Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 78: Star, The Changgwi Cave (3)

[Current Location: The Sector Twelve of the First Floor]

[The remaining time to complete the Day 1 Dungeon Quest is as follows:]

[00:08:43:22]

[00:08:43:21]

[00:08:43:20]

…

“St-stop…!”

“Where in the world did he come from…!”

“We have to block this route… Argh…!”

Boom, crash, bang―!

Woosh, woosh, woosh!

The Changgwi’s ordinary, peaceful afternoon was abruptly interrupted by a disaster, sending them into a frenzy. When the Changgwis first heard about a new human in the Changgwi Cave, they had thought the human would become one of them in no time. Many people had already been bewitched by the starlight of [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] and entered the Changgwi Cave, but no one had walked out of the cave alive.

Most visitors were eaten by the voracious Changgwis, or killed themselves once they realized they were stuck in a hell they couldn’t escape. Once in a blue moon, there were people who successfully escaped the Changgwi Cave, but they all returned and became ‘Gulhon’ on the ninth floor in the end.

That was how attractive Hohwan Mama’s power was, and being bewitched and becoming a part of the <Forgotten Star> was the best way to gain as much as possible for the Changgwis who had lost freedom. However, this happened very rarely, and most of them remained as Changgwis. The Changgwis that were able to find the human first always attracted envy, since devouring a human was the fastest way of becoming a ‘Hongsal’. However…

“He-he killed our leader…!”

“Unbelievable…!”

It didn’t take long for the Changgwis to realize that they had been wrong. From Sector 1 to the final Sector 12, any Changgwi who faced this human were massacred. None could even land an attack on the human, let alone devour him.

Swish, swish, swish!

Woosh, woosh, woosh―!

[The Effect ‘Single Eon Fire’ is blazing up!]

[The Authority ‘Perfect Marksmanship’ has been activated!]

As Chang-Sun ran, he swung the whip, and with each swing, the Changgwis died one after another. Chang-Sun struck with the one-tailed whip, but at times it would morph into a nine-tailed whip. It was impossible to predict the whip’s movement, and on top of that, it was covered with the blazing Jigwi’s Eon Fire.

[Eliminated the Changgwi!]

[Eliminated the Changgwi!]

…

[The Authority ‘Soul Exploitation’ has been activated, acquiring the ashes!]

…

[Successfully absorbed the purified Mama.]

[You have gained the ‘Biwi’ factor!]

[You have gained the ‘Biwi’ factor!]

…

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ is having a refreshing bit of fun watching your overwhelming combat power!]

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ meticulously observes your sharp attacks!]

Even if they somehow avoided the firestorm created by the nine-tailed whip and managed to approach Chang-Sun…

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

[The Additional Skill ‘Fierce Tiger’ has been activated with a deafening roar!]

[The Additional Skill ‘Fierce Tiger Dispatch’ has been activated, raging on the battlefield!]

Click―!

Boom, boom, boom!

With the Nameless Spear in his left hand, Chang-Sun fiercely stabbed the Changgwis, bouncing off of it with holes in their body as if a real tiger had charged at them. It was a one-sided massacre.

[Achievement unlocked!]

“The Natural Enemy and Devourer of Changgwis”

Reward: Strength +5. The ‘Biwi’ factor.

In the end, Chang-Sun only went straight forward without retreating once, destroying and burning every monster in his way, from the Changgwi Cave’s entrance to the final sector of the first floor. Despite their manpower, the Changgwis were all killed or subdued, unable to inflict even a single wound on Chang-Sun.

[Level up!]

While Chang-Sun saw a pleasant message he hadn’t seen in a while…

“Un-unbelievable…!”

“Mo-mo-monster…!”

“He’s not a human…! He must be a monster, like us…!”

A few remaining Changgwis trembled in fear. They did not dare even try to approach Chang-Sun. Some weren’t even able to feel their legs, collapsing to the ground helplessly.

[The fear is spreading among the Changgwis!]

[The chaos is infecting the Changgwis!]

The Jigwi’s Eon Fire was already near them, wanting to swallow them whole, but there was no escape for the Changgwis. At their front, Chang-Sun advanced with his dagger, while the fire flaunted its scarlet glow at their back. They had nowhere left to run.

Of course, there was a way to the second floor quite a distance away, but the Changgwi Cave was practically a jungle, where only the strongest could survive. The second floor was no place for weak Changgwis like them. Regardless, the Changgwis were sure that even if they ran off to the second floor, the ‘Hongsals’ there wouldn’t last long against the monster-like human. Either way, death was inevitable.

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

[The ‘Fierce Tiger’ overwhelms the opponents on the battlefield with its menacing energy!]

Chang-Sun’s right eye shone with a brilliant scarlet hue. [Cruel Tiger’s One Eye] was an additional skill that broke the spirit of the targets and put the fear of death in them once they were detected. Although they barely had any will left to stand up to Chang-Sun, they felt what was left of their willpower being broken.

Tap!

Tap!

Perhaps because of the state they were in, Chang-Sun’s footsteps sounded unusually loud as he walked towards them.

* * *

[Successfully conquered the first floor!]

[You have entered the second floor.]

…

[You have entered the third sector of the second floor.]

…

[The given time limit has ended.]

[Day 1 Assessment: SSS.]

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

[Returning to reality!]

Chang-Sun opened his eyes again.

“Hyung…nim?” Baek Gyeo-Ul looked at him with a puzzled expression.

‘Has it already been six hours?’ Chang-Sun had been so focused on the battle that he hadn’t realized how much time had passed. ‘That was pretty fun.’

