Meanwhile, in Korea.
At 7 PM, when people wrap up their daily routines and suffer in the crush of subway crowds, and when Hunters leave their guilds to clock off.
A massive window appeared before everyone's eyes.
For those accustomed to blue status windows, this scarlet window was entirely unfamiliar.
[A Constellation who likes watching and caring has entered World 34R7h.]
This was exactly 330 years after the 'Earth Tremor' incident, the day a being known as a Constellation had last appeared on Earth.
[A Constellation who likes watching and caring says they would like to give you a gift first.]
Earth Tremor.
A Gate from 330 years ago that was said to bring repercussions massive enough to change the very terrain of the land.
Just the opening of the Gate was predicted to cause over a million casualties.
However, the 'Earth Tremor' vanished due to unknown causes before it could even open.
"A Constellation?"
"Didn't those things show up briefly like 300 years ago and then disappear?"
"I don't know, I didn't study history."
"Something to be proud of. Crazy."
There was only one missing person from the Earth Tremor incident.
C-Rank Awakener Yoon Se-eum, who was swept into the Gate the day before she could even register as a Hunter.
Since her body was never found, it was judged that she had been swept into the Gate, causing a stir in the media for a while.
Nothing was ever clearly revealed about her disappearance or the Earth Tremor itself.
Because of that, an urban legend was passed down like folklore that if you heard the voice of the missing Se-eum where the Gate used to be, you could awaken as a Hunter.
"What is that? Crazy..."
"I'll just leave this here for now."
"Oh, yeah. Good work."
However, there are lives that go on regardless of Earth Tremors or Constellations.
Ha Gyu-hyeok's life was like that.
He awakened in elementary school, but he was only a D-Rank Awakener. A rank where he couldn't even act tough in the classroom.
When he went to register as a Hunter, he often received looks that said, 'Why is a D-Rank paying the registration fee to be a Hunter?'
You should use your face and become a celebrity instead.
Yeah, you could be an actor or something. The trend has changed these days, so stories about low-rank Awakeners rising from the bottom are popular.
People didn't hesitate to tear Gyu-hyeok apart under the guise of concern.
He had no one to support him until he could debut as an actor.
His parents, mobilized for an A-Rank Dungeon clear, passed away due to a sudden internal difficulty adjustment.
After that, the government support funds were all he had to live on.
And that, too, ended as soon as he became an adult.
Why did he become a Hunter?
If you become a D-Rank Hunter, you can apply for the Hunter Stepping Stone Support in the first year.
Plus, Hunters below C-Rank receive danger pay every month just for entering dungeons.
"Gyu-hyeok, Gyu-hyeok. Take this before you go."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
"We're not using it, so take it and sell it. The guys who make equipment will give you a decent price."
Seeing the magic stone placed in his hand, Gyu-hyeok bowed deeply.
Where would he find the time to care about pride?
If he sold this cheap magic stone, he would get enough money to scrape by on food for a week.
Ha Gyu-hyeok, D-Rank Hunter.
A porter who carries tents that don't fit in inventories and collects and sorts combat byproducts dropped during battle.
– Transport Tribe Call incoming.
He had just finished clearing a lower-grade dungeon, but another call came in on his pager.
Running two jobs in a day made his body ache as if it were breaking, but the reward was worth it.
The Constellation's message filling the sky wasn't particularly important to him.
[Call Accepted]
He moved by bike and transported magic stones again.
When people heard 'Dungeon Call,' they ordered him to work without even a greeting.
Listening to their chatter, it seemed everyone was distracted by the Constellation, causing a stir not just in Korea but across the whole world.
Gyu-hyeok listened in while pulling magic stones from a pile full of slime and stacking them neatly.
"So you're saying the last time that Constellation thing entered was 317 years ago?"
"I'm telling you. Even then, they just came in asking 'What's this place?' and left. This is the first time they've come here and chatted."
"Is that right? Come to think of it, I heard that back in the day, Constellations used to pick people to raise."
It was a story Gyu-hyeok knew to some extent.
