The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2

‘The Ruling Constellation of humanity, huh.’

Seong Jihan thought back to when he first acquired the Dominion trait.

Dominion LV.1

You receive additional bonuses based on the comprehensive evaluation metric of humanity and the growth of players you sponsor as a constellation.

The bonus values are divided according to the number of sovereigns on the current planet.

Currently, there are 4 sovereigns on this planet.

The system message had indicated that including Seong Jihan, there were four sovereigns in total.

‘Then, excluding me, there are three sovereign constellations in existence, and the only candidate that comes to mind is Gilgamesh.’

The other plausible candidate might be the third disciple of the Martial God, symbolizing fire.

If the Martial God also possesses sovereign abilities, then there would indeed be three.

‘Or could there be a completely unrelated constellation?’

A constellation game proposed and orchestrated directly by the Green Administrator.

Because it was a game suggested by Green, Seong Jihan sensed there might be some kind of trap involved.

But for now, Seong Jihan wasn’t in a bad situation.

He would get to know the identities of the three silhouettes facing away from him.

‘But it’s impossible to recognize who they are from just their backs.’

The three sovereign constellations stood with their backs toward him.

Their silhouettes were all of equal size, wreathed in a misty, faint white fog, making it impossible to discern who they were.

[Select one among the three sovereign constellations to inherit the throne.]

A system message prompting him to make a choice without knowing who they were.

‘I’d like to thoroughly identify all three sovereign constellations during this opportunity…’

Just as Seong Jihan tried to figure out the identities of the silhouettes,

[The Black Administrator proposes revealing information about the sovereign constellations to assist the player’s choice.]

‘What?’

As if understanding Seong Jihan’s curiosity, the Black Administrator made a timely suggestion.

[The White Administrator abstains.]

[The Green Administrator opposes.]

[With 1 vote for agreement, 1 vote abstained, and 1 vote against, only partial information on the sovereign constellations will be disclosed.]

The White Administrator continued to abstain.

And Green opposed.

With the votes balanced, the conclusion was to reveal only partial information about the constellations.

– So, there are three other sovereign constellations besides Seong Jihan.

– Who could they be? One has to be Gilgamesh.

– Shouldn’t conqueror kings like Genghis Khan or Alexander be included too? LOL

– Considering land size, it’d be odd if Gilgamesh wasn’t one. LOL

– Oh, so they have to be ancient figures?

While human viewers, mostly ordinary people, argued fervently over who the other two sovereign constellations might be.

– Wow, what’s happening? Three administrators have come forward…?

– Aren’t the Black and White Administrators hardly ever active?

– Exactly. Is Seong Jihan… the channel owner, someone noteworthy enough to draw the attention of administrators?

– Since the Red Administrator is missing, when votes are 1-1-1, this outcome happens… I learned something new today.

– I’m definitely watching today’s broadcast.

The real uproar was among the extraterrestrials.

As viewers from other worlds quickly began to fill the chat.

[Total viewer count has surpassed the threshold.]

[The ‘Star’ buff has been upgraded.]

[Overall viewer rating is at the ‘slightly famous’ tier.]

[When the Star buff activates, all abilities will be boosted by 80%.]

[To upgrade the overall viewer rating to the next stage, special conditions must be met.]

‘Already?’

The number of viewers was so high that it boosted the Star buff by another level.

The interest extraterrestrial beings had in BattleNet administrators was immense.

And since the typically inactive White and Black Administrators appeared to make direct proposals,

Word spread faster than light, making Seong Jihan’s BattleTube channel more popular than ever.

‘If not for the special conditions, my overall viewer rating might have upgraded two more times at least.’

The Seong Jihan channel had become a focal point across BattleNet.

– Why would revealing information about three constellations make administrators intervene? Isn’t this a lower-tier race’s world?

– True. With administrator privileges, they could find out quickly. Why go through this process?

– Something’s off here… there’s too little information, I’d say.

– No, it’s not exactly absent but very hard to uncover. Like it’s isolated from the outside.

– You too? I also hit a wall trying to independently investigate that planet.

– A lower-tier race being so unique is odd…

Extraterrestrial viewers focused on the unusual situation where three administrators had gathered and how difficult it was to obtain information on humanity.

