Chapter 40: Token of Trust

“What? Why me…?”

Baek Eun-hoo unfastened his seatbelt and leaned his upper body closer.

He could have just said it normally, yet he always insisted on getting so close that it startled people.

“Why don’t you get it even after I keep telling you? I already said outright that I’m trying to win you over.”

“Then this is a date with me… no, I mean, you just came out for a walk, right? Haha.”

Seong Joo-an’s face flushed for no reason.

He had naturally assumed Baek Eun-hoo was going on a date with a lover, never once imagining he himself would be the one.

As Baek Eun-hoo opened the car door, a fresh scent of trees rushed into his nose.

It was a park, lush with greenery.

In his original world, he had been too overwhelmed with work to have time for walks, and here, he had lacked the peace of mind for it, so it felt like it had been ages since he last visited a place like this.

Seong Joo-an quickly got out of the car and looked around.

The park was larger than he had expected.

Tall, full trees lined a long walking path, and at the center of the park was a wide lake.

The scent of grass and water made him feel as if his chest had opened up.

“Looks like you like it.”

At Baek Eun-hoo’s words, he turned around to see him smiling faintly as he followed behind.

“It’s nice, coming out like this after a while.”

“If it’s nice, then just say it’s nice. What’s with ‘it’s nice, I guess’?”

“It’s because you suddenly brought me somewhere like this. Out of nowhere.”

“I’m thinking of protecting you, not locking you up.”

Baek Eun-hoo said it with an expression that looked like he might actually lock him up at any moment.

A slight chill ran down Seong Joo-an’s spine, and he shrugged before continuing along the path.

Baek Eun-hoo subtly closed the distance and walked right beside him.

Perhaps because the kiss skill was still active, just being near him made Seong Joo-an’s body heat up.

“Can’t you walk a little further away?”

“Why?”

It was hard to outright say he felt hot, so he gave a vague excuse.

“It’s suffocating.”

However, instead of stepping away, Baek Eun-hoo casually placed a hand on his shoulder.

“If we’re calling this a date, it should at least look the part.”

“…Don’t say weird things. Someone might think it’s real.”

Seeing Seong Joo-an’s uncomfortable expression, Baek Eun-hoo leaned in and whispered lowly,

“If you don’t like the idea of a date, how about a truth game?”

“…A truth game?”

“We have something to talk about, don’t we? Mr. Creator of Sacrifice.”

He was asking so directly.

Seong Joo-an froze for a moment, blinking, before pointing toward a bench in the distance.

“Let’s go sit over there.”

He needed time to think.

Baek Eun-hoo nodded.

What should he do?

It was practically already revealed, so hiding it further felt strange, but telling everything honestly made him uneasy about what Baek Eun-hoo might do…

He hadn’t hidden it from the beginning out of desire to deceive anyway.

Maybe it was time to tell him.

Seong Joo-an pondered until they reached the bench, deciding he would judge based on Baek Eun-hoo’s reaction.

Sitting down, Baek Eun-hoo gazed at the distant lake and spoke.

“I started finding it strange from the moment the Creator of Sacrifice disappeared and you appeared.”

That was exactly the kind of thought someone as suspicious as Baek Eun-hoo would have.

“Seong Joo-an. Do you know why I crave money and power?”

‘Because I made you that way,’ he thought, but pretended not to know.

“I don’t.”

Baek Eun-hoo let out a small laugh and continued.

“Because I hate Constellations. They have nothing, yet act arrogant just because they’re called Constellations, and all they care about is satisfying their own greed. And I…”

His gaze clung heavily.

His deep blue eyes were already fixed on Seong Joo-an, making it hard to maintain eye contact.

As Seong Joo-an lowered his head slightly, Baek Eun-hoo continued.

“I like the kind that plays hard to get. Just like someone I know.”

Was this guy seriously mistaking this for an actual date?

Why did he keep saying nonsense…

“Are you planning to date a Constellation or something? What does ‘type’ even matter? You just make a contract and clear dungeons. Isn’t your goal to clear the final stage and become a Constellation anyway?”

Baek Eun-hoo gave a meaningful smile.

“I never intended to contract with just any Constellation from the start.”

At that, Seong Joo-an grew curious.

Baek Eun-hoo had initially been interested in the Creator of Sacrifice because of the appeal of infinite coins.

But now…

“What if the Creator of Sacrifice didn’t have infinite coins?”

“I wouldn’t have cared much.”

Just as expected.

So consistent.

Seong Joo-an smirked, but Baek Eun-hoo continued seriously.

