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CHAPTER 22: I Became the Successor of a Constellation.
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22
A flash of light exploded.
Minho's vision was instantly washed in white.
A deafening sensation filled his ears.
The feeling of his entire body floating in the air.
Thud.
His feet touched the ground.
The light slowly began to recede.
Minho opened his eyes.
[You have entered a Hidden Stage]
[Authentication process is in progress]
A vast, endless hall stretched out before him.
The ceiling was too high to be seen, and a deep darkness shrouded all sides.
But it wasn't complete darkness.
A faint blue light drifted throughout the space, like microscopic plankton floating in the deep sea.
‘…Where am I?’
Minho looked around.
He couldn't feel the eerie atmosphere typical of a Dungeon, nor the presence of any monsters.
But a strange chill ran down his spine.
His Danger Sense was sending him a warning. A strong one.
‘There's something here. Definitely.’
Without letting his guard down, Minho took a slow step forward.
Ripple.
With the sound, ripples spread across the floor.
The floor was smooth like black marble, but with every step, ripples spread out like waves.
It felt like walking on the surface of water.
He reached out and touched the floor.
It was cold and hard.
But when he lifted his hand, ripples formed again.
‘Is this a space created by magic?’
Minho slowly raised his head and observed his surroundings.
Far in the distance, he could see something glowing faintly in the darkness.
A massive blue light that made all the other lights pale in comparison.
‘Is that… the center?’
Minho's mind began to race.
If this was a Dungeon, there should be monsters and traps.
But he couldn't sense any of that here.
Instead, there was an oppressive pressure filling the space.
It felt like someone was watching him.
Minho came to a conclusion.
‘This place is a testing ground.’
Back when he was a firefighter, he always observed his surroundings before entering a fire scene.
The direction of the flames, the color of the smoke, the building's structure.
Missing even one detail could be fatal.
It was the same now.
‘I can't rush. First, I need to gather information.’
Minho summoned King.
Squish.
The usual soft, squishy feeling. But something was different.
King's small body was trembling slightly.
It wasn't fear. Nervousness? Or something else?
‘He's never reacted like this before.’
King was a creature that could easily overpower a C-Rank Hunter. For him to be trembling meant…
‘Does that mean this place is that dangerous?’
Minho tucked King into his arms and raised his gaze.
The blue light in the distance was growing larger.
No, it wasn't growing larger.
‘…It's coming closer.’
Thump.
He heard the sound of something moving in the distance.
Minho's body reacted instinctively, and he lowered his stance.
Thump. Thump.
The sound of rhythmic footsteps.
It was getting closer.
‘It's huge!’
He could feel its weight from the footsteps alone. Something at least three meters tall.
Minho quickly scanned his surroundings.
There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run.
There wasn't a single pillar in this vast hall.
‘I have no choice but to face it.’
He reached for the Blood Tracker at his waist.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The footsteps grew closer.
And finally.
A colossal shadow slowly revealed itself from the darkness.
Black armor covered its entire body.
A piercing blue light shone from within its helmet.
A longsword in its right hand. A shield in its left.
‘…Damn it.’
Sweat formed on Minho's palms.
A head-on fight with a giant of that size, armed with weapons, seemed hopeless.
Aim for the joints? There wasn't a single gap in the armor.
Should I rely on speed? Seeing how fast that massive body was moving, I couldn't be sure.
‘First, I'll wait.’
He watched the armored giant, his stance low.
Once it was in sight, the armored giant approached Minho slowly but surely.
Thump. Thump.
The sound of its footsteps echoed through the hall.
Large ripples spread across the floor.
100 meters.
40 meters.
20 meters.
Minho's heart pounded. His hand gripped the dagger's hilt tighter.
‘Just a little, just a little closer…’
Just then.
The armored giant suddenly stopped.
Silence fell.
The blue light inside the helmet flickered slowly.
Minho held his breath and stared at the giant, ready to move at any moment.
And then.
Who are you?
A deep, heavy voice echoed through the hall.
Minho's eyes widened.
‘…It can talk?’
He had worked as a Dungeon cleaner for three years, but he had never seen a monster that could talk.
No, he'd never even heard of one.
The armored giant spoke again.
How did you enter this place?
Minho's thoughts spun into a complex web.
‘At the very least, this is no ordinary monster.’
The ability to speak means it has intelligence.
And if it has intelligence, that means negotiation is possible.
But at the same time.
‘It could be even more dangerous.’
Minho slowly opened his mouth.
“Can you… understand me?”
The formal speech came out naturally. It was important not to provoke the being.
The armored giant nodded. The helmet made a clanking sound.
I am the guardian of this place.
Guardian.
Minho mulled over the word. If it was a guardian, it guarded a gate. Then this place was?
How were you able to enter without passing through me?
The armored giant's—no, the guardian's—voice was laced with confusion.
Minho answered cautiously.
“Where is this place?”
-……
The guardian was silent for a moment. The blue light within its helmet stared intently at Minho.
“Isn't this the Zero Floor?”
Minho asked again.
The Zero Floor…
The guardian slowly nodded.
So that is what the outsiders call this place now.
A deep shadow of regret could be felt in its voice.