‘Receiving unexpected help from Black, and with Green’s opposition, this seems in my favor.’

Seong Jihan thought as he waited for the information to be revealed.

And then,

[One by one, information about the Sovereign constellations will be revealed.]

Shhh…

The mist slowly started to dissipate.

The first to be unveiled was the figure standing on the far left.

As the smoke fully cleared,

Swish.

The figure turned around.

“To have administrators intervene directly… it seems being a lower-tier race isn’t entirely beneficial.”

Curly brown hair, a long beard, and tanned skin.

Seong Jihan recognized that face, having seen it through Pythia once.

* * *

“So, it’s Gilgamesh.”

“Yes. The king of humans and the beginning of humanity, that is who I am.”

Holding his head high, Gilgamesh looked down at Seong Jihan.

His gaze radiated a noble light.

“Children always covet their father’s possessions. Are you after my throne?”

“…What?”

“Among my sons, you are one of the most exceptional… but the throne can’t be passed to you yet. Not when you are still insufficient compared to me.”

“When did I become your son?”

As Seong Jihan replied in disbelief, Gilgamesh answered with a serious expression.

“From the beginning of time. I sowed my seed across the world. All accomplished individuals are my descendants.”

“What about those who aren’t accomplished?”

“Unfortunately, they didn’t inherit my blood.”

– Wow, father’s being harsh! Get Gifted or get disowned by Gilgamesh, LOL?

– If you’re talented, he acknowledges you as a descendant, LOL what a running joke.

– He’s a different race and yet, what an ancestor lol

– Keeps calling himself the king of humans… truly lives for self-adulation ㅡㅡ;

Listening to Gilgamesh’s story, mockery filled the chat among human viewers, mostly ordinary individuals.

Pointing to Seong Jihan’s ears, Gilgamesh said,

“Seong Jihan, your ears haven’t manifested yet. Are you suppressing it on purpose?”

“What? If my ears manifest, does it mean your blood runs thick in me?”

“Yes. The traces of Yggdrasil etched into my body at the dawn of time have been inherited… Ah. You already have your own World Tree, so it might not manifest.”

“…Really? So, the people with pointy ears are connected to you. That’s why you were active in the Half-Elf community.”

With a smile, Gilgamesh nodded affirmatively.

“As your father, I warn you. It’s better not to choose me.”

“If you call yourself my father one more time, I’ll choose you.”

“Ha… I forgive your doubts and wanderings about your roots with magnanimity. However, rebellion against me will not be tolerated.”

Rebellion?

Seong Jihan realized from Gilgamesh’s serious gaze that he genuinely believed himself the King of Humans, with humanity being merely his descendants or subordinates.

“Strategically, choosing me is a mistake. I am one who contends with the Martial God. The enemy’s enemy is a friend, isn’t it?”

With that, Gilgamesh pointed to the side.

“There are still two other sovereign constellations apart from me, aren’t they worth examining?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

He really doesn’t want to be chosen.

Seong Jihan was indeed curious about the other constellations and didn’t plan to choose Gilgamesh just yet either.

But he couldn’t pass it up without asking a question.

“Then before I look at the others, explain what you mentioned earlier.”

“What do you mean?”

“You said being a lower-tier race isn’t entirely beneficial.”

“Ah, you mean that.”

Swish.

Gilgamesh uncrossed his arms and pointed his finger into the air.

“Becoming a lower-tier race has attracted the attention of the administrators, as you can see.”

“And before?”

“Most races in the universe remain at the lowest tier. Over 90 percent of races aren’t scrutinized individually by administrators.”

“So when a race is upgraded, administrators start paying attention.”

“Yes, exactly.”

As Seong Jihan listened and thought about how BattleTube viewers also focused intensely when humanity evolved,

Black and White Administrators started overseeing and monitoring humanity post-evolution as lower-tier races.

‘To be monitored by three administrators not long after the race upgrade… it’s as if they were waiting for humanity to evolve and then flooded in as soon as it happened…’

Feeling unsettled about the situation, Seong Jihan turned his attention to the administrators.

“I’d like to see the next constellation.”

