Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Chapter 38: What the Hell Is That Doing Here?
Translation: godtl
The heart of the Evergreen Forest.
A momentary silence fell over the area in the wake of the sudden catastrophe that had just struck—but only for a moment.
—What the hell did I just see......?
—Holy shit! What was that just now?
—No way, it flashed and the hidden boss just got deleted lololol.
—Bro...... I can't even process this......
The tens of thousands of viewers witnessing this absurd spectacle through their screens erupted with reactions.
—What kind of magic was that?
—Must've been at least Platinum-tier magic.
—Judging by the sheer power, it could rival high-tier Platinum spells. The way it manifested looked like an AoE spell.
—An AoE spell that completely erases a hidden boss without a trace? What kind of damage is that?
—Well, the hidden boss was Magic Class. Probably had low HP.
—Yeah, probably didn't cast any defensive spells since it's just Silver-rank.
They all voiced their thoughts in unison.
But no matter how shocking the broadcast was to those watching from afar, none of them could truly grasp the reality of this disaster—not like those who had witnessed it firsthand.
"This is insane......."
There were no other words to describe the current situation.
At least, none that Go Mal-suk could think of.
Only one.
Snapping back to her senses, Go Mal-suk stared at Si-mun, who was trembling slightly and panting heavily.
'That magic just now... it felt exactly the same as when he obliterated the Withered Bark.'
He had wielded a white rod that looked forged from lightning, but...
In the end, it was just a tool in his hand.
The strike Si-mun had just unleashed was no different from the one that had shattered the Withered Bark in a single blow.
As that thought settled in—
'Wait. Then that just now wasn't... magic......?'
A faint red glint flickered in Go Mal-suk's eyes.
'A... a technique?'
Her Heavenly Slaughter Instinct whispered in her ear, as if activated on its own.
It had to be. Nothing else made sense.
And the reality she had witnessed confirmed it.
If it had been magic, there would've been preparation time, an incantation, something.
'But that guy just flicked his finger and it was over.'
Hell, he hadn't even cast a spell—he'd just summoned that white rod, a condensed form of Lightning Qi.
Her intuition and that damn Heavenly Slaughter Instinct were screaming at her.
That massive lightning-based attack wasn't magic—it was a 'technique.'
Which meant...
'Could I... replicate it?'
From infamous deep-sea trolls to Silver-rank's resident lunatic.
She was well aware of the bad reputation she'd earned in Korea's Arena.
Yet, the only reason she'd managed to hold her ground in Silver-rank and avoid demotion was her Copy ability.
Players stronger than her—rising stars above her tier—she studied their techniques, their movements, even their breathing, committing every detail to memory.
And somehow, she replicated them.
Her initial Awakened stats—all 10s in Strength, Agility, and Constitution—were exceptional.
Combined with her SSS-rank Trait, Heavenly Slaughter Instinct, and her natural perceptiveness, it was more than enough to make it possible.
But even for her, who had copied countless skilled players...
'No. That's impossible.'
She couldn't help but shake her head at Si-mun's last attack.
It wasn't just that she couldn't replicate supernatural abilities like magic.
Before even considering that...
'I couldn't even follow the movements he used to clear trash mobs......'
And that last strike was on a whole other level—she couldn't even begin to grasp it.
All she could faintly sense was that a single, seemingly ordinary strike contained countless intricacies.
Yeah.
It was like someone who'd never learned the alphabet trying to read an English book.
"Whew. That's done."
A clear voice—one that seemed utterly mismatched with the person who had just unleashed a disaster-level attack.
Was he checking the system window for defeating the hidden boss?
Before she knew it, Si-mun had lightly tapped the air and approached.
Watching him, Go Mal-suk bit her lower lip lightly.
'What should I even say?'
Thanks for carrying me?
Appreciate the free ride?
Or... can you teach me how to do that?
Before she could decide—
"Mal-suk. Sorry about earlier."
A clear, distinct voice pierced her ears.
"That must've hurt, right? Here, drink this."
Go Mal-suk's eyes widened.
How could they not?
'He's... apologizing? And why's he giving me a potion?'
She just stared silently at the potion he held out.
"Uh... I didn't have a choice. You know how you were back then."
Si-mun scratched his cheek with an awkward expression.
"Haah..."
Go Mal-suk let out a hollow laugh.
"Is that all you have to say to me?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Like calling me a bitch, or a crazy bitch, or telling me I shouldn't have entered the Arena if I was gonna act like this! Aren't those the words that should be coming out?"
