***
"Soul of the Hydragon!"
The names clearly imprinted on my eyes.
I couldn't tear my gaze away from the rewards floating in the air.
『Soul of the Hydragon (Raid)
Allows summoning and commanding a Hydragon (Lv5).
Can be enhanced by the Hidden Trait – ‘Beast Lord’』
First, the soul of a raid boss monster.
I had only known it existed, but this was the first time I saw it directly.
Despite hunting it over a thousand times, it was an item that had never appeared before.
A top-tier artifact that allowed me to summon a Hydragon with a soul-infused stone!
The ‘Soul’ of a raid boss monster was a treasure that appeared with the most extreme probability. It could be ridden or used to summon and aid in combat, but due to its rarity, there were no listings for it.
"In the 5 years since its release, only one has appeared."
Among them, the Soul of the Hydragon was even rarer than the souls of other raid boss monsters. Only one appeared 3 years ago, and that was it.
Even that was only indirectly mentioned in communities through a photo, as the player was unknown, and it was a character I had never seen before.
"There were only rumors that it was an administrator."
In a sense, this ‘Soul’ was harder to obtain than unique-grade items.
I was deeply moved. Normally, I would have posted on a community forum to immortalize it.
The fact that it could even be enhanced by a hidden trait was the icing on the cake. I felt a thrilling electric current flow through my entire body.
"And then there's Michaela's Sword."
Not only that.
A colossal two-handed sword. A sword that looked like it would weigh well over 10kg was shining brilliantly.
『Michaela's Sword (Raid)(Set)
The sword of the giant knight Michaela, who slew the first Hydragon. It contains the curse of the Hydragon and the soul of Michaela.
Required Stats for Use – Strength 20 or higher
When used by one who knows honor, ‘Michaela's Strength (Strength+3)’ is activated.
If three of Michaela's equipment are collected, ‘Heavenly Dragon Human’ can be used.』
There was no better sword for navigating the early stages.
Especially for those who used swords, it boasted the best cost-effectiveness. This was because stat-boosting weapons were usually concentrated in the mid-to-late game.
It also had a set option.
‘Heavenly Dragon Human,’ which could be used by collecting the sword, armor, and helmet of Michaela, was a transformation skill. Dragon wings would sprout from one's back, allowing for long-duration flight.
"The difficult specific sections can be skipped with the Michaela set. It's as hard as picking stars from the sky to obtain it in the early game..."
The Heavenly Dragon Human was what helped find those specific quest sections that required insane grinding, hidden dungeons, and hidden quests.
However, obtaining it was also as hard as picking stars from the sky. It wasn't activated unless all three items – the sword, armor, and helmet – were collected, and the probability of them appearing was incredibly low.
Michaela's Sword, in particular, was the most difficult part to obtain among them. I was lucky.
"But what is this Fragment of Broken Golden Rule?"
The two items above were items I was familiar with.
But that. That golden coin was something I had never seen before.
『Fragment of Broken Golden Rule (???)
Fragment of Broken Golden Rule.
Enables ‘synchronization’ between reality and Pangenia. Can be turned On/Off (Remaining time: 24 hours).
Can be used at the ‘Golden Rule Shop’.』
All the descriptions were new. The existence of the Golden Rule, and even the fact that there was a Golden Rule Shop that could be used with it.
Most importantly, synchronization with reality.
"Crazy...?"
Hearing my exclamation, the Snake Princess scowled.
"......I mean, I'm not crazy. Isabella, the Snake Princess."
I quickly covered up my slip of the tongue.
Isabella von Dersian, the Snake Princess.
She glanced at me with a strange look for a moment before speaking to the captain of the hundred men.
"Serve her."
"Yes? Her Majesty ordered them all to be killed..."
"She is a distinguished guest. You must serve her with utmost care."
✺✺✺
Paisalmer, the great desert city.
A world of absolute monarchy ruled by the Queen!
There, I, who had suddenly become a distinguished guest, rented out an entire luxurious palace.
"I can't believe the character I raised has become the second most powerful person in Paisalmer."
