Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Translation: godtl
[The Spirit Elixir's effect increases Strength by 5.]
[The Spirit Elixir's effect increases Agility by 4.]
[The Spirit Elixir's effect increases Stamina by 10.]
[The Spirit Elixir's effect slightly increases Flexibility.]
[The Spirit Elixir's effect slightly increases Natural Recovery.]
The messages danced before his eyes, a delightful sight.
Perhaps it was because so many stats had increased at once?
"I can really feel myself getting healthier."
Kim Si-mun physically sensed the surge of energy coursing through his entire body.
"Looks like focusing the formula on stamina was worth it."
The result was a total Stamina stat increase of 10.
Moreover, with the boost in physical flexibility and recovery—
His entire body felt refreshed, as if he'd just woken from a good sleep.
'This should significantly reduce the strain of human transmutation too.'
Fundamentally, human transmutation used Transmutation Power as its base.
But ultimately, it was his own physical body that had to endure the transmuted abilities.
If Transmutation Power was the fuel,
Then the body was the vessel containing it.
And now that he'd reinforced that vessel, the physical fatigue from human transmutation would decrease going forward.
"I can't wait to test this out."
Just as Si-mun smiled with satisfaction—
[You have created and consumed an enhanced Spirit Elixir.]
[Transmutation Power increases by 1.]
[The Philosopher's Stone has leveled up by 1.]
Unexpected messages floated before his eyes.
'Oh? Both my Transmutation Power and the Philosopher's Stone leveled up?'
His total Transmutation Power rose from 44 to 45.
The Philosopher's Stone, previously at level 24, had reached level 25.
The Philosopher's Stone's level-up was particularly welcome news.
'This should help stabilize my experience points.'
For the Philosopher's Stone, which shared growth experience with him—
The amount of experience it consumed was substantial relative to its exceptional performance, so even a single level-up was immensely gratifying.
But that wasn't all.
[You have elevated your transmuted product one grade above its original tier.]
[Achievement "Only My Creations Level Up" has been completed.]
[1,000 Achievement Points acquired.]
[The effects of the title "Pioneer of Alchemy" have grown.]
"Achievement Points and title upgrades too?"
1,000 Achievement Points and the growth of his developmental title.
Si-mun immediately opened the title tab to check.
[Pioneer of Alchemy] - Growth Type
A title granted to alchemists who have successfully transmuted all mythical alchemical products.
'The second option increased to 10%.'
Originally, the second option had only reduced consumption by 5%.
But with this growth, it had doubled to 10%.
"Ah, sweet!"
Si-mun felt an involuntary sweetness flood his mouth.
"Well, since we're at it, might as well properly savor this sweetness."
He picked up his Arena Access Device.
[Welcome to the Galaxy Arena.]
[This Arena's event is "Survival," with 100 participants.]
[The Arena will begin once all participants have appeared.]
A black void devoid of anything.
Having entered what was commonly called the waiting room, Si-mun checked the floating text.
The viewers who'd connected via Arenia were similarly excited.
'The people's favorite event, huh. Perfect.'
A 100-player Survival match.
Dubbed the "national event," this Arena mode satisfied both players and viewers alike.
It couldn't be helped.
True to its characteristics, it typically proceeded based purely on skill without major variables.
And with each match offering a fresh feel depending on rank bracket, map, and conditions.
Reading the chat, Si-mun couldn't help but smile.
'This'll be perfect for testing my upgraded specs too.'
Isn't Strength-Vitality-Stamina still just a single stat point that feels significant in the early stages?
There's no better map than Survival to test it out.
"Nice to meet you, everyone. This is my first time playing Survival, so I'm pretty nervous."
-Nervous, my ass! Who is? The enemies?
-Oh, it's your first time, huh! First time with you guys!
-This guy must've never played Survival before. Weird. It's such a common mode.
-For real. If it's his first time, I'm even more excited \(>o<)/!!
-Mr. Si-mun, you're gonna take first place again this time, right?
"Haha! I'm aiming for it, but who knows? Last time was the same. I feel like Arena matchmaking has been getting tougher lately."
Si-mun exchanged excited chatter with his viewers as he waited for the match to fill.
Then, right before him—
[For Player Kim Si-mun only, this Arena will be treated as a Promotion Match.]
An unexpected message appeared.
"Huh? A Promotion Match?"
-Wait, what? Promotion Match? Bro, is this a Promotion Match?
-No way, lol. It was a Promotion Match all along? Dude, change your stream title quick. Viewers are gonna flood in.
-So it matched you with top-tier players because it's a Promotion Match?
-This is gonna be hilarious. Brb, gonna post about this in the community lol.
-Chicken time, everyone. Order up!
-It'll be over before it even starts lol.
