Chapter 453: Flag Search (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 453: Flag Search (8)
It happened in an instant.
A moment shorter than the blink of an eye.
But I had definitely met ‘his’ gaze.
Thud-
At that moment, Wi Ryeong-ah, who was beside me, collapsed limply.
I quickly checked her pulse. Thankfully, she had only lost consciousness.
Immediately after, the gaze and the immense presence I had felt from beyond the night sky vanished without a trace, like a desert mirage.
The oppressive pressure from the two Constellations that had been weighing down the entire 5th floor disappeared along with it.
It was a truly bewildering situation.
Ting-
「The Constellation, ‘Saintess of Uruk,’ pouts and leaves her seat.」
「The Constellation, ‘Dweller of the Swamp,’ glares at someone before closing its eyes.」
I was quite taken aback by the sudden change of events.
The two Constellations, who had created an atmosphere so hostile they seemed ready to devour each other at any moment, were retreating so meekly?
It seemed the Administrator was just as confused as I was.
Flump-
“…I really want to quit.”
The Administrator muttered to himself as he slumped to the ground.
Perhaps from exhausting his strength protecting everyone, he looked ready to collapse at any moment.
「The Constellation, ‘Dancing Destroyer,’ gazes at you.」
“…Thank you for your help.”
I meant it.
If he hadn't helped, I would have used the ‘Key to E-anna’ to go and meet Ishtar.
「The Constellation, ‘Dancing Destroyer,’ raises the corners of its mouth.」
「“This is a debt.”」
Shudder-
At that moment, an eerie energy shot down my spine and swept through my entire body.
I rubbed the goosebumps that had broken out on my arms and looked up at the night sky.
The massive hole that had been torn in the sky just moments ago was gone, as if it had never been there.
A debt.
Even between people, those words were never light. Let alone when that someone was a Constellation.
The thought that it might have been better to just go meet Ishtar flashed through my mind.
But it was too late for regrets.
I held the motionless Wi Ryeong-ah in my arms and started walking toward the mine.
*
Ting-
「The test has ended.」
「You have passed the 5th floor test.」
「You have acquired the right to enter the 6th floor.」
「Additional rewards will be given based on your performance.」
「Time Remaining: 04:37:21」
「Maximum rewards will be provided.」
「Number of Beasts Subjugated: 78」
「Maximum rewards will be provided.」
「+4,500 WP」
「You have acquired a Floor Transfer Ticket.」
「Floor Transfer Ticket
Classification: Consumable Item
Rank: C
Upon use, you can move to a floor for which you have cleared the test.」
Having safely passed the test, I returned to the city with Wi Ryeong-ah.
For the record, we were the only two who passed this test.
When the ‘Dancing Destroyer’ intervened, all the other participants had lost consciousness and collapsed.
The players who participated in this test had every right to feel wronged.
Not only did a Constellation's avatar appear in a mere 5th floor test, but two Constellations had faced off as if ready for a full-blown fight. To top it all off, a highest-ranking god—a being that even high-floor players might never see in their lifetime—had personally revealed itself.
But what could they do?
In the Tower, nothing was ever surprising.
Instead of feeling wronged and angry about what happened, they should have been grateful they survived.
Only with that kind of mindset could one hope to last long in the Tower.
“Thank you so much.”
In front of Noxhollow’s north gate.
Wi Ryeong-ah bowed deeply, thanking me over and over.
“It wasn’t enough that you saved my life, but you even helped me pass the test… I will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life.”
“We’re all just helping each other out.”
I said with a good-natured smile.
Of course, my helping her was by no means an act of pure goodwill.
With Wi Ryeong-ah’s talent, it was as clear as day that she would one day rise to a significant position within Boundless Heaven Sect. If I could build a connection with a future executive of a major clan through this, it was a very cheap price to pay.
But even though things had worked out well, there was one thing that always bothered me when I looked at Wi Ryeong-ah.
The Monarch of the Underworld.
Wi Ryeong-ah’s contracting Constellation.
I didn't know its exact identity, but its title alone made it clear it was a top-tier deity.
And yet, when Wi Ryeong-ah was in crisis, it had never once offered help.
If I hadn't been there, she would have surely died.
On top of that, when I peeked at her status window, the Authority list was empty.
That meant it hadn't bestowed any of its powers upon her when they formed the contract.
That was absurd enough, but if it had just sponsored her a mere 500 WP, Wi Ryeong-ah would never have been chased by the Beast of Gévaudan in the first place.
I’d never seen such a cheapskate.
‘What the hell is its deal?’
“Ryeong-ah!!”
“Huh?! Master!”
While I was lost in thought for a moment, a wrinkly old man came running toward us.
His face was familiar.
Ting-
「Activating ‘Incomplete Moon’s Eye.’」
「Name: Eumjin
Age: 104
Contracting Constellation: Guide of the Underworld
Affiliation: Boundless Heaven Sect (滿天宗) · Ghost Spirit Valley (鬼靈谷)
Authority: Kill List (D+)
Exclusive Trait: Body of Lost Souls (D+)
Exclusive Skill: -
Traits: Ghost Slaying Incantation (D+), White Bone Wandering Soul Art (D+), Soul-less Ghost Blade Slash (D+), Primordial Soul Annihilation Art (D+)…
Skills: Spirit Enhancement (D+), Strange Devour (D+), Blood Forest Iron Body (D+)…」
He was a player from Boundless Heaven Sect.
