Chapter 320

[Is that a Celestial Cube?]

Swoosh.

From Seong Jihan's left arm, the Shadow Queen, resembling Ariel, showed herself.

Still adorned with remnants of broken chains, she observed the pure white cube with surprise in her eyes.

"It's been a while since I last saw one."

"It's been a while, you say. Have you used one before?"

"Yes, I acquired it from a special mission, and used it to extend the limits of our species. Of course, our Shadow Elves were annihilated before reaching those limits…"

Saying so, the Shadow Queen's expression turned bitter as she questioned Seong Jihan.

"And you just left this item unused. Does your kind, humanity, not intend to extend your limits?"

"We don't have any limits."

"…What?"

"I tried to use it, but it said we have no set limits."

"No limits… for humanity?"

The Shadow Queen blinked in disbelief.

Humanity, rated as the lowest for survival in BattleNet, equipped with the worst conditions imaginable.

She had thought their growth limit might barely reach that of a low-tier species.

The news Seong Jihan shared was astonishingly overwhelming for her.

"I find that hard to believe."

"That's why I haven't been able to use this item until now. Well, now I can finally make use of it."

Seong Jihan opened the Constellation Shop, activating both the 'Dominion' and 'Sole Sovereignty' traits.

Then,

[The Constellation Trait 'Dominion' has been activated.]

[The Constellation Trait 'Sole Sovereignty' has been activated.]

['Constellation' mode has been added to the system.]

20,000 fame points vanished as Dominion and Sole Sovereignty, originally irreconcilable till Grand Constellation, were activated.

Simultaneously,

[You have completed the quest.]

[You can now switch Constellation traits ON/OFF.]

[When Constellation traits are ON, effects of both traits are partially applied. While ON, the required level to attain Constellation status decreases over time. The current level required to become a Constellation is 777.]

[The Celestial Cube will be destroyed.]

Fizz…

As the Celestial Cube shattered amidst a flash of light, a strong energy that Seong Jihan had not fully absorbed previously surged forth.

It engulfed the cube in a crimson hue and obliterated it.

"The Celestial Cube…! What did you do?"

"Used it elsewhere."

Seong Jihan responded, then opened the Constellation window.

[Seong Jihan – Unknown Constellation]

-NO.4212 'Human' Constellation candidate.

-Although not yet qualified as a candidate, the hidden power of the Celestial Cube has temporarily unlocked 'Constellation' mode.

[Constellation Traits – OFF]

[Dominion LV.1]

-The overall rating of the 'Human' species and the growth rate of players sponsored by the Constellation provide additional bonuses.

-Bonuses are divided according to the number of sovereigns on the planet.

-There are 4 sovereigns on the current planet.

-Amidst the sovereigns of humanity, you hold the highest fame.

-The effect of Dominion is most strongly applied to you.

-All attributes are increased by +150%.

-You can sponsor up to 500 players with your Constellation power.

-Based on the growth of players and sponsors within your species on the planet, your Constellation fame also grows proportionately.

'150 percent?'

Seong Jihan gaped at the enormous bonus percentage while scanning the Constellation window.

So, this is why one becomes a sovereign?

However,

[Constellation Traits are in OFF state. All attributes are increased by an additional 1.5 percent, and you can sponsor up to 5 players.]

Being not a Constellation yet, Seong Jihan couldn't fully enjoy these bonuses.

'Still, even in the OFF state, I get 1 percent effect.'

The reduction to 1.5 percent from 150 percent and from 500 to 5 sponsorships in the OFF state's trait effects.

More than the 1.5 percent increase in attributes, the possibility of sponsoring 5 players stood out.

As Seong Jihan pondered whether to sponsor players,

'There's also a 'Human' category.'

Below the description of the Dominion trait,

He could select the [Human] category as the sovereign target.

[NO.4212 – Human]

Current Ability – Lowest

BattleNet Performance – High

Potential for Growth – Highest

Overall Rating – E

'With high and highest ratings, overall is E…'

Humanity, not set with limits and performing exceedingly well in BattleNet thanks to Seong Jihan, fared well in two categories.

However, the current ability rating diminished everything,

A single lowest rating overshadowed high and highest ratings, plummeting the overall to E.

'Let's see it positively. If the current ability rises, I'll receive more bonuses here.'

Seong Jihan consoled himself with that thought, returning to a part he glossed over in the Dominion description.

'There are 4 sovereigns on the current planet…'

Excluding Seong Jihan, that meant there were 3 other sovereign Constellations.

Excluding Gilgamesh, it was difficult to identify the candidates.

Could Martial God also be included?

Yet, the Shadow Queen had speculated he might be Sole Sovereignty LV.10…

Seong Jihan also recalled other Constellations from humanity he knew.

Longinus, Dongbang Sak, Pythia.

All were kin of Martial God, players hardly fitting the Dominion trait.

'Could the unseen third kind be a sovereign?'

The third kin mentioned by Pythia was King Ashoka from India.

Compared to the other three, being a 'king' meant he fittingly could be a sovereign.

'And even if the Martial God isn't a sovereign… anyway, a kingly entity would be a sovereign. Am I more famous than them?'

According to the Dominion trait description, Seong Jihan was the most famous among humanity.

Despite receiving the most media attention lately, could he really rank above historical kings?

"Queen, don't the chains hurt? Why leave them on?"

"I want to remove them too. But my power hasn't recovered enough to do it piece by piece… But child, you really have great potential. Would you accept my sponsorship?"

"Oh, I'm already sponsored by my mom."

"…Mom?"

"Yes."

Seong Jihan glanced at Yoon Seah, who had entered the room and was casually chatting with the Shadow Queen.

