The Fortress City of Kramdel
The Fortress City of Kramdel.
Kramdel earned its title because the entire city had been fortified. A castle so vast it was almost never seen in the mortal world — a colossal structure whose end could scarcely be rendered even in comics or film — that was Kramdel.
At its heart stood a stone statue of a white tiger.
The White King.
The guardian deity of the North. Kramdel, too, rested under his protection. So long as the White King watched over it, neither the Demon Realm, nor the rulers of the Abyss, nor humanity itself could dare set foot here.
I made a promise, but it shouldn't matter.
I had sworn never to set foot in the North again — but this body was not Wilhelm's. It was Randolph's. And what I wanted was the strongest Mystery. All I needed to do was take Andasar, Priest Andrew's daughter, and leave. There was no chance I would cross paths with the White King.
"Wow… this is incredible."
"Indeed. A castle of this scale exists only in Kramdel, caw."
"That's not what I meant… I'm talking about the monsters trying to get inside."
Isabella spoke in a near-whisper. The castle gates were thronged to bursting. Monsters seeking entry packed the entrance in a seething mass — yet their ranks were wildly varied. Still, the idea of monsters lining up in orderly queues to enter a castle defied common sense.
Monsters with intelligence.
These were nothing like the ordinary beasts of the open field. They were evolved. Just as the Corpse Crow had evolved by devouring players, these creatures had found their own paths to evolution — and with it, the ability to see the Hidden Paths.
From Normal Monsters all the way to Boss Monsters. Even Mythic Species mixed in among them from time to time.
Why would monsters of this caliber bother gathering in Kramdel?
Even I, who knew Pangenia inside and out, didn't know the precise reason. I had heard somewhere that this place was a paradise on earth for monsters…
Grrrroooowl!
…The Glutton is reacting. That settles it.
Even while disguised as the King of Corpse Crows, the Glutton was stirring. The cores of evolved monsters were apparently its preferred meal. But I couldn't let a single trait jerk me around. Cause a scene here, and I might never get out.
This is a region where teleportation is impossible due to the White King's blessing.
Even the Teleportation Book was useless here. Naturally, no warps existed inside the castle either. That meant I had to finish my business as quietly as possible and get out.
Three lines.
The problem was that there were three queues: one for ordinary monsters, one for higher-ranked monsters, and a free-pass lane for Mythic Species, Phantasmal Species, and other ancient breeds. Monsters, after all, were even more rigidly hierarchical than humans.
I hesitated a moment, then joined the ordinary line. An endless procession. Judging by how slowly it was moving, I'd be waiting a full day — but there was no other choice.
"Half-Dragonkin and 'Kings' should stand in the second line."
The Flower Cactus in front of me spoke up. Flower Cacti were Level 3 monsters native to desert regions.
But the one before me far exceeded that standard. Ordinary Flower Cacti possessed almost no intelligence. This one, too, was an evolved specimen.
"Thanks for the tip, caw."
I offered a brief word of thanks and moved over. The second line was far shorter. Entering within half a day seemed entirely possible.
"A mere Corpse Crow dares stand in front of me? Move."
As I turned my back, something stood there draped in a black, pointed cone-like cloak.
An entity of the Abyss known as a Chaos Cone.
So the rumors that Abyssal monsters also came to Kramdel were true. Of course, no one knew what lurked in the Abyss — so the existence of such peculiar individuals wasn't impossible.
Ignoring it is the best policy.
There had to be a reason every monster here stood in orderly lines without incident.
"You dare ignore me?"
When I openly disregarded it, the Chaos Cone's voice sharpened to a point.
"Fighting… forbidden. Fight… and you… end up… like that."
The Fire Skull burning in front of me gestured toward the center of the walls. Countless stone statues of every kind lined the heart of the fortifications.
"Gate's… master… Medusa… turns them… to stone."
All of them — monsters petrified by Medusa. Displayed like ornaments. A truly twisted sense of aesthetics.
Medusa is a Super Elite Raid Boss Monster.
Medusa was a Level 11 Super Elite Raid Boss — a monster among monsters that required at least twelve first-star Transcendents, or no fewer than three second-star Transcendents, to even attempt to kill. Calling her Level 11 was almost generous; she was an Absolute in all but name. A monster's level was determined by its scale, not the way a player's was.
The longer the modifiers in front of a monster's name, the more powerful it is.
A Normal Monster at Level 11 could be hunted by a single Level 11 player. Attach the "Boss" modifier, and you needed at least two Level 11s. A "Raid Boss" required four. An "Elite Raid Boss" demanded eight characters of matching level working in concert, and a "Super Elite Raid Boss" needed twelve just to begin the attempt. Anything beyond that belonged only to beings like the White King or the Demon Kings.
She was definitely one of the White King's four retainers.
Medusa was one of the Four Heavenly Kings who served the White King — a presence everyone feared.
The Fire Skull turned its gaze on the Chaos Cone.
"Cone. Mark… on your cheek."
"What?"
Before anyone noticed, Medusa's mark had risen across the Chaos Cone's face — a warning and a curse from Medusa herself.
"Eeeek!"
The Chaos Cone spun in frantic circles, shrieking. Just as expected. Ignoring it had been the right call. There was a reason even the most formidable monsters stood in neat lines and never fought. With Medusa guarding the gate — a being who never once released a curse she had laid — everyone had no choice but to behave.
Had I responded to the Chaos Cone, that same curse would have been branded on my cheek as well.
…What a fascinating place.
"It's a Star Guardian!"
"Two of them, even!"
Suddenly the surroundings erupted into noise.
Star Guardian?
The phrase felt strangely familiar. I turned toward the center of the commotion and saw two creatures — a Phantasmal Species and a Mythic Species — approaching the gate. One was a Phoenix of the Phantasmal Species, its entire body blazing with blue flame. The other was a serpent of the Mythic Species, so long its end could not be seen.
