Surpassing Expectations

A warp gate rose above the horizon of the earth.

Before crossing through it to challenge the next trial, there was something I needed to do.

"Pick out the hardest bones, caw."

Caw!

Caaaaw!

Eleven Corpse Crows descended from the sky and began scouring the giant's bones.

The Corpse Crows, once Level 4 Boss Monsters, had been elevated to Level 6.

It was a change that came when ordinary Corpse Crow Summoning transcended into Advanced Corpse Crow Summoning.

But the level wasn't the only thing that had changed.

When a Corpse Crow beat its wings, two purple hands stained with curse energy materialized and lifted the massive bones. Becoming Advanced Corpse Crows had granted them a new skill as well.

The reason skill transcendence had been possible so quickly was entirely thanks to the Hidden Trait Craftsmanship.

Craftsmanship raises the level of transcended skills, too.

When a skill transcends, its level resets. But this is where Craftsmanship's true broken nature reveals itself.

Even with ordinary Corpse Crow Summoning, Craftsmanship had already raised the skill level by one. Then, when the skill transcended and transformed into Advanced Corpse Crow Summoning, it added another level on top — letting it start at Lv.2.

That was why I had eleven Advanced Corpse Crows summoned right now.

Craftsmanship effectively raised the skill by two levels.

They say it resets upon transcendence, but calling it a reset is generous — it's more like inheritance. It carries over the skill's pre-transcendence properties intact and raises the level cap even further.

Whether this was a system error, a bug, or something intentional, I had no idea. But the more a skill transcended, the more Craftsmanship's broken power compounded like compound interest. On top of that, it even amplified the rate at which proficiency rose.

There was almost no trait with better cost-efficiency. Weapon Master was limited to weapon proficiency, but Craftsmanship governed all proficiency.

Caaaaw!

Thud!

The crows selected giant bones that were intact and unbroken, stacking them neatly before me.

They just couldn't hold up because their levels were too low. These are all genuine giant bones.

It wasn't just the Skeleton Soldiers that had grown massive. The giant's trait — those bones were the real deal, armored in powerful anti-magic force. Their hardness surpassed steel; ordinary physical attacks wouldn't even scratch them.

The reason for gathering only intact giant bones was simple.

I'll use eleven Advanced Corpse Crows to create a single masterpiece.

I intended to create a "work of art" in preparation for the next trial. Corpse Crow Summoning wasn't the only skill that had transformed through transcendence.

Art of Corpses had transcended into Master of Corpse Art. Even before, I could stack bones into something golem-like, but becoming a "Master" had expanded its utility even further. I could now use more materials to create greater works of art.

If the next trial adds a Druid trait, they'll definitely wield nature-type spirits.

Druids were a nature-aligned race specialized in spirits. With spirits, they could easily support even a giant's massive frame. The terrifying thing about Druids was that they could command spirits of every natural attribute.

But what I feared was something even worse.

…The Void added the light attribute. They might even command light spirits.

Not nature attributes — light spirits. Spirits ranked higher than the nature types. If those were summoned as well, clearing this in my current state would be impossible.

So I had no choice but to prepare thoroughly.

"Connect them properly, caw! Leave no gaps, caw!"

The area around the Tower of Mysteries was packed to capacity. Monsters gathered from every corner of Kramdel numbered well over ten thousand. Among them were more than a few who held real power within the city.

"A young Phoenix, an Imugi, an adult Leviathan, a Minotaur King, numerous Ogres, a King of Corpse Crows, a True Blood, a Serpent…"

Beastfolk wearing red helmets stood at the tower's entrance, jotting things down — verifying the identities of everyone currently inside.

"So more than a hundred have entered."

"There's a Transcendent among them."

The Gate of Mysteries admitted only one hundred visitors at a time. Their duty was to investigate all one hundred who had entered — to determine whether the being currently undertaking the Mythical Trial was friendly to Kramdel or not. If friendly, they would be treated with respect. If not, preparations had to be made.

"The ones with any real chance number four."

"The Imugi, the Leviathan, the True Blood, and the Minotaur King."

A Transcendent might transcend their species, but the foundation still had to be excellent. The odds of a Transcendent emerging from a lesser race were virtually nonexistent. After careful selection, four remained. Of those, the Imugi and the Leviathan were Mythical species.

"It's not the Minotaur King."

"…Lord Gunggi?"

Gunggi had arrived. The monsters in red administrator helmets bristled at the sight of him. Gunggi was one of the four most influential monsters in all of Kramdel — one of the White King's four closest retainers. Among those known as the Four Pillars, he ranked as the Third Pillar.

He shook his head with absolute certainty.

