Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Another Alchemy (3)
Translation: godtl
"This is......."
Si-mun's eyes widened as he scrutinized the information.
[Obsidian Tablet]
Grade - Imitation (20%)
A compendium of human transmutation.
Though it contains various knowledge, including human transmutation,
for some reason, it cannot fully exert its power.
The description wasn't much different from that of the Emerald Tablet.
But that wasn't the issue.
"This is also an Imitation?"
What immediately caught Si-mun's attention was the 'Imitation (20%)' notation.
"Wait, I poured in 10,000 Achievement Points, and it's only at 20%?"
Even Astrapē had a 10% completion rate for just 500 points.
A wave of emptiness washed over him, but it was fleeting.
The frustration on Si-mun's face hardened into resolve.
'There's more to this.'
The Philosopher's Stone he had experienced so far wasn't the type to engage in such inefficient alchemy.
After silently staring at the Obsidian Tablet for a moment, Si-mun clapped his hands together.
"I see. This time, there's no Rebound from the transmutation, right?"
Hmm.
A hum of affirmation resonated from his chest.
Si-mun's eyes curved into crescents.
It had to be.
Even though its grade was an Imitation, there was no Rebound.
In other words—
It means it's permanent!
Unlike the previous Imitation of Astrapē,
this one wouldn't disappear after a set amount of time.
'So, even if we assume it only increases by 20% for every 10,000 Achievement Points...'
Four more times.
With just 40,000 more Achievement Points,
He could possess a Mythic-grade item.
This is insane!
With sparkling eyes, Si-mun reached out toward the Obsidian Tablet.
Hmm...
As if scolding him for already forgetting its warning,
the unstable hum of the Philosopher's Stone tickled his chest.
Si-mun calmly nodded.
"Don't worry. I've prepared for the penalties that come with failing to meet the requirements."
Ideally, he would've liked to brew even a basic Paralysis Potion,
but since he couldn't gather the ingredients right now, he pulled up Si-hyeok's number on his phone.
One tap, and his younger brother would be notified immediately.
'Now that I think about it, I don't really mind pain that much.'
Who was it that said it?
That humans can never grow accustomed to pain.
And yet, Si-mun was far too familiar with it.
'Because Mana Disability doesn't just chip away at the numbers in the Status Window.'
Whenever his STR, INT, or VIT stats dropped,
excruciating pain followed, ravaging his body.
Of course, it hadn't been like that from the start.
The first time his stats dropped, it was just mild fatigue.
But then—
'Everything changed after the official Arena began.'
It wasn't just death in the official Arena.
Stat reductions also led to actual physical deterioration.
Naturally—
'For patients like me with Arena Disease, it was the beginning of a nightmare.'
Without reason or warning,
muscle spasms would strike, or intense neuralgia would seize his entire body.
Unless he had painkillers, Paralysis Potions, or drugs of similar potency,
the pain was unbearable.
At least in Si-mun's case,
he could endure by brewing his own Paralysis Potions.
But when he didn't have them, he had no choice but to grit his teeth through the agony.
'I lived with that pain my whole life.'
It hurt so much it was maddening.
No wonder Go Mal-suk from his past life teased him, calling him a living Undead.
'Well, even I have to admit I was like an Undead.'
A gaunt, lifeless body that would suddenly convulse and scream without warning—
In every way, he was no different from an Undead.
Hmm...
"Huh? Oh, no, I'm not scared."
Perhaps the Philosopher's Stone sensed his momentary immersion in past emotions and grew concerned.
Though it hummed uneasily,
"I was just reminiscing for a bit,"
Si-mun shook his head with a faint smile.
"Anyway, don't worry too much. I can handle pain better than you'd think."
Hmm.
"I know, I know. I don't know how painful it'll be, but you'll keep me from dying, right? That's enough."
Or so he said, but—
I still hate pain, you know.
He may be used to it, but that doesn't mean he likes it.
Yet the reason Si-mun wasn't overly concerned was simple.
'If my prediction is correct, there won't be any penalties whatsoever.'
In fact, it probably wouldn't even question whether he had ownership rights.
