Chapter 70

Chapter 70

"That's something only the Constellation can answer."

Although Seong Jihan asked, curious about why Ariel so easily accepted his reasoning,

Her answer was sharp as a knife.

[I'm sorry I can't answer that, Master.]

As Ariel finished speaking,

[You have been recognized as a master by the Avatar of Shadow Queen, 'Ariel'.]

[The summoning of 'Ariel' becomes more efficient.]

[The efficiency of the gift 'Moon's Shadow ' increases.]

[The stat 'Shadow Strength' has been increased by 1.]

Not only has the title changed, but there were also several system effects.

"Ho."

'Having formally recognized me as her master, I didn't expect these additional effects.'

It was a decent reward just for nodding in response to a question.

As Seong Jihan was pondering, Ariel jumped off his arm.

With a whooshing sound, Ariel, who was falling from his arm, grew in size until she reached his waist.

[Now I can move around more comfortably. And...]

While examining her body, Ariel spoke, [Earlier, when I said I couldn't answer, now I think I can provide some information.]

"I thought you said you couldn't speak?"

[It seems that after recognizing you as my master, the system has slightly relaxed its restrictions on me.]

Ariel said, taking a seat in the room, [Do you know about the constellations?]

"Well, I don't know the details."

Constellations.

Even Seong Jihan, who had witnessed Humanity's destruction in his previous life, didn't know much about them. Most of the Constellations had deemed Earth a lost cause after repeated defeats in the Space League and didn't pay much attention.

[They are representatives and masters of their stars, and beings who have transcended the limits of their own kind... they have become gods.]

"Really? A name as grand as 'Constellation' seems fitting."

Seong Jihan, who already knew this, responded indifferently, and Ariel gave a sly smile.

[It seems you already knew some of it. But did you know this? Constellations are born from BattleNet.]

"...What?"

[When you reach level 777 in BattleNet, you qualify to become a Constellation.]

Seong Jihan's eyebrows twitched.

Level 777?

It doesn't seem like she is joking.

'Is level 777 even achievable?'

During the tutorial period, the Diamond League is the highest, but after the tutorial, the Master League and Grandmaster League are introduced.

Above them, only the very best can enter the Star League. In the Star League, the highest league, the level limit is 500. There was a significant difference between that and 777.

"What does 777 even mean? The highest level in Diamond is currently 250."

[There's a restriction on information related to this. But... after the tutorial ends, you'll naturally find out.]

"You have so many restrictions."

[Anyway, the important thing is about the 'Wandering Martial God', right?]

Seong Jihan nodded.

The level of becoming a Constellation is a story for the distant future for Seong Jihan, who is currently at level 31.

Information about the previous sponsor Constellation, 'Wandering Martial God', was more crucial.

[Most Constellations are bound to the stars they were born from. This is because the foundation of their existence is their mother star. If the star is destroyed, the power of the Constellation diminishes... and eventually, they too fade away.]

"I see."

[But the wandering martial god is different. While he is a Constellation, he's not bound by any star. Instead, he created his own star.]

Ariel raised her palm.

A part of her hand transformed into darkness, forming a sphere. The surface of the sphere was spiky, as if thorns were protruding from it.

[This black star is where the 'Wandering Martial God' resides: the Thorn Star. However, the Constellations refer to it differently. They call it the 'Tomb of the Constellations'.]

"The Tomb of the Constellations?"

[Yes. The martial god hunts down Constellations, sealing them within the Thorn Star. Those trapped there continuously have their power siphoned by the martial god, unable to die even if they wish to.]

While saying this, Ariel gave Seong Jihan a meaningful look.

[The dark magic you used, its power was eerily similar to my main body's. However, my main body has never been attacked by the martial god... No, it never even considered the possibility.]

Seong Jihan had a hunch about what was said.

'I acquired the Nameless Martial Arts of the 'Wandering Martial God' quite far into the future.'

In his previous life, when Seong Jihan had climbed to the Diamond League and his proficiency in the skill of the Nameless Martial Arts had improved, Only then could he finally grasp the three divine techniques.

Considering the time, this event took place several years after the current period...

'Could it be that during those few years, the 'Wandering Martial God' attacked the Shadow Queen, absorbed her power, and created the Dark Shadow Technique...?'

Of course, the Shadow Queen isn't the only one who can wield the power of shadows.

He might have acquired it from another Constellation who had already been completely sealed.

However, seeing as the avatar of the Constellation mentioned their power resonating so well, it seemed more plausible that the martial god had subdued the Shadow Queen in the future.

"Just because I nodded my head, there was a reason you recognized me as your master?"

[Why?]

"Your main body. Isn't it fervently running away? Worried about the 'Wandering Martial God's' attack?"

At Seong Jihan's question, Ariel bowed her head.

