The Atelier of Stars
After soaking himself in hot water, Jin-hyuk stepped outside.
Guess this is the last bath I'll take here.
He looked around Cheon Se-yeon's house.
Se-yeon had gone to the Central Hunter Bureau to wrap up the New Caliho operation.
She probably wouldn't be back for a while.
When he turned on the TV, the screen overflowed with news related to New Caliho.
The people who'd been on the ship were giving interviews to various stations, befitting influencers.
Thank you, Team Leader Jin Yun-ho.
Jin Yun-ho had insisted that Jin-hyuk must not be exposed to the media and snuck him away in the middle of everything.
— We still need your statement.
The West Sea Hunter Bureau had argued he needed to cooperate with the investigation, but that didn't fly.
The Central Hunter Bureau simply crushed their objections with overwhelming authority and even drove Jin-hyuk straight to Se-yeon's house.
"Fwoooh! I feel great!"
Kancho and Dark came out after finishing their showers in separate bathrooms.
Seira and Momo were sitting on the sofa, drying their hair.
Se-yeon would be absolutely speechless if she saw this.
She thought she had one guest… when in reality there were five.
Thankfully, they'd made it to the last day without getting caught.
Jin-hyuk went into his room and took a star-shaped necklace from his bag.
"Hm."
He examined it from every angle, stroking his chin.
The necklace wouldn't go into his inventory.
To test it, he handed it to Momo.
"Try putting this in your bag."
"Okay!"
The star necklace slipped right in without resistance.
It went into Flix's bag, so the issue wasn't with inventories in general.
Which left only one possibility:
The gemstone making up the necklace did not originate from a Tower.
"Seira, can you chip off a piece of this stone?"
"Sure."
"Don't break it."
"I know."
With a light application of force, Seira made a small Sirius gemstone pop free.
Jin-hyuk took the original plate from his inventory and placed the missing stone into the empty slot.
Saaaah…!
The moment it fit, light seeped out from each gemstone, connecting them.
The connection points shifted, weaving multiple constellations.
Finally, light poured out from the entire plate, engulfing Jin-hyuk.
[This is a memory sealed within the plate.]
A hologram unfolded within the light.
The setting was a high, open place where the night sky filled the world.
The memory's owner looked up at the stars while crafting something with their hands.
When the work reached a certain point, a circular glyph appeared in the air.
Oh? A magician?
A magic circle-like array filled with constellations floated there.
Light rained down from it, sinking into whatever object the person had been working on just moments ago.
# Is it done.
A low mutter sounded.
The skyward gaze slowly lowered.
Gulp.
Jin-hyuk's heart pounded.
What had this magician-like figure created with such a technique?
At last, the view settled on the finished creation—
"Uwah!"
Jin-hyuk jerked backward, slamming his head into the sofa.
The holographic memory vanished with perfect timing.
"General, you okaysssing?"
"What did you see that startled you like that?"
Jin-hyuk took a few deep breaths and wrinkled his nose.
He didn't know how to explain it.
A creature assembled from countless different body parts—
something you'd call a chimera in comics or anime.
[An incomplete archetype plate has been completed!]
[Entry conditions for the Tower of Myth, Floor 5, have been fulfilled!]
Sweat beaded down Jin-hyuk's back.
The memory had been disconcerting, but the situation itself wasn't unfamiliar.
Kancho, Dark, Momo—every one of them had had some variation of a "Huh!?" kind of memory.
Come to think of it… Seira's the only one who was normal.
He nodded at Seira with a proud smile.
As expected of his master.
"…?"
Seira tilted her head, clueless.
Jin-hyuk stood up.
He'd had a refreshing shower; no reason to delay.
[Entering the Tower of Myth, Floor 5!]
[Entering Floor 5 of the Tower of Myth — The Atelier of Stars!]
"Wow."
The black walls were filled with constellations.
Here a sparkle, there a shimmer—his eyes feasted on the sight.
"Momo?"
Momo was pressed against the wall, grunting.
Up close, he saw her trying desperately to pry out a shining piece.
"Hyu—! This won't come out!"
Momo, the excellent homemaker.
But romance? Not her thing.
Seira strode in with her sword drawn to help.
Without hesitation, she jammed the demon sword Tarkhan into the wall.
Using it like a lever, she pried the shining stone loose.
"It's out!"
Momo beamed and quickly collected the gemstone.
Jin-hyuk nodded in satisfaction.
The beautiful star pattern on the wall was gone, but they gained a gem.
Beauty fades when you look away, but gemstones don't.
As Seira approached the next stone—
Rumble…!
A foreboding tremor shook the room, and a massive test tube appeared ahead.
A cylinder full of unknown green liquid.
Cracks formed, and the liquid turned to smoke, spreading.
"It's a huge pancake! I'm gonna eat itsssing!"
Kancho reacted first.
He dashed toward the wall, trying to eat the "pancake."
"It's a giant gem!"
Momo scooped up dirt from the floor.
Seira frowned.
"Even I feel danger from this."
Seira had never suffered any status ailments—her level and resistances were absurdly high.
If even Seira said it was dangerous, Kancho and Momo acting weird made perfect sense.
"If it's dangerous, come out."
He released all the manifestations.
[An extreme hallucination effect is active! Even a small amount causes inescapable illusions!]
