D-Rank Constellation Hunter… Stuck Without Internet! - Chapter 138

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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 138
It wasn’t until quite some time had passed that we finally found a moment of peace in the Guild Master’s Office.
Tasha said she’d missed the screen because of Ji Chae-ah, and Franson claimed he’d been observing some organ transplant surgery.
Apart from them, the other Constellations didn’t particularly care about our kiss.
They probably just thought another Constellation was trying to claim their client’s body, nothing more.
Ever since Ha Gyuhyuk and I locked lips, he’d been stealing glances at me constantly, as if he couldn’t read the room.
He seemed to be gauging whether he’d enjoyed the kiss, how I felt about it, or if there was anything I wanted to say.
It was fine, wasn’t it? I didn’t mind.
But seeing his flustered expression, I found myself not displeased, so I let him worry without saying anything.
“Se-um, does the three-question limit still apply?”
“You have another question? Let me hear what it is first.”
“It’s not about you, Se-um. It’s about my path to becoming a Constellation.”
“Oh.”
What kind of man shifts straight to business talk right after a kiss?
I found it rather appealing, actually.
“Alright, let me hear what revelation you’ve come to.”
“I wouldn’t call it a revelation exactly….”
What he brought up was a prelude about Kim Young-won.
It seemed he’d consulted about his desire to become a Constellation, and that naive romantic of his age had apparently planted some strange ideas in his head.
Accelerating catastrophe as a viable method? My expression darkened immediately.
“…Did he perhaps give you incorrect advice?”
“No, theoretically speaking, he was right.”
“Theoretically?”
I nodded.
In practical terms, the fastest path for him to become a Constellation during his lifetime would be to reopen and then seal the Landquake again.
But that’s only theoretically possible.
“The problem is, you can’t do it alone.”
“How did you manage to seal it, Se-um?”
“I got caught up in it.”
“Pardon?”
I looked at him as if he should understand just from looking at my modifier.
“In other words, I became a Constellation because I ended up as the stopper in the bathtub that is the Landquake.”
Put differently, to make Ha Gyuhyuk a Constellation the same way I did, you’d need to pull out the stopper and plug it back in immediately. Something like that.
Swiftly remove Se-um’s corpse and fit Ha Gyuhyuk in its place.
Then Ha Gyuhyuk would naturally die.
After that, I’d have to beg profusely and pray that the karma accumulated from this act exceeds Sungdo’s standards.
As I explained it briefly, Ha Gyuhyuk’s expression grew serious.
“It’s not that simple. Even if you brought the strongest Hunter on this land, the Landquake can’t be sealed alone.”
“Then how were you able to seal it alone when you got caught up in it, Se-um?”
“I suspect some Constellation power was involved. Though I never bothered to find out who.”
If that Constellation had come out voluntarily, I would have found him long ago.
Watching Ha Gyuhyuk’s subtle expression, I realized something.
I hastily waved my hand and opened my mouth.
“It’s not that I lack the karma to do it for you, or that I’m short on karma. The second time, the value of karma is different.”
“The value of karma is different?”
“In my case, I originally prevented a calamity from entering this land. There was no damage whatsoever, and there was no malice in my actions.”
I had no desire to sacrifice myself either, so I was merely ‘caught up’ in it all.
But if I forcibly open Landquake with the sole intention of making Ha Gyuhyuk a Constellation, that itself becomes negative karma.
When Landquake opens, there are people who could die, futures that could have been safe.
All of that becomes negative, and the karma of the one who is the root cause of that deed is diminished.
“My karma would be exhausted, sure, but it would be fatal to you as well.”
You might accumulate the karmic debt of a malevolent deity who can never dream of becoming a Constellation or Divine Official, destined to suffer eternally.
“You’d become like those children in the Shadow Dungeon.”
Otherworldly deities of the most peculiar nature.
Beings at the absolute opposite end, who can never mingle with Constellations.
So theoretically, it’s a hypothesis possible only if every coincidence aligns perfectly.
I’d swap Ha Gyuhyuk’s body with my corpse while creating every safeguard to harm no victims.
And karma at the level needed to become a Constellation would accumulate like a miracle.
