Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 169: Star, The First Station (1)

Chapter 169: Star, The First Station (1)

To find out if the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] were really used to seal Ithaca’s daughters, Chang-Sun had to finish the <Decryption> process of the [Fourth Cryptical Book of Hsan] first. That meant he had to conquer the Changgwi Cave and discover what was on the last floor as soon as possible. Maybe one of the five ‘Yukhons,’ who were the Changgwi Cave rulers, was Ithaca’s daughter.

‘Perhaps the Hohwan Mama is the prison bars that entrap and contaminate Ithaca’s daughters, and ‘Hsan’ is related to it,’ Chang-Sun assumed.

Behind the other <Purple Star Astrology> Celestials’ backs, Heoju was gathering up Ithaca’s daughters, and Xue Yong started following Heoju’s track when he noticed the latter was acting suspicious. If so, then perhaps Xue Yong knew what Heoju’s goal was.

‘As planned, I have to completely conquer the Changgwi Cave and seal Xue Yong. If I interrogate him afterward, I should be able to get the information I need,’ Chang-Sun thought.

To do so, he had to become stronger. Although he was already strong enough to fight most high-rankers, he still had a long way to go.

‘I have to get Laevateinn first.’ Chang-Sun made a mental list of priorities. As he slowly moved, he then used telepathy.

?Jin, we have to pick up the pace in conquering the Changgwi Cave.?

* * *

Worried about how Jaegal Hyeon-Ryong would react, Bu Yeong-Jin held his breath after Chang-Sun left. Even though Chang-Sun completely crushed him, few people in the Council of Elders could fight Tae Hong-Gak on equal grounds. Hyeon-Ryong never went back on his words, but there was no way he could easily get rid of such an asset…!

“Hong-Gak, you fool,” Hyeon-Ryong said, bringing Yeong-Jin back to reality.

Hyeon-Ryong looked down on Hong-Gak, who was still flinching on the railroad, with contempt. When Yeong-Jin looked at Hong-Gak up close, he found him in worse shape than he had expected. Hong-Gak had been charred so badly that it looked as if he had been turned into charcoal, and he was exuding a horrible burning smell.

“Didn’t I tell you to be careful? I also told you that you and the Rotting Skull would embarrass yourselves and get your asses kicked if you fought him, so why didn’t you listen to me? Tsk!” Hyeon-Ryong clicked his tongue.

Yeong-Jin thought Hyeon-Ryong would just punish Hong-Gak lightly and let him live.

“So I sincerely hope you listen to what others say in the otherworld.” Hyeon-Ryong nodded.

“…!” Yeong-Jin’s eyes widened.

Smack!

Hyeon-Ryong raised his foot and crushed Hong-Gak’s head as if he was just smashing a watermelon. The ‘Red Goliath’ Hong-Gak gained his title for always ending up covered in his enemies’ blood whenever he fought, but that demonic being just died in vain.

Yeong-Jin, who bore witness to everything, quietly shivered as he was reminded of the hideousness that Hyeon-Ryong’s gentle smile hid. When Hyeon-Ryong turned his head toward him, Yeong-Jin quickly pulled himself together.

“Rotting Skull, you received a paper from Chang-Sun a moment ago, didn’t you?” Hyeon-Ryong asked.

“Huh? Y-yeah…!” Yeong-Jin hated that his voice currently trembled more than it ever had.

“Take it and head back,” Hyeon-Ryong instructed.

“But…!” Yeong-Jin tried to insist.

“But what? Are you trying to defy my order too?” Hyeon-Ryong’s eyes coldly gleamed behind his glasses.

Yeong-Jin hurriedly shouted, “No! I just haven’t authenticated the letters in the paper yet—!”

“They’re real, so stop worrying,” Hyeon-Ryong replied.

Hyeon-Ryong was the wisest elder in the Council of Elders, and he had knowledge so deep in many areas that it was as if he was Zhuge Liang’s reincarnation. There was a reason he was given the title ‘Wu Hou.’