The chat erupted into chaos at the mere mention of a Promotion Match.
Even without that, the word "promotion" alone was enough to get his heart racing.
And since it was a 100-player Survival—a mode most people loved—there was no way he wouldn't be excited.
But Si-mun's inner thoughts were slightly different from the chat's reactions.
Naturally.
'They're giving me a Promotion Match without any prior notice?'
The viewers couldn't see private messages, so they assumed Si-mun had knowingly entered a Promotion Match.
But for Si-mun, this was completely out of the blue.
'Why?'
Usually, Promotion Matches came with advance notice—like last time, when he'd obtained the Stigmata.
Something along the lines of,"Your next Arena participation will be a Promotion Match..." and so on.
But to notify him so abruptly?
Of course—
[Player Kim Si-mun's stats in Silver-rank can no longer be adjusted via MMR. Achieving Top 10 will automatically promote you to Gold-rank.]
[Failure to promote will result in a penalty applied to your Status Window.]
Reading the follow-up messages, he could finally make sense of the situation.
'Ah, my stats have gotten too high.'
Wasn't the MMR system divided based on stats, traits, and equipment?
'Well, it does sound ridiculous that I'm still in Silver.'
From the very beginning, after the Placement Test and rank assignment—
The Galaxy Arena had wanted him in Gold-rank.
It was only because of the entry item, [Doria's Mithril Ore], that he'd been forced into Silver as a compromise.
'And even then, they slapped me with a 30% clear reward reduction penalty.'
Not that it mattered—his clear scores were always maxed out, so the penalty was barely noticeable.
But now, the Special Arena was over.
And in the last Arena, he'd achieved overwhelming results—a Boss one-shot and a Hidden Boss kill.
At this point, it made no sense for him to remain in Silver-rank.
'And on top of that, my stats have grown again...'
Thanks to consuming the three Spirit Elixirs, his Strength-Vitality-Stamina stats had skyrocketed.
From the Galaxy Arena's perspective, they couldn't just let this slide.
'Well, works for me.'
Wasn't it about time he moved up to Gold anyway?
Shrugging, Si-mun glanced up at the empty space.
The lobby was now full.
[All players have been matched.]
[Location: 'Desolate Sewers'.]
As the message appeared, the surrounding space distorted.
It didn't feel much different from the dark waiting area—
"Ugh."
But then a faint stench, the fishy odor of stagnant water, and thick, musty air assaulted his nose all at once.
-LOL look at this guy's face scrunching up. The smell must be insane, huh?
-No joke. It's not just the smell—it's weirdly damp, which makes it even worse.
-Facts. You know what's worse than a fart? A moist fart~.
-That's not a fart, though?
The reactions poured in as soon as the map materialized.
With its winding paths and intermittent Dark Zones scattered like an abandoned mine,
the 'Gloomy Sewers' was a map without a single redeeming quality that anyone would like.
However.
'The map itself isn't much of a problem.'
That didn't apply to Si-mun.
As long as body synthesis existed, he wasn't particularly affected by most map conditions.
Only.
'Is it because my stats increased? The environment feels extremely unpleasant.'
Whether it was due to his increased stats or not,
aside from the stench, the strange dampness and stifling air were incredibly irritating.
[The Arena begins.]
[Eliminate other Players.]
The moment the system notification appeared.
'Let's get this over with quickly.'
Snap.
Si-mun immediately flicked his fingers and synthesized [Black Panther's Body Tissue] and [Moon Owl's Body Tissue].
"Damn it! It's disgustingly dark here."
"Shut the hell up, dumbass! What if someone hears you?!"
"Ah... sorry."
In a space so pitch-black that even outlines were barely visible,
the two men positioned in the so-called Dark Zone crouched as low as possible.
Among them, the one who had snapped cautiously took a step forward.
"Just follow quietly behind me. I'll take point."
"Lucky! If only I had a vision-related ability, I wouldn't be stuck like this..."
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
The man barked another order.
He adjusted his grip on his dagger and scanned the surroundings.
"First, since we're in a Dark Zone, let's farm as many kills as possible here and move out once the numbers thin."
"So we're just playing defensively for rank?"
"That's all we can do. Didn't you see the Arena Board? There are two freaking monsters matched in here!"
The man following behind silently nodded.
Currently, there were two Players dominating the Arena Board with overwhelming scores.
Naturally, they held the top two spots—no need to elaborate.
"But is it really okay to team up this blatantly? What if we run into a named guild or something..."
"This is a Dark Zone. They won't even realize we're teaming before they drop dead."
Maps with Dark Zones practically necessitated teaming.
Hiding in the pitch-black Dark Zone and attacking together—
without the right abilities, there was no way to detect teaming.
"But what if they spot us first?"
"Idiot, we're in a corner. Whoever holds position first has the absolute advantage."
