Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 2: If There Is No Constellation, Make One (1)
Yongsan Hunter Market.
A newly established trading center specializing in Hunter-related goods, built on the site of the former electronics market.
"Have you seen the sword that Magus Co. just released?"
"I heard Hansung created a new armor brand."
"Ah, the one processed with the new material from Norie's Spire..."
People coming and going through the Hunter Market.
Most of them were Hunters, those who had been invited by the system and became Awakened.
Yoojin passed through the lobby and headed towards the accessories store.
Rings, necklaces, bracelets, and more.
As he scanned the magically crafted accessories, an employee approached him.
"Excuse me, customer. Are you looking for anything in particular?"
"I'd like to see the Ring of Darkness."
The employee let out a short, surprised laugh, "Heh," and then said, "This way, please," leading Yoojin to the back of the store.
In a secluded corner of the shop.
Hidden away from the usual foot traffic, Yoojin found the opportunity he was seeking.
A dark ring with brown stains all over it.
"What's the price?"
"20 million won, sir."
[KM Bank - 32,590,160]
The support funds he received when he left the orphanage.
And all the money he had saved by working his bones off for three years.
'It's tight, considering my next schedule.'
Yoojin purchased the Ring of Darkness without hesitation.
[Ring of Darkness]
Rank: Rare
Category: Ring
Durability: 50/50
A ring containing the deep, unknowable darkness of night.
When worn, it afflicts the user with mental curses.
A cursed ring that, instead of strengthening the user, inflicts all sorts of debuffs.
That's why the employee chuckled when Yoojin mentioned the item's name.
Considering that typical Rare grade items cost at least hundreds of millions of won, this was practically a steal.
'It's an item with no use unless you want to screw someone over.'
There were over a hundred Rings of Darkness, not just in the Hunter Market, but all over the world.
The common effect of the item was to inflict mental curses.
A truckload of Hunters had investigated it, wondering if it held a hidden secret. Some even poured their magical energy into it, believing its true nature would be revealed if the curse was lifted.
'But no one found the answer.'
When the curse was washed away, it simply reverted to an ordinary ring.
It couldn't be used as a catalyst for dark spells or as a material for crafting items.
A cursed item with no use except to prank someone. That was the widely known purpose of the Ring of Darkness.
'But I'm different.'
Yoojin tightly gripped the blackened ring.
The secret of the Ring of Darkness, which no one in the world had uncovered.
Those who overcame the curses pouring from the ring gained the ability to defy death, in other words, the knowledge and power of necromancy.
'The design of this item is flawed.'
To obtain the source of necromancy, one must overcome the curse, not resist it.
The same goes for lifting the curse.
That's why he was the first among Hunters to obtain the Necromancer class.
The moment he put the Ring of Darkness on his index finger.
[A dense curse encroaches upon you.]
[Confusion Lv 32]
[Frenzy Lv 25]
[Se....]
[Unique Trait - Clear Mind applied. All mental interference nullified.]
As soon as he put the ring on his finger, several curses attempted to shake Yoojin's mind.
'This is nothing.'
Complete immunity guaranteed by the system.
No matter how powerful the curses embedded in the Ring of Darkness were, they couldn't overcome Clear Mind.
Around the time the ring, which had been pouring out curses for a while, calmed down.
[You have passed the Ring of Darkness's trial. The true power dwelling within the ring awakens.]
The grime that had been caked on it peeled away.
A ray of light gently enveloped the surface of the ring.
"It's done. It's done."
Yoojin grinned.
At that moment.
The [Rings of Darkness] that had been scattered in over 100 locations around the world spontaneously combusted, but...
[The rank of the item increases.]
▷ Rare -> Epic (Unique)
Compared to the weight of the opportunity Yoojin had just obtained, it was merely a minor inconvenience.
＊ ＊ ＊
A dark blue luster enveloped the jet-black ring.
Otherworldly characters appeared across its surface.
The Ring of Darkness, having regained its true form, scattered a cool light.
[As the Ring of Darkness's rank has been readjusted, options have been added.]
▷ Inherent Skill - Library of Knowledge has been generated.
▷ Inherent Skill - Coffin of the Dead has been generated.
