Even Today, the Ranker Dreams of Retirement

Title: Does Kang Taeseo Really Have No Constellation?

Body: Kang Taeseo is #1 domestic/#2 world ranker

But they say Kang Taeseo has no constellation?

Fides, #1 world ranker, has a powerful constellation

So if they fought without constellations, wouldn’t Kang Taeseo be the real #1?

└ Yeah Fides relies on his constellationㅋㅋㅋ

└ That’s why Kang Taeseo is more amazing, #2 world rank without a constellation!

└ Shout out to God Taeseo!

└ What would our country have done without Kang Taeseo and the Chae siblings, seriously

└ ….?

└ What? Fides relies on his constellation?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ You crazy bastards, there’s a limit to overvaluing Kang Taeseo out of nationalism

└ Go watch Fides compilations on YouTube right now, you think having a constellation makes you that good?

└ These kids couldn’t do that even with Neaiba ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Agreed, everyone’s trash compared to Fides~

└ No matter how much you debate about constellations, results are everything. Everyone’s trash compared to Fides~

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Caught you, you bastard. Aren’t you the one who goes around posting ‘Everyone’s trash compared to Fides’ on every thread?

└ So it was this guy?

└ Looks like it based on the writing style

└ This is hilariousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Anyway Kang Taeseo is amazing, he’s #1 among humans without constellations right

└ That’s true…

└ But….

└ Is Kang Taeseo really without a constellation….?

└ Who are you?

└ What is it?

└ This is trolling, ignore it

└ No I’m not trolling!! It’s just really strange

└ I’m not sure either but something feels off. Wait a bit, I’ll bring some evidence photos.

└ Oh spill the tea, what is it

└ Don’t you dare disappear after saying this

└ ?

└ Hey they’re not coming back

└ Did they get caught?ㅋㅋㅋ

└ See? I told you it was trolling

└ I have a bad feeling…

└ No no there are lots of people like this, this is just pretending to get caught trolling

└ d ii ardn!n

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◆◇◆◇◆

When Kang Taeseo fans praise Kang Taeseo, there’s one thing they always add:

‘#2 world rank without even a constellation!’

It was amazing. In game terms, it’s like reaching that position purely with innate talent and skill, without spending money, cash items, or cheat keys. People’s reactions to this point were passionate.

‘A true human victory!’

‘If Kang Taeseo gets a constellation, Fides will have to give up the #1 spot immediately’

‘Without constellations, Kang Taeseo would be the world’s strongest. Anyway, that’s how it is.’

‘But is he unable to get a constellation, or does he not want one?’

‘Is he hiding one?’

Amid various praises and suspicions, Kang Taeseo answered like this in an official interview:

‘Yes. As you said, I currently don’t have a constellation. However, if a good opportunity arises, I’m willing to contract one anytime.’

It’s been over 4 years since he said that, but there’s still no news. People have started speculating like this:

‘He must have high standards for choosing a constellation.’

‘He probably wants his first constellation to be Neaiba-level.’

‘He’s already #2 world rank without one, so there’s no need to rush.’

“Hmm…”

Habin arrived at her dorm after the chaotic reunion. She frowned pensively.

“I believed those words too, that he reached his position through human triumph without a constellation.”

She shook her head as if disappointed.

“…But he actually had a constellation? I feel betrayed? If this gets out, the whole world will feel betrayed, not just me!”

Hiding that he has a constellation, how unconscionable!

That’s no way to live.

Habin nodded and crossed her arms. Ahezar quickly pointed out:

[…But Habin, aren’t you hiding me too?]

“Ahem, hem!”

Habin twirled her hair and added:

“Come on, my situation is different! Do you know how much Caligo and Kang Taeseo have benefited from the image of not having a constellation? Being #2 world rank without a constellation means their ranking could change anytime, so they receive a lot of investment due to growth potential. Plus, people value Kang Taeseo highly because of it.”

‘Compared to that, I’m just an innocent power-hider who wants to live quietly! That’s right!’

There’s no comparison.

Feeling justified, Habin lay down on the soft bed and turned on her tablet. Today too, she’d just roll around like this until falling asleep.

Habin had come straight here after exactly 30 minutes at the reunion as promised.

Of course, she rejected all of Kang Taeseo’s proposals!

“I’m not going, I said I’m not going, I really won’t go! Why can’t you understand?”

If she rejected ‘Solaris’, why would she join ‘Caligo’?

In Habin’s eyes, they were all the same.

‘If I join any of them, I won’t be able to rest well because I’ll be running around as a Hunter. It’ll be easy for other guild members to find out about my situation too.’

Many friends, including Kang Taeseo, tried to hold her back until the end as if reluctant to let go, but she closed her eyes tight and went straight home.

“…Sigh. Why is a class reunion so tiring? Park Minsu suddenly collapses, and this Taeseo bastard, the first thing he says after not seeing me for so long is a guild recruitment proposal?”

He’s lost a lot of social skills while I haven’t seen him, poor guy.

