Return of the Shattered Constellation

Chapter 18: Star, Home (3)

“You know how he is. Your father just says things he does not mean when he gets angry. Don’t mind him too much. Go to your room and get some rest,” Chang-Sun’s mother said soothingly.

Chang-Sun was still frozen in place, but he forced himself to walk away due to his mother’s continuous urging. However, he said quietly, “…I’m sorry.”

“Huh? What did you say, sweetie?” Chang-Sun’s mother asked.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll be careful from now on,” Chang-Sun repeated more loudly as he turned away.

For a long time, Chang-Sun’s mother stood beside the table and looked at his seat. ‘Mom’... It had been three years since her youngest son last called her that. She felt that she would be unable to forget about this day for quite a while.

* * *

Just as Chang-Sun was about to enter his room, a dog came up to him, panting and wagging its tail. The dog’s name was Jjong, and he had belonged to the family ever since Chang-Sun was eight.

“Right, so you were here too,” Chang-Sun said with a chuckle.

Jjong was already fifteen years old, and was nearing the end of his life. Despite that, he looked healthy as he forced his way into Chang-Sun’s room. It seemed Jjong was still willing to welcome the family’s pathetic youngest son back home.

Chang-Sun picked up Jjong and lightly stroked the dog’s head. Enjoying Chang-Sun’s gentle strokes, Jjong yawned widely, and soon fell asleep in Chang-Sun’s arms.

‘Oh yeah. He began sleeping a lot more when he got older,’ Chang-Sun thought, smiling bitterly.

After laying Jjong down on a blanket in the corner of the room, he looked around. The messy state of his room caught his attention.

‘Did I really live in such a messy room? A pigpen would be cleaner than this. Well, I was a total mess at this point in my past.’

Chang-Sun’s room was too messy for him to use, so he decided to clean it before anything else. First, he let some fresh air in by opening the window. Next, he fixed the mountain of soju bottles on the floor, organizing them neatly so he could take them out later. When he could finally see the floor of his room, he began sweeping it with a broom.

When Chang-Sun’s mother heard noises from Chang-Sun’s room, she could not help but wonder. Soon, Chang-Sun emerged to throw out the soju bottles, and his mother’s eyes opened wide in shock. Although Chang-Sun could sense that she was watching him, he pretended not to notice it.

After spending a while cleaning the room, Chang-Sun was finally able to lie down on his bed. It was not perfect, but at least he had enough space to lie down. His mattress was very soft.

Even though Chang-Sun could feel his body loosening up, his mind remained sharp.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ wonders what your next move is. She attempts to convince you that her hunting skills will be helpful.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ says that it is important to rest from time to time.]

‘They’re really taking an interest in such trivial stuff?’ Chang-Sun thought, tilting his head in confusion.

It was uncommon for Celestials to take interest in a person’s boring daily life; they usually focused on Dungeons, where various events constantly occurred.

‘Well, it’s a bit annoying because it feels as if they’re meddling in everything I do.’

Paying no attention to the messages, Chang-Sun began to think about other matters.

He could not solve his family issues immediately, as they had been present for quite some time. Thus, he had to start by getting to know his family once again. Although they behaved awkwardly around him, he now knew that they had been very worried about him. In order to do that, he had to start by doing everything he could at the moment.

‘I have to show them I’ve changed,’ Chang-Sun thought, clenching his fists. He had to make them believe that he had become a proper adult who could take care of himself, not an alcoholic who acted like a parasite.

However, Chang-Sun only knew how to fight, so he would have to focus on working as a Player. If he kept doing his job, his family would start to think differently of him little by little.

Recalling the result of the first Dungeon Closure, Chang-Sun began to think about his plans step by step.

‘I got a pretty good result from my first Tutorial. It’s a little early, but I think it should be okay to proceed to phase two.’

Chang-Sun’s gaze turned sharp when the conversation he had with Thanatos in the Underworld crossed his mind.

‘Heoju… Thanatos said that guy is also in the Saha World, right?’[1]

“Which deities do I need to capture first in the Saha World?”

“Naturally, the rulers of your world.”

“So who are they?”

“You must be very familiar with one of them.”

“The ‘Calamity Tiger.’”

When Thanatos first mentioned his name, Chang-Sun’s eyes had widened—he knew very well who Heoju was. He was one of the beings who had forced Chang-Sun to go through the Divine Trial. To be more accurate, however, he was just their subordinate—no, their stooge.

However, Chang-Sun had not forgotten about him, because he could still vividly recall Heoju laughing in front of him.

