The Brain-Twisting Hunter

This was a character I'd made half as a joke, just to see whether that slapdash game company was actually running the game at all.

For something started as a prank, I'd poured a surprising amount of effort into him — but he was a pure "troller" through and through, and he went around the entire continent committing every kind of low-down act imaginable.

Things ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like pickpocketing Named NPCs, signing on as a mercenary for a city at war only to raid his own side's supply lines, or holding up priests of the Goddess Sect at knifepoint.

That much was just the cute stuff.

And when no sanctions of any kind came down, the Brain-Twisting Hunter's behavior only grew bolder.

He cut off every resource route into a city, assassinated its key figures, froze the warps, and triggered a monster wave. It went down as the first monster wave ever caused by a gamer, and in the end an entire city sank into the Abyss… yet still, nothing. No penalty whatsoever.

Back then I just figured the company had abandoned the game.

They'd built something this good — so why weren't they promoting it? I fretted over the dwindling concurrent player count more times than I could count.

…Looking back now, that number was probably dropping because people were being summoned into the game itself — but there was no way past-me could have known that. If I had, it would have been a horror game all on its own. I was watching people vanish one by one in real time.

Anyway, after that I had no choice but to go completely off the rails, just to see how far I could push it. The result: I couldn't even log in as the Brain-Twisting Hunter anymore.

…Because there wasn't a single place on the entire continent that didn't have a bounty on his head.

It's been about a year since I last logged in on him.

And yet here that character sat — abandoned for a full year. Of course, half of that year I'd spent exclusively playing Wilhelm while preparing for the Great Expedition into the Demon Realm, so most of my characters had been left idle for at least six months.

Those neglected characters were now moving of their own free will. As if they'd become NPCs.

So this is where he went to ground.

Kramdel. The city of monsters. Even if the whole continent tore itself apart hunting for him, they'd never find him here. A shrewd choice, all things considered.

"To think I'd run into a half-dragon here, caw. Isabella — has it been a hundred and fifty years, caw?"

"…Yes. It's been a hundred and fifty years since I last met one of my own kind."

Perhaps it was all the absurd things she'd been through in such a short span. Isabella no longer flustered at the unexpected. She even had the composure now to play along with my act.

She's grown.

The Isabella who'd been trapped in the desert was learning the world.

"A hundred and fifty years?"

Isaac looked rattled. A hundred and fifty years. No human lived that long. And standing right beside her was me, the King of the Corpse Crows — a monster personally vouching for her words, which only made them more credible.

If Isabella had become a true half-dragon because of me, then Isaac was still a fake, merely pretending. And this was Kramdel. The moment anyone discovered he was human, he was dead. Inside Kramdel's fortress, there was nowhere to run.

I watched the panic flicker through Isaac's eyes.

"Though I do find it curious, caw. There have been cases of humans pretending to be half-dragons, haven't there, caw?"

"Yes. Humans who used the weapons of the glorious Celestial Dragons to pass themselves off as half-dragons."

"And what did you do with those humans, caw?"

"…I killed them all."

Isaac shot to his feet, a single small towel covering only the essentials. His wings were still there, though — and the reason was simple.

He used an Equipment Invisibility Potion.

Isabella was using the same thing, so there was no doubt. He'd hidden the appearance of his gear with an Equipment Invisibility Potion.

For all that, every piece of gear Isaac was wearing showed up crystal clear to my eyes.

The items are still the same.

The Treasure-grade gear I'd fitted him with back then seemed to still be intact. And then hesitation settled into Isaac's eyes.

He's weighing whether to run.

But this was Kramdel. No matter how many Level 10 Treasure-grade items Isaac wore, once you were inside, walking out on your own terms was impossible. The moment Medusa's eyes found you, you'd turn to stone. Those eyes swept every corner of Kramdel twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. There were no warps inside Kramdel, and teleport books didn't work either. Escape was something that only happened in dreams.

Isaac couldn't not know that.

"Haha! A half-dragon of my caliber, startled just from seeing one of his own after so long. Isabella, was it? I'm Isaac."

Having given up on fleeing, Isaac laughed heartily and held out his hand. Isabella just stared at it blankly.

"Still strange, caw. Shaking hands isn't the half-dragon way of greeting, is it, caw?"

"No. That's a human custom."

The moment Isabella answered, the area around them erupted into noise.

"What — a human?"

"He was a human in disguise?"

Especially the snow maidens who'd been with Isaac. With their translucent skin and the two horns on their foreheads, snow maidens were among the monsters that hated humans the most. If they learned Isaac was human, they'd tear him into hundreds — thousands — of pieces.

As the suspicious stares piled on, Isaac's laughter began to thin.

"Haha… my apologies. I lost my parents young, so I never properly learned the half-dragon greeting. If you'd teach me now, I'll do my best to match it."

The words flowed like water. Classic Brain-Twisting con artist. Even the way he said he'd lost his parents carried a thick, drawn-out sorrow — the bitter expression, the self-deprecating gesture. He was a character I'd raised, and it seemed every one of those old habits had stuck around intact.

