Chapter 187
Chapter 187
Chapter 187: Desert on the Scales (1)
Translation: godtl
No sun, moon, or stars.
Judging by the complete absence of light, this was clearly some isolated structure—or perhaps the depths underground.
Ssssshh—
A chilly wind swept across the monochrome desert sands as it approached.
The ashen-gray grains, like the remnants of burnt cinders, scattered against—
"Hmm......"
A three-meter-tall figure let out a low sigh.
Beside him—
"What's with the sigh? Bad luck already?"
A lively voice chimed in.
Though not as massive as the sighing figure—
"Is it because of Duat?"
A slender, two-meter-tall woman tilted her head, her disproportionately large eyes blinking.
"Duat's an annoying dimension, sure, but that's just me. Doesn't bother you, Drak, right?"
The massive figure shook his head slightly at her question.
"That's not it."
"Then what? Ohhh~ Is it because it's the Desert on the Scales? Yeah, this place is the absolute worst in Duat."
As if understanding, the woman bobbed her head.
But again, the giant shook his head.
"The Karma Debuff here means little to me. Shouldn't matter much to you either."
At that, the woman scrunched up her already oversized eyes exaggeratedly.
"Then what's the problem? We even got teamed up as part of the cooperation conditions."
"That's exactly it, Kruna."
"What... Oh! The cooperation conditions!"
Finally catching on, the large-eyed woman—Kruna—nodded vigorously.
"Berunkel. You're bothered by the Rule Intervention, aren't you?"
"Correct."
The massive man named Berunkel gave a slow, heavy nod.
"This is just Platinum-rank. Yet a Rule Intervention—rare even in Diamond-rank—occurred here."
"So there's someone here getting showered with a Constellation's favor?"
"Precisely."
"I feel like I can guess who it is..."
"You know him well. That human bastard the Great Mother marked for all dragonkin."
"Ohhh! Kim Si-mun, was it? The one all the way over there just now—"
The moment Kruna nodded—
Swish!
A blade, carrying a sharp whistle, suddenly split the air.
Without even looking—
Berunkel swung his left arm, thick with corded muscle.
"Ghk!"
A pained groan burst from the end of his muscular limb.
"Attacking without even gauging your opponent's level."
Berunkel's boulder-like brow lifted slightly as he identified the source of the groan.
"A Dongseo Tribesman...? How odd. I thought they weren't this stupid of a race."
The beastman—a rat-headed humanoid with a crimson, choking-red face—dangled in his grip.
Amused by the Dongseo Tribesman's appearance—
"Kik! Stupid specimens are always the majority among inferior races, no?"
Kruna, giggling, raised an arm that was excessively long even for her two-meter frame.
Flutter.
From her elongated arm to her side—
A curtain-like, wide membrane unfurled.
Then—
Crunch!
It effortlessly blocked the ice spike flying toward Berunkel's left arm.
Surprisingly—
"Huh~ A 5-Star with ice specialization? The power's almost 6-Star level."
Despite its flimsy, fabric-like appearance—
Even against an ice spike nearing 6-Star potency—
Her membrane bore not even a scratch.
"Well, no time for proper casting when you're ambushing, I guess. At least they used their brains a little."
Kruna, lacing her words with venom, turned toward the spellcaster.
A two-meter-tall giant crayfish.
"Crabster? Perfect partner for a rat bastard, huh?"
"Damn it!"
The Crabster, meeting Kruna's gaze, spat a curse and immediately twisted its body.
Thanks to its eight legs—
Skitter!
The four pairs moved in perfect unison, sprinting effortlessly across the sinking sands.
And between its upright torso and massive claws—
"Cone of Ice! Frost Nova!"
Twin-cast azure ice spells fired in rapid succession.
"Are they all 5-star magic or what?"
Crackle crackle.
Though the two spells left behind a flurry of pale frost swirling in the air, that was all.
"Hmph. Desperate flailing, I see."
Kruna let out a short, derisive snort, as if the sandy terrain beneath her was nothing but a joke.
Thud.
With a powerful kick off the ground, she shot into the air.
Crash!
She slammed Crabster's head straight into the sand.
Her hands looked almost skeletal, so lean and dry they were, yet—
"Ghk!"
Crabster writhed, his four pairs of legs flailing helplessly, as if pinned under a massive boulder. Had he finally realized he was outmatched?
"P-please, spare me!"
Crabster quickly begged for his life.
"Spare you?"Kruna sneered, her grip tightening around his head."You threw the first punch without knowing your place. Now you'll take responsibility."
The way she effortlessly subdued the two-meter-tall Crabster with just one hand made it clear—crushing that thick, armored skull wouldn't be much trouble.
Just then.
"Kruna. Hold on."
A voice of salvation reached Crabster's ears.
Perhaps annoyed at the interruption—
"What?!"
Kruna turned her large eyes, brimming with irritation, toward Berunkel.
The high-ranking Drak approached, shaking the rat-like Dongseo Tribe member in his left hand.
