Chapter 26: Star, The Golden Key (1)

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ encourages you to quickly take care of your enemies!]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ watches you trying to implement justice.]

“Fuuuccckk!” Lee Jae-Seong screamed at the top of his lungs, roughly swinging his claymore, a big sword that was usually wielded with two hands, in the air.

Claaasssh!

Chang-Sun nearly severed his head with [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth], but Jae-Seong deflected his attack, making his eyes momentarily shine with interest.

‘He can even block that?’?

Chang-Sun thought in surprise, but that was not the only surprise Jae-Seong

“I’ll kill you!” Jae-Seong shouted, gritting his teeth.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Rumble, rumble, rumble―!

As Jae-Seong swung his claymore through the air at random, Chang-Sun could hear the slashes creating powerful air currents that swept the floor clear before crashing into the walls. It was the very definition of a ‘rampage’. Chang-Sun felt as if he were watching a bull that was agitated from seeing a waving red cloth.

Clash, clash, clash!

Avoiding whatever he could avoid and deflecting whatever he could deflect, Chang-Sun slowly stepped back. Jae-Seong was too overwhelmingly powerful for him to make a frontal attack.

‘Is he following my movements instinctively even though he can’t see me? I guess he does know how to fight,’?

Chang-Sun thought. Despite his overall disadvantage, he was not overwhelmed with confusion and rationally evaluated Jae-Seong.

Jae-Seong was strong. Although Chang-Sun had heard that Jae-Seong was in the Level 30 range, his combat instinct was far superior to ordinary Level 30s, which indicated that he had a lot of experience doing his job. Even considering that Jae-Seong had been soaked with Chang-Sun’s Blood Toxin, it would be difficult for Chang-Sun to win in one-on-one combat against him.

‘Maybe he has a skill that can amplify his Strength in times of crisis,’?

Chang-Sun speculated.

Whatever the truth was, Jae-Seong was more talented than Chang-Sun had thought. The Highoff Clan likely valued Jae-Seong for his talent. His presence made Chang-Sun certain that something special was in the dungeon; otherwise, the Clan would not have assigned such a talented individual to it.

‘It’s also strange for the Clan to take this risk of continuously using human sacrifices in such a safe country,’?

Chang-Sun thought, recalling how he had hidden the sacrifices that he had rescued and relocated to a safe place, telling them to wait until he finished the dungeon. It was a temporary measure to protect the sacrifices, as he was unsure when the Highoff Clan’s reinforcements would arrive from outside.

In reality, human trafficking and kidnapping always left a long trail, more than people usually expected. No matter how powerful the politicians backing the Highoff Clan were, it did not change the fact that such things were very dangerous. Despite all the risks, the Highoff Clan continued to do so, which meant there was something they desperately wanted.

Of course, recruiting Ou Yezi’s disciple already meant the Highoff Clan was pursuing a big secret, making Chang-Sun even more intrigued. When he had entered the dungeon, his original goal was to create a connection with Ou Yezi’s heir, but he now had even more of a desire to discover and steal the Highoff Clan’s ‘secret’.

‘Then, I should kill him more quickly. The Highoff Clan must have noticed that a problem had occurred in the dungeon by now,’?

Chang-Sun thought, analyzing the situation.

From what he had heard, the personnel in the dungeon frequently communicated with the Highoff Clan’s head office to monitor its status, so the Clan must have sent reinforcements by now.

‘In that case…!’?

Chang-Sun thought with a smile.

[Distributed 30 additional points to Strength. 51→81]

[Distributed 30 additional points to Agility. 49→79]

If Chang-Sun lacked strength compared to his enemy, all he had to do was add more strength. That likewise applied if he lacked agility. If he could close the gap in both stats at the same time, it would not only level the playing field against his enemy, but also create a synergistic effect that would allow him to defeat his enemy with overwhelming power.

Booom!

“W-What the…?!” Jae-Seong was clearly baffled, taking a few steps backward. When he struck Chang-Sun, he felt as if he had smashed his claymore into a sturdy wall, making the blade shake violently enough to nearly tear apart the skin of his palms.

Had the air around Chang-Sun changed? He had suddenly become stronger, almost as if he had turned into an entirely different person.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ enjoys watching Chang Sun’s overwhelming attacks against his enemy.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ watches the fight with excitement, saying Chang-Sun is indeed the slyest person around.]

