D-Rank Constellation Hunter… Stuck Without Internet! - Chapter 4

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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 4
My hand reached toward the dual monitor, and Tasha’s gaze naturally followed in that direction.
[ The ‘System Enhancement Voucher’ you sponsored is being transferred. (17% progress…) ]
“They sent it the moment I logged in.”
I transmitted it immediately upon entering.
Originally, I was supposed to type that message and have it transmit instantly to demonstrate the power of a constellation, but demonstrate what power?
It still hadn’t even reached 20% transmission.
I looked like a constellation who promised a gift and then vanished.
My already-ravaged hair flew about with reckless abandon.
“At first, I just thought it was slow, you know? I figured it would transfer by the time I looked around elsewhere and came back.”
“Se-um, your hair is f-falling out….”
“It’ll grow back. It’s fine.”
So I deliberately synchronized the flow of time between the constellation’s realm and Earth, wandering around to observe various places.
I also kept an eye on potential clients.
First, I excluded hunters who already had high ranks—they were already far too strong.
I also excluded greedy ones who would harm other life forms to receive sponsorship.
‘The best candidates are those with potential to grow, sincere in their efforts, and show little interest in constellations.’
Lack of interest meant they either had no intention of relying on a constellation’s power or held low expectations of it.
Those who lived by their own strength—I preferred selecting such beings as clients.
People who could make rapid progress with just a touch of fortune added to their efforts.
From a constellation’s perspective, being able to provide support precisely when needed was invaluable.
Fortunately, I had found someone who fit all these criteria.
‘D-rank Hunter, Ha Gyuhyuk.’
A shabby man who merely glanced once when a status window appeared indicating a constellation had entered, then indifferently returned home.
It seemed that because things had changed so much since I lived here, simply awakening as a hunter didn’t grant much merit in this world.
Watching him do chores inside dungeons left me feeling uneasy.
But since he paid no attention to my messages, I ended up following him all the way to his home.
The wallpaper in his small room was moldy, and the inner door creaked, refusing to close properly.
It was a structure so ancient that I rarely saw its like even three hundred years ago.
Yet my eyes caught something else before the dilapidated interior.
A book titled ‘Skill Development for Low-Rank Hunters’ spread open as if he’d been studying it earnestly yesterday, and a video titled ‘We Can Clear Dungeons Too’ paused mid-playback.
Various skill development classes he appeared to have enrolled in, and goals pinned to his wall besides.
– I may be a low-rank hunter, but I cannot become a low-rank human.
– Never neglect effort. The moment I grow lazy, it’s over.
– No one acknowledges my efforts, but.
The final sentence was less a goal than resignation to his reality.
Yet every scene in this home gleamed with that small boy’s effort, his heart, and his modest hope.
Such a small gesture.
Seeds of life that could explode with growth if I merely extended a helping hand.
I had always been drawn to such beings.
What if I gave this man, who spends every day drowning in despair, a growth package?
Just imagining it made me feel like I’d run a cultivation program.
[ Hey? I contacted you separately because I wanted to talk. ]
[ Can you not see this message? ]
[ I should just get rid of this damn internet soon. ]
[ Ouch, shampoo got in my eye—are you okay? ]
Even after I sent periodic messages, it took him quite a while to respond.
I must have gotten the timing a bit wrong. I should have waited until he finished bathing.
I apologized politely and switched screens with a promise to visit next time.
Now that I thought about it, I’d always been courteous enough to look away whenever humans entered the bathroom, but I’d forgotten since I hadn’t encountered a human in over three hundred years.
Having started off on the wrong foot, continuing the conversation naturally proved difficult, so I simply waited for the gift transfer to complete.
[ Adjusting time. Ending synchronization between Sungdo’s time and 34R7h World. ]
Only then did the transfer percentage begin climbing more rapidly.
By disconnecting the time synchronization, transfer becomes possible using Sungdo’s time.
Depending on the internet connection duration, the time difference between the two worlds might not be significant.
Conversely, the more unstable the connection, the more time flows in the lower world.
As that thought struck me, I found myself growing anxious even as I watched the transfer percentage steadily climb.
I turned to look at Tasha, who was picking up my scattered hair strands from the floor to air out the room.
