Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Translation: godtl
"Kyahaha! My savior!"
With a bright, cheerful laugh, she floated into the air and—
Thud.
—launched herself into his arms.
No, not so much "into his arms" as—
"Ghk!"
—more like wham.
Whether it was due to the massive hammer strapped to her back or her natural brute strength, the sheer force of the girl's embrace was overwhelming.
Perhaps realizing this herself—
"Oopsie! What was I thinking?!"
—she hastily detached herself from Si-mun's chest.
"I'm so sorry! I've been struggling with controlling my strength lately... I got too excited and messed up!"
"N-no, it's fine. But who...?"
Si-mun's question trailed off abruptly.
Her twin braids, large round eyes, a small frame that contrasted sharply with her monstrous strength, and that enormous hammer—taking in her appearance again, a single race immediately came to mind.
"N-no way!"
A certain child flashed through his thoughts.
"Marnel?"
At Si-mun's question, the girl's face lit up.
"That's right! You remembered me!"
Marnel bounced up and down in delight, though with each hop, the ground beneath her cracked ominously. Si-mun, however, had no time to worry about that.
The reason was simple.
Why is Marnel here?
The dwarf girl he'd met in the Special Arena Nightmare of the Heated Mine, accessed through Doria's Mithril Ore—he'd assumed she was just an NPC exclusive to that Special Arena. After all, high-rank Special Arenas often featured supporting characters who assisted players.
But this was different.
This is a 100-player Survival match... What's going on?
This wasn't a Special Arena—just a standard 100-player Survival where, at best, monsters might spawn. Moreover, this map had nothing to do with dwarves. So how had Marnel popped out from behind a wall?
As that thought crossed his mind—
"Wait."
A hypothesis flickered in Si-mun's head.
What if this map is connected to dwarves?
For instance, what if the builders of these sewers were dwarves? Just like the now-vanished Abandoned Mine map.
If the sewer map was dwarf-related, Marnel's appearance would make some sense.
More importantly—
Originally, Marnel was fated to die in the Nightmare of the Heated Mine.
Si-mun, with his near-Platinum-tier specs, had slaughtered Drakan and blitzed through the Special Arena with overwhelming combat power, reaching Marnel before her death. And then, despite her injuries being beyond even a Platinum-tier healer's ability to cure, he'd saved her.
Did that cause some kind of change in the Arena?
The aftermath had been telling. The Galaxy Arena's prolonged silence back then had been unprecedented. Plus, the System itself had explicitly stated that her fate had been drastically altered.
Whatever the case—
"Sorry. You've changed since last time—didn't recognize you. You've grown a lot."
"Really? I've really grown a lot?"
"Yeah."
When Si-mun nodded solemnly, Marnel began bouncing again, cheering.
"Kyahaha! He said I've grown! He said I've grown a ton!"
"Uh... hey, Marnel?"
As Marnel expressed her joy through every possible physical action—
Guess she can't even hear me right now.
—Si-mun scratched his head, watching her uncontrollable excitement wreak havoc on their surroundings. Was being told she'd grown that thrilling?
Soon, though—
What's with this now?
His gaze shifted to the chat window, where notifications were blinking nonstop.
There, the reactions were pouring in:
The sudden appearance of a dwarf had flooded the chat with confusion. But no matter how much these low-rankers debated, they'd never figure out why a dwarf was in a Silver-tier arena.
Naturally, the discussion shifted to Si-mun and Marnel's relationship:
The chat's attention had seamlessly pivoted to their connection.
Huh? Seriously? Marnel. I remember her. She's grown so much.
Right? She's grown so much I almost didn't recognize her lol. It's really her, isn't it?
WTF! Wasn't she just some NPC back then? She's appearing here again?
At first, like Si-mun, her dramatically matured appearance made her hard to recognize.
But gradually, the chat began realizing she was the dwarf girl they'd saved in the Special Arena "Nightmare of the Heated Mine."
Naturally, just like the question Si-mun had pondered,
Marnel's sudden appearance threw everyone into confusion, with each viewer wildly speculating.
[Achievement "Surpass 50,000 Viewers" has been completed.]
[You have earned 5,000 Achievement Points.]