[Information on the sovereign constellations will be revealed.]

The mist cleared again, revealing another figure.

A woman shrouded in white cloth emerged this time.

With red hair and blue eyes, and a brilliant white eye shining on her forehead,

It was someone Seong Jihan had seen at the ‘Sanctuary of the Fallen Apollo.’

“Are you… Pythia?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

With a startled expression, she glanced around her surroundings.

“You too have the Dominion trait?”

“No. How would a prophet practice dominion… It was just a solitary trait! So, I was at ease, eating potato chips and watching your channel, but suddenly my avatar was summoned!”

Full of grievances, Pythia exclaimed.

“For real! In my prophecy, there was no mention of this game! Suddenly, a coronation ceremony unfolded… and I got summoned! This lowers the dignity of a prophet!”

The prophet who had revealed Gilgamesh’s identity to Seong Jihan said.

-When you get the first-place reward, choose the one in the middle… Make sure to choose it.

Insisting that he must choose the middle reward as first place in the Star League promotion match.

But the actual contest turned out to be a coronation ceremony, and one of the summoned opponents was Pythia.

Seong Jihan gazed at her with skeptical eyes.

“I’ll believe you only after I see for myself.”

“Oh, really! I’ll show you. Wait… What? When did I get the Dominion trait? And why is the level… so high?”

Trying to prove her innocence by displaying her status window,

She fell silent upon seeing the Dominion trait’s level.

“This makes no sense… I’ve never had this… Why me?”

“Pythia was also a sovereign… How well you’ve hidden it.”

“If I was really a sovereign, I wouldn’t be angry. I’ve struggled so hard to build a reputation as a constellation… This is a scam!”

Even as she loudly protested about suddenly gaining the trait,

“There’s no way the Dominion trait would just appear. Stop acting, Pythia. You’re disgraceful.”

“Ugh, Gilgamesh…!”

“If you’re truly outraged, why not relinquish the throne to him?”

“What…”

“A trait that wasn’t yours anyway. Would it matter if you gave it away?”

Gilgamesh taunted, suggesting that she could pass on the throne if she was genuinely indignant.

Pythia, biting her lip,

“Fine. Seong Jihan, choose me. I’ll give away this suddenly acquired Dominion trait immediately.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes. You might want to accept it? It’s level 8!”

“What?! Level 8?”

– No way, you’re just handing over a Level 8 Dominion trait?

– This is insane…!

– How can a lower-tier race constellation be Level 8?

– Is this all orchestrated? Are even the administrator message windows fabricated?

– Who’s crazy enough to impersonate an administrator…?

– Wow, I wish I were in his place. I’ve been stuck at Level 3 for a hundred years…

Extraterrestrial viewers were shocked at Pythia’s words.

Level 8 in Dominion wasn’t an achievable state for just anyone.

And she was offering to pass it on.

‘…It’s so beneficial that it feels like a trap.’

Seong Jihan’s suspicion was natural.

Then,

Swish.

Pythia lifted her index finger.

“In return, don’t reveal information about the next constellation. That’s my condition for passing the throne.”

“Hmm. To not reveal about the next constellation…”

“Yes. The third entity. His information should not be disclosed publicly. If this condition is met, I’ll relinquish the throne in the coronation ceremony.”

“Do not disclose. Is that your prophecy?”

“…Something like that.”

The third entity, the one called Emperor Ashoka.

He was presumably the original owner of the third disciple’s Annihilation God’s Secret: Return of the Light.

The martial art Return of the Light, which rewound time by one minute in the battle against the Little Sun.

He had tried continuously to delve deeper into this technique afterward but had made no progress.

‘The highly suspicious third entity… but practically speaking, attaining Level 8 Dominion might be more advantageous than uncovering his information.’

Even if inheriting Level 8 instantly seemed uncertain, receiving a portion of those levels was a significant benefit during his arduous journey to build constellation fame.

‘…Ability comes first.’

Deciding on his approach, Seong Jihan pressed the system window.

And when he touched the prompt to proceed with the coronation against ‘Pythia,’

Thud.

His finger halted.

No, to be precise.

‘…Did time rewind?’

As his finger was about to press, it moved back, as though time had subtly rewound.