D-Rank Constellation Hunter… Stuck Without Internet! - Chapter 59

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 59
—Did you want to see me? How much?
Why does the phrase “want to see” feel so good?
It struck me suddenly that Ha Gyuhyuk’s speech had become a bit more confident than when I first met him.
He’d always been affectionate toward me, but he used to stammer and read the room constantly.
I didn’t know what caused this change, but it was a welcome one for me.
[ I wanted to see you so badly I even considered taking out a loan. ]
Of course, this message would be filtered before reaching him, but at least my sincerity would come through.
Sure enough, Ha Gyuhyuk’s face flushed with bewilderment.
—That… you’d go that far…? But I don’t want Ulrim to take such risks because of me.
What exactly got transmitted?
It seemed to have a stronger effect than I’d anticipated.
Unable to hide my confusion, I checked what had been sent.
[ The Constellation of the Entangled Apocalypse’s Finalizer whispers that they were willing to forge a Forbidden Contract with the Constellation System for your sake. ]
[ The Constellation of the Entangled Apocalypse’s Finalizer asserts that if they could see you, they could bear such a tremendous karmic debt. ]
Doesn’t “Forbidden Contract” sound terrifying?
A loan isn’t the kind of thing one must unconditionally avoid.
But if I’d sent it as “loan,” it might have flipped the meaning entirely.
“Our kid’s adorable, isn’t he?”
“Adorable indeed.”
Tasha was looking at my face rather than the screen, but he would have understood.
Ha Gyuhyuk no longer grew anxious when I didn’t respond immediately.
As if he knew I was always watching over him.
—Since Ulrim returned to the Constellation System, we’ve received an overwhelming number of mid-entry applications to the Guild.
To verify his claim, I opened a window beside me and began reviewing the recent records.
It seemed the Guild had been packaged as a promising organization actually backed and supported by a Constellation.
From those who’d tried to throw business cards at me before getting rejected, to those who’d previously dismissed the place—an enrollment surge swept through.
“Honestly, I thought if they were your clients, we could accept them, but they were quite firm about it.”
“Who trained and taught them? Of course they’d be like that. Franson, this is how you educate clients.”
I felt oddly proud and patted my chest.
Franson applauded me with genuine admiration.
Despite appearing to engage in all manner of slander and scheming to manipulate others’ hearts, he was utterly pure.
“After that, he posted a notice that there would be no more mid-entry admissions and even opened positions for other Hunters to pursue.”
Tasha rounded her mouth into an “O,” saying this was truly worthy of praise.
I agreed.
Honestly, I’d worried the Guild might remain merely nominal, but he has the qualities of a true Guild Master.
“This is thanks to Kim Gyuwun’s efforts and my name’s value, too.”
He applied what he’d learned at Taemyeon Guild and did his best to support Touch One.
By forcibly squeezing in positions at Dungeons that didn’t match their rank or standing.
“Most organizations of ordinary scale couldn’t pull off something like this.”
“Earth has its harsh corners, but I like how kindness appears unexpectedly in the strangest places.”
Whenever Tasha showed this inexplicable affection for Earth, I felt something stir within me.
Was there some bond between her and this world that I simply didn’t understand?
– Hunter Dan Yibum has been offered five Constellation contracts today, and he’s rejected every single one.
I happened to know about that too.
I told him to try going it alone, but he could have quietly formed contracts with new Constellations without telling me.
His determination is remarkable.
If that resolve bears fruit, it becomes conviction. If it fails, it becomes stubbornness.
“Franson, what about this one?”
“You told me not to play around with Constellations directly, and now you want me to do it? I don’t really want to contract with someone who won’t accept me.”
Franson shook his head, saying he absolutely hated putting in effort.
He was chewing on candy he’d produced from somewhere, so I naturally stole a piece and swiped to the next screen.
“Se-um, but shouldn’t we start deciding on the lineup of clients to send here?”
Tasha shifted the screen to show me information about the S-rank Dungeon.
It would be discovered soon. Hunters backed by Constellations would probably rush to apply for entry.
Since I’m no longer the only one who can obtain Major Dungeon entry tickets through unconventional means, the competition will only intensify.
