Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Chapter 85: The Alchemist's Friend (2)
Translation: godtl
"Let me ask again. Who are you?"
A voice clear and transparent—
"Friend or foe?"
—yet more akin to a shard of glass than anything beautiful rang out.
Si-mun turned to look at the hooded figure who had spoken.
'So it's Dayna, the starting NPC.'
Dayna.
The figure who heralded the beginning of the Poisoned Supply Route.
Depending on how one answered here, they could either gain Dayna's assistance or be denied it.
The absurd part?
'No matter which path you choose, the rewards remain unchanged.'
Foe or friend.
Whichever you picked, it wouldn't affect the clearance rewards.
To earn more rewards,
the only condition set by the Galaxy Arena was 'survive with as many as possible.'
And in such conditions, choosing to declare yourself an enemy—
-No way anyone would actually say they're enemies, right?
-Lol, if there's a troll, it's totally possible.
-That'd be hilarious though. Would be legendary content.
-But these are top-tier Gold-rankers. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't pull that off.
-True. Everyone knows each other, and since they're the ones climbing, they can't afford to drag out the Arena. Unless... maybe if they're from the Scorpion bastards?
-Scorpion Guild lolol. Getting PTSD flashbacks here.
—would turn even Dayna against you.
Considering Dayna's race, abilities,
and past data, declaring yourself an enemy was never the right choice.
Thus, 99% of players chose the 'friend' option.
"We're allies."
Perhaps because they represented the strongest faction and combat power?
The muscular man standing at the forefront—
Choi Jin-su—answered, and the hooded Dayna nodded.
"Is that so? Good."
At the confirmation of allies, Dayna removed her hood.
As her face was revealed—
"Whoa!"
"Seeing her in person for the first time... She's way more stunning than I imagined."
-Baby! It's Dayna!
-Gets me every time.
-She's too good for the Arena.
Both the matched players and the viewers erupted in admiration.
"Unnecessary bloodshed... is hardly welcome."
Silvery hair cascaded like silk beneath the removed hood.
Her slightly dusky skin, sharp nose and eyes, even her ears—
Indeed.
"Judging by your attire... you seem like warriors..."
A Dark Elf.
Dayna, who heralded the beginning of the Poisoned Supply Route, was none other than a Dark Elf.
From the Platinum tier onward, non-human races began appearing in earnest,
and checkpoint maps also debuted in this tier, so it wasn't surprising.
However.
"Tsk. Pathetic."
Was it because she was a Dark Elf?
Dayna's personality wasn't exactly pleasant.
"Pathetic to the point of weakness. How do you expect to handle even a single one of those vermin like this?"
True to her formidable combat prowess,
she often crushed players weaker than herself without mercy.
This occasionally led some players to choose the 'enemy' option out of spite,
'But most of them got wiped out.'
With monsters continuously swarming from the front,
how could anyone withstand guerrilla attacks from Dayna, an exceptional assassin and archer?
Thus, no matter how vile and petty it seemed, players had to endure her venomous words and cooperate.
On top of that—
"Scum like you don't even deserve to call yourselves my allies."
Even if they were top-tier Gold-rankers,
would Gold players adjusted upward into Platinum satisfy Dayna's standards?
"Just disappear. You're nothing but a hindrance."
With an icy glare, she spat those words and turned away.
-Lmao, Dayna's as ruthless as ever.
-Waaah! Step on me, Dayna!
-Still zero chill. These kids are gonna lose it lol.
-But what are they gonna do now? They're all Gold-rankers. Without Dayna's help, this place is literal hell.
The chat buzzed with reactions to Dayna's cold demeanor.
Naturally, the targeted players weren't faring any better.
"H-hey!"
"Damn it! Who even wanted to come here in the first place?!"
"You bitch!"
They couldn't contain their anger.
And why would they?
Most were promising talents from prestigious guilds,
or rookies with comparable skills—being openly scorned to their faces was bound to sting.
"Hey, hey, calm down."
"Lower your voices! What if Dayna hears? We're the ones at a disadvantage here."
"What do we do now? Without Dayna's help, clearing this is impossible..."
The few still holding onto reason tried to restrain the agitated players.
Amidst this chaos,
Si-mun calmly observed Dayna's retreating back.
'Even without Dayna, it's fine. I can clear this alone.'
It wasn't arrogance.
After thorough, rational analysis,
even if the Poisoned Bridge was infamous in Platinum, it posed no difficulty for Si-mun.
"Even if it's a Gold-tier match, the difficulty would've been lowered, and the main threat—poison—means little to me."
