Chapter 2. Congratulations on Becoming a Constellation (1)
“Congratulations on becoming a Constellation.”
Countless stars glittered throughout the universe.
Sitting in the middle of that dizzying, pitch-black space, I listened to someone’s voice.
“A Constellation?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You’re saying I became a Constellation?”
“An S-rank Constellation, at that. It seems you accomplished some truly remarkable achievements during your lifetime.”
A Constellation.
Constellations were beings that had appeared after the Grand Realm of Fantasy merged with our world.
The Grand Realm of Fantasy was a world where myths, legends, plays, and novels from every era and culture had existed as actual historical events.
Constellations were the heroes from those stories who had truly existed in that world, then became divine beings after death and obtained transcendent powers.
But...
I had become a Constellation?
Why would someone like me, who struggled helplessly as a Contractor before dying like a dog, become one?
Just before I died, I had heard a strange voice.
I couldn’t remember exactly what it had said, but there had been something about reincarnating as an S-rank Constellation.
Was that actually real?
I placed a hand over the left side of my chest.
My heart wasn’t beating.
It wasn’t simply because I had become a corpse.
There was no organ called a heart inside me in the first place.
My appearance was exactly the same as I remembered, but this was no longer the body of a living creature.
I had become something that transcended such things.
And this space...
The endless universe stretching out before me seemed to be the Grand Realm of Holy Spirits, where Constellations were said to reside.
And then there’s...
I looked at the being who had been standing in front of me and speaking this entire time.
It was a clown with an androgynous appearance, dressed in clothes covered with colorful patterns.
There was no doubt about it.
This was an Apostle, a servant who worked under Constellations.
“Haha, you still seem a little confused.”
The clown smiled as it spoke.
“Great One, you truly have become a Constellation. Your achievements during your lifetime have been recognized, and you have become a guardian who watches over humanity.”
“……”
“From now on, you will observe the human world from this place. And according to your own will, you may intervene and guide humans toward what you believe to be a more desirable path.”
The clown paused and winked at me.
“Of course, most Constellations tend to prioritize their own entertainment instead.”
“Entertainment...”
Constellations were supposedly guardians who watched over humanity.
But in reality, they were closer to spectators watching the human world.
Spectators who also possessed the authority to interfere with what they were watching.
What interested Constellations the most was watching Contractors fight.
Whenever they liked a Contractor’s performance, they would send sponsorships in various forms.
Sometimes, they would even communicate their wishes directly to their Contractors, trying to guide the “story” in whatever direction they wanted.
They were spectators and sponsors.
At the same time...
They were also players in a game.
“Ah, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I am Apostle Arlecchino No. 49, assigned to assist the Great One. Please feel free to simply call me No. 49.”
“Does an Apostle normally come to you when you become a Constellation?”
“Generally speaking, yes.”
The clown...
No, No. 49 smiled and nodded.
“Then, Great One, how do you intend to operate as a Constellation from now on? I shall devote myself completely to assisting you.”
“I don’t know. I still have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”
“Ah, I see. Well, most newly born Constellations are like that. It’s not as though there’s a manual somewhere, nor does some convenient tutorial suddenly begin.”
No. 49 thumped a fist against his chest.
“But there is no need to worry. You have No. 49 by your side, do you not? I shall explain everything carefully, starting from the basics.”
“Really?”
“First of all, do you know how to open your Status Window?”
“I can at least do that much.”
“It works exactly the same way as when you were human. Please give it a try.”
I concentrated and drew a symbol in the air with my left hand.
Immediately, an enormous amount of information appeared before me.
There’s way more information than when I was human!
There was far more information than when I had been active as a Contractor.
On top of that, I couldn’t even understand what most of it meant.
So this was a Constellation’s Status Window.
“At the very top, there should be something called ‘Constellation Name,’ correct?”
“Yeah. Though it says ‘Undecided’...”
“That is because you have yet to choose your name as a Constellation. In any case, please check the category directly beneath it.”
Following No. 49’s instructions, I looked at the entry below my Constellation Name.
“Origin Power?”
“How much do you have?”
“Let me see... 150 million points?”
“One hundred and fifty million points! That is an exceptionally high amount of Origin Power for a starting point. You could easily be considered among the upper ranks.”
No. 49 nodded with an impressed expression.
“You can think of Origin Power as a Constellation’s ‘money.’ Whenever a Constellation takes some kind of action, Origin Power is consumed. For example, sponsoring a Contractor in the human world also requires Origin Power.”
“Then how do I replenish the Origin Power I spend?”
“There are several ways, but generally speaking, you can think of it as something you earn from the human world.”
“For example, if the Contractor I sponsor accomplishes something?”
“Exactly. If that happens, the status and prestige of the Constellation increase, so your Origin Power will increase as well.”
I more or less understood.
“Managing this Origin Power is extremely important. Some Constellations spend it recklessly until they run out completely and become unable to do anything. There are even Constellations who fall into the negatives and have their qualifications as Constellations revoked.”
“That sounds terrifying...”
“But you cannot simply avoid spending Origin Power either. Even an ‘Observation Device’ used to watch the human world requires Origin Power to maintain. Imagine how boring it would be to sit around in an empty space with nothing to do. In the end, you have no choice but to spend it.”
An Observation Device.
So that was how Constellations watched the human world.
“Great One, why don’t we start like this?”
“Like what?”
“I shall set up the basic necessities you require to begin operating as a Constellation. Please leave everything to me.”
No. 49 proudly struck his chest again.
“First, you will need an Observation Device to watch the human world. There is a high-performance model capable of observing several locations simultaneously. You can use that to watch the human world while searching for a suitable Contractor.”
“……”
“Then, once you discover a promising Contractor with great future potential, you provide them with your full support so they can achieve outstanding results. For that purpose, you should prepare in advance so that you can bestow the appropriate Blessings whenever necessary. I can provide you with a package containing only the most effective Blessings.”
A bundle of documents suddenly appeared in No. 49’s hands.
“I shall explain the details while showing you these materials. I will give you my full support so that you can absolutely succeed as a Constellation.”
“……”
“Now then, please take a look at these materials first. Regarding this latest-model Observation Device—”
“Hey. Hold on.”
I interrupted No. 49.
Then I stared straight at him.
“Who the hell are you trying to scam?”
My fist slammed straight into No. 49’s stomach.
No. 49 went tumbling pathetically through the endless darkness.
