Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Chapter 49: Uninvited Guest (1)
Translation: godtl
A stone structure of architectural style that naturally exuded solemnity and antiquity.
At its center, five thrones were arranged in a circular formation.
"Again?"
A rough voice echoed as a deep blue sphere rose from one of the empty thrones.
The dark blue sphere trembled faintly before a long, sharp line split through its center.
"Vritra, wasn't the Arena Council under your jurisdiction?"
An eye.
The reptilian pupil now glaring at the opposite empty throne spoke in an irritated tone.
Then—
"My~ Unlike our foolish Five Dragon Emperors, I do possess the intellect to recognize my own responsibilities."
A deep crimson eye appeared on the empty throne, its voice dripping with mischief.
"Are you mocking me now?"
"Mocking? I believe the term is joking~ Oh dear~ I feel sorry for your subordinates. To serve a Dragon Emperor who can't even tell the difference—"
"You...—"
"Enough."
A calm voice interjected.
Simultaneously, a grayish-brown pupil manifested on another empty throne.
"Compose yourself, Nidhogg."
As the grayish-brown eye turned toward the deep blue one,
the crimson eye called Vritra curved into a sly crescent.
"That's right, that's right. Let's all calm down as our Third Dragon Emperor suggests, little one."
"How dare you! Who are you calling 'little one'?!"
"You were the last to ascend as a Dragon Emperor, so you're the youngest—what else would you be?"
"You wretch! You've got a death wish!"
"Ohoho~ Do you have the ability to grant that?"
Their voices rose sharply in an instant.
Rumble—
The entire structure, thrones included, trembled violently before—
"Cease this pointless squabbling. Vritra, you'd do well to keep your mouth shut."
—settling abruptly under the grayish-brown eye's intervention.
Vritra's eye slid sideways toward the mediator.
"They say crayfish side with crabs. Is this male solidarity I'm seeing? Well, that's intriguing in its own way~"
"Tch. You remain as vulgar as ever, Vritra."
"Calling a woman 'consistent' is a compliment, you know?"
"Put on all the nonchalant airs you want—your inner agitation is plain to see."
"My, my~ Since when has our Third Dragon Emperor Apophis become so adept at understanding a woman's heart?"
Vritra's voice dripped with saccharine mockery.
A voice so mesmerizing it could make even the self-proclaimed superior dragonkin lose their souls—
Yet the grayish-brown eye, addressed as the Third Dragon Emperor Apophis, continued impassively.
"You're simply predictable to the point of banality."
"What?!"
"You're aware of it yourself, aren't you? As Nidhogg said, the Arena Council is your domain. Yet you remained oblivious while the Fate Line shifted twice."
"Th-that was unavoidable! The agents I placed were all Lower Council Members, and even the Arena Council couldn't have predicted this!"
Vritra's voice rose sharply in protest.
The deep blue eye—Fifth Dragon Emperor Nidhogg—listened quietly before letting out a scornful laugh.
"What a pitiful excuse. Wasn't it you who boasted about beguiling even Constellations? And now you're blaming mere Lower Council Members?"
"You damn brat who only knows how to produce materials! You think handling Arena Councilors is easy?!"
"Seeing you throw a tantrum confirms you're at least ashamed of your incompetence."
"You damned—!"
Her previously playful voice instantly sharpened like a blade.
"And what exactly have you accomplished? Didn't you boast about handling your own domain, spouting grand claims left and right?!"
"That is something I'd like to inquire about as well. Nidhogg, what happened? Why was the second Fate Line distorted?"
With Third Dragon Emperor Apophis adding his question to the mix, Nidhogg refrained from retorting against Vritra.
"Hmph. I've already sent Defina."
He chose his response.
"My, my. It's not like you're a newly hatched hatchling, yet you're always relying on Defina. What would you even do without her?"
"Vritra."
Apophis murmured quietly to the sharp-tongued Vritra.
"Understood. So? The result of sending your trusted messenger is yet another twisted fate line?"
"Defina met with Sargas. If the task wasn't handled properly, it must be Sargas's fault."
"Don't tell me... you're saying Sargas failed? The Undefeated Sargas?"
At those words, Vritra's gaze—her grayish-brown eyes—turned toward Apophis.
"No, I can clearly sense Sargas's presence. He's still alive."
Apophis's eyes calmly shifted between them.
"What? So you mean Sargas didn't act personally?"
"That must be it. It seems one of Sargas's subordinates failed."
"Hmm, well, that's fine then. He's never made a mistake before. Next time, he'll step in personally."
Sargas, who held the rank of Squama One and was also a supporter of the 3rd Dragon Emperor Apophis.
Bearing the epithet "Undefeated," he was a dragonkin even the Dragon Emperors acknowledged.
"Nidhogg? Don't go picking fights with Sargas for no reason~."
"Don't give me orders, Vritra. Not that I had any intention of doing so anyway."
Nidhogg, who had growled at Vritra once, continued with a displeased glare.
