Return of the Shattered Constellation

Bang!

Woosh―!

Chang-Sun kicked off the ground once again. The energy around him was completely different from what the Hongsal King had seen up to that point.

[The State ‘Fierce Tiger’ has changed to the State ‘Jackal Tiger’!]

In contrast to [Fierce Tiger], [Jackal Tiger] meant a wicked tiger. From that point forward, Chang-Sun planned to channel all his focus on taking the Hongsal King’s life, with no regard for his own safety. As though he sensed Chang-Sun’s determination, the Hongsal King tugged on Hyoong’s reign using his left hand. The tensed-up Hyoong became vicious once again and charged towards Chang-Sun.

Swish, swoosh, swish―!

Boom!

“Hmm…!” The Hongsal King and Hyoong were knocked a few steps backward by the collision, a stark contrast to the previous fight where Chang-Sun had been continually pushed back. The Hongsal King couldn’t help but open his eyes wide in shock. However, that wasn’t the end of Chang-Sun’s attack.

Swish, swish―!

[Yuchang Sword] moved like lightning, and [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] created fierce explosions. Although Chang-Sun wielded both, they moved very differently from one another, as if each of them were being handled by different people. While [Yuchang Sword] tenaciously focused on attacking the Hongsal King’s vital points, [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] burst the condensed Aeon Fire to restrict the Hongsal King’s movement as much as possible, leaving him too overwhelmed to attack.

[The Additional Skill ‘Jackal Tiger Hacks’ has been activated, raging over the opponent!]

Swish, swoosh, swish―!

[Yuchang Sword] moves more quickly, continuing to push the Hongsal King and Hyoong backward.

[The State ‘Jackal Tiger’ has been changed to the State ‘Cruel Tiger’.]

[The Additional Skill ‘Cruel Tiger’s Venomous Fang’ has been activated, raging over the opponent!]

Just as the Hongsal King began to break free of the unrelenting barrage of attacks, Chang-Sun held [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] in a reverse grip and stabbed it deep into the nape of Hyoong’s neck.

“Hyoong!” The Hongsal King cried out.

Thud―!

Roar!

Hyoong screamed in pain. Whenever it writhed, blue blood squirted like a fountain from the wound. The Hongsal King tried to calm Hyoong down somehow, but Hyoong could not hear anything over the pain. In the end, he had to get off Hyoong.

Chang-Sun didn’t miss the opening; he cross-held [Yuchang Sword] and [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] and advanced towards the Hongsal King, who was about to fix his posture. The Hongsal King struck between the two swords with his greatsword, causing a great shockwave once again.

Rumble…!

Thud!

Meanwhile, Hyoong feebly collapsed on the ground. Since it was so gigantic, the ground shook when it landed, and by the time it closed its eyes, a substantial amount of Hohwan Mama was emitted, which Chang-Sun absorbed.

[Eliminated the Named Monster ‘Hyoong’!]

[Acquired the ‘Hyoong Rib’ ×3]

[Acquired the ‘Hongsal King’s Rein’]

…

[Acquired a massive amount of the Biwi factors!]

Chang-Sun acquired much more Biwi factors from it than anything else, as though Hyoong was classified as a higher-class creature than the other generals. He had even received a four percent replenishment of stamina.

Boom!

Still, it wasn’t easy to deal with the Hongsal King’s power, which continued to be outrageous.

‘I thought he’d be shaken up a bit after I killed his dear pet, but he isn’t even phased.’ Chang-Sun thought.

The Hongsal King still stood firmly, as if his heart was covered with iron walls. Those walls seemed unbreakable.

‘Maybe not.’ Chang-Sun thought.

Shortly after, he realized that the Hongsal King’s demeanor had changed. Before, he had boasted confidently, but since Hyoong’s death, the Hongsal King had been silent. Chang-Sun could see the Hongsal King’s two eyes becoming colder through the gaps in his helmet, and his fiercely active energy was sharply refined like a knife's edge. Above all…

[The Hohwan Mama is raging!]

