D-Rank Constellation Hunter… Stuck Without Internet! - Chapter 133

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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 133
“They’re working so hard they barely sleep.”
“That’s good.”
“They might not use their vacation days this year. At this rate, they’ll carry them over into next year.”
“Tell them to do that. If they can’t, pay them out in cash.”
Ha Gyuhyuk lay beside me, sighing with worry.
Anyone watching would think he was a father fretting over his quarreling sons.
“What are you worried about? They’re not children, and there’s nothing particularly wrong with their work ethic. You said so yourself.”
Ha Gyuhyuk’s expression remained troubled.
Their efficiency had improved, and since they handled different tasks, there was no risk of conflict unless I deliberately sought one out—what more could anyone ask for? Yet he still worried.
This one would probably fret about what to do if the sun suddenly exploded.
“Actually, about that… Jerry Constellation?”
“I taught you my name last time—Franson. You can just call me that now.”
Besides, I hadn’t revealed my full name, so using just the first part was practically a nickname anyway.
Contrary to common concerns, knowing a Constellation’s true name rarely causes significant problems.
In my case, if I revealed that my name is Se-um, people would immediately associate me with the Landquake victims, which would be troublesome, so I keep it hidden.
“Yes, but it bothers me that Franson didn’t choose either of them.”
“So it sounds like even a Constellation gave up on the problem?”
“…”
He nestled into my embrace without a word.
I’d struck a nerve.
Admitting it would feel like declaring his own Guild Members beyond saving.
But they were beyond saving, so what could be done?
Life was full of people who simply wouldn’t listen.
“You need to see a wider forest instead. Those people are just trees. Find what you can do, including them. You’re a transcendent being.”
As I emphasized the word “transcendent,” Ha Gyuhyuk’s face flushed slightly.
He’d probably heard this from me for two weeks straight until his ears grew calluses, yet he still looked embarrassed every time.
[ Franson: Please stop, young man ]
[ Franson: My ears are going to get calluses!!!!!!!!!!! ]
[ Se-um: Back when I was young, I raised humans as clients, and one of them became a transcendent being~ ]
[ Tasha: Young? ]
[ Franson: Young? ]
[ Se-um: Mm ]
[ Se-um: Still, my hair’s turned gray, so I’m a bit embarrassed ]
Tsk, these ancient Constellations.
One mention of being old and they couldn’t even hide their wrinkles.
Yet in front of humans, they could be as impossibly ancient as they wished.
“Is being a transcendent being the same as being able to become a High Priest?”
“Have I ever explained what a High Priest is to you?”
I had no memory of such a conversation.
I didn’t want to burden the High Priest with such tasks—he had too much of an image of being a Constellation’s errand boy.
I hadn’t even mentioned it, worried he might lower his targets if he knew.
“No, sir. You told me back then.”
“What do you mean, sir? Franson? Tasha?”
“It was… Kim Young-won, sir.”
“Ah. Right, Constellations are more like ancestors than elders, I suppose.”
I felt the chat erupting into flames over two Constellations being treated as mere elders, but I ignored it.
I nodded seriously.
“But you won’t become a High Priest either. For now, you’re just a being that transcends humanity.”
“A being that transcends humanity…?”
“Remember that boss from the Dungeon where I changed the rules at first? Every time I spoke, you all vomited and wept—it was chaos. Those kinds of beings are among the transcendents with higher grades.”
Beings whose very existence and actions directly influence others around them.
The higher one’s grade, the further they exceed the category of client.
In truth, Kim Young-won had accumulated even higher karma than that boss, though Ha Gyuhyuk wouldn’t know.
There were reasons his grade had risen, and my protective magic was functioning properly as well.
“…So I need to achieve a higher grade than that boss, don’t I?”
“That boss couldn’t even present his business card anywhere. And transcendents can accumulate negative karma.”
Constellations and High Priests can only achieve their positions through karma—counting only life-saving and beneficial deeds.
