Chapter 33
Late at night, when everyone else was asleep.
Dragging his exhausted body, Hyuk-min made his way to the construction site near the Shindang-dong department store.
The reason he showed up at such an hour—
He was here to test the newly acquired Death Knight’s Helmet.
==========
[S-Rank] Death Knight’s Helmet
The helmet once worn by the Death Knight, leader of the undead.
This is not an ordinary Death Knight’s Helmet.
It was obtained from defeating a unique boss-level Death Knight, the only one of its kind in the world.
Command of undead of equal or lower rank is possible upon meeting certain conditions.
Strength +10
Agility +10
Active Skills available:
(S-Rank) Spirit-Departure
When Mana is imbued, summons a spirit undetectable to exploration or observation Skills of equal or lower rank.
The spirit can pass through objects and share its vision with the user.
(S-Rank) Spirit-Materialization
If a spirit is currently active, the user is teleported to the spirit’s location instead of the spirit disappearing.
==========
Hyuk-min put on the helmet and infused Mana into it.
Green flames flickered to life, forming a shimmering humanoid shape.
[‘Spirit-Departure’ Skill has been used.]
Even though he had used it once before, it was still a completely astonishing item.
[Vision is being shared.]
‘So this is shared vision?’
His own field of view narrowed inside the helmet, and then—
The world shifted.
Within the darkness of the helmet, a new vision opened—
The vision seen by the summoned green spirit.
He wondered if he could move while looking through the shared sight.
And simply by thinking it—
Whoong—whoong—
The spirit moved as if pulled by his thoughts.
‘It moves just by my will.’
No Mana cost.
Just intent.
The spirit moved freely wherever he wished.
‘Good. Movement confirmed. Let’s start the real test.’
He raised his hand slightly and directed the spirit forward.
Tonight was the night to thoroughly test every function of the Death Knight’s Helmet—for the sake of a decisive moment yet to come.
‘First, object penetration.’
He sent the spirit straight toward the fence surrounding the construction site.
Swoosh—
It passed through cleanly.
Exactly as the System described.
‘Whoa.’
But the instant the spirit moved inside, Hyuk-min instinctively pulled it back—
Because a security guard appeared in his shared vision.
‘Wait.’
He felt stupid.
‘Why am I nervous?’
Worst case, he’d get caught. And even if he did—
With Regression Mode, he could deal with anyone.
Even though he had heard the guards had doubled since the last incident, and that they were all Azure Lake Guild members, it didn’t matter.
‘Isn’t this the whole point of the test? Face them head-on.’
He moved the spirit again.
This time, he positioned it right in front of the Azure Lake Guild guard on patrol—
Swoosh.
“Ugh, chilly…”
Exactly as expected.
Even though the guard was a Mana user, he didn’t sense a thing.
The spirit passed right through him, and the guard merely shivered once.
‘Good. Next.’
This was the important part.
Everything until now had been preparation.
He guided the spirit downward—heading straight for the third basement level.
“Basement 1…”
Each time the spirit seeped into the ground, the vision darkened briefly.
‘In my past life, Park Chung-ho used the Death Knight’s Helmet to break through Baeksan’s surveillance and barriers—forces made of Korea’s top elites.’
That meant—
If his theory was right, the spirit should pass through every barrier below the department store without triggering anything.
And allow him to infiltrate the third basement level.
“Basement 2, and… 3.”
Hwaa—
The spirit arrived at the third basement level without issue.
“Just as expected.”
The place looked completely different from the upper floors.
Construction seemed finished.
Quiet.
No alarms.
He grinned.
The experiment had succeeded.
But there was one final test—
Whether he himself could enter without triggering the defenses.
‘Exploring isn’t enough. The question is whether I can get inside safely.’
He slowly tightened his raised hand.
Squeeze—
A notification appeared.
[‘Spirit-Materialization’ Skill has been activated.]
= = =
On his way home, Hyuk-min looked at the Death Knight’s Helmet inside his Inventory.
‘I had a feeling… but I didn’t think it would be this good.’
The third basement level of the Shindang-dong department store—
Currently the most fortified location in all of Shindang-dong.
Heavy security.
High-rank defenses.
Multiple layers of barriers.
And he entered with zero resistance.
No alarms.
No detection.
Not even a flicker of mana disturbance noticed by anyone nearby.
‘No wonder Park Chung-ho was unstoppable against Baeksan… the reason was this.’
Park Chung-ho’s “treasure number one.”
The item that changed the entire course of the Baeksan War.
Once he acquired the Death Knight’s Helmet, he overturned every expectation—defeating Baeksan again and again, until the remnants of Baeksan were absorbed into the Azure Lake Guild.
‘How did I even learn about this?’
Because Park Chung-ho bragged.
After becoming guild leader of Korea’s number one guild, he gave an interview—
Proudly waving the helmet and telling stories no one even asked for.
He told the public exactly how he got it, how he used it, and how it won the war.
Of course, Park Chung-ho never imagined—
That someone would return to the past
And steal the item
before he himself obtained it.
[Key of Hermes]
[Death Knight’s Helmet]
No one could have predicted it.
‘The Key of Hermes and the Death Knight’s Helmet…’
Park Chung-ho’s two trump cards—
Both now belonged to Hyuk-min.
“Is this just the beginning?”
Holding both items, the plans he’d been forming began to take true shape.
It was like watching a rough sketch slowly fill with color.
A color he liked—
Painted onto the black-and-white picture of revenge.
“Heh.”
Feeling satisfied, he reached his house.
