Episode 226: The Late Bloomer Model Student (1)
[New World]
[You can converse with the beings of the New World.]
'Is that all?'
It is too simple to be called a buff.
It is not a buff that provides combat assistance; it merely offers a way to converse with someone.
[To converse, there must be no one around except yourself, and a force field manifested by Holy or Divine Power is required.]
'Do I need the help of a Constellation? Holy or Divine Power is beyond my control.'
Sanghyeon narrowed his eyes.
Among the things he learned from this rift, not a single one was ordinary or universal. Everything
felt like looking into a different world, leaving him disoriented.
Although no one had told him directly, Sanghyeon felt a turning point marking the life he had lived as a player.
If his past self had been focused solely on growth and immersed in dungeon raids,
now it felt as though he would have to confront a new future or a hidden truth.
'Let's think about this after I sort out the situation completely.' "Nothing is over yet."
The rift remained intact, and monsters that could appear from anywhere or something lurking lurked within.
Sang-hyun encouraged Jo Jin-ho and Shin Tae-ri and began to focus on the assault again. It seemed they had to see it through to the end.
* * *
Since then, no one they could reason with appeared.
Everything they had captured was an 'alien,' and although there were quite a few battles, large and small, they never fell into danger.
However, at some point, the system began displaying the 'number of enemies to be eliminated for stabilization.'
They killed aliens as if on a quest, gradually reducing the count.
Eventually, when that number reached zero, the assault on the Break Spot concluded, and the stabilization of the rift was achieved.
The very first goal—stabilizing the rift and defending against future catastrophes—had been a resounding success.
A triumph unknown to others!
Not only Sang-hyun, but also Shin Tae-ri and Jo Jin-ho were genuinely delighted by the achievement the three of them had accomplished.
Meanwhile, they decided to keep this matter strictly secret. Silence.
They also promised to coordinate their schedules later and enter the rift once more.
This was because, although stabilization was complete, there were too many mysterious elements discovered within.
While there were many things that piqued curiosity, there were also many that could not be carelessly revealed to the outside world.
Therefore, they agreed to explore the interior secretly, with only the three of them sharing these secrets.
They also made sure to place sufficient structures as obstacles along the path to prevent others from discovering it.
It was not to monopolize the benefits. It was because
a player unfamiliar with the internal environment could face an unexpected death if they entered.
After burying their secrets, the group disbanded for the time being, clutching the heart-pounding memories of the day.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that very moment,
the Goddess of Fortune, in the guise of 'Human Lee Si-yeon,' used a loophole to make contact with the 'Late Bloomer Model Student' Constellation.
The reason she considered this a loophole was that, despite being a conversation between Constellations, it was not detected by the Dimensional Bureau. In terms of human civilization, much like eavesdropping,
conversations between Constellations were recorded in the Dimensional Bureau's 'Records of Order.'
That is why every conversation was recorded somewhere, leaving behind an indelible trace.
The reason the Constellations do not mind this is that conversations between them are not particularly problematic.
They simply exchange opinions while watching the performance of the players they have contracted with or are interested in.
Even if it is recorded, there is nothing particularly bothersome about it.
However, everything the Goddess of Fortune wanted to say to the late-blooming, model student Constellation was problematic from start to finish.
Conversely, what she was supposed to hear from him didn't seem like it would be very good either. It felt like he was going to drop a bombshell.
Therefore, the Goddess of Fortune evaded the Dimensional Order's surveillance by using Lee Si-yeon's body to make contact.
Conversations between Constellations and humans take place so frequently that they could not be included in the Records of Order. The volume is too large.
[Can you hear me?]
[What…? How can a human speak directly to me without my prior consent?]
[I want to minimize useless conversation. Late-blooming, model student—is that your nickname?]
[Yes.] "How do you know that?" "
[I am a being just like you, temporarily possessing a human body. A Constellation. I call myself the Goddess of Fortune.]" "
[Ah… …?]"
The late bloomer, or rather, the Model Student, appeared greatly surprised.
From the Goddess of Fortune's perspective, she was approaching him based on what she had learned through the Upper Rank. However,
from the Model Student's perspective, the conversation had suddenly and abruptly struck without any warning.
"[Are you being chased?]"
"[Yes. I am being chased.]"
The Model Student changed his tone.
As she said, it was an approach and conversation that humans could not achieve. It was also a connection possible only when one was a Constellation.
The fact that she attempted contact via such a roundabout, secretive method must imply that she sensed the weight of the conversation.
The Model Student was flustered, yet at the same time, he came to admire her prudence and caution.
[What is going on?]
[The Dimensional Order is currently heading in a very wrong direction. I have captured the scene and have the evidence, but I am being chased. It is impossible for me to change the situation alone.]
[A very wrong direction…]
[My Contractor has been looking for you for a while. They asked me to find out where you were.]
[Your Contractor? They haven't contacted the Player even once yet.]
