Chapter 24: Four Hunters, One Buffer

“So you’re saying you used me when it was convenient, and now that you’re done, you’re taking him away?”

When two people who still had their sanity intact started fighting, the one who suffered the most was Seong Ju-an. So no matter what, he had to keep some sort of cooperative relationship between them.

What should he do? The best way to stop people from fighting and make them reconcile was… ah. That would work.

“Um, you two, this really isn’t the time for this.”

Mo Jun-young and Joo Ji-chan both turned to look at Ju-an. Ju-an met their murderous gazes for a moment, swallowed his dry saliva once, and then continued calmly.

“I’m scared of Baek Eun-hoo. Joo Ji-chan’s buff will wear off soon, are you really going to keep fighting even then?”

Neither of them could respond. It was a situation they had already considered, so the reaction was only natural.

Right now, what mattered most to Ju-an was seeing the game’s ending as soon as possible and returning to his original world.

Back when he was a Constellation, he’d had hope, he could just contract with an Awakener and reach the ending. But now that he’d awakened as a buffer, that plan had to change. Still, he couldn’t give up on the hope of returning to his world, so his only option was to carefully win over the other S-rank Awakeners while staying a buffer.

Fortunately, this game had a special reward system that appeared upon reaching the ending.

It was called: “The Constellation’s Wish Will Be Granted.”

In-game, it meant receiving a rare item or an L-rank buff skill the Constellation wanted, but this was a real world. If, when asked for the ending reward, he said he wanted to return to his original world, it wasn’t an entirely absurd plan.

There was no other choice. He had to try.

But would those lunatics really agree to contract with him so easily?

He wasn’t even a Constellation anymore, just a buffer…. still, they didn’t seem to hate him that much, so persuasion was his only path.

The buffs a Constellation could give, he could give those himself. As long as they cleared dungeons somehow, the reward system should activate.

Having organized his thoughts, Ju-an suddenly spoke to Mo Jun-young.

“Mo Jun-young, have you eaten?”

“…What kind of question is that all of a sudden?”

“I’m asking if you’ve had breakfast. If not, I thought we could eat together and talk.”

“…In a situation like this?”

Mo Jun-young looked at Ju-an like he was insane, but Joo Ji-chan surprisingly sided with Ju-an.

“We’re all just trying to survive. Come eat with us.”

Listening to them, Ju-an felt something was off. When he’d created the characters, Joo Ji-chan was 28 and Mo Jun-young was 31… so why was Joo Ji-chan speaking casually to Mo Jun-young? And why was Mo Jun-young, the older one, completely fine with it? Had their ages changed too?

It was a pointless question, but he was too curious not to ask.

“Isn’t Mo Jun-young older than you?”

“He is, probably.”

“Then why are you speaking casually?”

“I talk casually to everyone.”

Ah… trying to look tough…

Come to think of it, Gong Se-yoon, who was way younger, had also spoken casually to his seniors without hesitation.

Looking at Mo Jun-young’s stiff expression, Ju-an apologized internally.

‘Sorry, Mo Jun-young. I made all the characters like this. You’re kind and decent, please endure it.’

As if responding, Mo Jun-young said, “Let’s do that,” and walked toward the table. At least it was a relief that one was just acting tough and the other was relatively sane.

Once seated, Joo Ji-chan served Mo Jun-young a bowl of rice. Mo Jun-young kept clearing his throat awkwardly, but eventually picked up his spoon and took a bite.

Though he hadn’t cooked it himself, Ju-an swallowed nervously, watching for Mo Jun-young’s reaction.

Well? It’s good, right?

Mo Jun-young’s eyes widened after chewing and swallowing.

“Did you make this yourself?”

Joo Ji-chan answered.

“Of course. I made it. Where would you buy something like this at this hour?”

“Ah… I see. Thank you for the meal.”

His spoon started moving faster. Running the Center must’ve kept him busy, so he probably rarely ate meals like this. Awakeners didn’t have strong appetites, but to maintain that large frame, he still needed to eat well.

Is this what parents feel when watching their kid eat?

Ju-an felt strangely proud.

After eating for a while, Mo Jun-young put his spoon down and suddenly asked,

“Seong Ju-an, where is the Creator of Sacrifice right now?”

“What? Why are you asking me that?”

“As you said, Baek Eun-hoo could attack at any moment. Let’s stop wasting time and get to the point.”

‘Hey, you’re the one who just ate! But arguing now would be foolish.’