It seemed the system’s restrictions hadn't been lifted yet even though the test was over, as all his traits and skills were at D+ rank.
“Sob…! I’m so glad you’re safe…!”
‘What bullshit.’
I almost let out a scoff at the sight of the old man struggling to squeeze out tears.
It was the very definition of crocodile tears.
“I have no excuse, even if I had ten mouths. I should have protected you to the end, no matter what…”
“I’m fine. So please don’t worry about it. As you can see, I’m safe, right?”
“Ryeong-ah…”
Eumjin of Boundless Heaven Sect covered his face with his hands and wept.
His acting skills were on par with any top-tier actor.
Wi Ryeong-ah seemed to have fallen for his act completely.
I’d thought this before, but for a woman who dealt with something akin to necromancy, Wi Ryeong-ah was quite naive.
“Ah, Master. There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
Wi Ryeong-ah pointed at me.
“This is Young Master Kang Hyun-woo. Not only did he save my life, but he also helped me pass the test.”
“I am Kang Hyun-woo.”
I gave a slight nod.
It was only for an instant, but the moment Wi Ryeong-ah introduced me, a clear hostility flashed in Eumjin’s eyes.
Now, however, he was stroking his beard with a benevolent smile, as if nothing had happened.
He was truly a sinister old man.
“I am Eumjin. An elder of the Ghost Spirit Valley, affiliated with Boundless Heaven Sect. Thank you for saving my disciple. I will never forget this debt.”
“I didn’t save her expecting a reward. Please don’t worry about it.”
I bluntly drew a line.
This was an elder of a major clan, no less, who had abandoned his own disciple and fled during a mere 5th floor test.
There was nothing to be gained from building a relationship with his kind.
‘It was plain as day.’
“I have urgent business to attend to, so I must be on my way.”
“…Oh dear, I hope I haven't kept a busy man waiting.”
“Not at all.”
Eumjin’s expression subtly contorted.
He seemed to have noticed that I was slighting him.
Of course, it was none of my business, so I averted my gaze from him and approached Wi Ryeong-ah.
“Young Master Kang…”
Wi Ryeong-ah’s gray eyes were moist with tears.
I patted her shoulder and smiled.
“Thank you, truly. I will never forget this kindness.”
“I, too, look forward to the day we meet again.”
After a brief farewell, I parted ways with Wi Ryeong-ah.
But for some reason, there was a bad taste in my mouth. The feeling lingered even as I was downing a cold beer at a pub.
I knew the reason well.
I chewed on some dried snacks, lost in thought. This wasn't a matter to be decided hastily.
Just as I was finishing my tenth glass of beer.
An unexpected guest appeared.
「The Constellation, ‘Monarch of the Underworld,’ gazes at you.」
I frowned at the message that appeared before me and turned my head.
“I don’t work for free.”
It was a polite refusal.
But it seemed my guest had no intention of backing down.
「The Constellation, ‘Monarch of the Underworld,’ presents a reward.」
“…Just this once.”
Clack-
With a heavy sigh, I set down my beer mug, immediately left the pub, and headed into a dark alley.
*
Back when the 5th floor test was still in full swing.
Eumjin was trembling with anxiety and impatience.
The final message from the Guiryeonggok Master before he descended to the lower floors echoed in his mind.
—Bring back the Heavenly Fated Ghost Soul Body, no matter what. The Lord is also looking forward to it.
CRASH!
Following the bed, the desk also split in half.
Even with his room in shambles, Eumjin couldn't calm his emotions.
“Dammit!!”
He screamed, clutching his head.
Who could have predicted that a Constellation’s avatar would intervene in a mere 5th floor test?
Due to this unforeseen variable, Eumjin had lost his left arm and had been forced to abandon the test. It was an inexcusable blunder.
But the bigger problem was that Wi Ryeong-ah was nowhere to be seen.
He later heard from his disciples that she had bought various items at the night market the previous evening, from which he deduced that she had no WP left.
In other words, she had been left behind alone in the test area.
At that moment, Eumjin’s face turned pale, and cold sweat poured down like rain.
Wi Ryeong-ah was a talent that not only the Guiryeonggok Master but also the high-ranking officials of Boundless Heaven Sect were paying attention to.
If it became known to the sect that he had not only caused her death on the 5th floor but had also abandoned the test and fled…
‘Dammit, dammit, dammit…!!’
Eumjin bit his lip.
The skin broke, and a stream of red blood trickled down.
Being stripped of his elder position would be the least of it. In the worst-case scenario, he could be sentenced to decades of Wall-Facing Punishment.
If he were sentenced to that, for Eumjin, who had already passed his expected lifespan, it was practically a death sentence.
‘…I can’t let that happen.’
