Choi Yeonseung was taken aback at first, but then he realized what this name meant for him and was very pleased.
âThatâs great!â
â?!â
The gatekeeper was even more suspicious of this stranger because of his sudden reaction.
âStand back! Identify yourself! For what purpose are you snooping in the kingdom?â
âSee who I am with your own eyes.â
Along with those words, Choi Yeonseung revealed his power of existence. The gatekeeper knelt in amazement at the mighty force that only a constellation could show in the Abyss.
âNo... You... Who would show up... so directly?â
âI am the Undefeated Incarnation of Training. Open the door and announce my arrival to your master.â
Overwhelmed by his power of existence, the gatekeeper didnât even dare to look at Choi Yeonseung. Thus, Choi Yeonseung naturally thought that he would guide him to the Goddess of Defeat and Sloth.
However...
âI canât... do that.â
â?!â
Choi Yeonseung was utterly puzzled.
âWhy?â
The gatekeeper was unwilling to take him to the goddess even though he clearly knew what kind of being Choi Yeonseung was. Was it because he had never heard of the Undefeated Incarnation of Training before?
Still, how could a mere mortal have the guts to stand in the way of a constellation?
âUndefeated Incarnation of Training... It is clear that you came here to insult and mock my masterâs name. I shall not inform my master of your presence.â
â...No!â
Choi Yeonseung was dumbfounded. This was a terrible misunderstanding!
It didnât seem like the gatekeeper would yield easily
âDefeat is just a fate I have chosen to bear. No defeat can break me. I only have loyalty.â
âNo...â
Choi Yeonseung had mostly overlooked the reputation of the Goddess of Defeat and Sloth as being extremely powerful in her prime. But judging from the gatekeeperâs demeanor, he could see that the goddess was in fact powerful.
Her subjects were loyal and not afraid of defeat. Even after suffering defeat, one had the power to regain their strength.
âHey, look. If I really had the intention of deceiving and insulting your master, why would I be standing here, talking to you? I wouldâve knocked you down and went inside straight away.â
âBut what makes someone with your name want to meet my master? What could your intentions be, if not to mock and slander?â
âAt this rate, Iâll end up punching him...â
Although the gatekeeper was being reasonable, Choi Yeonseung felt an urge to hit him.
Logically, the gatekeeper had reasons to be apprehensive of this stranger. Normally, constellations that shared similar realms had well-matched personalities while those with opposing realms had clashing personalities.
No matter how he looked at it, there wouldnât be any reason for a constellation that ruled over the realm of training to visit the goddess of sloth all of a sudden.
âListen up. If later it becomes clear that I had something important to discuss with your master but couldnât because of your poor judgment, how do you intend to make amends? You think just your soul would be enough for that?â
â...â
The gatekeeper was speechless, clearly unsettled by Choi Yeonseungâs words.
âHurry up and tell your master about this! Donât make decisions for your master. Let her judge for herself. That is true loyalty.â
âI... Fine.â
Overwhelmed by Choi Yeonseungâs presence and logic, the gatekeeper nodded and called for another colleague.
After a whileâ
âTurn him away. His name alone is revolting...â
â...â
Choi Yeonseung heaved a deep sigh.
âWeâll see when I return to the present.â
He would make the goddess of sloth work twenty-five hours a day!
âThere seems to be a misunderstanding. Iâll talk to her face-to-face.â
âGiven how much youâre insisting, itâs clear that you have nefarious intentions...â
Choi Yeonseung no longer argued with the gatekeeper. The more he did so, the worse he felt. It was better to just meet the goddess of sloth in person and persuade her.
Bang!
Choi Yeonseung stomped his feet and vanished. By the time the gatekeepers registered that Choi Yeonseung was no longer there, he was already in the realm.
However, the aura of the realm reacted to the disturbance and altered everyone of the intrusion.
âIntruder! Intruder!â
âA constellation with an unbelievably arrogant title has trespassed on a sacred land where only the lazy may enter!â
***
The Goddess of Defeat and Sloth lay in the most perfect position in the Abyss. No other constellation could imitate the goddessâ perfect posture.
Her household members were also lying face down or on their back in a very comfortable position. Neither she nor her household members spoke. They simply passed the time, gazing at the shifting scenery of the Abyss.
But suddenly, a white meteor flew from a distance. It was Choi Yeonseung, accelerating with his power of existence. The Goddess of Defeat and Sloth waved her hand as if annoyed the moment she saw him flying in.
[The âGoddess of Defeat and Slothâ uses a power.]
[The resentment of the defeated ones surrounds you.]
This kind of power generally worked only on simple minds, but it was incredibly suffocating if wielded by a constellation with tremendous power. Choi Yeonseung had to burn the internal energy within himself to enhance his will to fight.
One wrong breath and his body would shatter.
Pretty strong...
The Goddess of Defeat and Sloth waved her hand to launch the next attack. However, Choi Yeonseung paid no attention to it and instead rushed forward to attack the goddess. He would die if he faced defeat here, regardless of the future.
Bang!
With a roar, Choi Yeonseungâs concentrated energy crashed into the goddessâ throne. The shock sent the goddess flying back, but...
[The âGoddess of Defeat and Slothâ suffers a temporary defeat.]
[The defeat makes her stronger.]
[She has become invulnerable to all the previous attacks.]
â...â
Choi Yeonseung was furious at the goddess for two reasons. Firstly, she was giving him a lot of trouble in this fight. And secondly, she had thrown away this deceptive and powerful ability and made Choi Yeonseung fight alone all that time.
