Chapter 203
Chapter 203
Chapter 203: Spirits and Dragonkin (2)
Translation: godtl
The sudden flood of gazes from various divine realms and Constellations.
It was hardly surprising.
Hadn't a new dragon species been born without any prior warning?
One.
[Under the gaze of Constellation Zeus, the Constellations of Olympus withdraw.]
[Under the gaze of Constellation Odin, the Constellations of Asgard.......]
[Under the gaze of Constellation Heavenly Demon, the Immortal Realm's.......]
[Under the gaze of Constellation?, the Ennead.......]
Five Constellations who had been intently watching Si-mun.
And one more—the enigmatic Constellation marked by a question mark, who must have been gulping down saliva somewhere.
As the God King-ranked Constellations, even among the upper echelons, stepped forward to block the way, the flood of gazes naturally receded.
Of course, that didn't mean all the Constellations' attention had dissipated.
[Constellation??? roars in anger, 'Who is it? Who dared to recklessly create a new dragon species?!']
[Constellation?? glares, 'Which lunatic is boosting the Dragonkin again? How much did they pay you? Huh?!']
[Constellation???? fumes, 'If it's near the World Tree, is it the Spirit Kings? Damn them! They vanished for ages, and now they're joining hands with the Dragonkin?!']
Constellations whose names weren't even properly displayed.
As if they harbored deep resentment toward the Dragonkin.
The unidentified Constellations all erupted in fury.
But then—
[Constellation Zeus shakes his head and blocks the gazes of the Constellations, saying, 'Foolish thoughts. The creation of this dragon species was not the work of the Spirit Kings.']
[Constellation Heavenly Demon stands beside Zeus, chuckling, 'Hoho. This is not what you expected, so step back.']
[Constellation Odin and Baal also chime in, 'This is actually poison for the Dragonkin!' 'Mmm.' They voice their agreement.]
Si-mun's personal Constellations stepped forward and clarified the situation.
And since they were all God King-ranked beings among the upper echelons—
[Constellation?? nods, 'If you say so.......']
[Constellation????? bows out, 'If it's poison for those damned Dragonkin, then I suppose it's fine. My apologies.']
The number of Constellations seething with anger visibly dwindled.
Of course—
[Constellation?? voices distrust, 'How can we believe those words?']
[Constellation???? nods, 'Exactly. No matter how high your status, you haven't sworn an oath, have you?']
[Constellation??? questions, 'If what you say is true, then why hide it?']
A few Constellations still expressed doubt and dissatisfaction, but that was as far as it went.
[Constellation Black Goat growls in a low voice, 'Just go. I've said it once.']
With Constellation Black Goat stepping in, the matter was settled in an instant.
As no further messages from other Constellations appeared—
[Constellation Black Goat sighs in admiration, 'Ah, my child. I suspected it might happen, but to think you'd actually pull it off.']
[Constellation Heavenly Demon lets out a dry laugh, 'Indeed. Who would've thought he'd already step into the realm of creation? And the creation of life, no less.']
[Constellation Odin frowns slightly, 'But is this alright? It looks like something Echidna, that damned hag, was trying to do.']
[Constellation Zeus smiles warmly, 'That's what makes it better. Since a new dragon species was born from that child's hands, doesn't it prove his qualifications as a true god?']
[Constellation Baal nods vigorously, 'Mmm...... yes!' expressing deep satisfaction.]
Si-mun's Constellations each voiced their satisfaction and continued their conversation.
[Constellation? frets impatiently, 'Seriously...... this is maddening. (Call me soon! Hurry!!)']
Even the question-marked Constellation, who had been showing continuous interest, grew restless.
But astonishingly—
Si-mun, the very cause of the uproar among countless Constellations and divine realms, remained completely unaware of the situation.
To be precise, he hadn't the slightest clue.
Hardly surprising.
Sharrung.
Enveloped in the natural, crystalline resonance and the vibrant energy around him—
[For the first time as a mortal, you have given birth to a lifeform.]
[The Galaxy Arena applauds the mythical achievement you have accomplished.]
[This is an achievement that cannot be measured in mere Achievement Points.]
['This...... wasn't supposed to happen.......' The Galaxy Arena hastily convenes a meeting.]
As message after message scrolled before his eyes—
Even after reading the last one, Si-mun blinked his drowsy eyelids.
'An achievement that can't be measured in Achievement Points?'
Was it really such a monumental feat?
'Rather than creating life, I was just trying to save it.......'
He tilted his head at the Galaxy Arena's exaggerated reaction, but that was all.
The strange response—'This wasn't supposed to happen'—did nag at him a little.
"Well, I'm sure the rewards will come as they should."
Having dismissed the achievement rewards from his mind, Si-mun turned his attention to the other messages floating beside him.
