Chapter 401

‘!’

Choi Yeonseung was puzzled for a moment. Even if the constellations praised him, this increase in his power of existence was just absurd.

-Some of the constellations must’ve sent their faith to you, Successor.

Focus!

-

Does this make sense?

-

It’s rare, indeed.

Perhaps they sent it without realizing.

In any case, stay focused!

Just as the goddess of sloth said, it was very rare for the arrogant constellations to send faith to others. However, that wasn’t complete, genuine faith. It was a kind of shallow faith sent without thinking, but the amount of power of existence it produced was still significant.

If they had known that Choi Yeonseung was a constellation, they would’ve been more vigilant and not blindly sent their faith to him.

‘It’s worth pretending to be a mortal.’

You represent your master in an honorable way.

I apologize for the contempt I showed just because you are from a human background.

You are a mortal, but your name deserves to remain in the Abyss.

“...”

Choi Yeonseung’s conscience was slightly pricked by the words of praise.

The chef constellation managed to slightly move Choi Yeonseung with his genuine admiration.

[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ says humans are like this and encourages you not to worry about it!]

‘Thank you, cat constellation.’

Choi Yeonseung accepted the advice of the cat constellation and moved forward. He had sworn to use any means necessary to achieve his goal, so nothing would change!

Rather, I will capture you precisely because of your honorable strength. I need mortals like you to exact my revenge. Yes... Real fighters like you, not those fools whom I caught earlier that have nothing to show for their arrogance!

Choi Yeonseung’s confident demeanor seemed to fire up the chef constellation, given that he declared that he would definitely capture Choi Yeonseung.

At that moment, Choi Yeonseung shouted, “Kalasnegen, now!”

!

The chef constellation was caught off guard by Choi Yeonseung’s shout, and he realized that he had been too careless. This mortal had been so impressive thus far that he had forgotten about the other mortal.

Even though this naga was a mortal, he was the leading household member of the Snake of Alcohol and Dancing and could wield his master’s power.

If he kept disregarding him, the chef constellation could get seriously injured.

Huh?

“???”

The chef constellation turned to Kalasnegen. However, the naga didn’t move at all and was looking at Choi Yeonseung with a puzzled expression.

The chef constellation paused, unable to understand the situation for a moment.

What was going on?

Perhaps...

Bam!

The chef constellation was hit by a devastating Origin of the Celestial Fist.

Choi Yeonseung had flown forward with the concentrated fist energy and reappeared in front of the constellation.

It was a simple punch without any variations, but it was nonetheless imbued with Choi Yeonseung’s countless hours of intense training!

[The ‘Monk Pursuing Glory’ is confused and wondering if this is possible!]

[The ‘Rider of Thirst and Famine’ asks ‘what do you even know?’ He tells the ‘Monk Pursuing Glory’ to be quiet!]

The attack itself had been beautifully choreographed, but the constellations considered it ruthless and were baffled.

After proudly allowing the chef constellation to retreat, Choi Yeonseung had suddenly launched a surprise attack... Of course, the chef constellation had refused to retread, which meant that Choi Yeonseung was justified to attack, but still...

Thud.

Just then, a gourd bottle bounced out of the chef constellation’s sleeve with a loud thud. Choi Yeonseung instinctively grabbed the gourd, and he was surprised to see a familiar face inside of it.

-Choi Yeonseung!

You came to save me!

It was Golodat, the werewolf. He was trapped inside the gourd and was trying to force his way out. But no matter how much he clawed at the gourd, it wouldn’t break. Since the gourd had been sealed with the power of a constellation, no mortal could manage to break it.

You are cheating.

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t the time to be picky about means and methods.”

That is true.

Mortals can’t use fair ways to deal with constellations.

If anything, your strategy is actually very good.

‘...His politeness is starting to bother me.’

Choi Yeonseung would’ve preferred to face a nasty and arrogant opponent. He could easily go all-out against such a constellation and enjoy himself as he beat them up...

-

Don’t fall for your opponent’s words!

You can take this mortal as a reward for your successful attack.

I don’t want him anyway.

-

How dare you?!

You imprisoned me with cowardly tactics!

Let me go!

Let’s fight fair and square!

Golodat was seething inside the gourd, but the chef constellation couldn’t care less about him.

I shall leave now.

The next time we meet, it won’t end so easily.

‘I’ve discouraged him!’

Choi Yeonseung realized that his previous attack had dissuaded the chef constellation from continuing the fight. Indeed, he had dealt him quite a heavy blow.

In this situation, there would no longer be any benefit for the chef constellation if he prolonged this fight. All the other constellations had their eyes on him, so if he got injured, all of them would pounce on him.

[The ‘Rider of Thirst and Famine’ warns the chef constellation that if he thinks this is the end of it, he had better give up.]

[Many constellation will aim for the realm of the ‘Chef of Endless Gluttony.’]

The watching constellations growled a warning at the chef constellation, but he pretended not to hear them.

The more humiliating it was, the angrier the constellations became.

[The ‘Rider of Thirst and Famine’ gifts you power.]

[He orders you to burn down the realm of the ‘Chef of Endless Gluttony’.]

Of course, Choi Yeonseung also ignored the rider constellation. Even though he gave him a gift, Choi Yeonseung had no reason to listen to the rider constellation.

[The ‘Rider of Thirst and Famine’ is confused about why his household members are there.]

“...”

Choi Yeonseung once again pretended not to hear.

***

-

I can never forgive him!

Following the stormy fight, Choi Yeonseung was checking the rewards he had received from the various constellations when he suddenly heard Golodat shouting.

-Choi Yeonseung!

Let me go!

I’m going to run to his territory right now!

“...How do I release you?”

-Ack!

Don’t shake me!

