Chapter 71: Time Freezes, Manager Appears

The world in my vision had turned entirely black and white, but that wasn't the only anomaly I noticed. The curtain flapping in the breeze had frozen mid-air. The clock's second and minute hands had stopped dead in place, refusing to advance. No matter how I looked at it...

"It's like time has stopped?"

There was no other way to interpret it. But... huh? Even if time had stopped, my body moved just fine. My hands, feet, blinking—everything worked perfectly. My voice came out freely too. It felt like I was detached from the world in some inexplicable glitch.

"Huh?"

"Wrong? What do you mean... Ah, no. Calm down first! Mom! Don't panic—explain it step by step...!"

What the hell was going on? I hadn't seen Mom this flustered since we ran into those giant cockroaches in the instance dungeon not long ago. Whatever this was, it definitely wasn't normal.

That's when another system message popped up in front of me.

A creaking noise echoed out, pulling my eyes from the system window toward the sound. There, floating in the air, was a small wooden door just big enough for one person to squeeze through.

"3rd Grade Administrator...?"

A constellation? No, no prefix meant it probably wasn't.

...What kind of school life did Mom have that makes her shudder at "discipline committee head" like that? Anyway.

"So why does this discipline head suddenly want to meet me? I didn't do anything wrong, like you said, but now I feel guilty for no reason."

As I debated whether to open the door or not—

—Please, won't you come in?

Oh! I have absolutely no intention of scolding Agent Hwang! None at all!

A young voice, hard to tell if boy or girl, came from beyond the door.

—Just close your eyes once! Help out this poor administrator and grant my private audience! I'm begging you, please!

...Now I was flustered for a whole different reason. Why was he overdoing it like this?

Ignoring him further seemed more painful, so I got off the bed and approached the door. I reached out and opened it.

Creeeak—

The moment dazzling light poured through the gap, flooding my vision—

Chirp chirp—

Cheerful birdsong tickled my ears. The feel under my feet shifted from the hospital's hard marble to soft, springy grass. When I opened my eyes, I stood in a vast meadow bathed in warm sunlight.

And in the middle of the meadow...

"Ah! You responded to my private audience request! I'm so happy, Agent Hwang!"

A boy in a blue uniform cap and matching uniform grabbed my hand, his water-colored eyes sparkling.

"I'm Pietro, 3rd Grade Administrator of the Hall of Fame! It's an honor to meet you like this!"

"Do you know who's showing the steepest growth rate among agents in the Summer Vacation Raising Project? It's you, Agent Hwang!"

"That moment you stood tall against the Witch of Eternal Sleep without flinching! Ugh— so cool!"

"I usually don't care much about mortal affairs, but you're different, Agent Hwang! Watching your feats update daily gets my blood pumping!"

"And you already know quite a bit about the Hall of Fame, right? This'll make things quicker! I love that too!"

Was this "private audience" code for a fan meet? For nearly 20 minutes, he gushed nonstop about me. As the listener, I was on pins and needles.

Mom was nodding solemnly like she agreed. This wouldn't do. Time to cut him off. Dragging me to some Teletubby hill lookalike for this?

"Um, sorry to interrupt, but could you get to the point...?"

"Yes? Oh! Sorry! I got too excited and the intro dragged on!"

'A bit'? Twenty minutes was pretty long. I couldn't show my exasperation, so I just scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

"Sorry!"

"...Yes?"

Suddenly, Pietro bowed 90 degrees in apology. The guy's energy was relentless—hard to keep up.

"I know that recently, due to the Witch of Eternal Sleep's 'Mass Event,' you and many other mortals suffered damages."

"...Ah."

"For a constellation to excessively intervene and take mortal lives is the ultimate taboo, defying noble rules."

Pietro lifted his head slightly from the ground. His innocent eyes now flickered with demonic fury.

"We've punished that constellation accordingly, so please quell your anger."

"In that case..."

His glare suggested the punishment was severe. Good riddance, psycho constellation bastard.

"Though the Witch of Eternal Sleep acted on her own, we can't deny our management was negligent. Thus, we're offering proper compensation to affected constellations and agents."

"Proper compensation...?"

"Regardless of injury severity, a full recovery potion to heal aftereffects instantly. And a growth potion raising all stats by 7% across the board. That's our compensation package."

"Oh..."

Recovery potion was fine, but 7% to all stats? Solid. Some might scoff "only 7%?", but...

For players like Choi Kwang-hyun, Jin Soo-hyun, or me with three-digit stat averages, that's huge.

Unexpected windfall like this? Jackpot.

Ahem. I suppressed a grin and said, "Then I'll gladly accep—"

"—By the way, you're an exception, Agent Hwang!"

"...What?"

Before misunderstanding set in, Pietro hurriedly added, "Ah, no! 'Exception' means we're giving you something even more special!"

"...Even more special compensation, huh."

Whew, close call. Gotta hear Korean to the end.

