Chapter 176
Chapter 176
Chapter 176: The Unexpected (1)
Translation: godtl
-What the? What's going on?
-Wtf. Why is he so shocked?
The chat exploded in response to Si-mun's astonishment.
And for good reason.
-It's rare to see him surprised like that.
-Exactly.
-Is it because of the hidden boss?
-Are you new here? You think this guy would be shocked by just a hidden boss?
-For real lol. How many hidden bosses has Kim Si-mun taken down by now?
Given that Si-mun had cleared arenas that bordered on the impossible, it was well known that he wasn't the type to be startled by just anything.
-Stfu, maybe he just doesn't know this one!
-Since when does watching his streams for long make you an expert lol.
-It's just wild seeing the guy who solo'd a 190-to-1 siege battle get shocked like this.
-190-to-2, actually. Did you not hear his conversation with Yuto just now?
-Oh, right...
-These kids are so clueless lol.
Naturally, the chat flared up even more.
But Si-mun had no time to spare a glance at the rapidly scrolling messages in the corner of his vision.
The reason was simple.
'The Nemean Lion Cub is a hidden boss connected to the Main Arena.'
The Main Arena.
Like a type of Special Arena, it was an arena accessible only after meeting specific conditions following a regular arena.
But as its name suggested, it was fundamentally different from a Special Arena.
Namely—
[This hidden boss can be forfeited, and you may exit the arena normally.]
[However, upon forfeiting, 'Nemean Lion Cub' and all related elements will never appear again on Earth No. 274.]
'As expected... It's a one-time-only chance per dimension.'
The fact that it was a one-time-only arena, impossible to retry within the same dimension.
And the brutal penalty that all related elements would vanish forever—
'Even if I fail the Main Arena, the same applies.'
Sure enough—
[The above conditions also apply if you fail to defeat the hidden boss 'Nemean Lion Cub.']
The message followed as if it had been waiting for him to realize it.
At that—
"If we fail, it'll never appear again...?"
Not only Yuto beside him but—
-What kind of bullshit is this?
-So this is what shocked him lol.
-Yep, seems like it.
-Wtf, this message is brutal af. Who'd even wanna do the arena now?
-For real. Penalty if you forfeit, penalty if you fail lol. What are we supposed to do?
-Ooooh~ Whatcha gonna do, Penalty~?
Even the viewers erupted into chaos.
If they failed to defeat this hidden boss—whether by forfeiting or by mistake—
-This is damned if you do, damned if you don't.
-Isn't this kinda dangerous?
-Exactly. What if Kim Si-mun tries and fails? Then he's screwed.
-All the haters from across the country would swarm in, right?"You wasted a never-before-seen hidden piece!" lol.
-You think it'd just be Korea? It's the entire planet. The whole world would riot.
-The entire world hating on me...? Oh shit!
They could face condemnation from the entire world.
Perhaps because of that pressure—
"S-Si-mun. What do we do now?"
Even Yuto, uncharacteristically, stammered slightly as he asked.
"Wait a second."
Si-mun rested his chin on his hand and silently observed the system window floating before him.
At his expression—
-Scared?
-Lmao Kim Si-mun's actually shook lol.
-Of course he is. This hidden boss is clearly different from the ones he's faced before.
-No kidding. I've never seen a notice this brutal in my life lol.
-Finally gonna see Kim Si-mun crash and burn?
-Ah, I hope he dies soon~~~
-About time this guy got exposed~.
Malicious comments, dripping with envy and inferiority, poured in—but that was all.
Most viewers, rather than being swayed by the toxicity—
-Lmao, they're already losing it before it's even started.
-This is the haters' moment, right? Crawling out of the woodwork?
-The hate-watchers are out in full force, huh? Do they even know what kind of stream this is?
-Lady Goat! Please lay down the law!
-Clean up these humans, would you?
—prayed to the absolute rulers of the chat.
And as if answering their calls—
-Black Goat: Annoyed? Then piss off, you little shits!
[Moderator 'Black Goat' has banned dlrjclaus.]
[Moderator 'Black Goat' has banned doehrwkdla.]
-Odin: We're at a critical moment. Have some damn awareness... All of you, out!
[Moderator 'Odin' has banned tjfakdlrjteh.]
[Moderator 'Baal' has banned sorkwuTek...]
A cascade of bans.
True to the viewership surpassing three million, the flood of bans showed no sign of stopping.
-On your knees!
