Chapter 148: Star, Abroad (5)

Chang-Sun was about to put on his sleep mask when he suddenly heard someone talking to him, making him open his eyes wide.

“Oh! We’re sitting next to each other. I was worried I’ll get bored while we were on the plane.” Jaegal Hyeon-Rong was smiling as he looked at Chang-Sun.

Furtively taking a look around, Chang-Sun turned his head to Baek Gyeo-Ul, who was a bit far away from Chang-Sun. He looked at Chang-Sun with an apologetic expression as he checked if Chang-Sun looked angry. It seemed Hyeon-Ryong subtly blackmailed Gyeo-Ul to change seats. Chang-Sun silently clicked his tongue. Their seats were spacious because they were in business class, but Chang-Sun wouldn’t be able to relax if Hyeon-Ryong kept talking to him from the side.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ looks at his subordinates.]

However, Chang-Sun thought this was for the best.

‘I would end up fighting them in France, so I have to find out who they really are now by fooling them or using other methods.’

Chang-Sun had to find the [Fifth Cryptical Book of Hsan] while Hyeon-Ryong and the other two elders kept an eye on him so he wouldn’t do anything that would go against Executive Director Oh’s favor. Because of that, he would have to stay on high alert and find out the elders’ strengths and weaknesses.

Hyeon-Ryong likely had the same thoughts, considering Chang-Sun could see his eyes sparkling with curiosity amid his wrinkled face. It seemed he had sparked Hyeon-Ryong’s curiosity when he easily defended himself from Hyeon-Ryong’s Hohwan Mama. Chang-Sun stood up from his seat and politely bowed to Hyeon-Ryong. “I hope to learn a lot from you, sir.”

“Hahaha, don’t be too polite. You’re making me feel embarrassed. Come on, sit.” Hyeon-Ryong gestured at Chang-Sun.

『Hello, dear passengers. Thank you for choosing…』

Just then, the pilot announced that the plane was about to depart. Chang-Sun and Hyeon-Ryong stopped exchanging conversations, sat down, and fastened their seatbelts. Soon after, the plane took off.

* * *

‘Executive Director Oh’s ‘eyes’ are more skilled than I thought…’?

Chang-Sun thought, then concluded that he should finish making his ‘ace in the hole’ quicker than he originally planned.

Otherwise, there could be a high possibility that he would encounter many issues while acquiring the [Fifth Cryptical Book of Hsan].

‘Fortunately, I can speed up the process without any issues.’?

Chang-Sun straightened his posture.

The ace in the hole that Chang-Sun had thought of was very simple. It was his subordinates—his very own secret weapons that Executive Director Oh and the rest of the White Tiger Clan weren’t aware of. He planned to increase the abilities of his ‘weapons’ very quickly over the next several days, and he had already decided how to train them.

‘The Atrytones I met in ‘Owl Nest’ are the perfect goal…!’

Chang-Sun recalled.

Although he was only in ‘Owl Nest’ for a short time, Atrytones left a very strong impression on Chang-Sun. They were very free-spirited yet absolutely loyal to Minerva, and the way they fought side by side in combat was exceptionally splendid.

All his life, he had lived as a fighting deity and a fiend, so he never imagined he would get to see such a sight. It made him decide to train his subordinates to be just as good as the Atryrones in the long term. Fortunately, he had a way to raise an army using his subordinates within a short period of time, and it would be more than just a possibility if he could conquer the Changgwi Cave and uncover all the secrets of the [Fourth Cryptical Book of Hsan].

‘Of course, I have to become at least twice as strong as I am right now before I can acquire .’?

Chang-Sun could also make that possible, however.

‘Stigma… I should learn how to use the Inferno Sights.’

The Inferno Sights

?

was technically a way to control , a power he didn’t have even as the ‘Divine Twilight.’ When he first used it, Chang-Sun became certain that it was the second power that he had to get before . Even ‘Gemini’ was afraid of , which was the ace up in his sleeve that doubled his power—no, quadrupled it.

Of course, just as how he didn’t know much about the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan], Chang-Sun was clueless—no, he was way more clueless about what was, but he wasn’t worried. After all, there was someone who could teach him how to use it. In fact, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that no one could teach Chang-Sun about better than…

‘Mephistopheles,’?