"And it wasn't just Sargas we made contact with. I had another task carried out."
"Another task?"
"According to Defina's report, she managed to locate the dimension of the being who twisted the fate line."
"My! Defina really is something. Her work is so meticulous. So? Where is it?"
"A place called Earth, apparently."
"Earth? Earth... huh? Wait a second."
Vritra's gaze turned toward an empty throne nearby.
"Earth is where the 1st Dragon Emperor is currently working, isn't it?"
"Correct. Defina's report mentioned that the 1st Dragon Emperor has made contact with a faction that has drawn a line there."
"Hmm~ You might not know, but Defina is a reliable girl. If she's done that much, good news should come soon."
"Mmm."
Not just Vritra, but even Apophis wore a satisfied expression.
It wasn't just about Defina.
The fact that it was a dimension where the 1st Dragon Emperor was operating gave them considerable confidence.
"Still, the Black Smeltery cannot stop, Nidhogg."
"Of course, Apophis. We're already grinding down other primitive races. As long as they don't go extinct, there will be no disruption to supplies."
"That should suffice. Vritra? You need to expand the Arena Council's influence further."
"I know. I was already planning to make my move."
"Good. Then let's reconvene once Defina's report comes in."
With those final words from the 3rd Dragon Emperor Apophis,
the three pairs of eyes hovering above the thrones vanished in an instant.
The familiar expanse of black space.
Summoned into the waiting room, Si-mun rested his chin on his hand with a grave expression.
'So that place earlier wasn't Marnel's Arena?'
But hadn't the system window clearly labeled it as the "Arena: Northern Sewer Facility"?
Then why did Marnel say it wasn't an Arena?
The doubt didn't last long.
'I see. So it was only registered as an Arena for me?'
The Northern Sewer Facility was connected to the 100-player Survival sewer map,
and the [Doria-made Mithril Ingot] in his inventory had reacted to it.
Most likely, the Galaxy Arena had hastily converted it into a personal Arena.
Come to think of it, hadn't the usually meticulous system failed to specify the event type, only referring to it vaguely as an "Arena"?
'At least there's one thing I've learned from this.'
For some reason, the dragonkin are persistently targeting dwarves.
Moreover.
'Now I understand why the dwarves attacked Earth alongside the dragonkin.'
The Outbreaks and Gates that erupted in full force when the regular Arenas began.
The reason why the dragonkin and dwarves had been particularly active together was finally becoming clear.
'Perhaps the dwarves were absorbed as a subordinate class under the dragonkin.'
No, that must be it.
Looking back on those memories, the dwarves had all acted as if they were part of the dragonkin.
'Then, could the Special Arena I cleared and this incident bring about some kind of change?'
At that moment.
-What the hell was that skill just now?
-Looks like the Half-Dragonian recognized it. F*ck! Can't hear the conversation, this is so frustrating.
Before Si-mun, who had just returned to the waiting room, could even finish organizing his thoughts.
-Seriously. Ugh, this is pissing me off! If only we could hear the conversation!
-Why the hell are dragonkin appearing in a Silver-tier match? And what was that map transition about?
-I'm more curious about what that dwarf girl said.
-22. Marnel-chan! Please tell us!
A flood of chat messages obscured his vision.
The chat window, which he had closed upon returning to the waiting room, had automatically reopened.
-This guy's combat sense is just unreal. His stamina and mana distribution from start to finish were way too polished.
-For real, this isn't the skill of someone who's only fought once or twice. And he's supposed to be Silver-tier?
-That's not all. The fact that he cast high-level lightning magic twice in a row is the real deal.
-Honestly, this is the key point. Seeing how his condition was still fine, he could probably pull off three consecutive casts, right?
-Wait, three in a row? OMG.
-Person above, please stop breathing! I beg you!
The viewers, who had been forced to watch the entire match with the dialogue censored due to the special circumstances.
Hearing all the explosive sounds and roars but having the actual conversations blocked was beyond frustrating.
A flood of questions and suspicions filled the chat, and Si-mun calmly began addressing them.
"Alright, everyone, settle down. I'm sorry, but I can't reveal the details about my skills. As for the dwarf girl, she's someone I met in the previous Special Arena..."
"...That's all. The Arena's content is restricted by the system, so I can't speak freely about it. There's even a warning message telling me not to mention it right now."
Of course, the Arena's warning was a blatant lie.
But if he tried to mention anything about the Arena's content, a warning window would undoubtedly pop up.
Without hesitation, Si-mun kept his mouth shut about the Arena details.
Then.
[I Am Gold has donated 500 AP.]
=Alright, everyone, stop prying and let's just celebrate! Bro, congrats on Gold!
[Silver Lining has donated 1,000 AP.]
=Hope of the Abyss! Si-mun, sweep them all even in Gold-tier!
[Abyss Slayer has donated.......]
The donations also helped shift the mood, backing up Si-mun's words while congratulations and cheers poured in for his promotion.
