Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 317: Star, the Door (2)

[The Divine Class of the Player ‘Munseong’ is collapsing!]

[Warning! Please exit the current area as soon as possible. If the pressure continues, your Divine Class may be irreversibly destroyed!]

[Warning!]

…

‘How in the world did this happen…?!’ Munseong thought, trembling.

No matter how hard he tried to stand up, the Spiritual Pressure bearing down on him was too strong. He had never even heard of the abnormal phenomenon of pressure breaking down a Divine Class by force. It was hard to even breathe, making him feel as if his entire existence in this world was being negated.

Regardless, the part that humiliated Munseong the most was how Chang-Sun was stamping on the back of his head. He had no idea how Chang-Sun could have become exponentially stronger in such a short period of time, but that was not the most important part. If Chang-Sun pressed down a little harder with his foot, Munseong would face annihilation…

‘No! Not that…!’ Munseong thought.

Upon encountering a situation in which he could die, fear furtively emerged from his heart for the first time. Had Munseong been defeated on Earth, he would have accepted his fate. He himself had killed his teacher and senior brother, then defeated other powerful individuals one by one to get to where he was now. Thus, he had always believed it was only natural to assume that he himself would meet an opponent who was stronger than him and be defeated.

However, it would be a different story if he were to die in front of R’lyeh, where <Dull Darkness> lay in slumber. <Dull Darkness> was the center of all universes and the origin of all creation, and his body in R’lyeh was without an ego at present. However, Munseong had zero intention of taking that body for himself. His caliber was insufficient, and that body did not hold the absolute power he wanted. His only wish was for the fragment of a dream that <Dull Darkness> had abandoned.

“Oh, my. You’re covered in dirt! What in the world have you been doing? Hahaha, our clan’s main principles are solemnity and stoicism, but I’m not sure how our little rascal will be able to handle them.”

“Haha, isn’t it too soon to say that, Teacher? Seong is still young. Shall we go wash up first, Seong?”

There was an old memory that Munseong could not even remember well. When he was young, he had been playing with soil but ended up falling down, making a mess. Looking at Munseong, his teacher and senior brother had burst into laughter. Despite those words, his teacher had looked at Munseong with gentle and loving eyes, and his senior brother had affectionately held his troublemaker junior brother’s hand.

Munseong could not return to that moment, as he had foolishly chosen to abandon them, blinded by the desire to have more power. Nevertheless, Munseong had begun to think he wanted to return to that moment at some point. Yes, it was his wish to undo the world that had been created by his wrong choice and start over, getting rid of his regretful past.

It was not only Munseong’s wish to regress. All the elders and demonic beings whom Munseong had taken under his wing hoped for the same thing, having lived regretful lives after making wrong judgments and decisions. That was why they wanted to restore everything and start over, vowing to never repeat the same mistakes in their new lives.

Indeed, they could regress by going beyond the door and accessing R’lyeh, and it was right in front of Munseong. However, he had failed.

‘Dear Lord…!’ Munseong thought, seeking salvation.

He wished that someone would come help him and make his wish come true. No, that person did not even have to save him. All they had to do was throw Munseong into that door. That was what he prayed, even though he himself was a god.

Right at that moment, Chang-Sun—no, Odin—spoke coldly in his Divine Voice.

『Tsk! This is the problem with people of classless origin.』

『A god is someone who can stand atop the world with their will alone. They need to be able to be free of all lingering feelings that restrict them and look high at the sky.』

Odin’s voice was full of disdain as he continued.

『And yet, what is this? You seek salvation? Ridiculous. Instead of trying to overcome a tribulation with your own power, you surrender this easily. On top of that, your hope is for regression… It’s as if you’re pushing yourself into a never-ending cycle of lingering feelings. Ridiculous. So ridiculous.』

Munseong realized that Odin had seen through his hope, and he screamed inwardly, ‘Yes, okay! So please! Give me a chance! Send me to…!’

He could withstand disdain or degradation as much as needed. He just… He just hoped to go beyond the door. However…

『You came all the way to R’lyeh’s door, so I thought you had something more. You disappoint me.』

‘Nooooo!’ Munseong screamed after realizing what Odin was trying to do.

『Go back to the gutter, since that is where you belong, vermin.』

Crack!

Odin put more pressure into his foot, easily crushing Munseong’s head. Munseong’s death was pathetic for a Celestial who had arrogantly looked down on Earth.