[As I said earlier, Constellations are bound to the star they are born from. Even if it tries to flee, once the mother star is destroyed, it's over. But...]

She placed her hand on her chin, smiling faintly.

[Thanks to the master, my main body had time to prepare. I express my gratitude on behalf of it.]

"Considering I helped the Constellation, the reward I received seems rather small."

[I will reward you more once the tutorial is over. As long as my main body doesn't die by then.]

Ariel, who was smiling brightly,

Her eyes, which had been dark up to the whites, had now faded in color. The once entirely dark eyes now had a grayish tint on the whites. That wasn't all...

Ariel, who previously had a stoic expression, now showed a variety of facial expressions.

"You seem to have changed a bit."

[Is that so? I've formally acknowledged you as my master, so I changed accordingly.]

"Hmm..."

[I look forward to working with you, Master.]

Does it change this much just because she recognized me as the master?

Seong Jihan tilted his head in confusion.

'Well, that's not important right now.'

He focused his thoughts more on the wandering martial god than on Ariel's change.

According to her, the 'Wandering Martial God' was a different entity, creating its own stars and hunting Constellations.

'Why was such a dominant being so wary of me?'

Didn't it cancel the passing on the Nameless Martial Arts and even withdraw the gift after confirming the existence of the unification of the three dantians?

Seong Jihan thought deeply, but he couldn't figure out why the martial god did that.

'...I still lack information.'

He had obtained some information about the martial god, but this only deepened his questions.

'There must be a reason the martial god was wary of the unification of the three dantians. For now, I need to increase my Martial Power.'

The unification of the three dantians that failed last time.

It was due to a lack of Martial Power, but if his Martial Power reached 100, it would be a different story.

Seong Jihan opened the status window and invested the additional stat points he received into Martial Power.

'It's 43.'

Even at level 31, including the title effect, he achieved a Martial Power of 43.

He was still far from 100.

But Seong Jihan was confident he would achieve it soon.

* * *

[Conqueror of the Valley of the End, Seong Jihan achieves a pentakill]

[Players testing Pentakill by the well. However, subsequent success stories are "nonexistent"]

[Chunjo Nation hands over a blank check. Will South Korea lose another player?]

[Who is Robert Gates? Digging into the wealth of the Gates family!]

"As expected of the owner..."

Lee Hayeon laughed heartily looking at the news about Seong Jihan plastered on the portal site.

As Seong Jihan became the topic of discussion, the guild channel benefited and grew rapidly.

'Of course, most of the people who came to the channel came only for the owner...'

The guild, which had just opened its doors,

For now, the only content worth mentioning in this guild was related to its owner, Seong Jihan.

Of course, the main concept of the guild was nurturing, but no matter how exceptional the growth rate buff was, a player's stats wouldn't rise overnight.

'It would be good if the stats increased by 2 or 3 in a month...'

Lee Hayeon, who was looking at the stats of the guild members, couldn't hide her impatient feelings.

For now, they were uploading videos to the guild channel focused on Seong Jihan.

In the end, to move towards the original concept of a nurturing guild, they had to show the growth of the guild members' abilities.

[The growth rate increases by 220%.]

The Daegi Guild Headquarters was abuzz with excitement after the discovery of Yoon Seah's unexpected growth. The guild members were discussing the potential of the guild buff, and many were eager to test its limits.

Lee Hayeon called an emergency meeting with her guild executives. The room was filled with the top players and strategists of the guild.

"We've stumbled upon something extraordinary," Lee began speaking.

"Yoon Seah's rapid growth after a single tutorial session is evidence that our guild buff is more potent than we initially thought."

Jihoon, the guild strategist, chimed in, "The question is, how can we maximize this effect for all our members?"

The room was filled with murmurs and suggestions. Some suggested intensive training sessions, while others believed in a balanced approach combining combat and skill development.

"We need a structured program," Lee Hayeon decided.

"A combination of combat, strategy, and physical training. All aimed at maximizing the guild buff."

Jihoon nodded, "I can draft a program. But we need to test it on a small group first, gather data, and then refine it."

One of the guild members raised a hand, "What about the risk? Pushing ourselves too hard might lead to injuries."

Hayeon thought for a moment, "We need to be careful, yes. But remember, this is a game. Physical injuries won't translate to the real world. However, mental exhaustion is a real concern. We'll ensure that the program includes regular breaks and mental health check-ins."

Yoon Seah, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "I'm willing to be part of the test group. The growth I experienced was incredible. I believe others can benefit from it too."

Several other guild members volunteered, eager to test the potential of the guild buff.

The meeting concluded with Lee Hayeon assigning tasks to her executives. The Daegi Guild was on the brink of a significant breakthrough, and she was determined to lead her guild to unprecedented heights.