Chapter 119
Chapter 119
Translation: godtl
Celestials and Demons (4)
Yuto's typically expressionless face was tinged with shock.
It wasn't solely due to Riko's sudden death.
'Me... I couldn't even react?'
His sword remained sheathed.
His hand hadn't even reached the hilt.
In other words.
Not only had he failed to perceive the little girl's movement.
He hadn't even registered that she had moved.
'This is absurd...'
Never mind that Riko was an agility-focused Assassin-class Player.
That had been sheer, overwhelming speed.
'No—it might not have been speed at all. It could've been teleportation, or some illusion-based trick...'
But he wasn't afforded the luxury of analyzing the situation.
"Oh, right."
Like a broken doll.
The girl casually pushed aside Riko's corpse—still spurting a fountain of blood from its severed neck.
"You saw too, right, Oppa?"
Because the girl, her cheeks splattered with crimson, was now staring straight at him.
"Hmm... What to do?"
She seemed to sink into deep contemplation.
Propping her chin on her hand with an exaggeratedly serious expression, she muttered.
"Unnie always said we should treat handsome oppas with care..."
"Unnie?"
Yuto reflexively echoed the incomprehensible nonsense.
To which—
"Yup! Stone Unnie!"
As if sharing some grand secret.
"Unnie and I belong to Daddy, so we can talk secretly! Heehee! Does Daddy still not know?"
Si-yeon pressed her hands together by her mouth, whispering conspiratorially with a bright, mischievous smile.
Had it not been for—
The blood (likely Riko's) staining her lips and the golden-scaled claws extending from her fingertips.
One might've mistaken her for an ordinary child sharing secrets.
"Oops! Unnie told me not to talk about this either."
Her "Unnie" must've been terrifying indeed.
"Ugh! Si-yeon, you dummy! Stupid!"
Clenching a reptilian hand now a third larger than her body, she stomped the ground in frustration.
Yuto's expression darkened further.
Not because of the girl's jarring duality.
'There's... another one like her?'
And if this "Unnie" existed, she was likely even stronger than the child before him.
Then—
"This won't do. Handsome Oppa, I'm sorry but..."
After a deep sigh, Si-yeon smiled with the same pure, innocent expression.
"Please die."
She 'whispered into Yuto's ear.'
Thought, awareness, judgment.
None formed, nor were they needed.
Swish.
Guided solely by his SSS-rank Trait—Sword Talent—Yuto instinctively drew his blade.
Screeeeng!
With a deafening metallic shriek—
"Ghk!"
A heavy shockwave traveled from his wrist through his entire arm.
Using the recoil, Yuto swiftly retreated.
"Wow."
A small gasp followed.
The collision had been between his blade and her elongated claw.
Si-yeon alternated her gaze between her nail and Yuto's drawn sword.
"Oppa, you're fast?"
Her blinking eyes held a childlike wonder.
"Hmm. At this rate, I can't kill you cleanly..."
After flexing her golden-scaled hand, she maintained her smile while staring at Yuto.
"Can't you just die cleanly? I'll make it painless—just a ruptured heart."
"Don't joke with me."
As if it were unthinkable.
Hwoom.
Yuto enveloped his long katana in blue Sword Energy.
'She neutralized my slash with just a claw. Meaning that transformed hand rivals my sword's power.'
Of course, other body parts might also be covered in those golden scales.
'But conversely, I could likely cut through any other part.'
This wasn't Drake, the top-tier Dragonkin who could only be harmed by Sword Aura.
At this level, his near-Sword Aura-tier Sword Energy was virtually unmatched.
Even if she transformed further, he'd simply cut through her as always.
"Die, you monster."
So
Yuto thought.
Screeeech.
At least, until his sword, wrapped in sword energy, produced a grating friction sound against that small, snow-white neck.
"W-what?!"
Yuto's eyes flew wide open in shock.
One.
Thud.
"Hehe! Got you."
Si-yeon, who had willingly offered her neck, immediately grabbed Yuto's wrist—the one holding the sword—and yanked him forward.
