CH 1

“Hyung saved me, you know?”

“That’s too much of an exaggeration.”

I shook my head, but Baek Tae-beom’s hot gaze still did not slacken. Instead, he grabbed my hand and held it so tightly that I couldn’t escape.

I frowned at the tingling sensation, but Baek Tae-beom ignored it and continued to lower his head, bringing his face closer. His eyes, which turned gold as soon as he awakened, captivated me. Thinking that our noses would soon touch, I hurriedly turned my head.

The man in front of me is Baek Tae-beom, a character from a novel I read called <The Fall of Another World>.

“I’m not exaggerating. Without Hyung, I would have really died.”

No, you wouldn’t have died even if I wasn’t there. To me, who knew the ending of <The Fall of Another World>, his words sounded as if his head was stuck chasing the clouds.

TL/N: (no idea what it means so I made it cool-sounding) (probably something like, he was impractical and wanted to push forward his opinion (whether or not it was true)) 

Because Baek Tae-beom is the worst villain who survived the novel from start to finish, just to destroy the world and kill the protagonist.

“So, Hyung. You can’t go anywhere else, okay?”

And I am the only sponsor of Baek Tae-beom…

[Your contractor is showing excessive affection.]

A constellation.

* * *

I felt uncomfortable as I was waiting for the elevator for a part-time job interview.

I looked at the others, wondering if there was an earthquake as I felt subtle vibrations at my feet, but they all seemed unaware. I thought that I was the only one who felt it, so I just turned my head back. A man who wasn’t there before appeared beside me, waiting for the elevator to arrive just as I was. 

With his bleached hair, wide shoulders, smooth jawline, and high nose bridge, I could tell that he was an overly handsome man, but somehow it felt strange. It’s because I felt a sensation that he was not unfamiliar to me.

But I have never been involved with such a handsome man in my life, so I must have just been mistaken. I shook my head lightly to get rid of the intrusive thoughts and went into the elevator that had just arrived. There were a total of 5 people inside. Including me, the man, an old man, and two people that seemed to be father and daughter, quickly filled the small space.

And the catastrophe happens only seconds later.

Rumble!

“What?!”

At that moment, the man holding the little hand of his young daughter shouted in a panicked voice.

[System synchronization is activated. You may feel nauseous for a bit, so please understand. Here we go. ……Synchronization completed. System #381jh051 has been expanded.]

Dizziness swept through my entire body. With a throbbing headache, a cheerful voice echoed inside my head.

[The dungeon is now open. Please pay attention to your safety. …Portal completed!]

[Dungeon <Little Purgatory>]

[Within the time limit, defeat the demon monster that lurks inside a human’s body and escape the elevator.

Reward: 3,000 Coins

Penalty for Failure: Death

Time Limit: 60 Hours]

Usually, people say that if someone is in a situation they do not understand, they cannot do anything. And now, everyone was just that. No one spoke, and they only stared at the translucent window that appeared in front of them.

Rumble!

However, the elevator rattled loudly once more and then stopped. The old man shouted, and I wanted to scream along too, but there was another problem. It was because of the translucent system windows that appeared one after the other. 

[You are awakened as ‘One Who Knows The End’]

[You are the new constellation of System #381jh051.]

[Congratulations! You have awakened as a new constellation. You may check your skills and make a new contract with the awakened.]

‘What nonsense is this?’

[You have entered channel #551er5. Current number of spectators: 1]

It was only for a moment that I was dazed. I immediately replayed what had happened so far in my head. The reason why I became so calm so quickly is that I am the one who knows this situation better than anyone else.

Because this strange phenomenon that is occurring now is the same phenomenon that appeared in the novel <The Fall of Another World> that I read up until yesterday.

Awakening, Constellation, Contract… And the letters #381jh051 also matched that from the novel. Isn’t this the same as the content of <The Fall of Another World>, where the villain kills the main character and then destroys the world? I didn’t read the epilogue because I was too busy cursing at the way the story ended like that.

Synchronization probably means that I became synchronized with the novel. Because otherwise, this wouldn’t happen. So, am I in the novel now? No, that wasn’t the real problem.

“Did I become a constellation?’

A constellation is a god-like being who signs a contract with people who have awakened with new power and sponsors them. Although it is impossible to know their exact appearance since they do not appear in front of the contracted person, a constellation lends power to the awakened and pays an unknown price.

Have I become such a constellation? I just couldn’t take the situation with my own mind.

‘There’s no way.’

[The constellation, ‘One Who Knows The End’ is synchronized with the body.]

But now was not the time for such private matters.

I turned my head and looked at the man standing beside me. A handsome man with bleached hair and sparkling eyes that suddenly turned golden, with skin so white that he could be thought to be beautiful.

