Blue Star swept his hair back irritably. The van he was riding in sped down the road. The manager kept glancing at the rearview mirror, trying to gauge his mood, but it was pointless. Sitting beside Blue Star was the one person he disliked the most—a man cloaked in darkness.
He fiddled with his phone a few times before giving up and setting it down. Then, in a sarcastic tone, he spoke to Oh Kwon-hyuk, who was seated next to him.
“Do you believe it?”
“……”
“The Ga-hyeon I saw isn’t the type to lie. Same goes for Lee Myung-won.”
“I know.”
Blue Star let out a sigh and tilted his head slightly upward. A translucent window appeared in his field of vision—it was the voice of a Constellation he had been deliberately ignoring.
[The Constellation, ‘The Seven Brothers Who Became Stars,’ says that destruction is drawing near.]
[The Constellation, ‘The Seven Brothers Who Became Stars,’ says that destruction is real.]
[The Constellation, ‘The Seven Brothers Who Became Stars,’ has sponsored you with 2,000 Coins.]
[The Constellation, ‘The Seven Brothers Who Became Stars,’ urges you to trust the one before you.]
[The Constellation, ‘The Seven Brothers Who Became Stars,’ to you…]
Yeah. Things had spiraled so far out of control that not believing seemed more absurd.
Not once had Blue Star ever considered that their world might truly fall. Even after surviving two Monster Calamities, facing endless threats to life, and enduring countless hardships, he had never imagined a reality where everything that held him up could crumble.
Surely, Oh Kwon-hyuk was the same.
Blue Star had a family, but their relationship was far from pleasant. They were people he wanted to sever ties with so badly that he had erased his real name and taken on the alias “Blue Star.” He had built his identity with his own hands—the Wanderers Guild he led, and the countless fans who loved Blue Star. To him, they were family too.
Oh Kwon-hyuk, who cherished those around him, probably felt the same way. Having lost his biological family, he considered the members of the Goblin Guild his true kin. That was likely why it was even harder for him to believe.
There had been plenty of signs. The relentless, bone-chilling cold, the strange movements, the increasingly frequent appearance of unusual fissures, the monsters who declared themselves gods… and most of all, that man they encountered in the Tower of Hellnest.
Was his name Kang Si-hoo?
“This isn’t a lie.”
“……”
“I know that, too.”
“So that’s why you kept trying to deny it?”
“There’s only one thing I’m afraid of.”
Oh Kwon-hyuk spoke while staring straight ahead with jet-black eyes. The city blurred past the window, racing by. There wasn’t a trace left of the buildings once ravaged by monster invasions.
“The people I care about getting hurt.”
“……”
“That’s what scares me.”
“No one’s been hurt yet~”
Blue Star leaned forward.
“Did you see Ga-hyeon’s face?”
“……”
Blue Star recalled the shorter man. His sharp, upturned eyes and that ridiculously confident demeanor reminded him of a small cat. Despite not possessing any proper combat ability, he had tamed Baek Tae-beom, and had once called people who ran away “cowards.”
Oh Kwon-hyuk, who had been unable to say a single word back to Choi Ga-hyeon, had looked so small in that moment.
“It felt like if you didn’t listen, he’d toss you right into the ocean~.”
“…I owe Choi Ga-hyeon a debt.”
Oh Kwon-hyuk spoke plainly.
“I once killed Choi Ga-hyeon.”
“…Wait. Not almost killed?”
The manager, who had been nervously watching the conversation, now clamped his mouth shut and focused entirely on driving.
“It wasn’t my intention, but the outcome was my fault. I was prepared to accept any punishment.”
“No, hold on. You actually killed him? So what, Ga-hyeon came back to life or something?”
Blue Star asked, his expression betraying his confusion. Oh Kwon-hyuk didn’t explain—he simply confirmed it.
“Yes.”
Blue Star ran a hand through his hair, looking completely dumbfounded. But Oh Kwon-hyuk remained firm, clenching his fist with determination.
“Something that ridiculous actually happened…?”
“That’s why I want to atone to Choi Ga-hyeon.”
“A person died and came back, and all you can think about is paying them back? I don’t know if I should call that admirable or just plain stupid.”
Blue Star said, his voice tinged with disbelief. Only then did Oh Kwon-hyuk raise an eyebrow and finally turn to look at him.
“What does it matter?”
“What?”
“If repenting for my mistake meant Choi Ga-hyeon came back to life over and over again, I wouldn’t even be surprised.”
“Isn’t that kind of thinking pretty damn selfish?”
“It might be.”