Thinking of their past friendship, Habin added a gentle concern as she propped her chin. At that moment, Ahezar asked:

[But why aren’t you asking about the most important thing?]

“What?”

[Aren’t you curious about what kind of being Kang Taeseo’s constellation was?]

“……”

Habin’s eyes narrowed.

That’s right.

When Habin heard Ahezar’s words at the drinking party, she didn’t get a proper explanation right then and there.

‘…I understand what you mean, let’s explain at the dorm, Jaljal.’

There were too many eyes watching at the time. Getting various explanations from Ahezar in the middle of a drinking party with friends? With Kang Taeseo sitting right in front of her?

She absolutely refused to risk accidentally revealing the existence of constellations to those around her while chatting with Ahezar.

“Right, come to think of it Jaljal, can you detect other people’s constellations too?”

Habin asked indifferently. It was an annoying topic, but this was quite important. Being able to discern others’ constellations, as if it were a metal detector—she had never heard of such an ability anywhere.

‘If it’s true, it could be quite useful?’

Especially since they had even received a notification that all constellations were hostile to them.

‘From now on, I’ll avoid all troublesome constellations.’

While Habin was thinking of uses for this, Ahezar excitedly explained, perhaps happy that his usefulness had been proven:

[That’s right! I can detect most constellations!]

“If it’s most, that means not all of them, right?”

[That’s correct. I don’t know about others, but Holy Relic grade ones are sometimes impossible to identify. If an opponent of that level tries to completely hide themselves… I’d only feel a very faint aura at best. Even I would have difficulty discerning that.]

“So it’s ambiguous.”

[Ah, ambiguous! Don’t dismiss it so casually! This isn’t something just anyone can do!]

Ahezar fell silent for a moment as if lost in thought, then opened his mouth.

[And Kang Taeseo was such a case. It wasn’t completely hidden so it showed to some extent, but it was still difficult to discern. It was a peculiar aura I’ve never encountered before. He clearly has something around Holy Relic grade… but the feeling wasn’t very good either.]

“So it felt uneasy.”

[Uneasy……]

Is that how it’s expressed?

Ahezar closed his mouth as if at a loss for words.

“Right, is there anything else?”

[That’s all for now!]

“Hmm… Then is there anyone else besides you who can detect constellations?”

Habin asked sharply. This was an important issue. Just as Ahezar could identify other constellations, what if someone else could notice Habin and Ahezar in return?

But contrary to her worries, Ahezar answered immediately:

[Probably not. They might notice if I deliberately reveal myself, but…]

“Then make sure to hide at all times.”

[Of course!]

‘I don’t trust you.’

Habin looked at Ahezar with distrustful eyes. This guy who claims he can hide so well has already been caught twice by shouting with his own mouth.

As a rule, if you’re stupid, outstanding ability is of no use.

“Well, let’s set that aside for now.”

Habin put away her tablet with a tap. She rolled around on the bed once, then sat up abruptly as if something occurred to her.

“My mood is ruined. Today, instead of videos, I should sort out some things I’ve been putting off.”

[If it’s something you’ve put off…?]

Habin opened her status window. Several ‘Unconfirmed Alerts’ had piled up. Among them was this:

[Quest Completion Reward]

[This is the reward for clearing the Mirror Dungeon.]

“I put off receiving the reward after clearing the Mirror Dungeon last time.”

[…?]

The Mirror Dungeon is still a dungeon. It was natural for rewards to come out after clearing it. But Habin didn’t view it right away, just roughly skipping over it.

[‘Roughly’? W-Why would you roughly skip over that? Don’t tell me even that was too bothersome?]

Ahezar interjected, seemingly dumbfounded.

Even Ahezar, who had been exposed to web novels and various media, knew this much common sense. That quest rewards are quite worthwhile.

Most Hunters work hard to obtain rewards and feel elated by them!

But Habin answered bluntly:

“No way, if I had viewed this right there, the interrogation of Chae-ssi wouldn’t have gone properly. That guy would definitely have wasted time commenting on this, right? It would have been annoying even after leaving the Gate.”

[What on earth is the reward that you’re acting like this?]

Habin frowned and checked the notification window.

[Unhatched Dragon’s Breath × 1]

[Letter That Cannot Exist × 1]

Habin pointed at the words ‘Unhatched Dragon’s Breath’. There was a small caution written next to it.

[* Note: It hatches immediately upon viewing, so be careful]

“It would be very troublesome if it hatched.”

[Don’t tell me…]

The final boss of the Mirror Dungeon was a dragon. ‘Dragon’ appears blatantly in the reward name. Habin poked the small round icon next to it and added:

“That’s right. It’s a dragon egg.”

[…!]

◆◇◆◇◆

On the opposite side of the Earth,

Fides’ office.

Today too, Hyun Siwoo was holding a communicator beside his documents. This time, he was listening to a report from a newly hired informant.

“…About the target you mentioned,”

Target.