Chang-Sun had enjoyed stealing the entire power of the beings that he had killed. Besides, the power he had learned from [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] seemed pretty useful to him. The Biwi factor was a completely different attribute from the Jigwi’s. That factor alone was enough to change the properties of [Single Eon Fire] entirely, making it more aggressive.

‘And it seems like Changgwis are divided into several classes.’ Chang-Sun recalled.

From what he had found out, Changgwis were divided into five classes: The lowest was the ‘Sa’, who made up the majority of Changgwis. Next was the ‘Hongsal’, who enjoyed feasting on human flesh. The ‘Gulgak’ were Changgwis capable of using black magic. Then there was the ‘Yiol’, who seemed to be considered nobles among Changgwis. Finally there was the ‘Yukhon’, the leader of the Changgwis. There were only five Yukhon in the Changgwi Cave. Even though Chang-Sun had now familiarized himself with the Sas and the Hongsals, he would surely be able to absorb more power if he reached the higher-ranking Changgwis.

Gyeo-Ul just blinked at him, not knowing what Chang-Sun had gone through.

‘The air around him has certainly changed, though…’

Gyeo-Ul couldn’t tell what the reason was. Worrying if anything had happened to Chang-Sun, he tensed up.

“How long have I been sitting down like this?” Chang-Sun suddenly spoke up, startling Gyeo-Ul and making him pull himself together.

Gyeo-Ul tilted his head. “Pardon? What do you mean?”

“…Hmm?” Chang-Sun murmured, perplexed.

“Didn’t you just say don’t let anyone enter and interfere even if anything happens to you?” Gyeo-Ul asked.

“…!” Chang-Sun realized, recalling the instructions he had given to Gyeo-Ul.

“But the air around you suddenly changed right after you said it…” Gyeo-Ul trailed off.

Chang-Sun’s eyes widened a bit. ‘Time barely passed in reality?’

He couldn’t help but chuckle a little. He had killed so many Changgwis that he had raised his level, which rarely happened for him nowadays. Even though he had cleared the Dungeon Quest with impressive speed, a ridiculously shorter amount of time had passed in reality.

‘This…can be very useful.’ Chang-Sun thought, stroking his chin.

The curse of [Fourth Cryptical Book of Hsan] was activated every twenty-four hours, which meant Chang-Sun would end up in the same place at the same time tomorrow, and he would go through it the same way. When the curse activated, it would send him into the mission in the same state that he was in at that moment. That meant that if he was injured or weakened somehow in reality, he would enter the mission in that same state. Depending on how he utilized this, he could turn his disadvantage into an advantage.

‘For instance, if I need to catch a breath during a chaotic battle or a place to lay low due to a critical injury.’ Chang-Sun thought.

This was a curse but in some ways it was also a blessing.

‘What kind of curses will the other six scrolls hold? Will it be surviving from the Changgwi Cave, just like this one, or an entirely different mission?’

He was looking forward to obtaining the power of [Fourth Cryptical Book of Hsan], and he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if he acquired the rest of the scrolls.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ wonders how you will overcome the cryptical book’s curse!]

‘There are seven cryptical books. I am currently under the fourth one’s curse. The Sword Sky Tiger has acquired three. That leaves three more. I must secure the last three books before him.’ Chang-Sun planned. ‘Where should I start?’

Chang-Sun soon realized the answer to finding [Fourth Cryptical Book of Hsan] without getting detected by the White Tiger Clan.

‘The Highoff Clan remnants.’ he concluded.

The White Tiger Clan Members were diligently hunting them down to kill them, but wouldn’t their leader, who had disappeared into thin air, have some information?

‘I wish I could just find their traces.’

While Chang-Sun organized his thoughts, Gyeo-Ul cautiously asked, “Did something happen by any chance?”

Shaking his head reassuringly, Chang-Sun stood up. “No, it’s nothing. By the way…”

Oooong!

His phone vibrated in his back pocket, interrupting him.

“Hold on,” Chang-Sun excused himself when he saw that the caller was Executive Director Oh, and Gyeo-Ul stepped backward as he deactivated the shadow doll.

“Yes, sir.” Chang-Sun answered the call.

「Oh, do you have a moment?」 Executive Director Oh asked.

“Yes, it’s okay. I was just training.” Chang-Sun said.

「Woah! Why don’t you take a rest? It hasn’t been long since the training finished, so don’t overwork yourself.」 Executive Director Oh gently suggested.

“I’m all right, all thanks to you.” Chang-Sun politely replied.

「Haha, you are one smooth talker. I hope other employees train as diligently as you. Those fools only know how to be jealous of your brilliant work and don’t even understand how hard you try, even when no one watches.」 Executive Director Oh proclaimed, speaking like a true old geezer.

Feeling no need to chime in, Chang-Sun stayed silent, and it seemed like Executive Director Oh wasn’t expecting an answer because he cut to the chase. 「Anyways, can you come here if you’re not too busy? I want to give you some news, but I would rather tell you in person, and I have something else to give to you, anyway.」 Executive Director Oh chuckled, but there was a seriousness in his voice.

Thinking something must be going on, Chang-Sun’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, I’ll be right there. Where are you right now?”

「I like how you never hesitate. I’m at…」

Executive Director Oh called out the address, and Chang-Sun repeated it out loud while gesturing at Gyeo-Ul to write it down.

Chang-Sun began packing up his belongings before the call even ended.

“Yes, I’ll see you soon.” he said before hanging up.

Gyeo-Ul asked Chang-Sun with a curious look on his face. “Did something happen?”

“Well.” Chang-Sun chuckled. “Something did happen.”

That was all he told Gyeo-Ul.

‘I hope the news Executive Director Oh has for me is Highoff Clan-related.’ Chang-Sun thought.

Although he didn’t activate [Cruel Tiger’s One Eye], his right eye shone sharply for some reason.