Chapter 451: Flag Search (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 451: Flag Search (6)
“...Are you out of your mind?”
The Administrator asked incredulously upon hearing Kang Hyun-woo's words.
To the Administrator, who had dedicated an unimaginably long time—a period beyond mortal comprehension—solely to the Tower, his actions were utterly incomprehensible.
However, recalling the martial prowess Kang Hyun-woo had displayed, it was hard to dismiss his words as mere baseless confidence.
No matter how you looked at it, he was not at the level of a lower-floor player.
'To have that much power without even a contract with a Constellation...'
The Administrator's eyes narrowed.
Suspicion and wariness toward Kang Hyun-woo began to creep in.
But he soon shook his head.
If he were truly connected to an outer god, the System would have imposed sanctions long ago.
Besides, he wouldn't be rampaging so openly.
He would have quietly given up on the test and hidden himself thoroughly.
“Hmm...”
The Administrator stroked his chin.
In truth, regardless of what a mere player said, the proper course of action according to the rules was to halt the test.
But the messages that had been floating in the corner of his vision were pressuring him, making it difficult to handle things that way.
Tiring-
[The Constellation, 'Dancing Destroyer', caresses their spear shaft.]
[The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp', raises its massive body.]
[The Constellation, 'Saintess of Uruk', sends a cold glare.]
'Crazy bastards. What's with all this ruckus on a lower floor, of all places?'
The Administrator swallowed a heavy sigh.
Every single one of them was a highest-ranking divinity that even the upper-floor Administrators couldn't treat lightly.
There was no way he, a mere 5th-floor Administrator, could ignore their opinions.
“...Tsk, do as you please.”
In the end, the Administrator raised the white flag.
His reason for intervening in the test wasn't to save Kang Hyun-woo in the first place.
It was simply because the 'Nightmare of Southern France' had crossed a line.
Whether Kang Hyun-woo died from his recklessness was none of his concern.
“However, if you die, the woman behind you will die as well.”
The Administrator pointed at Wi Ryeong-ah.
Her legs had given out, and she was slumped on the ground.
It was due to the aftermath of the battle between Kang Hyun-woo and the Beast of Gévaudan.
“That won't happen, so you don't need to worry.”
“Arrogant bastard.”
Snap-
The Administrator frowned and snapped his fingers.
His body then scattered like dust and vanished into the wind.
And that became a signal of sorts.
CRASH!!
The Beast of Gévaudan shattered the opaque barrier and charged toward Kang Hyun-woo.
[The Constellation, 'Nightmare of Southern France', reveals its intense hostility toward you.]
["Arrogant bastard!!"]
The grievous injury that had blown away half of its body had long since healed.
Instead, an even more intense and ferocious aura than before pricked at his skin.
“Young Master Kang!! Dodge!!”
Shing-
Amidst Wi Ryeong-ah's urgent cry, Kang Hyun-woo leisurely drew the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Sword.
The deep, ink-black blade gleamed under the night sky, holding a faint luster.
BOOM!
The Beast of Gévaudan kicked off the ground and leaped, opening its massive jaws toward Kang Hyun-woo.
Its murderous intent to crush his skull in a single bite was palpable.
Indeed, it possessed sharp teeth and a powerful bite capable of shattering not only a mage's barrier but also a martial artist's protective aura.
Moreover, now that it had recovered its strength by retrieving the marks scattered throughout the forest, Kang Hyun-woo was no different from a soft pudding to it.
But even in the face of such a threat, Kang Hyun-woo merely let out a low sigh.
'Less than I expected.'
Kiiiiiiing-!!!!
At that moment, an explosive energy spread in all directions as the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Sword began to spew out an ink-black Aura.
The Beast of Gévaudan shrieked and approached at an incredible speed.
CRUNCH!!
It immediately bit down on Kang Hyun-woo's neck.
To any observer, it was an instant kill.
“?!!”
However, it was only an afterimage.
The Beast of Gévaudan couldn't help but be flustered by Kang Hyun-woo's traceless disappearance.
Kang Hyun-woo had already reached its flank. It was a speed impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Immediately after, an ink-black Aura Blade, imbued with ferocious killing intent, sliced through the air.
Formless Sword Art (無相劍訣) · Formless Moon (無月) · Slash (斬)
-!!!!
In the storm of endlessly raging slashes, the Constellation's avatar was no more than a thin sheet of paper.
Without even a chance to scream, countless sword wounds covered its entire body.
Fresh blood splattered, and its limbs were severed helplessly.
Driven to a near-death state in the blink of an eye, it lay sprawled on the ground, displaying its powerlessness.
[The Constellation, 'Nightmare of Southern France', is horrified.]
["I-Impossible!! How can a mere lower-floor player have this kind of power?!!"]
“If a stinking beast can become a Constellation, why can't I?”
Kang Hyun-woo, looking down at his opponent with cold, sunken eyes, finally pierced its heart with the tip of his sword.
