Return of the Shattered Constellation

“Oh, Chang-Sun! Over here!” Executive Director Oh called out.

The directions Executive Director Oh had given Chang-Sun led to a bar that was located in Nonhyeon-dong[1], not far from Seongsu-dong. The bar was dim, and there was no one inside except Executive Director Oh and the bartender.

“I’ll be back soon, so wait here for a moment.”

After Chang-Sun made Baek Gyeo-Ul stand next to the door, he crossed the lobby alone and sat next to Executive Director Oh. The bartender laid a glass cup filled with ice in front of Chang-Sun.

“Huh, who is he?” Executive Director Oh asked, looking at Gyeo-Ul.

“His name is Baek Gyeo-Ul, and he worked with me during the training.” Chang-Sun briefly explained.

Executive Director Oh’s eyes sparkled, as he had heard the name before. Gyeo-Ul was the most famous rookie among that year’s probationers, aside from Chang-Sun. Executive Director Oh had heard that Gyeo-Ul had contributed substantially to clearing the Dungeon with Chang-Sun, but they seemed to be closer than he had initially thought.

“Does he know how to hold his tongue?” Executive Director Oh asked, sipping his drink.

“I can trust him to have my back.” Chang-Sun quietly nodded.

“Are you already trying to recruit people?” Executive Director Oh asked amusedly.

“I believe the more subordinates, the better.[2]” Chang-Sun spoke concisely.

“You aren’t entirely wrong.” Executive Director Oh grinned and filled Chang-Sun’s cup with liquor. “But you are wrong about one thing. You need more tools, not subordinates.”

The first thing Chang-Sun noticed was the liquor’s pungent smell.

“A tool you can throw away anytime you want.” Executive Director Oh said calmly, but it sounded like a piece of advice, as well as a warning to Chang-Sun.

Thud!

Emptying his glass in one gulp, Executive Director Oh handed Chang-Sun the documents that had been stacked on the barstool beside him. Chang-Sun’s eyes sparkled as he received the documents, which included his personnel report and the training instructors’ detailed comments about him. There were many comments praising Chang-Sun, talking about how people were looking forward to seeing his performance in the future, but one specific part caught Chang-Sun’s eye.

<Affiliation: Future Strategy Department.>

“Just like I promised, I assigned you to my department.” Executive Director Oh shrugged.

“Is there any mission you would like to assign me?” Chang-Sun cut to the chase.

Executive Director Oh filled his empty glass with liquor again, and Chang-Sun could see Executive Director Oh smiling contentedly in its reflection.

“The plan for new probationer training will be announced tomorrow. Unlike you, who has already proven himself by clearing the Dungeon, the other probationers are basically greenhorns, and…” Executive Director Oh began to explain.

“…?” Chang-Sun quietly wondered.

“The training will be about chasing down the remnants of the Highoff Clan. Since we have already figured out the location of their hideout, now we only have to clear them away.” Executive Director Oh continued.

Chang-Sun’s eyes shone momentarily as he thought, ‘I didn’t know things would work out this way.’

No matter how great the Highoff Clan remnants were at escaping, Chang-Sun expected that they wouldn’t be able to stay off the White Tiger Clan’s radar forever, and it seemed his expectations were indeed correct.

‘I might be able to look into matters related to the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan].’ Chang-Sun thought.

Chang-Sun’s face lit up with excitement for a moment at his own ambitious plan, but he quickly pulled himself together and returned to his calm expression. Executive Director Oh didn’t notice, too busy sipping on his drink.

“The Highoff Clan is a force to be reckoned with. Won’t it be dangerous to only send in the probationers?”

“Most Raid Team Members will also join the mission, and the Council and the other Clan also offered to help. The probationers will only be in charge of the small fries, so it’ll be a good chance for them to gain some experience.” Executive Director Oh spoke as if taking care of the remnants was no big deal.

However, Chang-Sun was certain. ‘There will be many casualties.’

Demons could never be treated the same as ordinary Players.

“However, you’ll be mobilized to the Raid Team in the Executive Department.”

‘He’s getting straight to the point.’ Chang-Sun noticed.

“This is a given, but many talented Players will join the team. Even the board of directors have raised concerns. Still, I pushed hard for you to join the Raid Team. Why should the Clan treat you the same as other mediocre probationers when you have already proven yourself?” Executive Director Oh continued, emptying his glass again. “I’ve included the information about their possible hideout at the end of the document. The mission will be initiated fifteen days later, so finish making your preparations by then.”

Thud!

Laying down his glass loudly, Executive Director Oh stood up, so Chang-Sun also rose to his feet. Meanwhile, Song Yoo-Jun appeared to hand Executive Director Oh his jacket.

“I’ll tell you the details then, too.” Executive Director Oh said as he put on his jacket.

