There is a god named Loki.
A deity of trickery and deceit who loves mischief. And among Loki’s wives, there is a giantess named Angrboda.
Angrboda raised the children she bore with Loki: the eldest, Fenrir, the second, Jörmungandr, and the youngest, Hel. But because of a prophecy from the Norns—the goddesses of fate—foretelling that these children would bring about destruction, Odin took them away from her.
Angrboda stretched out her massive, hunched body and clung to the ceiling and walls like a giant spider. The grotesqueness of it made me scream.
“You’re seriously mistaken if you think you’re the real god from mythology!”
“Yeah, you’ve got a smart mouth, punk. But why’re you hiding behind someone while saying it?”
“You’re the one who said I could hide behind you if things got dangerous!”
“When the hell did I say that?”
Crack. A sharp sound rang out, and bits of stone crumbled from the ceiling. At the same time, a dull pain throbbed in my chest, and I couldn’t help but let out a panicked voice.
“I’m not gonna die, right?”
“Constellations are forbidden from fighting each other. That thing can’t kill you since you’re a Constellation now. It’ll hurt if you get hit, but that’s about it.”
“So what does Angrboda want?”
“Isn’t it obvious? She’s trying to latch onto your soul to reach your body. She was never supposed to get in to begin with.”
As Apollo answered, he looked up at Angrboda. But at some point, she had vanished without a trace—only a cocoon remained, hanging there like prey wrapped in a spider’s silk.
A cocoon? No, it looked more like an egg.
“Did she run away? Or… what the hell do we do about that thing?”
My face twisted in revulsion at the sight, and Anubis spoke.
“We can’t destroy it.”
“…What?”
“It can’t be destroyed. That thing. It’s a part of Angrboda. You can’t attack it.”
“The mutt’s right. You can’t just mess with it so easily.”
“So you’re telling me to just leave that damn egg sitting in my soul?!”
I shouted in disbelief, but Apollo just looked at me like, What else are you gonna do?
“It’s not doing any harm for now. As long as you keep your mind together, it’ll be fine. A typical Constellation wouldn’t let this kind of thing happen in the first place—but you’re unstable, so you handed over your soul too easily.”
So you’re saying this is happening to me because I’m human?
I stared up at the egg with a dumbfounded look, and Apollo patted my shoulder.
“Let’s move somewhere else for now. This place is just…”
“Crappy.”
“Yeah, exactly. It’s crap.”
“Could you not call someone’s soul crappy?”
“Then what should I call it?”
As Apollo gestured, a door appeared in the wall. True to his style, the door was painted gold. When he flung it open, a breathtaking sight came into view.
The first thing I saw was a dazzling fountain and multiple statues of Apollo. Pillars rose up toward a temple built high above, starting from the tiled floor. The sheer contrast to the sanctuary of my soul left me speechless. Even birds were flying freely across the vivid blue sky.
While I stood there frozen in awe, Anubis looked like this was all nothing new.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and come in.”
“Right, uh…”
Inside the temple was a room styled like a modern luxury suite. A sleek couch and a wall-sized television screen stood out. I pointed to the TV and muttered,
“You two had a great time watching me in here, huh? Like it was some kind of soccer match.”
“Why so salty all of a sudden?”
“Soccer is different. You play it. With your feet. Can’t play it yourself. But you—you’re simple. Just say words. You listen.”
I seriously considered smacking Anubis on the head. But before I could decide, he had already plopped down on the sofa.
“Come sit already. We’ve got a guest, after all.”
“A guest?”
No sooner had the words left my mouth than a head popped out of the TV screen. I let out a high-pitched scream and collapsed into a seat.
A man in a very modern outfit, wearing a cap, struggled to pull himself all the way through. He had on winged inline skates and floated gently in the air, tipping his hat in a polite bow.
“Long time no see, Apollo!”
He was dressed in a jumpsuit, sunglasses dangling from the back of his neck. Apollo, staring at him like he was an eyesore, replied in a flat voice,
“What do you mean, long time?”
“Come on, don’t act like an old geezer! Keep that up and you’ll look totally out of touch!”
The man glanced around, then locked eyes with me. His expression immediately lit up into a wide, cheerful smile.
He looked like he was somewhere between a teenager and a young man and spoke in an incredibly lively voice.
“Well, well, who do we have here! Isn’t this the human? Human? Constellation? Whatever—that guy! Wow, I’ve really been wanting to meet you. This feels unreal. Can I take a commemorative photo?”
Then, without asking, he grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically. At that moment, I had a sudden realization as to why Apollo and Anubis’s way of speaking sometimes felt so absurdly modern.
They learned it from this guy.
