Hidden Eater
Among the figures most frequently discussed by players in the community, there was one particularly enigmatic existence whose information remained more shrouded than anyone's. People wouldn't hesitate to name the eight great clans when it came to dungeon clears. But if asked to pick the absolute best among them at conquering dungeons, that wasn't so straightforward.
Rerto Karen of Los Clan might be the de facto leader of the eight great clans, but even he couldn't claim undisputed first place. Depending on the dungeon's affinities, Russia's Shaveliger Clan could overwhelm Los Clan at times, while in others, Kabala Clan dominated.
The arenas were no different. It was true I held the top spot, but I hadn't claimed the throne unbeaten. Even after Dimension World 1 ended, community debates still raged fiercely around me, comparing arena players with me at the center.
Yet amid all this divided opinion in the community, there was one domain where no one disagreed on the absolute strongest.
Quests.
Quests existed for players for all sorts of reasons—to level up, acquire special gear, or prepare for continent-shaking upheavals by delving into history itself. They were goals players had to tackle. But aside from a handful of top players, most only bothered with the bare minimum quests needed to balance levels and items, skipping trivial ones or those with inefficient rewards.
It was only natural. Most people played to get stronger, chasing in the game what they couldn't achieve in reality.
'Of course, with all those corporations and nations tangled up, the virtual world is no escape—it's even more brutal.'
Setting aside such trivialities, the emergence of the Hidden Eater had delivered a fresh shock to players.
Isabel Silver tackled quests of every difficulty, from petty D-rank ones like finding a lost cat to SS-rank epics retrieving relics from forgotten temples—quests no other player could match. Her playstyle, which truly hunted quests, made her the individual whose name circulated most among people.
To some, she was an object of envy; to others, suspicion. In a world of over 1.5 billion players, she was undoubtedly the most veiled figure.
'Just when...'
And now, here she was, right in front of me.
"No need to be shocked. I heard from Nam-gung Yun. You wanted to meet me, right?"
Isabel Silver spoke casually to me.
I wasn't surprised by meeting her. What stunned me was encountering her here.
I checked the buff displayed on the left side of my vision.
First Discoverer Privilege (Active)
Dungeon: Parahum's Tomb
Remaining Time: 131:45:44
The discoverer buff was definitely active on me.
'That means she didn't enter the dungeon before me...'
For a latecomer like her to reach Parahum's coffin ahead of me meant she'd bypassed the coffin's trial somehow.
"......"
That's when I recalled the secret map of Parahum I'd just acquired.
'If there's already a secret passage I didn't know about, it wouldn't be strange if there were more.'
I eyed her intently. She wore a mask covering her face, and beneath it, the half-dark mask that was her signature trademark, making her expression hard to read.
"Fair enough, but I didn't expect to meet like this. Quite the Hidden Eater choice of venue."
I masked my surprise with a low chuckle and spoke to her.
"How'd you know this was a trap? Parahum's still around, so you haven't cleared it."
"Of course I couldn't take Parahum solo. I didn't come here to hunt him anyway—just for another quest."
She shrugged lightly at my question.
"Luckily, you guys cleared the trial for me, so I slipped in easy."
Unless it reset, monsters needed time to respawn after a full wipe. She'd probably entered after we finished the trial, when the coffin was empty.
'Good timing by coincidence...? Or was she watching the timing?'
Still, I couldn't drop my suspicions so easily. The Hidden Eater was even harder to read than Rerto Karen.
"If you want to talk, better do it after we leave."
"Not really."
Her response made me frown slightly.
"I'm not that curious about you anyway. Kim Do-hyun, arena rank one. Top player who made a name in Dimension World 1—that's common knowledge."
"Honored to have the great Hidden Eater acknowledge me. Don't know where to put myself."
"That's as far as it goes. You being exceptional doesn't mean I'm interested."
"So?"
I smirked at her reply.
"Save the chit-chat for later? Still got a mountain of crap to sort out inside there."