Tiring-
[You have defeated the avatar of the Constellation, 'Nightmare of Southern France'.]
[Rewards are being distributed.]
[+10,000 WP]
[■■ Primer]
[Key to E-anna]
[Rusty Sword Hilt]
“Hoo...”
I flicked the blood from my sword and calmly steadied my breathing.
As I was lightly stretching, my eyes met Wi Ryeong-ah's.
Her eyes were half-glazed, as if she couldn't believe what had just happened.
Seeing her like that, a small chuckle escaped my lips.
I walked over to Wi Ryeong-ah.
“Miss Wi, are you alright?”
“...Huh?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Ah...”
Only then did Wi Ryeong-ah frantically check her limbs to assess her condition before nodding.
Despite her cold appearance, she seemed a bit clumsy.
“I-I think I'm okay.”
“That's a relief. Can you stand?”
“...Probably.”
Wi Ryeong-ah struggled to her feet.
She managed to stand by leaning on a nearby rock, but her legs were trembling so precariously it looked like they could give out at any moment.
She looked like a newborn fawn.
It seemed the Beast of Gévaudan had taken a heavy toll on her stamina and magic power when it retrieved its marks.
“Don't push yourself. The test is almost over anyway. I have a small errand to run, so please rest until I get back.”
“...I'm sorry. I've been nothing but a burden since we met.”
“Don't worry about it.”
I gave a friendly smile and quietly walked away.
I soon stopped where the avatar of the 'Nightmare of Southern France' had fallen and gathered my magic power.
Rumble-
Manipulating the earth element, I created a moderately sized altar.
I didn't know much about Mesopotamian architecture, but it looked plausible enough.
I stuck some torches around it and added a few other decorations.
Finally, I placed the avatar's corpse on the altar.
Tiring-
[A ritual (祭祀) has been prepared.]
[Recite the epithet of the Constellation to whom you wish to make an offering and pray.]
I knelt respectfully before the altar, clasped my hands, and showed my reverence.
“To the Saintess of Uruk, goddess of beauty, love, war, and the morning star, I offer this night's victory.”
Words I didn't mean flowed from my mouth.
As I've said before, I needed to maintain an amicable relationship with Ishtar for the time being.
But given her prideful personality, constantly pushing her away would inevitably lead to backlash.
So, it was important to appease her like this and gradually build up her favorability.
'Well... I'm not sure if it'll work.'
[The Constellation, 'Saintess of Uruk', smiles with satisfaction.]
It worked.
She was so easy to handle it was hard to believe she was a goddess.
While I was suppressing the laugh that almost escaped, the corpse on the altar dissolved into smoke.
It seemed Ishtar had taken it.
Watching the scene, I inwardly lamented my missed opportunity.
'I wanted to absorb it with Tam.'
Even if it was a lower-ranking divinity, it was still the avatar of a Constellation.
If I absorbed it with Tam, something special that I've never seen before might happen.
But the risk was too great.
'...The fact that Tam isn't reacting at all to such high-quality prey must mean it's reluctant to act.'
At that moment, the warning my intuition gave me last time came to mind.
-Never use Tam where the gazes of the Constellations can reach.
I still don't know why the Constellations must not find out about Tam's existence.
But one thing was certain: dwelling on it further wouldn't lead to any real answers.
Besides, this wasn't my only chance.
So, clinging to it was just a lingering attachment.
Above all, since it was the avatar of a low-ranking Constellation, it was highly likely that absorbing it with Tam wouldn't yield any significant results.
It might have been a different story if it were 'The First Tempter', whom I could barely defeat even after borrowing Lucifer's authority, 'Twilight Extinction Flame (黃昏滅火)'.
Having roughly organized my thoughts, I took out the items I received as rewards for this mission.
Tiring-
[Activating 'Incomplete Moon's Eye'.]
[■■ Primer
Classification: Consumable Item
Rank: B-
A book for beginning your study of the true and not untrue secret language.
Upon completion, you will acquire related knowledge.]
[Key to E-anna
Classification: Consumable Item
Rank: B
A mysterious key that opens the door to the House of Heaven.]
[Rusty Sword Hilt
Classification: Item
Rank: B+
An old sword hilt with someone's dried bloodstains on it.
Accepting the 'Dweller of the Swamp's' proposal will generate a special mission.]
I frowned as I read through the item descriptions one by one.
[Key to E-anna]
It was obviously a reward given by Ishtar.
'E-anna' is the name of the ziggurat built in Uruk, a temple dedicated to Ishtar.
In essence, it was an invitation she had sent me.
[The Constellation, 'Saintess of Uruk', crosses her pale white legs and gazes at you with deep eyes.]
Pretending to put the key away safely, I casually tossed it into a corner of my inventory.
This was, without a doubt, a poisoned chalice.
The moment I happily set foot in Ishtar's temple, I could end up as her slave, worked to death.
I ignored Ishtar's message and began to examine the other items one by one.