[Mythical transmutation has been achieved.]
[The effects of the title 'Pioneer of Alchemy' have grown.]
[You have gained 20 Transmutation Power.]
[Your truth resonates with the mythical transmutation.]
[The Achievement Points required for Ars Magna fusion have been reduced to 3,000.]
"This—!"
Si-mun's drowsy eyelids shot wide open as he read the messages.
Every single reward was welcome, but what truly seized his attention was—
"The cost for Ars Magna has been reduced?!"
It was the very last message about Ars Magna that caught his eye.
Ars Magna fusion—the ultimate truth of alchemy that Si-mun had comprehended. This truth, capable of fusing even mythical weapons, originally demanded 5,000 Achievement Points through Equivalent Exchange.
'And now it's been reduced to 3,000?!'
That was nearly half the original cost!
Of course, even then, spending 3,000 Achievement Points on a consumable transmutation was still expensive, but—
'This is huge!'
Compared to the previous 5,000, the difference was undeniably substantial.
With an immensely satisfied smile, Si-mun opened the title window and checked the 'Pioneer of Alchemy' title.
[Pioneer of Alchemy] - Growth-type
A title granted to an alchemist who has successfully transmuted all mythical alchemical products.
'Oh-ho.'
Si-mun's eyes sparkled instantly.
'Just like when I first comprehended Ars Magna... It's grown significantly overall.'
The first option, which had previously granted a "slightly large" bonus to transmutation, had now evolved to "considerable."
Meanwhile, the reduction in cost and increase in potency had each risen by 10%, reaching 45% and 35%, respectively.
'It must be the accumulation of these growths that allowed me to save Kkyu-ung like this.'
Wasn't this one of the most noticeable aspects for Si-mun, who lived and breathed alchemy?
Unbeknownst to him, the title 'Pioneer of Alchemy' had been steadily enhancing his alchemical abilities—truly a blessing of a spec.
'As expected. It's a growth-type title for a reason.'
Just like with Si-hyeok and Mal-suk.
The growth-type titles that high-rankers in his past life had raved about were finally showing their late-blooming potential now that he had reached the mid-stage of growth.
'Not to mention, I gained an additional 20 Transmutation Power. Combined with the 10 I got earlier from the spirit realm connection reward... my base Transmutation Power is now 299, right?'
Adding to that, the 'Pick of Kings' bonus,
plus the remaining 5 stat points from clearing the Spirit King's Cradle,
his total Transmutation Power reached 309.
His Bound Stats each stood at 154.
And thanks to the additional Spirit Power stat, he now had four stats at 154.
"Ah... I'm drunk."
As if steeped in sweet honey wine,
a syrupy sensation spread through his entire body, making Si-mun shiver slightly.
Then—
[The meeting has concluded.]
The Galaxy Arena announced the end of its deliberation.
[The rewards have been decided.]
[For Player Kim Si-mun of Dimension NO. 274 only, stats will now be available for purchase in the Achievement Shop.]
[The Achievement Shop has added the items 'Random Stat +1' and 'Strength Stat +1.']
[As your Achievement Merit accumulates, the available stat items will vary.]
Si-mun's eyes bulged as he read the message.
'They're opening stat purchases for me? But my Achievement Merit should still be lacking...'
Stat purchases—one of the secrets high-rankers like Si-hyeok and Mal-suk had mentioned in his past life.
It was something only unlocked after achieving numerous accomplishments
and accumulating unseen Achievement Merit.
And yet, they were granting it to him now.
What's more—
'Before I've even entered the regular Arena? They're giving this to me already?'
At this stage, before the official Arena had even begun.
'Is the birth of a Fairy Dragon really that significant? Even so, unlocking stats this early...'
No matter how he looked at it, this was an astonishing reward.
And as if the Galaxy Arena knew this—
[This is the first benefit granted since the inception of the Galaxy Arena.]
[Dimension NO. 274 is a dimension where the regular Arena has not yet begun.]
[For the sake of the individual's safety, we strongly recommend keeping this benefit confidential.]
—they sent a message urging him to keep it a secret.
Of course, it was merely a recommendation, not an enforced rule.
But still—
'There's no benefit in blabbing about this.'
Wouldn't it just invite unnecessary trouble out of envy?
The Galaxy Arena must have considered that before making the recommendation.
"Understood."
Si-mun nodded without hesitation.
And so—
[For the first time in Dimension NO. 274, stat purchase options have been added to the Achievement Shop.]
[You have acquired 10,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]
With even the first-time reward for stat sales secured—
Shhhhlll—
As the clear system chimes faded, an enormous tree too vast to take in at a single glance gradually filled his vision.
And first of all—
"Dad!"
