The Constellation Wolf Momma appeared, leaving Romulus utterly bewildered.
‘What’s happening?’
His confusion was understandable, for he stood within his own sacred sanctuary.
Why else would a sanctuary be called such? It was a sacred space precisely because it could not be easily breached.
Even for a Constellation, breaching another’s sanctuary was an exceedingly difficult feat.
Yet, against all odds, several Constellations had achieved this impossible task.
And not merely one or two, but a whole host of them.
“Hmph, divine punishment used in such a manner… No, what are we to do when you abuse it so?”
A man had appeared behind him without a sound.
“How did you get here…?”
“There is no corner of this world I cannot reach. More importantly, would you be so kind as to cease this divine punishment?”
Despite his jovial “Hmph” and smiling countenance, the Constellation’s forehead pulsed with visible veins.
Just as Romulus opened his mouth to reply, foam began to boil from a goblet of wine, and from its depths, another Constellation emerged.
“Haa… Hey, you damn fool.”
While such a feat would defy all conventional logic, this was the realm of Constellations.
A place where Constellations wielded abilities beyond the wildest imagination.
Though, admittedly, even Romulus had never anticipated a Constellation manifesting from a mere wine glass.
“You’ve utterly ruined my damn mood! Can you take responsibility for this?”
The Constellation, eyes glazed with fury, began to advance, looking as though they were ready to kill.
A thunderous crash!
A gaping hole tore through the ceiling, and through it descended a Constellation with four powerful arms.
“Constellation. Cease this divine punishment. Fail to do so, and I shall shatter everything.”
“Ho ho, one ought to view broadcasts as mere entertainment. What happens when you become so deeply engrossed?”
From the very aperture in the ceiling, where a shaft of light now pierced the darkness, yet another Constellation materialized.
“It appears many other Constellations are quite displeased as well. There’s no need for me to elaborate further.”
And then, just as a Constellation whose aura was too formidable for one who had ascended from a human form made their appearance…
Romulus immediately raised a white flag in surrender.
“I shall halt the divine punishment! Enough, I say!”
The sheer spiritual pressure emanating from the other Constellations had rendered his own sanctuary utterly meaningless.
Faced with their palpable intent to kill him instantly should he refuse, he ceased the divine punishment and capitulated.
A deafening crash!
Adding insult to injury, the Constellation Zeus appeared, kicking down the entrance as if to utterly demolish it.
The moment a colossal robot and an immense octopus also materialized.
“Haha……”
Romulus was struck by the undeniable realization that he was utterly screwed.
****
[Hey, must we endure such trouble all because of you?]
“…I apologize.”
“Thanks to you, I’ve emerged from my sanctuary for the first time in ages, so if one were to look for the good in it, there it is.”
Interpreted, the unspoken message was clear: ‘Do not trifle with me; I am not so idle as to appear for someone of your meager standing.’
The four-armed Constellation chimed in.
“Nevertheless, you swiftly revoked the divine punishment, and for that, it suffices. As for the unauthorized intrusion into your sanctuary, driven by anger… No, upon reflection, it was *your* transgression. Come here.”
“Uh uh, hey! Stop them!”
“Restrain yourself! Restrain yourself! If you unleash your fury now, they’ll surely perish!”
“The sky! The sky is falling–!”
As the very heavens thundered and cracks snaked across the sanctuary, one Constellation’s face still bore a serene smile.
“Hmph……”
‘What a mess,’ they thought. ‘Namu Amida Butsu (TL Note: A Buddhist chant, often recited to invoke the name of Amitābha Buddha or as an expression of resignation/despair in the face of chaos).’
The Constellation murmured something under their breath, but the words were lost amidst the escalating commotion.
Thus, amidst all the chaos, the Constellations’ meeting finally commenced.
As all present were transcendent beings, the meeting unfolded not through spoken words, but through instantaneous communion of thought.
