Chapter 8
【Skill, ‘Scenario Preview (Passive S)’ generates a Quest!】
【…Achieved new achievement, ‘A Daring Choice’.】
‘Ranker Oh Ji-yoon!’
The guard screamed. It wasn’t distinct. Oh Ji-yoon had blasted a hole and escaped right before the guard could come to his senses.
That was right. Oh Ji-yoon was falling down right now.
“Constellation-nim. You took good care of the cell phone, right?”
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ pokes its head out from your chest: ‘Phew!’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ gives a proud thumbs-up: ‘Of course.’]
“Good job.”
Thank goodness. In her heart, she wanted to stroke it endlessly, but her hands were bound. Oh Ji-yoon blinked her eyes as she fell upside down.
Her field of vision was returning little by little.
【Due to the achievement, the generated Quest is patched to better suit the situation.】
【Would you like to check the Quest – ‘The Second Prison (Incomplete)’?】
‘Yes.’
Smoke bombs are all well and good, but the flaw is that they obstruct the user’s vision as well. Although she had undergone relevant training under the guideline that an F-rank must be able to survive under any adverse condition……
Still, having her senses back was definitely better.
Opening the Quest Window, Oh Ji-yoon narrowed her eyes.
【Checking Quest – ‘The Second Prison (Incomplete)’】
【Details: Eat and store the cell phone inside until you leave the Fracture.】
【Failure Penalty: Generates a Super-Large Fracture, “Vast Difference of Tiger and Leopard (S+ Rank)”, within a 2km radius of Oh Ji-yoon (body).】
【Reward: Removal of Failure Penalty.】
“I stubbornly extended a short life, only for some trashy thing to pop up….”
What on earth is this? Unable to hold back her irritation the moment she saw the Quest Window, Oh Ji-yoon formed her eyes into sharp triangles.
“Wouldn’t it have been better for me to just die?”
A petition for execution had never felt so desperate. Oh Ji-yoon was a normal Awakened, too. Meaning that having her neck chopped off in an instant was fine, but stomachaches and heartburn were things she hated.
Oh Ji-yoon continued to grumble:
“Ah. I do have a suitable skill for this, you know? Since I have ‘Restoration,’ I could eat it and pull it out, but….”
Although drawn out, it was ultimately a complaint about poor efficiency. Because Oh Ji-yoon’s complaint was so fierce, the squirrel Constellation shivered uncontrollably. Since the basement was deeper than expected, the only one it could rely on was the angry Ji-yoon.
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ puts on a pitiful face on purpose: ‘Ji-Ji-yoon. You won’t drop me, right? You’re going to keep your sanity, right…?’]
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ thinks to itself: ‘You could just release the avatar and return to your main body.’]
“? What kind of person do you take me for?”
Oh Ji-yoon crumpled her face thoroughly. What kind of image did Oh Ji-yoon have inside Constellation-nim’s mind? Either way, it was awful.
Paradoxically, because that was identical to her childhood appearance, the Constellation flinched.
Whatever it was thinking, the Constellation tried to slink away. Fearing it might slip off her shoulder at this rate, Oh Ji-yoon let out a sigh.
It would be one thing if the ground were close, but there was still a long way to go. Oh Ji-yoon shifted the topic as Constellation-nim desired.
“About ‘Steel Esophagus (F-rank)’.”
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ joins the conversation: ‘Ah. That thing from earlier?’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ peeks its head out.]
“Yes. That’s right.”
It was indeed the skill she had used just a moment ago. In fact, there were 3 storage slots for items, and since she had used 1 just now, it roughly matched the update explanation stating that appropriate quests would pop up depending on the situation.
However, there was a problem.
“…This strengthens my stomach, sure, but it doesn’t make my teeth any harder, does it?”
The object she had to eat right away was a cell phone.
Mmm. No matter how much she thought about it, Oh Ji-yoon, who couldn’t possibly chew and swallow a cell phone, stared at the ground with a blank face.
‘If I drop it from here, will it break?’
Since she could swallow fragments, she just needed to break it. But if she threw it from here and the pieces scattered, that would be a disaster….
After brief deliberation, Oh Ji-yoon spoke:
“Constellation-nim, you can transform into an elephant, right?”