“I have a request.” Chang-Sun said firmly.

“What is it?” Executive Director Oh turned to Chang-Sun, whose eyes reflected Executive Director Oh’s small, yet somehow menacing physique.

* * *

As a taxi took them both home, Gyeo-Ul finally relaxed a bit and let out a long sigh as he spoke, “Phew…! I really thought I might suffocate in there.”

While Chang-Sun and Executive Director Oh had their conversation that was neither too long nor too short, Gyeo-Ul hadn’t known what to do. The fearsome air around both of them, even though they were much smaller than him, had been overwhelming. However, Gyeo-Ul was happy to know that his hyung-nim was influential enough to meet the White Tiger Clan’s second-in-command one-on-one, as if he was Chang-Sun himself.

In contrast to Gyeo-Ul, who was making a fuss, Chang-Sun was busy quietly reading through the documents. Just like Executive Director Oh had said, there were a copy of the report regarding their progress in chasing down the Highoff Clan remnants, and a brief memo about the Dungeon that seemed to be their hideout under his personnel report.

<Yeti Hill: The Dungeon where groups of yetis reside. The Sword of Ohsung Clan originally owned the Dungeon, but currently, the Highoff Clan… The Dungeon is covered with ice and snowfields, and it is assumed that it also contains many crevasses. Due to an ongoing blizzard in the Dungeon, it’s difficult to see clearly inside…>

“Gyeo-Ul.” Chang-Sun said.

Gyeo-Ul’s face hardened. The air around Chang-Sun was heavy, so he quietly replied, “Yes, hyung-nim.”

“Let’s not be satisfied with what we have now. You and I still have a long way to go.” Chang-Sun said nonchalantly.

Gyeo-Ul opened his eyes wide because although Chang-Sun spoke concisely, he could somehow feel Chang-Sun getting out of his ‘well’. Therefore Gyeo-Ul beamed and fervently nodded. “Yes, hyung-nim!”

He shouted so loudly that the taxi driver was startled. Even Chang-Sun was a bit shocked, but he ended up lightly chuckling. It seemed he would continue to laugh a lot in the future if he stayed together with the innocent son of his friend.

* * *

The fifteen day window Executive Director Oh had given Chang-Sun passed very quickly, and during those days, Chang-Sun and Gyeo-Ul’s routines had been the same. They left home early every morning and headed to the training range in Seongsu-dong. Gyeo-Ul focused on controlling [Shadow Play], and in the meanwhile, Chang-Sun…

Swoosh―!

focused on conquering the Changgwi Cave.

[The remaining time is 3 hours 41 minutes 30 seconds.]

[Current Location: Sector Twenty Four of the Second Floor.]

‘I’ll put myself in peak condition before I take out the Highoff Clan remnants.’ Chang-Sun planned.

In many ways, the Changgwi Cave was the perfect place for Chang-Sun to train and improve himself.

“He-he’s a monster…”

“A human has shown up again…! Close the castle gate…! Hurry…!”

“What did the search party do…!”

When he showed up, Chang-Sun could see the Changgwis fall into chaos from afar: They ran away in various directions and comedically bumped against each other and fell down on the ground.

‘It’s ironic to hear the real monsters calling me a monster. Anyhow.’ Chang-Sun dumbfoundedly chuckled and squinted. ‘Castle gate, huh?’

[The Skill ‘Viper Eyes’ has been activated, checking the target that is at a distance!]

He could see a very high castle, which was surrounded by walls that looked like something out of the Middle Ages, behind the Changgwis.

‘There must be a city behind those walls. They actually live like humans.’ Chang-Sun noticed.

When he reached the end of the second floor, which was made up of twenty-five sectors, he found out that Changgwis weren’t actually so different from humans. In the same way that the Dungeon Message had told him after he had entered the Changgwi Cave for the first time, each floor of the Changgwi Cave was comprised of different environments and cities.

Chang-Sun passed over ten villages and two fairly large cities. They manufactured products and traded with each other. From time to time, they were divided into factions and had territorial disputes. Chang-Sun had never seen monsters that were so similar to humans, even in his ‘Divine Twilight’ years.

‘I still don’t plan to go easy on them.’ Chang-Sun thought.

Of course, he couldn’t take pity on them since he had to complete the Dungeon Quest, and the Changgwis also had zero intention of letting Chang-Sun live.

‘I’ll break the castle gate first.’

[The Effect ‘Single Eon Fire’ has been activated!]

[The Title ‘Jigwi’s Phantom Body’ has been applied!]

Woosh!

Sparks flared from Chang-Sun’s back, and soon, the sparks morphed into wings. At the same time, Chang-Sun grabbed the Nameless Spear, which he had turned into a long spear, and used the Eon Fire to full capacity. This allowed him to fly much faster, and the flames climbed up his arms and covered the Nameless Spear’s head. Using Lance Charging, Chang-Sun turned into a bolt of red lightning and moved towards the castle gate in a flash.