With confidence, Si-mun reached his hand toward the Obsidian Tablet.
The moment his fingertips touched its smooth, warm surface—strangely reminiscent of living flesh—
Squelch.
Like a flower blooming in fast motion.
The tablet's stela-like form unraveled, extending tendrils toward him.
Yet Si-mun showed no trace of panic or fear.
He simply remained still, holding his ground.
Ssshhhk.
The tendrils coiled around his entire body in an instant, gradually tightening like a serpent constricting its prey.
'Just as I thought.'
Remarkably.
Despite being completely enveloped, he felt no pain or pressure whatsoever.
He could even breathe freely.
Exactly as Si-mun had anticipated.
'The original owner—the Constellation Black Goat—has shown keen interest in me. There's no way its Divine Artifact would harm me.'
Even if it's an Imitation, its performance is genuine.
It's no coincidence that beings like Zeus and Black Goat have taken notice.
Wriggle.
"Kinda cute, actually."
Surrounded by the squirming tendrils, Si-mun smiled faintly, as if being nuzzled by affectionate pets.
Then—
[The Obsidian Tablet (Imitation) requests 'Fusion' with the Philosopher's Stone.]
"Huh?"
Not everything went according to plan.
Ssshhhk.
"Ugh!"
The tendrils that had been loosely coiled around him suddenly began forming concentric circles centered on his chest.
Thrum!
[The Philosopher's Stone accepts the Obsidian Tablet (Imitation)'s request.]
"W-wait! What the hell—"
Before Si-mun could finish—
Ssshhhk.
The mass of tendrils that had enveloped his entire body began burrowing into the exact center of his chest.
"A-ahh!"
An involuntary moan escaped his lips.
How could it not?
'The tendrils... they're spreading throughout my entire body!'
They weren't just penetrating his chest.
Just like when the Philosopher's Stone had first bonded with him—
They were spreading through his entire body via his bloodstream.
'N-no! At this rate, my whole body will be—!'
To be precise, they were following the pathways the Philosopher's Stone had already carved.
"Haaahhh!"
Not the familiar pain.
But an entirely unfamiliar, ticklish sensation raced through his body, taking root in every fiber of his being.
"S-stop! This kind of— Ahh!"
As the tickling sensation gradually morphed into something resembling pleasure, his entire body grew feverishly hot—
[The Obsidian Tablet (Imitation) has successfully fused with the Philosopher's Stone.]
[The Philosopher's Stone has undergone a minor change.]
[New options have been added to the Philosopher's Stone.]
[The Philosopher's Stone's grade has increased.]
[The Philosopher's Stone's level has increased.]
[The Philosopher's Stone's level has...]
Before Si-mun could process the flood of messages, he lost consciousness.
[Welcome to the Galaxy Arena.]
[This arena's event is 'Offense,' with 50 participants.]
[Additional condition: 'Cooperation' has been applied.]
[All participants will form teams of five.]
[The arena will commence once all members are visible.]
As the messages floated in midair, a small-framed man materialized.
Kim Min-hyeong frowned.
'Just finished the tutorial, and now it's an Offense event? With a Cooperation condition on top?'
Offense.
An event type that typically appeared starting from Silver-rank—one tier above the Tutorial Conquest he'd just experienced.
Completely unsuitable for someone like him who'd only just completed the tutorial.
Moreover—
'I got eliminated immediately in my first tutorial...'
Sure, he'd managed to secure a few kills.
But being instantly taken out by that monster Kim Si-mun made this matchmaking utterly incomprehensible.
'This should still be the Placement Test phase. How is a Silver-rank event being matched?'
Min-hyeong's narrowed eyes grew even sharper.
Two possibilities came to mind.
One: his B-rank Trait, Quick Movement, combined with the equipment provided by Seongsam Guild, was keeping his MMR unusually high.
And the other reason...
'It's probably because that bastard Kim Si-mun pulled off some insane results in the tutorial.'
Of course, Kim Min-hyeong strongly suspected the latter.
Why?
'Pretty sure they said he got 15 kills, right?'
