Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Chapter 136: Wrapping Up (1)
Translation: godtl
Ranker Palace.
This place boasted the most expensive real estate in Korea, and true to its value—
"Step back, everyone! Step back!"
"If you take even one more step forward, we'll sue you for trespassing!"
—it prided itself on complete isolation from outsiders.
Finally.
"Player Kim Si-mun! Just one comment—"
"Kim Si—!"
As the gates of Ranker Palace closed, the reporters and camera flashes that had been incessantly harassing Si-mun disappeared.
"Whew."
Letting out a sigh, Si-mun pressed the elevator button with practiced ease. Then he slumped against the wall.
"Honestly, this is more exhausting than the match..."
He wasn't joking.
From the moment the match ended until he got into the car prepared by the Association,
Si-mun had to deal with an overwhelming number of reporters.
'If I hadn't slipped away, I would've given the same interview dozens more times.'
He hadn't realized there were so many media outlets in this small country.
At least he'd managed to exchange greetings with the coaches and players beforehand—otherwise, he wouldn't even have been able to do that properly.
As if to console him,
-Honestly! It was already sweltering with all those people crowding around, and they kept asking the same questions over and over!
A cheerful voice rang out from the center of his chest.
It was the Philosopher's Stone.
-It's all because you're too nice, Oppa.
"Me? How?"
-The interviews. You answered every single one without showing any annoyance. If I hadn't cut in and told you to leave, you would've done every single media interview they asked for, wouldn't you?
Si-mun scratched his cheek briefly before replying,
"Well... I can't deny that."
-Exactly! You should be grateful you met someone as sharp as me. Otherwise, you'd just keep getting taken advantage of because you're too kind.
Ding.
"Yeah. I'm really lucky."
Stepping out of the elevator, Si-mun chuckled as he answered.
-That sounded a bit... soulless?
"Soulless? I meant it."
He really did. If he hadn't met the Philosopher's Stone, the current him wouldn't exist.
-Hmm... No, but... It's subtly grating on my delicate sensibilities...
With the Philosopher's Stone's chatter as background noise,
Si-mun walked down the long, elegant hallway and arrived at the penthouse entrance.
Beep.
As the door lock disengaged and he grabbed the handle—
Thudthudthudthud!
He could sense someone running toward the door from inside.
Their footsteps were light, with short strides—they couldn't weigh much.
Given those conditions, there was only one person in his life who fit.
By the time he opened the door and stepped inside, the corners of his lips had already curled up.
"Si-yeon, Daddy's h—"
Before Si-mun could finish—
"Daddy!!"
A small child who barely reached his waist came barreling toward him—
Thwack!
"Oof!"
—and struck him square in the solar plexus.
No, she'd thrown herself into his arms.
Despite her small frame, the momentum made the impact register just shy of actual pain.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Seeing Si-yeon clinging to him, nuzzling her head against him without hiding her excitement,
"Oof! Did you miss Daddy, Si-yeon?"
that little shock melted away instantly.
"Mm! I saw Daddy go boom boom! Kaboom!"
Her eyes sparkling, Si-yeon looked up at him.
"Huh?"
As Si-mun tilted his head in confusion at her words,
"She's talking about your match, Hyung. We watched the special match against Germany together—the one on the Abandoned Railway map."
A refreshingly clear voice clarified.
It was his younger brother, Kim Si-hyeok.
Si-mun looked past him at the rest of the group approaching.
"Big Brother, you were amazing in the match. I had no idea the Abandoned Railway had hidden defenses like that... It was shocking!"
"Hah! I was more shocked that you drugged Leoni Wolf with sleeping pills. What kind of medicine did you make this time?"
"...It was exhausting to watch."
It was Lee Yu-jeong, Park Jin-uk, and Go Mal-suk.
Si-mun's eyes softened slightly.
"You all were watching."
"Of course we were. We watched it with our Si-yeon. Right, Si-yeon?"
