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Chapter 558: The Aesthetics of the Circle (9)

-What… what is that…? Is that some kind of privilege of the shipowners?

Alden Miras’s eyes widened at the sight of the Hundred and Forty-Nine Sword Mountain pouring down from the sky.

To someone without a weapon catalog, it looked like nothing less than a transcendent sword art.

Of course, the other participants who suddenly found themselves in a rain of steel were just as shocked.

-Urgh?

-What is that?

-Move!

As the sword rain fell between the three participants, the chase was forcibly halted, and each of them leapt away in different directions.

Hwae-ae-at!

There were three new participants engaged in a pursuit along the outer rim of the dungeon.

The one being chased was a cephalopod-headed humanoid, and the other two were red-skinned cyclopes.

By sheer coincidence, members of the same race had found one another and teamed up.

“Hey, stop right there!”

Then Yeongwoo leapt atop the falling swords and shouted.

The three, still sprawled on the ground, lifted their heads.

-Who…?

-What the hell is that?

Yeongwoo pointed at them one by one with the tip of Bastard and said,

“From now on, your arms and legs belong to me.”

-What?

-Are you out of your mind?

Predictably, the two cyclopes, seeing that he only had one arm, quietly grabbed their weapons again and prepared to rise.

They figured that if the two of them attacked together, they could handle him somehow.

And indeed—

Ta-a-at!

-Hrrgh!

-Die…!

Both cyclopes lunged from either side, blades flashing.

To Yeongwoo, their attacks seemed laughably slow, like sluggish frames in slow motion.

“So, you do have objections.”

Having anticipated resistance, Yeongwoo kicked one of them square in the chest.

Puh-eok!

And at that same instant, he lifted Bastard to parry the other’s sword.

Hwaet.

As the blades met, a tremendous clang erupted.

Pae-ae-ae-aeng!

-Ugh…?

Only after their swords crossed did the cyclops realize the difference in skill, his eyes widening as he stumbled backward.

-Who… who are you?

Then Yeongwoo’s eyes glowed with golden light, his aura bursting forth.

“I am the Guardian of Balance— the one who shall release you from this dungeon.”

Kwo-aa-aat!

With that, Yeongwoo’s powerful aura swept over the three.

The two cyclopes immediately collapsed, clutching their heads.

-Krrgh…!

-S-stop it!

The gap in power was such that it seemed Yeongwoo could kill them with a glare alone.

Only one being resisted— the octopus-headed humanoid that had been chased earlier, now crawling away to escape.

-S-spare me!

Pathetic and cowardly though the voice was, the creature seemed strangely unaffected by Yeongwoo’s aura.

“…What?”

Even though his oppressive aura still filled the air, the creature stood up unharmed and began to sprint into the distance.

Ta-tat!

“Uh…?”

Yeongwoo stared blankly.

Alden, watching from the side, spoke up.

-It looks like an Artari.

“Artari? What’s that?”

-One of the higher races. They’re said to be immune to prestige pressure. This is the first time I’ve actually seen one.

“A higher race…? Doesn’t look that refined to me.”

Yeongwoo pointed at the fleeing octopus humanoid.

Just as Alden said, the being seemed completely immune to the aura’s influence.

-There are several castes among the Artari. Some are slaves forbidden from learning martial arts.

“But slaves wouldn’t come into a dungeon, would they? They’d be serving their masters.”

-That’s exactly why it’s odd. The Artari I learned about aren’t like that. They’re predators.

Hearing that, Yeongwoo came to a quick conclusion.

“Then we’ll just have to catch him and ask. Whether he’s Artari or not, I’ll have to get him out anyway.”

As Yeongwoo dashed off after the fugitive, Alden drew his greatsword and aimed it at the cyclopes.

Chwa-at!

-You two stay put. If you run, things will only get more complicated.

* * *

Kwo-a-at!

Chasing the runaway at breakneck speed, Yeongwoo muttered against the wind rushing past his ears.

“A higher race, huh…? Why does the universe have so many annoying species? Hey, Madam Kanaph, ever learn about the Artari?”

Clinging to his back, Kanaph answered,

-The Artari are one of the most dangerous species in the universe. I’ve studied them, yes. But I never imagined I’d see one with my own eyes.

Then she lifted her gaze toward the dungeon’s ceiling.

-To meet both a planetary-ship owner and an Artari on the same day… truly a bizarre turn of fate.

“Well, that’s what happens when you’re part of the main storyline. It’s inevitable.”

-Main storyline?

“When you launch a planetary ship, you take on the role of a protagonist in the universe.”

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-Then what about the other shipowners?

“Hmm?”

