Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 264: Star, Hoshikjang (5)

Before meeting Dria, there was something Armand had said.

『Judging from that presence… It must be Dria.』

“Dria?” Chang-Sun repeated.

『She is my youngest, weakest, and most warm-hearted sister.』

“…”

『That was why she loved Mother—no, Ithaca the most, but she also became the one who resented Ithaca the most after she abandoned us.』

However, Armand now knew that their mother had not abandoned them by choice. Due to Ithaca’s diminishing <Starlight> and the continuous attacks she had endured from <Stars>, her eventual defeat had been inevitable, so she had let her daughters go for their safety.

『I assume she’ll miss the family more than any of my sisters, so I believe I can reach her that way, eventually persuading her to join our side.』

Armand explained the situation.

Among Armand’s sisters, Dria was the one with the most fragile heart, so she had not wanted to see Dria getting hurt. That was why she had volunteered to persuade Dria, but she had failed. As a result, Chang-Sun and Dria had met face-to-face.

* * *

It had not been Chang-Sun’s initial plan to embrace Dria in his arms. With his resolve to retrieve everything left by Ithaca, he had been more than willing to get Dria out of the way if she continued to be an obstacle. However, he had undergone a change of heart after looking at Dria’s dolls and other toys. The sight of those toys trying to protect Dria had somehow reminded Chang-Sun of Ithaca.

“Why are you looking at me like that without saying anything?” Ithaca asked.

“I always had this feeling that you really liked children.”

“So what? Is that weird?”

“No, not at all,” Chang-Sun said, shaking his head.

Ithaca liked babies, puppies, and flowers. Even though she often grumbled, she loved all the adorable things that could be seen in everyday life. That was how warm-hearted Ithaca was, and Dria was just like her. Thus, Chang-Sun had realized that Dria was lonely.

After being driven away to a desolate place, she had been longing for her family every day, but she had eventually given up on meeting them again. However, she had still been left with an empty heart, and tried as hard as she could to somehow fill it up.

Chang-Sun had embraced Dria because he wanted to, and for no other reason… Although perhaps Ithaca’s <Starlight>, which lay dormant deep in his soul, was driving his actions.

In a sense, Ithaca’s daughters were technically his too.

“…Ithaca’s <Starlight>,” Dria murmured blankly.

“Yes, I was her apostle,” Chang-Sun replied.

Biting her lower lip, Dria began, “No matter what you say, the fact that Ithaca abandoned us doesn’t ch…!”

“Let me just get one thing straight, because you’re misunderstanding something here. This Changgwi Cave and the other cryptical books were never built to lock you and the others up. They were your shelters,” Chang-Sun explained.

“…What?” Dria exclaimed, her eyes widening upon hearing Chang-Sun’s unexpected explanation. It was also Armand’s first time hearing about such a thing, so she looked at Chang-Sun in surprise too.

“She knew you and the other sisters were going to be the next targets of the <Stars> after her death,” Chang-Sun continued.

“…!”

『…!』

In the end, Chang-Sun had not forgotten what Ithaca was like while completing the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan]. As much as Ithaca had been worried about Chang-Sun, she had also hoped for her daughters’ safety and decided to ‘imprison’ them for that reason.

“Sun, I don’t know when it’ll happen, but please save those children,” Ithaca requested.

Someday, Chang-Sun would find all of the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan], so he would be able to liberate Ithaca’s daughters. Meanwhile, her daughters could become strong again in artificial worlds that had been created for them.

“This place is a shelter your mother created to protect you, so don’t hate her too much,” Chang-Sun said.

Dria clenched her lips and looked down, seemingly holding back tears. In fact, the tears around her eyes were bigger than before. Chang-Sun became certain that it was his responsibility to save these children, just as Ithaca requested. Saving one’s children was a parent’s duty, after all.

“…”

『…』

Perhaps because Dria also sensed Chang-Sun’s determination, she said nothing for a long time, and Armand watched them silently. Then, Dria pushed Chang-Sun away and said brusquely, “…Whatever.” And yet, her cold expression from before was gone, along with the tears around her eyes. Her eyes remained red, however.

