Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Miracle
Translation: godtl
Whoosh.
Thick raindrops pour down in torrents.
Yet strangely enough.
These rainstorms pounding across the vast wilderness cannot approach one particular spot.
To be precise, one particular person.
Crack!
With a sonic boom, a woman cuts through the rain as she flies straight ahead.
"Don't let her escape!"
"After her!"
Various armed figures try to pursue her, but—
"That's enough."
At the cold-faced middle-aged man's command, they stop as if frozen—an unbelievable sight considering most were proud Rankers from China.
"Chasing her would only waste blood. The ritual comes first."
For Jong-ri Chu, the Fist King and master of the Continent Guild—China's sole guild—this was no difficult feat.
His icy gaze falls upon a severed head rolling on the ground.
"Kim Si-hyeok......"
Soon after.
A cruel smile twists Jong-ri Chu's lips.
"For a small-country bastard, you were quite impressive—but that's all. How dare a fallen nation's so-called hero overreach his station?"
He tears his eyes from Si-hyeok's head.
Toward the makeshift altar prepared by Support Class guild members.
"Am I not, Jong-ri Chu, the one most worthy of godhood? Kehahah!"
As Jong-ri Chu bursts into laughter.
The guild members kneel in unison, paying homage as if responding to his mirth.
Yes.
Just like ministers bowing before an emperor of old.
Jong-ri Chu spreads his arms wide, gazing at the storming heavens.
"Behold! I, Jong-ri Chu, have kept my promise to you!"
Krrrrumble.
As if in answer.
A crimson lightning bolt splits the sky, painting Jong-ri Chu's face with rapture.
Then.
Plop.
The pouring rain stops—as if lying.
No, not just stops.
It literally freezes in place.
Sssss.
Just like the space around the fleeing woman earlier.
The curtain of rain parts, revealing—
Crackle! Krrzzzt!
Within the gap, crimson lightning intertwines, coalescing into a form.
An eye.
An enormous eye large enough to fill one's vision.
Its slit-pupiled gaze fixes upon Jong-ri Chu.
-Good. You've done well, Jong-ri Chu.
A voice too chilling to describe as "eerie."
Just hearing it makes hearts plummet—for the eye's voice holds that very power.
"Ghk, kuhk!"
Thud.
Starting with the lowest-level guild members—crudely put, the noobs—they collapse one by one.
But Jong-ri Chu doesn't see them.
"Now it's your turn to keep your promise."
His face, once filled with rapture, now shows traces of madness.
"Make me, Jong-ri Chu, ascend as Earth's Constellation—as the Spear God!"
-Very well.
The crimson eye trembles minutely.
Black smoke streams from its edges, coiling around Jong-ri Chu as text appears before him:
[Constellation??? requests the birth of a Constellation for Earth No. 274.]
[Analyzing situation......]
"At last!"
A beaming smile splits Jong-ri Chu's face.
How could it not?
How much effort had he poured into this day?
But then.
[Target does not meet qualifications.]
[Expanding search parameters......]
"What?"
Jong-ri Chu's expression freezes in an instant.
The dark mist enveloping him shoots outward in the blink of an eye.
Soon.
[Confirmed death of qualified Constellation candidate.]
[No further reason to continue Arena on Earth No. 274.]
[Terminating Arena for Earth No. 274.]
[Revoking Earth No. 274's protection privileges due to Galaxy Arena termination.]
The dark mist hovering around Si-hyeok's severed head vanishes alongside the message window.
Flash!
For a moment, the sky blazes with a multicolored aurora.
It doesn't last.
The rainbow hues filling the heavens disappear within seconds.
"W-what in the world......"
Jong-ri Chu scans his surroundings in bewilderment.
The prostrated Continent Guild members share his confusion.
As high-level Rankers.
They sense something has changed on Earth.
Likely related to the revoked protection privileges.
Their confusion doesn't last.
Only a fool wouldn't realize—
-Oh dear. It seems you lack the qualifications, Jong-ri Chu.
—what just transpired.
"You bastard! How dare you deceive—!"
Jong-ri Chu's veins bulge with rage, but—
"Kuh-huk!"
Before anyone realized it, a bolt of lightning shot from the eyeball and struck Jong-ri Chu's shoulder.
And it wasn't just him.
"P-please, spare me...!"
"Kyaaah!"
The guild members of the Continent Guild who had been standing nearby—
All of them were pierced by the lightning tendrils extending from the eyeball.
Jong-ri Chu, who had once vied for supremacy alongside Kim Si-hyeok, was fortunate enough to only have his shoulder impaled.
