Chapter 209
Chapter 209
Translation: godtl
Go Mal-suk stared at the arrogant green-haired woman with wide eyes.
"An Ancient Dragon? That thing?"
An Ancient Dragon.
Already the highest-ranking dragonkin in the Arena.
A being born as a Dragon, the strongest among them, who had lived for a full ten thousand years.
Because of that.
"Wasn't that the kind of existence that only appeared as rumors even in Ranker-tier Arenas?"
Even Rankers—the top-tier players—had only heard of them through Arena rumors, hadn't they?
But contrary to all those dazzling titles...
"Aside from her hair color, she doesn't look like much no matter how I look at her..."
The green-haired woman before her didn't seem particularly special or impressive.
Of course, that didn't mean—
"So you're saying she's an Ancient Dragon...?"
Go Mal-suk didn't dismiss or underestimate her.
For one thing, this unsettling green world had been created by her.
"And Kim Si-mun... I've never seen this bastard act this seriously before."
Wasn't Si-mun always composed even when dealing with the world's major powers?
Given that Si-mun himself was acting with such gravity, Go Mal-suk also refrained from charging in recklessly and instead gauged the Ancient Dragon's demeanor.
Had the dragon sensed that?
"Ah, the Tsar Guild, was it? Unlike those fools, you seem to have some sense for a mere insect."
The green-haired woman—Etra—let out a small sneer as she glanced at Go Mal-suk.
Under normal circumstances, Go Mal-suk would've thrown a punch immediately.
"Hah!"
But she only scoffed.
She didn't rush in recklessly.
Though that restraint only applied to her fists.
"Playing the high-and-mighty dragon act. What a fucking annoying way to carry yourself."
Her mouth, however, had no qualms about running freely even in front of an Ancient Dragon.
"What did you say?!"
Naturally, the Ancient Dragon, who had lived without restraint—
"How dare a mere human utter such words to me, Etra!"
Etra immediately flared up in anger.
And our dear Miss Fuck—
"Got no ears, dragon? I said you're putting on a fucking annoying act. Bitch."
—retorted without a shred of hesitation.
"You wretch!!"
Etra let out a furious roar.
As befitting an Ancient Dragon—
Gooooooo.
An invisible—
Yet impossible-to-hide, overwhelming presence instantly crushed down on Go Mal-suk.
"Kgh!"
Go Mal-suk's eyes widened.
Her fierce gaze was now bloodshot in an instant.
The same went for her fair forehead and the nape of her neck.
"Damn...!"
Was it even hard to spit out curses?
Unconsciously swaying on her knees, Go Mal-suk steadied herself—
Kyaaaaaa!
—and with a bloodcurdling scream, unleashed a crimson energy.
Only after releasing the power of the Thousand Slaughter Star—
"Huff! Huff!"
—could she free herself from the oppressive presence pressing down on her entire body.
But it was only temporary.
Gooooooo.
As if to prove why the term "Dragon Fear" existed—
Etra's Fear, a fundamental pressure of dragonkind, immediately bore down on Go Mal-suk's entire body once more.
"Tch! Goddamn bitch!"
Fortunately, she avoided being slammed into the ground, but—
"I can barely even breathe!"
It was so tight it felt like she was squeezed into clothes too small.
Frustrated by the suffocating pressure, Go Mal-suk irritably resisted using the power of the Thousand Slaughter Star.
"Oh-ho?"
Interest flickered in Etra's eyes as she observed this.
"Human female. You're the wielder of the Thousand Slaughter Star, aren't you?"
Did she know about the Thousand Slaughter Star?
"Even among SSS-rank Traits, it's exceptionally powerful. And yet, a mere human female holds it..."
Etra's green eyes, which had been filled with anger, were now brimming with deep intrigue.
But soon—
"But it seems you haven't even properly bloomed, let alone awakened."
That deep intrigue swiftly turned into a sneer and contempt.
"Then again, this power is far too extravagant for the likes of a human. Seeing this, I can't help but feel the Arena's system is truly incomprehensible."
At her words—
"'Awakened,' she says?"
Si-mun tilted his head briefly in thought, but that was all.
Crack.
Immediately activating his Dragonoid form, he stepped in front of the panting Go Mal-suk.
"Pwah!"
The pressure must have been immense.
