Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Chapter 134: Germany Match (2)
Translation: godtl
Tsk.
"Fauuuust!"
Leoni's eyes burned with venom on their own.
She glared at Faust, who lay dead in the distance with a stake driven through his chest.
"You said his main stats were sealed! How the hell did this happen?!"
Leoni's veins bulged in her neck as she screamed.
But the dead tell no tales.
Instead, another answered her question.
"Faust's curse worked just fine."
"What?"
The man she had been about to bisect mere moments ago—Kim Si-mun.
"Literally. Faust's curse took full effect. My main stats are completely locked."
At his words, Leoni's face twisted in disgust.
"Didn't take you for the type to enjoy mockery."
"I'm serious."
"Then what the hell is up with that body?! Both Demonic Energy and main stats were sealed!"
"Simple. It's an ability unaffected by those two sealed stats."
"......"
As if stating the obvious.
Si-mun shrugged nonchalantly as he answered.
It was the truth.
'Dragon Power aside, Dragon Body Transformation is fundamentally a trait.'
What Faust had sealed was only Transmutation Power and Demonic Energy.
He hadn't sealed Dragon Power or traits.
Unless it was the Philosopher's Stone, which was directly linked to Transmutation Power, nothing could affect it.
And even that was merely rendered speechless.
'Maybe because its grade improved, but the Philosopher's Stone is perfectly fine too.'
The Philosopher's Stone was also in perfect condition.
-Son of a... bitch... Damn... it...!
Perfectly, utterly fine.
"Haah......"
Leoni looked utterly dumbfounded at Si-mun's words.
Truthfully, she already knew.
Seeing that he no longer flicked his fingers, Faust's curse sealing main stats had indeed taken effect.
But.
'Two main stats blocked... and he still has more?'
How did that make any sense?
But the deed was done.
"Damn it!"
She had to face reality.
In frustration, Leoni stomped the ground and yanked the greatsword embedded in it.
"Fine. Good, actually. I wasn't keen on winning like this anyway."
As if the greatsword her own height weighed nothing.
She swung it effortlessly with one hand.
"Even the Constellation sponsoring me doesn't enjoy victories like this."
"Constellation?"
Si-mun reflexively echoed, but she answered with action instead of words.
"Brynhildr! Your warrior calls upon you!"
Leoni's resonant voice rang out.
As if in response—
Whooosh.
A radiant light enveloped her entire body.
Soon, a full set of armor materialized around her.
The dazzlingly crafted armor radiated unadulterated divinity and ferocity into the dim ironworks.
"A power I thought I'd only use after reaching Diamond..."
Leoni scattered fragments of light as she spoke.
"I'll acknowledge you, Kim Si-mun. You're the strongest opponent I've faced so far. So—"
Gripping her greatsword anew, she charged.
"I'll crush you with everything I've got!"
Swoooosh!
Leoni descended with overwhelming force.
A strange light flickered in Si-mun's eyes.
'Incredible.'
True to the power of a Constellation.
Just facing her charge made his skin prickle.
Considering his current Dragon Body Transformation state, it was an extremely threatening situation.
Yet despite the continuous warnings from his transformation, Si-mun remained motionless.
The reason was simple.
[Constellation Odin is watching you with mischievous eyes, thinking,"Huh? That familiar energy... Oh, it's Brynhildr?"]
Odin's reaction had suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Constellation Odin gazes at your left eye with keen interest.]
Before he could even question Odin's sudden reaction again—
'I need to dodge first.'
Kiiing.
Si-mun activated Odin's Eye,
watching Leoni, who had closed the distance in an instant, in slowed motion as he evaded her blade.
No—he tried to evade it.
Stagger—!
Leoni's form, which had been charging forward like lightning, suddenly lurched violently.
Kwaaaaang!
—Only to crash straight into the wall moments later.
[Losing an arm is far too critical for a combat specialist! Even long-range healing has its limits with that kind of injury!]
[Indeed. A severed limb requires proper treatment— Wha—?! Leoni! Suddenly, light is erupting from her entire body!]
The two men from the National Arena Program's heated broadcast—Choi Gang-yeop and Song Jae-kyung—raised their voices, practically spitting in excitement.
Naturally.
[Didn't she just say she had a Constellation sponsoring her? If so, there's a high chance that's the power of a Constellation!]
[Now that you mention it, you're right! Given the extraordinary energy she's radiating, it seems certain!]
Constellations.
The greatest point of interest for current Players, and one of the biggest mysteries of the Galaxy Arena.
No one knew what they truly were or under what conditions they appeared.
But it was widely known that those who received a Constellation's sponsorship invariably rose to the upper echelons of Diamond-rank and beyond.