"Benefactor!"
Si-yeon and Ernen, who had been waiting outside the Transmutation Circle, came into view.
He should have greeted the two who'd undoubtedly been worried about him immediately.
But Si-mun didn't.
To be precise, he couldn't.
Because—
Oooong—
As if all the multicolored alchemical light from earlier had been condensed into one point—
At the center of the Transmutation Circle, a rainbow-hued egg was emitting a dense system chime.
Then—
Crack.
Fine fissures began spreading across its smooth surface.
Before the egg could fully shatter—
Pshhk!
A foot covered in multicolored scales burst through the shell.
As if that was the signal—
Crrrrk—
Craaack!
The shell fell away in an instant.
And from within emerged a three-meter-tall being.
Kkyu-ung?
The Fairy Dragon tilted its head, blinking large calf-like eyes.
And when those sparkling pupils reflected the two-meter-tall platinum-haired man—
Kkyuuuuuu~!
Letting out a clear, adorable cry unbefitting its three-meter frame, the creature—
Flutter.
Had already unfurled butterfly-like wings holding rainbows at its back—
"W-wait! Kkyu, Kkyu-ung! Hold on—!"
Kooong.
It headbutted straight into Si-mun's chest.
In the arms of the toppled Si-mun—
Kkyuu! Kkyuuu~!
Kkyu-ung kept rubbing its head against him while emitting those clear, adorable cries.
Had it not been for his Dragonoid physique—
Even a single injury would've been inevitable from that charge.
"You rascal. That was dangerous."
Kkyu! Kkyu-ung!
At Kkyu-ung's chick-like peeping, Si-mun smiled softly and—
"Yeah, yeah. I'm happy you're healthy too."
—gently stroked the creature's multicolored head.
Was it feeling good?
Twitch.
True to its design meant to freely channel spirit energy—
Like a chameleon's tail—
Or a mountain goat's horns—
Its two round, curled horns perked up.
Then—
Whooosh.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Dragon Power activated at Si-mun's fingertips as he stroked its head—
Oooong.
—and seeped into the two round horns nearby.
Immediately after—
[The first unbound Dragon Species, Fairy Dragon, requests a Bond.]
[Will you accept? (Yes / No)]
An unexpected Imprint message window appeared.
'First Bond? What's that?'
A situation unheard of even in his past life.
But Si-mun's hesitation didn't last.
'Whatever it is, it's probably good.'
Just judging by the word "Bond" alone—
It didn't seem like anything bad could come from it.
When Si-mun selected 'Yes'—
Charrrring.
A rainbow-hued beam shot from Kkyu-ung's horns to the exact center of Si-mun's chest—
—seeping into the Philosopher's Stone.
'This is...!'
Just like when he'd acquired homunculus knowledge from Black Goat—
"Ah!"
Transcending Kkyu-ung as a single entity—
All knowledge and elements of the Fairy Dragons he'd created were being engraved into his soul.
More precisely—
It felt like adding a "Fairy Dragon" key to the keyring that was "Kim Si-mun."
And so—
The moment he felt Kkyu-ung had completely bonded with his soul—
[The Trait Stigma reacts to the Dragon Species Bond.]
Suddenly, his Trait Stigma responded—
[The level is far too insufficient to activate the Stigmata.]
[The Stigmata expresses disappointment before falling back into slumber.]
[As an aftereffect, you have obtained the incomplete title 'Deity of?'.]
Messages cascaded forth.
Thus—
'Why'd the Stigmata react suddenly? And what's this title?'
Before Si-mun could process the situation—
[You have bound a new Dragon Species.]
[All Dragon Species belonging to Fairy Dragons will obey only you.]
His bond with the Fairy Dragon concluded.
As if announcing this—
Kkyuuuuuu~!
Kkyu-ung spread its beautiful wings wide and let out a joyful cry.
And so—
"By the heavens... A dragonkin wielding spirit energy...!"
"Hehe! Kkyu-ung!"
Si-mun had obtained his very first dragonkin.
-This is impossible!!
Though the roar came through the medium of a Communication Orb—
-How could some mere mortal accomplish such a feat?!
The voice beyond the orb wasn't just vehement—it was murderous.
In fact—
Craaack.
Not just the Communication Orb serving as the medium—
But even the magic circles surrounding it cracked.
-My research... Unacceptable... This cannot be... Impossible...!
Even through the Communication Orb, the furious roar seemed distorted, as if mixed with static.
It trembled unstably, cutting in and out in waves.
Meanwhile—
A dark-haired woman hurriedly worked to repair the shattered magic circle and the damaged Communication Orb.
Defina, with an exasperated expression,
"Please steady yourself, Great Mother."
gazed at the emerald-gray eye floating above the Communication Orb.