I looked out from inside the palace, lost in thought.
What I learned upon arriving here was that Isabella was indeed one of the most influential figures in Paisalmer. I could tell at a glance from how even the great warriors treated her with utmost respect.
For the great warriors of the desert only follow the Queen or those acknowledged by the Queen.
"Shall I wash you?"
Turning around at the voice from behind me, I saw five beautiful women lined up.
The palace, which had been given to me to do as I pleased. It was a rented palace, but there were many women. And not just any women, but a bevy of beautiful, young maidens.
......This was a harem.
The realism was so profound that it was hard to believe it was inside a game. Every blood vessel was clearly visible. Every small breath was so natural.
The women, clad only in thin silk, undeniably displayed their voluptuous figures.
Even with the Heart of the Iron-Blooded Lord, it was unavoidable to feel a flutter of excitement as a male's instinct.
"Just wash my feet."
"Yes."
I said it with as much emotionlessness as possible.
Then, women who had brought water in a basin made of mud knelt before me.
Washing feet.
It was a ceremony in Paisalmer for receiving outsiders.
If an outsider who entered was not given a foot wash? It meant they were a slave. Being washed meant they were a guest.
I was a guest. And a particularly important one to the Snake Princess.
"This is Paisalmer's test."
Literally, all these series of events were a test set by Isabella.
A Star-Awakened would not be blinded by lust. She would surely relay my reaction. However, if I refused even the foot washing, I would be considered someone who lacked desert etiquette.
Therefore, the correct answer to this test was to have my feet washed while maintaining a calm demeanor.
Rustle.
With the gentle sound of water, soft skin touched my feet.
Hands without a single ounce of excess fat. The skin directly touched my skin.
Ten hands were gently massaging my feet.
It felt like being tickled by fine down.
I forced my thoughts elsewhere.
"Is there no way to return to reality?"
I was sucked in while creating a character.
However, mentions of reality were repeated even in this world.
That meant there was a way to return.
"I don't see a log-out function. I can't force it to close... Wait."
With a sudden thought, I opened my status window.
<Stats>
Level: 2
Strength: 24 Stamina: 24 Agility: 24
Intelligence: 24 Magic: 24
......
<Pangenia Collapse Remaining: 7.66%>
<<As the collapse progresses, the boundary between reality and Pangenia blurs.>>
<<Once the collapse reaches over 10%, the first rift will occur.>>
I furrowed my brow.
The growth rate of my stats was unusual, but what was more important to observe was the section below.
When I first saw it, the collapse was at 6.12%.
But after completing the main quest, it increased by about 1.5%.
Would Pangenia and Earth truly collide if it reached 100%?
"There was also mention of the Hall of Fame. What was that?"
Those weren't the only questions I had.
However, the mystery concerning the Hall of Fame was surprisingly solved quickly.
As soon as I thought about it, a window appeared before my eyes.
<<The Hall of Fame has been opened.>>
<<You can leave your name in the Hall based on your Main Quest score.>>
<<Rank for 'Main Quest 1 - Survival' has been updated.>>
<1st Place, 220 points. Randolph>
<2nd Place, 195 points. Gracia>
<3rd Place, 187 points. Mint Chocolate Taste>
<4th Place, 170 points. Obsidian>
<5th Place, 163 points. Massacre>
......
<<Entering the 'Survival' ranking list activates the 'Log Out' function.>>
<<If you log out, your character will be exposed defenselessly, so please be cautious.>>
"......What?"
The names were somewhat familiar.
Especially 'Gracia' in 2nd place and 'Mint Chocolate Taste' in 3rd place, they were colleagues I had played Pangenia with for the longest time.
They had suddenly disappeared at some point, and I thought they had quit.
"They didn't quit, they were summoned to Pangenia like me?"
My head spun as if I'd been hit with a blunt object.
It wasn't just my character that was here.
My fellow players were also here.
Furthermore.
"Log Out......"
Log Out.
Meaning, I could leave. From this pathetic game!
"Stop."
At my deep voice, the women washing my feet flinched.
"Yes...?"
