Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 102: Star, The Winter Palace (2)

‘Brrr, it’s freezing!’ Shin Geum-Gyu couldn’t think clearly due to the bone-chillingly cold weather, even though he had worn a bunch of thick fur clothes.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ scolds his subordinate and asks if you’re only going to use the magic spells you have learned in children’s birthday parties.]

Geum-Gyu’s Guardian continuously rebuked him. He did his best to remember [Uroboros’ Structural Formula], but it wasn’t easy to cast. He had to try several times before finally activating it.

[The magic spell has been activated, making your body warmer.]

‘I-I feel much warmer now.’ Geum-Gyu could feel his mind getting clearer now that he no longer felt the cold weather that was numbing his senses.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ clicks his tongue and wonders when his slow subordinate will be able to start learning attack magic spells.]

When the deity still acted discontented with Geum-Gyu, the latter hurriedly bowed to apologize.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ sighs lightly.]

Geum-Gyu furtively took a look around.

“Urghh, it’s cold…”

“How can an artifact not work in this Dungeon?!”

“This must be why the Sword of Ohsung Clan haven’t done anything with the Dungeon.”

In contrast to the Raid Team[1] members, who looked relatively good because they were using their mana, the nearby trainees were suffering from the Dungeon’s cold weather blowing on their numb hands.

Geum-Gyu was relieved to know he wasn’t the only one suffering in the cold weather, but he was soon amazed when he saw his twin sister. She was calmly standing still, unaffected by the cold weather despite not wearing any thick fur clothes. It looked as if she wasn’t cold at all. In fact, she could afford to observe the surroundings as if she was going on a stroll.

He had no idea what had happened to her in the training institute, but it seemed no matter how hard he practiced the [Uroboros’ Structural Formula], he had to take his hat off to Shin Eun-Seo for now.

‘I can’t even pick a fight with her… Gosh, what is up with my life?’ Geum-Gyu quietly sighed.

As other siblings did, she kicked Geum-Gyu in his calves from time to time as they quarreled, but her kicks were now so powerful she could break Geum-Gyu’s legs. As a result, he could no longer talk back to her, and his Guardian kept scolding him. It seemed to have ultimately made Geum-Gyu sigh a lot.

‘Where’s Chang-Sun hyung, though?’ Geum-Gyu wondered.

He could still be spirited because of what Chang-Sun had quietly said before he had left.

“You and Eun-Seo will do a good job, so don’t be too nervous.” Chang-Sun faintly smiled.

‘Yeah, I have to try my best.’ Geum-Gyu thought, clenching his fists.

Cawk…!

From far away, he heard the very faint sound of a bird. Those with sharp senses simultaneously raised their heads, including Geum-Gyu, Eun-Seo, and several other people from the Raid Teams. Since the wind was loud, they couldn’t have heard it if they weren’t paying attention.

“Yi-Byeol.” Seo Jeong-Gwon, the Raid Team 2 leader, turned back to his assistant team leader with a serious look.

Moon Yi-Byeol nodded, becoming serious as well. “Yeah, it looks like you’re right.”

“Hmm! Well, the Dungeon has been too quiet! Everyone, prepare for an ambush!” Jeong-Gwon roared.

As per their training, the White Tiger Clan Players assumed a formation. With their situation suddenly becoming dangerous, the trainees all looked nervous. However, they calmly maintained their positions. Following the White Tiger Clan’s lead, the other Clans—including the Sword of Ohsung Clan and the Council—moved in perfect order.

Everyone had already been notified of the Yetis’ scary characteristics and how they enjoyed hunting humans using snowfields and blizzards. Hence, they were constantly on high alert and ready for the Yetis’ attack, which could start anytime from anywhere.

“From what I’ve heard, Yetis are working with the Highoff remnants, so let’s take them out,” Myeongga Clan leader Son Jin-Seok angrily spoke through gritted teeth.

He burned with the desire to get revenge on the Highoff remnants for the [Phantom Maze Circle] incident.

“But—!” Cha Ye-Eun was going to dissuade Jin-Seok from fighting with the Yetis, but she stopped when she saw the look in Jin-Seok’s eyes.

Under normal circumstances, she would’ve used the Council’s authority, but it seemed he would cause disorder in the unit.

“Let us—no, we will. I’m not requesting your permission. I’m merely notifying you of it,” Jin-Seok firmly said.

