"Se-eum, is it trouble again today? Keep that up and you're going to pull all your hair out."
"If I could fix it by tearing my hair out, I would."
"I want to help, I really do. I'll try connecting next time."
"Please, I'm begging you."
"My world went under recently anyway, so I'm bored out of my mind. I've got plenty of time. Ah, but Se-eum. Isn't that your world of origin?"
"Yes, it is. I'm checking in for the first time in a while. Though it hasn't even been a year since I started watching properly."
"I get it. We all have that lingering nostalgia left in us. I'll be going now."
Watching him leave with a chuckle, I went back to shaking my monitor.
330 years ago, I threw myself into a Dungeon Break to prevent a massive catastrophe. I died in the process.
I was just a C-Rank Awakener on my way to register at the Hunter Association when I accidentally saved the world, and in recognition of that contribution, I became a Constellation.
In any case, now I am merely one of the countless Constellations wandering from this channel to that channel.
Why had I suddenly wanted to look around the world I came from? It was a world that held not a single good memory for me.
[Connection error.]
"Please! Just let me watch, at least."
It was a channel that hadn't been connected to for over 300 years, so even locating that world again took a long time.
Just because I've been diligently visiting for the past few months didn't mean the connection had improved.
I poured mana into my fist and slammed the screen with all my strength.
[Connecting...]
[A 'System Reinforcement Ticket' has been granted to World #34R7h.]
For the record, this was something I transmitted 30 days ago by human standards.
Me, a Constellation.
With omnipotent power, I dreamed a grand dream of accessing the world I once lived in and reinforcing it.
Until the day another Constellation would be born from that world.
[Connection is unstable. Transmission temporarily suspended.]
But the internet wasn't working.
❋ ❋ ❋
"How was the broadcast you watched this time?"
"Who knows. In the end, the viewer count dropped, and when I stopped sponsoring, it looked like they were planning to scrap the whole thing, so a massive earthquake happened. Earthquakes are too cliché, so I just left."
"Channel maintenance isn't very appealing, is it?"
What sustains the universe is the balance of parallels.
For one world to be born, one world must collapse.
The endless cycle of creation and destruction is, in the end, countless attempts by the universe to maintain its total mass.
To those caught within it, it is a pointless death and a sudden calamity, but once you stand here, you come to realize the truth.
It is merely the flow of an immense world, and as that world disappears, somewhere else another cradle of life is created.
The destruction of a world whose time has run out is inevitable.
"The place you went into this time... wasn't that the world you used to live in? Your primordial homeland."
"It was. I thought I should at least see off the place I came from, so I went to look. Back then, I thought it had to be that place or nothing."
Now? Well, it just felt like a trivial landscape.
The voice coming from behind carried an air of indifference.
That man had regressed a total of 800 times to save his world.
Dying 799 times without knowing why the apocalypse was coming, losing his lover, and repeating the cycle of parting with those he loved.
In the end, he succeeded in saving the world.
And finally, he took his last breath surrounded by his loved ones and became a Constellation.
"It was a bit pitiful seeing them beg for their lives until the end, so I sent them some painkillers. Hallucinogens, too. At least the end must've been fairly comfortable."
He had now become a being who watched the destruction of that planet as a form of amusement.
Since everything he once loved had already vanished without a trace.
It wasn't that he was particularly cold-hearted.
Hadn't he shown benevolence to the dying, out of his last affection for his homeland?
If among them there were any who mounted a meaningful resistance against annihilation, they would become new beings and cross that blue threshold.
Of course, that's a problem that has little to do with me.
Those who place worlds on their palms and view watching them as entertainment.
Transcendent beings who have simultaneously lost the concept of pity or distress regarding such endings.
If they find someone they like, they pour out sponsorships disguised as affection, making it impossible for those beings to refuse their commands.
Our abilities plant fear and awe in the hearts of humans, becoming the power that rules them.
It may be horrifying for them, but it is an irrelevant standard to us.
We are Constellations.
One day, we suddenly descend upon a world, display omnipotent power, and pour out gifts.
Sometimes in the form of a Status Window, sometimes as an Oracle.
Beings who express their hearts according to the culture of that world.
The living tremble, saying there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
However, they will probably never understand that what Constellations desire is not their property or their lives.
Because I would have been the same.
❋ ❋ ❋
[Your Client in World 'H46or' has departed for a place with his beloved martial brothers.]
[This place, Jongnam, will not forget your grace in guiding the Sect Leader who realized many Taos and led Jongnam to greater enlightenment.]
[Since the Client's life has concluded, settlement will proceed.]
"My Jong Seo-baek, whom I raised since he was a toddling baby... Goodbye... I really thought the ancient ancestor of Jongnam would appear in his dreams until the very end."
After a satisfied murmur, I dabbed at eyes that produced no tears.
Why does my heart swell whenever a Client I chose meets such a beautiful death?
Perhaps I still have a human heart left in me.
I really thought he would become a Constellation this time, but I guess not.
A Constellation who often makes bets with me sidled up and interjected.
"Se-eum, there's an interesting universe over here. Why don't you take a look? There are some really fascinating lifeforms."
"...Is that so? The H46or world I was watching is just about finished anyway. My Client died."
The inclinations of Constellations are divided into several types.
Those who pour out gifts in hopes of creating a Constellation like themselves.
Those who watch just to kill time, only focusing their support when something interesting happens.
And those who want to support but can't do anything because they lack the proper currency, or have to borrow it from others.
"You aren't doing a Client Draw?"
"Ah, I have plenty of Selection Tickets."