"All of you, leave. It's time for me to communicate with the stars."
"But..."
Panic flickered across the women's faces. Washing feet was a custom of Paisalmer. Refusing it was by no means a good sign.
I knew that, but there was no other way.
"If a Star-Awakened does not communicate with the stars on time, they will lose their power. Go and ask the Snake Princess if she truly desires that."
"Ah..."
The women nodded.
As expected, they were all spies sent by the Snake Princess.
I already knew why the Snake Princess had brought me here.
"I hope you have a comfortable time communicating."
With solemn expressions, the women bowed and left.
......Hoo. That was a relief. That such a flimsy excuse worked.
Alone in the room, I sat down in a proper posture. Immediately, I pressed the red button that appeared at the 1 o'clock position in my field of vision.
<<Logging out.>>
<<Please standby your character in a safe location.>>
<>
My vision flickered.
And.
<<Log out complete.>>
The world changed.
✺✺✺
"......"
I blankly lowered my gaze.
On the chair in front of the computer. A worn-out plain white t-shirt, black training pants bought casually at the market.
A pile of cigarettes in plastic bottles.
The same clothes, the same posture, the same environment as before I started playing the game.
"Is this a dream?"
Perhaps I had lived so much like a shut-in that I had dreamt it?
But it was too vivid to be a dream.
Furthermore.
"There's no way I would have had this kind of golden coin..."
There was something else on my desk.
The Fragment of Broken Golden Rule!
That brilliant golden coin was in front of me.
Next to it, a small leather pouch was also placed.
Moreover, where the logout button had been outside my field of vision, the words 'Log In' were clearly engraved in red.
I slowly rummaged through the leather pouch. Two items came out.
"Ugh!"
Thud!
A giant sword. The opening of the pouch stretched, and it spat out the sword.
When I placed it on the floor, the house shook with a thud.
......No matter how I looked at it, it was Michaela's Sword.
And then there was the artifact with runes drawn on a small stone, the Soul of the Hydragon.
"The game?"
The game window was closed. No, the game itself had been deleted.
I picked up the mouse and opened the internet.
Then, I searched for Pangenia and accessed the site.
[This website does not exist.]
......The homepage was gone.
The homepage that had been perfectly fine just moments ago.
Just in case, I looked for related articles.
But there wasn't a single news article stating that the service had ended. Even when I searched on YouTube, only videos from at least 2 years ago were uploaded.
"When did the service even end?"
The fact that YouTube videos remained was proof that the service had been running. The game itself hadn't ceased to exist.
It was clear that people had logged in and played the game.
But at some point, the videos stopped being uploaded, and the players disappeared.
Fine. All of that is fine.
The question was, if I was summoned to Pangenia, there must be other people who logged out. And if there were people who logged out, there should be traces of them.
"Only those who ranked within the list can log out."
But what if that number was limited?
What if it was very small?
What if many people were still trapped in the game?
The remaining information was likely to be scarce, or nonexistent.
"If I had known, I should have exchanged social media information."
I was a thorough solo player. I solved raids alone. So, even if I exchanged greetings with others, I never played with them properly.
Naturally, there was no exchange of emails or messengers.
Cursing my past self who thought being mysterious was cool, I started typing on the keyboard.
"Comatose patients, missing persons lists..."
My fingers sped up.
The number of people in comatose states and missing persons had explosively increased in the past few years.
There was much debate about this phenomenon. Perhaps it was related to Pangenia.
Rumble!
It was at that moment.
The floor began to shake with a vibration that slightly lifted my body.
"Monsters! Monsters!"
"Help me!"
Simultaneously, the outside became chaotic.
Monsters? What monsters all of a sudden?
I pulled up the curtains and opened the window. As the thick cigarette smoke drifted out, the scene outside that I looked upon was the worst.
A giant praying mantis, seemingly 4 meters tall, had appeared in the city and was committing slaughter.
It snatched people with its tentacle-like long antennae and sliced through everything that blocked its path with its blade-like forelegs.
Recognizing its strangely familiar appearance, I involuntarily opened my mouth.
"Giant Mantis...?"