Chang-Sun thought.

Badump!

For some reason, it felt as if the stigma hidden underneath his clothes was burning up.

‘I have to meet with him again,’?

Chang-Sun concluded.

Chang-Sun had only ever met Mephistopheles whenever he was caught in a crossfire or in need of Mephistopheles’ power, but it was different this time. He was going to meet Mephistopheles voluntarily this time to achieve his goal.

“That’s… because you resemble someone,” Minerva said.

“The Pale Star… has been looking for him for a long time.”

Although Chang-Sun didn’t know whom he resembled, Mephistopheles would definitely try to find something within him to meet that person. He had to use that to his advantage if he wanted to learn how to properly control . However, he had to make everything happen before they got to France.

* * *

[The Curse ‘Changgwi Cave’ has been activated!]

…

[Survive for 72 hours.]

[72:00:00]

[71:59:59:99]

[71:59:59:98]

…

[Current Location: First Sector of the Fifth Floor.]

‘Three days, huh? The duration that I have to survive through keeps increasing.’?

Chang-Sun noticed. He then concluded that three days was enough to train his subordinates in the way he wanted to and contact Mephistopheles.

“Jin,” Chang-Sun called.

「Haha! My master is as busy as ever. Fine, go ahead and take care of your business.」

Jin chuckled. Chang-Sun and his subordinates used a different routine as they conquered the Changgwi Cave. Jin and the other subordinates now mainly took charge of conquering the cave, and Chang-Sun stepped aside and took care of his other business. Jin didn’t seem against their routine—no, he was actually glad that Chang-Sun didn’t interfere in the conquest. Jin couldn’t fulfill his dream when he was still the Hongsal King, so he strongly desired to conquer the Changgwi Cave on his own now.

Jin had recently exterminated the Winged Hussar and waged war against the Sheim Bloodline. Since Chang-Sun didn’t have to pay much attention to them, he became quite comfortable with their routine. He just regularly checked the overall status of the conquest nowadays.

「I’ll show you something interesting when you get back.」Jin declared.

Chang-Sun repeated, “Something interesting?”

「Do you remember the Ghost Devil Horses that we seized from the Winged Hussars we captured? I’ve learned to control them. If we can ride them, we’ll have more tactics at our disposal.」Jin briefly explained.

‘Come to think of it…’?

Chang-Sun remembered that Jin had been riding something big named Hyoong when he first met Jin.

‘An army of soldiers mounted on Ghost Devil Horses? That sounds good.’

Having such thoughts, Chang-Sun nodded and quietly closed his eyes.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ warns you not to do anything stupid.]

Heoju suddenly sent Chang-Sun a warning that seemed very different. He usually sent messages to intimidate Chang-Sun, yet it was as if he was now trying to stop a child from doing something dangerous using any means necessary. Heoju was bad at expressing himself, so the message sounded menacing. However, Chang-Sun could feel that Heoju was nervous and worried about him, and Heoju wasn’t the only one.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ nods, saying that it will be better to listen to the Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ this time!]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ advises you to rethink this matter because the being that you are trying to meet right now is the epitome of ominousness. No mere mortals could withstand him!]

Pabilsag always disagreed with Heoju, and J?rmungandr just observed the incidents with interest, but they all actively dissuaded Chang-Sun from meeting Mephistopheles as soon as they realized Chang-Sun’s plan.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ warns you that although you luckily managed to use , it is a power that can swallow your soul if you fail to control it properly!]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ agrees with the Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger,’ saying that even her mother is reluctant to use the power.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ explains that the other Celestials are warning you for a reason.]

That wasn’t all of the messages that the Celestials sent.

[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ is observing you with interest after she detects in you.]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ flinches in surprise when she sees her mother suddenly reappearing!]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ tries to cover her mother’s eyes out of worry that her mother would notice her dear treasure!]

[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ easily pushes her daughter’s head down with her front paw and attempts to observe you again.]

[The Celestial ‘Taurus’ snorts and watches you, the one who screwed over his colleague.]