Go Mal-suk knew herself well.
Before coming here.
Her reputation alone had caused discord from the very start of the Arena.
And truth be told, she too had stood her ground, refusing to back down out of pride.
Because of that, the five-member team she'd been matched with had fallen apart.
And on the way here, drunk on the Constellation's power, she had even attacked Si-mun.
No matter how much she blamed the Constellation's shitty side effects.
The fact remained that she had attacked him.
Not only had she contributed absolutely nothing to defeating even the regular boss, let alone the Hidden Boss...
Why on earth—
"What, was that it? It was because of your Trait. I know full well you couldn't help it."
Why was this man treating her so familiarly?
And not just familiarly—as if they'd known each other for ages.
What was even more baffling was...
'...I don't dislike it.'
His sharp, keen eyes.
Moderately thick eyebrows, a sharply defined nose and jawline, even his physique.
Overall, Si-mun's sleek and well-defined appearance was definitely her type.
But even so, this was the first time she'd felt so at ease with a man she'd just met being this friendly.
"Fuck. I must really be a crazy bitch."
Even she found it laughable.
Letting out another hollow laugh, she snatched the potion Si-mun was holding out.
Gulp, gulp.
In an instant, Go Mal-suk downed it in one go.
Normally, she would've had to pour some on her injured areas too, but...
'This much will heal in no time.'
The superior base stats and the insane regenerative power granted by her SSS-rank Trait, the Constellation, were nothing to scoff at.
"Phew."
As if the pain had subsided somewhat.
Go Mal-suk roughly swept her bangs back with a slightly improved expression and spoke.
"Hey, by the way. Let me ask you one thing."
"What is it?"
"Do you... know me?"
"Huh?"
"I've never told anyone about my Trait. But you seemed to know."
At that, Si-mun blinked.
'I didn't expect her to ask such a sharp question...'
It was an awful thing to say about Mal-suk, but.
He'd never dreamed she'd pick up on something like this.
'So she noticed I knew about the Constellation.'
If this was a mistake, then it was a mistake.
Ordinary berserker-type Traits burn with madness under intense blows or life-threatening situations.
But unlike them, the Constellation allows moments of lucidity in between, never giving a chance to think.
Yet he'd spoken as if he knew that.
No matter how dull Mal-suk was, she must've sensed something was off.
Still, he didn't panic.
As long as he hadn't revealed his Status Window, Si-mun had an invincible cheat key.
"Uh... it's my Trait."
"Your Trait? There's one that lets you figure out other people's Traits?"
"Sort of. It's a bit different, though."
Si-mun's enigmatic answer.
But.
"Fuck. No wonder."
Our esteemed Lady Go Mal-suk nodded her head in sudden understanding.
"So that's why you were like that from the start. You knew about my Constellation all alo—ahh!"
Go Mal-suk hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth.
Si-mun chuckled and said,
"Don't worry. The broadcast ended a while ago."
"A while ago? Oh."
As she recalled Si-mun tapping at the air earlier.
Go Mal-suk's shoulders slumped weakly.
"Fuck. You could've told me sooner. I was shitting myself."
Others might say, what's the big deal about a mere deep-sea player's Trait?
But considering Go Mal-suk's current reputation as a player.
It was best to keep the Constellation Trait under wraps as much as possible.
"But why are you still here? The Arena's over. You should hurry and go claim your rewards."
"Yeah, I should. But there's something I need to do first."
"Something to do?"
As Go Mal-suk tilted her head, Si-mun tapped at the air and swiped something.
[Player Kim Si-mun has sent you a 'Friend Request'.]
The notification that popped up before her eyes.
Go Mal-suk silently stared at Si-mun, and.
"You wanted to know the technique I used earlier, didn't you? When we took down the Withered Bark too."
"Th-that's—!"
Had he hit the mark?
Her eyes darted around.
Finally.
"Damn it... how did you know?"
She answered with a reddened face.
"I didn't want to know."
"Then don't, if you don't want to."
"You're the one who made me know. You've been staring holes into me this whole time in the Arena. Who wouldn't notice that?"
"Th-that's...!"
It wasn't a false accusation.
Go Mal-suk couldn't even muster a reply, her head bowing deeply.
Was she that embarrassed?
Her fists, clenched tightly at her sides, trembled faintly.
Kim Si-mun chuckled softly and spoke.
"Accept my friend request. Then I'll tell you."
"R-really?!"
