The Constellations' Game [Laika]
When I logged back in the next day, the Constellations treated me like a lunatic.
I hadn't even mentioned what price I'd sold it for. The mere fact that I'd sold it off was enough.
Excuse me.
It was never a bit, not for a single second, gentlemen...
Judging by their reactions, the Constellations at least had some sense of what the Zeratus flag was used for.
But they'd never imagine the truth.
The reason my face had soured wasn't because I'd sold something I shouldn't have. It was because I'd sold it far too cheap.
Anyway, well...
What's done is done.
The one mercy was that I didn't need to explain the numbered gear any further.
The Constellations had clearly played Laika themselves — they knew exactly how dangerous it was to equip numbered gear at a low level.
So I decided not to bring up my grand plan.
If I announced I intended to free up numbered equipment and cash-farm it, I had a feeling plenty of them would genuinely go berserk.
Why do I think that, you ask?
A fair number of them seemed to genuinely expect me to run all the way to Ranker now.
Aiming for Ranker while cash-farming the numbered gear?
Gear fully unlocked at that...?
I feel awkward admitting it, but there is nothing on this earth less sane than that.
-Alright, gentlemen, today we're diving straight into the grind again!
So much for small talk. At this point, the right move was to focus on the real work.
What's the "real work," you ask?
Farming, obviously.
At least until I hit Level 20, there was no time left for any side ventures.
Which is why I couldn't really deliver the kind of crazy stunts(?) the Constellations were hoping for...
And so, buried in frantic hunting, the days flew by.
Ding—!
Experience gained.
Level increased.
You have reached Level 15.
A day passed.
Level increased.
You have reached Level 17.
And then another day passed.
A large amount of experience gained.
Level increased.
You have reached Level 19.
What, you thought I wasn't?
Over those two days, the Constellations' outcry grew worse by the day.
You'd think watching nothing but level-ups would bore them?
Thankfully, no.
It was just... these guys seemed displeased with my work attendance(?).
Come on — sharp clock-in, sharp clock-out.
What exactly is the problem here?
Sorry, what?
Whew...
As I suspected... every industrial accident is, without question, homicide committed by the capitalist class.
An inevitable death — a socially sanctioned murder.
And so I must overcome this trial.
What am I talking about?
I mean I'm clocking out.
-The mission's losing its tension, gentlemen. A man's got to pace himself.
And in truth, it wasn't as if this were even my choice to make.
Challenging the authority of Madam Kim Joo-yeon just yet was... premature, let's say.
Count Grape has sponsored 15 LP!
And so began Day 5 since my return.
Today, too, I clocked in with razor precision at 6 AM and started preparing for the hunt like a machine.
The strange thing was that even though all I did was hunt, my viewership didn't shrink — it just kept creeping up, little by little.
ON Air : ☺ 103
Hadn't I topped out under 130 viewers three days ago?
True — but you had to account for the fact that these viewers had piled in less than three minutes after I went live.
In terms of peak viewers, I had broken a whopping 200 yesterday.
Today I might even break 250.
-No, I already clock in sharp, like I keep saying?
I have never once been late, okay!
Whew.
Does the world these Constellations live in contain nothing but black companies?
I couldn't understand why they kept belittling my grueling six-to-eight schedule with barely a separate meal break. At this point I was basically a workaholic, wasn't I?
I feel wronged.
Naturally, the Constellations couldn't have cared less about my grievance.
Of course.
Until I hit 20, there was no hunting ground anywhere on the island that matched this one's efficiency.
By the way — isn't this a party dungeon?
It is.
Which is why, for the past three days, I'd been running a fixed two-man party with Leo.
He had adjusted his schedule perfectly to match mine.
Thank goodness I never needed to look for other party members.
Honestly, finding a party member better than Leo on the Beginner's Island was close to impossible.
Besides, I had no desire to share the hidden dungeon's intel with any player other than him.
"Ha, right on the dot again today, boss."
"Yep."
Now that was a normal reaction.
"Thanks to you, I think I'm getting more diligent myself!"
