The Overwhelming One (3)
Once that remaining time ran out, everything in the vicinity would end up in Baal's maw.
Even Lee Jin-hyuk and Russell, who were not part of the deal.
At this rate, we won't make it.
The sky split open, and the earth turned upside down.
Riiiiiiip!
Teeth as sharp as thorns, tongues stretching out long.
The maw of Baal, the Great Duke of Gluttony, began to swallow everything.
"W-what on earth is this...?"
Russell trembled at the power of the Constellation. Even though it was made of stardust, its physical presence was undeniable.
Just looking at it left him completely overwhelmed by its sheer pressure.
Damn it!
Having no other choice, Jin-hyuk grabbed Russell's forearm.
Whoosh!
With a burst of pure white flames, Jin-hyuk's body teleported far away.
They had managed to reach a safe distance, far enough that Blood Rock Valley now looked like a tiny speck.
That was close.
If they had been even a few seconds later, they would have been sucked into Baal's filthy maw and obliterated.
Gulp!
The blood-stained earth, the wandering souls in the air, the corpses of the failed experiments.
The treasures and magic circles hidden by the witches, the Wailing Ghosts, and even the faint soul fragments of the divine beasts that remained.
Where Baal's Stigma had passed, absolutely nothing was left behind.
"..."
"..."
Russell stood in a daze, having witnessed the power of a Constellation for the first time.
Even after the Stigma had completely vanished, the echo of the stars lingered in the air.
"Russell," Jin-hyuk said, shaking him out of his shock.
"Let's go. We have to save the kids."
"The kids? Ah..."
Only then did Russell snap out of it and nod.
"R-right, we have to save them. Where do we need to go?"
"For now..."
Jin-hyuk glanced at the lingering traces of the Constellation before speaking.
"To Sichuan."
Just as they were about to set off, the air trembled.
With a soft glow, a small rift opened in the air, and a tiny bird shot out, flying straight into his arms.
"Peep!"
Russell cried out in surprise.
"W-what? Where did this cute bird come from?"
Jin-hyuk's eyes widened.
"Elruin?"
"Peep! Peep!"
Seemingly thrilled to be back in her dad's arms after so long, Elruin rubbed her face against Jin-hyuk's cheek.
"Peep?"
She tilted her head, looking at the divine beasts cradled in Russell's and Jin-hyuk's arms.
"Peep! Peep! Pee-peep!"
She fluttered up into the air and spread her tiny wings.
Glowing feathers of light drifted down from Elruin's wings.
The feathers glowed with a sunset-orange hue, reminiscent of the Phoenix's feathers they had seen on the 9th floor.
Is this...?
Rustle.
As the orange feathers touched his skin, Jin-hyuk's wounds began to close.
"...!"
It seemed the skill pushed the regeneration and vitality of whatever it touched to their absolute limits, triggering rapid natural healing.
And Jin-hyuk wasn't the only one experiencing this incredible effect.
"Uh...?"
The divine beasts Russell was holding, and even Russell himself, felt their stamina return and their wounds mend.
While it could not purify the souls of the forcibly corrupted divine beasts, it was more than enough to pull them back from the brink of death.
"...You little rascal!"
Moved to tears by this miracle, Russell lunged toward Elruin.
"Thaaaaaank you! I'm so touched!"
"Peep?"
But from Elruin's perspective, a massive barbarian charging at her was terrifying.
"Peeeeeeep!"
She fluttered away in sheer panic from the shocking sight.
She even used a skill to dodge Russell's heavy frame.
"...!"
Seeing Elruin use not one, but two skills, Jin-hyuk asked in surprise, "Elruin? How did you learn those skills...?"
It was only natural for the Constellations to be shocked.
As Hestia had mentioned, the ability to manipulate or travel through space was not granted to just anyone.
Even looking across the entire Tower, only the deceased Phoenix or Kadrian possessed it. Among the Constellations, only a handful of the most powerful beings held such authority.
Yet, this tiny bird possessed a spatial-type ability.
"Peep?"
Now, they were openly coveting not just Jin-hyuk, but Elruin as well.
A player who had broken into the top 1,000 rankers the moment he cleared the 10th floor.
The Overwhelming One who dominated everyone else.
If someone with this kind of combat power could use his pet to open portals and wage guerrilla warfare across the Tower...
Depending on how he was utilized, he would be nothing short of a walking disaster.
For the Constellations, this was yet another reason they absolutely had to claim Jin-hyuk as their Apostle.
"Elruin. Where did you learn all this?"
Jin-hyuk stroked Elruin's head proudly.
In the time they had been apart, Elruin had learned and utilized two skills that Jin-hyuk had not expected or even known about.
It had barely been a few months since they parted ways after the battle with the Ice-Sinking Ghost, Jang Man-hong, on the 9th floor, yet she had grown this much.
He could not help but find it truly remarkable.
"Peep! Peep!"
Elruin nuzzled his cheek again, as if begging for more praise for her good work.
"Good job."
"Peep!"
As he stroked her head, Elruin fluttered happily around Jin-hyuk's head.