"In a way, the damage was contained thanks to you stepping up. Crucially, you weren't the Witch of Eternal Sleep's main target of malice."

"Can't argue that. That damn psycho went straight for me first, ignoring everything else."

"Yes. Considering that, we're offering you something extra special."

Pietro straightened up and snapped his gloved fingers with a crack!

Then, like a theater set change, the scenery rotated with afterimages, spinning rapidly.

Brief nausea wrinkled my brow, but when it stopped, my feet were planted somewhere entirely different from the Teletubby hill.

And...

"......"

I was speechless. The sight greeting me left me no words.

"Ta-da! What is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all this!"

Like a silent film narrator, Pietro gestured dramatically and shouted.

"This is the alpha and omega of privileges granted to saintly heroes of great achievements! An oasis in the heavens!"

If I wasn't hallucinating...

"Welcome to the Saint Market!"

I'd stepped into a place allowed only to constellations.

Vast temple interior in deep red tones, endless. Swords, bows, axes, daggers, helmets, armor—countless items of every type floated lightly like feathers.

The ceiling was studded with glowing orbs like stars...

Oh god, no way?

"Those star-like things up there are all skill orbs!"

Insane... Was this how Charlie felt entering Willy Wonka's factory? Earth's player markets couldn't compare.

Pietro chuckled at my gaping reaction and handed me a square booklet slyly.

"The Saint Market catalog!"

"Catalog...? Wait, first explain what all this is..."

"You can pick any item listed and take it for free!"

"......"

I'd suspected, but confirmation made me hiccup. So this was the "more special" reward. But "more" didn't cover it...

I swallowed drool and opened the catalog.

"As a mortal-bound agent, you're limited to 5th Grade max! Don't feel bad—plenty of great 5th Grade items!"

"Is 5th the lowest?"

"7th is the absolute bottom!"

Getting the first button right matters most. Without that vitamin, my second playthrough wouldn't have gone smoothly. Same quality, my pick? No disappointment even at 5th Grade.

"Touch 'Check Stats' under items to see details!"

I tapped Glory Sword's 'Check Stats.' A hologram popped up with its info.

A+ grade, plus 5% strength near allies... Hall of Fame standard. Would be VVIP in player markets.

I checked each one. No duds—all solid items and skills. Blind pick? No regrets.

But the problem: pick one.

Need the perfect choice, no regrets.

...Can't deny Mom's facts; I hate myself for it. Gnawing my nails, flipping pages...

"...Huh?"

One item caught my conflicted eye. Not a weapon, armor, or artifact.

Unlike others with fixed stats, its effect was fluid, based on my state. That hooked me. And most importantly...

Permanently affecting stats via potion? Unheard of in player markets.

A+ or S weapons? Available if you look. But growth potions? Saint Market exclusive.

Why not pick something unique here?

100 God Coins? Even Mom can't afford it—must be pricey. Free? No-brainer.

"I'll take this Custom Growth Potion."

"Excellent choice!"

Pietro snapped his fingers grinning, and a flask of clear liquid descended from the ceiling. I gulped dryly and swallowed the contents slowly.

The next instant—

"......"

Wait. So level-ups now give 5% stats, not flat +10?

5% of what? Status window first.

"......"

All stats over 400 easy. 5% of 400 is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠20. Meaning, minimum +20 per level from now on.

Double the old flat +10!

And percentage-based, so it scales. Efficiency skyrockets. Say averages hit 1000? Flat +10 would suck—no point grinding EXP.

But 5%? Consistent growth forever.

Mom satisfied? Me too. Gear/skills tempting, but direct growth boost? Best.

As I sighed in relief, Pietro spoke up.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Your expression says no regrets!"

"Thanks to you. Truly grateful."

"Nonsense! It's your right, Agent Hwang!"

Eye candy too. First player to see Saint Market live? Felt proud. Glancing around again, I spotted the wooden door floating nearby.

More browsing tempting, but sour grapes better avoided. Time to go.

As I approached—

"Just push a bit more, Agent Hwang."

...A bit more? I turned, expecting his grin. But Pietro looked deadly serious.

"Push a bit more? What do you mean?"

"You've achieved much, saving countless lives."

"......"

His words made me reflect on my path. Day one regression: saved Lee Ji-yoon's brother from orcs. Resolved Guro-gu crisis from Kirius. Freed kids from Oh Chae-rin's experiments.

"The Hall of Fame watched every step."

"......"

"And those 'above' recognize your deeds as undeniable achievements. Know what that means?"

His white-gloved finger pointed up.

"Your constellation's official promotion is near."

"You know the conditions for official constellation promotion, right?"

I did—from Mom. Agent's significant mortal achievements. Sole path from apprentice to official.

Agents of official constellations get the Trial of the Inheritor.

"Don't break—burn your soul, keep advancing. Then soon..."

Trailing off with a bright smile, Pietro said,

"You'll become a fine inheritor, Agent Hwang."