Chapter 366

"You… are you Gilgamesh?"

"Ah, to be discovered like this. I was too slow to respond."

Facing Seong Jihan, Gilgamesh, who had possessed a Diamond player, shrugged his shoulders with an air of nonchalance.

"Since when have you been offering sponsorship? And you must have more than just him that you sponsor."

"Heh… Even if it means making a deal with the devil, many desire power. As the king from the dawn of time, I simply extended my hand of salvation to them."

Hearing this, Seong Jihan frowned.

Considering those under Gilgamesh's sponsorship had fallen to become his puppets, did they really desire his sponsorship that much?

'Greed really knows no end,' he thought.

Ssshh…

Extending his hand toward Seong Jihan, Gilgamesh spoke.

"This endeavor you're pushing for, the evolution of humanity… I have a great interest in it as well. Let me help you with this matter."

"Help me?"

"Yes. Using the power of a Constellation without actually being one… There must be limits, right? I'll take care of half of them. You can focus on the others for the evolution mission."

"Take care of half…"

"Yes. I won't ask for much in return. Just the freedom to sponsor more players. That's all I want."

Even when his true identity was uncovered, he remained confident.

Gilgamesh believed that there were limits to Seong Jihan using Constellation powers.

And by dividing the number of people, he thought it would reduce the burden on him.

"Uh…"

"Even for evolution, should we accept this?"

"But if we get sponsored by Gilgamesh, we'll become his puppets."

"That's true… I don't want his sponsorship."

"I wish Seong Jihan would just keep sponsoring us…"

From Bronze to Platinum, those already under Seong Jihan's sponsorship watched the developments with unease.

Considering the great task of evolving humanity, accepting this proposal seemed efficient.

However,

"I refuse."

"Heh… It's a matter concerning evolution. Isn't it too emotional for you to decline?"

"The number of people is irrelevant anyway."

Seong Jihan flatly refused the offer.

After all, there were no restrictions on the number of sponsorships when Constellation Traits was active.

'Can't let someone like Gilgamesh operate in the open.'

Although he couldn't prevent Gilgamesh from acting in the shadows, bringing the Constellation Gilgamesh into the light was a risk he couldn't gauge the repercussions of.

Deciding so, Seong Jihan opened the life energy within.

"So, leave now."

"Wait…"

Chiik…

The domination code formed in the air effectively restrained Gilgamesh's powers.

Although only the first letter was written, it was enough to make him kneel.

"Ugh…"

The player writhing in pain was not only the one possessed by Gilgamesh but also five others.

All were from Diamond TOP 100 who were waiting without a sponsoring Constellation.

'Seeing them become puppets and still desiring sponsorship. Sigh.'

Help really does come from unexpected places.

Seong Jihan thought as much, then spoke,

"Let's continue with the Constellation sponsorships."

The time had been significantly delayed due to Gilgamesh's interference.

Seong Jihan hurried to finish sponsoring the remaining individuals before his Constellation reach level dropped further.

Just before five minutes passed and the last player was sponsored,

Flash!

A bright golden light shone down from the auditorium's ceiling.

Soon, a brilliant stream of golden light broke through the ceiling.

From within the light, a voice was heard.

[Seong Jihan, you're truly sponsoring everyone. It's fascinating to see how far your abilities can extend.]

"Gilgamesh… did you intervene from outside?"

[Yes. I too am deeply interested in this matter. Even if you refuse my help, I must lend my assistance.]

The light intensified.

Players bathed directly in the light looked up anxiously.

"No, but we don't want it…"

"Why is he so persistent?"

"What is he trying to do?"

Chiik…

Doubtful of Gilgamesh's goodwill, Seong Jihan attempted to write the domination code.

However, the light from the sky was not halted by the domination code.

Thus, the golden light enveloped all 500 human players.

Soon, a system message appeared for everyone.

[A Constellation Command from 'The King of Humans.']

[For the greater good, sacrifice the lesser. Your stats of Rare grade or lower are enhanced by 150% for 7 days. This enhancement effect persists within the game.]

[Your regenerative capabilities are significantly increased.]

"What… What's this? 'Constellation Command'? Some kind of buff?"

"It's 150%, that's huge…"

"But the phrase 'For the greater good, sacrifice the lesser' is worrying."

The overwhelming effect of the buff was undeniable, yet players felt uneasy despite their enhanced stats.

After all, the command was, [For the greater good, sacrifice the lesser].

Sacrifice doesn't sound like it's part of the buff.

Could there be some disadvantage?

Soon,

[After 7 days, your enhanced stats will permanently decrease by 3.]

As they suspected, the system message revealed the sacrifice.

"St, stats will decrease by 3?"

"This is… a bit too much."

"Wait, all my stats are Rare or lower… so this means a total stat decrease of 3 for me?!"

An all-stat decrease of –3.

Considering the residual points received from leveling up is 1,

An all-stat decrease of –3 was a tremendous penalty, felt by everyone.

Especially for Bronze League players in the early stages of growth, such a penalty could cause a drastic drop in the TOP 100 rankings.

"Uh, Seong Jihan… could there be a way to solve this?"

"As much as the buff is good, the penalty is too severe!"

"We're definitely dropping out of TOP 100 because of this!"

Many players, looking distressed, turned to Seong Jihan for help.

"Hold on."

Chiik…

Responding to the players' pleas, Seong Jihan attempted to write the domination code again.

However, the incomplete domination code could not restrain Gilgamesh's 'Constellation Command.'

