Return of the Shattered Constellation - Chapter 179

Chapter 179

“Urghhh…! Until when do I have to do this?!” Shin Eun-Seo collapsed on the ground with bags under her eyes, looking as tired as a zombie. Having fought nonstop in full armor for a day and a half, it was only natural for her to get exhausted despite how strong she was.

“Well, we don’t have any other choice. Chang-Sun hyung asked us to do it, so we gotta do it. His words are truth, the absolute truth, and he’ll lead us to the land flowing with milk and honey,” Shin Geum-Gyu said holily.

“… You sound like a cult believer for some reason,” Eun-Seo grumbled.

“The Tyrant Order is one of his fan clubs,” Geum-Gyu mentioned.

“Those guys are all hooligans.” Eun-Seo narrowed her eyes.

Thinking Geum-Gyu was becoming a worse stan than Eun-Seo herself over time, she looked at him in disbelief, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Anyhow, let’s take it easy. Can’t you see these bags under my eyes? I haven’t slept a wink.” Eun-Seo pouted.

“You’re just as ugly with or without all those bags, so don’t wor… Argghhh!” Geum-Gyu screamed.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ looks at his idiotic subordinate, who just dug his own grave, with contempt.]

Looking at Geum-Gyu rolling around the ground, Eun-Seo brushed the dust off her hands as she thought, ‘Things are really tense in here. I wonder until when we should stay here.’

It had already been over fifteen hours since Chang-Sun entered the ‘Rhaegaren.’ In that time span, the Team L members diligently carried out his instruction—complete as many of Jarapgu’s daily quests as possible and earn a lot of Hounds. Before Chang-Sun left for the ‘Rhaegaren,’ Baek Gyeo-Ul was given a more detailed explanation regarding his instructions.

“I’m asking you to gather as many Hounds as possible to draw out the boss monster of this Dungeon,” Chang-Sun explained.

“This place… has a boss monster?” Gyeo-Ul asked, baffled.

Gyeo-Ul received a briefing about the ‘Wuthering Stone Desert’ in Korea before heading to France. Hence, Chang-Sun’s remark shocked him. The Dungeon had remained uncleared over the past dozens of years, so it still had many mysteries. The biggest among them was whether or not the ‘Wuthering Stone Desert’ had a boss monster. Some just classified it as a quest-type Dungeon, which had no boss monster, but Chang-Sun had just told Gyeo-Ul that the ‘Wuthering Stone Desert’ wasn’t that type of Dungeon.

“This is a Dungeon, so naturally, it has one. In fact, its boss monster is so extraordinary that you would never see anything like it in other Dungeons. That’s why we have to prepare thoroughly. We can only get the tools we need in these stores, so gather as much Hounds as you can,” Chang-Sun instructed.

Ever since Gyeo-Ul had relayed Chang-Sun’s explanation to the other Team L members, they had turned into human Hound diggers, forcing themselves to work. Geum-Gyu and Woo Hye-Bin, Chang-Sun’s two devout followers, were especially active.

‘No, there are three diggers if I include that Joachim person… Gosh, my oppa is truly enchantingly attractive. He even won over a middle-aged man…’ Eun-Seo shook her head.

Although she grumbled about the work she had to do, she also knew from experience that she should never take Chang-Sun’s words lightly. That was why she diligently carried out quests. She just wanted a little break because she had to beat up not two but hundreds of monsters called ‘Max-Level Rabbits’ under the scorching sun. Besides, the French Players kept getting on her nerves. She really wanted to assault them again.

‘No, Eun-Seo. Let’s relax, relax. I can’t start any more troubles here… Anyway, I want ice cream. The melona Hye-Bin ate yesterday looked really tasty,’ Eun-Seo thought randomly and blankly smacked her lips due to fatigue.

“Ms. Shin?” A man called from behind her, finding the Orlando Clan’s Ludovico, who was known to idolize the great knights from the famous 《Song of Roland》, when she turned around. In fact, Ludovico was so handsome that he had been on the cover of several magazines.

He stood before Eun-Seo looking serious, but he soon smiled. ‘I heard this woman is a sucker for handsome men. If so, then she must already be into me since I’m much more manly than that girly Tyrant. Hmm, judging from the look on her face, it seems she’s indeed head over heels for me. Well, she ought to be, considering how handsome I am. Ha!’

In contrast to Ludovico’s delusion, Eun-Seo was actually having a hard time not frowning. ‘Wow, he has red pepper powder on his teeth. Oh my god, what did he secretly eat for lunch?’

Ludovico and Nicolas Pouquet had already been humiliated by Chang-Sun, so no matter how handsome Ludovico was, to Eun-Seo, he was just someone pathetic. Besides, Eun-Seo’s type was attractively slender men, not muscular macho men like Ludovico. Since she couldn’t say that to his face, she just politely asked, “How can I help you?”

“There is something I would like to talk about in private, so can I have a moment of your time?” Ludovico’s eyes turned cold.

Eun-Seo frowned slightly, not sure what the French Players were up to this time.