‘There is also a reason why people say he was born with the body of Guan Yu…’ Yeong-Jin thought.

Anyhow, Yeong-Jin concluded that the paper Chang-Sun gave him had to be the real one, considering Hyeon-Ryong, who joined this business trip partly to authenticate it, already vouched for it.

“I-I’ll get going now, th-then. What about you, though…?” Yeong-Jin asked.

“Well, we’re on a business trip, so one of us has to stick around. The cryptical book is an urgent matter, and as such has to immediately be sent back to the Clan, so we don’t have much of a choice, do we?” Hyeon-Ryong shrugged.

Worried that Hyeon-Ryong would change his mind, Yeong-Jin hurriedly pulled out a [Logout Scroll] from his inventory after Hyeon-Ryong gave him a good excuse. “Th-that’s right… Haha! Then I’ll leave th-this business trip to you.”

The [Logout Scroll] allowed its user to escape from a Dungeon should they get stuck in one. Its price was astronomical since it was really difficult to acquire, but Yeong-Jin used it without hesitation.

Rip.

When Yeong-Jin ripped the scroll, a ray of light shone on him, and he soon disappeared.

“Hmm! That greedy idiot doesn’t even know what he’s looking at… He won’t last long.” Hyeon-Ryong lightly snorted and turned in the opposite direction as soon as Yeong-Jin left. Fixing his glasses, he looked at the station where Chang-Sun would be.

“Lee Chang-Sun…I sincerely hope he’s the key to unlocking our chains. I should keep watching him and see how far he goes.” Hyeon-Ryong murmured incomprehensively to himself, then created the opaque [Nimbus] to quietly disappear.

* * *

[You are now at the ‘Boiling Hell’ Station.]

[The station has a store inside that sells essentials like food and water, luxury goods, and weapons.]

[Keep in mind that the store uses a special kind of currency.]

[The train is going to depart in 23 hours, 57 minutes, and 46 seconds.]

When Chang-Sun got off the desert train, he immediately felt the hot wind rushing over him and making his coat tail fly a little.

“Ahh… It’s hot.”

“The store has to have water, right?”

“Ice cream… I want ice cream… Melona[1] is perfect in this kind of weather… Phew…” Woo Hye-Bin, who usually didn’t express herself, looked noticeably tired out by the dungeon’s bad weather.

They thought the Safe Zone was a horrible place, but the environment in the ‘Boiling Hell’ station was much worse. Fortunately, it was quite big and had a refined interior compared to the undeveloped station in the Safe Zone. Its interior reminded the Team L members of the late 19th or early 20th century, which was when people started using steam locomotives.

The volunteer Players scanned the station since the Crna Ruka could strike again at any moment, so the Team L members had to wait for quite some time before they entered.

“Oh! It’s better on the inside.” Shin Geum-Gyu’s face brightened up a bit.

“Geum-Gyu, AC please,” Shin Eun-Seo said with drooped shoulders.

“No. Gosh, you talk like it’s yours. That thing consumes so much of my mana.” Geum-Gyu frowned.

“Oppwa! Pwease pwut on the air condiwtioner! Pwitty pwease?” Eun-Seo talked like a baby. [2]

“… I swear I’ll blow you away if you keep that up,” Geum-Gyu warned Eun-Seo.

“The weather is too hot for Eun-Seo! Eun-Seo is going to get cranky in hot weather![3]” Eun-Seo pouted.

“Fuck.” Geum-Gyu’s expression crumpled up, appalled by Eun-Seo talking like a baby.

Eun-Seo seemed to have no intention of stopping. Although Geum-Gyu wanted to get Eun-Seo off of him, she was way stronger. To top it all off, Hye-Bin was looking at him with puppy eyes. Even Baek Gyeo-Ul’s gaze was on him, though he didn’t say anything. The torture eventually made Geum-Gyu levitate his Magical Core in the air.

Pzzz?!

