After the game ended.

‘This place…’

Seong Jihan opened his eyes wide, seeing the brightened world.

Unlike the usual return home after a game,

The place he stood in was the space where he had chosen the constellations during the coronation ceremony just a while ago.

The dark space where only the three constellations were illuminated by spotlights.

Now, devoid of the constellations’ presence, only the lights were shining down.

– Back here again?

– What’s even going on with this game?

– I thought we’d see some grand battle with administrators appearing, but it feels like we got scammed…

– Honestly, just watching the damn flames until the end lol

The viewers, who had expected an impressive battle at the coronation ceremony, were complaining about seeing nothing but the obstructing flames.

At least the human viewers, owing to their bias towards Seong Jihan, refrained from overly criticizing him.

– What kind of broadcast is this, after I finally tuned in ㅡㅡ

– Even the administrators are a scam?

– But how did they block the broadcast with flames? That level of interference should have been overcome…

– I tried breaking through myself, but it didn’t work.

– I’m unsubscribing.

– I’m going to watch how the guy faking with administrators gets punished lol Seems like lower-tier species have brass guts.

The extraterrestrial viewers, on the other hand, were in an uproar, declaring it a scam.

‘It’s a pity the viewers couldn’t watch, thus losing the 80% buff.’

The heavily upgraded Star buff.

When it was a mere 20% stat amplification, its absence was just a slight inconvenience.

But with an 80% buff, the lack of it significantly impacted performance.

Earlier, while attempting to complete the Taiji Sword, if only the buff had been active, he might have crafted more than just a sword handle, perhaps a full dagger.

‘Although it made sense for the meeting with Ashoka to be hidden… it would be problematic if BattleTube gets obstructed like this in future significant fights. I must find a solution.’

As Seong Jihan contemplated while watching the chat,

Whoosh…

“Hmm…”

Void energy began to seep from the cracked half-mask.

‘I’m still wearing it.’

Gently,

As Seong Jihan removed the mask,

It floated up, leaving his hand and hovering mid-air.

The cracks began to emit a dark light.

‘…Is it repaired?’

The cracks vanished, replaced by a black sheen.

The mask then returned to his hand.

The darkness replacing the cracks continued to exude a palpable presence as Seong Jihan held it.

‘The Void energy has grown stronger.’

The half-mask, which had always stored a considerable amount of Void energy, seemed to be even more potent after the repairs.

‘This means the Void won’t destabilize and hinder the creation of the Taiji sword again.’

With the Void’s energy now even stronger, crafting the Taiji sword should be easier.

As Seong Jihan examined the half-mask before storing it in his inventory,

[The green manager says to the black manager in amazement, “I didn’t know you could repair that.”]

A system window opened, revealing a message from the Green Administrator.

– The Black Administrator repaired that…

– This is definitely an admin impersonation scam. Does this even make sense? Isn’t that an item storing Void energy?

– The pinnacle of Void actually fixed a Void-sealing item…?

– Didn’t I say it was a scam? ㅡㅡ

Seeing this, the extraterrestrial viewers further burst out, expressing disbelief.

They were already skeptical about the administrators’ involvement.

Now, with a broadcast obscured by flames and administrator messages conflicting with their knowledge, doubts about the show’s authenticity surged.

[The Green Administrator asks you what happened within the Calamitous Flames.]

[They promise a huge reward if you consent to memory playback.]

The administrators couldn’t see inside, it seemed, hence the Green Administrator proposed memory playback.

Offering great rewards just to reveal the memory.

“No.”

How can I trust them?

Seong Jihan’s trust in the Green Administrator was well below zero, already in the negatives, and he refused outright.

“Rather… Why did they bring me back here?”

As Seong Jihan inquired why he had been brought back,

[The White Administrator makes a proposal to you.]

The White Administrator, who had persistently abstained from voting, made a proposal to Seong Jihan for the first time.

Immediately,

– The White Admin is actually making a proposal ㅡㅡ

– Reporting admin impersonation.

– Me too.

– Haven’t reported yet??

– I’m sticking around to see the scam artist get caught.

– Hah… at least make it believable if you’re going to fake admin messages lol

Viewers, convinced the channel was tampered, were now certain.

Unlike the temporally bound Green and Red Administrators, the White and Black Administrators had been present since the inception of BattleNet.

They rarely took the initiative and had become even more reclusive recently.

Almost like supreme deities of BattleNet, the Black and White Administrators.

Yet the Black Administrator repaired some lower-tier species’ mask, and now the White Administrator was directly making proposals.

Even for a doctored channel, this felt over the top.

But,

[The White Administrator offers to upgrade your BattleNet channel if you agree to install the ‘Eye of Light.’]

“The Eye of Light…”

[They also offer to transfer you to ‘Space-2 Area’ by administrator authority if you accept.]

Space-2 Area.

That was the area Seong Jihan couldn’t reach due to failing the humanity extinction mission.

But they’d elevate him there just for accepting the installation?

“What is the Eye of Light?”

