D-Rank Constellation Hunter… Stuck Without Internet! - Chapter 116
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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 116
“….”
Was now really the right moment? The timing to eat sweet potato?
But if a proper sweet potato was needed, it had to be honey sweet potato—such was the law of the Constellation bus.
“So these Cynea people are pushing for an S-rank evaluation? What kind of nonsense is this?”
“Yes.”
I’d glanced through the inquiries and passed them along, wondering why I was getting tangled up in such trivial matters.
Fundamentally, Kim Gyuwun was a man of strong conviction and independence.
Even when Jang Deuk-sung held the Hunter Association in his grip, he’d pushed forward without blinking, earning himself disfavor.
Moreover, when he sensed something amiss with Guild Taemyeon—which he’d been supporting until the very end—he simply kicked free and bolted.
“What’s this inquiry you’re concerned about? Let the Guild Master read it first, then pass it to me.”
If asked whether I held infinite trust in Kim Gyuwun, the answer would be no.
He was a different man from Ha Gyuhyuk.
But I trusted his abilities and, as I’d said when we first met, I trusted the weight of his guilt and conscience.
The conviction that he wouldn’t do anything to harm Touch One.
And after visiting the Shadow Communication Hall Dungeon, he seemed to have undergone some spiritual growth.
If someone like that was hesitating this much, it couldn’t be a simple inquiry.
“I’ll read it right away and give it to you, Se-um.”
“You don’t need to rush.”
Sometimes he seemed almost rigidly principled, pushing forward only by his own convictions.
Even if it were Cynea, he would have rejected it at his own discretion if he deemed it unacceptable.
This meant the content was something that couldn’t be ignored.
In any case, humans found it difficult to overlook things once they’d seen them.
I clicked my tongue softly.
[ Tasha: Humans are truly strange, aren’t they? ]
[ Tasha: There are those who willingly bestow love and compassion upon strangers they’ve just met. ]
[ Tasha: Yet they also drive away those with whom they once shared their backs and lives, going through thick and thin together. ]
Tasha’s assessment was precisely correct.
Without question, among all the races I’d witnessed, humans were the strangest.
While individuals couldn’t be identical, it wasn’t easy to find such variance elsewhere.
I blinked slowly, then smiled wryly.
“Se-um.”
“You’ve finished reading?”
“Yes, I have. But rather than an inquiry, this feels almost like a threat.”
“Oh, so they’re threatening us.”
The Cynea person I’d met in front of the dungeon last time didn’t seem to have that kind of nerve.
What reason could have given them such courage?
Ha Gyuhyuk handed me the file with an uneasy expression.
I couldn’t quite grasp what that expression meant either.
〔Subject: A proposal for reasonable improvements to Touch One Training Facility regulations.〕
The title alone puts me in an odd mood.
Unreasonable?
So they’re defining it as unreasonable that only people below A-rank are allowed to use the training facility.
It’s astoundingly shameless—I find myself curious about what higher-ranked hunters think about while they live their lives.
I scrolled down lightly and checked the entire content.
Whatever it is, it’s probably not worth reading further.
“So basically, they’re saying it’s contradictory because they’re restricting higher-ranked hunters from using the training facility, yet we have those higher-ranked hunters on our roster.”
“Exactly—they’re discriminating against themselves. And while they didn’t name names, there’s also mention of Dan Yibum.”
To summarize, it was like this.
They wouldn’t reveal who specifically, but there’s a hunter among us who looks down on those with lower ranks.
That person acts unilaterally without listening to the cooperation or advice of other hunters.
It’s ironic to hear that a guild housing such a person claims to care about lower-ranked hunters.
〔I have sufficient evidence to support this claim.
I’m adding this out of an abundance of caution, lest you think I’m defaming an innocent person.
Furthermore, I’m leaving this as a one-on-one inquiry as a courtesy to your organization, so I humbly request your wise judgment.
I ask that you either lift the rank restrictions on the training facility or expel the aforementioned hunter from Touch One.〕
Should my claims not be accepted, I will proceed with publicizing this matter in the public interest.〕
In the end, the rank relaxation is just an excuse.
This is Cynea saying their stomach turned when Dan Yibum got lucky and started doing well at Touch One.