I turned my back to her and inspected the coffin. I needed to verify if the Death Flame before me was really a trap.
"......"
Silver looked slightly miffed at being ignored.
"What? If you've got something to say, follow me. Otherwise, do your quest. I asked Nam-gung Yun, sure, but that doesn't mean I need you bad enough to beg in a spot like this."
"Arrogant. Is that how you act after begging to meet me?"
For a split second, her eyes flickered behind the mask. But she wouldn't know that brief fluster was exactly what I wanted.
"I begged Nam-gung Yun, not you. Shouldn't your attitude change once you hear my offer and agree? You said you weren't interested."
"......Jeez."
She let out a sigh, at a loss for words at my retort.
"Help out then. If I fail Parahum's Tomb because of you, Los Clan won't sit idle. Could get messy for both of us."
"So you're helping now 'cause you're scared of the eight great clans? You know what they get up to in Dimension World."
"Yeah. I know."
For the first time, she met my gaze squarely.
"Market manipulation, funneling items between clans when needed, even tanking dungeon clears to recycle achievement points. What they do isn't gaming—it's business."
'That bracelet...'
Even as we talked, I quickly eyed the silver bracelet on her wrist. It was a slim bangle etched with tiny letters—too small to make out.
At a glance, it seemed ordinary, but the moment I saw it, I knew exactly what it was.
'I see.'
The Black Ellipse on her wrist was something only forerunners of a certain group could obtain.
Veil Successors.
They were as shrouded as the druids called wildlings or the vanished spirit mages.
I knew of the Veil Successors only because Erin the Usurper—one of Glory's 9—was one of them. Despite over ten lifetimes, even I didn't know their base. Yet somehow, she'd made contact.
'Looks like Isabel Silver's job-changed to Trickster. Not an easy class to get... As expected.'
The first-tier hidden class Trickster was exclusive to Veil Successor forerunners. But as a first-tier hidden class, it wasn't overwhelmingly powerful on its own.
The Veil was a form of deception magic. Trickster abilities amounted to swapping objects, duplicating items—simple distortions of perception, veiling reality in ambiguity.
But the Veil Successors' true power emerged after second job change, as apostles.
'Even Erin, called the Usurper, couldn't wield the full Veil power.'
Ancient tomes claimed fully inheriting the Veil let one steal not just objects, but fate itself.
It was, in a way, the perfect class for a Hidden Eater.
'Fate's Usurpation...'
I looked at her with a satisfied smile. She'd appeared exactly as I'd envisioned.
"Me too."
She met my words with a glance.
"No way I'd like what those bastards do. If it looks like I'm helping Rerto Karen out of fear, you'd be disappointed."
"Los Clan members are waiting outside the tomb. Anyone would think they're here to kill you. If you're blackmailed, just say so."
"Blackmailed?"
She spoke as I sneered.
"Heh... hehehe."
"......?"
I couldn't hold back the laugh her words triggered.
"The opposite."
Wiping the grin, I stared at her.
"One day, I'll make all eight great clans kneel before me. And if that's a sight you want to see too..."
I extended my hand toward her.
"Hand over Parahum's heart."
"......!!"
"Then you'll stand with me and catch every last expression on their faces."
Her shoulders trembled faintly.
'Good thing I simulated tackling Parahum in my dreams. Otherwise, I might've missed this difference.'
I glanced once more at the Death Flame atop the coffin. The crimson-glowing gem was beautiful, but up close, it differed subtly from my memory.
'Trickster's swap.'
If her level and proficiency were higher, even I might not have spotted the exquisite fake Death Flame. But fortunately, she was still mid-level. That tiny discrepancy let me see the gem was bogus.
"Why tip me off to the trap you went to the trouble of setting?"
I looked at Isabel Silver.
"Because the trap wasn't aimed at me—it was for Rerto Karen."
"......"
Silver said nothing, but her silence was answer enough.
"Follow me."
I jerked my head toward her.
"I'll show you."