Oh Kwon-hyuk agreed without hesitation.
“I am a selfish person. I’m afraid of losing what I have. I want to run away.”
Blue Star leaned his chin on his hand and looked at him. O Kwon-hyuk’s eyes were dim.
“If Choi Ga-hyeon had forced me to help by throwing my past mistake in my face, that might’ve actually been easier. But instead, all he did was point out—right to the end—that I was trying to flee from reality.”
Oh Kwon-hyuk leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
“It just feels like I’m in his debt again.”
“You must really like Ga-hyeon, huh?”
“Someone so much smaller than me stood in front of me and said he would protect the world. Tell me—who could keep turning away after that?”
Blue Star laughed aloud.
“You know, Ga-hyeon’s actually pretty tall? It’s just that you’re freakishly big.”
“I’m not sure.”
Oh Kwon-hyuk opened his eyes again. Those pitch-black irises turned toward Blue Star seated beside him. Pale blue hair reflected faintly over eyes like the mouth of an abyss.
“So what about you?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’?”
Blue Star grinned, tugging up the corners of his lips.
“Ga-hyeon said he desperately needs me. Of course I’m gonna help.”
“So full of yourself.”
“Look who’s talking. Manager hyung, pull this bastard over and leave him on the side of the road.”
“You don’t even know the meaning of altruism, do you?”
“If you keep flapping that mouth, I’m seriously gonna dump your ass out right here.”
“You don’t even have the guts.”
“What did you just say?”
The manager, drenched in nervous sweat, could do nothing but keep driving while the two bickered in the back.
***
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Holds Two Snakes,’ says that destruction is approaching.]
Lim Chang-joo walked briskly. The sound of his shoes echoed loudly along the stark white corridor. A passing staff member greeted him, but he didn’t even register it. He just kept moving.
The end of the world. Normally, he’d have laughed it off as nonsense. But now, he couldn’t help but take Choi Ga-hyeon’s words seriously.
Gye Tae-in, collapsing and dying right in front of him. That dungeon in an utterly impossible state.
And then—the man they saw in the Tower of Hellnest. Crimson-eyed, descending slowly from atop a mountain of corpses like a king on his throne.
Kang Si-hoo.
A villain so absurd he wanted to believe this was all a novel.
He was scared. His body wouldn’t stop trembling.
“Angrboda wants revenge on the world. And Kang Si-hoo is being manipulated by her.”
“We have to stop Kang Si-hoo.”
Baek Tae-beom had said in a flat voice, seated beside Choi Ga-hyeon.
“And the only ones who can face Kang Si-hoo with force are me and Oh Kwon-hyuk.”
“Then what do we do?”
Lee Myung-won had asked.
“Mr. Lim Chang-joo, first inform the Association. Whether the Chairman believes it or not… we need to make sure Gongmyeong is on alert. If you’re willing to help us directly, even better.”
Lim Chang-joo bit his fingernail.
“Will the Chairman even cooperate?”
He’d been noticeably more irritable lately. If he brought up this nonsense about the world ending, he’d definitely blow up at him.
Even so, Lim Chang-joo couldn’t stop walking. Even if the Chairman refused to believe him, he was prepared to gather his people and support them himself.
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Holds Two Snakes,’ tells you to rest assured.]
The fact that a Constellation was still watching over him, standing by his side—that alone helped calm his nerves a little. Right. Even if I get yelled at for talking crap to my boss, it’s not like the world’s gonna end right then and there.
Knock knock.
Lim Chang-joo knocked on the office door and frowned when there was no reply. The Chairman was definitely supposed to be inside at this hour.
Creaaak…
All she did was touch the doorknob, and the door opened on its own.
‘What the hell?’
His skin bristled in an instant. There were clear signs of a break-in.
Who? How?
How could anyone have gotten past all those surveillance nets?
Lim Chang-joo slowly opened the door wider. The room was dark. The only thing he could make out was the silhouette of a person sitting in a chair.
“Chairman?”
Drip. Drip. A liquid was falling. Something was hanging from the ceiling.
Lim Chang-joo stopped breathing. A smell he knew all too well filled his nostrils. His senses screamed at him to halt. Every instinct told him he must not step beyond this point.
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Holds Two Snakes,’ tells you to run.]
The chair, which had been facing away, slowly turned around. A massive man sat in it. And in that pitch-black room, Lim Chang-joo saw it—
Eyes glowing with a burning red light.
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Holds Two Snakes,’ tells you to flee.]
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Holds Two Snakes,’ to you…]
…
[The Constellation, ‘Bringer of Sorrow,’ whispers to you.]
