Chapter 15

Chapter 15. S-Rank Enhancement Engraving (2)

I fell into thought as I looked through the Observation Device.

Jason, huh.

Jason.

He was one of the heroes who appeared in Greek mythology, the man who organized the Argonauts for the expedition aboard the Argo.

The exact members differed depending on the record, but great heroes such as Heracles, Theseus, and Orpheus had taken part in the expedition.

The fact that Jason had recruited heroes like them and led the entire team was enough to show that he possessed incredible charisma and leadership skills.

However, there were very few scenes in the myths where Jason himself displayed outstanding bravery or strategy.

That was probably why he was only a B-Rank Constellation, one rank below Bellerophon, who had been an A-Rank Constellation.

I've heard rumors about this guy before.

Although he was only a B-Rank Constellation and wasn't an especially famous hero, veteran Contractors occasionally talked about him.

Whenever Jason found a promising Contractor, he would bombard them with messages telling them to cancel their current contract and sign with him instead.

Even so, his reputation wasn't particularly bad.

That was because the Contractors who had actually signed with Jason generally had decent things to say about him.

Apparently, he didn't possess anything especially extraordinary, but he gave out Blessings when necessary and provided good Enhancement Engravings as well.

Because of that, Contractors who were dissatisfied with their existing Constellations would sometimes accept Jason's offer and switch to him.

According to the rumors, nearly a hundred Contractors in Korea alone had contracts with Jason.

On a worldwide scale, the number would probably be much higher.

There was even a rumor that someone contracted with an A-Rank Constellation broke their contract and switched to this guy. Back then, I thought it was nonsense, but...

Thinking about it now, that was probably Jason's Constellation Skill.

A skill that allowed him to ignore certain restrictions and bring someone under his command...

Could it be a Constellation Skill based on the legend of Jason gathering numerous heroes into his team?

And right now, Jason has appeared directly in front of Kang Yujin. He left the Grand Realm of Holy Spirits and took human form.

I also possessed an EX-Rank Constellation Skill called [Incarnation Descent].

But even the King of Vengeance had been shocked when he saw that rare skill.

Would it really make sense for me to meet another Constellation with the exact same [Incarnation Descent] so soon?

Jason wasn't even S-Rank.

He was only a B-Rank Constellation.

Something doesn't add up. There shouldn't even be a legend related to Jason that would give him a skill like that.

Then how had Jason descended into the human world?

Let's think about it. What kind of ability would make sense?

Perhaps...

A Constellation Skill that allowed him to personally visit the human world only when his purpose was to recruit a Contractor?

If there was a restriction like that, it wouldn't seem strange.

It would also suit Jason perfectly, considering his talent for recruiting heroes.

If my guess is right, Jason is actually a pretty impressive Constellation.

You could say Jason specialized entirely in recruiting Contractors.

Even if someone was already contracted with another Constellation, he could force that contract to be canceled.

And if there was a Contractor he desperately wanted, he could personally descend and persuade them.

After aggressively recruiting large numbers of Contractors like that, he would provide them with standardized services and earn a stable supply of Origin Power.

That seemed to be his entire system.

He's basically running a franchise.

Back when I was a Contractor, I'd only heard rumors about him and thought he was simply a strange Constellation.

But now that I'd become a Constellation myself, I could understand just how skilled Jason actually was.

I guess when your point of view changes, you start noticing different things.

If I'd understood something like this back when I was still a human Contractor, would anything have been different?

I felt slightly bitter.

Anyway...

There was no way Kang Yujin would fall for Jason's persuasion.

Seok Taejun would probably be fine as well.

I might as well watch and see how this plays out.

I relaxed against my chair and watched the screen of the Observation Device.

"Get lost."

Jason's expression froze after hearing those two words.

"Huh? Maybe I heard you wrong. What did you just say?"

"I said get lost."

"Haha..."

Jason laughed in disbelief.

"K-Kang Yujin! What are you doing?!"

"You have to be clear with guys like this."

"He's a Constellation! What kind of Contractor tells a Constellation to get lost?!"

"He's not my Constellation, so who cares?"

"Oh, seriously!"

Seok Taejun desperately tried to stop him from the side, but Kang Yujin simply let everything he said go in one ear and out the other.

"You've sent me hundreds of messages, haven't you? You must've seen me getting annoyed and ignoring every single one. So why are you still being so persistent?"

"It seems you've misunderstood something..."

"I'm not misunderstanding anything. You're the one acting wrong. Why do you keep bothering someone who's clearly not interested?"

"Haha... Good grief."

Jason shook his head.

