Chapter 8: Constellation Skills (3)

"No, you should have told us you were that strong~!"

After dealing with the endless stream of skeletons for an hour.

The attitude of those who had initially treated Kang Yujin with indifference had completely changed.

"Come, come, have a drink. Have some of this too!"

"We bought this for a post-game celebration, so let's eat together!"

Kang Yujin did not refuse the food they offered.

It was a long time since he had tasted such stimulating foods.

He could feel his mood improving with each bite.

"But why are you so strong? Did you do some special training?"

"It's all because of the blessings of the great one."

"Oh, so it's thanks to the constellation you contracted with?"

"That's right."

He could tell that the people sitting around were listening intently.

"That constellation... no, the Constellation. The name doesn't appear in the notification window, right?"

"Yeah, it felt strange. Usually, the constellation's name is displayed, like 'Constellation of So-and-So.'"

"From what I know, if the name doesn't appear in the notification window, it means either the constellation name is hidden in some special way, or there is no constellation name at all, one of the two."

"Is there such a thing as a constellation without a name?"

"...I don't know."

While fiddling with the glass of alcohol he was given, Kang Yujin said,

"The Jester also calls him the Nameless One. I call him that too."

"The Nameless One..."

"Thanks to his help, I was able to survive. That skeleton dinosaur? Dinosaur skeleton? Anyway, when I fought that skeleton, he gave me the strength to win."

"Ho, could it be that you suddenly used incredible power to destroy the Undead Saurus earlier...?"

"That was also the Nameless One granting me strength."

"Is that true?"

"That's right. He is the guardian of everyone struggling at the bottom of this world."

While drinking, Kang Yujin repeated what he had heard from the Jester.

"Because he is watching over me, I can fight without fear."

"Ho, could it be."

The skinhead swallowed and spoke.

"How did you form a connection with that Constellation? How can we receive his help?"

"Hmm."

"Can you give us some hints...?"

"It seems that if you pray to him intensely, he will respond."

"Is that true?"

"During the fight with that skeleton, I prayed to him for the final burst of strength."

"Pray..."

"Why don't you try praying? This might be the start of a connection. And since he is always watching over me, your prayers will reach him now."

The contractors looked at each other.

"Well, how should we do it?"

"Nothing to lose... let's try it."

They nodded to each other, put down their food, and started praying.

"Nameless One, Nameless One..."

"I believe, I believe..."

"Please contract with me, Nameless One..."

Many people clasped their hands and prayed earnestly, creating a rather impressive scene.

"It's not some cult or anything..."

The Jester, who had appeared beside them, muttered in a voice that sounded exasperated.

"Where were you?"

"I have a lot of things to do. I can't just stick to you."

"You defeated the skeleton monster and brought peace to this village. That must have been guided by the Nameless One, right?"

"No, this area is set to spawn Undead monsters at regular intervals. Peace is a joke."

The Jester sighed.

"Anyway, did you get a lot of coins?"

"During the fight, some text appeared."

"Try drawing this symbol in the air with your left hand. The status window will appear."

Following the Jester's gesture, various texts indeed appeared in the air.

"Is there a number written next to 'coins' in the upper right corner?"

"It says 3.3 million."

"...Impressive. But 1 million of that was the amount thrown by the King of Vengeful Spirits."

1 million was the coin reward the King of Vengeful Spirits had set for the MVP.

"And the 'Grand Master of the Golden Scepter' saw me activate the Hidden Piece and destroy the Undead Saurus, so he threw 1 million, and the rest must be from other constellations' sponsorships."

"Is that a lot of money?"

"Yes, it's a lot. It's enough to cover your living expenses for a considerable period."

"All thanks to the Nameless One's protection."

"Ah..."

The Jester sighed, seemingly dissatisfied with something.

"Still, now that you have coins, let's change your clothes."

"Clothes?"

"Are you going to keep wearing those tattered clothes? If you're going to fight as a contractor, you should wear protective gear, like those people."

"Hmm... what kind of gear is there?"

"Given your current state, Mr. Kang Yujin... how about this 1 million coin protective suit? It's a full-black rider-style suit that would suit you well."

A black suit suddenly appeared in the Jester's hand.

It was a full-body suit made of a material that looked very durable.

"..."

"If it's too expensive, there's a 500,000 coin one... and a 300,000 coin one."

"Is there anything better than that?"

"What?"

"Is there anything better than the 1 million coin one?"

"There's a 1.5 million coin one and a 2 million coin one."

"Give me the 2 million coin one. I have 3.3 million now."

"...The constellation is a tightwad, but the contractor is generous."

"What?"

"Thank you for buying it for me!"

"And do you have a razor?"

"Do you think this is a convenience store... but we do have one."

"Give me one as a service. I need to shave my beard."

"Ah..."

* * *

Watching Kang Yujin and No. 49 through the observation device, I smiled wryly.

'Well done.'

Kang Yujin performed beyond expectations in the cursed village.

He created a tense scene by facing a large carnivorous dinosaur, the Undead Saurus, and then destroyed it with one blow. The constellations watching must have been satisfied.

'Asking the Count to spread the word was also effective.'

This quest wasn't organized by me, so spending money on advertising would be meaningless.

Instead, I thought it would be more effective to spread the rumor through the Count that "there is a constellation worth paying attention to."

Of course, the Count didn't go around saying this himself. I just added extra rewards to the quest.