‘He’ll be the perfect target to signal the start of my revenge…’ Chang-Sun thought with a smile. ‘But it won’t be easy to capture him. That sly tiger is ferocious, but he’s also quick-witted and has many subordinates.’

Despite his smile, there was a dangerous fire in his eyes.

‘I have to make a lot of preparations in order to hunt such a deity.’

A hunt—that was how Chang-Sun thought of his revenge.

‘I need to find a tiger’s den in order to kill a tiger, right?’[2]

Chang-Sun turned on his smartphone to check a website he had bookmarked on his way home.

<White Tiger will always be beside you when you smile.>

What first caught Chang-Sun’s eye was the website’s banner, which contained the Clan’s catchphrase.

‘This Clan’s Guardian is Heoju.’

Ever since the Gates had opened up on Earth, numerous Celestials had begun to watch Earth. Apart from simply watching humans, Celestials also chose them and granted them blessings. Moved by the Celestials’ miracles, many groups of believers sprang up all over the world.

That was the start of the Clans.

Among those Clans, the White Tiger Clan was the one blessed by Heoju.

‘He sucks at naming stuff. I can’t believe he named his subordinates that way, just because he’s a white tiger. Tsk!’

The White Tiger Clan had a silly name, but it was not to be taken lightly.

‘Number one Clan in Korea, huh… It’s certainly a large one.’

In order to capture Heoju, he had to wage a war against the White Tiger Clan.

However, he had to proceed with his plan step by step, as he still lacked the power to do so.

<Job Posting>

As he scrolled blankly through the website, a pop-up screen in the lower right corner brought Chang-Sun back to reality.

‘The White Tiger Clan is going to start hiring new Players in a month.’

Chang-Sun planned to apply for that very job posting. By starting from the bottom, he would cut off Heoju’s limbs one by one.

‘So I’ll have to finish preparing within a month, using any means necessary.’

Chang-Sun’s eyes shone coldly beneath the warm sunlight.

* * *

“Where are you going?” Chang-Sun’s mother asked, sounding a little worried.

“I’m going to go jogging in Hangang Park[3]. I’ll be back before dinner, so don’t worry,” Chang-Sun said to ease his mother’s worries.

Despite his promise, however, he did not head to Hangang Park. Instead, he got into a taxi, then headed toward a mountain located in a suburban area in Hanam[4]. He needed a place where he would not be noticed by other people.

The taxi driver looked at Chang-Sun strangely, as he was traveling a great distance in plain clothes to get to a quiet location. However, he did not ask Chang-Sun any questions. Chang-Sun was also not in the mood to talk, and simply kept his earphones in during the entire ride.

When he arrived at the destination, Chang-Sun sprang forth toward the foot of the mountain after confirming that the taxi had traveled a good distance away.

Pah!

He traveled a good distance up the mountain, to the point that the path had long since disappeared. After reaching a place where hikers would not dare to approach, Chang-Sun stopped moving and cleaned up the nearby surroundings with [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth].

He did so because the thing he was about to attempt required that he not be disturbed. During the entire process, he could not come into contact with any people, or even any wild animals.

[Concealment Rune has been installed.]

[Concealment Rune has been installed.]

Chang-Sun carved runes on the nearby rocks, securing the area around him so no one would be able to approach. Then, he called out, “Open inventory.”

His inventory promptly opened.

[Revealing the inventory list!]

[Flame Goat’s Rib Spear ×13]

[Fire Salamander’s Skull Shield ×21]

...

The inventory list was practically endless, because Chang-Sun had received many byproducts from killing numerous monsters. However, he skillfully used filters to sort the items by various categories, only looking at the items he wanted to see.

[Bloody Mamba’s Poisonous Fang ×1]

[Flame Tiger’s Flame Toxin Claw ×9]

[Ice Kite’s Ice Toxin Beak ×1]

[Underground Scorpion’s Stinger ×2]

[Plague Spider’s Poison Sac ×1]

The items Chang-Sun was looking for were all the boss monster venom glands that he had acquired in the ‘Forest of Firewielders’ Dungeon. Each one of them would become ‘kindling’ to ignite the Eight Trigrams Brazier.

Chang-Sun planned to begin the process of attaining the [Impervious Body]. In order to capture Heoju, his first target, he had to obtain that ability.

‘I already have the ember, so… I'll just consume these.’

Feeling fire energy slowly coursing through his veins, Chang-Sun first pulled out the [Bloody Mamba’s Poisonous Fang.] The black fang was thicker than an average man’s arm; it looked especially threatening in his hand.

“Yes, there is no better kindling to start that fire than deadly toxins that can ruin the body. As Purification Fire is made from the pure fire energy in a person’s body, it is the most effective way to cleanse evil and kill demons.”

