D-Rank Constellation Hunter… Stuck Without Internet! - Chapter 113
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 113
“….”
Eliana hung her head low.
The trembling of her shoulders probably wasn’t from fear of me.
She must be angry. After all, I’d bluntly told her I knew she was weak.
The way she struggled to hide her expression was almost pitiful.
Precisely because I understood her so well, I chose my next words carefully.
“The Constellations only choose people with strong, radiant talents. Yes, I’m just a C-rank, a common healer—you could easily dismiss me.”
At my flat words, Eliana’s head snapped up in surprise.
Her expression showed the discomfort of having her thoughts seen through.
It wasn’t mind reading. It was simply too obvious to miss.
“But your friend Bella Dillon is different, isn’t she? You were thinking: is it really right to judge someone by rank alone?”
“So you really did read my heart…?”
“We’re not so incompetent that we can’t manage that much. Why, are you angry that I read it?”
“No, I couldn’t possibly be angry with someone who saved my life for such a reason.”
Eliana bowed her head.
On the surface, it would seem Eliana was despairing over her own rank and resenting the Constellations.
But that wasn’t it.
This girl had put her last precious friend to sleep and tried to face death alone.
“Do you think Bella Dillon wasn’t chosen by a Constellation because she was weak?”
“Yes.”
Certainty entered her hesitant voice.
She couldn’t even meet my eyes properly, yet how confident she sounded at times like this.
This wasn’t something she’d thought about once or twice.
“Bella is different from me. So doesn’t that mean the Constellations recognize a person’s true value?”
Her eyes held the implication that Bella was more valuable than anyone else.
Certainly, when I reviewed the records, there were remarkable things about her.
In such circumstances, to keep fighting until the very end and refuse to lose hope—most humans couldn’t manage that.
Was it only humans?
Even gods were the same.
In a situation where defeat was certain, few could think to fight until the absolute end.
Humans were the kind of beings who easily felt despair at “as expected” rather than hope at “what if.”
“Then have you never thought you’d be chosen by a Constellation?”
“I’ve imagined it, but I never expected it to happen. It was only natural, after all.”
How could it be natural?
The man running back and forth behind me now, working alone to keep the corpses in the best possible condition, had been born D-rank.
He must have held hope.
Especially when I heard Ha Gyuhyuk’s story in passing.
A D-rank was chosen, so surely there was a possibility for her too—she must have thought that clearly.
But ultimately, such people were extremely rare, and she’d come to realize the world hadn’t changed so much.
“So?”
“But even if I don’t know, Bella Dillon is different. If she truly judges people by their character, she should have been chosen.”
The murmured voice had become almost like talking to myself.
How was I supposed to comfort someone who had already reached their own conclusion?
I was originally a Constellation who was genuinely good at empathy and understanding, but I’d clearly picked up bad habits from playing with Tasha.
As I narrowed my eyes, a message came through quickly.
[ Franson: You must be exhausted~ ]
[ Franson: Is Se-um an idiot? ]
“You must be exhausted.”
“No, I’m not exhausted. Just because I wasn’t chosen by a Constellation doesn’t mean my day changes, does it?”
I’d followed Franson’s advice, but the situation seemed to have gotten worse.
When I get back to Sungdo, I’m definitely not letting this slide.
[ Tasha: Wouldn’t it be better to offer a solution? ]
[ Tasha: What good does it do to just brush it aside and say you must be tired? ]
[ Tasha: You need to understand the overall situation and draw a conclusion about it. ]
[ Tasha: That’s what comfort is. ]
[ Franson: How is that comfort?? ]
[ Franson: That’s just situation analysis, how comforting ]
The chat room fell silent after that, so it seemed the two of them had gone off to bicker with each other.
In the 300 years I’d lived, I’d never seen two Constellations agree on anything in a situation like this.
It seemed like handling all of this was up to me.
The responsibility for my actions and words fell on my shoulders—how unreasonable.
I reminded myself that I was an adult and a Constellation.