“Why don’t you go to Franson and pick up a client, then make a bet together? I heard the karma riding on this bet is no small matter.”
“Huh…?”
“You lost a lot last time because your client started a war. Take this and go win something back.”
I pressed a Client Confirmation Token into the hand holding my hair.
Tasha’s eyes widened at the sudden gift.
A Client Confirmation Token—honestly, it was a bit expensive to hand out carelessly.
But weren’t Tasha and I friends?
When using a Confirmation Token, the consent of the target lifeform was naturally unnecessary.
A constellation had chosen them—why would we need to consider the lower lifeform’s preferences?
Of course, we asked out of courtesy, but the system offered no right of refusal.
“Th-this is expensive….”
“You’re my friend, so this much is nothing. I got a generous settlement from my last client, so I’m comfortable. Just take it.”
“Th-thank you, thank you. I’ll definitely succeed this time and come back…!”
Tasha turned with a bright smile and ran toward her room.
My friend would probably fail miserably despite having the Confirmation Token.
Even with her excellent abilities, when it came to choosing people, she relied on intuition or dice rolls.
When I asked why she always failed from bad luck, she simply said she disliked guaranteed success.
Even if I didn’t understand it, it was endearing enough not to matter.
When I turned my attention back to the screen, the transfer had just completed.
[ Connecting. ]
[ System Enhancement Token granted to 34R7h World. ]
Checking the transfer time,
“….”
Forty-five days had passed by Earth’s reckoning.
* * *
“Se-um, didn’t you say last time that faster connection speeds wouldn’t help at all?”
“I was foolish. I want to find that version of myself who thought I wouldn’t have server problems and beat some sense into him.”
Immediately, I replaced all my machines with only the fastest server connections available in Sungdo.
The sudden large expenditure was a burden, but I managed to avoid crisis thanks to my recent client.
It was wise to help Jong-nam not only become the leader of the Heavenly First Martial Sect but also eradicate the Demonic Cult.
The additional rewards from eliminating the Demonic Cult were quite generous.
“I heard that you had some difficulties accessing your home world recently….”
“Franson, go check on Remitory or something.”
I ignored Franson as he trudged back to his seat with a wounded expression and attempted to log in again.
I could definitely feel the connection speed was slightly faster than before.
Who would have thought I’d pay such a price just for one home world?
Humans have short lifespans.
Perhaps because of that, the world never ceased its endless transformations even when I looked away for brief moments.
In just forty-five days, how many shops had opened and closed, how many people had been born and died?
‘What if he’s dead? I liked him.’
I recalled that face looking out the window in surprise, and how he never cursed despite doing such grueling work.
Most of all, I liked that face which seemed to carry a story.
That expression—youthful yet bearing the weight of much hardship—I liked it.
An overwhelming desire surged within me to make him absurdly strong and watch him laugh like a fool.
[ ‘D-rank Hunter Ha Gyuhyuk’ has been found. ]
[ Currently alive ]
Only after confirming his survival could I breathe a sigh of relief.
The fact that I was struggling this desperately was both absurd and heartbreaking, and I could only pull at my hair for a moment.
I reviewed the saved broadcast files to piece together what had happened over the forty-five days.
People had talked about the constellation for about a week.
After that, they discussed why that constellation hadn’t appeared.
‘Short-lived species forget rumors and stories quickly enough.’
They speculated about the constellation’s identity and eyewitness accounts emerged of people seeing me in dungeons.
In some countries’ political circles, they blamed each other for failing to satisfy even this long-awaited constellation, and fights broke out over false claims that someone had secretly received gifts from me.
Some cursed me for disappearing after promising to give gifts.
‘How pathetic.’
Even after more than three hundred years, nothing had changed.
Most places where life existed were like this, so there was nothing surprising about it.
And now there was no reason to be disappointed by such behavior.
Then, on the forty-fifth day, suddenly the news came that the constellation’s gift had arrived, and their system windows all updated simultaneously.
‘I sent an intermediate enhancement so they could see not just rank and class and skills, but also the buffs and debuffs they possessed, along with their remaining mana and stamina.’
Only then did people realize that the constellation had never left that place.
They feared that every word they had spoken would return as karma, or perhaps some even anticipated it.
I typed in the chat to meet the countless expectations.
[ Don’t worry. I was watching over everything. ]

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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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