“The minimum entry requirement for this dungeon is B-rank. Since it’s an S-rank Dungeon, there’s no way to squeeze people in.”
“You can raise B-rank through sponsorship though.”
“My client doesn’t want to advance through loopholes. What can I do? I’ll have to think creatively.”
A minimum requirement of B-rank meant most participants would be higher ranked than that.
Six members, composed of a total of ten teams, I was told. Teams are only useful when entering anyway.
Once inside, they’re as good as strangers, so sometimes smaller guilds would form alliances to enter together.
I pulled up the guild member list and went through them one by one, stopping at Ji Chae-ah.
Ji Chae-ah was one of the few people who consistently trained under Dan Yibum alongside Ha Gyuhyuk.
She was one of those who showed goodwill even before I revealed I was a Constellation.
From what I saw during training, her skills weren’t bad either.
“I should definitely include her.”
“She was cute.”
Tasha responded enthusiastically to Ji Chae-ah, who looked almost identical to her.
It was completely different from her lukewarm reaction to Dan Yibum.
I included Ji Chae-ah first, then removed Dan Yibum from the list.
The vibe is just different from SA.
“What about this one?”
“Should include them.”
Naturally including Kim Gyuwun brought us to four, including me.
I’ll definitely include Ha Gyuhyuk anyway.
“I wouldn’t recommend this one.”
Though she probably didn’t know what I was thinking, Tasha’s finger tapped lightly on Dan Yibum’s name.
In an S-rank Dungeon, his self-righteous tendencies might become even more blatantly apparent, so I agreed.
So even if I include Ji Chae-ah, that’s only three people.
Even with me included, there are still two of us left.
Just moments ago, it felt manageable, but now it’s become overwhelming.
There’s no other choice.
“Franson.”
“Huh?”
He, who had been lying down and swinging his legs, suddenly went rigid.
A few seconds passed like that.
Franson stared at me, cold sweat dripping down his face.
I smiled at him with the utmost gentleness.
“This is your chance to repay the karma debt from your theft.”
* * *
“Ulrim!”
Two days later, at the Touch One building.
The dimensional space I had specially set up exclusively for Ha Gyuhyuk was accessible only to my client.
Because of that, rumors had spread that the Guild Master frequently disappeared.
He saw me and came running over with a bright smile.
“Oh, today you’re….”
“What, are you particularly beautiful today?”
“Yes….”
It was just a casual joke, but his face flushed crimson as he mumbled.
“It’s a modified version of the hanbok that the Hwarang used to wear. It’s optimized for training and combat.”
“The Hwarang? I had no idea.”
“That’s because you only have eyes for my face. Don’t worry. I’ll get custom ones made for all of you too.”
I lightly tapped his shoulder with a subtle smile.
Ha Gyuhyuk gently rubbed the spot where my hand had touched, then laughed bashfully along with me.
“You’ve been training hard, right?”
“Yes, my stats have increased quite a lot.”
“But that level won’t be enough.”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that dungeons would open in the future and he needed to prepare for that.
Ha Gyuhyuk flinched slightly.
Perhaps it was because I had judged his progress as insufficient without even examining his stats first.
But insufficient is insufficient.
A quick glance at his stats showed he was on a precarious boundary closer to C than B.
It won’t do.
“You will reach A-rank within a week.”
“What?”
“I’ll give you a reason why you must.”
A violet light materialized in the empty air.
From it, I drew out a long sword.
“Ulrim, that’s….”
“It’s something I used a very long time ago.”
I’d bought it with savings I eagerly scraped together the moment I awakened, before I’d even earned the title of Hunter.
Of course, it was merely a replica in form—not the actual equipment itself.
This is an item my avatar operates whenever combat becomes necessary for genuine client cultivation.
“It’s beautiful.”
“This too is beautiful?”
Well, the blade was platinum and the handle’s pattern resembled lotus flowers, so it was certainly pretty enough.
“Yes.”
“You won’t think so soon enough.”
I lifted Ha Gyuhyuk’s chin lightly with the flat of the blade.
He stared at me, rigid with tension, yet he didn’t pull away—his docility was utterly disarming.
“From now on, I’m your opponent.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————