Episode 15
#15
When the survivors were given time to rest, Haron addressed them.
“Those wishing to eat or sleep, please purchase the necessary items and food from me. So long as you have the points, anything can be purchased.”
“Can we really buy anything?”
“Yes, so long as you pay the points. Food is no different.”
At those words, people approached Haron one by one.
Having spent the entire day struggling and starving, it was only natural they were hungry.
However, confused voices popped up here and there among those trying to order food.
“Huh? 2,000 points?”
“You’re saying 2,000 points for just one roll of gimbap?”
“Yes, that is correct, but…?”
“No, how can one roll of gimbap be 2,000 points….”
Conversely, Haron could not understand the survivors’ behavior.
They were survivors who had clearly only just learned the value of items when converted to points; he couldn’t understand why they thought it was expensive.
Then one survivor left Haron and headed toward the sisters, I Sina.
It was a woman named Shin Yua, who served as the leader of the first-place group.
“Um…”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Do you perhaps have any intention of selling food here?”
“Uh… well…”
At those words, I Sina merely looked up at the empty air without a word.
She had been waiting for my words.
I stood beside them and thought for a moment.
‘Doing business here… no, would it really matter?’
There was no need to agonize over it for long.
I would benefit as long as I earned points.
It seemed many people left Haron’s side after hearing the prices.
I sent a message to I Sina.
“[■■■ says he will open a shop.]”
“Ah, yes! Understood.”
* * *
“Is there anything we can help with?”
“[■■■ says it’s alright.]”
Though the shop had opened, there wasn’t much for them to do.
Noah handled the orders and delivery, and Alt handled the calculations.
Still, facing I Sina who wanted to help with something, I said,
“I don’t think there’s anything you need to help with. Since the Constellation says it’s fine, let’s go eat too. There’s a good place to eat right over there.”
“Ah, then we will eat gratefully, my lord.”
I headed toward a nearby building that was a restaurant, together with the sisters.
On the table inside the restaurant, a meal was already prepared.
Hayun’s eyes began to sparkle as she saw the prepared food.
“Wow! There’s cola, chicken, and pizza too?”
I snickered at Hayun’s words and said,
“It seems the Constellation prepared a lot so we could eat our fill.”
“Wow… my lord, we’ll eat well!”
“We’ll eat well.”
They began eating with bright faces.
They seemed hungrier than I had thought.
Despite the considerable amount, the food emptied quickly.
Well, they had suffered practicing their skills too.
Chatting about various things, before I knew it, the clock was pointing to ten.
I slowly rose from my seat and opened my mouth.
“I’ll go out for a short walk. I’m a bit too full. Would you like to come…”
I had been about to ask if they wanted to go together, but I stopped mid-sentence.
Hayun must have been quite tired.
She had fallen fast asleep right after eating.
“I’ll stay with Hayun.”
“Ah, then I’ll be back.”
Leaving only those words behind, I stepped outside the restaurant.
The surroundings were quiet.
Probably because the survivors had gradually gone into the buildings to prepare for sleep.
I looked around, then jumped onto a slightly taller building and sat on the rooftop. As I gazed at the dark scenery, lost in thought, I sensed a presence behind me.
‘Will it be alright if you do not sleep?’
His voice rang in my head.
It was Haron.
He slowly approached my side with his hands behind his back and opened his mouth, seeming pleased.
‘Huhu, every time I see Survivor Kim Hancheol, I cannot help but be surprised. It seems unprecedented things occur repeatedly. I had indeed wondered why the survivors were not using the shop.’
‘Is it acceptable for a Representative to be seen conversing privately with a survivor?’
He was, after all, the Representative overseeing the Star Fire War.
If he, who had the duty to treat all survivors fairly, kept approaching me privately, wouldn’t the Constellations watching the Star Fire War view it unfavorably?
Just looking at the current scene, it could appear that the Representative was favoring only one survivor.
To that worry, Haron merely laughed and answered.
‘It is fine. No matter what they say, the fact that the trials were conducted fairly does not change.’
‘I suppose that is true?’
Certainly, as he said, I had not broken the rules of the Star Fire War.
It was needless worry.
‘So, what business do you have?’
I asked Haron.
Haron merely looked at me intently for a moment, showing a faint smile.
‘I am the Representative overseeing the Star Fire War, but my essence is also that of a Constellation. It is only natural to take an interest upon discovering an outstanding survivor.’
