Dinner was to be eaten together by everyone in the hotel room.
Sang-ho shared the news with Chaeyoung and Eun-jae that he had formed a contract with a Constellation.
Of course, when telling this, anything about Jin-woo was deliberately omitted—even if they were family, something more precious than his own life, he couldn’t break the promise he made with Jin-woo.
Chaeyoung, knowing just how serious her husband was about the Night Hunt, rejoiced and congratulated him more than anyone.
Hunters who had contracts with Constellations were rare throughout the world.
The fact that one of them was an ordinary, unawakened person—Sang-ho—felt incredible and brought great happiness.
Eun-jae, though she didn’t understand any of this, was happy simply because her parents were happy.
They all celebrated Sang-ho becoming a Constellation’s contracted Hunter, and Jin-woo was happy as well, for he had gained three more months of life.
When the two happiest families in the world met in that hotel room, there was no way the place wouldn’t be filled with laughter and blooming smiles.
Jin-woo had already butchered the Alpha Red Daeshi beast ahead of time and prepared the food before Eun-jae’s family arrived.
Eun-jae’s family gasped in amazement as soon as they entered the hotel room and saw the feast prepared for them.
“Byul-ah! Uncle is the best!”
“Hehe, my dad is good at cooking.”
Eun-jae and Byul, as always, stuck close together and began chatting.
Jin-woo, Sang-ho, and Chaeyoung talked about Hunter matters among the adults.
Meanwhile, Eun-jae and Byul enjoyed the delicious grilled Red Daegu and the hearty Red Daegu seaweed soup, having their own children’s conversation.
“What kind of Ping do you like?”
“Ping? What’s that?”
“Ah, you don’t know this?”
Byul was unfamiliar with the current popular animation.
Eun-jae took a bite of her food and reconsidered the topic of conversation.
Byul didn’t know about the animation.
And talk about toys had already been exhausted earlier in the afternoon at the daycare.
So, what should they talk about to make this evening more enjoyable… Eun-jae, with her clever mind, thought and thought.
In fact, Eun-jae was so bright that sometimes she found it hard to connect with other kids, but Byul was a friend who could match her level.
So no matter what topic came up, they’d probably get along.
Still, I want to talk about something we both share…
Eun-jae took another bite of the Red Daegu and beamed.
“Byul-ah, this is really good! Don’t you think so?”
“Mhm, Uncle’s cooking is really great, I’m jealous.”
“Hehe, right?”
“My mom’s not very good at cooking…”
“Huh, your aunt?”
When Eun-jae kept the conversation going, Byul answered in short sentences.
Then suddenly—
“Hey, wanna play in the room after we finish eating?”
Byul suggested it first to Eun-jae.
“What do you want to play?”
“Let’s call Baekgu and Sol and play with them.”
Byul whispered into Eun-jae’s ear.
“Really?”
“Mhm, sounds good!”
At last, they found a shared topic that both knew and could enjoy together.
After gobbling up their food, the two hurried to the room and summoned the spirits. When the Water Spirit Baekgu and the Fire Spirit Sol appeared, they burst out laughing with delight.
ㅡ Hello!
ㅡ Ppi-i!
“Hehe, nice to see you guys!”
ㅡ Me too!
ㅡ Ppi-i!
Baekgu and Sol waved energetically. Baekgu, in the form of a puppy, wagged its front paws, while Sol, in the form of a fox, playfully flicked its tail. For children who loved cute things, there was no way they wouldn’t be grinning from ear to ear.
The adorable children smiling at the adorable spirits—
Constellations watching this scene through the broadcast began to leave messages.
(The God of Rain and Sunlight): So cute, so adorable.
(Anonymous 1): Truly adorable!
(The Father of Crops): Byul-ah, want a golden apple?
(The Father of Crops): Eun-jae, eat it together with Sol and Baekgu, okay?
Thank you!
[Common-grade Constellation, The Father of Crops, has sponsored a Golden Apple to ‘Kim Byul’.]
Byul, having received the Golden Apple, naturally took it out from her inventory.
Just as Jin-woo carried a spatial bag, Byul also had her own personal spatial space.
Thanks to this, without Eun-jae noticing, she could pretend she was going to the fridge and then smoothly take out the Golden Apple.
(Anonymous 1): …She just used her spatial magic that smoothly?
Impossible for anyone without considerable talent.
It was only possible because she was a Spirit King—one who could command all four elements.
Baekgu, Sol, and the Constellations instinctively sensed it.
Byul grew stronger with every step, always beyond expectations.
(Anonymous 1): Baekgu and Sol should be on their toes.
(The God of Rain and Sunlight): Indeed…
(The Guardian of Cheongha): If I were Baekgu or Sol, I’d be nervous too.
(The Father of Crops): Why? Why should they be nervous?
(The Unchained Swordsman): Isn’t Byul a Spirit King who can wield all four elements? The stronger and more aware she becomes, the more she’ll try to train Sol and Baekgu.
(Endless Waiting): To follow Byul as she reaches new heights every time, the spirits will have to become even stronger too.
Sensing this instinctively, Baekgu and Sol both trembled.
“Byul-ah, this apple is really delicious!”
“Hehe, right?”
“It’s the best! Really, really delicious!”
“Hehe.”
(The Father of Crops): Haha! Eun-jae has good taste!
(The Last Night Hunt): She’s my disciple’s daughter, after all.
(The Father of Crops): What took you so long to show up?
(The Last Night Hunt): Sang-ho finished dinner, then I stayed to teach him some more. He’s got such a strong desire to learn—it’s truly rewarding to teach him.
