Return of the Shattered Constellation

Shin Geum-Gyu gritted his teeth as he thought, ‘Where on earth did she disappear to…?’

It had already been four days since his twin sister disappeared into thin air. While his team was crossing the forest, a group of monsters had ambushed them. Under the guidance of his team leader, Kim Hyeong-Jun, the team had successfully gotten the monsters under control to an extent. The problem came afterward, because Shin Eun-Seo had disappeared while they were killing monsters.

At first, Geum-Gyu assumed that she had hidden from the monsters or fallen behind the group as she chased after the escaping monsters; after a while, however, he became nervous, thinking that perhaps a monster he failed to notice had kidnapped his sister.

However, no matter how much he scoured the area with his teammates and how many monster hives they raided, Geum-Gyu could not find Eun-Seo. If he had found her corpse, he would have been sad, but he could have at least given up. Nevertheless, he had been unable to find a single trace of her, as if she had evaporated into thin air. Geum-Gyu even asked the instructors, who had said they would protect the trainees in secret, what had happened, but the answer he received was that they had not seen what happened because of the hectic situation, leaving him incredibly frustrated.

Every day from then on was torture for Geum-Gyu. Sometimes he felt so suffocated that he was unable to breathe, leading him to run into the forest alone and scream at the top of his lungs. However, he could not calm down.

Although he had always teased his sister for her immaturity and nagged her about wasting her time and money, she was still his dearest sister. Although she acted as if she had a screw loose, she was very considerate of others. In contrast to Geum-Gyu, who always gave up even if he wanted something, she was so tenacious that she got things done every time. In fact, she was very mature, almost as if she were his older sister; he still had a lot to learn from her.

Eun-Seo had been like that ever since she was little. In the past, Geum-Gyu had once returned home after being beaten by the neighborhood bullies because of his impoverished single-parent family. Upon seeing him in such a state, she had fiercely asked who was responsible, then gone out with a slipper. After a while, she returned with a bruised eye, looking incredibly strong as she brightly said she had slapped the bad guys’ foreheads using her slipper. After their mother found out about the incident, she had scolded Eun-Seo for being too wild, but Eun-Seo had just beamed, saying she was alright.

Geum-Gyu could not lose his dear sister like this. Thus, he had left his team members, who had grown reluctant to find her, two days prior. However…

‘Why did I run into them here…?!’ Geum-Gyu thought in frustration.

He ran into trouble because he was stopped by Lim Joo-Han and his boys, who had formed the biggest group in the ‘Blackish Blood Mountain Range’ named Mister Lim[1].

“Please… Let me enter. I beg you,” Geum-Gyu pleaded with a bow.

The people who had stopped him were perplexed, but they shook their heads as if they had no other choice.

“I’m sorry.”

“We also know why you’re doing this, but…”

They trailed off as they busily tiptoed around Joo-Han, who was crossing his arms and watching them. It was enough for Geum-Gyu to figure out who was trying to interrupt his search, so he looked at Joo-Han with a pleading gaze.

However, Joo-Han calmly shook his head with the gentle smile he had used to bewitch several other people, saying, “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that, because it’s dangerous here. We’ll look for your sister as much as possible, so please go back.”

Although he spoke very politely, he was firmly declining Geum-Gyu’s request to enter the area. In truth, Joo-Han was secretly very annoyed, despite his calm expression. He thought, ‘What’s this idiot? I already have tons of things to do, but he’s bothering me.’

Joo-Han had ordered his team members to block the route because it led Players to an area with monsters that could give a substantial amount of experience points. As he was aiming to be on top among the trainees—no, be on top of the Dungeon Ranking, he did not want other teams to use the hunting ground he had secured with great difficulty.

‘Lee Chang-Sun, Lee Chang-Sun…! I have to beat him somehow,’ Joo-Han thought, gritting his teeth.

The last time he had checked, Chang-Sun was in second place on the Dungeon Ranking, not just the trainee ranking. Considering how the training exercise had just started three weeks ago, Chang-Sun’s current ranking was absurd. In contrast to Chang-Sun, Joo-Han was currently in 121st place. On top of that, there was also a man named Baek Gyeo-Ul who was at 42nd place in the Dungeon Ranking. Although Joo-Han was confident that he could climb the ranks within the remaining period, he could not tolerate someone’s name being above his.

‘I have to close the gap as quickly as possible because it’ll be harder to do so as time passes,’ Joo-Han thought anxiously.

That was why he had secured an efficient hunting ground and focused on leveling up after instructing his team members to stop anyone from approaching. However, he had suddenly been stopped by his team member’s urgent report.

‘His sister went missing nearby? Nonsense! He should have come up with a better excuse. Who would believe that? Tsk!”

He had already concluded that Geum-Gyu was lying. However, even if Geum-Gyu was speaking the truth, Joo-Han had no intention of granting his request, because the world of Players was very cruel. If a monster got the better of Geum-Gyu in the training institute, a place safely guarded by instructors, he would soon die in a foreign Dungeon if he ever went out into the field.

