Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Heavenly Demon Divine Art (1)
Translation: godtl
[All participants have been matched.]
[Location: 'Frozen Abandoned Mine.']
Familiar system windows popped up.
But the following system message was anything but ordinary.
[Due to accumulated achievements and the measured MMR value of Player Kim Si-mun, changes to regulations have been implemented.]
[Starting with this arena, Player Kim Si-mun's placement test period will conclude.]
'What the hell is this now?'
Si-mun tilted his head as he read the message.
Ending the placement test period after just this one match?
Considering that players typically went through 5 to 10 matches before being assigned a rank, this was an extremely unconventional decision.
'Well, I guess it's not that strange.'
Looking at the part about "accumulated achievements and measured MMR value," it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
His insane crafting speed and the creation of various Mythic-grade equipment.
Not to mention surviving a regular arena at level 1.
It felt a bit embarrassing to assess himself this way, but—
At this point, he was practically a walking disaster in the lower ranks.
Si-mun nodded slowly.
'They must want to assign me a rank quickly and push me to grow.'
The Galaxy Arena had likely decided that further placement matches were meaningless.
Their stance was probably to hurry up and throw him into the appropriate rank.
'Well, if the level's right, I wouldn't mind moving up either.'
Before his regression, he had been stuck at level 1 the entire time.
Now that his mana disability was cured and he had gained powerful abilities—
It would be a lie to say he didn't want to climb higher as a player.
"Oh right, gotta turn on the stream."
This time, he had logged in using the Seongsam Guild's latest private-access device, provided by Lee Yu-jeong.
Since it allowed broadcasting functions, Si-mun opened the options and activated the stream.
"Not like I'll have any viewers right away, but..."
If he kept performing well, viewers would naturally come.
Then he could start clearing broadcasting-related achievements one by one.
'And rack up some decent Achievement Points. Heheh!'
What should he craft with them?
More of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? The latter contents of the Obsidian Tablet?
Or something entirely new?
As Si-mun happily pondered this—
[Constellation Zeus has entered the broadcast.]
[Constellation Black Goat has entered the broadcast.]
[Constellation Heavenly Demon has entered the broadcast.]
A series of unbelievable notifications appeared in quick succession.
"Huh?"
Si-mun blinked in confusion.
'Wait, Constellations can join broadcasts too?'
Before his regression—
He had never heard of Constellations appearing in the streams of those they sponsored.
But now, Constellations were entering his broadcast?
Before he could even process the shock of their arrival—
"Bon appétit!"
With a line straight out of a mukbang stream—
WHOOSH!
A violent gust of wind blasted straight into Si-mun's face.
'It's over.'
Not that there was any "over" to speak of.
Sure, he had suffered frequent defeats, lost stats, and been hit with all sorts of penalties.
But there was a world of difference between a max stat of 10 taking a 90% penalty and a max stat of 100 taking the same.
Besides, hadn't he once been a skilled player aiming for Diamond-rank?
'This is why smurfing is so damn fun.'
With all his accumulated know-how, instincts, skills, and items—
No one in this rank stood a chance against Don King.
That's right.
That's how it should have been.
THUD.
"Huh?"
The custom-made knuckles from the Life Skills Association—
Were effortlessly caught mid-swing by the hoodie-wearing man, whose gaze didn't waver in the slightest.
As proof—
"Pretty fast."
The hooded man's eyes sharpened instantly after blocking the punch.
Before Don King could even process what was happening—
THWACK.
A fist buried itself in his solar plexus, sending his body flying through the air.
And then—
'What the hell? This deep-sea bastard actually blocked that?'
Don King flipped mid-air and landed lightly, dodging the follow-up strike.
His expression was a mix of surprise and intrigue as he stared at the gray-hooded man—
Kim Si-mun.
"Hey, folks. This guy's kinda legit, huh?"
-??
-Wait what? He just blocked a sneak attack bare-handed and countered?
-Ah, Don King's just trying to play it up for the stream again!
-What?"Bon appétit" is his signature kill line.
-For real. That punch looked legit.
The chat instantly flooded with question marks.
Don King cracked his neck lightly and smirked.
"Doesn't look like much, but you pack a punch, huh?"
In response, Si-mun silently stared at Don King—
Or more precisely, at his solar plexus.
"Did he just use Deflection in that split second?"
Deflection—an advanced technique that minimizes damage by shifting the point of impact at the last moment.