"Pee-peep! Peeeeep!"
She chirped and fluttered about, clearly having a lot to say.
Unfortunately, Jin-hyuk could not understand a word of it.
"She says she learned it at the Mount Emei Sect? And that a portion of the Phoenix's latent power has awakened?"
"Peep!"
"She's also saying she's thrilled to see you after so long, and that she trained incredibly hard while you were away."
"Pee-peep!"
Fortunately, they had Russell, a barbarian who could understand the language of beasts.
"With who? Ah, with her mom?"
Russell paused, looking at Jin-hyuk.
"Wait... you're married? And your wife is... a bird?"
"I'm not married."
Jin-hyuk shook his head.
"Pee-peep! Peep!"
"Ah. She says the teachings of the Mount Emei Sect—specifically, the power to govern one's mind and purify one's energy—allowed her to reflect upon herself."
"Peep!"
"And she wants to pass on her gratitude to the Guardian of the Righteous Flame, who helped her immensely."
"Pee-pee-peep! Peeeeep!"
Elruin chattered away endlessly, as if she had a mountain of stories to share.
Russell happily translated everything by her side.
Thanks to him, Jin-hyuk was able to piece together everything that had happened in his absence.
Sending Kaelion to the Mount Emei Sect was definitely the right choice.
Knowing Dang So-wol was in Sichuan, and believing Kaelion's sword technique would harmonize well with the Mount Emei Sect, he had sent her there. It had been a stroke of genius.
From what he heard, she had achieved yet another enlightenment.
However, not everything was perfect.
Something unexpected—or rather, something he knew was possible but had deemed highly unlikely—had occurred.
Dang So-wol is torn between the witches, the Dang Clan, and me.
Sigh.
I suppose it makes sense.
Before his regression, Dang So-wol had been thoroughly exploited by Majuron before finally learning the secret of her birth and flying into a rage.
But at this point in time, she had not been exploited to that extent yet.
In his past life, she had been used during the conquest of the 1st to 4th floors.
Unlike before, Majuron had focused on the 'vessel' in this life rather than the lower floors, exploiting Chardis far more than Dang So-wol.
"I get it for now."
"Peeeeep!"
Thanks to Russell thoughtfully whispering the translation, the Constellations remained in the dark about their conversation.
Perhaps because they had managed to save all his beast friends?
"This is nothing! Hahahahaha!"
Russell laughed heartily, simply offering his thanks to Elruin.
Elruin could not come here before because of the barrier around Blood Rock Valley and Chardis.
But now that she can use Spatial Teleportation, she can travel anywhere on the same floor.
This was undoubtedly an incredible skill.
★ There are Constellations showing interest in you!
You may choose a Constellation of your choice to be your reliable sponsor.
"Ah. Come to think of it."
*Bzzzzzt!*
Sensing that the urgent matters had been resolved, the Constellations slowly began to reveal their ambitions.
▶ Guardian of the Righteous Flame: Offers the position of 'First Apostle'.
*Additionally promises to grant you powerful divine energy.
▶ Ruler of the Abyss: Offers the position of 'First Apostle'.
*Additionally offers you powerful spectral energy.
▶ The Trial Walker: Offers the position of 'First Apostle'.
*Additionally offers you powerful harmonic energy.
Along with the Guardian of the Righteous Flame, all the beings known as Transcendent-grade Constellations had expressed their desire to take Jin-hyuk in.
And it was not some mediocre believer position either.
It was the position of 'First Apostle'—the one who would wield their power closest to them and inherit their strength in its most potent form.
Without a doubt, no player in the history of the Tower had ever received such offers from the three most powerful Constellations simultaneously.
The sweet temptation of the Constellations.
Receiving these offers did not feel bad to Jin-hyuk. It meant his abilities and strength had been recognized to that extent.
So the treatment changes completely once you officially break into the top 1,000, huh?
Of course, simply being in the top 1,000 did not guarantee receiving offers from three Transcendent-grade Constellations at the same time.
In the first place, becoming a high ranker required becoming the Apostle of a Narrative-grade or higher Constellation. The data and statistics proved this.
The fact that Jin-hyuk, who had not accepted any Constellation's sponsorship, was this powerful was highly anomalous.
As if to show he had not earned the title of 'The Overwhelming One' for nothing, Jin-hyuk had proudly proven his worth.
"Hmm?"
"Peep?"
Not knowing exactly what was happening, Russell and Elruin simply looked at each other and tilted their heads.
Jin-hyuk chuckled at them, then looked up at the Constellations as he always did.
It did not matter if they were Legend, Myth, or Transcendent-grade.
Jin-hyuk had no intention or desire to be influenced by or subjugated to a Constellation anyway.
"I..."
Just as he was about to voice his refusal as usual—
Thump!
At those sudden words, Jin-hyuk's heart skipped a beat.
"...!"
The current Young Lord of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Her name was Cheon Hyang-un.
The woman who would later become the rank 2 player, the true 'Heavenly Demon', and the comrade who had stood by Jin-hyuk's side until the very end.