Return of the Shattered Constellation

“No, I don’t know why they chose the Dungeon as their hideout,” Chang-Sun said, calmly shaking his head.

Choi Hyeong-Gil smiled faintly and said, “There’s an item called the [Frost Monarch’s Breath].”

“[Frost Monarch’s Breath]?” Chang-Sun repeated. He had never heard of the name, even though he had been in countless Dungeons. However, monsters were rarely given the title of ‘Monarch’; only a special monster with a <Name> would be called that on rare occasions. Thus, Chang-Sun tilted his head, wondering what the item was.

“It’s one of the best [Ice Crystals], also called an [Everlasting Ice Crystal],” Hyeong-Gil continued.

“…!” Chang-Sun’s eyes widened slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Hyeong-Gil asked.

“No, it’s nothing,” Chang-Sun nonchalantly replied. However, he was actually quite surprised, thinking, ‘That thing is also in that Dungeon?’

Among the ten <Fallen Stars>, First Elder had taught Chang-Sun about the [Impervious Body], and Second Elder had told him about the [Eon Fire of the Eight Trigrams Brazier]. The <Fallen Star> Chang-Sun had named ‘Third Elder’ had shown him how to create the [Reinforced Skeleton].

“Have you heard about the [Reinforced Skeleton]?” Third Elder asked.

“It’s a Warrior Skeleton made artificially by improving one’s body. You know about the legendary martial kings’ bodies, such as the [Sky Warrior Constitution] and [Dragon Skeletal System], right? Their basis is the [Reinforced Skeleton]. From what I’ve heard, even Dark Entities coveted it,” Third Elder explained.

[Reinforced Skeleton] was the basic Trait of Dark Entities, beings whose continued existence was uncertain even to Celestials. The Trait granted one great talent and improved one’s self-healing ability, and it was one of the gateways needed to get to the ‘destination’ Chang-Sun wanted to arrive at.

“In order to obtain the [Reinforced Skeleton], you must get two basic materials,” Third Elder told Chang-Sun.

“What are they?” Chang-Sun asked.

“A heart and seal,” Third Elder said concisely.

“Huh…?” Chang-Sun exclaimed, not understanding.

“You need to acquire two things, a [Fire-Implanted Heart] and a [Frost-Carved Crest].”

Third Elder had described the items as a fire heart and a frost crest.

“I heard you learned how to start the Eon Fire from the previous one. Next, you’ll need to learn how to draw the fire into your heart, and acquire the crest in order to protect your body,” Third Elder continued.

Third Elder had advised Chang-Sun to get the ‘heart’ and ‘crest’ at the same time, because if he did not, his mana would fall out of balance and ruin his body. Although Chang-Sun could obtain the ‘heart’ with the Jigwi’s Eon Fire, which he had already acquired, he had yet been unable to get the ‘crest’, the set item that accompanied the ‘heart’.

‘That was why I was going to lay some groundwork in Korea and create an opportunity to go to America using any excuse necessary,’ Chang-Sun thought, clicking his tongue.

There was a Dungeon called the ‘Permafrost Ice Cave’ in America, and just like the ‘Yeti Hill’, its terrain made traversing it difficult, which meant it had persisted so far as an uncleared Dungeon. According to Thanatos’ information, the ingredient needed for the ‘crest’ was in the ‘Permafrost Ice Cave’.

“Find an [Everlasting Ice Crystal] first. Such a crystal has accumulated only the purest moon energy over ten thousand years, so it should be a perfect ingredient to carve the ‘crest’.”

However, Hyeong-Gil had suddenly mentioned [Everlasting Ice Crystal], which left Chang-Sun intrigued; he realized he could potentially complete the [Reinforced Skeleton] earlier than he had expected.

“I’m not sure what an [Everlasting Ice Crystal] is, but it sounds like an important material,” Chang-Sun said. He crossed his arms and pretended he knew nothing, but he was actually carefully examining every inch of Hyeong-Gil.

[The Skill ‘Beast Senses’ has been activated, observing the target’s movements!]

