NOVEL WEB Chapter 44
Chapter 44. Promotion Battle (2)
TL: xLordFifth
ED/PR: The reader
Just as it had been with the alchemy of the Astrape.
The gaze of the Asgard Constellations poured forth in abundance.
And just like before.
[The Constellations of Asgard are shocked by the remnants you left behind.]
[The Constellations of Asgard hastily distance themselves.]
[Only 3 Constellations remain steadfast.]
[Among them, the ruler of Asgard, Odin, shows great interest in you and the Constellations around you.]
The Constellations of Asgard also retreated, influenced by the title ‘He Who Attracts the Gaze from Beyond’.
[Constellation Odin sparkles his eyes, “Finally, it’s my turn. I’ve been waiting for a long time!”]
[Constellation Zeus clicks his tongue, “What a nuisance.”]
[Constellation Black Goat scowls, “Hey you damn brat, won’t you buzz off?”]
[Constellation Odin scoffs, “As if I’d be crazy? It’s already widely talked about amongst the upper echelons.”]
Shimun tilted his head at the messages from the Constellations popping up like a chat window.
‘Widely talked about among the upper echelons?’
Until he met the Constellation Heavenly Demon, there had been no such talk.
As if to answer his question.
[Constellation Odin observes you, “Indeed… there must be a reason even that madwoman from beyond is interested.”]
[Constellation Black Goat raises her voice, “Didn’t I tell you to scram? You’re just a kid in a shell! You’re not the only one here.”]
[Constellation Odin smirks slightly, “I know. It’s not a regular arena, but having three upper echelon Constellations attached, and even that suffocating council overturning its decision says it all.”]
The message from Constellation Odin continued.
‘So it’s because of the Stigma and the interest of three upper echelon Constellations.’
From what he had seen so far, the Constellations seemed to be acquainted with each other.
Thanks to that, it seemed his story was circulating among several Constellations.
‘Well, either way, it’s good news.’
For a player, attention from high elo Constellations was almost always beneficial.
And for him, blessed with the title ‘Chosen by the Constellations’, it translated into a miraculous +1 to all stats.
As the messages from the Constellations ceased.
Shimun examined the info window of the forged golden orb.
[Odin’s Eye]
Grade – Replica (10%)
The eye of Odin, the ruler of Asgard.
It can be used, but for some reason, it can’t fully unleash its power.
‘As expected.’
Like the relics of other high level Constellations, an artifact with only 10% completion.
Indeed, Odin was famous among the Constellations for possessing a variety of relics.
‘It was Fabian Wolf, a high ranker, who said that.’
Fabian Wolf, a high ranker from Germany, nicknamed Twin Spears.
His main relics, supported by Odin, were the spear Gungnir and the staff Gungnantein.
He was known as a spear genius, capable of competing against Zhong Liqiu, the Spear King of China.
‘It’s all about the equipment, really.’
Frankly, in terms of basic skills or combat sense, he was inferior to Zhong Liqiu.
But the combo of Gungnir, the unfailing spear, and Gungnantein, the staff of nullification, was invincible.
These two pieces of equipment perfectly covered for Fabian’s shortcomings, placing him side by side with Spear King Zhong Liqiu.
Considering these great relics, ‘Odin’s Eye’ was chosen for a reason. Contrary to his nickname Twin Spears.
There was just one time when Fabian Wolf put aside his signature weapons, Gungnir and Gungnantein.
‘When the Dragon Emperor descended upon Europe.’
The Dragon Emperor, who had destroyed half of Europe in a day, shocking the world.
Just before Europe was on the brink of total collapse.
“I can see it! There is the weak spot!”
With Odin’s Eye and under Fabian’s order, the Dragon Emperor was driven back. More precisely, the source of its descent was removed, sending it back.
Either way,
‘This item is definitely the best for this situation.’
Considering it was an eye, and Fabian’s action of identifying the Dragon Emperor’s weakness proves, Odin’s Eye was undoubtedly the most appropriate item for the moment.
“Probably the left side, right?”
Recalling what he had seen in Fabian’s broadcast, as Shimun brought Odin’s Eye to his left eye.
Woom.
Odin’s Eye resonated softly.
Then,
Crack!
Like metal being magnetically pulled, Odin’s Eye forcefully embedded itself into Shimun’s left eye.
-Aaaaagh! My eye!
-Damn! That scared me!
-What on earth did he make? Looks extraordinary, but why attack all of a sudden?
-Isn’t it more like equipping than attacking? That spherical thing looked like an eye. “Lord, which item is to be attached to the eye? You’re not an Awakener, are you?”
Suddenly, Odin’s Eye’s rush took everyone by surprise.
Viewers who were watching through Arenia expressed shock and concern all at once.
Of course.