‘So you came because you simply wanted to talk?’
‘I would like to say so, but there is one thing concerning me that I wish to tell you.’
Hm? What worry was he talking about?
I turned my head and looked up at Haron.
He opened his mouth with his usual calm voice.
‘The Constellations managing the shop are keeping an eye on Survivor I Sina, Survivor I Hayun, and you. Please be careful.’
Ah!
Hearing this, I realized that could indeed be the case.
In a way, I had snatched away their source of income.
Thinking about what I would do going forward, it meant I could become hostile with them.
Haron had subtly warned me to be careful.
“Tsk, tch.”
It was an extremely troublesome situation.
Unlike me, their power earned from survivors all over the world was not something to be taken lightly.
Perhaps they could interfere with more malicious methods than the tricks of evil gods.
As I was frowning and pondering, Haron suddenly spoke to me.
“Huhu, Survivor Kim Hancheol. Do you know this?”
It was spoken aloud, not through telepathy.
I turned my head and looked at him with a puzzled face.
He continued in a calm voice.
“If I were not the Representative, I would have proposed a contract to you.”
At those words, I was somewhat dumbfounded and lost for words.
It seemed not only me but also the watching Constellations were the same.
[The Constellation ‘Guardian of Supreme Treasure’ is astonished by the Representative’s words.]
[The Constellation ‘Ruler of Abundant Jewels’ opens his mouth at the Representative’s words.]
[The Constellation ‘Seeker of Unfettered Knowledge’ opens his eyes wide at the Representative’s words.]
[The Constellation ‘Shadow of the Sky Veiled in Light’ watches the situation with interested eyes.]
[The Constellation ‘Leisurely Wings of Spring’ marvels at the situation.]
“As I said earlier, I too am a Constellation.”
I know.
He too would return to his original position as a Constellation once this Star Fire War ended.
But the situation was too abrupt.
Why bring that up now, in this situation… ah!
Could it be that he was helping me?
By informing the Constellations managing the shop that I was a survivor he was watching.
His action was no different than a warning to the shop-managing Constellations.
It could be my misunderstanding, but that was all I could think of right now.
There was no reason for someone of his tremendous stature to form a contract with a survivor.
‘Did you perhaps help me?’
I simply asked him directly out of curiosity.
To my question, Haron merely stared blankly at me.
A moment later, he spoke in a voice tinged with laughter.
‘I do not know what you mean, but… my fondness for you, Survivor, is sincere.’
For some reason, I felt the corners of his mouth hidden behind the mask were turning up.
From his words, I could tell. That he had helped me.
On one hand it was absurd, but a smile formed on my lips.
I did not know the reason, but for now, I decided to gratefully accept that favor.
‘Then rest comfortably. I shall take my leave.’
With those final words, Haron turned to leave.
I blankly watched Haron for a moment, then slowly rose from my seat.
I tossed one last subtle question at him as he was about to leave.
‘Did you by chance see my status window?’
‘…’
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand why he was treating me so well.
If he had, he would truly want to contract with me…
To my question, he was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded and continued.
‘Yes. I saw it, but you seem to possess considerably high mental strength. I could not grasp everything. I merely understood that non-human beings seem to follow you, and that it must be your skill.’
Indeed, if he had seen my status window, he would have found it interesting.
However, it seemed he hadn’t noticed that I was a Nameless Constellation.
Well, even if he had seen the skill called Castle in the Sky, it would be difficult to connect it with a Nameless Constellation.
Of course, judging by his reaction, it seemed he hadn’t accurately figured out my skill either.
Anyway, the situation was not bad.
The Constellation with the most powerful strength was showing a favorable reaction toward me.
‘Then please rest comfortably during the break.’
At the same time as those words, Haron instantly vanished.
He had returned to his original position.
I too came down from the building rooftop to prepare for tomorrow’s trial and headed toward the building where they were.
It had been a walk with its own gains.
* * *
The next morning.
The survivors gathered at the center of the barrier to receive the trial.
Just as they were looking around for Haron.
“Everyone is gathered.”
Then Haron appeared from the air and slowly descended to the center of the people.
He looked around briefly and opened his mouth.
“Before starting the new trial, please check the list window that has appeared before your eyes.”
Along with his words, a certain list window appeared before the survivors.
