Chapter 351

They transformed into a giant robot after fusing with the destroyed spaceship,

The Mecan race posed a challenge.

However, for Seong Jihan, this opponent was not difficult to deal with.

The mere thrust of the Blood's Clan Spear would have shattered the robot instantly.

Yet, Seong Jihan deliberately chose not to draw it, instead, he utilized the half-mask.

'Considering they might be connected to the Sun King, it's better to play it safe.'

Following the traces of the Red administrator, the Sun King could be related to this foe.

Against such an enemy, it was best to use as little of one's statutory power as possible.

Swoosh.

Amplifying the Void, Seong Jihan bolstered Eclipse.

Fundamental Divine Arts,

Dark Shadow Technique:

Shadow Divine Blade

In an instant, the sword that soared into the sky cleaved the giant robot in half.

Mecan, swiftly overtaken by the dark sword.

Attempts to dispel the shadows with blazing light were made, but…

Shoooo…

The flames that pierced through the shadows flickered a few times before being engulfed by darkness and extinguished.

=Seong Jihan, with a single strike, subjugates the Mecan fused with the spaceship!

=Given the enemy utilized the map's structures, they seemed formidable… yet, they stood no chance against Seong Jihan!

=Mecan… despite their desire to acquire his blood and flesh, couldn't even touch a hair on Seong Jihan's head!

When all 19 human representatives were defeated, and a towering robot emerged, everyone feared a difficult challenge.

But then, Seong Jihan, masked and wielding a single dagger, delivered a decisive blow, swiftly conquering the formidable opponent.

-Seong Ji-han is on another level now!

-The Mecan seemed to have an absolute advantage, yet Seong Jihan ended it in one strike…

-Well, Seong Jihan was the one flying around on the elf-favorable map, so what's a robot's advantage, lol

-True, those guys are weaker than the elves, right?

-Still, I was a bit worried seeing that robot's size, haha

-It seems the Mecan team put their faith in that thing and let Seong Jihan play all four matches, but he's just too much for them…

As Seong Jihan donned the mask and consumed the mighty foe with a single blow, onlookers who were initially tense seeing Mecan's fusion form awaited comfortably for the result of the fourth game.

Thus, the game that seemed to conclude in a blink of an eye.

However,

'I was nearly breached there.'

Seong Jihan, unsatisfied, observed the Shadow Divine Blade closely.

The giant robot, seemingly trapped in darkness, tried from within to emanate the energy of the sun.

Though it ceased its resistance and was consumed by the shadows, had it not been for the half-mask amplifying the Void, the Shadow Divine Blade would have been neutralized by the light.

[You are skilled at mixing void with the Shadow Sword, amplifying its power… Indeed, an enviable ability. However, there's room for improvement in utilizing the shadows.]

The Shadow Queen herself, experiencing the Shadow Divine Blade within Eclipse, admired the use of the Void but gave a cold comment on the shadow-powered Shadow Divine Blade.

'I might have neglected the Dark Shadow Techniques. Certainly, there seems to be room for further development.'

Among the Fundamental Divine Arts, the Dark Shadow Technique forms one axis.

While the other axis, the Crimson Thunder evolved into Dragon Thunder, reaching even statutory levels, the development of the Dark Shadow Technique had been stagnant.

'I thought mixing in the energy of life would yield some result, but there hasn't been any noticeable progress…'

The Eclipse, renamed to Shadow of Life, had the potential according to BattleNet descriptions to reach an EX-grade power level depending on how its strength was wielded.

Yet, it barely manifested the power of an SSS-grade.

'There must have been a reason why the Martial God chose the Dark Shadow Technique after the Dragon Thunder.'

Having somewhat advanced the statutory aspect, it was time to delve into the lagging shadow power.

Seong Jihan thought this while inspecting the Mecan, completely overtaken by the Shadow Divine Blade,

Emitting an ominous solar power, it seemed connected to the Sun King.

But the robot, now just a heap of scrap metal consumed by shadows, offered little to salvage.

[Void increases by 1.]

'No loot, just a void increase.'

Seong Jihan clicked his tongue, removing the mask.

Consequently, the power of the Shadow Divine Blade visibly weakened.

The shadows that enveloped the giant robot and blocked out the sunlight had reduced by more than half.

Then, gradually, the world was bathed in light.

'Isn't the game over yet?'

As Seong Jihan pondered this,

Twitch.

Movement was observed within the debris of the destroyed robot on the ground.

Reacting to the sunlight, the remains started to regenerate slowly.

'Tenacious.'

Just as Seong Jihan prepared to destroy the debris,

Zzzzing…

[Opponent's power, determined as void]

[Target player, removed from concern list]

Flaring…

Similar to when Seong Jihan coded, letters recognizable only by him appeared above the debris. With the disappearing letters, the debris shattered, revealing a sparkling object.

'What's that?'

Swoosh.

Seong Jihan levitated the item into his hand.

[You acquire 'Destroyed Solar Terminal'.]

Following the message, Seong Jihan attempted to examine the item closely, but

[Game 4 concludes.]

[The human representative team wins.]

The opponent was declared dead, and the game ended before he could further investigate.

* * *

[Humanity's rank 1, an absurd existence.]

After Game 4,

The Mecan coach briefly assessed the match.

[However, we will retract our previous proposal.]

"You mean the one about trading blood and flesh for cloning technology?"

[Correct. His exhibition of power beyond normal standards is due to the void which means he doesn't possess the physical form we seek.]

"Well… suit yourself."

As if it mattered, and given that Seong Jihan wouldn't have agreed anyway, Davis merely nodded dismissively.

[Nonetheless, there's some research value in it, so if you provide us with blood and flesh later, we can concede 1 victory.]

