[The Constellation, 'An Immortal More Human Than Anyone', grows even more suspicious of your knowledge of unknown origin.]
[The Constellation, 'Dog-headed Judge', still asks about your plan.]
Kuuung—
[It is now ‘Night’. The Cyclops releases its hounds to guard its farm.]
[Time remaining until Day: 11:59:58]
As the sound of the Cyclops leaning back against the tree came from the other side, a pale-faced Kim Sia flinched and huddled up.
“Oh my god……”
She seemed quite shocked.
Indeed, it wasn't strange for Kim Sia to be this surprised.
The revelation that the place she had painstakingly sought was inside the monster's maw was a cruel twist of fate, whether in a fairy tale or in reality.
“Still… you did well to come here.”
“…Did well? No... shouldn't we run away right now? Or do you have some kind of plan……”
“It's true that this will be the most dangerous place during the Day when the Cyclops is awake. But for now, during the Night, it will be safe.”
“……”
However, I didn't think of Kim Sia's choice as 'a good choice in the end' for no reason.
Because, at least until the second 'Day' of the Second Gate arrived, this place was the safest space.
“What do you mean……”
Still not understanding my words, she trailed off with a frown.
“Ms. Kim Sia, you read the trial description, right? The Cyclops guards these fruits during the Day, and the hounds guard them at Night.”
I held up one of the black fruits I had picked earlier and placed in the corner, and Kim Sia slowly nodded.
Nod—
“The Cyclops absolutely hates being woken up. Anything that disturbs its sleep, for any reason, will incur its wrath.”
“……”
“…Even if it's one of its own hounds.”
After my brief explanation, Kim Sia let out a gasp of realization, 'Ah-!'
“So... you're saying the hounds won't come near here during the Night?”
“That's right. Probably. Well, unless the Cyclops calls for the hounds itself.”
“…Then your plan, Mr. Seo U-jin, is to spend the night here?”
“For now, yes.”
Seemingly a little relieved by my explanation, Kim Sia slumped to the ground and let out a soft sigh.
Haaa…….
To ease her tension, and as an extension of my seed-planting, I asked a few questions.
“So, you passed without any trouble.”
“Ah, yes. I was lucky. I don't know who it was, but there was someone who hunted an Orc but didn't take the emblem.”
“…Well, whoever it was, they must be a wonderful person. To think of others like that.”
“Ah… I guess so, right? If I knew who it was, I'd thank them later.”
…I tried to praise them since it seemed to be someone I knew very well.
[The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', asks about the whereabouts of your conscience.]
As if to say 'not a chance', the message from Ares popped up.
Shrug—
“Well, anyway. The important thing is that you passed. What about the other person you were with?”
“Ah! Oh Chan-young passed with me… as for that son of a bi— no, that man Choi Kang-hyuk, I don't know. We parted ways then.”
Kim Sia corrected herself, as if the curse had slipped out unconsciously.
First off.
It seemed both of them had successfully made it to the Second Gate.
Well, it wasn't like my intervention was that significant, and they were people who had been quite active in the War against Demons before my Regression, so I wasn't too worried.
“The Exclusive Contract… did you sign it after coming to the Second Gate?”
“Ah, yes… Someone took a liking to me. I was lucky.”
“Hmm… I see.”
If I could, I would have asked which Constellation she had contracted with.
I remembered that in my past life, she had mainly carried out dispatch requests from a single nebula, so I was curious if it was the same Constellation as back then.
However, that wasn't something she could tell me even if I asked.
Exclusive Contracts typically include a non-disclosure clause that keeps the Constellation's name a secret.
...Besides, it wasn't urgent, as I could probably deduce which Constellation she was with by looking at the Trait she received.
“That's impressive. An Exclusive Contract already.”
“Ah, no! I was just… just lucky.”
It seemed saying she was lucky was a habit for her.
I couldn't tell if she was trying to appeal to the virtue of humility or if she genuinely thought that way.