Ding!
[All Status Ailment Resistance SSS+ activates! Immune to status ailments!]
Confirming the immunity, he stepped forward.
The starry atelier still shone beautifully despite the hallucinogenic mist.
Beautiful flowers have thorns; beautiful rooms apparently explode your brain.
"Hm hm-hmm. What will appear, I wonder."
After walking for a while, he heard humming.
Following the sound, colorful smoke greeted him.
[A dense poison mist enters your nose! Inhaling too much may melt your brain!]
[Mist mixed with Salamander's Breath! Causes extreme heat symptoms!]
A slew of other status messages followed.
If not for his resistance, he would've died a dozen times already.
What IS this place…?
Sweat ran down his back.
He was certain now.
This person was even more dangerous than chain-explosion man Kancho.
He raised his eyes.
The one humming wore a gas mask-like mask.
Her hair was braided into two long plaits, and she stirred an enormous cauldron with a ladle the size of her whole body.
Whatever was inside…
If eaten, he would undoubtedly die vomiting blood.
"Hm hmm… huh?"
The humming stopped.
Creak, creak—she descended on an old wooden platform.
When he finally faced the atelier's owner, Jin-hyuk's eyes widened.
Pointed ears.
An elf!? The real deal!?
The elf looked him over and pulled a small vial from her bag.
Jin-hyuk flinched and stepped back.
Whatever it was, it didn't look safe.
She let out a small laugh and dropped the vial on the ground.
Fsssshhhh—
White smoke spilled out, and the colored fumes filling the atelier vanished.
The constant barrage of status warnings ceased.
"Impressive, Master. You're perfectly fine without a mask?"
"My body's a bit sturdy."
"Hm. Good. Very good."
He had no idea what exactly she liked so much.
But the way she looked at him… was not normal.
"Nice to meet you, Master. My name is Ellia. Ellia Possen."
"Nice to meet you, Ellia. I'm Yoo Jin-hyuk."
They shook hands.
Ding!
[A glove filled with a dreadful curse! Status ailment 'Despair' activates!]
[Status ailment negated by immunity!]
Huh?
"You really are sturdy."
Ellia smiled brightly, removed her gloves, and offered her hand again.
"Just a little prank to commemorate our meeting."
"Ugh."
Jin-hyuk immediately backed away.
Another dangerous friend acquired.
[A new card has been added!]
[Yoo Jin-hyuk]
Class: Collector
**[Intrinsic Trait]
Card Collector
Current Cards: 5/5
— Seira Kinkaeton
— Kancho
— Dark Castro
— Momo
— Ellia Possen**
**[Ellia Possen]
Sage of StarsClass: AlchemistGrade: UniqueLevel: 100
— Evolves to next grade at Unique Lv. 120.**
**[Unique Traits]
Alchemy of StarsBlessing of StarsCounsel of StarsPrimordial Curiosity
…**
**[Unique Skills]
Star TradeConstellation InterpretationEquivalent ExchangeAtelier Summon
…**
**[Owned Relics]
Stellar Gauntlet**
Sage of Stars.
The title didn't match her at all.
Her behavior resembled a witch far more.
And another thing—
Shouldn't sages usually be old?
Jin-hyuk stroked his chin while looking her over.
She looked like she was in elementary or maybe middle school.
A prodigy sage?
"If you're thinking I look too young, thank you."
"Oh? Can you read minds?"
"Of course not. It's called experience."
"How old are you? We have someone over a thousand in our party."
"A thousand? A baby."
"Huh?"
Ellia pulled out the gauntlet etched with constellations—likely the Stellar Gauntlet.
With a flick, a frog-shaped parrot appeared.
"Koko. How old am I this year?"
"Great Sage of Stars, Lady Ellia Possen, is exactly 3,271 years old today!"
Jin-hyuk's jaw dropped.
This wasn't a matter of 'old.'
She was older than recorded human history itself.
"Don't call me granny. Makes the years feel heavy."
"Oh, an elf."
Dark manifested first, grinning with interest.
"Hey! Is that how you talk to your elders? Show some respect, fledgling."
"We all speak casually by Master's rule."
"Is that so? If Master commands, so be—hm!?"
Ellia's eyes sparkled when Seira appeared a moment later.
"A face worthy of history! And you—what are you? Badger? Raccoon?"
"What nonsense is that, you old hag!? I'm a Yordle!"
He's feisty today, Kancho.
Ellia didn't seem to mind being called an old hag.
Truly worthy of the title 'sage.'
"Grandma!"
"Hm?! When did you get there? Your presence is as small as a tadpole's."
She hurried over and cupped Momo's chubby cheeks.
"Such premium chubby cheeks. I hereby allow you to remain by my side at all times."
"Wow! Is that good?"
"Of course. My side is a very precious place."
While the lively introductions continued—
Jin-hyuk's eyes shook violently as he read a new message.
What?
A gigantic question mark filled his mind.
[You have cleared Floor 5 of the Tower of Myth!]
There had been no monsters to fight.
So he expected no EXP.
But something entirely unrelated had gone up instead.
[Synchronization Rate of Player Yoo Jin-hyuk has increased by 2%!
Current Sync Rate: 102%]
Why did THAT go up…?
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T/N:
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