Mal-suk's head snapped up.
Though her flushed face and trembling body still looked visibly uncomfortable,
the blazing intensity in her eyes burned just like the Heavenly Demon Go Mal-suk from his past life.
"Y-you're serious? You'll really tell me?"
"Yeah. But it won't be me teaching you—it'll be someone more qualified."
"Huh?! You changed your mind just like that?!"
"What are you talking about? The person who's practically my master will teach you, so stop worrying and just accept the request, dummy."
"M-master? Got it! I'll accept right now!"
Mal-suk's face instantly brightened.
She really is an easy one to read.
Si-mun smirked at her reaction before glancing up at the air.
Then—
[The Constellation Heavenly Demon shakes his head and says, "Impossible through the Arena's system. I must meet her in person."]
A message from the Heavenly Demon arrived.
Meet in person? Why?
As Si-mun tilted his head in confusion—
[The Constellation Heavenly Demon makes a regretful expression and says, "This isn't a formal Arena yet. For a sponsor to intervene prematurely requires significant sacrifice."]
Another message followed.
Oh? There's a restriction like that?
Si-mun's eyes gleamed as he read it.
Even at this stage, before the official Arena had begun, there were already quite a few players sponsored by Constellations.
So all the players who've met their Constellations so far had their patrons willingly take a loss?
Well, it made sense.
Fundamentally, Constellations favored players with outstanding skill or potential.
Once the official Arena began, they'd have to compete among themselves to secure their chosen sponsors.
Even if it meant taking a hit, getting a head start wasn't a bad deal.
[Player Go Mal-suk has accepted your "Friend Request."]
"Hey, I accepted it."
Along with Mal-suk's voice, a notification popped up before his eyes.
Nodding, Si-mun turned away.
"Confirmed. I'll send you the contact details later, so come find me."
"Huh? You want me to come to you?"
"Yeah. This is something that has to be explained in person."
At that, Mal-suk snorted.
"Brat. So you're just like any other guy after all, huh?"
"What?"
"Sorry, but this noona isn't that easy."
Her lips curled into a smirk.
"Haah, sorry to break it to you, Mal-suk."
After staring at her for a moment, Si-mun sighed shortly and turned away.
"You're not my type."
Poof.
With those words, he vanished abruptly.
Naturally—
"Th-this damn brat!"
Sparks flew from Mal-suk's eyes.
[Go Mal-suk - You little bastard! What? I'm not your type? Ugh! Hey! You're not mine either, you know?!]
[Go Mal-suk - Ugh! The more I think about it, the angrier I get! You damn—! Just wait till I see you!]
[Go Mal-suk - Before you can even cast that damn magic, I'll @!#!@ those fingers of yours—]
[Go Mal-suk - Hey! Not answering me?!]
A flurry of furious messages poured in.
[Kim Si-mun - Do what you want. lol]
After sending that reply, Si-mun promptly blocked further messages and swept the chat window aside.
Then—
[You have successfully cleared the Arena "Evergreen Forest."]
[You have single-handedly defeated the boss Withered Bark in a 5-player cooperative condition.]
[Clear rewards have increased based on your performance.]
The rewards for this Arena scrolled up one after another.
[The bound trait "Philosopher's Stone" has distributed a portion of the experience gained.]
[Level has increased by 8.]
[Philosopher's Stone has leveled up by 6.]
[You have obtained "Spring Water of the Evergreen Forest Center" as a clear reward.]
[You have single-handedly defeated the hidden boss Crazed Vegetation Keeper Murie.]
[You have been awarded "Corrupted Seed Fragment" as a reward.]
A dizzying flood of rewards cascaded before him.
I know about the Spring Water, but what's this Corrupted Seed Fragment?
It was an item dropped by a hidden boss,
but unlike the [Hobgoblin's Battle Axe] he'd obtained before,
even with his regression experience, this was an item Si-mun had never seen.
"Well, I'll find out when I check."
Just as Si-mun was about to inspect the [Corrupted Seed Fragment]—
[As previously announced, the final decision regarding Player Kim Si-mun, as discussed in the Galaxy Arena, has been delivered.]
[You have acquired the trait "Stigmata."]
Another system window appeared.
"Th-this...!"
Si-mun's eyes widened as if they might tear.
And for good reason.
The trait delivered by the Galaxy Arena was—
"This is Si-hyeok's third trait, isn't it?"
Because it was the trait of his younger brother Kim Si-hyeok—the one who would later become the strongest player.