“... Fine, but don’t move too far away from the main unit. The Yetis often go for the people who break away from the group first.” Ye-Eun reminded Jin-Seok.

“Don’t worry. Even a child knows that,” Jin-Seok talked big as he tapped his favorite weapon—the [Vehemoth Molar], a long saber hanging on his left side. It was Jin-Seok’s trademark and the reason why he got the title ‘Fine Saber.’

When he came forward, his subordinates followed his lead and stood at the very front of the punitive force.

Kyaaah!

The bird sound, which only a few people could hear before, could now be heard within the hailing distance. It sounded horrible, almost as if it came from a pterosaur instead of an ordinary bird. Now that everyone had heard it, the Players hurriedly looked around the surroundings. The sound echoed due to the noisy wind, making it difficult for the Players to specify a location.

“It’s coming!”

“Where is it?”

“Shit…! I can’t see because of the snow.”

Just then, someone hurriedly yelled, “Top! It’s on top of us!”

All the volunteer Players raised their heads only to see the sky, which was dyed white instead of blue because of the raging blizzard, becoming dark. They didn’t have to observe closely to know there were at least dozens of them.

“Snow Pterosaurs!”

“Fuck! It looks like the Winter King’s guards are here!”

Before they entered the Dungeon, the Council agents had asked the Sword of Ohsung Clan members to pick a monster that was the trickiest to deal with, and they picked ‘the Winter King’s guards’ without hesitation.

“Yetis are very tricky to hunt, but the guards are even more so,” Woo Yeong-Geun explained.

“Why?” Ye-Eun asked.

“They fly,” Yeong-Geun replied.

“Fly…?” Ye-Eun repeated.

“Yes, they fly.” Yeong-Geun nodded.

Yeong-Geun’s explanation replayed in Ye-Eun’s head.

“Snow Pterosaurs are practically Wyverns living in the snowfield. All the Winter King’s guards can control them, so they can launch aerial attacks.” Yeong-Geun continued.

“We’re not fighting ordinary Yeti soldiers! Those of you with shields, come forward!”

“Wizards, activate the magic barrier spell!”

At Ye-Eun and Jin Seok-Tae's orders, the Council Players came forward altogether. As the wizards chanted, several layers of an opaque dome-like magic barrier formed above their heads. Under it, the tank Players simultaneously pulled out tower shields from their inventories and held them over their heads. At the same time, they were continuously bombarded with skill attacks from the sky.

Boom, boom!

Rumble―!

The bombardment shattered multiple layers of the magical barrier and fiercely slammed against the shields. The Winter King’s guards launching the air strikes were much stronger than Yeong-Geun described because the Highoff demonic beings had given the guards artifacts called [Mana Bombs] or [Demonic Energy Dynamites], which the Highoff demonic beings had specially made.

“Barrier three is down!”

“Reserve force, Put barrier three back up!”

“Don’t give up, shields!”

“Fire mages, aim your flames toward the sky!”

The commanding Players led the pack well, but the endless air strikes made it impossible for wizards and tanks to hold out. The fire mages, who could launch the most destructive attacks among the volunteers, unleashed fire-type magic spells like [Fire Ball], but the Winter King’s guards flew away before the spells could reach them. When it seemed as if the guards had stopped bombarding them, they flew down and threw [Mana Bombs] again.

Kieeeeh!

Boom, boom―!

Rumble!

The main unit of the punitive force sustained heavy damage. The thick burning smell spread on the battlefield, and the heat from the explosions rushed over the Players. They couldn’t even feel the Dungeon’s bone-chillingly cold weather anymore.

At that moment, Jin-Seok, who had volunteered to take the lead, broke away from the formation with some of his subordinates. “How dare you came here, you bastards! I’ll kill you all!”

The force helplessly sustaining damages exhausted his patience, so he decided to take matters into his own hands and kill the monsters that closed in on the Players. He was clearly violating the promise he had made to Ye-Eun.

“No!” Ye-Eun urgently shouted to stop the Myeongga Clan executives, but they had already exited the barrier.

Knowing full well that that was what the Winter King’s guards’ wanted, she had to stop them somehow, but before Ye-Eun could chase after them, Seok-Tae quickly grabbed her sleeve. “You shouldn’t, seonbae!”

“Let go of me!” Ye-Eun clenched her teeth.

“You know very well you’ll be slaughtered if you break away!” Seok-Tae desperately yelled.

“But if I let the Myeongga Clan go…!” Ye-Eun hurriedly yelled, but…

Kiyeeeehh!