However.
"Without Dayna's help, I can't guarantee the survival of the other team members."
The equation changed when considering the other players matched with them.
After all, wasn't the greatest reward in this Arena "ensuring the survival of as many as possible"?
"No matter how capable I am, it'd be difficult to protect and carry all twenty members alone."
Thus, Dayna's assistance—specializing in guerrilla tactics against named monsters—was indispensable.
"I'll have to persuade her, then."
Fortunately, it wasn't entirely impossible.
'Philosopher's Stone, don't Dark Elves prioritize martial prowess?'
-Yeah."Prioritize" is an understatement—they're practically no different from demons. You think they're called "Dark" for nothing?
'Then if I prove my strength, she'll agree to help again, right?'
-Obviously. Those types favor the Survival of the Fittest principle, just like demons.
'Good.'
Having confirmed this with the Philosopher's Stone, Si-mun immediately strode toward Dayna.
-But, Oppa, you might not even need to go through all that trouble.
'Huh? What do you mean?'
-Literally what I said. From the beginning, Oppa was...
"What do you want?"
A sharp voice cut through before the Philosopher's Stone could finish.
As Si-mun approached, Dayna spoke first.
Her demeanor suggested she couldn't even tolerate facing the weak.
"Answer me, trash. What's your business?"
She had only slightly turned her head.
Si-mun replied calmly,"Dayna. I've heard Dark Elves value strength above all."
"Correct. That's precisely why I can't even associate with filth like you. I've never encountered such lowly creatures before."
Her vitriolic words struck like daggers.
Unfazed, Si-mun continued,"I'll prove that we're not beneath your notice."
"Oh-ho? Now this is an interesting proposition."
Dayna turned halfway, revealing her profile fully.
Her silver eyes, now gleaming with heightened interest, sparkled even brighter.
"You're suggesting a duel with me, is that it?"
"It's the most straightforward method."
"I like your audacity. Fine."
Perhaps her interest was piqued.
Dayna fully turned around, appraising Si-mun with a scrutinizing gaze.
"You'd better prepare to lose your life. I don't hold back—"
Then.
"......"
Dayna abruptly froze.
Her gaze was fixed squarely on the center of Si-mun's chest.
"N-no way!"
Her pupils dilated, her voice trembling.
Simultaneously.
-I was about to tell you this.
A cheerful voice rang out in stark contrast.
-The World Tree is the mother of all elves. Even Dark Elves can't escape being elves, no matter how much they deny it.
"This is impossible! How could a human—!"
Dayna was aghast.
To her, the Philosopher's Stone bellowed:
-Now that you've recognized it, stop gawking and kneel already, you fool!
"Wh-what? What the hell just happened?"
"If we knew, would we be standing here like this?"
"Isn't that Kim Si-mun? Do they know each other?"
"Judging by this, they're more than just acquaintances..."
From the matched players to...
-?? What am I even looking at right now?
-Is that really Dayna? Someone else?
-I've never seen Dayna act like this before.
-For real lol. She doesn't even act like this around Diamonds.
-OMG lol I can't even process this, I'm just laughing.
...the viewers watching Si-mun's stream.
None could hide their shock.
The reason was simple.
-That Dayna... is kneeling...?
-So Dayna's actually a face-con all along?
-Is it because she's an elf that human faces never caught her eye before...?
-Yup, his face is top-tier. God-tier visuals~.
-Sorry for being human TT.
-It's not being human that's the problem, it's his god-tier fa...
-Stop! Everyone, hands off your keyboards!
The infamous Dark Elf Dayna.
The woman who would scoff even at Diamond players.
"I have committed an unforgivable transgression."
As if facing her liege.
She knelt with utmost reverence.
And to none other than a Gold-tier player.
"To show such disrespect to one so exalted..."
Shink.
A blade drawn from her waist.
Gripping her crescent-shaped sword in reverse, Dayna declared,
"I shall atone for my sins with this wretched life!"
Without a moment's hesitation, she thrust the blade toward her own throat.
Naturally.
"Wait!"
Snap.
Flicking his fingers to activate Human Transmutation, Si-mun swiftly caught Dayna's blade.
"M-my most exalted one...!"
Flustered, Dayna looked up at Si-mun, who had stopped her blade.
It wasn't simply because Si-mun had tried to save her.
'She doesn't seem like a trained warrior based on her physique... So how did she manage to catch my blade?'
Unlike ordinary elves, she couldn't read the flow of nature.
But that only meant her ability to assess an opponent was even sharper.
