I don’t know why you think so highly of a mere human! Did all of you go crazy upon setting foot on Earth? the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust reprimanded.
However, the other constellations merely stared at the goddess with lukewarm eyes. Given that they knew the truth, such provocations had no effect on them.
They just felt sorry for her!
Noticing their gazes of pity, the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust said in an angry tone, What I am saying now must seem ridiculous!I was being considerate to that human you seem to care so much about. Are you really fine with me breaking him?
The goddess was being serious. She had been holding back to a certain extent for the sake of the other constellations, and yet they were regarding her with pity.
“Goddess of Pleasure and Lust, think about how your subordinate Lamart acted when she saw Choi Yeonseung...”
A mere angel dares to cut into a conversation between constellations?
The goddess glared at Illaphael, her powerful gaze becoming a force in itself, ready to strike down the angel.
[The ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’...]
Choi Yeonseung stood in front of Illaphael, and the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust was baffled that her gaze was being blocked by a mere human.“I am the one taking up the challenge, goddess. There is no need to vent your anger on others, is there?”
Your arrogance is impressive, human. Have you perhaps gained courage because those nightmare demons started worshiping you?
‘Ugh, I personally didn’t want to subjugate them, but…’
Choi Yeonseung wished he could be honest about this. The nightmare demons had fallen to his feet because the goddess hadn’t controlled them properly. It wasn’t like he had intentionally seduced them…
-Well, didn’t you use your own martial art to seduce them?
-...Didn’t you tell me to do it?
Continuing to talk about that would only cause them to be upset with each other, so Choi Yeonseung decided to just get to the point with the goddess.
“If you want to lift the veil, be my guest. I am ready!”
You’ve brought this upon yourself, human, warned the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust, her voice colder than before. For a proud and fierce constellation, she had been tolerant enough.
At last, she lifted her veil.
Then, the constellations instantly pushed the other mortals back. If they looked at the goddess by mistake, they could actually go crazy, just like she had warned.
The palace was engulfed in silence.
The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust looked down at Choi Yeonseung. There was conviction in her gaze. She was certain that Choi Yeonseung would kneel and look up at her with the same reverent eyes as the nightmare demons behind him.
However, Choi Yeonseung was composed.
...
The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust felt humiliated by his lack of reaction, her expression distorted for the first time in this exchange.
“Didn’t I tell you?” said the clueless Chef of Endless Gluttony. “Choi Yeonseung can resist your power.”
“Be quiet,” Choi Yeonseung scolded him. After crushing someone’s pride, it was wise to give them a bit of time to collect themselves. Otherwise, the opponent could go berserk from having their pride trampled on.
The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust felt even more humiliated when she realized that Choi Yeonseung was being considerate of her.
Good, good! You deserve my acknowledgement. I will admit it!
“Thank you.”
But it’s too early to thank me.Since you came in front of me, you must’ve expected it.Especially since there are other constellations here.
Her eyes had never been this cold before.
Seeing her expression, Choi Yeonseung expected an attack on a completely different scale from the previous one when she had revealed her true form.
‘Is it beginning?’
Choi Yeonseung was determined.
The other constellations knew what type of attack the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust would use. She wasn’t particularly combative and usually didn’t cause or engage in fights… Of course, not being combative in the Abyss didn’t necessarily mean being weak. After all, a constellation that couldn’t defend themselves wouldn’t survive for long.
The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust was perfectly capable of defending herself. Having been a powerhouse in the Abyss for a long time, her power of existence was naturally tremendous. She was strong enough to use that power to subdue her enemies.
-Concentrate!
-Yeah, I know.
Considering the nature of the trial, the goddess was bound to intervene directly. No matter what attack would come his way, Choi Yeonseung had only one thing to do.
The scenery before his eyes changed, and the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust attacked.
***
-Choi Yeonseung!Choi Yeonseung!
- At this meeting, the strongest countries have decided to form an alliance to effectively counter the Abyssal invasion—an unprecedented unanimous agreement in human history...
-S-grade Hunter Choi Yeonseung will lead this historic alliance. He is coming out right now! Leaders around the world are applauding!
An absurd fantasy welcomed Choi Yeonseung. However, he was more bewildered than bewitched by it.
‘...What does the goddess of pleasure think of me?’
The goddess of sloth decided to just keep quiet…
This attack from the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust, which he had heard about from the other constellations, felt more like a mental-type skill. It was just that this attack was on a different scale. It was powerful enough to grasp the target’s desire and reveal it to them in its entirety.
And it wasn’t just mortals; constellations had desires as well. As soon as one felt victim to this power, they became a ghost, unable to return to reality.
But the fantasy shown to Choi Yeonseung…
‘It’s so weird…’
Indeed, it was rather amusing to see the leaders of each country kneel and bow, while the people behind them cheered and shouted Choi Yeonseung’s name. However, it wasn’t that tempting, as Choi Yeonseung wasn’t greedy for that sort of thing in the first place.
‘If I were, I would’ve gone into politics.’
The illusion suddenly changed, as if the goddess felt Choi Yeonseung’s disappointed reaction. This one was a bit different.
