Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Promotion Match (3)

Translation: godtl

CRACK!

The floor exploded beneath them.

Choi Jin-su leaped to avoid it, immediately lashing out with an arm mutated by his Beastification.

But.

THUD.

As if lying in wait, a stone fist erupted from below, precisely targeting his elbow to intercept the strike.

"Damn magic!"

Cursing, Jin-su smashed the obstruction apart and hastily retreated ten steps back.

Then—

BOOM!

Another explosion tore through the ground.

This time, instead of a stone fist, a slender man's punch was embedded in the crater.

But more unsettling than the bizarre sight—

'What the hell? What kind of ability is this?!'

Jin-su couldn't help but scowl at how every single one of his attacks had been perfectly neutralized since the fight began.

'How is he blocking me every damn time?'

With Beastification and his Druid class working in tandem, Jin-su had completely overcome the limitations of transformation. Combined with his past experience as a UFC heavyweight fighter, his combat prowess was leagues beyond that of an average deep-sea Player.

Yet.

This Kim Si-mun bastard was effortlessly shutting him down at every turn.

Frankly, even calling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it "blocking" was laughable.

'He's reading my movements perfectly.'

Perhaps it was his years of combat experience, but Jin-su instinctively knew.

Before even considering the freakish strength behind those counterattacks—

His opponent was seeing straight through him, intercepting with flawless timing.

SNAP.

Another flick of Si-mun's fingers.

'What now?!'

After multiple exchanges, Jin-su had learned the hard way what those Finger Snaps entailed.

'Frontal assault!'

The hairs on his neck stood up—he immediately pivoted to present his back.

CRACKLE.

In an instant, a hardened carapace covered Jin-su's broad back.

THOOM!

"Ghk!"

The impact reverberated through his entire body.

But his SS-grade Beastification and fighter's grit let him power through the blow.

SHINK!

"Got you, you bastard!"

Finally—an opening to seize that slippery fucker.

"You're Kim Si-mun, right? Ptui!"

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Jin-su raised his right arm.

"Thanks to you hiding like a damn rat, I've had a hell of a time. So..."

CRACKLE.

His once-wolfish arm began thickening, growing more massive.

Naturally, the left arm restraining Si-mun also tightened with even greater force.

"Now die."

As if venting all his pent-up frustration—

Jin-su's bear-like arm came crashing down with murderous momentum.

But.

CLAMP.

His wrist was caught with absurd ease.

Like a twig wedged between boulders—

His massive ursine limb couldn't budge an inch.

"Tch!"

Was this the first time he'd been physically overpowered?

Or was it the contrast of that slender, pale hand gripping his bear paw?

Instead of immediately following up with his fangs—

"With these scrawny arms?!"

GRIND—

Jin-su poured more strength into his trapped arm, pushing down harder.

This had become a battle of pride.

Yet Si-mun's face remained eerily calm.

HUM.

A faint resonance flowed from Si-mun's left eye.

As it did, an intricate magic circle rotated into view before him.

Only then did Jin-su realize—

It wasn't one magic circle.

But multiple.

WHIRR.

Golden magic circles interlocked like gears, rotating in perfect sync.

His Beastification's animalistic instincts screamed at him.

'That's dangerous!'

A crawling sensation, as if his entire body were laid bare.

Heeding the incessant warnings, Jin-su swallowed his pride and immediately opened his maw wide.

SHIIING!

"GROOOAR!"

Fangs tore through the air.

Even in their current standoff with arms locked, it was an undeniably threatening attack.

Yet Si-mun's gaze as he watched it remained utterly serene.

It couldn't be helped.

'I can see it.'

The fangs flying toward him, sharp enough to freeze the blood in his veins.

Though they seemed poised to tear his throat out in an instant, to Si-mun's eyes, they moved unbearably slow.

'Left—no, right.'

In his frozen world, Choi Jin-su's figure on the left strained to move against the stillness, while the one on the right lunged forward like a rabid beast.

Strangely enough, despite the split vision showing two separate trajectories, the attack didn't fracture into mismatched movements as he'd expected.

Instead, the two paths harmonized perfectly, converging into a single, deadly arc.

From his brief experience using Odin's Eye so far—

'The closer the opponent is, and whether they're within my field of vision or not, the information I receive varies drastically.'

From the ripple of fur to the droplets of saliva spraying between fangs—

From the moment they'd faced each other, Si-mun had seen through every one of Choi Jin-su's movements.

And now, at this proximity—

Uung.

A faint ringing filled his ears as Choi Jin-su's entire body was bathed in a pale golden light.

Or rather, that was how it appeared in the left half of Si-mun's vision.

Then—

-Oppa, analysis complete. I'll mark the weak point.