Chang-Sun sprang forth again, kicking off the ground with such force that he crushed the brick floor, sending stone fragments flying into the air. Even Jae-Seong’s rampage had only left scratches on those very same bricks.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Every time Chang-Sun struck Jae-Seong with [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth], he was knocked back. He was sure that Chang-Sun was using a sword, but the sound of explosions kept ringing in his ears, as if Chang-Sun were shooting cannonballs.

[Reached the maximum level of the Skill ‘Intermediate Dagger Proficiency.’ A higher-level skill has been created.]

[The Skill ‘Advanced Dagger Proficiency’ has been created!]

Seeming almost as if it would shatter at any second, Jae-Seong’s claymore shook intensely as cracks spread across its blade. It did not take long for Jae-Seong’s hands to become ragged and bloody.

At that moment…

Shatter!

…Jae-Seong’s claymore snapped in half, unable to withstand Chang-Sun’s attacks any longer. As pieces of shattered metal flew through the air, an expression of shock spread acrossJae-Seong’s face as he screamed. “It… It doesn’t make sense…

Arrrggh!

”

Slash, slash, slash―!

Chang-Sun quickly cut off Jae-Seong’s right hand and left arm, while leaving several large and small cuts all over the man’s legs and body. Next, he attacked from below, breaking Jae-Seong’s jaw with the flat of his blade.

“Urgh…!” Jae-Seong tried to say he could not believe what was happening, but he could not get the words out, as broken teeth flew into the air from his smashed jaw. He fell backward, spewing bloody foam from his mouth.

“You’re odd,” Chang-Sun remarked with a smirk when he looked at Jae-Seong. “You should already have known that you could also be butchered when you did the same to others.”

He turned [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] horizontally.

Slash!

That was the end of it. Jae-Seong’s head flew into the air amid the horrible sound of tearing flesh. His face had already melted from the toxins, so even people who knew Jae-Seong would not recognize him.

[The Authority ‘Soul Exploitation’ has been activated!]

[You have lit the fire in the Purgatory Brazier, successfully acquiring the ashes of the Player ‘Lee Jae-Seong’.]

[6% of your stamina has been regained.]

Tssss―!

Engulfed in the Purgatory Brazier’s fire, Jae-Seong’s body instantly turned into ashes that were all absorbed into Chang-Sun through his shadow.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ is deeply moved by your righteousness.]

‘It’s funny every time I see ‘righteousness’ or ‘justice’ in the messages,’?

Chang-Sun thought in amusement, as he had once been called a fiend and put on Divine Trial.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ gives you a new bonus reward!]

[Acquired the Skill ‘Composed Spirit’!]

[Composed Spirit]

The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ has given this bonus reward for executing perfect justice against evil enemies. It specializes in protecting you from mental debuffs.

“One with a composed spirit has wisdom and courage that will never waver in the face of chaos.”

· Type: Blessing. Protection.

· Effect: Immunity to mental debuffs. Maintain courage.

‘She’s also giving me [Composed Spirit]?’

Chang-Sun thought. He could understand why Minerva had given him [Unbending Spirit], but he had not expected her to also give him [Composed Spirit].

They had similar effects, but they worked based on completely different mechanisms. [Unbending Spirit] made a person able to judge things dispassionately based on absolute truth, or ‘Logos’. [Composed Spirit] made a person able to break the cycle of agony in a world full of temptation and pleasure.

In other words, [Unbending Spirit] sought truth in the external world and was based on philosophical absolutism; [Composed Spirit] sought to cultivate the internal world and was based on philosophical relativism.

If the two skills joined together, they would complement each other perfectly, forming a union between an individual’s external and internal worlds. Some truth seekers referred to such a moment as ‘Nirvana’.

‘I’m going to become a monk if this continues,’?

Chang-Sun thought, laughing wryly without realizing it.

He had an idea of how Minerva thought of him—a righteous, silent monk who sought truth. She could not have misunderstood the situation more, considering how atrocious Chang-Sun’s true thoughts were.

‘From what I heard, she was a wise and clever warring deity, and very scary. Despite the rumors, though, she just seems ;ole a simpleton,’?

Chang-Sun thought as he sensed the birth of a new sugar deity after Pabilsag.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ becomes nervous when she sees the two bonus rewards sent by ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl.’]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ rummages through her treasure warehouse, searching for something that can be given to you as a new bonus reward.]

‘Well, she can’t win against this sugar deity yet,’?

Chang-Sun thought smugly.

Paaah―!

Lost in his thoughts, Chang-Sun inadvertently reached the final room of the dungeon soon after passing by Jae-Seong’s tent.

* * *

[The Dungeon Ranking has been updated!]

