Chapter 30: Star, The Test (1)

Chapter 30: Star, The Test (1)

It happened long ago...

“Whoa! You’re young, but you already have the face of a killer,” an old man exclaimed.

“What’s up with you, geezer? Get lost if you don’t want to get killed,” Chang-Sun snapped, scowling at the old man.

When he was involuntarily taken to Arcadia through a gate, Chang-Sun had not known anything, not even their language. The only thing he could do was to pick up a spear from a pool of blood and swing it. Two years of fighting through that hell had made him hostile and belligerent by default.

Respecting one’s elders was a luxury on a battlefield, a place where anyone could die the next day. A battlefield was a place where people had to scream at the top of their lungs to be heard, and had to kill others by any means necessary in order to survive. Thus, Chang-Sun was displeased about being stopped abruptly in the midst of such a hell by an old man making such an ‘evaluation’ about him.

“Hahaha.” The old man laughed gently.

In truth, despite his gentle appearance, the old man had met all kinds of trash after spending fifty years on various battlefields. He excelled in no less than forcing such trash to become brand-new people.

“I see you also have no manners, child,” he remarked, shaking his head.

“You’re still talking? If you’re just going to keep saying useless crap, get out of my way!” Chang-Sun snapped, shoving the man.

“I have no other choice, because you look as if you need a good beating. Let’s talk after I’m done beating you,” the old man said, smiling quietly.

Smack!

* * *

Chirp! Chirp, chirp!

“...Why did I have that dream?” Chang-Sun thought, massaging his temples after waking up.

Warm morning sunlight shone through the gap between his curtains, but he did not even notice it because he was preoccupied with his dream. That nostalgic memory was from Chang-Sun’s early days in Arcadia, which he could barely remember.

The old man, whom Chang-Sun had called ‘Gramps’ or ‘Grandpa’ until the end, had always been Chang-Sun’s pillar of strength in Arcadia, where Chang-Sun was a mere stranger. Gramps had been Chang-Sun’s first proper martial arts teacher, a father figure who had prevented him from going down the wrong path in life, a colleague who had his back, and a friend whom he could laugh with.

‘He had a really nasty personality,’ Chang-Sun thought, chuckling quietly.

And... Gramps was one of the reasons Chang-Sun had become ‘Divine Twilight’.

As Gramps had lay dying unjustly, he had passed his Guardian onto Chang-Sun. In that time, the complicated <Myth War> had broken out, a conflict that involved numerous apostles, deities, and stars.

The events that had happened at the time were why Chang-Sun was even here today, and why he was about to do the things he planned to do. Perhaps everything that happened so far had stimulated Chang-Sun’s subconsciousness and made him dream about Gramps.

Even after his regression, he was still having a hard time adjusting to the fact that there were parts about himself that he could not control, such as his subconsciousness and his dreams. The fact that he could not do so vaguely unsettled him.

However, the dream was a little different. It only made him miss Gramps a great deal, giving him all the more reason to pull himself together.

<You have a scheduled appointment today!>

<3 p.m.: A job interview at the White Tiger Clan.>

Ziinnng!

Chang-Sun’s smartphone vibrated as it showed him his schedule for the day. It was finally time to start his hunt.

* * *

“Where are you going?” So Yu-Ha asked with a smile.

It had been a month since Chang-Sun’s regression. In all that time, he had woken up at regular times and never drank. Although he was still on awkward terms with his other family members, Yu-Ha looked at her youngest son very warmly. Perhaps it was partly because Chang-Sun had even started exercising regularly.

“I’m going to the interview I told you about before,” Chang-Sun said as he put on his sneakers.

“Ah, right. Today was the day. But... Are you going to the interview dressed like that?” Yu-Ha asked, looking at Chang-Sun in confusion after heading over to see him out.

Chang-Sun had said that he was going to an interview, but he was wearing a black hoodie and jeans as he carried a heavy gym bag on one shoulder.

“Maybe he’s planning to become an ordinary security guard,” Lee Yu-Seon, Chang-Sun’s sister who was eating breakfast, remarked with a smirk after glancing at Chang-Sun.

“Yu-Seon! How can you talk to your brother like that?!” Yu-Ha exclaimed, gaping.

“No one who’s doing a job interview for an office job dresses like that,” Yu-Seon replied with a shrug.

“Still...!” Yu-Ha tried to protest.

“I’ll be heading out,” Chang-Sun said as he left quickly, sensing a long mother-and-daughter talk in the near future.

However, Yu-Ha quickly followed him out, rushing to catch him before he entered the elevator. She slipped some money into Chang-Sun’s hands.

“You don’t have to give me allowance...” Chang-Sun trailed off.

“I’m just giving this to you because I’m proud of my youngest son. Eat something delicious and hang out with your friends after you’re done with your job interview, okay?” Yu-Ha replied, tightly gripping Chang-Sun’s hands.

“I will,” Chang-Sun said with a nod.

“Alright, have a fun day today. I love you,” Yu-Ha said, waving lightly to Chang-Sun.

After bowing to his mother, Chang-Sun pressed the first floor button and replied, “Yes, I will.”

When the elevator door closed, he leaned against one of its walls. As he looked down at two 50,000 won bills[1], he thought, ‘Love, huh...’