Crunch.
The golden reptilian hand pierced straight through his heart.
"......"
No scream escaped him.
Only a thick, crimson liquid trickled from Yuto's lips, twisted in horror.
"See? That didn't hurt, did it?"
Like a cherished doll.
The last thing he saw was the girl carefully laying him down.
"Now, handsome oppa, go nini~?"
His eyes closed.
A black space.
Yet, it wasn't dark at all.
Si-mun, strolling through this seemingly lightless void, soon spotted something in the distance.
"That must be it."
An altar, appearing abruptly before him.
A stone structure reminiscent of ancient Greek sculptures—crude yet steeped in antiquity.
Atop it lay a book, formed from Demonic Energy far denser than when he had first synthesized the Lemegeton.
The strange thing was—
Every time he blinked, the book flickered between the form of a book and a key.
Back and forth.
"This is it."
As if affirming his words—
[Constellation Baal nods in satisfaction, murmuring, "Hmm."]
[Constellation Heavenly Demon raises an eyebrow. "I never thought you, Baal, would willingly hand that over."]
[Constellations Zeus, Odin, and Black Goat give small nods of acknowledgment.]
One by one, the Constellations displayed their reactions.
'So, they're giving this to me.'
Baal's legacy.
Under the condition that he acquired it and eliminated all the angels that appeared, Baal had promised his inheritance as a reward.
Si-mun reached out toward the object on the altar.
The moment his fingers made contact—
Ssshh.
It dissolved like vapor, slipping through his grasp with eerie smoothness.
Yet, despite dispersing, the mist-like substance clung to his hand, detaching from the altar entirely.
Si-mun checked the item's information window.
[Ars Goetia]
Grade - Mythic
The first chapter and key of the Lemegeton, one of five parts.
Collecting all five will grant you the complete Lemegeton.
Simultaneously—
"Holy shit!"
His pupils dilated to the size of lantern flames.
And for good reason.
'The first fragment of the Lemegeton?!'
The first fragment—
In other words, the original Lemegeton itself.
But to obtain such an item not through synthesis, but directly like this?
-What? What? Show us too!
-This is the first time I've seen him this shocked.
-Must be some insane item, huh?
-Mr. Kim, we have the right to know about your loot.
-Very intriguing.
The chat exploded with questions at Si-mun's rare display of astonishment, but that was all.
He never checked the chat mid-Arena anyway.
[Achievement "Acquired Mythic-grade Equipment" has been completed.]
[Reward: 5,000 Achievement Points obtained.]
A whopping 5,000 Achievement Points flooded in.
Not only that—
[Constellation Baal's mission has been completed.]
[5,000 Achievement Points obtained.]
[Acquired "Ars Goetia", the legacy of Baal.]
[Constellation Baal has been registered to the dynamic title "Pick of Kings".]
[The conditions for the title "Pick of Kings" have been updated.]
Another 5,000 Achievement Points from clearing Baal's mission.
And the dynamic title "Pick of Kings" had been refreshed.
'That's an all-stats +5, right?'
With Zeus, Black Goat, Heavenly Demon, Odin, and now Baal—
Though, due to the even-numbered bonus, the actual stat increase remained at +4.
'Another powerful backer has joined.'
To have gained the genuine interest of a high-ranking Constellation—it was an overwhelmingly satisfying outcome.
On top of that—
"Looks like all the angels have been dealt with."
Given that Baal's mission had been cleared,
it was highly likely that all the celestial beings outside had been dealt with.
After all, Baal's mission conditions were "Acquiring the Inheritance" and "Annihilating the Celestial Beings that Appeared."
By now, they were probably sweeping through the players.
"Guess I'll check this properly after the Arena ends."
Si-mun stored the original Lemegeton, [Ars Goetia], into his inventory,
then turned and stepped out of the space.
Rumble—
The distinct roar of a dimensional vortex echoed.