-Damn, they're spamming bans lol.
The performance is legit lolol
Big sis! Kick me out too, please!
[Manager 'Black Goat' has banned user 'GoatFucker'.]
The viewers watching this erupted in cheers.
Leaving the chatroom chaos behind—
'Catching the Hidden Boss itself isn't the issue...'
Si-mun read the notification that had popped up several times.
'The real problem is why the Main Arena has appeared when the regular Arena hasn't even started yet.'
The regular Arena was supposed to open in early 2031.
That was the information he knew from before the regression.
Naturally, the Main Arena should've appeared starting next year—so why now?
As Si-mun stared holes into the notification—
'Whatever. Overthinking this will just give me a headache.'
He let out a small sigh and closed his eyes.
'From what I saw earlier, even the high-ranking Constellations don't seem to know the reason. No point in me agonizing over it.'
The Constellations.
Even the high-ranking ones were stunned, weren't they?
Moreover—
'Since the Constellations aren't raising any objections, it probably means I'm not at a disadvantage.'
Though he didn't have a Backing Constellation, Si-mun now understood.
If the conditions were harmful to him—
Those five steadfast supporters watching over him would've stepped in long ago.
But the Constellations were just teasing him.
None of them were protesting against the Galaxy Arena, were they?
Most crucially—
'If I kill that thing, I'll gain access to the Main Arena's Nemean Lion.'
This wasn't just any Hidden Boss—it was a Hidden Boss that led directly to the Main Arena.
An event that would've been lost if it had appeared for another player.
'I can't let this golden opportunity slip through my fingers when it's rolled right to my feet.'
With an uneasy expression, Si-mun scanned the empty air—
His gaze likely fixed on Yuto, who was probably watching his stream's chat.
"Yuto."
"Yes, Si-mun."
"Let's do this."
At Si-mun's suggestion, Yuto fell silent for a moment.
Then—
"Understood. It doesn't seem like an ordinary Hidden Boss... but since the penalty is the same whether we give up or not, we might as well try, come hell or high water."
Yuto gave a small nod.
In him, Si-mun saw an overlap with Si-hyeok's childhood self.
"Don't stress too much. Just take it easy."
Si-mun grinned and gave Yuto's shoulder a light pat.
Then—
"We'll take down the Hidden Boss."
As Si-mun responded to the notification—
[Hidden Boss 'Nemean Lion Cub' has appeared.]
KOOOOM.
A violent tremor shook the ground.
The mouth of Yuto—Japan's greatest prodigy, hailed as a once-in-a-generation genius—slightly fell open.
"Uh... Si-mun."
"Yeah?"
"Didn't it say 'Nemean Lion Cub'?"
"It did."
"But how is that...?"
A cub?
Yuto couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
And who could blame him?
In the heart of the split-open Fortress of Savagery, rising from within—
GRRRR.
—was a lion, its neck clamped in magic-seal shackles.
GRRROWL.
Baring its massive fangs, it let out a deep growl.
Even by rough estimate, it was the size of a small apartment building.
True to its colossal frame—
THUD. THUD.
Every step the lion took as it paced inside the cage sent minor tremors through the ground.
Unlike Yuto, whose face had gone pale—
"Hoh."
Si-mun's eyes sparkled as he scanned the Nemean Lion Cub.
Luxurious golden fur, the size of a small apartment.
Even the form of a lioness without a mane.
'Looks exactly like the one I saw in my past life.'
He remembered every detail of the Main Arena events—each one was far too important to forget.
But especially, Si-mun had the Nemean Lion's information perfectly memorized.
The reason was simple.
'In my past life, it was Mal-suk who cleared the Nemean Lion.'
The Heavenly Demon, Go Mal-suk.
Back then, Mal-suk—who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his younger brother Kim Si-hyeok and the Fist King Jong-ri Chu—
was the player who had cleared the Main Arena's Nemean Lion.
'The atmosphere was like she'd won the World Cup or the Olympics.'
Though her unpredictable, egocentric personality had earned her countless enemies—
when she took down the Nemean Lion, players worldwide had united in awe.
And for good reason.
'The penalty for failing a Main Arena is beyond imagination.'
Most notably—
'Being completely severed from your affiliated Constellations is especially fatal.'
The severance from Constellations.
'Not only does it reduce the number of Constellations sponsoring Earth, but even players with Backing Constellations get cut off from theirs.'
The ripple effect was truly immense.
