PVCNC 05

Chapter – 05

As countless rays of light pierced the darkness and illuminated the ground, different symbols appeared before each person.

Some had no symbols at all, while others had several appear at the same time.

As expected of the protagonist, it seemed that three constellations had made contact with Lilia.

“Wow, sis, look at this! It’s so pretty. It looks just like the sun.”

Lilia smiled brightly as she reached toward the symbolic forms.

A radiant light tangled like mistletoe.

That must be Baldur’s symbol, the one loved by all things in the world.

The cat lying lazily while yawning—I wasn’t sure exactly, but it seemed Egyptian.

And the final, most important symbol.

A bonfire constantly radiating warm energy.

Hestia, the Cosmic Hearth, who becomes Lilia’s constellation in the original story.

Just from a glance, it was obvious she had been chosen by beings with powerful mythologies and divine authority. As expected, the protagonist really was different.

But then…

‘Why do I not have even one?’

No matter if I was a villain destined to die soon, wasn’t this a bit too much?

Then the comment window that appeared made my expression darken even further.

• Hangyeom (hanxxx): LOL what is Wendy’s situationㅋㅋㅋㅋ
• DontGetTooImmersed (dlasxxx): Even minor gods rejected Wendy. That’s crazy.
  ㄴ Irang (clexxx): Minor gods be like — yeah… even we’ll pass.
• SeasonedChickenLover (galmxxx): But didn’t Wendy originally have no constellation?
  ㄴ ColaIsDelicious (ancxxx): Nope, she had a pretty good one. She just sucked at using it so it became useless.

The comments were filled with nothing but insults toward me.

But now wasn’t the time to care about hateful comments.

‘Was it like this in the original story?’

No.

Even though Wendy was a villainous supporting character, she had still been chosen by a fairly strong constellation fitting her role.

“Sis, look at this!”

As if unaware of my complicated thoughts, Lilia called out excitedly after finishing her constellation selection.

“Look at this, it’s really—”

With a snap of her fingers, sacred flames gathered into one point and formed something extremely…

“Warm!”

A tiny, adorable little brazier appeared.

“Fire is important. For keeping warm and for food too. Right… sis?”

It looked so small and cute that it almost seemed insignificant.

But Lilia had made an excellent choice.

The constellation she selected was called the Cosmic Hearth.

Her true name was Hestia, the goddess of the home and hearth and the eldest of Olympus.

This constellation, who loved peace and rejected conflict, possessed power that provided absolute defensive strength against all violence.

Using this power, Lilia would become the strongest tank in the entire story.

“Yeah, good choice, Lilia.”

I crouched beside her as she happily warmed her hands at the little brazier, smiling brightly.

Then I sighed at the sounds of amazement coming from around us.

“Whoa! I can feel power surging through my body!”

“With this, we can survive!”

“Damn it, if only we had gotten this power earlier…”

People were cheering and testing the powers granted by their constellations.

Seeing them made my heart sink even deeper.

Dropped into a world like this and not even chosen by a constellation.

I had no idea how I was supposed to survive!

“Petty constellations.”

What, were they discriminating against me because I was someone from outside the novel?

Pressing my aching temples, I tightly shut my eyes and opened them again.

Then I flinched when I saw Lilia looking at me with sparkling eyes.

“Sis? Who’s your constellation?”

Had she not noticed that nothing appeared above my head?

“Lilia… I think I…”

I hesitated, unsure how to answer her hopeful gaze.

Then suddenly, a system window appeared before my eyes.

[No constellations have made contact with you.]

Yeah, I already knew that, you idiot!

I was about to close the window while cursing internally when the message suddenly changed.

[You already possess a constellation.]

[Your constellation is…]

[‘The Observer Beyond the World.’]

‘What?’

Observer Beyond the World?

I had never heard of such a constellation in the original story.

What kind of constellation was this?

And how could it have chosen me as its incarnation before the selection period even began?

“Sis?”

Lilia called out worriedly when I suddenly froze mid-sentence while staring into space.

I gestured that I was fine and began carefully reading the description in front of me.

“Wait… just a moment, Lilia.”

[Three stigmata are granted by your constellation.]

<Subspace Window>

– The Observer Beyond the World watches you.

You must gain the favor of the observers, and you can view their reactions.

When you gain their favor, you receive coins.

<Big Data>

– The Observer watches, analyzes, and imitates you and your enemies.

By experiencing an enemy’s attack, you can acquire their abilities.

(Caution: Of course, the pain and injuries come with it. Nothing worth gaining comes without pain, right?)

<Magic Cart>

– In the Observer’s world, there are items you may need. Why not try purchasing some?

“….”

Good grief.

What exactly were these skills?

My head spun from the flood of incomprehensible abilities.

What exactly was this mysterious constellation that had arbitrarily chosen me as its incarnation?

“…Subspace Window.”