"I guess..."
"So just shut up and blast magic wherever I throw my dagger. Guaranteed easy kills."
"Ah, got it."
The timidly responding man was a rare Magic Class.
Given that this was Silver-rank, magic resistance and counterplay were abysmal,
so as long as they secured the first strike, they were practically invincible.
Right.
As long as they secured the first strike.
Swish.
"Huh?"
An unidentifiable, faint sound.
So quiet it could have been mistaken for a passing breeze,
but in the silent Dark Zone, such a subtle noise wouldn't occur without reason.
Moreover, the instincts of an Assassin Class Player with vision-related traits weren't so easily fooled.
However.
"Something's coming over ther—"
Was it because of Silver-rank's limitations?
Or was the opponent simply too much?
Crack.
The man holding the dagger had his neck snapped before he could even react.
"J-Jaehyun!"
The panicked voice of the man beside him echoed through the Dark Zone.
Even as a Magic Class, the sound of breaking bones was unmistakable.
"You bastard!"
The Magic Class Player immediately channeled mana at the sound of his unresponsive friend.
A small ember flickered to life in his palm, casting dim light into the Dark Zone.
But before the flame could fully take shape—
Crunch.
The chest of the man preparing his fire magic caved inward.
And in an instant, the stench of the sewers was cut short.
Only after his vision turned ashen gray.
'Am I... dead?'
The Magic Class player could finally comprehend his own demise.
'What the hell was that? A monster? If it's the sewer map, lizardmen do show up often... but not this fast...'
Then.
Through his fading vision.
The dying ember in his hand flickered, briefly illuminating the face of his ambusher.
'A... person? A human?!'
Perhaps due to the dim surroundings?
With the last glimpse of delicate, refined features, the Magic Class player's vision plunged into darkness.
Thud.
The distinct rustle of a robe fluttered as it hit the ground.
A man stared down at the two players' corpses, felled in an instant, with a dissatisfied gaze.
Despite the flaming reactions in the chat thanks to his performance, Si-mun wasn't in the best mood.
The reason was simple.
1st Place - Choi Jin-su, 13 kills.
2nd Place - Kim Si-mun, 10 kills.
......
The Arena Board displayed the current standings.
'I never thought I'd get overtaken for first place.'
At the very top, it wasn't his name but someone else's.
'Choi Jin-su... Why does that sound so familiar?'
Tapping his chin habitually at the oddly familiar name, Si-mun soon—
"Ah!"
—let out an involuntary exclamation.
'The Beast King, Choi Jin-su!'
The Beast King, Choi Jin-su.
A high-ranker from Myth Guild, South Korea's second-largest guild after Seongsam.
To be more precise—
'Guess he was still Silver around this time. Then again, Choi Jin-su was a late bloomer, just like Mal-suk.'
He'd be one of those destined to become a high-ranker.
'That explains his performance. Must be rampaging through the sewers with his Beastification trait...'
Beastification—an S-rank trait that allowed transformation into any beast.
In some ways, it wasn't too dissimilar to human transmutation.
'Plus, before his awakening, he was a heavyweight UFC fighter.'
Choi Jin-su, an Asian martial artist who'd made quite a name for himself.
Naturally, his combat sense was on a completely different level from the average player.
'Tch. And here I was just starting to enjoy my stat boost.'
Clicking his tongue, Si-mun admitted that human transmutation alone wouldn't secure him first place.
'Philosopher's Stone.'
'Give me a quick estimate on this.'
He transmitted an image of a suitable transmutation item for the current situation.
'How much would it cost?'
The Philosopher's Stone's tone was peculiar.
Si-mun immediately caught its implication.
'You mean it can also be transmuted as a permanent item?'
'But you brought up the one-off option because of the cost?'
'Ten thousand...'
A price on par with the Obsidian Tablet.
Si-mun opened his Status Window to check his Achievement Points.
'Let's see... Current Achievement Points: 10,500. Even if I spend 10,000, I'll still have enough for one Astrapē.'
And some emergency points to spare.
Without hesitation, Si-mun nodded.
"Alright. Proceed."
[The Philosopher's Stone demands 10,000 Achievement Points to compensate for insufficient Equivalent Exchange.]
[Do you accept? (Yes / No)]
The message popped up as if it had been waiting.
Si-mun immediately tapped 'Yes.'
Vwoom.
A familiar energy gathered at his fingertips, filling the gap in Equivalent Exchange.
Flicking it outward—
Two streams of light spiraled together above his palm, coalescing into a single golden sphere.
As he grasped it—
[Constellation Thor shows sudden interest in the appearance of the King's Eye.]
[Constellation Heimdall shows sudden—]
[Constellation Loki—]
A cascade of messages flooded in.