But once you approached a con artist knowing he was a con artist, there was no easier mark in the world.

"Just kidding, caw."

"…"

"Go on and shake hands, caw."

"…"

Isabella took Isaac's hand. Isaac stared at me with dazed eyes. Whether he did or not, I slowly lowered myself into the hot spring water. Honestly, I'd been curious.

Why did the evolved monsters cling so desperately to Kramdel's hot springs?

Hmm.

The moment I sank into the water, I understood why.

…An extremely stable feeling. The kind that made you think staying in the spring forever might not be so bad. Evolved monsters, left unstable by their transformations, could probably recover their equilibrium just by soaking in this water.

And then—

Rumble. Rumble—

"Caw?"

KRAAAAAASH—!

SHHHHHHHHHHH—!

…The hot spring water exploded.

Thanks to the sudden eruption, the Heartfelt Hot Springs had no choice but to close for the day. Isaac tried to use the chaos to slip away — not a chance in hell.

"Isaac of the Brain-Twist, caw."

"…You know me?"

Outside, at the mouth of an alley, Isaac froze — as if he'd never expected to hear that name here. I shrugged.

"Don't even think about running, caw. The second you try to bolt with Lightning Flash, I'll report you to the Gate's master, caw."

"…!"

The Gate's master: Medusa. There was no escaping her. And even if he got out of Kramdel, he was still dead. The people hunting Isaac weren't about to leave him alone.

"You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠approached me on purpose from the start. So are you both human?"

"I'm a Star-Awakened, caw."

"Star-Awakened? A Guide of the Stars?"

I nodded. Isaac hadn't been in Kramdel for just a day or two. And old habits died hard — he'd be extremely well-informed about the city's affairs.

"Have you heard the rumors about the thirty-third star that appeared here, caw?"

"…I've heard of it, yes."

That was when it hit.

Medusa was looking this way. Because of the hot spring explosion, maybe?

Looks like only I can see it.

Neither Isaac nor Isabella was reacting at all, so apparently I was the only one who could detect Medusa's gaze. Any suspicious words or actions would get a curse carved into me. Especially on a sensitive topic — she'd watch even more carefully. We needed to move.

Oblivious Isaac opened his mouth.

"That star is…"

"Caw! What on earth is all this commotion, caw! We should head to another hot spring, caw!"

"…?"

Isaac blinked in confusion. I immediately walked over, grabbed him, and started moving.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Half-dragons ought to catch up properly, shouldn't they, caw! You're coming with us, caw!"

I needed to look into the star more carefully. The Hand of the Blind Goddess searching for me. The hot spring water filled with the Goddess's Tears. All of it seemed connected to the thirty-third star.

"Where is this…?"

The dragged-along Isaac looked around. An unremarkable underground warehouse. But nowhere in Kramdel was safer than this place.

"Medusa was watching the area around the hot springs, caw."

"…!"

A spasm ran through Isaac's eyes. If we'd kept talking there, what would have followed was too horrible to even imagine.

"How did you notice Medusa's gaze?"

But no being could sense Medusa's stare. Not among any monster he knew, at least.

"Nothing is impossible for a Star-Awakened, caw."

"…Unbelievable. So this place is safe?"

"It's a place Medusa's eyes can't reach, caw."

"There's a place in Kramdel that can avoid Medusa's eyes?"

Isaac asked in genuine surprise. It wasn't only this place — there were a few spots her gaze didn't touch. But there was no need to tell him about those.

"Tell me about the star, caw."

"Why should I?"

With his wits back, Isaac was turning prickly. Not that it mattered — Isaac was Sun Wukong in the Buddha's palm.

"I know where the Appearance Transformation Potions are, caw."

"…And you think I'd want something like that?"

"Don't you want to walk the continent freely, caw?"

Like Isabella, Isaac would have his own desires. Isabella had wanted the queen's curse broken so she could leave the desert. Likewise, Isaac would want true freedom. The common thread: both of their lives had been constrained by the way I'd played them.

As if my guess had landed, a subtle shift began to cross Isaac's face.

"…It has to be a top-grade Appearance Transformation Potion."

A top-grade Appearance Transformation Potion. Not just appearance — a potion that could rewrite even the name carved into your soul. Simply changing your looks wasn't enough to shake off trackers. Pangenia was overflowing with observation-type skills and methods that could pin you down precisely through name, appearance, or evidence. The only way to completely evade all of that was a top-grade Appearance Transformation Potion.

Using one was like being born entirely anew. But they were correspondingly hard to obtain. No — nearly impossible. The materials required were insane.

Wish Orb, Scales of Valhalla, Giant's Finger…

Every single one a top-tier treasure. It was practically designed so you couldn't make it. But I knew where the only top-grade Appearance Transformation Potion on the continent was.

"Obviously that's the one. Will you deal, caw?"

"And what am I supposed to trust you on? You could be lying."

"Whether you trust me or not is your choice, caw."

"…Nice meeting you. Let's not run into each other again, even by accident."