After thinking for a moment, I decided to test the skill myself.

Constellation stigmata usually reflected the nature of the constellation itself.

But then…

Ding ding!

• MyangMyungMing (ssaxxx): Who is Cosmic Hearth?
  ㄴ (This comment contains spoilers.)
  ㄴ Manggeul (dlasxxx): What kind of name is Hearthㅋㅋㅋ Sounds like a minor god.

As I activated the skill, the same comment window from earlier appeared before my eyes.

Could it be that my constellation was…

• MaleLeadFangirl (elphixxx): Wendy seems nicer than expected. Kind of good to see. Wasn’t she just a villain in the original?
  ㄴ RuluRalala (rlsdxxxx): Yeah, she was super unlikeable. Looks like they changed her personality in the remake.

[You have gained favor from 2 observers.]

[Total Favor: 2]

[First settlement will occur in 24 hours.]

A message appeared as comments favorable toward me were posted.

The meaning was obvious.

My constellation was the readers of this novel.

“Ha.”

I stared blankly at the comment window, mouth slightly open at this completely unexpected development.

“What is this…”

How could a constellation like this possibly help me?

It felt like it would only get in my way instead.

And what did it mean that I’d get coins for gaining favor?

My head started throbbing even harder.

[It seems the constellation selection has ended. Your constellations will help you survive and rebuild this world.]

Elistein’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

As she said that, the colorful lights surrounding everyone slowly faded.

I sighed and pushed my thoughts aside for now.

[Now, you must begin your first mission.]

The first mission.

If it was that one, I was confident.

After all, I had read the original novel.

[Your first mission is ‘Team Formation.’ You must form a group of five people you can trust with your lives within the time limit.]

Just like the original.

If the story was following the same flow, then the characters’ abilities should also be the same.

Which meant the key was quickly finding Lilia’s original teammates.

They were definitely powerful individuals worthy of the protagonist.

[Those who fail to form a team within the time limit will not survive. Please hurry.]

As Elistein’s solemn voice echoed, I tightly grabbed Lilia’s slightly trembling hand.

I knew the strong characters from the original.

And beside me was the protagonist herself.

I just needed to trust those facts.

‘I don’t care about constellations or readers. I’m going to survive no matter what.’

And whoever set up this ridiculous situation…

One day I was going to kick them right in the ass.

A few minutes later.

“S-sis…?”

“Let’s go over there this time.”

Lilia looked confused as I dragged her around the central hall like I was hunting prey.

After all, I was the one rejecting all the team offers pouring in.

“Hello, we were wondering if—”

“No.”

“Ah, wait a moment!”

“No thanks.”

The two people who were rejected before even explaining themselves stared blankly at my back.

Lilia looked gloomy, as if she felt guilty even though she hadn’t rejected anyone herself.

“Is that the girl they were talking about? The one acting arrogant because of her sister?”

“Who does she think she is, rejecting people? She’s nothing special.”

Shrugging off the sticky gazes around me, I kept searching.

Seriously, where are they?! It’s about time they showed up!

Just as my patience was about to snap, the comment window appeared again.

• Hana (yuixxx): Is Wendy crazy? Why is she rejecting everyone??
  ㄴ Blueberry (honxxx): Came for Lilia but her sister acting like she’s important. So annoying.

I shook my head at the spectators mocking me from above.

Every single one of them seemed obsessed with criticizing me.

And unfortunately… they weren’t completely wrong.

Unlike me, who had a never-before-seen constellation called Observer Beyond the World, Lilia’s constellation—

The Cosmic Hearth, Hestia—

was ridiculously valuable even in early team formation.

Defense? Check.

Fatigue recovery? Check.

Buffs? Check.

You could even roast marshmallows over the fire.

And on top of that—

“Hmm… sis?”

She was cute too!

What kind of overpowered character was this?

I had already anticipated this situation, which was why I deliberately moved us toward a secluded corner away from people’s attention.

Even then, we still received three offers.

“We’ve been watching you. If you don’t have a team yet, would you consider joining ours—”

“No.”

‘That makes four.’

I turned away without hesitation.

Then—

“Come on, let’s be reasonable, yeah?”

An unpleasant sensation wrapped around my wrist.

“If it’s two girls, you probably need a guy like me on the team, right?”

Yeah.

I figured someone like this would show up sooner or later.

An ordinary woman might have been scared.

But who was I?

I was someone who had fought monsters head-on.

With a rotten smile forming on my face, I turned to deliver a soccer kick straight to his face—

Then froze at the sight before me.

“Gah!”

“Huh?”

Why was he already on the ground?

Looking closely, there was a mark on his head like he had been hit by something.

Something sharp and blunt…

A rock?

Who threw that?

And to hit a target this accurately through a crowd from this distance meant they were extremely skilled.

‘I need to recruit them immediately!’

I quickly looked around.

But I couldn’t find anyone suspicious.