So how could anyone not be thrilled witnessing the power of a sponsored Constellation in action?
-Holy shit! A Constellation? Damn.......
-German class is no joke. Platinum-rank but already sponsored?
-Sounds legit. I heard Fabian Wolf has connections with a Constellation too.
-If it's a Constellation's power, even Kim Si-mun might...
As if to prove it,
the Special Match's chat was ablaze with the mere mention of the word "Constellation."
-If that's the case, even Kim Si-mun might...
-Fr, Constellations are broken. How do you even fight that?
-Idk. I kinda think Kim Si-mun might have ties to one too?
-Yeah. There's been talk overseas. Rumors say he's sponsored by a Constellation.
-Makes sense. People usually don't reveal their sponsorships.
-Cuz it's not like it ever ends well when they do lol.
-But if Kim Si-mun is sponsored, shouldn't he be using that power now?
-Exactly. But he's doing nothing? Just standing there?
It was common knowledge that Players backed by a Constellation's power displayed overwhelming dominance within their rank.
Thus, the prevailing theory was that unless one possessed a power of equal or comparable caliber, resistance was impossible.
The two National Arena commentators were well aware of this fact.
[Leoni is charging at an incredible speed!]
[Ah... Has Kim Si-mun given up? Given that his opponent is sponsored by a Constellation, it's understandable... But still, we'd hoped he'd give it his all.]
Their voices dripped with disappointment at Si-mun's motionless stance.
Then.
[Wha—?!]
[No way!]
The broadcast showed Leoni staggering mid-charge before crashing into the wall.
[Leoni— She just charged straight into the wall!]
[W-What in the world just happened?!]
-??? What is Leoni doing?
-Is the Constellation's power too much for her to handle or something?
-Cut the bullshit. You think a Constellation's power is some kind of joke?
-Is she just messing around?
Both the commentators and the chat were flooded with confusion and question marks.
Then,
as the dust settled and the scene became clear—
[Sh-She's... closing her eyes?]
[Wait. Is she... sleeping right now?!]
Everyone's jaws dropped.
The thick dust slowly settled.
Within it lay Leoni, eyes closed, motionless as a dead rat.
Were it not for the resplendent armor of light still enveloping her entire body,
one might have thought she was dead.
Seeing Leoni like this, Si-mun let out a hollow laugh.
'I never imagined it would turn out like this...'
Leoni, empowered by the Constellation Brynhildr's strength.
Even in his Dragon Body Transformation, her overwhelming presence had made his skin prickle with tension.
And yet, she had collapsed so abruptly?
Moreover—
Snore... snore...
How could someone who had been ready to fight even after losing an arm suddenly fall into such a deep slumber?
Si-mun's bewilderment didn't last long.
[Constellation Black Goat tilts his head at Odin and mutters, "Why hasn't that punishment ended yet? She's a married woman now."]
[Constellation Odin scratches his head and grins sheepishly. "Ah... I kinda forgot. Hehe!"]
[Constellation Baal sighs deeply, staring at Odin with utter disappointment. "Tch."]
[Constellations Zeus and Heavenly Demon shake their heads in unison.]
The reactions of the Constellations scrolling before his eyes gave Si-mun some measure of understanding regarding Leoni's sudden slumber.
'I don't know the details, but it seems something happened between Brynhildr and Odin.'
Judging by Black Goat's mention of a "punishment,"
there must be something related to sleep involved.
'Then the reason she was fine earlier... Ah. Was it because she hadn't borrowed Brynhildr's power yet?'
When he first faced Leoni—
and even when he blew off one of her arms—she had been moving just fine.
But after gaining Brynhildr's power, during that terrifying charge of hers...
Hadn't her momentum shattered the moment she met the activated Odin's Eye?
'But I activated Odin's Eye pretty late too... This is getting interesting.'
Si-mun's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Would Leoni still fall asleep if Odin's Eye was activated without Brynhildr's power?
'Well, this is the Special Match. I'll have to test it out another time if I get the chance.'
The alchemist's innate curiosity.
Barely suppressing it, Si-mun stepped toward the slumbering iron warrior.
Then—
Whizz—THUNK!
With a sharp whistling sound, arrows rained down in front of him.
Taking a light step back to evade them, Si-mun—
Whoosh!
—swung his fist at the incoming fireball.
Fwoomp.
The fire magic shattered powerlessly against his draconic fist.
Brushing off the lingering embers with indifference, he turned his gaze toward the source of the projectiles.
"Come to think of it, Leoni wasn't the only one left."
His eyes locked onto the German team surrounding the mineral cart.
The Korean team defending it had already fallen—all except Lee Sang-min.
