Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Translation: godtl
"...That's how it works. This is about knowledge, isn't it? Right?"
—Oppa... You're really good at scheming.
The Philosopher's Stone's voice sounded dazed by Si-mun's explanation.
"Hey, even if he explains it. Just say he's smart."
At that, Si-mun let out a dry laugh and gently stroked the Philosopher's Stone at the center of his chest.
"So, is it impossible?"
—...No, it's entirely possible. I can't say for certain, but there probably won't even be a Rebound?
"Really?"
—Yeah. This is the same case as the Obsidian Tablet, right? It's not a tool for using abilities.
At the Philosopher's Stone's words, Si-mun nodded.
'Certainly, what I'm trying to transmute this time is a book containing knowledge.'
Just like the [Obsidian Tablet], which held the knowledge of human transmutation.
The 'this' he was attempting to transmute now wasn't an immediate ability-activating form like Astrapē.
It was clearly a book—a vessel for knowledge.
—But just like the Obsidian Tablet, if you try to transmute the latter half, the required price will change drastically.
"You mean it'll cost a huge amount of Achievement Points?"
—If your Transmutation Power alone can cover it, then that won't happen.
"That's the same thing, you brat."
He could confidently say that what he was trying to transmute now was undoubtedly a Mythic-grade item.
To cover that with just Transmutation Power—he couldn't even begin to guess how high that stat would need to be.
'Even if I poured all my stats into Transmutation Power and reached Ranker-level stats, it'd probably still be impossible.'
When he thought about it, it made sense.
Mythic-grade equipment were items that Constellations conditionally permitted only to their chosen Sponsors.
To perfectly replicate something like that—
There was no way a mere Player could fully bear the cost of that Equivalent Exchange.
"Then about how many Achievement Points do you think the transmutation will require?"
—Hmm... Wait a sec. Let me calculate.
If the required points for this transmutation exceeded 9,000, he wasn't planning to make the Spirit Elixir of Demonic Energy either.
After all, in his current state, he could bulldoze through this rank bracket anyway.
He could just run more Arenas to meet the requirement and then craft the Spirit Elixir of Demonic Energy.
'Besides, I earn Achievement Points pretty quickly.'
Judging by the attitudes of the Constellations Zeus and Black Goat, they would keep watching him closely.
As long as he completed the Constellations' missions or achieved good results in the Arena, the Achievement Points would pile up on their own.
—First, it depends on how much completeness you aim for. Honestly, with the Obsidian Tablet last time, we got a bit lucky.
"Got lucky?"
When Si-mun tilted his head, the Philosopher's Stone made an affirmative sound.
—Yeah. You got a bonus for being an Alchemist, and I'm kinda pretty? The Obsidian Tablet fell head over heels for me, so we got it cheap.
"You mean... the 'pretty' part refers to the special nature of being a Philosopher's Stone, a transmuted object, right?"
—Ah, damn it! Can't you just say I'm pretty?
"Uh, sure. You're pretty."
—Ack! But saying it so openly like that makes me blush~!
Ignoring the Philosopher's Stone's sudden coquettishness, Si-mun rested his chin on his hand.
'Completeness...'
The 'completeness' the Philosopher's Stone mentioned undoubtedly referred to the [Grade - Imitation (%)] portion.
'The lower that is, the cheaper the cost becomes, right?'
But he couldn't just lower it indiscriminately.
'If it were equipment like Astrapē, it might be fine...'
Even with low completeness, equipment-type items could still exhibit abilities corresponding to their level.
'But knowledge is different.'
No matter how incredible the knowledge recorded within,
if it cuts off midway while reading, it's utterly useless.
"Wait."
As his thoughts reached that point—
"Philosopher's Stone. Let me ask you one thing."
—Mm-hmm! What are you curious about?
Si-mun recalled the time with the Obsidian Tablet and spoke.
"You fused with the Obsidian Tablet, right?"
—Technically, it was absorbed into me. No matter how great it was, in the end, it's still a transmuted object, right?
At its words, Si-mun's eyes sparkled.
"Then if the condition is being a transmuted object, that means knowledge can also be absorbed, right?"
—Of course. Oppa, I'm an incredibly intellectual woman. Didn't you know?
The Philosopher's Stone's confidence turned his tentative hypothesis into certainty.
With a triumphant cry, Si-mun drew up his Transmutation Power.
"Great. Philosopher's Stone? Then let's start the transmutation right away."
At that, the Philosopher's Stone asked,
—How much completeness are you aiming for? Oppa, you know knowledge is a bit different from equipment...
"Exactly 10%. That'll be enough."
—Hmm. I see you've got an eye for the structure of transmuted objects, huh?
