Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Chapter 161: Tartarus (4)
Translation: godtl
Clink.
Creak.
Familiar sights and the sounds of labor.
The moment they entered his vision—
[You have successfully cleared the arena 'Styx, the Underworld River.']
[You have demonstrated overwhelming prowess.]
[Your clear reward has increased based on your performance.]
[The bound trait 'Philosopher's Stone' has distributed a certain amount of experience.]
[Your level has increased by 6.]
[The Philosopher's Stone's level has increased by 4.]
[You have acquired 'Underworld River Water' as a clear reward.]
The arena completion rewards poured in one after another.
But Si-mun had no time to pay attention to them.
Of course not.
'Well... I've lived twice now, so I suppose I'm not exactly mortal anymore.'
'Please, let there not be a third time.'
Nyx, the Queen of Night.
Before leaving Tartarus—
Her whispered words refused to leave his mind.
"You know about my regression...?"
It was shocking—no, downright astonishing.
But what rose in his mind before anything else was a single question.
'How? Just how does she know about my regression?'
That she was a Protogenoi—
A being even the higher-ranking Constellations and the Galaxy Arena dared not trifle with—was something he had experienced firsthand.
But—
'Even the Black Goat didn't notice my regression...?'
The one Nyx herself called a friend.
The Black Goat, whose presence was nearly on par with Nyx's, had been completely unaware of his regression.
So how could Nyx alone know about it?
The question didn't linger for long.
-Well, it's because Noona is connected to the one who made you regress, Oppa.
The eyeball inside the flask.
The Philosopher's Stone had floated over at some point, bobbing in the air.
"The one who made me regress... You mean the censored name?"
-Yeah. So I can't go into details, but that being is currently asleep. It's related to them.
"Asleep? But what does that have to do with Nyx... Ah."
Si-mun let out a small sigh.
"Because sleep belongs to the night?"
-Well, you could see it that way... But just think of it as Noona being connected to that being's sleep.
"And since I regressed through that being's power, Nyx knows about my regression?"
-Exactly. And there are probably others who know, too.
"There are more?!"
Si-mun's eyes widened.
The Philosopher's Stone nodded silently.
-All Protogenoi like Noona are connected to that being's dreams. So, all the Protogenoi probably know.
"Hmm..."
Si-mun's brow furrowed slightly.
But just for a moment.
"Well, it doesn't matter much if they know. It's not like I'll run into another Protogenoi anyway."
-True. They're all holed up in Tartarus, and they don't really participate in the Galaxy Arena either.
"Philosopher's Stone, just to be sure—Nyx wouldn't go around blabbing about my regression, right?"
-No no no. Absolutely not.
The Philosopher's Stone shook its head vehemently.
Si-mun smiled in relief.
"I figured as much. She seemed oddly friendly toward me, after all."
-Oppa, it wasn't 'oddly.' She was blatantly obvious about it.
"Blatantly?"
-Yeah!
The Philosopher's Stone trembled violently inside the flask, its eyeball shaking with excitement.
-Noona personally appraised the Fragment of Tartarus that those arena bastards tampered with and gave it to you, remember?
"She did."
-The fact that she went out of her way to do that is proof that she holds you in incredibly high favor.
"Is that really such a big deal?"
-Of course! Normally, she would've snatched it away and handed it over to Tartarus immediately.
"Now that you mention it..."
Wasn't Nyx's grudge against the Galaxy Arena precisely because of the Fragment of Tartarus?
As Si-mun nodded, the Philosopher's Stone added in a sly voice:
-That Noona might seem gentle and composed, but she has even more btchy sides than Goat Noona.*
"Good grief. That much?"
Worse than the Black Goat?
Si-mun's eyes widened at the unbelievable comparison.
-I'm telling you, it's true!
The Philosopher's Stone nodded vigorously.
-For starters, it's rare for anyone to receive a gift from Nyx unnie. Let alone a mortal? Oh shit!
With an arm that seemed to appear out of nowhere, she—no, the flask's surface—thumped her forehead.
