The King's Gift

World of Phantasm collapsing. A Yggdrasil update. The Latia Shock.

It was a chain of earth-shattering events that had turned the entire history of game labyrinths on its head.

In the aftermath of the Latia Shock, a new CEO had taken the helm in Steebro Latia Duke's place. He announced that Latia Soft would scale down its game labyrinth industry, passing on the company's accumulated expertise to a new generation of production studios.

What he refused, with iron stubbornness, to acknowledge was the storm of scandal surrounding Latia Soft — the human experimentation, and every other ugly rumor crawling out of the woodwork. The company had lost its center of gravity. Under those circumstances, admitting to the scandals even halfheartedly would have meant the outright death of Latia Soft, and everyone could see it as plainly as fire. The survivors were desperate to protect nothing more than the company's name.

But before long, an anonymous whistleblower came forward with a new revelation: the sole survivor of the Flight 707 bombing had been used as a subject in Latia's human experiments — and had vanished without a trace. The experimenter's records from that era, along with physical evidence, were submitted all at once. Fresh allegations erupting while the Saint Yggdrasil Hospital experimentation scandal was still smoldering, and the protective shield of Platinum-rank Steebro Latia Duke now gone — Latia's future was falling like autumn leaves in the wind.

"Are you satisfied with this?"

"No."

'Zero' answered Ryu Hwi's question without hesitation.

"No way it ends at something this small, right? I can't stop until Steebro and everyone connected to him is cast down into hell. You feel the same, don't you?"

Ryu Hwi's mother had been a victim of Latia too. Left alone, Latia would collapse on its own — but neither of them could possibly be satisfied with just this. Even after grinding Latia and Linzea into complete rubble, Ryu Hwi would not stop. Because the goal of trampling the trash underfoot and standing at the very summit had not yet been achieved.

That was when it happened.

"Huh?"

An emergency alarm blinked on his SEED. Ryu Hwi checked it without thinking much of it — and nearly jumped out of his skin.

At the same moment, people around the world received a message ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the 'Diamond'.

The Diamond acting directly was an exceedingly rare occurrence — which meant this matter was being taken very, very seriously. The instant the message arrived, the figure of the 'King' appeared before their eyes.

A being white down to the very hair, clothed in black. The King's official gender was listed as 'male', but the being was so beautiful, so androgynous, that one couldn't help doubting whether that word fit at all. It looked exactly as it had decades ago, when it handed the 'sapling' to Latia Soft's Steebro. The people gazed upon the being called the 'King' and felt awe.

In the footage, the King sat silently, never once opening its mouth. Instead, the beautiful golden bird seated beside it began to speak. It was merely talking, and yet it sounded like singing.

It was information that had already come out during the Yggdrasil version update, but with the King's official proclamation behind it, the weight was on an entirely different level. Most of those who had heard that connection to the game labyrinths was now possible still only half-believed it — most hadn't even properly attempted it yet. And many, in particular, felt fear toward 'Conversion'.

That voice laid out the vision of the future. Even those who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been afraid found themselves drawn to that vision, feeling a strange faith take root in them. It even made them feel as though they themselves had become the protagonists of the new age.

Before anyone had even checked what gift the King had sent, the message video began to play.

"They told me to just give a decent explanation, and look how grandiose this turned out. All that fuss about 'the King's majesty' — I told them it was a pain in the ass."

……?

Zero suddenly muttered something strange.

Intuition activated.

The being beside him right now was not Zero. Nor was it 5555, or Wolya. And this was no mere 'personality shift' caused by a program. Something far more fundamental had changed.

"Who are you?"

His hand slipped into his coat and closed around the folding knife. For some reason, YggON had gone completely silent.

"No need to be so tense. I merely wished to speak with the one responsible for this incident, that is all."

"Ghk?!"

The voice rang out directly inside his skull. Even defying those words became a struggle. Every cell in his body was screaming submit.

'A Yggdrasil Item……? What the hell is this?'

Ryu Hwi clenched his teeth and endured the compulsion. There wasn't a shred of him that wanted to bow down to anyone — not now, not ever.

The someone wearing Zero's form watched him do it, and marveled.

"Unbowed before my radiance and my royal word? Good. I grant you permission to 'defy' me."

The moment it said that, the nameless sensation that had been binding him vanished in an instant. Only then did Ryu Hwi look properly at 'Zero' — and his breath caught.

Golden rings were floating in Zero's eyes.

He had seen those eyes before. The King in the message video had borne the exact same golden rings.

"I am 'Norn', the one and only being in the present world granted the title of 'Diamond'. I express my joy at this fleeting moment of meeting you."

Diamond. The rank called King. In this world, only a single being had ever been permitted to bear that rank. Impersonating a Diamond was a grave felony; even a Platinum could be cast all the way down to Unknown in a heartbeat for such blasphemy. But Zero was not lying — the proof shone clear in those eyes. The 'Golden Eyes', the emblem of Diamond itself.

"How is this even possible? Why is Zero—"

"This child is special."

The one who called herself Norn placed a hand over her chest.

"A being who received Yggdrasil's blessing and its curse at the same time. Her soul is exceedingly unstable, but because her roots are connected to mine, a 'manifestation' like this is possible. Of course, this child herself knows nothing about it."