Had the code been completed, it might have been a different story.

'But I lack the life energy.'

Although he had grown to a certain extent through the World Tree sealed with the perpetual stats,

at his current state, completing the domination code was still beyond Seong Jihan.

"Well… Normally, this would've stopped Gilgamesh's powers, but it doesn't seem to dissipate this time. I'll find a solution."

"Ah…"

"Understood."

"Let's proceed with today's games for now."

"Yes…"

At his words, people left the auditorium with heavy hearts and moved to where the BattleNet connectors were located.

"Uncle, but this buff is pretty great. With this, we might just hit a 60% win rate, right?"

Walking towards the connectors with Seong Jihan, Yoon Seah whispered to him.

"Shouldn't we just keep it until the last day, then?"

A powerful stat enhancement enough to rationalize an all-stats decrease of –3 seemed like it would make achieving a 60% win rate easier than anticipated.

However,

"No. We don't know what tricks Gilgamesh might have up his sleeve. It's best to remove the 'Constellation Command' as soon as possible."

Believing that Gilgamesh wouldn't purely aid humanity, Seong Jihan decided he had to remove the 'Constellation Command' quickly.

'To do that, I need to gather more stats at the World Tree.'

The Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation, which could only be entered once before the power of eternity dissipated, prevented entry for about 2 weeks

It had already been over two weeks since his expulsion due to the interference of Kang Sang.

'Suppose today I observe the progress of the games. Tonight, I'll have to visit.'

Seong Jihan planned to eliminate the 'Constellation Command' as quickly as possible.

However,

"Wow!"

"We're winning again!"

"This is unbelievable… The buff effect is tremendous!"

"On the first day, we'll easily exceed a 60% win rate!"

"…"

Unexpectedly, Gilgamesh's buff effect was just too favorable.

* * *

=For humanity to evolve from the lowest-tier to a lower-tier species, the evolution mission is underway!

=Here at NBC, we've compiled and prepared to livestream the mission, featuring all 500 players' BattleTube channels!

=Can humanity exceed a 60% win rate on the first day…?

On the first day when humanity's TOP 100 players entered the evolution area to commence their games, the gameplay remained the same.

Only their group had changed to the evolution area, competing against other races hoping to level up from the lowest-tier to a lower-tier.

=However, big news has emerged from Seoul's BattleNet Center.

=Do you remember the Constellation Gilgamesh? Known as 'The King of Humans,' he has decreed 'For the greater good, sacrifice the lesser' offering his aid to the players! Seong Jihan tried to block it, but since it's some kind of buff, it couldn't be removed.

=For the greater good, sacrifice the lesser… What are the players sacrificing?

=Just received news that all stats –3!

=Oh… That's a huge cost, isn't it? Those at TOP 101 must be breathing a sigh of relief right now!

The commentators on Channel 0 discussed the news from Seoul before the game matchups began.

-All stats –3 crossed the line dam

-But the buff effect is impressive… How do they maintain 150% stat enhancement for 7 days?

-If you add other buffs on top of this, achieving a 60% win rate seems feasible.

-The greater good really is sacrificing the lesser…

-Haha as long as it's not me.

Gilgamesh's Constellation Command dominated within the game, flaunting its overwhelming presence.

Not just the enhanced stats, but also,

=Ah! Player Oliver is showing incredible regeneration!

=Isn't this almost elf-like?!

=I heard the Constellation Command also increases regeneration, but I didn't expect it to be this much!

=The opposing race complains, asking why a World Tree elf is meddling in the evolution area!

=Never thought humanity would be called elves!

The enhancement in regeneration showed striking effects.

Gathered with other lowest-tier races of similar or smaller stature,

"Why is a World Tree elf interfering in the evolution area…"

"What scheme are they plotting this time?"

"Ugh… So sick of this. Really!"

"Do we have to give up this year too…"

Viewing the players' monstrous regenerative abilities, the competing races were almost convinced that humanity was colluding with the World Tree elves.

And as they harbored such thoughts, their morale plummeted, leaving them overwhelmed by humanity.

=Victorious news is coming from all over!

=Among the 500 players, some formed teams, while others joined survival games… But most are achieving good results! Looks like we'll definitely surpass 60%!

The start of the evolution mission was marked by a positive atmosphere.

Dominating the competing races, as the matchmaking games concluded,

=All right, all the matchmaking games for the first day have finished. Humanity's win rate calculation is…

=72%! A smooth start indeed!

=The King of Humans… He's given quite a powerful buff!

Humanity's win rate had zoomed past 70% on the first day.

'Without even activating the Constellation Traits, we've surpassed 70%.'

Seong Jihan had decided not to activate the Constellation Traits on the first day to monitor the progress within the evolution area.

Seeing the day's results, he was momentarily tempted to just leave things be.

Without degrading the Constellation reach level, they could steadily proceed with the evolution.

However,

'…No. Tempting as it is, we can't leave any aftermath behind.'

The 'Constellation Command,' showing unmatched effects,

Would it really just give a buff quietly for 7 days and end there?

'Gilgamesh wouldn't act so altruistically.'

Among the disciples of the Martial God, Gilgamesh was arguably the least trustworthy.

Seong Jihan resolved to gain Eternity stats at the World Tree, allowing him to complete the domination code.

'For that, I need to enter the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation again.'

After observing the entirety of the games, Seong Jihan left the BattleNet Center.

His destination was deep within the western sea.

The World Tree sealed within the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation was awaiting.