Chapter 140
Chapter 140
Chapter 140: Black Smeltery (3)
Translation: godtl
Like walking on thin ice.
The dark, slender woman moved with extreme caution.
Considering she was a Dark Elf, it drove home just how dangerous this place truly was.
In reality.
Swish.
Thud.
Sometimes along walls, sometimes across ceilings, sometimes even crawling along the floor.
Like a Black Panther beastkin.
She advanced with movements so stealthy and agile.
And yet.
Glance.
The Dark Elf kept glancing back repeatedly.
Despite moving with such flawless stealth and infiltration skills.
Something seemed to unsettle her so much that she glanced back every ten seconds without fail.
And that very habit ultimately—
"Hmm? Who's there?"
—created an opening in her otherwise impeccable stealth.
'Damn it!'
Her eyes flashed with dismay.
But contrary to that expression—
Whoosh!
Her trained body instantly lashed out with a dagger.
However.
Clang!
The dagger was blocked by an unidentified black gauntlet.
"Tch! Sword Energy?!"
Crimson liquid dripped from the large hand gripping her dagger.
Seeing the Sword Energy rippling along her blade.
She could physically feel just how formidable the defense of that black gauntlet was.
And the thick black armor covering the entire body connected to that gauntlet.
Made the Dark Elf's expression darken.
'I'm screwed!'
To think it blocked her Sword Energy-infused strike with just a bit of bleeding.
Of course, if she fought seriously, this level of defense wouldn't be an issue, but—
'I have to finish him before he raises an alarm!'
The upper-level Dragonkin before her.
Drak would undoubtedly shout or scream before she could stop him.
Just as she feared—
"Intruder—"
The moment Drak's voice began to rise through his black armor.
Crunch.
With the sound of something twisting.
Squelch!
A gruesome flesh-rending noise cut off Drak's voice.
To be precise.
"G-gurk...!"
It would be more accurate to say it clogged his throat.
Drak's mouth, frothing with blood, gaped several times but to no avail.
Between the black helmet and armor.
His thick throat had been pierced, and no matter how much he strained his vocal cords, no sound emerged.
So he glared at the cause of his pierced throat.
Sssss.
Ghostly energy—or perhaps specters.
Semi-transparent ashen claws wrapped in them.
The semi-transparent arm extending from it and the sparsely scattered golden scales.
'A Dragonian? Why would she...?'
With that final question.
Drak's intermittent twitching ceased.
Clunk.
With a dull metallic thud, Drak collapsed limply.
"That was close."
Still holding the over 3-meter-tall Drak impaled on one hand.
"Dayna. Are you okay?"
Shrouded in ashen ghostly energy, Si-mun asked nonchalantly.
-An upper-level Dragonkin taken out in one hit...
-You just wrecked a named-tier Drak with your mouth earlier. Why act surprised over a regular one?
-For real lol. More importantly, that stealth makes no sense.
-Yeah, what kind of stealth is this that Dragonkin don't notice at all?
Rather than one-shotting an upper-level Dragonkin.
The chatroom focused more on Si-mun's stealth.
And for good reason.
-Isn't Dayna's stealth Diamond-tier?
-True. Combat aside, her assassination skills are at least early Diamond-level.
-She pulled out all the stops just to lead us here lol.
-First time seeing Dayna struggle this hard lol.
Dayna, who was leading the way ahead.
They had witnessed in real time just how meticulously she had infiltrated the area.
In contrast.
-But how the hell is this guy keeping up with Dayna's lead?
-Right? From what I heard, it seems like he's even using stealth on top of that.
-But we didn't see any stealth effects from him. Doesn't that mean he didn't use it?
Si-mun's figure wasn't visible at all on the viewers' screens.
-Don't they usually show stealth effects to the audience?
-Yup. It varies by settings, but this guy's broadcast is probably on default since it's his first time.
-If it's default settings, shouldn't the stealth effect look like rippling waves?
-Exactly.
When a broadcasting player uses abilities like stealth,
there are usually special effects to help viewers follow along.
After all, no matter how stealthy the ability,
from the audience's perspective, they still need to see what the player is doing.
-But I didn't see any stealth effects at all.
-Same here. Not a single trace.
Yet no one could detect Si-mun's stealth.
There were two possible explanations for this.
One was that there was an issue with Arenia, the broadcasting platform.
The other was...
-No way... Could it be...? Nah.
-Pfft, as if there's stealth even Arenia can't detect lol.
-No matter how irregular he is, that's just too much...
That his stealth was on a level even Arenia couldn't capture.
Gradually, the viewers' opinions leaned toward the latter.
The reason was simple.
