Declaration Of Extra Strike

 

‘How does Lim Dan know about the Constellations? The only one who was aware until now was Seong San-ha.’

 

What shocked me even more was the reaction of the others. Aside from Seong-yeon, who looked utterly bewildered, everyone else seemed to understand exactly what Lim Dan had said—even Cheong and Lee Cho!

 

Caught off guard, I heard Cheong’s calm voice in my ear.

 

“It’s because of the party quest issued to S-ranks.”

 

“Party quest? But why would…”

 

“The quests given to S-ranks differ from the usual ones. They’ve all received the same directive: ‘Protect the Constellations.’ And…”

 

Cheong paused, seemingly searching for the right words, only for Zero to interject with a smirk.

 

“And the target appears to be you, Boss.”

 

“Me? Are you serious?”

 

“Yes. You shine so brilliantly, it’s almost enviable.”

 

As I gawked at him in confusion, Zero nodded with a sly grin. Instinctively, I glanced at myself before turning to Seong San-ha, silently asking if this was true.

 

Seong San-ha, glaring at Lim Dan, gave a small, confirming nod.

 

“I wasn’t planning to explain it like this, but it’s true.”

 

“What kind of quest is it, exactly?”

 

“It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but the party quest takes place inside the Tower.”

 

“The Tower? Are you talking about that pillar?”

 

“Yes. Recently, it was discovered that the interior of the pillar is structured like a staged dungeon. Because of its

appearance, people started calling it the Tower. All the undisclosed monsters and items related to this quest originate from inside the Tower.”

 

“Wait a second. Isn’t this the same quest everyone in the world received? Does that mean all of them have to enter this dungeon?”

 

My incredulous question earned a derisive snort from Lim Dan.

 

“Everyone in the world? Hardly. The party quest was only issued to the eleven countries where the Towers appeared. Besides, you should be more worried about yourself right now. Do you think you can survive in there? If you die, our quest automatically fails.”

 

Her blunt words landed like a hammer.

 

“Heh, there’s no doubt the boss’s role is crucial. A lot of people are pinning their hopes on the rewards from this party quest.”

 

“…What kind of reward are we talking about?”

 

“Well, who can say? But if I had to guess, it’d be restoration. Maybe the disappearance of that beautiful Tower, and a return to the days when we didn’t have meteors falling from the sky or dungeon breaks happening out of nowhere.”

 

“To the way things were before…”

 

Lee Cho nodded in agreement with Zero’s suggestion.

 

“That’s correct. As Zero mentioned, the most compelling theory so far is that completing the quest will lead to the Tower’s disappearance. There are multiple indications supporting this hypothesis, and—most importantly—there’s no other viable option. Going forward, the eleven nations housing the Towers will devote all their resources to resolving this quest.”

 

Their words made sense. Historically, when sudden anomalies like mutated monsters or dungeon catastrophes occurred, solving the associated quest often resolved the crisis. It wasn’t unreasonable to theorize that completing this unprecedented large-scale party quest might make the Tower vanish.

 

But a deeper, more fundamental question remained unanswered.

 

Why was I, of all people, at the center of it? Why did the quest target me specifically? What connection could I possibly have to the Tower?

 

“So what? It’s got nothing to do with me.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Isn’t it simple? I just don’t go into the dungeon. I don’t even have a party quest, so why bother?”

 

A wave of exasperated sighs swept through the room. Even Seong San-ha couldn’t suppress a soft chuckle as he replied.

 

“Like I said earlier, this party quest takes place inside the Tower. And the fact that a

Constellation

is involved means you’ll inevitably have to enter the Tower in one way or another.”

 

“Do you think the S-rankers’ quest is that simple? If the objective were just ‘protection,’ we’d lock you up in a bunker with enough food and drop you in some remote mountain or sea where no one could find you.”

 

‘I’m an S-ranker too, you know… What’s with the attitude?’

 

I frowned, still unable to grasp why this Constellation business seemed glued to me, no matter what. Staring blankly at the sigils etched on my palms, I asked.

 

“How many S-rankers are there, anyway?”

 

“Excluding the production field? Sixteen.”

 

“Why exclude the production types—oh, right. They wouldn’t be able to enter the dungeon, huh?”

 

I flared up for a moment, then scratched my head awkwardly as I realized what was going on. It finally clicked why Lim Dan had started talking about quests. Of the sixteen S-rankers who’d received the quest, four were in this very room: Lim Dan, Lim Cheong, Zero, and Seong San-ha.

 

Seong San-ha spoke up, his words seemingly aimed at everyone—particularly Lim Dan.

 

“In countries without existing Constellations, they’ll have to find the seeds to grow one from scratch. We’re lucky to already have a Constellation to protect. Soon, there’ll be a meeting among the Tower-owning nations. It’s crucial to secure the lead there, so I’d suggest not wasting energy on unnecessary disputes before then.”

 

Even Lim Dan, perpetually uncooperative, couldn’t deny the truth of his words. Though she gave me a withering glare, she clicked her tongue in annoyance and said with feigned generosity,

 

“Just stick to my back. You won’t get hurt that way.”

