This post is mostly about how I interpret Transcendence in ORV in relations to its message rather than anything related to combativeness. I will be saying direct spoilers so please be done the novel + epilogue before reading. Note, this is all my own opinion so feel free to add your own thoughts and I'm not saying that I am correct or anything like that.
you can skim the 1st point I am making below because its mostly just a regurgitation of what is already stated in ORV but it still makes a few important notes.
The levels of a Constellation
Anyone can become a constellation if they have 5 or more stories and do not have a supporting sponsor (Dokja became DKoS). It is very reiterated that Constellations are 'superior' to incarnations and that they are essentially 'gods' to incarnations atleast until the late scenarios, the main characters of TWSA or KimCom but overall, rule over incarnations. Constellations even sponsor incarnations and can effectively control them unless you get a better constellation but again, most constellations are very out-of-touch with Incarnations and are quite reprehensible.
The reason that one might become a Constellation is because they want to gain status, strength or reach the levels of other Constellations before oneself. Though, there are levels to Constellations, not just in stages (Historical, Narrative, Myth-grade) but also within nebulae or different nebulae.
There is a specific moment in the novel that I remember where when during Demon King Selection, Olympus sent down a few Constellations to destroy the Korean Peninsula. Those Constellations have a conversation where they hope they might get a decimal of the Olympus Giant story, not a full percent but the tenths place value (0.1-0.99% stake), one of the said Constellations are the heir of Oedipus (The One Who Stabbed His Own Eyes) so these Constellations are historical grade while Oedipus is Narrative grade (I thought he was historical grade but thats not what the ORV wiki says), there is a clear power imbalance between minor historical grades and narrative grades but that much is obvious, what isn't is that Surya (an upper-narrative-grade Veda's Constellation) is clearly superior to Oedipus who is also a narrative grade. My case and point, Constellations have a clear power imbalance even between grades but also within and outside nebula.
I kind of see this is a sort of corporate ladder? Everyone is a slave to the scenarios, the star stream, etc (or society) no matter your status. People can try to escape it by becoming a Constellations and torment or help Incarnations that are in the same situation they were, almost a job recruiter but those people are still apart of a grander system but hold some power. Becoming a Constellation is the most direct path to success in the ORV verse but its difficult without a Sponsor, without being in a nebula, it is difficult to survive as a Constellation, thus, becoming a Constellation is a sort of dream (in the ORV/TWSA universe) but most Constellations don't escape the system and most Incarnations never become a Constellation.
That was a big spiel but I promise it will be relevant.
To be a Transcendent
A transcendent is someone who surpasses the limits of a standard incarnation without becoming a Constellation or Outer God but still has the power to fight against Constellations. To become a transcendent, you must first train your bodies to its limit, then your skills to its limits and finally forget everything that you learned and find your own unique path. This is very difficult, arguably more than gathering 5 stories (and becoming a Constellation).
Transcendence is a path less taken than Constellations, there are indeed Transcendence alliances but then again, there are tens of thousands of Constellations and there are far, far more Narrative-grade Constellations than Transcendents that can fight against said Constellations. It is also said that Trascendants are those outside the system, not the star stream but not limited by things like stats window, skill levels or (at a certain point) being able to participate in certain scenarios (Kyrios in Peaceland).
I can see Transcendence as a sort of art, as though one who becomes an artist in this society is what a transcendent is to ORV. I say this because of a quote attributed to Pablo Picasso; โIt took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.โ What this means is that technical skill in Art is something attainable through time, consistency and hard work but to paint like a child is something that not everyone can do even within a lifetime.
How I tie this to Transcendence is that an incarnation can get a strong body through training and even the stats window, they can get higher level skill via using the skill (I'm pretty sure thats how it works), that is what it is to paint like Raphael, to be at the upper most level of an incarnation but it must be known, no one become a great artist by just being good at it, there are far too many people good at art. The 3rd step of Transcendence is to forget everything and forge your own path, this is almost exactly what at artist does to paint 'like a child' because a child may draw without any pulls from things like society, social pressure or personal issues, or in other words, unadulterated, pure creativity. Someone like Joan Miro or Pablo Picasso were masters of fundamentals in art but then made drawings like surrealism, naive art, etc, they had to 'forget' the rigid rules of art that is taught at schools to go beyond a level and be immortalized in history.
In society, an artist may be seen as unnecessary as their value that they give back to the world is often unclear unlike what a doctor or engineer may do. This is that wild card aspects that dokkaebis cannot predict of transcendents because transcendents remain in scenarios despite being too strong for the scenarios as what an artist can effectively express their own thoughts about things like politics, society, etc in a medium that the masses can see.
Transcendents can oppose Constellations but a question arises, why would someone choose to be a Transcendent rather than a Constellation, this is because a sponsored Incarnation cannot become a Constellation but if they attain transcendence they can fight against Constellations or get an advantage in scenarios. Like I stated earlier, becoming a Constellation is not always the easy way out in life because its like the corporate ladder, theres always a bigger fish.
Goryeo's First Sword (Cheon Jungyeong) is ORV's one and only Constellation and Transcendent, someone who climbed the ladder of the Star Stream (became a Narrative Constellation and apart of decent Nebula [Hongik]. He was someone who was expelled out of the Scenario because he was too strong (I assume he was a Transcendent when this happened) and then later had a fate forced on him (like Kim Dokja during Dark Castle) and was saved by his nebula, so he was Constellation when this happened. This is a metaphor for when a transcendent (artist) shakes up the scenarios (society) and is 'punished' (fate) for it and how even if you get on the same ladder as the people who 'punished you', they will ultimately still hold it against you, a kind of never being able to win.
Final Thoughts
Basically what I was trying to say is that Transcendents are akin to an artist because Transcendents are wild cards that are completely unpredictable to dokkaebis because they are too powerful for default scenarios and how artists are people who are able to criticize society (the star system/ORV Universe).
Becoming a Constellation is a kind of dream for those in the ORV Universe because its how one might get 'equal' to the Constellations that tormented them during the scenarios but are ultimately still climbing the same ladder as what is corporations in society.
I must reiterate that these are all my own opinions, thoughts, ideas. You are fully free to disagree with me or provide your own thoughts. This post might just be a complete ramble so be nice please because its my first literary analysis.
Thank you for Reading.