Seeing this, Seok Taejun grabbed the edge of Kang Yujin's clothes.

"K-Kang Yujin, please stop. If you put it like that, you're making him sound like some creepy guy who keeps chasing after a woman even after she rejects him."

"..."

Seok Taejun had probably said that because he wanted to stop the situation from getting worse.

Instead, Jason's face stiffened even more.

"Anyway, I'm not interested. So hurry up and leave."

"You're the first person since Corinth to show this Jason such an attitude."

"I don't even know who Jason is, so I don't care."

"K-Keugh..."

Jason trembled in humiliation.

However, he quickly regained control over his expression.

"Haha. What a bold fellow. Now I like you even more."

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and leave before you regret it."

"Fine. Then how about this?"

Jason forced a smile onto his face.

"You seem quite confident in yourself. How about having a match against me?"

"A match?"

"Let's fight. If you win, I'll back off cleanly. But if I win, you'll sign a contract with me."

"Sounds fine."

"W-Wait a second!"

Seok Taejun hurriedly interrupted.

"Since when does a Constellation fight a Contractor?! Lord Constellation, this doesn't make any sense!"

"Why not? He seems willing to do it."

"Kang Yujin! I know you're strong, but fighting a Constellation is ridiculous! He's a hero from mythology!"

"We won't know until I try."

"But still!"

Seok Taejun struck his chest in frustration.

"It's unfair from the beginning! Even if Kang Yujin wins, he doesn't gain anything!"

"Hey, hey. Stop interfering. Let the person involved decide for himself."

Jason interrupted Seok Taejun with a smile.

"Now then, shall we begin?"

"The train should be leaving soon, so let's finish quickly."

Kang Yujin stared calmly at Jason.

Jason stood there with his arms crossed and a relaxed smile on his face.

"You attack first."

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, I'm still a Constellation. I wouldn't launch the first attack against a human."

Jason shrugged.

"I'll take your first attack without defending myself. Let's see what you can do."

"Fine by me."

Kang Yujin wasn't the type to refuse an opportunity like this.

He placed one foot forward, took a stance, and steadied his breathing.

"I'll finish this in one hit."

"Hmm?"

There wasn't even a shout.

Kang Yujin kicked off the ground and rushed forward.

He twisted his body, putting all of his momentum into his fist—

And drove it straight into Jason's face.

That single punch sent Jason flying through the air.

Seok Taejun couldn't believe his eyes.

"K-Kang Yujin... What did you just do?"

"I hit him once."

"N-No, I mean..."

Seok Taejun looked again at what had just happened.

Jason, a Constellation, had fought Kang Yujin, a human...

And a single punch from Kang Yujin had sent Jason flying and knocked him down.

"No, wait! Kang Yujin, isn't something wrong here? You weren't this strong before!"

"It's probably because of the S-Rank Strength Enhancement Engraving."

"No, even then..."

Seok Taejun suddenly closed his mouth.

Even without any enhancement, Kang Yujin had already displayed physical abilities far beyond other Contractors.

If an S-Rank Enhancement multiplied those already ridiculous physical abilities several times over...

Maybe this amount of power really was possible.

"Y-You... What the hell are you...?"

Jason, who had been smashed into the road, raised his head while trembling.

"W-What kind of human has that much strength?! What are you, Heracles?!"

"Looks like you're still fine."

Kang Yujin walked toward the fallen Jason and swung another fist.

"KUWEK!"

A horrible scream rang out.

Even so, Kang Yujin raised his fist again.

"I surrender! I surrender...!"

"You should've done that sooner."

Kang Yujin dusted off his hands and stepped back.

"You were the one who asked for a fight, so don't blame me."

"U-Ugh...!"

"No answer?"

"F-Fine! I get it!"

Jason staggered back to his feet.

Contrary to how it looked, he didn't seem badly injured.

Was it because he was a Constellation?

"This ends things between us. Don't bother me again. You promised."

"I said I understand!"

"And if you hold a grudge over this and try anything later..."

Kang Yujin approached Jason, brought his face close, and spoke in a low voice.

"Then I really won't let you off."

"I-I already said I understand!"

Jason nodded with genuine fear on his face.

"Wow..."

I let out a sound of admiration while watching the Observation Device.

Kang Yujin... This guy really goes beyond anything I can imagine.

Ever since he received the S-Rank Strength Enhancement Engraving, I'd expected Kang Yujin to become much stronger.

But I'd never imagined that he would actually beat down a Constellation like Jason.

That power really was beyond common sense.

Did I underestimate the effects of an S-Rank Enhancement Engraving? Well, I've never personally used one before.

