Embodying the Polar Night
Ssssssh!
The power of Polar Night poured out without pause, like unraveling a tightly wound skein.
It filled the large tent to bursting and still spilled outward, dyeing the entire rooftop pitch black.
“Whoa.”
The exclamation slipped out before I could stop it.
This output was easily worth 50—no, 120. Sixty percent of my total 200 stats poured into Polar Night. An overwhelming amount.
“As expected, my partner, you had a plan all along!”
No. That wasn’t it at all.
I never imagined that merging my body with Polar Night would trigger this kind of transformation.
The released darkness felt vividly real, like an extension of my own flesh. Polar Night, freely shifting its shape at will. I had wondered if the same could apply to my physical body, but my form remained unchanged.
“A defense mechanism to preserve the self, I see.”
Forcing the darkness to spread further was possible, but it felt dangerous, so I stopped. This much was already a massive gain.
“If you maintain that state constantly, you should be able to wield Polar Night at will.”
“But then I couldn’t use physical force.”
Dark Body wasn’t all-powerful. The skill extracted from the essence of the Immaemangryang was similar to Incarnation—in this form, physical power was impossible.
When I deactivated the skill, a large portion of the released Polar Night flowed back into me. Roughly forty points by the numbers.
Even without Dark Body, the amount had more than doubled, yet I still felt a twinge of disappointment.
“I must not forget this sensation.”
The feeling of my entire body becoming one with Polar Night. It was like sinking into a plush, cloud-soft cushion. The night that embraced all things.
It gave me a small glimpse into why Nyx, despite being the goddess of night, possessed such a warm nature.
I manipulated the forty points of Polar Night, shaping it this way and that.
“Looks like more training is in order.”
The dark blade had lost its former sharpness. As the output of Polar Night increased, so had the difficulty of controlling it.
“You still have far to go. Yeo’s power is not so easily tamed.”
“I know that even without you saying it, you know?”
I let out a long sigh.
Two full weeks had flown by since my Silver rank promotion match.
“Do you intend to train again today as well?”
“Yeah.”
“I was under the impression that one grows stronger by clearing gates or challenging the Tower.”
I had reached Silver rank, yet I still hadn’t attempted the 31st floor. The same went for gate raids. The days of recklessly diving into gates to win my bet with Baal felt like a distant memory—I hadn’t set foot in a single gate during these two weeks.
“Right now I need time to properly digest what I’ve obtained.”
Void Mirror. Polar Night amplified several times over. And Shrink, created through Fusion Qigong.
Each one was a formidable power touching the realm of transcendence. If I had mastered these techniques before regressing, I might have been able to kill at least one more of the Old Gods.
At this stage, training these new abilities was more important than raising my level by a single point.
Ssssssh!
With a casual wave of my hand, Polar Night surged forward like a tidal wave. A flick of my fingers sent ten blades bursting upward from the darkness carpeting the floor.
“Oh-ho, you can now divide it into ten.”
“All the result of training.”
The increased output of Polar Night had made control more difficult, but it came with its own benefits. What used to be a maximum of five divisions could now split even further.
Of course, actually using it in real combat would require much more practice.
While I was deep in training, a call came from Han Suchang.
"I've finished organizing the materials on the matter you mentioned last time."
“Ah, thank you for your hard work.”
"It was nothing. Mechanic-type players are quite rare, so it wasn’t particularly difficult."
Investigating a player from a country on the opposite side of the planet. Despite Han Suchang’s modest words, I could easily imagine how difficult the task must have been.
I quickly skimmed through the materials the Association had provided.
“Not this one. Not this person either.”
The screen scrolled rapidly.
“What exactly are you searching for?”
“A new guild member.”
“You’re being quite thorough. But is there a particular reason to look overseas?”
“Because there aren’t many people who possess the Mechanic ability.”
Mechanic was a unique ability capable of pushing magic weaponry to its absolute limits. At the moment, it wasn’t receiving much attention, but once the ultimate form of magic weaponry—the Titan—began to spread across Earth, the situation would change completely.
Enrique Deltoro was the player who had developed the Mechanic ability to its pinnacle. He was also one of the six Monarchs.
“A talent interesting enough to catch your eye.”
“Well, I don’t know if it’ll work out.”
Enrique Deltoro was a traitor to humanity who had sided with the Old Gods. In the previous timeline, I had been the one to end his life.
Still, there was the successful example of Ping Lei, who had stepped onto the path of reformation. Unlike the other Monarch-level players, this boy had awakened around the same time as me—a late bloomer. There was room to persuade him.
Unless he turned out to be human scum like Rene Davis, of course.
“I hope we’re not too late.”
“Late for what?”
“Ah, it would be troublesome if someone else snatched the talent first.”
I gave a vague answer while recalling my memories from before the regression. If my recollection was correct, the event that had driven Enrique off the rails was the death of his parents. That tragedy shouldn’t have happened yet.
After scanning the data for a long while, one entry finally caught my eye.
“Found him.”
A smile rose unbidden at the familiar name.
* * *
The trip to Argentina had been decided on sudden notice.
