Chapter 52

[Translator - Hestia][Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 52

Baekya held the "22nd Century Katana" up to the light.

The dark blade maintained its characteristic matte finish as if absorbing the light, while the red magic circuit embedded within it shone like a ruby vein in a rock.

"Nice."

"Right?"

But he couldn't just accept it outright.

He was a popular hunter who had received numerous gifts like dolls with cameras in their eyes or luxury watches with built-in GPS.

"What kind of tracking magic is on this? Something direct? Or is it more subtle, like a lingering scent?"

Lee Eunwoo narrowed his eyes at Baekya's question.

"What kind of gifts have you been receiving?"

"It's not something where the tracking magic activates only when mana is infused, connecting the circuit momentarily, is it?"

Baekya asked again in a nonchalant manner, and Lee Eunwoo shook his head.

"Our style is satellites. Not tracking devices."

"That makes sense. Then, even if I consider it goodwill..."

"It's not goodwill."

Lee Eunwoo shook his head again.

Baekya laughed awkwardly.

"At least say it's goodwill."

Lee Eunwoo slightly lifted the corners of his mouth.

"You've more than earned it. You bled and fought too, and who knows how long it would have taken to figure out the finale story without you. We might have run out of time completely."

"...."

Baekya didn't answer.

He simply stood up and turned around, trying to hide the natural curve of his eyes.

He took out the Fire Dragon Sword's scabbard from his inventory and sheathed the 22nd Century Katana.

The long blade disappeared into the scabbard with a click.

"So you acknowledge it."

He said with his back turned.

Lee Eunwoo muttered—

"You saved Cheong Siyeol too, didn't you?"

"You saw that? I should have just let him die."

"Don't say things you don't mean."

Baekya replied in the same muttering tone.

"Yeah. I had no intention of letting him die. None of you."

"Still arrogant, I see."

"Don't I have the right to be?"

"Still reckless."

"I don't know about that. But one thing's for sure..."

He walked towards the hotel room door and glanced back.

A benevolent smile curved on his firm jawline.

"Correcting your disciples' mistakes is also a teacher's job. And a friend's."

Lee Eunwoo started to wave but stopped.

He had seen too many horrific sights to believe those words.

So, 'Mr. Pistol,' who had lived his entire life by calculations and predictions, simply hoped at this moment.

That they were all wrong and Baekya was right.

That they had all just experienced a collective nightmare.

* * *

Inside the taxi heading to the Sun-Moon Divine Sect dormitory, Baekya, with his eyes half-closed in the backseat, continued his conversation with his Constellation.

【"I sincerely congratulate you on reaching the 6th Stage."】

【Your Constellation 'Sunny' claps.】

'It's all thanks to the Constellation's grace.'

【"You showed me such a splendid scene that I couldn't help but be gracious."】

A pure smile, almost innocent, graced Baekya's lips.

'I'm just grateful.'

【"Seeing you smile like that, it seems you really like the Comet Store."】

'I'm not exactly a hunter lacking in mana, am I?'

【"That's true. Even when I open the store and let them buy artifacts, some kids can't use them because they lack mana."】

【"I'm so glad you have enough mana. It would be such a shame if you couldn't use what I offered."】

The 'Comet' grade artifacts from the Comet Store boasted monstrous performance and equally monstrous mana consumption.

Even the 'Little Prince's Shoes' that Baekya was currently wearing consumed so much mana that an average hunter wouldn't be able to take a single step.

Even Baekya, after exiting the gate, couldn't bear to fly any further and had to resort to his 'Flame Arrow & Descent from Crimson Flame' combination to escape.

'It's thanks to the Constellation giving me Law of Light that I have such mana.'

【"...Is that so? Then why don't you listen to me better usually?"】

'Don't I listen well to most things?'

【"Can 'most things' and 'usually' coexist in the same sentence?"】

'What do you expect from an uneducated middle school dropout?'

【"Forget it. Continuing this conversation with you, who's dealt with politicians, will only lead to my loss."】

Hum.

The halo, disguised as a white ring above his head, buzzed softly.

Baekya smiled innocently once more and changed the subject.

'You heard everything I talked about with Eunwoo earlier, right?'

【"Yes. It's time to face high-ranking beings. The merit of slaying 100,000 lizardmen doesn't compare to slaying one dragon. You're a whopping A-rank now, you know?"】

According to the Magic Tower's research, the 'rank' in the Aitel system was a concept closer to quality than quantity.

And this 'quality' was practically synonymous with 'density.'

Increasing quantity doesn't automatically increase density. Searᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

To further raise his rank, he needed to focus on the quality of his mana rather than the quantity.