Jong-ri Chu severed the dark crimson lightning tendril—no, something more akin to a blood vessel—piercing his shoulder and distanced himself.
"Bullshit! Wasn't it you who said it?! That if I killed Kim Si-hyeok, I would ascend as a Constellation...?"
Jong-ri Chu's words, spat out as if he wanted to chew them up, suddenly halted.
Could it see right through him?
The crimson eyeball curved into a sinister arc.
Almost as if mocking him.
"You baaastard!!"
BANG.
"Hey, noona's here."
The door swung open violently.
True to the shabby tin shack it was, the door nearly shattered from the force, but the woman paid it no mind as she trudged inside, scanning the interior.
Books of all kinds, flasks, and pipes snaking like blood vessels—
But the owner of the house was nowhere to be seen.
"What the hell is this bastard making now?"
Frowning, she deftly maneuvered through the cramped space.
She already knew where he'd be.
She didn't have to walk far.
When she pushed open the worn-out door to the back room, an unsettling surge of mana greeted her, along with the sight of a man.
"Hey! What are you making now?"
"You're here?"
His body was so gaunt it could've been plucked straight from a famine-stricken country.
She let out a hollow laugh at the sight of the intricate pattern drawn before the emaciated man.
"Kim Si-mun, the world's going to shit, and you're still obsessing over this? You find this fun?"
"An alchemist transmuting—since when does 'fun' factor into it?"
There didn't even seem to be any space left to draw.
Yet Si-mun continued filling in the transmutation circle on the floor.
Shaking her head at the sight, the woman tossed a small bag beside him with a thud.
"Here, take it."
"What's this?"
"A gift."
"A gift?"
"Yeah. Take it as an honor. First time I've ever given a man a present."
With that, she flopped onto the worn-out sofa.
Si-mun's expression stiffened as he opened the bag.
"...What happened?"
"Can't you tell just by looking? Exactly what you expected—Jong-ri Chu, that son of a bitch, stabbed your brother in the back."
"And yet, Si-hyeok didn't use this?"
"I thought he would too. But after all the guild members died, he just tossed it my way."
"Is that so?"
Si-mun stared into the bag with a complicated gaze.
The woman glanced at him and asked,
"...Aren't you gonna say anything?"
"About what?"
"About me not helping your brother and just bringing this back."
At that, Si-mun let out a dry chuckle and resumed drawing the transmutation circle.
"I won't."
"Seriously? If I'd stepped in, I might've killed that bastard Jong-ri Chu."
"With all those Continent Guild rankers packed around him? No way. That's probably why Si-hyeok handed it over to you."
"...For a low-level, you've got a sharp eye for situations."
Si-mun secured the bag and looked up at the ceiling.
Through a sizable crack, the dim night sky was visible, though the torrential rain couldn't breach inside.
Naturally.
Even if it was just a tin shack—
Kim Si-mun's alchemy was embedded in every corner.
"Mal-suk."
"Goddammit! I told you not to call me that!"
"What else am I supposed to call you if not by your name?"
"The name the world calls me—Heavenly. Demon."
"Pfft."
Si-mun burst out laughing.
"What? You laughing at me?"
If it were anyone else, she would've smashed their skull in ages ago.
Unfortunately for Go Mal-suk, the Heavenly Demon, Kim Si-mun wasn't someone she could do that to.
"Damn brat."
Irritably, she pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Anyway, with this, I've repaid all my debts to you."
"Debts?"
Si-mun tilted his head.
Then, with a wry smile, he shook it.
"Ah. You still held onto that?"
"That?! In a way, it's because of my revenge that your brother—"
"That's not it."
Si-mun cut her off sharply.
"Your revenge was justified. Those people deserved punishment. Your revenge and the Continent Guild are separate matters."
"......Well, you're one hell of a guy after all."
Go Mal-suk scratched her head vigorously as she stood up.
Yet perhaps Si-mun's answer had satisfied her.
A faint smile lingered at the corners of her lips.
"Huh? Where are you going already?"
"To struggle for my life. When I was running earlier, I saw that bastard Jong-ri Chu summon something absolutely amazing."
That crimson-black, colossal pupil—
Even for a high-ranker like her, who feared nothing, its presence was so overwhelming it sent chills down her spine.
"If even you say it like that, it must be truly terrifying."
"Yep. You saw the system alert earlier too, right? About the protection rights or whatever being revoked."
"Yeah. It popped up so suddenly, it startled me."
