Chapter 28
Chapter 28
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Constellation Gallery EP.27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I woke up, but far from feeling sleepy, my nerves were on edge.
"Mister!"
Tulip was rushing toward me, her face pale.
Kang Harin was also scrambling to her feet amid the commotion.
"What happened?"
"Outside...! Something huge is at the door...!"
I didn't need to hear more.
I quickly got up and drew my revolver. At the same time, I swung my hand to summon the Grave of Ten Thousand Demons.
For a moment, the room rippled with an ominous crimson-black glow.
Bang!!
This time, the uninvited guest's knock shook the floor.
The vibration was so intense it felt like the house might collapse.
I quickly beckoned to Tulip and Kang Harin.
"Fall back. Support from the rear if needed."
As soon as I finished speaking, I stepped forward.
My mind was clear.
I didn't know what it was, but if it had come all the way here, there was no escaping it.
'So... whatever it is, I'll kill it.'
Before opening the door, I took a moment to steady my breath and think briefly.
Secure retreat space and confirm escape routes.
And the moment I opened the door.
Bang!!
An explosive impact slammed into me.
Before I could react, something hit me dead-on, sending me flying through the air.
Crash!
My body crashed into the window frame and finally stopped.
For a split second, I couldn't breathe.
"Gah!"
Right behind my back, cracks spiderwebbed across the window.
If it had shattered—or if I'd left it open because it was hot—I would've fallen out.
Even with my boosted Vitality, I probably would've died.
'...Fuck.'
I gathered my wits and pushed myself up. At the same time, my eyes went to the tactical bulletproof vest.
To take this much damage even while wearing it.
"Kang Harin!"
Kang Harin was staring at me, trembling.
I ripped off the vest and tossed it to her.
"Put that on! And don't get hit unless you have to."
Unlike me, Harin hadn't touched her stats yet.
In other words, one hit might kill her.
Before I could say more, the monster before me revealed its form.
A distinct silhouette even in the darkness.
Its muscle tissue was exposed as if its skin had been peeled away.
No skin.
It looked like a mass of red flesh from head to toe.
Moist slime dripped down, and chunks of raw flesh writhed grotesquely.
It resembled a human shape, but something was off.
Arms unnaturally long, legs short and thick.
And its head.
No eyes where they should be.
Two empty sockets, pitch black.
As if nothing had ever been there.
"Tulip, shoot it!"
Tulip loosed an arrow without hesitation.
But.
Snap!
"Wha...?!"
Tulip gasped in shock.
The arrow didn't pierce—it bounced off.
'Fuck, is it because it's night? Is the stat difference really this huge?'
I'd prefer that explanation.
If not, my attacks wouldn't land easily either.
I gripped the revolver tightly.
'This is my last resort.'
For now, it was for crippling its mobility, not killing.
Bang!
I shot its leg.
But.
"Fuck..."
The bullet just rolled across the floor.
At that moment, the monster opened its mouth.
"Uwaaaaaaaaagh—!"
A throat-ripping scream.
A sound no human could make.
It wasn't just a simple shriek—something was wrong with it.
My head spun dizzily for a moment.
Vision distorting.
My heart started racing.
But it was brief.
My mind cleared again.
I gritted my teeth.
'Bullets already not working? Fuck, where's the game difficulty adjustment?'
Then Tulip clutched her forehead and dropped to her knees.
Breathing ragged, her fingertips trembling faintly. Even her pupils shook.
"Ugh... ughhh..."
Kang Harin was the same.
Clutching her head with both hands, staring blankly into space with dilated eyes.
Slumped shoulders, quivering fingers.
Party members all combat-ineffective.
I was the only one fine.
"This sucks..."
I had to handle this alone somehow.
But could I even take it down?
I hurriedly opened the Constellation Gallery.
Info on that monster, weaknesses, strategies.
Please, something had to be posted here.
Sacrifice one person as an offering to survive?
I glanced at Kang Harin.
For a brief moment, my values clashed.
Sacrificing Kang Harin would let us live.
But convincing Tulip to kill wasn't for this selfishness.
No matter how much I justified it as "unavoidable," Tulip wouldn't accept it.
In the end, she'd be filled with the fear of being abandoned in crucial moments too.
Dragging that powerless Tulip around while recruiting new party members? I'd be alone forever.
No one would trust me, and I wouldn't trust anyone either.
'Of course, with her in mental confusion now, it'd be the perfect time to decide to sacrifice Kang Harin.'
Tulip wouldn't remember clearly what happened due to the status effect.
I could fool her that way.
But... the Constellations are watching everything.
If I abandoned Kang Harin?
The Constellations wouldn't trust me anymore.
They'd see me as someone who raises allies only to discard and exploit them as needed—just like the disgust I felt for the weasel.
'No contracts from good Constellations. Even if they come, they'd aim for a chance to slit my throat first.'
To secure my humanity and future survival, I couldn't abandon anyone now.
If I wanted others to trust and rely on me, I had to first become someone others could trust and rely on.
I closed and opened my eyes.
"......"
The conclusion was set.
I glared at the Blood Ink again.
"You want lives? Sorry, but none of us plan on dying here."
Thanks to the Spirit of the Constellation, reading "impossible" didn't spark even a hint of fear.
That's why I could afford this bravado.
"...Come on."
Bang!
"Gah...!"
My lungs flipped inside out.
The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth, followed by hot liquid surging up.
"Ptui!"
A red glob splattered on the floor.
Each blow landed heavy.
Every hit sent my body bouncing across the floor.
Pain like my whole body was crumbling.
But my mind was strangely sharp.
"Urgh... guess bravado alone just gets me killed..."
Bang!
The Blood Ink's claw smashed into my chest again.
In that instant, the crunch of breaking bones echoed in my skull.
Air fled my lungs, head going white.
"Guh... haaah..."
My body flew back again.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
But I couldn't stop.
I braced my hand and sprang up using the momentum.
Forcing my wobbling legs to hold.
"You fucking bastard."
I gripped the Grave of Ten Thousand Demons tight.
And thrust it with all my strength.
Slash-!
The blade sank in shallowly.
"You bastard... attacks do work on you?"
But its flesh writhed, and the wound closed almost immediately. Recovery way too fast.
Thwack!
"Keurgh...!"
A blow to the side.
Pain like shattered ribs pierced my brain.
Speed, power, toughness—all outmatched.
My sword pierced but didn't critically wound.
I couldn't dodge its attacks, kept taking hits.
No way I'd win like this.
'...Guess I have to use it now.'
I'd saved it, fearing it'd run out at a crucial moment.
But now was that must-use time.
'Spend 17,500 Gold to raise Agility to 10.'
Ding! Ding! Ding! ... Ding!
+ Agility +7
+ Agility reaches Lv.10: Overall reaction speed and movement flexibility evolve two stages.
In that instant, my senses sharpened.
The oppressive weight lifted from my body.
No, it was more than that.
Planting my feet felt like zero gravity, air light.
The world before me sharpened.
And slowed.
'...Perfect. This'll do.'
Bravado? Let it shrivel to dust.
I admit I'm fearless.
But I have a reason for charging like this.
The Spirit of the Constellation description clearly states:
[However, this skill may not activate normally against beings with a vast disparity in power.]
But my mind is as clear as ever now.
No fear against something so overwhelming.
Doesn't that mean it's winnable?
Discarding comrades with a sound mind? Comrades I chose?
That'd just turn me into a monster to survive the monster.
Better to die now, before becoming one, than survive by throwing away people I decided to make allies.
"Comrades you can trust your back to aren't picked—they're made."
At that moment, the Grave of Ten Thousand Demons began to glow.