Eumjin immediately summoned his disciples.
He had only one option left.
“…Listen carefully from now on. We were scattered by the avatar’s power, and in the chaos, Ryeong-ah was killed by another party of players. Do you understand?”
“What? Elder, what are you…?”
“Silence!”
Eumjin raised his voice and roared at his disciples.
“If word of this gets out to the sect, you won’t escape punishment either. The sect’s support will be cut off, and with your meager talents, you’ll never reach Qi Condensation Completion, let alone Qi Cultivation, no matter how hard you try for the rest of your lives. Do you want to remain low-ranking disciples forever?”
““…””
At his words, the disciples fell silent.
Objectively speaking, he wasn't wrong.
“We abandoned the test to avenge Ryeong-ah and pursued those bastards.”
“…Um, Elder? What if the higher-ups demand proof?”
“Tsk, you ignorant fool.”
Eumjin clicked his tongue in frustration as he looked at the disciple who asked the question.
“If there’s no evidence, we just have to make it, don’t we?”
“What?”
A short while later, Eumjin brought five player corpses. They were criminals who had been locked up in the city’s prison.
To increase the credibility of their testimony, he equipped the corpses with various items.
All that remained was to find the body of a woman to substitute for Wi Ryeong-ah. Eumjin and his disciples began to search the city for a victim.
Of course, he couldn't avoid punishment completely even with this, but as long as he could avoid the Wall-Facing Punishment, he didn't care.
Everything was perfect.
“…Ryeong-ah?”
If only Wi Ryeong-ah hadn't come back alive.
The disciples were overjoyed that she was alive and shed tears, but Eumjin was not.
The world of cultivation is brutally cruel.
Eumjin knew this fact better than anyone else here.
From Wi Ryeong-ah’s perspective, they were nothing but disgusting traitors who had abandoned her and fled. She might be smiling brightly now, saying she’s fine, but what were her true intentions?
Based on his hundred years of experience, Eumjin was certain that Wi Ryeong-ah was secretly sharpening her blade.
Later, after they returned to the main sect, if she reported this to the Guiryeonggok Master, the price wouldn't be something like Wall-Facing Punishment, but the execution of every last one of them.
Upon arriving at their lodging, Eumjin immediately gathered his disciples and informed them of this.
A normal person with a sound mind would have dismissed his words as the delusions of a senile old man, but those gathered here were cultivators.
The scenario Eumjin proposed was a very real possibility in the world of cultivation.
“…Um, then, Elder. What should we do now?”
“We eliminate Wi Ryeong-ah.”
“What?”
“We return to the main sect with her body as originally planned. Any objections?”
No one answered Eumjin’s question.
The disciples each steeled their resolve.
In the world of cultivation, it was common for fellow disciples to draw swords on each other over a single elixir.
For the sake of their own lives, they could kill a junior martial sister who had only recently joined the sect without batting an eye.
Creeak-
Eumjin opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
They were using an entire hotel as their lodging, and Wi Ryeong-ah’s room was on the top floor.
Meanwhile, Eumjin and his disciples were currently gathered on the 3rd floor.
In other words, there was nowhere for her to run.
Furthermore, with Elder Eumjin accompanying them, the possibility of being overpowered was extremely low.
Perhaps that was why. No one was tense.
“Who’s there!!”
Not until Eumjin roared toward the end of the hallway.
Startled, the disciples quickly turned their heads. But all they saw was an unusually dark corridor, and they couldn't feel any presence at all.
“…Um, Elder? Is someone there-?”
“Show yourself at once! How dare a mere assassin sneak into a place like this!”
Eumjin formed a hand seal, his killing intent flaring.
At his intensity, the disciples realized this was no joke and took out their talismans and low-grade magic treasures.
Amidst the heavy silence—
“A mere assassin, you say…”
“?!!”
An unidentified figure emerged from the far end of the hallway.
The disciples couldn't help but be stunned.
Even though the figure was standing right before them, they couldn't feel its presence. It looked hazy, like mist. As disciples of the Ghost Spirit Valley, they couldn't easily accept the fact that a human's presence could be fainter than a ghost's.
“I don’t think that’s something a bunch of guys ganging up to kill one girl should be saying, do you?”
“…Kill him.”
FWOOSH!!!
The moment Eumjin’s order fell, countless talismans flew toward the end of the hallway.
A magic art imbued with the power of the Five Elements, unrelated to demonic cultivation methods, was unleashed.
BOOM!!
Flames erupted in the dark corridor.
As their vision brightened in an instant, the disciples smiled. He had taken a direct hit from a fire-based art, the most destructive of the Five Elements, in a narrow hallway.
Moreover, these weren't common 1st-tier talismans, but 2nd-tier ones produced and sold by the Munbuwon.
There was no way a mere assassin, busy scurrying around like a rat, could have survived.
“So bright.”
Pat, pat-
But reality was not so kind.
The assassin walked out leisurely, brushing off his clothes as if nothing had happened.
Ssshhh-
As the flames died down and darkness once again settled over the corridor, a pair of eyes, drenched in killing intent, flickered from the other side.