Ch-250. **Lucifer’s Wail **
—
I had achieved countless out-of-spec accomplishments up to now.
But I could say with certainty—
none compared to the lines now appearing before my eyes.
**《Main Quest 11 – Hall of Fame rankings have been updated.》**
**《1st Place — Estimated Score: 10,000 points. Randolph》**
**《2nd Place — 780 points. Lucifer》**
**《3rd Place — 499 points. Gracia》**
**《4th Place — 400 points. Barmush》**
**《5th Place — 360 points. MintChocolateIsTasty》**
…
Every player encounters the Hall of Fame.
But upon seeing the updated rankings, players rubbed their eyes again and again.
Because the score displayed—reached a digit count no one had ever seen before.
“Ten… thousand points…?”
“Estimated? What does that mean?”
“Is the system saying even *it* can’t be certain?”
“……”
It wasn’t a bug or a glitch.
From all their accumulated experience, everyone *knew*—
this truly was Randolph’s score.
Moreover, the word “Estimated” only strengthened its credibility.
For the system to attach such a term while displaying it on the Hall of Fame
meant Randolph had achieved something so excessive—so far beyond comprehension—
that even the system could not quantify it precisely.
The problem was this:
This ranking belonged to **Main Quest 11**.
“‘Abyss Monster Hunt,’ right?”
“Lucifer hunted the Prince of Futility and his remnants and only got 780.”
“Then does that mean Randolph killed at least *15* ruler-class monsters?”
“How is that possible? How long has it even been since Main Quest 10?”
“What the hell happened? What is going on?”
Confusion spread like wildfire.
Surpassing Lucifer’s score by more than ten-fold was absurd.
Lucifer had earned his score by sacrificing lives and making impossible choices.
Everyone had believed his record would *never* be broken.
But it was shattered.
Not by a god—no, even if a goddess returned alive,
this level of achievement seemed impossible.
“Get everyone assembled!”
“Emergency meeting—now!”
“A seismic shift is coming to Pangaenia. Watch everything—don’t miss a thing!”
“Does anyone know *anything*?!”
“What’s the Information Division even doing?!”
The world descended into chaos.
Especially the leaders.
Earth had entered a Warring States era.
As the Hero Association collapsed, powerful figures declared themselves kings and built factions.
Warriors who had been suppressed until now by the Hero Association.
And to them, this “change”—
would surely bring an enormous upheaval.
In Pangaenia, and on Earth.
*‘The Hero Association had been subtly ignoring Randolph. Treating him as taboo.’*
*‘But the era has changed.’*
*‘Find Randolph!’*
*‘Whoever finds him first becomes the victor!’*
The Association had suppressed even the mention of Randolph’s name.
But no longer.
The newly risen kings desperately sought to find Randolph and form ties.
It was clear Randolph had no interest in ruling the world.
But if they could carry Randolph’s name on their backs—
that alone would be the greatest guarantee imaginable.
They all had the same thought:
**“Whoever is chosen by Randolph becomes the king of this world.”**
They had tried to dismiss it as an anomaly or glitch before.
But now it was clear:
Trying to “understand” the unknown that was Randolph
had been foolish from the start.
The unknown, the mysterious—truth as vast as the cosmos.
Such things were not to be rejected or ignored—
but revered, worshipped, upheld.
To them, Randolph was such an existence.
Thus everyone searched for him with burning eyes.
…For the one chosen by the god would become the emperor
who ruled the world with absolute power.
—
—
“……”
Darkstar stood upon a rooftop, looking down at the city below.
*—If that is possible… then yes, perhaps I too should join the Phantom Cult.*
Main Quest 11.
He recalled the promise he once made:
If Randolph ever surpassed Lucifer’s score,
he would join the Phantom Cult.
“…Ridiculous.”
Darkstar let out a disbelieving laugh.
Ten thousand points.
Never in the history of the Hall of Fame had a five-digit number been displayed.
“Did he hunt an Abyss King or something…?”
A score impossible without devastating the entire Abyss.
Unbelievable—
yet impossible to disbelieve.
*“Gracia rejected it, and now Lucifer has even lost the Angel Statue.”*
At least balance was restored.
Without the angel’s blessing, Lucifer would not be able to flaunt himself again.
Sshh—
Darkstar took out a thick file.
*“The one Blackflame gave me when she tried to curry favor.”*
Blackflame the Gumiho.
A member of the Hero Association,
and the sly woman who drifted between Darkstar and Lucifer.
The moment the Hall of Fame changed,
Blackflame had rushed to him and delivered this file.
*“The Dead Master’s Journal.”*
The secret journal left behind by the dead Master.
A journal Lucifer knew nothing about.
Over a hundred pages—yet the contents were simple.
*“So the Master… was even more desperate to find Randolph than Gracia.”*
It was a journal about Randolph.
The Master had pursued Randolph with an obsession bordering on madness.
Unlike Gracia, who wanted the Hydragon Core,
the journal never stated why.
But one thing was certain:
He had gotten **closer** to Randolph than Gracia ever did.
Rustle—
Darkstar read through all one hundred pages.
Then exhaled deeply.
“…Looks like I need to go to Korea.”
He needed to meet Kim Hana again.
And at the same time—
*…Perhaps I truly will have to join the Phantom Cult.*
—
—
“No… NO!!!”
Lucifer screamed.
Clutching the angel statue, he wept.