With the Philosopher's Stone's voice, the golden light swirling around Choi Jin-su's body gathered smoothly toward his solar plexus.

'There it is. Good work.'

-Hehe! I barely did anything, though.

At that, the corner of Si-mun's mouth twitched upward.

As the Philosopher's Stone had said, it was entirely his own Transmutation Power fueling the specialized activation of Odin's Eye.

But the usage method engraved into the Eye after its specialization was incredibly esoteric for an ordinary person.

Had he not been synced with the Philosopher's Stone, Si-mun would've struggled immensely.

"Then..."

In this slowed world.

Si-mun's head and torso leisurely tilted downward.

Tak!

A hard, crisp sound rang out as something grazed the crown of his head.

The sound of Choi Jin-su's razor-sharp jaws snapping shut.

"Safe travels, Mr. Choi Jin-su."

Si-mun's fist, now wreathed in dark energy, shot forward without hesitation—aiming straight for the weak point Odin's Eye had marked: the solar plexus.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Strike: Tyrant Emperor Break.

Demonic Energy, carrying the profound essence of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a peerless martial art, surged forth like a raging tide.

Kwaaaaang!

An explosion erupted—too immense to believe it came from a mere fist meeting flesh.

Choi Jin-su, whose torso—unlike his fur-covered limbs and head—was armored like a tortoise's shell.

Though not as impenetrable as his back.

His front still boasted a toughness that rivaled most defensive gear, and yet—

"Ghk—!"

Choi Jin-su coughed up a mouthful of blood, his solar plexus completely shattered.

"Damn... you..."

Thud.

Had he never imagined he could be killed in a single strike?

With a face frozen in shock, Choi Jin-su collapsed to the ground.

Yet even then, his gaze never left Si-mun's face.

'Truly the Beast King. Still unyielding even now.'

In Choi Jin-su's final moments, his eyes burned as if vowing to remember him without fail.

Si-mun let out a hollow chuckle and nodded slightly.

Well.

After the fall of South Korea.

Even in China, hadn't this man—this Beast King—shown relentless tenacity and an unquenchable thirst for victory?

'Feels a bit strange. Taking down such a legendary high-ranker with my own hands...'

Of course, right now, he was barely a Silver-tier player, let alone a high-ranker.

But knowing the future of this beast-like man, Si-mun couldn't help but feel a peculiar sense of novelty.

[Constellation Odin's eyes widen in astonishment. 'Already using Weak Point Detection...?']

[Constellation Black Goat gazes at Odin's Eye with an inscrutable expression.]

The Constellations' reactions snapped Si-mun out of his reverie.

Regaining his composure, he gently closed his eyes and withdrew the Transmutation Power he'd been channeling.

And then—

Sssss.

The golden magic circle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flickered faintly before vanishing completely.

By the time Si-mun reopened his eyes,

the golden glow in his irises had faded, returning to their original state.

'Hah. The Transmutation Power consumption is as massive as its performance.'

Visualizing an unseen space in three dimensions within his mind—

using it like a form of radar or map hack was one thing,

but actively analyzing a target within his field of vision to pinpoint weaknesses

consumed nearly as much Transmutation Power as the Tyrant Emperor Break,

a foundational technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

'And now there's physical strain on top of that.'

Had it not been for the stat boosts from the Spirit Elixir,

his all-in Transmutation Power expenditure, and related titles,

he likely would have collapsed from exhaustion.

Si-mun lightly rubbed his slightly tingling left eye.

Perhaps it was the warmth from his palm—

the prickling sensation quickly subsided.

After steadying his breathing and regaining his composure,

a blinding flash of light caught his attention at the edge of his vision.

A chat notification.

The moment he opened the chat, messages poured in like a waterfall.

The speed was so overwhelming that even as an Awakened,

Si-mun struggled to keep up with the flood of text.

[User 'Abyssal Slayer' has donated 100 AP.]

= This is supposed to be a Magic Class?! The Arena's wildin' fr.

[User 'SilverNo1' has donated 500 AP.]

= The hero of Silver-tier! Let's go Gold, woooo~!!

Some messages were outright spam,

but the sheer volume of chat made even those drown in the chaos.

On top of that, donations kept popping off,

turning the chat into a complete madhouse.

"Thank you for the donations and support. I'll give a proper thank-you when the stream ends. Please refrain from spamming and keep the chat civil."

With a brief message, Si-mun tried to rein in the chat

before switching over to the manager's chat window.

The reason was simple.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The manager chat was heating up just as much as the main one.

But fortunately, being Constellations, they got straight to business.

[Manager 'Constellation Black Goat' has banned 'professional_troll' for toxicity.]

