Severed Connections
Her sword sliced rapidly through the empty air. With every movement of her body, droplets of sweat clinging to the tips of her hair fell, dampening the floor.
I need to be faster than this.
Yoo Seora couldn't understand it. Why had she been so overwhelmingly defeated? Her speed, her strength, her technique—she had clearly been superior in every aspect. Yet, she had still lost.
I should have won.
She knew better than anyone that her swordsmanship was riddled with flaws. But precisely because it was so deeply flawed, she had been confident she could snatch victory in a single, decisive clash. Until yesterday, no one she had faced had ever lasted more than ten exchanges.
Except for her.
Was my swordsmanship wrong all along?
Taking the first step into doubt was always the hardest. Once planted, however, the seed of suspicion began to swell. Eventually, that doubt transcended the question of why she couldn't beat Elsie, spiraling into a profound skepticism about her very path as a swordswoman.
Is it really right for me to keep clinging to this swordsmanship?
She recalled the reason she had picked up the sword in the first place. The Crow Merchant Guild, reduced to a living hell by a sudden onslaught of Chaos Beasts. Following her Constellation's command, she had desperately fled the scene to seek help from a nearby Hero. Fortunately, that Hero was a powerful, high-level warrior who managed to sweep away all the Chaos Beasts with a single blade.
But it was already too late. The tragedy left the Crow Merchant Guild ruined beyond recovery.
Her Constellation had then made a proposal: take up the sword herself, grow strong enough to protect the guild, and rebuild it from the ashes. Having witnessed the miracle a high-level Hero could perform with a blade, the offer was irresistibly alluring. From that moment on, the path of the sword was the only path she knew.
Of course, it wasn't as if she had never suspected that the Crest of the Crow was better suited for archery than swordsmanship. In fact, that guy Sung Yu-rang seemed to be utilizing it perfectly for his bow. Yet, doubting the Constellation she had trusted for so long was no easy task. She feared that the moment she questioned her sponsor, the entire path she had walked would turn into a betrayal of her own life.
And trying to learn archery now... it's already far too late.
Her swinging blade came to a halt. Panting heavily, she lowered her sword. The desire to train had completely evaporated.
What am I supposed to do?
She didn't know. It felt as though she was no longer capable of reaching any conclusion on her own.
I...
Helplessly, she looked up at the empty air once more.
Please, say something. Anything, Constellation.
But no answer came.
I seriously can't figure it out.
I couldn't put my finger on what was so off. After agonizing over it for a long while, I finally headed to the archery training grounds to clear my head. Maybe letting loose a few arrows would spark something.
Is he here today too?
Wilhelm was in his usual spot, occupying the very first lane of the archery range. Seeing him remain so consistent even now, well over a month into the semester, filled me with a sense of admiration. Still, no matter how dedicated he was, surely he had other things to do besides archery.
Does he really not have a Constellation?
With that thought, I picked up my bow. Wilhelm was impressive, but I was confident I had put in just as much effort. The proof lay in the thick calluses on my fingers, and the subtle shift in how Wilhelm looked at me.
During our first archery class, my disastrous shooting had earned me absolute indifference from him. But my skills had steadily improved. By now, I was confident I could hit the class average even without relying on the Wind Authority.
Just as the arrow I loosed thudded directly into the bullseye—
"Sung Yu-rang."
For a second, I doubted my ears. But the voice spoke again.
"Sorry to interrupt, but do you have a moment?"
It was Wilhelm. This was the first time he had ever initiated a conversation with me during practice. That meant it had to be something important.
"What is it?"
I lowered my bow and turned to him. Wilhelm's expression, usually stoic, was exceptionally grave. He spoke in his characteristically flat, serious tone.
"There is something I wish to consult you about."
A consultation? I couldn't begin to guess what he wanted to talk about. Still, I had no reason to refuse.
"Sure. What's on your mind?"
"It would be better to speak elsewhere. Others might walk in here."
