The Stirring Constellations
The cries of seagulls echoed softly across the water.
I opened my eyes.
“Agh, I’m exhausted.”
Beyond the window stretched the harbor—Gunsan Port, the only international trading port in North Jeolla Province.
Why had I chosen to arrive by ship instead of plane?
Because there was always the chance someone had tailed me. I’d twisted my route back to Korea so thoroughly that even I wasn’t sure how many layers of misdirection I’d left behind.
“What a pain.”
Ever since I’d learned about the Wildfire Hearth, the past month had been nothing but nonstop work.
—You could have simply infiltrated and taken the hearth.
Nyx, still in her spirit form, perched on my shoulder and chattered away.
“It’s not that simple.”
—Ho? I would hear your reasoning.
“The source of the information. And players specialized in tracking traces. You can’t just snatch the thing and walk away.”
If there are no witnesses, it’s just an assassination.
Following that principle, I had uprooted both cartels that had obtained the Wildfire Hearth.
When you only look at the result, it sounds easy.
But those three weeks had been a continuous chain of tension where I couldn’t afford a single moment of carelessness.
—Was there truly a need to go that far?
“Yeah. There was.”
The seeds of calamity the evil-aligned constellations had sown in the lower realm.
Before my regression, the Wildfire Hearth had sparked endless conflicts across the world.
Among them, the Lake of Blood incident in Uganda and the overthrow of the Mexican government had sent massive shockwaves through everything.
But—
“I’ll tell you the reason later.”
Unless I revealed the secret of my regression, this was something I couldn’t explain.
—Then I shall await that day with a benevolent heart.
Nyx smiled faintly.
…Ugh, now I feel guilty for no reason.
An unplanned purge of drug cartels.
If there was any real gain from it…
Ashes of the Hearth
Grade: ★★★★
Classification: Active
Burns an item imbued with mana and converts it into the user’s power.
Depending on the grade of the burned item, a portion of its power may be permanently granted.
…it was this skill.
—Hmmm.
“What’s with that dissatisfied reaction?”
—Considering the effort you expended, the reward seems rather modest.
“I did the work. You didn’t, Goddess.”
While dismantling the two cartels, I hadn’t been able to live normally.
I had to erase every trace.
I ate only the bare minimum needed to keep moving.
“You were in spirit form the whole time, so why are you complaining?”
—I tasted neither the sweetness that clings to the tongue nor any greasy food. For three whole weeks!
Nyx’s voice grew steadily louder.
Haah… She’s lived for thousands of years, yet she acts like a child.
“It has its uses.”
—Then I shall ask. Are you satisfied with a temporary synergistic effect?
The Wildfire Hearth was a fake holy relic.
A mishmash created by several constellations each expending a sliver of their divinity.
That was why the essence dwelling within the hearth was never whole.
Once I devoured it and filled the essence to 100%, the skill settled into one that demanded a sacrifice to ignite its flame.
The activation conditions had become quite strict.
“Think of it the other way. As long as I have the right items, I can dope myself whenever I want.”
—Doping?
“Buff skills lose effectiveness the more they overlap, but this hearth doesn’t have that problem.”
For example, if you tried to stack multiple “blessing”-type buffs, the later spells would have reduced effect.
Stacking blessings of opposing alignments could even backfire.
The essences I had devoured so far rarely overlapped or clashed, so it had never been an issue.
But once I devoured more essences, I would eventually have to choose which buffs to use depending on the situation.
—I see. I was unaware of that aspect.
“What would happen if you received Apollo’s blessing right after receiving the Goddess’s blessing?”
—That child’s flames would be devoured by my darkness.
Nyx let out a soft exclamation of realization.
“Now you get it?”
—The cost is steep, yet it allows one to amplify their power in any situation.
“It’s one more trump card in my hand.”
Just as Nyx said, the cost was considerable.
Even if burning a high-grade item granted permanent stat increases, the efficiency was still lower than Devour.
I hoped I would never have to use the hearth’s power if possible.
While we chatted, the ship finally reached the harbor.
* * *
“Masteeeeeer!!!!”
Ow, my eardrums.
I had returned to the guild house after nearly a month.
The first to spot me was Jiyoung, who came running while screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Waaah, Master!!”
“What are you crying for now?”
“You disappeared for almost a month without a word!!”
“I couldn’t contact anyone.”
Dealing with drug cartels was like fighting a small war.
In a situation where communications could be traced, I couldn’t call the guild members.
“Wow, you’re really heartless. Everyone! Our Master is like this!”
Haah. The moment I arrive, I get a grand welcome.
While I was wondering how to shut Jiyoung’s mouth—
“So I’ll stop being angry here.”
She suddenly cut herself off.
“Huh?”
“Because it’s you, Master. You must have had your reasons.”
“Now I’m nervous because you accepted it so easily.”
“So just promise me one thing. From now on, if you’re going somewhere, at least leave a message.”
Jiyoung’s eyes trembled.
At this rate, I really did look like someone who had done something wrong.
—Huhu, in this matter, you were indeed at fault.
Nyx seized the chance to scold me.
Who could have known it would take this long?
Tracking down Sinister’s tail had dragged on far longer than expected.