But the news that the Count, who rarely takes the initiative, did this reached the ears of other constellations, and quick-acting constellations flocked.

'The Grand Master of the Golden Scepter activating the Hidden Piece was also good.'

Fiddling with the observation device settings, I found a way to see which constellations were watching.

As I checked the constellations watching the quest, I was surprised to see the S-rank constellation, the Grand Master of the Golden Scepter.

The Grand Master of the Golden Scepter was notorious for occasionally intervening to drastically increase the difficulty of events or quests.

As expected, the Grand Master of the Golden Scepter activated the Hidden Piece, significantly increasing the difficulty, creating an environment where Kang Yujin could shine.

'The constellations must have been very satisfied.'

A shabby man, ignored by other contractors, suddenly saved people from a giant monster and performed incredibly.

It was a dramatic story, and the results were shown in the messages and sponsorships sent by the constellations.

Of course, it was a small-scale beginner's quest, and the number of constellations watching was small, so it wasn't a flood of sponsorships, but it wasn't bad as a first step.

'And...'

I opened the status window and checked my Origin Power.

When I became an S-rank constellation, I was granted 150 million Origin Power points. I had used a few million points so far.

But now my Origin Power was 150.43 million points. It had increased.

'Is it because Kang Yujin performed well? Or because I had them worship me at the climax?'

According to No. 49, Origin Power increases as the status of a constellation rises.

In any case, it seemed that my Origin Power had increased thanks to my contractor, Kang Yujin.

'This Origin Power... I have a feeling it will be important in the future.'

To achieve great things as a constellation, Origin Power will be essential.

I need to increase it as much as possible.

'How much Origin Power does the Count have? 1 billion? 10 billion?'

There's a big difference now, but I will catch up eventually.

While having such grand thoughts, I manipulated the observation device.

For some reason, contractors around Kang Yujin were praying to me.

"Nameless One, Nameless One..."

"Please contract with me, please!"

"I don't need a D-rank constellation anymore. Please, the protection of an S-rank constellation..."

I smiled wryly, seeing a contractor making similar noises to my past self.

A bald man.

'He seems to have a good body and is a physical attack type.'

There are three main types of contractors:

Physical attack type, magic attack type, and special ability type.

The physical attack type is the most basic style, using their body or weapons to fight.

Kang Yujin can also be considered a physical attack type.

'I should check this out. I wanted to test someone other than Kang Yujin anyway.'

I tried to use the constellation skill, [Origin Insight], on the skinhead.

I touched the skinhead on the screen and focused my mind.

'Origin Insight.'

I felt the skill activate, and at the same time, my Origin Power was consumed.

'Another minus. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.'

I had already used it once on Kang Yujin, but 2 million Origin Power points were quickly drained.

If I used [Origin Inspiration] on top of that, it would cost an additional 4 million points.

That's why I can't use constellation skills on just anyone.

'I should end the test here... huh?'

I doubted my eyes.

In front of me, the predicted awakening skill of the skinhead was displayed.

But the content was strange.

* Overview: Acquires information on all hidden pieces in events and quests. However, to acquire information on hidden pieces hidden by higher beings, a successful judgment is required.

* Additional: 24-hour cooldown.

'Acquires information on hidden pieces?'

A hidden piece is a hidden element in events or quests. For example, the Grand Master of the Golden Scepter making the Undead Saurus appear was activating a hidden piece.

Since it's a hidden element, the reward is naturally large. Hidden piece information is traded at high prices.

'Is such a skill even allowed? Wait a minute.'

Originally, awakening skills are only obtained by contractors after gaining enlightenment through various experiences.

If this skinhead has a natural aptitude for uncovering hidden elements and dedicates his life to revealing all hidden pieces, it would be natural for him to obtain such a skill.

Using my constellation skill just skips the intermediate process to obtain the awakening skill.

'If he had fully grown, it wouldn't be that valuable, but at this immature stage... it's an incredibly valuable skill.'

Kang Yujin's awakening skill [Total Destruction] is a physical attack skill that identifies the absolute weak point of an object and delivers the optimal strike.

It's a very useful skill for physical attack types, and it allowed Kang Yujin to defeat the Undead Saurus, which he couldn't have done with his current strength.

But it's just an extension of physical attacks, not a skill that brings fundamental change.

However, this [Hidden Insight] is a skill that can change the contractor's life itself.

By 'monopolizing' all hidden elements, he can advance smoothly.

'And if this guy uses his awakening skill not for himself but shares it with others...'

What if this skinhead uses [Hidden Insight] to lead a party, guild, army, or nation?

The impact would be enormous.

'Then, what should I do?'

I have three options now.

'First, eliminate him in advance.'

If this skinhead awakens and gains great power through [Hidden Insight], he could become an obstacle to my future plans.

In that case, it might be better to eliminate him now while he's still weak.

'Second, just leave him alone.'

Awakening is not something anyone can do. It's only possible after reaching the peak and gaining enlightenment.

The probability of this skinhead awakening in the future is less than 1%.

I don't need to worry about leaving him alone.

'Third... recruit him and make him mine.'

If I can bring this skinhead under my command like Kang Yujin, he will be a great help in my future plans.

The problem is whether I can make him a loyal follower like Kang Yujin.

If I go through all the trouble of awakening him and he acts against my wishes, it would be a loss for me.

'What should I do?'

I fell into thought.

Of course, the answer was obvious.