Another abrupt notification made Si-mun's eyes go round.
His gaze naturally drifted to the viewer count beside the chat.
[51,271 viewers currently watching.]
'What? When did we pass 50,000?'
Though it was shockingly sudden, Si-mun quickly grasped the situation.
Truthfully, it wasn't hard to predict.
'It's because of the Promotion Match and the dwarf's appearance.'
He already had nearly 10,000 regular viewers for a deep-sea broadcast.
Add the inherently popular Promotion Match content and the appearance of a dwarf—usually only seen in high-rank matches—
and the synergy had secured him over 50,000 viewers.
'No wonder the chat's been more active than usual.'
Hadn't the messages been scrolling too fast even for an Awakened's eyes to follow?
But it didn't end there.
[Constellation Odin's eyes sparkle as he observes Marnel."Oho, so the Council wasn't just making noise about that Stigmata, eh?"]
[Constellation Heavenly Demon smiles regretfully."You must be disappointed you missed that incident firsthand. Why don't you scurry off now?"]
[Constellations Zeus and Black Goat nod vigorously in agreement.]
[Constellation Odin grins slyly."No can do~. Besides, word's already spread—plenty of others are waiting too."]
The flood of Constellations' reactions.
This confirmed Si-mun's suspicion.
'Marnel being alive must have triggered some kind of change.'
Just then, at Si-mun's ear—
"Oops! Look at me losing my head! Uncle told me not to space out! I'm so sorry, Benefactor!"
Marnel, who had stopped demolishing the sewer, bent her waist in half as she repeatedly apologized.
To Si-mun, who'd just witnessed her destructive rampage, it was an awkward sight—
"No, it's fine. I had some thinking to do too."
—but he wisely chose not to show it.
"Hehe! Thank you. But......"
Marnel's cheerful grin gradually faded.
She trailed off, glancing sideways at the shattered wall she'd broken through.
"I'm so happy to meet you like this, Benefactor... but I think I need to go now because of... that matter."
"That matter?"
Si-mun tilted his head.
His gaze soon landed on Drakan, buried in the rubble of the collapsed wall.
"Because of the Dragonkin?"
"Huh? How did you—! Ah... right, of course."
Marnel startled, but seeing Si-mun looking at Drakan, her shoulders slumped.
"Last time, thanks to your help, we survived and drove out the Dragonkin... but in the end, we couldn't protect Doria."
Though the upturned corners of her smile remained,
Marnel's large eyes had already grown moist.
"But we've been hiding in the northern sewer facilities with the surviving clan members... and then those bastards attacked again!"
Marnel's hands clenched tightly.
Si-mun said nothing, quietly listening.
"But it's okay! I've properly learned how to wield a hammer now, and we've dug lots of escape routes too. And... just like you said, I've grown a lot. Hehe!"
Quickly wiping her eyes, Marnel pumped her fists energetically.
Before Si-mun's eyes,
[Constellation Odin has given you a mission.]
a mission window appeared.
[Mission]
-Constellation Odin and his faction "Asgard" desire stability for the dwarves.
Assist dwarf Marnel in eliminating the attackers.
Reward: 5,000 Achievement Points
After skimming the mission, Si-mun looked at Marnel.
"So, Benefactor, I hate to say it, but I need to hurry back. I should say goodbye for now—"
"Marnel, I'll help you."
"Eh?"
Marnel blinked rapidly.
But instead of answering, Si-mun stepped toward the collapsed wall.
It wasn't just because of Odin's mission.
Of course, the 5,000 Achievement Points offered as a reward were tempting to Si-mun.
Combined with what he'd earned from the viewer achievement, wouldn't that fully recover the cost of transmuting Odin's Eye?
But.
"Benefactor? Wait. I'm really fine! I can handle Dragonkin alone—"
"Marnel."
Before even discussing the rewards of the mission Odin had given—
"I want to help you. That's all."
He simply wanted to help.
He'd thought their connection would end after that one Special Arena.
But now, meeting her again like this, the situation was entirely different.
'I'll keep running into Marnel from now on.'
Perhaps they'd meet again after reaching Platinum-rank.
After all, once you hit Platinum, other races start appearing in earnest.
