An Interview with a Constellation
The day after I posted verification on the Hunter Gallery and got scolded and nagged all day by Seong-a Nuna and Chaerin Nuna.
"Seong-a Nuna."
"Yes, Yeonwoo?"
"There seem to be a lot of people in the female hunters' lounge today."
Sitting on the sofa in the female hunters' lounge as usual, I tilted my head at the unusually large crowd and spoke to Seong-a Nuna.
"The Association lounge is open to all hunters, not just those affiliated with the Hunter Association."
"Ah."
"Still, there really are a lot of people today."
Looking around after hearing my words, Seong-a Nuna wore a somewhat displeased expression, but for me, this was great news.
"Can I go hand out chocolates to those Nunas?"
"Hmm... I don't see why not."
"Yay!"
Naturally, it was a golden opportunity to farm Affection Points.
"Please have some chocolate!!!"
"Oh, is this for me?"
"Thank you~!"
I approached the Nunas who had been stealing glances at me, carrying an armful of the chocolates I had bought in bulk yesterday. As I placed them in their hands, a flurry of hands began to pat my head in return.
Click, click...
And then, the moment I returned to the sofa, their eyes gleamed as they neatly arranged the chocolates on the tables and began snapping photos.
"Front-page obsessed lunatics."
"Huh?"
"It's nothing, kiddo."
Hearing Chaerin Nuna's mutterings—she looked just as displeased as Seong-a Nuna—I tilted my head once more.
STEP 3: Earn Affection Points!
📍 Objective: Accumulate Affection Points to a certain threshold.
📊 Progress: 90 / 100
Well, either way, the completion of the third tutorial quest was right around the corner, so I couldn't help but be in a good mood.
"Hello, hello, everyone!"
"......?"
"My dear customers, how have you all been?"
It was right around then that an overly excited voice suddenly echoed from the entrance of the lounge.
"That crazy mad scientist is here again."
Poking my head out to see what was going on, I realized who had just walked in thanks to Chaerin Nuna's muttered comment.
Whoa, an S-class hunter...
Basically, S-class hunters are treated as national-level strategic assets just by existing. Because so many organizations covet them, they usually find an affiliation within less than a year of their debut.
But Han Yeoul, the S-class hunter who had just entered the lounge, was different.
She was the only unaffiliated S-class hunter in South Korea.
"We're not buying weapons. We're not buying potions either."
"Hmm?"
"We're not buying anything you sell. Please leave."
For the record, her abilities were specialized in research and development rather than combat, placing her at the very bottom of the S-class rankings.
However, her genius was such that her individual output rivaled the entire support item development team of the Seongun Group. Thanks to this, her influence reigned at the very top among South Korea's S-class hunters.
"Was the mana enhancer I handed out last time not to your liking?"
"If that was a real mana enhancer, the hunters who took it wouldn't have drooled all over the lounge floor."
"Hey, I told you, that was just a side effect~"
She did, however, have the slight flaw of using Association hunters as lab rats and doing rather dangerous things without hesitation for the sake of her research.
Well, from what I knew, that level of personality was pretty average for an S-class hunter.
"Oh? There he is."
"Gasp."
"So, you're Yeonwoo..."
But that very person, spinning her long, dangling sleeves, began walking toward me.
"If you're planning to use Yeonwoo as a test subject, you'd better prepare yourself."
"I'm really not letting it slide this time."
In the blink of an eye, Seong-a Nuna and Chaerin Nuna stepped in, blocking the path between her and me.
"Don't be like that. I even brought a present."
"That sounds even scarier."
"Hmm, where is it... Ah, found it."
True to her status as an S-class hunter—or perhaps she was just naturally fearless—Han Yeoul didn't even bat an eye. She opened the suitcase she had dragged along and began rummaging through it.
"Tada!"
What she pulled out was a blue backpack, the kind an elementary schooler my age would typically wear.
"It's just... a backpack?"
"It really is a present! Have you ever seen me give away one of my inventions for free?"
"True, that's a fair point."
Seong-a Nuna, who had been looking on suspiciously, lowered her guard slightly at the sight of the ordinary-looking bag.
"Now, step aside. Let me put it on him myself."
Pushing Seong-a Nuna aside, Han Yeoul knelt down and kindly began putting the backpack on me herself.
"Yeonwoo, I'll be in your care from now on~"
"Y-Yes. Thank you..."
"Make sure to earn lots of money and buy plenty of Nuna's inventions, okay?"
Unaccustomed to kindness from strangers, I lowered my gaze and mumbled my thanks.
"Seriously, it's a relief she isn't affiliated with the villains."
"It would've been a nightmare if that wench were a villain."
Still, compared to the harsh evaluations the Nunas were whispering behind her back, I was glad she seemed surprisingly nice.
"...By the way, this is indeed one of my inventions."
"Huh?"
"Shh. Quiet. The lab rats might hear."