“Master, you have to take me with you!”
“It’s a gate restricted to Silver rank. I’ll have to go alone.”
The official purpose of the visit was to clear a gate that had appeared near Iguazu Falls, one of Argentina’s most famous tourist destinations. There happened to be one that was struggling with its raid.
The Argentine government had welcomed my visit with open arms. If a Gate Break occurred, the abnormal surge in mana concentration would make the area inaccessible for at least several months. That would deal a serious blow to one of the country’s premier tourist sites.
Karla spoke up.
“What about training?”
“While I’m gone, prepare for your own Silver rank promotion match.”
“Understood.”
“Karla, how can you just accept it so easily!”
“I made a promise. I’ll keep it.”
Her voice was completely devoid of emotion. Somehow that made it even more intimidating.
“Master, where did Ping Lei go?”
“I gave him a task to handle.”
“Ah, I thought maybe he ran away because he was scared of training with me.”
Jiyoung laughed with a bright “Hehe.” She talked a big game even though she lost to Ping Lei every single time they sparred.
Jiyoung’s ability was specialized in defense. Stacking her Vibration Barriers to amplify their coefficient and turn them into offensive weapons was still a long way off. Given enough time it might be possible, but at the current stage, defeating Ping Lei was still too difficult for her.
Even so, the fact that she refused to give up and kept challenging him reminded me once again that she was the same person who had been our ally before the regression—the one known as the Wall of Lamentation.
“Hoho, thanks to that, an opportunity has presented itself.”
Ellen smiled with hidden meaning. She must have meant she now had time to mend things with Karla.
“Do as you please.”
Recruiting Karla had never been part of my original plan. If this became a chance to dissolve the lingering resentment between Ellen and Karla, that would be excellent.
An unexpected companion had joined us for this Argentina trip.
“I will handle guiding you locally.”
Han Suchang had shown up in casual clothes instead of his usual suit.
“Team Leader, aren’t you busy?”
“This Argentina trip appears to be connected to the data investigation you requested last time.”
“Well, that’s…”
I swallowed the rest of my sentence.
“I will handle anything that might trouble you, Sir Jinho, on my own.”
“I’m grateful, but are you sure that’s all right?”
“The backlog can be cleared with a few nights of overtime once we return.”
The flight from Korea to Argentina took roughly twenty-five hours. With no direct route, we had to make a layover, which added even more time.
Once I earn serious money, I should buy a private jet first.
Our first destination was Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.
“Welcome, hero of the Spice Islands.”
The Korean embassy had prepared a full welcome reception upon learning of my visit. From what I heard, several high-ranking Argentine officials had also expressed their desire to meet me.
I hated troublesome affairs, but since I was here to poach one of their talents, I quietly attended the reception.
“Iguazu Falls is the pride of Argentina. We leave it in your capable hands.”
“Hahaha! If the hero of the Spice Islands is taking action, the matter is as good as resolved!”
“Let’s all raise a toast!”
A welcome party even though I hadn’t cleared the gate yet. It was obvious they were trying to make use of my fame as the “Hero of the Spice Islands,” which had drawn the world’s attention.
Some of the Argentine officials even showed open interest in Nyx.
“A dazzlingly beautiful lady. Would you grant me the honor of escorting you?”
The man extended his hand. Nyx simply stared at him in silence, offering no reply.
The unapproachable aura radiating from the goddess as she looked down with an expressionless face was overwhelming. The men who had asked her to dance added a few more words before retreating with embarrassed expressions.
“Goddess, isn’t that a bit too cold?”
“What do you mean?”
“He offered to escort you.”
“Hehe, the honor of escorting Yeo is permitted solely to you, my partner.”
I grimaced.
“I kind of want to share that honor with those guys.”
“To stand before Yeo, an offering is mandatory.”
Nyx shook her head.
“Look at them. Did they not approach Yeo’s presence empty-handed?”
I let out a short sigh and held out a slice of cake from the banquet table.
“See? The only one here who understands etiquette is you.”
“I’m begging you, please say that a little quieter.”
The gap between her majestic aura and those words was so large I worried what others might think if they overheard.
After completing the schedule arranged by the embassy, we immediately headed for Puerto Iguazu.
“I’ll take over guiding from here.”
“Then I’ll be counting on you.”
Even in this distant foreign land, Han Suchang navigated with ease.
My target was the player who would one day be called the Machine Monarch—Enrique Deltoro.
The small village where Enrique lived was said to be ten kilometers west of Puerto Iguazu.
While driving a rented jeep along the unpaved road, Han Suchang’s expression grew uncertain.
“I’m not sure this road is correct.”
“Does it not match the map?”
“No, but… please look at that.”
Guns had been placed along both sides of the unpaved road. The rifles mounted on poles stood in a long line like decorative ornaments.
“It looks like we’ve come to the right place.”
“Pardon?”
“I can feel mana coming from the guns.”
The player who would later be known as the Machine Monarch. These were undoubtedly weapons that had received Enrique’s touch.
At that moment—
“Stop right there! Any further approach will be considered hostile!”
A young boy’s voice rang out loud and clear.