Chapter 3: Favor Before Contract

<Guidebook for Constellations 3 — 1. How to Disconnect from an Awakened One Before Contracting.

Contracts between Constellations and Awakened Ones are an essential process for the safety of the world.>

‘From the very first line, the excessive lore dump made my skin crawl.’

A guidebook for users was supposed to be a game manual, something written from a developer’s perspective to help players enjoy the game more smoothly, stepping outside the worldbuilding when necessary.

Yet this guide felt strange, as if it assumed the user was subordinate to the world itself, like an NPC.

<To form a contract, you must fully understand the Awakened One’s traits, correct? Once the Constellation is judged to sufficiently understand the Awakened One’s characteristics, the connection will naturally be severed.>

What kind of bullshit was this?

‘Who in the world knew these characters better than me?’

Ju-an was furious at the absurd explanation, but he endured it and calmly continued reading.

<But don’t be disappointed! Before completing a quest, if the Awakened One becomes influenced by the Constellation, the connection will naturally be severed. This means the initiative of the contract lies with you, Constellation.>

“What kind of guidebook is this garbage? And what the hell is this ‘quest’ thing?!”

Nowhere in the guidebook was there a concrete method for disconnecting.

At this point, he honestly wanted to give up on everything.

The best outcome would’ve been waking up right now, but no matter how tightly he squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, the dream stubbornly continued.

“I don’t know anymore. Whatever happens, happens.”

He flopped down onto the bed.

The system window followed me and stopped right in front of my eyes.

Gong Se-yoon was still struggling.

–The connection isn’t cut, but… why can’t I hear anything?

–I love you. I want to hold you. Please kiss me. I don’t need coins. Please stay by my side.

‘Ah, seriously, what is wrong with him? Is he trying to kill me from embarrassment?’

The nonstop, mortifying words were impossible to ignore, and he finally snapped.

<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, says that if he calls, you can be together anytime.>

–Really?

<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, says that contracts don’t matter between us.>

–B-between us?

<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, tightly embraces Gong Se-yoon.>

–Hngh…

Se-yoon’s mouth finally shut.

The silence was a relief.

At that moment, the system window in front of him began to shake.

“Don’t tell me… he’s being influenced…?”

Soon, a message appeared.

<Gong Seyoon’s front gate closes. 10 seconds ago.
Connection will be terminated. 8 seconds ago.>

–N-no. I still… I still… have so much I haven’t said.

<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, expresses regret.>
<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, waves while shedding tears.>

At last, the screen went dark.

Only then did he vaguely understand what “influence” meant in the guidebook.

If Awakened Ones developed affection, the Constellation would gain the upper hand in future contracts, so it was telling him to earn as much favor as possible when matched.

If contracts were mandatory to bring them in as party members, influencing avatars was indeed necessary.

Still, they could’ve explained it more simply.

‘I’d been tormented so badly that I could almost still hear Gong Seyoon sniffling’

****

Ju-an sat on the edge of the bed, thinking about the changed system, Baek Eun-hoo and Gong Se-yoon, and the two remaining cards that hadn’t appeared yet, when he lifted his head.

The window was dyed red, it seemed the sun was setting.

When he first arrived in this village, the sun had been blazing overhead.

A lot of time must have passed.

Was it because this was a dream?

He wasn’t hungry despite not eating, and he wasn’t tired either.

To understand how the game actually worked, he left the house and wandered around the village, trying to talk to NPCs, but all he got were curt replies telling him they were busy.

That was the same reaction you got in the original game if you spoke to them without recruiting avatars, but hearing real people grumble right in front of him put him in a bad mood.

“How busy could NPCs possibly be…?”

After making a full round, he spoke to the NPC guarding the potion shop right next to his house.

Finally, he got a proper response.

–Welcome. Constellation, what brings you here?

<Here to buy potions. / Here to receive the beginner quest.>

“Oh? A beginner quest?”

I selected it immediately, and the next message appeared.

<Beginner Quest: Building Favor with Awakened Ones

Quest Details: Match with a total of 10 Awakened Ones and build favor with them.
Favor accumulated before accepting the quest will be counted.

Current Favor: 2 / 10

Quest Rewards:
– Summon Skill (Allows you to summon a chosen Awakened One)
– Logout Skill (Allows you to disconnect at will)>

Seeing the rewards, he knew this was a quest he had to complete no matter what.

But building favor with 10 people when he only had four S-rank cards felt like an insane grind.

Then again, a game wouldn’t be that easy.

If he managed to meet all four S-ranks within those ten, he’d be lucky.

Otherwise, he’d have no choice but to contract with lower ranks.