[The Player ‘Munseong’ has been killed!]

[You have acquired a significant amount of experience points.]

[Your Divine Class has increased.]

…

* * *

[Death is running rampant!]

Kieeeeeh―!

Whoosh, whoosh, swish!

As the ominous ghostly wail reverberated…

「…!」

「…!」

…Jin Prezia and Sinmara had remained on high alert, and yet had been unable to speak a word due to Odin’s mighty Divine Class. On top of that, they had not expected that Munseong would be eliminated this easily.

‘...What will happen to Master?’ Jin suddenly wondered.

From the perspective of any observer, Odin was not Chang-Sun. Although they shared the same soul, their egos were different, so they could not be treated as the same person. The thought of Chang-Sun disappearing completely crossed Jin’s mind, making him feel a sudden wave of fear. Odin was certainly a ruler worthy of Jin’s loyalty, but Jin liked Chang-Sun better. In contrast to Odin, who was very arrogant, Chang-Sun was more humane even though he was cold.

At that moment, Jin reflexively flinched, noticing how Odin was looking at him with cold eyes. Odin then spoke.

『How dare a subject appraise your ruler? You’re quite disrespectful.』

‘H-he read my thoughts!’ Jin thought, hurriedly lowering his head more.

The thought that he could not get on Odin’s nerves filled his head, recalling how Odin had easily read Munseong’s thoughts. That eye of Odin… The eye that shone with navy blue light had to be the source of the issue; it was known to manipulate the laws of nature, and also contained all the knowledge of the universes.

『Tsk! Judging from his subject, I can see how this body is usually treated. Pathetic child. He’s born with the caliber of a king, but he can’t use his abilities to his full potential.』

As Odin criticized him, Jin could feel his shoulders drooping more and more. There was no way he could not know that even though Odin’s reproach sounded as if it was meant for Chang-Sun, it was actually for him. He would have immediately talked back to Odin if he were his usual self even if Odin pointed a sword at his throat, but his self-esteem was at rock bottom ever since he became dispirited after seeing Sinmara’s performance.

『This is because he was born as a classless being and acquired such an ego. I should teach him about how a ruler should behave from now on. Otherwise, it’ll only get harder.』

Odin spoke incomprehensibly, stroking his chin. After a moment, he quickly raised his head and held out his hand in the air.

‘What…is he doing?’ Jin thought. He kept his head down to not offend Odin any further, but he still furtively watched what Odin was doing, feeling worried that he would do something to harm Chang-Sun.

Kyaaaah!

Odin touched a certain part of the gray fog, which had grown so thick that it was impossible to see through; it split apart as he captured a soul with a contorted face. The other ghosts who were trapped in Odin’s storm only knew how to wail, but this soul still had an ego of its own.

―Let go! Let me go!

[You have successfully captured the death of the Player ‘Munseong’!]

Indeed, the soul that Odin captured belonged to Munseong. After the disintegration of his Divine Class, Munseong had been about to fall into the Nine Circles, but Odin had dragged him back out by force.

‘Capturing a soul…?!’ Jin thought, his jaw dropping at the unbelievable sight.

As he himself was an Undead, Odin’s ability to control ghosts was unsurprising, but the problem was that the soul under his control belonged to a Celestial. Even though Munseong had died, he was still a Celestial, so the size and power of the soul could never be compared to that of a mortal. On top of that, Munseong’s Divine Class was high enough that he would be treated as a high-ranking Celestial even by the standards of <Heaven>. Nevertheless, Odin was playing around with Munseong’s soul, indicating his proficiency in handling death.

『Well, the vermin still has a Divine Class, so it should be a useful ingredient.』

Odin tightened his grip around Munseong’s writhing soul, crushing it.

Craaaccck―!

―Sa… ve… No…!

When he heard the bone-chilling sound, a shiver went down Jin’s spine. Sinmara became appalled too. It was obvious that Munseong would never be able to enter the cycle of samsara again.

[A ‘Soul Pill’ has been created!]

After the horrifying sound died out, Odin opened his palm, revealing a gloomy-colored pill.

『Take it.』

Jin caught the [Soul Pill] Odin had suddenly thrown at him in the confusion of the moment.

『Eat it.』

‘What…?’ Jin thought, gaping after hearing Odin’s instruction.

