Chapter 158
Chapter 158
Chapter 158: Tartarus (1)
Translation: godtl
Thud.
A woman was slammed onto the hard floor.
As a result, bright red blood gushed from her severed or broken limbs, yet—
"I'll... kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"
Far from screaming,
the woman glared with venomous eyes at the bone-and-flesh throne before her.
More precisely, she was glaring at the man seated upon it.
"Even in that state, your temper hasn't changed a bit."
"Kehahaha! Not even summoning those filthy serpent thralls of yours? Proof you're a vicious wench, that is."
A boisterous voice responded to Si-mun's muttering.
It belonged to a crew member of the Naglfar, summoned with Achievement Points—a warrior of Helheim.
And, perhaps because he was their leader,
the one who had personally captured Malina was twice the size of the other Helheim warriors.
"Noble guest! Just give the word, and I'll carve her alive into pieces!"
The warrior thumped his chest enthusiastically in reply.
At that, Si-mun gave a slightly awkward smile and shook his head.
'You've already carved her into pieces, though...'
"No need. She's already been neutralized."
"Noble guest, Necromancers are the kind you mustn't let your guard down with, even after they're dead."
"True enough."
And it wasn't just Necromancers.
Among those who wielded death-related powers, there were some who could still exert their strength even after death.
In essence, they had a second life coin.
Of course, most suffered terrible penalties for it,
but even so, gaining another chance in the Arena after death was a tremendous advantage.
And Si-mun knew exactly how to ensure that advantage would never be used.
'If it comes to it, I can just burn the corpse with fire or lightning.'
It was a common method even against undead monsters.
Destroying the corpse itself with one of the most lethal attributes—aside from holy—rendered revival impossible.
Unless the Necromancer was of the highest caliber,
a dead body couldn't just get back up again.
And wasn't he himself wielding power akin to the pinnacle of fire and lightning?
Of course, now that he had fused with Naglfar and its crew, there was no need to waste energy unnecessarily.
"From the start, I planned to throw her into the River Styx, so there's no need to worry."
"Eh? Kehahahaha!"
The warrior burst into raucous laughter at Si-mun's words.
Then—
"Right! This is the Styx! The noble guest knows the realm of death well indeed! Good. If you ever need anything, call upon me anytime."
Nodding to himself, the warrior stomped away with heavy footsteps.
Si-mun allowed himself a faint smile.
'Normally, underworld-themed maps are a Necromancer's paradise, but the River Styx is different.'
The river of the underworld, where even a touch meant instant death.
Necromancers, much like water elementalists,
could manipulate this river of death at will and possessed considerable resistance to it.
But that was all.
'At the end of the day, as long as they're living beings, full immersion in the Styx means death all the same.'
Unless there were truly special measures or magic at play,
even the most exceptional Necromancer would meet their end in the underworld's river.
Malina knew this well, which was why—
"You bastard! Just kill me already!"
She screamed in fury.
Catching the faint tremor of fear in her voice, Si-mun asked,
"Malina. Judging by your reaction, you've fallen into the Styx before, haven't you?"
"......"
Malina clenched her teeth tightly.
Silence was as good as confirmation.
Si-mun tilted his head, feigning ignorance.
"What was it they said? A dimensional anomaly in the Chaos Realm? Something about dying in an excruciating, chaotic way—specifically for Necromancers."
If an ordinary Player thrown into a pit of fire was like a sheet of paper,
then a Necromancer was like a block of ice tossed into the same inferno.
Because Necromancers had resistance to death, they could struggle against the river's power before succumbing—
and the agony they endured in the process was beyond description.
The very advantage Necromancers held in such maps became their poison.
Si-mun asked in a low voice,
"Malina. If I kill you the way you want... will you come after me in the real world?"
"Of course I will! Only next time, I'll carve you into pieces before killing you!"
Malina's refusal was razor-sharp.
Nodding, Si-mun grabbed the back of her neck where she lay sprawled on the floor.
Without hesitation, he lifted her—and Malina thrashed violently in protest.
"You bastard! Are you really out of your fucking mind?! I'm Desperado! The Death Lord's sister!!"
"I know."