"The Minotaur King is under my command. And he is no Transcendent."

"Ah. So the one who entered the tower is that Minotaur King recently born in the Third Pillar's territory?"

"That's right."

Scratch, scratch. A line was drawn through the name, leaving three.

One of the red-helmeted administrators spoke.

"The Leviathan has been identified as Apendel of the Gloomy Lake. But we have nothing solid on the Imugi or the True Blood."

"So one of those two is taking the Mythical Trial?"

While the Mythical Trial was underway, the tower remained sealed. No one could enter, and no one could leave. If someone successfully completed the trial and emerged, they absolutely had to be identified.

Then Gunggi asked, as if he couldn't understand.

"Where are the other Pillars? Why are only you lot out here?"

It was Gunggi asking — not just anyone. Even Kramdel's administrators couldn't refuse to answer.

"Lady Medusa is still focused on her recovery…"

"Lord Death King is engaged in critical research…"

"Lord Dae-to-ryong is in his hibernation cycle…"

Hearing their excuses, Gunggi frowned.

"Three rings have appeared, and you're all this complacent? No… I suppose that tracks. You were just as complacent when you faced that human. Seems you learned nothing afterward."

Gunggi shook his head.

Two years ago, on that day, the Four Pillars had been defeated. Had they joined forces, it might have been different — but they had dismissed the human race, and been crushed one by one. All four Pillars, by a single human.

The only reason he didn't kill us was to draw out the White King.

How could he ever forget that humiliation? The man had been strong — strong beyond all comprehension. In the end, the White King had been forced to surrender one of his own fangs. A catastrophe.

And yet the other Pillars still seemed to have learned nothing. The only reason Gunggi and all the other Pillars were still alive was entirely thanks to the White King's grace. Had the White King not sacrificed his own fang, all four of them would have been slaughtered by that single human.

But now…

Gunggi had changed since that day. He had driven himself harder, grown stronger — so that the same humiliation would never be repeated.

Now, I wouldn't fall so easily as before.

He looked forward to the day he would meet that man again. If they fought once more, he would not lose. He was several times stronger than he had been then. He counted the days until their rematch.

But by now, they should have come out.

Three rings. A Transcendent who had achieved the same feat as the White King. They should have emerged by now. And yet, no matter how much time passed, the tower did not open.

…Could they be challenging the fourth ring?

If four rings were completed… that would surpass even the White King's achievement. When that happened, the other Pillars would have no choice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to show themselves. An immortal feat no one had ever accomplished would be a threat even to them.

Gunggi looked up at the tower's peak.

…Still only three rings.

But if — though it was unlikely — a fourth ring appeared… every Pillar in Kramdel would gather here. And they would face the unknown Transcendent — as ally, or as enemy.

Unlike the third trial, the fourth had a sharply elevated difficulty.

Skeleton Soldiers that had fully inherited the Druid's traits. They used spirits to support and move their heavy giant frames while firing arrows of light. Their previous range of a mere fifty meters had scaled proportionally with their size. Their destructive power, likewise.

BOOM! BOOM! CRASHHH!

Violent tremors shook the walls. What I had created with Master of Corpse Art was a wall of extraordinary thickness — a colossal barrier reaching ten meters in height. I had installed it in the narrowest gap between cliffs.

Arrows of light can't pierce a giant's anti-magic force.

I had turned their own Giant trait against them. Because of the anti-magic force that composed their own bones, the light arrows couldn't penetrate the wall. To break through with raw physical force, they would need to thrash their bodies violently — and even with spirit support, they wouldn't generate that kind of thrust. On top of that, I'd placed it in a narrow area so they couldn't climb over.

Fish farm complete.

A holding pen, pure and simple. With ordinary Art of Corpses, I wouldn't have even attempted it — but the works Master of Corpse Art could produce had no limits, so long as I had enough spiritual power.

There was no time limit forcing me into the next trial.

I made full use of the time I was given. The wall was nothing more than bones cut and joined, set firmly in place — but through endless, relentless repetition, I had completed this masterpiece. Confronted by a wall carved from their own bones, the Skeleton Soldiers had no choice but to stop.

The terrain of every trial was identical. That's why I spent so long searching for the right spot.

Every trial I'd undertaken so far had the exact same topography, as if copy-pasted. So the first thing I did was scout a location for the wall. I had to craft it with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠zero margin of error — not even a single centimeter — and slot it in perfectly. I built supports so the wall wouldn't topple, and drove nine pillars into the ground to anchor it.

With that, the Skeleton Soldiers' advance was blocked. But—

The problem is the spirits.

Spirits could etherealize. They could pass straight through the wall and come after me with ease.

