A brilliant light appeared in the empty air.Before long, the light took form. It became a plain black mask, without any particular ornamentation — utterly ordinary in appearance.
[Mask of Chaos (Mythic)]
Slot: Face
Magic Power +15, +50% magic damage when using Confusion.
Grants a powerful perception-inhibiting effect.
Allows the user to temporarily convert one desired stat into a random one. Stats added through equipment bonuses are not affected by this conversion.
Confusion: Adds a random effect to the next spell cast.
The Mask of Chaos was a mythic-grade personal item.Its major features could be grouped into three categories:
The perception inhibition effect.
Stat conversion.
Adding a random effect to spells cast thereafter.
The third feature was a bit tricky.
"It could yield a good effect, or a bad one."
It was, quite literally, random.Something that would suit a Lord of Delight, perhaps.There probably aren't many personal items that embody the concept of "chaos" as thoroughly as this one.Still, its effects were useful for Han Yooseong.Particularly the stat-conversion feature.
"With this, I won't have to invest so heavily in my magic stat."
He just needed to convert his physical strength into magic power when necessary.His future growth plan had also become much simpler.After all, managing four different stats and managing just three were entirely different matters.
It was an unexpected gain.
"Well, I did come here hoping for a reward like this, but still..."
Originally, he had only been thinking of finding items related to magic power.He hadn't expected to come across a personal item with effects like these.
"Aside from the fact that I have to wear a mask, this isn't bad."
Thankfully, the mask's appearance was ordinary.Still, wearing a mask in itself wasn't something he found particularly appealing.Han Yooseong gripped the mask in his hands.And in that very moment—
Srrrk!
[Oh? The mask is disappearing.]
The Mask of Delight melted into Han Yooseong's body and vanished, as if dissolving into him.Before his eyes, glowing text sent by the Lord of Delight began to dance:
["That mask will always be with you now! Because I like you! I'll let you summon it whenever you want!"][Heehee~!]["Oh, and one more thing!"]
Kakasha giggled again, like a mischievous cat.The Lord of Delight seemed just as unpredictable as ever.
["I'm in a really good mood right now. I could end the rewards with that mythic-grade personal item, but just this once! I'll throw in one more thing — an epic-grade personal item."]["Tell me what you want!"]
"…That's awfully generous."
As expected of the Lord of Delight.Unpredictable and whimsical, but when it came to rewards, the praise was well deserved.
[Is there a personal item you need?]
"Hmm… let me think…"
Han Yooseong paused in thought.He needed to choose based on what was coming next.Once this current ordeal was over, he planned to head to the Stellar Battlefield and clear that event.So what he needed for that was—
"I want a personal item that boosts resistance to status effects."
["Oho, my vault has everything. Very well!"]
And just like that, another gift was granted.As the vault opened, a small necklace emerged.
[Adaptive Necklace (Epic)]
Slot: Necklace
+20% resistance to all types of status effects.
Can adapt its resistance based on the surrounding environment. When this effect activates, resistance can be boosted up to 40%.
As expected, it was an excellent personal item.Han Yooseong took the necklace in hand.
"Every time I visit one of these Lords, I come away richer."
Be it the Lord of Knowledge or the Lord of Delight,they were like ever-giving trees to Han Yooseong — never holding back their gifts.
"And one more thing — I'd prefer not to reveal my name, if possible. I'm not ready for fame just yet."
["Humble too, huh? Of course, that's fine! Even better, actually! I like to keep interesting people hidden away — like candy in a drawer!"][What a creepy maniac!]
He didn't plan on hiding his identity forever.Fame could be a shackle, yes — but sometimes, it was power.Still, not yet. He needed more time.More power — enough to stand firm, untouched by the winds of fame.
["I hope you're satisfied with your reward, human! I won't forget what you've shown me. I'll carve it into my memory."]["And don't forget — I'll be watching you!"][Ugh, you stalker! That's disgusting — stop watching me!]
But of course, Kakasha's protests were never going to reach the Lord of Delight.The Lord's pupils swirled like whirlpools of light.
["Well then, farewell. I'll be busy for a while, so I doubt I'll be able to intervene. But who knows? We may meet again when the time comes."]
With those parting words, the overwhelming presence of the Lord vanished.And at the same moment, a portal appeared right in front of Han Yooseong.An exit — a path that would return him to where he had come from.
[O Vowed One, ignore the words of that lunatic. A pact with the Lord of Delight is sure to bring nothing but ruin. Wasn't your pact with me far more comfortable?]"Comfortable? Not really. Starting from the bottom means there's a lot to do."[Th-that's… fair…]
Kakasha was at a loss for words.He had known from the beginning that every second would require effort, so it wasn't a big deal — but Yooseong didn't bother commenting further, partly because he found Kakasha's silence oddly pleasant.
Han Yooseong slowly stepped toward the portal.
"The Lord of Stars… and…"
Just before entering the portal, he turned to glance at the Stage of Delight.It was visibly shattered, damaged in several places.