[Baek Tae-beom: Awakened]

Somehow, I thought I was used to it. I wanted to bite my tongue at the name that glinted above the man’s head.

The man who killed the main character, Kang Si-hoo, and destroyed the world in <The Fall of Another World> was right next to me.

It wasn’t just a matter of name and appearance. Since <The Fall of Another World> unfolded first from the villain, Baek Tae-beom’s view, it was not detailed, but it was possible to know what happened during his first awakening and the events of his betrayal after that.

Baek Tae-beom, who suffered many hardships, was even abandoned by the constellations because he had no talent as a hunter. He was looked down on for two years, and eventually turned to the dark side and stalked the main character who was friendly to him.

And this is the place where he awakens, inside a cramped elevator. As far as I can remember, Baek Tae-beom survives here alone.

‘I’m fucked.’

Doesn’t that mean I’ve become an extra at the very beginning?

How he survived was not depicted in the novel, but it certainly wouldn’t be through the usual way. That was because, in the novel, Baek Tae-beom from 2 years ago was easily deceived since he was gentle, kind, and foolish.

And as expected, Baek Tae-beom was leaning on the elevator wall, looking at the others with a bewildered expression. He probably doesn’t even know that his eyes were glowing gold.

Most of those who have become awakened change their appearance. Altering their body shape, the development of muscles, and changing of hair or eye color was a daily occurrence. In the novel, there was also an awakened person whose hair color changed whenever he used a skill.

“What the hell is going on here?! You! Do you know what’s happening?”

“Waaaah, Dad….”

“I-I don’t know. What’s going on….”

“Shit! This… You!”

As the man with a grim expression turned his head, his eyes and Baek Tae-beom’s eyes met. Baek Tae-beom, who was startled, flinched and tried to back away, but the man came closer and grabbed him by the collar. 

“You, why do you have golden eyes?!”

“Y-yes?”

“You… You’re the culprit, aren’t you? The demon, or something like that!”

Then, at once, the man punched Baek Tae-beom in the face. I was so startled that I blocked him from Baek Tae-beom and forcibly removed his grip on his collar.

“What are you doing, suddenly punching someone in the face!”

To someone who might destroy the world at that!

I moved with concern for the man in front of me, but he didn’t seem to know it.

“What? Get out my way. Haven’t you seen it? There’s a demon hiding in here!”

“Do you have any proof that it is this man? You’re using violence without any evidence!”

He’s a guy who can kill us all and escape!

The man who was huffing at his words, soon found his daughter crying. He sighed as he hugged his child. Only then could I look back at Baek Tae-beom.

He’s taller and bigger than me, but he still got hit.

“Are you alright?”

“…Ah, yes. Thank you.”

You are very grateful, right?

He had a bizarre expression on his face, it was as if he was looking at his prince charming who had saved him. It felt strange to get this look from the horrible villain in the novel, but for now, I had to put aside such trivial things.

Now was 2 years before the time Baek Tae-beom turned evil in the novel. And in the original story, Baek Tae-beom definitely survived his first dungeon attack.

What should I do know? It was only a matter of time before Baek Tae-beom was designated as the demon in the dungeon and beaten. As if he knew I was nervous, Baek Tae-beom rubbed his cheek and tapped my shoulder.

“What?”

“Would you like to see this? I don’t know what’s going on here..”

As if telling the situation in real-time, on the social media platform run on the cell phone he showed, there were many strange pictures and posts asking for help. At the same time, disaster messages were received every 10 seconds, and the urgency of the situation was felt.

Looking through them, I just came up with a way out of this situation.

I don’t know what it is, but before some kind of incident happens, shouldn’t we escape first?

Somehow, I was in the state of a ‘constellation’ now. It meant that I was in a state where I was able to sponsor a specific awakened person to break the dungeon.

“We will be able to leave soon.”

I opened the skill window, speaking calmly so that the others could be reassured.

[Skills: Lee Gye-hyeon Shin

It is said that humans who see the true form of God become blind.

Skill: Open Shop

You can purchase items by opening the shop used by the constellations.

Skill: Message

You can send a message to a specific awakened person.

.

.

.

Skill: Sponsor

You can sponsor the targeted awakened person. You must sponsor at least 1 coin.]

Now that it’s like this, I have no choice but to support Baek Tae-beom and escape from here!

[Skill: Activate sponsor.]

[Skill: Sponsor has been cancelled.]

[The sponsorship of 10,000 coins has been canceled.]

[Reason: Insufficient amount of coins]

[Current coins: 0]

“The two of you, what are you talking about?”

Watching the angry man, I laughed.

Mister, I think we’re screwed.