-That ashen energy we saw briefly earlier seemed like some kind of Death Energy, right?
-You're spot on, bro. I have Death Energy stats, so I could tell Kim used Necromancy.
-As expected of Merchant Kim. Using Necromancy for stealth.
-Isn't he on a completely different level compared to Riko, another Platinum prospect? WWWW
Si-mun currently had 1.4 million viewers.
Moreover, they were an international audience with many high-level players,
which meant they could somewhat deduce the nature of Si-mun's power.
Of course.
[The Constellation Hades is extremely pleased with your ambush.]
They could never imagine that this stealth was achieved through the divine item of Constellation Hades.
[The four Constellations watching you glare at Constellation Hades.]
[Constellation Hades sidles up next to Constellation Zeus.]
[Constellation Zeus bursts into booming laughter and subtly pushes Constellation Hades away.]
[Constellation Hades stares at Constellation Zeus with shocked eyes.]
The reactions of the Constellations scrolling before his eyes.
Si-mun let out a hollow laugh.
'So even among the upper echelons of Constellations, there are hierarchies. Hades is supposed to be a high-ranking Constellation too.'
Hades was one of the three kings of Olympus alongside Zeus.
Yet even Hades was being cautious?
'Does that mean unless you're at Zeus' level as the supreme god, you can't stand your ground there? Well, I guess in terms of rank alone, he is the king of kings.'
He wasn't sure about the Heavenly Demon,
but he knew the other Constellations, including Black Goat, were leader-class figures.
No matter how much Hades was one of the three kings of Olympus,
he probably couldn't compare to them.
It's not like Hades was the only Constellation related to the underworld and death anyway.
As his thoughts reached that point.
'Speaking of which...'
Si-mun swept his gaze, now slightly hardened, across the interior of the Black Smeltery.
'This place is no different from the underworld.'
After donning Hades' divine item,"Kynée,"
Si-mun had escaped the Black Smeltery's oppressive heat and stifling air,
only to encounter another hellish environment.
Namely...
'So many souls...'
A banquet of countless souls.
No.
Kyaaaaah!
Huuuuu!
It was more accurate to call it a storm of vengeful spirits.
'Every single one is filled with such intense resentment.'
Was it because of the influence of Kynée, Hades' divine item?
Si-mun's concealment wasn't the only thing at work here.
-It burns! It hurts! It burns! It hurts!
-Kill them all! I'll kill them all!!
-Enough!! Let me go!! Just kill me already!!!
The anguished cries of countless vengeful spirits filling the Black Smeltery reached his ears.
Si-mun's gaze followed the flow of these tormented souls upward toward the ceiling.
'They're all moving in the same direction.'
Like a storm-ravaged sea.
A massive whirlpool of vengeful spirits churned violently across the towering ceiling.
'These seem to be the souls of various races dragged into the Black Smeltery... But why can't these souls escape beyond its walls?'
Though he hadn't formally studied necromancy or possessed any Death Energy stats,
Equipped with Kynée, Si-mun understood the fundamental structure of death.
When a soul-bearing being meets its end,
That soul should depart its flesh and journey to the underworld.
The exact mechanics remained unclear, but this was the basic concept of soul circulation.
Necromancy and Death Energy were merely means to influence this natural process.
But what about here?
'I don't sense any necromancy or Death Energy at work...'
No trace of any death-related elements whatsoever,
Yet countless souls—enough to fill this vast space—were being endlessly drawn into the swirling vortex above.
Even more astonishing:
'New souls keep appearing endlessly from below.'
Since setting foot in the Black Smeltery,
This maelstrom of souls had shown no signs of stopping.
Just how many lives needed to perish for such a phenomenon to occur?
-Kill me! Please!!
-Aaah!!
Two more screams grazed Si-mun's ears.
Like worn-out objects,
The spirits had eroded to the point of becoming tangled masses of resentment, making Si-mun's expression grow even colder.
'Even their souls are deformed... What kind of process could cause this?'
Before using Kynée, he'd assumed this was just an ordinary Dragonkin smeltery.
But viewing it through the lens of death's power revealed the Black Smeltery as anything but ordinary.
Then—
A chill.
A cold so profound it triggered instinctive revulsion enveloped Si-mun.
As he gave an involuntary shudder,
[The Death Constellations are watching you.]
An abrupt message appeared.
Soon after,
[Constellation Hades discusses something with them, his expression stern.]
[Constellation Hades issues you a mission as the representative of the Death Constellations.]
Hades had issued a mission.
Si-mun immediately opened the mission window to examine Hades' request.
[MISSION]
-The Death Constellations are extremely sensitive to soul circulation. They find the phenomena occurring in the Black Smeltery deeply disturbing.
