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Chapter 177: Star, Laevateinn (2)

“Maybe there’s another way.”

The French volunteer Players were baffled. They hadn’t gotten any trouble tracking down Chang-Sun ever since he had found a Hidden Piece. However, they had now run into a giant wall—no, a river of fire. The quietly flowing river naturally made the Players feel suffocated. Those who had low heat tolerance or didn’t have fire attributes couldn’t even come to the underground floor.

“There has to be something here…!” Nicolas Pouquet bit his lower lip, looking at the river of fire.

He believed that Chang-Sun had a secret that no one else knew about. Otherwise, a rookie who had become a Player less than a year ago wouldn’t be as skilled as a high-ranker.

‘The guy seemed thorough, so it was weird that we could tail him so easily.’?Nicolas thought, then wondered what to do now.

For a moment, Nicolas considered merging with his Wild Zombie, but he soon shook his head since it would melt as soon as they submerged.

‘Wait.’?Nicolas raised his head, an idea suddenly flashing in his mind. ‘Come to think of it, Grizman also disappeared somewhere as soon as he arrived at the ‘Boiling Hell’ station.’

For some reason, Nicolas could feel the fog inside his head clear up. ‘Chang-Sun is definitely a demonic being and is up to something with Grizman…!’

The ‘Iron Mask’ Grizman Adelie used to be a demonic being, but he was known to have atoned for the sins he had committed during those times, becoming a brand new man. However, Nicolas never trusted a word of it since trash would always be trash. Although no one had found any evidence yet, a significant number of people believed that Grizman was scheming something behind their backs.

And Nicolas was certain that Chang-Sun was involved in Grizman’s scheme. Otherwise, it would’ve been strange for them to simultaneously disappear as if they had made an appointment earlier. Besides, Chang-Sun becoming stronger abnormally quickly made sense if he was a demonic being.

‘They probably met up beyond this river and are now conspiring to put us all in danger!’ Nicola’s delusion already turned into the truth in his head.

The delusion was created because he believed Chang-Sun had victimized him, and because he had an inferiority complex against Grizman. However, Nicolas wasn’t aware of those.

Acting as if he was a champion of justice, Nicolas became so hellbent on finding evidence of Chang-Sun and Grizman’s evil deeds that his eyes began to gleam with madness. No one noticed it, but he was showing ominous signs of Demonization Syndrome, which all the Players that used mana should be absolutely careful not to acquire.

“Hmm…?” Nicolas noticed that Mireille Alliano, who was far away from them, was walking toward the river despite Henri’s dissuasion.

The wind blew and supported Mireille’s feet as she slowly walked on the river. At that moment, Nicolas recalled that the attribute of Mireille’s summon was Eon Wind. Perhaps that great power could be a big help to them in this fucking river.

“Mireille!” Nicolas hurriedly approached her.

Mireille became noticeably perplexed. “D-Director Pouquet…”

『P-please save me, Mireille…!』

Grasping at straws, Mireille joined the Players tailing Chang-Sun and found the ‘thread; that Armand had left in secret. As a result, Mireille could use her magic spells again. Nicolas didn’t know about this, however. All that mattered to him was that they could continue tracking down Chang-Sun.

“Can you pursue the Tyrant?” Nicolas asked.

Mireille hesitated to answer, but she eventually forced herself to nod. With his eyes looking like that, she knew that Nicolas would take no other answer.

“Find out what the Tyrant is up to and what he and Grizman are conspiring about. Whatever it is, I’m sure it would put us in danger. Report back to me once you’re done! Do you understand?” Nicolas growled.

Mireille wasn’t sure why Nicolas mentioned Grizman right now, but she nodded anyway, overwhelmed by his aura.

“Henri, protect Mireille at all costs. Got it?” Nicolas instructed.

“Yes, sir…!” Mireille and Henri slowly flew above the hot river of fire using [Wind Thread].

* * *

Crossing his arms, Jarpagu discontentedly clicked his tongue as he watched what was chaotically happening near the river of fire, or Surtr’s veins, to be exact.

“I hate that the small fries are getting involved, but it does look like something is about to happen.” Jarapgu nodded.

Of course, that was just Jarapgu’s personal opinion. If the store owners from other stations were standing here, they would’ve immediately tried to get rid of those Players since this place was sacred for the <Muspelheim> descendants.

However, Jarpagu believed it was fine. Risking losing his eye, he had tossed his [Other Eye] in the river of fire to observe Surtr’s heart, witnessing Chang-Sun entering the ‘Rhaegaren.’ Since Jarapgu didn’t have the qualifications, he didn’t know what kind of trials awaited its visitors, but he could tell through his years of experience that something interesting was going to happen.

