Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 181

181. Player Who Became a Constellation

Saelotte was filled with excitement, about to embark on a trip with Loki for the first time in a while.

Sitting in the rattling carriage, she stared silently at Loki’s back as he sat on the driver’s seat.

“What is it?”

At his question, Saelotte shook her head.

Old memories were simply resurfacing.

“Hoon! Where are we going this time?”

However, something spoiled the mood.

A feline [cat-like humanoid] was pushing Saelotte aside and shaking Loki’s shoulders.

Even knowing Loki’s position in Asgard, this feline woman showed no restraint.

Was she truly ignorant, or simply bold…?

Sometimes, Saelotte envied that proactive attitude.

“We’re going south.”

“South?”

The feline, Karen, perked up her ears and tilted her head.

“I heard that’s where the Underworld is.”

“Are we going there?”

Loki nodded.

He had a reason for bringing these two along.

In the ‘Forest of Death’ in the south, dark elves were said to guard the forest against invaders.

He believed Saelotte’s presence would prevent them from being hostile.

Karen, on the other hand, served as an anchor to guide Loki to the Underworld.

「You need at least two people to go to the Underworld.」

「One must remain in the mortal realm, and the other must venture into the Underworld. The two must have a red thread tied to their little fingers in order to return to the mortal realm.」

If the thread is cut, there is no return.

「The thread will serve as a guide back to this world.」

This was the advice Zaus had given.

The carriage arrived at a red forest.

The ground was cracked and crumbly, and the trees were withered.

Loki looked ahead.

Undead stumbled out of the forest.

“There are many spirits near the Underworld.”

Saelotte and Karen stood on guard.

However, the slow undead didn’t reach the carriage.

Loki wasn’t worried about those undead.

“…Something’s coming.”

Only then did Saelotte and Karen seem to sense something, raising their heads and staring in one direction.

Loki turned the carriage reins.

The horses stopped.

Through the dry branches in the red mist, something could be seen staggering towards them.

“Haa…! Haa…! Haa…!”

It was two children.

They weren’t human.

Both had bronze skin and long ears.

The leather clothes they wore were covered in blood.

“Are they still coming?!”

“Run! If we get caught, we’re dead…!”

Soon, a huge being emerged from the dark crimson.

Kwoooooooo-!

A massive body reaching 6m [~20 feet].

Bumpy red skin and a body covered in muscles.

A single large eye was embedded in its large head.

Cyclops.

The one-eyed giant was chasing the young elves with a mace.

One of the young dark elves who looked back made eye contact with the Cyclops.

Then, the dark elf’s body stiffened and froze.

His legs staggered, and he fell forward.

“Uh… uh…?”

The dark elf’s muscles twitched all over.

The companion who was running with him stopped.

“You idiot! I told you not to make eye contact with the Cyclops!”

The moment the Cyclops raised its mace to strike the dark elf.

“Karen. Kill it.”

Bang-!

Blood splattered everywhere.

“…….”

The two young dark elves widened their eyes.

A black object flew by in the blink of an eye.

It was stuck to the Cyclops’ head.

To be exact, it was a gauntlet with sharp claws embedded in the Cyclops’ eye.

The young dark elves stared at the black being stuck in the Cyclops’ eye.

“A cat?”

“Kyahaha!”

Karen burst into maniacal laughter and pulled out the gauntlet.

Blood spurted out of the Cyclops’ eye like a fountain.

The Cyclops screamed and waved its hands.

Karen stepped on the Cyclops’ head and jumped up, kicking the swinging fist with her foot.

Thud-!

With a dull sound, the Cyclops’ hand bounced away, losing its balance and falling backward.

The young dark elves froze as they watched the beast-woman.

The cat’s unique eyes gleamed as they looked at the two.

“…Two small meats?”

At those words, the young dark elves were terrified.

They had heard that beast-men were omnivores.

At that moment, Karen twitched her ears.

Looking back, the Cyclops was getting up.

Kuooh-!

It spewed red breath.

Even though its eye was burst, the Cyclops stood up and held up its mace.

“S, strong??”

She had launched some confident attacks, but it endured them.

Could it be stronger than that angel guy?

“Don’t let your guard down. You stupid cat.”

A jet-black arrow pierced the air.

The intensely rotating arrow struck the Cyclops’ body.

Kwajijijik-!

The Cyclops staggered, bleeding.

Saelotte, who had gotten off the carriage, sprinted while pulling the bowstring, shooting arrows at the Cyclops.

One shot, two shots, three shots.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The arrows pierced the Cyclops, and the contained magic exploded.

The Cyclops staggered as if it had been hit by a cannon.

Even so, the Cyclops stood up.

Saelotte revealed a surprised look.

“…Strong.”

“S, really strong.”

Karen nodded in agreement.

Saelotte paused.

The surroundings were full of zombies.

There was no room to move forward.

Eventually, she jumped onto a withered tree.

Karen also sprinted and jumped up.

At the same time as Saelotte shot an arrow at the back of the Cyclops’ head, Karen jumped straight in and punched the Cyclops in the face with her fist.

Kwakwang-!

The back of its head was pierced, and its face was crushed.

With the two strikes, the Cyclops’ head was crushed, and it knelt down.

Soon, its body fell forward.

Thud-!

A cloud of dust rose.

“Hoo….”

Saelotte sighed and pulled the bowstring again, aiming at the zombies gathering around the carriage.

Karen clashed her gauntlets and hunted the approaching zombies.

The young dark elves, who saw the power of the two, wore blank expressions as the carriage approached.

The young dark elves raised their heads and looked up at Loki sitting in the driver’s seat.

A man with black and white hair looked down at them with red eyes.

“Are you the elves who live here?”

“Y, you who are you-? Mmph-!”

