The Constellations' Game [Laika]

It seemed my combat debut had left quite an impression on the Constellations.

Well, fair enough. Where would anyone have seen iron shovel combat before? Architect-class players weren't exactly a dime a dozen. If I hadn't been a deranged fairy in my past life, I probably wouldn't have even known the Architect class existed.

Either way, watching them chat away with such excitement somehow made playing the game even more fun. If any of these Constellations had been watching back during the beta server days…… maybe the infinite loops would have been a little less painful. The loneliness, which had been the greatest torment of all, might not have crushed me so thoroughly.

Still, though…….

These guys still doubted whether my Moon Shadow Wolf hunt would succeed. After everything I'd shown them, they still lacked faith in this great body of mine. How outrageous is that?

Just as that thought crossed my mind——

I flinched hard at the ambush of the donation alert.

Aaah……!

Behold, the light!

So I was the outrageous one after all.

Phew…….

Teachers, forgive me. My thinking was far too shallow. To harbor even a moment's irreverence toward the honorable Constellations……. It was my faith that was lacking, not yours.

—Promo? Surely you don't mean… advertising my channel to other Constellations…?!

It seemed I needed to swear eternal loyalty to the Goblin Constellation. A channel promo. For a rookie hunter like me, that was a level of grace worthy of being called a Constellation's blessing.

Ha, imagine if I'd never turned this stream on?

In that spirit, I resolved to move briskly and diligently, so the Constellations would never have a single dull moment.

But the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deeper we went, the more it felt like these Constellations' true colors were starting to show.

What, you don't even know about Dim Cave? The Goblin Constellation seems to, at least……. Guys, you are Constellations, right?

Well, it hardly mattered. Honestly, all a Constellation really needed to do was keep the donations flowing. So I decided to get to work first. I hadn't entered Dim Cave purely to save time, after all.

"Oh! Obsidian!"

This was, you see, the buildup for my next step. However the Constellations chose to think about it, the Moon Shadow Wolf mission was already a success in my head. Heh heh. Which meant the dungeon run that would come afterward needed to be prepared well in advance.

Come to think of it…… there seemed to be a lot more of it than I expected? I quickly wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth——

As I busied myself collecting side income, my dear Constellations apparently grew curious again.

Ha, these Constellations. They really don't know how to play the game at all. Ah— no, wait. What irreverent thought was I having just now……

So I answered politely, piece by piece. The mood of my precious patrons must never, ever be disturbed.

Was not a single one of the three of them aware of this Obsidian Ring's true value? That hardly seemed like premium information……

"Ahem."

The truth was, this Obsidian Ring was no ordinary 2T accessory. It wasn't buildup equipment for nothing. Its raw stats were mediocre, but among everything obtainable in the early game, it was the only piece with dark resistance as an innate option. Which made it an essential item for the final goal of today's agenda: the Moonlight Garden raid. In other words, an item worth far more than a measly 30 LP.

……and so on, and so forth. In any case, I gathered so diligently that before I knew it, I had swept up every last speck of Obsidian Dust scattered throughout Dim Cave. The total haul came to roughly 120 pieces. My luck had been good. Judging by the quantity available, no one had raided this mine for Obsidian Dust recently.

Just as I was thinking that, the Goblin Constellation posed another question.

Which meant each little fragment was worth, in real terms, a solid fifteen hundred won. One piece at a time.

What now? Why's the mood like this again? If you saw a thousand-won bill lying on the street, you wouldn't just leave it there, would you?

I was mulling that over when——

The venerable Goblin Constellation showered me with yet another donation.

Holy. Shit.

I stand corrected. This hyung was clearly someone who had no need to stoop for a thousand-won bill on the street.

The Goblin Constellation's donations now totaled 40 LP by my count. Excluding the mission funds, that had already surpassed even the second-ranked Constellation's contribution. Respect was not optional. It was mandatory.

That aside, though——

Thanks to my brisk pace, I had finally arrived at my destination: the Laurel Tree Forest.

The Laurel Tree Forest was a unique field where a moon hung in the sky twenty-four hours a day, and dawn never came. The settling moonlight gave birth to phantasmal wisps of pale azure light that shimmered throughout the woods. And from somewhere deep within that beautiful scenery——

Awooooo—!!

A wolf's howl rang out, so cold it raised gooseflesh.

The Moon Shadow Wolf!

I whipped my head toward the source of the cry on reflex, and there in the distance stood the silhouette of a massive wolf with a silver mane. I'd been certain at least one would be here, but to spot it the instant I set foot in the field……

"Heh heh."