Golodat groaned when Choi Yeonseung wiggled the gourd. This sensation of dizziness wasn’t ordinary.

[The ‘Endless Gourmet Seeker’ says he would be grateful if you could hand over Golodat.]

“Here.”

Choi Yeonseung would gain nothing from carrying Golodat in a gourd, so he decided to do the gourmet constellation a favor.

The constellation used his power of existence when he received Golodat, causing the gourd to break and releasing the werewolf.

“Ugh... So humiliating...”

-

Werewolves are a bit impatient and frivolous.

Illingars whispered so that only Choi Yeonseung could hear it, and he nodded in agreement.

The naga was about to praise Choi Yeonseung when he suddenly got curious and asked, “Are you going to target the realm of the chef constellation?”

“Let’s see... I don’t know. What do you think?”

“Hmm... I think there are two possibilities. It’s possible that the chef constellation is completely fine, but there’s also a possibility that your attack injured him. I’d be really surprised if he was fine after taking such a blow.”

‘He’s sharp.’

Choi Yeonseung was genuinely impressed by Kalasnegen’s analytical skills.

As a constellation, he could always assess someone else’s condition, but Kalasnegen managed to do that as a mortal.

“If he’s hurt, he won’t be able to leave the realm so easily. Moreover, given how many he’s captured, the constellations won’t just stay still.”

Choi Yeonseung agreed. “Indeed. The household members of the other constellations will come forward once again. You want to use them as arrowheads?”

“Uh... I didn’t mean it to that extent.”

Kalasnegen couldn’t help looking around. He had the same idea, but he thought he couldn’t just say it out loud...

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

***

Han Hyeokrim, one of the executives of Hanseong Group and one of the chairman’s immediate descendants, was in a sour mood.

The recent news wasn’t very good.

“Hanseong Bio’s earnings have jumped significantly?”

“Yes...”

The secretary looked at Han Hyeokrim, whose expression was very distorted.

Han Hyeokrim threw a stack of papers on the ground and cursed, “Damn it! Her luck is just infuriating! Tell me. How can a doomed company rebound so well?”

“...”

There was no way the secretary could say anything. They also found it absurd.

Hanseong Group, one of South Korea’s leading companies, had all types of affiliate companies thanks to its octopus-like expansion. It had acquired various companies, but some of them didn’t yield any results, Hanseong Bio being among them.

They had acquired this company with high expectations, but once they opened the lid, they realized that the company only looked good on the surface.

Researchers kept leaving, and the seeds and samples they had acquired were inferior to other companies... They tried to be competitive but failed miserably.

This company was considered one of the exile places within the group.

However, Han Hyeokrim’s famous niece, Han Seha, had recently taken charge of Hanseong Bio. Even though she was an A-grade hunter, there were many rumors about the unexpected arrangement, but Han Hyeokrim could see clearly what was going on.

It was clear that the chairman, who cared about Han Seha, had a hand in it.

If Han Seha was parachuted into a well-run company, the backlash would be tremendous. It was clear that the chairman had appointed her to a dying company as a last resort. After she properly settled in her new position, she would add a few extra lines of experience on her business card only to use it as a stepping stone to work for a better company.

It was a common method for placing the third generation of conglomerates in key positions within the group.

After all, wasn’t it a good strategy? At least it was if there was no interference...

-

This worked out well!

Han Hyeokrim was rather happy when he heard that Han Seha was put in charge of Hanseong Bio. He didn’t even have to do anything as the company was doing badly enough to hold Han Seha back. Thus, he recruited several newspaper outlets and prepared to attack.

If he saw an opportunity, he would pounce on her.

Some executives dismissed Han Seha as a fool, but Han Hyeokrim was different. First of all, the chairman himself cared deeply about Han Seha, and the title of an A-grade hunter was more dangerous than people thought.

At the end of the day, people treated hunters as stars, their popularity soaring after a few raids.

If there was an emergency and Han Seha played an active role in averting it, the chairman could use it as an excuse to boost her to a higher position. If that happened, Han Hyeokrim would be completely powerless against her.

He couldn’t just stand by and watch that happen. He would make sure that his niece couldn’t set foot in a management position within the group, no matter how well she performed.

...However, Hanseong Bio had suddenly skyrocketed after Han Seha had taken charge.

The company had secured a number of rare seeds from overseas and proceeded to artificially cultivate them. These seeds seemed to be high-quality and several pharmaceutical companies were already lining up.

Rumors spread outside the company. Suddenly, investors flocked to the company and the stock price soared.

At this rate, it was inevitable that the executives would talk about the unexpected revival of Hanseong Bio.

Already within the group, people were saying things like “Are A-grade hunters really so different?” and “Even if she seems crazy, she’s the chairman’s granddaughter after all, so it makes sense that she’s capable.”

Han Hyeokrim gritted his teeth and lit a cigarette. He thought for a long time as he was smoking. Eventually, he reluctantly said, “Call my niece... Tell her I have something to discuss with her.”

“Understood.”

It was a tough pill to swallow, but it couldn’t be helped. Han Hyeokrim was going to talk to Han Seha in person.

The good news was that Han Seha wasn’t very good at managing a company, so he was going to coax her into taking another position.

Hanseong Bio was currently soaring, but that didn’t mean that its reputation had been completely redeemed. Han Seha was likely to accept any position at a company with a better image.

Han Hyeokrim felt sick to his stomach, but...

‘It’s better than to let her thrive at Hanseong Bio. I have to cut it off first.’

“Excuse me, Director.”

“?”

“She said she is too busy to come.”

“...Come again? Are you joking right now?”

“I’m sorry, that’s what she said!”

Han Hyeokrim was seething, but that wouldn’t stop Han Seha from not coming.