Chapter 436: Chapter 436
[...What are you doing now?]
Martial God's eyes flashed red.
Dongbang Sak dropped the phone for a nonsensical reason, and the screen shattered.
As Dongbang Sak reached out his hand to the ground with a flustered face,
Floating.
The cracked smartphone floated up from the ground and entered his hand.
"Ah, fortunately it still works... I applied!"
Dongbang Sak quickly moved his fingers and finished the application, but,
[The result is.]
"...Failed."
[...]
In the already bursting competition rate, he made the mistake of slipping the smartphone.
It was natural to lose in the first-come, first-served system.
"No, Dongbang Sak... For a martial artist like you to slip this. Does that make sense? No, fine. Let's say you dropped it. But you could have floated the phone in the air while dropping it, right? What the hell did you do?"
Pythia shouted at Dongbang Sak as if she couldn't understand after seeing this.
A solo constellation level 9.
In terms of level, he was a powerhouse just below the Great Constellations, and his actual combat power was an absolute martial artist who could fight Great Constellations without shame.
Did it make sense for him to slip a smartphone just because he turned into a child?
"Ugh. I ruined the great cause by trying to play around for a moment..."
How could the situation turn out like this after she tried to help the old man?
Pythia trembled while glancing at Martial God.
"...Earlier, I was just flustered for a moment."
"You, you didn't fail on purpose, right?!"
"If you hadn't said unnecessary things, I would have succeeded. I wasn't used to a child's body."
Dongbang Sak, who had returned to his original old man appearance, sighed deeply.
Then he bowed his whole body to Martial God.
"Oh Martial God. I made an unbelievable mistake... I will gladly accept any punishment."
[No.]
Flash.
Martial God's red eyes ominously glowed.
[I need to check if this incident was really a 'mistake'.]
"...Yes."
Swoosh...
From Martial God's head covered in darkness, reddish-black smoke rose.
It soon transformed into the shape of a giant snake.
"That's..."
The snake's head opened its mouth wide.
Kwajik!
It swallowed Dongbang Sak's entire body in an instant.
[I will examine your memories.]
Swoosh...
As soon as he finished speaking, the body of the snake made of smoke turned black.
After about 10 minutes passed like that,
[...There's nothing particularly suspicious.]
Swoosh...
As the snake's shape disappeared, the unconscious Dongbang Sak fell to the ground.
Martial God's eyes calmly sank.
'It's too clean.'
He meticulously examined Dongbang Sak's recent memories.
But there wasn't a single thing that caught his attention.
Was this incident really just a simple mistake?
'No way.'
The one who knew best how much of a monster Dongbang Sak was, was none other than Martial God.
Because in the past when he was on Earth, Martial God was defeated and chased away by him to the point of disgust.
Even when he was human, it was like that, but the current Dongbang Sak who became Martial God's disciple and rose to constellation level 9.
He was a being who couldn't make such a mistake even if he wanted to.
'Then.'
Swoosh.
Martial God's eyes turned to Pythia.
[Pythia.]
"Yes..."
[I need to examine you too.]
Swoosh...
As smoke rose and the shape of a snake appeared,
Pythia made a tearful face.
Why did she have to say unnecessary things at that moment...
"...I understand."
As she agreed,
Kwajik!
The giant snake swallowed Pythia's body.
Just like with Dongbang Sak, Martial God examined her memories for about 10 minutes.
[Here too, there's nothing suspicious...]
Even in Pythia's memories, he couldn't find any suspicious points.
Swoosh...
The snake's shape disappeared, and Pythia fell from inside.
Looking at the two unconscious disciples, Martial God fell into thought.
'There was nothing special in their memories... But still, this incident is not a simple mistake.'
Dongbang Sak slipped his smartphone and failed the arena application.
It was something that couldn't happen.
No matter how flustered and mistaken he was.
Dongbang Sak was a martial artist who could float the falling smartphone back into the air in that fleeting moment.
The fact that he let it fall meant there was definitely some kind of intervention.
'...If Dongbang Sak had just participated in this tournament, everything would have ended.'
No matter how much Seong Jihan flew and grew, he couldn't beat Dongbang Sak.
If Dongbang Sak brought back the Red Hand, he could have ended this tiresome infinite regression.
But this golden opportunity was ruined by a simple mistake?
'No way.'
This accident was definitely intentional.
But since he couldn't find anything strange in their memories...
'Could it be that the Black and White Administrators intervened?'
Martial God's search for the culprit naturally expanded in that direction.
Because if not for absolute beings like Black and White, there was no one who could naturally orchestrate this incident as a 'mistake'.
They haven't been sending many subordinates to Tuseong lately.
Were they plotting this kind of thing?
[Dongbang Sak, get up.]
Tremble...
At Martial God's gloomy voice, the collapsed Dongbang Sak slowly opened his eyes.
"...Yes. My lord."
[Your mistake this time is something that absolutely cannot happen. So I examined your and Pythia's memories, but there was nothing particularly abnormal.]
"This incident, I am truly ashamed..."
[If it's not something you two did, the Permanent Administrators are suspicious. Go look around Tuseong, and if there are any of Black and White's lackeys, bring them.]
"Ah, understood!"
Dongbang Sak flew up to the sky, following Martial God's orders.
Passing the area where the Constellation relics were floating like stars,
'Did the Black and White Administrators really intervene this time? Strangely, my hand didn't move. The smartphone, I could have just floated it if it fell...'
He hardened his expression, recalling what happened a little while ago.
To find out for sure if they intervened, Dongbang Sak thought he should catch all of Black and White's subordinates.
Snap!
He broke off a strand of his beard and summoned a sword.