From behind, Go Mal-suk's labored breathing erupted violently.
Yet Si-mun couldn't turn to look at her.
The reason was simple.
"You!"
Etra the Ancient Dragon.
The perpetually aloof dragon now wore an expression of sheer astonishment for the first time.
"How can a human wield Dragon Power of that magnitude...!"
Her jaw gradually slackened as her eyes involuntarily scanned Si-mun's entire body.
Then—
"Ah..."
Etra's sharp eyes, which had been scrutinizing Si-mun, softened strangely.
And that wasn't all.
Her cheeks and earlobes, previously pale to the point of whiteness, began flushing red in real time—as if someone had applied rouge to them.
Perhaps because Si-mun was shielding her from the Dragon Fear, giving her some breathing room.
"Hey. When did you grow a tail? Now that I look, your hair and height seem a bit longer too..."
Go Mal-suk, who had been walking out from behind Si-mun to his side, trailed off mid-sentence.
Her dazed eyes traveled up Si-mun's now significantly taller frame before landing on Etra—who wore the exact same expression as her own.
Then—
"...That bitch!"
With terrifying naturalness,
rage began gradienting over Mal-suk's previously stunned face.
And naturally—
"You vile mongrel! How dare you speak to me like that?!"
Etra, who had been in the same state, immediately exploded in fury as well—
perfectly mirroring Mal-suk's reaction.
At the sight of these two women suddenly erupting into inexplicable rage, Si-mun could only blink in bewilderment.
But only for a moment.
"Take your eyes off him, you fucking bitch!"
"Have you ever seen such an insolent madwoman?!"
Crackle!
Sparks erupted in midair as
Mal-suk and Etra clashed with violent friction.
Of course, even as the Heavenly Slaughter Star,
Go Mal-suk—who had only just reached Platinum—
stood no chance against the Dragon Fear of Etra,
who had even forced Ivan Ivanov, Russia's top Ranker, to his knees.
"Ghk! What? You're the one who called her a 'ten-thousand-year-old hag'... Since when are you shocked by a crazy bitch?!"
Mal-suk resisted with her Heavenly Slaughter Star energy, screaming desperately.
Was it because she kept stubbornly resisting Etra's Dragon Fear?
Or was there some other reason?
"You! That insolent insect! To the very end—!!"
Etra's roar grew loud enough to rupture eardrums in an instant,
and her pupils blazed with a blinding emerald light.
"Die. You. Wretch!"
Etra's roar, laden with tremendous fury,
instantly materialized into an emerald law that shot toward Mal-suk.
Then—
Before the emerald death flying toward Mal-suk,
Screeeech!
A sharp tinnitus erupted.
Its source, Kim Si-mun, faced the incoming emerald death head-on and uttered:
"Dis. Ap. Pear."
A platinum command.
Immediately—
Crackle-zzzt!
Emerald haze clashed with platinum haze.
The two opposing laws collided, spewing violent sparks.
"Th-that's impossible!"
Amid Etra's stunned exclamation—
"How can a human possess the King's Eye?!"
Booooom!
The two hazes annihilated each other, sending a shockwave rippling outward.
Whoooosh—
A gale-like wind swept through the emerald world.
At its epicenter stood the emerald woman.
"Answer me, Kim Si-mun!"
Etra screamed, her face twisted in shock—
and rightfully so.
"How do you possess the King's Eye?!"
The King's Eye.
The left eye Si-mun bore was identical to those of the great Dragon Emperors she served.
No—
Though it was blasphemy too terrible to imagine—
'It felt like facing the First Dragon Emperor, His Majesty Cruach!'
Cruach the Red, the strongest among the Dragon Emperors.
That human's eye carried the same majesty as the First Emperor's.
Of course, her heart still screamed otherwise—
that there was no way a mere human could possess such a thing.
Yet, contrary to her raging emotions—
'Kim Si-mun's Dragon Power is far inferior to mine in quantity. Yet it rivaled my Dragon Language?'
The superior rationality of an Ancient Dragon was already analyzing the phenomenon.
'This means his Dragon Power surpasses mine in quality, not quantity...'
Despite being vastly outmatched in raw Dragon Power, his Dragon Language had matched hers.
Si-mun's Dragon Speech, without even a hair's breadth of faltering.