▷ You can infuse the ring with Spirit Power to convert it into Mana or Dark Mana.
The [Library of Knowledge] skill allowed him to inherit necromancy-related information from previous users.
[Coffin of the Dead] was magic that stored a corpse, regardless of its size, in the ring's subspace.
'First, let's change my class. I need to do that to use the skills.'
▷ You have not yet chosen a class.
▷ There are 4 class categories you can choose from based on your unique traits.
Martial / Magic / Necromancer / Priest
With the Ring of Darkness on his finger, he activated his status window, and a new option had appeared.
A class that could be chosen when holding a specific item.
'I will walk the path of the Necromancer.'
◎ Class - Necromancer
▷ A class that uses corpses or souls as a medium.
▷ As a first class selection bonus, the trait 'Guide of Death' is added.
▷ Stat Mana → Spirit Power.
[Guide of Death]
Reduces Spirit Power consumption by 20% when activating and maintaining summoning-type spells.
"I only got this trait after regressing."
A trait that is only added when you choose a class for the first time after awakening.
Magic users gain the trait [Mana Emission], which increases the power and range of projectile magic.
'For me, reducing Spirit Power consumption is much better.'
Yoojin only learned about the [Guide of Death] trait when the 'Wailing Dead' Gate, which appeared 5 years later, was conquered.
Because if you conquer a gate related to a certain class, even without the Ring of Darkness, the path to that class opens up.
'In my case, I was able to change classes quickly thanks to my unique trait.'
In the past, Yoojin had also coincidentally acquired the Ring of Darkness, unlocked its secrets, and changed to the Necromancer class.
The only regret was that he had changed to the magic class and missed out on the [Guide of Death] trait.
'This time, I got the early class change perk.'
Necromancers are a class that constantly raises and consumes the dead.
The [Guide of Death] trait greatly increases combat sustainability by reducing Spirit Power consumption.
Compared to before turning back time, he was already far ahead from the starting point.
'Then, shall I try the ring?'
Yoojin poured his overflowing Spirit Power into the ring.
Click- Clack—
The treasure containing the knowledge and source of necromancy began to function in earnest.
[Using the Library of Knowledge.]
[You can access the knowledge left by the previous masters of death.]
[You can access one of the following fields: Necromancy / Darkness / Curse / Alchemy / ... Other fields.]
He knew what he needed to obtain.
'I want to access the knowledge of necromancy.'
[The knowledge of necromancy is engraved into your soul.]
[Your soul rank is low. Some beginner spells will be passed down.]
"Kghhhh!"
Yoojin screamed.
It felt like an iron was pressing down on his head.
The amount of knowledge that surpassed his comprehension overloaded his brain, making it feel like it was about to be fried.
'Damn it. This doesn't change even after regression.'
The effect of Clear Mind was to grant immunity to mental attacks.
Transferring the ring's knowledge into his head wasn't an attack, so it didn't lessen the pain.
'Damn it. It hurts even more.'
The ability to keep his mind clear had become poison.
How much time had passed as he gritted his teeth and endured the pain?
[Part of the knowledge of necromancy has been transferred.]
[You can acquire the remaining knowledge when your rank increases.]
◎ Currently unlocked skills: 2
▷ Raise Undead [E] - Lv 1
▷ Bone Control [E] - Lv 1
Raise Undead
Category: Magic
Restriction: Necromancer, or possesses the [Necromancy] trait.
Rank: E
Creates undead from corpses whose souls have departed.
The quality of the created undead is determined by the abilities of the base corpse and the user's competence.
Bone Control
Category: Magic
Restriction: Necromancer, or possesses the [Necromancy] trait.
Rank: E
A spell that imbues bones with mana and allows the user to control them at will.
It was so painful that tears welled up in his eyes. He wished he had just fainted.
'Damn it. To think I'd be doing this again.'
He gritted his teeth at the feeling of his brain wrinkles being ironed out.
Yoojin became the master of death by accepting all the knowledge stored in the Ring of Darkness before his regression.
He remembered most of the knowledge.
The problem was that his abilities were based on the [System].
'At my level, I can't be free from the rules set by the system.'
