Chapter 201
Chapter 201
Translation: godtl
The Cradle of the Spirit King (4)
An empty void where nothing existed.
As Si-mun returned to the waiting room, a familiar message appeared before his eyes.
[You have cleared the Special Arena 'The Cradle of the Spirit King' in an unimaginable manner.]
[The fate determined by this Arena's clearance may undergo significant changes.]
"Hmm?"
Si-mun, who had been about to dismiss the message, paused.
The reason was simple.
"The fate determined may undergo significant changes?"
In the past, the message had always been definitive—
[The fate determined by this Arena's clearance will undergo significant changes.]
—but this time, it left room for uncertainty: "may undergo significant changes."
This was...
"It's been a while since the Galaxy Arena has been this ambiguous."
Such ambiguity was completely out of character for the Galaxy Arena, which prided itself on being thorough.
"Well, I can roughly guess why..."
The condition for clearing the Arena had been the traces of the Spirit King.
Recalling the multicolored flower bud that contained it, Si-mun rested his chin on his hand briefly before moving on.
For now—
"Alright, everyone. I'll be heading out now."
-Nooo! Bro! Don't go!
-What else is there to do? You already cleared the Special Arena.
-That's just how he talks, why so salty?
-Cut him some slack. The Diamonds who watched today's stream are on edge lol.
-LMAO, look at how sensitive they are lol.
-I get it~. It's enough to make anyone's inferiority complex explode~.
Since he had to end the Arenia broadcast first—
"Alright, everyone. See you next time."
-Shi-ba~
-That's not a swear! It means 'Si-mun, fighting!'
-Thank you, Noomulboman!
-LOL, you toxic bastards.
-They're explaining just to avoid misunderstandings lol.
-Shi-ba~.
After ending the broadcast, Si-mun immediately left the waiting room.
Clink.
Creak.
The familiar sounds of work greeted him as he returned to the penthouse laboratory.
-You did well~.
"Dad!"
The Philosopher's Stone and Si-yeon welcomed him back.
At the same time—
[You have successfully cleared the Arena 'The Cradle of the Spirit King.']
[You have cleared the Arena in an unimaginable manner.]
[Your rewards have increased based on your performance.]
[The bonded trait 'Philosopher's Stone' has received a portion of the experience points.]
[Your level has increased by 5.]
[The Philosopher's Stone's level has increased by 3.]
A series of Arena rewards followed.
"Eight levels in total, huh."
Not insignificant, but—
For a Special Arena, it wasn't exactly generous.
However, Si-mun's attention wasn't focused on the levels.
[As you have altered the predetermined outcome of the clearance, your rewards are being adjusted accordingly.]
[Please wait a moment.]
There was a slight delay in the distribution of item rewards.
Of course, Si-mun wasn't particularly fazed.
"The whole point of this Arena was to find the traces of the Spirit King, after all."
Just confirming the existence of that multicolored flower bud would have been enough to clear it.
But hadn't he completely overturned the Arena instead?
Naturally, calculating the merits of that wouldn't be easy.
As if to prove it—
-You really blew it all up in the most spectacular way, huh?
The Philosopher's Stone inside the flask smirked at him with a sly grin.
Si-mun chuckled and nodded.
"Yeah, I guess. Stealth was probably the intended way to clear it."
-Obviously. It's clear the Galaxy Arena designed it that way.
Just looking at the forces stationed in the Cradle of the Spirit King was proof enough.
Even if they were lower-ranked, they were still the Giant Race—one of the Arena's top-tier species.
Not to mention, there was even a mid-tier giant among them.
And as their cooperative partners, they had deployed multiple Nagas—Upper-level Dragonkin, no less.
-Just the combination of those two races makes it obvious. Even a top-tier Diamond party would've struggled, don't you think?
Si-mun nodded at the Philosopher's Stone's words.
"If we're talking Players, it was a clear-cut combination of melee and Magic Classes. Without the Death Eye, I would've burned through a lot of Achievement Points too."
The Giants at the front, backed by the Nagas' magical bombardment.
A simple strategy, but—
Given the caliber of the forces involved, it would have been nothing short of a disaster.
And that wasn't all.
-Tch! That's not even the half of it. If you destroyed them all, there was even a Hidden Boss waiting as a condition.
If you wiped everything out, wouldn't a Hidden Boss appear?
It was an Arena clearly designed to discourage brute-force clearing.
But—
-But who would've thought you'd just bulldoze through it with sheer firepower?
He did exactly what he wasn't supposed to do—smashed everything to pieces—
And even steamrolled the final failsafe, the Hidden Boss.
From the Galaxy Arena's perspective, how could they not be flustered?
"That's why they're struggling over the reward like that."
At the Philosopher's Stone's words, Si-mun let out a soft chuckle and nodded.
"Seems they were quite flustered, just as you said."
Seeing them agonize over item rewards like that after so long was telling.