“We should hold a <Store Meeting> for the first time in so long, hehehe!” Jarpagu giggled, already wondering how the other store owners, his old colleagues, would react once they heard the news.

It would be pretty uproarious once they gathered up… but their meeting would create an interesting result. Although <Muspelheim> had already been met with <Extinction>, the great plane left a gigantic legacy.

Thanks to the legacy of <Muspelheim>, the store owners had the power to sell all sorts of bizarre items, and the <Management Bureau> couldn’t stop them. If the store owners backed Chang-Sun up with this legacy, he would rise so high that he would reach the top of the sky. Of course, that would only be possible if Chang-Sun could acquire the title of Surtr’s heir.

“Anyhow, open up the ‘Rhaegaren.’ Once you do, everything will come up roses even if you don’t request it,” Jarapgu mumbled with anticipation for some reason, curling up one end of his mouth.

* * *

After defeating Gustaf, the first gatekeeper, Chang-Sun marched forward, unopposed.

[You have defeated the second gatekeeper!]

[The Skill ‘Fist Mastery’ has reached its maximum level. You have acquired the new Trait ‘Fist Wind.’]

[You have acquired Pankration, the <Muspelheim> hand-to-hand combat technique. ]

…

[Defeat the fifth gatekeeper. The gatekeeper is going to use a dagger.]

[You have defeated the fifth gatekeeper!]

…

[The Skill ‘Polearm Mastery’ has reached its maximum level…]

…

[You have defeated the fourteenth…]

[You have defeated the fifteenth…]

‘I don’t have much time left. I have to finish everything quickly,’?Chang-Sun determinedly thought.

The gatekeepers were surprised.

[Defeat the nineteenth gatekeeper. The gatekeeper is going to use a whip.]

『Aren’t you hurrying too much, contender? We have already acknowledged you as a warrior, and we want to defeat warriors when they’re in their prime and best condition, not as exhausted as a flickering candle. We’ll let you take as much break as you require.』

The Fire Giant who introduced himself as Hoterus genuinely advised Chang-Sun to rest several times before their fight began. Chang-Sun had heard that the Giants valued honor and pride more than anything. Moreover, it seemed Hoterus didn’t want to let others say he won just because Chang-Sun ran out of stamina.

‘I’m glad that they acknowledge me, though.’?Chang-Sun shrugged.

According to the Fifth Elder, no one could be as arrogant as a Fire Giant, so getting their acknowledgment was hard. However, that also meant that there were no better friends than them once one had gained their acceptance. Chang-Sun really liked how friendly the Giants were, but it didn’t mean that he had no other choice but to accept the Giant’s kind offer.

“No, I’ll proceed.” Chang-Sun shook his head, which made Hoterus slightly frown.

『You think you can easily defeat me even if you don’t take a break? That’s quite arrogant.』

‘He told me never to get on their wrong side because it won’t end well regardless of how much the Giants acknowledge my skills,’ Chang-Sun recalled.

The Giants were truly tricky to deal with, so Chang-Sun silently grumbled. Still, he had to give Hoterus a plausible answer. “It\'s ecstasy.”

『… Do you mean you gained something?』

Chang-Sun shrugged. “Something like that. I don’t want to lose this feeling.”

『If so, then I have no other choice.』

Hoterus nodded, understanding what Chang-Sun meant. Ecstasy or Samadhi was a phenomenon where one got a grasp of something, which was usually a hint to overcome their limitations. Upon entering this state, one should never lose focus After all, there was no telling when they would be able to enter it again.

Since Hoterus was also a warrior who wished to reach a new level, he understood what kind of crossroad Chang-Sun was standing at, so Hoterus gave up.

『You’ve reached a higher level by meeting with us! That is more reason to put my heart into this battle.』Hoterus tightly clenched his fists.

Although Chang-Sun just mentioned ecstasy to win Hoterus’ favor, he was actually a bit serious. Each gatekeeper that he had run into was an exceptionally skilled fighter, and they all used different weapons. He acquired several combat techniques and gained new perspectives as he defeated them, and he also figured out the hidden unified system in weapon-handling skills, allowing him to reach a totally new level.

At the same time, Chang-Sun was developing differently than when he became the ‘Divine Twilight,’ so he was starting to enjoy the fights with these Giants and definitely did not want to lose this feeling. His battle against Hoterus was also fiercely and intensely intriguing.

