The Constellations' Game [Laika]

Compared to other hunting grounds of the same level range, Moonlight Garden gave overwhelmingly more experience than any dungeon on the Island of Beginnings.

And yet, at the same time, it was the least popular dungeon on the entire island.

Why?

Because if the reward balance was tilted entirely toward experience, that meant everything else on offer was lackluster. To put it simply, the only players who came here were ones who prioritized leveling above all else—and ten years after the Gates first opened, that kind of demand had inevitably dried up. No matter how fast you leveled here, you weren't at the stage where you could compete with the rankers in growth anyway. Instead, lingering on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠safe Island of Beginnings and thoroughly building your fundamentals as a hunter had become accepted as the orthodox path.

So I'd been a little worried about whether I could even find a party right away…

"Yes, I was waiting to enter Moonlight Garden."

Luck was on my side.

One party member was more than enough for me. And on top of that, he looked genuinely skilled.

There's nothing bad about a capable party member.

The man had a lean, solidly built frame and a youthful face, and even from a passing glance, his form was excellent. You might say his talent looked extraordinary. He wielded a sword, same as me. If I had to nitpick a flaw, it would be his tall height and his pointlessly handsome looks (?). And I don't mean generically good-looking—he was quite possibly the most handsome person I had ever seen in my life.

"Why?"

Oh, come on, these absolute weirdo Constellations…

"Esteemed hyung-nims, what good is a player being handsome?"

"Excuse me???"

"Hey! What's wrong with my face?!"

"……"

I suddenly lost all desire to party with him… but it didn't seem like I had any real alternative. Honestly, setting aside the handsome face, I couldn't see a single other flaw in the guy.

Of course, in terms of refined technique, there's a certain greenness to him…

Considering this was the Island of Beginnings, a little roughness around the edges was only natural. Unlike me, every hunter here was on their first playthrough. Which, in turn, made me think I needed to stay humble. Seeing players of that caliber scattered around (?) even on the starter island… once I advanced my class and crossed over to the main continent, wouldn't I turn out to be utterly mediocre after all?

The thought made me a little sad. But anyway, moving on…

"Do you have experience clearing this dungeon?"

"Yes, I'd say I've run it about twenty times."

"Oh!"

After exchanging introductions and chatting for a bit, he seemed to have a solid enough grasp ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the dungeon, too. Which meant this was the ideal situation. All that remained was to enter the dungeon.

"And you, Dave-nim?"

"I haven't exactly counted, but I've run it plenty."

Oh, right—the man's player name was Leo.

Ha, a bluff, they say?

I'm pretty sure I've cleared Moonlight Garden alone at least a few thousand times. It's infuriating when you can't even defend yourself because the truth sounds worse.

Excuse me.

I have the mechanics memorized down to the second, thank you very much. Not that I can exactly explain that…

While I was busy seething, Leo beamed brightly and spoke up.

"Oh! Then we just need to wait for one more person and head in!"

Moonlight Garden's recommended party size was three to five. Since I'd claimed plenty of experience, he was suggesting we gather three people. Watching Leo smile so cheerfully, I began to think things over. Because I had absolutely zero intention of waiting for another person.

How do I convince him that just the two of us should go in?

Nothing wrong with going in as three, but my clear method would actually be more cumbersome with an extra body. Plus, I didn't want to waste time standing around waiting. And so I thought it over—and the answer came quickly.

Clang—

Simple. I just had to show him I was a party member worth trusting, didn't I? And as it happened, a black wolf was stealthily creeping closer, right within my line of sight.

"Wait—Dave-nim, what are you doing right now…?"

What I'm saying is, using this thing as a sacrifice should prove the point well enough.

Shraaaaak—!

The Shadow Mane Wolf was, admittedly, the least durable of the Level 13-tier wolves. Even so, a one-shot kill was no simple feat.

That should be enough to prove my worth as a party member… right?

"……!"

Apparently, Leo was even more shocked than I'd expected. Eyes rounded wide, mouth hanging open, he couldn't tear his gaze away from the tip of my sword.

Hmm. Stunned, I take it?

Just as I was thinking that, the Constellations abruptly began savaging me.

Okay, now I'm actually annoyed. What did I even do?!

Whew. But whatever the Constellations said, I still had to finish what I'd started. I couldn't just freeze up because they were heckling me.

"Sprinting off out of nowhere must have startled you, huh? Haha."

At my words, Leo came back to himself and shook his head.

"N-no, it's not that so much as…"

"Anyway, that… well, as you just saw, my damage output is pretty solid. So I think we can clear this with a two-person party. What do you think?"

Ugh, something about those damn Constellations is making me want to party with him less and less. It is absolutely not because I'm afraid this freeloading geezer is going to steal my precious Constellations away.

Are you kidding me, you lunatics?