But transcendents are different.
Heinously evil serial killers, demon lords who committed mass slaughter—they are simply beings who possess power transcending their species.
“Not all transcendents walk the path toward becoming Constellations or High Priests. Many become obstacles on that very path.”
“But I…”
“Yes, you’re accumulating righteous karma toward becoming a Constellation. It’s just the amount is negligible.”
“If I become a stronger transcendent, would my mere presence cause harm to those around me?”
He seemed to imagine a situation like that boss from the Dungeon, where he would harm the people nearby.
At first, those around Ha Gyuhyuk would feel a subtle sense of alienation.
Why does the Guild Master feel so distant all of a sudden? they’d wonder.
Then, approaching him would bring a subtle sense of being overwhelmed.
After that would come dizziness, and getting closer would cause their heads to spin violently and their insides to twist.
Gradually, he would become a being that could no longer interact with humans through his physical form.
“Yes, but since you’re neither a High Priest nor a Constellation, you won’t damage the Constellation System.”
“…”
“You’ll be confined to places no one’s gaze reaches, or you’ll secretly save lives and sacrifice yourself.”
At my matter-of-fact words, Ha Gyuhyuk’s eyes moved as if he had much to contemplate.
I know it sounds cruel.
But this is an immutable truth—something he needs to understand if he’s aiming to become a Constellation.
“But how fortunate is it?”
“Yes? What do you mean, sir?”
“That your karma accumulates even if no one acknowledges your sacrifice or suffering. The stars know all your loneliness.”
Even if the humans you save never know, the stars are watching.
The Constellation System calculates the karma of those who live within it and rewards them for the noble values they have accumulated.
Though I’m not sure if “reward” is the right word for it.
“But the High Priests are a different matter.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, the High Priests are… what’s your impression of them?”
“I’ve heard they assist the Constellations and work tirelessly for them. They haven’t accumulated enough karma to become Constellations themselves, but they have karma equivalent to that level.”
“And there’s a decisive reason why they must live as Constellations.”
For instance, if I had saved just a few fewer humans, I might have become High Priest Se-um instead.
They can’t even create clients—they simply have to work frantically for the Constellations.
Occasionally, those with more leisure are the ones chosen by a specific Constellation.
They spend their remaining lives serving only that one Constellation.
It sounds appealing when described this way.
But when you’re intensively caring for a single Constellation and handling all their tasks, it’s actually far more grueling work.
Emotional dumping ground, package delivery, sometimes even coordinating outfits and designing avatar forms.
However, for High Priests who desire oblivion, it has its merits—they can observe other servers and experience multiple worlds.
“…But wouldn’t the workload be overwhelming?”
“Can’t High Priests become Constellations?”
“No, they can’t. All karma earned by a High Priest is attributed to the Constellation System.”
If they sign an individual contract, it goes to a higher Constellation instead.
It’s called an unfair contract, but the Constellation System has no labor board.
“Why, are you interested in becoming a High Priest? Is it because you think reaching Constellation status might be too difficult?”
“I’m interested in the High Priest path, and I’ll still strive to become a Constellation, but I think I need to prepare a backup plan too… though asking you to introduce me to a High Priest might be overstepping, wouldn’t it?”
“Introduce you to a High Priest?”
If I suddenly snapped my fingers and demanded it, they would appear, certainly.
But they’re beings of far greater stature than any transcendent I’ve met so far.
“You’d die if you saw their true forms.”
“Ah.”
“To me they’re a lower species, but to you they’re different gods, god. Who would use an avatar form when meeting a client?”
As I gently patted his slightly deflated shoulders, a brilliant idea suddenly struck me.
“Actually, it might not be completely impossible.”
“Really?”
“Just a moment.”
I immediately contacted a certain Constellation.
[ Se-um: Constellation Sungho! ]
[ Se-um: I have a favor to ask of you. ]

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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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