Minho narrowed his eyes.
‘Outsiders? Does that mean this giant has been here for a long time?’
Just then, the guardian raised its sword.
Tense, Minho swallowed hard.
Now, answer my question.
Its voice grew low.
I will ask again. Who are you?
As the question echoed through the hall, Minho pressed his lips together.
‘Who am I?’
My name is Kang Minho, 28 years old. Nationality: Republic of Korea. I lost my parents, have a younger sister battling an illness, and work as an F-Rank cleaner…
‘Damn it, that's not what it wants to hear.’
Minho's gaze shifted to the guardian's massive sword.
The sharpness of that blade, the weight of that shield. From its stance, it seemed it would decide whether or not to swing based on my answer.
‘What should I say?’
A firefighter? No, that's in the past.
Dungeon cleaner? F-Rank Hunter? That would just sound pathetic to this giant.
‘That's not the kind of answer it's looking for.’
Minho looked straight at the guardian.
The blue light within the helmet stared unblinkingly at Minho.
‘Qualification. The right to be here.’
Then, the system message from just before popped into his head.
[Authentication process is in progress]
Authentication.
Minho slowly opened his mouth.
“I am……”
He hesitated for a moment. But there was no other choice.
“I am the Successor of the Nameless Constellation.”
***
Silence stretched on for a while.
The guardian remained motionless, as if lost in thought.
-…You say you are a Successor?
“That's right.”
-Can you prove it?
Minho stretched his hand out into the empty air.
A faint light spread from his fingertips.
The energy of the hot crown that had been circulating inside Minho's body ever since his Awakening.
The light slowly began to take shape above Minho's hand.
The form of a crown.
Though it wasn't complete, it was clearly the authority of a Successor.
The guardian fell silent once more.
The blue light within its helmet stared intently at the shape of the crown.
‘Did it work?’
But that hope was soon shattered.
-It is not enough. Not with just that.
The guardian's voice was now chillingly calm.
Thump.
It took a step toward Minho, slowly raising its massive sword.
Countless beings have come here. They all said the same thing as you.
The blade pointed at Minho.
That they were the Successor. That they were chosen. That they were worthy.
Cold sweat ran down Minho's back.
But not a single one of them was real.
Anger was mixed in its voice.
They were all liars. Thieves. Nothing but greedy creatures coveting ‘His’ authority.
Thump. Thump.
The guardian approached, one step at a time.
It seems you are no different.
The sword was raised high.
Begone.
‘Damn it!’
Minho instinctively recoiled.
But the guardian's speed was faster than he expected.
The massive sword sliced through the air as it came down.
KRAANG!
Minho rolled to the side by a hair's breadth.
The sword struck the floor, and a huge ripple spread out in all directions.
‘Fast!’
Minho quickly got to his feet, but the sword was already coming for him again.
You cannot escape.
THUD!
The guardian stomped its foot, and a pulse of blue light instantly spread from the floor.
It felt like his feet were stuck to the floor.
‘What is this?!’
He tried to lift his feet, but they wouldn't budge, as if stuck in deep mud.
The sword swung mercilessly.
Minho crossed his enhanced arms in a defensive stance.
Just then, hop.
King leaped out from his arms.
Its small body instantly swelled up and took the sword's blade head-on.
CLANG!
With a tremendous impact, Minho's body was pushed back.
The binding on the floor released, and his body was sent flying.
“King!”
he shouted urgently as he rolled across the floor.
King was still blocking the guardian's path.
Its body was small, but its presence was anything but.
Just then, the guardian withdrew its sword.
-You are…
The guardian's voice trembled. King was different from usual. A faint blue light was emanating from its body. The same light as the guardian's.
‘King has never reacted like that before.’
His mind was in chaos.
King trembling upon entering this place. The guardian's reaction. And the identical blue light they both emitted.
‘King and the guardian know each other.’
Minho turned his gaze to the guardian.
‘The crown alone wasn't enough, but King is different. King is the real proof.’
The Gatekeeper's massive body trembled slightly.
-Could it be…
Even its voice quivered faintly.
Minho took a step forward.
“Do you know this one?”
His voice was calm. This was the crucial part.
The Gatekeeper couldn't answer. The blue light within its helmet remained fixed on King.
Minho approached King, who was still facing the Gatekeeper.
“If I am not the Successor,”
He lifted King’s soft body.
“would there be any reason for it to be with me?”
The Gatekeeper’s body shook violently.
“And if I were a liar,”
he said, his voice laced with conviction.
“there would be no reason for it to stand against your sword.”
Still no answer. But the blue light within the helmet seemed to be wavering uncontrollably.
And then.
*Thud!*
The colossal suit of armor fell to its knees.
A tremendous shockwave spread out in all directions.
Its helmeted head bowed low.
Before Minho.
-Forgive me.
Not having anticipated this turn of events, Minho looked at King with surprised eyes. King was still emitting its blue light, staring at the Gatekeeper.
I failed to recognize you. Successor.
Minho, quite flustered by the sudden change in attitude, was about to say something when,
a system message appeared a moment sooner.
[Companion's Mark has been confirmed.]
[Successor authentication is complete.]
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