'Even if I burn tens of thousands of ghosts like before, I can only recover the mana I used, not increase my maximum mana capacity.'

【"You need to find high-ranking entities."】

'That's not as easy as it sounds, is it? In conquered floors, you're lucky to find a B+, and gates are even worse.'

Finding high-ranking entities was harder than he thought.

Even in the Rank 1 gate they just conquered, there were only two S-ranks.

【"That doesn't mean you should go into the Tower alone."】

Of course, the Tower was a different story.

'What do you think about going as a duo... Just kidding. Just kidding.'

【"I admit, during the 50th floor incident, I couldn't think of any other way. But if you do the same thing again, I'll be the one exploding from frustration. I don't want to see my contractor die a glorious death. No sacrifice or victory can compare to reaching the 100th floor."】

'I said I was kidding. I had no intention of rushing into the Tower recklessly.'

Even Baekya gave up on solo climbing after the 20th floor.

Inside the Tower existed a vast world and countless magical beasts.

Spending months there was the norm, and sometimes even centuries.

The 50th floor was an exception among exceptions, a coincidence among coincidences.

Although he did plan to challenge the Tower, it didn't mean he would rush in recklessly.

At the very least, he needed to reach rank S so that he could attempt a mid-climb retreat and retry if things got too dangerous.

'Sparring with Ryu Haneul... wouldn't be very meaningful, would it?'

【"It would help, but there's a limit to sparring."】

'For real growth, it needs to be a life-or-death situation.'

【"Wouldn't he be willing to die for you?"】

'I was the one who achieved the goal while keeping alive someone who was willing to die for it. That's how I earned the title of Sun.'

As he was having such thoughts and conversations, he arrived at the Sun-Moon Divine Sect dormitory apartment before he knew it.

"We're here."

"Thank you."

He returned to his assigned room.

"I'm back."

The house was bright, and a sweet scent filled the air.

Wolha was watching the news on the living room sofa.

[Cheong Siyeol of the Azure Sky Sword Sect, Ryu Haneul of Sun-Moon Divine Sect, and an unnamed pyromancer from Sun-Moon Divine Sect, who wished to remain anonymous, made a daring advance into the heart of the enemy forces in a small detachment... their heroic actions...]

[The list of casualties is...]

It was news about the Rank 1 gate.

The Constellation in Baekya's mind clicked her tongue.

【"That child has a soft heart too. With the exam the day after tomorrow, she's not studying and doing what instead?"】

Baekya was taken aback by the Constellation's absurd remark.

'A Rank 1 gate could have led to the downfall of the country. What good would being a civil servant be if the country is ruined?'

【"That's true."】

"Hyung!"

Wolha sprang up from the sofa and ran towards the entrance.

"You're early! You said you might come tomorrow?"

"Things changed. Haneul, no, the Deputy Sect Leader let me leave early. He said you'd be… worried?"

"He did?"

For a moment, he couldn't quite believe it.

Then, a deep sense of relief washed over his delicate face.

"...You're not hurt, are you?"

Wolha asked, raising one arm to cover her eyes.

His red-rimmed eyes showed that he had been quite worried.

Baekya grinned and spread his arms wide.

"See for yourself. I'm fine, aren't I?"

Dinner that night was exceptionally delicious.

'Why is that?'

It would be strange if a meal after fighting for hours didn't taste good, but there was something more to it.

It was different from the times he'd throw parties, inviting all those who loved to play in Seoul whenever he conquered a floor in the Tower.

'Siyeol, it was your birthday, wasn't it? Why didn't you say anything?'

'That's...'

'Happy birthday.'

'Is it a day to celebrate?'

'If you weren't born today, we wouldn't have met, right?'

'That's true.'

'So it is a good day. A day to celebrate.'

It was a different kind of warmth, a bit more humble, but comforting.

For a moment, Baekya almost dropped his chopsticks.

"Hyung?"

Wolha tilted his head, looking concerned.

"It's nothing. I guess I'm just a bit tired."

Baekya smiled faintly and continued eating.

During his time as the Awakened Association President, he had mastered the art of smiling regardless of his mood.

But he hadn't mastered the art of changing his mood.

That was a skill even his great Constellation couldn't bestow upon him.

The Constellation spoke in his mind.

【"What's wrong?"】

'Oh Constellation.'

【"Yes."】

Baekya answered inwardly.

'What if my family hadn't died? If I came back from a fight and had dinner with my family, would it feel like this?'

【"...."】

'I had that thought.'