"Mm-hmm! Watched wif Uncle and Auntie!"
"That's right! You watched it with your uncle!"
Could anything be that delightful?
Kim Si-hyeok's eyes dripped with honey as he gazed at Si-yeon.
And it wasn't just Si-hyeok.
"Si-yeon got so excited when you transformed and activated the hidden piece, Oppa."
"Indeed. She was swinging her little fists around like a whirlwind—absolute chaos."
"Thanks to that, I had to work hard resetting Senior's dislocated jaw."
Lee Yu-jeong and Park Jin-uk too.
Though that last bit didn't sound like something to laugh about.
Yet the warmth in their eyes as they looked at Si-yeon was unmistakable.
"I see. Thank you, all of you. For looking after Si-yeon."
"Don't mention it. She's my niece—of course I'd look after her."
"Same here, Oppa."
At his siblings' words, Si-mun's eyes grew warm too.
Park Jin-uk knelt down, eyes sparkling as he coaxed Si-yeon.
Had they grown close while he was away at the Special Match?
"Here, here. Si-yeon, want Uncle to give you a horsey ride again?"
"Horsey?! Mm-hmm! Horsey!"
Leaping out of Si-mun's arms,
Kim Si-yeon scampered over to Park Jin-uk.
"Make way! Make way! Her Highness Princess Si-yeon is coming through!"
"No no! Not Princess! Queen!"
"Eh? Hahaha!! My mistake. Alright then—make way for Her Majesty the Queen!"
Perched on Park Jin-uk's shoulders, Si-yeon sat regally straight-backed like a queen.
Then she raised her short arms to either side.
"Zza! Uncle and Auntie must escort the Queen too."
"Haha! What an honor!"
"Pfft. We're at your service, Your Majesty."
Kim Si-hyeok and Lee Yu-jeong.
With Korea's two Rankers as her royal escort, Si-yeon processed into the living room.
Midway, Kim Si-hyeok glanced back at Si-mun and grinned, jerking his chin.
"Hyung, come rest too. Her Majesty waited so long for you."
"Got it. I'll be right there."
Si-mun smiled back, then turned his gaze to Go Mal-suk,
who stood leaning silently against the wall, head bowed, after the four disappeared from view.
"Mal-suk. Something wrong?"
At Si-mun's question, she lifted her head.
Her face, usually so confident, was uncharacteristically shadowed.
"...No, not really."
Her words and expression were complete opposites.
True to her nature, her inner turmoil was plain to see. Si-mun waited silently.
About a minute passed.
"Hey."
After staring at the floor for a long while, Go Mal-suk finally spoke.
"If I make it to Platinum...can I still run Arenas with you?"
"Huh?"
Si-mun blinked in surprise.
Then—
"Of course. We'd be the same rank."
He nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Outside of Survival modes where you had to kill each other, forming parties in the Galaxy Arena wasn't particularly hard.
Sure, there might be penalties from MMR differences, but same-rank parties were fundamentally allowed.
Had he misunderstood?
"No, that's not what I meant..."
Go Mal-suk shook her head slightly, trailing off.
Then—
"Never mind. Fuck, this isn't like me—getting cold feet without even trying."
Muttering curses under her breath, she scratched her head roughly and turned away.
Si-mun tilted his head, then seemed to realize something.
"Ah."
He gave a small nod.
"Mal-suk."
"What."
"You're plenty strong. So don't worry about that."
This time, he'd guessed right—Go Mal-suk's face stiffened instantly.
"Trust me. You're more than skilled enough to run Arenas with me."
"Hey, you—!"
Her lips twitched for a moment.
She let out a short sigh and spoke.
"Alright. Since we're on the topic, let me ask you something."
"Why the hell do you trust me so much?"
Perhaps because she had finally opened up?
"I don't even trust myself. What the hell about me makes you believe in me like that?"
She poured out her thoughts without hesitation.
