Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Constellation Gallery EP.46
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An alien heat coursed through my blood vessels.
I could feel my muscles swelling up.
A sensation as if every single muscle fiber was roaring in silence.
"Has this bastard lost his mind? Should I laugh?"
Puck!
It didn't hurt. No, of course it hurt.
But compared to before, it felt far too light.
'This much is more than enough to hold out until his active ends.'
But I had no intention of doing that.
There was another reason I'd inflicted that wound on myself.
Sprinters train their lower body muscles like mad.
The reason? Instantaneous explosive power.
Acceleration is ultimately a battle of how quickly you can push yourself away.
In other words, more strength means more acceleration.
And right now... I could put that theory into practice.
This time, he vanished to the right.
I could see him. I was already used to his speed.
'You're caught now.'
In an instant, my entire body reacted like lightning.
My heart pounded as blood raced through me, and my swollen muscles drove my legs down like steel.
Bang!
The moment I kicked off, the ground shattered.
Dust rose like a wave, and my body shot forward like a bullet.
"......!"
He was shocked.
His pupils didn't just widen—they trembled.
The instant his fingertips reached for my jaw.
My right arm—the hand gripping the sword—
moved.
Splat!
In that moment, the air tore apart.
The keen slash stole his wrist.
Red petals scattered through the air.
It was blood.
It was pain.
And it was proof that his arrogance had been severed.
"Gaaahhh!"
Not a scream—a pathetic wail.
He clutched his severed wrist with his remaining hand.
"Y-You bastard... H-How is this...?"
His face, confronted by terror, was pale.
In his pupils, I was death itself.
Stab!
The Grave of Ten Thousand Demons answered for me.
There was no need to hear more.
The shock of having his speed matched.
The carelessness that followed.
Even without those, he was finished.
What could he do with both hands ruined?
I resolved to stop having such complacent thoughts.
He could slip on shoes with blades and attack with his feet. Or unleash some new skill.
'The danger from the Spirit of the Constellation has to be something I guard against myself.'
The reason the Constellations insisted the 'Spirit' wasn't a scam.
Their mockery that I'd die charging in recklessly alone—it was starting to sink in, piece by piece.
Well, even having realized it now, it wouldn't fix itself overnight.
People repeat the same mistakes even after gaining insight, and even with the Spirit of the Constellation, I'm still human.
"This... worthless...!"
Stab—
"Still not dead? Scary."
"Kuhk...!"
Even as he coughed up blood, his eyes held killing intent toward me.
But it didn't last.
The moment the light began fading from his pupils,
the pattern within the Grave of Ten Thousand Demons' blade flickered with bright yellow light.
'Wait... so that's how it works?'
The moment I saw the alert, euphoria washed over me.
This had to be the skill absorption the Gallery folks were talking about.
'Insane.'
I had to see just how amazing the skill that screwed me over was.
Skill Rune Stone
A rune stone condensed with the energy of the skill Swift Step.
Effect: Absorbs the skill upon use.
Usage Limit: Disappears after one use
'Use.'
A faint light bloomed from the rune stone, then it quietly crumbled to dust.
At the same time, a subtle yellow aura swirled around my body.
'Check skill.'
Swift Step
Greatly increases flexibility and speed for a moment.
Agility +30% for 1 minute upon use.
Type: Active
30 percent?
No way a 30% speed boost on a normal person could surpass Agility level 11.
'Does it degrade upon absorption?'
If so, the Constellations' fuss didn't make sense.
Then it hit me.
'The gold I got from him is 300...'
Something felt off.
The Gallery said there's a very low chance to absorb both 'gold and skill'.
Meaning it's not the kill reward—it's the gold he actually had.
'But a guy who claimed this area as his territory only had 300 gold?'
One of two things.
He'd only killed six goblins.
Or he'd spent it on leveling.
And from the situation, the latter was far more likely.
'Poured everything into Agility considering skill synergy?'
That meant he knew how to allocate stats.
If I'd handled him even a little later, it would've been way worse.
'That's not the issue.'
On the mere third day, a guy who could use active skills and level up had appeared.
Such players were probably popping up one by one.
Meanwhile, the Constellation Gallery—which was already flooded with posts—was now exploding with an insane barrage.
These guys were flipping out.
I got it.
Even I was amazed.
'Am I actually the webnovel protagonist?'
The world was going crazy enough for delusions like that.
These bastards were fighting over me again.
Fans, haters, all sorts.
More importantly, what was this 'that' they kept mentioning?
I didn't know what they meant, but the reason I hadn't invested in Intelligence was simple.
I didn't know when the level cap would lift, but getting Strength, Agility, and Vitality to 20 would cost 227,500 Gold.
And that assumed it kept rising by just 500 Gold each time.
'If it suddenly doubles, I can't handle it.'
I might not be able to raise them at the crucial moment.
Sure, it might stay at 500 Gold increments.
But the future's uncertain.
That's why I'm stockpiling.
'Even Constellations don't get that spending blindly when you don't know is dumber. They hoard till necessary, then panic-spend on trash like this and ruin their survival.'
Results aside, he was an opponent I could've taken just by tanking.
That long-feeling minute? He wasn't Tyson—no way he'd die from a minute of punches.
I didn't even feel that fear against the blood goblins.
Anyway, it wasn't a must-use situation.
No change even with Intelligence as the Gallery said.
So I didn't.
Even with a new active skill, nothing changes.
Stats tied to survival over Magic or senses? Obviously Strength, Agility, Vitality.
'No need to raise Intelligence right now.'
But they had a point.
Intelligence doesn't make you smarter, but useful for tails or ambushes.
Couldn't fully trust Kang Harin with that.
'Raise Intelligence to 5 for now.'
Suddenly, goosebumps prickled across my skin.
The hairs on my body stood on end, then settled calmly. That was it.
'The Constellation bastards are prolly bitching I only raised it to 5 again.'
Didn't some uncle say it?
The guy living for tomorrow beats the one living for today.
No—the one who endures till tomorrow against a today-liver wins.
I see tomorrow.
'No way I'm letting that 100 Gold spent thoughtlessly become regret.'
If I decide to save, I save to the end.
Pick up arrows, no potions.
Gold only when absolutely necessary.
As I steeled my resolve,
a post went up from what seemed to be the Constellation of the dead Incarnation.
This was the Constellation of the guy I just killed?
What makes him hit with reality so hard?
'Reality check means he was a named one...'
Worth calling 30% speed broken?
Or did he think he was Flash or Quicksilver?
"Mister! You okay?"
Lee Tulip was looking at me with teary eyes.
And then she reached out both hands.
"Whoa, stop. Don't use your healing active."
"...Pardon?"
"Mana's precious. Skip it—go pick up the arrows you shot."
"......"
Even in this moment, my body was regenerating.
"I said no skill."
"Huh? I didn't use any?"
"......?"
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