002. Constellation Choi Kanghyuk
Am I dreaming, even before I've died?
It was the first thought that came to me.
A constellation? In all my years as a hunter, not a single one had ever taken the slightest notice of me. And now I wasn't just receiving a sponsorship — I was supposed to be one?
"They say the dying see their whole lives flash before their eyes. So why am I seeing things that were never there?"
"It isn't your life flashing by, and you aren't seeing things. I know it's confusing, but it's the truth."
At my muttered question, the fairy pressed her hands together, her eyes sparkling as if begging me to believe her.
"Fine. Let's say I am a constellation. How on earth did that happen? I was nothing more than a C-Rank Hunter."
"It's rather a long story. Do you mind? And since I'm the fairy assigned to assist you, please, speak casually with me."
Given the absurdity of the situation, casual speech didn't come naturally, but she asked so persistently that I finally gave in.
"All right. We seem to have plenty of time anyway, so take it from the top."
The fairy's explanation, once it began, dyed me from head to toe in fury. Every drop of blood in my body felt ready to boil away into steam.
"So, to put it simply: there are things called Constellations of Ruin, and they're the ones behind the monster invasions? The constellations were never trying to help us?"
"That's correct. It was nothing but an act. In the end, Earth was simply dragged into the constellations' game."
"You're telling me I risked my life sealing gates just to dance around on a playground for those constellation bastards?"
"I'm afraid that is the truth."
The fairy's expression did not waver.
"Proof, then. Where's your proof?"
"I have no particular need to lie to you, and in any case, you'll come to see it naturally as you live as a constellation. You're welcome to disbelieve me until then."
"Then what about the hunters bonded to constellations calling themselves 'players'? Did they know?"
"No. The humans on Earth truly believed they had been chosen."
I barely managed to force the boiling rage back down.
"Hoo... All right. But what does any of that have to do with me becoming a constellation?"
"Just as some mortals stake their lives on a game, so do constellations. There are rather impatient ones among them, you see."
"Go on."
"Constellations switch sides however they please, every single game."
"A game? A gaaame?"
That word sent the fury smoldering deep inside me boiling over all over again.
"I apologize. That is simply how the constellations themselves describe it."
"Right. None of this is your fault."
Another deep breath, and I was finally in a state to keep listening.
"To continue, then: Earth was never fated for destruction in the first place."
"Gates kept opening right up until the moment I died. Has a great deal of time passed since then?"
Humanity had yet to overcome the gates, so the question seemed only natural.
"Earth's science continued to advance. The work isn't finished, but had things gone on as they were, hunters and science together would in time have conquered even the Purple gates."
"The nations of the world never fell, after all. Though everyone kept worrying out loud — if we could barely contain the Indigo gates, what hope would we have against Purple?"
"They would have found a way to hold. Even if it meant setting off nuclear weapons. The damage would have been terrible, but they would have held. You see, the ones who first scouted Earth made a mistake — they had no idea what sort of planet this was."
Well, fair enough. If it had truly come down to the wire, someone would have reached for the bomb in the end.
"And as the probability of victory drained away, one of the Constellations of Ruin resolved to turn back time."
"Time? Why go to all that trouble?"
Even the fairy standing in front of me knew it had happened, so I couldn't imagine the other constellations would stay ignorant for long.
"So that they might descend in person."
"In person? Can't they simply do that?"
"A Constellation Descent requires time to prepare. And there was not enough time left."
"Not enough? Was there some kind of deadline?"
"It is a little more complicated than that, but thinking of it that way will not lead you far wrong."
"Fine. And what does any of that have to do with me becoming a constellation?"
"It is a kind of penalty."
"A penalty?"
"Yes. Flipping the board requires that much divine power, you see. With that power, the System raised one of the people living on Earth to the rank of constellation — and that person was you, Kanghyuk. Think of it as a chance granted to the people of Earth as well."
"Me? There are far better candidates. What about America's Strongman, Alexander Rodriguez? They say he might become the world's first SS-Rank."
"I feel a little awkward saying this, but... it was entirely random."
"Random?"
I snorted, equal parts incredulous and insulted.
"Yes. From among all the seeds capable of becoming constellations, you were the one selected, Kanghyuk."
So it wasn't some magnificent destiny or slumbering talent. Just a roll of the dice. Something inside me sagged. I thought of my comrades fighting orc warriors to keep ordinary people alive.
"Hollow. That's what it feels like."
Maybe some part of me had been hoping after all — hoping I'd become a constellation because I possessed something extraordinary. Whatever my fury at the constellations, that thirst had followed me my whole life.
"Your becoming a constellation was a game of chance, but as they say, God does not play dice. From this moment on, your fate is yours to make, Constellation."
My mind snapped into focus. Come to think of it, I had been handed a second chance.
"Make my own fate? Can I, though? I was only ever a C-Rank Hunter."
"Choi Kanghyuk the human may have been, but Choi Kanghyuk the constellation is only just beginning."
She had a point. In a sense, I had been born anew.
"Then what am I supposed to do now?"
"You must sponsor Kanghyuk."
"Me? I'm right here."
I was standing in front of her. How exactly was I supposed to sponsor myself?
"Not you the constellation. You must sponsor the Kanghyuk on Earth."
"The Kanghyuk on Earth? But I'm dead. Ah — right, you said time was turned back. Something about twenty years ago, wasn't it?"
"Yes. The Kanghyuk on Earth is alive at this very moment. And depending on what you do, he will still be alive twenty, thirty years from now — and beyond that, too."