An instant answer. Isaac started to turn his back. I spoke slowly.

"The Mining City was a place that needed to disappear, caw."

"…!!!"

Isaac stopped. When he turned, rough waves were crashing through his eyes — as if he'd never imagined I would know even that.

"If it had been left alone, even more people would have been kidnapped and worked to death in those mines, caw."

"I don't know where you heard that, but don't pretend you understand."

"The corrupt priests of the Goddess Sect. The city lords who started wars out of pure self-interest… each of them had their reasons, didn't they, caw?"

"…"

Isaac's eyes wavered. The Brain-Twisting Hunter had been something of a righteous outlaw, in his own way. At the beginning, at least. Not that he hadn't committed evil — but he'd operated by his own set of rules. He'd gone off the rails later, but there was no need to bring that up.

"Serve me for one year, caw. After that, I'll find you true freedom, caw."

"Serve? Ha. I don't move without payment."

"Then consider this an advance, caw."

I pulled an item from my coat. The moment Isaac saw what I held out, his whole body gave a small tremor.

"…A Cataclysm Talisman?"

"If you're lucky, you might even roll the Complete ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Transformation option, caw."

A Cataclysm Talisman! Purchased from the Golden Rule Shop. A talisman that randomized every option on an item, with an astronomically slim chance of producing Complete Transformation. Getting one was brutal — but for me, I could just buy another from the Golden Rule Shop. Pulling Isaac onto my side was the priority.

Watching me hand over such an extreme item without a second thought, Isaac asked with suspicious eyes:

"What exactly are you trusting me with, giving me a Cataclysm Talisman?"

"I trust everything about you, caw."

He was a character I'd raised. If I didn't trust him, that would be a contradiction. Isaac stared quietly into my eyes.

What the hell is this guy?

Isaac couldn't make sense of the situation. It felt like this crow knew everything about him. But for the King of the Corpse Crows — even a Star-Awakened one — to know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all of this was absurd.

An extremely low probability. Close enough to zero to be negligible, but…

Isaac looked down at the Cataclysm Talisman in his hand. Slim as it was, this talisman was possibility. The hope he'd been hunting for all this time.

"…Damn it. I can't figure you out at all. Fine. As long as we're in Kramdel, I'll help you."

That alone was enough motivation to get Isaac moving. He didn't even ask what the work was. Whatever it turned out to be, he'd help — that was the deal. Isaac was a Level 10 powerhouse draped in Treasure-grade gear from head to toe. With him assisting, my upcoming schedule would pick up serious speed. This investment wasn't a waste in the slightest.

Rumors about the thirty-third star had started circulating when the Star Guardians began visiting Kramdel. More than ten Star Guardians had already gathered in the city, and word was they were investigating the hot spring water. It seemed deeply connected to Dramut's appearance as well.

I need to find a Mystery first.

So I needed to set priorities. I had plenty of questions, but the most urgent was still a Mystery.

The Tower of Mysteries. The name of the massive tower standing here in Kramdel. True to that name, almost nothing was known about it. Among gamers, related information was completely nonexistent.

Only non-human races can enter the Tower of Mysteries.

The entry condition itself barred humans, so of course no one knew anything. Kramdel was a city human hands had never touched to begin with. Even among gamers, it was spoken of like a legend. A tower built in a place like that was bound to be even more of a blank.

There are supreme Mysteries that can only be obtained in the Tower of Mysteries.

I alone knew that the kinds of Mysteries called the strongest could be acquired here. It couldn't be helped. You needed the Michela set to transform into a half-dragon just to barely qualify. The difficulty of obtaining Michela's Blade alone was extreme. And humans willing to risk their lives entering Kramdel were rarer still. It took someone on Wilhelm's level to even consider coming in.

When I played as Wilhelm, I didn't know you could only obtain one Mystery.

Even as Wilhelm, I hadn't gotten the strongest Mystery. Because of yet another damned hidden condition: you could obtain only a single Mystery from the Tower of Mysteries. If I'd known that condition, I obviously would have acquired a better one. Too little information — that was the mistake. I'd just taken the first Mystery they handed me.

And later I beat the ground in regret.

I'd climbed the Tower of Mysteries over and over, but I could never obtain another. Like having a bowl of delicious seolleongtang right in front of you and not being able to eat it. Just thinking about it still made my teeth grind.

That won't happen this time.

One mistake was enough. I would never repeat the same one. With that firm resolve, I stepped into the Tower of Mysteries.

A Hidden Quest?

Faced with content I'd never seen in my life, I couldn't help but freeze. Had this condition always existed? Even the race names listed for me felt somehow familiar. Apparently every related Hidden Trait had been applied in full.

Mythic…

But if I had to pick the single most important thing among everything that had appeared, it was without question the Tower of Mysteries bearing the name Mythic. Every quest connected to the Mythic rank carried a difficulty beyond imagination. A name you dared not surpass, dared not even look up at.

…But there was nothing to deliberate over.

For the adventure here was the light of my life, the fire of my body, my very soul!