Chapter 296
Chapter 296
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: Constellation Contracts Must Be Made Carefully (27)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Phew… Finally, it's starting.
The moment I heard the whistle, I grabbed my gear and bolted into the island's interior.
My plan was to quickly set up a base camp and then track down Grace.
That bitch who loves showing off would be easy to spot, right?
My fingers were already twitching at the thought of giving her a proper thrashing.
"Heh heh heh, I've been waiting for this moment."
"You… you're done for!"
"Sparring match! No, this is real combat!"
But… what the hell is this?
Are they picking a fight with me right now?
I'd just found a decent spot to unpack when those girls who were always glued to Siwoo, flirting up a storm, came striding over.
All three of them were fully geared up, too.
"……You wanna go a round with me?"
"That's right. You know why, don't you?"
"Hmph, don't you dare call us cowardly. You're the sneaky one here."
"Real combat! Real combat!"
"No, I have no idea. How am I the sneaky one?"
"Ha, unbelievable… Look at her playing dumb."
"You think we don't know you've been toying with Park Siwoo's feelings?!"
"It's time for revenge!"
"This is insane… When did I ever toy with that guy's feelings?!"
"You've been stuck to Siwoo's side every single day for the past ten days!"
"Acting like you didn't care at all before that!"
"That's what we mean by toying with him!"
Fuck… Looks like they've got a massive misunderstanding, and talking it out wasn't gonna fly.
They were way too fired up, just ranting without listening.
Guess I'd have to take on all three at once… Sigh. Nothing was going right from the jump.
What if Grace joins in too?
That horrifying thought made me heave a sigh as I drew my sword.
No choice now—end this as fast as possible.
It wouldn't be easy, but it wasn't impossible either.
I was confident I could win three-on-one.
……I had confidence, but reality doesn't run on confidence alone.
I realized that too late as I rolled across the ground, dodging those bitches' attacks.
"How long are you gonna keep running?!"
"Hmph, is this all the future top ranker has got?!"
"What a letdown!"
Damn these girls… Their teamwork is way too good.
They flowed from one attack to the next like water—it wasn't like they'd only fought together once or twice.
One moment of carelessness, and they'd slip through for a nasty hit. Super dangerous.
No room to catch my breath like this.
These girls who bragged about graduating to become heroes were pros at ganging up.
Clang!
Kagagang!
"Tch, isn't this a bit too cowardly?!"
"Not cowardly at all!"
"You're the sneaky ones, seriously!"
"Exactly!"
But… I wasn't about to give up.
A few scratches, sure, but if I pushed through, I could turn this crisis around.
They were stronger than expected, but still just academy students.
Our experience levels were worlds apart.
Sacrifice one left arm, and that should do it?
I set up an obvious-yet-not trap and held my breath, waiting for the counterattack.
"Explosion!"
Kwagagagang!
But the one who actually counterattacked… wasn't me.
"Hmph… Pathetic. Struggling this much against nobodies who aren't even contracted to the Seven Great Constellations? What a disappointment. And you're supposed to be contracted to 'Nameless Avenger'?"
That nauseating voice made my blood boil just hearing it.
A voice I couldn't forget even if I tried—the bitch Grace.
I whipped around in shock, and there she was, smirking down at me triumphantly.
"What the hell are you on about? Not a scratch on me, and that's 'struggling'? Your eyes must be fucked."
"Oh my, is that what someone rolling in the dirt like a beggar has to say? Pfft… Look at that cold sweat. Is it summer already? So vulgar."
Fuck, bad feelings never lie… My worst-case scenario had come true.
Now I'd have to fight four-on-one? I was already struggling, and adding her to the mix drained me just thinking about it.
"Ugh… You're Grace?"
"Cough cough… hic… Why'd you attack us?!"
"Ambush? That's low!"
"Who said to attack my rival? Quit whining and get up. I'll make sure you retire properly."
Wait… what's with this vibe?
It felt like she was… helping me?
Oh yeah, she'd bailed me out earlier too.
Was she actually on my side now? You, who stole my constellation?
"Hey, get lost. Who asked for your help? I can handle these clowns solo."
I didn't want her unwanted assistance, so I shut her down hard.
But Grace stubbornly stuck around, insisting on helping.
Like she had some unavoidable reason to aid me.
"Did… that guy ask you to?"
"Hmph! None of your business! Just draw your sword already. Let's finish these pests first."
Heh heh heh, knew it. She still loves me, after all.
The 'Nameless Avenger' must've begged her to save me the second I was in trouble.
In that case, no reason to turn down the help.
Feeling better, I stretched big, gripped my sword, and assumed my stance.
"Y- Ye-rin, what do we do?"
"Something… something's happening. Something awful…"
"We're screwed!"
"Hng… Trickier than they looked. So why were you fighting these girls anyway?"
"Well… Probably over Siwoo. They were bitching at me to stop flirting with him."
"Oh? So there was another guy?"
"What? Just a friend, a friend."
"Friends between guys and girls? My, you're more promiscuous than I thought!"
"Sigh… Fine, we're done being friends. Happy now? Not even friends anymore."
"Well then… I suppose that's acceptable."
With Grace's help, I took out the three crazies and dumped their unconscious asses on the supervising instructor.
Back at our spot, we traded awkward explanations.
"Anyway… What the hell's going on? It was the 'Nameless Avenger' who asked you, right?"
"You! You've been here the whole time?!"
Both Sia and Grace really grew on me—any way we three could stick together?
After agonizing over it, I found the solution: thicken my skin and go for it.
It was shameless, but better than ditching one.
Best option, hands down. So I boldly confessed to Sia.
"So… you're saying take Grace as a comrade?"
"Wait, hold up… So you contracted with her to make her my comrade?"
"What the… You expect me to buy that?! Okay, maybe it's not unbelievable, but… Aaaah, my head's gonna explode! Hey, did you know?"
"I only found out recently myself."
"Okay… maybe, but that's beside the point! Why the sex crap?! You're mine!"
"……What?"
I know I'm a lunatic.
But this wasn't reality—it was a bonus chance. Declaring a harem wasn't out of bounds.
With an extra layer of thick skin, I dropped the bomb like it was nothing.
"You crazy bastard… How do you even say that… No, what the…"
"Sigh… I get it. A few days ago, I heard this and was so pissed I couldn't sleep! How'd I fall for a playboy constellation like you… Ugh."
"Did rushing the assistant thing cause side effects? Ah… This isn't right…"
Let this slide, and it could all go to shit.
To calm them down, I dropped another bomb. Gotta give 'em a punching bag in these situations.
"……What?"
"Sigh…"