At least 7 stars.
A level that cannot be reached by simply hunting monsters.
While the system makes Hunters stronger, to go beyond that, one needs enlightenment and the accumulated karma of the soul.
'Until then, I have to rely on this guy.'
It was a path he had already walked.
Faster.
Stronger.
Although he started much later than the heads of the seven great clans, he was confident that he could surpass them all.
[The proficiency of those skills is at maximum.]
[Efficiency is adjusted to the maximum.]
‘Oh ho.’
He received this kind of bonus because he regressed.
When a skill's proficiency reaches MAX, the power consumption decreases, and the power increases.
That's not all.
If someone meets the acquisition conditions, the skill can be passed on.
His cheeks twitched at the unexpected benefit.
'I've taken the first step, but this isn't enough.'
Attacks based on mana hardly work on Incarnations.
They are beings that do not suffer significant damage except from divine power.
Didn't Dmitri also rely on the Incarnation-exclusive skill 〔Aura〕 to withstand Yoojin's attacks on the front lines?
'I need a patron deity.'
By becoming a Necromancer, the possibility of receiving support from a typical constellation became zero.
Even when he reached the 9th Star Rank, the pinnacle of Hunters, before his regression, they scoffed at him, saying that defying natural order was ominous.
He couldn't sell his soul to the evil god constellations belonging to the Tower of Babel either.
'There's one more way.'
Yoojin put his hand in his pocket.
His heart calmed at the cold metallic touch.
"If there's no constellation to sponsor me, I'll make one."
He muttered as he fiddled with [Kronos' Pocket Watch], the only trace of his unknown parents and the artifact that created miracles.
＊ ＊ ＊
Crete Island.
The birthplace of the Minoan civilization and one of Europe's leading tourist destinations.
'Direct flights are ridiculously expensive anyway.'
After the Great Cataclysm, with contaminated zones appearing all over the world, even the sky wasn't completely safe.
To avoid monsters that flew in the air, like wyverns or harpies, one had to either take a long detour or...
Pass through the contaminated zones with a Hunter capable of intercepting flying-type monsters.
The flight Yoojin took was a direct one, so the airfare was four times as expensive.
[KM Bank - 2,590,160]
Just how extreme was this diet?
It was to reduce travel time, but he couldn't help but feel the sting in his wallet.
'When I get back to Korea, I need to raid a Gate and fill up my wallet first.'
Why did he come to a famous tourist spot, squeezing his tight finances?
Yoojin had a good reason.
"Please take me to Knossos Palace."
He took a taxi and traveled south for about 20 minutes.
He arrived at Knossos Palace, a famous tourist attraction on the island.
The place was bustling with people from the entrance.
Yoojin walked nonchalantly through the crowd and entered the ruins.
'The Minoans worshipped the Titans.'
Titans.
The Protogenoi, who became the etymology of 'Titan,' representing giants.
'The old constellations who lost their light after losing the battle against the Olympian gods, led by Zeus.'
Fallen Constellations.
A term referring to constellations that have lost their starlight and fallen from grace in mythology.
Not all of the Titan Protogenoi lost their glory.
Some Titans, like Themis, the goddess of justice, and Helios, the sun god, acknowledged the victory of Olympus and joined their ranks, still active as constellations.
'But the owner of this watch is different.'
Kronos.
The leader who ruled the Titan Protogenoi, a ruthless being who even swallowed his own children to avoid his destined downfall.
In the end, the prophecy came true, and he was a giant who lost everything and fell from grace.
'If it's the ruins of the Minoan civilization that worshipped the Titan Protogenoi...'
Surely, it would be possible to elicit a response from the old constellation.
The way to receive a revelation from a constellation in a place other than the Pantheon and the Tower of Babel.
That is...
"To use an artifact as a medium."
Yoojin placed the [Damaged Kronos' Pocket Watch] on the floor of the ruins and struck it hard.
Clang—!!
〔Which impertinent wretch dares to commit such an insolent act in my presence!!〕
A thunderous roar resonated from the pocket watch.
See?
This is how they bite.
"Nice to meet you, deposed King of the Titans."
Yoojin smiled brightly.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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