Chapter 384

"…Golden Wheel? What is that?"

Gilgamesh furrowed his brow.

Though he didn't fully understand its significance, a faint sense of unease crept over him instinctively.

[This matter is unrelated to our contract. I have no obligation to explain it to you.]

The Martial God told Gilgamesh curtly.

[Ashoka, summon the Golden Wheel immediately.]

The Martial God commanded again.

Then,

Sssss…

Ashoka appeared from behind the ice wall created by Pythia.

With a serene expression, he faced the Martial God and his disciples and began to speak slowly.

"That command… it's difficult to execute immediately."

[What… are you defying my order?]

"The gaze of the administrators is more vigilant than ever. If I hastily set the Golden Wheel in motion now, their intervention might lead to failure."

[Stop that nonsense. The more time passes, the more the administrators will focus on this place. Now is the perfect time. Ashoka. Spin it immediately. If you continue to refuse, I shall take matters into my own hands.]

The Martial God's eyes gleamed red, and a crimson aura surged from his body.

When this aura connected with the armaments floating like stars above Tuseong,

Fwaaah!

The Martial God's power began to amplify significantly.

The armaments reverberated with a dark crimson light, amplifying the power of the Martial God.

'This is…'

As Gilgamesh tried to protest, seeing the armaments, he shut his mouth.

He hadn't placed those constellation armaments in the sky merely as a commemoration; they served as a direct means of enhancing his power.

'…If he wields this much power, there's no way I can win.'

As humanity grew and thrived at the lower rank,

He thought he could gather strength as a ruling constellation to eventually oppose the Martial God.

However, witnessing the current Martial God, he realized his judgment had been mistaken.

If absorbing just a portion of the armaments provides this much power, then absorbing all the armaments in Tuseong…

'I must find another way to defeat the Martial God…'

Immersed in deeper contemplation as he saw another layer of the Martial God's true power,

Ashoka, facing the swirling aura of the Martial God, nonchalantly looked up at the sky.

"Did you know? The stars of Tuseong… have not increased in number for some time now."

[…]

"Martial God. Though your plans have been effective so far, they have now reached a developmental plateau."

[It is not a plateau yet.]

"But at this pace, we would need to spin the Golden Wheel indefinitely… You realized the stagnation and thus aided humanity's evolution, didn't you?"

[…Indeed. And I realized that the administrators had only refrained from intervening because humanity was at the lowest rank. In truth, they have been closely watching this place.]

The three administrators who appeared on Seong Jihan's channel.

Green was active and it wasn't surprising for them to show up.

But for the White and Black Administrators, it was extremely rare.

Immediately after humanity became a lower-rank race, for them to show up?

Though they outwardly claimed to be focusing on Seong Jihan,

[The administrators' attention is a formality; in reality, they aim to investigate Tuseong through Seong Jihan. They can't officially investigate here without evidence.]

"You understand well. Thus, we must be cautious now. We must wait until their gaze shifts away."

[Once an administrator begins observing, they do not stop. They will persistently scrutinize this place. Everything must be reset. We are not fully prepared yet.]

'Reset?'

Reset?

Gilgamesh caught an ominous term from the Martial God.

Spin the Golden Wheel.

Thus resetting everything…

'…What does this mean? Could it be…'

As Gilgamesh's eyes darkened,

"What if we make Seong Jihan, the eyes of the administrator, disappear?"

[…Eliminating him as a constellation candidate will only invite greater intervention.]

"What if we kill him after he becomes a constellation?"

[That was the initial plan. However, given the eye of the administrator bestowed upon him, there is no need to delay.]

"What if he dies not by our hands, but by a third party?"

Fwoosh…

In front of Ashoka, flames blazed.

And within the radiant red flames, the form of a massive giant appeared.

With red eyes embedded all over its body, a giant with a violet hue.

Despite its violet body, its head was made of wood.

"The Abyss Owner. He will be the one to kill Seong Jihan."

[…He shall confront the Abyss Owner?]

"Yes. His kin is held captive by the Abyss Owner. I also suggested that if he defeats the ruler, I would provide information about the Martial God."

[…]

Though Ashoka admitted selling his information, the Martial God's aura became more composed than before.

The Abyss Owner.

Martial God was fully aware of his immense strength,

No matter how much Seong Jihan had grown, he could never defeat the Abyss Owner.

Ssss…

The dark crimson light connected to the constellation's armaments faded, reducing the Martial God's power to its previous level.

[So, he will die fighting the Abyss Owner…]

"The eye of the administrator will vanish, making their intervention difficult. This time was unique with someone like Seong Jihan."

