Daniel slowly turned around and saw the hero's figure standing behind him, perfectly fine, watching him with amusement.

How? How was he still standing after that attack? Was this guy even human? How could a rank C survive that?

He was sure that attack could even bring B-ranks to their knees.

Daniel didn't know whether to laugh or cry—if even that attack couldn't kill this man, then he had no chance at all.

"Don't worry, you've already won," the hero laughed after seeing Daniel on the verge of despair.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a scroll appeared in front of Daniel.

[ You have successfully conquered the final floor of the Pagoda of Death ]

[ Reward: Death's Legacy ]

Then the scroll burned away into ashes.

"Hail to the great hero," Daniel gave a slight bow out of respect.

He didn't know if this was really the hero himself, or just a consciousness or something else entirely, but showing respect to your seniors was important—especially when they're stronger than you.

"Kid, what's your name?" The hero took a few steps forward and stood in front of Daniel.

"My name is Daniel, senior."

"You probably have a lot of questions. Let's go for a walk," the hero waved his hand, and the space around them instantly shifted into a beautiful forest.

The hero began walking, and Daniel followed him.

"Can I ask where this is? Is this the Pagoda?" Daniel asked after realizing the hero wasn't going to start the conversation.

"This is the Pagoda of Death, the place where I left my legacy before I died."

"I see. So this place belongs to you," Daniel nodded—it seemed what he had guessed was correct.

The legacy of the world's greatest hero was here.

"Yes and no. I didn't build this place, but I control its authority."

"Oh? So you don't have access to the contents of every floor?"

"No, the first and second floors are managed by the Pagoda itself. I only control the final floor," the hero answered casually.

Daniel let out a breath of relief—he had really been afraid the hero might have the ability to see his past and memories.

If that were true, wouldn't that mean everyone at the hero's level could easily read his history and memories?

"To be honest, I have a lot of questions and don't even know where to start."

"Just ask the important ones—we don't have a lot of time to talk."

"A lot of people come to this mountain, and many have in the past. So why does no one know about this place?" Daniel asked one of his biggest questions.

"To enter the Pagoda, you need to have a strong fate. More importantly, you must be acknowledged by the Endless Wraiths. If they don't approve of you, you can't even access the Lake of the Dead."

"At best, you'll end up going into the mountain depths, where only some stronger beasts live."

"Makes sense now." Daniel's eyes lit up—he finally understood why the rumors claimed there were powerful beasts deep within the mountain.

They really did live there. But because of his 'strong fate', he had been taken straight here.

"So I'm the only one who's ever made it here?"

"No. Before you, five others came, but four of them died."

"Four of them? What happened to the other one?" Daniel grew curious.

"Whether you go into the mountain depths or manage to reach the Lake of the Dead and enter the Pagoda, the odds of getting out alive are extremely low—basically zero. But there was one guy who managed to escape. If I'm not wrong, he used some kind of very powerful treasure to get out. This was years ago," the hero explained.

Daniel thought for a moment. From what the skull-head had told him, this mountain had been abandoned for years, and not many living beings dared to explore it.

But then, out of nowhere, a man came and went straight into the mountain depths. After he left, a flood of humans and other races began rushing into the mountain.

Even the rumor about the corpse of an ancient demon started spreading around that time.

Could it be that the man who escaped was that same man?

"Actually, I think I know the man you're talking about. After him, a bunch of people suddenly swarmed this mountain."

The hero didn't answer—he just nodded.

"So it was him. He's the one who started all the rumors and made this place famous. But… why would he do that?"

"Death energy. The Pagoda has its own soul. To stay alive, its soul needs death energy—energy born from the death of living beings. That man knew the Pagoda would die sooner or later, so he probably did it to save it."

"So he still hasn't given up on the legacy? You defeated him, didn't you?" Daniel guessed.

"That's right. But he was strong. Really strong."

Daniel frowned. How strong would someone have to be to earn praise from the most powerful hero in history?

"Then, senior, can I ask… why did you die? Or are you even really dead? And why did you leave your legacy here at all?"

"The reason for my death isn't as simple as you think, and unfortunately, I can't talk about it. If I do, karma will trigger, and 'they' will find out," the hero paused, then continued.

"And yes, I'm dead—but not the kind of death you're thinking of. For people at my level, death means something very different."

"As for my legacy, I only left my sword here. I didn't want my old friend to go to waste after my death. Though, my friend is kind of picky—only someone with equal or even greater qualifications than me can wield it."

"But of course, being equal to or stronger than me is basically impossible," the hero let out a cocky laugh.

"…"

Daniel fell silent. He hadn't expected this side of the hero, but it didn't matter.

What caught his attention was the sword. He'd been looking for a good sword all this time, and now he might actually be able to get one of the best in the world.

"Actually, you didn't defeat me. Even though your attack destroyed my body, it wasn't enough to truly beat me. Still, you've got talent. It's not impossible that you'll reach my level one day."

"But what I'm really curious about right now—is whether you're one of them... the Otherworldly?"