Jealousy has blinded them.
“How did you know this was written by Cynea?”
“I used a tracking skill. Normally, using tracking feels illegal, so I didn’t want to use it.”
“You have a skill like that?”
When I spoke with a tone of surprise, Kim Gyuwun’s face grew forlorn.
Had my lack of interest become that obvious?
But what can I do if I’m genuinely not interested?
“I have command-type skills specialized in strategy and tactics. Of course I need skills to track where my party members are going and where things are coming from.”
“I see. I just thought you were really smart, so that’s how you did it.”
“…Sometimes I can’t tell if Se-um is trying to compliment me or insult me with how you speak.”
Kim Gyuwun, his forlorn expression gone, now looked confused.
Technically it was a compliment, but that’s not what matters right now.
“So what do you want to do? Honestly, it ends if we just cut Dan Yibum.”
As I presented the answer coldly, Ha Gyuhyuk shook his head as expected.
As if that method was never even considered.
Kim Gyuwun quietly interjected.
“Of course, if you ask Dan Yibum himself, he’d probably say he doesn’t want to cause trouble and would just quit.”
“Yes, probably.”
“He’d say he can just go back to the Hunter Association. Actually, with Director Jang gone, the Association isn’t the worst option right now. But that’s only for Dan Yibum.”
Kim Gyuwun knew how to read the situation properly.
Right—if Dan Yibum leaves, that’s the end of it.
But the moment I take that step, Touch One’s position becomes precarious.
We’d gain the image of being shaken by a single inquiry, and that would be fatal to guild operations.
Precedent is a dangerous thing to set.
“How have we handled inquiries up until now?”
“Most of them the CS team processes with automated responses, and we delete anything promotional or what people call attention-seeking posts.”
But this one had evidence and clear proof that Cinea moved directly, so it seemed they’d put it on hold.
How much actual damage would his going public cause Touch One?
[ Se-um: Ah, if this goes public, how much damage would we take ]
[ Se-um: Ah, I’m really curious ]
[ Se-um: Ah, I really wish I could know the probability ]
[ Se-um: Right, Franson ]
[ Franson: Huh? ]
[ Franson: Oh yeah!! Oh man, I’d really love it if you could tell us ]
[ Franson: System genius without peer, tentacle Constellation, founder of the Akashic Record, ruler of the astral plane, anyone out there ]
At our desperate coordinated attack, the one who’d been quiet for a moment sent a message.
[ Tasha: Originally, if it was Cinea versus Touch One, Cinea would’ve taken all the blame alone. ]
[ Tasha: But there could be variables. ]
[ Se-um: Variables? ]
As I stared into empty space with a questioning expression, Kim Gyuwun, who’d been about to report something, suddenly stopped.
“I’m listening, so speak. What is it?”
“Actually, even if they go public, there’s no real damage coming to us. Most people agree that Hunter Dan Yibum’s choice at the time was the best option.”
Of course, the bereaved families of the dead and public opinion might waver for a moment, but he said that’s manageable on his end.
A rather frightening person, this one.
I nodded and gestured for him to continue, and Kim Gyuwun let out a sigh.
“The problem is that the person who posted this inquiry has a contract with a Constellation.”
“Ah.”
Now I understand what variable Tasha was talking about.
This isn’t just a guild-versus-guild conflict—it’s an issue involving guilds backed by Constellations.
What do I do?
I’m a Constellation responsible for turning even this sweet potato into a honey sweet potato.
“You don’t know who it is either, right? I’m not too keen on finding out myself.”
Unless they reveal themselves openly, it’s technically ambiguous whether I can track them down by the rules.
“How did you know they have a contract with a Constellation?”
“Ah, when we asked the Information Guild, apparently they bragged about it while drunk. They did it themselves.”
“….”
I see.
Alcohol does have a tendency to turn people into beasts.
I sat on top of the table and stared at the ceiling.
Let me think about this.
“Is there anyone among you who drinks?”
“Huh?”
“Anyone will do. Just bring me one person who can drink well.”
* * *
Two days later.
“Constellation! I’m so excited!”
Ji Chae-ah, fully geared from head to toe, clung to my arm with a thud.
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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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