Chapter 452: Flag Search (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 452: Flag Search (7)
「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.」
Just as the name suggested, the blade was cleanly broken off without a trace, and the hilt was so deeply rusted it was hard to make out its original shape.
But one thing was certain: it must have once been a magnificent sword.
Ting—
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' proposes a mission.」
>「Will you accept?」
>「Y/N」
I swallowed hard at the screen that appeared before me.
Coming from a highest-ranking deity, the mission's reward was bound to be incredible.
But its difficulty would also be beyond imagination.
After a moment of deliberation, I made my decision.
Ting—
「N」
>
「You have rejected the mission.」
“My apologies.”
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' frowns.」
>
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' asks for your reason.」
The moment I saw the message from the 'Dweller of the Swamp,' my shoulders felt heavy.
I calmly collected my breath and continued.
“...I am well aware that this is an honor I don't deserve. However, as I am still on the 5th floor, I do not believe I can meet your expectations. I humbly ask you to reconsider.”
I bowed my head respectfully toward the empty air.
To maintain a good relationship with the Constellations, I was willing to bow my head as many times as needed.
「Owned WP: 103,925」
See that?
Thanks to the reward from the last mission, my WP had finally surpassed 100,000.
At this point, I was financially better off than most mid-sized clans.
This was all thanks to the suckers... no, the Constellations who consistently sponsored me. The fees for sponsoring me must be substantial, especially since I hadn't signed a Constellation contract.
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' says such worries are unnecessary.」
>
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' proposes again.」
Ting—
「Will you accept the mission?」
>
「Y/N」
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
I could feel the wolf's strong will, refusing my refusal.
But no matter what, what's wrong is wrong.
I had no intention of being dragged around by a Constellation's whims, no matter what.
I am not their pawn.
Even if it meant earning the 'Dweller of the Swamp's' ire, I was determined to refuse.
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' says there is no time limit, so you don't need to hurry.」
>
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' says it can give you the reward first.」
Ting—
「Serum of the Wolf God-kin
>
Classification: Consumable Item
>
Rank: S+
>
A serum containing the True Blood of a chief-god slayer.
>
It has been diluted to a concentration of 1 in 100 million, with a minuscule amount of sap from the World Tree, Yggdrasil, added.
>
Upon consumption, you will inherit the power of the Wolf God-kin.」
But the moment I saw the screen before me, my hand moved on its own.
「Y」
>
「You have accepted the mission.」
>
「A special mission has been generated.」
>
「Reenactment of Myth - Special
>
Everyone wishes to rewrite the past.
>
Find the avatar of the Constellation, 'Silence for Fate,' and grant the Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' a chance for revenge.
>
Success: Serum of the Wolf God-kin
>
Failure: -」
'...Silence for Fate?'
I tilted my head. It was a name I'd never heard before.
Of course, the Tower was home to as many Constellations as there were players.
It was only natural that I wouldn't know all of them.
Still, there were clues to make an educated guess.
The mission title, 'Reenactment of Myth,' and the keyword 'revenge' kept catching my eye.
'In Norse mythology, who would Fenrir want revenge on... about three people, maybe?'
The chief god Odin, the god of justice Tyr, and the god of silence Vidar.
The most likely candidate was Vidar.
His epithet alone was 'Silence for Fate.'
Vidar was an Æsir god, born of the chief god Odin and the giantess Gríðr. During Ragnarök, the twilight of the gods, he avenged his father Odin's death by slaying Fenrir.
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' says there is no time limit, but urges you to hurry.」
“May I ask one thing?”
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' permits it.」
“Where is 'Silence for Fate'?”
The Tower is vast.
Each floor is a world unto itself.
While not every floor is the size of a planet, I'd heard that from the middle floors onward, many boasted areas larger than Earth.
Searching all of them was practically impossible.
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' says it doesn't know either.」
“...?”
For a moment, I was speechless, just blinking my eyes.
They say your brain freezes when you're utterly dumbfounded, and that's exactly what was happening to me.
“Wait, what do you mean—”
Ting—
「The mission reward is being distributed.」
Thud.
Something fell on my head.
It was a small vial, about the size of three fingers. Inside was a purplish liquid.
「Serum of the Wolf God-kin」
“...”
I fumbled to put the item away and bowed my head.
“Constellation-nim. I will do my best to find them.”
It was an S+ rank item.
As long as it was safe, it would be the perfect gift for Seoha.
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' urges you to hurry.」
>
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' says it will provide additional rewards depending on your effort.」
“With the resolve to work myself to the bone, I'll move day and night to find them as soon as possible.”
「The Constellation, 'Saintess of Uruk,' clicks her tongue at your pathetic display.」
>
「"Of course. I was wondering what possessed that stinking mutt to take an interest in a player... I knew you had ulterior motives."」
>
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' bares its fangs.」
>
「"Shut up, you whore."」
KWOOONG—!!!
“?!!”
In that instant, the ground began to shake violently as if an earthquake had struck. The earth was splitting apart.