-Why bother providing proper equipment to low-grade hunters? It won’t benefit the clan. I’m not getting involved in this!
-We’ve already released a warning that this area is dangerous due to the emergence of monsters! You guys signed it without reading carefully. Now you want me to compensate you for the damage?Get lost!
Choi Yeonseung saw clan leaders and company executives.
Some hunters and employees, who had been injured or lost money, came together to protest, but the higher-ups kicked them out without listening to them.
Then Choi Yeonseung barged in and threw the clan leaders and executives out the window. Seeing this vision, he reflected on himself. Looking at it from the angle, he felt that perhaps he had been too harsh.
‘But it also felt pretty cool.’
In fact, seeing such infuriating bastards flying through the window brought him a sense of joy.
Eventually, Choi Yeonseung came to his senses. He had to admit that the power of the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust was formidable. The fantasy was getting more and more sophisticated, targeting his desires in very specific ways.
However…
‘I won’t succumb to it.”
After all, Choi Yeonseung could actually do those things by himself. He could search for rotten executives and give them an ass-whooping whenever he wanted, so there was no need to stay in the fantasy induced by the goddess.
***
‘Incredible.’
The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust was amazed. Of course, she didn’t show it because of the other constellations, but she was genuinely amazed.
It was already incredible that this human had managed to maintain his sanity even after witnessing her true form, and now he even managed to resist her power. She had never thought that humans could exhibit such great mental fortitude.
‘Did I underestimate him?’
Of course, the fact that this human possessed a desire so irresistible that it caused nightmare demons to kneel before him was proof of his remarkable mental strength. Moreover, several constellations acknowledged and followed him.
But even so, it didn’t make sense for this human to overcome this trial simply with mental strength. The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust was curious. What was this human’s secret?
***
‘This as well... I can do it myself.’
Another illusion faded away. The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust wasn’t aware of it, but the reason Choi Yeonseung didn’t succumb to her power was rather simple.
Thus far, he had never backed down from what he had to do. Many people made compromises; some made excuses, some faltered, but Choi Yeonseung had never deviated from his path. He always pushed forward in stoic silence, no matter what his circumstances were.
And it was that path, on which he had been walking unwaveringly, that was protecting him now.
-Yeonseung!
“...!”
But then, an unexpected fantasy unfolded before Choi Yeonseung, who had become convinced that he would overcome this trial no matter what he saw.
The vision showed him people from his old clan. He saw Hwang Gyeongryong and Lee Changsik, but also some people whom he could no longer see in reality.
There was also the figure of an old lover.
-Have you been training again?How many days is it before the raid?
“This... This is too much…” Choi Yeonseung couldn’t help murmuring.
After reaching a certain level of strength, he hadn’t fallen victim to any mind attacks in the Abyss. Thanks to the martial arts that he had mastered to protect his mind, this kind of magic had stopped working on him.
As such, this was the first time he saw the faces of people from decades back so vividly.
-What are you doing?Come quickly.Gyeongryong is looking for you.
-I’ll prepare the company dinner this time, so don’t even touch it. No, it’s not that your food isn’t good. I just love cooking, alright? Yeonseung? Come on, don’t be upset. I swear it’s not because your food doesn’t taste good.
For a while, Choi Yeonseung gazed at the illusion with a mesmerized expression. It had been a long time, a really long time, which made these fragments all the more welcome.
But...
“This is blasphemy!”
For the first time in a while, Choi Yeonseung gritted his teeth. He hadn’t felt this kind of desperation since he had become proficient in martial arts.
And this desperation made him glare at the illusion.
-Yeonseung, what is it?Come quickly.
“It was nice seeing you,” Choi Yeonseung said briefly, his lips pursed. He wasn’t the only one feeling guilty about those he hadn’t been able to save. Just like Hwang Gyeongryong and Lee Changsik, everyone else who had survived carried that burden.
However, using the dead in an illusion in order to evoke someone’s guilt was a terrible insult to them.
Choi Yeonseung nodded to his former lover, who was staring at him silently. There was no need to put it into words.
‘I won’t stay here. I’ll carry on and do my best…’
Choi Yeonseung’s willpower shattered the illusion, and he found himself back at the palace. In front of him, the Goddess of Pleasure and Lust was gasping for breath, seemingly exhausted as she looked down at him.
She was shocked because Choi Yeonseung had reflected her power back at her.
“I have passed the trial, right?”
Yes...You are great…
The arrogant goddess of pleasure was too stunned to say anything else. Not only had this human withstood her power, but he had actually sent it back. No constellation had ever managed to do that, let alone a household member.
There is nothing else to say… I admit that you are strong.You...
The Goddess of Pleasure and Lust was about to express the declaration of victory when Choi Yeonseung reached out.
“Wait.”
?
“Why are the constellations like this?”
They are going through the same trial as you.They will wake up soon enough.
It wasn’t long until the other constellations woke up as well. Although they had probably fallen into a weakened state, they couldn’t have succumbed to the goddess’ power. They were constellations after all.
Choi Yeonseung reassured himself as he looked at them. But he noticed that the Goddess of Balance Who Walks Ahead still hadn’t woken up…
“...”
“...”
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