“But…” Dria began, fidgeting idly with her fingers. There was no telling what had melted her frozen heart. She looked away from Chang-Sun as she continued, “Armand told me to trust you, so I’ll give it a go.”

Regardless, there was no trace of hostility on Dria’s face now, but due to her typical childish pride, she acted as if she would never yield to Chang-Sun. She pointed at Chang-Sun and cried, “B-But don’t be mistaken! I’ll make you pay for my humiliation and harassing my children!”

Chang-Sun nodded silently, letting her do as she wished, but she seemed to have not liked that. Glaring at Chang-Sun sullenly, Dria swiftly looked away and exclaimed, “Hmph!”

Flick.

Dria quietly flicked her fingers, activating [Doll Play] again. The scattered fragments of her toys shook and floated in the air, returning to their original forms. The pieces stuck together, and the soot on them disappeared. The dolls with cotton bursting out of them were stitched up with invisible threads.

In truth, one of the reasons why Dria had opened up her heart was that Chang-Sun had not killed her subordinates. The toy soldier, Sebastian, opened and closed his mouth incessantly with delight as he looked at Dria.

Crack, crack, crack!

―My lady?

“What?” Dria asked.

―Eeeek! This is bad! Bad! It’s an emergency! Emergency!

Wondering what was wrong with her damned butler again, Dria frowned, but even though Sebastian saw the look on her face, he jumped dramatically around her.

―My lady cried!

“…Don’t say any nonsense,” Dria said, narrowing her eyes.

―If you smile after you cry…!

“I told you not to do it!” Dria continued, raising her voice.

―Your bum…![1]

“Quit it, you idiot!” Dria cried, striking Sebastian with her wind whip.

『…Phew, I’m glad everything turned out okay. This actually reminds me of old times.』

Armand smiled faintly as she looked at the two. Her heart stung because she could recall the chaotic, yet good old days. Thus, she decided that she would get those old days back. With all her sisters around her, it would be really lively and messy, and her mother would happily watch them with her ‘father’ beside them.

[The Celestial ‘Not-So-Adorable Puppeteer’ has declared her surrender.]

[You have defeated the first Gulhon.]

* * *

[The Boss Monster ‘Changgwi King’ has died!]

[Biggest Contributor: Lee Chang-Sun]

[You have earned an achievement that no one has ever succeeded in.]

[You have acquired 50,000,000 Karma.]

…

[As a reward…]

[You have succeeded in deciphering and reading the ‘Fourth Cryptical Book of Hsan’ to the end!]

[The Curse ‘Changgwi Cave’ has been undone.]

[You have acquired the secret of the Cryptical Books: Hoshikjang.]

…

[Dungeon Closure has started.]

…

After Dria’s surrender, Chang-Sun’s subordinates brought the other Gulhons’ heads back one after another. Judging from their injuries, Jin and Sinmara had likely gone through intense battles, but they were both smiling with contentment. That meant the battles against the Gulhons had been quite fun for them.

Whoosh.

When Chang-Sun opened his eyes again, he was sitting back in his plane seat, but a message he had not seen before popped up before him.

[The rank of the Hidden Quest (The Hidden Path in the Starlight) has been upgraded to ‘Scenario’.]

[The Scenario Quest (Hoshikjang) has been created!]

As it was a scenario quest, completing it would definitely be a remarkable achievement for Chang-Sun’s Class. At that moment, he instinctively realized that it was related to his destiny.

[Hoshikjang]

Type: Scenario.

Description: Up until now, many people have obtained these seven cryptical books. While many of them acquired abilities, you are the only one to have finished deciphering and reading them.

Due to your achievements, you discovered the identity of the owner of the <Starlight> in the cryptical books, and are strongly sensing your destiny calling you. From now on, retrieve all the remaining cryptical books. If you save the trapped children of the <Forgotten Star> inside the cryptical books and earn their recognition, you will be able to revive the <Starlight> of the <Forgotten Star>.

Prerequisite: Finish reading the ‘Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan’.

Time limit: ―

Objectives:

1. Retrieve all ‘Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan’.

2. Finish reading all ‘Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan’.

3. Complete the <Starlight>.

Quest Failure Penalty: Mental contamination.

Quest Reward: ???