-Probably all the Constellations watching you, including Zeus, must've freaked out.
"I can't believe it. It's just receiving an item, isn't it?"
-That would be true if you ignore the fact that the item is from Tartarus and was given by the Goddess Nyx.
"...What's so special about that?"
-What do you mean 'what'? It's fucking amazing, that's what! Anyway, if you ever get into even a minor conflict with a Constellation, you can totally drop her name.
"Eh? Without permission?"
-You already got it, didn't you?
The Philosopher's Stone gestured with her eyes toward the fragment of Tartarus in Si-mun's hand.
-Plus, she even kept your regression a secret. Trust me. Even if you go around name-dropping her, that unnie won't even bat an eye. I guarantee it. Me!
The Philosopher's Stone declared with absolute confidence.
"That's reassuring to hear."
Si-mun chuckled and gently stroked the flask.
-Aww! Don't just stroke the top! Stroke other places too!
"......"
As the Philosopher's Stone squinted her eyes and wriggled, Si-mun quickly withdrew his hand and turned toward the floating reward.
'Still, a 6-level jump... I guess it feels a bit stingy because my level is higher now.'
A faint trace of disappointment flickered across Si-mun's eyes.
Technically, if you include the Philosopher's Stone's 4-level increase, it's a whopping 10-level jump in total.
But for Si-mun, who had already been spoiled by explosive level-ups, it just felt underwhelming.
Fortunately...
'Well, for this level range, this is still a decent amount of EXP. Not bad at all.'
Perhaps because a shred of conscience remained.
Si-mun quickly shook off his disappointment and opened his Status Window.
"First, allocate everything to Transmutation Power..."
As always.
He invested all 6 of his remaining stat points into Transmutation Power.
"Kyah!"
An exclamation escaped him involuntarily.
And for good reason.
"197? That's almost double my level!"
Si-mun's current level was 117.
A number nearly twice that—197—stood out vividly before his eyes.
'Just like the reward from the Black Smeltery last time... The bonus from acquiring Ars Magna must've been huge.'
Ars Magna.
The pinnacle of alchemy, or what could be called enlightenment—after obtaining it, Si-mun had gained an additional 20 points in Transmutation Power.
Combined with the 12-level boost from the Black Smeltery and the current 6-level increase...
His Transmutation Power had reached the staggering number of 197.
'It's just 3 points short of 200, but... it's not like there's a drastic change like when I crossed 100.'
Unlike the massive growth spike when his main stat first surpassed 100...
Going from 100 to 200 didn't offer the same level of transformation.
Still, in pure numerical terms, it meant he was twice as strong as when he was at 100.
And for Si-mun, the effect was even greater than that.
Because...
"Let's see... That means Demonic Energy and Dragon Power would be..."
Demonic Energy and Dragon Power—the Bound Stats tied to Transmutation Power.
Since both were affected by half of his Transmutation Power, they too had grown alongside it.
"Both hit 101."
With a base Transmutation Power of 197, plus the +5 from the [Pick of Kings] title, totaling 202...
Half of that meant both stats had reached 101.
'Just calculating the bonus stats alone, it's like getting 202 points for free.'
A single main stat was yielding an absurd efficiency of 404 points in total.
"Transmutation Power... The higher it gets, the more broken it feels."
-It is broken. Whose stat do you think it is?
The Philosopher's Stone immediately snorted.
"Yeah. All thanks to you, Philosopher's Stone."
-Kyaaang! I like that—"Philosopher's Stone." Oppa, how about shortening it to Hyun-ah? It's a pretty name.
"Got it."
Si-mun chuckled and lightly tapped the Philosopher's Stone inside the flask before opening his inventory.
A large glass vial with a bone-carved rim appeared.
The liquid sloshed gently.
Si-mun gazed at the ashen-gray fluid swirling inside.
"So this is the water of the underworld? Must be because it's S-rank—there's quite a lot of it."
Water of the underworld.
Though it wasn't as potent as the Styx from the Arena or other underworld rivers with their own infamous names, it was still a material item with effects comparable to most deadly poisons.