“It’s not merely important, but rather an invaluable material. It’s known that ice mages can use such crystals to level up enough to change the first digit of their level,” Hyeong-Gil said.

“And the Highoff remnants are going after the crystal?” Chang-Sun guessed.

“Yes, that’s right. The Highoff remnants are going after the Dungeon’s Core, because they believe it’s an omnipotent item that can make them, who are being hunted, stronger. It’s like their last hope,” Hyeong-Gil replied, smiling with his eyes. “But due to the rough terrain of ‘Yeti Hill’, their mining process isn’t going smoothly, so I was beginning to think I would have a chance… and I happened to hear about you from Bu-Yong hyung.”

Chang-Sun assumed Choi Bu-Yong had told Hyeong-Gil about everything, from recovering Bu-Yong’s hammer to going on the punitive expedition against the Highoff remnants. He asked, “So you want me to get the crystal?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Hyeong-Gil replied with a nod.

“I’ll have to remain undetected by the Highoff remnants and the White Tiger Clan members in an uncleared Dungeon, right?” Chang-Sun asked.

“There’s no need to divide such a treasure among many people, is there?” Hyeong-Gil remarked, his smile deepening. “I’ll tell you the crystal’s exact location if you accept the request. You’ll be paid handsomely.”

‘He’s a natural-born merchant,’ Chang-Sun concluded, thinking Hyeong-Gil had been bound to quit being a blacksmith and join a trading company. His eloquence, which could attract interest and attention easily, was close to innate talent, not a skill that could be learned.

“Of course, you may feel as if you don’t feel the need to risk losing the Clan’s trust for me, someone you met less than an hour ago, or think my information isn’t trustworthy…” Hyeong-Gil went on.

“I’ll do it,” Chang-Sun said.

“…but please believe the reputation I’ve built up in this industry… Huh, pardon?” Hyeong-Gil asked.

“I’ll do what you requested,” Chang-Sun repeated.

“…!” Hyeong-Gil’s eyes widened.

“Why? Is there a problem?” Chang-Sun asked, tilting his head.

Hyeong-Gil was quite shocked, as he had not thought Chang-Sun would accept the request so easily. People normally raised disputes and only agreed after several conditions were imposed, but Chang-Sun had agreed quite easily.

He had met Chang-Sun because Bu-Yong, who was morbidly distrustful, recommended him. However, for a moment, Hyeong-Gil could not tell whether Chang-Sun was planning to simply extract information from him, or if the media had exaggerated Chang-Sun’s talent and he was merely greedy.

‘No, Bu-Yong hyung is right. He’s skilled,’ Hyeong-Gil thought, quickly changing his mind.

He could tell based on his instincts. Chang-Sun’s eyes and attitude, the air around him… Nothing about him could exist unless he was confident in his ability! Hyeong-Gil had always believed he was a good judge of character, and that was why he had been able to establish a presence in the industry even after he quit being a blacksmith.

‘There’s no reason to not do it,’ Chang-Sun concluded after weighing the benefits against the potential costs.

As he had acquired information related to the [Everlasting Ice Crystal], he had no reason to reject the request. The question of whether or not he could trust Hyeong-Gil or his information was a separate issue.

‘I can take care of him later if he becomes a nuisance,’ Chang-Sun thought, deciding to believe his ‘instincts’.

“Then the payment…!” Hyeong-Gil quickly began.

“I don’t need money because I already have a lot of it,” Chang-Sun said, shaking his hand.

“Then…?” Hyeong-Gil cautiously asked.

“Allow me to ask you a favor in return,” Chang-Sun said.

“…?” Hyeong-Gil tilted his head in confusion, but Chang-Sun just smiled faintly.

* * *

The negotiation ended much earlier than anyone had expected. After Chang-Sun and Gyeo-Ul left the forge, Bu-Yong returned with Wilson, asking, “How was it?”

Seeing the discontent evident on Bu-Yong’s face, Hyeong-Gil smiled faintly as he looked at his cousin, remarking, “Haha, I guess you’re pretty upset, hyung.”

