REWCS 05

Episode 5: The Constellation’s Game [Leica]

Today, there were two things I had to do at the Gate Management Bureau.

First was, of course, exchanging currency, and second was registering as a Hunter.
Hunter registration wasn’t something I needed to do immediately, but I’d need it anyway to enter the ‘Tower’ later. While the towers in the other world were managed by fairies, the towers on the Korean server were managed by the Korean government.
And honestly, there was no reason not to register as a Hunter. After doing this, from next time, I could exchange LP and KRW anytime, anywhere without having to come to Seoul Station.

“How can I help you?”
“I’d like to exchange currency first.”

Anyway, I should do the currency exchange first. After today, I planned to never secretly use my mom’s transportation card again.

[Registering the account of player name ‘Dave’ in the system.]
[Current LP Held: 53 LP]
[Current Exchange Rate for 1 LP: ₩10,357]
[You can exchange up to 53 LP.]
[Please enter the amount to exchange.]

I exchanged everything except for 10 LP, and after fees, about ₩445,000 was deposited into my account.
Why did I keep 10 LP?

“Shall we proceed with Hunter registration as well?”
“Yes, please.”

It’s the Hunter registration fee. It’s a precious ₩100,000, but there’s no helping it.

[You have been registered in the Republic of Korea Hunter Directory.]
[You can now use the ‘Currency Exchange’ function.]
[You can now use the ‘Item Marketplace’ function.]
…etc…
[On boarded to the ‘Streaming System’.]

Looking at the stream of system messages, I started to feel the reality of having truly become a Hunter. There were many things I hadn’t seen in the beta version, so it was also a bit novel.
By the way, what’s this Streaming System? Something like internet broadcasting?

“Hmm, it’s a bit different from internet broadcasting. This is streaming on boarded to the ‘Leica System’ itself. So, it’s part of the system provided by ‘The Constellation’s Game,'” the clerk explained.

What on earth does that mean…?
This didn’t exist in the beta version.

“But you really don’t know about the Streaming System? Did you live in the woods for about 10 years?”

Not the woods, but I did come back from another world…

“Anyway, if you want to succeed as a Hunter, you should try to utilize it as much as possible. It’s the only channel to communicate with the ‘Constellations.'”

I flinched momentarily at the word ‘Constellation.’ I’d never actually seen a ‘Constellation,’ but it was a word I’d heard countless times through the crazy fairy.

-With this level of skill, you’ll never satisfy the Constellations, Hero!
-You have to build a more special narrative!
-If you lack talent, you at least have to be entertaining!!

Moreover, as I listened, I remembered things I’d read on the Awakened Wiki.
I think I saw that top ranker main source of income was streaming… I had just understood it as them making big money by streaming based on popularity.
But streaming to communicate with Constellations…

-On the official server, numerous Constellations watch over you, Hero!

Was that what it meant?

“Exactly.”

I was getting curious, but I also felt some aversion. I’m not the type who likes to show off in front of others, and also… those beings called Constellations felt somewhat unsettling.
So if it’s possible to turn off this streaming thing…

“What are you talking about? Why would you turn it off…?”
“Uh…”
“You absolutely must keep streaming on while you play!”

Why?

“Because there’s nothing to lose. You just keep streaming on while you play, and the Constellations donate LP… Is there any reason not to? It’s not like an internet broadcast where you have to show your face to people.”

The mention of LP donations suddenly piqued my interest, and the clerk’s following words were the decisive blow.

“Besides, it’s not just top ranker who receive donations. I heard some Hunter, even before reaching level 20, attracted a ‘big spender’… and received 10,000 LP in donations in a single day?”

Crazy?
Isn’t 10,000 LP 100 million won?

“Of course, I hear getting even one subscriber at the start is incredibly difficult… But even so, entering a Gate without turning this on is…”

The clerk added more explanations after that, but there wasn’t any important content and it didn’t really sink in.
The fact that it’s possible to earn that much LP through donations… If a budget hero doesn’t do this, it would be sheer dereliction of duty, wouldn’t it?
As I was thinking that, the clerk noticed something interesting and spoke again.