(Constellation Request)
[D-Rank (Predaton’s Claws 0/15) Reward: Fierce Beast’s Necklace] 900 Points {Purchase}
[F-Rank (Crab Ant’s Teeth 0/5) Reward: Insect Fang Sword] 500 Points {Purchase}
[C-Rank (Giapredon’s Beak 0/1) Reward: Monster Bird’s Shield] 2,000 Points {Purchase}
[D-Rank (Condog’s Horns 0/8) Reward: Howling Wild Dog’s Spear] 800 Points {Purchase}
.
.
.
It was a list window labeled Constellation Request.
While everyone was puzzled by the list window that appeared before their eyes, Haron’s words continued.
“The list you see before you is the Constellations’ request list. If you select one from the request list, a detailed explanation of that request’s objective will appear. You will be able to continue using this function even after the Star Fire War ends.”
Constellation Request.
This function was also one of the benefits I had wanted to obtain from the Star Fire War.
While I was briefly looking over the list, one survivor opened his mouth.
“Um… do we have to purchase these requests with points to receive them?”
“That is correct.”
“Is there any benefit to receiving them to the point of spending points?”
There were probably many people thinking similar thoughts.
There seemed to be some kind of reward, but on the surface, there was no benefit worth actually paying points to receive a request.
To such a question, Haron kindly explained.
“There is a benefit. The items given as rewards in the request list are all items not sold in the shop. The rewards of the requests all possess rarity.”
As Haron said, the Constellation Request was a useful function for survivors.
Items that cannot be purchased in the shop.
Precisely, they were items crafted by Constellations that could be purchased by paying points in the form of requests.
“Now, I believe I have explained everything, so I shall explain the contents of the third trial.”
*Click*—
Haron flicked his fingers along with those words.
In that moment, numerous small Gates formed in a line around Haron.
Haron looked at the formed Gates and opened his mouth.
“These are tutorial-exclusive Gates I have created. I suppose there is no one who does not know of them. From now on, you need only enter one of these Gates and clear it. Since you can receive Constellation requests, you may complete a request during the process of clearing the Gate and receive the reward.”
Haron’s explanation was kind, but tension lingered in the surroundings.
Among them, there would be none who did not know of Gates, one of the causes that destroyed the world.
Haron turned his gaze back to the survivors and spoke.
“As you can see, you will notice that each Gate is a different size. The larger the Gate, the higher its difficulty. Please take note of that. Additionally.”
He paused briefly and looked around.
The survivors waited tensely for Haron’s next words.
Soon, he opened his mouth in a low voice.
“Do not expect a miracle like during the second trial. This time, you may truly die.”
Silence fell over the gathering for a moment.
As his words indicated, this time it was something the groups had to resolve themselves.
A bizarre situation like during the second trial would not occur.
“Now then, I will give you until midnight tomorrow. The group that achieved first place in the second trial, please choose first. I will grant you the right to choose.”
Along with those words, Haron’s gaze turned toward me.
I looked around at the Gates for a moment, then stood before the largest one.
“Uh… Hancheol-ssi. You’re going to enter this Gate?”
“Yes, well. But I don’t think there will be any particular problem, Sina-ssi.”
With those words, Hancheol’s group entered the Gate without hesitation.
Once Hancheol’s group entered the Gate, Haron turned his gaze toward the group that had placed second and opened his mouth.
“Now then, please choose your Gate.”
Shin Yua, the leader of the next group, broke into a cold sweat as she agonized.
Unlike the first-place group, she was contemplating carefully.
Lives were at stake.
As the deliberation dragged on and ten minutes passed, Haron opened his mouth.
“Please take your time. There is plenty of tim—”
Then Haron stopped mid-sentence.
When the survivors made puzzled faces at Haron’s action of stopping.
His head slowly turned toward the Gate Hancheol’s group had just entered.
“Wow! Mister! You’re really amazing!”
“It wasn’t me, Alt did it all.”
In that moment, it was Hancheol’s group emerging from the Gate laughing boisterously.
Unlike the surrounding atmosphere, only that spot was warm and cheerful.
The mouths of the survivors watching the situation were wide open.
They had all frozen at what had occurred.
“Hah….”
Haron’s reaction was not so different from those survivors’ reactions.
Even Haron, who never lost his composure, was greatly flustered, letting out a sigh.