"Seah, how famous do you think I am?"

"Out of the blue? Who on Earth doesn't know Uncle?"

"That much, huh?"

"Isn't it obvious? Uncle always stars on Channel 0, more famous than most gods!"

Ever since joining the Space League, all humanity focused on the League matches of Channel 0.

And ultimately, Seong Jihan consistently attracted attention and determined the outcome of each game.

Even folks on the opposite side of Earth may not know Korea, but they knew Seong Jihan.

In the current situation, being the most famous among sovereigns was quite natural.

"Fame is important for a sovereign Constellation. Becoming king of humanity would be easiest, but if that's not your style, make yourself highly visible."

"Uncle, already a constellation?"

"Considering you're asking about traits, seems like you will be soon?"

"I'm in the 300 level range. Far from it."

"…300s? You became a candidate at level 300?"

"Yes."

"How did you become a candidate with that level… And at 300, wouldn't you not bother with trait information yet?"

"Just curious."

The Shadow Queen looked at Seong Jihan incredulously before turning her gaze to Yoon Seah.

"Child, among humanity's players, is there someone with potential but without a Constellation?"

"Aha. Speaking of Constellation sponsorship? I'll show you players I know well."

"Thank you."

As the Shadow Queen sought to regain her footing by sponsoring human players, her judgment criteria was facial features.

"This player doesn't catch my fancy."

"That, that so? How about this person?"

"Ah, this face speaks of betrayal."

"Um, excuse me. This person is actually my dad…"

"Hm, hmm. Is that so? I trust my eyes, but there's always 1 percent of exceptions. He might be one such case."

"…No, you might not necessarily be wrong"

As the Shadow Queen assessed the players shown by Yoon Seah with a Constellation's eye, commenting as she did,

'Let's check the next trait.'

Seong Jihan looked over the Sole Sovereignty trait.

* * *

[Sole Sovereignty LV.1]

-All attributes are increased by +250%.

-Includes growth rates for gifts and skill ranks by 1000%.

-When gift rank reaches SSS, a new gift slot is created.

-Sole Sovereigns gain an additional 100% of Constellation fame points earned in-game.

-Sole Sovereigns can relocate to planets of other species.

'So, this is what they mean by Sole Sovereignty being advantageous at the start.'

At level 1, the bonus attribute percentages offered by Sole Sovereignty are significantly higher than Dominion.

However, while Dominion can gain Constellation fame points as their race grows,

Sole Sovereigns depend solely on the Constellation fame points earned within BattleNet games for growth.

Considering the future, it's quite clear which trait makes growth easier.

[Constellation Traits are in OFF state. All attributes receive an additional 2.5% increase, growth rate rises by 10%, and 1% more Constellation fame points are gained.]

Seeing the drastically reduced bonuses due to OFF state, Seong Jihan thought,

'Though I can have both, starting growth with Dominion seems the way to go.'

The most important for a Constellation's growth is Constellation fame points.

Indeed, leveling up the Dominion trait first seemed necessary.

Seong Jihan reopened the Constellation Shop.

[Constellation Shop LV.1]

Upgrade Constellation Shop – 50000P

Constellation Trait 'Dominion' LV.2 – 100000P

Constellation Trait 'Sole Sovereignty' LV.2 – 100000P

Strengthen Constellation Trait LV.1 – 10000

Expand Sponsor Slot LV.1 – 1000P

Generate Special Sponsor Item – 500P

From 10,000 at opening to a steep rise to 100,000 for level 2 of both traits.

And, upon inspection,

[You must upgrade Constellation Shop to upgrade Constellation Traits to LV.2.]

Upgrading the traits required upgrading the shop level beforehand.

'The requirement is quite significant.'

With only about 13,000 converted from accumulated achievements into fame points.

How soon might he gather the required points?

Moreover,

[Constellation Shop upgrade to LV.2 requires all subordinate items to be completely upgraded.]

To level up Constellation Shop, it was necessary to tick off each item, from traits strengthening to sponsor slot expansion.

'Without the Constellation Shop, others automatically level up with accumulated fame points…'

Seeing how other Constellations leveled up their traits, for them, moving from LV.1 to LV.2 cost the same 100,000 as for Seong Jihan.

'Then, ultimately, I'm spending more.'

Others needed only 100,000, but Seong Jihan also needed to upgrade the shop.

Of course, even so, having both traits was a significant advantage.

'Hmm…'

As Seong Jihan browsed, he decided to switch the off Constellation mode to ON.

Then,

[You are a Constellation candidate.]

[Only 50 percent of Constellation trait effects are applied.]

Having the bonus only partially effective, with a combined 200 percent increase in all attributes from both traits,

'This provides a significant boost.'

Seong Jihan felt the surging power within, smiling at the suddenly boosted abilities, but,

[An error is detected by BattleNet.]

[The level required to attain Constellation status has been lowered to 776.]

Upon activating ON, the level required to become a Constellation dropped from 777 to 776,

And 5 minutes later,

[The level required to attain Constellation status has been lowered to 775.]

He saw another message of the level dropping to 775.

'Leave it ON a little longer, and it'll soon reach my level.'

With the Constellation requirement level dropping by 1 every 5 minutes,

Eager to become a Constellation quickly, simply leaving it ON would suffice.

'But then, the safety of being a candidate would swiftly end.'

Currently targeted by the Marital God,

Seong Jihan decided to maximize growth in the OFF state for now.

Turning traits OFF, he pondered,

'Time to fill those 5 sponsorship slots first.'

He chose to start with the sponsorships provided by the Dominion trait.

Wondering who to sponsor,

-This face, it's the face of a betrayer.

He recalled the words previously spoken by the Shadow Queen.