Otherworld Constellation Gallery Chapter 48

Otherworld Constellation Gallery 

Chapter 48.

On the west side of Chung-jang street in Gwangju, the third floor of an abandoned building.

Now called the ‘Headquarters.’ Inside, all eyes were focused on one person.

His name was Kwak Man-ho. 

A rough face matching his sturdy build.

The scar carved into his prominent cheekbone made his impression even more fierce.

He took out a cigarette from his pocket.

Without even lighting it, he simply put it in his mouth and muttered.

“The alarm rings that a massacrer has appeared… in this small Gwangju, how many could there be?”

His eyes narrowed. Beneath his half-closed eyelids, a predatory gaze shot out like lightning.

“Dae-ju. What the hell have you done now, you bastard.”

He knew. 

Lee Dae-ju— a mouthy punk with a scrawny frame, but so vicious he’d make a demon flinch. 

That’s why he entrusted half of this region to him.

‘He’s really lost his mind.’

Even toward his own crew, Dae-ju wouldn’t hesitate to slit their throat the moment they crossed a line.

He wouldn’t accept excuses, either. 

That mercilessness, that ability to strike without warning—it sparked fear.

And with that fear, he maintained control.

A ruler through and through.

So whether he purged his subordinates, killed civilians, or hunted monsters, it was clearly his doing.

Still, since he was definitely competent, Kwak Man-ho trusted and delegated to him without questioning his methods.

“But boss, what does it mean that the area’s rank has increased?” 

“What do you think it means? It means we’re the big shots in this area. Our status has risen, don’t you get it?” 

“But… I don’t quite understand what’s improved…”

Kwak Man-ho snickered.

“Whether it’s more fame, some goddamn blessing, whatever it is—our name’s worth more now. That alone means Dae-ju deserves some praise, don’t you think?”

At that moment, the door burst open. The man who entered, breathing roughly, had fear in his eyes.

“Boss! Big brother Dae-ju…!”

Silence fell. The right-hand man beside Kwak Man-ho spoke first.

“…Dae-ju what? Finish your sentence.” 

“Big brother Dae-ju, well… he got beaten by some bastard who was with two women…” 

“What did you say?”

Kwak Man-ho and everyone sitting around him narrowed their eyes simultaneously.

“By ‘beaten,’ is it what I think it is?” 

“Yes……” 

“Goddamn… what the hell would he be lacking?
What the hell made him go down like that?”

“That good-for-nothing punk acted like he was getting beaten up—played possum. And the moment Big brother let his guard down…”

“Son of a bitch! That asshole toyed with us!”

Kwak Man-ho, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, let out a hollow laugh.

“So the massacrer… wasn’t our little demon after all.”

He slowly continued as he removed the cigarette from his mouth.

“So where is he now?”

***

The street swept clean of goblins was quiet. The sound of breaking fragments each time debris was stepped on. Beyond that, a desolate feeling crept up the nape of the neck from every alley where the wind brushed past.

‘…No.’

Rather than desolate, this was something different. Dense, moist, and sticky. Like spilled blood on the floor, it felt like something grabbing firmly at the ankles trying to walk through.

‘Is this the ominous feeling Kang Ha-rin was talking about?’

My gaze naturally fixed on one building. An abandoned building neither tall nor short. 

Windows were broken, and the iron door was partially open, sticking out.

From a distance, it would just look like a collapsed store, but there was definitely something there that caught my attention.

‘What is it? It’s definitely not the feeling of being followed.’

There’s no sense of someone following from behind. No one is chasing me either. Yet, I can clearly feel an energy.

And it… doesn’t move. It was an energy that seemed to have been there from the beginning and would continue to remain in that spot.

“Kang Ha-rin.” 

“Yes?” 

“Is this the sense of being followed you were talking about?”

Kang Ha-rin looks around. Then she shook her head.

“I’ve been feeling something since earlier, but it’s completely different from what I felt. Can you feel it too, Ju-han?” 

“Yeah. Anyway, it’s not being followed, right?” 

“Right. It’s definitely different.” 

“Well, maybe every stalker has a different aura.”

This feeling, I don’t want to just pass by. I hate feeling unsettled. I need to carefully observe the situation and identify what it is so I can prepare.

‘Since I’m wearing Ha-rin’s armor…’

I inhaled and suppressed my presence. Just as I got closer to the building.

DING!

[‘Hidden Dungeon: Rift of Blackness’ has been detected.]

[To enter this dungeon, you must defeat 10 high-grade monsters.]

[Current defeated: 3/10]

‘Dungeon?’

Weren’t monsters just popping up everywhere? Until now, when monsters appeared in a normal city, that was the dungeon.

‘Whatever it is, it’s a hidden place, right?’

Surely, there’s something to gain. Whether it’s an achievement or a runestone. 

At the very least, I’ll get something.