This is an opportunity that can only succeed if everything fits together perfectly.
“If this path were certain, why would I have been saving humans so haphazardly? I’d have just thrown you into Landquake.”
“…So you’re saying it’s nearly impossible?”
“If our goal is for you to become a Constellation.”
But gathering karma bit by bit like this also lacks any real feasibility.
Now I truly need to find a method.
As I let out a sigh heavy enough to crack the earth, Ha Gyuhyuk glanced at me cautiously.
“Is there truly no method?”
“There would be a method. But the problem is that your race dies far too quickly.”
I wish this world had something like reverse aging.
There’s a way to steal others’ lifespans and forcibly rejuvenate him, but I suspect he’d refuse something like that.
Wait, why should I consider his feelings?
If I think something is right, shouldn’t I just push forward with it?
Countless versions of Se-um’s consciousness collided within my mind.
The most realistic path was singular.
Over 54 years, I’d hone him into the most powerful Hunter anyone had ever seen, then have him stop Landquake when it naturally opens.
This is the only way.
This feels like the answer.
[ Se-um: Tasha, when I return to Sungdo, there’s something I need to discuss ]
[ Se-um: I’d appreciate it if you’d promise to scold me, unconditionally take my side, and counsel me ]
[ Franson: Natalia always seemed to be that way with Se-um ]
Franson: He was cold to me too, haha.
[ Se-um: Don’t say things like that with a smile ]
Franson: T_T
The wisest person I know, the one who understands the most.
Anyone looking at me would probably sneer that Se-um couldn’t do anything without Tasha.
That’s true.
But isn’t that just how life works?
When I lack something, I shouldn’t hesitate to accept help from others.
That’s how I make fewer mistakes.
So what help do I give to Tasha then? I haven’t thought that far yet.
But Tasha sometimes—no, often—acted as though it was enough for me to live happily doing whatever I wanted.
I pondered the question until Ha Gyuhyuk refilled my coffee cup, then opened my mouth.
“In about 54 years, could you become a transcendent being capable of stopping Landquake alone?”
“Well, in 54 years I’d be over 80 years old….”
“So what. Are you worried your body won’t be in its twenties? Don’t concern yourself. Restoring physical vitality isn’t difficult for me to arrange. Or I could simply transfer your soul into a different body.”
That last statement was rather cool.
It proved I didn’t choose you based solely on your appearance.
I could simply admire Ha Gyuhyuk in his eighties for a while, then replace him with an artificial body.
At that point, I’d let him customize his appearance however he wished.
Ha Gyuhyuk gazed at my serious expression, then subtly changed the subject.
“But why specifically 54 years?”
[ Tasha: I think you should get your client through safely before consulting with me. ]
[ Tasha: Since you’ve already been caught keeping a secret from your client once, honesty would be better for the relationship. ]
[ Se-um: What if I lie here? Do we head toward catastrophe? ]
[ Tasha: It’s already catastrophe, but it’ll probably get worse. ]
[ Se-um: It’s not catastrophe yet~!~!!~!!!!! ]
[ Se-um: Se-um’s client business is still operating ]
[ Se-um: But anyway, I understand—not lying is better, I get what you mean… ]
Right.
Small lies always lead to bigger ones.
Given Ha Gyuhyuk’s nature, if he suddenly learned the truth without knowing beforehand, he would certainly suffer.
Having witnessed him digging the earth so many times already, I ultimately reached my conclusion.
“This land was originally a place where Constellations couldn’t enter. If I hadn’t suddenly decided to come here.”
“I see….”
“So the flow of stars concentrated on this place, and Landquake, which was already trying to reopen, accelerated because of that power.”
Ha Gyuhyuk needed no further explanation.
His expression darkened in an instant as he murmured.
“So that time limit… is 54 years.”
“Right. If all the Constellations completely withdrew from this land, I could buy a few hundred more years, but it would still open eventually, someday.”
Ha Gyuhyuk, who had been contemplating for some time, carefully opened his mouth.
“Could you give me some time to think? Alone?”
He looked confused.
“Do it that way. I’ll be staying in Sungdo.”
“You’ll come back, won’t you?”
“Of course. You’re here, after all.”

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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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