Otherworld Constellation Gallery Chapter 2

Otherworld Constellation Gallery 

Chapter 2

Shut up and lurk for three days. It’s a basic rule of communities, but I made a mistake.

No, wait. Something’s supposed to happen in 30 minutes? But how can I just lurk for three days? 

It’s already hard enough to find essential information as a human. That’s basically telling me to go die. I guess I have no choice at this point.

ㄴJust don’t drop your hook and give me a damn answer if you’re not mute, you bastards!

While cold sweat ran down my back, I left an even more brazen comment. And the replies started coming in quickly.

ㄴLooking like a newbie but acting like you know shit.

ㄴIs this person actually a newbie? 

ㄴWhy would a Constellation be curious about that?

ㄴInfo) Human roleplaying by trolls is a long-standing tradition.

ㄴHumans can NEVER come to the inviolable zone.

ㄴDon’t be suspicious because they’re playing a character, you’re showing your newbie status.

 ㄴThere was someone before who moved exactly as they posted, so I was convinced a human had entered, but it turned out not to be the case.

ㄴHow the hell would a human bastard break through the Constellation verification?

I felt a jolt. Come to think of it, was that the kind of question a human would ask? I was told not to get caught.

ㄴYou idiot, if it’s an early zone, it’s just like a training ground for low-levels, of course you just beat them up with your fists 

ㄴAbove comment, you bastard. Evil asshole.

ㄴThe early zone is pretty much the only place where a human bastard can kill mobs without a contract, right?

ㄴBut if they’re really a newbie, shouldn’t we tell them something? 

ㄴAhhh, such a sexy smell.

ㄴWhy would a Constellation care about information that means jack shit to them?

ㄴWho knows? They might be gathering information to send a message to a believer they like .

ㄴSpending 100 million gold on a revelation from the beginning? 

ㄴIf someone with that level of divinity is a newbie, that’s funny in its own way.

ㄴThe fact that they don’t know means they’re a genuine newbie.

What’s this about a 100 million gold revelation? Does that mean it costs 100 million won to send a message? And they mentioned gold, but why is divinity coming up? It’s a festival of words only they understand.

ㄴHuman trash is hard to hunt without a contract, better to just hide most of the time even then you’ll probably die soon 

ㄴThe method to survive in the early zone without a Constellation is surprisingly simple, if you have guts the mobs are manageable

I closed my mouth as I slowly read the comments. I don’t know what it means, but if you have guts, it’s achievable? I checked my post again.

[How do human bastards kill mobs without a contract? In that what’s-it-called early event or whatever, can you just beat them up?]

Even after seeing this post, not a single person said ‘What are you talking about?’ Everyone seemed to be enjoying this abnormal situation as if it were perfectly normal.

‘Is something really about to happen?’

Just in case, I set an alarm for the time the gallery users mentioned and continued reading the posts. After some time had passed.

BEEP!

The alarm went off.

“…Fuck, you scared me.”

I calmed my startled heart and began to observe the situation. But outside was quieter than I expected.

‘What the hell, nothing’s happening?’

Why was I so tense? I picked up my phone to check the time. It was exactly the time the gallery users had mentioned.

“Event my ass. It was just my delusion after all.”

I laughed at myself for getting needlessly excited and tense over nothing. The community and everything they talked about was just a game setting in my imagination. Of course, things like Constellations, Incarnations, and contracts couldn’t possibly appear in reality.

‘I’m either completely crazy or just halfway there.’

Just as I was about to let out a hollow laugh.

“KYAAAAAAAH!!”

An ear-piercing scream rang out. My heart sank again.

‘…What was that?’

My body instinctively curled up. With things going to shit like this, did a robber show up? Or maybe…

I carefully approached the window. When I nervously pulled apart the curtains to look outside.

“…F-fuck, what is that?”

A surreal sight entered my view. In the middle of the street. Something was writhing. Twisted limbs, abnormally elongated fingers. Shriveled dark blue skin.

At first, I thought it was a person. But when that creature raised its head, my whole body froze. Eyes that seemed to have no eyelids, large and round. Moreover, the pupils were vertically slit like a cat’s. And its mouth, split open all the way to its ears, was filled with sharp teeth.

It could only be described as a monster. The monster, holding a rusty dagger, was breathing heavily and staggering toward a human.

‘Crazy….’

My body trembled. What I witnessed was all too real. The monster looking down at the person collapsed on the street swung its dagger without hesitation.

“……!”

Blood splattered. This is real. As my mind went blank and my hands trembled, the first thing that came to mind was the Constellation Gallery. I quickly checked the community again. The gallery had already exploded.

[It’s started][11]

 [Humans are in chaos][15] 

[The death count has already hit six digits][13] 

[Which country is the most entertaining right now?][116] 

[Incheon early zone jackpot][132] 

[Looks like no one’s gotten the first kill yet?][19]

There, they were casually chatting as if it had nothing to do with them, with posts pouring in. My fingertips went cold.

‘…Was this real?’

I quickly checked the posts.

[Title: Incheon early zone jackpot] A ghoul the size of a kid appeared, first kill will probably happen in Incheon Keep an eye.