"Roughly. To be precise, I've heard stories about it."
Si-mun recalled the grumbling of Go Mal-suk, one of his few acquaintances.
'Hey, genius. Take a look at this. Can you make any sense of this bullshit or what?'
Go Mal-suk, tossing a very old and thin book at him with visible irritation.
'This damn martial art is designed to reach the 10th star at its peak, and it's only ten pages long.'
'But fuck! My brain's too dumb to get past the 7th star.'
'You're good at analyzing stuff, right? Think you can decipher this cryptic gibberish for me?'
In her past life, she had once asked him to interpret the [Heavenly Demon Divine Art], a Mythic-grade item bestowed upon her by the Constellation Heavenly Demon.
Of course, due to the condition that only the inheritor could read it, Si-mun hadn't even been able to see the text.
'But I do know the Heavenly Demon Divine Art consists of exactly ten pages.'
Logically dividing it, each star would correspond to 10%.
Meaning, the portion equivalent to 10% completion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art should contain the cryptic teachings for the 1st star.
'Originally, I planned to read and interpret the Heavenly Demon Divine Art myself.'
This was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that had forged Go Mal-suk into a high-ranker with just the 7th star.
No matter how long it took.
Si-mun had intended to decipher the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and master it himself.
He had some confidence in that, too.
After all, he had observed Go Mal-suk's techniques and fighting style to some extent.
But.
'If the Philosopher's Stone can absorb the knowledge contained within an alchemical product, that changes everything.'
Just like the knowledge of human transmutation from the Obsidian Tablet.
It would apply to him in the form of a trait.
Then, there'd be no need to painstakingly decipher the cryptic teachings—he'd just need a body capable of wielding the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
'And for the body, human transmutation will suffice.'
Having sorted his thoughts, Si-mun asked,
"Philosopher's Stone, how much would it cost to transmute at 10% completion?"
-At 10% completion, it won't be too expensive. Hmm, about 5,000 points should do it?
"5,000 points? That's cheap."
-But the later parts won't be a joke. It's Mythic-grade knowledge, after all.
"Well, I can master the 1st star right away. That's good enough for now."
Si-mun nodded in satisfaction.
Wasn't this half the cost of the Obsidian Tablet, which required 10,000 points at 20%?
Considering they were both Mythic-grade, it was a clean calculation.
"Good. Let's start the transmutation right away."
-Okay!
The old, thin book—[Heavenly Demon Divine Art]—that Go Mal-suk had handed him.
Recalling how its pages had appeared completely blank when opened, Si-mun attempted the transmutation.
[Insufficient Transmutation Power to meet the required threshold.]
A familiar message window appeared before his eyes.
[The Philosopher's Stone requests 5,000 Achievement Points to compensate for the lack of Equivalent Exchange.]
[Will you accept? (Yes / No)]
Without hesitation, Si-mun tapped 'Yes.' The moment 5,000 Achievement Points were consumed, he flicked his fingers.
Snap.
Fzzzt—!
A thin, intricate web of transmutation light flickered at his fingertips before being cleanly severed.
A single sheet of aged paper fluttered down.
Flutter.
Even without wind.
The old sheet of paper drifted listlessly through the air.
Si-mun's face brightened at the sight.
The reason was simple.
'I can see it!'
The [Heavenly Demon Divine Art] he had once received from Go Mal-suk.
The old paper, which had appeared completely blank before, was now densely covered in mysterious characters.
Carefully catching it, Si-mun checked its information.
[Heavenly Demon Divine Art]
Grade - Imitation (10%)
The martial art of the Constellation Heavenly Demon.
It can be learned, but for some reason, its full power cannot be manifested.
"It worked!!"
Before he knew it, Si-mun leaped up and cheered.
Was alchemy a bit finicky?
Even if he knew the structure, it was just that—the structure.
There had been a chance that the quality of the initial knowledge might demand additional transmutations.
But he had successfully extracted and transmuted just the 1st star from the ten-star Heavenly Demon Divine Art—how could he not be thrilled?
"Alright, Philosopher's Stone? Absorb it now."
-Okay! But oppa, you hopping around is just too cute! How about I transmute bunny ears so you can hop again—
"Hurry."
Si-mun sharply cut off the stone's mischievous remark and quickly pressed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art against his chest.
-Mmm! Tastes pretty good, must be because it's from a Constellation.
The Philosopher's Stone's voice sounded like it was savoring something.
Watching as the Heavenly Demon Divine Art slowly seeped into the center of his chest, Si-mun tilted his head in thought.
'Come to think of it, the Constellation isn't reacting this time?'