From the combat strength of Outbreak and high-risk Arenas to dimensional buffs—
The loss of powerful Players caused damage across various domains.
Even just the severance from Constellations alone led to these consequences.
And yet—
High-grade items, quests, and other rewards derived from the Main Arena—
Losing all of them?
'Earth would repeat its past life.'
A world where only China and the United States remained.
Even then, they were gradually losing their territories on Earth.
Naturally, the repeated failures in the Main Arena had already inflicted significant damage.
Grrrrrl!
A growl, more menacing than before, snapped Si-mun out of his thoughts.
His gaze, fixed on the Nemean Lion Cub, grew even calmer.
Fortunately—
'Even a cub like this is within my current specs to handle.'
Though it was a Hidden Boss tied to the Main Arena, defeating it was still possible.
The only issue was that it would take a bit of time.
"Yuto."
"Yes."
Luckily, Si-mun had someone who could buy him that time.
"I'll have the remaining Demonic Beasts keep you company. Just hold aggro for five minutes."
"Leave it to me."
Yuto nodded and stepped forward.
Kiiii!
Grrrrl!
Behind him, the remaining Blade-Screaming Bats and Thorn Fiends followed.
Si-mun immediately closed his eyes—
Ssssss...
An unfathomable energy surged around him.
Yuto glanced back at Si-mun, then adjusted his grip on his sword.
"Honestly, I wasn't feeling great about just riding the bus. This works out."
Unlike when he had been speaking with Si-mun—
His gaze had sharpened to the point where it felt like even a graze would cut.
"This time, I'll show you my true worth. I hope the viewers are watching closely."
His eyes brimmed with a bloodthirsty intensity, as if ready to shred the Nemean Lion Cub to pieces.
And in response to Yuto's momentum—
-Ooooh! Go, Yuto!
-I knew I could count on you!
-Yuto-kun! Do your best!
His chat flooded with cheers.
Yuto smirked faintly at the encouragement, then stomped the ground.
Taat!
Like a serpent gliding through water—
He moved forward with fluid grace.
In an instant, his figure brushed past the cub that had stepped outside the cage.
Sssk!
From the blade drawn at blinding speed, a bluish mirage shimmered—
And at its tip, a thin line connected to the cub's front leg.
"First, the foreleg."
A cold voice.
As he turned, Yuto curled one corner of his lips smugly.
Or rather—
Grrrl!
He tried to.
'W-what? I cut it with Sword Energy, and it's fine?'
That was before he saw the cub's completely unharmed leg.
Yuto's bewildered pupils quickly regained rationality.
"As expected. You're no ordinary Hidden Boss."
He nodded slowly, sheathing his sword once more.
"My apologies. This time, I'll do it properly."
His eyes sharpened again, ready to slice through anything.
And then—
Paaang!
With a movement far faster and lighter than before, Yuto shot forward.
He swung his sword even before reaching the cub's foreleg.
"Severing Iron Blade."
Oooong.
A sound as clear and blue as the technique itself.
A piercing azure light extended through the blade into the air.
A high-level technique beyond Sword Energy—
Sword Aura.
Shoooaaak!
A chilling sound of tearing wind swept past the cub's front leg.
A glint of satisfaction flashed through Yuto's sharp eyes.
The heavy sensation traveling through the hilt—
It felt like striking a boulder with a bare blade, but—
'It went through.'
On the contrary, it was proof that he had cleanly bisected his target.
'No matter how extraordinary a Hidden Boss you are, you should at least lose a leg.'
Oong.
Yuto converted his Sword Aura into a defensive barrier and took a few steps back.
Preparing for the crimson downpour that would soon follow.
But his movement halted almost immediately.
The reason was simple.
Instead of red blood—
Ssseuk.
Soft golden fur scattered before his eyes.
And then—
Grrrrl.
A low growl rumbled from above.
The slight curl of the creature's lips suggested it was mocking him, but—
"This can't be...!"
Yuto couldn't snap out of his disbelief.
How could he?
'I used Sword Aura—even unleashed Severing Iron Blade—and there's no damage?'
His strongest attack at his current level.
A sword strike he had poured his all into—yet—
The cub lion's foreleg showed only the slightest disturbance in its fine fur.
Not a single drop of blood had been drawn.
And then, over Yuto's head—
Swoosh.
A dark shadow loomed.
And then—
CRUNCH!
A massive paw came crashing down.