Just as he was about to open the door—
Hwang Ji-young stepped out from hiding.
“Bang Hyuk-min.”
“You came all the way here? A phone call would’ve worked.”
“You never answer your phone. And this is something that needs to be said in person.”
Her expression was unusually serious.
“You look tense. Is it about me?”
She nodded.
She handed him her phone.
Article after article filled the screen.
The headline that stood out most—
[Bill Passed, Countless Citizens Finally Breathe Easy]
[Bill Passed! All Guilds Begin Moving! Identity Revelation Expected Soon?]
“Just let me ask one thing.”
He frowned, unsure what bill had passed.
Then Hwang Ji-young, face more serious than ever, asked—
“Legendary Title Holder. That’s you, isn’t it.”
He blinked.
Then laughed.
“Didn’t you already know? Our relationship is too close for that to be hidden.”
“So you really are the Legendary Title Holder.”
“Wasn’t Black Label deliberately putting up misleading information?”
“How did you know that? Are you dealing with other Information Guilds?”
“No chance. I hate fence-sitters. If I pick one source, I stick with them.”
“But how did you know we put up a smokescreen…?”
He shrugged.
“How could I not know? If the government stepped in and every Information Guild was searching desperately, yet my identity—someone who hasn’t done anything visibly traceable—still isn’t uncovered, that’s actually more suspicious.”
She sighed deeply.
“Guessing the truth from circumstances is practically prophecy.”
“That can’t be the real problem. The bill that passed—that’s what matters, isn’t it?”
She handed him a sealed document.
“A national order. Issued to every guild in Korea.”
National order?
He searched his past-life memories.
No matter how deeply he dug—
No such event ever happened.
‘This is new.’
Hyuk-min’s expression hardened.
He opened the document.
The moment he read the first line—
His face twisted.
“An order to capture—or kill—Legendary Title Holders if necessary… that’s the bill?”
That explained her words earlier.
This divergence from the past…
It began because of him.
He was the one who twisted the timeline.
“When someone acquires a Legendary Title, they must report it within three days to the Rogue Guild or a national office. Failure results in forced capture—and killing if necessary. And it passed with over 90% approval.”
He laughed in disbelief.
The government had boasted they would find the Legendary Title Holder.
They couldn’t.
So now they issued a nationwide kill-on-sight order.
But something still didn’t add up.
“Why is this such a huge deal? Nothing seems that different from before. If Black Label just keeps masking—”
“We can’t hide you anymore.”
“Why not?”
“The person who pushed hardest for the bill… is too absolute.”
“What?”
She showed him a video.
Breaking news.
But Hyuk-min’s eyes focused on someone other than the anchor.
“…No way.”
“Yes. He appeared as an advisor for the bill. That monster.”
A man everyone knew.
A man no one could not know.
[Nice to meet you. I am Jeonsin of the Invincible Guild.]
The immovable world rank 1.
The strongest human alive.
Jeonsin.
[The Legendary Title marks someone with potential to be the best. But someone who hides such a title? Suspicious. Either mentally unstable… or a terrorist.]
Hyuk-min’s eyebrow twitched.
[Then what is your opinion of the proposed bill, Jeonsin?]
[Capture or kill if they fail to report?]
[Yes.]
[Frankly, I wonder why it hasn’t been enacted already. The longer this mysterious Title Holder stays hidden, the stronger they become. If such a person turns terrorist? I’ll leave that to your imagination.]
Jeonsin didn’t fan flames—
He poured gasoline onto an inferno.
The internet exploded.
Public opinion detonated.
One comment from Jeonsin
became unstoppable momentum—
forcing the bill through
and initiating a nationwide directive.
Hwang Ji-young pocketed her phone with a bitter expression.
“Do you know what Jeonsin’s involvement means? More than half our requests right now are to expose the Legendary Title Holder.”
He almost said, “Just refuse,” but stopped.
“Think about what will happen to Black Label if we refuse.”
She was right.
Rumors—very believable ones—would spread instantly.
That Black Label already knew the Legendary Title Holder’s identity.
She let out a trembling breath.
“This is out of my hands. For the first time, I’m losing control.”
She was scared.
Not of him—
But of public wrath
And the consequences of defying a national order.
She must have fought against it as Guild Master.
But the exhaustion on her face showed she had failed.
“It’s fine. You did enough.”
He stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder.
He was genuinely grateful she even tried.
“What will you do? If this continues, Black Label will move. Or maybe they already are.”
She had shared secrets with him before.
She cared—
And she was afraid.
“I’m getting to know you better and better.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t joke now! This is serious!”
He chuckled.
“There are things we can control… and things we can’t.”
“So what’s your conclusion?”
He met her eyes.
“I was going to wait until I was ready, but now I have no choice. I’ll make the move you talked about.”
She blinked.
And then—
He smiled.
“After I struggle as much as I can, of course.”
“H-Hey! Bang Hyuk-min! It’s not the time for that!”
He knew.
This was bad.
Very bad.
But he also knew something else—
The fate of people who wielded unearned power too early.
And right now—
He was standing at the edge of that fate.
“It’s sooner than I wanted.”
This was why he hadn’t revealed his Legendary Title yet.
Because he wasn’t strong enough to protect it.
“It’s too much… but I don’t have a choice.”
There was no escape now.
Before his situation spiraled into total catastrophe—
He would have to use his last resort.
Hyuk-min looked into his Inventory.
“Why is my life like this? Every time something good happens, something terrible follows.”
[Key of Hermes]
His eyes sharpened.
“Well… when has my life ever been anything but too much?”