The Seven Stars (2)

The man was dressed entirely in black martial arts attire, with his long hair tied back. A ponytail? No. He looked more like a handsome man straight out of a martial arts novel.

Despite not carrying any weapons and walking with his fists lightly clenched, no one paid him any attention.

Even though he was walking barefoot, he seemed completely at ease, as if each step was taken on soft clouds.

The muscles visible through his martial arts attire hinted at relentless training.

‘Verify.’

‘…!’

It was him. The man who, in my previous life, had single-handedly cut down everyone who attacked him when the Heavenly Faction was annihilated, and then vanished calmly.

Seamless, flawless.

There were countless adjectives to describe him. But I remember him like this: a maniac obsessed with strength.

A man fiercely fixated on becoming stronger.

The First Star, the Martial Star, Proy Rium.

My blood boiled. I wanted to face him. I might lose, or perhaps my current stats weren’t enough, but I wanted to fight him.

However, I released the tension in my clenched fist.

Not yet, not yet.

The distance between us closed. Soon, he stood before me, and I stood before him.

Though we could have simply passed by, we stopped to face each other.

“Your aura is truly admirable. If it’s not rude, may I ask your name?”

“Kim Han.”

“Kim Han. That’s an unusual name. I am Proy Rium, the representative of the God of Battle. If it’s not too much trouble, may I request a spar?”

A spar. A spar, a spar…

I wanted to. I wanted to fight. Not a brawl like before, but a match of strength on equal footing with him.

I bit my tongue to calm the boiling energy. The sharp taste of blood spread in my mouth, bringing me back to my senses, and I opened my mouth.

“A spar… I don’t think I can agree to that.”

“Hmm? Why not?”

“I’m still… lacking.”

“Huh? Hahaha. Has the meaning of ‘lacking’ changed recently? Kim Han, you say you’re lacking!”

My words about being lacking seemed to annoy him, as his voice grew louder.

“Do you like this ‘Battlefield of the Gods’?”

“Of course! Where else would I find a forge to hone my martial skills as strongly as here? Look. It’s been just a day since I entered this village, and I’ve already met a strong one like you.”

“I see… I still don’t know. So there’s no reason for us to fight. Four years. Yes, after the training period ends, let’s do it then. I think I might be able to manage by then.”

‘By then, I can kill you. It won’t go against the setting either.’

“Hmm… That doesn’t sound bad. Four years. I look forward to that day.”

“Yeah. I look forward to it too, Martial Star.”

At my words, his body suddenly stopped as if broken.

He gazed at me intently, then smiled, showing his white teeth.

“I’m truly glad to receive such a nickname from a strong one like you. Martial Star. The Star of Martial Arts. Hahaha! What an excessive and desired nickname! Thank you. Martial Star… Martial Star… Hahahaha!”

He walked away.

Before entering the ‘Battlefield of the Gods,’ back when my parents were still alive, the most incomprehensible behavior pattern of the protagonist in the novels I read was letting an enemy they could almost kill escape, only to cause danger later.

Yet here I was doing the same thing. I wish I hadn’t met him. No, I should have turned back the moment I saw him. Damn it!

If I were to pour all my skills and use the absurd equipment in my inventory, I might be able to kill him…

Exorsus. Because of the ‘settings’ governing this cursed city, I had to let him go.

For the next four years, I had one more reason to devote myself to training with a soul-polishing mindset.

I consoled myself that it wasn’t entirely fruitless.

First, I found out who his patron god was, which was undiscovered until the moment he disappeared. The high God of Battle. I’ll learn more about it later through Ludicer.

Next was his condition. It was undoubtedly tremendous. It was as if he had calibrated his physical and intellectual stats to 120.

However, my talent surpassed his. My potential was greater, and my training environment was far superior than his.

I had enough points reserved, and if I acquired the skills of those I planned to request teachings from, perhaps I could kill him with a higher probability than now.

Moreover, I possessed two fraudulent items.

True Ancient Black Dragon Heart [Demi-God].

Earth Dragon Corpse [Super Unique].

I opened the inventory to check these two items, wiping my face, twisted as if chewing on bitter herbs.

I repeatedly told myself it was okay, that I didn’t make a mistake, as I calmed my wildly pounding heart.

At that moment, a woman boasting a tall height and curvaceous figure walked into the Exorsus gate, unable to hide her exhausted expression.

“Messenger?”

“…Yeah.”

“I have a brief introduction to the village and something to give you.”

“…Alright.”

The woman seemed preoccupied with something else, despite the guard captain’s words.

Clearly a striking beauty and undoubtedly a messenger of the gods, that is, a representative, yet she somehow appeared fragile.

Perhaps that’s why the gate guard found himself more concerned about her.

As soon as the guard captain entered the room with the woman, he quickly explained about Exorsus and handed over a yellow registration card.

When the guard captain tried to continue the explanation, the woman became even more restless and started to fidget.

Noticing this belatedly, the guard captain asked in a worried tone.

“Is something the matter?”

“…Restroom.”

“Sorry?”

“…Restroom.”

“I can’t hear you well. Could you speak a little louder?”

“Toil– uh, restroom!! Quick, quickly!”

