The Night Goddess's Vessel

The constellations' gazes filled the air. Some sighed in exasperation, others watched with delight, and a few simply observed in silence, gauging the situation.

Among them, the one who rejoiced the most was, of course…

『The Lord of the Polluted Throne bursts into uproarious laughter.』

『The Lord of the Polluted Throne offers you praise for your audacity.』

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was Baal.

He was clearly enjoying himself.

As the representative of the Seventy-Two Demons and the ruler of Pandemonium, Baal's approval as a God-King constellation kept the others from voicing any complaints.

I ignored their stares and reached out toward the Ice Witch.

Avalanche

Grade: ★★★★

Classification: Active

Scatters the frigid air of Niflheim across a wide area. The user may also condense the cold according to their will.

Just as I remembered from my previous life.

A powerful magic that manifests the chill of the underworld through mana. Unlike Solar Explosion, it isn't a one-shot spell, but its ability to alter the environment and continuously inflict damage and debuffs makes it incredibly useful.

The two skills serve different purposes. If I combine them with Eclipse to trigger repulsion, the effect will far surpass Barbatos's warhammer.

—You will surely be able to kill with certainty.

“Yeah, probably.”

I nodded with a slightly reluctant expression.

In my previous life, my mana stat had never been this high. It had taken quite a while before I obtained the essence of the Dragon Fang Soldier back then. True dragonkin were formidable foes even inside the Tower.

If my memory served me right, my mana stat right now was slightly lower than it had been just before regression.

“I wonder how high it actually is.”

—Hmm. So you couldn't estimate the repulsive force either.

“Well, I'll adapt as I go.”

This life also had Demonic Power. Considering the constant stat growth from Devour, I should be able to wield magic far stronger than Sergei, the original user.

Of course, using Demonic Power would drop my other stats to the level of a gutted fish, but if my safety was guaranteed and I paired it with Eclipse, I couldn't even imagine how much firepower I could unleash.

“Since I've obtained this weapon, I might as well put it to good use.”

—How far do you intend to grow, partner?

“If the goddess asks that, isn't it cheating?”

Protogenoi. A conceptual deity who had existed since primordial times. When Nyx synchronized with the Polar Night amplified by Demonic Power, I had briefly felt an omnipotent power. A realm even my pre-regression self had never reached.

—Hohoho. Strive harder. I wonder if a mere mortal can stand shoulder to shoulder with me.

“Just you wait.”

While I was exchanging light banter with Nyx, a notification appeared.

“That's quite generous.”

I clicked my tongue. Orichalcum, the metal of the gods. I had received 1 kg on the 2nd floor and a total of 15 kg with my entire team on the 19th floor. A reward on the 40th floor was naturally larger than those on lower floors, but this amount was excessive.

It was thanks to the constellations raising the difficulty by intervening. I supposed I should be grateful.

Nyx's gaze never left the Orichalcum. It was a mineral capable of strengthening one's existence, possible only because Orichalcum was a fragment of primordial Chaos.

“I'm logging out.”

I had no desire to let the constellations watch any longer. I had also used up all my available attempts for the day, so I chose to return to the original world without hesitation.

* * *

Thud! The 100-kilogram mass produced a heavy sound that shook the room.

The green mineral I had taken out of the Pocket of Desire. Orichalcum, known as the metal of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gods.

“I present 100 kilograms of Orichalcum to the goddess.”

I bowed exaggeratedly at the waist.

—This one shall graciously accept your sincerity.

“If the offering doesn't please you, feel free to return it.”

—What matters is not the offering itself, but your commendable heart. Therefore, cease such words.

Honey dripped from her eyes even as she put on airs. I pretended not to notice and looked away from Nyx's gaze.

Manifested in the homunculus body, she gently caressed the Orichalcum.

“Such a quantity… This one will be able to recover a considerable amount of her existence.”

Her dainty palm sank into the green-glowing mineral. The surface turned soft and pliable. The divine metal, impervious to aura and unmelting even in flames exceeding ten thousand degrees, could not withstand Nyx's touch.

It was not processing, but absorption through its original nature. She was taking in the power of Chaos residing within the Orichalcum.

It took Nyx quite some time to absorb all of the Orichalcum—more than five times the amount she had gathered so far. I calmly watched the entire process.