One thing was certain: the Constellation called ElfLover, who'd landed that last zinger, was definitely a woman. She had to be.

"……"

But setting aside the snickering Constellations, the situation itself was unfolding exactly as I intended.

"Y-you really do have incredible specs."

"Then shall we?"

"Yep. I can more than pull my own weight, so I don't see a problem."

Of course, if he'd known my level was 12, things wouldn't have gone nearly this smoothly… but fortunately, in Laika, a player's level was information no one could learn unless you deliberately displayed it.

And so, party formed with Leo, I was able to enter Moonlight Garden without a hitch.

Oh, for crying out loud!

I can't take this anymore. Where on earth is the ban function in this Laika streaming system…

Leaving the Constellations' nonsense behind me, I stepped through the dungeon's entrance—and then—

FWAAAASH—!

Blinding white light flooded my vision, and space itself began to warp.

Moonlight Garden was, true to its name, a field that felt like a garden bathed in moonlight—a vast, lavishly landscaped landscape that brought Versailles Palace's gardens to mind. But hidden within that beautiful scenery lurked some thoroughly nasty mechanics.

The very first thing awaiting players upon entry was the Dream Shrub Maze—a hellish labyrinth that dumped you back at the dungeon's starting point if you failed to clear it within the time limit.

This mechanic was what had caused me the most prolonged suffering back in my first playthrough.

"No, I am. Why?"

Worse still, though the system never explained it, this maze imposed a penalty every single time you took a wrong turn. Each time you reached a dead end, the difficulty of the next field crept higher. To be precise, the field you arrived at after clearing the maze was Moon Shadow Square—and the difficulty of the monster wave summoned there ramped up steeply with every wrong path. It was, in a word, ruthlessly sadistic dungeon design.

So I could easily guess why the Constellations were so hyped. They wanted to watch me suffer.

And who knows… maybe, just for a moment, I can live up to the esteemed Constellations' expectations?

Let me say it again: my final destination is not Moonlight Garden. Which meant I had to play a little differently from the standard approach. And if I played the fool a bit along the way, I figured the Constellations would eat it up.

"Dave-nim, you said you know all the mechanics, right?"

"Of course."

"Then shall we split up and search for the path?"

"Sounds good. I'll take the right side."

"Roger!"

My party member was in for some hardship, but I didn't feel particularly guilty about it. After all, I fully intended to carry him in the end. What hardship, you ask? Keep watching and you'll see.

I set off running toward my first target coordinate, immediately drawing my sword and carving a path through the shrubbery.

Shiiing—!

Shraaaaak—!

And the monster that became my sword's first sacrifice in this dungeon was…

A Level 18 plant-type monster, crowned with enormous violet leaves.

Jeong Hyeon-woo.

That is to say, Leo, was in a state of considerable shock.

Who exactly… is this person?

The truth was, what he'd hoped to find waiting outside the dungeon was just an ordinary party member. He knew perfectly well how hard it was to find a skilled one on the Island of Beginnings, so he'd figured anyone at the appropriate level range and reasonably normal (?) would do. If he were being even more honest, the truth was that in all his runs of this dungeon so far, he had never once met a player who could keep pace with him. Even on his very first run here, the one who'd ended up carrying the party was—first-try-and-all—Leo himself. So "no expectations" might have been the more accurate description of his mindset.

But.

This is the Island of Beginnings, isn't it? There's absolutely no way a high-level user could have come here.

This man, who had appeared out of nowhere and proposed a two-person clear, was someone who soared far beyond Leo's common sense. Setting everything else aside, the very fact that he'd killed a Level 13 monster in a single stroke defied belief. Granted, equipment had to have played some part… (He hadn't even considered the possibility that the man's gear might be worse than his own.)

I couldn't even follow his sword with my eyes. I know it was sudden, but still…

That was not a level of performance that equipment specs alone could ever produce. As someone whose main weapon was the sword, he knew that better than anyone.

What is he, exactly? Some promising prospect secretly groomed by one of the Big Three guilds?

Frankly, a single flash of that man's swordwork had made Leo hit a wall. And until now, he had never even glimpsed a wall—hadn't even met a player he considered truly outstanding.

Is this… what real talent looks like?

Had his own talent actually been nothing special all along? Then why did the major guilds keep courting him? His potential had been assessed at… a minimum of A-Rank, hadn't it?

"……"

The moment that thought took hold, a passage he'd once read in the [Awakened Wiki — Potential] entry surfaced in his mind.

When he'd first read it, the words hadn't really resonated. But now, face to face with this man named Dave, he understood exactly what they meant.

For the first time since entering the Gate, Hyeon-woo felt uneasy—and before he knew it, he was clenching both fists tight.

Apparently, becoming a ranker would demand far more effort than he had ever imagined.