Thanks to the lingering effect of the Constellation Hermes' footwear,
Si-mun, soaring with the Talaria, landed on the small island where Si-yeon had been.
As he headed toward the bunker he had synthesized for her, he tilted his head in confusion.
"Si-yeon?"
Inside the bunker—
and all around it, there was no trace of any presence.
"Si-yeon!"
A sinking feeling gripped his chest.
Si-mun raised his voice and frantically scanned the surroundings.
Fortunately—
"Dad?"
Had she been wandering around nearby?
From the edge of the land, Si-yeon dusted off her hands—
"Dad!"
—and came sprinting, throwing herself into Si-mun's arms.
At the same time—
[You have completed the mission of the four Constellations.]
[You have acquired 10,000 Achievement Points.]
The missions of the four Constellations were now complete.
[You have become the last survivor.]
[The winner of the Platinum-rank Debut Match has been decided.]
[The Platinum-rank Debut Match has concluded.]
Messages announcing the end of the Debut Match appeared.
[Dramatic! The winner of this Platinum Debut Match is Korean?!]
[Only two participants, yet a miraculous 1st and 2nd place sweep]
[2nd place Choi Jin-su:"I did nothing"—All credit to the 1st place's influence]
[Kim Si-mun, a domestic player? Night Hunter:"Absolutely not."]
[The world's attention on Kim Si-mun—Could he emigrate?]
[Germany's top prospect Faust:"Kim Si-mun is a bug player"—Statement goes viral]
The flood of news updates never stopped.
Whether on mainstream broadcasts or the internet, every headline pointed to one person.
Did you see the broadcast? That was insane.
Pretty sure he spawned alone in the Middle East and just wiped everything out lol.
The highlight was him dominating the demons. Even that psycho Faust was stunned lol.
I lost it when the demons kneeled. My brother's a Diamond, and he's replaying that scene nonstop on TWC.
From the Galaxy Arena's dedicated communities to general forums—
everywhere was flooded with discussions about the Platinum Debut Match and its winner, Kim Si-mun.
Where are all those clowns who called him a "domestic-only warlord"?
Probably crawling on their knees in fear lol.
"Domestic prospect" my ass. If he's domestic, then Korea's the strongest nation.
Seriously, just watch one of his broadcasts—you wouldn't dare say that.
From the start, Korea had only two participants in this Platinum Debut Match.
Even though Si-mun had been soaring as the Gold Debut Match winner, expectations for him weren't high.
Frankly, aside from the First Generation players and current Diamond Rankers,
the overall skill level of Korean players wasn't considered particularly impressive.
Sure, the upper Platinum Rankers had made names for themselves, but that was it.
In the end, most never crossed the wall into Diamond—
that was the general public's perception.
But now, with Si-mun's overwhelming performance—from sheer combat prowess to demon subjugation—
that perception had been shattered, and chaos ensued.
But does Kim Si-mun even have a personal channel? Why's everyone going to TWC?
That guy only does broadcasts, never made a channel. Maybe he'll sell out this time?
Another Ranker incoming. As expected from the Ranker-producing nation.
22 And this one's got the makings of a Sword Saint or Iron Wall Saintess. Different class.
Facts.
The posts kept popping up endlessly.
And then.
"Huu."
A man who had been watching it all unfold in real-time let out a deep sigh.
He irritably turned off the monitor and then—
"Any updates? Did you find anything?"
—spoke to the two-meter-tall man standing before him like a statue.
He was addressing Choi Chang-wook, the Golem.
Choi Chang-wook gave a slight nod.
"Yes. Surprisingly, there's a facility related to the ingredients within the country."
"Within the country?"
Kim Mu-yeol sounded somewhat startled as he repeated the words.
Choi Chang-wook nodded once more.
"In Cheorwon, Gangwon Province."
"Cheorwon?"
"Yes. I'm not sure whether it's a research or production facility, but it's confirmed that there's a site related to the ingredients used in Jong-ri Chu's Spirit Elixir."
One of Kim Mu-yeol's sharp eyebrows rose.