"He said he'd be busy for a while…"
There wasn't much mystery to what that "busy" entailed.He'd be cleaning up the aftermath of this mess.
[There's going to be a bloodbath. Shame we won't get to see it ourselves.]"If we didn't watch, it'd feel almost strange."
A large-scale assault by other Lords had taken place.It was hard not to suspect that the Lord of Delight had brought it on himself — and regardless of the cause, he'd been targeted by a coalition of other Lords.They would want payback.These were nameless Lords — ones who didn't care for titles or diplomacy — so the outcome was already clear.
If there was one lingering question:
"Like you said… someone must be behind all this. Don't you think?"[Mm… for a bunch of nameless Lords to unite like that, it does seem too well-coordinated. I suspect someone gave them support from the shadows…]"But we're not in a position to figure out who."[Not like I care to know, either.]
So said Kakasha.
Han Yooseong agreed.There was no need to know, and no desire to know.As long as nothing else unexpected popped up to cause more trouble, that was enough.
"Let's just hope the Lord of Delight handles it well."[Yes, that's probably for the best.]
Conflicts between Lords were nothing new.Schemes and underhanded tactics were par for the course.And the Lord of Delight had likely faced them countless times — he'd know how to deal with it.
Han Yooseong stretched his arms.
"Time to go back."
With that, he threw himself into the portal.
It was over.
News that the Stage of Delight had been attacked by a Coalition of Lords reached the players not long after.The good news: the Lord of Delight had successfully repelled the assault.Even more surprising — the damage was minimal.
"Minimal damage? Wasn't this one of the Lord of Delight's major calamity events?""Was he always this well-prepared, to fend off other Lords' attacks like that…?""…You think so?"
Players who heard the news were uniformly skeptical.No one knew exactly what had happened.What they had heard was that the coalition's attack had been massive, and that the Lord of Delight had been completely overwhelmed — even unable to fight back.
So… were the rumors wrong?Or had the Lord of Delight somehow fended it off with unexpected power?
"That Lord of Delight… really?"
"A Lord who designs their calamity events with such precision… aren't those pretty rare?""The Lord of Delight is the type to just twist things however he pleases, right?"
More meticulous Lords tended to embed all sorts of mechanisms and safeguards into their calamities in case of external attacks.But the Lord of Delight was not the kind of ruler who prepared for things like that.Which made this all the more puzzling.
"Whatever the case, it's impressive.""Exactly. Wait, look at this—'We express our gratitude to an unnamed player who made a significant contribution in stopping the Lords' Coalition during the recent calamity'...""Huh? An unnamed player?""It's rare for a Lord to publicly thank a player, isn't it?"
And that wasn't the end of the surprising news.A Lord—no one else but a Lord—had openly expressed thanks to a player.Without revealing their name, no less.Which meant they had chosen to respect that player's anonymity.
"Whoever it is, they must've seriously impressed the Lord...""If a Lord went that far to protect their identity…"
It meant that this player had greatly pleased the Lord of Delight.And that Lord prized fun more than anything else.So inevitably, everyone's thoughts converged into a single, burning question:
"Just who are they?"
It was the only natural thing to wonder.And there were some who found this whole situation… eerily familiar.
"Park Yooha, doesn't this all feel… kind of like something we've seen before?"
"…Are you talking about the player who resolved the Trial of the Gods?"
The leader of the Player Alliance, Zain, and his confidante, Park Yooha, were in discussion.Zain nodded solemnly.
"They didn't want their identity revealed. A Lord publicly offering thanks—that's a rare event. And the damage this time was strangely minimal…""Now that you mention it, the similarities are striking.""What are the chances it's the same player who resolved the trial?"
It might just be a guess.But that was all they had.They didn't know who had resolved the Night Hunt incident, nor did they have even the slightest clue.Even if it was just speculation, it was all they could do.
"It's not impossible. The issue is…""The Lord of Delight would never reveal their identity.""Exactly. That Lord is erratic, but in a way, trustworthy. They're surprisingly generous to players who satisfy them.""Ugh… this is giving me a headache."
Zain pressed his fingers against his temples.Of all possible Lords, it had to be the Lord of Delight.A Lord who operated beyond logic — which meant they had little hope of negotiation, let alone obtaining solid information.
"…Still, let's give it a try.""Yes, Guildmaster."
Park Yooha bowed and left.
Left alone, Zain let out a deep sigh.
"They're hiding their identity so thoroughly… Just who are they?"
Powerful players typically wanted to be known.
Fame is money, and it becomes social power.Ever since the Trial of the Gods appeared, the world had become a place where power reigned above all else.And yet, that player was hiding their identity.Even when they had the perfect opportunity to gain overwhelming fame…
"Are they avoiding recruitment offers? Do they have some personal reason? Or… are they a criminal?"
It made no sense.And what made it all the more frustrating was—
"They're not going to be easy to find…"
It didn't seem like this mystery would be solved anytime soon.