-Woah… only 2 people reached the destination in the transport battle?
-Where did the 100 go?
-Where else? Sent straight to Styx, lol.
Out of 100 participants, only 2 managed to finish the transport battle. The viewers marveled at this overwhelming result but didn’t make much of it.
It wasn’t a big deal.
– Shimun. Impressive guts.
– Shimun… we know you’re strong, but messing with Desperado is a bit…
– Those guys are seriously dangerous, hyung.
– Did this guy have clashes with Mogadamme too?
– No idea. I’ve watched all his streams from the start. He’s never been associated with a bomber.
Most of the viewers expressed concerns in their own ways. It was only natural.
Desperado.
Not your typical gang of villains, but an organization where each member is exceptionally skilled. Having clashed with such a group was no trivial matter. Like the countless victims before him, Shimun’s life could be in jeopardy.
Especially since.
-Malik and Mogadamme are not easy targets for even rankers, right?
-Yeah, both are key members of Desperado and likely ranker level.
-Not likely, they are rankers. They’re insanely strong.
-Seriously, why do rankers engage in crime?
-Because having such power makes it fun to commit crimes. No one can stop them.
-No one can stop them? They’re careful of major powers too, lol.
-That’s a compliment too. It means they’re cunning and smart.
-You’ve been subtly praising them. Are you from Desperado?
-Those classified as key members of Desperado were all rankers.
Having two of them mentioned by name was bound to worry everyone about Shimun. And then.
“Hmmm…”
The man, the subject of the concern of over 3 million viewers. One of Desperado’s key members stroked his chin, watching the situation on the screen.
Then.
Bang.
“Damn it!”
A strong impact sound was followed by a rough curse.
Then, “Oppa! Where are you!”
A woman barged in, flinging open a door covered in all sorts of bones. Was it because it was one of the few places in the dark room emitting light?
“Brother! Did you see that bastard’s broadcast?”
The woman quickly found Malik and approached with agitated steps. She aimed her words at the screen in front of Malik.
“You watched it, didn’t you? Did you see everything?”
“Yes.”
Although he had watched in real time the humiliation his sister had faced, Malik’s dry response made Marlina flinch momentarily. But was the humiliation she had just suffered too great?
“Why do you respond like that when you’ve seen everything!”
Marlina, oblivious to her brother’s mood, made the mistake of yelling with veins bulging in her neck.
“Kim Shimun. That Asian jerk did this to me…”
She immediately paid the price.
Thud.
A heavy impact sound. A bone fist that sprang from the ground struck her in the abdomen. Marlina couldn’t even scream and was sent flying through the air.
Thud.
“Ugh!”
She slammed into the floor.
“Marlina. Didn’t I tell you last time? Not to throw around my name carelessly in the arena?”
A flat, monotone voice flowed from his dry lips. A lean, black man stood up from his chair. Malik looked at his sister with a chilling gaze, unimaginable for a sibling.
“O-oppa…”
He looked down at the writhing Marlina on the floor.
“Don’t you realize that the more you get beaten up, the more you tarnish my reputation?”
“Oppa, I was—”
“Shut up.”
Smack.
Another bone hand shot up from the floor and slapped her cheek. Marlina bit her lip hard, swallowing the scream trying to escape.
“You dared mention me and got beaten, and you even mentioned Mogadamme?”
Malik’s previously monotone voice began to rise.
“Mogadamme’s grudge against Kim Shimun is an internal matter. That his disciple, Jace Clark, failed to assassinate Kim Shimun is something only we know! But you—”
“I-I made a mistake! I was so angry that I didn’t realize… Oppa, you saw how that guy treated me…”
“I said shut up!”
Malik’s voice finally erupted. Considering that Malik, given his thin and sinister appearance, rarely showed emotion, this outburst made it clear how furious he was.
Marlina quickly lowered her gaze and tightly pressed her lips together.
“……”
Obeying, Marlina stayed silent. Seeing his quieted sister, Malik roughly ran his hand over his forehead.
“Listen carefully. Soon, someone from Mogadamme’s side will come. They’ll make a fuss about internal leaks and all that.”