Though slightly puzzled, I agreed and followed him to a quieter spot.
"Sung Yu-rang, I know you have a Constellation. I saw you using your inventory the other day."
This was definitely not a conversation we wanted anyone else overhearing. I had tried my best to be discreet, but it seemed a master archer's keen eyes had caught me slipping items into my inventory.
"You're right, I do. So, what did you want to talk about?"
There was no point in playing dumb with him anymore. Besides, I was curious to hear what he had to say.
"First, I should disclose this. I have a Constellation as well."
That was unexpected. Everything about his behavior up until now suggested he was a character without a sponsor. Apparently, that wasn't the case.
"You have a Constellation?"
"No. Perhaps it is more accurate to say I had one."
Had one? That made even less sense.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. My Constellation used to give me advice. We even communicated occasionally. But..."
He paused, a melancholic shadow passing over his eyes.
"Lately, my Constellation hasn't responded at all."
The first explanation that crossed my mind was simple: his player had quit the game. It was harsh, but if any character was going to be abandoned, it was Wilhelm.
"Do you also think my Constellation has abandoned me?"
He must have suspected it himself. Wilhelm was a phenomenal archer, but that was his entire identity. He was a character with a clear ceiling. On top of that, almost all of his character events consisted of nothing but archery practice.
A lot of players ranked him as one of the most boring characters to raise.
So, the theory that his sponsor had given up on him was highly plausible. Under normal circumstances, at least.
"Wilhelm. When was the last time you heard from your Constellation?"
The strange sense of incongruity I'd been feeling was finally starting to take shape. But to confirm my theory, the timing of when his connection was severed was crucial.
"Probably... around last winter."
"Last winter?"
Last winter coincided exactly with the time I killed Libero and Guineus. If my hunch was correct, this wasn't a problem unique to Wilhelm.
Come to think of it, there was no reason Elsie shouldn't have recognized me. If she had an active Constellation, they could have easily viewed my status window. The same went for Gwen.
...Of course, in their case, they did recognize me and might have just been pretending otherwise. But there was another anomaly.
Yoo Seora.
It was an absolute certainty that she had a Constellation. But what if she, too, had lost contact with them? If so, her stubborn insistence on swordsmanship made a lot more sense. And the most definitive proof of this theory lay with me.
In truth, I had already sensed it on some level. After all...
Sung Yu-rang, say something. Answer me.
For some time now, my own Constellation had been completely silent. I had assumed they were simply keeping their distance out of respect for my autonomy. But perhaps that wasn't the case at all.
Sung Yu-rang!!!
There was no answer.
Which means...
The puzzle pieces clicked into place. Every single connection between the Constellations and their characters had been severed.
What the hell is going on?
I wanted to dive straight into the Trial right this second and demand answers from the gods. But there was a far more pressing matter at hand.
Yoo Seora's situation might be much worse than I thought.
My previous assessment of Yoo Seora's state had been based on the assumption that her Constellation was still guiding her. But if she had been cut off from her sponsor entirely, her mental state was likely far more precarious than I had anticipated. Checking on her was my top priority.
"Wilhelm, I can't say for sure, but you're not the only one who's lost connection with their Constellation. There seems to be an external cause behind this, so don't let it get to you too much. I'll do what I can to find out what's happening."
I quickly wrapped up my conversation with Wilhelm. He seemed slightly taken aback for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. A faint smile touched his lips.
"Is that so? Thank you for telling me."
Judging by his reaction, I didn't need to worry about Wilhelm. I stood up and addressed him.
"Well, I have some urgent business to attend to."
I remembered Yoo Seora's face when she had called out to me after the tactical meeting. Her expression had already been crumbling back then. Perhaps that had been her final, desperate cry for help.
Dammit.
There had been warning signs, and yet I had complacently left her in the hands of her Constellation. That was my mistake. But how was I, a mere human, supposed to persuade someone who had lost all faith in the very higher power she relied on?
What on earth am I supposed to do...