"Ugh..."
Even he was in terrible shape.
Lee Sang-min, battered and bruised, staggered unsteadily.
'I was planning to avoid spending Achievement Points in the Special Match, but...'
Given the circumstances—and the fact that Baal's mission would net him 5,000 points anyway—
once he cleared it, he'd have enough left over to complete Black Goat's quest too.
Without hesitation, Si-mun flicked his fingers.
Then—
KRRRUMBLE!
A thunderclap, utterly out of place in the underground tunnels, shook the entire rail line.
"What the—?! He just snapped his fingers!"
"Wasn't his mana supposed to be sealed?!"
"It hasn't even been 30 minutes yet?!"
The German team immediately descended into chaos.
Then.
"The—the cart!"
One of the German players shouted urgently.
"Forget Leoni, just destroy the damn cart!"
"He's right! This is a Transport Battle!"
At those words, the stunned German team snapped back to their senses.
This special match was a Transport Battle.
Meaning, if they could either stop the opponent's transport or destroy the transport objective, the Arena would declare their victory.
Recalling the rules, the German team immediately shifted their focus.
"Bash!"
"Magnum Shot!"
They unleashed a barrage of attacks toward the mineral cart—their transport target.
One.
"Cry out."
A clear, cold voice cut through the frantic atmosphere, piercing everyone's eardrums.
KRRRRUMBLE!
A deafening thunderclap followed, hammering against their eardrums.
But it wasn't just sound.
CRACKLE!
Blue and white lightning.
The bolts tangled like spiderwebs, enveloping the mineral cart in an instant.
FWSSSHH!
The German team's attacks shattered uselessly against the barrier of lightning that had formed in the blink of an eye.
Then.
Si-mun, who had been about to snap his fingers again to manifest Laevateinn, paused mid-motion.
The reason was simple.
'Hm?'
Through Odin's Eye, now fully activated.
Beyond the walls of the tunnel, he detected outlines—complex, yet eerily familiar.
'That's.......'
Si-mun recognized them immediately.
"So that's why it's called the Abandoned Railway."
He let out a hollow laugh and shook his head slightly.
Soon after.
"K-keep firing! Pour everything into it!"
The assassin-class player, Max, screamed desperately.
Si-mun raised his hand toward Max.
No—more precisely, toward the massive, familiar mechanism hidden behind the wall.
[The Philosopher's Stone requires 100 Achievement Points to establish Equivalent Exchange due to insufficient reserves.]
[Do you accept? (Yes / No)]
Without hesitation, he selected 'Yes' on the familiar prompt.
WHOOM.
A bright golden energy, like the glow of ripened fruit, manifested at the core of the massive device beyond the wall.
And then.
GRRRRRRRRRR—
As if it would collapse any second.
The entire Abandoned Railway trembled violently.
"W-what the hell?!"
"What kind of magic is this now?!"
The German team staggered, thrown into chaos by the quake strong enough to knock them off balance.
CLANG! CLICK.
SCREEEECH.
The rough, rusted sounds of metal.
But the relentless, unidentified mechanical noises only heightened their tension.
Then.
CLANK.
"T-that's—!"
"Cannons? And sawblades?!"
"Wait. No way... right?"
Dozens of cannons and serrated blades, along with surrounding machinery, protruded densely from the walls, draining the color from the German team's faces.
And, as always.
[Defense System activated.]
[Intruders detected. Scanning.]
Their ominous premonitions were never wrong.
"It's fine! Kim Si-mun will get attacked too!"
"R-right! We outnumber him, and he still has to protect the transport objective!"
"Everyone, gather near the healers!"
And then.
[Special Protected Individual confirmed.]
Misfortune, as if to spite them, piled on mercilessly.
[Precision scan initiated.]
Si-mun, who had been about to step into Astrapē's barrier, halted.
A telescope-shaped machine had descended from the ceiling, blocking his path.
SCREEEECH.
It rotated at multiple angles, scrutinizing him.
[Confirmation complete. Protection Priority: Rank 0. Kim Si-mun.]
With the same stiff, mechanical voice as before.
[Security Level elevated to highest clearance.]
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—!!
A piercing siren reverberated through the entire railway.
As if more devices were about to emerge.
CLATTER.
CLANK!
So densely that not a single gap remained visible on the walls, countless defense mechanisms burst forth.
Then.
[Annihilation Mode engaged.]
[Commencing elimination of all targets except protected individuals.]
The chilling announcement alone was enough to make their spines freeze.
"This is why you should always do good deeds."
Si-mun's lips curled up on their own.
KWA-BOOOOOOOOOM!!
A deafening explosion, loud enough to numb their eardrums, filled the railway.