D-Rank Constellation Hunter… Stuck Without Internet! - Chapter 117
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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 117
“I’m not suspicious or anything, but you really do drink, don’t you?”
“Yes! All the Guild Members gathered together and settled it directly with soju!”
“…Ha Gyuhyuk too?”
“Of course. I couldn’t give the Guild Master special treatment just because of his position.”
Ji Chae-ah wore a solemn expression as she mentioned the rewards at stake in this matter.
I had to make an effort not to ask what Ha Gyuhyuk’s alcohol tolerance was actually like.
Truth be told, when he didn’t show up that day, I’d simply assumed he was busy with work.
These days, I didn’t monitor Ha Gyuhyuk’s every move.
Though he accumulated considerable karma by helping many people, he was still far from becoming a Constellation.
Which meant I was busy searching in various places myself.
Most importantly, he no longer needed my protection to avoid being suddenly kidnapped and facing death.
Moreover.
[ Your client has sent ‘I’m worried’. ]
This function had been added now.
It was a membership benefit I’d received when my distance from Ha Gyuhyuk grew closer.
Unlike the phone that consumed my karma with each contact, this was different.
It could only manage simple communication, but receiving these messages let me grasp his safety and emotional state, which was nice.
I chuckled while looking at the screen.
I bowed my head toward Ji Chae-ah again and spoke calmly.
“Where did you drink?”
“At the Guild Building! We decided to drink inside the building so we wouldn’t show an unsightly appearance. Oh, but Hunter Dan Yibum couldn’t drink at all.”
“Ah, really?”
“Yes! Actually, I suggested we invite the Constellation too, but the Guild Master opposed it.”
I recalled his voice saying he wanted to show only his best side.
I was curious about his alcohol tolerance though.
After pondering for a while, I nodded.
“Right, the Guild seemed oddly quiet the day before yesterday.”
“They all drank reluctantly and then took personal days. They were weak.”
Ji Chae-ah shook her head as if disappointed.
So she’d knocked out all the other Guild Members.
“What’s the Constellation’s alcohol tolerance like?”
“I’m an avatar, so I don’t get drunk. I’m immune to poison, and even if my heart stops, I keep moving.”
It was the same as pickling a doll in alcohol—it wouldn’t get intoxicated.
For the first time, Ji Chae-ah’s expression grew serious, as if she felt a sense of crisis.
I could sense her pride in never having lost a drinking match with anyone.
But building such pride in front of me was utterly pointless.
“Oh, actually, while the Guild Master and I were drinking….”
— I apologize, but please refrain from idle chat.
Ha Gyuhyuk’s voice came through the telepathy item.
“Huh? Guild Master, should I tell the Constellation about this?”
― …No, no.
In the old days, I would have needed to use a radio or something, but now we have items with telepathy functions.
Honestly, I was prepared to drain my entire bank account and sponsor everything myself.
The world really has gotten better.
If there’s a way to conserve my karma, anything goes.
“Constellation! You heard that, right?”
“Hm? No, it wasn’t anything important so I wasn’t listening. Was it something I should have heard?”
“…No.”
Ji Chae-ah’s expression visibly drooped.
Ha Gyuhyuk’s voice had been urgent, but if it were truly critical, he would have contacted me separately.
With the telepathy function, I could only give Ji Chae-ah orders, so it couldn’t have been anything major.
[ Tasha: It would be convenient if we could dig directly from the Constellation System. ]
[ Se-um: But to figure that out, we’d need at least a formula or information value ]
[ Se-um: And we have none of that ]
Today we’re going to investigate which Constellation has a contract with Cinea.
Having no information meant they simply took an interest in Cinea from the start and proposed a contract through a personal message.
The one who made the Constellation-client contract is the man who had a clash with Dan Yibum before.
Name: Seok Geon-hyung, male, small and slight build.
Age….
Roughly a bit younger than me.
Okay, information is sufficient.
“We’ll go and pretend to drink while listening to what they have to say.”
“Yes, so we just need to go and gather some basic information about the Constellation, right?”
“Yeah.”
I had no intention of stepping forward myself.
But the moment Tasha heard that Ji Chae-ah had been selected, she strongly insisted that I had to go.
‘Why.’
‘I want to capture a photo of the two of you together.’
It was a reason I couldn’t quite understand, but anyway.
Ha Gyuhyuk seemed shocked that he couldn’t go with me, wearing a dark expression all day long.
‘Se-um…. You need to be careful. Even if a strange person asks you to pet their head, you can’t go along with it.’
