Chapter 146
Chapter 146
Chapter 146: Movement (2)
Translation: godtl
Clink.
Creak.
Familiar sounds of work reached his ears.
But before the laboratory, what greeted Si-mun first was—
[You have cleared the Special Arena 'Black Smeltery' in an unimaginable manner.]
[Clear rewards have increased based on your performance.]
[The bound trait 'Philosopher's Stone' has distributed a portion of experience points.]
[Level has increased by 12.]
[Philosopher's Stone level has increased by 8.]
[You have acquired 'Soul Core' as a clear reward.]
A flood of system messages bright enough to make his eyes ache.
"Twelve levels?!"
Si-mun was startled as he read the experience section.
It was only natural.
"Even if it's a Special Arena, I'm level 99 now!"
The exact mechanics of experience distribution in the Galaxy Arena weren't fully understood, but—
Generally, the higher the level, the more experience points sharply diminished.
Especially around level 100.
And from the Platinum and Diamond tiers onward, the reward experience became even scarcer.
To be precise, it wasn't that the experience itself decreased—
Rather, the required experience to level up had grown exponentially.
Moreover—
'Even after splitting the experience with the Philosopher's Stone, this much...?'
The Philosopher's Stone had leveled up 8 times from this Arena.
A simple calculation meant a total of 20 level-ups.
"This is insane."
A Platinum-tier player at level 99 gaining 12 levels in one go.
Who would believe he'd earned enough experience for a total of 20 level-ups?
Si-mun smiled faintly in satisfaction.
"Now, let's check the item rewards too."
He opened his inventory to inspect the item rewards.
Then—
[You are the first mortal to partially destroy the Black Smeltery.]
Another message appeared before him.
[The Black Smeltery is one of the Dragonkin's key facilities.]
[The fate determined by this Arena's clearance has been greatly distorted.]
'Same as last time.'
A message similar to the one he'd seen after clearing the Special Arena where he'd saved the dwarf girl Marnel.
Back then, he hadn't fully grasped what had changed—
But soon enough, Si-mun had personally witnessed several shifts.
Most notably—
'I met a grown-up Marnel. And we even cleared an Arena together.'
The dwarf Marnel, whom he'd rescued.
Before he knew it, she'd grown up, become a Player, and they'd cleared an Arena side by side.
And considering her opponents were always Dragonkin—
'This Arena's outcome will definitely hurt them too.'
Beyond the talk of fate being distorted—
He'd partially destroyed the Black Smeltery.
And taken out multiple key figures, including the Facility Manager, Deputy Manager, and other named Dragonkin.
The damage was already substantial.
As if to prove it—
[The five Constellations observing you are immensely pleased by the Black Smeltery's incapacitation.]
The Constellations were reacting with overwhelming satisfaction.
The problem was—
[The five Constellations converse with solemn expressions.]
This wasn't just a simple reaction.
[The five Constellations demand additional rewards from the Galaxy Arena.]
[The Galaxy Arena's council has been convened.]
"Huh?"
An unexpected turn.
Si-mun blinked in disbelief at the situation escalating to an Arena council.
Soon—
[After deliberation, it has been determined that additional rewards cannot be granted.]
[Constellation Zeus protests vehemently:"Impossible? Do you not understand what the Black Smeltery represents?"]
[Constellation Odin voices his discontent:"Many Constellations have profited from that Player. You have a responsibility to compensate for that."]
The Constellations' protests against the Galaxy Arena's decision continued—
[Earth is not yet a formal Arena, and above all, the Galaxy Arena prioritizes absolute neutrality no matter what occurs.]
[Constellation Black Goat sneers,"What fucking bullshit. So last time when that evolved Dragonkin crawled in here, you just called it a Hidden Boss and called it a day, huh?"]
The Galaxy Arena falls silent for a moment under Black Goat's blow.
Then, as if it had something to say in its own defense—
[Compensation for that incident has already been provided.]
[Constellation Heavenly Demon smiles with murderous intent."That matter's already settled? Fine. Let's set that aside for now. But haven't you been granting the Dragonkin excessive advantages all this time?"]
[Constellation Baal nods in agreement."Hmm."]
[The Galaxy Arena prioritizes absolute neutrality. We kindly request you refrain from baseless accusations.]
The Galaxy Arena responded without yielding an inch.
[The five Constellations who raised objections have had frequent interactions with Player Kim Si-mun recently. Therefore, the Council's stance is that their demands lack legitimacy.]
They went a step further, arguing that the five Constellations had no right to make demands in the first place.
At that—
[Constellation Black Goat raises his voice."These bastards are unbelievable!"]
[Constellation Zeus roars,"How dare you equate us to you lot, who meddle directly in affairs?"]
Just as the five Constellations were about to explode in fury—
[Constellation Hades intervenes."Then we'll make the demand officially."]