From Dayna's perspective,
the fact that Si-mun—who wasn't even a warrior—had caught her sword was unbelievable.
However.
'As expected, the Companion of the World Tree is truly different.'
The title "Companion of the World Tree" made her unconditionally accept anything about Si-mun, no matter how incomprehensible.
Into Dayna's ears,
"Dayna, stop."
Si-mun's voice, still gripping the blade, flowed in.
"Yes, Your Eminence."
Dayna immediately withdrew her sword.
Drip.
Si-mun, who had let out a small sigh, also pulled back her hand, now dripping with blood.
'Wow, this is no joke.'
It had been nothing more than a simple thrust of a blade,
but Dayna's movement just now had been formidable in both strength and speed.
'If my Transmutation Power hadn't exceeded 100, I wouldn't have even been able to react.'
Now, her Human Transmutation had reached near 50% completion.
Without further refining the Obsidian Tablet, she couldn't progress any further.
And yet, she had barely managed to catch the blade?
'Dayna... Perhaps she isn't an ordinary Dark Elf.'
Even among the higher races like elves, this was beyond the norm.
Then—
-Ugh! Hey, you! You're bleeding!
The voice of the Philosopher's Stone pierced through.
-Ah, seriously! Who grabs a blade barehanded? What if you got sliced? Hurry up and take out a potion!
'Alright, alright.'
At the nagging full of concern, Si-mun chuckled faintly and took out a pre-made potion, dabbing it on her wounded hand.
"Ah...!"
At the sight, Dayna, who had been kneeling, flinched.
Lost in the shock of her blade being caught,
"What insolence have I committed...!"
She had forgotten—
that she had wounded the Companion of the World Tree, akin to the heavens themselves.
Her silver eyes trembled like aspen leaves.
Si-mun calmed her with a composed smile.
"I'm fine. More importantly, let's first prove whether you're worthy of being an ally."
"No! There's no need for such proof!"
At Si-mun's words, Dayna shot up, her usual cold demeanor crumbling.
"How could I dare question Your Eminence's qualifications? Please, retract your words."
Her tone grew increasingly fervent as she bowed deeply.
Watching her transformed demeanor, Si-mun blinked in surprise before curling her lips into a faint smile.
"Then, we're allies now?"
"Not allies—you are the one I must serve! But before that, please lower your speech. I am not even worthy of your respect."
Fortunately, before the enemies swarmed in—
"Your Eminence, they will soon arrive."
Thanks to the Dark Elf Dayna's active cooperation, the players could proceed through the Arena with lighter hearts.
Of course.
"Hey, trash. Why the hell are you standing there?"
"In battle, positioning is life. Especially for vermin like you, it's a fundamental skill. So what the hell is this formation?"
"Idiots. Just because you're a tank, you think you should just stand there and take hits? If you enjoy getting hit, I'll gladly beat you myself."
Her cooperation was solely for Kim Si-mun—
the Companion of the World Tree.
And for no one else.
In the end,
"Damn it! There's a limit to favoritism!"
"Elves are all the same! It's all about looks, isn't it?"
"You bitch!"
The other players had no choice but to endure Dayna's venomous tongue.
-Dayna's participating this actively? Just what is this guy...?
-There must be something special about Si-mun. It's the first time I've seen Dayna join without guerrilla tactics.
-Fr. Doesn't seem like a normal player. Every time I see her, something new pops up.
-That's why it's fun to watch lol.
-True! I don't watch any other streams, just Si-mun's!
-To have tamed Dayna like this... My queen!
The chat was also flooded with questions, but that was it.
Since Si-mun rarely checked the chat while focusing on the Arena,
the viewers could only speculate among themselves.
And so, with Dayna at the center,
a formation unlike any other in the history of the Galaxy Arena took shape.
Before long—
"Your Eminence, I've spotted them. They'll arrive here soon."
Perhaps the Dark Elf's vision was extraordinary in some way.
Dayna stared fixedly at the bridge ahead, her expression slightly stiff.
Then—
"But... are you truly alright?"
She turned to Si-mun with a worried gaze.
"They're all venomous creatures. If they were to harm your noble body..."
"I'll be fine. I've already prepared a rough strategy."
Dayna's concern was met with a reassuring smile from Si-mun.
Then, with a light flick of his fingers—
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Crack-crack-crack!
The ground around Si-mun began to tremble.
Piles of stone swelled in size, merging and reshaping into a distinct form.
"This is......."
Dayna's eyes widened to the size of lanterns as she recognized what it was.
"A Golem?!"