[Your Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ snivels: ‘Ji-yoon. Constellation-nim’s paw pads hurt. They’re all rough and scratchy.’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ feels gloomy, saying the cell phone was too hard.]
“I have heartburn.”
In the end, the cell phone broke only after Constellation-nim, who had transformed into an elephant, stomped on it repeatedly. Looking at the powder stuck to the elephant’s foot, whether she had to lick even that was something she seriously pondered an hour ago.
Clutching her burning stomach as she walked, Oh Ji-yoon raised her head.
【Skill: ‘Steel Esophagus (F-rank)’ is active.】
【Storage slots are full. Would you like to select ‘Retrieve’?】
No way. Oh Ji-yoon, letting out a sigh, raised her head.
“Only long corridors have been appearing for a while now.”
Just as Oh Ji-yoon said, the corridor continued endlessly. It was far more desolate and gloomy than the prison set up on the 1st floor.
A report must have been filed, so is there a reason why the Ranker Support Headquarters isn’t moving? Sniffing as if gauging the airflow, Oh Ji-yoon spoke:
“It’s quite deep. Seems like there’s more underground.”
And there was a foul smell. If noise became a stench, it would feel like this. It felt like a smell born solely to grate on human nerves.
Oh Ji-yoon tapped her cheek with her tongue. One, two, three. Counting the number of her teeth, she rolled her eyes and blinked.
They were all there.
For now.
‘…Why did I think they were all there?’
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ is startled: ‘…Ji-yoon, what’s wrong?’]
[Places a hand on your forehead: ‘Are you hurt somewhere?’]
“…Constellation-nim, am I walking properly right now?”
Her stomach felt nauseous. She was clearly walking properly, but her vision was twisting and the walls were wavering.
It was a completely different kind from the heavy anesthetic circulating in her system.
Ha. Clenching her teeth, Oh Ji-yoon took a deep breath.
“Everyone, stay alert.”
It was a sensation no Ranker could fail to recognize.
This horribly eerie feeling. The way it wildly rang alarm bells and distorted one’s entire perception.
A Fracture of at least S-rank. The level was probably above “Alien Ghost Story.”
【An S-rank Fracture appears within a 3-meter radius.】
【S-rank Fracture, “Baby Child God,” appears!】
Oh Ji-yoon twisted the corners of her mouth.
“Because what’s in front of us right now is an S-rank Fracture.”
Along with the system window, her vision wavered. Although it was a lower rank than the SS-rank Fracture in Gumi City she had conquered before, her arms were currently bound.
Grinding her teeth, her eyes glinted fiercely.
“Those motherf*ckers…….”
Now she understood why they obsessively installed CCTV cameras.
And why they hid it.
The number of people present in front of her right now was about 10,000. Oh Ji-yoon let out an eerie smile.
“Director Cha Ho-bong… he said he’d properly punish Awakened criminals….”
…He didn’t, did he?
Simply releasing them into a Fracture isn’t punishment.
And the fact that there are 10,000 people means that every time someone was imprisoned, they were shoved in here. Given that the inmate capacity of Seoul Detention Center is said to be around 3,000 people, this wasn’t just a day or two; it was continuous.
“He was hiding something really big, wasn’t he…?”
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ trembles uncontrollably: ‘I-I’m scared. Her eyes have flipped…’]
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ hiccups: ‘…H-Hey. I-I’m scared too…’]
【The Fracture, “Baby Child God (S-rank)” perceives you.】
【Welcomes your visit.】
“Looks like the underground prison is entirely composed of Fractures.”
A foul, rotten stench drifted over. Entering the Fracture, Oh Ji-yoon, as she always did, estimated the number of dying people. The stench of rotting corpses and the familiar smell of cannibalism.
The number of survivors was higher than expected. Oh Ji-yoon narrowed her eyes.
【Status Effect – ‘Perception Distortion (A+)’】
【Details: Distorts the target’s perception.】
‘Am I crazy?’
Or was a civilized society formed inside the Fracture? Either way, it couldn’t be confirmed at this point. With an exhausted face, Oh Ji-yoon opened her mouth.
