fell into a solemn hush. But they couldn't stay quiet forever.

…

Lord-class monsters from across Pangenia. Dragons and Vampire Lords were mixed in among them. They kept challenging without rest, as if competing with one another. But past a certain point, Baal's HP stopped dropping.

The so-called named monsters — the kind you ran from without looking back if you ever found one — had shown up in numbers no one expected. But even the monsters seemed to feel the gap in power; the challenges grew sparse.

Just as everyone was starting to relax, with no more notable challengers appearing—

…

…

In a single stroke, Baal was defeated. By one person alone. The remaining HP had been carved away in an instant.

Player Talk exploded all over again.

Every eye locked on. Phase 1 had already produced Four Calamities Baal. Phase 2 would bring something stronger. Not just Players — everyone climbing the tower fixed their attention on Laktusha's next challenge.

"Hahh…"

Laktusha drew a deep breath and shook out his trembling hands. He had nearly died.

Four Calamities — Baal. Its strength was exactly as it had always been. The memory of the humiliation he had suffered on the Mountain of the Cultivator still sat heavy in Laktusha's mind.

Baal is the same — but I've gotten stronger.

The reason he could win was simple. Baal hadn't changed, while he had grown stronger — incomparably so. He had received more of the Black King's sword and grace, and broken through a wall sparring against the Ant King Pheromone.

Even so, he had nearly died. Was a Four Calamity still a Four Calamity no matter what? Even if this one was nothing but a shell, its power defied imagination.

Despair is stronger.

One thing was certain: Despair outclassed Baal. The Four Calamities Despair wasn't just a hollow shell.

"What's next?"

Phase 1. He had only cleared the first trial. His goal was to reach the end and recover Baal's fragment. There was still a long way to go. But if the rest were on Baal's level, there was a chance.

In that brief moment—

Ziiiiing!

A golden warp tore open before him, and someone stepped through.

Click.

A woman set her foot down and appeared. Human in form ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠— but not human.

Laktusha's thoughts froze.

What the hell is this…

They had to. This was on a different plane from Baal. He knew it by instinct. Baal had been nothing more than a brute of a monster with high HP and raw power — something you could clear with enough preparation.

But the woman in front of him…

…had no weakness.