Return of the Shattered Constellation

“Hey, hey, you saw my oppa looking at me, right? Oh my god! I can die right now without any regrets!” the younger twin shrieked.

With a look of disgust, Shin Geum-Gyu, one of the members of Team Adios, watched his only twin sister fangirling(?), feeling as if his worries(?) had come true.

“You’re one devoted woman, a really devoted woman,[1]” Geum-Gyu muttered, clicking his tongue.

After Chang-Sun passed the tests with an overwhelmingly perfect score, Eun-Seo had become fervently motivated to join the same company as Chang-Sun, and eventually succeeded in joining the White Tiger Clan with the highest score in Team Adios apart from Kim Hyeong-Jun, the team leader.

Over the past week, she had been over the moon, excitedly thinking about meeting Chang-Sun again in the training institute. Now, she was about to faint because she had actually gotten to meet him.

“Hey, you’re drooling. Your oppa sure will love you if he sees you right now, huh?” Geum-Gyu remarked sarcastically.

“Heup!” Eun-Seo quickly wiped her mouth and pulled out a hand mirror from an inner pocket to look at her face.

Geum-Gyu shook his head in disbelief. Eventually, he noticed Hyeong-Jun, his leader, looking serious. He asked, “Huh…? Hyeong-Jun hyung, is there a problem?”

“Huh? No, everything is fine.” Although he had spent a while staring at Eun-Seo, Hyeong-Jun quickly came back to reality and smiled gently, shaking his head as he replied. His smile was so natural that Geum-Gyu was convinced that he was mistaken.

“I think he’s about to tell us the training institute’s instructions, so let’s pay attention to him,” he said, making Geum-Gyu hurriedly shift his focus to the training supervisor.

Geum-Gyu felt that he had to get his act together on behalf of his crazy sister.

Due to the brochure that had been handed to the trainees in advance, it was not difficult to understand the training institute’s instructions; however, many of them were unexpectedly tricky. In summary, the instructions were…

1. The training period will last for 100 days.

2. For the first 30 days, trainees will have time to learn and practice the Three Basic Skills of the White Tiger Clan’s members.

3. For the same period, the trainees will go through various training exercises to develop skills they can use in the field.

4. For the remaining 70 days, the Safe Zone will be deactivated, and trainees will have to survive by relying on the Three Basic Skills and any other Skills they have learned in advance.

4. There are no rules for the survival phase. Trainees can team up with each other or try to survive on their own.

5. Trainees will gain points for every achievement they unlock in the Dungeon. They will gain different amounts of points depending on the level of the monsters they hunt.

6. Instructors and guards will be stationed all over the Dungeon, monitoring the trainees at all times to grade them.

7. Instructors will not usually interfere, but they will immediately intervene if trainees are in danger. In such cases, instructors will deduct points. Trainees will fail the exercise if their point total reaches zero.

8. Upon failing the training exercise, trainees can no longer join the White Tiger Clan; it is necessary to keep this in mind. In contrast, a predetermined award will be given to trainees with high marks.

9. The top five trainees will be eligible for being chosen by the Guardian.

‘Even if it’s not mentioned in the regulations, trainees are free to act and make their own judgment as long as they aren’t committing crimes.’ Geum-Gyu thought bitterly as he read the rest of the brochure.

The first thought that entered his mind was that although the training exercise seemed unrestrained at first glance, it would be very brutal; he sighed lightly. Some people desperately wanted to be Players because they sought a chance to turn their life around, but he had been forced to work as a Player to support his poor family. As he had chosen to work for the White Tiger Clan, some people would dismiss his concerns as mere whining, but he was already beginning to worry about whether the training exercise would end peacefully.

“Then, I’ll first teach you the Three Basic Skills,” the supervisor said after he finished explaining the instructions. Multiple instructors immediately showed up and handed three scrolls to each trainee.

When Geum-Gyu received the scrolls, his eyes shone with excitement; they were skill scrolls. They were artifacts that enabled people to acquire skills just by reading them, much like skill books. Making even one scroll needed many materials and a lot of money, but the White Tiger Clan was giving them away for free.

Badump! Badump!

Geum-Gyu tried to calm his wildly beating heart, but his hands still trembled as he opened the scrolls.

[Tiger Kill]

The basic Skill of ‘Calamity Tiger’.

You can attack your opponent by releasing a magical aura outward.

· Skill Level: 1

· Type: Active.

· Effect: Intimidation.

[Tiger Prowl]

You can overpower an enemy merely by walking forward.

· Skill Level: 1

· Type: Active.

· Effect: Increase Damage.

[Tiger Disaster]

You can unleash more powerful attacks with the force of a tiger’s bite.

· Skill Level: 1

· Type: Active.

· Effect: Increase Attack.

‘I can’t believe I got my hands on these…!’ Geum-Gyu thought, gaping.