“Constellation-nim. You really have to keep a close eye on me.”
Fractures are categorized into types based on their hierarchical nature. In cases where Perception Distortion was this powerful, the clearing process was trickier.
In other words, the biggest obstacle right now was ‘Perception Distortion.’ That was why the roles of the two Constellations were important. Because they had to tell her if she started acting strange.
For reference, Constellations are not affected by status conditions.
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ clenches its fist tightly: ‘Yup! We’ll look really carefully! We’ll keep a close eye on you!’]
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ raises a finger of trust: ‘Yeah! Ji-yoon, I watch horror movies well, you know? I’m a total specialist,’ Phew.]
“…Just don’t get scared.”
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ gets angry: ‘Hey! Why would I get scared?!’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ opens its eyes wide: ‘I am an Underworld God, though?’]
“Gauge-nim is fine, but Gambler-nim is a bit….”
It seems like you’re already trembling in fear, though. A vibration could be felt beyond the chat window. Oh Ji-yoon spoke half-heartedly:
“Aren’t Constellations ghosts too?”
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ snaps irritably: ‘Are this and that the same?!’]
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ fires off chats rapidly: ‘Hey. It’s because you don’t know. Ghost Story Constellations are total psychopathic freaks. I followed Gauge to the Korean Underworld and got totally shocked, you know? What on earth, seriously…’]
“Wow. What on earth, seriously…”
I’m suddenly worried…….
Oh Ji-yoon felt like going home for a moment.
【Skill, ‘Subversive Victory (Passive F)’ takes effect.】
【Details: Trains mental power by always assuming the worst case scenario.】
【Evades extreme confusion! Status Effect – ‘Perception Distortion’ is downgraded.】
Oh. Thank goodness.
Mmm. As expected, there’s always a way out. Good. Good. Oh Ji-yoon rejoiced with a serene face.
“Not bad.”
Being even a little free from ‘Perception Distortion’ is huge.
Now then…
Oh Ji-yoon stared straight ahead.
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ suspects you: ‘Are you sure you were hit with Perception Distortion? You look completely normal, though?’]
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ even suspects itself: ‘Did I get hit instead? Huh? Am I normal?’]
“Shh. Quiet now.”
It was time to get to work for real.
Since Perception Distortion Fractures have a property that ruins people the longer they stay, the target time limit was three days.
Just like this, a quick battle for a quick resolution. She could go straight down with all her strength, but…?
A strange light flashed in Oh Ji-yoon’s eyes for a moment.
“S-Save me. Sob. Please save me.”
“F-rank, F-rank woman. When is the S-rank coming…….”
Because she had discovered familiar faces. Criminals involved in sexual assault, murder, arson, abandonment, and so forth, who had dominated the news headlines a few years ago.
They were prominent enough that she even knew their names.
Oh Ji-yoon smiled with a piteous heart.
“Look at those bastards.”
This is only the entrance of the Fracture, so if it’s like this, there must be a whole lot of real scumbags further down, right?
Then I can’t hold back.
【Skill: ‘Steel Esophagus (F)’ is activated. Vomits out the cell phone via ‘Retrieve’.】
【Skill: ‘Restoration (F)’ is activated.】
The cell phone dropped with a thud.
In place of Ji-yoon, who was trampling the flocking humans, the Constellation quickly turned on NewTube.
“Hello, this is Oh Ji-yoon.”
Bzzzt. The screen flickered. It would be nice if she could read the chat directly and see the reactions, but whether due to network issues, the chat couldn’t be read.
“I am currently inside a hidden prison kept secret by the Ranker Support Headquarters.”
The Constellation, taking the opportunity, turned the camera to film the interior.
Oh Ji-yoon grabbed a man and shoved him in front of the camera.
“Do you remember this guy? He’s the Awakened who made the news 3 years ago as a child kidnapper.”
The bastard who enraged the nation by kidnapping and sexually assaulting a child. Back then, the Ranker Support Headquarters clearly announced that he had been executed.
“So what I want to say is.”
The expected follow-up statement. However, the next words Oh Ji-yoon uttered were, unexpectedly:
“300 million KRW to make this trashy criminal completely incapacitated. I’ll accept it via bank transfer.”