"You don't have to. We'll win either way."

As both coaches exchanged words,

Seong Jihan, witnessing the scene, thought to himself.

'Having nullified them with the void, their interest in me has vanished.'

Were these beings truly pawns of the Sun King?

Seong Jihan revisited the item he had obtained a moment ago.

[Destroyed Solar Terminal]

-Grade: F

-After use, this terminal has exhausted all of the sun's power and cannot be recharged, rendering it useless.

The once sparkling Solar Terminal had now turned into a dull, yellow rock. According to BattleNet, it appeared utterly worthless.

'To obtain such a worthless item.'

Toss it?

As Seong Jihan debated, the Constellation of the Dead Star came to mind.

'Now that I think about it, he hated the Sun King.'

The Constellation of the Dead Star, branded a slave by the Sun King.

Considering the item was useless anyway, why not give it to him?

Despite the Dead Star's habit of pretending to be smart, weighing the pros and cons, he had been quite helpful to Seong Jihan.

Deciding so, Seong Jihan sent a message him.

– I've obtained a 'Destroyed Solar Terminal' from my recent encounter. Would you find it useful?

Promptly, a message replied within less than a second.

[The 'Constellation of the Dead Star' sends an urgent message.]

[He asks where you found the Solar Terminal and requests a 1:1 conversation.]

Accepting the request, a translucent head appeared before Seong Jihan.

"Head! A Solar Terminal, how did you come to possess it?!"

"I acquired it from Mecan."

"Mecan? Who are they again? Ah… wait, those beings that linger in the Bronze League. Did you record it on BattleTube? You did, I'll review the footage."

Merely at the mention of Mecan, the Constellation of the Dead Star quickly shifted gears to analyze data.

Then, with its head eyes shining a blue light,

Tick. Tick.

"These rascals… They even aimed for your flesh and blood? Trying to clone my head, they've crossed the line."

Hearing about the plan to clone Seong Jihan, he expressed outrage for meddling with "his head."

"You've already gone through the footage?"

"Yep. Skimmed at 1000x speed. Hm, using the sun's power alone doesn't confirm a connection to the Sun King but the Solar Terminal… This is another story."

With that, Karlein opened its mouth.

A tiny black whirlpool formed inside the once translucent head.

"Would you mind throwing that terminal here?"

"What's in it for me?"

"Hoho… If it's a real Solar Terminal, it's only right I compensate you!"

"Alright."

Seong Jihan tossed the terminal into the whirlpool.

Swoosh…

"Wow, it really is a Solar Terminal… To think these mechanical civilizations were underlings of the Sun King. Unexpected."

Glint.

A red glow flickered in Karlein's skeletal eyes.

"For this incident, I'll… launch an attack on Mecan's planet and transmit it."

"Attack their planet?"

"Yes, hehe. Having discovered a pawn of the Sun King, it's only logical to flip them over. The terminal will also reveal Mecan's coordinates… all conditions are met."

Was it really okay for a constellation to attack just based on a piece of evidence?

Seong Jihan briefly entertained the thought but,

'Well, it's beneficial for us.'

Mecan was both a competitor in the Bronze League and possibly backed by the formidable Sun King.

If the Constellation of the Dead Star attacked them, it would be advantageous for his side.

"Then, finish your attack and let me know."

"Got it. I'll give them a good thrashing~!"

Swoooosh.

With those final words, the head vanished in haste.

'Just keeping Mecan in check is reward enough.'

Seong Jihan thought as he watched himself being named the series MVP on screen.

Unlike when Yoon Sejin won MVP in the third game, being named MVP added absolutely nothing to the reputation of his constellation.

'I'm definitely not getting MVP next time.'

He sternly resolved, looking at the unchanging system message screen.

* * *

[VIP Member Seong Jihan, Humanity's Sturdy Support.]

[The future of humanity as shown by Mecan with only the brain remaining.]

[With Seong Jihan's power, the concept of void brought to light by Mecan's coach. What is the Void?]

[The Constellation Shadow Queen makes her presence known.]

[A housekeeper claiming to have worked in the penthouse, caught by police for attempting to sell a lock of Seong Jihan's hair for 50 million Won.]

[PR/N: Reminds me of that one ugly-handsome dude fighting manhwa stalker incident.]

The match against Mecan concluded with a final score of 3:1 in humanity's favor.

Although the score board suggested a total victory for humanity, the actual gameplay underscored humanity's heavy reliance on Seong Jihan.

-We relied on Seong Jihan again this time.

-This time? It's eternal, hahaha.

-Exactly, verified bus driver, keep driving us, hahaha.

-What's with this housekeeper scam though, LOL. Was there really a buyer for the hair?

-But if it's genuine, BattleNet labs might even buy it for 50 million…

"The person arrested, turns out it wasn't who had visited us in the past."

Yoon Seah opened the conversation while reading the article about the 50 million Won hair.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I called just in case. The person in the article was just a scammer. But… there are some poking around our trash."

"Why?"

"Um… to check if uncle's saliva is on it, perhaps?"

"Huh, people are something."

Seong Jihan frowned.

Due to Mecan, he'd unwittingly become a walking lottery.

'Wish Karlein would teach them a lesson soon.'

As Seong Jihan was glad he had passed on the rock to that guy, a message arrived.

[Thanks to you, I could smash the Sun King's pawn. I'm truly grateful once more.]

Already?

It hadn't been long since he handed over the terminal, and it was already smashed.

While Seong Jihan found Karlein's message astonishing,

[So, I've prepared a modest counter-gift for you.]

'Oh?'

Intrigued by the talk of an item, he shifted his attention.

[Would you like to receive a special reward from the Constellation of the Dead Star?]

Let's see what it is.

Seong Jihan pressed yes.