Chapter 9
[Hello. Ranker Oh Ji-yoon, I am the mother of the victimized child from the child abduction case 3 years ago. I know I have no shame, but I don’t have 300 million KRW…]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ operates the cell phone: ‘Ji-yoon, these keep coming?’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ mumbles: ‘But it doesn’t seem like there’s anyone saying they’ll pay 300 million KRW…’]
“Usually, that’s how it is.”
Since 300 million KRW is expensive, after all.
Tapping her cheek with her tongue, Oh Ji-yoon smiled. That was because she felt like she knew why Constellation-nim was treading lightly around her.
However, Constellation-nim’s worry was useless in the first place.
“I didn’t even give them a bank account number, so where would I receive it?”
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ opens its eyes wide: ‘Ah!’]
This was simply a device to filter out people who were truly desperate.
Oh Ji-yoon grinned.
“I want to take care of all of them, but since this happens to be an S-rank Fracture, I’m trying to pick and choose a bit.”
Wearing a cheerful expression, Oh Ji-yoon stared straight ahead.
“F-F-rank. You die too……”
People were gathering in swarms.
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ says that that person has a bit of madness in them.]
“Thank you. Anyway, how many people made contact?”
Oh Ji-yoon tapped the heel of her shoe to draw out a blade. They were specially manufactured shoes prepared in case she had no hands to hold weapons. She had been stripped of them when she was imprisoned, but she was saved because Representative-nim came. If he hadn’t come, she almost had to conquer an S-rank Fracture without a single weapon.
‘Revenge wouldn’t have been neat at all.’
“H-Heh, what, what did I do wrong! I……”
Stab. Oh Ji-yoon stepped on each prisoner with her blade. Since she didn’t know what kind of revenge the person who contacted her would want, it was for intimidation only.
Oh Ji-yoon clicked her tongue as she looked at the prisoners gathering like a swarm of ants.
“There are more than I thought. But what about the contacts?”
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ makes a strange sound: ‘Huh?’]
[The Constellation, who was staring at you mindlessly, hastily checks the text messages: ‘Uh, uh. About 3 people mentioned specific names?’]
“Please tell me who they are.”
Did they stay in the Perception Distortion Fracture for too long? Every single prisoner’s condition was strange.
Oh Ji-yoon estimated the crowd with her eyes narrowed. Revenge tastes best when the opponent begs and cries. So please. The target of revenge had better be intact.
That didn’t seem likely to be the case, though.
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ reads the list first, finds the target, and points them out: ‘Ah, over there.’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ cannot take its eyes off you: ‘U-Uh.’]
‘Found them.’
Oh Ji-yoon lightly launched her body. Fwoosh. Along with the sound of a fierce wind, the place she arrived at was right in front of the trash. Oh Ji-yoon lifted her leg while blinking her eyes.
“Wh-Who is it?”
“An F-rank Awakened.”
The prisoner’s eyes grew large. The prisoner, who had been repeating words as if having forgotten how to converse with a person, crumpled his face fiercely.
“F-F-rank?! Where do you think you’re, trying to hunt m-me……!”
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ reads down the rank parameters: ‘Ah, that guy is C-rank.’]
“Is that so?”
“Wh-Where did you enter from, …Ugh.”
Oh Ji-yoon had no intention of saving everyone. All she could do was punish trash like this.
【Oh Ji-yoon releases her Astral Realm.】
However……
“You’re out of luck.”
Because I happen to have power, and miraculously, I like revenge.
Muttering like that, Oh Ji-yoon smiled like a demon.
“The punishment they really want is something like that?”
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ fiddles with the cell phone left behind by Gauge: ‘Yeah.’]
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ says listlessly: ‘They said they’d just leave everything up to you.’]
That’s troubling. Rapists can just be castrated, but what about child abandoners?
Social consensus regarding punishment for child abandoners had not been reached yet. Lost in thought, Oh Ji-yoon scratched her foot.
“…You know. What did you say happens if you put a person into an Astral Realm?”
An Astral Realm is the authority of a Constellation. Not every Awakened can use it, but it is usable under the transfer of a contracted Constellation.
