Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 113: Star, The Biwi (3)

Slash―!

[Eliminated the Player ‘Jeong Yoo-Jin’!]

[The Authority ‘Soul Exploitation’ has been activated, successfully acquiring the ashes of the Player ‘Jeong Yoo-Jin.’]

…

[Examining the absorbed target’s achievements.]

[Found the Skill ‘Jade Smashing Fist.’]

[Skill Level has increased!]

As soon as Yoo-Jin’s head hit the ground, Chang-Sun gained a significant amount of experience points and effortlessly increased the level of [Jade Smashing Fist]. He continued to get more messages.

[Found the Authority ‘Hellfire Song,’ which has lost its owner.]

[The Divinity of the Authority has been decimated, weakening the Authority’s power. Successfully burnt up the Authority’s remaining fragments using the Purgatory Brazier.]

…

[Successfully obtained a part of the Jigwi’s Eon Fire.]

[Acquired the hellfire property.]

[Strengthening the Jigwi’s Eon Fire.]

[The level of the Effect ‘Single Eon Fire’ has increased!]

Chang-Sun smiled faintly as he looked at the Jigwi’s Eon Fire, which blazed up more brilliantly than before. Lamashtu used the fire he had dragged up from Hell, which was so horribly powerful that it could burn souls. It couldn’t be compared to Eon Fire, which was known to destroy worlds, but it was the best for strengthening Eon Fire.

Ding!

[Achievement unlocked!]

“The Hellfire-Swallowing Jigwi.”

Effect: Fire attribute +20. Title ‘Jigwi Incarnation.’

[Jigwi Incarnation]

The fire and spirit cluster ‘Jigwi’ evolved after swallowing hellfire. The word ‘disaster’ is no longer enough to describe you now that every flap of your wings has the capacity to incinerate the entire world.

· Type: Title.

· Effect: Eon Hellfire. The advent of disaster.

Pzzz―!

Chang-Sun slowly made the fire smaller. ‘I gained a lot in this fight.’

In fact, he had gained too much. Not only did he acquire eight [Everlasting Ice Crystals], but he also completed [Reinforced Skeleton] and recruited an exceptional subordinate named Jin Prezia. He had also obtained the skill [Jade Smashing Fist] and coincidentally upgraded the Jigwi’s Eon Fire.

The title of [Jigwi Incarnation], which alone outvalued everything he had acquired until now, was a clear indication of how strong he had become. Chang-Sun was now powerful enough to fight most rankers.

“Open the system window,” Chang-Sun said.

Ding!

[Lee Chang-Sun]

Divine Name: Divine Twilight (Unusable)

Title: Jigwi Incarnation

Faction: Underworld

Guardian: ―

Class: Rune Master

Level: 41

Strength: 162(+60)

Agility: 150(+55)

Stamina: 130(+51)

Magic: 391(+70)

Intelligence: 191(+80)

Willpower: 189(+84)

Acquired Skills

Sword Mastery Lv2

Intermediate Rune Creation Lv.5

Intermediate Rune Engraving Lv.5

Viper Eyes Lv.8

Intermediate Trap Installation Lv.4

Blood Toxin Lv.8

Black Mountain King’s Claw Lv.2

Tiger Prowl Lv.8

Tiger Kill Lv.8

Tiger Disaster Lv.8

Explosive Thunder Lv.5

Lightning Web Lv.5

Windstalking Tiger Lv.9

Jade Smashing Fist Lv.2

Acquired Effects

Single Eon Fire Lv.3

Ten Toxin Immunity Lv.2

Reinforced Skeleton Lv.1

Acquired Authorities

Soul Exploitation Lv.2

Execution Sword Lv.1

Perfect Marksmanship Lv.1

Kalokagathia Lv.1

Special Note: Due to your lack of a Guardian, your leveling speed is too slow relative to the magnitude of your achievements. Please choose a Guardian.

Additional Stat Points: 45

He was now over level 40, but his stats were so outstanding that they couldn’t be considered the stats of a level 41 Player. Adding up all his stats and additional stat points would have a sum of over 1,600. Most rankers didn’t even have that many.

The snowball effect was one of the things that made that possible. Having laid a very good foundation, Chang-Sun was receiving more good results whenever he made an achievement. Among them, Chang-Sun believed there was one he could consider his biggest gain.

‘I have found the [Fifth Cryptical Book of Hsan]’s location.’ Chang-Sun grinned.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ is looking at you very contentedly.]

After Yoo-Jin had mentally broken down due to fear, Chang-Sun interrogated her and acquired information that was far more valuable than he vaguely expected. Chang-Sun thought it would already be a jackpot if he could get a hint about the [Fifth Cryptical Book of Hsan], but he got its exact location instead.

‘The other phantom mages didn’t know anything about it,’ Chang-Sun thought.

Yoo-Jin and Gwak Do-Woon hid the information from everyone, so the Highoff and the White Tiger Clan members didn’t know about it.

‘Hmm, they could have actually succeeded in making a deal using this information…’ Chang-Sun assumed.