Two of me. It wasn't even a proper doppelganger.
"But if a Black gate opens, can we actually stop it? You said that's the kind a constellation comes through personally."
A gate that constellations spilled out of. Indigo gates had already been calamities, and Black sat beyond even Purple. The future went dark before my eyes.
"It becomes possible — if you grow strong enough."
"Me? I could open a gate and descend to Earth myself?"
"No, not that. Perhaps, if you began preparing this very moment — but there is no time."
Then again, even reaching Earth would only have been half the battle. The me of right now wasn't nearly strong enough.
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"As your power as a constellation grows, you will be able to weaken a Ruin Constellation during its Descent — weaken it enough that humans could hold the line against it. It would still be harder than a Purple gate, mind you."
"And how exactly do I strengthen this constellation power?"
"You issue quests to the Kanghyuk on Earth, and each quest he completes strengthens your power."
"Any other ways?"
"You may train yourself, or if the Kanghyuk bonded to you grows stronger, your divine power strengthens in step with him."
"So, to sum up: quests, training, and the me on Earth getting stronger. Those three things."
"Yes. Exactly."
The fairy nodded.
"Got it. By the way, um... what am I supposed to call you?"
"I'm Ping!"
"Ping?"
For some reason, it sounded like the name of a business one step from bankruptcy.
"Why do you look so unimpressed?"
"Do you... need money?"
"I'm sorry? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Nothing, nothing. Forget I said anything."
I shook my head.
"So how do quests work?"
"Simply put, when you create a quest, the divine power you stand to earn is determined by how difficult it is for the player to complete."
"Whatever reward you set is deducted from that amount. Some constellations dote on their favorite players, you know — paying out rewards worth more divine power than the quest itself earns them."
"And if I set a lousy reward?"
"Word gets around, and you become an unpopular constellation. Newcomers to the game tend to try it, and sooner or later every one of them learns to settle on fair terms."
"So can I contract with other people too?"
"No. You may contract with no one but the Kanghyuk on Earth."
Ping shook her head.
"That might change if you join the next game, but this time, it is impossible."
Ping flitted in a circle around me as she added the explanation.
"So, put another way — no matter what conditions I attach, the me on Earth has no choice but to follow them?"
"Players can refuse, of course. Which is precisely what penalties are for. Think of it as the carrot and the stick."
"Penalties? How far can those go?"
"The stronger your connection to the player, the harsher the penalty you may impose."
"And in my case?"
"Probably up to Kanghyuk's very life. Not that you would ever wish to go that far, of course."
Betting my own life as a penalty. Absurd. Then again, come to think of it, I was a constellation now, and I honestly couldn't say whether that life down there would even count as mine anymore.
"Do I just issue quests by thinking them up?"
"Every constellation has their own method, but I have prepared whichever way suits you best."
With that, Ping produced a tablet from inside her clothes.
"A tablet? What kind of artifact is this?"
"Um... is it not a familiar item to the Kanghyuk currently on Earth?"
"I came from twenty years in the future, remember?"
"Oh no! It takes ages to make another one..."
Ping's face crumpled as she spoke, glittering powder sifting down from her wings as though even they had panicked.
"Hand it over. I'll make do."
"Truly? Whew... thank goodness."
Watching her face, I found I didn't have the heart to ask for a replacement after all.
"So I can issue a quest right away?"
"First you declare your intent to sponsor the Kanghyuk on Earth, and then he must accept."
"Huh? And what happens if I don't accept?"
"Well, that would be rather a problem... Did you receive many sponsorship requests from constellations, back in the day?"
"No. I spent my days praying that any constellation at all would sponsor me."
I shook my head, the old days rising unbidden. There had been times, lying injured, when I'd caught myself hoping one of the constellations might heal me — times I'd trained even harder on the faint hope that someone up there was watching.
"My whole life, all I wanted was a single constellation who would recognize me. Looking back now, I know I'd have been grateful for any sponsorship back then — so if anything, this works out."
"Then we should have no trouble at all. Shall we send the sponsorship request first?"
"Right. So this is where it begins."
The tablet felt clumsy under my fingers after so long, but I adjusted quickly. Then again, there was only one app on the thing to begin with — the constellation one.
"This is pretty half-assed."
"I-I'm sorry. I don't really know much about that sort of thing..."
Ping curled up like a pill bug, hunting for somewhere to hide.
"No, it's fine. This is all I need. Well then — here we go."
"Yes!"
With Ping's voice ringing in my ears, I pressed the sponsor button.
"This is real. I've actually awakened?"
Kanghyuk pinched his own cheek.
"Ow! That hurts. So it's real. I've actually awakened! Status window!"
"In novels and games, these things go on and on. Mine's bare-bones. Really bare-bones."
The status window held exactly two entries: a name and a trait.
"Mmm... that new-car smell. A fresh-off-the-line status window."
Just as Kanghyuk was working himself into a lather, another notification made its presence known.
The One Who Rectifies Misalignment wishes to sponsor you.
"A sponsorship the very moment I awaken? As expected — they recognize my talent!"
The Mischievous Prankster wishes to sponsor you.
"Ha! The popularity is real! Let me think it over first! Just wait, honorable Constellations!"
Kanghyuk had tumbled headlong into the delusion that two constellations had latched onto him at once because of his extraordinary talent.
And watching the whole spectacle from above, I felt my blood pressure spike and clutched the back of my neck.
"Not that one, you little punk!"