Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Chapter 73: The Fall of Nature Special Arena (4)
Translation: godtl
Si-mun gazed at Dranis, bound by the ashen chains.
'Looks like the Galaxy Arena is having quite the headache over this.'
Her initial words upon appearing had hinted at it too.
And as the Constellations had said, she hadn't officially entered his arena through the proper channels.
On top of that, no fewer than four high-ranking Constellations had laid claim to her.
From the Galaxy Arena's perspective, this was hardly a matter they could just let slide.
But one question lingered in his mind.
'Then why did the Galaxy Arena introduce Dranis as a hidden boss?'
Why hadn't they introduced her as a player from the start?
It didn't take long for him to realize.
'I see.'
Si-mun's eyes darkened.
'The Galaxy Arena's Council has dragonkin lackeys.'
He had encountered the Arena Council a few times before through messages.
Now, he strongly suspected that the dragonkin's influence had reached even there.
In the end.
[The Council's deliberation has concluded. In accordance with the Constellations' wishes, Player General Dranis will be expelled from this arena.]
The Galaxy Arena had reached its verdict.
No matter how many lackeys they had.
They couldn't easily ignore the claims of four high-ranking Constellations.
[No, you can't! I'll release my Manifestation! I won't fight!]
Dranis' massive form began to fade.
[Just let me talk to him! There's something I need to know!]
As the signs of reverse summoning took hold, Dranis desperately cried out.
'She's right. I can't just let Dranis leave like this.'
Si-mun agreed with her.
He had met the Naga Princess Ashaz during his Gold-rank Debut Match.
Hadn't she warned him?
The truth behind the Death Eye.
Ashaz had wanted to ensure the dragonkin remained unaware of its existence.
Or more precisely, she didn't want word of it reaching the Dragon Emperor's ears.
Moreover.
'I can't tolerate cheating.'
Regardless of his own combat capabilities.
Introducing her as a hidden boss and allowing her intrusion into the arena wasn't something he could let slide.
So.
'Dranis has to die here.'
But how?
Truthfully, Dranis herself wasn't particularly strong for an evolved dragonkin.
If he wanted to, he could finish her off easily.
But in the current situation, where Constellations had collectively protested on his behalf.
If he casually killed Dranis using his own strength—
'The Galaxy Arena might have an excuse to intervene the next time something like this happens.'
That's how precedents worked.
Especially if the Council had dragonkin lackeys—there was a 100% chance they'd use it against him.
So, he couldn't give them any leverage.
In that case.
'I just need to borrow another hand to do it.'
Si-mun glanced upward.
Click.
He deactivated the Dragon Body Transformation he had kept active.
Then, he completely disabled both his Death Eye and human body fusion.
Immediately.
"Ugh!"
Clutching his forehead, Si-mun staggered.
[Huh? What's this all of a sudden?]
Dranis, still bound, was naturally confused.
[Constellation Zeus and the Heavenly Demon tilt their heads in confusion.]
[Constellation Black Goat and Odin watch you with puzzled eyes.]
The protesting Constellations all expressed their bewilderment at once.
Ignoring them, Si-mun let his legs give out and slumped to the ground.
After staring at his own chest for a moment.
"Cough!"
He vomited a basin's worth of blood.
Collapsing onto the floor, Si-mun weakly gasped out.
"B-Black Goat, ma'am... my earlier wounds...."
A brief silence followed.
Then.
[Constellation Black Goat's eyes turn crimson as she roars, You motherfuckers! Look what you've done to my baby!]
The reaction came immediately.
However, what even Si-mun hadn't anticipated was—
[The Galaxy Arena cannot directly execute players according to regulations...]
[The Constellation Black Goat roars:"Buulga? Kill that lizard bitch immediately! Otherwise, you'll face the Great Mother of the Void head-on! Understood?!"]
[The wrath of the Constellation Black Goat shakes the other side.]
[The void Constellations turn their gaze toward the Great Mother's fury.]
Even though it was merely conveyed through messages,
it felt like things had escalated to an unimaginable scale.
And it wasn't just his imagination.
[Dear member, the Galaxy Arena always prioritizes fairness...]
The Galaxy Arena, which had only ever sent mechanical messages before, sent one with an uncharacteristically gentle tone for the first time in both his past and present life.
[The Constellation Black Goat springs up from her throne:"Fairness?! A Platinum from a top-ranked race in the regular Arenas intrudes into an irregular Gold Arena, and you call that fair? Who the hell do you take me for?!"]
[The void Constellations, observing the situation under the Great Mother's wrath, begin to gather.]
[The gathered void Constellations radiate murderous intent.]
But before the enraged Black Goat, none of it mattered.