[He informs you that it is a device to permanently block channel obstructions like earlier.]

If it’s that, he’d actually want it installed here immediately.

Space-2 wasn’t of much interest, and the BattleNet channel upgrade didn’t particularly hit home.

But the Eye of Light seemed like the perfect device to maintain the Star buff.

“I accept.”

[Installing the Eye of Light…]

As Seong Jihan agreed, the installation of the Eye of Light commenced.

– Eye of Light? Lol

– The admin messages are way too fake.

– Stop this and get caught already. Why are reports taking so long?

– Wait, but…

– What, what’s this mark?

– No way…

Viewers who were certain this was doctored saw the new white eye mark appear and fell silent.

* * *

Star of the Martial God, Tuseong.

Gilgamesh, having exited the tower, was walking towards the place where the third disciple was sealed.

“What are you planning to do?”

Dongbang Sak, closely trailing him, asked slowly.

“Didn’t he awaken recently? Just planning to have a chat among fellow constellations.”

“You seem to be in quite a hurry for just a chat.”

“I’m eager to meet him. But Dongbang Sak, how long do you plan to follow me?”

Annoyed, Gilgamesh glared at Dongbang Sak.

Gently stroking his beard,

“I shall observe until my master’s command has been fulfilled.”

“Ha… Is your life that idle? Come to think of it, you are the only one among the Martial God’s disciples classed as a Sole Sovereignty constellation. We Dominion constellations have matters to discuss, so please give us space.”

“But has he not transferred his constellation trait to Seong Jihan? Does he not lose his dominion trait then?”

“…No. He remains a constellation.”

“How do you know?”

“By continually tracking the number of constellations ruling a species.”

Gilgamesh grimaced, his face showing he couldn’t quite comprehend.

“It’s perplexing. The throne was supposedly inherited, yet he remains a constellation… Can traits be partially handed down?”

“I know not, for I lack the dominion trait.”

“Hmm… Surely his dominion level isn’t higher than 8.”

“Level 8… It is indeed high, but could it not be surpassed?”

“I am level 8.”

Gilgamesh pointed to himself in response to Dongbang Sak.

“As the king of humans and the original existence, even I could only reach level 8 in dominion.”

“And?”

“A later king surpassing me is unthinkable.”

“I hail from a later period than you, yet my Sole constellationty level is 9.”

“Level 9? Ho… you are more of a monstrous aberration than I thought.”

As Gilgamesh stared at Dongbang Sak in disbelief,

“What brings you here?”

Pythia, arms crossed, frowned at the pair.

“Pythia, why are you here?”

“I have crucial business with Ashoka.”

“What a coincidence. I too have matters to discuss.”

“I was here first.”

“When did Tuseong start caring about first-come, first-served?”

Showing no intention of yielding, Gilgamesh tried to step ahead of Pythia.

“Stop.”

Crrrrack!

A massive ice wall surged from the ground, blocking his path.

Gilgamesh’s face contorted in anger.

“Move aside, Pythia.”

“I was about to say the same. Move back, Gilgamesh. Unless you want to be humiliated.”

“Ha… When did the prophetess grow so audacious?”

Bang!

Gilgamesh kicked the ice wall.

Slowly…

Instead of shattering, the wall bound and froze his foot.

“…What is this power?”

“I shall return it to you in kind. I received dominion power. And it’s quite useful.”

“You grew bold because you received it? Laughable.”

Crack… crack…

The ice cracked instantly.

Gilgamesh withdrew his foot and began to gather his power in earnest.

Among the Martial God’s disciples, the only one he hesitated to fight was Dongbang Sak.

He was confident neither Pythia nor the third disciple were a match for him.

Especially Pythia.

Her authority was related to prophecy and detection, rendering her the weakest among the Martial God’s disciples.

He had no concerns about her.

“I’ll teach you to understand rank properly.”

“Tsk. How hard is it to wait your turn? An old fool with little inside that head.”

“…So bold just because you received a level 8 dominion?”

“Of course. Level 8 means I’m on par with you.”

Slowly…

Fully gathering her power, Pythia did not back down from Gilgamesh.

With her newly acquired dominion power at level 8,

The power she could now wield was on an entirely different plane than before.

‘At this level, she could fight Gilgamesh for quite a while. This might not end easily…’

Calmly stroking his beard, Dongbang Sak observed the scene with a serene face.

In any case, he could end the situation instantly if needed.

So, he decided to let them have their confrontation, curious to see their power levels.

But,

[Stop.]

Crrrrack!

Before the two could clash,

The ground split open, and a giant form began to emerge.

“M-Master…!”

“…The Martial God, he awakened already?”

The wandering Martial God, who had sealed the third disciple and briefly rested, appeared.

He addressed the three with a grave tone.

[Far too many unexpected events have occurred this time…]

“And?”

Slowly…

He turned around.

Specifically, beyond the ice wall.

Toward the land where the third disciple was sealed.

[I shall turn the Golden Wheel. Ashoka.]