Judging by his equipment, he seemed to be a martial artist.
But even for a martial artist specialized in physical combat,
it should have been nearly impossible to execute Deflection at the moment of counterattack.
'And he did it purely through skill, without relying on any trait.'
This was still the Placement Test.
Wasn't this supposed to be the so-called "trench" bracket?
That level of Deflection couldn't be achieved with traits alone.
'Not to mention, his equipment isn't ordinary either...'
Si-mun's gaze swiftly swept over Don King.
Then—
(Oppa? There are more people behind him.)
'Yeah, I just sensed them too.'
Si-mun's eyes shifted past Don King.
Was it because the Spirit Elixir had boosted his Strength, Agility, and Constitution by 2 each?
Or was it due to his 8 points in Demonic Energy and the Heavenly Demon Arts he'd acquired?
Whatever the reason, Si-mun could now sense the presence of three people hiding behind Don King.
'Yet I didn't notice the ambusher until he was right on top of me.'
In contrast, the three hiding figures were easily detectable.
This meant the skill gap between the ambusher and the hidden ones was significant.
Moreover—
"Don't worry. Even in the trench, some people are meant to climb. You seem like one of them."
Despite the failed ambush, Don King showed not a hint of panic.
He even had the leisure to glance at the air—likely communicating with his stream—completely unfazed.
'Now I get the picture.'
Si-mun's eyes turned cold.
After a quick glance behind Don King, he spoke.
"You're a Bus Driver, aren't you?"
"Ohh? How'd you figure that out?"
"It's obvious at a glance."
"Impressive. But... you're being awfully curt, aren't you?"
"Should I bother with honorifics for someone who takes money to carry people like a bus?"
Bus Drivers.
Scum who deliberately throw matches to lower their MMR,
then descend to lower ranks to charge fees for boosting others.
They were among the players Si-mun despised the most.
Because—
'Back in the official Arena, so many players died because of those bastards.'
It was because of the so-called "passengers"—players who climbed ranks not through their own skill but by riding buses.
Of course.
A passenger boosted to a higher rank could never pull their weight in that bracket.
And in the official Arena, where everything became reality, they were ruthlessly weeded out.
The problem was—
'It's not just them who die.'
Especially in cooperative Arenas—dungeons or raids requiring teamwork.
If one of these passengers got matched, the entire party would be wiped out.
Because of these boosted players, perfectly capable ones lost their lives too.
Sure, the passengers paying for boosts were also part of the problem.
'But the Drivers are worse.'
Like the difference between drug addicts and drug dealers.
To Si-mun, the Bus Drivers running these operations were the real scum.
At his icy glare—
"Wow! The trench really breeds a different kind of audacity. You know I'm a Bus Driver, yet you're still acting like this?"
(LOL, he's just insane.)
(With ape-level intellect, good luck figuring things out.)
"Tsk tsk, 'ape-level intellect'? Harsh words. He's just someone meant to climb. Hahaha!"
Don King shrugged with exaggerated gestures,
even cheerfully repeating the derogatory chat comments.
His intent was obvious.
'Come on, get mad. Step right in.'
Provocation.
From that counterattack, Don King had realized Si-mun wasn't just some ordinary trench player.
But in the Arena, victory wasn't decided by external factors alone.
'I wouldn't lose even in a straight fight, but it's better to be sure.'
Shaking the opponent's mental state was also a skill.
And he couldn't let the humiliation of a trench rat countering his ambush slide.
But—
"Coming down to lower matchmaking and pulling such obvious taunts..."
Had Si-mun seen through Don King's intent?
He let out a dry laugh and stepped forward.
"Your methods are too crude, don't you think?"
"Hah! Is that so? Though for someone saying that..."
As Si-mun approached, Don King's smile deepened.
"...it seems to be working? Are you pissed off?"
"Ah, not pissed off."
Si-mun kept walking toward Don King, unhurried.
"It's just that one of my precious viewers just gave me a mission, so backing down now would be a shame, no?"
"Puhahahah!"
Even though Si-mun had closed the distance to within striking range,
Don King burst into uproarious laughter.
He couldn't help it.
"Looks like I failed to recognize someone truly remarkable here. Receiving missions in this rank bracket?"
A mission in a Bronze-Silver-Gold broadcast?
That was the kind of joke that would make a stray dog laugh.
-LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL this is f*cking hilarious LOLOL.