Si-mun paused briefly.
But no matter how close Mal-suk was, he couldn't tell her about the regression.
"Because you're worth trusting."
All he could do was answer with sincerity.
At his words, Go Mal-suk's eyes widened momentarily.
Then—
"Tch. Fine. When it comes to combat, I'll admit it. It might piss you off to hear, but I'm strong as hell, you know? If I went into the Arena right now, I could beat the shit out of any party solo."
She smirked and roughly swept her bangs back.
"But fuck, so what? Can you say I'm stronger than you? No, can you even say I'm on the same level?"
"That's..."
Si-mun hesitated.
Naturally.
It wasn't that he was looking down on her—objectively speaking, Go Mal-suk wasn't on his level.
And it wasn't just her.
Even the Platinum Gatekeepers, or the top-tier Platinum players eyeing Diamond, were the same.
Hell, even Leoni Wolf, backed by the power of a Constellation, couldn't stand against him.
Sure, they hadn't fought properly due to the conflict between Odin and Brynhildr, but—
Even with his Transmutation Power and Demonic Energy sealed, Si-mun was confident he could defeat Leoni Wolf.
Because his true strength—Mythic-grade Equipment transmutation and other traits—were still intact.
Seeing Si-mun falter, Mal-suk snorted as if she'd already gotten her answer.
"See? You can't say it."
She stuck out her lower lip.
"Mal-suk. Listen. I know it sounds ridiculous coming from me, but I'm not exactly a normal case—"
"I know."
She cut him off, biting her lip hard.
"That you're freakishly strong. The whole world's talking about how you're an irregular or whatever. But—"
Her fists clenched tightly as she forced the words out.
"In the end, the person I have to fight alongside in the Arena is you, isn't it?"
"......"
When Si-mun stayed silent, she exhaled sharply.
"Ha... Fuck! I didn't bring this up just to say this kind of shit."
She let out a deep sigh and roughly ran her hands through her hair.
"Hey, don't look so down. It's my weakness that's the problem here, so why the hell are you moping?"
"Mal-suk..."
Si-mun gazed at her with a deeper intensity.
Then—
"Sorry. I wasn't moping. It's just... it's such a straightforward fact that I didn't know what to say, so I just kept my mouth shut—"
"GAAAH! You bastard! Then shut it! Keep it shut forever!!"
Like a boiling kettle, Go Mal-suk erupted instantly.
Now this was more like her usual self.
"Mal-suk. If you keep swinging like that, you're gonna eat a counter."
"Bring it on, you little shit! Try it! Just fucking try!"
Si-mun calmly weathered her rough grumbling.
Well, more accurately—
"GAAAH! You monster! How the hell do you dodge everything?!"
It was more like Go Mal-suk, grabbing her nape in frustration after failing to land a single hit on him, was the one who collapsed first.
After a while of huffing and glaring at him like she wanted to strangle him, she finally—
"Let's go. Your daughter's been looking for you like crazy. Thought my ears were gonna grow calluses from all the 'Daddy, Daddy!'"
She turned with a snort, her voice back to its usual, strong tone.
Si-mun answered with a smile.
"She's still just a kid. It's the age where she's clingy with her parents."
"...Yeah, guess all kids are like that."
She seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"Aigoo! Our little queen! Your juice has arrived~!"
"Hehe! Such a loyal uncle! I like you second-best after Daddy!"
"Si-yeon, what about me? Uncle's bringing two glasses of juice, you know?"
"Hmm... Then after Daddy, it's Unclie!"
"Oh my! Si-yeon, then Auntie will bring three glasses of juice and snacks!"
"These people! What kind of despicable behavior is this in front of a child?!"
Go Mal-suk gazed wistfully at the lively living room bustling because of Si-yeon.
Then.
"Oh right, I saw your interview. You were damn good with your words, huh?"
Having returned to her usual self, she gave Si-mun's shoulder a light tap.