[The Constellation Odin looks at you with an innocent smile.]
[The Constellation Black Goat shows her displeasure with a. ‘Damn brat, to smear saliva like this.’]
[The Constellation Heavenly Demon chuckles, ‘You, who have fused with your body outright, are not one to talk.’]
[The Constellation Black Goat snaps back, ‘You also broke the principle of ‘one person, one inheritance,’ didn’t you?’]
[Constellation Zeus sighs, dropping his shoulders, ‘Ah… it’s just me…’]
The higher-ranking Constellations watching this spectacle had a completely different reaction from the person in question, Shimun.
“Wow, that startled me.”
Shimun rose cleanly as if a golden bead had not just been lodged into his left eye. In reality, he felt no pain at all.
Had there been any pain, the Philosopher’s Stone would have made a fuss about killing this thing immediately.
But instead of such a reaction,
[Odin’s Eye requests to be bonded with you.]
-“Oppa, you’re going to accept it, right?”
The Philosopher’s Stone asked in her usual voice.
‘Of course.’
As Shimun nodded,
[Odin’s Eye is now bound to player Kim Shimun.]
With the notification, his left eye grew slightly warm, but not in a painful way, more like a warm towel had been placed over it.
“I’m fine, everyone.”
-Really?
-Are you really okay?
-Finger-mon, what on earth did you create?!
-Bro, even if I become one-eyed, I’m in.
Shimun, with a gentle smile, calmed down the chat that was alight with notifications.
Soon after,
[Odin’s Eye is fully bound to you.]
[Connected with the trait Philosopher’s Stone, it is registered as a trait.]
[You have acquired the trait Odin’s Eye.]
Odin’s Eye settled into place as a trait.
Shimun felt a distinctly different sensation compared to when he had acquired scars, thanks to the addition of the trait.
‘My vision has gotten clearer.’
It was true. With Odin’s Eye bound, the [Moon Owl’s Physique] that had been embedded in his eye was completely gone.
Yet, the dark environment of the Dark Zone appeared dark but distinctly visible. Yes. It was as if his night vision had improved. But.
‘This isn’t the end.’
Was it because it was interconnected with the Philosopher’s Stone? Simultaneously with acquiring the trait, Shimun naturally recalled the usage of Odin’s Eye.
‘Using the refinement power like this…’
As he lifted refinement power and sent it to his left eye containing Odin’s Eye,
Whoosh.
Shimun’s left eye emitted a faint golden light along with a mysterious magic circle.
-Whoa? This guy, his eye is shining!
-Golden swag, look at that ㄷㄷ…
-The shape of the eye seems a bit different, doesn’t it?
-Now, are you making eyes too lolol.
-What kind of lens is that, bro??
The chat was buzzing merely about the appearance, but
‘This… is insane.’
Why Fabian, who was a patron of Odin, had only used Odin’s Eye once.
And how he managed to strategize the Dragon Emperor became deeply convincing.
***
Thud.
“Cough!”
A man in armor flew through the air as his shield shattered.
“This is totally unfair…”
He couldn’t even finish his sentence when
Crunch!
His solar plexus was pierced, turning to ash.
“All this fuss over a single straight punch.”
The bulky man, Choi Jinsu, pulled his arm out of the corpse, his voice matching his imposing stature.
Splash!
Hot blood spurts out.
“Tch. It’s unnecessarily realistic in the parts that don’t matter.”
Choi Jinsu irritably wiped off the blood that had splattered all over his body.
Then,
“Ugh!”
He let out a small groan. Four bloodlines were drawn across his thick pectoral muscles. It was an accident caused by the arm of Choi Jinsu, who was wiping the blood.
“This damned trait is really hard to get used to.”
Fortunately, the wounds weren’t deep. Choi Jinsu carefully moved his right hand, now grown with sharp nails, away from his body.
It wasn’t just the hand. The stiff fur and thick arm suited for those nails were far from being human. That’s right. An arm fit for mauling humans, akin to that of a bear’s.
Creak.
Such an arm twisted at a strange angle.
Soon,
“This area is completely clear now.”
The ominous nails and hair were gone without a trace. What was revealed was an arm made of flesh appearing human.
Of course, looking at the muscles packed tightly on the arm, the scars, and sparse hair,
It was arguably a bit ambiguous to simply call it a human arm. The man stretched his restored arm, scanning the surroundings.
“Did I get about 15 kills?”
Probably not a wrong count. Not a minute of rest from the start of the arena until now.
‘As expected, I prefer solo matches in the arena.’
It was the same during his pre-awakening athlete days, racing through UFC bouts. Fighting is essentially a solo endeavor.
Matching pace with those who don’t even know how to properly throw a punch, in dungeons or siege wars, under cooperation terms, was something extremely irritating for Choi Jinsu.