The other elf next to the young elf who was speaking covered his mouth to stop him.

“You idiot! You mustn’t talk to outsiders.”

“…….”

It seems they are wary of outsiders.

“I’m from Asgard.”

“……?”

The two elves wore bewildered expressions.

‘I see. They don’t know about Asgard here?’

“I’m looking for the gate to the Underworld.”

The faces of the two young elves hardened.

“Do you know where that entrance is?”

***

The young dark elves got into the carriage.

The two dark elves were siblings; the boy’s name was Rell, and the girl’s name was Rill.

Loki drove the carriage, Saelotte shot arrows from the roof, and Karen ran around hunting the approaching zombies.

“Wow….”

The dark elf girl, Rill, wore a surprised expression.

She was genuinely impressed by the power the two were showing.

At that, the dark elf boy, Rell, approached Loki and asked.

“…What are you going to do with us?”

Loki shrugged.

“What else? I’ll take you to your village.”

“Are you going to raid our village?!”

“There’s nothing to gain from raiding your village.”

At Loki’s words, Rell puffed out his chest and scoffed.

“Many slavers have said that. But they all died, and so did those who prided themselves on their skills. You’ll be like that too.”

“We’ll be like that?”

When Loki asked back, Rill grabbed his sleeve as Rell was about to say something.

“Those people are strong, Rell.”

“…….”

“They killed the Cyclops.”

At those words, Rell couldn’t say anything.

The Cyclops is no ordinary monster.

A monster that lives in the wailing valley connected to the Underworld.

It guarded the place like a gatekeeper and ate zombies.

Its tough skin cannot be pierced by arrows, and its large eyes are filled with magic, freezing the body the moment they meet.

Those monsters were killed by one dark elf and one beast-woman.

“Tch!”

Rell clicked his tongue.

Seeing such Rell, Saelotte approached.

As Saelotte looked at Rell, Rell looked at her with rebellious eyes.

“Huh? What?!”

Saelotte smacked the top of Rell’s head.

“Ouch!”

He covered his head as if it hurt quite a bit.

“…If someone saves you, say thank you. That’s the polite thing to do.”

“I didn’t ask to be saved-.”

When Saelotte crossed her arms and stared with narrowed eyes, Rell, intimidated by the look, avoided her gaze and muttered.

“Th, thank you.”

Rill quickly bowed her head to Loki and Saelotte, expressing her gratitude.

“Thank you…!”

“Yeah.”

Loki nodded.

“Um….”

Rill spoke.

“I’ll tell you where our village is.”

“Rill!”

Rell shouted at Rill’s words.

“Are you going to betray the village?!”

“But, Rell, we can’t help it. These people are strong! They might even save the village!”

“H, but….”

Rill turned her head and said to Loki.

“You said you wanted to go to the entrance to the Underworld, right?”

When Loki nodded, Rill said.

“Then please save our village. Then… I’ll tell you the entrance to the Underworld.”

***

Dark Elf Village.

A place full of houses on trees rooted in a wide swamp.

Such dark elf houses-.

Crack-!

Crash-!

Were collapsing.

The Cyclops grabbed them with its fists, destroying parts of the houses. When there was nothing to grab in its hand, it rolled its eyes as if it was a pity.

They were Cyclopses reaching 10m in size [~33 feet].

They rolled their eyes towards the holes in the houses.

The Cyclops, who had climbed a tree tens of meters high, stretched out its hand towards another house it found and destroyed it.

There were 3 Cyclopses in the Dark Elf Village.

The 3 of them had occupied the Dark Elf Village, where more than 500 people lived.

“…….”

Beings hidden from such Cyclopses.

The dark elves were hiding in narrow holes in the trees or in the swamp.

Bubble-!

Even though only a very small bubble came up, the Cyclops’ huge eyeballs turned and caught it.

In an instant, the Cyclops’ huge body soared.

It fell from the tree and landed in the swamp.

It spread its fist and quickly swung it in the swamp, snatching a hidden dark elf.

“Aaaaaaack!”

The dark elf’s limbs protruded between its fists and twisted in abnormal directions.

This was because the Cyclops did not control its strength towards its prey.

The Cyclops smiled as it heard the dark elf’s scream and opened its mouth.

“Don’t! Don’t-!”

Crack-!

The Cyclops ate the dark elf alive.

Other dark elves who were hiding watched the scene and were terrified.

They trembled and covered their heads.

‘Why did it turn out like this?’

They were the ones who only ate the zombies flowing out of the Underworld at the entrance to the wailing valley.

Such guys have now started to change their diet.

They left the valley and settled in the Dark Elf Village, catching and eating the dark elves who were running away.

「I’m… hungry.」

The Cyclops spat out words.

「Come… out.」

At those words, the dark elves cowered.

The Cyclopses rolled their eyeballs.

The Cyclops who had eaten the dark elf licked its palm.

And again, it destroyed the houses and searched for the dark elves.

It was like a bear disturbing a beehive because it was hungry.

Of course, what they are aiming for is not the sweet honey-like food that the dark elves have gathered.

It was the dark elves, the bees who collected it.

「Come out.」

When they couldn’t find them no matter how much they destroyed the houses, this time the Cyclopses started destroying the trees.

Then, the dark elves hiding between the holes in the rotten trees could be seen.

「Found you.」

The dark elves screamed.

They opened their mouths and swallowed the trees whole.

Rustle, rustle.

Broken pieces of wood flew between the mouths chewing as if eating snacks.

‘It’s over now!’

When the dark elves were despairing-.

Clatter… clatter…

There was a quiet sound.

The dark elves flinched.

Holding their breath, they put their eyes to the gaps in the trees.

A carriage was entering through the dark crimson mist.