Ashoka looked up at the sky.

"Wouldn't the stars of Tuseong increase again next time?"

[Risking danger for greater rewards, is that it?]

"Indeed."

The Martial God stared at Ashoka with intense, gleaming eyes.

Though an overwhelming aura rose, making Gilgamesh shiver,

Ashoka remained composed, slightly bowing with a smile.

[…Very well. But only this time. Next time, I will not tolerate such insolence.]

"Thank you for heeding my advice."

[Though I wish to seal you again… it is not the time to waste power.]

The Martial God's form began fading.

[Maintain silence as during your sealing.]

"I will."

[You all, refrain from rash actions.]

Glaring particularly at Gilgamesh, who frowned back at him.

"What are you planning to do?"

[I will block the administrator's surveillance.]

Sss…

The Martial God vanished entirely.

Ashoka quietly watched where he disappeared.

'Time… bought.'

The wandering Martial God.

Suspicious and overcautious, despite his immense power.

One who would use the time-reversing Golden Wheel over a minor variable.

Convincing such a being succeeded only because his opponent was the Abyss Owner.

'Will Seong Jihan surpass the Taiji's Lost Souls?'

Ambiguous.

Recalling the Taiji sword drawn by Seong Jihan.

Though only the handle appeared, it showed potential.

'…No. No one else has shown such potential. It will be hard for another to appear. This time, the end must be seen.'

As he contemplated deeply,

Step. Step.

Three disciples of the Martial God approached Ashoka.

'The variable to assist Seong Jihan…'

Ashoka's eyes carefully observed them.

The one captivating his attention was neither Pythia nor Dongbang Sak,

'It shall be him.'

Gilgamesh, whose morale waned after witnessing the Martial God's strength.

* * *

[Seong Jihan ascends to the Star League. Continuously treading an unprecedented path.]

[Alien astonishment at the administrator's descent. 'Eye of Light' debunked the conspiracy theories.]

[Upgraded features of Seong Jihan's channel? More options available for viewers.]

[Revealed three ruling constellations of humanity. Most surprising: Pythia.]

A day since the Star League promotion match, 'Coronation Ceremony', ended,

Interest surrounding the event remained fervent.

-Aliens kept crying 'fraud', but shut up once the Eye of Light appeared LOL

-Are the administrators really that incredible?

-Aren't they basically gods of BattleNet?

-But didn't BattleNet already have gods? Like the Thunder God before.

-These administrators must be a tier higher, judging by the aliens' fuss LOL

Human viewers, less attuned to the administrators' presence compared to aliens,

Focused more on Seong Jihan's channel changes and the ruling constellations of humanity.

-Did you see Seong Jihan's channel? It's sparkling white LOL

-Eye of Light and channel options… but the changes don't feel significant.

-We'll know once he starts streaming ㅇㅇ

-Wasn't it odd, the ruling constellations of humanity?

-Calling Ashoka a king makes sense, but Pythia… isn't she just a Greek prophet? A prophet ruling along kings, wow haha

To viewers, Seong Jihan's channel seemed only shinier with added features.

Though the Eye of Light mark appeared on the screen, its impact was unclear.

Unlike viewers who felt minimal changes,

'Why are there so many additional features?'

Seong Jihan frowned at the extensive new options on his BattleTube channel.

He didn't expect much from the upgrade,

But the channel owner now had an overwhelming array of options.

Trying to grasp the channel features,

'…I'll leave the detailed analysis to Hayeon.'

Overwhelmed by the choices, he decided to pass on the task to the guild master.

'What matters most is the Eye of Light.'

During yesterday's game, he had lost the Star buff due to viewer block.

The absence of an 80% ability boost was a painful detriment during the Taiji Sword's creation.

'Lack of martial talent may have also hindered the sword's completion…'

Ashoka had commented on his ambiguous talent.

Though displeased at the time,

A day later, Seong Jihan accepted this and sought solutions.

'Without natural martial talent like Dongbang Sak, I must use every means to compensate for my deficiencies.'

The straightforward method to enhance lacking talent would be training,

But his immediate reality didn't allow such luxury.

Facing formidable opponents like the Abyss Owner, Dongbang Sak, and the Martial God,

While training was essential, he also needed means to bridge the gap with such enemies.

'The Star buff is fundamental. I need to test if the Eye of Light prevents blocks like last time…'

Wanting to experiment, he pondered ways to initiate channel interference.

As Seong Jihan weighed his options,

[The Arena Master sends you a message.]

-The Void Training Grounds have been fully repaired. Would you like to visit?

'Well.'

A suitable place for testing presented itself.