In other people’s eyes, the Highoffs were committing suicide by heading to ‘Yeti Hill,’ but their moves had actually been calculated. Their goal was to obtain the [Everlasting Ice Crystal], get its power, then force the White Tiger Clan to sit at the negotiation table.

If they gave the information about the book to the White Tiger Clan during the process and asked them to spare the Highoffs in return, perhaps the Highoffs would have successfully made the deal. Although Chang-Sun thought the White Tiger Clan could try to silence the Highoffs by killing them, the result could differ depending on how the negotiation progressed. Hence, the information about the [Fifth Cryptical Book of Hsan] was the Highoff’s ace in the hole.

‘But they met me before they could pull out their last card.’ Chang-Sun shrugged.

Everything worked out in his favor.

[Your Subordinate ‘Jin Prezia’ has successfully conquered the second floor!]

[He is now level 4.]

As Chang-Sun interrogated Yoo-Jin, Jin finished killing the elite soldiers he had trained.

Just then, Jin sent Chang-Sun a telepathic message. 『I trained them, so I can’t believe they were this pathetic. Tsk! No wonder I failed to conquer the third floor with these idiots.』

When one became another’s death-sworn soldier through the system, their souls would become connected. Hence, they could telepathically talk to each other even if they didn’t know how to use telepathy.

Jin seemed unsatisfied with the battles he had just fought. Most of the Changgwi soldiers ran away in fear instead of fighting Jin when he took out the two remaining general-class Hongsals, so how he felt was understandable.

From the Changgwi soldiers’ perspective, it was only natural for them to be dispirited since their king and generals were all killed one after another. Still, Jin couldn’t help but be disappointed. After all, he was the one who raised this army of Changgwis from scratch. Not every Changgwi soldier tried to escape, though. Some fought back until the very end, somehow ambitiously believing they could become the new Hongsal King upon killing Jin. However, they were still not skilled enough in Jin’s eyes.

Chang-Sun replied, 『Your battle ended earlier than I thought.』

『I have a way, hehe.』 Jin giggled.

『…?』 Chang-Sun wasn’t sure what Jin was talking about.

『If you’re done over there, come to me, Master. I have something to show you,』 Jin said.

As the Hongsal King, Jin blindly wanted to fight and wind, but he was now quite relaxed. It seemed he had escaped the pressure he had felt as a Changgwi, finally becoming the real Jin Prezia again.

[The Title ‘Jigwi Incarnation’ has been applied, enabling you to fly!]

After absorbing all of Yoo-Jin’s ashes, Chang-Sun spread the Jigwi’s wings and launched himself off the ground. A ray of red light soared up into the air.

* * *

[Current Location: The Twenty-Fifth Sector of the Second Floor.]

Chang-Sun entered the second floor’s last sector and saw the large and fancy Hong Palace where Jin had stayed during his days as the Hongsal King. The fires and ruined buildings all over the place showed how severe the battles that took place were, but it wasn’t difficult to imagine how magnificent the palace would have been.

『Over here.』 Jin raised his hand.

Chang-Sun turned in the direction where he could sense Jin and glided down a wide vacant lot up ahead. It appeared to be a training ground.

‘What are they?’ Chang-Sun wondered. Jin wasn’t alone in the lot.

Three other Changgwis were with him—no, could Chang-Sun actually call them Changgwis? They had protruding canine teeth and looked pale just like any other Changgwis, but there was something different about their eyes. Changgwi eyes usually looked insidious and evil. Although their eyes still looked scary, the three Changgwis’ eyes were clear, similar to that of humans. To be more accurate, they were the eyes of beasts like Jin. Above all, Chang-Sun couldn’t feel Hohwan Mama from them.

[Jin’s Subordinate ‘Lower-Class Bak’[1] Lv.1]

[Jin’s Subordinate ‘Lower-Class Bamboo Cow’[2] Lv.1]

[Jin’s Subordinate ‘Lower-Class Hwal’[3] Lv.1]

Chang-Sun couldn’t help but feel a little curious since all three of them strangely had the title of ‘Jin’s subordinate.’ However, when he showed up, they flinched as if they had seen something they shouldn’t. They then quickly bowed and went down on one knee.

Tap!

Jin turned his head toward Chang-Sun after he landed safely on the ground. Perhaps because Jin had been fighting for a long time, he looked noticeably fatigued as he greeted Chang-Sun. 「There you are.」

“What are they?” Chang-Sun pointed at the three with his chin.

「You know, this Biwi thing you gave me is very unique.」 Jin shrugged.

“…?” Chang-Sun wasn’t sure what Jin was talking about.

Noticing Chang-Sun’s confusion, one end of Jin’s mouth curled up as he held out his hand toward the Changgwi corpse, which was carelessly lying around on the ground.

「It’ll be easier to understand if you see it for yourself rather than having me explain it.」 To the corpse, Jin ordered, 「Wake up.」

Chang-Sun narrowed his eyes as he tried to understand what Jin was doing. Soon enough, he became shocked.

[Your Subordinate ‘Jin Prezia’ has activated the Skill ‘Changgwi Resuscitation’!]

Pzzzz―!