“But you’re already level 9?”
“Is there a problem…?”
“Ah, no. Of course there’s no problem, but it’s the first time I’ve seen someone reach level 9 even before registering as a Hunter.”

According to what I read on the Awakened Wiki, people usually register as Hunters before entering the Gate. Since you can’t use the Management Bureau’s marketplace without Hunter registration, from other Hunters’ perspective, the natural order would be to get your equipment first and then enter.
Anyway, after filling out a few more forms…
The Hunter registration process was fully completed.

“Mr. Dave, your Hunter registration is complete.”
“Thank you.”

Well, the mood was strange because I learned things I hadn’t expected, but what’s important is that I safely completed the Hunter registration. Honestly, there was one part I was worried might cause an issue.

‘If they checked my ID, it might have been quite troublesome.’

My age on my resident registration is 36.
But the age of ‘Dave’ registered in the system is 26.
I obviously think I’m 26 (?) but I thought it could potentially be problematic.

“ID?”
“That’s not needed for Hunter registration.”
“For Hunters, the information registered in the system is much more important than a piece of paper like that anyway.”

Well, if they say so, I have nothing to say…

“Player name, Dave. Nationality, Republic of Korea. Age, twenty-six. Correct? Right?”

Of course. Absolutely correct.

“Good. Then now… all procedures are finished.”
“Thank you.”

Apart from being a bit talkative, she seemed like a very good clerk. Thanks to her, I also learned about streaming…
As I was thinking that, the clerk added one more thing.

“But Hunter, wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“Since you’re here, how about also subscribing to ‘Gate Comprehensive Insurance’ today?”

What?

“Since you’re here today anyway, you’ll also get your potential measured before you go, right?”

No? I wasn’t going to?

“This is a product only available to those under thirty with a potential rating of D or above, and the benefits this month are really good, so…”

Suddenly, I feel dizzy.
I think I need to retract my ‘good clerk’ evaluation.

Late evening, past 8 PM.
In a corner of the Gate Management Bureau office, the lights were still brightly on.
To be precise, it was the Director’s office, overseeing all administrative affairs of the Bureau.
The occupant of that seat, Kim Young-tae, was pressing his throbbing temples firmly.
In fact, it had already been over a month since he’d been unable to leave work this late.

“So now… exactly 50 days left, right?”
“That’s correct, Director.”
“Sigh. I’m going crazy, really.”

The reason Kim Young-tae couldn’t leave work was simple.
The greatest crisis of his bureaucratic career was creeping up on him.
That crisis was ‘Gate Rampage.’
Managing Gates and preventing rampages was the very reason for the existence of the ‘Gate Management Bureau’…
But if 50 days passed like this without any measures, it looked like a ‘Gate Rampage’ would occur in South Korea for the first time in five years.
If he couldn’t prevent this, Kim Young-tae would have to resign first.
An even bigger problem was that civilian damage would be enormous.

“The budget? What did the Minister say?”
“About that…”

Gate Rampage refers to the phenomenon of ‘unstable Gates being generated simultaneously.’ Unlike stabilized Gates that pose no threat by merely existing, unstable Gates are dangerous Gates that spew out waves of monsters from within.
And the state where it’s unknown when and where these dangerous Gates will appear is precisely a Gate Rampage. Therefore, during the two weeks a Gate Rampage occurs, civilians inevitably suffer enormous damage.
It was clear many people would die too.
So, what is needed to prevent this Gate Rampage?

“I thought funds for Gate stabilization were definitely allocated in this supplementary budget.”
“They were allocated.”
“But?”
“The amount… is just woefully insufficient.”

That is the Tower’s Contribution.
In other words, it corresponds to an astronomical amount of ‘LP.’
Contribution basically accumulates in proportion to the activities of players belonging to that nation inside Gates, but ultimately, it’s a structure where you have to fill the LP shortage equivalent to the lack of contribution to prevent a Gate Rampage.

