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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Golden City Arcana
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Kim Seoyeon's face flushed red with irritation as she sat alone at the café.
'I can't figure out what he's thinking.'
It had been like that from the start.
Even though they were sitting face-to-face, it felt like his soul was somewhere else.
Unlike the old days when he focused entirely on her, Park Hyun-myeong now seemed not to listen to a word she said.
'He didn't even notice my haircut.'
She had cut her long hair into a bob. She had spent two hours agonizing over an outfit that suited it. Yet he hadn't mentioned it at all.
A drastic makeover. There was no way he hadn't noticed.
-You don't seem interested?
-Can I get up now?
On top of that, he had declared he was leaving before her.
It wasn't just words. He wasn't pretending to leave. He had actually gotten up to go.
An attitude she had never seen from the old Park Hyun-myeong.
There was no emotion in the way he looked at her.
It was like he was looking at a stranger.
'We've broken up before, haven't we?'
They had dated for five years and broken up more than five times. But he had always come crawling back.
This time was different.
Even though she had traveled a long way to see him in person, his attitude was ice-cold.
This had never happened before.
'How could he act like that with me right in front of him?'
Fine. She could understand the rest somehow.
She had said some harsh things when they broke up.
What pissed her off the most was that he had turned his eyes to another woman right in front of her.
-We're not involved at all.
He had denied it more vehemently than anyone else, with her sitting right there.
Not at all. Not involved in the slightest.
He had taken her number, accepted her business card. Even made a date. Right in front of her, flaunting it.
"Park Hyun-myeong, of all people..."
If Kim Hana had been ugly, she wouldn't have cared at all. She would have snorted and cheered them on.
But Kim Hana was worshipped on YouTube as the 'Goddess of Justice'.
Goddess of Justice. Righteous Goddess.
It was infuriating. What did a woman like that see in Park Hyun-myeong? It was obviously just coffee and done.
Park Hyun-myeong had nothing going for him.
His family wasn't rich, he didn't have a proper job, and he wasn't handsome or tall.
Did he have a great body? Was he overflowing with humor?
Excluding work and dates, he was a total hikikomori who only played games at home. Who would want to date that? She was the only one who had put up with him.
Bzzz!
Her phone buzzed at that moment.
The name 'Jinwoo Oppa' lit up the screen.
Kim Seoyeon smiled at the sight.
The complete opposite of Park Hyun-myeong. Everything about him was the polar reverse.
Not a salaryman, but he made big money from business. Handsome, tall, great body, funny, active. Not a single flaw.
Except for one thing.
"Hello? Jinwoo oppa? What? You want forgiveness? Hiding another secret from me? You hid that you could 'transform', how can I trust you? You seemed like a completely different person, it scared me so much. You won't do it again? Hmm, fine. This is the last time. Do it one more time and it's really over, over. So come pick me up. The address here is..."
*
"Yo, our broadcasting station's supreme dignity Kim Won. Caused another incident, huh?"
"...It's Kim Hana. Please don't call me Kim Won."
Kim Hana plopped down in her chair with a deep sigh.
She was exhausted from going back and forth to the police station.
She thought one visit was enough, but they called her back the next morning during work hours for more questions.
Seo Jung-ah, sitting next to Kim Hana, swiveled her chair around and asked.
"Who was it this time?"
"The director of a plastic surgery hospital."
"Must see a lot of beauties, so why'd he do that?"
"No idea."
"Well, our Goddess of Justice Kim Won is a natural beauty anyway."
"Don't talk to me. I feel like I'm dying."
She really felt like she was dying.
Her happy days as a full-time employee hadn't lasted long.
Ever since 'that incident', her workload at the station had tripled—no, tenfolded.
"The section chief left this for you while he was on a business trip?"
"What? Ah..."
Kim Hana closed her eyes and sighed deeply as she took the file folder.
"Wasn't 'Gracia' American? Why give this to me?"
The file contained information on the person called Gracia.
A super-hero who had appeared out of nowhere, slicing a mountain in half and blowing away ten monsters at once.