If a Constellation doesn't have enough 'Karma'—the currency of Constellations—they have to randomly draw the lifeform they wish to sponsor.
I have plenty of Karma, so I'm always in the position to choose using 'Selection Tickets.'
"I'm envious. True, Se-eum likes raising Clients, so you must get a lot in return. Right?"
"A little bit. But I think I'll just spectate this time."
'Client' refers to the lifeforms that receive a Constellation's sponsorship.
They struggle desperately to catch the eyes of Constellations, receive better support, survive, and become stronger.
While some sponsor them for entertainment, it's not uncommon to find those who get worked up just to show off, saying, 'My Client became a Constellation!'
"It seems you don't have a Selection Ticket, Franson. Are you going to draw a Client now? Or just watch?"
"I was watching at first, but looking at it kept getting interesting. This place is in the middle of an apocalypse too, but they awaken right here."
"Awakeners? That's classic. Not particularly novel, is it?"
"But the Awakeners are zombies. The non-awakened kids have to fight guys who are zombies and use superpowers."
That certainly has a niche element.
Franson shifted his steps, the wings on his shoulders fluttering.
The stupidest ones are those who misunderstand, thinking they were chosen by a Constellation because they are exceptional.
I turned my head slightly to look at the machine that resembled a crude slot machine.
Franson, having taken a spot among the other Constellations, manipulated the buttons.
[Proceeding with Client Draw.]
A Constellation without currency cannot choose the Client they sponsor.
The only free choice allowed is picking the planet; the rest is a so-called random draw.
The reason was to prevent fights among Constellations over competent Clients.
Then, what if you don't get the Client you want?
One might wonder what happens if that Constellation harbors ill will and plots slander...
"Hey, Franson. Sorry for killing your Client last time. You liked that one, said he had potential."
"Don't worry about it. He wasn't going to make it anyway; probably would've gotten killed by a Kraken or something."
As if a Constellation would care about the life and death of a single microbe.
It's not like they fell in love.
Besides, Franson was the type to keep a Client on every planet.
He seemed to think he was playing some sort of raising simulation game.
Though for all that, his results were always poor, leaving him struggling with a lack of Karma.
[Revealing the new Client of the Constellation 'Gatekeeper with Broken Wings'.]
[World '47pH5', Remitory. Race: Lizard. Age: 47. Class: Thief. Estimated remaining lifespan: 2 years.]
"Ah!"
A roar of laughter erupted, mocking Franson as he tore at his hair in agony.
I was one of the Constellations laughing in the mix.
With a terrible expression, he trudged over and pulled out a portable device.
It was gleaming; he must have swapped it for a new model again.
Because he pours his Karma into things like that, he can never afford a Client Selection Ticket.
"Franson, it's a talent to pick only bad Clients every time. Two years? He'll die before he can try anything."
"That universe itself only has three years left anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Hey, Se-eum. Don't just watch, make a bet with me on whose Client survives longer."
"Mm, it's tempting, but I'll pass. I like worlds where the Client lives a long, long time. I want a return on my investment."
I cast a glance into the screen.
In a world turned to hell, lifeforms that looked like animals were screaming for help.
It was only natural, as those who were once friends and family were rushing at them with murderous intent.
I watched the screen with my arms crossed. If it were just 300 years ago, I would have felt sympathy for them.
Now, it was just a boring scene I'd watched thousands of times.
"Did you say everyone in Franson's world died of a plague too?"
"Yeah. Maybe that's why I keep getting interested in worlds where disease spreads. I often enter channels with a moderator, and when I do, I sometimes deliberately insert a 'Plague Cure Quest'."
"What about your world?"
"Went under ages ago. I tried connecting once, but they said a mutated virus circulated about a thousand years after I died, and then it disappeared."
Server shutdown.
He moved his lips silently.
Is that so? Well, if the world is destroyed, it's only natural for the server to shut down.
If I hadn't heard those words that day, I probably wouldn't have even thought about entering my world of origin.
Seemingly unaware that he had just thrown a massive bomb at me, Franson began sending modest gifts to his Client, who had two years left to live.
"Why use such a high-end device? You spend it all on that, so you're broke when it comes to Client gifts."
"They're going to die soon anyway, but my broadcast viewing is forever, you know? It's an investment for myself. Investment. Connection is faster if you use this."
"What's the point of a fast connection? No, there's no way we'd have server issues in the first place. You think like a human."
"That was the most insulting thing I've heard in the last 100 years, Se-eum."
After cracking a light joke, I turned and headed for my room.
Franson became absorbed in taking care of his own Client.
Perhaps realizing I wasn't very interested, he didn't try to hold me back.
Returning to my room, I activated my viewing device.
I call it a computer for convenience, but it does have some other complicated name.
– There are currently no subscribed worlds. Is there a world you wish to connect to? If not, a random recommendation will proceed.
[34R7h]
My forgotten home.
[Connecting...]
It wasn't destroyed.
I clearly thought I had no lingering attachments to that world, but I must have been secretly anxious.
What if I connected and it was just ruins?
In 300 years, everything I knew would have been overturned, and new things would have unfolded.
It felt completely different from observing a world I didn't know, an unrelated space.
If I knew this affection remained, I would have done this sooner.
"Could I really make a Constellation this time? What do I do?"
Just as I was naturally getting ahead of myself, practically drinking kimchi soup in anticipation of a Korean rookie, the screen rippled once.
[Connection is unstable.]
"Eh?"
[Reconnecting to ensure system stability.]
It was from that day on.
[Estimated time: 1 Day 18 Hours]
That I, a Constellation, became obsessed with mere internet.
(End of Chapter 1)
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