‘Complete the <Starlight>?’ Chang-Sun thought, narrowing his eyes. He had thought that the <Starlight> would automatically be completed if he finished gathering all the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan], so it was really incomprehensible.

‘The quest name bothers me too,’ he thought in confusion. The word ‘Hoshikjang’ was also a little odd, as he was unsure what it had to do with Ithaca. Considering that a quest name was the keyword that described the whole quest, he could not take it lightly.

‘Does it only mean I have to take the books away from Heoju?’ Chang-Sun wondered. As Heoju was a tiger monster, his assumption could be right, but he had a feeling that was not it. However, he soon had to stop analyzing the quest.

[Part of your restriction has been removed for the smooth progress of the Scenario Quest!]

‘What?’ Chang-Sun thought in surprise upon hearing an unexpected message. Before he could comprehend what was going on, some of the restraining devices on his soul fell off one by one.

Clank, clank!

His soul… was growing once again.

[Your Class has increased.]

…

[You have regained part of your hidden Authorities.]

[The Authority ‘False Belief’ has been restored.]

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…!

When the restrictions on Chang-Sun’s soul were removed, his aura inadvertently leaked out due to his heightened Class, making the plane shake violently.

“Huh? Huuuhhhh?”

“W-What is wrong with the plane…?!”

“Everyone, please remain seated!”

As the plane was acting as if it were going through turbulence, the passengers’ eyes widened in shock as they nervously waited. Meanwhile, Chang-Sun, the only one not aware of the situation, was glaring at the message that had appeared in front of him.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ is scowling at you!]

* * *

‘What in the world is this guy doing again?!’ Cha Ye-Eun thought in alarm.

Not long after the start of the incident, she realized that it had been caused by Chang-Sun. While the other passengers shivered in fear of the plane going down, she pursued the source of the mana storm, finding Chang-Sun at its center.

The problem was that the very culprit behind the commotion seemed unaware of what he had started and was staring at the air. His already sharp gaze had become even sharper and colder, as if he had met his enemy.

‘Dammit! If only he weren’t my type! Urgh!’ Ye-Eun thought. She wanted to smack him in the back of his head and ask him what in the world he was doing, but…

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ persuades you to give him a break because he has a good reason.]

[The Celestial ‘War-Loving Fighting Deity’ guffaws, saying he would expect no less from his apostle.]

[The Celestial ‘Sky and Earth’s Connecting Wing’ advises his brother to quiet down a little, as his brother’s voice is harsh to the ears.]

…

…the Numen of the <Olympus> had stood up for Chang-Sun. Thus, Ye-Eun could not do that.

‘Seriously, how is he connected with those guys? Does he really have mortgages on them or something?’ Ye-Eun thought, chuckling in disbelief. She was unable to figure out the mysterious relationship between Chang-Sun and the Numen.

Next, she held out her hand in the air and quickly drew a magic circle. If she did nothing, the plane would break into pieces and sink to the bottom of the ocean, so she slowly drew forth her mana.

“Cough!” Ye-Eun unwittingly coughed up something.

“S-Seonbae?” Jin Seok-Tae, who was at Ye-Eun’s side, almost screamed upon seeing the amount of blood on her palm.

“I’m fine, so don’t worry,” Ye-Eun replied.

“B-But…!” Seok-Tae protested.

“I. Am. Fine,” Ye-Eun said, enunciating every word with a glare.

“…Y-Yes, ma’am,” Seok-Tae said. He slowly took a step backward, but his gaze was filled with concern.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ covers her mouth with her hands in surprise.]

[The Celestial ‘War-Loving Fighting Deity’ clenches his lips.]

[The Celestial ‘Sky and Earth’s Connecting Wing’ shuts his eyes.]

…

‘If anyone saw you guys, they would think I’m dying. Alright, cut it out. You’re all distracting me,’ Ye-Eun grumbled at the Numen who were making a fuss.

However, her expression darkened as she looked at her bloody hand. She thought, ‘…I really don’t have much time left.’

1. The literal translation of the full phrase is “If you smile right after you cry, a horn or hair will grow up from your butthole.” It’s a Korean phrase mainly used to tease children for their emotional volatility, as if to say that a child’s emotional fluctuations are as funny as something that shouldn’t emerge from one’s body part coming out. ☜