Moreover.
It was a versatile item, useful in various crafting processes and even as a reagent for Necromancers.
'Selling this would fetch a decent sum, but...'
Being S-rank, both its quantity and quality were fairly high-tier.
It was suitable for Diamond-rank Production Class players or Necromancy spells.
But.
"I'll stockpile it for now."
Si-mun returned the water of the underworld to his inventory.
-Good call. You never know when it might come in handy.
"Exactly."
Alchemy.
True to its nature as a discipline straddling both Magic and Production Classes, there were plenty of uses for the water of the underworld in alchemy as well.
Most importantly—
'It's not like I'm strapped for cash.'
From Arena Disease antidotes to Growth Buff rentals, money was already overflowing for Si-mun. Hoarding items like this was far more useful in the long run than selling them off.
"Ah, right. I need to transmute the World Tree Seed Fragment."
-That's right. Didn't you promise that Olivia woman too?
Si-mun nodded at the Philosopher's Stone's words.
'It's about time to upgrade the Growth Buff's level, anyway.'
The rewards from this Arena run weren't exactly disappointing, were they?
If he enhanced the World Tree's Growth Buff, even the meager-seeming experience gains would be somewhat offset.
"Hyun-ah, do we still only have 10,000 points worth of World Tree Seed Fragments?"
-Yep.
Perfect timing, since he had some Achievement Points to spare.
"Then let's start the transmutation—"
Just as Si-mun flicked his fingers to begin—
BANG!
"Hyung!"
"Brother!"
"Si-mun-nim! Are you alright?!"
Kim Si-hyeok, Lee Yu-jeong, and Park Jin-uk burst through the door as if they meant to break it down.
Si-mun stared at the three of them in surprise.
"What's going on? Why's everyone like this?"
"What do you mean why?! You just pissed off Desperado!"
"He's right. At this point, it's practically a declaration of war!"
"You even cut off your broadcast suddenly—we were even more shocked!"
Their voices were thick with concern.
Only then did Si-mun realize why they had rushed over in such a panic.
'Ah, because of Desperado.'
Desperado—the world's largest Villain organization.
True to their reputation as a universally acknowledged psycho crime syndicate, the moment the Arena ended, his companions had dropped everything, fearing an immediate terrorist attack.
'And they do have a track record of that.'
Hadn't Jace Clark—the Bomb Demon Mogadam's direct disciple—shown up at his shabby studio apartment in Sillim before?
Well, even back then, Si-mun hadn't been that flustered.
But given that Desperado members had come after him before, his companions' concern was only natural.
'This feeling... is strange.'
Even in his past life, Si-hyeok and Mal-suk had looked out for him.
But being the subject of someone's worry like this—it was an odd sensation.
A pleasant one, though.
"Everyone, calm down. This is Rank Palace. Even Desperado can't just waltz in here overnight."
Suppressing a faint smile, Si-mun tried to reassure them.
But the weight of Desperado's name was clearly heavy on their minds.
"That's only because you don't know them well enough, Si-mun-nim!"
"Hyung. We've faced their core members in the Arena—we know them. They're all complete lunatics. Nothing they do would surprise us."
"He's right, Brother. Those bastards even blew up the White House once."
Not a single one of them backed down.
Soon after—
"This won't do. We're doubling security. And we'll adjust our Arena schedules to take shifts guarding Hyung's penthouse."
"Good. I just finished an Arena run—I'll take the first watch today."
"Then Yu-jeong, you're on duty today. I'll stay with you—I've got guild payments to handle anyway."
The three of them were even coordinating their own security schedules among themselves.
"There's no need to go that far. If I just set up some traps or devices instead—"
Just as Si-mun tried to intervene—
Whoooom.
A familiar notification sound echoed from his inventory.
'This is—!'
Before Si-mun could even react—
Szzzt—!
His inventory forcibly opened on its own.
Shoooaaah—!
A wave of pitch-black darkness surged toward the three.
True to their status as top-tier players—
"Ambush?!"
"The senior is the target!"
"Be careful!"