Oh Ji-yoon’s contracted Constellation was a Constellation with elements of Korean Underworld mythology, which, to put it very simply, is a Korean Underworld God…….
Since an Astral Realm is the authority of a Constellation, the Underworld could not help but be contained within that Astral Realm.
In other words, it meant that the method to punish humans who committed sins in the Underworld was included in the Astral Realm.
Crank. Turning her head, Oh Ji-yoon stared at prisoners 1, 2, and 3.
“Should I dunk them in…?”
Somehow, that seemed to be the simplest way.
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ comes running rapidly: ‘Ji-yoon, I brought it!’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ pulls out an SSS-rank relic hidden among Constellations: ‘Ta-da!’]
[‘The Karma Mirror.’]
“Ah. Thank you.”
Oh Ji-yoon, who had been seriously pondering, turned her head. Constellation-nim was breathing heavily, perhaps from running over. Oh Ji-yoon bowed her head to express her gratitude.
Constellation-nim panted a few more times after that, then spoke triumphantly:
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ places its hands on its waist: ‘I stole it from King Yeomra, so you mustn’t break it!’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ holds up the ‘Karma Mirror (SSS-rank)’.]
“? Is there a King Yeomra too?”
The Karma Mirror was a relic that appeared in legends. When a person died and went to the afterlife, they would be judged, and what was used as evidence at that time was precisely the Karma Mirror.
Its ability was to project the deceased’s appearance during their lifetime. It was such a famous relic that many people knew about it. Oh Ji-yoon projected the criminals onto the relic.
【SSS-rank Relic, ‘Karma Mirror’ observes the target.】
【Target, Eom Hyeon-sik (E-rank Awakened) – Measuring degree of crime…】
【Target, So Yoo-sik (C-rank Awakened) – Measuring degree of crime…】
【Target, Lee Min-goo (D-rank Awakened)…】
Checking the degrees of crime popping up continuously, Oh Ji-yoon kicked the criminals.
“You bastards did all sorts of things, didn’t you?”
Sexual assault, attempted murder, child kidnapping, arson? What a total joke. Venting her irritation, Oh Ji-yoon trampled on the criminals who weren’t pitiful at all.
“Just go to hell.”
There was no room to feel sympathy for them.
Having finally decided to dunk them into the Astral Realm, Oh Ji-yoon unleashed her Astral Realm. Kiiiick. Along with a strange sound, the humans melted in.
Continuing like that for about 10 minutes. The Constellation, who was wagging its tail while filming NewTube, twitched its nose.
Watching that scene, Oh Ji-yoon raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t you hear a phone ringing somewhere?”
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ stares at you blankly: ‘I don’t hear anything, though?’]
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ bristles its fur.]
“I hear it, though.”
Beep, beep. A sound like this could be heard. It felt a bit different from a phone ringing sound, too. At any rate, the repetition of the exact same sound was identical.
Could it be Status Effect – ‘Perception Distortion’? Wearing an uncertain face, Oh Ji-yoon touched her teeth with her tongue.
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ adopts a ‘Dinosaur, Stop!’ posture: ‘Uh-uh-uh-uh, hey, don’t move!’]
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ guards against your state: ‘Hey! Listen to us! How could a phone call come from in here!’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ nods its head: ‘I don’t hear it either.’]
I hear it, though.
I definitely hear it. Have I already gone crazy? Oh Ji-yoon tilted her ear.
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ feels embarrassed: ‘…Ah, I hear it.’]
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ scratches its head: ‘S-Sorry. We were the fools.’]
“See. I was right. You hear it, don’t you?”
I was startled thinking I had already gone crazy.
Oh Ji-yoon grumbled.
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ refutes: ‘Still, a phone call in a Fracture? The guy who called isn’t in his right mind.’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ tilts its head: ‘Huh? Would there be a phone?’]
“Isn’t it for staff use?”
Of course, staff almost never seem to come in. They probably just throw food in here.
Wearing a profound face, Oh Ji-yoon shifted her steps.