【"If your family were alive, do you think it would be like this?"】

'You never know with people. I had many disciples who were close to me like family. But still... yes, I think it would feel like this.'

The Constellation asked succinctly.

【"Then isn't that a good thing?"】

'....'

Baekya couldn't answer.

"Hyung?"

Wolha called him again.

"You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

Baekya gave a complicated smile towards the empty air, then shook his head.

"Let's eat. It's delicious."

* * *

+

【Status Window

1. Name: Hong Baekya

2. Class: Pyromancer (A- → A)

3. Titles: Sun of Humanity, Bringer of Dawn, Master of Fire, The First and Greatest Climber....

4. Regional Server: South Korea

5. Ascension Level: 7th Stage Angelus/Angel → 6th Stage Powers/Dominions

6. Skills: (Collapsed)

7. Stats: [Strength 500 → 580] [Agility 520 → 600] [Health 550 → 600] [Mana 750 → 797] 】

+

Baekya opened his status window with a satisfied smile.

There were many sentences that pleased him today.

He liked 'Pyromancer (A- → A),' and he liked all his stats.

[Strength 500 → 580]

[Agility 520 → 600]

[Health 550 → 600]

[Mana 750 → 787]

Except for his mana, which had slowed in its growth, all his stats had increased by 50 to 80 points, enough to change his rank in the lower tiers.

Especially his Strength, Agility, and Health, which had been relatively lacking, had all seen significant improvement.

Now he was confident that he could handle close combat and melee situations with sheer power, not just skill.

【"Those are good numbers. It seems hunting demons was a big help."】

'They're monsters whose mana is their flesh, a unity of body and spirit, so just absorbing their mana affects the other stats. They're a generous race that gives without holding back.'

【"That's an analogy I've never heard before."】

Baekya scrolled down, listening to the Constellation's voice.

NEW! [Comet Store]

He accessed the Comet Store next to the NEW! mark.

【The Wandering Star comes to you.】

The Comet Store's signature phrase appeared, and the status window transformed into something resembling an online game's shop interface.

【Coat of Ten Thousand Colors (Comet)】

【Supreme Crystal Potion (Comet)】

【Frozen Skeleton (Comet)】

Products dyed in the comet's characteristic blue hue lined up.

They were all excellent artifacts, but Baekya didn't even glance at them.

The Constellation asked.

【"What are you going to buy?"】

【"Don't you like those gauntlets quite a bit?"】

Baekya let out a groan.

'Not enough points.'

【"What?"】

【"How can you be short on points? Don't tell me it was soulbound?"】

【Your Constellation 'Sunny' grabs the back of her neck.】

The Aitel achievement points usable in the Comet Store were soulbound.

Baekya had accumulated a fair amount of points in his new body.

He had closed several gates, incinerated countless ghosts, and even cleared the 50th floor with just the two of them.

But it wasn't enough to freely purchase Comet-grade artifacts.

The Constellation whispered in a voice that seemed ready to collapse.

【"I can't believe I'm making my contractor suffer such humiliation."】

【Your Constellation 'Sunny' is depressed.】

'Since I already bought the Little Prince's Shoes, it seems I can barely afford one thing I need right now. I can get everything back once my inventory opens anyway.'

【"That's true. What are you thinking of buying?"】

Baekya had a plan.

'I'm looking for the "Compass that Chases Mythical Fragments."'

【"Good thinking! That's how you find strong opponents!"】

【Your Constellation 'Sunny' is impressed by your wisdom and sponsors 2 mana stats.】

【Mana +2】

He scrolled and scrolled until he finally found the artifact he wanted.

【Cracked Compass that Chases Mythical Fragments (Comet)】

【Points to fragments of myths that have become reality. Meet monsters that escaped from gates and roam the Earth, legends brought to life by the Aitel system!】

【*Accuracy may be slightly reduced due to cracks.】

With this compass, he should be able to find monsters that escaped from gates and hid in the human world.

If he killed them, he was sure to gain sufficiently dense mana.

The problem was the price.

【12,500,000 points】

12.5 million points.

【Current points: 8,504,450 points】

Unless there was a way to earn 4 million points overnight, he'd have to drool over it for a while.

An uncracked one was currently in the realm of dreams and hopes.

【"...Let's just go back to the gates."】

【Your Constellation 'Sunny' is preparing combat support.】

Even the Constellation was suggesting they go fight first.

'There's no need for that.'

Baekya shook his head.

【"Where do you plan to get 4 million points?"】

'Didn't I pick up the spirit core earlier?'

【"You did."】

'Can't I sell it here?'

【"....!"】

He had a plan all along.

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]