Chapter 010. Obstacle Removal Operation (4)
Day 7 of the disaster.
Lee Dong-woo spoke, feigning the action of wiping away sweat.
“That was a close one!”
“Tell me about it. I’m just glad everyone managed to get a move ticket.”
Everyone staying at this base had acquired a move ticket.
Despite this, Chae Sae-byeok seemed to be lost in deep thought.
“The people we met while hunting… I wonder if they’re okay?”
“We can’t take responsibility for them too. We can only pray they’re alright.”
“I know. Guiding them to the other nearby base was the best we could do, but… I hope we meet them again.”
Because they had roamed far and wide over the past few days thanks to Lee Dong-woo’s teleportation ability, they had come into contact with other groups.
However, since taking care of our own group was already a struggle, the most we could do was provide directions to other shelters.
For some, that remained a heavy burden on their hearts.
“Let’s get ready. Did you pack everything?”
“Yeah.”
As the final day arrived, the numbers on the tree changed to, a countdown signaling that only one day remained.
Just as before, the numbers decreased—neither slow nor fast.
The time that had been dwindling along with the darkness now left only 60 seconds.
I put on my backpack and activated Analytical Eye one last time.
[Joo Yeon-woo – 0 Points]
[11 Constellations are watching.]
[Grace: 0]
#??Genre #??Genre #Survival #TowerClimbing #Broadcasting #Constellation
#??Character #Munchkin #Swordsman
[Chae Sae-byeok – 0 Points]
[5 Constellations are watching.]
[Grace: 0]
#Survival #TowerClimbing #Broadcasting #Constellation
#IncidentMagnet #Archer
The points had been scraped to the bottom and spent.
There was nothing left.
I looked at Joo Yeon-woo’s tags, still filled with question marks, and focused on the word Constellation.
Constellation.
I didn’t know exactly what they were, but seeing them pop up like that, I figured they really enjoyed watching people.
“Ms. No-eul.”
“Ah, yes.”
Joo Yeon-woo caught my hand, which was needlessly fiddling with my backpack straps out of distraction.
“You don’t need to be so tense.”
“Right…”
He was holding my hand firmly as if to reassure me.
Judging rationally, there was no way he would harm me in a way that others would notice.
It would be disadvantageous for him.
Yet, my skin crawled.
It was a rejection at a primal, instinctive level, distinct from logic.
I wanted to shake off his hand immediately due to the repulsion rising from the slight contact, but there were too many eyes watching.
Just as I forced a smile for him, my vision was dyed in blue.
[Tutorial Cleared!]
[You have proven your worth.]
[Proceeding with System Update.]
[Unlocking Constellation System…]
[Unlock Complete]
[Unlocking Grace System…]
[Unlock Complete]
.
.
.
[Loading Complete]
[Opening Floor: ‘Results of Choice’.]
* * *
A moment passed—or perhaps what felt like a very long time.
I had been staring blankly at the blue and dark void before realizing I had my eyes closed.
When I opened them again, a starlit night sky stretched out before me.
“Wow…”
The sky was black, and so was the ground.
Pure white stars were etched densely across the dark blue paper, like drops of white paint.
Looking closely, there was water pooling beneath me.
When I took a step, the surface rippled like jelly.
It was fascinating.
Was the scenery of space, which I had only seen in images, like this?
Just as I took another step with that thought—
“Ms. No-eul.”
A soft voice came from behind.
The man’s voice, calling my name gently, was kind, but that didn’t mean he was a safe human being.
I turned around to find those pitch-black eyes, exactly as expected.
“I’ve been waiting.”
“……I suppose you arrived first.”
His eyes curved softly, like a predator hiding its claws.
He walked toward me with long strides and stood by my side.
Are the others not here?
Have they not arrived yet?
Just as I opened my mouth to ask, transparent windows I hadn’t summoned appeared before me.
[Constellation Broadcasting is now open.]
[Currently, 3 Constellations are watching your broadcast.]
[You can receive Grace as sponsorship through the broadcast.]
“……Constellation? Grace?”
As I read the sentences that appeared out of nowhere, the man, Joo Yeon-woo, spoke calmly as if he had expected it.
“Ah, you see them too, Ms. No-eul.”
Before I could even ask if he knew something about this nonchalant attitude, a new message flashed.
[The Abandoned Princess is showing interest in you.]
[The Sister Who Became the Sun is showing interest in you.]
[The Administrator of the Planetarium is showing interest in you.]
“It seems these Constellations take on the role of viewers.”
[You have received a sponsorship of 100 Grace!]
[The Grace Shop is now open.]
[You can purchase items using Grace!]
“And it seems they also sponsor money called Grace. Just as we bought items from the Point Shop before, it appears we can purchase things with Grace as well.”
“W-wow…”
I watched the transparent windows pop up in succession, feeling dazed.
Opening the shop window, there were certainly more items than in the 1st-floor Point Shop.