“But now, I don’t really care about coins. There’s a somewhat prickly but rather charming S-rank buffer right next to me.”

Baek Eun-hoo’s sticky gaze lingered as he placed his hand over the back of Seong Joo-an’s hand.

He clearly knew that Seong Joo-an was the Creator of Sacrifice.

His intentions were obvious.

“Even if you say that, you won’t get any coins from me. As you can see, I’m not a Constellation anymore. When I became a buffer, all my coins disappeared.”

In reality, they hadn’t disappeared but had become unreachable, but he said it that way anyway.

Baek Eun-hoo simply smiled as if it didn’t matter at all.

It was unexpected, he had assumed Baek Eun-hoo would reveal his true nature the moment he heard there were no coins.

“So it’s possible to go from being a Constellation back to an Awakened.”

“Exactly. You can imagine how shocked I was. It’s all because of those damned Constellations.”

Just thinking about it made his teeth grind and his shoulders tremble.

Baek Eun-hoo smiled faintly and patted his shoulder.

“You’ve had a hard time. The real fight starts now. So if you want revenge, use me as much as you like.”

It felt strange to receive comfort from Baek Eun-hoo.

As Seong Joo-an looked at him in confusion, he shrugged.

“Of course, I need your help too.”

That much was obvious.

With four S-rank Awakened whose skills were fully unlocked, they could likely clear up to the final stage without major issues.

But the problem was the Constellations’ interference.

If dungeon and monster attributes kept changing unpredictably…

Just thinking about it made him sigh in frustration.

Seeing that, Baek Eun-hoo spoke gently.

“No need to sigh. No matter what, those Constellations consumed by greed have always been more foolish than us. Otherwise, why wouldn’t they even be able to contract with the youngest, Gong Se-yoon?”

That was reassuring.

Not because they were foolish, but because some among them were attempting to contract with him, suggesting internal division.

A disunited group never lasted long.

Still, until they broke apart, there was no knowing what dangers might arise.

Looking straight at Baek Eun-hoo, Seong Joo-an spoke sincerely.

“Baek Eun-hoo, may I ask you one favor?”

He nodded.

“Promise me that no matter what happens, you will never betray the party.”

Baek Eun-hoo stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Given the atmosphere so far, Seong Joo-an had expected him to agree immediately, but perhaps he had other intentions.

After a moment, Baek Eun-hoo looked back at him.

“Then what will you give me?”

Seong Joo-an already had an answer prepared.

“I’ll do my best to clear the dungeons so you can become a Constellation.”

Baek Eun-hoo showed little reaction.

He hadn’t expected admiration, but at least a response…

“Then what if I do betray you?”

“Then the contract is void.”

At that, Baek Eun-ho grinned and pulled out a ring from his pocket, handing it to him.

It was a silver ring with a blue gemstone set into it.

It looked like a flashy game item, yet not crude, almost like a wedding ring.

“Why are you giving me this…?”

Before he could react, Baek Eun-hoo grabbed his wrist and slipped the ring onto his fourth finger.

Seriously? The left ring finger? Isn’t that too much?

“It was originally custom-made so I could track your location even inside dungeons…”

Ah, so it was basically a tracker.

Strangely, that made him feel relieved.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s call it a token of promise.”

“That’s a bit much. We’re not even lovers, what do you mean, a token?”

“If that bothers you, think of it as a friendship ring.”

It was odd.

Baek Eun-hoo wasn’t usually the type to say such embarrassing things so casually.

Still, it meant he intended to keep his promise, so Seong Joo-an decided to play along.

“Th-thank you. I’ll wear it well.”

“Good. You don’t need to worry about betrayal. After all, you’re the only S-rank buffer in this world.”

“…R-right.”

Seong Joo-an answered vaguely and stood up.

The sun was already beginning to set.

****

As soon as he returned to the guild wearing the ring Baek Eun-hoo had given him, his phone started ringing.

– Gong Se-yoon: Hyung, if we’re going to the dungeon in three days, then after we clear it, it’ll be my turn, right?

Today was Baek Eun-hoo, tomorrow Mo Jun-young, the day after Joo Ji-chan, and then the dungeon raid.

So that was correct.

– Seong Joo-an: Yes.

– Gong Se-yoon: Then I just have to sleep four nights!

It sounded so childlike that Seong Joo-an couldn’t help but smile.

– Seong Joo-an: Did you eat properly, Se-yoon?

He expected an immediate reply, but none came for a while.

Just as he was about to go eat, thinking it wouldn’t come…

A reply finally arrived, along with a rabbit emoji patting its belly.