‘What are you talking about.’
‘Promise me! Promise!’
‘Hey, promise! I promise!’
Actually, thinking about it now, it might have just been the hangover.
He was oddly full of spirit—maybe he just hadn’t sobered up yet.
[ Se-um: Shouldn’t Tasha come too? ]
[ Tasha: Hmm…. ]
[ Tasha: Can I go? ]
Under normal circumstances, I would have simply declined, but it seems I’ve genuinely taken a liking to Ji Chae-ah.
As I thrust my thumb upward toward the empty air, Ji Chae-ah tilted her head in confusion.
At that same moment, Tasha’s avatar materialized from the darkness with a soft shimmer.
I quickly covered Ji Chae-ah’s mouth with my hand just as she was about to cry out.
“Say hello—you met her before, remember?”
“Mmmph-nngh-ahhh, uh-uh-ah ahhh eee…!”
“Yes, this is Sia, whom you met last time.”
Somehow, she’d managed to understand.
When I released my hand, Ji Chae-ah exhaled sharply and her expression grew serious.
There had been no one in that alley just moments ago—her suspicious gaze made that clear.
I thought it was time to explain, so I gave Tasha a meaningful look, and she nodded gently in acknowledgment.
“And I’m Natalia, a friend of Ulrim’s Constellation.”
“Then…!”
“Yes, I’m a Constellation.”
“Could you be the one of Infinite Inquiry!”
Ji Chae-ah couldn’t quite remember the full title of the Constellation of Infinite Inquiry, so she resorted to gesturing frantically.
Tasha answered with a smile of confirmation.
Ji Chae-ah’s eyes grew wide and gleaming.
“Wow! Then I’m invincible right now!”
“We’re not going to fight, I told you…!”
“We are!”
With an expression of pure joy, Ji Chae-ah linked her right arm through mine and her left through Tasha’s, then began walking forward with dignified confidence.
My body, being the tallest of the three, tilted to one side.
Well, both Ji Chae-ah and Tasha looked happy, so it didn’t matter.
With my free hand, I gently stroked Ji Chae-ah’s hair.
[ Your client has sent ‘Sad’. ]
Why now?
I know who this is.
[ Your client has sent ‘Sad’. ]
[ Your client has sent ‘Sad’. ]
[ Your client has sent ‘Sad’. ]
I knew exactly why they were doing this, but I wanted to tease them anyway.
[ You have sent ‘Calm down’ to your client. ]
[ You have sent ‘I like you’ to your client. ]
A brief silence followed.
[ Your client has sent ‘I like you’. ]
* * *
A lively tavern.
It was an upscale establishment, so I occasionally spotted famous Hunters I’d seen at Inheart.
They too seemed to recognize Ji Chae-ah, their eyes glancing over at her repeatedly.
Ulrim didn’t seem to recognize them, but I could tell they’d spotted Natalia, who was currently disguised as a Hunter.
― Inside, you’re free to use whatever form of address you prefer. Ulrim has already manipulated their perception of you through brainwashing.
“Constellation.”
“Mm.”
Indeed, no one reacted to the word “Constellation.”
To everyone else’s ears, it probably sounded like they were calling me “senior” or “older sister,” and for some reason, that made me feel oddly excited.
“Something feels wrong.”
“What? Oh, now that you mention it, you’ve looked uncomfortable since earlier.”
Yes, I was uncomfortable.
Ji Chae-ah found this situation unbearable.
Not because of how they looked at me, but because of the Constellations grilling meat right beside me!
“I, I could grill it….”
“Stay still.”
The discomfort was suffocating.
The soul of a K-family eldest daughter, firmly rooted in my heart, was screaming at me right now to seize the tongs and serve meat to these beauties.
Whether they understood my feelings or not, the Constellations wouldn’t even let me pull out a single wet wipe.
‘Please, let me do something! Anything!’
All I could do was endlessly rearrange the garlic on the grill.
‘It’s delicious! Really delicious, but… is it okay to eat it like this? Shouldn’t I be worried about eating it raw?’
I wished Cinea’s person would show up already.
They said they always came here every Friday.
― Hunter Ji Chae-ah, back room.
The moment I had that thought, I heard the Guild Master’s voice.
My body instantly tensed.
[ Activating skill ‘Whispers the Mouse Hears, Words I Hear’. ]
[ Auditory function activated! ]
“So… the Constellation chose me as a mage? Dan Yibum refused, so they don’t want to lose me.”
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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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