“I don’t want to be indebted to him.” Bu-Yong grumbled, clicking his tongue.

In fact, he had turned down Hyeong-Gil’s request to set up a meeting with Chang-Sun right away at first, as he wanted to be seen as a trustworthy blacksmith by Chang-Sun. He did not want to have a twisted relationship with Chang-Sun and ask too much of him. Ever since Chang-Sun had recovered his hammer, he had felt hugely indebted. However, he had still ended up setting up a meeting under the condition that he would not interfere with the negotiation at all, due to Hyeong-Gil’s persistent requests.

“You closed off your heart from everyone in the world, but you seem to feel really apologetic for the friend you suddenly made,” Hyeong-Gil said with a faint smile.

“He’s not my friend…!” Bu-Yong shouted.

“Forget it,” Hyeong-Gil said, shaking his head.

“Hey!” Bu-Yong yelled, his face red.

Picking his ear with his index finger, Hyeong-Gil nonchalantly continued, “Well, he accepted the request, and everything turned out well. I thought he'd be very picky, but he instantly accepted it. We just decided to exchange favors.”

He answered as if nothing unusual had happened during the negotiation, but his mind was filled with numerous questions. ‘[Agni’s Yawn], [Thousand Thought Fragments], [Moon Record], [Dew of the Flower Deity]… I really can’t figure out what he’s going to use those items for, or what he’s going to do after I tell him the locations of several other items.’

As he did not know Chang-Sun had a [Jigwi Egg], it was natural for him to have such questions. Meanwhile, the locations Chang-Sun had asked for were related to Ou Yezi’s Nine Fine Swords.

‘If Chang-Sun requested them, those items have to be extraordinary,’ Hyeong-Gil thought, narrowing his eyes. ‘How did Bu-Yong hyung get to know such a person?’

Hyeong-Gil knew how hard the past years had been for Bu-Yong, so he had often tried to persuade Bu-Yong to quit being a blacksmith and join him in the Gold Cloud Training Company, as his ability could be an asset to the company. However, Bu-Yong had rejected his offer every time, saying his place was next to a furnace and nothing else mattered.

Then, Hyeong-Gil had lost touch with Bu-Yong for some time, because Bu-Yong had stopped taking his calls on purpose. It had only been a few short months since he once again managed to contact Bu-Yong, who had become lively again. After seeing how Bu-Yong had returned to his old self, whom Hyeong-Gil had once looked up to, he had asked Bu-Yong what happened.

“Well, something big happened,” Bu-Yong answered.

Afterward, Bu-Yong had explained what happened, and every part of his story was shocking. Although Hyeong-Gil was ashamed of himself for not taking care of his cousin properly, he had also become curious about Chang-Sun, who had enabled a miracle. Later, Hyeong-Gil had found out that Chang-Sun needed [Cold Iron] and that he was with the White Tiger Clan, and subsequently asked to set up a meeting with him.

‘He was truly something else,’ Hyeong-Gil recalled.

In fact, he felt as if he had been bewitched while talking with Chang-Sun, as if he had spoken with a person from another world. After he joined the company, he had met many people and become friends with famous rich people, but he had never met a person like Chang-Sun.

‘It seems even the ‘gathering’ will soon take interest in Chang-Sun,’ Hyeong-Gil thought.

All the old hands in the industry knew about the upcoming punitive expedition, but only a few knew about the Highoff remnants’ target, the [Everlasting Ice Crystal]. In other words, there still were several people who already knew about the existence of the [Everlasting Ice Crystal]. Many Clans that had volunteered to join the punitive expedition were likely aiming for it.

Chang-Sun was not the only one Hyeong-Gil had made his request to; no doubt he had taken notice of that fact. Still, Chang-Sun had not looked displeased at all, nor had he asked basic questions about the source or the accuracy of Hyeong-Gil’s information. That meant he had a deep trust for Bu-Yong, who had introduced Hyeong-Gil.