It seemed today was a lucky day.

Seven years into his hunter career, Baek Haram was still a Level 20 player who hadn't even undergone Class Advancement. But the reason he'd stayed at Level 20 for seven years was never a lack of talent. It was simply the nature of his assigned work — he couldn't exceed Level 20.

"Now then, everyone, this way please. Once we pass through here, we'll be entering the Laurel Tree Forest, so I'll need your utmost ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attention!"

Haram belonged to none other than the HR team of Silver Knights, one of Korea's three great guilds. Within that team, his duty was the basic training of aspiring hunters — and because that training took place on the Beginner's Island, he could never cross Level 20. A player who advanced their class and passed Level 20 could never return to this Forest of Beginning.

"Is there a particular reason the Laurel Tree Forest is so dangerous?"

"Of course. This is a field under perpetual moonlight."

"So it's dangerous because of the Moon Shadow Wolf's unique ability?"

"Precisely. The Moon Shadow Wolves you'll encounter here…… are far more ferocious than the ones on ordinary fields."

Yet despite such constraints, Haram harbored no complaints. He was a man who took great pride in the simple fact of his membership in Silver Knights. It wasn't that he felt no regret over being unable to level further as a hunter — he simply believed his talent leaned more toward this path. The work he now carried out was, more than anyone else's, the work he was best suited to do.

An eye for discovering talent — pearls hidden among pebbles.

That is your greatest gift.

These were the words of the hunter he respected above all others — Lee Hyunmoo, Guild Master of Silver Knights and Korea's only Top 10 ranker. An evaluation from him could not possibly be wrong.

"But with that greater ferocity comes loot obtainable only from the Moon Shadow Wolves that inhabit this forest."

"The Mark of Moonlight!"

"Exactly so."

Smiling warmly at the wide-eyed hunter hopefuls, Haram continued.

"And that's precisely why possessing this item is the minimum requirement for entering the Knight Order Selection Exam."

The Knight Order Selection Exam was the term for Silver Knights' entry test. And the minimum qualification for that test was holding the Mark of Moonlight. Because the Mark was an account-bound item, it could not be transferred from another player. Owning it, therefore, was proof that its bearer had successfully defeated a Moon Shadow Wolf in the Forest of Beginning before Level 20.

"The Mark of Moonlight always drops — but only from a solo-play raid. It's a hidden piece."

"……!"

"Which means shortcuts like riding a bus — a carried carry, if you will — cannot get you this Mark either."

And the Moon Shadow Wolf, an Epic-class monster, was by design an elite whose defeat was meant to be a party endeavor. So even though the wolf was Level 15, soloing it before Level 20 was a formidable challenge indeed.

Haram paused for a beat, then looked around the room and spoke again.

"For that reason, if you've set your sights on joining our Silver Knights, you'll need to hone your talents within this Forest of Beginning for quite a long time. Reaching Level 20 first is a given, of course…… and until you succeed at the solo raid, you'll have to challenge it over and over, bearing considerable risk each time."

With a playful grin, Haram lifted a gleaming, silver-lit Mark of Moonlight for all to see.

"For the record, it took me…… about a month to obtain my first one of these."

The room's reaction to his story was visible shock. A month was a span in which merely reaching Level 20 was no easy feat. And he had managed to farm the Mark of Moonlight within it. The aspirants, who had privately looked down on Haram as a player who'd lingered on the Beginner's Island all this time, had no choice but to gape.

Wait, that guy was a monster talent too?

Whoa. That's Silver Knights for you.

Seriously…… this won't be easy at all, will it?

Just then, while the room was still reeling, someone's curiosity got the better of them, and a hand shot straight up toward Haram.

"Among Silver Knights' rankers, is there anyone who's managed to clear this task within a fortnight?"

At the man's question, every gaze in the room converged on Haram's mouth once more. The people gathered here were all talented, passionate aspirants who dreamed of joining Silver Knights. Naturally, they would be burning to know.

"An interesting question."

And soon, Haram smiled and shook his head.

"Hmm. If one of the division commanders had attempted this task in the past, perhaps — but there's no official record. Nor have I ever seen it in the seven years I've done this work."

He then closed his eyes briefly, swallowing the words he'd been about to add.

Such a record is, in truth, all but impossible. In a fortnight, even a ranker-caliber talent would only reach about Level 15…… and no one at that stage could possibly solo a Moon Shadow Wolf.

But at the very moment Haram was entertaining that thought——

Awooooo—!!

From far away, the howl of a Moon Shadow Wolf echoed across ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the forest.