"And you dare pull this shit knowing that?! You! Just try throwing me into the Styx River. I'll call Mogadam-nim himself to blow you to pieces! Got it?!"
"Even better."
Despite mentioning the Bomb Demon Mogadam, Si-mun showed not a flicker of hesitation.
Malina momentarily froze in disbelief.
"What the hell are you...! Hey, if this is just some stupid bluff—"
"It's not a bluff."
Si-mun stared directly into Malina's stunned eyes.
"Call your precious brother Malik or the Bomb Demon Mogadam. I don't care."
It wasn't arrogance.
Though Malik and Mogadam were Rankers, Si-mun had no reason to fear them.
Regardless of the disparity in combat power—
'After all, I have three Rankers on my side.'
Didn't he have three formidable Rankers backing him up?
And not just any Rankers—top-tier ones at that.
Of course, his uncle Kim Mu-yeol wasn't a reliable ally like his two younger brothers.
'Regardless of the Death Eye. To avoid exposure for placing a hit on me through Desperado, he has no choice but to side with me.'
Plus, with his existing connections to Desperado—
If those bastards entered Korea, his uncle Kim Mu-yeol would inevitably find out.
'Which means I'll be informed of their movements either way.'
No matter what.
'Malina, did you think you were the only one with powerful backers?'
Si-mun had absolutely nothing to fear.
Was it the unwavering confidence in his gaze?
Or the sheer sincerity radiating from his unshaken eyes?
"...Are you really... that devoid of fear...?"
Malina could only stare at Si-mun, her expression completely dumbfounded.
Thud.
For the first time since facing her, Si-mun rose from the throne of Naglfar.
As he reached the edge of the ship—
"Kim Si-mun... just who the hell are you?"
Malina's lips trembled.
"You think you're hot shit just because you're some rising star? Huh? Or do you actually have something up your sleeve?!"
Dangling by the scruff of her neck, Malina swayed limply.
A ridiculous sight, if anything.
"My brother and Mogadam-nim aren't like some low-tier Platinum like me. They're Rankers who could crush someone like you with one hand! Rankers!"
Malina exuded venomous hostility.
Yet—
"I know."
Si-mun responded curtly before releasing his grip.
Left with only that dismissive reply—
"You bastard who knows and still— KYAAAAAH!!"
Splash.
She plummeted into the river of death.
Whoosh.
A heavy gust of wind split the air.
"GAAAH!"
A piercing scream erupted.
This repeated dozens of times.
"Kuhahaha! Another direct hit!"
"Throwing axes instead of spears, and they still go down this easily."
"Eheheh! How long has it been since we killed the living?!"
"Tch. None left now."
The rough, raucous cheers and laughter gradually faded.
Choi Jin-su stared blankly at the drifting fragments of ferry boats floating on the Styx River.
"And they call this Platinum...?"
Real Platinum players, no less—those who had crossed the threshold of the Styx.
Just looking at Malina, it was clear they were high-tier matches.
Yet they had all been slaughtered by these sudden ecosystem destroyers.
Bzzz.
A clear ringing in the ears.
As if some exceptional Support Class was present—
The last remaining ferry boat glowed with the radiant light of Holy Power, speeding away.
But even that wasn't enough to stop the gray monsters' relentless assault.
Thud.
"Hit! Another hit!"
The Holy Power barrier protecting the ferry flickered unstably under the barrage of projectiles.
Unfortunately—
"Think that's the last one?"
"Kehah! Is that why? They're holding up pretty well."
"Must be because weaklings like you are throwing them. Let me smash that barrier in one hit and prove my strength!"
"Bullshit! That one's mine! I haven't killed a single one yet!"
Not a shred of pity could be found in these ashen monsters who had massacred Platinum players.
"What am I supposed to do about your incompetence?!"
"Huh?! You little shit! I'll crack that damn skull of yours so you can't spout that nonsense!"
"Bring it on, you bastard!"
"Uwahaha! Fight, you morons!"
The ashen monsters, hurling coarse insults and even coming to blows, desperately tried to kill that pitiful lamb.
Then.
"These fools."
A hoarse, aged voice quelled the agitated ashen monsters.
Surprisingly.
"To behave so disgracefully before our honored guest—what is this spectacle?!"