âWeâll have a long talk when I get back...!â
Bah.
The goddess was already convinced of her victory, so she didnât even look at Choi Yeonseung when she launched her next attack.
Choi Yeonseung was stunned, as it felt as though the realm itself was attacking him. This usage of power of existence was on a completely different level!
âCough...!â
[The âUndefeated Incarnation of Trainingâ suffers a temporary defeat.]
[The defeat makes him stronger.]
[...]
[...]
But it wasnât just the goddess who could gain strength from defeat. Choi Yeonseung had inherited the realm and power of the goddess, so he could also become stronger through defeat.
âOnce I go back... Weâll see...â
Choi Yeonseung regained his strength as he vowed for the third time to give the goddess from the future the scolding of her life.
In any case, thanks to her power, his strength had quickly returned.
How did you recover?
âItâs thanks to the power youâve given me.â
Choi Yeonseung gritted his teeth and gathered his strength. The Origin of the Celestial Fist, filled with internal energy that was concentrated to the limit, distorted the surrounding space and disturbed the order of the realm.
Me giving you a power? No matter how lazy I am, I wonât be fooled by such a ridiculous lie...
âFine. Just keep thinking about it as you fight!â
Choi Yeonseung rushed back in. If she wouldnât believe him, all he had to do was let her experience it herself.
The goddess would understand if he kept using her power!
***
Yeah, yeah, I get it.
Seemingly annoyed, the goddess of sloth finally stopped Choi Yeonseung. But despite the fierce battle, the goddess was still relaxed.
To be honest, Choi Yeonseung suspected that she had stopped fighting because of her laziness...
âDo you really believe me?â
Yes, I believe you. You have to trust me, right? Now leave.
â...â
Choi Yeonseung clenched his fists. If it hadnât been for the alliance they had established and maintained for years, he wouldâve fought her to the death. He had faced quite a few evil god constellations in his life, and he had never been as riled up as he was now.
It seemed that the goddess had a strange way of stirring his emotions.
âListen carefully, goddess of sloth. In the future..."
Choi Yeonseung held back his anger and explained what the future would entail for herâher extraordinary laziness would push her to abandon her entire kingdom and seal herself away...
After listening to him to the end, the goddess of sloth yawned with a serious expression.
âDid you hear everything?â
Nothing sounds plausible except for the part where I seal myself. What, you found out what I desire and came here to try to deceive me?
â...If I were lying, how come I can use your power?â
I guess you somehow managed to obtain it. Iâm not the only one who can use the realm of defeat... Ah, this is such a bother... Canât you just figure it out on your own? Do you have to bother me? I believe you, so just go...
With that, the goddess of sloth fell on her stomach on the elongated couch.
Seeing that, Choi Yeonseung felt determined to never lay face down on a soft silk pillow ever again. He kicked the leg of the couch, and the internal energy infused with power of existence surged forth and sent the goddess up in the air.
Despite having arrogantly intruded into her kingdom and making a ruckus, the goddess of sloth wasnât angry with Choi Yeonseung.
She was just going to lie down again.
âI canât wait to get back and tell her some things!â
Choi Yeonseung grabbed the goddess by the ankle and dragged her out. The goddess tried her best to cling to the bed, but she couldnât resist Choi Yeonseung in close combat. Looking around, the other household members just lay there with blank expressions, indifferent to what was happening.
âHow can the weak ones in the realm be more sincere?â
âGoddess of sloth! We must weaken the Master of Slowness and Silence! Are you listening? Iâll keep shouting until you help me!â
The goddess of sloth did try to think whether Choi Yeonseung couldâve really come from the future or if he had obtained her power through other means and was lying, but she quickly gave up.
It was too much of a hassle.
If I tell you how to deal with the Master of Slowness and Silence, youâll leave, right?
â...If you give me useful advice, Iâll let you sleep.â
Fine, I understand. Go to this constellation. It will help you.
âIf I donât receive proper help, Iâll come back...â
Ah... Trust me...
The goddess of sloth buried her face in the pillow again as if she didnât want to talk any longer.
Choi Yeonseung vowed one last time.
She wouldnât hear the end of it when he returned to the present!
***
Choi Yeonseung was seeing this constellation the goddess had sent him to for the first time.
It was the Mechanical Device that Worships Power, and it had all kinds of golem-type races under its command.
The goddess has commanded me, so I will obey, the constellation said as it looked at Choi Yeonseung.
âIt is a subordinate constellation who worships the goddess?â
However, he could feel that this constellation possessed a lot of power of existence, so he found it hard to believe that it was serving another constellation as a subordinate.
...But then the goddess had lost all of that.
âSigh... Iâll stop thinking about it.â
Choi Yeonseung controlled his anger.
Unaware of Choi Yeonseungâs thoughts, the mechanical constellation called out to another constellation.
Apparently, there was another subordinate constellation here, this one serving the mechanical constellation.
Something happened. Come out. Prove your worth if you want to benefit from my protection.
Yes! Just leave it to me! a constellation answered cheerfully as it popped out.
Choi Yeonseug had seen this constellation before...
It was the Warrior Stained with Madness and Blood...
Leave anything to me. I will take care of everything!
What are you saying? Youâre too loud, emotional, and have made countless blunders.
I... Iâm sorry. Please give me one more chance...
â...â
Choi Yeonseung was struck by an indescribable sense of dizziness.