The effect of an Enhancement Engraving wasn't additive.

It was multiplicative.

Suppose you had one Contractor with weak strength and another Contractor who was naturally very strong.

If both received the same S-Rank Strength Enhancement Engraving, the stronger Contractor would gain a much greater bonus.

Even before this, Kang Yujin had already displayed unbelievable power.

Now that he'd received an S-Rank Strength Enhancement Engraving on top of that, his strength had truly gone beyond normal standards.

Enough to beat down a Constellation like Jason.

Of course, this was only possible because Jason isn't a Constellation specialized in combat...

From what I'd seen, Jason's combat ability was far below Bellerophon's.

Jason hadn't originally been a hero famous for his martial ability, either.

His basic combat-related abilities as a Constellation were probably low.

If Kang Yujin fought another Constellation, there was a high chance Kang Yujin would lose.

But if Kang Yujin becomes even stronger than he is now... who knows what might happen.

What if Kang Yujin received an S-Rank Stamina Enhancement and an S-Rank Agility Enhancement as well?

On top of that, Kang Yujin currently knew nothing but instinctive street fighting.

What would happen if he properly learned combat techniques and gained real experience?

I couldn't even imagine how strong he might become.

Maybe he really will be capable of doing something incredible.

While I was thinking that, I suddenly heard a voice.

"Lord Nameless!"

Arlecchino No. 49 appeared out of thin air.

"Lord Nameless, did you just see that?! Kang Yujin fought the Leader of the Expedition!"

"Yeah. I was watching."

"Wasn't that incredible?! Ah, seriously! It happened so suddenly that I'm going to regret not livestreaming it for the rest of my life!"

No. 49's voice was filled with excitement.

"I did start recording right away, though. Lord Nameless, can I edit this and upload it to Constellation Tube?"

"Constellation Tube? What's that?"

"It's where you watch recorded videos instead of livestreams. You can access it through your Observation Device."

"I don't think mine has that function."

"Ah, right. You have Mercury No. 1..."

When I'd first bought an Observation Device from No. 49, I'd chosen the cheapest model with the lowest specifications.

"Seriously! That's why I told you to buy a good Observation Device from the beginning! What kind of Constellation uses an Observation Device that can't even access Constellation Tube these days?!"

"What's good about uploading it to Constellation Tube?"

"Constellations who missed the livestream can watch it too. If word spreads, a lot more Constellations might see it. Though you probably won't receive that many donations. Since it isn't live, giving money doesn't really feel like you're cheering someone on in real time."

"Who gets the donations? Does Kang Yujin get those too?"

"On Constellation Tube, the person who uploads the video gets them. Only Constellations can upload videos, so we'll have to post it under your name, Lord Nameless. Of course, I'll handle everything for you."

"And you'll take your commission?"

"Hahaha. You already know me so well."

I smacked No. 49 on the head.

"Why did you hit me?!"

"Because you're annoying."

"Isn't that a little too much?!"

"It's your fault for trying to scam me when we first met. Anyway, if that's how it works, upload it however you want."

"Sigh... Fine."

No. 49 answered with a helpless expression.

"Leave it to me. I'll edit it properly and upload it. This is definitely going to blow up."

"Yeah, yeah."

"I'm thinking of using this title. It'll be fine, right?"

No. 49 snapped his fingers.

A message appeared in the air.

[SHOCKING! A CONTRACTOR WHO BEATS UP A CONSTELLATION?!]

I fell silent for a moment.

With a title like that, it would definitely be easy to attract attention...

"Won't the Leader of the Expedition hold a grudge and try to get revenge if we upload something like this?"

"Come on. If he takes revenge over something this small, it'd be way too embarrassing. Right now he'll just become a laughingstock for a while. But if he actually holds a grudge and tries to take revenge, then the other Constellations would really beat him up."

"Really?"

"Besides, the Leader of the Expedition is already used to getting pushed around here and there. Something like this won't bother him. No matter what happens, he's the type to keep his head held high and walk around like nothing happened."

"..."

Should I call him shameless?

Or should I say he had a big heart?

Either way, Jason didn't seem like an ordinary person.

I'd like to talk to him sometime.

The fact that he specialized in recruiting talented people was interesting as well.

He could definitely be useful to me.

"Ah, Kang Yujin and Seok Taejun just arrived at the train station."

No. 49 said this while looking through the Observation Device.

"Haha! They're running like crazy."

"They're probably barely going to make the train."

As we talked, we watched Kang Yujin and Seok Taejun desperately sprint toward the train.

"...?"