[The State ‘Fierce Tiger’ has been applied!]

[The ‘Fierce Tiger Dispatch’ is raging!]

When Chang-Sun’s thickened [Tiger Kill] mixed together, he truly looked like a tiger running at an impossible speed, wings spread behind his back as he charged toward the gate.

“No-no…!” The Changgwi that were guarding the gate urgently yelled as they tried to lock the gate.

Boom!

Their shrieks were muffled by the sound of the explosion as the castle gate burst into twigs and splinters, just as it was about to be locked. That wasn’t the end. Flames from the explosion spread everywhere, shaking the castle walls and covering them with cracks.

Boom…!

Rumble, thud―!

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ is having fun, applauding you on your refreshingly straightforward attacks!]

Chang-Sun ran to the center of the city as he broke through the crowds of screaming Changgwis that rushed in his direction. For Chang-Sun, these low-ranking Changgwis were merely glass dolls that would shatter apart with one small strike.

[The Player ‘Lee Chang-Sun’ is dominating!]

* * *

Thud!

In the twenty-fifth sector of the second floor, there was a gigantic city, which could rarely be seen from the other sectors or floors. In the center of the city, on the highest highland, there was the Red Palace[3]; the palace of the second floor’s ruler.

The entire Red Palace was shaking as the Hongsal King, the strongest Hongsal, angrily shouted, “What…? Sector twenty-four has also been conquered…? Why can’t you do your job…?!”

‘Why did that strange human have to show up now…?!’

‘I have to lie as low as possible. If I get on the wrong side of His Highness right now, I would be killed for sure.’

‘A storm is coming again.’

All the Hongsal subordinates kept their eyes to the floor, unable to face their ruler. They were all Hongsals, the second lowest class of Changgwis, who could live like royalty on the first and second floors, but they could never win against the Hongsal King even if they all joined forces. The Hongsal King had overwhelming power and a menacing air around him, so the Gulgaks from the third floor and the Yiols, the noble class Changgwis, were reluctant to have conflicts against him, regardless of their own class.

“You were the ones who said it’s a small commotion that will be taken care of in no time! You told us to focus on conquering the third floor…! At least try to make an excuse…! You have mouths don’t you…?!”

Still, all the subordinates kept their mouths shut, because just like the Hongsal King said, they had been disregarding the commotion over the past fifteen days, complacently thinking that a mere human wouldn’t be able to cause too much damage. Frankly, they didn’t really care much about any damages to the Sas, the low-ranking Changgwis.

However, they couldn’t have been more wrong. This human invader was so strong that they couldn’t do much to resist him. In fact, forty percent of the Hongsals were not present, as they had been killed by the human while hurriedly trying to subdue him before the Hongsal King grew more furious. The deceased Hongsals didn’t know that their hasty countermeasures would make the Hongsal King even angrier.

‘The fact that I must achieve great work with these idiots makes me so bitter and resentful…!’ The Hongsal King clenched his teeth.

He wasn’t originally a citizen of the Changgwi Cave. In the same way as Chang-Sun, he had been dragged into it by the curse of [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] and ended up becoming a Changgwi after failing to escape. The Hongsal King remained as a Honggsal because his pride as the heir of the prestigious Prezia family in Arcadia stopped him from consuming human flesh.

His goal was bigger and greater than the second floor of the Changgwi Cave: He was going to conquer all nine floors of the Changgwi Cave and subdue the five Gulhons to return to his home! After that, he planned to gather up all the remaining starlight of [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] and transcend into a deity, which he had wished to become for his entire life!

To fulfill his goal, he had kept his nose to the grindstone, conquering the first and second floors. His invasion to the third floor had finally begun…but now there was a sudden unexpected variable messing up his whole plan. He had been steadily driving one of the third floor rulers, Cheongsal King, into a corner, but now, instead of vanquishing the third floor, his stronghold was on the verge of collapse. Therefore, he had to bite the bullet and deploy his army back to the second floor. The Hongsal King had every reason to be furious with his idiotic subordinates, who had allowed the situation to get to this point.

He was also enraged at Chang-Sun, the source of all this havoc, and was filled with the thought of shredding Chang-Sun to pieces, no matter what. Through his tightly closed lips, the sound of the angry Hongsal King gritting his teeth ominously echoed through the palace halls.

1. A region in Korea. ☜

2. The raw is 손발은 많을수록 좋다고 생각합니다. This is a Korean phrase that uses a bit of wordplay. There is a word ‘수족’ (which means the same as ‘손발’). It usually means ‘limbs’, but sometimes it’s used to refer to one’s subordinate. ☜

3. The raw was 홍궁. 홍(Hong) means red in Korean. ☜