But I never thought a moment would come where I’d have to care this much about a single human being.
“But why are you like that? If you’d adapted to days that didn’t really change, you shouldn’t be making such a gloomy expression.”
“People will ask why we survived instead of the A-rank hunter.”
“Really?”
“Yes, since we naturally made a contract, we can’t claim we received help from a Constellation.”
Though her tone wasn’t resentful, I knew what Eliana Grey was trying to say, and I couldn’t simply laugh it off.
Those outside would expect something different from people who’d survived such dire circumstances.
But those who survived ‘by luck’ rather than by a Constellation’s choice would ultimately become those who trampled over the sacrifice of those barely worth saving.
That damned alphabet, that damned ranking system.
Humans really do care about useless things to the point of exhaustion sometimes.
“So you’re worried? That people will resent you?”
“Yes, I’m afraid. And it’s unfair. I don’t know about myself, but at least Bella Dillon wanted to die with honor.”
But Bella Dillon’s confidence, saved by a Constellation’s intervention, would soon turn into humiliation.
Eliana Grey, in her state of despair, had the look of someone who felt obligated to bear that burden.
So this girl has no intention of defending herself.
Even if deep down there’s the thought of ‘I didn’t choose to be born as a C-rank.’
“So if I just raise your rank, your problem is solved?”
“Pardon?”
Eliana jerked her head up sharply.
Her slightly frizzy hair scattered in the wind.
“I’m asking whether all these problems would be solved if you advanced from C-rank to A-rank.”
If there existed a problem that money couldn’t solve,
then perhaps one simply didn’t have enough money.
It was a principle I’d been pushing relentlessly ever since becoming a Constellation.
“Eli! That’s perfect!”
The one who suddenly poked her head in from behind was Bella Dillon.
She’d apparently taken a wide detour to avoid hearing our conversation, yet she’d still caught wind of the rank change.
Of all places, she’d heard from that exact point onward.
“Ah, no, what I mean is—”
“All you need to do is promote both you and her to A-rank.”
A Constellation had visited and departed, and in an urgent situation, they’d received a special item and undergone re-awakening.
It seemed like all I needed to do was orchestrate such a narrative.
“Is that not it? Then say it’s not.”
“I, well, that is…”
“I’m fine as I am.”
Unlike the hesitant Eliana, Bella Dillon shook her head firmly.
It wasn’t acceptance—it was outright refusal.
I’d expected as much from her. Eliana, however, seemed caught off guard.
“No, Bella. What are you saying?”
“You deserve to become A-rank, Eli. You have every right. But I don’t need to. I don’t want to. I’m going to climb on my own effort. I’ve already come this far from E-rank to C-rank, haven’t I?”
“Bella! Are you serious? It could take years to reach A-rank. You might not even make it alive!”
“No one can force someone who refuses.”
[ Purchasing ‘Growth Acceleration Ticket’. ]
[ Karma is consumed. ]
A brilliant blue ticket, luminous as the Universe itself, fell into Eliana’s palm.
“See that perforation line? Tear it, and you’ll undergo re-awakening as A-rank. Think of it as condensing years of effort into an instant.”
“…There’s only one.”
“She said she won’t do it. You can tear it now or later—do as you wish.”
I shrugged lightly, stretched my divine form’s stiff body, and turned back to face them both.
What I actually couldn’t understand wasn’t Eliana Grey—it was Bella Dillon.
Even knowing their circumstances were different from birth, she somehow overlapped with the image of Dan Yibum.
An existence determined to achieve things alone, without relying on a Constellation’s power.
I was about to leave without hesitation when I suddenly turned back.
“I’m not sure if words like this mean anything.”
“Yes?”
“Some stars will be glad that you’re alive. Because stars have eyes that can see all the way to the bottom.”
I raised my hand and pointed toward The Sky.
Countless stars invisible to their eyes were likely watching this moment unfold.
“You can trust my words.”
I too ascended from a mere human at the bottom to become a star, and from that celestial position, I chose to return to being human once more.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————