-Oh dear! Our Don King doesn't even get missions, what a shame~
-If he got a mission to beat up that kid, Don King would be rich by now LOL.
The chat window exploded with laughter alongside Don King.
However.
"Right? Getting missions even in the placement matches. I must be..."
That laughter didn't last long.
"Pretty amazing!"
With those words, Si-mun's fist shot forward in a straight punch.
Don King, who had been waiting to counterattack, immediately extended his arm to catch Si-mun's fist and prepared to flip him over, but—
CRACK.
'What the—?!'
Don King's eyes bulged.
It was as if he'd tried to stop a speeding truck barehanded.
Si-mun's fist tore straight through both of Don King's hands that had been grasping at his wrist and elbow.
THUD.
The fist buried itself deep into Don King's chest.
WHOMP.
"Ghk!"
Don King was sent flying straight into the abandoned mine's wall.
The impact cracked the wall, and the resulting cloud of dust completely buried the embedded Don King.
'Good. That one landed properly this time.'
Si-mun smiled at the satisfying impact reverberating through his knuckles.
'No wonder he was using such obvious taunts... He was planning to counter all along.'
If he'd just tried to deflect, he wouldn't have left himself open for a clean hit like this.
By trying to counter with the same predictable move, he'd instead taken the full brunt of the attack.
'As expected, the psychology of these bus drivers who even broadcast their carries is painfully transparent.'
So-called "civilian slaughterers" who pretend to be skilled while bullying weaker players.
This bus driver before him was no exception to that category.
"Holy shit!"
"D-Don King-nim!"
Panicked voices rang out from behind.
His hidden passengers had revealed themselves.
Without even glancing their way,
Si-mun resumed his combat stance.
Even after taking a punch enhanced by Human Body Alchemy and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art...
'A bus driver with that level of gear wouldn't stay down from just that.'
As if to prove it,
"You damn bastard!"
Parting the thick dust cloud,
Don King came flying in with a spinning kick, cursing violently.
"Die!!"
SCREEEECH!
True to his role as a bus driver, the sonic boom from his kick was anything but ordinary.
But.
Silently watching its approach,
Si-mun once again drew energy from the Philosopher's Stone, just as before.
Ssssss.
The reckless black energy surged through Si-mun's meridians toward his right fist.
'Demonic Energy is the Path of Hegemony itself...'
Following the mantra of the absorbed Heavenly Demon Divine Art,
the aggressive Demonic Energy reached Si-mun's fist and—
WHOOM.
With a faint ringing sound, met Don King's shin.
And thus—
CRUNCH.
"GAAAAAAH!"
Despite the shock-absorbent leather armor and combat greaves,
Don King's shin snapped like a rotten branch.
Yet.
"Fucking bastard!!"
Proving he didn't become a bus driver for nothing,
Don King twisted his body through the pain of his broken shin and threw a punch.
BANG.
The air suddenly exploded from Don King's fist.
But not just his fist.
BANG! BANG!
His waist, shoulders, and elbows too—
Every joint involved in the punching motion erupted with explosive force, adding terrifying rotational power and speed.
Si-mun instantly recognized it.
'An A-rank Trait—Detonation.'
A trait that momentarily detonates energy to amplify power and speed.
For combat classes—whether warrior, assassin, or even archer—
it was a high-tier trait compatible with any profession.
'So that kick earlier used Detonation too.'
Though it had crumbled before the peerless Heavenly Demon Divine Art,
that kick's power was definitely beyond what should be seen in this bracket.
"Fucking diiiie!!"
WHOOOOOSH!
With Detonation's assistance, the fist came flying with an incredible sonic boom.
'Normally, dodging would be the right choice...'
No matter how much Heavenly Demon Divine Art he mastered, it couldn't bridge the gap in levels, stats, and equipment.
But.
'Can't afford to fail the mission.'
Knowing Constellation Heavenly Demon's personality well, Si-mun chose to flick his fingers rather than dodge.
SNAP.
Wriggle.
From his right hand to the end of his arm,
the muscles synthesized with [Ogre's Body Tissue] rippled.
WHOOSH.
Si-mun's fist shot out with speed matching Don King's.
Within it, the Demonic Energy—refined through Transmutation Power according to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's incantation—raced like a wild stallion.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Strike: Tyrant Emperor Break.
The moment the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's technique clashed with Don King's fist—
Krrrrrrrrrr!
The dim Abandoned Mine let out a deep, shuddering scream.