"If I just hold out, I win, caw!"

Ssssss.

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

Shaaaaaaa—!

Just as I'd expected, spirits of every kind phased through the wall and revealed themselves. But spirits, too, were summoned through mana. They couldn't be maintained indefinitely. The moment their mana ran dry and the spirits were unsummoned, the Skeleton Soldiers would collapse. If I weathered the spirits' assault, victory was mine. If the wall fell or I failed to endure before then, I lost.

I have to survive.

Still, it was better than fighting Skeleton Soldiers and spirits at the same time. Suddenly, I remembered the first time I'd been summoned to Pangenia — dropped into a desert out of nowhere, death staring me in the face. The feeling then and the feeling now were the same. I had to survive. I had to constantly hunger for life and keep challenging it.

Gunggi looked up at the tower.

"…Four."

"The rings — there are four of them!"

It was an emergency no one had anticipated. Four rings! An achievement that surpassed the White King's record. It could no longer be ignored.

In the end, all Four Pillars gathered before the Tower of Mysteries. When they assembled, the monsters surrounding the tower had no choice but to withdraw. The Four Pillars were Kramdel itself.

"…It's been a long time since we all stood in one place."

Dae-to-ryong. The strongest among the earth dragons, said to be the mightiest of his kind. A colossal brown dragon of such scale that its end could not be seen — comparable to the tower itself — revealed his form.

"Not that long. A mere two years and eighty-seven days."

Death King. The King of the Dead, said to preside over all death. He wore a robe over a skeletal form, yet simply standing near him drained the life from everything. Indeed, every flower and blade of grass within dozens of meters had withered, stripped of vitality.

"…"

Medusa appeared with her eyes covered and both hands bound. She had intended only to watch from a distance, but the moment four rings appeared, she judged that she could not avoid confronting this in person.

"Gunggi. What do you make of whatever is inside?"

Dae-to-ryong asked him. Having watched the longest, he must have learned something.

"…I don't know either."

But Gunggi shook his head. He simply couldn't predict it. Among those who had entered, none could be judged a Transcendent. The closest possibility was the True Blood — but that blood race was on poor terms with Kramdel. It would take a Grand Master of the True Blood Clan to have even a sliver of a chance, and if such a being had appeared, Gunggi would have known.

Then Death King spoke.

"Four rings signify the completion of a Myth. I am curious what has been completed."

"Even the White King could not complete this…"

Dae-to-ryong answered. At this point, the curiosity was maddening. To think a being who had seen the end of the Mythical Trial would truly appear.

Medusa spoke through a telepathic wave. All Four Pillars agreed. Kramdel was no mere city. It was an empire where the apex of all monsters gathered. There was nothing the Four Pillars who ruled that empire could not kill when united — even if the opponent were that Demon King himself. And the empire had to remain intact for the White King to be upheld.

"…But why aren't they coming out?"

"Don't tell me… there's another trial beyond this?"

All Four Pillars were baffled. The Mythical Trial consisted of four stages. Overcome the fourth, and the Myth was complete — the tower would open its sealed doors. But even with four rings present, the tower's gates remained shut.

That can't be…

Gunggi shook his head inwardly. The White King's words could not be wrong. The absolute king's declaration that completion lay just ahead, and that failure was the only alternative.

"…"

I stared quietly up at the sky. My entire body was in ruins.

Good thing the core didn't shatter.

When the final spirit was unsummoned, every Skeleton Soldier self-destructed. I had held out in the end, but my condition was far from good. Lying there, I didn't even have the strength to twitch a finger.

Then—

All the trials were finished. But I couldn't understand it.

What about the Celestial?

The Celestial still remained — and yet it called this complete. Was this really the end?

Ah…

Unique-grade. …Unique-grade.

I was at a loss for words. I hadn't even known that Unique-grade Mysteries existed. And the name of this Unique-grade Mystery was my own name.

Randolph.

Proof of myself. Completion of myself. It meant I had finally forged my own Myth.

No item grade above Unique existed. Likewise, no Mystery above Unique would exist either. Even the tower called this its final gift.

The Constellations, too, acknowledged my struggle. Once I accepted this Mystery, Main Quest 5 would be complete, and I would claim further rewards and privileges. The Constellations of the Hall of One Hundred Constellations had witnessed the Mythical Trial from beginning to end. I looked forward to how many would raise the grade of the reward list.

Would I obtain another transcended weapon — or something even greater?

But I rejected this completion.

I can't accept this.

I simply couldn't accept it. Why declare it complete on their own? One still remained. I had not yet seen the end. I was not yet complete. Therefore, I could not possibly accept this ending — this completion.

In that very moment—