‘That kind of guy is always a problem. Without knowing the reality of Player life, they flock toward the job like moths—no, idiots—just because Players look cool.’

Holding his desire to show his disgust, Joo-Han smiled gently again; no matter how much of an idiot someone else was, it was important to always maintain one’s image as a kind-hearted person.

“I’ll search the area for just a minute, so…!” Geum-Gyu desperately shouted.

“I’m sorry,” Joo-Han said as he turned back to return to his hunting ground, thinking Geum-Gyu had to have understood by now.

Paaah―!

“Huh, huuuh?”

“Wait…!”

Joo-Han’s team members shouted as Geum-Gyu ran in the direction of the hunting ground with gritted teeth, avoiding the people trying to stop him.

Clash!

“Step back,” Joo-Han said, instinctively drawing his sword to stop Geum-Gyu once again.

“B-but…!” Geum-Gyu stuttered as he came to a halt, as Joo-Han’s bloody sword would slice through his waist if he continued to force his way in.

“It’s against the rules to trespass in a hunting ground that has an owner,” Joo-Han said, reminding him of the training institute’s rule.

According to the principle of ‘survival of the fittest,’ trainees could form a team or monopolize a hunting ground. However, they would only be able to do so if they were skilled enough, meaning other people could also take one from them.

To sum things up, Geum-Gyu had to choose one of two options to pass through the area: He had to win against Joo-Han or become his subordinate. Unlike Eun-Seo, Geum-Gyu was not a talented Player, so he had no way of winning against Joo-Han. Still, he could not retreat. Thus, he ended up hesitating, unsure what to do.

With a solemn look, Joo-Han brought his sharp sword closer to Geum-Gyu’s neck, threatening to take his head off at any minute with just a little more force.

[The aura of ‘Tiger Kill’ fills the air!]

As he continued to ramp up the intimidation, Joo-Han gave the trembling Geum-Gyu a final warning—no, he was about to as he began, “I said, step back…!”

“Get away from my younger brother[2], you half-chewed squid![3]”

…However, Joo-Han was interrupted by Eun-Seo’s yelling.

* * *

Shouting at the top of her lungs, Eun-Seo abruptly sprang forward. It seemed that the person being intimidated was her twin ‘younger brother’, whom Eun-Seo had been looking for; however, as the person doing the intimidating seemed strong, Gyeo-Ul prepared to follow Eun-Seo.

“Wait,” Chang-Sun suddenly said, holding out a hand to stop Gyeo-Ul.

“What’s wrong, sir?” Gyeo-Ul asked in confusion.

“Stay put for a moment,” Chang-Sun instructed him.

Gyeo-Ul looked at Chang-Sun with confusion for a moment, wondering why he had given such an order. However, when he noticed that Chang-Sun’s gaze was fixed on Eun-Seo, he took a step backward without challenging the order, because he believed Chang-Sun had to have a legitimate reason. Ever since Gyeo-Ul had undone the half-spirit curse, he trusted Chang-Sun more than anyone else in the world.

‘If I observe her, I’ll be able to find out what a Gildal is and check if she suffers from other side effects,’ Chang-Sun thought as he silently watched Eun-Seo.

Boom!

Leaping high into the air, Eun-Seo accurately landed between Geum-Gyu and Joo-Han, kicking up a large cloud of dust. At that moment, Joo-Han subconsciously moved back a bit; on top of being surprised by Eun-Seo’s sudden interference, she was also emanating shockingly intense energy.

[The aura of ‘Tiger Kill’ is raging!]

Behind Eun-Seo, Geum-Gyu was also surprised and dumbfounded, barely managing to utter, “You…!” For a moment, he had been relieved to find his twin sister, whom he had tried so hard to search for. However, it seemed as if she had become a totally different person.

However, Chang-Sun thought Eun-Seo was bound to be different; her [Tiger Kill] had been infused with a substantial amount of the ‘Hohwan Mama’ after partially undergoing Gildalization, which meant it was a lot more advanced than that of the other trainees who had recently learned [Tiger Kill]. Thus, unless the person’s mastery of the skill was higher than Eun-Seo’s own, they would naturally feel overwhelmed by her. That was not what surprised Chang-Sun the most, however.

‘She might be surprised at the changes in her body, but she’s handling the change quite well, as if she had been born this way,’ Chang-Sun observed.

Judging from the way she was acting, Eun-Seo herself seemed to be shocked by the sudden changes in her body. It was understandable, as her stats had completely changed after being rescued from the monster who had kidnapped her.

However, she did not reveal how baffled she was; perhaps it was because now was not the time to do so, or it was simply because she was far tougher than her petite frame suggested. Rather, her eyes shone brightly with apparent satisfaction at her newfound power.

“How dare you lay hands on my younger brother? Get lost!” Eun-Seo shouted with fierce energy.

Joo-Han’s expression froze. Only after his subordinates pointed their weapons at Eun-Seo did he come back to reality, his face red with embarrassment. He gripped his sword tightly as he bit his lower lip, asking, “…What did you say?”