The day he had reported to Manager Park Min-cheol from the personnel department after the tutorial ended.
He'd overheard the report from a new guild member who had survived longer than him.
'If I got eliminated by someone like that, of course my MMR drop would be minimal.'
In that regard, wasn't the Galaxy Arena fair and impartial?
It was like getting hit by an 8-ton truck out of nowhere while walking down the street.
No wonder his MMR drop had been so negligible.
'Either way, this is my chance!'
Kim Min-hyeong clenched his fists tightly.
Even though he had lost his chance as a promising prospect after two tutorials...
The same went for all the other newbies who had run into that truck named Kim Si-mun.
And since he had managed to score high in the subsequent tutorials...
If he performed well in this Offense match, he might just reclaim his spot as a promising prospect.
Or so...
He thought.
Hmph.
"What, it's Offense?"
"Tch! Just my luck. Why couldn't it be Defense?"
"Must be because of my MMR. This hyung-nim's been ranking high since the tutorial, y'know."
"Damn bastard, you think this is funny? You're the reason this is gonna be tough!"
"Relax, punk. I'll carry hard this time too."
At least, that was what he thought—until he saw the three new arrivals.
'That emblem—!'
Kim Min-hyeong's narrow eyes widened into saucers.
The scorpion-shaped emblem emblazoned on the three men's armor.
If you were part of a major guild...
No.
If you had even a passing familiarity with the Arena, you couldn't possibly miss that emblem.
'They're from the fucking Scorpion Guild!'
Kim Min-hyeong bit his lip hard.
Every rank in the Arena had its share of notorious trolls and trash players...
But the Scorpion Guild was in a league of its own.
For one, they were an enormous faction you couldn't just ignore.
And their brand of bad manners came with its own twisted philosophy and logic.
'What was it again? Ruthless pragmatism for the sake of victory, or something?'
Aren't fanatics with convictions the scariest kind?
That was exactly why they were even more dangerous.
'And they're even in a party...'
Parties were allowed once the Placement Test was over.
Meaning those three had likely already been assigned ranks.
Kim Min-hyeong's expression darkened as he hung his head.
'Tch. So much for my comeback as a promising prospect.'
He had hoped to make a strong showing in this Placement Test and somehow prove himself worthy of being a prospect again...
But running into a Scorpion Guild party right off the bat?
'If they were just regular trolls, I could've handled them and moved on.'
Sure, the number of allies would drop from five to four...
But he had received proper training at the Awakening Academy.
With his B-rank Trait and decent gear, he was confident he could pull his weight and then some.
But a three-man party? That was just impossible.
'They'll start picking a fight any second now.'
With a grim expression, Kim Min-hyeong eyed the three Scorpion Guild members.
Just then, the trio finished scanning their surroundings and spotted him, approaching immediately.
"Huh? They said five, but it's just this guy?"
"Must still be matching."
"What kind of hotshot are they gonna pair us with~?"
The short-haired man among them raked his eyes over Kim Min-hyeong before his brows twitched.
He had noticed the blue emblem on Kim Min-hyeong's pauldron.
"Hey, isn't this the Seongsam mark? You from Seongsam?"
"Huh? Seongsam?"
"Yo, Choi Gi-yeol. For real?"
At the words of the short-haired man—Choi Gi-yeol—the two guild members behind him buzzed with excitement and stepped closer.
Seongsam was one of the top five guilds in the country, so the reaction was hardly surprising.
"Hey, Seongsam guy. What's your name?"
"K-Kim Min-hyeong."
"Kim Min-hyeong? Kim Min-hyeong..."
The man called Choi Gi-yeol rolled his eyes back and forth.
"Never heard the name before. And your face doesn't ring any bells either."
Even the Scorpion Guild, notorious for looking out for their own interests, knew when to draw the line.
The most prominent examples were domestic powerhouses like the Seongsam Guild.
Especially Seongsam—hadn't they been one of Korea's foundational corporations long before the Galaxy Arena appeared?
They wielded influence in both politics and business.
Even the Scorpion Guild internally advised avoiding unnecessary friction with them.
Thanks to that, I've practically memorized all the notable Seongsam players...
