#18 Able to Grant #Tags to Apostle Jin So-yul

I can now grant #Tags to my apostle Jin So-yul. The 10,000 CP from the Wandering Sand of Despair, plus a bonus 1,000 CP. Honestly, I was a bit dazed, but good things are good things, right?

One odd thing was that the apostle slot item was missing. After buying the second slot, it had vanished from the list entirely. That probably meant there was some hidden condition. My guess was that it increased only after adding a #Tag slot...

I set the tablet down and organized my thoughts for a moment. First off, two apostles. Jin So-yul was farming on the 5th floor, and Kim Woo-jin was repeating the 1st floor after clearing the 2nd. Entering the 6th and 3rd floors were the immediate challenges. But with Kim Woo-jin's #MagicalGirl, he'd climb without issue.

"Might as well assign it right away."

After Jin So-yul's #Regression expired, she had no #Tags left. She'd reached the 5th floor with nine years of experience and swordsmanship alone... but starting from the 6th, the scale would be entirely different. Boss difficulty scaled with clear times on normal floors. So, the top priority was Jin So-yul.

The Wandering Sand of Despair had been excitedly cheering her on since handing over the 10,000 CP. Seeing her so thrilled felt strangely off. Jin So-yul was my apostle. #NTR? No thanks.

Anyway, now for the important part.

No, not you.

『Huh, Constellation? Me?』

She looked startled at suddenly being pointed out.

『Power? You mean like that time...?』

Jin So-yul's eyes widened. "That time" meant when she received #Regression, right before the 100th-floor golem's arm came down.

She stood still for a moment. Then she exhaled once and nodded with a resolute expression.

『Please take care of me, Constellation!』

"Phew... please. Just give her something good. Please something good."

I took a deep breath in and out... and executed the #Tag grant.

Keywords flashed by in an instant. I watched the same scene on my tablet.

Same structure as before. Letters cycled rapidly in the gacha. They call it #Tag granting, but it's pure luck. I wasn't even hoping for something amazing. Just something usable, please.

The speed slowed. One by one. And just as it nearly stopped...

#Swordmaster...!

My breath caught. For Jin So-yul, who wields a one-handed sword, was there a better match? Absolutely not.

Please stop here. Stop. STOP—

It ticked over one more space.

"...#Inventory?"

『Constellation, this is...?』

Jin So-yul was reading the floating text. Her expression was subtly off. She blinked a few times, rereading it again and again.

The corner of Jin So-yul's mouth twitched down ever so slightly, then back up.

『...Thank you, Constellation. I'll make good use of it.』

『Ah, no! It looks plenty useful! I can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠store tons of stuff! And it's fine, really, Constellation. I can fight without something like this anyway. It's a bonus. A bonus!』

It wasn't a lie. She'd reached the 5th floor without any #Tags. But that dissatisfied flicker in her eyes... As the one granting the power, even if random, I felt guilty. I really thought #Swordmaster would land. Just one space earlier.

No use crying over it. Gacha's like that. Kim Woo-jin's #MagicalGirl wasn't what he wanted either, and Jin So-yul's #Regression was pure luck. Randomness comes down to how you use it.

Wait.

"Suck... this could work."

#Inventory. At first glance, a mere convenience skill. But there were those webnovels where protagonists stored rebar and dropped it like space magic. Or filled it with seawater and unleashed floods. Even that famous technique ejecting dozens of swords at once. Gate of Babylon—

...Too bad it can't store living beings. Keeping a dragon in there would've been fun.

Anyway, max retrieval distance scales with her mana. Depending on usage, it could be combat-viable. Even outside combat: carrying multiple weapons and swapping as needed, or stocking potions and rations for long expeditions. Up to the 5th floor it was just goblins, but higher floors would demand more specific strategies and ramping difficulty. Tower efficiency would change entirely.

"Let's test it first."

『Outside?』

『You mean test it outside? Got it, Constellation.』

Jin So-yul stepped toward the magic circle. Back to the quiet studio apartment. Then the Wandering Sand of Despair began spamming messages.

"...?"

She broke down in seconds.

Jin So-yul stared wide-eyed at the airborne messages.

『Constellation...? What's going on...?』

『I don't know either. The Wandering Sand of Despair just suddenly...?』

What the hell? I replayed my recent action. I just told Jin So-yul to test #Inventory outside. Did that trigger something for the Wandering Sand of Despair?

"Am I missing something?"

Emphasis messages unlocked meant at least Low Grade, assuming the same system. For a constellation of that level to panic and apologize nonstop... What did she see?

Come to think of it, when time regressed, no other constellations approached Jin So-yul. As if they didn't even notice the rewind. With Kim Woo-jin, others had watched his contract. I figured no reaction was normal.

I shook my head. Too few clues still. But it felt like one step closer to understanding "Observer of the 0th Dimension." Someday, I'd reach the truth. A gut feeling told me so.

"Whatever it is... better keep it secret for now."

Best to zip lips.

I didn't fully get it either... but my power had something. And that something terrified certain constellations.

I checked Jin So-yul on the tablet. She gazed up at the ceiling with awe.

『Wow...』

『What in the world is Constellation...?』

『No, nothing! I just realized how incredible you are, Constellation.』

I looked around the bunker. Concrete walls, stacks of canned goods, a mattress in the corner. A guy who could barely do push-ups. I wasn't that incredible.

『...Constellation?』

『Yes, heading out now! Where to?』

『Just go out first, right?』

As Jin So-yul prepared to head out, I leaned against the wall. 3,720 CP. Down again, but no place to spend it for now anyway.