"The Arena just started. No need to rack up a Karma Debuff this early over these small fries, right?"
Kruna glanced down at Crabster, still twitching in the sand.
"Well... I suppose."
Taking the cue, the Dongseo Tribe member, still clutched in Berunkel's grip, hastily chimed in.
"Y-yes! It'd be a waste for such noble Upper-level Dragonkin to dirty their hands with the likes of us and suffer a debuff!"
Did it work?
"True, kills are kills, but higher-tier targets give better rewards."
Kruna yanked Crabster up from the sand, dust cascading off him like ash.
"But still."
She smirked, tightening her grip on the trembling Crabster, who didn't even dare resist.
"That doesn't mean I have any reason to let you live, does it? A single debuff stack means nothing to me."
At that—
"W-we'll do anything! Use us as meat shields if you have to, just spare us!"Crabster blurted out.
"Damn it!"
Kruna's large eyes only grew more irritated.
"Sticking with us as meat shields would guarantee you a spot in the rankings. And yet you dare scheme with that tiny brain of yours?"
"Kruna."
But when Berunkel's low voice joined in—
"Tch."
Kruna released Crabster.
Not that he could even think of running now.
"Th-thank you! Meat shields, whatever! We'll work hard!"
Crabster immediately kowtowed.
The rat-man, now freed from Berunkel's grasp as well, scurried to Crabster's side and bowed deeply.
"Same here! It's an honor to serve two Upper-level Dragonkin! Hehe!"
Kruna stared down at the two beastmen, then turned to Berunkel with a frown.
"Berunkel. What the hell are you thinking?"
She clicked her tongue.
"We're already teamed up. Why bother with these bugs?"
Instead of answering, Berunkel simply smirked and approached the two groveling beastmen.
"You said you'd do anything, right?"
"O-of course!"
"Anything at all!"
"Good."
Crossing his arms, Berunkel continued.
"I'll assign you a target to eliminate. If you handle it cleanly..."
Even in a Survival match—
His gaze swept across the eerily silent, monochromatic desert wasteland.
"I'll take responsibility and get both of you into the top 10 rankings."
At those words, the two beastmen who had been trembling violently now had their eyes dyed with greed.
"R-really, sir?"
"Of course. I swear this on my honor as Drak of the Upper-level Dragonkin."
Having answered thus, Berunkel turned to look at Kruna.
Kruna, who had been observing the situation, also nodded in response to Berunkel's glance.
"Fine. I too swear this on my honor as Kruna of the Upper-level Wyverns."
"Th-thank you!"
"We'll definitely succeed!"
Instantly brightening, the Dongseo Tribe member and Crabster.
"These two are your targets."
From Berunkel's boulder-like hand, small holograms of two humans materialized.
"The location is the exact opposite direction from here. Go now."
"Understood!"
With a nod, the Dongseo Tribe member and Crabster disappeared into the distance in an instant.
"Now answer me, Berunkel."
Kruna, who had been watching their retreating figures, asked.
"Kim Si-mun is the bastard who even killed Manager Sargas. Do you really think those lowlifes can handle him?"
"Of course not."
"Then why the hell are you pulling this stunt?"
At Kruna's question, Berunkel let out a small sigh.
"Kruna. Even for a Wyvern, wouldn't it be good to use your head once in a while?"
"You little—! You're a Drak too! Who are you to lecture anyone!"
Kruna immediately flared up, her voice rising as killing intent erupted from her.
Ssss—
The surrounding sand trembled from the sheer density of her murderous aura, yet.
"Didn't you say it yourself earlier? That this map's gimmick is annoying."
Berunkel answered without even blinking.
"I did! So what— Ah~"
Kruna's large eyes instantly sparkled with delight.
"You're saying we'll use those insignificant creatures to stack Kim Si-mun's Karma Debuff?"
"Exactly. No matter how strong the killer of Manager Sargas might be, he can't avoid this place's Karma penalty."
"So we keep feeding him kills to stack the debuff... Then strike when he's at his weakest?"
"Right."
Berunkel nodded.
Kruna's lips curled into a viscous smirk.
"Heheh! Then we'll need to keep sending more of those inferior races, won't we?"
Her grin widened toward another group of approaching victims not far away.
-What the hell? Cooperation conditions in Survival mode?
-No idea. First time seeing this lol
-This guy was begging into thin air earlier to spare him.
-Did he actually beg his Constellation to save his life or something?
-Is he stupid? You enter the Arena then beg for your life?
-Seeing how he got teamed with Leoni, it's probably because of her.
-Yeah looks like it. They just happened to get paired as a duo with Leoni.
-But is this even possible by asking your Constellation?
The chat exploded over the sudden addition of cooperation conditions.
From how this was possible to whether Si-mun had intervened—
The chat was pure chaos, flooded with wild speculations and baseless theories.
'Just what...'
Even Leoni, who had been teamed with Si-mun, was no exception.
'Did he ask his Constellation to create cooperation conditions? But why mention mine?'
Si-mun had clearly mentioned Brynhildr, the Constellation sponsoring her.
