Chapter 170
Chapter 170
Translation: godtl
A web of violet-blue silk.
The spider silk that unfurled from the tiny bracelet was so vast it seemed impossible, completely enveloping the entire island.
And naturally, the world within that enormous cocoon was—
Sssssssssss.
—filled only with a Void and darkness so terrifying that any living being would recoil in horror.
The strange thing was:
[How satisfying. Truly satisfying!]
Though the spider silk had only wrapped around the small Silmi Island,
[I truly didn't expect you to bring them here so quickly.]
this space of black Void was so vast it could evoke the image of an endless universe.
Yet, no one questioned the absurdity of this space.
Or rather, they couldn't.
Thud.
Legs massive enough to skewer an entire planet.
A pitch-black being adorned with countless such legs,
[But... there seem to be some impurities mixed in.]
was peering down with no fewer than sixteen crimson eyes, each the size of a small asteroid.
Who was it that said it?
The moment one faces an entity so colossal it defies imagination,
their very thoughts come to a halt.
That was exactly what happened to those summoned here.
"......"
"......"
There was no room left to recoil from the Void creeping into their minds.
Over a hundred players from the Continent Guild—Diamonds and Golds alike—stood frozen like statues.
The upper-level Dragonkin couldn't hide their trembling fear.
"I-Impossible......"
"This can't be happening! How could a Constellation from the Other Side—!"
"O-O Dragon Sovereign......"
Their massive, several-meter-tall bodies could only shudder pitifully.
The sixteen crimson eyes observing them twitched.
[How very Dragonkin-like. To dare seek out those loathsome lizards even within my domain.]
The colossal spider glared at the Dragonkin with eyes brimming with disgust.
[Such audacious words, you arrogant vermin.]
And then—
Crrrrack.
Snap!
The bodies of the upper-level Dragonkin—the highest-ranking species in the Arena, even among their own elite—began to twist unnaturally.
Considering all three had already achieved Manifestation,
this wasn't the natural warping of their dragon forms—it was literal distortion.
"G-Ggrrkk!"
"Guaaah!"
Like balloons with air pumps attached,
their hardened flesh and eyeballs swelled as if about to burst, then shrank, over and over.
With each repetition—
Pop.
Crunch.
With sickening sounds of tearing flesh, the once-majestic bodies of the upper-level Dragonkin contorted grotesquely.
Only when they reached a state that could be described as thoroughly mangled,
[Now it should be carved clearly into those disgusting carcasses of yours. That there is no god for you here.]
did the merciless contractions and expansions cease.
"Ggeeeh......"
"Gguh... Gguh...!"
The once upper-level Dragonkin, now mere lumps of scales, trembled faintly, emitting moans that belonged neither to the living nor the dead.
Naturally,
Drip.
their fellow Continent Guild players didn't even leave behind corpses,
instead dissolving into bloody sludge that floated aimlessly in the black void.
Only two among those brought here remained intact.
And one of them—
"Kyaaaah!!"
—though physically unharmed,
was screaming like a madman, his face deathly pale, his mind no different from the others.
At this,
[Tsk. After going through the trouble of protecting you, you lose your mind over this? Humans truly are feeble.]
the Weaver of the Boundary muttered in dissatisfaction.
Then, hastily,
[Ah! Noble guest, those words were certainly not directed at you.]
Seeing Si-mun standing there perfectly unharmed, the Black Goat shook her head in astonishment.
Given the sheer scale of the phenomenon,
Whoosh!
A tempestuous wind, like a momentary typhoon, swept over Si-mun and Choi Woo-seok.
Yet, the promise of protection held true.
Only their hair and clothes fluttered violently in the gale.
Si-mun remained completely unaffected—his vision clear, his breathing steady—as he calmly regarded the Weaver of the Boundary.
'Even the Upper-level Dragonkin were like this... Just meeting his gaze alone was enough to twist them...'
Is this truly the true form of a Constellation?
Impressed, Si-mun gave a slight nod.
"I know. And it's not exactly wrong, is it?"
Truthfully, among the races that appeared in the Galaxy Arena, humans ranked near the bottom.
Especially when considering only their baseline stats—excluding traits, items, and other factors.
They were practically at the very bottom.
Even back on Earth before the Galaxy Arena, a bare-handed human couldn't defeat most wild beasts.
But—
[H-Honored Guest! I hold you in the highest regard!]
Had the Weaver misinterpreted Si-mun's agreement?
Like an eager puppy, the Weaver rambled on:
[To receive the gaze of both That One and the Great Mother is something even I could never achieve! And you even caught that vile human so quickly!]
He fumbled over his words, clearly flustered.