He pulled a phone from his pocket and started snapping pictures of us. Watching this unfold, Apollo spoke in a disgruntled voice.
“That’s not what you came here to talk about, is it?”
“Ah, right, right. What’s your name again? Choi Ga-hyeon? That’s it, right? Mind if I post this on social media?”
Caught off guard, I ended up making a peace sign in the photo and replied awkwardly,
“You use social media too?”
“I made it as a pilot project. People seem to love it these days. Want me to install it on your phone? Oh, and are you using the Constellation Communication Net?”
“The Constellation Communication Net? Wait—don’t tell me you’re the one who—”
“Hermes!”
“Okay, okay! I get it already.”
Hermes grumbled and floated back into the air with his arms crossed.
“Apollo’s always got this control freak vibe with Constellations~ That’s why no one likes him~.”
“Hermes.”
“Yes, yes. Alright, Apollo. We were right, as we suspected. Even Father agrees. Happy now? End of story.”
“Suspected what, exactly?”
I interrupted, confused by the direction this conversation was heading. Apollo sighed and crossed his arms.
“About Destruction. I’ve done my own digging. Prophecies don’t just fall from the sky for no reason. There’s always a reason—especially for me.”
“And?”
“You, for whatever reason, became obsessed with that human named Baek Tae-beom. All to prevent Destruction. But I started thinking: what if Constellations were involved from the beginning?”
At those words, the image of Angrboda flashed through my mind.
“And thanks to what Hermes said, it’s confirmed. This isn’t just about humans waging war and heading toward ruin. Constellations are involved. Constellations who truly believe they’re gods.”
“Constellations? So Angrboda isn’t the only cause? But wait—Angrboda is more like a mythological being than an actual god.”
“We’re just mythological gods too.”
Apollo pointed at me and said firmly,
“And you—who’s not even a mythological god—somehow know about Destruction. I don’t know how, and I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that we’re going to fully cooperate with your plan. Funny enough, you’re more deeply involved than anyone—just like your Constellation title suggests.”
“That’s how it is~”
Hermes grinned playfully and leaned in close, grabbing my hand again. A teal glow flowed from his touch, starting at the back of my hand and climbing upward, pulsing through me.
[You have acquired a new skill.]
[Skill: Free Language]
[All language barriers are removed. The strength of this effect depends on the Constellation’s ability.]
[Constellation ‘One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction’ is synchronizing with the vessel.]
[Your personal <Constellation Communication Net> channel is now linked with ‘Free Wind.’ You can now communicate via <Constellation Communication Net> from anywhere.]
This… actually exists?
With something like this, a perfect TOEIC score would be child’s play.
Whether he knew about my shameless thoughts or not, Hermes kept smiling brightly as he conjured a goblet of wine from thin air.
“This one’s from our youngest—want a drink to celebrate our new friendship?”
“Now’s not the time for that! Hold on. Wait just a sec—”
This wasn’t the time for casual drinks. I suddenly remembered—with horror—that I’d left Kang Si-hoo and Baek Tae-beom alone together. I frantically pulled out my phone.
[Congratulations! You’ve checked in. 100 Coins have been awarded to you.]
[Current Coins: 700]
“Jesus! Who the hell programmed this thing?!”
“Oh. You don’t like the new update?”
“This was your doing? No, wait—that’s not the issue here.”
[Per your command, your Contractor’s real-time streaming service has been activated.]
As the screen lit up, Hermes, Apollo, and Anubis all leaned in at once. Before I could even tell these bastards to back off, something red splattered across the screen.
Kang Si-hoo and Baek Tae-beom were fighting. And it wasn’t even close—Kang Si-hoo was attacking relentlessly, while Baek Tae-beom did nothing but defend. He wasn’t even trying to strike back. It looked like he was buying time.
“I have to go. Now. Baek Tae-beom’s waiting for me.”
“Why are you struggling so hard?”
“What?”
Hermes looked at me, clearly amused.
“If everything’s destined to fall apart anyway, why not just let it? What do you think you can possibly change with all this effort? What is it you’re trying to do?”
“Hey, Hermes!”
“What is it that you want to do?”
I let out a breathless laugh.
“Isn’t it obvious? I just want to eat warm food in a warm home and rest in peace.”
“That’s it?”
“Stopping the end of the world is just a bonus.”
Just then, Baek Tae-beom’s foot caught on a sofa as he tried to retreat. He fell backward, and a blade arced toward him. There was no time to hesitate.
In an instant, my vision shifted. Blood splattered.
The last thing I saw was Kang Si-hoo’s back slipping out the window—and Baek Tae-beom’s arms wrapping tightly around me.