…his attacks had become much fiercer.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Woosh, woosh―!

A close confrontation ensued: Every time the Hongsal King struck with his greatsword, Chang-Sun’s firestorm was destroyed in an instant. He overwhelmed Chang-Sun like a heavy tank speeding across a battlefield. Chang-Sun released as much divine and demonic energy as he could to fend off the Honsal King.

Rumble…!

As they turned counterclockwise, they exchanged attacks for the last time.

Thud―!

Slash!

The ground turned upside down, making clouds of dust rise up. Chang-Sun stabbed deep into the Hongsal King’s left shoulder with [Yuchang Sword], while the Hongsal King left a deep diagonal cut on Chang-Sun’s upper body using his greatsword. They both sustained serious injuries, but Chang-Sun’s injury looked more severe.

[You have sustained a fatal injury.]

[Your HP has fallen below 5%! You are advised to take a break after moving to a safe place.]

The warning messages popped up. Gritting his teeth, trying not to moan in pain, Chang-Sun turned in the opposite direction to strike the Hongsal King’s neck with [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth]. The Hongsal King also reached out with his left hand toward Chang-Sun’s head, trying to crush Chang-Sun’s skull with his monstrous grip strength. The moment they were about to strike each other with their lethal blows…

[The remaining time is 0 seconds.]

[The given time limit is over.]

[Day 5 Assessment: SSS.]

[A pre-selected reward will be given out based on the assessment.]

[Returning to reality!]

Paaah!

Chang-Sun’s vision was flooded with white light.

* * *

“Wait, Mr. Shin. Don’t do this to me. Just let me take one photo, just one photo from far away.”

“I told you that you can’t.” Shin Byeong-Cheol, the boss of the Player practice range ‘Shin Gym’, shook his head as he looked at Kim Soo-Hyun, his half-decent drinking buddy that he had met at some gathering. Soo-Hyun had been bothering him since yesterday.

It was understandable, since the Shin Gym had seen a constant stream of visitors since the Tyrant Lee Chang-Sun had been visiting the range for five consecutive days.

Byeong-Cheol tried to refrain from speaking of Chang-Sun, as he worried about spectators inconveniencing the other members. However, it was impossible to cover everyone’s eyes, so the rumors had inevitably spread. In the end it was revealed, and Byeong-Chol received calls from incessant reporters every day since then, asking for Byeong-Cheol’s permission to cover his gym.

Soo-Hyun was one such reporter. As a reporter for SBC, the public TV network, he continuously poked Byeong-Cheol’s waist and asked him to arrange a meeting with Chang-Sun. If the meeting wasn’t possible, Soo-Hyun wanted Byeong-Cheol to at least let him take a photo of Chang-Sun in training.

Of course, both requests were unacceptable for Byeong-Cheol. His old regulars were already complaining, so there was no need to cause more unnecessary trouble.

“Think about it. This might be a good chance for you, Mr. Choi! If your gym is in the news, that’s free advertising! The best gymnasium, recommended by the Tyrant himself! Isn’t that a great advertising slogan?”

“Reporter Kim,.” said Byeong-Cheol.

“Huh?” Soo-Hyun tilted his head.

“Cut it out.” Byeong-Cheol frowned seriously, and the air in his office suddenly became heavy.

Hiccup!

Soo-Hyun turned pale and began hiccuping without realizing. Even though Byeong-Cheol had retired, he was still a level 40 Player who was considered a semi-ranker, so a mere civilian could not handle his energy. Byeong-Cheol finally realized his mistake and relaxed. The air in the office returned to its original state, but Soo-Hyun was still pale.

“I already told you I can’t allow you to film in here, and I don’t have anything else to say on the matter, so go back to your office,” Byeong-Cheol spoke as politely as possible, but it was evident that he was kicking Soo-Hyeon out of the practice range.