The footage was spectacular. Like something out of a movie. Especially the scene where thousands—no, tens of thousands—of sword-shaped flashes merged into one and shot out.
Taking down a monster that guns and bombs couldn't touch in a single blow.
Why had someone like that suddenly come to Korea?
"He said he wants to meet you."
"Me? Why?"
"Must've fallen for you at first sight."
"Stop joking."
"No idea. Anyway, it's causing a huge uproar. Even America's keeping a close eye, so they say the reception will be at least national guest level."
"...I don't really want to."
There was no way a newly hired full-timer like her could interview a big shot like that.
The most talked-about person in the world right now.
Word was that even other Dimension Warriors respected Gracia.
The final boss had come to Korea to see her.
"So, what about that guy? Your boyfriend."
Seo Jung-ah propped her chin on her hand and pointed to the photo on Kim Hana's desk.
The photo showed a man.
More precisely, a man's back.
A warrior with a sturdy, muscular build. Kim Hana had snapped a photo of the man's back as he subdued a monster in an instant and vanished.
Kim Hana pouted and scolded Seo Jung-ah.
"He's not my boyfriend. He's like a good luck charm."
Ever since that incident, everything had gone smoothly for her. To Kim Hana, that man was truly a lucky talisman.
She didn't know his name or where he lived. All she had was that one photo, but that was fine.
"You treat it like no big deal, but you lick and suck on it every day?"
"No, I was just dusting it off. Is that how you describe it?"
Seo Jung-ah chuckled.
Kim Hana had a nice, satisfying heft to her retorts.
"Wanna grab drinks with the entertainment reporters tonight? Cool?"
"I have plans."
"A guy?"
"Yeah."
"Aigoo. The single guys are gonna be thirsty tonight."
Seo Jung-ah shook her head, genuinely regretful.
But she was curious. Kim Hana, who had turned down countless love calls without exception, suddenly had dinner plans with a guy?
Whatever. Kim Hana focused on her work.
If she didn't want to die buried in it, she had to chip away at it whenever she had the mental energy.
*
"Kill the traitor!"
"Kill the wicked Snake Princess!"
When I opened my eyes, Isabella, drenched in blood, came into view.
Corpses littered the surroundings. All Paysalmer soldiers.
The battle was still raging.
I turned my head and saw the warp gate activated behind me.
Even though she could have gone through at any time, Isabella had kept her promise to me.
'The Queen's Royal Guard.'
An pursuit unit including great warriors.
If we'd been even a little late, we'd have been goners.
"Has your 'communion with the stars' ended?"
"Yeah."
The one silver lining was that the Queen wasn't in sight.
Of course, if the Queen had come personally, even Isabella wouldn't have lasted long.
Talk about heavenly luck.
But we couldn't rely on luck forever.
"I'll clear the path."
Dozens of warriors blocked the way to the warp.
Isabella was exhausted to her limit.
[Lv.6]
The great warriors were nearly level 6.
If Isabella were in top shape, killing them wouldn't be hard, but she had been holding out in this state for half a day.
Protecting someone with no end in sight—she had pulled it off.
Asking her to clear the path too would be too much.
'Star Claw.'
The main skill I gained upon becoming the Star Successor.
That skill activated for the first time.
<[All 'Star Power' is ignited.]>
<[Duration: 41 seconds]>
Countless starlights seeped into my fist. Then, sharp blades like claws made of starlight protruded from my knuckles.
I felt like Wolverine for a moment.
True to its name, Star Claw was an AoE skill capable of clawing even stars. I could use it as is, but the duration was too short for that.
"Kill the wicked traitor and the faithless heretic!"
"It is the will of Her Great Majesty the Queen!"
The wicked traitor was Isabella, and the faithless heretic was probably me.
I swung my fist with all my might at the warriors blocking the path to the warp.
In that instant.
Kwaaaaaang!
Fwooooosh!
An explosion deafening enough to rupture eardrums erupted, followed by a pillar of flame. But it wasn't real fire—it was made of starlight.