Liberate as many trapped souls as possible from the Black Smeltery.
Reward: Death Energy stat, Gifts from the Death Constellations
P.S. - The Constellations' gifts will vary based on the number of souls liberated.
'A conditional reward too?'
Conditional reward.
A reward whose quality would scale based on his performance, exactly as the mission stated.
'The Death Energy stat is one thing, but gifts from the Death Constellations...'
And not just sponsorship or loans—actual "gifts."
In a way, this represented the highest tier of rewards obtainable from Constellations.
Especially since it wasn't just from Hades alone.
Anything bestowed by the Death Constellations would undoubtedly be extraordinary.
Si-mun's gaze focused on the mission's keywords:"trapped souls" and "liberation."
'I see. The souls are trapped here. That explains this overwhelming number.'
Like water endlessly recycled in a fountain,
The souls couldn't follow their natural path to the underworld, forced instead to endlessly circle the Black Smeltery.
So that's how this endless flow of souls can continue.
Closing the mission window, Si-mun's gaze pierced through the air like a black hole, rising toward the ceiling that endlessly devoured souls.
'The souls keep getting sucked into the vortex in the ceiling. Which means...'
And naturally.
His eyes turned toward the floor, where souls continuously welled up.
'The source of the flow must be down there.'
Just as Si-mun was lost in thought—
"Honored one? Are you nearby?"
Dayna's voice snapped him back to reality.
Si-mun temporarily released the concealment of the Kynée.
"Ah, my apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment."
Si-mun, now semi-visible through the ashen aura of death.
Startled by his sudden appearance, Dayna stiffened before nodding curtly and pointing in a direction.
Fortunately.
"Our kin are imprisoned below. Let us take these stairs down first."
She gestured toward a staircase leading to the lower floor.
"Move faster, you lowly wretches!"
A rough, savage voice.
And with it—
Crack!
"Aaaagh!"
A scream of pain tore through the air, following the sound of friction.
A lash mark bloomed crimson across an emaciated back.
The figure was so pitiful, so wretched, it could hardly be called alive—yet the towering dragonkin showed no hesitation as he swung his whip.
"Can't even stand up?!"
Drak's eyes held no sympathy.
"We're already behind schedule because of supply delays! Stop your pathetic whimpering!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Drak brought down the whip again, its jagged spikes glinting.
Crack!
Had the Dark Elf lost even the strength to scream?
Struck once more, the elf collapsed soundlessly onto the floor.
"Tch! This is why elves are useless! No craftsmanship like the dwarves, and their bodies are pathetically weak!"
Drak snarled in irritation.
The other Dark Elves, forced to watch their kin's suffering, could only shudder.
"You there! Toss that one into the generator!"
"Yes, Overseer Balkma."
At Drak's—now addressed as Balkma—irritable command, the workers hastily resumed their labor.
Balkma watched them with half-lidded eyes before clicking his tongue.
"These dim-witted races should all be fuel. What in the world is Lord Sargas thinking?"
Just as Balkma shook his head and turned away—
"Hm?"
His fierce eyes twitched.
Crunch!
All at once, the surveillance devices embedded in the walls and ceiling burst apart.
Then—
Squelch.
A sickening sound of flesh being torn.
The head of a dragonkin, who had been hauling the fallen Dark Elf like cargo, soared into the air.
But that wasn't all.
Zing!
A thin, razor-sharp line.
A black beam, so fine it could be mistaken for a thread, spread like a net—
"G-gack!"
"Ugh!"
—and pierced clean through the skulls of every dragonkin overseer in the vicinity.
At least—
Clang!
—Balkma proved why he held the title of Overseer.
Deflecting the black beam aimed between his brows, he hastily retreated.
But—
"Tch!"
Had deflecting even that single beam taken everything he had?
Balkma glanced at his numb wrist and shattered whip before—
'He's strong!'
—gulping down a sharp breath.
'This isn't an enemy I can handle alone.'
But with reinforcements, the story would change.
"Intru—"
Just as he drew breath to shout—
"Silence."
Boom!
A clear, youthful voice—utterly mismatched with the crushing force that clamped down on his mouth and entire body.
'H-how...?!'
To suppress a Draconic like him—an Upper-level Dragonkin of Drak lineage—with just two words?!
'Th-those eyes...?!'
Balkma realized the reason instantly, but that was all he managed.
Thud.
Crash!
A single man's footsteps, followed by another surge of energy, slammed Balkma's massive frame into the ground.
Zing.
Then, with a flicker of black light coalescing at the man's pale fingertips—
Balkma's consciousness flickered out as well.