ㄴHey asshole, don’t leak info.

ㄴPeople watching other countries will come flocking.

ㄴFact) That’s not a ghoul.

ㄴYou dumbass, humans call them ghouls.

ㄴIt’s only elementary school size, but everyone’s a coward 

ㄴIt’s not invincible like a zombie, but would human trash know that? 

ㄴFact) Zombies aren’t invincible either.

ㄴFact) The fact-checker above is a complete loser.

 ㄴIt’s weird to have guts when it has fangs and is holding a knife.

ㄴA human with guts against such a ghoul? Need to teach them a lesson with a contract.

ㄴIf it were me, I’d just hit it on the head with a bat, get the first kill, and collect a nice reward.

ㄴYou’re talking like that because you know they’re weak 

ㄴSo what?

[Title: Looks like no one’s gotten the first kill yet?] Will contracts rush in when the first kill appears?

ㄴIt used to be like that, but not so much these days.

 ㄴThis era is 1999, so even if you get first kill, whatever.

ㄴThey probably don’t even know what a status window is?

ㄴIf someone handles it well, a contract might be worth it.

ㄴGotta see what rewards first kill gives before jumping in.

[Title: Fuck Somalia, those bastards] Got stuck in the wrong early zone and there’s no one with guns I was sure I’d get first kill here.

ㄴFocus on Incheon.

ㄴWhy are there no gun users in the US early zone this time? 

ㄴThe admin bitch must have messed with it this time,damn it.

ㄴ Ah fuck, I prepared all my contracts for Yamalia.

ㄴThey say it’s a Songdo ghoul, first kill will probably happen there.

ㄴIdiots. I told you to bet on Korea from the start. 

ㄴAre you guys really idiots? You should have prepared for at least 10 countries. Are you all blind or what?

 ㄴFinding peacock feathers in the tail.

[Title: You idiots think first kill is easy? ] Newbies don’t get it, complaining why first kill isn’t happening faster, They think this is a game.

ㄴSeriously, do they think this is a game with respawns and guaranteed survival? 

ㄴSeriously  even with respawns, freezing when faced with a horrifying monster in reality is normal, idiots.

ㄴIt’s normal to freeze or run away when you see a realistic and disgusting creature for the first time.

ㄴThey’ve seen too many novels and movies, they think these creatures appearing is normal.

ㄴEven Constellations would be screwed if they faced them with all their powers taken away.

I closed the window and looked outside again. Wailing could be heard from afar, and unfamiliar figures were vaguely visible among the fleeing people. Several corpses were visible on the street, but what’s important now is the monster that’s clearly in my sight.

‘Ghoul? Is that what they call a ghoul?’

What the Constellation Gallery was talking about. From the way the gallery users were talking about it being manageable, it doesn’t seem like an impossible opponent. 

The problem is the sharp object in its hand. A dagger? The blade is short, but it’s definitely not something to fight bare-handed.

‘More importantly, they said the first kill is important….’

I’m not sure if what I understood is correct. But if it is… First kill. The first hunt. I thought it was just a term used in games, but seeing how those guys in the Constellation Gallery are going crazy, it clearly has meaning. A reward given to the first person who kills it.

‘Even if there’s no reward, killing that thing would put me on their radar.’

It doesn’t matter if my understanding is wrong. 

At least I can understand that killing the ghoul will attract the attention of Constellations. If that happens, the possibility of them proposing a contract or whatever increases.

‘I bet if I make a contract, I’ll be safer than I am now.’

They said hiding would be meaningless later on, so now is the opportunity when it’s most manageable. But I can’t go out like this with just my body…

I need a weapon… 

I looked around. 

A studio apartment. The typical scene of a single person’s room. Bed, desk, small kitchen, and refrigerator. Since there’s no separate storage, I have to choose a useful weapon from household items.

‘Ah… I didn’t believe in the apocalypse, so I’m not prepared at all…’

It would be nice to have a baseball bat or something. Unfortunately, I don’t have one. I went to the kitchen and opened the knife drawer. A kitchen knife.

 The most threatening weapon, but since the opponent has a dagger, if our reach becomes similar, the chances of my body getting hurt increase.

‘Knife fighting doesn’t seem like a good idea.’

I need to find something else. 

While rummaging through the shelf above the refrigerator, something caught my hand.

‘This is it…!’

A hefty weight. A blunt touch that fits well in the hand.

‘A frying pan!’

A fairly heavy and sturdy weapon. Made of metal, so it can definitely cause damage if swung hard. Even in games, frying pans are often used as good protective gear, aren’t they?

‘Good, let’s go with this.’

I gripped the frying pan handle tightly. As I made up my mind, my heart pounded. Do I really have to do this?

I looked out the window again. The ghoul was still loitering around, rummaging through the corpses left on the street. If I go out now, I can catch it.

I took a deep breath and checked the Constellation Gallery again.

 The gallery users were still excitedly discussing where the first kill would happen. 

Watching the chat room where they were chattering, I slowly raised the frying pan.

‘Prepare a hefty contract fee and watch carefully.’

Because I’m going to take the first kill.