At the old man's roar, the ashen monsters instantly fell silent.
"Tch. Disgusting!"
The old man, glaring at them with evident displeasure, sharply tapped his staff against the ground.
And then.
Splash—
With the sound of surging water.
"AAAAARGH!"
"Fuck! Is this for real?!"
The last raft, barely maintaining its Holy Power barrier, was swallowed by the river of the underworld.
Not long after.
"Honored guest. We have arrived at our destination."
The old man bowed deeply toward a throne woven from bones and flesh.
"Indeed. Everyone worked hard."
The handsome man lounging leisurely on the throne—Si-mun—rose with a bright smile.
Choi Jin-su, who had been lost in a daze the entire journey, snapped back to reality and quickly followed behind Si-mun.
The terrain, outlined like a conquered territory.
Stepping onto the destination of this Arena, Jin-su muttered weakly.
"To think we'd get here this easily..."
It wasn't an empty remark.
Without lifting a single finger—
That terrifying ship and its crew, starting with Desperado's member Malina, had toyed with every player who crossed the initial threshold as if they were playthings.
Jin-su glanced at the river behind the docked ship.
'If I hadn't teamed up with Kim Si-mun, I would've...'
Either sunk to the bottom and been eliminated, or had my skull shattered by those ashen monsters' weapons.
'So this is why Guild Master Go Chang-jin always said you need the skill to overcome even team luck.'
Truthfully, Jin-su had believed he himself possessed enough skill to overcome such odds.
But this? It wasn't even a level where such discussions made sense.
'In this bracket, there's probably only one person who can overcome team luck.'
Jin-su silently stared at that one person.
Then.
"Jin-su. Aren't you coming?"
That very person called out to him with an innocent, guileless face.
"Y-yeah. Coming."
Jin-su hurried to catch up to Si-mun.
Drip, drip—
Could it be called a fountain?
Before Si-mun stood a small, skull-shaped stone statue, from which thin streams of water trickled.
"I think we're supposed to place the delivery item into the statue's mouth."
Si-mun took out the small orb—the delivery item for this Arena—and moved it toward the statue's dripping mouth.
But then—
"Oh! Almost forgot."
Si-mun quickly pulled the delivery item back.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
Jin-su tilted his head in confusion.
"Just a moment. There's something I need to check."
Si-mun opened his inventory and reached inside.
Shockingly.
"Isn't that the delivery item?"
An orb identical in shape to the delivery item emerged.
Si-mun nodded.
"They're similar, but their conditions are different."
"Conditions?"
Jin-su tilted his head again, but Si-mun didn't elaborate further. Instead, he first placed the Soul Core he had retrieved from his inventory into the statue's mouth.
Then—
Kiiiiiaaaa—
A faint, ghostly wisp of a scream seeped out like mist.
The eerie currents swirling around the orb's surface vanished completely.
Si-mun immediately checked the information window.
[Soul Core]
Grade: SSS
A core that contains souls.
His eyes sparkled on their own.
'It worked!'
The previously SS-grade core had now become SSS-grade.
The description about lingering soul traces had vanished entirely—now a perfectly purified Soul Core.
'I just tried it since it's the same as the delivery item, but to think it'd purify it this cleanly?'
And even a grade upgrade!
Si-mun smiled contentedly at the free purification.
"Now, let's place the delivery item."
He inserted the Soul Core provided as the delivery item into the statue.
Immediately.
[The final team has reached the destination.]
[The Arena will now conclude.]
A message announcing the end of the Arena appeared.
"Kim Si-mun. Thank you."
Jin-su extended his hand in gratitude.
"Thanks to you, I got a free ride."
"Don't mention it."
"Next time, I'll—no, someday, I'll be the one giving you a ride."
"Haha! I'll look forward to it."
With that exchange of smiles, Jin-su's body began to fade.
As Si-mun waited for his own recall—
Bzzzt.
"Hm?"
A faint vibration from his inventory, followed by—
[Special conditions have been met.]
A sudden message blocked his view.
[Player Kim Si-mun, you are now eligible to enter the dimension 'Tartarus'.]
[Will you enter?]
The message continued.
"......What?"
Si-mun's mouth fell open in shock.