'I said it's fine, so why is he like this?'
Baffled by the Weaver's inexplicable behavior, Si-mun tilted his head.
"I really don't mind. Objectively speaking, it's accurate, and I don't care much for it."
He reaffirmed his stance.
Only then—
Did Si-mun realize why the Weaver had reacted so strongly.
[S-So... you won't... report this to the Great Mother, will you? I swear, I never meant to belittle the Honored Guest from that side!]
The Great Mother of that side—the Black Goat.
The Weaver was terrified that his words might reach her ears, making it seem like he had disparaged her.
That's why he was so frantic.
Si-mun chuckled softly and shook his head.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't even think of it."
[Ahahaha! As expected of the Honored Guest from that side! Truly magnanimous!]
Finally reassured, the Weaver burst into booming laughter.
Then—
[Now then... How shall I prepare this vermin who turned my domain into a trash heap?]
His gaze, now fitting for a Constellation of his stature, turned murderous as it locked onto Choi Woo-seok.
Even in his broken state, Choi must have sensed that stare.
"Eeek! Eeeeeek!!"
Unable to form coherent words, Choi flailed helplessly in the weightless void.
After observing him for a moment, Si-mun spoke up.
"Before that... there's something I'd like to discuss."
[Discuss? With whom?]
The Weaver tilted his head in confusion.
Si-mun looked at him and continued.
"With both of you—the Weaver of the Boundary and Choi Woo-seok."
[Hmm. Very well. What is it you wish to say?]
"You're punishing Choi Woo-seok because he turned this domain into a trash heap, correct?"
[Of course! How dare he treat my domain like that! Do you think I'd let such insolence slide?!]
His pride must have been deeply wounded.
The Weaver didn't even try to hide his fury as he spoke.
Si-mun smiled faintly to himself before responding.
"But what if, even after dealing with Choi Woo-seok... such incidents keep happening?"
[...What did you just say?]
The Weaver's rage intensified.
All sixteen of his crimson eyes fixed on Si-mun at once.
"I meant exactly that. What if what Choi Woo-seok did happens again?"
[We've caught Choi Woo-seok. How could such a thing happen agai—]
His voice trailed off.
And as it did, the sixteen red eyes burned even brighter.
["Surely, honored guest, you're implying there's another mastermind behind this incident?"]
"That's right. Just think about it."
Si-mun struggled to suppress the smile threatening to form as he spoke.
"The world I live in hasn't even begun the official Arena yet. So how could an ordinary civilian—not even a Player—know how to transport people to this place?"
[Indeed, that is peculiar. Had the official Arena begun in your world, it might make sense, but for someone from a world where it hasn't to know the path to this side... That defies logic.]
The Weaver of the Boundary swayed his massive head ponderously.
[Even in worlds where the official Arena has begun, countless individuals remain ignorant of how to reach this place.]
"Exactly."
[Then there must indeed be a mastermind behind this scheme. And you seem to know who it is.]
"Correct. In fact, Weaver of the Boundary, you already half-know the answer yourself."
Si-mun's gaze flickered sideways.
The Weaver of the Boundary's many eyes followed—and saw it too.
A floating, intermittently twitching mass of scales.
And then—
Kugugugugugug!!!
The vast space trembled violently.
[Those damned lizard bastards dare—!!]
The Weaver of the Boundary erupted into the most furious rage Si-mun had ever witnessed.
And with that fury—
'The Void is rampaging everywhere.'
Si-mun could feel the Void energy seething madly through the space.
Immediately—
Crunch!
The proof came as the floating bodies of upper-level Dragonkin were crushed to pulp.
'Had I not been connected to the Other Side, my body would've been pulverized just like that.'
Yet he felt no fear at this grotesque phenomenon.
Rather, he was pleased.
'After all, anything involving the Void works to my advantage.'
The very energy everyone feared most—
Was nothing but favorable to him.
The dimensional tremors ceased.
Whether calmed or spent—
[Honored guest. Then when you said you had words for this Choi Woo-seok... It concerns the Dragonkin mastermind?]
The Weaver's voice had regained some composure.
"Correct. I plan to extract information about the mastermind through a deal with Choi Woo-seok."
[Yet even with a mastermind, that human's insolence remains unchanged. I've no intention of letting him live.]
"That's fine. I don't intend to let him live either."
Only his close connection to the Void kept Si-mun from meeting the same fate as Dr. Choi would have otherwise—
A fate leaving not even corpses intact.
Crucially—
'Keeping him alive would just mean more human experiments.'
Spared, he'd only repeat his inhumane atrocities.
Perhaps sensing Si-mun's thoughts—
[Good. Then there's nothing to hesitate over.]