Ju-an decided to handle it maturely.

“I haven’t contracted with the Creator of Sacrifice. It’s also true that I awakened as a buffer that day. I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but I really don’t know anything.”

“Then what do you plan to do going forward?”

Saying he planned to form a party with them and clear dungeons was probably too early.

“I’m not sure yet.”

Mo Jun-young began explaining calmly.

“Baek Eun-hoo is an immediate problem, but once it’s known that an S-rank buffer has appeared, even A-rank Hunters with good skill affinities will target you. Your safety can’t be guaranteed.”

Joo Ji-chan added,

“And what about the anarchists? They don’t even register as Awakeners, so we don’t know what ranks they’re hiding. They’re scarier than Baek Eun-hoo.”

“And that’s not all. There are only a few S-rank buffers worldwide. There’s also the risk of foreign Hunters attempting to kidnap you.”

This was worse than he’d thought.

Baek Eun-hoo, anarchists, foreign Hunters, even jealous Constellations…

No allies, only enemies. At this rate, he’d die before even forming a party.

Suppressing the chill spreading across his forehead, Ju-an asked,

“Then what should I do? Would Center protection be enough?”

Mo Jun-young, who had been thinking with his brows slightly furrowed, spoke again.

“I was going to come yesterday, but I needed time to think. I planned to explain at the facility, but given the situation, we should discuss it with Joo Ji-chan as well.”

In short, Mo Jun-young’s proposal was this:

Even without the Creator of Sacrifice, an S-rank buffer would inevitably become a target. So the four S-rank Awakeners should keep each other in check, share a common goal of blocking external threats, and protect Seong Ju-an together.

It sounded absurd, like he was some territory to guard. And could something like that really work…?

As Ju-an was thinking this, he snapped back to reality. If Mo Jun-young’s plan worked, cooperation between the five of them would be possible, and they could form a party.

Damn. No wonder he was a top-tier character. Coming up with such a thoughtful plan, Mo Jun-young really was something. Ju-an smiled broadly, but Joo Ji-chan frowned.

“You’re smiling at a time like this? Do you even get how serious this is? You could die.”

Ignoring him, Ju-an turned to Mo Jun-young, who also looked grave.

“I don’t think you fully understand how severe this situation is.”

“I do. I’m basically a rabbit dropped into a pack of starving lions, right?”

“Exactly. And all you can do is trust the lions you believe in.”

“But will Baek Eun-hoo cooperate? I doubt it….”

Joo Ji-chan cut in.

“If he won’t, we’ll make him. Give me that kiss buff, and I’ll force-!”

At the absurd suggestion, Mo Jun-young and Ju-an both stared at Joo Ji-chan in disbelief. There was no way Baek Eun-hoo would let himself get caught like that. Mo Jun-young stepped in to calm him down.

“Using skills for personal purposes when it’s not an emergency is illegal, Joo Ji-chan.”

“To hell with the law!”

Clearly heated, Joo Ji-chan stormed off. His flushed face suggested his condition wasn’t great. Ignoring that, Mo Jun-young and Ju-an continued talking.

“So negotiation is our only option for now.”

“Yes. I know Baek Eun-hoo well. He’s the type who can’t stand others having what he can’t. If we suggest mutual restraint, there’s a high chance he’ll agree, he likes to look reasonable on the surface.”

A spot-on analysis. The more Ju-an saw, the more convinced he was that Mo Jun-young was the most normal person here.

At that moment, Ju-an remembered something important he needed to ask.

“I’m genuinely curious. Awakeners usually contract with Constellations, right? How many Awakeners can one Constellation contract with?”

Mo Jun-young’s gaze sharpened.

“Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”

“Well, I was wondering if the S-ranks contracting with other Constellations might interfere with protecting me.”

“It’s a reasonable concern. But you don’t need to worry. The only Constellation the S-ranks are interested in right now is the Creator of Sacrifice.”

“Haha… I see. That’s a relief.”

Was it really a relief?

If his identity as the Creator of Sacrifice were ever revealed, things would become pure chaos. Ah, whatever, he’d worry about that later.

“And a Constellation can contract with multiple people. Parties of four to five are optimal for clearing high-level dungeons.”

Just as he thought. Baek Eun-hoo and Gong Se-yoon had tricked him together. But it didn’t matter now, he wasn’t a Constellation anymore.

What mattered was becoming a protected S-rank buffer under the four S-rank Hunters, tying them together, and clearing dungeons as fast as possible.