* * *

Fortunately, Grizman was too busy with his explanation that he didn’t notice [Peter’s Key] reacting. Hiding his surprise, Chang-Sun shook his head. “No, I haven’t heard about Bestla at all.”

“… You’ve come all the way to the <Muspelheim> treasury, but you’ve never heard about Bestla? Am I supposed to believe that?” Grizman asked, discontented.

For a moment, Chang-Sun wondered if he had made a mistake, but he didn’t let his bafflement show. Rather, he shamelessly answered, “I don’t know, but the part about the first and last Giant Deity King, and the title itself, sounds like the Celestial is quite high-ranked.”

Grizman observed Chang-Sun in doubt, but he was in no position to nitpick right now. Hence, he just cut to the chase. “Bestla is the Celestial of Celestials and the king of kings. She ruled over <Muspelheim>, <Jötunheimr>, and <Niflheim> before the three planes split, and she’s also one of the few beings to acquire the title of Deity King from the previous universe.”

“…!” Chang-Sun was shocked.

“Ha! You seem intrigued now.” Grizman chuckled.

“Keep going.” Chang-Sun gestured at Grizman.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ hurriedly asks the Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ whether or not there was such a being.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ does not answer but watches the conversation with unreadable eyes.]

Jörmungandr, the <Niflheim> Celestial, uncharacteristically became very quiet, seemingly trying to listen to Grizman’s explanation.

According to Grizman, there used to be a universe that was created eons ago, and during its creation, several of its ‘broken pieces’ turned into planes. Some of those planes were <Muspelheim>, the plane of Fire Giants, the Frost Giants’ <Jötunheimr>, and <Niflheim>, where Giants and monsters chaotically lived together.

However, the three planes were incomplete because they all originated from the ‘broken pieces’, so they wanted to force other planes and civilizations to unify with theirs, which would complete it. As a result, they unintentionally started the golden age of Giants. Among the Giants, those from <Muspelheim>, <Jötunheimr>, and <Niflheim> fought against each other to take control, but one being united them all.

“… And that’s Bestla?” Chang-Sun asked.

“Bingo.” Grizman nodded.

Although Chang-Sun didn’t show it, he was quite surprised. After all, finding out such an event occurred before the current <Heaven> was created was quite difficult.

“Still, what goes up must come down. The great Celestial was no exception. After Bestla’s death, <Muspelheim>, <Jötunheimr>, and <Niflheim> quickly lost their influence and had to coop themselves up in the corner of the universe, barely able to survive,” Grizman said.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ frowns in discontentment, not liking the demon king’s explanation.]

“Ah, except for the <Niflheim> Giants. They would have already regained—no, they gained more influence than they had before.” Grizman shrugged.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ brightens up a bit.]

“Anyway, due to the great war at the time, <Muspelheim> was met with <Extinction>, ending up like this, and no one knows where the <Jötunheimr> is anymore.” Grizman nodded.

“Simplify your explanation,” Chang-Sun said.

“The three planes’ golden ages and downfalls followed Bestla’s fate, showing how great Bestla was. There is also a rumor that the ‘Cane-Holding Father of Warriors,’ the previous Ruling Celestial of <Asgard>, learned all his magic spells from Bestla before the plane faced <Extinction>,” Grizman continued.

‘Bestla was the one who taught Odin magic?’ Chang-Sun wondered.

Chang-Sun knew about the ‘Cane-Holding Father of Warriors’ Odin, the Ruling Celestial of the <Asgard>. After all, Odin was the founder of the rune magic that Gramps had taught him. However, Grizman just said that Odin learned rune magic from Bestla, which was an eye-opener for Chang-Sun.

“Anyhow, Bestla was the only Deity King who managed to unify and rule over the Giants. That’s why I’m trying to get my hands on the poem that still holds part of her power. I think I’ve explained enough now, haven’t I?” Grizman asked.

Chang-Sun calmly nodded. He actually got more information than he wanted. In fact, Grizman had given him the information too easily, which would imply how bad his situation was, or…

‘He’s confident that he can kill me even with [Mana Pledge]’ Chang-Sun assumed. He could vaguely tell why Grizman needed Bestla’s poem. ‘Peter the Apostle is dead, but Simon is scared because there’s a chance Peter would resurrect like his teacher. Besides, Simon has earned many people’s grudges throughout the times, and I think I heard the Immortal Overload has been hunting down a demonic being for a while now as well… Are those related?’

Grizman’s goal was definitely to transcend and become a deity after escaping from all the dangers around him. Although it seemingly had nothing to do with Chang-Sun, this matter intrigued him. [Peter’s Key] likely belonged to Peter the Apostle, whom Grizman feared very much. Moreover, Grizman wished to acquire Bestla’s poem. These two items seemed totally unrelated, but Grizman was involved in them, making Chang-Sun think that it wasn’t a coincidence that [Peter’s Key] was buried in ‘Bestla Tomb.’

‘Besides, I’ve become a Giant, so the story about Bestla intrigues me,’ Chang-Sun thought.

He threw another question. “Fine, I get what you’re going after, but why do you need me? You seem more than capable of passing the rest of the gates on your own.”

