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Chapter 03
The day before yesterday.
After receiving that problematic SSS-Rank revelation, I was seized by a maddening terror. I fled back to my studio apartment, hiding under the blanket and trembling all by myself.
Perhaps sensing that my mental state was completely shattered, the constellation was the one who offered an explanation first.
Why he had come to me, out of all the constellations, and why I was the one.
Though it was limited to only a part of the truth and not the whole story, he at least shared that much with me.
‘Because my causality itself isn’t that of an ordinary person. That’s why I have the qualification to change the future… but the other high-ranked candidates went crazy along the way, so he had to come to me, the last remaining candidate.’
I could understand why those other candidates ended up that way. It made total sense.
Even though it was just a fragmented glimpse of the future seen without forming a contract, its destructive impact was immense.
My brain and my heart accepted it all at once. This intensity was real. This was truly the future that was coming.
The content of that insane SSS-Rank revelation was as follows:
[SSS-Rank Revelation: ‘End of the World Line’]
[Content: Humanity’s extinction due to the eruption of the 12 Core Rifts.]
[D-60]
[Requirement: Contract with the F-rank Awakener, prevent the eruption of the Core Rifts, and rescue the sacrificed Savior within two months.]
[Reward: ■■■■■■■■■■■■]
‘To see a future like this right after receiving items as a trial run of his authority.’
That was why I could act out those bold lies to Mom so calmly. Because I wasn’t in my right mind.
Yeah. Right now, I was half-insane. World-shattering destruction was fast approaching, so how could I possibly care about taking care of my family?
On the other hand, a certain question still lingered.
“I don’t really get that causality stuff. But I’m just an ordinary F-rank with zero talent, you know? I might be the absolute fastest person to go crazy.”
Confidence in going crazy faster than anyone else… I definitely had that!
On top of that, I was going to be the happiest lunatic in the world.
Because I had just accomplished my lifelong wish: severing ties with my family!
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ grins and says that won’t happen because he’s protecting you.]
“Well, you did say there are two months left.”
For an S-Rank constellation to cling to an F-rank like this meant the SSS-Rank revelation was serious business. The blacked-out reward section bothered me immensely.
This ability called ‘Revelation’ was something received directly from a constellation. However, the importance of the content received varied wildly each time.
The first revelation I received was D-Rank, so I was barely able to gather my composure as best as I could due to the low stakes. But the SSS-Rank revelation that followed was on a completely different level.
There was no way I could fully process it in just a few days.
Even up until yesterday, Monday, I had barely managed to pull my mental state together to go outside.
Terrified that the S-Rank items I received as a trial run might vanish, I went to the item exchange looking like a walking corpse out of sheer panic and anxiety, where I sold 2 Essences of the Black Magic Dragon Gailard.
And right after that, I completely paid off all the debts registered under my name.
It was an occasion that rightfully deserved a celebratory toast, but I couldn’t enjoy it.
Having been unable to eat a single bite for two days due to excessive fear and stress, I collapsed the moment I got home and groaned in pain all day long.
It seemed the shock had been severe; even after barely drinking two gulps of water before talking to Mom, stomach acid surged up my throat.
Naturally, because of fear and anger, I couldn’t sleep either.
I skipped work without notice. Calls had been coming in frantically from the company since yesterday, but I couldn’t answer them. The same went for this morning.
I was completely incapable of functioning in daily life.
The phone on my bed began to vibrate with another call notification.
It was probably work again. I was about to obliterate my phone with my F-rank Awakener unique skill, Mana Bullet… but remembered all the things I needed to do with that phone and redirected my aim at the last second.
Regrettably, with my meager ability, I couldn’t cancel a Mana Bullet once it was fired.
Bang—!
The TV that came with the rented studio apartment took the hit from the Mana Bullet. The center of the screen blew out nicely, and a small fire ignited.
I sat on the bed, staring blankly at it. I just watched the small flames rise like someone zoning out in front of a campfire.
Ironically, I had never been camping even once in my life because I was too busy working my bone off.
‘What do I do now?’
In truth, there was a crucial problem.
What if I, a mere F-rank, ultimately failed to change the SSS-Rank revelation?
In that case, I’d rather sell all the items received from the constellation, spend money like crazy, and meet death peacefully along with the rest of humanity…
However, surviving all alone in a world turned into a living hell was a completely different story.
Yeah, living alone!
About two months from now. In a living hell, I would be the only human left, unable to die, living engulfed in madness!
“Whyyyy—?!”
I clutched my head and screamed as I threw myself onto the bed.
Lying on my side, I stared blankly at the smoke rising from the TV before it began to die down. Like the tragic protagonist of a pitiful drama. Even if I wasn’t the protagonist, my situation certainly matched that of a miserable side character.
I recalled the messages the constellation sent a few days ago.
In reality, this situation wasn’t entirely bad for me.
First off, according to the constellation, the probability of changing that future wasn’t zero.
“An SSS-Rank revelation… it really can be changed, right? For real?”
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ puffs out his chest, saying of course.]
“For real? I looked it up earlier. You’re saying you can change a revelation that even Zeus, the king of gods, couldn’t do anything about?”
I had briefly looked up information online. Although I couldn’t pinpoint everything, searching the internet brought up that exact ‘Oracle’ from Greek mythology as the top result, setting aside economic terms.