But I quickly noticed something strange.

"What's that?"

Something was wrong.

"Where is it? Which way are we supposed to go?"

"W-Wait! Ah, over there! I think it's that train!"

"That one? We just get on the one standing there?"

"Yes! There was only one train leaving at this time! Hurry!!"

Because of everything that had happened with Jason, they'd almost missed the train.

After barely managing to board, Kang Yujin and Seok Taejun both let out relieved sighs.

"Thought we weren't going to make it."

"This is the last train today. If we missed it, we'd have to wait until tomorrow."

While they spoke, the train began moving.

If they rode this train for another three or four hours, they would reach the metropolitan area.

"Let's sit down first."

Seok Taejun led the way farther inside.

"There aren't many people today."

"It's not that there aren't many. There's literally nobody here."

The passenger car was completely empty.

"By the way, Kang Yujin."

After casually taking a seat and placing the Chimera on another seat, Seok Taejun spoke again.

"About your fight with Jason earlier... What were you planning to do if you lost?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you lost, you would've been forced to sign a contract with Jason. Then wouldn't that mean you'd have to... say goodbye to the Constellation you're currently contracted with?"

Seok Taejun's voice was slightly cautious.

"Of course, you fought because you were confident, but did you seriously never think there was a chance you could lose?"

"Of course I thought about it."

"Then why..."

"You said a higher-ranked Constellation can break a contract made with a lower-ranked Constellation, right?"

"Yes?"

"Let's say I lost to Jason and ended up signing a contract with him. But our 'Nameless One' is an S-Rank Constellation, while Jason is only B-Rank. So our Nameless One could just cancel Jason's contract, right?"

"Ah..."

"I had nothing to lose."

Seok Taejun's eyes widened.

"Y-You planned that from the beginning?! You fought him thinking that even if you lost, you'd just stab Jason in the back afterward? Doesn't that seem a little unfair?"

"What are you talking about? You were the one saying the fight was unfair earlier."

"What?"

"There was absolutely nothing for me to gain even if I won."

Just as Seok Taejun had said earlier, Kang Yujin gained nothing by winning that fight.

Jason had been the one who proposed such an unfair match.

So Kang Yujin simply planned to respond in an equally unfair way.

"Um, Kang Yujin."

"What?"

"What if the Nameless One gets angry that you temporarily signed with another Constellation... and refuses to contract with you again?"

"..."

Kang Yujin fell silent and thought about it.

"Wait."

"You didn't think of that possibility?"

"No, I mean..."

Sweat began dripping from Kang Yujin's face as he tried to come up with an answer.

At that exact moment—

The inside of the train suddenly became completely dark.

"What?"

"A blackout? Why did everything suddenly turn off?"

Seok Taejun stood up and looked around.

"Almost all the lights went out except for a few."

"Seok Taejun."

Kang Yujin frowned as he stared out the window.

"Wasn't it around six o'clock? Why is it this dark just because the lights went out?"

"What?"

"I don't think this is normal darkness."

They couldn't see anything outside.

Not even a single streetlight.

There was only pitch-black darkness.

"Something is covering the outside of the train."

"Don't tell me..."

They hurriedly tried to leave the passenger car.

But the door wouldn't open.

"Seok Taejun. Did we get on the right train?"

"What?"

"We didn't properly check it. We just got on the first train we saw. Are you sure this is the train we were supposed to take?"

"But there was only one train scheduled to leave at this time..."

Seok Taejun's face stiffened.

Thinking about it now, the Chimera had also been growling quietly the entire time, as if something had been bothering it.

"There isn't a single passenger besides us, and this..."

"Then..."

At that exact moment—

A message appeared in the air.

[Event: Night of the Ghost Train]

• Overview: A train that does not exist on any timetable enters the platform. You must never carelessly board that train. That is because the train is heading somewhere beyond this world. The moment you step aboard a train meant only for the dead, the only fate awaiting you is death.

• Completion Condition: Unknown.

• Completion Reward: Unknown.

Countless Ghost-Type monsters began pouring out.

"Lord Nameless! This is bad!"

No. 49 shouted while looking through the Observation Device beside me.

"A Ghost Train...! How did they get caught in that Event?! Do you have any idea how many Contractors have boarded a Ghost Train and never returned?!"

"Stop making such a fuss."

I spoke while staring at the screen.

The situation on the screen certainly looked hopeless.

No matter how powerful Kang Yujin was in physical combat, he was helpless against Ghost-Type monsters.

There was no way punching a ghost would work.

But—

"There's nothing to worry about."

For me, this wasn't a problem at all.