Worrying he might be harmed, Soo-Hyun hurriedly left the office.

Byeong-Cheol heaved a long sigh and massaged his aching temples with his thumb and index fingers as he looked at Soo-Hyun. “Those trashy reporters…”

Soo-Hyun had to walk across the hallway for a long time before he could finally catch his breath. Once he came to his senses, he hysterically kicked the innocent trash bin beside a vending machine. “That cheap bastard! There’re zero customers because he’s so inflexible!”

While Soo-Hyun was busy huffing and puffing, the cameraman Lee Jae-Yeong, who had been waiting for him in the lounge, came up to him and asked, “What shall we do then, seonbae-nim?”

Soo-Hyun bit a cigarette, and Jae-Yeong quickly leaned over to light it.

“What do you mean ‘what shall we do’? Do you really think we can go back empty-handed after talking such a big game to the media desk? Do you want to get reprimanded by the general manager?” Soo-Hyun growled.

Even without this incident, Soo-Hyun was already hated by the people at the media desk. The auditors had recently caught him writing a positive article for a company after receiving a bribe. He had luckily gotten away with it by submitting a written apology and taking a three month salary cut, but he still had to tread carefully nowadays. He naturally became anxious, as he thought this might put him at a disadvantage in the upcoming promotion review.

“Then…?” Jae-Yeong cautiously asked.

“Didn’t you say Lee Chang-Sun is in room seventeen?” Soo-Hyun squinted.

“Pardon? Yes, b-but Mr. Choi clearly said no…!” Jae-Yeong stuttered.

“What’s he going to say if I just say we ‘coincidentally’ taped him? He usually leaves at six, right? Let’s wait for him here and secretly tape him when he leaves the room. If possible, we’ll also get an interview.” Soo-Hyun grinned.

“S-still…!” Jae-Yeong tried to refute.

“When your seonbae tells you to do something, just do it. Why are you still talking?” Soo-Hyun scowled.

Jae-Yong couldn’t say anything.

“There’s a chance he won’t do an interview, but that might be better. Wait, should I just follow him around to annoy him? I can already see the headline. ‘Famous genius Tyrant has a tyrannical personality too’! Gosh…! That’s a good one.” Soo-Hyun began humming with delight. His plan sounded plausible, even though he had just rambled on.

‘It-it’ll be dangerous…’ Jae-Yeong nervously looked at Soo-Hyun, recalling how it had not ended well for any reporter that provoked Chang-Sun during the time he was active as a professional gamer.

Still, a rookie who had joined the company less than a year ago couldn’t stop a seonbae who had been with the company for over ten years. All Jae-Yeong could do was sigh anxiously.

* * *

“Hyeong…hyeong-nim!” Baek Gyeo-Ul screamed and hurriedly ran towards Chang-Sun when he opened his eyes.

Not knowing what to do, Gyeo-Ul nervously waved his hand at Chang-Sun’s torso. Chang-Sun looked down, wondering what was going on. His shirt was smeared with blood— He had sustained the same injury he had gotten in the ‘Changgwi Cave’ in reality. He had already found out about this over his many visits to the ‘Changgwi Cave’, but this time it was quite unpleasant.

“Let-let’s go to a hospital quick-quickly…!” Gyeo-Ul was still rushing frantically, making Chang-Sun laugh.

Until just a few minutes ago, he had been fighting like a madman in a close battle, but that moment seemed so far away now, as if he had been dreaming.

[Pulled out the ‘Large Healing Potion’!]

Trying his hardest not to faint, he forcefully ripped his shirt open and pulled out the [Healing Potion]that he had stashed a while ago from his inventory. Potions were really tricky to create, so they were quite expensive, even for Players. One large bottle of potion almost cost a hundred-million won.

“I-I’ll do it!” Gyeo-Ul snatched the potion out of Chang-Sun’s hand and opened it for him, after seeing Chang-Sun fail to pull out the cork due to a lack of strength. Gyeo-Ul was in such a hurry that he almost broke the clamp that secured the cork in place, even though all he had to do was push.