Etra instantly arrived at the unbelievable answer to this anomaly.
'Did he contend against my Dragon Speech solely through the caliber of the King's Eye......?'
Even after deducing it herself, it was an answer she couldn't bring herself to believe.
Moreover—
'Not just any ordinary Dragon, but against my Dragon Speech?'
A Dragon, the highest among the Dragonkin by birth.
And not just any Dragon, but an Ancient-grade, the most powerful phase in a Dragon's lifespan, honed over ten thousand years?
Yet her Dragon Speech—her birthright—had been nullified by a mere human, not even a Dragonkin?
"Impossible!"
She shook her head vehemently, her sharp gaze piercing through Si-mun.
"Answer me, Kim Si-mun. How do you possess the King's Eye? And what is the meaning of that form?"
"Hmm. Do I have any reason to answer that?"
Si-mun merely shrugged his shoulders leisurely.
"You—!"
As if she could flay the flesh from his bones right then and there—
Etra's veins bulged in fury at his nonchalance.
"Hah. Fine. Whatever."
Smoothing back her disheveled emerald hair, she fixed him with a cold stare.
"Whatever the reason may be, you're a dead man soon enough. No need to get worked up."
"Dead?"
At her threat, Si-mun let out a derisive chuckle.
Etra curled her lips mockingly.
"You really don't grasp the situation, do you? Do you still think this is within the Guild War's domain? Tch. Even if you managed to block my Dragon Speech, I suppose lowly birth will always show itself."
With a scornful laugh, she spread her arms wide, as if to flaunt her dominance.
"Do you even know where this place is?"
"A space created by your Dragon Power and sacrifices? That's what it looks like to me."
It resembled a barrier-space conjured by a specialist in such abilities.
Odin's Eye had already given him some insight into this unknown domain.
"Not bad for someone who stumbled upon the King's Eye. Close enough."
Etra tilted her head with an arrogant smirk.
"To be precise, this is the exclusive domain of the Second Dragon Emperor, Lady Echidna."
"Exclusive domain?"
"You handle Mythic-grade Equipment, so you must know—each Constellation possesses their own domain."
Si-mun silently nodded.
He had encountered Nyx, the Goddess of Night, in Tartarus.
And he had also stepped into the domains of the Weaver of the Boundary and the Black Goat.
"Of course, this is merely a fragment carved from the whole... but it remains a divine domain. The Arena's protection does not reach here."
A cruel smile crept onto Etra's face as she spoke.
The reason was simple.
"Therefore, death here is death in reality. Naturally, neither the Arena nor the Constellations can intervene."
"...I see."
Even as she spoke of death—
And the severance from the Arena and the Constellations—
Si-mun's expression didn't flicker in the slightest.
Perhaps taken aback by his composure—
"Hoh? Quite unshaken, aren't you? You truly are worthy of wearing that shell."
Etra's eyes gleamed with intrigue as she continued.
"Which is why... I'll grant you a single mercy."
"Mercy?"
Si-mun's brow twitched at the sudden offer.
Etra answered with an unbearably haughty expression.
"I won't demand submission. Just follow me quietly."
"What?"
Si-mun's face twisted in sheer bewilderment.
Etra, seeming amused, toyed with her sharpened nails.
"Huhu. Isn't it a good deal?"
Her gaze lingered on him, predatory.
"Originally, I intended to kill you the moment you arrived here. That was the will of my liege, the Second Dragon Emperor. But—"
Her eyes flickered with a peculiar heat.
"Defina's request to capture you alive... and after witnessing the King's Eye—and that shell—in person, I can't help but feel it'd be a waste to kill you now."
And that wasn't all.
'Kim Si-mun birthed a new Dragon Species—something even the Second Dragon Emperor failed to achieve.'
Regardless of his origins—
His accomplishments were undeniably worthy of more than mere admiration—they demanded reverence.
Conversely, bringing him back—
'Would be an immense contribution to the grand achievement the Dragon Emperors so fervently desire.'
Naturally, for her, the one who delivered him—
Boundless blessings would undoubtedly follow.
Moreover.
'I cannot let that... beautiful form disappear without even tasting it.'
An emotion she had never felt in the past ten thousand years.
Damp, ticklish, and so scorching hot she wanted to chew and swallow it whole.