[Dungeon Ranking]

First Place: Lee Chang-Sun (Update!)

Second Place: Jeong Yoo-Jin (150,000 Points)

…

Chang-Sun found himself in front of a giant stone gate, roughly five meters tall.

[You have arrived at the boss monster’s room!]

[The boss monster’s room is currently locked tightly. There is a key somewhere inside the dungeon, so find and unlock the gate’s lock.]

From the sight of the blackened spots and blade scars left across the surface of the stone gate, Chang-Sun could tell how much effort the Highoff Clan had put in to try to force the gate open so far. However, there was not a single crack, or a sign that the gate had been previously moved; that meant they had to have failed.

It was not difficult for Chang-Sun to find the portable workshop, as it was right in front of the stone gate. He saw a cloud of white smoke billowing out of the chimney, but he could not detect anybody inside.

‘He bolted. Well, I did create havoc, so he must have noticed it and run away,’

Chang-Sun thought without worrying too much about it.

After all, there was only one route from Jae-Seong’s tent to the portable workshop, meaning Jin Dae-Hwan could never run away even if he had wings.

Crrasshh!

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Feeling no need to observe any longer, Chang-Sun quickly destroyed the portable workshop by roughly swinging [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth]. His strikes knocked the furnace inside over, sending molten metal spilling across the floor and setting the pieces of the workshop ablaze.

‘The Saint Fire Furnace? I can see why they kept failing to make the key,’?

Chang-Sun thought with a snort as he looked at the fire.

They could not have used the Divine Fire Furnace, but if they had obtained the Eon Fire Furnace—no, even the Purification Fire Furnace would have been sufficient to allow the Clan to make the key successfully.

Chang-Sun could not believe that they had used the Saint Fire Furnace. Saint Fire was certainly a good Celestial Fire, as it had the ability to purify things and restore broken items. However, that was it; the Saint Fire was not a powerful fire to begin with.

Without considering its properties, the Clan had shoved in human souls as kindling, trying to forcibly strengthen the fire… However, instead of becoming stronger, it had only become weaker, due to the repulsion between two completely opposing properties.

“It looks like there’s nothing else to dig up,” Chang-Sun muttered with a sigh. He had been planning on asking Dae-Hwan several questions, hoping to hear any secrets about Ou Yezi… However, he could tell that Dae-Hwan had nothing, considering the man’s abysmal judgment of the situation.

[Equipped the ‘Flame Goat’s Rib Spear’!]

After pulling out a bone spear from his inventory, Chang-Sun threw it sideways without even looking.

Swoosh, stab!

“Argh!” Dae-Hwan, who had been hiding inside a room behind the wall Chang-Sun penetrated with the bone spear, fell flat on his face. He left no last words, dying instantly.

However, his corpse was holding tightly onto an unusually ancient-looking hammer. Chang-Sun instantly identified it as Ou Yezi’s hammer, the item he had been looking for.

[???’s hammer]

An unidentified hammer. It seems to be made out of a meteorite. Due to its age, it seems ??? has made the hammer ???.

Type: Hammer.

Effect: Unknown.

*You are unable to use this because you are not the owner.

‘Meteorite, huh?’?

Chang-Sun thought as he felt the hammer’s grip.

Meteorites were star fragments, making them invaluable as a material. The item could be none other than the relic used by Ou Yezi.

After throwing the hammer into his inventory, Chang-Sun stood in front of the stone gate, his other interest.

Tap. Tap.

As Chang-Sun lightly tapped on the gate, he felt how thick it was, making him realize that he could not smash through it with his current power. It would make little difference even if he carved several Explosive Runes on the gate.

‘I think Bu-Yong could make the key somehow,’?

he thought with a nod.

With the Divine Fire Furnace and Ou Yezi’s hammer, it was more than possible. However, the Highoff Clan would never leave Choi Bu-Yong alone.

‘I don’t have to use a more difficult method when I have an easier method,’?

Chang-Sun thought. He took a step backward from the iron gate, glancing backward.

“Herald, you’re there, right?” Chang-Sun called out.

Herald soon appeared through a diagonal slit in midair. The rabbit-headed man with red eyes seemed baffled, belatedly realizing what ‘favor’ Chang-Sun was going to ask of him. Regardless, a deal was a deal. As they had even formed a [Mana Pledge], he could lose his Administrator status if he rejected Chang-Sun’s request.

“Open it now,” Chang-Sun said, gesturing at the stone gate with his chin.

1. Meteorites are rocks from space in real life, but in this novel, the author seems to be referring to the mythological connotations of meteorites instead.