Marlina’s face turned pale at his words. Malik clicked his tongue and continued.
“Still, having seen those unique undead warriors and that gigantic ship, I’ll cover for you this time.”
“Th-thank you, brother!”
Marlina nodded fervently. Malik, without sparing a glance at his sister, focused on the handsome man on the screen.
‘Kim Shimun, huh…’
‘The massive ship was one thing, but those undead warriors from Helheim… what were they? They were a completely new type of undead…’
Malik’s frown deepened.
‘Given how intact they are, they must be high-class undead.’
The massive death ship and the undead that Shimun showcased. His foolish little sister might not have fully grasped it, but.
Any necromancer above Diamond rank would have noticed it. Those undead aren’t registered in any known necromancy.
Especially.
‘That old man called Hrymr is the biggest mystery. I can’t even tell if he’s alive or dead.’
The old man named Hrymr.
Despite his frail appearance.
Giving commands to the ashen giants, that old man seemed anything but ordinary even to Malik, a ranker necromancer. Most importantly.
‘The ability he showed just by tapping his simple staff…’
One strike from that old man nullified his sister’s summons. And he stirred the waters of Styx into waves. All without any prep or spellcasting.
Even Malik couldn’t do that. Therefore.
‘It’s hard to call it magic.’
It wasn’t a magical phenomenon. Perhaps.
‘It might be a divine energy…’
Huhut.
Malik let out a slight laugh at the thought.
Divine power?
Even with his connections to the dark powers, he couldn’t wield such a force.
‘It’s hard to believe even if a famous ranker used it. But for a mere Platinum to summon something with divine energy?’
Though Malik wanted to keep all possibilities open. Divine power seemed out of the question.
Maybe that’s why?
‘I really desire it.’
The massive ship, the old man, and the ashen undead in the screen. The summons that Kim Shimun possessed were exceptionally enticing to Malik.
Then.
“Oh!”
Malik let out a small exclamation and glanced at his sister behind him.
“Marlina. Lord Quetzalcoatl is quite displeased with you.”
Marlina, who already looked distressed, now looked utterly doomed.
“Lord Quetzalcoatl?! Why all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know the details. It seems those undead you lost to have some connection with him.”
“That can’t be! But now that you mention it, they did seem to recognize Lord Quetzalcoatl!”
“Anyway, lay low and prepare for some offerings. There’s a major event coming. If you fail there too, I won’t be able to cover for you anymore.”
“Of course! I’ll prepare without any mistakes!”
Marlina clenched her fists tightly and responded fervently.
‘Yes. I have human sacrifices!’
Her doomed expression quickly shifted to one of joy.
‘Even if I offer up a bunch of unawakened fools, I can grow stronger. Infinitely stronger!’
As long as she provided the sacrifices. She could receive undead from the Death Constellation, Quetzalcoatl. And not just the current ones, but even more powerful high-class ones. When that happens…
‘Kim Shimun… I’ll take all your undead and kill you in the most painful way possible!’
Determined to repay all the humiliation and disgrace she suffered today, Marlina glared at the broadcast screen with burning eyes.
*
『The broadcast is ending due to special circumstances.』
Shimun’s broadcast abruptly ended.
-What the hell is this?
-Now he just outright ends the broadcast?
-What is happening! Why did they end it?
-Who knows. Maybe another hidden piece triggered.
-Bang, bang! Open the door!
Of course, the chat, which had been happily watching, was in an uproar.
But.
-The arena shut it down; it’s not opening back up, lol.
-No chance of it opening again.
-Wow… 3.4 million viewers. Kicking out all of them?
-You think you’re upset? Kim Shimun must be the most upset.
-LOL wasn’t today’s stream the highest in viewers?
-Still, he probably doesn’t even blink an eye at this.
-Right, Shimun never seems to care about viewers or money.
-Since it was the arena that enforced the shutdown, viewers started to reluctantly leave the broadcast.
-You never know, right? Maybe it’ll start back up?
-Yeah, maybe once the hidden piece thing is over, it’ll start again?