“If the Purification Fire finds foreign substances that try to ruin the body of the Eight Trigrams Brazier’s owner, it is bound to flare up. The stronger the foreign substances are, the stronger the Purification Fire will burn. That way, the fire should be hot enough… to ignite the Eight Trigrams Brazier.”

“When the Brazier begins to burn, it will not only cleanse the foreign substances, but also any waste and impure energies within your body… There can be no better way to purify your entire body.”

That was what the First Elder had said about the Eight Trigrams Brazier’s fire.

Burning all the waste in Chang-Sun’s body did not simply refer to cleaning his body. Rather, it meant that his twelve closed meridians would open, strengthening his blood vessels. In other words, he would open up a highway—no, an air travel route to efficiently circulate his magic.

That way, the first condition to achieve the [Impervious Body] would be fulfilled.

“Of course, your body will be ruined even before the Purification Fire ignites if you just randomly swallow deadly toxins. However, swallowing milder toxins will just ruin your body without even igniting the Purification Fire.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Go through the right process. Choose the right spot wisely.”

“Process? Spot? How am I supposed to do that?”

“That is…!”

‘First… My heart,’ Chang-Sun thought calmly.

After pointing the tip of the [Bloody Mamba’s Poisonous Fang] at himself, he pierced his left chest swiftly with the fang.

Stab!

Chang-Sun had accurately driven the fang between his ribs, piercing his heart with its poisonous tip. Although he felt an immense amount of pain rushing through his body, he did not even flinch, due to his incredible fighting spirit.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

His heart began to beat in a strange rhythm.

[The ‘Bloody Mamba’s Poisonous Fang’ has pierced your heart!]

[Deadly toxin quickly spreads throughout your body.]

[The Effect ‘Lesser Toxin Resistance’ has been activated.]

[The skill is ineffective.]

[The skill is ineffective.]

...

[You have entered the ‘Poisoned’ state.]

...

[Caution! Remove the ‘Bloody Mamba’s Poisonous Fang’ at once and try to detoxify yourself.]

The heart was an organ that was connected to all the blood vessels in the body, supplying blood to other organs. As Chang-Sun had pierced that very organ with the fang, it was only natural for its poison to spread quickly.

Badump!

Badump!

Chang-Sun’s blood circulated rapidly through his body. Due to the heavy pressure from his frantically beating heart, every vein in his body swelled up like a balloon that seemed about to pop. His face turned pale in no time, showing his blue veins.

His breathing became so shallow and rough that it almost seemed as if he would faint. He was so dizzy that he felt as if he would pass out at any minute. Even though he did not care about the horrible pain, he was afraid that he would faint if he did nothing. Of course, he would really die if he lost consciousness.

As he did not plan on meeting Thanatos yet, he tried everything he could to stay conscious as he drove the fang even further into his heart.

Suddenly, however, he was stopped by something.

Click.

He could swear he had actually heard a sound.

The fang in his hand melted away as if it had never existed. His heart swiftly absorbed the fang, completely integrating its poison.

[The ‘Bloody Mamba’s Poisonous Fang’ has been completely absorbed.]

[A Hidden Piece has been found.]

[Serpent Toxin Factor has been acquired. The ability to create a little bit of ‘Bloody Mamba’s Toxin’ has been obtained.]

[50,000 Karma has been accumulated.]

[You have entered the ‘Critical’ state.]

Chang-Sun moved aside the messages that showed up before his eyes. At the moment, he had no time to read through the messages. He rummaged through his inventory and grabbed the [Flame Tiger’s Flame Toxin Claws].

There was one problem, however. He had to pierce the area surrounding his liver, which was located in his lower right abdomen, with the nine claws.

Although it did not sound easy, he searched for a place to stab without a single hint of hesitation. When he found a suitable one, he thrust the claw into it.

Stab!

[A ‘Flame Tiger’s Flame Toxin Claw’ has begun to penetrate your liver and bowels!]

There were eight more claws that he had to pierce himself with before their toxin made him faint.

1. ’Heoju’ normally refers to a kind of evil spirit in Korean shamanism. Sometimes, it is said that evil spirits that wander the world possess a person who is about to become a shaman, pretending to be the god they serve; the soon-to-be shaman’s body is considered empty before their god accepts them, making them vulnerable to possession. However, this ‘Heoju’ likely just refers to a character in the novel. ☜

2. This is an actual Korean idiom. The author used it as a pun, since Heoju’s other name is the ‘Troubled Tiger.’ ☜

3. There is a park located beside Hangang River. If you enjoy Korean variety shows, you may have seen people eating ramen in this park. ☜

4. A city in Korea. ☜

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