“I said, you look like a piece of half-chewed squid. Do you have a problem with that? Oh, I see what the problem is. You look like a dried-up sea anemone, so I can’t compare you to an innocent squid. Ah, wait, then am I being unfair to the sea anemone?” Eun-Seo remarked with a smirk.

For his entire life, Joo-Han had walked an elite path and was always considered handsome, so he had never heard such an insult. On top of that, Eun-Seo’s smirk only made him angrier. However, he suppressed his anger as best he could and calmly said, “You’re insulting me and my team.”

“How is it an insult? Well, you’re the one who tried to lay a hand on my younger brother, and what’s that? Blackmailing? Threatening? Playing Gab? What’s your favorite?” Eun-Seo continued.

Feeling as if he would go out of his mind if he continued to bicker with the petite woman before him, Joo-Han’s expression stiffened once again before he said, “I guess I have to shut your mouth first.”

Paaah―!

Joo-Han moved quickly, planning to subdue Eun-Seo first. As the instructors were no doubt watching, he could not truly harm her, but the instructors would not interfere unless the fight became too serious. Thus, he could still teach her just how scary the world was. Joo-Han’s team members, who had been staying still, also moved; as his subordinates, they had to help him.

“You cowards. Well, I guess I should have seen it coming, seeing as three men are ganging up on one woman, huh?” Eun-Seo remarked, insulting them as much as she could while coldly analyzing the situation.

She was going up against a total of three Players, including Joo-Han. He already looked like a skilled Player who would not be easy to deal with, but there were two more Players aside from him. If she fought them head-to-head, she would definitely lose; even though she had acquired a mysterious power, she could not guarantee that she would be able to use it unless she completely mastered it.

However, she would be able to win if she used that power correctly. Thus, she took a weapon out of a deep corner of her inventory and slammed it against the ground.

‘A tower shield?’ Chang-Sun thought in surprise.

Eun-Seo had pulled out something he had never expected—a two-meter-tall tower shield that was far larger than her entire body. The shield was so thick that most attacks would fail to even leave a scratch on it.

Clang! Clash!

“W-What’s going on…?”

“Why did it…?!”

Just as expected, the two Players who tried to attack Eun-Seo first were perplexed when their attacks were easily blocked by her tower shield. Paying little heed to them, Eun-Seo moved forward, focusing her power on holding the tower shield in her left hand. When she moved forward with the tower shield, she looked like an armored car, severely intimidating her opponents.

[Your ‘Tiger Walk’ is strengthening as you walk forward!!]

[You are moving more quickly!]

[The Skill ‘Shield Attack’ is being used with full force!]

Boom! Boom!

“Aarggh!”

“Urgh!”

Eun-Seo charged forward so quickly that the two Players were instantly struck by her tower shield. One Player flew into the air like a deflated balloon, eventually rolling across the ground. Barely managing to sidestep the charge, the other Player dodged Eun-Seo’s [Shield Attack] and attempted to attack her from the side, but he was stopped.

Clanggg!

“Hal-halberd…?!” The second Player’s eyes widened when he saw what had stopped his sword attack.

It was a long halberd, a weapon with a sharp spike attached to a large ax blade for a head. Just like the tower shield, the halberd was so large that it seemed as if it could cut monsters in half from top to bottom with a single strike. The contrast between the petite woman who was barely 160 centimeters tall and the vicious-looking polearm only made the sight look more intimidating.

[A ‘Tiger Disaster’ is being used with full force!]

The Player had no idea where his opponent’s power was coming from. Eun-Seo powerfully swung the halberd in her right hand.

Crack, boom!

Slide!

She destroyed the Player’s sword instantly, and also hit him as hard as she could. At the last moment, she had used the back of the halberd, keeping the Player from dying; however, he was tossed a great distance away, struck by an immense force akin to being hit by a car.

“…!”

“…!”

Eun-Seo’s outrageous power overwhelmed everything.

[The aura of ‘Tiger Kill’ has filled the air!]

Having missed the chance to attack Eun-Seo, Joo-Han stood still, frozen in place. Geum-Gyu gaped, vacantly watching Eun-Seo in disbelief over what was happening.

“What were you going to do with me again?” Eun-Seo casually threw Joo-Han a question.

Joo-Han subconsciously straightened his posture, as a shiver and a trickle of cold sweat ran down his spine.

Looking at Joo-Han, Eun-Seo laughed slyly as she continued, “My memory often fails me, so can you tell me again, you spoon-worm-looking mister?”

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ cheers the Player ‘Shin Eun-Seo’ on for executing justice!]

1. The raw literally says ‘Mister Lim’. The intent is to convey how arrogant he is. ☜

2. Age is very important in Korea. The older you are, the more mature and skilled you are assumed to be, so people like to say ‘I’m older than you’. As Eun-Seo and Geum-Gyu are twins, they always argue about who was born first. ☜

3. Koreans often make fun of other people’s looks using sea creatures. The most commonly used one is squid. ☜