The Weaver observed Choi Woo-seok with a satisfied smile.
Huuung...
A red glow—identical to the Weaver's many eyes—licked at Choi Woo-seok's head.
Then—
"H-huh... Wha? Ah?"
Choi Woo-seok, who had been drifting aimlessly, suddenly regained awareness.
Blinking several times—
"You! You there! You kill me!"
He scrambled toward Si-mun, clutching at his sleeves desperately.
"Please! You do it! Don't give me to that spider! I'll—I'll do anything you say, just please!!"
Si-mun glanced down at Choi's pleading form, then at the Weaver—
Who merely wore a cruel smile.
Only then did Si-mun understand Choi's terror.
'He restored Dr. Choi's mind... but left all memories of his madness intact.'
And Void exposure was already catastrophic to the psyche.
In his mentally weakened state, he must have witnessed how the upper-level Dragonkin and the Continent Guild's elites were slaughtered one by one.
And he must have clearly seen just how much the Weaver of the Boundary despises him.
That's why he's begging to be killed by his own hands.
In any case.
"Alright, but I have conditions."
For Si-mun, it was simply a transaction where only profit remained.
"Anything! Anything at all! Just name it!!"
Wearing a radiant smile like a man promised heaven, Choi Woo-seok.
Si-mun pulled out his phone from his pocket and pointed it at him.
"All you need to do is answer the questions I ask from now on."
"Of course! Where should I start? Huh?"
Choi Woo-seok nodded frantically like a madman.
"My research? The Seongsam Guild's human experiments? The Dragonkin who sent me research data?"
He eagerly blurted out the very things Si-mun wanted to ask.
"Calm down. Just answer one at a time."
As Si-mun smirked and tried to organize his questions—
"Or perhaps the incident from ten years ago? Just tell me what to say!!"
At Choi Woo-seok's final outburst.
"...What did you just say?"
Si-mun's smile vanished as if washed away.
Muui Island, next to Incheon International Airport.
Through the pouring rain, a line of black cars arrived one after another.
Some of them—
Whoosh.
Soared through the air or flapped their wings, cutting through the fierce rain as they advanced.
Their destination was a certain coastline.
A two-meter-tall man hurriedly opened an umbrella as he stepped out of the passenger seat, then opened the rear door.
One.
"It's done."
The middle-aged man who stepped out of the car waved his hand lightly.
The two-meter-tall man glanced upward and, following his order, folded the umbrella.
Enormous, mysterious leaves had already grown overhead, perfectly blocking the pouring rain.
One curious thing was—
Whenever the middle-aged man took a step—
Creak.
The size of the giant leaves grew in real time.
Approaching the coastline, the middle-aged man scanned his surroundings.
"Is this the place?"
"Yes, Association President. The location Kim Si-mun gave us ends here."
At Kim Mu-yeol's question, Choi Chang-wook nodded lightly.
Then—
Swish.
"But... with weather like this, it'll be hard to search normally."
Choi Chang-wook frowned slightly at the threatening waves lashing at his dress shoes.
"We'll start the search with water-attribute Magic Class users like Spirit Masters."
"No. That won't be necessary."
Kim Mu-yeol shook his head slightly.
Choi Chang-wook looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"He didn't go into the sea. He went to that island—Silmi Island."
"Silmi Island? But there's no trace of anything there... Ah!"
He let out a small sigh at Kim Mu-yeol's following words.
"A Barrier, then."
"Right. And a fairly high-level one at that. Jong-ri Chu must have gone to great lengths."
Kim Mu-yeol clicked his tongue and jerked his chin backward.
"Everyone, fall back."
"Yes! Everyone, keep your distance!"
Choi Chang-wook immediately shouted, widening the gap.
Creaaak.
Despite being on the coastline—
Thick, massive roots of unknown origin erupted from nowhere.
Roots several meters long paradoxically gleamed with a sharp, metallic edge.
Just as Kim Mu-yeol was about to launch them forward—
Crack.
A fissure split the air.
To be precise—
Craaack.
It was more accurate to say the entire coastline, where the storm raged and fierce waves crashed.
Then—
Shatter!
The coastline shattered into transparent fragments.
And then—
Chill.
'What the—?'
A killing intent so intense it sent chills down the spine of the man known as the Iron Wood King, a 1st Generation Ranker.
The sharp roots around them tensed like wild beasts, instinctively recoiling.
As if responding—
"Hah... Speak of the devil."
A clear, youthful voice.
But unlike usual, it carried a thick, murderous intent.
"Uncle. Put that away. Before I kill you."
The voice slithered into Kim Mu-yeol's ears.