Sure enough. Beneath scribble-written text indicating it was for staff use, there was a telephone.
“Hello.”
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ covers its ears, asking if she’s really picking it up.]
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ clamors: ‘”Hello. I’m Mary. I’m behind your back.” What if it’s like this?’]
[The Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ lifts the receiver while displaying a question mark: ‘…Huh?’]
Constellation-nim is suffering a lot. Before she knew it, the Constellation was holding the receiver neatly in place of Oh Ji-yoon. Oh Ji-yoon clicked her tongue.
After a few seconds had passed, with a clack sound, the phone was connected. It was strange.
‘They were the ones who called, yet I’m the one waiting.’
Is a prison somewhat different?
Or else……
While Oh Ji-yoon narrowed her eyes, a cheerful voice addressed her.
“[Hello, Teacher.]”
“You have a voice that sounds quite aged; who are you?”
Oh Ji-yoon asked politely. The voice addressing her as if watching her had a slick tone.
It sounded like a somewhat aged male. Oh Ji-yoon narrowed her eyes.
‘His mind seems sane, though.’
And he was a person who at least was not on ‘this floor.’ Oh Ji-yoon expanded her Astral Realm to scan the inside of the Fracture.
【Caution! Expanding Astral Realm.】
【The Astral Realm of the Constellation, ‘Impartial Gauge,’ includes Underworld elements. Be careful of Floor Master access.】
Fractures take the form of a tower descending downwards. The floor Oh Ji-yoon was on was the 1st floor, and the next floor was Basement Level 1.
Generally, the further down one goes, the closer one gets to the deep layer. Therefore, not being on the 1st floor meant a high probability of being a strong individual.
“[I called because you seem to be in your right mind.]”
“What’s the main point?”
“[Hmm? Honorifics? It’s fine to speak informally, though.]”
The man on the phone chuckled softly. Oh Ji-yoon clicked her tongue.
‘I ran into the wrong person.’
She didn’t know when the man was imprisoned, but Oh Ji-yoon knew most of the Ranker information from the past 30 years or so. Especially since people engaged in Ranker work while being F-rank were few, there was no way she wouldn’t remember.
A skill that only allows making phone calls is 100% F-rank. But not being in her memory meant a high probability that he wasn’t an F-rank.
Then what additional effect would there be besides ‘phone call’?
First of all, it didn’t seem like an ‘effect’ that could be activated through just a phone call. Oh Ji-yoon cut her words short.
When she suddenly went silent, the man struck up a conversation even more amiably.
“[Mm… because I want to gain your favor? Because it seems like you could take me outside.]”
“If you don’t state your purpose within 3 seconds, I’m hanging up.”
Perhaps dragging out time was the purpose. Oh Ji-yoon counted the seconds while remaining vigilant.
One, two….
“[Do you like old men, or young men?]”
“What are you talking about?”
…Three.
What is with this guy? Oh Ji-yoon turned up the volume.
“[My son is handsome, you see. Of course, I’m handsome too. Though I’m a bit old.]”
The man was babbling in a slightly fast tone.
She had an ominous feeling. Oh Ji-yoon glanced into space.
【A-rank Awakened, Gong Seong-hoon is……】
“[So, do you want my son? If you like old men, take me.]”
It was a sign of skill activation.
Oh Ji-yoon, while letting Gong Seong-hoon’s words go in one ear and out the other, signaled the Constellation with her eyes.
Reading her mind, the Constellation perceptively hung up the phone.
However, it was a tiny bit too late.
【A-rank Awakened, Gong Seong-hoon activates Skill, ‘Location Notification (A- Rank)’!】
【Due to the activation of ‘Location Notification (A- Rank)’, your location is exposed to the Floor Master.】
【Floor Master, Baby Child God senses an ominous presence…】
【Floor Master, Baby Child God stares at you!】
Their eyes met.
[The Constellation, ‘Promiscuous Gambler,’ is terrified: ‘Eek, it saw us….’ Gag.]
“It’s okay. I saw it too.”
What. I thought it would do something grand, but it’s no big deal. Oh Ji-yoon scratched her butt.