"Of course. I've said the same thing countless times."
"Kek! Guess you've got a knack for broadcasting too."
Go Mal-suk shrugged her shoulders and looked at Si-mun with playful eyes.
"Once the kid's asleep, be prepared. We're drinking hard to celebrate the victory."
"But I don't really like alcohol?"
"You little brat! On days like these, you drink whether you like it or not. No backtalk—just be ready."
It's not like you just want to drink yourself, right?
Barely swallowing those words, Si-mun nodded at her as she scolded him with a stern face.
"Oh, and don't go making any hangover remedies or whatever just because Magic Classes are supposed to have weak stamina. I'll blow up your lab."
The next day.
"Ugh......"
"Snore!"
Four men and women were sprawled across the living room floor and sofa.
Clatter.
An Arena-made liquor bottle rolled across the floor.
After rolling across the wide living room floor, the bottle finally stopped its wandering journey by lightly tapping against a man's toe.
"Really... they drank way too much."
The owner of the toe.
Si-mun shook his head side to side.
Even a rough estimate puts it at 200 bottles.
Even if most of the drinkers were top-tier Players, downing over 200 bottles of Arena liquor in a single night was absurd.
Si-mun's gaze landed on a woman lying flat on the floor.
"Ngh... nghh!"
Even in her sleep, she let out faint groans.
Go Mal-suk, though her eyes were closed, looked no different from an Undead in her current state.
Si-mun let out a soft chuckle at the sight of her.
I told you to drink in moderation.
Last night.
After putting Si-yeon to bed, Si-mun had joined the drinking session and ended up consuming nearly half of those 200 bottles.
The reason was simple.
She just had to get competitive over something so pointless.
Was it some kind of psychological need to win, even in drinking?
Go Mal-suk had challenged him to a grand drinking contest, and accepting it had led to this mess.
From the start, it was a battle she couldn't win.
-Hmph. How about it, Oppa? Seeing her sprawled out like that, don't you feel the magnitude of my greatness?
Yeah.
The Philosopher's Stone embedded in the center of his chest.
One of its minor abilities was purifying impurities that entered his body.
Thus, even Arena liquor—which could intoxicate any Player—had no effect on Si-mun.
Unaware of this, Go Mal-suk had kept suspecting him of secretly doping and stubbornly kept the contest going.
Si-hyeok and Park Jin-uk jumping in midway, insisting they wanted a turn too, was just the icing on the cake.
The result was the spectacle before him now.
"Ngh......"
Perhaps because she was the lowest in level and rank among the five drinkers?
Go Mal-suk was the only one groaning in discomfort.
"Tsk."
After draping a small blanket over her, Si-mun immediately turned and headed for the lab.
"Philosopher's Stone. The healing potion production went smoothly while I was gone, right?"
-Of course. Even without you, Si-yeon was here, so we worked nonstop.
"Our Si-yeon worked hard, huh. Then is there anything left for me to help with?"
-Mm, only the packaging is left, so I can handle it alone.
"Good."
Nodding happily, Si-mun gazed into empty space.
The reason was simple.
"Then I guess it's about time to check the rewards."
The previous Arena match—the national team's Special Match.
It was time to check the rewards from that.
I wanted to check earlier, but I was just too busy.
Greetings with the coaching staff, including Manager Jang and Lee Sang-min, as well as the national team members.
Then immediately dealing with countless media outlets.
And right after returning, there was the celebratory drinking session with everyone.
Since there was no urgent need to check the rewards, Si-mun had put it off until this morning.
The reward window opened.
[You have achieved a complete victory in the National Tournament Special Match.]
[Despite insufficient numbers, you secured a flawless victory with overwhelming performance.]
[Rewards have been increased based on your achievements.]
[The attached trait 'Philosopher's Stone' has distributed a portion of experience points.]
[Level has increased by 3.]
[Philosopher's Stone level has increased by 2.]