[Soul Pill]

An elixir made by refining the soul of the Player Munseong. One’s Class can be increased by absorbing Munseong’s remaining energy upon consumption.

· Type: Elixir.

· Rank: ???

· Effect: Energy Absorption. Spiritual Class Increase.

‘…!’ Jin felt his heart pounding after reading the description of the [Soul Pill]. Absorbing the energy of one who had completed <Transcendence> meant that he would be able to overcome the walls of <Exuviation> and <Transcendence>.

『A ruler should provide what their subject needs, and the subject should dedicate their loyalty to their ruler in return. I gave you what you need, so put excruciating effort into serving this body.』

「I-I’ll keep it in mind!」

Jin hurriedly bowed deeper as he held the [Soul Pill] closer to him, worrying that Odin would want it back.

Badump, badump!

Jin knew that he lacked a heart, but he still felt as if it were racing.

Looking at Jin, Odin quietly chuckled. From Odin’s perspective, Jin was a ferocious wolf wandering a plain on his own without joining a group. He thought, ‘The more he resists, the more loyal a hound he will become after being tamed.’

As he had been the leader of the giant <Society> named <Asgard>, he knew how to manage people better than anyone; thus, he found an uncomfortable amount of problems within Chang-Sun’s group in spite of their potential.

‘I need to correct their flaws now so a proper <Valhalla> and <Asgard> can be built after ‘I’ am reborn properly by accumulating gnosis again and again.’

<Valhalla> and <Asgard> were just old legends now, but Odin was planning to rebuild them. On top of that, he also intended to form a great <Myth> that even Bestla had failed to complete. By uniting his old enemies, <Muspelheim>, <Jotunheim>, and <Niflheim>, he would bring <Heaven> to its knees and acquire the rank of Emperor. Those wishes were the reason why he had chosen to join samsara.

Badump!

At that moment, Odin’s heart raced, as if someone was opposing his idea and telling him ‘Get out; it’s never going to happen’. It was Chang-Sun. Although his ego was supposed to have been submerged after unlocking his subconscious realm, he was resisting.

『He can relax at a time like this, but he’s very impatient. Who does he take after?』

Odin chuckled, sensing Chang-Sun’s will. He also had no intention of taking over Chang-Sun’s body for a long time at the moment. Perhaps it would have been different if Chang-Sun had accumulated a lot of gnosis, but he had not. In that case, the more Odin overworked himself, the more his plans would go astray.

‘How long did I have to wait to get this far? I can’t use up this opportunity for a brief moment of entertainment,’ Odin thought as one end of his mouth curled up, picking up the [Twilight Spear], which he had not yet used even once until now.

『I’m going to leave, but I want to leave a gift for my immature reincarnation.』

Odin spoke as he looked downward with sharp eyes.

Oooooo―

A significant amount of <Darkness> was still pouring out through the slight gap in the door, and the monsters that were close to being newly born were being torn apart by Odin’s storm of Divine Class. Beyond the door, there was only darkness that resembled a bottomless pit.

However, Odin could see perfectly beyond the pitch darkness with his [Gnostic Eye]. Something indescribable and colossal crouched behind it, pierced by a long object that shone with golden light. At one glance, it looked like the remains of a Celestial who had been sealed by a golden spear thrust into their left chest; it also resembled the corpse of a Dragon tightly bound up with numerous metal chains.

Regardless of what it was, one thing was for sure. That giant creature was bound and forced to remain in a deep sleep; it would not budge unless the golden spear was taken out. In Odin’s eyes, the golden spear looked like a tower.

‘It’s quite beautiful,’ he thought.

Paah!

When the [Twilight Spear] became heavily infused with Odin’s divine power, new runes that looked completely different from Chang-Sun’s appeared on it; they were Primordial Runes, the first letters, and they could only be used by Odin.

Once the engraving was completed, those runes shone in radiant golden light, and then the [Twilight Spear] shook violently and transformed into something entirely different. The white spear was dyed gray and took on a more ominous appearance, and its length multiplied, becoming taller than Odin.

Ooooong―!

[You have temporarily summoned ‘Gungnir’!]

Tightly gripping his trademark divine relic, Odin pointed his spear toward R’lyeh, and…

Paaah―!

…powerfully threw the [Twilight Spear]—no, [Gungnir], leaving a long afterimage that went straight through the gap in the door.