“I promise.”
“Thank you, Master.”
She finally calmed down.
Whew. Before my regression she had been as cold as ice.
Every time Jiyoung showed this emotional side, I still couldn’t get used to it.
“Where are the others?”
“Ah, they were all gathered for training.”
Good. That meant I wouldn’t have to greet the guild members twice.
When I stepped inside the guild house, I was greeted by some unexpected faces.
“Junior, it’s been hard to see your face.”
“Senior, why are you here?”
“I’m also a member of Yeokcheon now. Is that so strange?”
Shin Junseok let out a low chuckle.
“What about your team members?”
“They’re heading up. I’m the only one who dropped out.”
“Coincidentally, I received a request from the analyst as well, Guild Master.”
Hong Yunsu chimed in.
The leader of Team Yellow Storm.
It was strange to see people who should have been focused on conquering the Tower of Babel all gathered at the guild house.
“Training the juniors is quite entertaining.”
“Enough that you’re willing to set aside moving with your team?”
“It’s only temporary. Besides, it’s not someone else’s problem.”
Wow. It wasn’t just Jiyoung who had changed—everyone else had transformed as well.
Shin Junseok, the Fist Saint.
He had once been someone who only cared about reaching the end of martial arts and climbing the Tower.
Now he was spending his time guiding others who walked paths outside of martial arts.
And Hong Yunsu, who had once been obsessed with revenge to the point of breaking the law?
One by one, the future was changing.
It felt surreal.
“You’ve returned, Master.”
“Analyst Thomas, you worked hard while I was gone.”
“Not at all. Everyone followed my instructions well.”
Right.
Karla was a natural training maniac, so that was expected, but look at Ping Lei and Enrique glaring at him with murderous eyes.
How hard had Thomas worked them while I was away?
“We can review the results later. Let’s talk for a moment.”
“Understood, Master.”
I met with Thomas alone and received a report on the past month’s progress.
“Thanks to the two Rankers’ cooperation, we were able to conduct training much more efficiently.”
The training progress, compiled into files.
Each guild member’s information had been digitized and recorded in detail.
The data here wasn’t just stat numbers—it included reaction speed, skill activation timing, destructive power, and more.
“I knew I made the right choice leaving this to the analyst.”
There hadn’t been any dramatic stat increases.
However—
Thanks to Thomas’s training curriculum, each guild member’s skill level was rising rapidly with each passing day.
A pace comparable to when I trained them directly.
A speed that didn’t fall behind my own training, which had been forged through countless battlefields before my regression.
“It’s nothing. It’s all thanks to you selecting such excellent talents, Guild Master.”
“How does it feel to whip them into shape?”
“Very satisfying. I’ve rarely seen talents of this caliber even in America.”
“Kek. I’ll be counting on you from now on as well.”
“Ah, and regarding the guild house relocation—”
After receiving all of Thomas’s reports, I stepped back outside.
—Where are you going?
“I have something to take care of.”
—You could rest for at least a day.
“I’ll rest after I finish this.”
The Wildfire Hearth had appeared years earlier than in the original timeline.
People who had begun walking different paths, freed from fate.
It hadn’t even been a year since my regression, yet history had already begun to change.
In a positive direction—
Or a negative one.
So far, the positive side seemed stronger.
The Player Association had established the Special Operations Unit system faster and expanded its influence.
People like Ping Lei, Hong Yunsu, and Enrique, who had once walked twisted paths, had become cornerstones of the future.
But—
Would the same hold true when looking at the entire world?
“I need to find out how many variables have appeared.”
—Variables?
“The constellations’ interference.”
One thing was certain.
The fact that the Wildfire Hearth had been released early meant multiple constellations had taken an interest in Earth.
After leaving the guild house, I wandered aimlessly.
While passing through a dark alley—
“I’ve been waiting for the branch manager’s arrival.”
A human figure suddenly emerged from the building’s shadow.
“How long have you been waiting?”
“I came expecting you to arrive around today.”
“You went through the trouble of waiting outside.”
The figure, wrapped head to toe in black cloth, remained silent.
A messenger of the Black Network.
Even if it was only in name, I had become the branch manager of the Black Network.
Madam had said she would assign at least one contact.
It was only natural that they would find a way to reach me once my movements aligned.
“What should I call you?”
“……You may call me Young.”
“Good. Then, as a celebration of your appointment as Korea’s branch manager, I’ll give you your first order.”
The eyes visible between the black cloth gleamed sharply.
“Investigate the number of players who have contracted with constellations in the past year.”
“Players who have formed contracts with constellations?”
“I don’t need personal details. Just the numbers are enough.”
“Understood.”
Constellations were lofty beings.
They didn’t form sponsorship contracts with players who fell below their standards.
Earth’s players were generally low-level, so few had succeeded in forming contracts with constellations.
But—
If my guess was correct, that number had increased significantly recently.
And if that was the case…
Players would begin waging full-scale faction wars against each other.
“Excessive competition would be troublesome.”
I muttered quietly.
The true enemies were the Old Gods licking their lips in the Tower’s underground.
To make use of the accelerated flow compared to before my regression, I needed more information.