Among Players, there was a saying that went, ‘The White Tiger Clan members’ power starts with their Three Basic Skills and ends with their Three Basic Skills.’

The saying was not intended to belittle the White Tier Clan members, however. The Three Basic Skills that were the pride of the White Tiger Clan—[Tiger Kill], [Tiger Prowl], and [Tiger Disaster]—were very effective and versatile.

All three of them worked like a set of interlocking cogs. Leveling up one of them would also level up the other two; as such, training them further would lead to exponential increases in power for all three. Furthermore, all the other Skills and Authorities that the White Tiger Clan’s members were known for had grown out of the interlinked system of the Three Basic Skills.

From new employees to the four Raid Team Leaders who were considered executives, each and every member of the White Tiger Clan used the three Skills as their primary ‘weapons’. It was no wonder that Geum-Gyu’s hands shook as violently as they did when he received the scrolls.

‘I’m about to formally become a member of the White Tiger Clan…!’ Geum-Gyu thought as he breathed deeply, trying to calm his nerves.

The scrolls could not confer complete mastery of the Skills. There was a reason why the system measured Skill levels, and also why the White Tiger Clan gave all its trainees a month. It was intended to allow the trainees to get used to the Three Basic Skills.

Rip!

Rip!

Paaah―!

[Acquired the Skill ‘Tiger Kill’!]

[Acquired the Skill ‘Tiger Prowl’!]

[Acquired the Skill ‘Tiger Disaster’!]

The sound of paper tearing filled the air. Skill Effects from the scrolls swirled around Geum-Gyu’s body, making him feel lighter.

“Have you all acquired the Skills? Next, Instructor Yu will demonstrate them in practice, so observe him carefully and reflect…!” the supervisor called out.

As the training was about to begin, all the trainees’ eyes sparkled with excitement. However, just as the supervisor was about to continue, someone suddenly raised his hand high in the air. Normally, the supervisor would have ignored it and continued giving instructions; however, he could not do so this time, as that someone was Chang-Sun.

The supervisor felt somewhat nervous, as his superiors had given him several instructions about Chang-Sun; however, he was also furious about the fact that a trainee had interrupted him. Thus, he simply decided to deduct Chang-Sun’s points if he said something useless, saying, “Yes, Mr. Lee Chang-Sun. Go ahead.”

“I’ve already mastered all the skills, and I’ve heard that I can exit the Safe Zone before the 30-day training period is over if I show perfect demonstrations of the skills,” Chang-Sun said. He sounded extremely calm, but the words he spoke affected the crowd powerfully.

“What? He’s learned all of them already?”

“How on earth did he do that?”

“Did he receive the scrolls before us?”

“No way. There are so many people here right now! Why would they use such shallow tricks?”

“You have a point, but how does that make sense? He just tore up the scrolls and instantly mastered everything, from the movements to the posture? No matter how insane his talent is…!”

The previously quiet Safe Zone was engulfed in an uproar. Worried that another fight like the one that had erupted at the testing site would occur, the trainees anxiously watched Chang-Sun.

“Look at my oppa acting so confident! How can he be so feisty? Once a Tyrant, always a Tyrant!” Eun-Seo exclaimed, her instincts as a Chang-Sun stan flaring up once again.

In the past, Chang-Sun had been famous for his blunt speech and cold, indifferent attitude when he worked as a professional gamer. It had earned him many haters, but his bluntness had also become his trademark, winning popularity around the world.

Now, it seemed that trait was alive and well—no, more than that; he was now the epitome of arrogance in other people’s eyes. After all, they did not know that Chang-Sun had spent five hundred years in Arcadia and Heaven.

Meanwhile, Hyeong-Jun was already incandescent with jealousy, but he merely smiled coldly. He regained his composure, thinking confidently, ‘Wait, I don’t need to get angry, seeing as he’s going to fail anyway.’

In reality, Hyeong-Jun had long since mastered the Three Basic Skills; he was confident that he could perform the perfect demonstrations Chang-Sun had asked about. Unbeknownst to his fellow Team Adios members, his father was an executive in the White Tiger Clan, which meant his recruitment into the Clan was predetermined. However, there was just one thing that had not gone according to plan—placing first in the testing phase.

‘Who could have known he was going to show up at the testing site?’ Hyeong-Jun silently screamed in his mind.

Hyeong-Jun had previously heard the details of the audition from his father; thus, he had felt that he was fully prepared, confident he would come out on top with an overwhelmingly high score. He had thought that if he earned first place in the test with a brilliant performance, many people, including Eun-Seo, would look up to him.

However, those plans had been completely destroyed when Chang-Sun appeared. Chang-Sun had stolen Hyeong-Jun’s thunder, leaving him so shocked that he had only managed to scrape his way to fourth place. That was why Hyeong-Jun had been desperately honing his skill for the past week, waiting for his next opportunity.

