Chapter 161

 

It was clear that Zero had succeeded in luring them away. The only footsteps echoing through the eerie and chilling cave were mine—there was no sign of anyone following me. Yet, from somewhere far off, I could still faintly hear the roar of something collapsing and the distant screams of people, suggesting that battles were still ongoing.

It was my first time being left alone in a dungeon, and the unease gnawed at me with no one to rely on. On top of that, this place wasn’t just filled with monsters—there were humans chasing me too! For someone like me, a one-of-a-kind high-level master, to be in such a state… I couldn’t help but curse under my breath.

The one bit of good news was that, at some point, the monsters had stopped noticing me. I had tried my best to avoid them, but it was impossible not to run into them at all. Even so, when a shadowy, ghost-like monster saw me, it simply passed by without reacting.

‘It’s probably because of Cloud…’

Inside my bag, Cloud was giving off a soft, shimmering glow. It looked mystical, but if anyone saw it, they’d instantly realize that Cloud was the sacrifice the dungeon was seeking. Feeling anxious, I tightened the bag even more securely.

I followed Zero’s advice and chose the left path every time I encountered a fork in the road, passing steep cliffs and puddles that reached up to my shins. Fortunately, I managed to escape without being detected by monsters. But at the fifth fork, I had no choice but to stop.

“Damn it…”

Maybe because of the nonstop tremors, the cave ceiling had collapsed. It wasn’t a complete dead end, but the left path was completely blocked by boulders and debris, leaving no room to pass. After a moment’s hesitation, I grabbed a medium-sized rock with both hands.

“Urgh… No, no. I give up.”

Seeing how quickly my stamina was depleting, I set the rock down immediately. I quickly pulled out a potion and drank it, glancing at the path to the right out of the corner of my eye.

I didn’t have a choice. That was the only way left.

***

There was a reason Zero kept insisting I only take the left path. The moment I went right, I ran into those damn cultists—not just once, but twice. 

Thankfully, it seemed Cloud’s presence worked on them too, because they didn’t notice me. Still, I had to hide in the mossy crevice between two rocks and wait for them to pass.

I heard voices above me, from some who had split off from the main group.

“You still haven’t found them? What if the Seo-Ik guys intercept them or something? Don’t tell me they already got out?”

“No. According to the map, they’re still on the 19th floor.”

Hearing them talk about that damn map made me feel guilty for some reason, and I shrank down even further, praying they’d just move on quickly.

‘You bastards, quit yapping and get lost already!’

Just counting the ones talking, there were at least five. If I got caught, I’d be screwed. I held Cloud tightly, my only lifeline, and barely breathed.

“Anyway, this is the perfect chance. If we catch Kang Eui-jin, we can take out both Castor and Hamal at once. That’d really show up those Seo-Ik bastards. Oh, and the subjugation issue…”

“It’ll resolve itself once Kang Eui-jin dies. The problem’s catching him before that. I’m guessing the Mystic’s hiding him.”

“Fucking hunters are such a pain. All it’d take is one glimpse of His power, and they’d all fall to their knees without a word, but instead they keep swarming in…”

“We expected this the moment the Mystic noticed. And with Nox’s Kang Eui-jin turning out to be Castor, no less.”

“That traitor, Tae Jae-heon…”

“What are you doing over there? We’re moving—get over here!”

Huh? My ears perked up at the name Tae Jae-heon, but their conversation was cut short by someone shouting at them from afar. The two hurried off in response to the call.

Only after all signs of life behind me had completely disappeared did I finally slump to the ground. Every tense muscle in my body screamed in protest.

‘Those bastards… what do they have to do with Tae Jae-heon?’

Tae Jae-heon was a piece of trash, sure—but he wasn’t the kind of guy you’d go around calling a traitor. Still, I did manage to learn one useful thing: Cloud.

“They said the subjugation would be lifted if I die, right?”

That meant as long as I stayed alive, Cloud wouldn’t be dragged off like earlier. Hugging my bag tightly, my thoughts drifted to something I hadn’t checked until now—the main quest. I quickly summoned the quest window, and a quest I’d never seen before appeared.

***

{ Main Quest }
#5.5 ZODIAC SYSTEM Restoration
Condition: Complete the full constellation and return it to its rightful place.
Pieces Collected: Hamal ♈, Castor ♊
Difficulty: S
Time Limit: ∞
Reward: Final Wish, Power of the Constellation
Failure: Quest will be permanently deleted
※ Cannot be refused

***

“What the hell is this?”

Everything about it was suspicious. The condition was vague, the reward was weird…

There wasn’t anything I could act on immediately, so I closed the quest window—but as I did, I noticed the system interface flickering and disappearing just above Cloud’s head. 