Hyun Siwoo had many individuals he monitored as targets, but this report was specifically about his sister, Hyun Habin.

Siwoo listened intently. The report continued.

“She received offers from both Solaris and Caligo, it seems.”

“As expected.”

Hyun Siwoo nodded. This much was within his expectations.

“So which one did she choose?”

‘…I hope it was Solaris this time.’

Siwoo recalled his past life before regression.

‘Solaris’ and ‘Caligo’.

One side is a super-rich with hidden cards. The other is powerful but a double agent with a pitch-black interior.

Wouldn’t the former be more appropriate to have as an ally?

But the answer from across the communicator completely missed his expectations.

“She rejected both, it seems.”

“…?”

Siwoo was speechless at this unexpected answer.

After awkwardly running his hand through his hair for a moment, he regained his composure and asked gravely:

“…Is that all the information you have?”

“Yes. Other than that, her daily routine consists of rolling around in her room watching videos, eating delivered food, being late for training, making people faint at drinking parties, and so on…”

“……”

“Nothing special was observed.”

“……”

‘Hyun Habin… you’re really enjoying yourself thoroughly.’

Since his last home visit, Hyun Siwoo had been occasionally receiving information about Habin.

At first, he was a bit suspicious.

‘Surely she’s not really just having fun? She’s not the type to do that.’

No matter how he thought about it, Hyun Habin wasn’t originally the type to throw everything aside and just play around.

Before the Gate incident, she was a diligent student by everyone’s admission, and in the last iteration, she rose to become the world’s strongest alone, working hard and achieving fearsome accomplishments.

So he suspected that maybe she was just saying she’d have fun but actually harboring other thoughts behind the scenes.

‘It seems she really is just playing around this iteration.’

Whew.

Hyun Siwoo turned his head with a sigh that could have been relief or fatigue.

“…If that’s the case, the problem is on this side.”

He glared into empty space.

A notification window.

The window floating in the air had this content:

[Special Quest – Eliminate the Guardian of Deception.]

[Reward: 10 Resurrection Stones]

“……”

A quest given to all SS-rank and above.

Of course, it had been given to Hyun Siwoo as well.

‘The reward is resurrection stones.’

A sneer appeared at the corners of Siwoo’s mouth.

The ‘resurrection stones’ written there only have an impressive name, they don’t actually bring back the dead.

After staring at the notification window in silence for a while, Hyun Siwoo opened his mouth.

“Neaiba,”

[What?]

“Is the system a f***ing god?”

[W-What?]

Neaiba asked back in surprise at the unfiltered words. Hyun Siwoo continued:

“I mean, if left alone, Hyun Habin will play and rest well on her own, not causing any trouble.”

Hyun Siwoo had just confirmed it. Habin has no intention of being a Hunter. She’s just resting a bit after all her hardships so far.

“But why does the system, for no reason,”

[……]

“I don’t understand why it’s digging its own grave.”

[…Calm down.]

Neaiba quietly interjected. Hyun Siwoo’s tone was still calm, but the air filling the office was growing heavier.

“…Well, if it were a being with that level of thought, it wouldn’t have done this in the first place. Maybe I should be happy about this.”

‘It means the enemy I have to face has such a pathetic level of intelligence.’

Hyun Siwoo, who had finished speaking calmly until the end, picked up the communicator again.

The other side answered before it even rang a few times.

“Hello, this is the SPES Association Management Office…”

“It’s me.”

“Gasp, Fides-nim? What’s the matter?”

SPES.

An association established jointly by countries and Hunters worldwide. It takes on a pivotal role in resolving international issues and diplomatic problems related to Hunters, and manages and mediates large and small Hunter associations scattered across countries.

Hyun Siwoo was the key figure when it was first established, and he’s currently sitting as the association president.

“I’m going to move up the next SPES meeting a bit earlier, using my authority.”

“What? Of course that’s possible if it’s you, Fides-nim, but the reason…”

And there was a regular meeting hosted by SPES.

Of course, not just anyone could attend.

Only representative rankers from each country and guild masters of internationally renowned guilds were qualified to participate.

The participating members not only shared important information about tower and dungeon conquests with each other, but also directly cooperated to progress through tower clearings together.

“An important agenda has been added. The topic of this meeting will be…”

Hyun Siwoo tilted his head. He had no intention of blatantly making the ‘Guardian of Deception’ the topic.

So what story should he throw out to make everyone hurriedly gather on their own?

“……”

Beyond his gaze lost in thought, a photo of the massive ‘Kill Screen’ was visible.

The tower that all Hunters worldwide were eagerly working to conquer.

They had just reached the 26th floor, was it?

“…Tell them I’ve found a way to conquer up to the 50th floor of the tower. Also say it’s a method without risk.”

This much should be enough to make them gather competitively without having to try hard.

“What? What?! The 50th floor? Fides-nim! What on earth is…!”

Ignoring the shocked exclamations from across the communicator, Hyun Siwoo rose from his seat.