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CHAPTER 5: I Became the Successor of a Constellation.
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Chapter 5
-At approximately 3:30 PM today, an unidentified tremor was detected in a Dungeon located in Gangdong-gu, Seoul.
The voice of a news anchor flowed from the small TV in the hospital room. The screen showed the area around the Dungeon entrance where Minho had been just a few hours before.
An official from the Hunter Management Department stated that the collapse is presumed to be due to the deterioration of the Dungeon's internal structure and announced that there were no casualties.
Suyeon, lying in her hospital bed, turned up the volume with the remote.
“The cleanup crew staff and the apprentices from the Iron-Blooded Legion who were working at the site have all been safely evacuated…”
“Huh?”
Suyeon suddenly sat up and looked at Minho. Her large eyes were filled with worry.
“Big brother, isn't that the Dungeon you went to work at today?”
Minho was sitting in a chair beside the bed, peeling an apple. The fruit knife in his hand paused for a moment before moving again.
“Yeah, it is.”
“Are you okay? You weren't hurt?”
Genuine concern was evident in Suyeon’s voice. Minho shrugged and smiled as if to say he was fine.
“It was no big deal. Just a small accident. You just heard the news, right? They said there were no casualties.”
Since their parents passed away, the two of them were the only family each other had. Minho had taken on the role of a parent to Suyeon. He looked after her meticulously, worried she might go down the wrong path.
It used to be different, though. He would sometimes joke around like an older brother and would lean on Suyeon, honestly telling her when he was struggling.
But things changed after Suyeon got sick. He never showed any sign of hardship, always pretending he was fine. That was why Suyeon couldn't feel at ease.
“Really? Come to think of it, today… you seem a little different.”
Minho stopped peeling and looked at Suyeon.
“Different how?”
“Hmm,”
Suyeon tilted her head, studying Minho intently.
“Your expression? Or maybe your aura? You seem more… calm. Less tired than before, I guess?”
‘Calm.’
Minho smiled to himself. It wasn't calmness, but a change. He had unknowingly changed because of what happened in the Dungeon that afternoon. It felt as if a part of a great weight he had been carrying for a long time had been lifted.
“I had a lot of work today. I guess working out consistently is paying off.”
Minho changed the subject, handing a slice of the apple he had peeled to Suyeon.
“More importantly, how are you? When did they say your next check-up is?”
“Tomorrow morning. The doctor said I’ve gotten a lot better.”
Suyeon smiled brightly as she took the apple and ate it. But a hint of doubt still lingered in her eyes as she looked at Minho.
“……The Hunter Management Department has announced that it will conduct a detailed reinvestigation of the Dungeon. Meanwhile, with the recent increase in abnormal phenomena within Dungeons, relevant authorities are being urged to exercise caution.”
Minho’s hand paused once more. A reinvestigation of the Dungeon. What if they found a trace of the Ancient Slime?
‘No. The Dungeon completely collapsed, so there won't be any evidence left.’
But his anxiety didn't completely disappear. Just then, Suyeon spoke again.
“Big brother.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you… hiding something from me?”
His eyes met Suyeon's. It felt like his sister's sharp gaze was piercing right through him. Because they knew each other so well, that very fact could sometimes be a burden.
“Why would you think that?”
“It’s just a feeling. You were always honest with me, big brother, but lately, it feels like there’s something you’re not telling me.”
He hesitated for a moment. Should he tell Suyeon the truth? About the strange things that had happened to him, the Ancient Slime, and the Nameless Constellation.
But he soon shook his head. It wasn't time yet. He couldn't put her in danger.
“It’s nothing. It’s just….”
He began to speak slowly. The day's events were still vivid in his mind. It felt like a dream, but it was still his reality.
“I had a rather special experience today.”
***
It was right after he had come out of the Dungeon.
Swoosh!
As soon as the blue tunnel of light vanished, Minho collapsed to the ground. His whole body was trembling. The extreme fatigue that washed over him as the adrenaline faded. Of course, a sense of accomplishment came with it.
‘I did it. I really did it.’
An F-Rank cleanup crew member had saved an ancient being. It was an absurd thing to have happened, but it was undeniably real.
But what caught his eye first was the system message.
[Warning: The 12 Constellations and their Successors can detect your presence]
[Act as covertly as possible]
[Recommendation: Refrain from sudden displays of ability, limit the use of your summon]
It felt as if the blood froze in his veins.
‘The 12 Constellations….’
The absolute beings who divided the Tower into 12 sectors and ruled over them.
Each Constellation was said to be in charge of different attributes and domains, serving as proctors for all the challengers of the Tower.
This meant he couldn't draw their attention. Not as the Successor of the Nameless Constellation.
‘Wait, then what about the slime?’
He looked around, but the Ancient Slime was already gone. As if it had never been there in the first place.
[Your summon will normally reside in the Successor's soul space and can be called upon only when needed]
‘Soul space….’