(Anonymous 1): If Sang-ho ever betrays Jin-woo, I’ll kill you, Yulian. Got it?
(The Last Night Hunt): Sang-ho would never betray Jin-woo. In fact, he may become Jin-woo’s most reliable companion.
“Hehe, it’s yummy!”
While eating the apple, Byul kept an eye on Baekgu and Sol’s state. Yes, Byul was already figuring out how she could train Baekgu and Sol.
*****
In the universe, there are countless stars and dimensions.
A multiverse.
Those who were in the know already understood. The very existence of Constellations proved that the multiverse was real.
And just as there are countless dimensions, there are all kinds of Constellations. With parallel universes, even Constellations who have lived the exact same life exist.
[Guys, is there any interesting broadcast lately?]
A Constellation bored on their own star left a post on the community. Constellations had two main ways of dealing with boredom.
One was communication through the community called Commuzil.
The other was watching broadcasts. But honestly, aren’t most Constellation broadcasts the same? Sure, some are interesting… but after watching a lot, you get bored.
Day after day, on the same star, solving problems or moving weapons in the same pattern—after ten years of that, anyone would tire of it.
In search of new amusement, a Constellation posted on the community.
Anonymous 1 saw the post.
In truth, even their username in the community was Anonymous 1.
There was only one Anonymous 1 among all the Constellations across the dimensions.
Naturally, they became known as a regular on the community.
(Anonymous 1): Want me to recommend a fun broadcast?
(Original Poster): Go for it. If it’s your recommendation, it’s trustworthy.
(Anonymous 1): I’ll send you a DM.
Anonymous 1 secretly recommended Jin-woo’s broadcast to another Constellation. Honestly, Constellations didn’t usually recommend Jin-woo’s broadcast to others.
They wanted to keep their little Jin-woo all to themselves and liked the “elite few” title among viewers.
Among the elite few Constellation viewers, it was an unspoken rule not to promote Jin-woo’s broadcast excessively. But with The Last Night Hunt Yulian’s contract with Sang-ho, his own visits had become less frequent.
So, to fill the empty spot, Anonymous 1 discreetly advertised the broadcast to another Constellation.
(The Demon Realm Returnee): What kind of broadcast is this?
One of many demon realms.
The 99th Demon Realm.
Its Demon King and the one known as the Demon Realm Returnee—a legendary Constellation—entered Jin-woo’s broadcast.
‘Demon Realm Returnee?’
Jin-woo tilted his head as he saw the new viewer’s nickname.
At this point, it was the day after Sang-ho and Yulian’s contract.
In other words, the second day in Seoul.
He put aside his curiosity about the new Constellation for a moment and moved to the room where Byul was sleeping.
Byul and Eun-jae had played late into the night in the hotel room before falling asleep together. Sang-ho had received Yulian’s instruction until dawn, then slept with Chaeyoung.
So Jin-woo, gazing at Byul, Eun-jae, Sol, and Baekgu sleeping in the same room, smiled softly.
The two girls were so much like sisters—just watching them play together warmed his heart.
Jin-woo mused to himself.
I really have gotten deeply entangled with Eun-jae’s family.
He figured he would be seeing even more of Sang-ho from now on.
Today, for some reason, he woke up early and started his broadcast right away.
And a new Constellation appeared, with the name Demon Realm Returnee.
Was he sent somewhere from the demon realm? Sometimes, while reading web novels, you see that sort of thing. A Demon King summoned to Earth, then returning to the demon realm.
(The Demon Realm Returnee): …Is this Earth? Everyone seems human?
(Anonymous 1): How did you know it’s Earth? You’re right.
(The God of Rain and Sunlight): It’s a newbie! You came to fill Yulian’s empty spot, huh?
(The Father of Crops): Hehehe.
As soon as the new viewer entered, the Constellations’ eyes lit up.
They began explaining my broadcast. The Demon Realm Returnee listened curiously to their stories about me.
(The Demon Realm Returnee): Mind if I sum it up?
(Anonymous 1): As someone who’s watched Jin-woo’s broadcast since the beginning, you have my permission.
(The Demon Realm Returnee): Kim Jin-woo, born into an unfortunate family, abandoned by his parents, became a Hunter to pay off his debts. After paying them all off, he developed mana addiction, and awakened as a Constellations’ Streamer. That right?
(Anonymous 1): Mhm, that’s right. And he’s grown with the protection of skilled and exceptional Constellations.
(The Demon Realm Returnee): Fascinating. So what year is it on Earth now? I’ve always wondered about that… for 120 years. I spent 100 years in the demon realm and have been a Constellation for 20 years, so… has 120 years passed on Earth? Or just 100? …But it really feels like the same Earth I remember.
Wait a minute.
“What did you just say?”
(Anonymous 1): Huh? You were from Earth?
(The Demon Realm Returnee): I’m Kang Min-seok, Rank 5 Hunter as of 2020. That’s me.
“Eek—”
Kang Min-seok.
Once ranked No. 1 Hunter in Korea among the Rank 5s.
A Hunter who manipulated gravity with magic, ranking in the world’s top 5. Five years ago, he suddenly vanished. To this day, it’s an unsolved case—the moment he entered a dungeon, he disappeared as if by magic. Not even a body was found.
“That Hunter… was summoned to the demon realm?”
(The Demon Realm Returnee): I became the Demon King there, and when I finally returned to Earth… suddenly, I became a Constellation. So I don’t know what year it is now.