-They’ve all launched planetary ships too, haven’t they? Then aren’t they all protagonists as well?

“…Uh. Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

Yeongwoo, who had never thought beyond his own future, realized the question for the first time.

-Then what happens if the protagonists meet? Who’s the main one then?

“Uh… maybe whoever’s stronger?”

For once, Yeongwoo had no answer.

Maybe the typesetter of fate knew.

“Anyway, sticking with me guarantees rare experiences. Even my heart has a special option, you know.”

He was referring to his former human heart— now refined into a talisman within the accessory catalog.

『Heart of Jeong Yeongwoo 07』 – Epic Talisman

【Destiny Roll】

【Troublemaker】

【Phase Material】

【Destiny Roll】

|Every time you reach a turning point in destiny, the probability of the lowest outcome increases by a threefold multiplier.

【Troublemaker】

|All challenges increase in difficulty. All unexpected variables are amplified.|

【Phase Material】

|When refined into a Phase Body, its effects are greatly enhanced.|

Perhaps encountering an Artari today was another effect of the Fate Roll— the least probable outcome becoming reality.

-Rare experiences, huh? I’ve had enough for one day. Just take me to my brother already.

As Kanaph shuddered at the thought of more “rare experiences,” her body suddenly jolted.

Hwae-aet!

Yeongwoo had caught up and tackled the fleeing octopus humanoid.

“Hey, you! Where do you think you’re going? You’re alive thanks to me!”

The creature, caught by the back of its neck, squirmed helplessly.

-L-let me go! Please! I have to live!

“I am letting you live, idiot.”

-Eh…?

Artari.

A cephalopod-headed high-class being, said to be one of the universe’s apex species— yet the one in Yeongwoo’s grip looked pitifully weak, even less brave than the lizard-man from before.

“This guy’s supposed to be one of the higher races?”

Kanaph tilted her head.

-Strange. I learned that the Artari never bow even before transcendents.

“If they’re unaffected by aura, that makes sense. But why’s this one trembling?”

At that, the “Artari” finally spoke.

-T-that’s because… I’m not an Artari.

“What?”

-I’m of the labor caste… a Lagtari. I have no right to bear that name.

“Wait—Artari is a surname?”

Once again, Yeongwoo exposed his cosmic ignorance. Kanaph elaborated,

-The Artari are both a species and a lineage. Think of them as a race that’s also a noble house.

“Then what about Lagtari? Some kind of mixed blood?”

The fugitive shook his head.

-No. Lagtari are essentially the same species, just a lower caste. The Artari rule, the Lagtari serve.

“Ah.”

In other words—nobles and commoners.

The Lagtari were workers forbidden from martial training, denied the same standing as their Artari kin.

“Then why aren’t you working? What are you doing in a dungeon?”

The Lagtari’s mouth tentacles writhed.

-…I was Grand Duke Kabu’s chef.

“Chef?”

Grand Duke Kabu Artari.

A name that all but screamed “big shot.”

“A chef for a Grand Duke, huh? That’s quite a post.”

-…Yes. But I committed a grave sin and was exiled.

“A sin, huh? I’m something of an expert on criminals myself.”

Seemed like the same situation as Kanaph’s— tossed into a dungeon to die.

“So what did you do? Try to poison your master?”

-Never! That would’ve earned me eternal confinement in the Room of Eternity!

“Room of Eternity,”

Yeongwoo mused, though his curiosity quickly shifted back.

“Then what did you do? Time’s short, so make it quick.”

The chef’s eyes suddenly shone blue as he stared into the void.

-I… I siphoned the elixir.

“Elixir?”

-I stole a small portion of Grand Duke Kabu’s elixir.

“What?”

At once, Yeongwoo understood everything.

The Artari— the cosmic predators.

And before him, the chef of one of their Grand Dukes.

【Destiny Roll】

|Whenever a turning point of destiny is reached, the probability of the least likely outcome is tripled.|

“So… where’s the stolen elixir? Don’t tell me you don’t have it stashed somewhere only you know.”

The chef’s tentacles quivered, moistening rapidly— whether from sweat or drool, it was unclear.

-Two of them… have already been sold.

“Already sold? And the last one?”

Just then, the chef’s eyes flared red, and his chest swelled grotesquely.

“Hey—what the hell’s wrong with you?”

Startled, Yeongwoo released his grip and leapt back.

From beneath the creature’s tentacles, a torrent of yellow vomit erupted.

-Guaaaahh!

Then, with a wet thud, a crimson stone fell amid the bile.

Puh-eok!

“What the…”

Even covered in filth, the strange gem shone with an eerie light.

Yeongwoo immediately recognized it.

“You… swallowed the last one and couldn’t digest it, huh?”

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