Chapter 208
Chapter 208
Chapter 208: It's Not Just About Strength (1)
Translation: godtl
Si-mun turned his head to examine the object that had plunged down behind him.
A square base tapering upwards into an obelisk.
Its surface was carved with all manner of incomprehensible symbols.
The pinnacle at its peak looked like a shrunken pyramid,
forming a sharp tetrahedral shape.
Then.
[Constellation Ra gestures toward the Ennead and says,"You all should probably leave now. (That's right! I'm the only one who gets to watch. The rest of you, scram!)"]
[The Constellations of the Ennead click their tongues in disappointment.]
[As Constellation Ra glares, the Ennead Constellations' gazes gradually fade away from you.]
Messages floated up before Si-mun's eyes one after another.
Had they really been that desperate?
Constellation Ra had shooed away all the Ennead Constellations who had shown interest.
[Constellation Black Goat scowls and says,"That damn two-faced bastard. He ended up joining after all."]
[Constellation Heavenly Demon strokes his beard and laughs,"Hoho! What of it? As long as the madness is at my level, it's the best there is!"]
[Constellation Odin smirks slyly and says,"True. At least he's less insane than some old hags from other dimensions."]
[Constellation Black Goat flares his eyes and snaps,"You little bean-sized brat! You wanna bring Asgard to ruin? Huh?!"]
[Constellation Zeus smiles bitterly and says,"Let it go. Weren't we all expecting this anyway? Us included."]
[Constellation Baal nods slightly and says,"Hmm."]
The Constellations belonging to the Pick of Kings welcomed Ra's participation one after another.
Amidst their reactions—
"'Expected this'? What does that mean?"
Zeus's response particularly caught Si-mun's attention, but that was all.
"Damn it! The artifact's almost out of juice!"
"It's fine! Thanks to it, we took out a hundred of them!"
"Right! It's stabilized! We just need to hold out now!"
The sounds of battle between the remaining 350 or so summons—down from 450—and the Tsar Guild reached his ears.
Si-mun brushed aside the Constellations' reactions with a swipe of his hand
and focused on the nearly five-meter-tall obelisk.
'It's still much smaller compared to the obelisk of Khalid Sharif, the Pharaoh from my past life.'
Khalid Sharif, a high-ranker in his past life and a sponsor of Constellation Ra.
Compared to the dozens-of-meters-tall obelisk he had summoned, this one was tiny.
'But if I keep growing, I'll be able to transmute one as massive as Khalid's obelisk.'
After all, wasn't he constantly improving?
The obelisk's size and specs weren't a major concern.
'While I'm at it, should I check the info window?'
Si-mun stepped closer and examined the obelisk's information window.
[Obelisk]
Grade - Imitation (51%)
The obelisk of Constellation Ra, ruler of the Ennead.
It can be used, but for some reason, it cannot exert its full power.
Si-mun focused on the line at the top.
'51%?'
His gaze lingered on "Imitation (51%)."
'The last time I checked the completion rate of a consumable Mythic-grade weapon, it was 40%...'
Was this thanks to his growth?
Perhaps the recent consecutive increases in his Transmutation Power had a significant impact.
'A completion rate of 51%...'
The obelisk's completion rate had reached 51%.
In other words—
'Other consumable Mythic-grade equipment like Astrapē must also have a 51% completion rate.'
This meant other consumable Mythic-grade equipment shared the same completion rate.
"That's quite the jump."
A smile naturally spread across Si-mun's face.
It was only natural.
'All that effort to upgrade my stats paid off.'
He had personally felt his alchemy growing stronger due to the increases in various stats, but—
Even the slowest-growing Mythic-grade weapon's completion rate had now made such a substantial leap.
Didn't it make you feel the difference when quantified like this?
"Then I should check its performance, shouldn't I?"
Si-mun, turning his head toward the battlefield behind him, raised his hand toward the sky.
And then—
Let's see. The activation phrase...
Recalling the memory of Pharaoh Khalid Sharif using the Obelisk in his past life, he uttered the command he had remembered.
"Rise, Khepri."
Hmm.
The Obelisk embedded behind him emitted a faint hum in response.
Then—
Zzzzziiing!
A brilliant platinum beam of light struck the pointed tip of the Obelisk, and the mysterious engravings carved into its surface ignited in a dazzling platinum glow.
Soon after—
Fwoosh!
Like a stone thrown into a still pond, the radiant Obelisk became the epicenter of a spreading platinum brilliance.
The light enveloped Si-mun first, then Go Mal-suk and the summoned creatures, wrapping around them all.
And before their eyes, a simple but unmistakable message appeared.
[You have been recognized as an ally of the Obelisk's user.]
[All stats increased by 51%.]
"As expected. Magnificent."