But this guy—small stature, squinty eyes, and equipment that, even by Seongsam standards, was ambiguously high-grade at best.
With features like that, it should've been hard not to recognize him...
As that thought settled in,
"Ahhh~ I get it now."
Choi Gi-yeol curled his lips into a sneer.
"Our little Seongsam man here must be a fresh newbie who just cleared the tutorial, huh?"
"Huh? Seriously?"
"Yeah, you brat. Look here."
Choi Gi-yeol dragged his finger from Kim Min-hyeong's head down to his toes.
"No matter how deep we are in the trenches, Seongsam wouldn't hand out C-rank gear to their own guild members."
"That's true."
"They've got that corporate pride, after all."
Even in this age of awakened Players, no one could deny the might of the Seongsam Group.
True to its legacy as a global powerhouse even before the Galaxy Arena's emergence,
they had swept up the most expensive equipment on the market from the very beginning.
Not to mention their mass recruitment and training of civilian Players.
Now, they had even reached the stage of manufacturing their own gear.
Naturally, even their lower-ranked members—
the so-called trench rats—strutted around decked out in at least B-rank equipment.
That was the current standing of the Seongsam Guild.
But what about this Player, Kim Min-hyeong?
"I heard they push A-grade gear on you if your tutorial performance is good. Guess our Mr. Kim here didn't make the cut, huh?"
"Y-you—!"
"What, you mad about facts? Stay mad, then~. Me? I'm too cool to care. Though..."
Choi Gi-yeol smirked, his voice dripping with mockery.
"I might just care about how you do in the Placement Test. Kahat!"
This fucking bastard!
Kim Min-hyeong's face burned crimson.
Yet he couldn't refute Choi Gi-yeol's taunting words.
The reason was simple.
He's stronger than me...
Not that Kim Min-hyeong was weak for his level—
but Choi Gi-yeol had already completed his Placement Test, putting him ahead in level, gear, and every other aspect.
And worse, the bastard wasn't alone.
What if he recklessly picked a fight and ended up dead before even getting his rank?
I'd be the only one losing out.
Clenching his eyes shut, Kim Min-hyeong silently averted his gaze.
"See? Our Mr. Kim does deserve his spot in the big leagues. Got the instincts of a rat, at least."
"Small fries always do."
"Like you?"
"The hell you say?"
"Oops. Did I hit a nerve? Keehat!"
The trio cackled amongst themselves, watching Kim Min-hyeong seethe.
This was about dominance—establishing hierarchy from the get-go.
Even they knew better than to mess with a full-fledged Seongsam guild member.
But a fresh-faced newbie who'd just crawled out of the tutorial?
No reason to bow to that.
In fact, this ambiguous position was the perfect chance to bully the oh-so-great Seongsam Guild.
"Alright then, Mr. Kim. We'll make sure you clear this. Just do as you're told, yeah?"
As Choi Gi-yeol's hand landed on his shoulder with a clap,
Kim Min-hyeong's fists clenched tight.
They're planning to hog all the rewards, aren't they? Sons of bitches.
It was dirty. Cheap. But what could he do?
The one with the Placement Test weakness was him.
If he wanted justice, his only option was to secure his rank and form his own party.
Then—
Whoosh.
A faint light flickered, and a man materialized.
"Hhk—!"
Kim Min-hyeong sucked in a sharp breath.
Not because the man wore nothing but a plain gray hoodie—no equipment in sight.
Wh-why is HE here?!
How could he ever forget?
Like that character from a famous hero movie—
the monster who had wiped him out in the tutorial with nothing but a single finger snap.
"Heeey~ Now this is hilarious."
Choi Gi-yeol's voice was thick with amusement.
But Kim Min-hyeong could tell.
Beneath it lurked an overwhelming disgust.
And at the same time—
he was glad.
"Arena matchmaking's something else, huh? First a Seongsam brat, now this free-loading trash?"
"Free-loading trash? Are you... talking about me?"
"No shit, dipshit. Who the hell else would I mean? Huh?"
The gods hadn't abandoned him yet. That much was clear.