Even after clearing the dungeon, I had to escape with the old man from the elevator that had yet to resume operation, so we ended up trapped for about thirty hours. And in that span of not even two full days, my world had changed completely.
Collapsed buildings, monsters flying through the sky, cars reduced to ash, asphalt roads cracked and broken, and the stench of rot rising from piles of corpses. Explosions erupted here and there, fading into silence, only for screams to follow soon after. It was utter chaos.
The way the government stepped in to handle the devastation was also straight out of a novel. After grasping the absurdity of the situation in broad strokes, the government quickly mobilized, summoning all kinds of Awakened individuals under generous terms, granting them the official title of “Hunter” and categorizing them into ranks based on their abilities. Those who had formed contracts with Constellations were given special treatment—just like in the story.
They did their best to get this chaotic situation under control, but the world had changed too suddenly. No matter how much effort they poured in, the system was still sorely underdeveloped.
But there was one difference from the novel: me.
Whether reality had become the novel, or I had been pulled into the story, I couldn’t be sure. What was clear, though, was that if I stayed idle like this, I’d almost certainly die a dog’s death during the First Monster Calamity.
Even now, I could see Awakened individuals moving about the ruins left behind by monsters that had emerged from dungeons that hadn’t been cleared.
If this chaos continued much longer before the Calamity even arrived, a stray piece of debris from a collapsing building could kill me.
No—at this rate, I could die anytime. Even right now, because of Baek Tae-beom, who was hovering around next to me. The old man had already been evacuated elsewhere, but Baek Tae-beom kept staying close to me, subtly watching for my reaction.
“Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“I told you, I’m not.”
“Still…”
Was I imagining things, or did it look like dog ears were perched on Baek Tae-beom’s head? They even seemed to droop sadly. But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
Baek Tae-beom will destroy the world.
And I made a contract with him.
‘…Contractor info.’
[Displaying contractor information.]
[Contractor – Awakened Baek Tae-beom]
[Title: Awakened
Status: Normal
Contracted Constellation: One Who Knows of Destruction
Owned Coins: 3,000
Possessed Skills: [Sword Aura] [Hermit]
There are skills that have not manifested due to unmet conditions.]
If a god exists, then they’re definitely not on my side.
Or maybe… am I the god now?
“You can go now.”
He was handsome, sure—but I didn’t want to see his face. When I waved my arms in dismissal, Baek Tae-beom made a heartbroken expression and said,
“At least tell me your name.”
“Choi Ga-hyeon. Ga-hyeon.”
“Choi Ga-hyeon… Maybe your number too—oh. Your phone…”
Baek Tae-beom looked like he was about to cry as he glanced at my shattered phone. It looked like he really might cry for real.
[Your contractor expresses affection.]
Why the hell are these notification windows popping up?
[Your contractor is sad.]
[Your contractor is feeling regretful.]
[Your contractor is…]
“…Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in.”
I let out a sigh as Baek Tae-beom’s face lit up with joy.
I hastily punched my number and name into his phone and hurried back home. Thankfully, even though the building next door had collapsed, my tiny rented room was miraculously intact.
[Breaking news—currently, a massive monster is in the heart of Seoul…]
[Rampant acts of violence continue to unfold…]
[The government remains uncertain on how to resolve this crisis…]
I turned off the TV spewing meaningless words and collapsed onto my blanket like I’d been shot.
It all felt like a dream. A dream so vivid and detailed I’d remember every part of it even after waking up. But the notification windows floating above my head proved that what I was experiencing now was real.
I got back up and turned on my computer. The now-ancient machine barely clung to life, groaning as it booted up. I wanted to search for anything I could about The Apocalypse Chronicles of Another World.
“…It’s gone.”
The novel had vanished without a trace. Even the epilogue I hadn’t gotten to yet. No matter what portal site I used, there was no record of The Apocalypse Chronicles of Another World anywhere. Feeling a heavy sense of unease, I just stared blankly at the screen for a while, then shook my head to snap out of it.
This isn’t the time to be spacing out.
‘Skill window.’
[Skills: Manifestation of the Otherworldly Self
It is said that any human who gazes upon the true form of a god will be struck blind.]
[Skill: Open Shop
Opens a shop used by Constellations, allowing the purchase of items.]
[Skill: Message
Allows you to send messages to specific Awakened individuals.]
[Skill: Sponsorship
You can sponsor a specific Awakened individual. Sponsorship starts at a minimum of 1 Coin.]
I scrolled further down the skill window to find the one skill that had been nagging at me earlier.
[Skill: Sanctuary of the Soul
Transfers you to your own personal space.]
Sanctuary of the Soul? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Without much thought, I activated the skill—and in that instant, my vision flipped upside down.
White walls. White ceiling. White everything. It didn’t take long for me to instinctively realize that this was a space created specifically for me. A sanctuary in the truest sense, meant for me as a Constellation. The moment I entered, the shop icon flickered vividly in front of my eyes.
[New Items!!!]
[Throne Made of Bloody Tears S
Price: 69,300 Coins]
[Carpet of the Ocean Faerie S
Price: 30,100 Coins]
[Bed of Black Sin S
Price: 93,500 Coins]
What even are these? The absurd price tags made my jaw drop.
[Bed of Black Sin S]
[Lying here would make you feel as if all your sins have been forgotten.
Price: 93,500 Coins
Would you like to purchase?
( Yes / No )]
Entranced, I clicked the purchase button—only to be slapped by a warning.
[Purchase failed.]
[Reason: Insufficient Coins]
[Current Coins: 3,000]
This damn capitalist hellscape! I furiously scrolled down the shop window, and more items popped into view.
[Special Items Just for You!!!]