Something that inevitably came true no matter which path was taken. A flow of fate that no god could defy.
And we were going to change that?
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ smirks and says that since the contract hasn’t been finalized yet, he can’t give details, but it’s definitely possible.]
“Why?”
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ says that information is money, so sign the contract first.]
“What if I refuse to sign? What if I just take the items I received in advance and run off?”
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ grins creepily and says you can try if you want, but he will stalk you to the ends of hell.]
A chilling intuition raised every single goosebump on my arms. The torment I had suffered from this guy until now automatically flashed through my mind.
“Whew.”
The fate of humanity entrusted to an F-rank, huh. The world really is going to perish soon. Before that, I should try doing things on my bucket list…
“Ah.”
At that moment, a realization struck like lightning, and a quiet sigh escaped my lips.
‘I’ve never even thought of a bucket list before…’
Aside from wanting to run away from my family.
A lump welled up in my chest, choking my throat.
‘Even if the world is going to end soon, isn’t it okay if I do a few things I want to do in the meantime?’
I had money in my hands that I wouldn’t even be able to finish spending before the day of destruction predicted by the SSS-Rank revelation. Wouldn’t it be okay to spend this money recklessly on myself without a single thought?
‘If the future changes, he said he’d give me even more wealth, so I can just spend it mindlessly.’
Even after forming the contract, he’d probably drop sponsorships down to me. This stalker constellation gave this much in advance, so what would it be like after the contract?
‘I’ll cater to his mood reasonably well, run as hard as I can, and while I’m still in my right mind, I’ll splurge money like crazy and live in luxury.’
Since the problems of the global village have fallen into my F-rank hands, the world is highly likely to perish anyway! I’m sorry, people of the world!
“Let’s make the contract.”
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ widens his eyes, asking if you really mean it.]
‘And if I read the room and feel like this isn’t going to work out, I’ll just flee overseas early on.’
The money in my hands right now was an absurdly large sum, and compared to that, time was far too scarce, so if I were to leave, I needed to bolt quickly.
Then where overseas should I go?
The place that immediately came to mind was a desert where you could see breathtaking scenery during the rainy season. I didn’t know how the future would turn out, but if I could go, I wanted to go.
I had never even ridden an airplane before.
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ hurriedly opens the contract window!]
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ urges you to agree quickly before you change your mind!]
Something resembling a document unfolded before me, only to disappear in an instant like a hologram.
To think a crucial life contract could be finalized with just a single word, ‘Yes,’ consisting of a couple of letters.
The moment I thought that.
As if to say that wasn’t all, status windows began to pour down furiously.
[Contract with Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ has been established!]
[A powerful divine protection wraps around your soul.]
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ has registered you as his sole contractor.]
[Your status window is being updated.]
Intensity akin to sunlight beamed down heavily, enough to make me genuinely worry if the ceiling of my tiny studio apartment had been blown away by a typhoon. It was so brilliant I couldn’t even open my eyes.
Barely squinting, I checked the status windows.
[Contractor: Lim Eun-sol (F-Rank)]
[Sponsoring Constellation: ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy’]
[Title: ‘Sole Contractor of the Sun’]
[Special Effect: All divine and light-attribute stats increase by 300%.]
[Exclusive Authority: ‘Sunlight’s Favor’ (Passive) – Nullifies all mental status ailments of rank A or lower.]
[Exclusive Authority: ‘Sun’s Sanctuary’ (Active) – Deploys a holy barrier that blocks all attacks below S-Rank for 30 seconds (Cooldown: 24 hours).]
“Wh-what is this?”
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ crosses his arms and smirks, asking how it feels to have an S-Rank Constellation behind your back.]
It was strange. Having a constellation backing me…
‘It feels this reassuring?’
It felt like the halo of someone who would protect me no matter what happened was shining down above me.
Until now, the constellation contract scams I had seen were absolute trash, making them a regular topic on online forums, but this definitely felt different.
Right then, as if to interrupt my impression, an unexpected status window barged in.
[Exclusive Quest Has Arrived!]
[Quest Name: ‘Rescue the Sacrificed Savior’]
[Content: Head to the center of the ’12 Core Rifts’ located in South Korea and rescue the ‘Sacrificed Savior’ imprisoned within.]
[Time Limit: 30 days]
[Success Reward: SSS-Rank Skill Acquisition Scroll, Unknown Constellation’s True Name Revelation]
[Failure Penalty: Extinction of the World Line (Death)]
I hadn’t accepted it yet. Rather than blindly accepting it out of excitement, as a Korean, the content of the quest itself made no sense to me.
“Really, the 12 Core Rifts? For real? Someone is trapped in there?”
[Constellation, ‘The World’s Best Handsome Guy,’ nods, saying that’s correct.]
Absurdity filled my head.
“No way, that can’t be… Go search the internet or something. As a constellation, do you really have zero interest in how things work on Korean soil? You look like someone who’d dump their life savings into a stock based purely on rumors.”
And what was the ‘Sacrificed Savior’? Sacrifice? Was this related to the early days of the Yongseon Guild?
It made no sense.
Three years ago, the great heroes who stopped the dimensional Core Rift right before it burst. As a Korean, it was impossible not to know the legendary story regarding the famous Yongseon Guild, who were those very heroes.