-Nothing else worth watching anyway.
-Yeah, his streams are the best these days, so thrilling!
Many viewers waited with a sliver of hope that the broadcast might resume.
However, unfortunately, Shimun had no time to worry about his viewers.
‘How far are we falling?’
His descent towards Tartaros with Naglfar showed no signs of stopping.
‘It feels like we’ve fallen into some void. Can’t see a thing.’
No light penetrated the darkness.
Whistle…
Only the chilly wind, characteristic of the underworld, fluttered his hair and clothes. It reminded him that he was falling through this darkness.
‘If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have entered. Not that I had much of a choice.’
Shimun let out a small sigh, recalling the situation right before entering Tartaros. A message asking if he wanted to enter Tartaros.
Before he could even respond.
‘The entrance to Tartaros swallowed me whole.’
This very dark abyss had enveloped him.
Fortunately, though, “Ahahaha! Tartaros, of all places!”
“Haha… In all my years, I never dared approach Tartaros.”
Naglfar and its crew were also swallowed up along with him.
Hrymr, who looked particularly moved, sighed as he approached Shimun, his tattered robe fluttering.
“Honored guest. We are deeply grateful.”
“Grateful?”
“For allowing us to experience this rare opportunity.”
“Aha.”
Shimun sighed softly and nodded.
‘For some reason, those belonging to death have always regarded Tartaros as a kind of paradise.’
In terms of the living, perhaps like heaven?
In his previous life, any high-level undead or death-related beings all held a sort of longing for Tartaros. Even Shimun didn’t know why.
Probably no one in his previous life, including those who had progressed far into the arena, understood it either.
‘After all, Tartaros was a place unreachable to anyone in my past life.’
Aside from the occasional mentions by those aligned with death. There was no real information about Tartaros. Hrymr wasn’t the only one in awe, though.
『Five constellations that have been watching you are expressing their admiration.』
『Constellation Hel is gazing at you with reverent eyes.』
From five constellations ranked among the Chosen by the Constellations, to Hel, the master of Naglfar. All the constellations were expressing their awe.
What puzzled Shimun, however, ‘But I didn’t actually do anything…’
Entering Tartaros was not of his own volition. Again, he was swallowed by Tartaros’ entrance before he could even respond to the entry message.
As he thought more about it, ‘Right. Now that I think about it, a name echoed from my inventory?’
Remembering that it all started with his inventory, Shimun hurriedly opened it.
Whirrr.
The item exuded its presence as if claiming responsibility. Shimun immediately took out the item.
『Mark of Death』
Grade: ?
An item gifted to the player Kim Shimun by the death constellations.
Receives the favor of death.
The information window was so simple it was almost cryptic; an item whose purpose was hard to grasp. The item itself resembled a small skull, akin to an accessory.
‘This was the item I received as a reward for completing the mission at the Black Forge.’
But for an item given by the death constellations as a reward to now resonate so powerfully?
Was Shimun the only one clueless about its value?
“Wh-what! That’s—!”
Hrymr’s eyes widened to the extent they seemed like they might tear.
Then.
Woooooong!!
The Mark of Death resonated even more strongly. The wind that signaled his fall. His fluttering hair and clothes.
Stopped.
Vanished as if by magic. Or rather, they paused. Then.
“Ugh!”
Shimun squeezed his eyes shut. A sudden force began pulling him and Naglfar. When he opened his eyes again.
“Heavens…”
Shimun was left in awe.
Night.
Or more accurately, space.
The pitch-black darkness had vanished somewhere. Countless stars of various sizes shone brilliantly. Spheres, presumed to be planets, revealed their presence in various locations.
A scene so vast that words couldn’t capture its essence.
In Shimun’s ears, “Hoho. I wondered why several deaths combined their pieces to form one.”
A voice so sweet it made him want to close his eyes reverberated. Turning his head. A woman with long hair that seemed to encapsulate hundreds, thousands of galaxies, a galaxy itself woven into her hair stood before him.