[Box of Stars X10
Price: 10,000 Coins (Special discounted item!)]
[Box of Moons X10
Price: 20,000 Coins (Special discounted item!)]
These lunatics even brought random boxes into the mix.
Constellations are beings akin to gods—truly divine entities in every sense of the word. There’s no way such beings would open random boxes hoping for good items. These must be for entertainment purposes only. Of course, I couldn’t even buy them if I wanted to—I didn’t have enough Coins.
But before that, why the hell did I become a Constellation in the first place? My body still ached from where I clashed with that demon earlier. Could a body like this truly be called divine?
Am I… a human and a Constellation at the same time? Is that even possible?
‘…Could it be?’
I recalled the ending of the novel I knew—and the name of my Constellation.
One Who Knows of Destruction.
If this world recognizes me as someone who knows it’s all going to go to shit… then maybe that’s why it sees me as something akin to a god. That might be the reason I became a Constellation.
If so, then this really is the world of the novel transformed into reality.
[Constellation, ‘One Who Knows of Destruction’, is synchronizing with the Holy Vessel.]
I frowned as another message window flashed before my eyes. It always popped up whenever I had strange thoughts—or whenever I felt like collapsing. And every time it appeared, my mind cleared like nothing had happened.
Maybe that’s why I wasn’t feeling any overwhelming fear or panic right now.
Is it because I’m a Constellation, that I’m unable to feel those things? That might explain why none of this felt real, why I could just accept this bizarre situation without resistance.
It was convenient, sure—but the sensation of something foreign poking around in my head made me uneasy. Still, there was no alternative. If not for this, I might’ve blacked out in that elevator earlier.
But then—what happens if I die?
[Constellation, ‘One Who Knows of Destruction’, is synchronizing with the Holy Vessel.]
…That sudden chill running down my spine made me shake my head. Not the time for creepy thoughts like that. The real issue right now was preventing the world from falling apart. The second biggest concern was surviving the First Monster Calamity.
Speaking of which… what the hell is Baek Tae-beom doing right now?
[Per your will, the contractor’s real-time streaming service is now in progress.]
One wall suddenly turned pitch black, and then Baek Tae-beom’s face appeared on it in a giant close-up.
“What the hell is this?”
– Hm, are you sure you can pull this off?
– If you just give me a chance, I can do it.
Baek Tae-beom was talking to a group of guys outside some building—guys who might as well have had I’m a thug tattooed on their foreheads. He was trembling, but still answering them properly and respectfully. Watching him, the forgotten next part of the story came rushing back to me.
[Baek Tae-beom had no more room to retreat.
It had already been a struggle to cover his younger brother’s hospital bills, but after the sudden appearance of monsters and the resulting flood of casualties, the situation had only worsened.
Practically forced to accept that the hospital fees had skyrocketed, Baek Tae-beom lost all faith in the world.
That’s why he sought out Awakened individuals known as illegal Hunters—those who acted against the will of the government. He intended to clear dungeons with them to earn enough money to treat his brother’s illness….]
And of course, what came next was obvious. Baek Tae-beom would be locked into an exploitative contract and forcibly dragged into a shady guild, where he’d be used for the next two years. Burdened by increasing debt and medical expenses, Baek Tae-beom would ultimately lose his brother.
That’s when he would realize how twisted and unfair the world really was—and finally decide to destroy it all.
In short, the moment Baek Tae-beom made contact with those guys, he was on a two-year countdown to being exploited and turning dark. That meant we had just taken one step closer to the end of the world.
“No, no, no!”
I hastily sent a message to Baek Tae-beom.
[Constellation ‘One Who Knows of Destruction’ tells Baek Tae-beom to stop immediately.]
[Constellation ‘One Who Knows of Destruction’ says it’s all a scam.]
Baek Tae-beom flinched slightly at the messages, pausing briefly, but then carried on like nothing had happened.
I groaned in frustration, pounding my chest.
“You dumbass pushover!”
And the moment I pressed my hand to the wall, my vision spun violently like I was being sucked into something. I felt a sudden pull, like I was being teleported—and then I slammed into the ground.
“……?”
“What the…?”
I looked up blankly at the men. They were the same illegal Hunters Baek Tae-beom had been talking to just moments ago. And beside them, Baek Tae-beom stood, wide-eyed and staring down at me like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“…Ga-hyeon-ssi?”
“Ah, hi there!”
I let out a dumb laugh and scrambled to my feet. Goddamn it.
[You have been transported to your contractor’s location.]
‘If this kind of function existed, someone could’ve told me sooner!’
I quickly opened my mouth and forced a smile.
“So, um, can I come with you too, Tae-beom-ssi?”
“What, you two know each other?”
“We do, but how did you suddenly…”
Baek Tae-beom trailed off in confusion, and I urgently grabbed his forearm.
“Know each other? Of course we do! We’ve shared life and death—our bond runs deep!”
I had to go with him. If I left Baek Tae-beom alone here, we were screwed. That was a guarantee. Desperation colored my voice, and the thugs exchanged weird glances at each other.
“Shared life and death…?”
“A deep bond…?”
“Hold on a second, Ga-hyeon-ssi.”
“That’s why I’d really! Love to join you guys! Been wanting to do something a little shady for a long time now! It’s my dream!”
However the hell they interpreted my borderline hysterical plea, the men huddled together for a moment, whispering to each other, then nodded.
“Alright, you can come too. You’re Awakened, right?”
“Obviously.”
“Wait, Ga-hyeon-ssi. What are you doing?”
Baek Tae-beom asked in a bewildered voice. I jabbed my elbow into his side.
“It’s to stop the world from ending, so work with me, will you?”
“…Huh?”