[We will deliberate shortly. Please grant us a brief moment of your magnanimous patience.]
In the end, the Galaxy Arena bowed its head and entered discussions.
Before long—
[The Galaxy Arena deeply sympathizes with your grievances and expresses profound regret. However, we humbly ask for your understanding as regulations prevent us from direct intervention.]
The Galaxy Arena delivered its verdict, and
when Si-mun heard the part about them being unable to "directly intervene,"
he realized—
It worked.
His plan had succeeded.
Thus—
[The Constellation Black Goat declares:"Since you've admitted your fault with your own mouth, you will bear all the karma consumed by this incident!"]
With Black Goat's final thunderous decree—
Kugugugugug—
The world plunged into darkness.
A starless void.
Within that pitch-black space—
[Th-that side...! Why is that side suddenly—?!]
Dranis' voice trembled violently, echoing through the emptiness.
The imposing arrogance she had exuded earlier was nowhere to be found.
[Th-this is a violation of regulations! Galaxy Arena! Are you listening?!]
She could only shiver in terror, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.
[You filthy viper of a bitch. How dare you lay your filthy, cheating hands on my child?]
A voice that seemed capable of incinerating even souls.
It resonated throughout the pitch-black world where not an inch of visibility remained.
Though no form could be seen,
Si-mun instinctively knew the owner of that voice was Black Goat.
Strangely—
Why does it feel so warm?
To Si-mun, it felt as comforting as a mother's embrace.
But that warmth seemed to apply only to him, as—
[L-Lord Nidhogg won't stand for this! The Dragon Emperors won't stay silent! For a Constellation to treat a player like this—!]
[Shut your damn mouth.]
Crunch.
Dranis' limbs, already corroded by the black dimension, twisted into grotesque shapes.
The terrifying part was—
Despite Dranis writhing in agony, tears of blood streaming down her face—
Not a single sound escaped her.
[How dare you mention those fucking lizard whelps in front of me? I'll take my time carving you up over eons. And then...]
Black Goat's icy voice abruptly softened, turning tender.
[You did well, my child. Even your cunning is just like mine.]
Squelch.
An indescribable sensation—soft, warm, and enveloping—wrapped around Si-mun's entire body.
It was so soothing that he nearly drifted off to sleep.
But Si-mun forced himself to stay awake and asked—
No, he had to ask.
Black Goat's tone had made it clear.
"Did you know?"
She seemed fully aware that Si-mun had been feigning his pain.
[Hehe, of course I did. Did you think I was a fool?]
"Then the other Constellations must have noticed too."
[We are upper-rank Constellations, aren't we? They figured out long ago that the blood was fake, conjured by the Philosopher's Stone.]
"So the Galaxy Arena retreated because they didn't realize?"
[Exactly. Most of them are incompetent fools, after all.]
So only upper-rank Constellations would have noticed.
At Black Goat's blunt declaration, Si-mun let out a sigh of relief amidst the drowsiness threatening to overwhelm him.
'Next time, I'll have to actually wound the inside of my mouth or something.'
He made a mental note to be even more meticulous.
[Sweetheart? Mentioning me instead of the others was a very wise decision.]
A sweet voice accompanied the gentle sensation of fingers running through Si-mun's hair.
[Unlike me, those bastards have too many things to consider. Fucking cowards. Sitting on their thrones yet living so cautiously. They should just swing their power when they have it.]
Black Goat cynically dismissed all three upper-rank Constellations in one breath.
Si-mun gave a slightly awkward smile in response.
Now he understood why the other three Constellations couldn't act as openly as Black Goat.
'Well, that's exactly why I mentioned Black Goat.'
Just from what he'd seen so far,
wasn't it obvious what kind of personality the Constellation Black Goat had?
In a way, it was reassuring.
To have such a formidable, unfiltered Constellation openly favoring him.
[Sweetheart, you're going to revive the World Tree, aren't you?]
"Yes. I plan to save the High Elf as well."
[Hehe. I had a hunch when you didn't dispose of the High Elf right away. You might not realize it, but you're truly an extraordinary child.]
Rustle, rustle.
The mysterious sensation continued to stroke Si-mun's head.
Naturally, Si-mun began nodding off like a child fighting sleep.
[Just like with the dwarves last time, if this keeps up, the Black Smeltery will take a massive hit. That little bastard Nidhogg must be seething.]
Through the haze of encroaching sleep, Black Goat's voice bubbled with glee.
[Isn't it ironic? None of us have ever dealt such a blow to those bastards, yet here comes a human...]
Now her voice grew distant, as if submerged underwater.
[That's why I've prepared a little gift for you.]
With Black Goat's voice fading further...
