Otherworld Constellation Gallery Chapter 51

Otherworld Constellation Gallery 

Chapter 51.

The newly entered place was pitch black. Literally, it was darkness where nothing could be seen. Even bringing your hand in front of your face, not even a shadow was visible, a space where senses were stripped away.

‘But, I can feel it.’

Clearly, somewhere in here, something is breathing. This is definitely a boss mob.

DING!

[Warning! Toxic mist envelops the field!] 

[All abilities are reduced by 50%!] 

[Continuous health damage will occur!]

My breath stopped. My throat burned.

From my windpipe down, it felt like I was on fire.

I could already feel my health ticking down.

“Lee Tulip! Can you neutralize this?” 

“I can! But actively healing for a moment is useless! You’ll just get poisoned again, I need to make an immunity agent… but I can’t see anything…!”

Shit, this is a race against time. Rather than enduring, I need to solve this first. 

I turned my head and shouted to Kang Ha-rin.

“The thing you packed from the first day at the apartment! You had a flashlight, right?! Give it to Tulip!” 

“Yes!”

While Ha-rin was rummaging through her inventory, Tulip carefully spoke up.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you take it and deal with the monster first?” 

“It’s okay. I can definitely sense its position right now.”

Before I finished speaking, a sharp presence cut through the air.

PABABAK-!

Ice fragments and spears flying through the air pass by my body. That was really just a hair’s breadth difference.

‘I can really feel my flexibility dropping…’

A sticky and heavy body. The effect of 50% ability reduction creates a difference beyond simple numbers. Movements become slower, reactions become duller.

Because of this, ice bullets start hitting my body. 

Even trying to break through and get out wasn’t as easy as before. Every swing of my sword felt like it was pulling my whole shoulder down. My senses lagged half a beat.

‘This is fucking awful….’

Nevertheless, I endured it.

‘Summoning War Hammer.’

With a burst of power, the ice shards shattered.
As shards flew everywhere, I used the momentum to swing my sword.

‘There.’

My senses told me.

Even if my sight was blocked, my instincts remained.
Following its presence, I threw my sword.

Thwack—!

I heard a satisfying thud as the blade struck something solid.
Bullseye. 

I was sure of it.

But no sound followed.

No groans, no movement.

‘It killed its presence completely.’

Obviously above a high-grade ghoul. And this thing probably has a separate ‘core’ too.

‘At this rate, dealing with it this way will just waste time.’

I need to end this quickly. The poison is building up. I can feel my health being depleted. My head is buzzing. My fingertips are tingling.

‘Swift Speed.’

I called out inwardly. But… there was no response.

What’s going on? Am I paralyzed? Or could it be that my Magic power is already depleted? Or maybe because my stats are halved?

‘Fuck, at this current speed it’s difficult.’

My hands are trembling. My body feels heavy. But, not yet. It’s not over yet. I lowered my posture while putting strength into my toes.

“Lee Tulip! Tell me the moment you’re ready! I’ll keep dragging this thing as long as I can!”

“Just a little… really just a little more!”

Right. I’m not alone here. The ones I’ve led and brought with me. Now, ensuring their lives here is what I should do as a party leader.

‘Now is not the time to think only of myself.’

I opened the shop.

[Search: Magic Potion]

Recovery items scroll down. Among them, the cheapest recovery item caught my eye.

[Low-grade magic Regenerator: 1500G]

Ah, damn, it’s fucking expensive. 

Rather than buying that, it would definitely be more beneficial to increase intelligence, which I need to raise anyway. But, before that, there’s one more thing to try.

‘Embarrassment is momentary.’

My precious comrades are worth more than the momentary embarrassment I’ll feel. I took a deep breath and shouted towards the sky.

“Constellations! Please sponsor a magic regenerator potion !”

After shouting, I felt my ears burning hot, but I was glad that they wouldn’t be able to see in the darkness.

[Title: This crazy bastard First Hunter LOLOLOLOL] You should buy it yourself, you crazy bastard LOLOLOLOLOL.

ㄴ That’s First Hunter, selling his pride for money.

ㄴ At this point it’s not a concept, he’s just naturally a vicious bastard. 

ㄴ I hope there’s no sucker who sponsors him.

[Title: First Hunter’s ears turned red.] [Author: PinkuPojjak] I’ll sponsor because you’re cute. I’ll send you a high-grade one.

ㄴ This crazy pervert woman. 

ㄴ Dindindindindin) Raise your glasses! 

ㄴ Are you really a sucker? Are you?

ㄴ Still, he won’t make a contract with you.

ㄴ PinkuPojjak) I’ll do what I want. Can’t hear the poor people’s inferiority complex. 

ㄴ Really crazy woman.

DING!

[‘The One Who Dances with Creation and Destruction’ has sponsored a ‘High-grade Magic Regenerator’.]

“Fuck, thank you!”

More embarrassing is that my red ears are visible to the constellation bastards. It’s so fucking embarrassing. Anyway, I got the sponsorship and made money, so…

‘Use 20,000 gold to raise Intelligence to 10.’

DING! DING! DING! … DING!

[Intelligence level has increased!] 

[Intelligence level has increased!]

. .

[Intelligence level has increased!]

In that moment, my senses opened up.