Feeling startled, I looked closer and placed a hand on Cloud, activating Flamel’s Insight. To my surprise, Cloud’s status window popped up.

***

< Cloud >

An entity imbued with the will of a constellation fragment

Currently bound to [Kang Eui-jin]

• Level: 81 

• Species: Monster 

• Type: Divine 

• Grade: B+ 

• Status: Unconscious 

• Skills: Headbutt (B), Lion’s Roar (A), Intimidation (B) 

• Stats: 

Before I could even process Cloud’s status window, an alert popped up:

「You are a qualified candidate. Would you like to view the hidden settings?」

As if under a spell, I nodded—and the status window spun around to reveal something unbelievable.

***

<Hamal ♈>

 

One of the twelve Zodiac signs, the first constellation of the ZODIAC SYSTEM

• Level: Unmeasurable 
• Type: Divine 
• Grade: EX

I stared silently at the status window hovering above Cloud. I had known he wasn’t ordinary, but seeing it with my own eyes stirred something strange in me.

EX grade… Maybe it was because he was a constellation, but that rank was absurdly high. I had once utterly failed an EX-grade quest—the first and only one I’d ever seen—and just seeing those letters again left a bitter taste in my mouth.

If I managed to meet the conditions, and Cloud became Hamal… What exactly did “returning to their place” mean? Would that mean I’d have to part ways with Cloud when the time came?

“…I don’t want that.”

I pouted slightly. The idea of being separated from Cloud—it was unthinkable. He had been nothing but a noisy, troublesome furball at first, but somehow, I’d grown deeply attached.

The word “unconscious” on his status still nagged at me. First thing after finding a safe place, I’d brew a potion for him. Stroking his sleeping fur, I muttered to myself internally.

“You left him with me without asking, and now you’re going to take him back just like that? Just because he’s Hamal? Well, I’ve got Castor too, you know… huh? Wait a second.”

I froze mid-motion and slowly turned over my hand. A mark stood out clearly on my palm—Castor’s symbol.

A wild thought flashed through my mind. I shook my head, thinking it was ridiculous, but couldn’t shake the creeping suspicion. I slowly placed my hand over the mark.

It was honestly a ridiculous sight. I could’ve just opened my own status window, but here I was, gripping both hands like some amateur trying to “feel” myself. But still…

“Flamel’s Insight.”

「 [Kang Eui-jin] Grade: S-rank…」
「 [Joo Ho-hyun] Level: 43…」
「 [Kang Eui-jin] Grade: S-rank…」

Kang Eui-jin, Joo Ho-hyun, Kang Eui-jin, Joo Ho-hyun…

Status windows for two different people began to pop up one after another, as if competing for attention. They stacked up in layers, clouding my vision—until finally, a single, different alert stood out among them.

「You are a qualified candidate. Would you like to view the hidden settings?」

I nodded. All the status windows clouding my vision flipped over and vanished in unison—leaving only one, floating quietly before me.

***

<Castor ♊>
One of the twelve Zodiac signs, the third constellation of the ZODIAC SYSTEM

• Level: Unmeasurable 
• Type: Hybrid 
• Grade: EX

“No way…”

My mouth dropped open. Sure, I had Castor’s symbol, but I’d always assumed I was just a carrier—nothing more. I never once imagined it could mean something like this. So then… why?

I dismissed the system window and called it back up again, but the result was the same. Flamel’s Insight was telling me: I wasn’t just a person—I was a constellation.

Staring in disbelief at the marks carved into both of my palms, I muttered internally.

What the hell is this? I’m… I’m Castor? Are you kidding me? Why the hell would they turn a perfectly normal person into a constellation?

It was absurd—but now the main quest made even less sense. If I really was Castor, then what did “returning to your rightful place” even mean? Could it possibly mean Nox? That hellhole? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

I was so consumed by the revelation, I completely forgot I was still on the run. I kept switching between the quest log and the status window, trying to make sense of it all—until suddenly, from somewhere nearby, I heard a dragging sound… and quiet, broken sobs.

“Hhh… hic, uh…”

I jerked my head up. More of them? I hastily clutched Cloud to my chest and ducked into hiding.

I waited for them to pass—but something felt off. The dragging sound kept getting closer, and the sobbing didn’t stop. The more I listened, the stranger it seemed…

I briefly considered that it might be a Hunter, but I couldn’t afford to show myself on a hunch. I hesitated, weighing my options—until a woman’s voice, bursting into raw, helpless sobs, finally pushed me to move.

“Hhuuuh… hngh… Hyo-young ah… f-fuck, it hurts so bad…”

“…Noona?”

Lee Jae-ah, covered in tears, snot, and blood, was tugging an arrow from her leg. Her wide, startled eyes met mine.

“Hic! Eui-jin nim….?”