Black smoke appeared out of Jin’s fingertips and seeped into the corpse. Like a marionette master’s puppet being made to stand up with strings, the Changgwi corpse then got back on its feet. Its limbs, which were still twisted in weird directions, soon returned to their normal state. With solid legs, the Changgwi corpse gained its balance, and its half-twisted neck untangled itself.

Its eyes were still blank, but it looked as if it would move immediately once given an order. It resembled an Undead, which was a black-magic creature created out of a corpse, but it wasn’t exactly the same. This one didn’t look like a ghoul or zombie.

“How in the world did you do that?” Chang-Sun asked.

「I don’t know.」 Jin shrugged.「I just did it because I felt like I could, and it surprisingly worked. I used to do this as the Hongsal King. It seems I can still do it using a similar mechanism.」

“Elaborate,” Chang-Sun said.

「You know all the Changgwis in this Changgwi Cave are idiots who got bewitched by the <Starlight>, right?」 When Changg-Sun nodded, Jin continued.「In here, people become the subordinates of the Changgwis who killed them, and the Changgwis level up by sucking the vital force of the people they killed.」

“So a Biwi behaves similarly to a Changgwi?” Chang-Sun assumed.

「Yeah, that’s right.」 Jin nodded.

Chang-Sun recalled how he automatically absorbed the energy of the Changgwis he had killed and gained the Biwi attribute by purifying that energy. However, it seemed the purification process didn’t eliminate the Changgwis’ habits.

「I have to go through a far more inefficient process than I did as a Changgwi, though, since Changgwis can just make humans kill their subordinates and absorb powers from fellow Changgwis. I can’t do that as a Biwi since it has a requirement.」

“Requirement?” Chang-Sun repeated.

「Yeah, I can resurrect Changgwis I killed as if I’m bringing a doll to life, but when I make it move…」 Jin stopped explaining and lightly waved his hand.

The revived Changgwi trembled as if it was having a seizure even before it could take a step forward. Soon enough, it disintegrated into pieces and fell to the ground.

[The skill activation has been canceled!]

[The revived Changgwi has collapsed after exhausting all of its mana.]

「It dies quickly, so I have to kill hundreds of Changgwis to resurrect one.」Jin pointed at his three subordinates, who still couldn’t raise their heads, with his chin.

Trembling hard, the three continued to fear Chang-Sun and Jin.

[Bak]

A tiger’s natural enemy. Sharp weapons like spears and swords cannot hurt it.

[Bamboo Cow]

A tiger’s natural enemy. It lives in a bamboo forest and is slow but powerful like a cow.

[Hwal]

A tiger’s natural enemy. It is so flexible that it seems to be boneless.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ advises you to be careful since it is better to not have subordinates at all if they will only slow you down.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ is burning up with a desire to study this new type of Undead, which he has never seen.]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ tells you not to worry too much because your subordinates will be just as righteous as you are.]

‘Do Biwis have a hierarchy too like how Changgwis are divided into ranks such as Sa and Yukhon?’

Wondering if they would be useful to him, Chang-Sun turned to Jin and asked, “How useful are they?”

「They won’t slow us down.」 Jin was practically praising them despite how prideful he was.

“Can I see their abilities?” Chang-Sun requested.

「Of course.」 Jin nodded, then turned to his three subordinates.「Rise, all of you. We’ll start conquering the third floor now. Since my master is watching, you all better do your best. You already know what will happen if you’re deemed useless, don’t you?」

He sounded dignified. After all, he used to be a king who led many subordinates.

「Yes, sir!」

「Yes, sir!」

「Yes, sir!」

With heavy hearts, JIn’s three subordinates bowed and prepared to move to the next floor.

1. The raw is 박(駮). This is the mythical creature that appears in the ancient Korean novel 호질(Hojil, Tiger Scolding). They are the natural enemy of tigers. They somewhat look like a horse, but their appearances are… a bit unique to be just called horses. ☜

2. The raw is 죽우. This creature has the same characteristics as Baks(駮) but looks more like a cow. ☜

3. The raw is 활. This creature has the same characteristics as Baks and Bamboo Cows, but this one is a boneless sea creature. ☜

Namu's Thoughts

So a Bak, a Bamboo Cow, and a Hwal are from an ancient Korean novel called Hojil, just as I mentioned in the references. While searching for these creatures, I found an interesting part in Hojil that I wanted to show to you guys.

"Biwis, Bamboo Cows, and Baks feed on tigers.

Five-Colored Lions eat tigers on top of the mountain peak where a big tree stands.

Jabaeks fly around and feed on tigers. Spring Hare Dogs does the same to tigers and leopards.

Hwangyos pull out and eat the hearts of tigers and leopards.

Hwals, which don't have bones, eat the livers of tigers and leopards.

Once a Chooyi meets a tiger, it rips the tiger into pieces and eats it.

Whenever a tiger runs into a Maengyong, the tiger becomes so scared of the Maengyong that it cannot even look the Maengyong in the eyes.

However, humans do not fear Maengyongs. They fear tigers, making tigers very notorious."

… Poor tigers.

Wait, I hope I’m not spoiling anything.