She heard turned her head to another Snow Pterosaur’s cry, which was on a completely different level than those she had heard until now. This one emitted a powerful and overwhelming mana wave. The Dungeon’s cold weather already pressured the Players, and now the mana wave was overpowering and suffocating everyone on the battlefield.

[A mana wave is spreading, overwhelming everyone on the battlefield!]

[The Curse ‘Confusion’ has been activated!]

[The Curse ‘Lost’ has been activated!]

“Th-this is!”

“No way…”

Everyone turned their heads to where Jin-Seok and the Myeongga Clan executives were and witnessed what Ye-Eun did.

“And among those guards, we have to be most careful with their leader called the ‘Grand General’,” Yeong-Geun explained.

His explanation replayed in the ears of Ye-Eun and every volunteer Player of the punitive force.

“He’s strong but not only because he has overwhelming brute force. Even I can’t tell for sure if I can win in single combat against him… The only reason the Winter King is the boss monster of ‘Yeti Hill’ is his ability as a monarch. In terms of strength alone, the Grand General is much stronger than the Winter King,” Yeong-Geun continued.

“And if he’s riding a Snow Pterosaur…” Yeong-Geun held his breath for a moment.

Yeong-Geun’s explanation now loudly echoed in the Players’ ears.

“He’s invincible,” Yeong-Geun concluded.

Being invincible meant one was peerless, and no word was cheesier than that. Some Rankers considered themselves ‘invincible’ because they were confident in their ability, but they rarely used that to describe monsters. There were so many types of monsters that the Players naturally ended up encountering monsters that they were weak against.

There was no way for Yeong-Geun, the symbol of the Sword of Ohsung Clan, to not know about that. Even so, he didn’t hesitate to classify the Grand General as invincible. That implied how tricky it was to deal with the Grand General when he was riding a Snow Pterosaur.

“I’m not supposed to tell you this, but my Clan’s fourth raid unit disappeared when the Grand General annihilated them in a battle,” Yeong-Geun said bitterly.

‘I’ve heard about the incident of how they got annihilated overnight. I thought they got killed while exploring ‘Den of the Evil Dragon’... But it seems I was mistaken.’ Ye-Eun thought.

Among all the uncleared Dungeons in Korea, only the ‘Den of Evil Dragon’ could be classified as a ‘six-star’, so a scary rumor about how a Dungeon Break could take place in it anytime and reduce Korea to complete ruin went around. Hence, when one of the Sword of Ohsung Clan’s five raid units disappeared overnight, people just believed that they were killed in the ‘Den of Evil Dragon.’ However, it was the Grand General’s doing all this time.

Yeong-Geun described the Grand General alone as already being as skilled as him. The moment he got on a Snow Pterosaur, his power exponentially increased.

‘Maybe the search party had been exterminated because…’ Ye-Eun gaped.

[The ‘Winter King’s Grand General’ has appeared!]

Right now, the notorious Grand General showed up.

“You’re the famous Grand General! I’ll kill you my—!” Jin-Seok pompously yelled, drawing [Vehemoth Molar]. He stepped up partially due to his desire to get revenge on his Clan members’ behalf, but he also wanted to improve the Clan’s reputation by killing the Grand General and the Phantom Demon Jeong Yoo-Jin. However, before Jin-Seok could finish his sentence, the Grand General dropped down from the Snow Pterosaur and struck Jin-Seok’s head with his greatsword.

Clang―!

Slash!

[Vehemoth Molar] was too easily broken into pieces that were swept away by the air. From Jin-Seok’s head to his groin, the Grand General drew a red line with his greatsword. His corpse, which had been vertically split into two, soon collapsed backward.

[The Player ‘Son Jin-Seok’ has died!]

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

The Myeongga Clan executives standing near Jin-Seok, Ye-Eun… Every Player who had witnessed what happened fell into shock. Meanwhile, the Grand General, which had a long white knight helmet on, coldly ordered, “Don’t spare anyone.”

Kiyeeeeeh!

Kek! Keeeeekkk!

As if answering his order, dozens of Snow Pterosaurs shrieked at once and glided down to the punitive force.

* * *

While the punitive force fell into danger…

[Arrived at the ‘Winter Palace’.]

Chang-Sun arrived at the big castle standing on the snowfield. There were only forty minutes left before the Changgwi Cave curse activated again.

1. Previously Attack Team ☜