[Intelligence +5]

[As Intelligence level reaches 10, your overall sensory levels evolve one stage.]

The flow of magic circulating in my body becomes clear. As if I can feel chakra.

[Title: PingPo, you got tricked again LOLOLOL] Gets a sponsorship and saves it, then raises Intelligence LOLOL What a vicious bastard LOLOL.

ㄴ That’s what he knows and shoots for LOLOLOL.

ㄴ That’s the cost of sponsoring First Hunter LOLOL. 

ㄴ Now if he actually uses it, it’s no fun LOLOL.

ㄴ Sponsoring First Hunter is gacha content LOLOL Will he use what I sent or not LOLOL.

ㄴ Regardless, PingPo is definitely a sucker. 

ㄴ PinkuPojjak) That’s what I gave it for.

ㄴ Don’t mess around. 

ㄴ Does PingPo have hand tremors? Why are your hands shaking so much? LOLOL.

ㄴ PingPo wants to dance, thumbs up LOLOLOL.

Hey Constellation gallery, it’s not like that, using a high-grade when a low-grade would suffice is a huge waste. 

The moment I rebut, it would be a confession that I’m watching the Constellation Gallery, so I can’t rebut and it’s frustrating.

Putting that aside, I inwardly called out.

‘Swift Speed.’

Instantly, my body lightly bounces up. But it’s not like before. The speed, the reaction speed is duller than usual.

‘As expected, with stats halved…’

Still, it’s much better. Lowering my body, I run again. Air flow, the direction of beast-like killing intent, in the distant darkness, I caught its presence.

‘Let’s end this.’

I put strength into my hand holding the sword. And cut down.

SWOOSH-

The sensation felt through my fingertips. Flesh tearing, and the vibration of grazing bone.

But the sword that was halfway through stopped right there. Even though I used Swift Speed, even with the War Hammer! It can’t be cut in one go?

“Fuck… if only there wasn’t this toxic mist.”

That’s when it happened.

DING!

[Due to the target’s high resistance, ‘Instigation’ is offset.]

What’s this all of a sudden? I never tried to use ‘Instigation’?

‘Wait a minute.’

Like last time, did it judge my inner thoughts as instigation? If so, it means this thing used the toxic mist… and furthermore, instigation can be used on mobs too?

‘That’s insane….’

Thoughts started to chain together. But not now. Postpone judgment and finish the battle first.

‘Strike of Judgment.’

Lightning-like energy flows through the tip of my sword. With that, the sword dances.

CRUNCH-

It doesn’t stop with one strike.

‘Strike of Judgment!’ 

‘Strike of Judgment!’ 

‘Strike of Judgment!’

The strike that split the darkness pierced through the creature’s crown.

BOOM!

In that moment, a massive shockwave swept through the area like an explosion. And the toxic mist clears away as if being sucked out.

DING!

[<First Conqueror> Achievement unlocked!] 

[You have successfully conquered a dungeon for the first time.] 

[Reward: Stat Points +5, 10,000 Gold]

Fuck, just give me an item. Stat points I can’t even use, who are you trying to tease.

Maybe they heard my sincerity. 

The Status window continued.

DING!

[‘Rift of Blackness’ Dominator Defeat Reward: 3,000 Gold] 

[You have acquired ‘Freezing Resistance Ring’.] 

[You have acquired ‘Toxic Resistance Ring’.]

Two resistance rings? Not bad?

No, it’s good. Even without getting a skill, these are very valuable rewards.

Meanwhile, my vision gradually brightens. 

The deep, pitch-black darkness clears away like a lie, and the surrounding landscape returns to a normal building interior.

‘I guess the space is restored to its original state.’

Tulip and Kang Ha-rin also looked fine.

“Are you okay?” 

“Yes. I made the antidote and immunity potion too.” 

“How did you stay so calm while doing that? That’s impressive.”

“If I just panicked like before, things would’ve only gotten worse.”

“Being calm all the time isn’t necessarily a good thing, though.”

“Huh?”

“Appropriate tension is necessary.”

Kang Ha-rin opened her eyes wide.

“You actually make it? I thought it was just some kind of magic?” 

“It’s a similar concept to the armor that you make, unnie.” 

“Ah, then I guess it can be seen as magic in a way.”

After the battle, stats returned to normal. 

But my depleted stamina didn’t return. 

Fatigue penetrates to the bone, and a sense of helplessness I haven’t felt in a long time envelops me.

“Shouldn’t you drink a Regenerative potion too, mister?” 

“I’m recovering little by little.”

I sat down as if collapsing backwards. And checked the items.

[Freezing Resistance Ring] Grants resistance to cold damage. Freezing status ailment resistance +50% Cold damage reduction +15% Chance to immediately remove freezing status

[Toxic Resistance Ring] Grants resistance to poison damage. Poison status ailment resistance +50% Continuous damage reduction +15% Chance to immediately remove poison status

One has a cold blue light, the other a deep green glow. The freezing ring is a no-brainer, and even a toxic ring? Considering the identity of the mist the second floor boss spread… this itself is ‘proof of a boss kill.’

This is really a sweet item. No, it’s more like the reward for almost dying.

“Let’s head out soon. We need to move to another area quickly.”