“How much?”
“About 230 billion won…”

To be precise, burning roughly 100-200 million LP could extend a Gate Rampage by about 30 days.
It means a cost nearing 2 trillion won is used to extend a Gate Rampage in South Korea by a mere 30 days.
You might think that’s like pouring water into a leaky bucket, and that’s not entirely wrong.
In fact, countries with insufficient player pools struggling to secure contribution or LP didn’t spend a single penny on Gate stabilization costs.
They solved Gate Rampages using a post-response method rather than a preventive one.
They let the rampage occur first, then used a method of blocking the monsters pouring out from the already generated unstable Gates.
Even calculating Hunter employment costs, military expenses, and damage recovery costs, that way was much cheaper.

“Not 500 billion, but 200 billion?”
“Yes.”
“Spending trillions on nonsensical welfare projects while…?”
“……”

But Kim Young-tae had always thought that method was wrong.
If you’re going to force civilians to share the pain, then what on earth are all those taxes for?
Frankly, considering all the intangible value obtainable from the title of ‘a country where Gate Rampages do not occur’…
He thought it was money well worth spending continuously.
Moreover, if the nation actively supported its affiliated Hunters to accumulate more contribution in the mid-to-long term…
There was also a calculation that the LP earned by the Gate Management Bureau alone could sufficiently cover the stabilization costs.
As evidence, they had successfully prevented Gate Rampages for a full 5 years.
It seemed the higher-ups had somewhat different thoughts.

-Haven’t I told you many times.
-Pouring water into a leaky bucket will have its limits eventually.
-Immediately, confusion will increase and citizens will be sacrificed…
-But we too must eventually adapt to unstable Gates.

‘That bastard of a minister is really trash.’

-The competitiveness of national Hunters is weakening?
-Staking everything on Gate stabilization, that’s only good for those Hunter bastards, I’m telling you.
-For the nation, adapting to unstable Gates is ultimately the right course.

Remembering his direct superior, the Minister of National Defense, Kim Young-tae gritted his teeth.
That man, who had seen him as a thorn in his side since his appointment, seemed intent on ousting him from the Director’s position even at the cost of a Gate Rampage.

“Then, how much more is needed?”
“We need about 200 billion more immediately… But even if we solve that, the next part is more problematic, Director.”
“Hmm.”
“If another rampage arrives 30 days later, the budget will fall short by at least 700 billion then.”
“Huh.”

Feeling stifled, Kim Young-tae looked out the window.
His gaze fell upon the citizens bustling about the streets, even today.

‘Is this peace also running out?’

In many countries where Gate Rampages are routine, you can no longer see such peaceful scenery.
And now Kim Young-tae… had no confidence to block the will of the higher-ups.

“For now, let’s just go home.”
“Yes, Director.”

On his way home, Kim Young-tae headed for the subway as usual.
Even though he was the Director of the Gate Management Bureau, throughout his nearly 30-year public service career, he had always used only public transportation.

Clatter- Clatter-

But on his way home by subway,
Young-tae began to feel something odd.
Almost simultaneously, a young man who had also left the Management Bureau was consistently walking the same path, one step ahead of him.

‘Hmm. Looks like a Hunter…’

When transferring to Line 2, when getting off at Seongsu Station.
Even when exiting through Exit 2 and entering the same apartment complex.

“Ugh

So, when they got on the elevator of Building 101, located deepest in the complex, he couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

‘Huh, what a coincidence.’

But a moment later.
When they got off on the same floor.

“……!”

Young-tae’s eyes widened beyond surprise.
It meant that the young man who coincidentally shared his commute home was the son from the next-door neighbor.

‘The son from next door… wasn’t he reported missing?’

Young-tae’s next-door neighbor wasn’t just a passing acquaintance.
They had moved in together when this complex was first built 20 years ago, neighbors who had never changed.
Although they hadn’t interacted much recently, they were a family he had been close with until the son went missing.
When he heard the news of the disappearance, his heart had ached terribly.
The son from next door was also a high school classmate of Young-tae’s own son.
So, upon carefully checking his face…

“……!”

He definitely looked familiar.
In the end, before opening his front door, Young-tae couldn’t help but speak to the young man.

“By any chance… do you know someone named Kim Kyung-jun?”

And the young man… scratching the back of his head with an awkward expression, answered.

“Uh… Long time no see, sir. I’m Gyeongjun’s friend,Geonyul.”

Youngtae’s eyes widened in astonishment.