Honestly, he had been a little tense about it.
When wielding Astrapē, all the Constellations of Olympus had reacted.
And when it came to the Obsidian Tablet, the Black Goat herself had taken direct interest.
Guess I should count myself lucky.
There was no guarantee that every Constellation would be favorably disposed toward him.
Naturally.
It wasn't exactly easy to look kindly upon someone who arbitrarily copied and recreated what was yours.
The Black Goat was proof of that, wasn't she?
If not for the title [One Who Draws Gaze from Beyond], I probably would've clashed with her.
Her furious message alone was telling.
Judging by how she had argued with Zeus, it wouldn't have ended well.
—Oppa! I'm done absorbing!
"Yeah?"
At the Philosopher's Stone's words, Si-mun's eyes gleamed.
Then—
—Hmm! But this is disgustingly abstruse. It's like trying to grasp at clouds...
The Philosopher's Stone's voice grew faint.
And not just that.
Even the ever-present sense of its existence had vanished.
Finally, all sensation blurred.
This was a situation he had experienced once before.
This is like before the regression...
With that thought—
Si-mun's consciousness snapped.
"Ugh..."
Si-mun's delicate brow furrowed.
Where... am I?
As his senses gradually returned, he opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself up.
An expansive natural landscape stretched before him—
From jagged, towering peaks to a majestic waterfall.
This place, reminiscent of the Peach Blossom Spring, felt like a living painting of a famous Eastern artwork.
And then, from right behind him—
"Heh heh. Awake, are we?"
A dignified yet oddly domineering voice reached his ears.
Turning his head—
"I wonder if your body is faring well."
A plain pavilion stood there, and within it sat an elderly man.
"Ah. I'm fine."
Si-mun quickly straightened up.
Though he wasn't excessively deferential to elders—having grown up in Korea—
Basic respect was ingrained in him.
Perhaps the old man found that pleasing.
"Hoh-hoh! Not like the youngsters these days. Have a seat."
With an even broader smile, the old man gestured to the spot beside him.
Before Si-mun could even respond—
Whoosh.
He slid smoothly to the seat in front of the old man.
What in the world...
Si-mun's eyes widened in shock.
How could a mere gesture shift his position like this?
Then—
Ah. I see.
Si-mun realized.
This wasn't some idyllic Peach Blossom Spring.
And the being before him was merely wearing the guise of benevolence.
"I didn't expect to meet a Constellation in person like this."
"Oh-ho? You speak as if you know who I am."
"How could I not? The technique I was cultivating before coming here was the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."
A Constellation ranked among the highest alongside Zeus—
The Heavenly Demon.
As if to prove it—
"Hoh-hoh! I suppose so. My mistake. You're right. I am none other than the Constellation Heavenly Demon."
[You are the first Earthling to directly face a Constellation.]
[You have earned 5,000 Achievement Points.]
The system granted him a staggering 5,000 Achievement Points.
Then—
[The Constellation Heavenly Demon is an extremely dangerous entity.]
[We will do our utmost to ensure the Player's safety, but we strongly advise against provoking him recklessly.]
[In the event of an unforeseen situation, Player Kim Si-mun will be immediately reverse-summoned to Earth.]
A series of tense messages followed.
For the system to issue warnings at this level...
Si-mun felt a flicker of bewilderment.
And for good reason.
—Ack! This damn old geezer again!
—Fck! Would it kill you to give us an easy mission for once?! Ugh!*
—This crazy perverted old man, I swear!
Through Go Mal-suk, he already had a vague idea of what kind of being the Constellation Heavenly Demon was.
Was he the only one receiving these messages?
"Tsk tsk. They're all a bunch of f*cking morons."
Despite his kindly appearance, the curses flowed out with unnerving naturalness.
The Heavenly Demon waved his hand dismissively through the air, as if swatting away the system's incessant warnings.
Like master, like disciple.
For a moment, Go Mal-suk's image overlapped with his, and Si-mun let out a quiet chuckle before speaking.
"You called me here because of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I assume."
"Hoh-hoh. Straight to the point, I see."
The Heavenly Demon preferred boldness and directness—something Si-mun had already learned from Go Mal-suk in his past life.
And it seemed to work.
"Refreshing. That's how a youngster should be—full of spirit. Though you're slightly off the mark."
The Heavenly Demon nodded with a satisfied smile.
"While one-on-one transmission is the principle, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art isn't my main concern. My interest lies elsewhere."
His voice remained gentle, his expression benevolent—
But within that benevolence, his gaze gleamed with something else entirely.
"Aren't you going to tell me... just what you really are?"
His words sent a chill so sharp it seemed to pierce straight through my soul.