[Constellation Osiris intervenes.]
[Constellation Yama intervenes...]
[Constellation Hel...]
The death-related Constellations all intervened at once.
[Constellation Hades steps forward as their representative."On behalf of the death-related Constellations gathered here, we formally demand additional compensation for Player Kim Si-mun."]
[......The Council reconvenes.]
Faced with their demand, the Galaxy Arena entered discussions once more.
[After deliberation, it has been decided to grant Player Kim Si-mun additional compensation.]
In the end, a message of surrender appeared.
Soon after—
[The death-related Constellations mention "Sargas" as part of the compensation.]
[The demand of the Constellations is accepted.]
[Additional reward acquired:"Future Sight."]
Hmm.
A grayish orb dropped before Si-mun with a faint chime.
As Si-mun quickly caught it—
Kiiing.
Odin's Eye activated on its own, and the grayish orb was absorbed into his left eye.
[Future Sight has been added to Odin's Eye.]
As if the matter had concluded with the addition of Future Sight, no further responses rose from the Constellations or the Galaxy Arena.
It felt like a storm had passed—but Si-mun, who had unexpectedly gained Future Sight, nodded in satisfaction.
Then, a cheerful voice reached his ears.
"Hmm~. Those Dragonkin bastards must've really pissed them off, huh?"
It was the Philosopher's Stone.
"Death-related Constellations don't usually interfere like this, you know."
"Really?"
"Of course! When you think about it, this is the affairs of the living, isn't it? If they hadn't been using something like a soul generator, those guys wouldn't have stepped in like this."
"Well, even I—who knows little about death—could tell that was excessive."
Si-mun's brow furrowed on its own.
'Using souls as fuel to produce energy... I never even imagined such a thing.'
After the Arena ended, the truth behind the soul circulation system he'd heard from the Philosopher's Stone was not just cruel—it was horrifying.
"It's a good thing Si-yeon broke it while playing around."
"Y-yeah! And they were using that energy to build a giant weapon, no less! Serves them right!"
For some reason, the Philosopher's Stone's voice suddenly grew louder.
Si-mun tilted his head slightly but didn't press further.
"True enough."
Nodding absentmindedly, Si-mun then said,
"I'll check Future Sight later. For now, let's take another look at the item rewards."
He immediately opened his inventory.
'There were three rewards from this Special Arena, right?'
The Hidden Quest given by the Dark Elf Dayna, the mission reward from the Constellations of Death, and the Arena clear reward he'd just received.
'This might be the first time I've gotten three item rewards at once.'
Though Si-mun had amassed an enormous number of rewards while progressing through the Arenas, he had never received three item rewards in a single go like this before.
"Huh?"
As Si-mun reached into his inventory with anticipation, his hand suddenly stopped.
The reason was simple.
"What? Why are there only two?"
Beyond the subspace, inside his inventory, there were only two new items.
Wondering if he had missed something,
Shuuk.
Si-mun shoved his shoulder deep into the inventory.
But despite his efforts,
Only two new items had been added to his inventory.
"Just the Soul Core and the Gift Box of Death?"
Only the Soul Core from the clear reward and the gift from the Constellations of Death remained.
Then—
"Hehe! Bang-bang!"
A cheerful voice rang out.
Si-mun instinctively turned his head toward the sound.
'That's—!'
He could see it.
"So shiny!"
As if it were a beloved stuffed toy,
Si-yeon was rubbing her face against a black crystal the size of her own head.
"Si-yeon."
As Si-mun quickly approached her,
"Daddy!"
Si-yeon tossed the black crystal aside and immediately threw herself into his arms.
Si-mun gently stroked her head once before asking,
"Si-yeon, where did you get that?"
"Hmm?"
Si-yeon tilted her head in confusion.
Then, noticing the black crystal Si-mun was pointing at, she beamed and answered brightly,
"Bang-bang gave it to me!"
"Bang-bang?"
"Yeah!"
Nodding vigorously, Si-yeon wriggled out of his embrace and retrieved the black crystal.
"Bang-bang wanted to come home with us too... but they said no. So Bang-bang gave it to Si-yeon instead!"
"I see."
Perhaps it was parental instinct,
But Si-mun understood her perfectly and nodded calmly.
'The Hidden Quest's item reward was a part of the Black Smeltery, wasn't it?'
The massive golem Si-yeon had controlled was unmistakably from the Black Smeltery.
And since Si-yeon would be classified as his summon,
That black crystal—originally a component of the giant golem—must have been designated as the reward.
'When Si-yeon said "they said no," it was probably due to system restrictions.'
Given that the massive golem was made entirely of Dragonium,
The Arena would never have allowed it to be taken out.
'It's a bit disappointing, but honestly, bringing out a giant golem as-is wouldn't make sense anyway.'