There was everything imaginable, and as he said, they all required Grace.
While I was browsing the shop, a voice similar to the one I heard on the first day of the disaster echoed through the space.
<Oh, everyone has moved. The 1st floor is cleared out, so shall we begin?>
“……!”
It was that very voice—the one that told us to pass the trials and climb the tower.
Again? What is it this time?
Flustered, I tried to find the source of the voice, but it only echoed from all directions.
<The 2nd floor is… well, as you all know, it’s Incarnation Selection! Choosing who to sponsor, or who to be sponsored by. There are chances later, but it costs quite a bit, so you all know it’s best to choose now, right?>
“Sponsorship……?”
<Now then, get ready… and shoot!>
Simultaneously, choices appeared before my eyes.
[Choose your Constellation.]
[1. The Sister Who Became the Sun]
[2. The Abandoned Princess]
[3. The Administrator of the Planetarium]
……Wait, I need to know something to choose…
“Um, could someone explain……?”
Fortunately, these beings called Constellations seemed somewhat kind.
[The Abandoned Princess explains that receiving sponsorship from a Constellation makes climbing the tower easier.]
[The Sister Who Became the Sun says that the Constellation and the Incarnation are in a relationship of mutual aid.]
“In a manner of speaking, it’s like the relationship between a professional athlete and a sponsor,” Joo Yeon-woo added.
“So… uh… if the sponsored person does well, it benefits the Constellation too… is that it?”
[The Sister Who Became the Sun affirms your words.]
Is it like buying low on a talented prospect and then nurturing them?
Only then did I manage to understand.
If it was a mutual transaction rather than an unconditional favor, it was fine.
It meant I’d worry less about it suddenly vanishing.
The conclusion was that as long as I was useful, it was okay.
“Then, who should I choose……”
Being useful to each other.
A simple and clear proposition.
And now, I had the right to choose.
The right to pick a sponsor who would be more useful to me.
Based on what I experienced on the 1st floor, everything moving forward would be directly linked to survival.
It was best to take whatever I could get—especially the favor of beings who could positively influence my survival.
“Um, who would be good?”
Thus, while pretending to ask Joo Yeon-woo, I was indirectly asking the three Constellations: What can you give me?
But Joo Yeon-woo seemed to think I was truly asking him.
“It would be better to choose no one.”
“……Pardon?”
What is this crazy guy saying?
Does he not want me to become useful?
“But… it looks like I have to choose?”
“If you say you won’t choose, they will tell you another way to pass this floor.”
His tone was certain, as if he knew something.
What on earth was he thinking?
Was it because he thought I would slip out of his control if I contracted with these people?
Did he want me to remain under his thumb?
Just as I was staring at him while hiding my complicated thoughts—
“Ah, it seems time has passed,” he said nonchalantly.
“What?”
At those words, I looked at the selection window. Its status was strange.
As if it had bugged out, it flickered, scattered into alphabets and solid black squares.
Like a smartphone with a broken LCD, it was dyed in bizarre colors before eventually shattering.
[The Admini■■■rator of the Pla■etarium is ■■ wa■ching ■ou.]
[The Sister Who Became the Sun is flustered.]
Soon, another Constellation also displayed a grotesque window as if infected.
“What is this……”
“It does have its unfriendly side.”
[The Aban■oned Princess looks at the per■on next to you with a pecu■iar exp■ession.]
And one more.
Finally, the selection window vanished into the darkness with a snap, as if the power had been cut.
As soon as it disappeared, Joo Yeon-woo spoke as if he had been waiting.
“It can’t be helped. Shall we find another way to leave this place?”
I looked at the only remaining message.
[The Sister Who Became the Sun says this shouldn’t be happening.]
[The Sister Who Became the Sun is frightened.]
“……Um, this doesn’t seem like a normal situation……”
“Then we must leave this place all the more quickly. This is serious.”
Was it a coincidence?
His eyes drifted toward my system window.
“……”
Individual system windows are invisible to others.
Therefore, he shouldn’t be able to see these translucent messages.
[Sist■r ■■■■■]
Eerily, those black eyes seemed to pierce through everything, sending a chilling shiver down my spine.
[■■■■■■]
So, when I saw the last remaining message from the Constellation crumple and vanish, I couldn’t help but open my mouth.
“Joo Yeon-woo 씨.”
“Yes.”
“……What did you do?”
It was a question driven by impulse, shrouded in fear.
A question thrown out in the hope that he would deny it.
At that, the man laughed.
“What does it look like I did?”
As if he had been waiting for me to say those words, he gave a wide, bright smile.
Laughing out loud—Haha.
“What could I possibly be able to do?”
That was certainly very far from a normal reaction.
So much so that anyone would have felt something was wrong.
•♡━━━━━━•♡•━━━━━━♡•
I created a Telegram channel to make it easier for us to communicate and post updates [https://t.me/OpheliasUpdates] 🌷