Our coordination had tightened considerably since that first day, cutting our clear time down to nearly half — and a shorter clear time meant faster farming.
So I was genuinely grateful to Leo.
"Alright, we're all set, then?"
"Yep!"
On top of that, since yesterday afternoon this guy had been helping me even at the cost of throwing away experience.
He'd hit Level 20 yesterday morning, meaning further EXP gain on the Beginner's Island was impossible — yet he kept running the dungeon at my side.
Well, he was probably doing it because partying with me benefited him greatly too... but grateful is grateful, all the same.
You have entered the Ancient Moonlight Garden dungeon.
Now that we knew the run by heart, we chatted idly even after entering.
"By the way, Leo."
"Yes, boss."
"When are you planning your class advancement?"
"Whenever you do yours, boss!"
"Me?"
"You're hitting 20 today anyway, aren't you?"
"True."
"So it's fine if I miss out on a day's worth of experience. Heh. My leveling speed is already overpacing thanks to you, anyway."
Anyway — class advancement.
Just as Leo said, I did need to advance today for certain.
I was due to hit 20 by morning at the latest.
Keep farming on the Beginner's Island without advancing?
EXP loss like that was simply unacceptable. Absolutely intolerable.
"Yeah, I should probably start thinking about my advancement too."
Which meant it was time to settle on a path...
The truth was, I'd come down with a mild case of choice paralysis.
Back in the beta, I'd always picked whatever class the fairy suggested, so this was my first time ever choosing one of my own free will.
"Huh...? Weren't you obviously going for a swordsman class, boss?"
"Why?"
"Because you're a total swordsmanship prodigy, obviously..."
Buddy, flattery is appreciated, but... my talents are all equally mediocre, you see.
Calling the admin-fairy-certified 'Talentless Hero' a prodigy is a bit... rude.
"Hmmm."
It was probably around my thousandth loop, wasn't it?
The fairy had once defined my talent in exactly one line.
It stung so badly that I still remember it word for word.
In other words, my condition as a human being was...
True, I had wielded the sword for the longest stretch of time, but talent-wise, the bow or magic might actually have suited me better.
Even picking summoning or spirits wouldn't have left me any worse — or any better. That was simply the state of things.
Ah, though of course, any class that devoured money had to be crossed off the list entirely.
Which might narrow down the options far more than expected...
"Ahem."
I was still mulling all that over when Leo suddenly dropped a dangerous remark.
"Anyway, boss."
"Hm?"
"I'm going to keep following you until the day you refuse to party with me."
"...!"
"So please don't ever abandon me!"
What the— that line was a little scary, don't you think...?
Having a pretty-boy idol cling to you like that is honestly quite the burden.
Hold on...
Constellation, what exactly was that remark just now?
What precisely is "not allowed"?
Whew.
Apparently, quite a few Constellations harbor dangerously unwholesome ideologies.
Thankfully, there are still some normal folks among them.
Upvoted.
But what if Leo had been a stunning beauty instead?
I could've played Laika about twice as happily...
Hey, beating me down with cold facts is a bit cowardly, don't you think?
You're all too much, Constellations. Truly.
Conditions have been met.
The master of the Ancient Moonlight Garden, 'Shadow Lycan', reveals itself.
Well, either way...
Just past ten o'clock, we completed today's first dungeon clear.
You have successfully defeated Zeratus's minion, 'Shadow Lycan'.
And then—
At long last, I had successfully cleared my second mission from the Constellations.
Alright, time to go collect the payment, then?
You have completed Count Grape's mission.
Reward: 2,000 LP acquired.
Reward: Fame increased by +2.
Ahh, there you are, 20 million won. Welcome aboard.
Additional mission payment of 250 LP received from 3rd-Life Murim Master.
Additional mission payment of 300 LP received from Profligate 2nd Imperial Throne.
Additional mission payment of 150 LP received from Frost Mage LF Party.
...and so on, and so forth...
Once all the collections were complete, a small fortune of over 3,000 LP had been added to my inventory.
Which meant the LP now piled up in my inventory totaled a staggering...
Current LP Balance: 255,246 LP
A fortune exceeding 255,000 LP.