D-Rank Constellation Hunter… Stuck Without Internet! - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 104
Had Se-um ever experienced love?
If we’re talking Yes or No, then Yes.
But that was merely the innocent fandom obsession of a girl before becoming a Constellation.
After becoming a Constellation, if asked whether I’d ever loved a client as a romantic interest, the answer would be No.
Still, it’s not as though I don’t understand their feelings. Naturally.
“….”
“Don’t be so sad. I hate giving my heart to people who’ll die soon anyway.”
“What if I didn’t die soon?”
Just as I turned to leave without hesitation, Dan Yibum’s voice caught me.
I thought he was the type without attachments, but maybe I was wrong.
I turned my head slightly to look at him.
Dan Yibum gazed at me with a serious expression.
“If I were to live longer than anyone else, could I become your type, Constellation?”
“No.”
But that wasn’t really the point.
You’re simply not my type.
Dan Yibum seemed to have thrown caution to the wind.
It seemed like he felt that since his feelings were already exposed, he might as well take a shot.
He was quite different from Kim Gyuwun, who immediately tried to suppress his feelings the moment I drew a line.
Everyone has their own temperament, after all.
[ Tasha: Se-um’s quite popular. ]
[ Tasha: Well, Se-um gets confessed to by people of all ages and genders every time she manifests her avatar. ]
[ Franson: Even other Constellations have confessed to her, haven’t they? ]
[ Se-um: This guy is making a confession of a lifetime right now, and you’re teasing him? ]
“Then what if I did?”
Dan Yibum looked somewhat desperate.
As if he were experiencing such feelings for the first time.
Someone with his appearance probably had confessions thrown at him wherever he went.
Though, even if people approached him for his looks, many probably fled once they saw his personality. I let out a short laugh.
“Constellation, is there perhaps someone already in your heart?”
This was probably courage that Dan Yibum was mustering in a way unlike himself.
There was much I was curious about.
The breeze was gentle, the sky was high, and in this land where the gaze of the stars accompanied us everywhere, here was a confession brimming with excitement.
I wish it hadn’t been directed at me.
“I’m not entirely sure myself.”
From that alone, he seemed to conclude that there was someone I cared for.
Perhaps he’d even guessed who that person might be.
I could read exactly what he was thinking. I didn’t even need to use a skill to see it.
“You think I like Ha Gyuhyuk, don’t you.”
“….”
How could someone aspire to become a great Hunter while failing to manage their expression so completely?
I turned my body fully and closed the distance between us with a single step.
He looked down at me, and I looked up at him.
Yet in truth, it was as though I were looking down upon him instead.
I reached out and gently cupped Dan Yibum’s cheek, brushing it softly. His skin was cold—whether from tension or something else, I couldn’t say.
“I don’t know the answer to that either. But even if you hadn’t met that child, there would have been no place for you.”
“You speak rather cruelly.”
“It’s the same as you never having truly held anyone weaker than yourself in your heart.”
I felt his body flinch within my grasp.
A Constellation who cherishes observation and compassion.
He loves to observe the world and cares for those in lowly places.
Naturally, those who turn away from the lowly could never find themselves within a Constellation’s embrace.
“I respect your resolve to refuse the Constellation’s aid. I acknowledge your will to grow stronger by your own hand. And I have witnessed enough of your efforts to cultivate your own talents.”
“….”
“Should you need a guide for the path you wish to walk, I will show you the direction. And should your body break and shatter along the way, I may even mend it once. But never forget—this compassion extends to all.”
What I offered him could never be anything special.
From this moment forward, I spoke not as Se-um rejecting his confession, but as Constellation Se-um.
He could not bring himself to meet my eyes.
“You have turned away from those in lowly places, and so you cannot come under my care. Yibum.”
“Surely effort from this point forward would suffice?”
“No. You’re a clever child, after all.”
To care for the lowly now, simply to earn my favor—what could be more foolish and selfish?
There exists no greater hypocrisy than that.
He seemed to understand the sincerity of my rejection at last.
He had accepted completely that no effort, however great, could bear fruit.
I wished he would understand not just my rejection, but what he himself had overlooked all this time.
“You believe you have never been saved by someone weaker than yourself.”
“….”
“You thought you had to protect them, and perhaps never truly saw them as your equals. Or perhaps that word ‘perhaps’ is unnecessary.”
I had known from the beginning what kind of man he was, and I had chosen to deal with him accordingly.
I gave a light shrug and withdrew my hand from him.
“I gave you this lesson before your arrogance could kill you. Along with my refusal.”
So I hope you won’t take it too hard.
Though even if you do, there’s nothing I can do about it.
“I’m leaving. You can clock out early today. I’ll speak to Ha Gyuhyuk myself.”
“….”
“Oh, and thank you for your efforts in the Dungeon. Take your time deciding on a reward. Don’t even think about refusing—claim everything you’re entitled to.”
Perhaps he would avoid me for several days after this.
The pain of rejection can be quite agonizing for humans, after all.
Even if I rest for a few days, I should ask them to wait a bit longer.
But what excuse can I make? I can’t just say I rejected that kid’s confession.
I walked into the Guild Building with a composed demeanor.
He didn’t try to stop me.
“…Please take care. I’ll see you next time.”
I heard his farewell and gave a gentle wave of my hand.
I didn’t bother to check his expression.
This was the last consideration I could offer him.
* * *
[ Se-um: I don’t feel good about this ]
[ Se-um: It feels like I crushed a young person’s youth… ]
[ Tasha: But you can’t accept it either, so there’s no helping it. ]
[ Tasha: This is the best option. ]
[ Tasha: What else can you do? Accepting a confession from someone you don’t have feelings for would be even crueler, wouldn’t it? ]
[Franson: No ㅠㅠ]
[ Franson: Shouldn’t you be thinking about how sad they must have felt in a situation like this? ]
[ Franson: I feel like my heart is already breaking ]
[ Franson: I think I’m going to cry ]
“But why are you chatting when you’re right next to each other?”
Tasha turned to look at us with a puzzled expression.
“We’ve talked so much that speaking out loud has started to feel like a hassle….”
“Goodness.”
Tasha’s tentacles gently tapped my head.
Two days later, Dan Yibum returned to the Guild, and I came to Sungdo to match his schedule.
I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely was not avoiding Dan Yibum.
‘Se-um, when you leave this time, when will you come back?’
‘Well, I have something urgent to take care of right now, so I need to handle that.’
Ha Gyuhyuk didn’t ask me what had happened with Dan Yibum, as if he already knew something.
He was only upset that I had to suddenly return to Sungdo.
We kissed several times on the cheek and slept together for two whole days, but apparently that still wasn’t enough for him.
‘Come back quickly.’
‘Normally he’s not the type to whine like this. He’s become such a child.’
‘Yes….’
Still, Ha Gyuhyuk didn’t try to stop me.
He must have known that I wasn’t someone who would leave him and return to Sungdo without good reason.
There was only one reason I came back here.
The sudden rapid emergence of Dungeons.
Twisted causality.
To directly confirm when Landquake would appear because of it.
“I barely expanded the Server capacity and now Dungeons are bursting out everywhere? This is too harsh on me.”
My petulant complaint drew a low chuckle from Tasha.
“That’s how the flow of stars works. We can alter the fate of a mere world in an instant.”
Sprawled on my back, I replied with a hint of melancholy.
“I’m saying this because I wish this world wouldn’t change.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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