[The Constellation Black Goat has requested a quest.]
...the quest notification was the last thing Si-mun registered before his consciousness slipped away.
"Mmm...?"
A faint tremble between his brows.
With a soft groan, Si-mun opened his eyes—and saw.
"You're awake."
Dazzlingly bright platinum hair.
Skin radiant enough to match, and eyes like melted emeralds.
A breathtaking beauty was looking down at him—so stunning it nearly stole his breath.
"Ghk!"
But what startled Si-mun wasn't her appearance.
It was the soft sensation against his head and nape—
—the realization that he was resting on the woman's lap.
"Wh-what is this?!"
Si-mun bolted upright, flustered as he scanned his surroundings.
"Don't be alarmed. You collapsed, so I was looking after you."
The woman spoke warmly, and Si-mun quickly processed the situation.
"Y-you're the High Elf?"
"That's right."
The High Elf nodded, speaking slowly as if to calm him.
"My name is Ernen. I am the companion of the World Tree, Levdrasil."
The dark green scales that had covered half her body were nowhere to be seen.
Her vibrant eyes, lively voice, and the faint floral scent wafting from her—everything about her transformed appearance boldly proclaimed her identity as a High Elf.
Kiiing.
Activating his Death Eye, Si-mun examined the High Elf's condition.
"The Dragon Power that was corrupting you has completely vanished."
"Fufu, all thanks to my benefactor. You removed the source of corruption... Cough!"
Ernen, who had been speaking softly, suddenly coughed up blood.
"Damn it!"
Si-mun immediately stepped forward, about to manifest the Staff of Asclepius.
But then—
His raised hand slowly lowered.
'This isn't from injuries.'
From the start, even during his battle with the corrupted Ernen, he had deliberately avoided attacks that would inflict serious wounds.
Which meant the reason the High Elf was coughing blood now was—
"The absence of the World Tree's spirit."
"Y-yes. The corruption spread by the Five Dragon Emperors... Cough! My body has weakened too, but that's not the main cause."
Ernen's reply was labored.
In response, Si-mun flicked his fingers to the side.
Dududud—
The loose ground shifted as something rose from where it had fallen—a fragment of verdant light he had dropped when summoned into Black Goat's domain.
A World Tree Seed Fragment.
"Even if it's just a fragment, it should help. Why didn't you use it sooner?"
Ernen hesitated briefly.
Her eyes lingered on the seed fragment in Si-mun's hand before she let out a sheepish laugh.
"It belongs to you, Benefactor. How could I use it recklessly?"
"......"
Si-mun fell silent.
It wasn't the answer he had expected.
'Were elves always this principled?'
He wasn't sure if it was a racial trait.
Elves, who would never lie for fear of tainting their souls, were known for their integrity—but integrity and humility were separate matters.
Every elf he'd encountered in his past life had been shamelessly thick-skinned, wearing layers of audacity on their faces.
Yet this one had refrained from taking something that wasn't hers?
'And not just anything—a World Tree Seed Fragment?'
Especially in a situation directly tied to her survival.
'Is it just High Elves who are different? Or did the elves from my past life change for some specific reason?'
Well, whichever it was—
'I like this.'
A faint smirk curled on Si-mun's lips as he extended the World Tree Seed Fragment toward this unexpectedly principled elf.
"Use it."
"...Are you serious?"
"Of course. I manifested it for this very purpose."
Ignoring Ernen's hesitation, Si-mun forcibly placed the seed fragment into her hand.
"Survive. Live, nurture the World Tree again, and build your faction."
That way, he could clear the Special Arena.
And the dragonkin would suffer for it.
"......"
Clutching the seed carefully, the High Elf stared intently at Si-mun.
Having encountered elves before, Si-mun knew this was their way of discerning falsehood—so he met her gaze without flinching.
A moment later.
"You truly mean it."
Her expression was a mix of surprise and a faint smile as she pushed the seed back toward him.
"I offer my deepest gratitude for your kindness, but... I cannot use this."
Si-mun's face darkened at her words.
"Why not? If the problem is that it's just a fragment, I can keep manifesting more—"
"No, Benefactor. That's not it."
Ernen shook her head gently and clasped his hand.
"There can only be one Companion of the World Tree. Even if the World Tree has perished, I was once its Companion. I cannot accept another."
"What?!"
Had even the Philosopher's Stone not foreseen this?
As Si-mun clicked his tongue in frustration—
"But."
Ernen carefully guided his hand—the one holding the seed—toward his chest, right above his heart.
"I can serve as a mediator."
"A mediator...? Wait. You don't mean—!"
The High Elf grinned and nodded.
"That's right. If you become the World Tree's Companion, everything will be resolved."