‘I won’t look so pathetic this time, Hyeong-Jun thought, gritting his teeth.contemporary romance

Trainees would partly be graded by the order in which they exited the Safe Zone. Whomever exited the Safe Zone first would gain the highest score; thus, Hyeong-Jun had also been planning to try to exit the Safe Zone in advance. However, Chang-Sun had interrupted his plans once again, leaving him overwhelmed with annoyance.

‘No, this is for the better,’ Hyeong-Jun thought, trying to reconsider his stance. ‘Father definitely told me that Chang-Sun didn’t learn the Three Basic Skills ahead of time, and only read miscellaneous books in the Fierce Tiger Library. Even if he did gain something from there, he shouldn’t have had time to develop it.’

Hyeong-Jun’s cold smile deepened as he thought, ‘He must think he’s talented enough to use the Skills perfectly after looking at them only once. Idiot. If that were true, anyone could learn the Three Basic Skills.’

He naturally thought that Eun-Seo’s rose-tinted glasses would come off if Chang-Sun embarrassed himself.

“Alright. Try it,” the supervisor, who had been watching in discontent like Hyeong-Jun, answered sarcastically with a nod. Afterward, the people nearby all stepped back, creating some space for Chang-Sun.

“Phew…!” Chang-Sun carefully controlled his breathing, standing in place. As he exhaled lightly and inhaled deeply…

‘Hmm…?’ Hyeong-Jun thought as he sensed the air around Chang-Sun changing abruptly.

The atmosphere turned heavy, fierce, and sharp, like a tiger’s presence!

‘No way!’ Hyeong-Jun thought, his eyes widening.

Chang-Sun took one step forward.

Thud!

[The Skill ‘Tiger Prowl’ has been activated!]

[The Skill ‘Tiger Kill’ has been activated!]

Rumble…!

The ground shook fiercely, to such an extent that even the trainees farthest away from Chang-Sun felt the vibrations. At the same time, the air rumbled loudly, creating a whirlwind around Chang-Sun that was so intense it could be seen with the naked eye.

Whoosh, swoosh, swish!

The whirlpool slowly distorted, taking on a unique shape. A giant tiger stood behind Chang-Sun, revealing its vicious teeth and claws.

“Wow…!”

“Un-Unbelievable!”

“Shit! He didn’t just use them; he even made them take on the Tiger Shape!”

The phenomenon that was taking place before their eyes was known as the ‘Tiger Shape’ or the ‘Tiger Form’. It required an individual to use [Tiger Prowl] to gather their magic decisively, then use [Tiger Kill] to release it. If the two skills were combined perfectly, the result would manifest as the Tiger Form.

Thus, Chang-Sun’s display shocked all the onlookers to their very bones. The supervisor, the instructors, and the guards were just as dumbfounded as the trainees.

‘This is ridiculous! How can he…?!’ Hyeong-Jun thought, feeling especially bewildered.

Although it had been five years since he had learned the Three Basic Skills, he still could not properly create the Tiger Form; it required not only mastery of the three Skills, but also precise control of one’s magic.

That was why the Clan classified those who could create the Tiger Form as ‘veterans’, which indicated that they needed no further training and could fully pull their weight. Chang-Sun had just executed that feat as if it were nothing.

However, there was a bigger problem.

‘No way! Is he even going to…?’ Hyeong-Jun thought, gaping.

If Chang-Sun could freely create the Tiger Form, he could even create the Tiger Teeth and the Tiger Claws…!

At that moment, Chang-Sun took [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] from his waist.

[The Skill ‘Tiger Disaster’ has been activated!]

Suddenly, there was a flash.

Slash!

A sharp blade of wind created by Chang-Sun’s dagger instantly sliced through the air toward the supervisor. Feeling a shiver running down his spine, the supervisor hurriedly dodged sideways. The wind blade that resembled a tiger’s claw flew swiftly through the air… and cut through the waist of a monster that happened to be wandering in front of the Safe Zone’s gate.

Squirt!

Thud…!

The monster fell in a spray of blood; only its lower body remained, however, as its entire upper body had been torn apart.

“How in the world…?” the supervisor muttered weakly, completely stupefied. He could not understand how Chang-Sun was able to use the Three Basic Skills perfectly, even though it had not been long since he had learned them.

Although the supervisor had not asked for an explanation, Chang-Sun turned to look at him and nonchalantly remarked, “I just performed them all.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

From the supervisor to the trainees, most of the people in the Safe Zone had the same thought.

‘H-He’s so full of himself!’

1. The raw is ‘열녀 났네, 열녀 나셨어’. Koreans sometimes call a loyal female fan ‘열녀’ (literally, a virtuous woman who has never taken a lover aside from her dead husband). The term was used to praise women in the past (until the Joseon Dynasty), but now, it is used sarcastically. ☜

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