Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 56: Star, The Dream (6)

In truth, it was no exaggeration to say Chang-Sun had been lucky to have hunted the guards so easily; just creating the Jigwi’s Eon Fire had been enough to destroy half the research facility. Things had been practically bound to turn out that way, however; even one stray spark could cause a catastrophe to strike an ordinary oil-refining facility, so how could the research lab remain intact even after multiple explosions?

However, Chang-Sun assumed he could not count on being lucky again, as Lab Director Sang-Won had detected him. Unless he was a fool, the director would never let Chang-Sun use his Concealment Skill again. And yet, what surprised Chang-Sun the most was that Sang-Won, the lab director, was a Ghost Soldier.

‘Is the White Tiger Clan not stopping at making disposable people into Ghost Soldiers?’ Chang-Sun wondered.

That meant the ‘Ghost Soldiers’ were not necessarily disposable. In hindsight, it would have been a natural conclusion if Chang-Sun had thought about it some more. Creating [Dream Spheres] required a substantial amount of time and money, and judging from the many research wings and pieces of equipment Chang-Sun had seen, creating Ghost Soldiers needed more than just [Dream Spheres].

‘Of course, they’re all destroyed now,’ Chang-Sun thought with a faint grin.

It was likely that most of the White Tiger Clan’s executive members had gone through the Ghost Soldier transformation.

‘This is actually for the best,’ Chang-Sun thought, changing his plans.

At first, he had intended to retreat after wreaking moderate havoc and finding out Executive Director Oh’s weakness, but seeing as he had figured out that the White Tiger Clan’s higher-ups were Ghost Soldiers, he felt that fighting Lab Director Sang-Won would give him good experience.

‘This might be a chance to test what a Ghost Soldier is capable of,’ Chang-Sun concluded.

[Your Integrated Magic Circuit has activated, circulating fiercely.]

[The Jigwi’s Eon Fire is flaring up!]

As the fire around his body grew larger, Chang-Sun gripped [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] more tightly.

[Distributed 30 additional stats to Strength. 111→141]

[Strength: 141 (+55)]

Squeak―!

Like a spinning sawblade, Lab Director Sang-Won’s sword had been bearing down on Chang-Sun’s head, but he was slowly pushed back.

Boom!

Chang-Sun suddenly pushed back with tremendous power, leaving the director shocked for the first time.

[Distributed 30 additional stats to Agility. 101→131]

[Agility: 131 (+45)]

Using all of his Eon Fire to make his wings larger, Chang-Sun flew at Lab Director Sang-Won. As he had become faster and stronger, so too did his attacks with [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] grow more powerful.

Screech!

Boom, boom, boom―!

Although Lab Director Sang-Won staggered backward, he managed to regain his balance and deflect Chang-Sun’s attacks one by one. Each time their weapons clashed, a metallic screech filled the air and several explosions large and small occurred. A hideous scowl spread across the director’s face, his pride hurt by the fact that he was exchanging attacks with a trainee.

However, his eyes remained full of greed to possess Chang-Sun. If Chang-Sun could grow that quickly, the director could not even imagine how strong he would be as a Gildal.

“I definitely have to have you,” Lab Director Sang-Won said with a grin.

Boom, boom, boom!

The director swung his sword more quickly.

[Your opponent’s sword now contains a large quantity of ghost energy!]

[The aura of ‘Tiger Kill’ intensifies.]

[Caution!]

Swish, swoosh, swish―!

Whenever Lab Director Sang-Won swung his sword, several gusts of slicing wind scattered across the area and clawed the floor. Each gust was an advanced combination of [Tiger Teeth] and [Tiger Claw], reminding Chang-Sun of a tiger that snatched people and livestock away from a village, taking them back to its mountain in the dark of the night. That was how a tiger earned the name ‘Hohwan’, which referred to a disaster caused by a tiger; the word ‘Mama’ referred to its ominous ghost energy[1] The director had become the embodiment of the Hohwan Mama, which had terrorized humans for a long time.

Pzzz, spark!

However, Lab Director Sang-Won was not Chang-Sun’s only problem.

“You bastard…!”

“I’ll kill you!”

“Let me help you, Lab Director!”

Pzzzz―!

After some time, the eight surviving guards pulled themselves together and unleashed their own ghost energy. As they emanated [Tiger Kill] auras infused with ghost energy, more Hohwan Mamas were created, and green wisps began to glow in their eyes.

‘Are they also Ghost Soldiers?’ Chang-Sun wondered, turning sideways while pushing Lab Director backward.

Fire rose from Chang-Sun’s feet and swirled around him, once again forming a sturdy suit of armor. His Eon Fire was thoroughly infused with [Blood Toxin] that swiftly bared its fangs. However, the surviving guards threw their swords at the barrier created by the Eon Fire, causing it to explode.