-Exactly. It's unexpected, really. This kind of thing used to happen fairly often.
The Philosopher's Stone, having somehow retrieved its mechanical arms, shrugged nonchalantly.
"Right! Happened lotsa times!"
And just as Si-yeon chimed in with unconditional agreement, trying to insert herself into the conversation, Si-mun patted her head—
[Clear reward has been decided.]
A notification flew in announcing the determined clear reward.
[This reward cannot be delivered to inventory.]
[Reward will be delivered directly to the player.]
[Clear reward: 'Specimen - DF' has been granted.]
A series of messages popped up in succession.
Fwoosh.
With a small burst of light, something materialized before Si-mun.
At this—
-Oh! Oppa! Isn't this that thing?!
The eyeball inside the Philosopher's Stone's flask bulged wide.
Though not as dramatically as the stone's reaction—
"Seems so."
Si-mun, too, wore a slightly stunned expression as he gazed at the 'Trace of the Spirit King' they'd seen earlier in the Special Arena.
'To think they'd actually give this as a reward...'
After briefly resting his chin on his hand in thought, Si-mun spoke:
"First, we need to complete the quest. Let's head to Ernen."
"Daddy! Me too! Si-yeon wants to go too!"
"Alright. Si-yeon, come with us."
Holding the Trace of the Spirit King tightly in her arms, Si-yeon followed as they made their way to Elvenheim.
An endless expanse of sprawling highlands.
A sea of vibrant green where all manner of flora thrived in harmony.
Upon arriving in Elvenheim, Si-mun—
Pheeew...
Turned his gaze to the 'Trace of the Spirit King' weakly gasping in Si-yeon's embrace.
"Eeeh... Does it hurt a lot...?"
Like a puppy cradling something its own size—
Si-yeon hugged the Trace of the Spirit King tightly, her eyes filled with concern.
At this sight—
'Why does Si-yeon feel such familiarity with it? Is it because of its colorful appearance?'
Si-mun tilted his head briefly in puzzlement but soon turned his attention to the colossal tree connecting heaven and earth in the distance.
"Simdrasil, we're here."
He approached the World Tree, and as if in response—
Swish.
A clear, resonant chime tickled their ears.
Simultaneously—
Whoosh!
The open highlands they'd been crossing blurred past as they reached Simdrasil in an instant.
"You've arrived, my benefactor."
Following the direction of the melodious voice, Si-mun looked up.
Platinum hair and emerald eyes that seemed to melt nature itself.
"I never expected you to resolve matters so swiftly. Truly worthy of being my savior."
High Elf Ernen approached with a gentle smile, though it lasted only momentarily.
"But that is..."
Her gaze locked onto the creature Si-yeon was clutching tightly.
Pheeew...
As she observed the struggling lifeform gasping weakly, her expression hardened.
"It's the 'Trace of the Spirit King' we found in the Spirit King's Cradle."
"Th-that's it?!"
Though Ernen had been the one to request the quest—
She could only stare at the Trace of the Spirit King in utter bewilderment.
And understandably so.
The Trace of the Spirit King—both the clear condition of the Special Arena and the reward obtained—was...
"But benefactor... No matter how I look at it, that appears to be dragonkin..."
Undeniably taking the form of dragonkin.
To be more precise—
"It looks as if someone took a dragon's horns and wings, chopped them off and shrank them down, yet how...?"
It resembled a dragon's horns and wings that had been severed and miniaturized.
The only difference being—
That its scales were as vividly multicolored as the landscapes of the spirit realm.
As if sensing something from this—
"Wait. This energy...?"
Ernen's face stiffened momentarily before she stepped closer to examine the struggling Trace of the Spirit King.
"Th-this can't be!!"
She immediately gasped in shock.
And for good reason.
The multicolored-scaled dragonkin—
"How can dragonkin possess such pure spirit energy?!"
Possessed spirit energy of such purity that even Ernen, a High Elf, was stunned.
Watching Ernen's reaction, Si-mun nodded calmly.
'Not surprising. I couldn't help being shocked too when I first saw it.'
Fundamentally, spirits don't form contracts with dragonkin.
No—
To be precise, they can't.
'It's not just that spirits dislike dragonkin—Dragon Power and spirit energy are fundamentally incompatible.'
This was true both in his past life's memories—
And something Si-mun instinctively understood now that he possessed Dragon Power.
The harmonious nature of spirit energy was the complete opposite of the hegemonic nature of Dragon Power, just like Demonic Energy.
Naturally, Ernen the High Elf was well aware of this fact too.
"This is impossible... This level of purity rivals that of the Spirit King's. How can a Dragonkin possess this?!"
Ernen could only mutter with eyes full of shock.
Si-mun took a step closer to her and spoke.
"Actually, this Dragonkin is dying precisely because of that."
"Dying? Ah..."
Ernen let out a small sigh and pressed her fingers to her pale forehead.