Si-mun bit his lip slightly.
'The system clearly said the Constellation candidate had died.'
Undoubtedly, the one who held that qualification had been his younger brother, Si-hyeok.
Kim Si-mun was the only one who knew the contents of the Sword Saint Kim Si-hyeok's status window.
"Whatever it means, it looks like we're properly screwed now."
Go Mal-suk roughly tousled her own hair.
"After that alert, the trash mobs around here nearly doubled in strength. I even saw a few more Outbreaks popping up out of nowhere."
"In such a short time?"
"Yeah. This place probably isn't safe either. You're gonna die for real this time, huh?"
The corner of her lips, holding a cigarette, twisted into a smirk.
Si-mun chuckled dryly and asked,
"But aren't you running away?"
"Running ain't my style. Besides, I don't have any reason to live anymore anyway."
Flicking away the burnt-out cigarette butt, she sauntered toward the exit.
"Hey, make sure you drink that. That damn Sword Saint gave up his life to leave it for you."
"Sorry to break it to you, but it was originally mine."
"Oh, really? Then why the hell has your little brother been carrying it around all this time?"
With that retort, Go Mal-suk paused briefly at the door.
Then—
"......"
Creak.
A soft murmur escaped her as she closed the old door behind her.
Given the torrential rain outside, it should've been hard to hear—
But to Si-mun, who was still in his domain, it rang clear.
'......Thanks for everything.'
A small smile tugged at Si-mun's lips.
"Damn. They say people change when death comes knocking, and the old saying doesn't lie."
One of the world's top three madwomen.
Such words were unlike the Heavenly Demon Go Mal-suk.
Brushing off the smile, Si-mun resumed drawing the transmutation circle.
It didn't take long.
It had already been over 95% complete before Go Mal-suk even arrived.
"Now all I need is an energy source for the transmutation... Funny how it all lined up so perfectly."
Kim Si-mun opened the bag Go Mal-suk had tossed to him.
Slosh.
A pearlescent white liquid shimmered faintly inside a small glass vial.
Staring at it more intently, a familiar window appeared in his vision.
[Elixir]
Grade -?
A mythical product of alchemy.
A panacea said to even affect the gods.
The greatest achievement of Si-mun's life—the Elixir.
A culmination of all the rare materials gathered by his younger brother Kim Si-hyeok and the Heavenly Demon Go Mal-suk—
And every waking moment of his life since his awakening.
'Even this... If I hadn't obtained the Emerald Tablet, it would've remained an impossible dream......'
With a bitter gaze, Si-mun opened his mouth.
"Status Window."
Title:
Class: Magic
Level: 1
Affiliation: South Korea
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Stamina: 3
Mana: 0
Innate Trait - Mana Disability
Achievement Points: 5,000
Despair.
A single word sufficed to describe this status window.
Honestly, the fact that he had survived this long with such stats was nothing short of a miracle.
By all rights, he should've died the moment the official Arena began.
'I got lucky.'
Kim Si-hyeok—a player who stood among the world's strongest, even as his homeland fell.
The help of that damn younger brother and sheer dumb luck.
And if not for acquaintances like Go Mal-suk, he would've died long ago.
Mana Disability wasn't just the inability to use mana—it gnawed away at his very flesh.
Perhaps the only reason he hadn't collapsed entirely was the lingering poison in his body?
His mind remained unbroken, allowing him to create even the Elixir, the pinnacle of alchemy...
"But now, it's all meaningless."
His base stats didn't even reach half of what a Level 1 should have.
Sure, the Elixir—a miracle potion—might boost his stats, but he was still Level 1.
'Even if I force myself to drink the Elixir and cure my Mana Disability, it'd just be a pointless death.'
If a random mob so much as breathed on him, he'd crumble to dust.
"You little shit, you should've just taken it and lived a little longer."
Kim Si-mun let out a bitter laugh.
Well, he could understand his younger brother's feelings in handing this over.
And the heart of Mal-suk, who had brought it all the way here.
After all, the world was already in ruins after the official Arenas.
They probably just wanted to fulfill their last wishes before dying.
"Honestly, what's the point of this now... No, I suppose it's not entirely pointless."
Si-mun pulled the stopper from the Elixir.
An indescribable fragrance seeped into his nostrils.
Just that alone sent a surge of vitality through his entire body, but Si-mun didn't drink it.
"Thanks to you all, I'll achieve both of my life's goals before I go."
Alchemy—the only power he, a Magic Class with Mana Disability, could wield.
Because of that, he had thrown himself into alchemy as if his life depended on it.