Ordinarily, such a formal gathering would be unthinkable, but their collective desire to resume watching Park Sohee’s broadcast spurred them to swift action.
Though the conference concluded in mere seconds, the weight of its decisions was equivalent to a discussion spanning dozens of minutes.
“I vow never again to threaten with divine punishment or attempt to impose my will through such means.”
Having secured Romulus’s apology and resolved to compensate Park Sohee with coins as a gesture of atonement, the Constellations dispersed once more.
“Next time, please prepare gifts for the guests too.”
The female Constellation, who had descended amidst a brilliant shaft of sunlight, departed with a radiant smile.
“I’m watching you.”
“Henceforth, should you wish to partake in spirits, you shall seek my explicit permission.”
“Just ‘닥눈삼’ (TL Note: A Korean internet slang term, ‘daknunsam,’ meaning ‘shut up, watch, and listen for three seconds’ or ‘shut up, watch for three seconds, and chat later’), then chat. You know what ‘닥눈삼’ means, right? Heheheh.”
The four-armed Constellation, Dionysus, and Zeus also retreated to their respective sanctuaries.
Xiang Yu, too, was already rushing back to his own sacred domain.
[Do better next time.]
The Constellation mounted on a machine soon vanished as well.
:: What is. your. relationship. with Sohee-yang? ::
“…?”
:: If there. is no. relationship. ::
:: Without. causing. either. to blush. ::
:: Maintain. proper. order. That is. all. ::
The colossal octopus gradually faded into transparency, until it vanished entirely, leaving Romulus utterly alone in his sanctuary.
“Ha, haha.”
It was summer.
****
Having set the screen to a triple-split view, Park Sohee dabbed at her tears while glancing at the chat window.
-Constellation Wolf Momma sponsored 1,000 coins!
-Sponsorship message: I apologize for causing trouble. I will not do such a thing again.
“…?”
‘What the hell is with this guy?’
‘Donating a thousand coins all at once, and apologizing?’
‘Why is the very person who was about to unleash divine punishment suddenly acting like this?’
-WhoCares: Lol, this is the good stuff.
-DontCurse: Looks like he went soft after seeing her cry? Yep.
-WolfMomma: That’s right. I realized my actions were too reckless. I apologize again.
-FeelGoodPotion: Well, it all worked out in the end. Cheers~
“……”
‘Something’s definitely up… something is going on.’
She quickly racked her brain, trying to piece things together.
‘Just before inflicting divine punishment, the Constellations suddenly disappeared.’
The very Constellations who had been present since her first broadcast.
‘And the divine punishment disappeared, and they instantly returned.’
It had been a fleeting moment, roughly ten seconds at most.
‘What on earth happened?’
‘Did they pressure another Constellation into apologizing within a mere ten seconds?’
‘Is that possible?’
While she had no true understanding of the Constellations’ world, she doubted they were clustered together like an apartment complex.
After all, the term ‘Constellation’ (星座) literally meant a star cluster or zodiac sign.
‘Then again, given they are Constellations, perhaps it wouldn’t be impossible.’
“Since you’ve apologized, I’ll overlook it this once. *Sniffle*.”
She replied to Wolf Momma’s donation, her thoughts still racing.
‘I don’t know, f*ck.’
Even if they truly had intervened, she couldn’t acknowledge it if they themselves offered no hint; to do so would be presumptuous.
Such an acknowledgment might even jeopardize any future assistance in similar predicaments.
-WheelchairBestDriver: Seeing her cry is getting a reaction out of me, is that normal?
…And frankly, she still couldn’t quite believe that *these sorts* of people had come to her aid.
“Find a reaction in your own damn legs, you pervert… *Sniffle*.”
-Banned WheelchairBestDriver.
-FeelGoodPotion: I’ll buy the tissue you wiped your tears with for 500 coins.
“What nonsense are you spouting? I can’t even sell— Oh, right, the shop.”