An utterly absurd phrase surfaced in his mind.
The screen brightened with light.
The sudden burst of platinum radiance—
[Ah! The blinding brilliance engulfs the guild members of Simdrasil!]
[To be precise, it's two humans and their summons. Regardless, something extraordinary is clearly happening here!]
The two TWC commentators covering the Guild War between Simdrasil and the Tsar Guild—Michael and Jonathan—couldn't help but gasp in awe.
Then—
[Hey, Jonathan? By the way...]
Michael, the caster, tilted his head in confusion.
And for good reason.
[What exactly is that light doing to Simdrasil's members?]
Despite the flashy visual effect, there was no visible change caused by the platinum radiance.
Jonathan, ever the professional arena analyst, stroked his chin thoughtfully.
[I'm not entirely sure either... but based on my arena experience, I'd guess it's some kind of buff.]
He tapped his chin lightly, speculating on the nature of the platinum glow.
[A buff? How crucial can a buff be mid-battle? Honestly, even if it is a buff, it's not like it'll make that much of a difference.]
[Well, that may be true, but Kim Si-mun alone has over 300 summons, doesn't he? It's not about the quality of the buff—it's about the sheer number it applies to.]
[Ah! Seen that way, it's definitely an advantage!]
Jonathan's reasoning was spot-on.
No—
It was even more than that.
"Wh—what the hell?!"
It was beyond imagination.
No way. A 51% stat increase? What kind of nonsense is this?!
The message floating before her eyes clearly stated: "All stats increased by 51%."
Wasn't that practically the same as boosting her stats by half?
Instead of reacting with an immediate counterattack, Go Mal-suk froze in shock.
"Hey. Miss F*ck. What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
Nikolai casually rested his mace on his shoulder and asked.
To which—
"Shut the hell up, you damn boar bastard!"
Without even sparing him a glance, she spat out the insult and hastily opened her Status Window.
This can't be real, right? If it's actually boosting my main stats by 51%... No, that's impossible, isn't it?
She had clearly received the buff, yet her hands trembled as if she'd been cursed, her eyes scanning her Status Window frantically.
Then—
"Ah..."
A short sigh escaped her crimson lips.
The reason was simple.
My Demonic Energy stat—!
Demonic Energy.
For her, who had mastered the Heavenly Demon Arts, it was her primary stat.
"...It really went up."
And sure enough, it had increased by exactly 51%.
"Ha, haha......."
The bloodthirsty aura from before had vanished without a trace.
Like someone who'd lost their mind,
Go Mal-suk stood dazed, letting out an empty laugh.
At the sight of her like that,
"Wasn't that supposed to be some divine light? Turns out its real effect is driving allies insane?"
Nikolai tilted his head in confusion, but that was as far as it went.
"Well, I'd say I've shown enough courtesy to a strong opponent. Miss F*ck."
Clank.
Adjusting the grip on the massive mace slung over his shoulder,
"Then, farewell!"
Nikolai kicked off the ground and swung his mace with all his might.
Whoosh.
A sharp aura—practically Sword Qi—thickly emanated from the head of the mace.
As it cast a dark shadow over Go Mal-suk's head, poised to strike—
Thud.
"Wh-what?!"
Nikolai's eyes bulged as he brought the mace down.
And for good reason.
'Sh-she caught my mace... with one hand?!'
His enormous mace was practically the equivalent of ripping out a telephone pole and reforging it into a weapon.
By weight alone, it measured roughly 441 pounds.
About 200 kilograms.
Unless one possessed Strength-related traits like Nikolai,
even the burliest of muscleheads could barely lift it for more than a few seconds.
Yet here she was—
"How...?"
An East Asian woman.
And she had caught it—with one hand?
Then, into Nikolai's ear,
"...F*ck."
A low voice whispered.
Naturally,
"What the hell are you muttering?!"
Nikolai, still trembling as he strained against the mace, let out an irritated roar.
"F*ckkkkkkkk!!!"
An even louder scream erupted from Go Mal-suk's lowered head.
And then—
Crunch.
The neck of the mace gripped in Go Mal-suk's hand crumpled.
Before Nikolai's jaw could even fully drop,
her other hand pulled back sharply.
"THIS IS F*CKING AWESOMEEEE!!!"
With a cry that blurred the line between shock and exhilaration,
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Strike: Tyrant Emperor Break.
A Tyrant Emperor Break, now more than twice as powerful as before, was unleashed.
KABOOOOOM!
An explosion so intense it shook the earth.
A cloud of dust thick enough to obscure the area rose, but
the Tsar Guild's rising stars didn't spare a thought for Nikolai.
Or rather, they couldn't.
And for good reason.
"My shield—gone in one hit?!"