But when it came to facing the War against Demons, that wasn't a very good attitude.
So.
I was about to point that out to her—
“Haven't you heard the saying that luck is also a skill? Instead of just saying you were lucky, you should analyze how that luck came to you……”
“I was lucky… lucky……”
Her condition seemed strange.
“……!!”
“Lucky……”
Her eyes were glazed over and unfocused.
And with those unfocused eyes, she was staring to my right.
To be precise... she was looking at the black fruit I had picked earlier.
Soon, she raised a hand, followed by a low mutter.
“…Hungry.”
At that moment, I was certain.
She had been 'addicted'.
I immediately slapped Kim Sia across the cheek.
Slap—
[The Constellation, 'Dog-headed Judge', widens its eyes at the unexpected rapid development.]
[The Constellation, 'An Immortal More Human Than Anyone', recalls a morning drama they once saw.]
“Hungr... huh?”
Her pupils focused for a moment.
“Snap out of it, Ms. Kim Sia.”
“What? I was… no.”
“…Sorry, but I'm going to have to hit you one more time.”
I tried to swing my hand again at her, who was still dazed and unable to come to her senses, but.
Whoosh—
“Mr. Seo U-jin……! What is the meaning of this all of a sudden—!”
She reacted nimbly and dodged my hand.
“…It's true.”
Seeing that, I was once again certain.
She had been 'addicted'.
Normally, it would have been impossible for her to dodge my attack.
The first time was definitely a light tap, but the second time, I had swung with the intent to hit.
No matter that she was an A-rank Hunter and I was a B-rank Hunter back in the Lower-Dimensional Plane.
+
<Status Window>
■Name: [Seo U-jin]
■Hero Grade: [-]
■Physical Strength: [15.5/Balanced]
■Mana: [9.1/Balanced]
■Innate Ability: [Absolute Embodiment (絶對具現)]
■Trait: [Slaughterer (★☆☆)]
■Skill: [-]
+
Because the Physical Strength and Mana I had raised by hunting Orcs in the First Gate were at an unrivaled level.
Most Plane Transcendents were likely struggling, having not even reached 10, let alone 15.
...Kim Sia would be no different.
And yet, she dodged my attack.
That meant a third factor, one that couldn't be explained simply by the difference in Physical Strength and Mana, was involved.
It was most likely the effect of this 'black fruit' I had placed beside me.
“I'm only going to explain this once, so listen carefully.”
“…What? All of a sudden……”
“You're currently addicted to a narcotic.”
“…What?”
A narcotic.
The reason Argus's herb garden was called the 'Black Manor', and the reason he was able to receive the title of Baron from the Demon King's army.
The true identity of this grape-like black fruit was none other than a narcotic.
“A narcotic, you say……”
“It's not complicated. A moment ago, your mind must have gone blank, and only your appetite surged. Strangely, your five senses would have been awakened, becoming more sensitive.”
“…How did you know……!”
Its official name is the 'Black Olive Fruit', the fruit of a hybrid tree created by Argus through crossbreeding olive trees and various other trees. Its effects were not much different from the archetypal 'narcotics' found in the Lower-Dimensional Planes.
A narcotic that clouds human reason, lowers 'inhibitions', and intensifies one's innate nature, causing thoughts to translate directly into actions without any processing.
It was a type of combat doping agent used to make the already ferocious Magical Beasts of the Demon King's army even more ferocious.
“That's the role of this narcotic. To put it simply, it turns you into an animal faithful to its instincts.”
“……”
“Right now, you're still somewhat sane, so you can regain your reason like this, but soon, it won't matter even if I slap you hundreds of times.”
Kim Sia's mouth fell open.
It seemed she had roughly understood.
But there was still one unsolved puzzle for me.
“Ms. Kim Sia, you've never ingested this directly, have you?”