[The Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’ roars at the Celestial ‘Taurus’ to get lost because he snorts too loudly!]

[The Celestial ‘Taurus’ growls at the Celestial ‘Primordial Evil Dragon’, asking her if she has a death wish!]

Rumble―!

Tiamat and Bel-Marduk were on such bad terms that they were preparing to have a war against each other. While they were having a staredown, Chang-Sun couldn’t be more sure about his decision.

‘The Celestials fear this power… Even Tiamat and Bel-Marduk are on high alert, so it’s worth taking the risk.’

Chang-Sun narrowed his eyes and soon quietly closed them.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ angrily yells why you do not listen…!]

The world around him became dark, and the messages that noisily popped up disappeared.

[You are concentrating!]

[The stigma has been activated.]

Badump!

The stigma on his chest acted up violently when he focused all his attention on it.

Badump, badump!

At first, the stigma’s beat was very slow.

Badump,?badump,?badump!

However, it gradually became faster, like an enraged bull going on a rampage.

Woosh!

At some point, the stigma emitted black light so brilliant that Chang-Sun could see it above his clothes. It was definitely not easy to isolate , Mephistopheles’ divinity, and leave behind the , the divinity of the ‘Gemini.’ However, he utilized the the same way he first lit up the Inferno Sights, making the task easier. The first time was always the hardest, but once Chang-Sun had succeeded, he could keep doing it again. That was Chang-Sun’s , which he was born with and used to the fullest when he ended up in Arcadia.

Woosh!

By the time Chang-Sun’s eyes shone in navy blue light…

[You have successfully lit up the Inferno Sights using the ‘Darkness’!]

[You have entered the ‘Concentrated’ state.]

[You have entered the ‘Meditated’ state.]

…

[You have understood Yama.]

[You have learned Niyama]

…

[You have completely understood the Yoga of Eight Limbs and are now entering a deeper level of your consciousness.]

…

[You have successfully mastered Serene Mind! Accumulated 5,000 Karma.]

…

[You have entered the ‘Brink of Death’ state.]

…

Ding!

Ding!

Ding…

Ding…

….

The message notification sound kept ringing, but it became so quiet at some point that he couldn’t hear them anymore. At the same time…

Woosh!

[You have successfully entered the world of the unconscious!]

[Achievement unlocked!]

“The Ceta’s Yogi”

Reward: Intelligence and Willpower +10. Title ‘Samadhi Demonstrator.’

He saw two giant navy blue fires blazing up when he opened his eyes again, just like the last time he was in the Pale Divine Ground. Hence, he could tell that Mephistopheles was looking at him.

[The ‘Pale Eyes’ are looking at you!]

Looking at Mephistopheles, Chang-Sun faintly smiled. “You have indeed been watching me. I thought doing this would let me meet you.”

To meet Mephistopheles, Chang-Sun used a very simple method, which was to look into his mind by activating the Inferno Sights using the in his stigma. Since Mephistopheles had given him that power, Chang-Sun thought he could use that link and the as a medium to easily meet with Mephistopheles.

Why. You. Called. Me.

When Chang-Sun first ran into him, Mephistopheles was really intimidating and looked very ominous, but Chang-Sun had gotten used to him now that he had directly met up with him several times. Perhaps it was also because of the within his stigma or the thought that Mephistopheles wasn’t related to the Zodiacs, his enemies.

“I would like to ask you for a favor,” Chang-Sun said.

What. Your. Request.

Chang-Sun inhaled deeply for a moment because he had been pondering how to establish a good relationship with Mephistopheles for the past several days. Now that he had chosen to actually carry out his plan after days of agony, he shouldn’t make mistakes in his explanation. Chang-Sun soon came to a decision, and the navy blue Inferno Sights similar to that of Mephistopheles blazed up.

“I want to become your disciple.”

1. Refers to the first stage of the Yoga of Eight Limbs that had originated from Ashtanga Yoga. It’s about ethics and restraining one’s behavior to purify oneself before one reaches enlightenment.

2. Refers to the second stage of the Yoga of Eight Limbs. It’s about observing oneself before one reaches enlightenment.

3. Yogi means a practitioner of yoga.