Because the light dwelling within it—
vanished the moment the Hall of Fame updated.
“How… how could you leave me…?!”
The angel statue, now devoid of light.
He could no longer feel the presence of the Angel of Blessing.
And yet all his accomplishments—
all he had done for that angel—
Sacrificing lives, completing the Main Quest—
It was overturned in an instant.
By a score gap no one could ever hope to catch.
“Aaaah!”
CRACK!
Lucifer shattered the statue.
Without the angel inside it, it was nothing but an empty shell.
Gurgle… gurgurg—
As the blessings disappeared, Lucifer’s body began to distort.
Two horns sprouted from his forehead,
a long tail unfurled,
and his body turned pitch-black.
Looking down at his hands, Lucifer shook his head violently.
“I… am not… a demon… I…!”
Denial of existence.
He was denying himself.
The angel had blessed him into the form he desired.
Not only his appearance—
but his cognition, his perception, everything.
But once the blessing vanished,
he could only revert.
“No… no…!”
Gurrrrk—
His body shifted back into human form.
But it was meaningless.
Lucifer could no longer lift his head to the sky.
The moment he recognized himself as a demon,
the demon’s curse reactivated.
*“In this world… I was free!”*
How long had it been since he last tasted freedom?
He could not let it slip away.
He had dreamed of standing at the top—
ruling as an absolute sovereign.
And though he had fallen into this world by accident,
Earth had been paradise to him.
As long as he had the angel’s blessing.
“You… you knew how much I loved you…!”
Lucifer loved that angel.
But now the angel was gone.
Taken—
by Randolph.
GRRRK!
Lucifer grit his teeth until they nearly shattered.
*‘It’s still fine… for now.’*
The built-up blessings wouldn’t disappear instantly.
But once they fully evaporated—
Lucifer would revert to his true form:
A demon ruled by pure rage.
A monster that only destroys.
A being with no trace of sympathy or love.
“RAN… DOLPH…!!!”
The demon of fury howled.
—
—
Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of rewards, I was speechless.
Even obtaining **10 Perfect Golden Scales** through a Hidden Piece was unbelievable—
yet I had also earned the **Hidden Talisman Cube**,
the **Island of God**,
the **Holy Star**,
and even the right to choose a special **Talisman**.
Not to mention—
*“Angel of Blessing… 10,000 Achievement Points… 10,000 hours of Broken Golden Scale Shards… this is insane.”*
It truly was record-breaking.
Rewards overflowing beyond what could be comprehended.
Each one comparable to a Unique-grade treasure.
*“Talismans containing participants’ names… this is a first.”*
Whichever I chose would surely be extraordinary.
And I possessed the **Primordial Armor**.
*“…The Primordial Armor increases talisman effects by 1.5×.”*
And I had also obtained the **Hidden Talisman Cube**—
A special cube enabling hidden combinations.
Depending on how I used it,
the synergy could be tremendous.
Thus came the problem—
Which one should I choose?
Which talisman best suited me?
I could only choose one—
so I had to be careful.
*A name is proof. If a name becomes a talisman, the equipment will strongly reflect that influence.*
Talismans were jewels that empowered gear.
They engraved special options onto equipment—
options that normally could not exist.
Reduced equip requirements,
tracking similar talismans,
increased resistances,
modifying all equipment stats—
all of these were possible.
When combined correctly,
talismans could double the performance of gear.
Additionally, talismans with names amplified their associated traits.
*The participants’ characteristics. A name fitting the Primordial Armor.*
It was likely each talisman reflected its participant’s traits.
And I would be embedding this into the Primordial Armor.
Thus I needed a talisman that could fully maximize that armor’s performance.
Six talisman slots.
1.5× enhanced effect.
Shapeshifting ability.
Minimum 50% physical resistance.
210% physical damage reflection.
Level-scaled penetration.
Primordial Despair.
A broken piece of equipment even now—
and I intended to improve it further.
*I do know one certain choice.*
I recalled their abilities.
The participants, their traits.
Information only *I* remembered.
The decision did not take long.
**《You have selected the “Celestial Whale” Talisman.》**
The Celestial Whale possessed the power of transformation.
Her talisman would surely hold similar abilities.
Then—
Another message appeared.
**《Select the vessel to host the “Angel of Blessing.” The vessel determines the nature of the angel’s blessing.》**
**《The Angel of Blessing cannot remain outside for long.》**
**《You must choose within 564 seconds.》**
**《If time expires, the Angel of Blessing will vanish forever.》**
It urged me—
I had to choose the vessel.
I frowned.
Suddenly demanding a decision in under ten minutes—
what nonsense was this?
**《You must decide within 499 seconds.》**
**《387 seconds.》**
**《284 seconds.》**
Time flowed mercilessly.
My urgency grew.
**《Randolph cannot be chosen as a vessel.》**
I had tried selecting myself—
but this message appeared.
…Then what should I choose?
The best object I possessed.
Should I embed it in the Primordial Armor?
Or in Winter (Last Twilight)?
Or was there something else suitable?
**《10 seconds remaining.》**
In moments, I had only ten seconds left.
**《6 seconds.》**
**《4 seconds.》**
**《2 seconds.》**
**《1 second…》**
**《You have chosen “Island of God” as the vessel for the Angel of Blessing.》**
**《The Angel of Blessing now dwells within the Island of God!》**
—