And the moment he grasped the sword with his hand,
"Ah..."
Dongbang Sak's eyes instantly widened.
'Ashoka... It really happened as you said.'
In his mind.
The memories that had disappeared were returning.
* * *
A few days ago.
[Dongbang Sak. If you go to the tournament, this regression will end.]
[It seems so.]
Dongbang Sak heard Ashoka's telepathy and replied to him indifferently.
Seong Jihan's development was dazzlingly fast.
But there was still a considerable gap between him and Dongbang Sak.
[But the tournament application conditions this time are strict. If you apply late, you might not even be able to participate.]
[Will Martial God let you apply late?]
[...He wouldn't.]
There was only one reason why the safety-first Martial God didn't regress in this regression where numerous variables occurred.
It was because of the Red Administrator's hand.
If he obtained that, he could instantly improve the stagnant development state and further end the infinite regression.
So even in the current situation that had become uncontrollable with numerous variables occurring, he wasn't turning back time.
And the time to finally obtain the hand Martial God had been eagerly awaiting was approaching.
Then he would surely have Dongbang Sak on standby and monitor him submitting the application form with his phone.
[But in this tournament, the participation slots given to level 9 constellations are few... Even if you apply on time, you might be eliminated, right?]
[No, we can't rely on probability. You need to definitely fail. So... Drop your smartphone.]
[...What? You want me to drop my phone?]
[Yes. Because you must not attend this tournament no matter what.]
[...Martial God won't stay still. He'll dig into my memories right away. Then he'll find out about our conversation now.]
Dongbang Sak's worry was valid.
Martial God was already suspicious of them.
If a being like Dongbang Sak dropped his phone and ruined things, there was no way he would overlook it as a mistake.
[Dongbang Sak. Martial God forbade you from drawing your weapon in front of him, right?]
[That's right. I can't carelessly draw my weapon without his permission.]
In the past, Martial God, who had been thoroughly beaten by Dongbang Sak's martial arts, greatly disliked him drawing his weapon, especially his sword.
So among the prohibitions Martial God imposed on Dongbang Sak, 'Don't draw your weapon in front of me' was also included.
[Use that. Store your memories organized in your sword.]
[Store memories in the sword? Is that... possible?]
[I've been preparing for a while to use Martial God's prohibition.]
[For a while...]
[Martial God occasionally checks memories even if it's not for this incident, right?]
Dongbang Sak nodded at those words.
The experience of having his mind rummaged through while enveloped in Martial God's snake-shaped energy.
It was a truly unpleasant feeling.
[To prevent this, store your memories in the sword. It won't happen if our collusion is forgotten.]
[I'll just trust and follow your words. But if the memories disappear, won't the thought of having to drop the smartphone also disappear?]
[Leave that to me too. I'll make it so you have no choice but to drop it.]
Ashoka made that bold claim.
"Everything really happened as he said..."
Everything went according to his plan.
He didn't participate in the tournament and avoided Martial God's suspicion.
However,
'If I let go of the sword, the memories disappear again.'
As the memories became bound to the sword, he remained Martial God's faithful disciple normally.
Then when he was usually in Tuseong, he wouldn't be able to help Ashoka.
'...Well. Using his head was originally his job anyway.'
Come to think of it, whether he had memories or not, he wasn't of much help.
Dongbang Sak smiled bitterly and looked down at his feet.
There, countless Constellation relics were floating around Tuseong.
'My job is to get rid of those when the time comes.'
The Constellation relics that stored Martial God's power.
Dongbang Sak looked down at them and slowly stroked his beard.
* * *
"In the end, I started the tournament without reaching level 600."
Seong Jihan, who returned after finishing the Challenger game as usual, frowned as he looked at his level that showed no change these days.
It was really not rising way too much.
As he sat on the bed in his room lost in thought like that,
Swoosh...
"You there. Did you see it?"
The Shadow Queen popped out her face as shadows rose from the floor.
"See what?"
"The tournament participant list has been announced."
"Oh, really? How come you get information faster than me, the person involved?"
"I'm also involved. Maybe I'm more desperate than you."
"...Why are you involved?"
The Shadow Queen stretched her shoulders at Seong Jihan's question.
"Because my BattleTube is betting its fate on your tournament."
"The broadcasting rights, don't tell me you bought them this time too?"
"Of course. There won't be a Beginner's Arena this time... I'm expecting higher viewership than last time. Ah. You there. Please be the commentator this time too."
"For free?"
"How could that be? If we make a profit, I'll share the revenue with you."
Last time she didn't give anything, was it a deficit?
Seong Jihan smirked and said to her,
"Show me the list then."
"Here."
Seong Jihan looked at the screen the Shadow Queen displayed and searched only for the name of the opponent he was most concerned about.
Dongbang Sak.
But among the hundreds of tournament participants, his name was nowhere to be seen no matter how much he looked.
"Oh. Looks like Dongbang Sak was eliminated."
"I know, right? The competition must have been fierce even among constellation level 9."
"Since the Red Hand is sealed, the level 9 constellations must have thought they could easily take my hand if they participated."
"That's right. If Total Annihilation is gone, there's no reason for level 9 to fear a Constellation Candidate."
As the Shadow Queen nodded, Seong Jihan gestured as if it was okay to turn off the screen now.
"If Dongbang Sak isn't there, that's enough. You can turn it off."
"Other than that, do you see anything unusual?"
"What's unusual? I don't know any of their names."
"Ah. You still don't have much information about the constellations, right? Here. Take a look. Among the participants..."
Beep. Beep.
As the Shadow Queen tapped the screen here and there,
Half of the names on the participant list turned bright red.
"Half of them are the Dragon Clan."
"...What?"
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