Normally, items without an information window couldn't be taken out of the Arena to begin with.
And that sheer quantity of Dragonium would have been excessive even as a reward for top-tier Diamond players.
'Wait. That means this black crystal has an information window, right?'
Si-mun knelt down to meet Si-yeon's eye level.
"Si-yeon, can Daddy talk to Bang-bang for a little bit too?"
"Yeah! Daddy is Si-yeon's, so it's okay!"
"Uh... yeah?"
Her phrasing was a little odd, but—
"Right. Daddy is yours."
"Yeah!"
Chuckling, Si-mun stroked her head once more before examining the black crystal.
[Dranion Core]
Grade: S
The core of the Dragonkin's combat weapon, the Dranion.
Crafted with high-level Dragon Power and advanced technology, it requires a compatible body to function.
Si-mun's brow furrowed as he read the information window.
'A combat weapon called Dranion?'
No wonder.
'I've never even heard of this in my past life.'
Because even in his past life, when the apocalypse had come, he had never seen anything called a Dranion.
Turning it over in his mind,
'So they didn't even need to use Dranion to devour Earth...'
Si-mun smiled bitterly.
He couldn't deny it.
In his past life, Earth had been in utter chaos—not just because of the Arenas, but from internal collapse as well.
But regardless—
"It's different now."
The present was unfolding completely differently from his past life.
From the distribution of Arena antidotes to Marnel and the World Tree's survival, to the High Elves still being alive—countless things had changed.
And hadn't the System itself confirmed as much?
Which meant—
'The chances of encountering Dranion in this life are high.'
Therefore—
'I should prepare countermeasures against Dranion.'
Handing the Dranion Core back to Si-yeon, Si-mun met her bright, sparkling eyes.
"Si-yeon, can Daddy play with Boom-Boom sometimes too?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"Thanks."
"Hehe! Boom-Boom, let's go! I'll show you my room too!"
Clutching the Dranion Core, Si-yeon scampered out of the lab.
Watching her go, Si-mun chuckled before turning his attention back to his inventory.
"Alright, the hidden quest rewards are settled."
He pulled out two items.
"Just need to check these last two."
First, he examined the ashen-gray orb in his right hand.
[Soul Core]
Grade: SS
A core that contains souls.
Having been used as a soul generator for an extended period, traces of souls remain within it.
"Jackpot!"
Si-mun's exclamation burst out instantly—not because of the SS-grade rarity.
The moment he read the description, the knowledge engraved within him reacted.
"The Philosopher's Stone. This is it!"
-Yup, you're right. This can be used to create a Homunculus.
A Homunculus.
Even now, Si-mun couldn't fathom attempting its creation—yet this item could be used for it.
-It might serve as a core material, like the Wellspring of Mimir... but you know, right?
"Yeah. Even so, creating a Homunculus right now is impossible."
Si-mun clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"But it's still a core material. That means we can craft a higher-grade Homunculus later."
-True. But its condition is... a bit iffy. Using it as-is might cause problems.
Following the Philosopher's Stone's warning, Si-mun scrutinized the ashen orb closely.
Upon closer inspection, faint, wispy tendrils swirled inside the orb.
He recognized them immediately.
"Traces of souls."
Just as the Soul Core's description stated.
Having been used to forcibly extract countless souls as fuel—until they became vengeful spirits—
Haaaa...
The anguished wails of those spirits lingered as remnants.
'This part definitely needs separate treatment.'
Storing the Soul Core back in his inventory, Si-mun turned his attention to the bone-and-skull-adorned box.
"Personally, I'm most excited about this one."
-Me too. It's a gift from a Constellation, after all.
The mission given by the Constellations of Death.
The reward for liberating a set number of souls from the Black Smeltery—
Thanks to his daughter Si-yeon, he had maxed out the requirement.
Just how incredible would a Constellation's gift be?
"Let's open it, then."
With eager hands, Si-mun lifted the lid.
Click.
A dull clatter of bone against bone echoed, followed by—
Sssss...
A sinister mist—likely Death Energy—seeped out ominously.
And when Si-mun and the Philosopher's Stone saw what lay inside—
"T-This is—!"
-Oh my god!! What the—?!
They couldn't contain their shock.
The top floor of South Korea's Awakened Association.
BANG.
A heavy impact shook the President's office.
"Which bastards dare—?!"
A middle-aged man roared furiously.
"Choi Chang-wook!"
Kim Mu-yeol's murderous gaze locked onto the tall man standing beside him.
"Yes, Association President."
"What's the situation?"
"From our investigation, it appears to be the work of guilds belonging to former national team players you expelled."
"Those maggots..."
His voice dripped with the promise of violence.
"So they dare raise their blades against me?"
Kim Mu-yeol's sharp glare fixed onto the monitor.