"That makes sense. To contain the Spirit King's spiritual power within a Dragonkin's body... It's a miracle it's survived this long."
"Exactly."
Si-mun nodded in agreement with Ernen's words.
'It's been like this ever since I first found it in the flower bud of the Special Arena.'
Thanks to the two opposing energies working against each other,
that multicolored Dragonkin had been dying in real time.
'Before, it seemed to be sustaining itself by squeezing out spiritual power from spirits...'
But now, with no source to inject that level of spiritual power,
its life would be difficult to prolong.
Si-mun's brow furrowed slightly.
'Damn Arena bastards. To hand out rewards in this manner...'
A facility that had been cruelly wringing spirits dry—
even if the Black Goat hadn't issued the mission,
it was a place Si-mun would have destroyed regardless.
'This just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, regardless of its usefulness.'
To give a living creature—
one that was dying, no less—
as a reward?
Wasn't the Galaxy Arena supposed to be all about strict causality?
This reward made no sense at all.
As Si-mun pondered this, his eyes narrowed slightly.
'Could this be a warning? That if I obtain spiritual power, I might end up like that?'
He shook his head slightly.
'No, that can't be. The Galaxy Arena must know that with the Philosopher's Stone, I won't be affected at all.'
The Philosopher's Stone was an omnipotent existence—
capable of absorbing all energies,
even replacing the dantian and accepting the Spirit Body of the World Tree.
There was no way the Galaxy Arena was unaware of it.
Then, suddenly—
'Wait. Now that I think about it, there was that vague message earlier...'
An unusually ambiguous message from the Galaxy Arena.
Though the exact reason was unclear,
Si-mun had vaguely guessed it was related to that multicolored Dragonkin.
'Are they trying to give me some kind of hint?'
Just then—
"Ah! Look at me, losing my composure!"
Ernen's sudden voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Forgive me, Benefactor. I should have completed the quest for you first. It's just... this situation was so shocking that I lost myself..."
"It's fine. I was just as surprised as you when I first saw it."
At Si-mun's considerate words, Ernen regained her natural smile.
Her gaze, however, remained complicated as she glanced at the multicolored-scaled Dragonkin cradled in Si-yeon's arms.
After stealing a glance at the traces of the Spirit King, she gestured toward the air.
[Linked Quest "Traces of the Spirit King" has been completed.]
[You have acquired Spiritual Power as a reward.]
[Due to the trait "Philosopher's Stone," it has been bound to Transmutation Power.]
[You have acquired 20,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]
A series of rewards floated before his eyes,
but Si-mun didn't immediately open his Status Window to check them.
There was still one more reward left to receive.
"Benefactor, may I have your hand for a moment?"
Ernen extended her slender, jade-like hand.
Si-mun nodded and took it.
The sensation was like touching delicate flower petals.
From her fingertips, multicolored energy seeped into him.
Si-mun instantly recognized what it was.
'Spiritual power.'
The spiritual power flowing through his hand traveled up his arm,
reaching the center of his chest—
where the Philosopher's Stone absorbed it.
—Mmmph! Such pure spiritual power... So warm and cozy!
Like a contented cat,
the Philosopher's Stone trembled with pleasure,
and the multicolored spiritual energy even reached the Spirit Body of the World Tree rooted within it.
Then—
Shimmer...
A clear, resonant sound flowed from the Spirit Body of the World Tree.
At the same time—
The massive World Tree, Simdrasil—
too vast to take in at a glance—
was instantly wrapped in multicolored light.
—The World Tree! It's the World Tree!
—Kyahaha! Long time no see!
—The High Elf is here too!
—Helloooo~!
Clusters of light, brimming with cheerful laughter,
swirled through the area like cherry blossoms.
They were spirits of various attributes.
"Wow...!"
At the breathtaking sight,
even Si-yeon's usually gloomy face brightened momentarily as she held the Dragonkin.
Si-mun and Ernen's expressions also grew brighter.
Against this magnificent backdrop—
[The World Tree Simdrasil has connected to the Spirit Realm.]
[The spirits' favor toward you has deepened.]
[Your Spiritual Power has increased by 20.]
[This is a bound stat of Transmutation Power.]
[Converted, your Transmutation Power has increased by 10.]
The rewards for connecting to the Spirit Realm appeared.
And then—
[Hidden Quest "The Tree That Connects Dimensions" has been acquired.]
"A Hidden Quest?"
An unexpected Hidden Quest had appeared.
At the very moment Si-mun was about to check it—
"Ah, Dad!"
Si-yeon's voice rang out—flustered in a way he'd never heard before in her entire existence.
"Si-yeon! What's wrong?!"
Si-mun whipped his head around like lightning.
And he saw it.
There in Si-yeon's arms.
G-goo, kyuuuung...
A mottled, colorful Dragonkin struggling to rise with trembling movements.