“What? Oh, yes, yes. This way!”

Surprised by the beads of sweat forming on her forehead and her now pale complexion, the guard captain guided the woman to the restroom attached to the guard building.

Thanks to the guard captain’s quick response(?), the woman safely entered the restroom. The guard captain paced in front of the door, unsure of what to do.

Since that day, the gate guard felt as if he might understand what the exhaust sound of a 250cc motorcycle used on Earth was like.

Compared to other gates, it was rare for a representative to enter through the north gate.

Because, unlike other areas, the northern Monster Belt had somewhat chilly weather, and it wasn’t uncommon for summoned representatives near the ruins to lose their way and freeze to death.

The guard captain, who was in charge of the north gate today, rubbed his neck as he watched the messenger of the gods just leave the guard building.

They hadn’t exchanged any significant words, nor was there any trouble with the guards.

It was merely a typical conversation where the guard captain explained about Exorsus and the training period and handed over a registration card to the messenger of the gods.

‘But…’

Strangely, the moment he locked eyes with the man who wore a hairpin like a woman, he felt a chilling sensation as if his head might fall off at any moment. Cold sweat trickled down.

‘Exactly when did it start?’

Looking back, it didn’t seem to be because they met eyes. When they met at the north gate, it didn’t feel like this.

‘So…’

So, at the moment he was delivering the general information about Exorsus and taking out the registration card from the desk drawer… Ah, after handing over the registration card that was piled haphazardly in the drawer,

‘Right. So, it was when I handed over the registration card that I felt that way. Like facing a beast. No, no. Yes, it felt like a sharp, blue-edged sword was hanging over my neck.’

As the fear reached its peak, another representative entered through the guard door. Then, the feeling vanished as if it had been washed away.

The sensation that his head might fall off at any moment disappeared as if it were a dream.

The man politely greeted and exited the guard building.

‘No way. There’s no way the representative would…’

A man with a narrow and long sword at his waist, wearing fluttering clothes, was walking on one side of the main road leading from the north gate to the plaza.

Even from behind, he was clearly a man, yet peculiarly, he had a hairpin in his hair and had tied his long hair back tightly.

The fluttering clothes looked like silk, and the character ‘Sword’ was embroidered on his chest.

“Tsk, what a waste.”

A few days before the Day of Remembrance began, a beautiful young man in a white robe was entering through the east gate.

“What brings you here?”

Despite the guard’s formal inquiry, the young man responded with a gentle smile and a calm voice, showing no sign of displeasure.

“I am a representative participating in the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’ I just passed through the Monster Belt.”

“Oh! You must be a messenger. Welcome. Welcome to Exorsus! Please wait a moment, the captain of the guard will come to assist you.”

“Haha. Yes, I will wait.”

A face so beautiful even a man would be captivated, a calm and serene tone, clothes unruffled despite passing through the Monster Belt, and pristine white garments without a speck of dirt.

Silver hair peeked out from under the hats pressed on his head.

In a brief moment, the guard felt a natural sense of admiration.

Just then, the captain of the guard approached quickly, and the man followed him into the building.

After about 30 minutes, the man who left the guard building headed to the largest temple in the eastern region, the temple dedicated to the Heavenly God Amor.

“What brings you here?”

“I am Benialis, the representative of Amor.”

“Ah! You’ve arrived. We’ve been waiting for you. Please, follow me. The bishop is expecting you.”

“Yes.”

The man was led to the deepest part of the temple, into a shabby room resembling a storage area.

As soon as he opened the storage door and stepped inside, he lifted a wooden plank from the floor and descended a familiar ladder.

After walking a short distance along a path dimly lit by sparse magical lamps, he arrived at a laboratory filled with various alchemical tools.

An old man, who had been reading a book at a long desk, noticed someone approaching and quickly stood up upon seeing the man.

“You’ve arrived!”

“Yes.”

“Although I didn’t think you would be harmed, I was worried.”

“Thank you.”

“The item…?”

“I’ve brought it safely.”

With a benevolent smile, he placed a glass bottle containing a black liquid on the desk.

Upon seeing the bottle, the old man expressed both surprise and joy, celebrating with a grand gesture.

“Remarkable! Truly remarkable! I never imagined you would succeed!!”

“No, it wasn’t a difficult task.”

“Haha. No, it wasn’t! Anyway, this is enough. Once everything is ready, I’ll send it through the child who guided you. This will be the last time you see me, but please do your utmost for the glory of Amor.”

“This… is there really no other way? There must be a way for us to live together.”

With a gaze filled with regret and eyes brimming with tears, the man looked at the old man, who laughed contentedly and shook his head.

“No, no. I’ve already lived long enough. Someone has to bear the burden of evil deeds. Haha. Dying by my own masterpiece is a fortune for a scholar, isn’t it? Hahaha.”

With those words, he turned his body as if refusing to hear any objections, and left the laboratory behind the old man.

The man walked back the way he came, relying on the faintly glowing magical lamps in the corridor. His pointed, long ears were revealed under his worn robe.

As he passed under the dim magical lamp, a deep, murderous smile hung at the corner of his mouth.