[Manager 'Constellation Black Goat' has banned 'djrmfhwhgdk' for disruptive behavior.]

[Manager 'Constellation Black Goat' has banned...]

While venting his fury in the manager chat,

Black Goat was simultaneously purging the main chat with terrifying efficiency.

Watching this, Si-mun scratched his cheek absently.

'Well... he's reliable, but...'

Was it really okay to have a Constellation doing this kind of grunt work?

The thought crossed his mind—

[Constellation Black Goat is observing the chat with immense satisfaction.]

Seeing both the chat's reaction and Black Goat's smugness,

Si-mun brushed off his concerns.

'Well, if they're happy with it, that's all that matters.'

Si-mun shrugged and opened the Arena Board.

After just taking down Choi Jin-su, he was in first place with a total of 26 kills.

Beneath him, second place trailed with just 5 kills.

'If I hadn't transmuted Odin's Eye, 26 kills would've been impossible.'

Without Odin's Eye, which let him map this complex, pitch-black sewer like a cheat code, he would've struggled just to find other players—let alone someone like Choi Jin-su.

Stretching his arms wide, Si-mun loosened up his body.

"Hup! With first place locked in, I might as rest and recover a bit."

Thanks to the Philosopher's Stone and his absurd stats, his Transmutation Power was already rapidly replenishing—but mentally, he was still fatigued from using Odin's Eye.

Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the sewer wall and closed his eyes.

Then—

Thud. Thud.

A faint vibration traveled through the wall at his back.

'Someone fighting nearby? Judging by the impact, it's pretty strong... A Magic Class user?'

For an attack to cause tremors even at Silver-rank—

Eyes still shut, Si-mun tapped his elbow with a finger.

'If it's a Magic Class user, there's a chance things could get unpredictable. Better deal with it preemptively.'

Rest could wait.

Just in case, he decided to eliminate any potential variables early and pushed himself off the wall.

But then—

"Hm?"

Turning toward the source of the vibrations, Si-mun tilted his head.

And for good reason.

Thud. Thud.

'It's coming from inside the wall.'

The tremors he had assumed were from a Magic Class user were now clearly emanating from the very wall he'd been leaning against.

Pressing his ear to the surface—

Tap.

He sharpened all his senses with Human Transmutation.

And then—

Boom! Boom!

......!

'I think I can even hear voices?'

The vibrations grew stronger, and faint, speech-like sounds reached his ears.

'I need a proper look.'

Drawing on his nearly replenished Transmutation Power, Si-mun focused it into his left eye.

Kiiing—

Golden light flared as magic circles floated before his vision.

Odin's Eye activated, piercing through the sewer's dark walls—

But then.

[Player access to this area is restricted.]

[Further interference may result in penalties, including disqualification from the Arena.]

A series of warning messages appeared before Si-mun's eyes.

'A restricted area?'

What the hell was beyond that wall to warrant a direct warning from the Galaxy Arena?

Whatever it was—

'No choice, then.'

If the Galaxy Arena itself was issuing warnings, there had to be a reason.

Moreover, Odin's Eye confirmed it—

The barrier beyond the wall was something he couldn't break through with his current power.

Si-mun was about to give up and redirect his search toward other Arena participants when—

Hmm...

"Huh?"

A faint chime echoed from his inventory.

"This is..."

A near-flawless ingot of silvery-white beauty.

Mithril.

The moment he pulled it out—

['Doria-made Mithril Ingot' ownership confirmed. Access qualification under review...]

[Review complete. Access granted.]

As the system notification flashed, the barrier beyond the wall visibly weakened.

'Guess I can go through now.'

Si-mun flicked his fingers—

Or at least, he tried to.

KWA-BOOOM!

"Whoa—?!"

Before he could, the wall exploded.

Debris rained down—

And among the rubble was a creature he'd seen once before.

"This is... a Drakan?"

An abnormally developed upper body, disproportionately scrawny legs, and a face that looked downright stupid—

That bloodied creature was unmistakably a Drakan, the lowest tier of Dragonkin.

But Si-mun didn't have time to just stand there gawking.

Thud.

"Ack! I messed up the force again..."

From beyond the collapsed wall—

A voice, likely that of a young girl, drifted out.

Si-mun's golden eyes swiftly scanned the figure emerging from the wreckage.

Twin braids trailing down to her knees.

Large, round eyes and a petite frame that barely reached his waist.

Yet, in stark contrast to her delicate appearance—

'A hammer?'

A massive warhammer—the kind that would suit the Beast King Choi Jin-su—clashed absurdly with her doll-like cuteness.

And above all—

"Uncle Makur's gonna scold me for wrecking another sewer... Huh? Wha—?!"

This mysterious girl—

"My benefactor!!"

—seemed to recognize him.