D-Rank Constellation Hunter… Stuck Without Internet! - Chapter 166
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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 166
“Have you ever seen that Constellation before?”
“No….”
“Oh! That’s my Constellation.”
The Server forcibly expanded due to the entrance of countless Constellations.
From those I had asked for help since I first arrived on this Earth to ones I was seeing for the first time.
Whether out of curiosity or goodwill, for whatever reason, there were far more than I had anticipated.
The access window scrolled so rapidly that the humans couldn’t even read them all.
[ Se-um: But there are more than I expected? ]
[ Se-um: Of course, Constellations I don’t know could come out of curiosity ]
[ Se-um: But there are too many for just curiosity ]
[ Tasha: The close Constellations of many Constellations you’ve built trust with came too. ]
[ Tasha: They asked those around them for help for your sake. ]
Whether Constellation or anyone else, asking someone for help is something done by staking one’s trust.
Much less asking for their strength not even for oneself, but for someone one wishes to help.
“….”
Ah, I’m weak to this kind of development.
The thoughtless actions I took toward others were coming back like this.
The chat appeared again, as if reading my expression from afar.
[ Franson: You’re young so you wouldn’t know, but perhaps this is the true nature of karma ]
[ Franson: Karma is eternal—the things I did return like a butterfly effect ]
Being rewarded like this was ultimately the work of causality.
We define that causality as karma.
Do good and receive blessings; commit sin and pay the price.
Stars made of karma were directly teaching me something new.
So my feelings were strange.
“Se-um.”
If it hadn’t been for Ha Gyuhyuk’s voice calling me from right behind, I would still be staring blankly at that scene.
I blinked and turned my head.
Ha Gyuhyuk was gazing at me quietly.
He was staring at the landscape before us with an expression even more moved than mine.
“Strange, isn’t it?”
“Yes?”
“That so many Constellations exist.”
“They came in response to your request for help, didn’t they?”
“Yeah, even Constellations I don’t know came to help me.”
All I had was modest karma—just a few messages I could send.
At that level, accessing this world would have been more wasteful.
My mood grew heavy for no reason, and I unconsciously frowned.
Then the scrolling that had been rising suddenly stopped.
“Have they all entered?”
Ha Gyuhyuk muttered in a dazed voice, as if he couldn’t comprehend that so many had arrived at once.
But that wasn’t actually the problem.
“They haven’t all entered yet.”
“What?”
“The Server is just at capacity.”
The Constellations needed an extraordinarily vast Server to access the Constellation System.
It had expanded incomparably since I first arrived, and now it was comparable to any standard Server.
But this time, it had exceeded the number of concurrent users a standard Server could handle.
At that moment, an official notice from the Constellation System was broadcast to all Constellations.
[ Notice to all Constellations currently waiting to access this Server. This Server has exceeded its maximum capacity and is temporarily restricting additional entry.
A Competition is currently underway on this Server, and access restrictions will remain in effect until the Competition concludes.
We appreciate your interest in this Server and apologize for any inconvenience. ]
So many Constellations had entered This Land that the Server couldn’t handle it.
Landquake or whatever—now, no matter what calamity came, I had no reason to fear.
Ah, I see.
I had been afraid I wouldn’t be able to protect This Land.
Afraid that I would lose those I loved, and that everything I had chosen would prove meaningless, starting with my own death.
But those stars wouldn’t let me think such thoughts.
Yes, that’s why humans believe in gods.
Even in despair when you think you can do nothing, they defiantly show you the way.
“This is quite the situation. Looks like it’ll be revealed that I’m basically the youngest among the Constellations.”
I opened my mouth with a casual jest.
Ha Gyuhyuk quietly embraced me from behind.
He fell silent as if thinking, then whispered.
“I love you.”
“Hm?”
“I love you, Se-um. Even if the entire Universe loved you, I love you more than that.”
Such an unexpected confession out of nowhere.
But I didn’t dislike hearing it. That my world had become just one human’s.
I never thought it could feel this precious.
“Yeah. …I do too.”
I never thought I’d be in a position to answer words of love.
The arms holding me trembled slightly.
“Get used to it. Hearing my answer.”
“…I’ll never get used to it. Even if I could, I won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to take you for granted, Se-um.”
He whispered that it would never happen, then released his arms.
Ha Gyuhyuk walked forward a few steps and stood before me, as if protecting me.
A frail, small back.
That silhouette I was meant to protect.
But this time, I chose to stand here for him as well.
“Prove to me that you can protect me.”
“Yes.”
The answer was unwavering.
And in that same instant, the earth began to stir to life.
* * *
Ha Gyuhyuk quickly surveyed the situation.
The Constellations logged in one after another, and simultaneously their avatars materialized and appeared upon the ground.
All manner of avatar forms stood among the party members.
Their demeanor seemed far too relaxed and serene for witnessing the destruction of an entire world.
“So you’re Se-um?”
“Greetings.”
“Delta told me about you.”
“The Archon spoke of you often. I’ve come to lend what meager strength I possess.”
“Ah, yes. Yes. Thank you for your help.”
Se-um, who had seemed infinitely towering in their eyes, was now surrounded by the Constellations like a cherished youngest member of the family.
They radiated warmth, as if greeting the child of a dear friend they’d long been proud of.
Se-um appeared somewhat bewildered by such treatment.
Yet that light in his eyes showed no displeasure whatsoever.
Se-um is a being who loves to be loved. Ha Gyuhyuk knew this.
‘Still, I wish I could be the one he loves most.’
Rather than being the one Se-um loved most, I wanted to be the one who loved Se-um most.
To achieve that, I would need to carry out Se-um’s commands well.
From the earth that pulsed as though possessed of a soul, something began to writhe and surge upward.
The earth had become a living creature.
The earth was resonating.
Gravel accumulated and piled upon the ground, spreading and folding like wings as the crouching land rose as an enemy and lifted its head.
The very place where the humans had been standing crumbled into nothingness.
“We’re falling!”
“Everyone, levitation magic!”
In the moment Kim Gyuwun issued the command and was about to unfurl a vast barrier to create a foothold for them—
One of the Constellations laughed and stepped forward.
“Humans are truly fascinating. Even with us standing right beside them, they still try to find their own solutions.”
From the empty void, a barrier shimmered forth like brilliant aurora.
The Constellation molded space itself, creating an enormous platform where the humans could run freely.
The earth they had been standing upon soon took the form of a winged golem, looming down upon the humans.
“An angel golem.”
“Indeed.”
The Constellations chattered among themselves as if they already knew what it was.
“Didn’t it accumulate karma by destroying too many worlds and get sealed away in the Other World?”
“I thought it was extinct, but one survived.”
“And it became a mutant after consuming all sorts of things.”
Ha Gyuhyuk looked up at it.
The creature was so impossibly massive that I couldn’t even see its face.
I heard one of the Constellations speak from behind.
“Before coming here, Se-um said this: try not to fight it directly if possible, and push the burden onto the humans instead. Why are there so many conditions?”
The tone was playful, but I could only imagine how much effort Se-um had expended to present all these conditions.
Simply by asking me to find a way, she had actually discovered this path for me.
It was overwhelmingly moving, and I trembled.
This is what it feels like to be loved.
Because of that, nothing before me could ever frighten me.
“Touch One will take the lead.”
My voice rang out clearly.
“Everyone, please follow me.”
And with that, the final battle began.
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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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