Geum-Gyu’s Magical Core spun like a top, spreading cold wind. Eun-Seo and the other team members marveled. Geum-Gyu just used an ice energy magic spell and a wind magic spell together, but it was quite effective.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ discontentedly watches you, unhappy about his great teaching being used in such a way.]

Feeling as if Jörmungandr was glaring at him for some reason, Geum-Gyu had to pretend for quite some time that he hadn’t read the message.

“They’re looking at us.” Geum-Gyu dumbfoundedly chuckled as he looked at the French volunteer Players, who were watching them with hostility and envy.

Quietly snorting, Eun-Seo stopped Geum-Gyu. “Pretend like you haven’t seen them. They don’t deserve it.”

The French Players were also suffering in this hot weather, but ever since Chang-Sun knocked down Henri and Nicolas, the Team L members and French Players hadn’t spoken to each other, choosing to act indifferent instead.

“Where is the store, though?” Eun-Seo frowned, unable to find what she was looking for in this large station.

At that moment, Hye-Bin pointed somewhere. “That might be it.”

“Oh, my cute Hye-Bin, good job! Unnie will buy you a melona.” Eun-Seo smiled.

There was a very small booth in the corner of the station. Judging from the messy promotional posters on the wall, it seemed to be the store. Worrying the French Player would get to it first, Eun-Seo and Hye-Bin ran toward the store.

“Ho, ho, ho! It has been a while since I’ve seen human guests.”

“… Huh?”

“Why is it there…?”

Eun-Seo and Hye-Bin stopped in their tracks. Goblins were usually considered weak monsters in Dungeons, but one of them was sitting inside the store right now. It was a little different from ordinary Goblins, though.

Ordinary Goblins were usually a hundred and twenty centimeters tall and had reddish green faces, but the one before them was a head taller than the rest of its kind, and its face was red. It only had one eye, the other having a big wound on it.

The creature before them was a Hobgoblin, the highest-level Goblin. It could talk—no, it sounded like it was blabbing, but Hye-Bin and Eun-Seo could understand what it was saying.

[You have met the Store Owner ‘Jarapgu’!]

“Hey, human lady! Please put down the hand behind your back. This is a neutral zone, and I’m a pacifist. I’m terrified of knife fights, so I won’t be able to run my shop if one breaks out.” Jarapgu the Hobgoblin fervently waved his hand from side to side.

Taking Jarapgu’s advice, Hye-Bin stopped reaching for the [Storm Deity’s Dagger] and put her hand down. Nothing good could come from getting on the store owner’s bad side.

“You’re one smart guest, hehe.” Jarapgu giggled.

“What do you sell?” Hye-Bin asked.

“Everything!” Jarpgu smiled with one eye. “Do you want to take a look?”

[The Store Owner ‘Jarapgu’ opens the item category window!]

[Item Categories]

1. 1~9 Hound Items.

2. 10~99 Hound Items.

3. 100~999 Hound Items.

…

9. Over 100,000,000 Hound Items.

10. Other items. (Inaccessible).

‘Hound? It seems to be the currency used in this Dungeon.’ Hye-Bin recalled the system message about the Players having to keep in mind that the Dungeon used a different currency.

Tap, tap.

To confirm, Hye-Bin tapped the screen window and took a look.

[1~9 Hound Item]

?Half-drank water bottle. (1 Hound)

?Almond that has been chewed but spat out. (3 Hounds)

?An unripe apple (2 Hounds)

…

?A melona that someone stopped making halfway. (9 Hounds.)

…

The items in the first category were mostly food and water. Hye-Bin had asked for a melona as a joke, but much to her surprise, the store actually sold it. However, its name made her feel leery.

‘What about the second category, then…’

[10~99 Hound Items]

?An ordinary spear (11 Hounds)

?Full water bottles ×10 (20 Hounds)

…

?A Wind Dagger (99 Hounds)

‘These items look pretty ordinary.’ Hye-Bin continued to scroll down the screen window.