Lick.
Unconsciously, Etra ran her tongue over her crimson lips.
"That bitch is seriously—!!"
From behind Si-mun, Go Mal-suk, who had been watching the situation, immediately spat out her anger.
Si-mun blocked her with an arm that had grown even more solid and firmly declared,
"You probably expected this answer, but I refuse."
"I did not expect this answer at all. Why? You have little to lose, do you not?"
Etra stared at Si-mun with an expression of utter incomprehension.
"If you think the Dragon Emperors would harm you, that's nothing more than a human's delusion."
"Delusion?"
"Indeed. Especially the Second Dragon Emperor, whom I serve—as the matriarch of the dragonkin, she is endlessly merciful to those who show goodwill toward our kind."
As if preaching.
Thud.
Etra took a step forward, singing praises of the Second Dragon Emperor, and extended her hand toward Si-mun.
"Her Majesty favors loyal and capable individuals. She acknowledges all the achievements you've accomplished and will accept you. Moreover, she will cherish you more than any other dragonkin."
The matriarch of the dragonkin.
The favor of the Second Dragon Emperor was truly immeasurable, yet—
"I repeat, I refuse."
Si-mun answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Tch! This is why lowly creatures are...!"
Etra's eyes, which had been sneering in irritation, soon burned with fury.
"You don't even know your place, clinging to that worthless pride of yours."
"It's not pride. Let's just say my fate can never align with the current Dragon Emperors."
At Si-mun's reply,
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Etra voiced her irritation, but that was all.
"Even if I told you, you'd never understand."
"You insolent wretch!"
Her anger only intensified at Si-mun's cryptic response, and with a roar—
Whoosh!
She was engulfed in a brilliant emerald light.
Her size swelled to that of a skyscraper in an instant.
Si-mun, who knew exactly what this was, thought,
'Manifestation... So she's getting serious now, huh?'
Arms crossed.
He merely watched her transformation with leisure.
Soon.
"In any case, all I need from you is that arrogant head of yours."
GROOOOAAAR!
Unlike before, an overwhelming presence—as if pressing down on the world itself—descended in all directions.
Etra, brimming with that Dragon Fear,
"As for the rest—along with that insolent bitch beside you—I'll melt you down until not even a trace remains!!"
With a furious roar,
HUM!
Dozens of enormous magic circles began forming around her.
The magic circles hummed ominously, as if ready to explode at any moment.
Given that this was the casting of an Ancient Dragon, the activation of the spells was imminent.
Meanwhile.
"Ugh... Hey! What are you doing?! We need to run, now!"
Go Mal-suk, struggling against the Dragon Fear, desperately grabbed Si-mun's wrist.
Si-mun pulled her into his embrace.
Then.
"If I planned to run, I wouldn't have used the Death Eye in the first place."
Perhaps because she was pressed as close to him as possible,
"W-what kind of nonsense is that?!"
Mal-suk shouted in flustered confusion, but that was all.
"Well then! I'll send the two of you off together!"
Her voice was drowned out by Etra's furious roar and the high-level magic surging toward them.
With less than ten seconds until death arrived.
"Fuck!"
The survival instinct inherent in all living beings—
'Am I really going to die like this? Me, Go Mal-suk?!'
A flood of alarm signals scrambled through Mal-suk's mind.
But then.
'Well... Maybe this isn't such a bad way to go...'
Perhaps due to the influence of the Thousand Killing Star's energy.
Facing death, Mal-suk felt strangely serene—even comforted and satisfied.
Only.
'It's a bit unfair to die without even being of any help. But... well, once I'm dead, it won't matter anyway.'
The guilt of her own powerlessness tormented her until the very end.
Like a fireworks display.
Boom!
CRACKLE!
Amid the cascading spectacle of high-tier magic.
Swish.
Si-mun raised his right hand.
Mal-suk's gaze naturally followed the movement.
Then.
'A... ring?'
The moment she noticed the slender, dark-purple ring on his little finger.
"Mal-suk. From now on, don't leave my side no matter what."
In a voice so decadent it was hard to believe they were facing death,
His words seeped into her ears.
And then, over the emerald world—
"Come forth. Spider of Leng."
SWOOOOOSH!
A dark-purple world unfurled.