Before the Earth Tremor incident, Constellations often visited Earth to choose humans to sponsor.
Those who received sponsorship became unimaginably strong, and people who envied that strength performed all sorts of bizarre acts to be chosen.
Whether it was rumor or theory, they said those who achieved the greatest feats among them could become Constellations themselves.
But the records clearly stated:
'However, since a single Constellation connected 13 years after the 'Earth Tremor' incident and left immediately, no traces have been found.'
There was a time he secretly thought this was a planet abandoned even by Constellations.
Beings like gods in imagination.
However, even though that unrealistic situation and existence had manifested before his eyes, Gyu-hyeok showed no particular reaction.
To be precise, he felt curiosity, but his expectations had vanished.
Even so, they'll probably just pick up S-Rank Hunters.
He heard Constellations had a sort of broadcast sponsorship system.
Like a raising simulation.
Even if Gyu-hyeok were a Constellation himself, he would only pay attention to high-ranking Hunters.
Paying attention to someone like him was a waste of time.
So let's not get our hopes up.
Even if his heart kept leaning that way, let's at least pretend not to care intentionally.
"Sorting complete."
"Ah, yes."
When Gyu-hyeok stood up, the clients he was talking to simply nodded lightly.
As if it didn't matter if he left now.
[The request fee settled via Hunter Pay has been deposited. This request fee is deposited minus a 5% Hunter Pay exclusive commission.]
He looked at the alarm on his phone and moved his feet.
He wanted to go home quickly and wash off this strange smell.
He had rolled in mud after getting on the wrong side of a monster inside the dungeon, and on top of that, he had finished sorting strange-smelling byproducts.
Even while riding his bike back, the smell on his body kept bothering him.
The apartment he had lived in since elementary school.
It was his only asset, but it was so old that even if he sold it, he wouldn't be able to afford a decent studio apartment.
"Ah, damn..."
Maybe because the water pressure was weak, no matter how much he scrubbed, the slime refused to wash away easily.
Gyu-hyeok rubbed his skin until it turned red, then suddenly looked in the mirror.
Although it was damaged, it was a face that once had everyone suggesting he become a celebrity.
When I was young, everyone told me I was handsome, so there was a time I mistakenly thought I could really make a living with my face...
It was a truly naïve delusion.
Because he entered so many dangerous dungeons after awakening, his hair was bleached from poison exposure, contrasting with his black eyes.
His hands were dry and cracked, and his body was a mess of scars that even potions couldn't fully heal.
The muscles formed from rolling around to survive couldn't be called beautiful even as empty praise.
It's not like I'm advertising that I've lived a rough life to everyone who sees me.
That said, he had no intention of falling into unsightly self-pity.
He should just wash up quickly and think about sleeping.
Getting distracted by things like this would only delay the time he had to leave tomorrow.
As he let the hot water hit his head and washed away the foam, the existence called a Constellation crossed his mind again.
That scarlet system.
It looked quite unfamiliar.
Right, scarlet like this small window in front of my eyes right now...
Thinking naturally as if flowing water, he suddenly started in surprise.
A scarlet window of the same color as the one floating in the sky was floating small in front of Gyu-hyeok's eyes.
Because he opened his eyes wide, foam seeped right in, causing him to make a fuss for a while before he looked at it again with eyes red from the shampoo.
Chats had been arriving one by one at a leisurely pace for a while now.
[A Constellation who likes watching and caring greets you.]
[A Constellation who likes watching and caring asks if you perhaps cannot see this message.]
[A Constellation who likes watching and caring says they will fix this damn internet as soon as possible.]
[A Constellation who likes watching and caring worries if your eyes are okay.]
"...Con, Constellation-nim?"
[A Constellation who likes watching and caring says they have been watching you all along.]
Gyu-hyeok quietly covered his body with his arms.
Crossing his arms in an X shape over his chest, he murmured.
"...Thank you."
❋ ❋ ❋
"I'm telling you, it's strange."
"Se-Se-eum, what is?"
"The messages transmit immediately."
(End of Chapter 3)
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— Translated by Prime Works —