The last category was inaccessible, so her curiosity fell on what kind of items would be in the second-highest category.

‘It doesn’t hurt to look.’ She shrugged.

~

[Over 100,000,000 Hound Items]

?Heavenly Sword (130,000,000 Hounds)

?Lightning Deity Seal (290,000,000 Hounds)

?Zoroaster's Grand Prophecy Book (450,000,000 Hounds)

…

Every item was so grand that Hye-Bin’s gasped. She scrolled all the way to the bottom to see what was the last item in this category.

?Forbidden Fruit (100,000,000,000,000 Hounds)

‘[Forbidden Fruit]…?!’ Hye-Bin’s jaw dropped, wondering if it was actually the fruit from the Bible.

If it was, then Jarapgu was selling unbelievable items.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ asks why that fruit is there as her eyes widen!]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ highly doubts the Hobgoblin, thinking it could be a fraud.]

“Have you decided on what you’re going to buy, human lady?” Jarapgu smiled enigmatically, looking at Hye-Bin.

Wiping her cold sweat, Hye-Bin turned off the screen window and said, “I want a melona.”

“Let’s see. It’s fourteen Hounds. No! I’ll be generous since you’re my first guest today. Give me ten Hounds.” Jarapgu smiled.

“Do you take any other currencies aside from Hounds?” Hye-Bin asked.

“Ho, ho, nope.” Jarapgu shook his head.

“Do you exchange currencies?”

“Nope.” Jarapgu shook his head again.

“Can I barter? I have jewels, gold bars, and many artifacts,” Hye-Bin suggested.

“I don’t need them.” Jarapgu shrugged.

It looked like it was impossible to buy something in this store except by using the currency called Hound.

“Can you at least tell me how I get the currency—!”

“Hey, lady.” At that moment, Jarpagu’s smile disappeared, and its expression turned sour. “Get lost if you don’t have money. Stop interrupting my business.”

Hye-Bin desperately wanted to stab Jarapgu’s face with a pitchfork[4] and knock some sense into it. Feeling quite annoyed, she raised one of her eyebrows. However, at that moment, Chang-Sun approached them quietly and handed Jarapgu a long list. Hye-Bin unconsciously turned her head toward at Chang-Sun.

“I want everything on that list,” Chang-Sun said.

“Hahaha, another guest has come! Let’s see… Oh, you picked out all the items you’re definitely going to need in this Dungeon. Unlike the guest next to you, you have a great eye for things. Anyway, that’ll be 160 thousand Hounds.”

Feeling humiliated, Hye-Bin clenched her fists and trembled in anger. However, Chang-Sun said, “I’ll also pay for the child next to me.”

“I see we have Daddy-Long-Legs here. It’ll be 160 thousand and ten Hounds, then. How would you like to pay? Cash or wire transfer? I actually prefer cash because the <Management Bureau> recently became very strict—”

“I don’t have it,” Chang-Sun quietly answered.

Wondering if it misheard him, Jarapgu tilted its head in confusion. “…What?”

Hye-Bin’s eyes widened. Faintly smiling, Chang-Sun replied, “I don’t have the money, so put it on my tab.”

1. melon-flavored Korean ice cream ?

2. It’s…called ??(acting cute). It’s pretty common to act cute in Korean culture. It’s used to flirt or charm one’s lover, but it can also be used to mentally torture someone since it could make them cringe really hard. ?

3. Again… It’s ??. ?

4. The raw is ?? ???, which means she wants a bamboo spear. It’s a famous internet meme in Korea since bamboo spears were often used in the revolutions that took place in Korea. The phrase generally means that everyone is equal before a bamboo spear. Since pitchforks are usually the ones used in revolutions that took place in Western countries…yup. ?

Namu's Thoughts

Namu:

If you mix melona + sprite + soju, you can make a great cocktail.

Invictum:

Let me get back to you if that cocktail tastes as advertised

Yojj:

Ima try it