Just as I was thinking that, Han Yeoul, who was adjusting the straps, suddenly whispered a shocking piece of information into my ear.
"Actually, this is a masterpiece I've been developing for a long time."
"...Whoa."
"The model name is the HYL-0999 Prototype. Why don't you figure out its functions as you go?"
I knew it. She had definitely done something to it.
"If it breaks, come straight to the Yeoul Workshop."
"Y-Yes."
"Good boy. That's a promise, okay?"
But it was too late to refuse now. The madness glinting in Han Yeoul's eyes was far too terrifying, so I just nodded quietly.
"Ehehehe..."
Is this really going to be okay?
Surprisingly, contrary to my worries, the backpack Han Yeoul had gifted me was a highly useful item that boasted an incredibly comfortable fit.
"Yeonwoo, isn't it heavy?"
"Nope!"
"Our Yeonwoo is a little Hercules, huh?"
Despite stuffing it with all the chocolates I bought yesterday and various other snacks, it didn't feel heavy at all.
"If it gets heavy, I'll carry it for you."
"No, it really isn't heavy."
"You'll regret it later."
It wasn't just a feeling; the concept of 'weight' literally did not exist.
"No, seriously..."
What is this? It's scary. Is it really okay for a mere invention, not even a skill or an artifact, to completely ignore the laws of physics?
"...Yeonwoo, but weren't you scared of that Nuna earlier?"
"Huh?"
"You know... the one wearing the white lab coat."
As I broke out in a cold sweat, Seong-a Nuna, who had been watching me closely, suddenly asked.
"I'm used to seeing that kind of outfit all the time anyway."
Honestly, if it had been back when I was living in a hospital room, it might have been different. But now, it just looked like a boring, everyday outfit, so it didn't phase me at all.
"I'm going to go to my room and rest now!"
"Alright..."
"Get some rest, kiddo."
Having answered, I bowed to the two Nunas, who were looking at me with strangely pitying eyes, and ran off to my room.
"You know the subjugation meeting for the Rebirth Cult is today, right?"
"...I was planning to attend anyway."
"I heard the masters of the three major guilds are all gathering today."
They were whispering some important-sounding information behind me, but eavesdropping felt wrong, and besides, I had something urgent to do.
Tutorial Quest STEP 3 Cleared!
Objective: Earn Affection Points! (100/100)
"Heh."
It was time to check the reward for the third tutorial quest I had finally cleared.
As a reward, the function for communication and advice from the Constellations has received its first upgrade!
What kind of features would be added? A system that allowed me to communicate with the beings who had been helping me was highly anticipated.
As a special perk before the update finishes, you can have a 1:1 interview with a single Constellation. Do you accept?
As I waited with sparkling eyes, an intriguing message popped up.
"Yes!"
It was an obviously fun proposal, so I nodded quickly in agreement.
Auction in progress...
Wait, an auction? What did that mean?
As I scratched my head in confusion, a barrage of point bids from the Constellations began pouring in.
For some reason, the names got more and more suspicious the further down they went, and naturally, the bid amounts skyrocketed.
Wait, I worked my butt off just to gather 100 points.
Is it really okay for them to throw away months' worth of points just to have a single 1:1 interview with me?
Auction Closed.
It was while I was panicking over this that it happened.
Crackle...
A small, flickering portal-like object materialized inside my bedroom, which was located at the back of the lounge.
"...Whoa."
It was hard to believe, but despite its small size, it was unmistakably a Gate.
Yes. The root cause of the world's current state: the Gate phenomenon.
Even now, with state-of-the-art response systems in place, it was a disastrous nuisance that triggered emergency evacuation orders for entire sectors whenever one appeared.
What on earth is my ability...?
At this point, I was more curious about what this ability couldn't do.
Though, in my opinion, there probably wasn't anything.
"Up we go..."
Fortunately, since my body was just as small as the Gate, crawling inside was quite easy.
"H-Hello...?"
The place I arrived at was a sub-space shrouded in a rather dark atmosphere.
"N-Nice to meet you!"
However, since there was no one in sight, I mustered up the courage to shout. Right after that:
"It seems spending all those points was worth it."
"Uh..."
"To think I could summon you directly like this."
A soft, yet spine-chilling voice suddenly echoed from above.
"W-Who are you?"
Looking up toward the voice, I finally saw a woman with reverse eyes, sitting with her legs crossed on a throne made of black bones and flesh.
"Um, I'm Do Yeonwoo..."
Just looking at her made my body tremble. It was as I was cautiously continuing my introduction:
Winning Bidder: Queen of Magic Beasts
Final Bid: 10,000 Points
A message popped up in front of me, instantly turning my mind completely blank.
"Yes, it is you."
The being sitting before me with crossed legs, exuding a dangerous aura and looking down at me with a freezing expression.
"The insolent child who dared to steal my children."
Her identity was none other than the ruler and mother of the magic beasts that had invaded our world.