Pzzz!

Gyeo-Ul had to pour four bottles of potion on Chang-Sun’s wound to finally heal it.

[Over 50% of your HP has been regained. Your condition has improved significantly.]

“Phew… I guess I almost died.” Chang-Sun grumbled as he lightly sighed.

He spoke so nonchalantly that if anyone saw Chang-Sun without knowing what happened, they would think he had just tripped and fell during a leisurely stroll.

“Hyung-nim, what on earth happened…?” Gyeo-Ul asked as he looked at Chang-Sun nervously. Although he knew that something extraordinary happened whenever Chang-Sun meditated for a ‘very short moment’, this time was totally different.

He looked like he had barely managed to escape an intense battle, filling the air with not only the smell of blood but also the chaotic smell of a battlefield. His state was worse than the time he had gone up against the Jigwis, so Gyeo-Ul was bound to be worried.

“I’m fine.” Chang-Sun nonchalantly reassured Gyeo-Ul as if nothing had happened, but Chang-Sun’s eyes were still alert.

‘The fight against the Hongsal King… I might have looked like I was holding my own, but he was clearly overwhelming me.’ Chang-Sun thought, recalling the fierce battle.

No matter how fun the fight was, he always had to analyze it after it was over. That was how he could figure out what his own weaknesses were, and how to ultimately defeat his opponents. Of course, he was indeed very tired from going against many Changgwis before facing the Hongsal King, but that was just an excuse. Anything could happen on the battlefield, and he wanted to be prepared.

What mattered now was whether or not he could achieve victory if he fought against the Hongsal King. The Hongsal King was so strong that Chang-Sun wasn’t confident he could win against him, even if he fought in the best possible condition. The Hongsal King’s charisma on a battlefield, combat technique, energy… He was so powerful in every way that it almost seemed like a shame that he was rotting in the Changgwi Cave.

‘If the Changgwis from the second floor are like him, then how hard will it be on the remaining seven floors?’ Chang-Sun wondered.

Even if the Hongsal King was extraordinarily stronger than the Changgwis in the same class as him, he would still be a lot weaker than a ‘Yukhon’, the highest-ranking Changgwi.

‘I guess there’s only two ways to make up for this,’ Chang-Sun thought as he recalled his other plans, not involving the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan]. ‘[Blood Lightning] or [Reinforced Skeleton]… It looks like I have to get one of them, but I can’t find One-horned Tribe Dungeon so I’ll have to exclude [Blood Lightning]. That leaves [Reinforced Skeleton].’

After successfully absorbing two Jigwis, he had already increased his Magic stat to the level that he wanted, but he still had some work to do with his body. [Reinforced Skeleton] was the ‘passageway’ and requisite to obtain the trait he wanted; [Indestructible Body].

‘The problem is that I have to go up against the Hongsal King twenty-four hours later.’ Chang-Sun thought, stroking his chin.

Of course, he couldn’t obtain [Reinforced Skeleton] within that time, because the requirements to get it were very tricky. Originally he had planned to obtain [Reinforced Skeleton] much later.

‘What shall I do?’ Chang-Sun wondered for a very short moment. ‘Come to think of it, ‘Yeti Hill’ was a snowfield. Then, I’ll just….!’

Zing, ziinng!

His smartphone suddenly buzzed. When he checked it, he saw a new message.

「The White Tiger Clan Executive Director Oh Shi-Hwan: Come to the destination tomorrow at 7 a.m.」

「The White Tiger Clan Executive Director Oh Shi-Hwan: I’ve finished making the preparations you asked for.」

Chang-Sun’s eyes shone. ‘Let’s focus on this for now, and think about a solution later.’

Just as he was about to reply, another message came through.

「The Obedient Blacksmith: Stop by the forge when you’re done training. I’ve finished making the weapon.」

It was a message from Choi Bu-Yong.