'Once you enter the regular Arenas, encounters with other races are inevitable anyway.'
Having already experienced the regular Arenas in his past life, Si-mun knew.
The races appearing in the Arenas weren't just virtual constructs created by the Galaxy Arena.
Outbreaks didn't solely mean monsters pouring out either.
And besides—
'I'd feel terrible if something happened to Marnel.'
She wasn't a bad kid, and they'd overcome the challenge of a Special Arena together, hadn't they?
Both outwardly and inwardly.
Si-mun genuinely wanted to help her.
Perhaps that sincerity got through.
"Benefactor..."
Marnel's eyes and body trembled slightly.
Then—
"Alright! If a strong person like you wants to help, who am I to refuse? Honestly, it was getting a bit tough on my own. Hehe!"
Returning to her usual lively self, Marnel quickly stepped in front of Si-mun.
"Let's go! I'll guide you."
"Sure."
Si-mun chuckled and followed behind her.
[Entering this area will exclude you from your current Arena.]
[Rewards for this Arena will be determined based on your current recorded performance.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
'There aren't many survivors left, and I've already dealt with Choi Jin-su, so first place should be guaranteed.'
After briefly checking the Arena Board on the system window that appeared, he nodded.
[Leaving current Arena.]
[Moving to Arena: 'Northern Sewer Facility'.]
[Due to special circumstances, all broadcasted dialogue will be muted.]
"Such idiots!"
Thud!
A sharp impact sound rang out.
"Guaaak!"
A short scream followed as the thick torso of a Drakan slammed into the ground.
"How many times must I say it?! Didn't I clearly order a simultaneous attack?!"
"G-g-guh..."
As the angry shouts continued, the Drakan trembled in terror.
It wasn't just because his opponent was twice his size.
"That's enough."
A quiet voice cut through.
The owner of that voice—far clearer than the previous shouts—was the real reason.
"Guh! I'll go again. Those damn mole people, I'll—"
And the Drakan's anxiety proved justified.
"Again? Who said you'd get another chance?"
Crunch.
The Drakan's head exploded instantly.
The giant who'd been shouting clutched his forehead briefly before turning and kneeling.
"My apologies for making you intervene personally, Lord Sarku."
There stood a man covered in blue scales, arms crossed, leaning on one leg.
"You always expect too much from Drakans. Are you unaware of their intelligence?"
"I know. The fault is entirely mine."
"How curious. You possess remarkable intelligence for a Drakan, yet the others... Well, I suppose that's why you're the Mutant."
The gaze observing him was filled with curiosity, like watching a zoo monkey.
A clear insult, yet—
"Thank you for the compliment."
The nearly six-meter-tall Drakan could only bow his head to the smaller figure.
"Tch. Not my place to say, as a Half-Dragonian."
Clicking his tongue, the blue-scaled man waved his hand through the air.
Intricate blue energy swiftly traced out a shape.
"These are the tunnels of those lowly mole people. I've mapped them with detection magic since arrival—no errors."
"Truly, you are Dragonian."
"Hmph. I simply don't trust the minds of lesser beings."
Was it because the usual "Half-" prefix was absent?
Contrary to his words, the blue-scaled man's lips curled slightly as he extended the map drawn in the air.
"Take this and capture them all. Do so, and you might yet earn Lord Sargas's favor."
At this, the giant Drakan's eyes gleamed.
The Undefeated Sargas.
In Dragonkin society, which valued hierarchy and bloodline above all, he was one of the few who prioritized ability.
This was precisely why the giant Drakan had volunteered for this mission.
"I shall obey your command."
The massive Drakan bowed his head with determination.
Then—
Screech.
An unpleasant noise came from the mana map the Half-Dragonian had provided.
The cause was two red dots now visible on the map.
"Oh? To detect them only now, when they're this close..."
The Half-Dragonian's eyebrows shot up as he observed this.
"To think a mere Dwarf would possess an artifact capable of evading detection magic."
"I shall eliminate them immediately."
"Don't kill them. They'll be useful in the Black Smeltery."
"Understood. I'll just smash their limbs to pieces."
The massive Drakan turned at once and strode in the direction marked on the mana map.