When most of the Orichalcum had disappeared—

Shaaaa—!

Polar Night overflowed, blanketing the floor like dry ice. Her presence had grown far stronger than before. The Polar Night, scattered without restraint, began pressing down on the furniture in the room—chairs, desks, the bed.

Polar Night had escaped Nyx's control. Even though its value was lower than the stats concentrated through Demonic Power, it had clearly broken free of her command.

Gulp—

I swallowed nervously.

“Goddess, this is a bit problematic if you do it here.”

“Do not panic. This is but a temporary phenomenon. It will soon subside.”

Nyx muttered calmly while waving her hands like a conductor leading an orchestra. Following her elegant gestures, the Polar Night that had filled the room was drawn back in.

“Hoo.”

Nyx opened her eyes after a deep breath. The darkness shimmering at the corners of her eyes had grown even deeper.

“How do you feel?”

“Excellent.”

“You're really okay?”

“Indeed. Forgive me for causing you concern.”

Nyx's face flushed. Oh? It was rare to see the goddess flustered. I wanted to tease her further, but her physical condition came first.

“There's no problem, right?”

“It is because the homunculus body cannot fully contain this one's power.”

Hmm. I let out a short sigh. The homunculus body that housed a soul as a second vessel. It was the true form of the Practice Wooden Doll obtained as a tutorial reward—the reason Nyx could now manifest in the physical world.

“It is impossible to contain night with the skills of mortals. It could not be helped.”

“I need to find a different vessel.”

There were several other mediums capable of housing a soul besides a homunculus. I would have to borrow Mors's power.

I checked Nyx's current status through the status window.

Her stats were heavily skewed toward Polar Night. All bonus stats from level 245 had been invested into it. The additional thousand points came from absorbing the Orichalcum.

I clicked my tongue.

“That's incredible.”

Even if her body was frail, Nyx could compensate by cloaking herself in Polar Night. When wrapped in its power, she could easily surpass ordinary close-combat players in the 250s. Furthermore, with Darkness Dominion, she could spread the power of Polar Night widely. Among the guild members, only Shin Junseok or Hong Yunsu might stand a chance against her. Her combat strength was on par with a Ranker.

“How regrettable. The limits of this body are clear.”

“You really are greedy.”

“After absorbing the Orichalcum, this one's existence has risen, yet it cannot be properly reflected. How could I not feel regret?”

“You couldn't even maintain a proper spiritual form before.”

When I mentioned our first encounter in the tutorial through the Shadow Orb, Nyx's face twisted in anger.

“Are you trying to point out this one's incompetence?”

“I'm saying it's much better than back then. Don't be so impatient.”

“This one merely wishes to recover her existence and assist you—kyaaah!”

Huh? What was that?

A sudden strange cry cut off the rest of her words.

“What did you just say?”

“I-It was nothing!”

Nyx's face flushed again as she swung her palm. A sharp slap struck my back.

Smack! The crisp sound echoed.

“That hurt.”

“It is your fault for prying.”

Another back slap followed. I received several more hits from Nyx without knowing why.

“How can you hit me while wrapped in Polar Night!”

“Read this one's heart!”

“Then say it out loud so I can understand!”

By the time Nyx calmed down, my back was burning. Damn it. It was unfair, but the atmosphere made it impossible to argue.

* * *

A week had passed since receiving the Orichalcum as a reward. On the 48th floor, I devoured a lich's essence and obtained the skill High-Speed Calculation (★★★). On the 49th floor, I gained Indomitable Fighting Spirit (★★★) from the named monster Fighter Lionheart.

A passive skill that increased magic calculation speed and provided a constant combat buff. The skills obtained from both essences had good synergy, so I had to acquire them.

“Now who's the weakling?”

“Even so, you are still Gold rank, are you not?”

“The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠promotion match is coming up soon, so just wait, Goddess.”

I glared at Nyx with burning eyes. After that day, Jiyoung hadn't uttered a single word about it, but Nyx kept provoking me by mentioning the term repeatedly.

There would be no more delaying the promotion match. I firmly resolved myself several times and waited for 10 a.m.

“Of course.”

I pressed the Y button with an angry motion.