But that wasn't the only problem.
Tzzzzzzt—
Feeling a massive distortion in space, I immediately lifted my head to look at the sky.
“...What is that.”
I gasped.
The night sky was literally cracking open.
Beyond it, an unknown space unfolded. It was like looking into the cosmos.
“Wh-what in the world is happening!”
Just then, the Administrator appeared.
It seemed I wasn't the only one surprised; I could feel his panic even through his tattered clothes.
「The Constellation, 'Saintess of Uruk,' draws her bowstring.」
>
「The Constellation, 'Dweller of the Swamp,' rises to its feet.」
Rumble—
The war of nerves between the two highest-ranking deities had a colossal impact on the entire 5th floor.
An intensified gravity pressed down heavily on the space, making even the circulation of magic difficult.
“Ugh, ugh...!”
“Miss Wi.”
I moved to Wi Ryeong-ah's side and channeled my Vajra Qi.
I couldn't nullify the immense pressure on the space, but I could share some of my energy with her.
“Constellations!! Please, stop!! We're all going to die at this rate!!”
Watching the Administrator shout desperately, drenched in a cold sweat, I felt a flicker of doubt.
Instead of pleading like that, shouldn't he be calling the System?
This was clearly a matter beyond what a mere administrator could handle.
KRRRRRUMBLE—!!
Meanwhile, the situation grew even more severe.
Dark clouds gathered from nowhere, unleashing lightning that devastated the surroundings, and the pressure crushing the space grew stronger.
The Administrator hastily cast a barrier over all the players, including us.
It gave us some breathing room, but there was no telling how long it would last.
And this was all while the two Constellations were merely glaring at each other, not even clashing directly.
In the worst-case scenario, the 5th floor could collapse, killing every human on it.
Of course, the System would intervene before that happened.
“Dammit!! My performance review...!!”
The Administrator finally let out a cry of frustration.
I was dumbfounded. With all of us about to die, the reason he held off on calling the System was his damn performance review?
The guy was out of his mind.
I should have known from the moment I saw him walking around in those rags.
The only silver lining was that the Administrator had finally recognized the gravity of the situation. Once the System intervened, things would be resolved quickly, so there was no need to worry anymore.
But there was one fact I had overlooked.
Ting—
「Misfortune arrives.」
“Wh-what?! What do you mean?! You can't come?!”
At that moment, words I should never have heard reached my ears.
I let out a hollow laugh and looked up at the night sky.
“...I have the worst fucking luck.”
“Young Master Kang!”
Wi Ryeong-ah shook my shoulder and cried out urgently.
“It's not too late! We should forfeit the test and escape to another floor right now!”
“No. We can't move from here.”
“What?”
When I slowly shook my head, Wi Ryeong-ah asked again, not understanding my meaning.
“The pressure outside the barrier is probably dozens of times stronger than normal gravity. It won't be an instant death, but we wouldn't last a minute. If you want to survive as long as possible, you can't leave this spot where the Administrator's power is strongest.”
“No way...”
Wi Ryeong-ah's face turned deathly pale.
I gently patted her shoulder.
I couldn't guarantee success, but fortunately, I had a way to resolve this situation.
However, the risk of failure was enormous.
'...Let's just wait a little longer. The two Constellations probably aren't trying to fight for real.'
Of course, with Ishtar, who was nothing without her pride, and Fenrir, who, like a beast, didn't even know the concept of compromise, I couldn't rule out the possibility of the situation escalating to the worst-case scenario.
More importantly, before the Tower's restraining power could subdue the two Constellations, the humans on the 5th floor could be crushed like fruit dropped on the ground.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
I couldn't deny that the sponsorships I'd received from them had been sweet, but that didn't mean I was willing to handle things getting this complicated.
Crack—!
At that moment, a crack appeared in the Administrator's barrier.
It was to be expected.
The Administrator was likely maintaining a barrier for every single human on the 5th floor. There had to be at least hundreds of thousands of them.
If anything, his ability to protect so many people amidst the clash of highest-ranking deities was astonishing.
But it was only a matter of time.
I had no choice but to pull out my last resort.
I was a little worried about the aftermath, but this was the best option right now.
'If it gets too dangerous, I'll just end the match...'
KWOOONG—
“?!!”
In that instant, an immense presence that could never be described with words enveloped the world.
My breath caught in my throat as if someone had seized my heart. At the same time, an invisible hand seemed to press down on my shoulders, rendering me unable to move a single finger.
But this was completely different from the pressure generated by the clash of the Constellations.
All my senses refused to perceive it, yet at the same time, I couldn't deny its existence.
In an instant, my entire body was drenched in a cold sweat.
Ting—
「The Constellation, 'Dancing Destroyer,' reveals its presence.」
At the message that appeared before me, I reflexively raised my head and looked at the sky.
Beyond the night sky, which looked as if a giant hole had been punched through it.
In the darkness whose depths I couldn't dare to fathom—
'...'
Something whose identity I couldn't even begin to fathom was looking down upon the world with three eyes.