『Distance doesn’t matter when I’m using a whip, which I’ll use to unleash barrages of attacks. Break through them and take the necklace on my neck. If you accomplish that, you win.』

After listening to Hoterus’ explanation, Chang-Sun nodded and sprang forward. Since Hoterus was using a whip, he planned to do the same. His goal was to beat his opponents with the same weapon as theirs.

Whirl!

[The Skill ‘Whip Mastery’ has reached its maximum level. You have acquired the new Trait ‘Whip Fire.’]

[You have acquired ‘Mau Rākau’, the whip technique of <Muspelheim>.]

…

* * *

[You have successfully passed through 30 strongholds.]

[The 30 Traits in the Category ‘Weapon-Handling Techniques’ have merged into one. You have become the ‘Close-Combat Expert.’]

[Your understanding of weapons has significantly increased.]

[Your understanding of martial arts has significantly increased.]

…

‘I’ve acquired [Close-Combat Expert],’ Chang-Sun calmly thought.

There were three mastery ranks of weapon-handling techniques: experts understood weapons, masters could draw out their hidden power, and grandmasters could animate them. In other words, the Trait [Close-Combat Expert] meant one could proficiently handle and had mastered several kinds of weapons. It was also the first threshold that Chang-Sun had to pass through to acquire the Trait [King of Weapons].

‘If I pass the six remaining thresholds, I’ll be able to upgrade [Close-Combat Expert] to [Close-Combat Master],’?Chang-Sun thought.

Only one word changed between those two Traits, but they were completely disparate from one another.

‘Once I do, I’ll be able to hear the weapons’ voices.’?Chang-Sun faintly smiled.

He always described reading the memory of weapons as listening to their voices. The more extraordinary and the longer the history the weapon had, the more it recorded its countless masters’ ‘history.’ If its master made great achievements, its ‘history’ became clearer.

If Chang-Sun could hear the weapons’ voices and take a peek at their ‘history,’ then it would be no different from gaining experiences that couldn’t be bought and getting splendid teachers without even trying. There was a reason why the ‘Divine Twilight’ grew stronger in such a short amount of time.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ blankly looks at you, who are quickly becoming stronger.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ strokes his chin using his tail with interest, thinking you have decided to rise for real now.]

…

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ silently watches you.]

[The Celestial ‘Big Sick Bug’ watches you with discontentment. ]

‘Once I get [Close-Combat Master] and hear the voice of ‘Laevateinn,’ I’ll gain so much more,’?Chang-Sun thought as he headed to the next gate.

Squeak!

[You have arrived at the thirty-first gate.]

[Defeat the thirty-first gatekeeper. The gatekeeper is going to use a bow.]

‘It’s a bow now?’ Chang-Sun stopped pulling out the [White Magpie Bow] from his inventory.

Up until now, the sparring grounds Chang-Sun had entered after passing through the stronghold gates were clean, so he expected the same when he entered the thirty-first gate. However, he was greeted by a mess instead. Metal objects that seemed to be either arrows or spears were embedded into the huge stronghold walls surrounding the sparring area. There were so many of them that they looked like ivy vines. The ground was littered with holes of different sizes as well, exuding smoke and a burning smell.

“Hmm? I was wondering who it was, but… I didn’t expect to run into him here. Hmm…” Chang-Sun muttered.

Someone else was already in the center of the ruin, and Chang-Sun was familiar with the person. Wearing the iron mask that only had holes for his eyes and mouth, the ‘Iron Mask’ Grizman Adelie of the Youth Fountain Clan huffed and puffed as he fixed his eyes on Chang-Sun. He was sitting on something burned-up… which had to be the corpse of the thirty-first gatekeeper.

A Giant was a transcendental being, and the thirty-first gatekeeper was a warrior who had been a symbol of <Muspelheim> before he became a resident of this Dungeon. However, Grizman had killed and was sitting on top of him!

Even Chang-Sun couldn’t do that right now. Hence, all he did was activate [Viper Eyes] as he felt a shiver run down his spine. At that moment, he discovered the secret identity of Grizman, which he hadn’t noticed until now.

Woosh…!

The ominous black energy that filled up the stronghold was definitely demonic energy, which Chang-Sun could usually only feel when he drew [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth]. Judging from the energy’s purity and the amount of energy in the air, he could only reach one conclusion: the demon king, the leader of all inhumane and wrongful existences, had descended.

[The Celestial ‘First Samaritan Mage’ is looking at you!]

1. It’s a hand-to-hand combat sport started in the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC.

2. It’s actually a martial art based on traditional Māori weapons.