‘This feels like finding a treasure chest.’

This place I’ve discovered isn’t simply demanding survival. What is a dungeon after all? A structure with goals and conditions. In gaming terms, a quest completion reward dungeon.

“Ju-han, here is…” 

“I know. I saw it too.”

What Kang Ha-rin was about to say must have been that a dungeon was detected. More importantly, there’s an entry condition attached.

‘Ten high-grade monsters?’

The condition is simpler than expected. But what it implies could be ‘with that much, you can clear this dungeon.’ Or conversely, ‘you need at least that much to barely enter.’

Either way, it’s appealing to me right now. What could possibly be beyond this unknown? I want to find out. No, I want to face it.

“Good. Ten high-grade monsters. Once I meet that condition, I’m going into the dungeon.”

As I spoke, I looked behind me. Kang Ha-rin and Lee Tulip.

“But you two… this could be dangerous, so—”

My thoughts stopped mid-sentence.
Was it really the right move to leave them behind?

If I went in alone, I’d be in danger. But if I left them out here, they might be in just as much danger.

Tulip can handle goblins, but other awakened ones might appear too. Also, not knowing the inner structure of the dungeon, the most dangerous thing is splitting up teamwork.

“…Never mind. Let’s just go in  together.”

The two nodded without saying much. I don’t know what will happen inside, but if it gets really dangerous, I’ll just use some of the gold I’ve been saving. That’s what I’ve been saving it for.

‘And if it’s tough enough to require using gold, I’ll surely get rewards worth more than what I spent.’

So it’s a kind of investment. The return is, of course, unknown. Nevertheless, it’s an investment that must be made.

***

Perhaps because the rank had increased, high-grade ones seemed easier to find than expected. 

A blue goblin draped in a robe.
Above the robe, faint white mist curled upward like steam.

“Krrk. Krrrrrk.”

“I need to be the one to take that thing down if we want the count to go up. So nobody interfere.”

“Got it.”

It extends its arms toward us. Is it because my sensory stats have increased? I can feel the subtly distorted pattern in the air.

“Here it comes.”

Before I finished speaking.

PABABABABAK!

Ice resembling icicles flew like rain.

I easily deflect them without much effort.

JJAJAJAK-

The point of contact freezes momentarily.

[Title: Summer Essential Mob Is Here] Need to supply one high-grade Elder Goblin each Continuous cold emission / Ice projectile firing / Freezes body parts on hit Isn’t this the perfect mob to have in summer?

ㄴ Is this a constellation? 

ㄴ Really so weak though.

ㄴ You’re not suggesting it’s needed to cool down in the heat, are you? 

ㄴ Commentator) You clowns ever heard of a joke? Learn to take a joke lol.

ㄴ First hunter dad joke 1 win. 

ㄴ For real.

ㄴ For real.

ㄴ Commentator) All of you get lost.

ㄴ Lmao someone thinks this is his personal board.

ㄴ Stop roasting him, he’s going to cry.

‘Body part freezes on hit?’

Ice immunity? Of course not. Cold resistance? Don’t have this either.

‘So I’ll just kill it before it hits me.’

I stamp on the ground forcefully.

BOOM!

I shot toward the creature like a bullet.

The rushing wind howled in my ears, and at the same time, the incoming ice shards accelerated too.

Crack! Crack!

Every time I deflected with my sword, the motion carried a brief moment of stun.

Then—one frost bullet landed squarely on my knee.

JJAJAK-

My lower body froze instantly.
But that’s fine.

Smash!

I shattered the ice and kept running.

[Title: Wow First Hunter Damnit] He broke the stun like it was nothing. That mob’s a beast even for early game content, and he just walks through it.

ㄴ Does the stat monster look like a pushover?

ㄴ LMAO I’m the only one who dumped full points into stats, huh.

ㄴ He’s trying to enter the dungeon now, right? At this rate, he’ll get to the end without a contract and more;

[Title: First Hunter Is Sexy~] [Author: PinkuPojjak] The stun of a lowly elder goblin is nothing~ Give me kisses~

ㄴ Suck all you want but he won’t contract with you. 

ㄴ For real. 

ㄴ PinkuPojjak) It’s okay if others can’t have him either~

ㄴ Dindindindindin) I have arrived, raise your glasses in celebration! 

ㄴ PinkuPojjak) Not happy to see you at all~ 

ㄴ Ban this garbage spammer. 

ㄴ This guy isn’t a spammer, he’s a toast bird.

And soon after, its head falls off.

THUD!

But it’s not over yet. It’s a high-grade. I quickly slice it until the alarm appears.

DING!

[Elder Goblin (High-grade) Kill Reward: 1,400 gold]

Manyō’s Tomb glows with an ominous blue light, then fades away. Six more to go now.

‘Also… why the hell was this one glowing blue?’