Grizman overwhelmed the Giant warrior at the thirty-first gate so much that he burnt the warrior to death. Even Chang-Sun, who hadn’t finished his <Evolution> yet since he hadn’t conquered the ‘Rhaegaren,’ wasn’t sure he could do that.

“How many times do you think I’ve tried to go through this Dungeon’s trial?” Grizman said.

“… This isn’t your first time?” Chang-Sun asked.

“No. It’s already my twenty-fourth because I keep failing to meet the two qualifications.”

Chang-Sun’s eyes widened.

Grizman held up his right hand and spread his fingers. Folding down his right thumb, Grizman said, “The first reason was that I was a halfwit who couldn’t awaken as a Giant.”

“Can’t you not enter the ‘Rhaegaren’ at all unless you’re a Giant?” Chang-Sun tilted his head in confusion.

Grizman snorted. “Who do you think I am? I’m the first mage of Samaria, the most sacred land of all. Bypassing that requirement is a piece of cake for me. I can’t get to the center because I’m not a Giant, though. You, however…seem to be different.”

Scanning Chang-Sun, Grizman’s eyes gleamed wickedly. It seemed he had activated his Magical Eye and sensed Chang-Sun’s power level to some extent. Since the [Giant’s Fighting Spirit] and [Giant’s Courage] weren’t something that could be hidden, Chang-Sun let Grizman be. Shortly after, Grizman put down his right index finger. “The second reason is the last gatekeeper, the ‘Three-Faced Gatekeeper.’”

“Sinmara…” Chang-Sun muttered.

“You know her, huh?”

“I only know that she’s the thirty-sixth gatekeeper. Oh, and that she’s the best <Muspelheim> warrior.” Chang-Sun raised his finger.

Sinmara was Surtr’s loyal subject and wife. She watched the <Extinction> of <Muspelheim> with Surtr until the very end.

‘Even Thanatos told me to be careful around her since she’s a force to be reckoned with,’ Chang-Sun recalled.

“You’ll be able to beat the other warriors somehow, but prepare yourself in every possible way before you deal with the last gatekeeper,” Thanatos warned him.

“Why should I?” Chang-Sun asked.

“She has the peculiar ability to take a peek at her enemy’s three different destinies with her three heads,” Thanatos explained.

Thanatos was the king of the <Underworld>, which was as big as <Heaven>, so his warning was enough for Chang-Sun to tell how strong Sinmara was. It seemed even Grizman couldn’t get past the wall named Sinmora.

“I’m the one who knows about her the best, so I’m confident that I know how to deal with her to some level. Although I have no idea what in the world you’ve done, you became a Giant, so there’s probably a way to solve this if we work on it together. I think I said everything I have to say.” Grizman held out his right hand.

Chang-Sun silently looked at it for a moment before grabbing it. He had no reason to turn down the offer, after all.

[A party has been formed!]

* * *

“But how did you get here? There’s only one way from the first station to the ‘Rhaegaren,’ right?” Chang-Sun asked.

“Hehe, I used a portal.” Grizman chuckled.

Having temporarily formed an alliance, Chang-Sun and Grizman talked and quickly passed through the remaining strongholds.

[You have passed the thirty-third stronghold…]

[You have passed the thirty-fourth stronghold…]

[The Effect of the Trait ‘Close-Combat Expert’ has been…]

…

With two contenders fighting together, the gatekeepers set trickier conditions to victory, but it didn’t change much. Soon, Chang-Sun and Grizman reached the last stronghold.

[You have entered the thirty-sixth stronghold, the center of the ‘Rhaegaren.’]

『I see a familiar face.』

『And a new one.』

『He smells a lot like Surtr, so that child must be the boy that the other warriors have been talking about.』

A Giant warrior sat inside the stronghold, looking totally different from the gatekeepers Chang-Sun had faced. Although the other gatekeepers were wearing thick armor and had a very straight posture, the thirty-sixth gatekeeper still looked far more menacing compared to them.

She had shaggy hair, and her armor had dents and cracks all over—a testament to how many battles she had gone through. She also had a necklace made up of big and small human skulls, making her look more like a voodooist than a warrior.

On top of that, her three faces showed different emotions. She was smiling, crying, and angrily yelling all at the same time. They combined into one in odd angles, making the warrior look bizarre. Chang-Sun slowly drew the [Yuchang Sword] and [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth], and Grizman also drew up demonic energy.

『Before the last test begins.』

『I’ll predict the contenders’ destinies.』

『My prediction is inevitable!』

“You should keep only one thing in mind: do not be seen in ‘their’ eyes. Even if they do see you, you must avoid being seen twice,” Thanatos said.

Woosh!

Chang-Sun ignited a huge Jigwi’s Retribution Fire and hid inside it, preventing Sinmara from seeing him even though she could detect him. What her three faces saw was his soul, not his body, so she couldn’t fully read his destinies. He couldn’t keep his first destiny a secret, though, because she had already seen him when he entered the stronghold.

『It’s strange. Celestial, human… Every living being has four destinies—birth, old age, sickness, and death—but one of yours is missing.』

『I can’t see the destiny of your birth.』

『Do you know that your soul already died several times?』