"Manifestation? Your consciousness surfaced in Zero? I've never heard of a King's consciousness manifesting before—"

"Did I not tell you this child is special? I predicted the door to the next era would be opened by this child of the key — or the doll that lost its heart — or the child of wings. I was completely, utterly wrong."

The key. The doll. And the wings. The King had mentioned three individuals, including Number 6.

"I wanted to see with my own eyes what kind of being had defied my predictions, so I resorted to a somewhat forced method. It will have no particular effect on this child, so rest easy. And — you are forbidden to speak of my existence."

The instant Norn spoke those words, they became a 'command' and coiled around Ryu Hwi.

"Gh…!"

But Ryu Hwi grit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his teeth in defiance.

"My, did I carelessly use the royal word? I shall permit defiance. But if you came to know of me, it would place a great burden on this child — so I would prefer you keep it secret, as much as you can."

The binding sensation dissolved once more. For the first time, Ryu Hwi questioned the very existence of the 'Diamond'.

All this time he'd been aiming for Diamond, and yet he had never once doubted the rank's existence. The King, it was said, had appeared after Yggdrasil took root in the world. Diamond itself was regarded as a mythic being, much like Yggdrasil — but it was also commonly known that it was by no means impossible for a human to 'become' Diamond. Even though, aside from the King, not a single person in history had ever done so.

'Has our whole understanding of Diamond been warped?'

Ryu Hwi fidgeted with the back of his head, the spot where his SEED was implanted — the in-body device wired directly into the human brain. What if some false information was recorded in there, subtly shaping human perception itself? King and Diamond alike — there might be a secret buried in the very structure of it all. As that possibility dawned on him, he swallowed without meaning to.

"Human, chosen by Yggdrasil. If you truly aim for 'Diamond', the day we meet again will surely come. Today, I came to see you in person — and to personally deliver your 'gift'."

"You here to hand me money or something?"

"I hardly think that would please you. So I shall give you the gift that would bring you the greatest joy at this moment in time. Check the message I sent."

The gift sent by the 'King'. When Ryu Hwi confirmed it, his eyes went wide — and at that very moment, the bird in the message video broadcast across the entire world cried out in a great voice.

The bird's voice rang out loud and clear.

The gift the King had sent contained a new 'ID card'. A gleaming silver one.

The announcement sent shockwaves across the world. It wasn't unusual for an Unknown to rebuild their social standing, earn recognition for some extraordinary deed, and have their civil status restored. But raising someone straight to 'Silver' in a single stroke? That had never happened, not once in history. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠And for the King itself to mention the person by name and personally confer the rank—

The news of Unknown Ryu7017's two-stage promotion plunged the entire community into an unprecedented uproar.

Ryu Hwi simply stared at the silver ID card in silence. Etched clearly upon it was the name 'Ryu Hwi'. The proof of humanity he had lost when he fell into the abyss.

"Everything was within my predictions — but not you. I look forward to the day our paths cross again."

With those final words, the golden rings vanished from Zero's eyes.

"Hm? Huh? Did I just doze off for a second?"

Zero looked around in confusion.

"Wait a minute! Silver? Silver?! And bestowed directly by the King?!"

Only after catching up on the news did she react with astonishment — and judging by her demeanor, she had no memory of the King's manifestation at all.

"This is honestly incredible. I figured your rank would climb now that Yggdrasil's been updated to 2.0 thanks to you, but straight to Silver? I've never even heard of the King personally conferring a rank. Hahaha, that's amazing. Genuinely amazing."

Zero rejoiced as if it were her own doing, but Ryu Hwi still didn't trust her. Especially now that he knew she was connected to the 'King' — she was more than ever a person he could not let his guard down around.

"Doesn't feel great, honestly. Feels like a freebie. I was planning to grind my way up step by step and trample a few more pieces of trash along the way."

But he didn't let it show. Asking Zero about the King here would be idiocy. He needed to keep observing her for the time being. And anyway, right now—

"Drop the act. I can see the corners of your mouth creeping up."

"Shut up."

Savoring this fleeting moment of joy wouldn't hurt anyone.

"YggON."

On a night when the whole world was buzzing about 'Ryu Hwi's promotion to Silver', Ryu Hwi walked the dark streets alone and called for YggON.

The people who used to look at Ryu Hwi like dirt the instant the 'Unknown warning indicator' appeared now showed no particular reaction at all. Only then did it truly sink in — he was Silver now. How many years had it been since he could stride down a public street like this, head held high?

"By the way — why'd you bail when the Diamond showed up earlier?"

That was when it happened.

"Excuse me."

Someone called out from behind. Instinctively, Ryu Hwi's hand closed around the folding knife in his pocket as he turned his head.

A man in an ill-fitting suit was smiling brightly at him.

"……"

Cold sweat ran down his back. Intuition reacted — even though the man displayed no hostile intent whatsoever. It was the sensation of facing something whose nature he could not fathom. Similar to when he'd seen the 'King' just moments ago. And on top of that, for who knew how long, there had been no other people visible anywhere on the street. It was nowhere near the hour when foot traffic died down.

"This is who I am."

The man held out a business card — quaintly anachronistic in this day and age.

"I'm called Crowley, of S.E.N. Might I trouble you for just a moment of your time?"