Yu-Ha constantly cheered on her youngest son who had become a totally different person, saying she loved him and that she was forever on Chang-Sun’s side. That was why Chang-Sun thought his regression was the best choice he had made over the past centuries, even though his siblings and father seemed to think that a leopard could never change his spots.

He could not help but think there was a reason that he had seen Gramps in his dream.

In truth, every one of Chang-Sun’s requests and deadlines was ridiculous. Each and every request had unique characteristics, and it was difficult to get the necessary materials on the market. If not for the suppliers Bu-Yong’s parents had told him about, he could not have even begun to make the weapons.

“Ha! Why am I wasting my breath?” Bu-Yong muttered, shaking his head.

“Where are they?” Chang-Sun asked.

“Here,” Bu-Yong replied, putting down the container he had been carrying on his back ever since Chang-Sun arrived.

Thud!

The container looked like an ordinary drawing tube, but it somehow let out a heavy metallic sound when Bu-Yong put it down. His blindness should have made it difficult for him to set the object down, but he handled it well, which indicated he was also a Player who knew how to use magic.

Chang-Sun smiled faintly upon hearing the clear metallic tone that resembled a temple bell echoing throughout the forge. That sound meant the items within were sacred weapons. A very good weapon sounded different from an ordinary weapon.

“What about the properties I asked for?” Chang-Sun asked as he grabbed the container.

“You have eyes, don’t you?” Bu-Yong retorted in annoyance, even though he knew Chang-Sun had only asked because he wanted an assessment from the items’ creator. However, his tone was full of confidence.

Chang-Sun opened the drawing tube up. It had three things inside: Two batons the size of human arms, and one twisted brown bracelet.

‘This is...!’ Chang-Sun quickly pulled out the two batons and lightly felt them. From the balance to the material’s elasticity, everything was perfect.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ widens her eyes.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ lightly exclaims in awe of the weapons’ quality.]

Chang-Sun felt as if he were holding the old weapon he had used long ago. The batons were definitely new, but they felt incredibly comfortable in his hands, as if he had used them for a long time. After toying with the two batons for a while, Chang-Sun combined them using the joints on their ends and turned the weapon sideways.

Click!

When the two joints connected to each other, blades emerged from either end of the newly-formed pole.

~

[Nameless Double Baton Spear]

A long spear forged by Ou Yezi’s heir for a commission.

The spear is usually used in the form of two batons or short spears, but they can be combined in times of need and used as a long spear. Apart from that function, other devices are installed in the spear, which means it will likely take the owner a long time to master it.

· Type: Long spear. Infantry weapon.

· Damage: 150~200

· Effect: Piercing Blades. Stacking Damage. Blessing Amplification.

*This artifact will belong to you indefinitely. If you give the spear to somebody else, the weapon’s Effects may disappear.

**The creator has not named the spear, so please give it a suitable name.

Walking around casually, Chang-Sun thrust forward with the spear several times. Whenever he did so, the blades spun fiercely with explosive noises.

Boom! Boom! Booooom!

[You have demonstrated outstanding spearmanship and achieved the exquisite principles of ‘Thrusting’, ‘Cutting’, ‘Striking’, and ‘Binding’.][4]

[The Skill ‘Lesser Spearmanship’ has been created.]

......

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ widens her eyes after seeing your brilliant spearmanship.]

“It’s really nice,” Chang-Sun said with a laugh after finishing his spearmanship demonstration.

He felt that it was the loudest laugh he had ever let out since his regression. That was how much he liked the spear—no, he did not merely ‘like’ it. If he had not had [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] or the [Yuchang Sword], he would have used the spear as his primary weapon without a second thought.

From top to bottom, the spear looked exactly like the blueprint Chang-Sun had handed to Bu-Yong. That fact alone was already incredible; it was never easy to satisfy Chang-Sun, who had previously earned a divine class.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ is surprised that a blind man can make such a high-quality weapon.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ is surprised that you have discovered such a talented craftsman.]

~

“Are you a spearm...?!” Bu-Yong quickly asked.

“CEO,” Chang-Sun interrupted.

“...Is CEO a spearman?” Bu-Yong quickly changed his question because he wanted an answer badly, although he was baffled by Chang-Sun’s stubbornness about strange things.

Having spent a long time handling metals, Bu-Yong had realized how talented Chang-Sun was just by the sound. Chang-Sun was not just an exceptional Player, but also a talented martial artist. Bu-Yong felt that Chang-Sun was just as skilled as the Nine Swordsmen or the Six Pugilists, but he had known Chang-Sun to be a swordsman, not a spearman.

‘The air around him changed the moment he grabbed the spear, though...’ Bu-Yong thought. His confusion was understandable, because Chang-Sun had begun to look like a totally different person.

“I was,” Chang-Sun answered curtly, shrugging as if he had no intention to give Bu-Yong a full explanation. The fact that Gramps had been his first proper spearmanship teacher was his secret and his alone.

1. About $100 in US terms. ☜

2. The raw used ‘찬이 아빠’. Koreans often call people by their children’s name. In English, it would be something like ‘Hello, Oliver’s mom!’ ☜

3. An area in Seoul ☜

4. Like ‘Ascension’, these refer to specific Korean martial arts terms. The first three are fairly self-explanatory, while ‘binding’ or ‘detainment’ refers to making an opponent unable to disengage from combat by locking down their weapon. ☜