Simultaneously,
『Constellation Heavenly Demon, Odin, and Baal widen their eyes in shock.』
『Constellation Zeus gasps in astonishment.』
The constellations’ reactions were ones of utter amazement.
As if sensing the constellations’ astonished reactions, the woman with the galaxy in her hair turned precisely towards where their responses emanated from.
“Apparently, it’s not just deaths gathered here? I see…”
Then slowly, the woman’s gaze shifted towards Shimun.
“Considering there’s someone who’s caught His eye, it’s no wonder everyone is intrigued.”
The moment their eyes met, “Ugh!”
Shimun staggered. The woman hadn’t done anything.
‘That woman… has a whole universe inside her!’
It felt like being pulled into a black hole or racing through space at the speed of light. The sensation of being sucked into the universe overwhelmed his senses.
“Oh my. I was inconsiderate.”
The woman gave an embarrassed smile, signaling, “Hah…”
Shimun’s fainting consciousness returned in an instant.
“Sorry. It’s my first time dealing with a mortal.”
She smiled brightly. Then.
Rumble.
The space, which could be described as a galaxy, began to shake.
In tandem with,
Crunch.
There was a chilling sound of something tearing. It wasn’t an illusion. In reality, at one edge of this vast space,
Crack.
Crick!
Mystical black-purple tendrils distorted the space and spread out in all directions.
And from within those fractures, – Don’t you dare touch my child.
A voice echoed, sweet and comforting to Shimun but enough to drive an ordinary person mad. Shimun immediately recognized who the voice belonged to.
‘The Black Goat?’
Having already encountered the Black Goat once, there was no doubt. Despite the appearance of the mighty Mother of the Void,
“It’s been a while, Shub-Niggurath. How have you been?”
The woman, far from being scared, expressed delight with sparkling eyes.
-You wretch! Didn’t I tell you not to call me that!!
The Black Goat’s loud outburst shook the entire space, but the woman didn’t even blink.
“So prickly. It’s endearing, isn’t it?”
As if she had experienced such situations countless times before.
-Hmph. Damn woman.
The Black Goat simply clicked its tongue without expressing further anger or exerting force.
“Hehe. I’m a bit surprised to see you here too. I thought you wouldn’t care. But here you are, stepping into this place.”
-Mind your own business.
The Black Goat’s response was curt.
Despite its attitude, the woman merely smiled warmly and turned her gaze back to Shimun.
“Well, seeing you in person, I understand why. You’re truly something else.”
-Don’t get any ideas. You’ll die.
“Hehe. I’m not even a participant, so why would I get any ideas? But still…”
The woman’s smile deepened as she looked at Shimun.
“With so many familiar faces showing interest, it’s hard not to be intrigued. But Zeus?”
『Constellation Zeus flinches.』
“Even Shub-Niggurath came here. Are you just going to stay there? You’ve grown quite impudent since we last met.”
As soon as she finished speaking,
Crackle.
Intense lightning erupted from one part of the space that resembled the cosmos.
The lightning gradually formed into the shape of a long, white beard.
-Ahem! It’s, nice to see you.
“Hehe. Alright. I’d like to meet the other three and greet them…”
The woman’s gaze turned to the void.
“What are you so afraid of? They’re making quite a fuss. Demanding to send Kim Shimun back immediately.”
-What? You called our child without following the procedures?
“I kept it within the bounds. Just exploited a loophole in their system.”
Her words made Shimun realize why the message sent him to Tartaros without any consent.
‘Even the message asking if I wanted to enter, she controlled it all.’
He was drawn by the Mark of Death in his inventory.
At this point, he was more curious about her existence than why she summoned him, knowing she was acquainted with high-ranked constellations.
Since she didn’t seem to harbor any malice toward him, he asked,
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask who you are?”
The woman’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment.
“Oh-hoho!”
She burst into a cheerful laugh.
“Sorry. You’re the first one not to know me; I couldn’t help but laugh.”
She apologized briefly before answering.
“I am Nyx. Mortals… well, they call me the Goddess of Night.”
TL’s Corner:
Black Goat getting protective of Shimun