They instantly drew their weapons and slashed at the encroaching darkness—but that was all.
The darkness effortlessly pierced through the Sword Qi of the two Rankers.
"T-This is the Night—!"
"Senior!!"
The same darkness that had resisted Park Jin-uk suddenly swallowed him whole.
As Park Jin-uk vanished in an instant, the two Rankers hurriedly tried to discern the source of the darkness.
Then, with utterly dumbfounded expressions—
"Hyung...?"
"B-Brother?"
They stared blankly at Si-mun.
It was only natural.
Why would he suddenly attack Park Jin-uk?
But the misunderstanding didn't last long.
Swoooosh—
The darkness that had swallowed Park Jin-uk swirled violently before abruptly spitting him back out.
Then—
"Hah, haha..."
Park Jin-uk stared down at his own hands with a hollow expression.
His hands—
No, his entire body was trembling uncontrollably, completely unbefitting of the infamous Night Hunter.
With his gaze still shaking, Park Jin-uk looked at Si-mun.
"S-Si-mun-nim? What is this? Why has my trait evolved to SSS-rank?"
"W-What did you say?"
"It evolved to SSS-rank?!"
Kim Si-hyeok and Lee Yu-jeong also whipped their heads toward Si-mun with startled expressions.
And the perpetrator of this incident—
"Uh... Well, you see..."
Scratched the back of his head with an extremely awkward expression.
Click-clack.
The sharp sound of high heels echoed through the spacious hallway.
A woman in a sleek office suit, matching the refined atmosphere, walked toward a large, luxurious door.
"Oh! Vice Chair—"
A secretary quickly rose upon seeing her, but—
"It's fine. Focus on your work."
The woman lightly raised a hand to stop her before—
Knock knock.
"Chairman. It's me."
She rapped on the grand, opulent door.
Then, she took two deliberate steps back.
The moment her footsteps halted—
Creeeak—
The door opened, and a portly middle-aged man stepped out.
"Haha! Who do we have here? None other than Do-hu, the pillar of our Seongsam Guild!"
With a genial smile, he smoothed back his deeply receding hairline.
However—
"Section Chief An Ho-jin. This is company property."
Lee Yeong-hui responded with an icy smile.
Anyone familiar with her circumstances would recognize it not as an icy smile, but an emaciated one.
After all, Do-hu Lee Yeong-hui had been in a coma for years due to the Arena Disease.
But—
"Ha, haha! Of course, Vice Chair. My deepest apologies for the impropriety."
An Ho-jin, convinced it was 100% an icy smile, hastily bowed his head.
Lee Yeong-hui stared down at his conspicuously bare scalp before speaking.
"Section Chief An. Have I perhaps committed an impropriety as well?"
"Huh? N-No, of course not!"
"Is that so? Then I suppose An Ho-jin is still just a section chief, isn't he?"
One of Lee Yeong-hui's eyebrows arched slightly.
Along with it, the corner of her lips curled upward.
An Ho-jin, realizing this was a genuine smile, subtly clenched his fist.
"Ah... Ehehe! Of course."
He chuckled amiably.
"Well, titles aren't everything, right? As long as I'm in a position to serve the Chairman faithfully, that's what matters."
"Indeed. You haven't changed a bit. I like that."
Lee Yeong-hui smirked before brushing past An Ho-jin and stepping into the chairman's office.
The moment she passed him—
'Damn bitch...'
As if flipping a switch.
An Ho-jin's expression instantly frosted over.
But despite his inner turmoil.
He carefully closed the door, suppressing his seething emotions before leaving.
Once she confirmed An Ho-jin's presence had vanished, Lee Yeong-hui—
"Father. What is this? Exactly what have you been up to while I was unconscious?"
Shook the documents she had been holding and marched toward the elderly man seated in the chairman's office.
"Tsk. Not even a word of greeting for your father after so long."
The old man, resting his chin on his hand.
Had been staring out the window.
"Did I raise you to be like this?"
Chairman Lee Sun-cheol turned his sunken eyes toward Lee Yeong-hui.