"That snake…?"
Isabella's eyes went round as she stared at it. I was no less stunned.
…Why was Dramut here?
Being called a Star Guardian meant it had entered under the same credentials. But weren't Star Guardians unable to leave the vicinity of their stars?
The question barely had time to form. In an instant, the Phoenix and Dramut passed through into the castle.
The Fire Skull spoke.
"Rumor… of a new… star… must be… true."
"What's a new star, caw?"
"Rumor… that the… thirty-third… star… has appeared… in Kramdel."
What was that supposed to mean? There were thirty-two stars on the continent. That number had not changed in five years. The history of Pangenia said the same. And now a thirty-third?
The stars were the thirty-two fragments left when the Goddess died.
Had some piece been hidden away somewhere?
I stroked my chin. Dramut, who never left its sacred ground, had appeared in Kramdel. And the monsters were speaking of a thirty-third star. It made no sense — yet my interest was surging like mad.
If it's true, I absolutely cannot miss this.
I needed to look into it a little. And if I could make secret contact with Dramut as well, so much the better.
Inside Kramdel.
Surprisingly, the interior was not so different from a human city. But one feature stood out above all others.
"Come to the Compassion Hot Springs for purification of body and mind! Half price today only!"
"Your unstable flesh must be cleansed! We will serve you with care — visit the Kindness Hot Springs!"
Steam rose from every direction. All of it seemed to be vapor from the hot spring waters. But this was the North. The outside world was buried in snow — and yet there were hot springs? Watching the monsters head straight for them the moment they arrived, it seemed the springs themselves were the entire purpose of coming here.
It's changed a great deal since I came as Wilhelm.
I had once infiltrated Kramdel as Wilhelm, intending to hunt the White King. Barely a year ago. Back then, there hadn't been nearly this many monsters — and there had been no hot springs. In just one year, a transformation on the scale of a cataclysm had taken place.
"Might you be a Half-Dragonkin? We currently have another Half-Dragonkin at our springs — how about a mixed bath together?"
A goblin in a white helmet approached Isabella. All the goblins out promoting their establishments wore those white helmets. The monster-rat that had guided us earlier had worn a black one. The color of the helmets seemed to carry different meanings.
"There's a Half-Dragonkin, caw?"
"Yes. The very Half-Dragonkin said to have gone extinct. Wouldn't this be the perfect chance for members of the same race to reconnect?"
The Heavenly Dragonkin option activated when wearing the Michela Set. But that option merely granted the wings of a Heavenly Dragonkin. It wasn't a true Heavenly Dragonkin — which was why the result was called a Half-Dragonkin. Think of it as a half-blood Heavenly Dragonkin. True Half-Dragonkin had gone extinct long ago.
…It's a human.
In other words: a human. Someone had infiltrated Kramdel wearing the Michela Set, just like Isabella. Possibly a player.
I should check.
I was the King of Corpse Crows right now, after all. As long as they believed Isabella was a genuine Half-Dragonkin, there was no problem.
"What do we pay with, caw?"
"Ah, first time in Kramdel? Ten minutes' worth of Evolution Fragments will do."
"Evolution Fragments, caw?"
"These right here."
A faint golden light shimmered across the goblin's body. It drew the light in, and a tiny scatter of gold dust rose above its palm.
…Broken Fragments of the Golden Rule?
Fragmented pieces of the Golden Rule were being used as currency even here. Strange. Weren't Golden Rule Fragments something only players could possess? More than that — here they were called Evolution Fragments.
So the Golden Rule Fragments are the cause of their evolution.
Evolved monsters. They had gained intelligence and grown stronger. To think the cause was shattered pieces of the Golden Rule. That meant every monster here, just like the Corpse Crow, carried Broken Fragments of the Golden Rule.
And they can be traded…
The fragments could be exchanged freely among them. The Golden Rule Shop suddenly came to mind. Perhaps it was a similar principle.
I tried the same sensation I used when activating fragments in the real world. Golden Rule light began to rise around me.
"Oh?"
"Quite a lot for a Corpse Crow."
In an instant, the surrounding monsters' gazes locked onto me. I had about nineteen hours of Golden Rule time remaining — and even that seemed to be a considerable amount here. Following the goblin's example, I touched the threads of light and peeled off a fragment.
"Will this do, caw?"
"Welcome, both of you!"
The Sincerity Hot Springs.
A reasonably large establishment, set a short distance from Kramdel's center. Whatever the reason for all these virtue-themed names, a place of this scale would be more than enough to unravel the secret of the spring water.
After paying at the lobby and following the guide deeper inside, the baths came into view. Amid the throng of monsters enjoying the waters—
"…Hm? A Half-Dragonkin?"
A man with the wings of a Heavenly Dragonkin was soaking at the center of the springs, surrounded by Snow Maidens. He glanced at the newly arrived Isabella and frowned. Of course, I couldn't help but scowl right back.
A human.
Just as expected. That one was human.
And not just any human — a Level 10 powerhouse. A lightning-bolt scar carved into his forehead. Golden hair styled as if struck by thunder. A top-tier Mystery of crackling static electricity coiling around him. From every angle, that man was someone I knew without a doubt.
And the shock of seeing him hit harder than even the sight of Dramut.
…Why is he here?
There was no chance of a mistake. No chance of confusing those features. Just like Isabella… he was a character I had raised myself.
The Lightning Severance Hunter.
Isaac of Lightning Severance!
Max level, loaded with treasure-grade items — yet so many outrageous things had been done with him that logging in had become impossible. The moment he entered the game, Named NPCs would hunt him down for execution. That ill-fated character was now staring straight at me.