One of the two mythical products recorded in the Emerald Tablet.
He had even succeeded in transmuting the Elixir.
Which meant only one product remained.
"I don't know if I can succeed in these conditions, outside of my old lab."
Glug-glug.
The Elixir, said to even affect those vaunted Constellations, poured onto the floor.
More precisely, onto the Emerald Tablet placed at the center of the transmutation circle.
'It was already half-broken when I made the Elixir. This time, it'll probably shatter completely.'
The Emerald Tablet they had treated like gold and jade, calling it the only key to healing his body.
He never imagined he'd be the one to break it with his own hands.
Was it because he knew destruction was imminent?
Far from regret, his heart felt strangely light.
"Here goes."
After emptying the Elixir, Si-mun stepped to the outer edge of the transmutation circle and placed both hands down.
Thanks to his damned Mana Disability, he couldn't sense a shred of mana, but it didn't matter.
The foundation of alchemy was Equivalent Exchange after all.
As long as the exchange was satisfied in some way, he could use it regardless of being Magic Class.
Crackle.
A small spark leaped across the transmutation circle.
Soon, it intensified into a fierce lightning storm, strong enough to make one think of a tempest.
Flash!
The entire room flickered with light.
Then.
As the white glow slowly faded, the worn floorboards became visible where the dense transmutation circle had been.
"It... worked."
The disappearance of the circle signaled the transmutation's success.
[Mythical product successfully transmuted.]
[5,000 Achievement Points acquired.]
[This category will be deactivated due to its disappearance.]
The familiar messages were no different from when he'd made the Elixir.
But there was one difference this time.
[Both mythical products of alchemy have been created.]
[Title 'Pioneer of Alchemy' acquired.]
[First title obtained.]
[500 Achievement Points acquired.]
[This category will be deactivated due to its disappearance.]
"Oh-ho? Now they're giving out titles too."
With a dry chuckle, Si-mun walked toward the center of the transmutation circle.
Crunch.
His foot stepped on faded fragments.
Probably pieces of the Emerald Tablet used in the transmutation.
Among them.
Si-mun picked up a perfectly smooth, colorless stone.
"So this is it."
The other mythical product that could be created through alchemy, alongside the Elixir.
[Philosopher's Stone]
Ownership:
Grade:?
A mythical product of alchemy.
As long as Equivalent Exchange is satisfied, anything can be transmuted.
"A perfect success."
He'd used the precious Elixir—which he'd never make again—as an energy source.
So of course it worked.
"Tastes bitter."
Despite having created a mythical product.
The elation he'd felt upon making the Elixir didn't come this time.
Perhaps unlike the Elixir.
It was because the Emerald Tablet held no recorded information about this.
Yeah.
That must be it.
Having thus consoled himself, Si-mun examined the Philosopher's Stone's information again.
"Bound item..."
The binding process wouldn't be difficult.
Si-mun immediately drew a small dagger.
Then he lightly nicked his fingertip and let a single drop of blood fall onto the Philosopher's Stone.
Plop.
Like red dye dissolving in clear water.
The colorless Philosopher's Stone absorbed Si-mun's blood, etching his name into the ownership field.
Then.
Slither.
"Wha—?!"
The Philosopher's Stone melted into Si-mun's palm.
The sensation of the round stone flowing up his arm and into his chest was profoundly bizarre.
The absorbed stone settled precisely at the center of Si-mun's chest.
Thump.
Pulsing like a living heart, something thin began spreading throughout his body.
"Ugh!"
Thud.
His knees buckled on their own.
Not from pain.
He didn't feel any of that at all.
Like some kind of blood vessel.
The Philosopher's Stone spreading throughout his body made his movements awkward.
Then.
KWAH-AANG!!
A deafening explosion struck his ears.
Along with it, something rolled toward him with a degururu sound.
It wasn't hard to recognize what it was.
The head of the Heavenly Demon, Go Mal-suk—who had been conversing with him just moments ago—now lay before him.
'Hah...... How very like you.'
A bitter laugh escaped him before anger or shock could take hold.
It couldn't be helped.
Because the severed head still wore a bold, fearless smile.
Following her head—
"Hoh?"
A voice that made his heart shudder just from hearing it reached his ears.
With great effort, he lifted his head.
"The Philosopher's Stone? Even seeing it with my own eyes, I can scarcely believe it."
Along with an overwhelming pressure that constricted his breath, he saw them—crimson eyes gazing down at him from the shattered ceiling above.