[Clear reward obtained: 'Ogre Power Gauntlet'.]
A flood of system windows filled his vision.
As Si-mun checked the rewards, his brow subtly furrowed.
"Only three levels? Really?"
Even accounting for the split with the Philosopher's Stone, that made just five levels total.
For all the effort he'd put in, the rewards felt disappointingly meager.
-What can you do? You knew the National Tournament's EXP was garbage, Oppa.
"That may be so... but experiencing it firsthand still stings a bit."
Who would've thought the Promotion Match would give better experience than this?
What frustrated him even more:
"Tch. Just one more level and I'd hit 100. Stuck at 99 now."
Originally at level 96,
he'd needed just four more levels to reach the century mark. Yet now, falling short by a single level left him unable to breach it.
'Paracelsus' Cylinder's options only grow at level 100...'
Still, he couldn't help but hope.
"Philosopher's Stone. Just asking—since my Transmutation Power's high, maybe we could fudge this one-level difference..."
-Nope. Not happening. Go away.
The answer came swift and merciless.
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Si-mun turned his attention back to the reward window.
"Ogre Power Gauntlet... Now this isn't bad. Special Matches give SS-grade items, so the stats should be top-tier."
The true prize of National Tournament Special Matches had always been item rewards.
True to form, the Ogre Power Gauntlet—
commonly abbreviated as OPG—stood as one of the most coveted pieces of equipment for any combat-focused player.
For warrior classes, it provided even greater strength.
Assassins and archers could compensate for their physical shortcomings, while tanks gained offensive power—a true all-rounder.
And yet.
"Pretty much useless to me."
For Si-mun, who wielded Mythic-grade equipment and body transmutation, the item held no value.
-Told ya. Oppa's already a natural-born ogre. What're you gonna do with this?
"Fair point... but somehow that feels like a backhanded compliment?"
-Eh! It'd just interfere with your transmutation anyway. Gauntlets make finger-flicking harder, you know?
Heh heh! The Philosopher's Stone laughed cheekily.
Si-mun gave the giggling entity a bleary-eyed stare before shaking his head and closing the reward window.
'Should save the OPG for Mal-suk later.'
Go Mal-suk, who'd followed his footsteps to claim first place in her own Gold Debut Match.
He wanted to congratulate her properly, and yesterday's events still weighed on his mind.
Simultaneously, a question arose.
'I get it for me since I use transmutation, but how the hell does she run the Arena bare-handed?'
Current-day Go Mal-suk was a monstrous rookie with prospects as bright as his own.
She must've earned money somehow, yet—
Strangely, she owned no items.
Wasn't she combat-class too?
Combat types relied heavily on gear.
'Is there some reason? Well, she performs fine in the Arena without equipment, but still...'
She'd entered the Gold Debut Match solo—completely unarmed—and taken first place.
A monster nearly on par with his two younger siblings.
In his past life, she'd even matched them as a high-ranker.
'And yet she thinks she's weak... Mal-suk-ah. You're a woman whose heart I can never quite grasp.'
Recalling her sullen expression from yesterday, Si-mun chuckled wryly.
Then—
"Alright, Philosopher's Stone? We've earned 5,000 points from missions. Time to prep the main dish."
-Uh-huh! Already on it.
[Insufficient Transmutation Power to meet requirement.]
[Philosopher's Stone will compensate through Equivalent Exchange, requiring 50,000 Achievement Points.]
[Accept? (Yes / No)]
An astronomical demand of 50,000 points.
Yet from Baal's mission in the last Arena, he'd earned 5,000 Achievement Points.
Combined with his existing stock, his current total stood at 54,100 points.
Without a moment's hesitation, Si-mun selected 'Yes'—
Snap.
His fingers flicked.
And then—
[The Constellation Black Goat's eyes gleam brightly.]
Whoooooooosh—!!
A torrent of deep violet energy flooded the laboratory, so intense it made his hair stand on end.