The great warriors within the starlight pillar had all evaporated.
"..."
"Let's go."
I spoke to Isabella, who stared at the star pillar speechless.
Firing it straight created a star pillar that lasted 41 seconds.
Star Claw burned all star power at once, blocking and annihilating a wide area for the duration.
An absolute domain.
'Beyond expectations.'
I was honestly shocked.
A level 1 single-use skill with this much power.
I couldn't even imagine how amazing it would be at level 10 after evolving.
"Follow me. Those blessed can cross this 'Pillar of Stars'."
I crossed first, and Isabella gulped before stepping through the star pillar.
The other warriors, however, evaporated bones and all without crossing.
Only after more than ten warriors died did they finally give up the chase.
Now, all that was left was to go through the warp.
Isabella's eyes trembled violently as she stared at the activated warp.
"Isabella. If you want to turn back now, I won't stop you."
Freedom she had dreamed of for so long.
She had always prayed to go through the warp to another continent.
But now, on the verge of leaving the desert she'd lived her whole life in, a whirlwind of emotions surged.
Still, even so.
"...No."
"Then this is your moment of liberation. Rejoice."
"Yes."
Isabella chose freedom.
With an awkward smile.
"Warp has been activated."
"Warp to 'Starting Point' is free."
"'Isabella's' 'Limit Curse' has been nullified by 'Star Blessing'."
"Warp destinations from 'Kaltzman Desert': 12 cities."
"'Arcana' selected."
"Initiating warp."
*
"Warped from 'Kaltzman Desert' to 'Central Continent'."
"Welcome to the Golden City 'Arcana'."
"Tip: 'Arcana' is a city of extreme materialism. If you don't have gold on the level of a great noble, it's advised not to even set foot here."
Beyond the warp, countless people came into view.
People wearing golden turbans, riding carriages made of gold.
The next warp point connected to Kaltzman Desert was the metropolis Arcana.
'One of the major cities linked to the Starting Point.'
Starting Points connect to multiple cities.
Arcana was the wealthiest among them.
'And a place the Queen absolutely can't follow.'
The Queen's pursuit unit wouldn't give up. She might even chase us herself to kill Isabella and me.
But here in Arcana, relations with the desert city Paysalmer were extremely hostile.
If the Queen and her guards entered, it would spark war.
And yet the warp connected them—an irony.
"The city... is incredibly glamorous."
Isabella looked around in awe.
Overwhelmed by the towering buildings and architecture.
It was her first time in a city outside the desert, so a natural reaction.
"In Arcana, gold is everything."
"I have some gold packed."
Isabella pulled out a leather pouch.
By the weight, about 300 gold.
Gold she had scraped together planning to head to the Central Continent.
"300 gold will barely cover one night's food and bed."
Of course, it was a lot for a beginner, but in Arcana, it wasn't even enough to wet your mouth.
Isabella opened her mouth in disbelief.
"Th-that can't be. In the desert, 300 gold could buy ten slaves..."
That's because Kaltzman Desert was a Starting Point.
The desert mainly used bartering. Slaves you could buy with gold were only for hunting.
"Look over there."
I pointed to the sign in front of a bakery.
"Bread... one piece 50 gold?"
"It's made from the finest wheat offered to the king. That's why they advertise 50 gold as a bargain."
"I'll sell my dagger then."
A pumpkin-hilted dagger. Selling it would fetch tens of thousands of gold.
Her willingness to sell her cherished blade was admirable, but I shook my head.
"No need. We'll multiply the 300 gold."
"...Multiply? You mean do business with this?"
"Casino."
"... Pardon?"
Blink blink. Isabella blinked as if she misheard.
I repeated myself.
"We're going to the casino."
"Wh-what do you...?"
Isabella stared in shock.
Multiplying money through gambling? Madness!
A Star Awakener, epitome of piety, gambling?
Her eyes said exactly that.
But I had something to rely on.
[Golden Grace].
One of my 13 hidden traits!
"I'm pretty lucky, so don't worry."
"..."
Isabella shot me a look that said she was worried sick.