‘But how many contracts could I even form? Was it four like in the game? If I could only choose one, I’d need to be extremely careful—yet the truly important information was nowhere to be found.’

If multiple contracts were allowed, then he should just sign immediately with every S-rank he met.

For now, he’d have to keep playing to properly understand the system.

Once he accepted the quest, matching notifications started popping up nonstop.

Eager to finish quickly, he accepted everything that appeared.

Two A-ranks, three C-ranks, they passed by without much gain.

Thankfully, whether because he knew the characters inside and out as the developer, or because he showered them with excessive coins, earning favor wasn’t difficult.

Including the two S-ranks he’d already met, his current favor total was seven.

“Haa… I’m exhausted. When is another S-rank going to show up?”

He returned home and waited for the next match.

Finally, a meaningful message appeared.

<During a short break, please encourage the hardworking civil servant at the Awakened Management Center!>

A normal user would’ve dismissed that message without a thought, but Ju-an immediately realized it referred to Mo Jun young, the S-rank civil servant at the Awakened Management Center.

Given Jun young’s personality, he wouldn’t personally summon a Constellation he didn’t know well, so the system must’ve forced the match.

Sure enough, Mo Jun young appeared on the screen.

Neatly slicked-back black hair.

Pitch-black eyes that overwhelmed anyone they met.

Broad shoulders that dominated the room even while seated, arms and chest packed with muscles that looked ready to burst, paired with an indifferent expression…

The title “Iron Man” suited him perfectly.

“Wow… S-ranks really are something else.”

As he stared in awe, Jun young’s gaze snapped toward him.

Just meeting his eyes was enough to make Ju-an’s body flinch with fear.

He must’ve sensed the match even before anything happened.

The glossy black pupils sharpened.

–What is this? A new Constellation?

<Donating 10,000 coins.>

Startled, Ju-an’s hand moved on its own.

By the time he came to my senses, the donation was already complete. He was insane…

Mo Jun young was a character who despised flaunting power above all else, whether the person was a Constellation or an Awakened One.

He’d just donated 10,000 coins to him.

If he didn’t get cursed out, he’d be lucky.

Jun young slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.

Judging by the way his pupils moved sluggishly, he was probably recounting the number.

Before it was too late, Ju-an had to prove this wasn’t mindless money-burning.

<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, requests that the coins be used for civilian rescue and protection.>
<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, says he cannot trust other officials.>
<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, states that he trusts Awakened One Mo Jun young.>

After sending a barrage of words and motions, Jun young’s rigid expression gradually softened.

–Didn’t think there was a Constellation who actually cared about people.

<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, says he saved these coins just for today.>

–Excellent.

<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, is pleased by Mo Jun young’s praise.>

–Wait. Constellation… Creator of Sacrifice?

Jun young’s expression turned cold again.

His sharp gaze slowly scanned the screen.

It felt as though his eyes were licking over a face that didn’t even exist, and Ju-an hunched her shoulders instinctively.

Ju-an’s heart pounded wildly.

He swallowed hard and stared back at the screen.

–Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice… The one Baek Eun-hoo demanded a contract from?

Hostility seeped into his voice.

Baek Eun-hoo and Mo Jun young had the worst compatibility imaginable.

The S-ranks weren’t particularly close to one another, but they generally remained indifferent, madmen understood madmen, after all.

These two were different.

It had been added as internal party conflict to spice up the story, but seeing it firsthand was terrifying.

<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, says she has not contracted with anyone.>
<The Constellation, Creator of Sacrifice, feels deeply wronged.>

–Ah, that much I know. I heard he was furious because you refused to contract. That’s when I started liking you.

What?

This was basically a freebie.

The heart that had been racing in anxiety finally settled.

‘Come to think of it, I’d been so intimidated by his glare earlier that I forgot to check his stats.’

Ju-an quickly opened the status window.

<Awakened One: Mo Jun young

Current Rank: S (Physical Type)

Skill Ranks:
– Infinite Rush (SS)
– War Cry (S)
– Destructive Instinct (SS)>

Mo Jun young was a character who focused on physical attacks and often served as a tank.

His attack power was high like other hunters, but what truly set him apart was the War Cry skill.

If all enemy attacks were focused on a fully defended hunter, the rest of the party could attack freely, making him indispensable.

Still, why wasn’t the window closing?

He had favor, but wasn’t influenced?

He didn’t seem greedy, and he probably didn’t want anything from a Constellation…

Then, Mo Jun young spoke.

–…Creator of Sacrifice. If you don’t like Baek Eun-hoo, how about me? As your contractor.