The Model Student tilted his head at the words that followed.
Unless a Constellation shows interest in the Player first, the Player cannot identify the Constellation's name.
If it were a common name like the Goddess of Fortune, it might be possible to recall it in one's head.
However, his nickname, "Late Bloomer Model Student," which he had deliberately twisted, was by no means a combination of words that could be easily recalled.
The Model Student asked back.
[How did you know?]
[I don't know that either.]
[There is no result without a reason. I think I need to speak with your contractor.]
[I think so too. I contacted them first to check if the channel would be maintained properly before that.]
[Fortunately, it is maintaining well, but I cannot guarantee when it might be cut. It is gradually moving further away from the center of the Dimensional Order.]
[The Black Royal Guard?]
[Haha. They are crow cubs.]
The Model Student was speaking as if he were joking, but the Goddess of Fortune sensed the tremor hidden in his voice.
[Please maintain the channel as your top priority for now.]
[I will. I will wait.]
The conversation paused for a moment.
Maintaining the channel alone consumes Holy Power, and conversation requires even more.
Since important conversations would only take place once Sanghyeon was present, it was best to conserve even a little Holy Power.
* * *
Later.
Returning home and meeting Lee Siyeon, Sanghyeon heard the full account of the situation from her.
He thought that the time had finally come.
From the moment he regressed, Sang-hyun believed there must be a reason why the late-blooming model student had sent him back.
That was why he had always been curious about the student's whereabouts.
The model student who hadn't said a word about his location to him for 30 years.
Why was he now facing the worst possible situation? Why hadn't he told him this in his previous life?
There were so many things he wanted to know.
“Thank you, Noona. Thanks to you possessing a human body, even this kind of anomaly has become possible.”
“Thank you for nothing.”
“Should I go back to how I used to be? Calling you ‘Noona’ in a conversation channel meant to be shared as a constellation feels a bit…”
“Never mind. It’s more comfortable for both of us to converse as humans when we are in human form. We’ll make fewer mistakes, too.”
“Understood.”
First, Sang-hyun sincerely thanked the goddess of fortune for creating this situation. If
she hadn't been by his side in Lee Si-yeon's body. And if he hadn't known how to use anomalies? He
would never have come into contact with the model student. Even if that were to happen, it would have been a long way off.
According to what I heard from the Goddess of Fortune before my conversation with the Model Student, it seemed he had come into contact with a secret he should not have touched.
I didn't know what it was or what its contents were, but it certainly seemed like a matter of life and death.
'Perhaps when he made the contract with me in his past life, the Model Student was still being chased. He just didn't show it, but he must have been in a bad situation.'
When I overlay the flow of his past and present lives, this is the conclusion I reach.
The Model Student thoroughly hid his current situation from me, his contractor.
He likely had no ill intentions. Rather, he probably did it to prevent Sanghyun, his contractor, from worrying unnecessarily.
While I understood the reason for his silence, I also felt a sense of regret. Why couldn't he be honest with me?
“Are you ready to talk?”
“Of course. I have a lot to tell you. And you’ll naturally end up listening, too.”
“Good. Then I’ll connect you right away. It’s a double-security conversation.”
“Please explain it one more time.”
“You speak to me, and I speak to the Model Student. Then the Dimensional Group won't be able to know about any of the conversation.”
“I understand.”
“Raise your hand when you’re ready. Just a moment.”
“Yes.”
While Sang-hyun waited for her and the model student’s conversation to resume,
he sorted out his thoughts
one last time. He intended to tell them everything from start to finish. He also planned to reveal the details of the regression.
At first, he had worried that disclosing the fact and process of the regression might be considered a ‘divulge of heavenly secrets.
’ But his mind had changed.
If it was true that the Model Student had sent him back in time, he must have considered
the fact that he would eventually find out. He made him return with his memories intact; did he really think he wouldn't be informed of this?
It doesn't add up.
If that were the case, he would have erased his memories before sending him away. Sang-hyun believed the Model Student had a plan all along. He reasoned
that his past self would be able to understand the arrangements his future self would have likely made.
That even without memories of the future, he could sufficiently deduce them through Sang-hyun.
Just then, Lee Si-yeon raised her hand.
Sang-hyun spoke.
“The Late Bloomer Model Student Constellation. Your future self sent me back in time. You didn't tell me you would send me back, but I definitely returned to the past. With all my memories intact.”
At that moment,
Lee Si-yeon’s expression changed as she relayed Sang-hyun’s words exactly.
The Model Student on the other side of the channel, having heard the news, also looked shocked.
It wasn't because they considered Sang-hyun’s words preposterous. It was because the content was so unconventional and heavy.
Sang-hyun added.
“I don’t know the reason either. But the person who sent it surely knows. And there must be a causal relationship that even my past self would likely know.”
What Sang-hyun added next was a story that seemed like a lie, about what had happened today at the rift in Amsa Station.