"Ah, thank you all so much for the donations!"
As Si-mun expressed his gratitude for the continuous stream of donations, suddenly, a series of high-value donations appeared.
[Myth Guild has donated 50,000 AP.]
=Congratulations on your promotion to Gold-tier, Si-mun. We'd love to meet you separately. Would you mind adding us as friends?
[White Tiger Guild has donated 30,000 AP.]
=We were deeply impressed by your performance in this Arena! We have a proposal—could you spare us some of your valuable time?
[Buffalo Guild has.......]
Considering the dollar exchange rate where 1 AP equaled 1 won, these donations started at a minimum of 10 million won.
Even though the messages were just requests for a meeting, the amounts were substantial.
Naturally.
-Wow...! This is legendary.
-Look at those numbers lol.
-It's about time guild scouts started showing up. This guy's Gold-tier now.
-Only major or mid-tier guilds and above are coming in. Damn.
-With Si-mun's level, it's only natural. I'd say he's future ranker material.
-Being called a Ranker feels kinda... like it's some random dog's name lol;;
After all, every guild that had sent sponsorships were names he'd heard at least once before.
'White Tiger and Buffalo are American guilds, right? Well, I did rise to Gold-rank. It's about time they'd reach out.'
It was surprising that even mid-tier American guilds were sending sponsorships, but—
Given that everyone knew this arena was his Promotion Match, he'd inwardly expected guild scout offers to pour in.
Of course.
'Though I didn't anticipate the amounts.'
Who could've guessed they'd casually drop millions just to schedule a meeting?
The intention behind these high-value sponsorships wasn't hard to deduce.
'They're really flexing their wealth hard.'
This was a sponsorship meant to flaunt:"Our guild is so capable we can casually burn this much cash just to meet a mere Gold Ranker!"
In a way, it was such a childish display of pride that it made him chuckle, but—
"Thank you for the sponsorships. I'll contact you separately regarding meeting arrangements."
Suppressing his laughter, Si-mun wrapped up the stream.
"Well then, everyone, thank you for watching. See you in the next broadcast."
-Hell yeah~.
-Congrats on the promotion!
-Not hearing the convo was frustrating, but today's stream was packed!
-GG~.
"Whew!"
Back in his studio apartment, Si-mun removed his goggles and exhaled deeply.
Running two arenas in one session was a first for him, and exhaustion was crashing down.
But he didn't collapse into bed just yet.
The most important thing remained.
"Let's check those rewards."
He opened the long-delayed reward window.
[You have cleared the 'Sewers' arena in 1st place.]
[Clear rewards have increased based on your performance.]
[Your bound trait 'Philosopher's Stone' has distributed a portion of the experience.]
[Level has increased by 4.]
[Philosopher's Stone level has increased by 4.]
"Still stingy with the rewards, huh."
Was it because it was a Promotion Match?
No items, and even the experience was skimpy.
Though considering that both his level and the Philosopher's Stone had risen by 4 despite splitting the gains, it was still a significant amount.
His overwhelming kill count securing first place must've played a big role.
'Well, whatever.'
Si-mun shrugged.
It was common knowledge that Promotion Matches gave fewer rewards.
'Becoming Gold was the goal anyway.'
[Player Kim Si-mun has been assigned Gold-rank.]
[Achievement 'Gold-rank Player' has been completed.]
[You have earned 1,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]
[The Achievement Shop is now available.]
'The Achievement Shop... and I can use the World Tree Seed there too.'
That alone was a major gain.
And wasn't there one more reward waiting?
Si-mun immediately opened the next reward.
[You have perfectly cleared the 'Northern Sewer Facility' arena.]
[Clear rewards have increased based on your performance.]
[Your bound trait 'Philosopher's Stone' has distributed a portion of the experience.]
[Level has increased by 8.]
[Philosopher's Stone level has increased by 7.]
[You have received 'Corrupted Serum' as a reward.]
"Hah! Now this is the real deal."
An insane level jump—8 for him, 7 for the Philosopher's Stone.
And moreover—
[Constellation Odin has registered to the title 'Pick of Kings'.]
[Conditions for the title 'Pick of Kings' have been updated.]
Just like the previous Constellations, had he cleared Odin's mission?
Odin had registered as a Constellation for the 'Pick of Kings' title.
"That makes it +4 to all stats, right?"
Swelling with anticipation, Si-mun was about to immediately open his status window—
Tick. Tock.
"Huh?"
—until an odd ticking sound reached his ears.
Si-mun's gaze instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.
A delicately folded origami crane.
But that wasn't all.
From rabbits to turtles to dogs, all sorts of origami animals were neatly arranged around his work desk, and—
Tick.
Bizarrely, every single one of them was making ticking sounds.
"W-what the—!"
Click.
Out of nowhere—paper animals and clockwork noises.
Si-mun's eyes flew wide.
Then—
KWA-BOOOOOM!
A deafening explosion engulfed the studio apartment.