 

“I’d rather not.”

 

“…What? What did you just say?”

 

“My mercenaries will protect me. I don’t trust you. Feel free to hang back and deal with the scraps, though.”

 

“What—what did you just—? Hey!”

 

“Are we done talking? Great! I’m out of here!”

 

While Cheong scrambled to hold back a fuming Lim Dan, I quickly slipped out of room 2709. I headed for the elevator, but a hand suddenly reached out and stopped me, grabbing my shoulder.

 

Seong San-ha grinned and tilted his head, motioning for me to wait.

 

“Let’s talk for a bit, just the two of us.”

 

“Uh…!”

 

I hesitated for a moment before following Seong San-ha to the opposite stairwell. The stalkers lurking outside 2709 made it clear we wouldn’t get a moment’s peace there. 

 

As Seong San-ha peeked out and quietly shut the door, the light filtering in dimmed significantly. In the confined space, standing face to face, I found myself staring at him.

 

‘What’s he going to say? It has to be about my identity, right?……….What should I say first?’

 

A flood of thoughts churned in my head. I dismissed the idea of bringing up the orphanage—there were too many bad memories tied to that place. 

 

Maybe I should just come out and tell him:

I’m Kang Eui-jin

. Or would it be better to say,

It’s been a while

?

 

Being alone with Seong San-ha brought a surge of emotions—things I wanted to ask, things I wanted to say. But more than anything, I wanted to greet him properly. To call him “Sa-na” again.

 

After a flurry of indecision, I finally settled on a simple approach.

Just say his name.

 

“San—”

 

“At the upcoming meeting.”

 

Realizing he had something else in mind, I clamped my mouth shut. He looked at me quizzically, letting out a soft

huh?

when I stopped mid-word.

 

I shook my head quickly. “No, it’s nothing. You go ahead. What were you saying?”

 

Seong San-ha studied me for a moment but chose not to press. Instead, he got straight to the point.

 

“At the upcoming Tower-holding nations’ meeting, I think we should reveal your identity. Kang Eui-jin.”

 

“What…?”

 

I froze, caught completely off guard by his words.

 

Did I just hear that right? What did I just hear…

 

No, I didn’t mishear. Seong San-ha had called me

Kang Eui-jin

.

 

Of course, given the situation with Tae Jae-heon and the fact that others were beginning to piece together my

identity, it wasn’t surprising that Seong San-ha might know. But what threw me off completely was his utterly nonchalant demeanor.

 

From the first chaotic encounter where he’d come after me—calling me Kang Eui-jin and practically beating me up—to now, where I’d come to realize his true identity as Sa-na, I’d never imagined we’d have such a calm conversation. If he knew I was Kang Eui-jin, at the very least…

 

What was I expecting?

 

The realization hit me like a punch: my reaction was rooted in some kind of expectation. The tension drained from my body, leaving me slack. Whatever Seong San-ha read in my expression, it seemed to make him concerned. His voice softened as he continued.

 

“I understand the risks of revealing your identity. But right now, it might actually be the safer option.”

 

Does he think I don’t know he’s Sa-na? That would explain why he’s treating me so casually.

 

“Kang Eui-jin?”

 

“…When you say reveal, you mean to announce my identity to the world during the meeting?”

 

For now, I decided to play along, meeting his gaze as I asked. His eyes met mine, and he hesitated briefly before nodding.

 

“Tae Jae-heon and the cult are already targeting you. Moving openly might actually be the safer choice.”

 

“…I don’t quite understand it. If I end up having to enter the dungeon, then fine, there’s no avoiding it. But otherwise, wouldn’t it be safer to lay low, like Lim Dan suggested? Just stay hidden like now.”

 

I had no real reason to reject the idea of revealing that I was Kang Eui-jin. But it was common sense that staying in hiding was the safest course of action. Yet, Seong San-ha’s reaction was unexpected. He sighed softly and shook his head.

 

“No. You can’t hide.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The

Constellation Map

has been activated. That means anyone who’s received the same quest as I have—any S-rank hunter—can see where you are at any time. And among the S-rank combat types… well, there’s one name we both know, isn’t there?”

 

“No way…”

 

I immediately understood what he was implying, and my jaw dropped in shock.

 

Shit, how did I not think of this? Tae Jae-heon is also S-rank!

 

That meant the bastard could see exactly where I was too. Worse, I’d light up like a damn beacon on that map!

 

“Shit, a map? What kind of messed-up bullshit is this…?”

 

Cursing under my breath, I suddenly remembered something. It hit me like a slap to the face.

 

Where did I hear about that map before?

 

And then it clicked—the reward from one of the random quests I’d received earlier.

 「Reward: Main Quest #5.5, Constellation Map Activation.」 

“Wait… that wasn’t my reward?”

Happy new years, everybody! <3 Wishing 2025 will be kind, sweet, caring, healthy, happy and successful year to you all!