It was a concept he still found difficult to grasp, but at least he knew it was safe.
‘I can’t reveal it yet.’
“Minho!”
Just then, he heard Jiyeon’s voice. She was running toward him, her eyes welling up with tears.
“Are you okay? You weren't hurt?”
Jiyeon grabbed Minho's arm and checked his injured palm. Seeing her expression full of worry, he felt a certain warmth.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this.’
The feeling of someone genuinely worrying about him.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
He was pulling his hand away with a smile when it happened.
“Lucky you made it out alive, huh?”
Taehyun approached. The look on his face was one of clear surprise. No, to be precise, it was closer to a look of disappointment.
‘What’s with that expression?’
Minho didn't miss the subtle shift in Taehyun’s face. A nuance that suggested he was quite disappointed that Minho had returned alive.
“What was that sound earlier? What happened inside the Dungeon?”
His voice was laced more with suspicion than curiosity. His eyes said he was certain something special had happened. As if he was wondering if Minho was hiding something.
‘I knew he’d react this way.’
He knew from his experience with Taehyun. In situations like this, what he cared about most was who to blame.
He would need information to come up with an excuse.
‘But I can’t tell him about the slime.’
Minho answered calmly.
“It just seemed like the Dungeon walls collapsed in a chain reaction.”
“We heard a monster’s roar from outside the Dungeon. Are you saying you didn't hear it?”
“I don’t know. I didn't really….”
Taehyun scoffed. His voice was filled with blatant ridicule.
“Don't get cocky, you're just a cleanup crew member. It's obvious you were too scared to see anything before you ran out. I can tell just by looking.”
‘Just a cleanup crew member….’
At that moment, something boiled up inside Minho. In the past, he would have endured such words, but things were different now. He, who had saved the Ancient Slime, had no reason to listen to someone talk down to him like that.
Above all, this was Taehyun, who had been busy shifting blame right up until the moment he abandoned Minho and fled the Dungeon. What right did a guy like that have to say anything now?
“If you're so curious, you can go check for yourself.”
Minho said, gesturing toward the Dungeon entrance. His voice was calm, but it carried a distinctly different weight than before.
“Because I've already done my part.”
Taehyun froze for a second. The composure in Minho’s voice. And the way he was looking at him had completely changed.
‘What is this? This feeling?’
He was clearly the same person, yet it was as if he had become a different being. Minho’s eyes held a new firmness and an unknowable depth that hadn't been there before.
To Taehyun, it came across as a subtle sense of superiority. As if Minho was pitying him?
‘No way. An F-Rank cleanup crew member, looking down on me?’
He shook his head. It didn't make sense. But he couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling.
“Check? What am I supposed to check?”
he asked, slightly flustered. Minho shrugged.
“You think I'm bluffing, don't you? Then you can go inside and see for yourself.”
“…The Dungeon is unstable. We should wait for the official investigation team to arrive.”
Taehyun said, as if making an excuse. But even as he said it, his face burned a little. It felt like he was making excuses in front of the person who had remained alone in the Dungeon.
The fact that others were watching made him feel pathetic.
“Ah, so you can't go in due to safety concerns.”
Minho nodded with a look of understanding. But that expression was just an act of feigned sympathy.
“Well, that can't be helped. If you can't check for yourself like I did, I suppose you have no choice but to be suspicious.”
‘If you can't check for yourself like I did…’
By now, Taehyun’s face was completely red.
The meaning of those words was crystal clear.
It meant, ‘You're too much of a coward to even check, so who are you calling a coward?’
But he had no rebuttal. Minho had been the one left alone in the Dungeon, and he had been the one to run away first.
“Tch, what's there to check? I'm not interested in the cleanup crew's business.”
Taehyun turned away, pretending to be unfazed. But his voice was thick with awkwardness.
Minho watched Taehyun’s retreating back with a satisfied smile.
The others remained quiet, sensing the subtle tension between Taehyun and Minho.
“Good work, everyone. Let's wrap it up here for today and meet again at headquarters tomorrow morning.”
Taehyun hastily made a closing remark and quickly left the scene, as if he didn't want to face Minho any longer. The other guild members also began to disappear one by one.
‘Minho… when did he become so confident?’, Jiyeon thought.
Jiyeon was surprised. It seemed like a good change, and yet, for some reason, a part of her felt uneasy.
“Minho, are you really okay? You seem… suddenly different.”
“How so?”
“It's like you've become much braver. No, maybe more... at ease?”
Jiyeon tilted her head, looking at Minho.
“I’m just tired. Don’t worry.”
Minho gave Jiyeon’s shoulder a light pat and smiled. But inside, a mix of complex emotions was swirling.
The anticipation of his new power, his wariness of the 12 Constellations, and the refreshing relief of releasing his suppressed anger.
On the way back to the cleanup company's vehicle, Minho quietly opened the system window.
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