‘At this rate, I’ll be first in this arena too.’
Choi Jinsu wiped off the blood smeared on his face and smiled satisfactorily.
That is, until he opened the arena board.
“What the heck is this?!”
1st – Kim Shimun 24 kills.
2nd – Choi Jinsu 15 kills.
…….
Choi Jinsu rubbed his eyes vigorously.
However, the content on the floating arena board did not change.
“24 kills in that short time?”
The last time he checked the rankings, he was in 1st place with 13 kills. And that player, Kim Shimun, was in 2nd place with 10 kills? But the surprise was brief.
“Seems like someone who knows how to fight.”
Choi Jinsu smirked, his jaw tensing. His face was full of delight. If he was such a skilled player, they were bound to meet.
“I hope it’s from the combat type.”
Specifically, the martial arts type. With anticipation, Choi Jinsu was about to move when—
Click.
A clear sound echoed through the damp, moist passageway. At the same time,
Creak.
Like a wolf’s, Choi Jinsu’s leg twisted backwards in an instant. There was no need to think. Choi Jinsu immediately kicked the ground in response to the slight vibration under his foot.
Crunch.
The ground, where he had been standing, suddenly became sharp spikes following his feet.
Then,
Click.
Another sound was heard. At that, his ears, now sharp as a beast’s, perked up.
‘It’s quite far.’
Perhaps due to the structure of the sewer where the sound echoed. He could sense the sound echoing from a considerable distance due to its intensity.
Rumble.
“Damn it.”
Choi Jinsu dodged the earthen spikes plunging from the ceiling. “Magic System, huh? This just got troublesome.”
Before he knew it, Choi Jinsu’s arms had transformed into those of a wolf, and he was racing on all fours through the sewer.
Clink. Clink.
An incessant, unidentified clear sound echoed.
Every time that happened,
Crack-crunch!
Swoosh!
Attacks sprang from everywhere – the dirt, the water, you name it.
‘Where exactly are they hiding?’
Avoiding each assault with the nimble movements characteristic of a beast, Choi Jinsu continuously sniffed around, trying to pick out the attacker’s scent with his now sharply pointed nose.
But all he got in return was an even fouler stench of sewage and,
Crack-crunch.
Crunch!
A barrage of attacks from all directions.
‘This guy, he’s predicting my every move.’
And they were all aimed meticulously at his vitals. Destroying a rock fist flying towards his stomach, Choi Jinsu’s lips curved into a smile.
‘It’s definitely that Kim Shimun.’
He was sure of it. Given his ranking of 24th, first-class, and never before had he met someone in this division who could execute such precise and elaborate attacks.
“Though it’s the magic system, regrettable as that is, this is still quite entertaining.”
Crack.
Choi Jinsu’s face, bearing a wolf’s visage, twisted. His ears grew taller, while the pointed snout and nose slowly retracted.
A bat.
His face now evoked that of a bat as he opened his mouth wide,
~~~~~.
A scream, exclusive to bats, echoed through the sewer.
Then,
~~~~!
‘There!’
The returning ultrasonic waves pinpointed the attacker’s location.
Pat-pat-pat.
With his face still resembling that of a bat, Choi Jinsu sprinted on all fours through the sewer.
And then,
‘Found you.’
He spotted the back of a man’s head, hand raised, not too far away.
‘Kim Shimun, your end has come!’
Tap.
Racing at tremendous speed, Choi Jinsu forcefully kicked off the wall of the sewer. Strangely enough, despite the swiftness of his approach and his ongoing rush,
No sound was made by Choi Jinsu. As stealthy as a beast launching a covert attack.
Except for one thing.
Crack.
Instantaneously, the sound of transforming from a bat into a wolf’s form was the only noise. Perhaps hearing that, Kim Shimun’s body slowly turned around, but,
“Growl! Too late even if you’ve noticed!”
Choi Jinsu, mouth agape, revealing terrifyingly sharp fangs, attempted to tear into the exposed neck of the man. Or so he tried until,
Clink.
That clear sound presented itself once more, before anything else.
Boom!
“Yelp!”
A spark of agonizing pain erupted within his wide-open mouth. Flung to the ground by the sudden explosion within,
“Man, this is crazy. The closer you get, the clearer you see, huh?”
The man, who had been showing his back, slowly turned around.
“What, what?!”
Shocked, Choi Jinsu gasped upon seeing his face. Ignoring the annoyingly handsome features,
“It’s still awkward to use, yet… this is the result.”
Before the man’s left eye, a golden, precise, and elegant magic circle unfolded. And the magic circles smoothly rotated in different directions.
Yes.
“I’m really looking forward to the future with this.”
Much like peering into the nooks and crannies of an object with a state-of-the-art microscope.