As the President of the Korean Association, he was aware of all overseas facilities.
But.
"Why haven't I heard of this?"
To his knowledge,
there were no facilities in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, connected to the Continent Guild.
No—
In fact, there weren't any Awakened facilities there at all.
This wasn't something recorded in the Association's data either.
"Well... about that..."
Choi Chang-wook averted his gaze slightly.
Kim Mu-yeol's eyes hardened.
"Don't tell me you couldn't uncover it?"
"My apologies. There was simply no information on that front..."
"Then how did you find out about the facility in Cheorwon?"
"We received a tip from the Continent Guild."
"The Continent Guild?"
Kim Mu-yeol's eyebrow rose again.
This time, it wasn't just his eyebrow—his entire expression sharpened.
Wait.
"You mean the Continent Guild, not Jong-ri Chu?"
Kim Mu-yeol chewed over the words before asking.
"Don't tell me it was the Moderate Faction's Zheng Ben?"
"Yes."
Kim Mu-yeol rested his chin on his hand.
'Information from the Moderate Faction...'
Under normal circumstances, he would have approached this with at least some suspicion.
But.
'Right now, the Moderate Faction is locked in a power struggle with Jong-ri Chu's faction.'
Given the current state of the Continent Guild, the situation was different.
Once that thought settled in—
"Ha, that damn bastard."
The image of his wretched nephew flickered in his mind, and Kim Mu-yeol's lips twitched.
Watching him, Choi Chang-wook cautiously asked,
"Should we withhold this from Kim Si-mun?"
"No. Hand over the information to him as promised."
"But wouldn't he already know? You said yourself, President, that he's already joined hands with Seo Wi-ryong."
"I did."
Kim Mu-yeol stared at the darkened monitor with a sharp gaze.
His damned nephew's face involuntarily surfaced on the black screen.
"He crushed Kang Hwa-wi and had a rather lengthy discussion with Seo Wi-ryong."
He had taken down one of Jong-ri Chu's people and finalized a deal with the Moderate Faction's representative.
On the surface, there wasn't much reason to be suspicious.
But when Seo Wi-ryong, a Moderate Faction member, visited Korea again as their representative under the pretext of adjusting the rental fees—
the story changed.
"That fox-like bastard wouldn't have called Seo Wi-ryong, the Moderate Faction's figurehead, as their representative without a reason."
"But President, isn't that a bit of a stretch? That guild, Simdrasil, belongs to the Sword Saint Kim Si-hyeok."
"Choi Chang-wook, after all these years by my side, do you still not understand those bastards?"
Kim Mu-yeol let out a dry chuckle and shook his head.
"Kim Si-hyeok follows Kim Si-mun's words to the letter. Even if it's something he himself doesn't want. Therefore, all of this came from Kim Si-mun—that fox's scheming mind."
"But... my apologies."
Choi Chang-wook barely stopped himself from reflexively questioning further.
It was only natural.
No matter how close they were as brothers,
Kim Si-hyeok was one of Korea's top Rankers.
And yet, he was following someone who was just Gold—
No.
Someone who had only just stepped into Platinum?
But Kim Mu-yeol showed no particular reaction.
"I understand your skepticism. But I'm certain. There's even a chance that Kim Si-mun is the guild's true master. Kim Si-hyeok is just a figurehead."
That fox-like bastard was more than capable of pulling that off.
Muttering to himself, Kim Mu-yeol then asked,
"What about the DS?"
"...My apologies. We've been investigating every possible lead, but... However, since we've been exchanging information with the Moderate Faction this time, we're following up on that angle as well."
As Choi Chang-wook bowed his head, Kim Mu-yeol exhaled deeply.
"Huu. Find out as soon as possible. We absolutely must uncover what side effects the DS has."
Only then could they neutralize that damned nephew's trait nullification.
"You may go now."
"Understood."
Watching Choi Chang-wook's retreating figure as he bowed and left—
Click.
Kim Mu-yeol pulled out the strongest Arena-grade cigarette and lit it.