The same crimson eyes Jong-ri Chu had summoned.
Given the sheer presence they exuded, they undoubtedly belonged to a Constellation—or something of equal standing.
"As expected of a world capable of birthing a Constellation. This is an unforeseen harvest indeed."
'What?'
Though speech was impossible due to the Philosopher's Stone now reaching even his head, Kim Si-mun's eyes widened like lanterns as he stared at the being.
Then—
Starting with Go Mal-suk's earlier words about Jong-ri Chu summoning this thing, a rapid series of thoughts flashed through his mind.
And he reached one conclusion.
'It's all because of that bastard.'
The withdrawal of the Galaxy Arena's protection.
Jong-ri Chu's relentless attempts to kill his younger brother, Kim Si-hyeok.
It was highly likely that this colossal reptilian eye hovering above was behind it all.
Si-mun's gaze shifted back to Go Mal-suk's still-smiling head.
'Damn it all...'
GRIT.
His teeth ground together.
Even with a body that wasn't even Level 1, fury surged through him uncontrollably.
'If only I didn't have this mana disability!'
It wasn't that he thought he could defeat this overwhelming being.
He was simply enraged by his own powerlessness—unable to even throw a single punch at the bastard who had killed his brother and his friend.
Then.
[Synchronization complete. The Philosopher's Stone has fully settled.]
[Stats: Mana and Stamina have been converted into the unique stat, Transmutation Power.]
[Achievement Unlocked: 'Unique Stat Acquired.']
[1,000 Achievement Points obtained.]
[This category has been deactivated due to its dissolution.]
'A unique stat?'
There was no time to be surprised.
His stiffened body regained its freedom.
At the same time—
Oooong...
A clear, resonant hum echoed from the center of his chest.
Though not human language, Kim Si-mun could distinctly understand the words of the Philosopher's Stone.
Or rather, it was communication through resonance.
'Transmute... whatever you desire?'
Perhaps because it was a being born of transmutation itself?
The Philosopher's Stone's message was abrupt, but there was no need to dwell on it.
What he wanted right now—
'To land a single blow on that son of a bitch.'
And simultaneously—
'To live a life free from this damned mana disability.'
Was there such a transmutable thing?
He didn't even need to ask.
The moment those thoughts formed—
OOOONG—!
The hum resonating in his chest swelled to a terrifying magnitude.
[Searching within the categories possessed by the owner for a suitable target......]
[No matches found. Expanding search range by consuming Transmutation Power.]
"GHAH—!"
Pain, as if an ogre were squeezing his skull and chest, radiated outward.
But the agony lasted only an instant.
[Search complete. The most suitable target is the Tome of XXXX.]
[Insufficient Transmutation Power for Equivalent Exchange.]
[Due to the owner's current state, the Philosopher's Stone will utilize its own reserves.]
[Initiating independent transmutation.]
The excruciating pain vanished as if it had never been.
Against his own will, Si-mun stretched his hand toward the crimson eyes.
And then—
Tsk.
With a flick of his fingers—
PASHHHH—!
A blinding white light erupted from between his fingers, instantly taking shape.
A book?
No.
It was something closer to a stele—one that contained the cosmos itself.
[The birth of an unprecedented Divine Artifact stirs the sealed eyelids of XXXX, its original owner.]
[His attention turns toward Player Kim Si-mun.]
"T-This is impossible!!"
But unfortunately—
"This can't be! How can a mere human wield the Divine Artifact of our foolish father?!"
[You have drawn the attention of a Constellation for the first time.]
[1,000 Achievement Points obtained.]
[You have attracted the attention of XXXX, a Constellation unregistered in the Galaxy Arena.]
[The Galaxy Arena applauds an achievement even Constellations have failed to attain.]
[1,000,000 Achievement Points obtained.]
[This category has been deactivated due to its dissolution.]
[You have acquired the title 'One Who Draws Gaze from Beyond'.]
[Deactivated due to the disappearance of the corresponding category.......]
They say that among human senses, hearing is the last to fade.
Though the message windows flooded in alongside the crimson reptilian eyes' shock,
Si-mun could no longer read them.
From the moment the transmutation ended, all his senses—including sight—had already vanished.
"N-no! Father! This place is my—!"
The panicked cries of the eyeball creature kept reaching him, but even that sound soon cut off.
'I don't know exactly what just happened...'
As if his very soul were being crushed—
Overwhelmed by the exhaustion consuming his entire body,
'But at least I definitely landed a hit on that bastard.'
With that small satisfaction, Si-mun let go of consciousness.