Rumble―!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

“Stop!”

“Get him!”

Although the guards were not as skilled as Lab Director Sang-Won, they were still highly competent. The ghost energy that suffused their attacks slowed down their reasoning, but maximized their damage, making every attack sharp and relentless.

Clash, clash, clash!

‘It’s going to be dangerous if I do nothing,’ Chang-Sun thought.

Slash, slash―!

One of the guards’ [Tiger Teeth] broke through the Eon Fire barrier and slashed open Chang-Sun’s thigh. A [Tiger Claw] cleverly exploited Chang-Sun’s blind spot, leaving a deep cut in his left shoulder. Each attack was extremely dangerous, which meant Chang-Sun could have been seriously injured if not for [Viper Eyes] and [Beast Senses].

Chang-Sun realized how the White Tiger Clan had suddenly become powerful over the past ten years. Ordinary Players on the same level would never be able to go up against them. It seemed Chang-Sun had to give more credit to the Ghost Soldiers than he had initially thought; he realized he was lucky to have been able to destroy the Ghost Soldier depository beforehand. If he had needed to fight against all the Ghost Soldiers, he would have already ended up collapsing onto the ground.

[A brawl is taking place!]

…

[The Skill ‘Unyielding Spirit’ has been activated, reinforcing your potentially wavering concentration!]

[The Skill ‘Composed Spirit’ has been activated, enabling you to rationally observe the situation.]

As such, Chang-Sun coldly analyzed the situation by properly applying [Unyielding Spirit] and [Composed Spirit]. Even though he was using [Jigwi’s Phantom Body], Chang-Sun was unsure whether he could win in a one-on-one fight against Lab Director Sang-Won; however, one thing he was sure of was that he would definitely lose if he had to take on eight Ghost Soldiers.

‘So I’ll have to defeat them one by one,’ Chang-Sun thought.

If he could not take all of them at once, he would have to reduce the number of his enemies.

[The Skill ‘Beast Senses’ is searching the surroundings!]

Avoiding head-on clashes as much as possible, Chang-Sun utilized the Jigwi’s Eon Fire to stop them from joining forces, continuously retreating using [Windstalking Tiger].

Lab Director Sang-Won and the guards became more nervous as Chang-Sun continued to avoid their attacks right before they hit him. His movements were so sly and agile that they were forced to move more, depleting their stamina.

Additionally, whenever Chang-Sun saw an opportunity, he never missed, stabbing [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] into their bodies. Soon, two guards lay fallen on the ground, reducing the number of survivors from eight to six.

At that moment…

“I’ve got you, you rat bastard!” a guard yelled.

Chang-Sun had run into a dead-end hallway. As the end was surrounded by three walls and the guards were blocking the only exit, it seemed he had nowhere else to run, leaving the guards in high spirits. The guard who had lost his closest colleague in the explosion sprang forward to kill Chang-Sun, filled with a desire to kill the man by any means necessary.

“Keep your goddamn head down, you stupid bastard!” Lab Director Sang-Won hurriedly yelled; he was anxious to see that Chang-Sun remained calm despite being in a dead end. Come to think of it, even though Chang-Sun was trapped, the hallway was too narrow, only wide enough for two guards to go against him at once.

Swirl!

Just as planned, Chang-Sun unfurled his bracelet like a ball of yarn. Using his three-tailed whip, which was filled with his magic and covered in Eon Fire, Chang-Sun lashed the hallway floor.

“Uh… Huh…?” The guard who was within the whip’s attack range instinctively raised his sword to block the first tail, but…

Swirl!

Chang-Sun quickly immobilized him for a moment using the second tail.

“No-no…!”

Crash!

With the third tail, Chang-Sun struck the guard’s head, killing him on the spot by crushing his head like a melon. The other two guards who had been following behind him were left in a predicament, letting out exclamations.

“W-Wait…!”

“Arggh! Get out of my way, bastards!”

Swirl, swirl!

Chang-Sun divided the first tail of the whip, which had been sent flying upward, into three strands that lashed the guards’ bodies. The attack’s sheer power forced the two backward; afraid of getting killed like their colleague, they tried to make some distance between Chang-Sun and themselves, but they were unable to retreat due to the other guards right behind them.

In the end, Chang-Sun swung the remaining tail in the direction of the lined-up guards and crushed both of their heads at once. His attacks were extremely accurate.

[The Authority ‘Perfect Marksmanship’ has been applied.]

[Perfect Marksmanship] was an Authority that enabled Chang-Sun to hit his target no matter what by reversing the order of causality. The Authority applied not only to projectiles, but also to long-range weapons such as whips. It became even more effective if Chang-Sun could lead a large number of enemies into a narrow space. That was how he had been able to instantly kill three guards, even though all he had done was change the location.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ arrogantly watches how well you use her Authority!]