“What? Ah, yes… I'm sure I've never eaten it directly, but……”
Shrug—
“Well, that's to be expected. If you consume it directly, the absorption rate is much faster, and you enter a full-doping state immediately... If that had happened, you probably would have bitten my hand off while I was sleeping. I was just asking to confirm.”
Normally, in this Second Gate, the symptoms of narcotic addiction begin to appear from the second day.
Of course, all the 'Black Olive Fruits' here were a degraded version from the Upper Plane, and it took about a day for symptoms to appear just from being exposed to the scent.
If not ingested directly, the addiction symptoms begin on the second Day, and reach their peak on the second Night.
That's why those who have experienced the Gateway Zone jokingly refer to the second night of the Second Gate as the 'Night of Frenzy'.
Because it was a raw night where 'reason', the symbol of humanity, completely vanished, and only basic desires like 'the will to survive, appetite, the need for sleep, and libido' remained on the surface.
In any case, that's why the timing of Kim Sia's 'addiction symptoms' was ambiguous.
The level of addiction was too low to have been from direct ingestion, but the onset of symptoms was too early to have been from the scent alone.
Somewhere in that ambiguous middle ground.
I looked at her and asked.
“Ms. Kim Sia, the Trait you received when you signed your Exclusive Contract... is it by any chance 'Reconnaissance Unit'?”
“……!!!”
[The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', is impressed by your deduction and suggests you try guessing the date of the Exclusive Contract as well.]
[The Constellation, 'Dog-headed Judge', is flabbergasted by your deductive skills.]
Through Kim Sia's startled reaction, I could tell my guess was correct.
Guessing her Trait wasn't difficult.
The timing roughly fit when I estimated the average effect of the <Trait: Reconnaissance Unit>, which boosts sensory sensitivity up to five times, to be around two to three times the normal.
‘...Looks like it's the same Constellation as in my past life.’
Because I remembered her having the 'Reconnaissance Unit' Trait in my past life as well.
“So that seems to be the reason. Most likely.”
“Ah……”
There was no need to add any further explanation.
She, the one who used it, would know best about the effect the Reconnaissance Unit Trait had on this.
“……”
A moment of silence passed, and her trembling eyes turned to me.
And from her open mouth, naturally—
“What do I do now……”
—a plea for help came out.
“Hup—.”
Instead of answering her desperate voice, I got up from my spot.
‘The picture is looking even better than I thought.’
And I spoke to the empty air.
“Now, esteemed Constellations. I have something urgent to tell you.”
At that, those noble Constellations flocked like a pack of dogs, sending up their messages.
[The Constellation, 'Dog-headed Judge', boasts about the Exclusive Contract it has already prepared for you.]
[The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', muttering 'About time,' unfolds the Exclusive Contract it had crumpled up.]
[The Constellation, 'Enemy of the Eight Serpents', tells you that the bullets for the Exclusive Contract are fully loaded and…….]
Given how long they'd been waiting, it seemed they were expecting an Exclusive Contract.
But that wasn't what I was going to say.
“Ah, this isn't about an Exclusive Contract. I called you to say I'm opening up the sponsorship function now. But I'll tell you in advance, even if I do sign an Exclusive Contract later, the amount of sponsorship will not be a factor.”
[The Constellation, 'Olympus's Ruffian', muttering 'Should have known,' crumples the Exclusive Contract it had just unfolded.]
[The Constellation, 'Enemy of the Eight Serpents', asks what the sponsorship is for then.]
[The Constellation, 'Dog-headed Judge', tilts its head at your incomprehensible statement.]
“Instead, I'm going to hold an event for a friend in need……”
…I'll say it again, Kim Sia's choice was 'a good choice in the end'.
And I'll say the reason again, too: because this place was the safest space until the second 'Day' of the Second Gate arrived.
And…….
Grin—
“If I can gather 300 coins in sponsorships, this Cyclops here… I'll try hunting it myself.”
…Because the second 'Day', with the Cyclops, will probably never come.