'And he definitely said "spare me."'
Considering Si-mun's previous actions and personality,
those words begging for his life most likely weren't referring to himself.
Which meant—
'Don't tell me... he was asking to spare me?'
An unbelievable conclusion kept circling through Leoni's mind.
Then—
Swish!
A sharp sound of splitting air reached her.
Leoni surrendered her body entirely to the alarm bells ringing through her left side.
Whoosh—
A dagger sliced through where she'd been standing.
Without even checking her attacker,
"Where do you think—!"
Leoni immediately swung the greatsword from her back.
One.
Whoom.
Only the heavy sound of cleaving air answered.
Her attacker had already leapt high into the sky.
"Do you think I'd let you escape?!"
The moment Leoni saw him, she immediately stomped the ground.
"Leoni, stop!"
Kim Si-mun's voice came from behind her.
But that was all.
'Stop? As if!'
She couldn't let this opportunity slip by—the moment when an assassin-class opponent was at their weakest.
Leoni charged toward the assailant who was floating through the air like a dart.
Then.
"Tch."
The rat-like humanoid's lips curled slightly.
Swish!
Suddenly, the rat-man twisted his body in an unnatural motion.
From his embrace—
Whizzing sounds!
A barrage of hidden weapons shot forth.
Each one seemed imbued with high-level aura,
blazing with a heat haze that shimmered intensely.
Instantly, Leoni's eyes widened in dismay.
'Launching hidden weapons mid-air?!'
Who would have thought he could twist his body like that in midair and counterattack?
'Too late to dodge now.'
But at this point, she had already committed to her full-speed charge—there was no way to evade.
'It's too early to use this, but I have no choice.'
Unlike previous arenas, this was a life-or-death battle.
Gritting her teeth, Leoni shouted:
"Brynhildr!"
Oooom.
A brilliant light enveloped her body as a full set of armor materialized.
Clad in the Valkyrie Suit, Leoni took the barrage of hidden weapons head-on.
And then—
Clink!
Only tiny sparks flew.
The aura-infused hidden weapons bounced off helplessly.
"T-this is a Constellation's—!"
Before the rat-man could even process his shock—
Sschk!
He was cleanly bisected.
Thud.
The severed halves of his body hit the ground.
At this—
"M-madness! No one said anything about a Constellation's Sponsor!"
A beastman resembling a cross between a crab and a crayfish—
Crabster—shouted in horror.
Before her feet even touched the ground, Leoni—
Bang!
—kicked off the air and lunged toward Crabster.
"C-Cone of Ice! Frost Cloud! Slow! Frozen......!"
A flurry of spells poured from Crabster's twin pincers.
But—
Crash!
Like an icebreaker ship,
Leoni plowed through the magical barrage in her white armor.
"Die!"
She swung her greatsword straight toward Crabster's head.
Or rather—
"I said stop."
She tried to swing.
Before she could—
Thud!
—Si-mun, now in his Dragon Body Transformation, caught her wrist.
"Tch!"
Gnashing her teeth, Leoni tried to shake off his grip, but to no avail.
'Even with the Valkyrie Suit on... What kind of strength is this?!'
Her arm was stuck as if wedged between boulders.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Leoni glared at Si-mun.
"Kim Si-mun! What the hell are you—"
But she couldn't finish her sentence.
The reason was simple.
Before her eyes—
[You have committed murder.]
[The weight of sin burdens your heart.]
[All stats reduced by 10%.]
A message she had never seen before appeared.
Perhaps because the Valkyrie Suit had drastically boosted her stats?
"M-my strength?!"
Leoni keenly felt the 10% reduction in all her stats.
Watching her panic, Si-mun sighed calmly.
'I knew this would happen.'
Meanwhile—
"How is this—"
Before Leoni could say more—
"Die, you damned bastards!"
Crackle!
A surge of pale frost rushed toward her.
Crabster, who had retreated to a distance, had cast another spell.
"Tch."
Si-mun clicked his tongue.
'With the Karma Debuff, we need to prioritize taking down the strongest ones to maximize gains.'
With a regretful expression, Si-mun swung his fist toward the frost.
Pfft.
Like punching into a snowdrift,
the ice magic shattered weakly.
"Y-you! What kind of passive immunity do you humans have against magic?!"
Crabster spat out in disbelief at the absurd sight.
From his mouth—
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Strike: Tyrant Emperor Break.
This time, a fist wreathed in black energy slammed into him.
Crunch!
Crabster's head exploded on impact.
A fluid resembling blood splattered in all directions.
Wiping the fluid from his cheek, Si-mun sighed regretfully.
'No choice. We'll just have to endure one stack of Karma.'
The moment he steeled himself—
[You have committed murder.]
[The weight of sin burdens your heart.]
The same messages Leoni had seen appeared.
But then—
[You have reached maximum favor with the Death Constellation.]
[The weight of sin drastically decreases.]
[All stats reduced by 1%.]
As the follow-up messages appeared—
"Huh?"
Si-mun blinked in confusion.