Swirl, swirl, swirl!

“What on earth is happening…?!” the guards shouted, perplexed.

Chang-Sun retracted and unfurled his whip multiple times, letting it fly all over the narrow hallway. As it seemingly moved around with no pattern, the guards could not get close to Chang-Sun. Thus…

Paah―!

[The Skill ‘Windstalking Tiger’ has been activated to the fullest extent!]

While the guards hesitated, Chang-Sun flapped his wings and closed the gap quickly. Then, he struck the closest guard’s neck with the pommel of [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth].

Smack!

Crash―!

Even though the remaining guards attempted to capture him, Chang-Sun managed to retreat and unfurl his whip, leaving the guards in an absurd situation where they could neither approach or retreat. Lab Director Sang-Won could only watch in frustration.

At first it seemed as if Sang-Won and the guards could capture Chang-Sun if they pressured him a little more, but the heat of the Eon Fire and the unpredictable trajectory of his whip prevented them from doing anything. They felt as if they were the ones backed into a tight corner, not Chang-Sun.

Smash!

“Urgh…!” one of the guards groaned as he collapsed, blood bubbling up from a hole in his neck.

Soon, only one guard remained, his face pale as paper. Although the guards had outnumbered Chang-Sun, they had suffered a crushing loss, leaving the lone survivor dispirited. In his current state, it would not be strange for him to die at any moment, just like his colleagues.

‘I have to do something…!’ Lab Director Sang-Won thought, gritting his teeth.

He had used up too much time trying to capture Chang-Sun, which meant the head office had probably found out what happened by now. That meant Director Gwon would soon arrive at the lab, leaving Lab Director Sang-Won little opportunity to run away if he wasted any more time.

“Move!” Lab Director Sang-Won yelled, yanking the remaining guard by the neck and pushed forward; even though he had wanted to avoid injury as much as possible, now was not the time to worry about that.

‘I just have to reach him somehow. My level and overall stats are much higher than his, so if I can get close, I’ll be able to subdue him,’ Sang-Won thought.

Swirl, swirl, swirl!

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Lab Director Sang-Won’s splendid swordsmanship continuously deflected the strikes from Chang-Sun’s whip, which now had nine tails. Although his lab coat was torn and his defensive equipment cracked with each blow he took, the director did not care, believing he could still resolve everything if he could just get to Chang-Sun.

Soon, the director managed to close in on Chang-Sun. Despite his overwhelming power and speed, Chang-Sun seemed to be lacking stamina; he had likely used a lot of his stamina and sustained injuries from having to take on all the guards at once. By now, Chang-Sun’s dangerous whip attacks and his Eon Fire had become much weaker; in contrast, Lab Director Sang-Won had mostly managed to conserve his strength. That meant he could capture Chang-Sun by fighting him one-on-one.

Clang!

With a loud, metallic ring, Chang-Sun was pushed backward while blocking Lab Director Sang-Won’s attack using [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth]. The director reached out and tightly grabbed Chang-Sun’s collar, shoving him against a wall.

“I finally got you…!” Lab Director Sang-Won snarled with a grin, the wisps in his eyes glowing more bizarrely than ever with the desire to make Chang-Sun into a Gildal.

“Ha!” Chang-Sun spat coldly, despite the fact that he was being choked by the director. He replied, “You must have thought you could somehow subdue me if you just caught me, huh?”

“What…?!” Lab Director Sang-Won exclaimed.

However, before the director could react, Chang-Sun quickly passed [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] from his right hand to his left and poured his Magic into the seal on the back of his right hand. The seal shone brilliantly, and all the blood Chang-Sun had shed until now quickly gathered in his palm, forming a bronze longsword.

[The ‘Yuchang Sword’ has appeared!]

As Chang-Sun grabbed the weapon…

Roar!

…the [Yuchang Sword] let out a long cry.

Ooong, ooong, oooong―!

Just like the sword, [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] shook noticeably, seemingly reacting to the other weapon. The [Yuchang Sword], Ou Yezi the Divine Blacksmith’s masterpiece, had displayed its brilliant light to the world while revealing its true form; thus, [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] tried to show it was just as good, being Taotie the Devil Blacksmith’s masterpiece.

“Howl,” Chang-Sun ordered [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] as if he were reciting a magic spell, just as he had done with the [Yuchang Sword].

The body of [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] twisted, emanating demonic energy.

[‘Double Sword Resonance’ is taking place.]

[‘Tiamat’s Snaggletooth’ has awakened!]

1. The ‘Mama’ (마마) in ‘Hohwan Mama’ is actually a term ordinary used to deify smallpox. ☜