If someone were to ask whether or not it was easy to form such trust… Hyeong-Gil the merchant would have to say ‘no’. That was why Chang-Sun and Bu-Yong were exceptional, especially because Bu-Yong believed Chang-Sun would accept Hyeong-Gil’s request for sure. Thus, Hyeong-Gil thought curiously, ‘Will he be able to pull it off or not?’

If Chang-Sun failed, Hyeong-Gil could just cancel the request, but he somehow thought Chang-Sun would be able to do it.

* * *

The day of the punitive expedition Executive Director Oh had spoken of soon came.

“What happened to the first troop?” Cha Ye-Eun, the Level 3 Council agent, asked.

“There’s no news.”

“I… have to assume they failed,” Ye-Eun said quietly.

“…That’s the only conclusion we can reach, but won’t we have to wait more because the Dungeon terrain is very unpredictable?”

Looking at the red Gate, which was covered with barricades and numerous soldiers, Ye-Eun wanted to smoke again, even though she had quit smoking with great difficulty. Her frustration was understandable, as the special unit she had sent on a search and reconnaissance mission before the punitive expedition had not returned yet. They should have returned a long time ago, so she had to consider them dead. Of course, some survivors could still be waiting for a rescue team, but she could not help but feel sad, making her crave a cigarette even more.

‘I have no other choice, seeing as this is my job,’ Ye-Eun thought, regaining her composure. Even if she felt sad, she was on a mission. Getting too emotional could cause additional agent casualties.

“Do you want a cup of coffee?” Woo Yeong-Geun suddenly asked. He held out a coffee cup with a straw, which he had gotten from a franchise cafe, offering it to Ye-Eun.

After he was subpoenaed, he had begun actively communicating and working together with the Council, in order to show the public how gravely the Sword Of Ohsung Clan regarded the current matter.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t feel like drinking…” Ye-Eun tried to politely refuse.

“Grande, two additional shots, only fill up half the cup with water, and two pumps of hazelnut syrup, right?” Yeong-Geun cut her off with a gentle smile.

“…You remembered,” Ye-Eun said, her eyes slightly widening.

“I have a good memory,” Yeong-Geun said, playfully tapping his head with his index finger several times.

Looking at Yeong-Geun, Ye-Eun loosened up a bit and said, “Thank you.”

“Agent Jin, your favorite is warm caramel macchiato, right?” Yeong-Geun asked as he turned to Jin Seok-Tae, Ye-Eun’s partner, and held out another cup.

“Thank you,” Seok-Tae said, receiving the cup with a faint smile.

Yeong-Geun furtively approached Ye-Eun and looked at the chart she was holding, then remarked, “It looks as if something isn’t going according to plan.”

“They’re resisting more fiercely than I expected, but maybe the Dungeon is just too difficult,” Ye-Eun said, lightly biting her lower lip in frustration.

“Hmm,” Yeong-Geun muttered with a nod.

“We may have to change the details of the next operation a bit as we proceed,” Ye-Eun said, scratching her head.

Yeong-Geun could not say anything because Ye-Eun, who was normally fierce enough to overwhelm most men, simply looked too sorrowful.

“By the way, where’s your nephew, who’s usually always with you?” Ye-Eun asked, looking for Woo Hye-Bin, who had been brightening the Council agents’ mood as of late.

“Ah, Hye-Bin? Well, umm…” Yeong-Geun trailed off, awkwardly scratching his cheek. “We just heard news of the White Tiger Clan arriving at the Dungeon, right?”

“Yes, we did,” Ye-Eun answered with a nod.

“She went there to see her savior,” Yeong-Geun said with a shrug.

“A savior…? Ah!” Ye-Eun exclaimed. At first, she wondered what Yeong-Geun was talking about, but she soon remembered that the Jamsil Gate star was with the White Tiger Clan. She was sure she had seen the name ‘Lee Chang-Sun’ on the White Tiger Clan volunteer list, too.

“Speak of the devil. Here he comes,” Yeong-Geun said, looking in a certain direction.

Thud!

Thud!

The White Tiger Clan’s Players, the biggest group of volunteers, appeared and shook the ground with their beast-like energy…

Thud…!

…and Chang-Sun was with them.