[Broadcast Function – Trade]
Description: Adds a trade function between Constellations and streamers (first time free, then tiered fees apply).
Price: 500 Coins
This particular function was ten times more expensive than any other item, so she had never even considered purchasing it.
“I’ll buy this later. First, I need to buy the elixir.”
[Item – Diluted Elixir]
Description: A degraded version of a regular elixir. All stats +3 upon consumption.
Price: 1,000 Coins
She now possessed approximately 3,000 coins. With her accumulated earnings and Wolf Momma’s recent donation, her total stood at precisely 3,140 coins.
“Anyway, since I was told to buy three of these, I’ll buy them all at once.”
Her tears having ceased, she turned off the triple-split view.
Entering the shop, she proceeded to purchase three elixirs.
With a brilliant flash of light, the elixirs materialized.
“…The color looks like poison?”
The elixirs shimmered with an eerie blend of green and purple, a hue that suggested anything but health.
They looked utterly unappetizing, as if they should never be consumed.
-GoParalympicsMaster: Eat up. It’s good for ya.
-FeelGoodPotion: It really is good for you. I guarantee it.
-BedInEnglish: Going by that username, I’d say you definitely shouldn’t drink it.
-RuthlessDumplingSlayer: Fr fr lol.
FeelGoodPotion’s comment made the prospect of drinking it utterly repulsive.
“If you’re going to make comments like that, change your username before you return.”
-Banned FeelGoodPotion.
“Anyway, I won’t drag this out. I’ll drink it right away.”
She unstoppered an elixir and immediately brought it to her lips.
“!!!!!!”
‘f*ck, I almost spat it out.’
The taste was utterly disgusting.
The elixir tasted like goddamn mint chocolate.
‘Goddammit.’
‘Why does an elixir taste like mint chocolate? This is definitely poison.’
-FeelGoodPotion: LOLOLOLOLOL
-DontCurse: Welcome, anti-mint-choc-gang lol
-PulledOutAMountain: Ah… she’s anti-mint-choc…
-PlantLoveSquad: Mint is a living thing too, just enjoy eating it lol
What’s worse, it was thick. No lie, it flowed only slightly better than toothpaste.
Reluctantly, she forced herself to swallow, unwilling to waste the coins.
“Ugh, f*ck.”
A curse slipped from her lips unconsciously, but the Constellations, it seemed, found her reaction rather amusing.
-DontCurse: This is one of those times cursing is totally justified lol
-WhoCares: Fr, even Buddha would curse after drinking that
-MomLooksLikeAWoman: Wow, but she drank it well without gagging.
-FeelGoodPotion: If she gags, is she pregnant? Important question.
-Banned FeelGoodPotion.
“Get out, you bastard.”
She couldn’t hold back her curses.
If it had just been mint or just chocolate, she would have drunk it without complaint, but why combine the two?
It was an insult to ingredients, like eating cake with kimchi. Or, to use another analogy, like soup-rice.
Regardless, after drinking this mint chocolate elixir, she definitely felt a change.
First, her mood worsened.
Beyond that, she could feel a general increase in her stamina and strength.
“If I put this in the fridge, will it go bad? I feel like I’ll throw up if I drink it now.”
-PrimateGOAT: It’ll be absorbed into your body immediately anyway, so it doesn’t matter lol
-OneSeasonMillionaire: You’ll only gag if you try to throw up, so just drink it lol
“Haa……”
‘Right. This is all for my own good.’
She needed to drink the elixirs and grow stronger to progress as a Hunter.
The thought that other Hunters must have endured similar painful processes somehow made her feel better.
With that, she forced down the remaining two elixirs.
Just as the Constellations had said, they were absorbed immediately into her body, leaving her stomach feeling settled.
‘That’s a relief.’
Now that she thought about it, she felt like she’d forgotten something…
‘Ah, that’s right.’
The user ‘PulledOutAMountain’. His true name was Xiang Yu.
She needed to turn him into her personal ATM.