"Gyaaah!"
"What the hell?! Why did these things suddenly get so strong?!"
"I-I can't... neutralize... the venom......"
The Night Shade Spiders and Mithril Golems had abruptly become absurdly powerful.
The circular formation, which had barely managed to hold balance before, was now rendered meaningless.
"P-please, spare me!!"
"My arm—!"
"Ghk—!"
It collapsed pathetically.
As the tanks and fighters holding the perimeter fell rapidly,
the core of the formation was shattered in an instant.
Skreech!
Thud.
Si-mun's platinum-summoned creatures rampaged mercilessly through the Tsar Guild's rising stars.
And yet,
despite being a fellow guild member,
"Astounding."
The figure draped in an elegant robe, Etra, let out a sigh of admiration.
'I knew Kim Si-mun wielded Mythic-grade weapons like Astrapē and Lemegeton, artifacts of higher-ranking Constellations...'
Her gaze turned to the Platinum Watchtower, the source of this slaughter.
'But to think he'd even use the Obelisk of Ra...'
The Obelisk of Ra.
One of the Mythic-grade artifacts that unconditionally amplified the abilities of those recognized as allies.
Especially—
"To think I'd see that again after the Dragon God War."
Having experienced the Obelisk of Ra during the ancient war between dragonkin and gods, she couldn't help but be astonished.
'Kim Si-mun. Just what the hell are you?'
Etra's gaze shifted from the activated platinum spire to the strikingly handsome man watching her with an enigmatic smile.
'What kind of bastard wields artifacts from upper-rank Constellations? And not just any artifacts—every single one at God King Rank?'
Even the highest-tier species rarely gained permission to wield upper-rank Constellation artifacts. Yet here was a mere human, selectively using only the weapons of the God Kings—the pinnacle among upper-rank Constellations?
'Though I must say... this Obelisk of Ra feels considerably weaker than I remember...'
But that was only natural considering Si-mun's fundamentally inferior human nature. If anything, it was to be expected.
"Hmm."
Within her robes, Etra's green eyes narrowed in suspicion—though only briefly.
"Well. At this point, his identity hardly matters."
He'd be dead by her hands soon enough anyway.
With a derisive snort, Etra extended her hand forward.
Sssss—
From her pale fingertips, a viscous green energy oozed forth like thick poison.
Drip.
It fell to the ground and seeped in.
Sssssss—
The fallen energy rapidly infiltrated the battlefield, expanding swiftly enough to envelop both the promising members of Czar Guild and Si-mun's summoned creatures. In moments, the green energy formed a massive circle.
Then—
"By the Authority of Lady Echidna, I command..."
As Etra chanted, the green energy grew denser.
"Let the dimensions split."
With her final words—
Whoooosh!
The entire area was instantly dyed emerald green.
It was like being dropped into a giant vat of green paint.
The dark, damp forest maintained its shape, but everything was now saturated in deep green.
Except for one place.
Huuuuum.
Before the radiant platinum obelisk—
"Kkh, kkhem! Can you let go now?"
Si-mun released Go Mal-suk, whom he'd been clutching to his side.
Staggering slightly as she landed, she caught her breath before turning to him.
"Brat. No matter how much this noona likes you, you can't just grab and hug me whenever you—"
Or rather, she tried to turn.
"What... what the hell is that?"
Before her eyes could fully register the battlefield not far away—where Si-mun's summons and Czar Guild members had been fighting moments ago.
Gurgle.
Glooooorp!
Like a witch's cauldron.
The battlefield now bubbled with an unidentified green liquid.
Her face twisted in disgust at the revolting sight, but only briefly.
"Just as I'd heard. Kim Si-mun."
A voice dripping with arrogance—one that clashed terribly with this place.
No.
Strangely, it fit perfectly.
They turned toward its owner.
There—
"To notice the dimensional split in that brief moment and cleverly escape into Ra's unaffected domain... How impressive."
Approaching with haughty strides was a woman with green hair and eyes, carrying herself like she owned the space.
She glanced sideways at the bubbling green zone.
"Pity. Someone of your caliber would've made excellent fuel to sustain this place."
"You—!"
Mal-suk's eyes blazed at the arrogant sneer.
But—
"Don't."
Si-mun immediately blocked her as she tried to lunge forward.
Normally, Mal-suk would've snapped back—but this time, she silently took a step back.
The reason was simple.
'What the hell is she...? To make him look like that—'
His expression wasn't just serious—it had darkened ominously. She'd never seen such a shadow cross Si-mun's face before.
And how wise that retreat was became immediately apparent.
"Our Second Dragon Emperor must be quite furious indeed? To send an Ancient Dragon to this wretched place."
"W-what?! Ancient Dragon?!"
The answer came at once.