Nowadays, it’s more beneficial to be contracted to a good constellation than to be born to good parents.

However, the incarnations contracted to constellations all say that there is the inconvenience of ‘privacy invasion’. Asking related questions to various hunters in Korea…

Q. ‘Do constellations invade privacy a lot?’

A1. ‘Ah… Well. The Angel doesn’t do it much. It seems like he overlooks things even if he sees them. We can’t choose what to show the constellations in the first place. I think the consideration of the constellation is important.’ (23 years old/S-Guild Affiliated Incarnation)

A2. ‘Ahhh. Damn, I don’t know! No, whenever I try to rest a bit, the King, no, the constellation nags… Ack!! (He grabs his head as if he was hit, then grumbles.) You saw that, right?! He does this to me! This constellation of mine?!’ (20 years old/B-Guild Affiliated Incarnation)

A3. ‘Oh my, well. I’m not sure about that. I mean, the constellations choose incarnations because they want to gain benefits too. We have a give-and-take relationship. An incarnation that is not helpful gets discarded quickly no matter how good the constellation they meet. It’s only natural for the constellation to always check the incarnation’s condition, right?’ (Age undisclosed/B-Guild Affiliated Incarnation)

And here, the answer from Shin Binnari, the #1 in the monthly rankings:

‘Dunno. At first it was shitty but now I just use it like a menstrual cycle app.’

As the Lord of Chaos who knows Nari’s physical and mental state better than Nari herself, he’s more accurate than an app.

At first, Nari was very disgusted, but after changing her mind and trying it out, it was so convenient that now…

[You should be really grateful to me. The Lord of Chaos shakes his head from side to side.]

“Uh-huh.”

[Do you know how cunningly I sweet-talked the Queen to bring this? Nari, seriously, who even uses a constellation like this, I’m practically a symbolic existence in our mythology but to this extent-]

“Mmhm. I’m really sensitive right now so don’t talk to me.”

Rude swiped away the black indirect message without even reading it all.

It had been exactly two days since tension and anxiety started creeping up and everything in the world began to be annoying. Since taking this strange medicine.

[Nari, are you going to keep ignoring what I say?! The Lord of Chaos grumbles.]

“Okay, I got it.”

Rude took out a black pill case from his pocket, rolled it around in his hand a few times, and sighed deeply.

After learning about the expected menstruation date, the Lord of Chaos told him to wait a moment, then brought this medicine from somewhere.

[I’ll say it again, you were originally supposed to take it from a week ago, but we didn’t have time for that so I asked the Queen and got this medicine. Once a day in the evening. You won’t menstruate while taking the medicine. Instead, your hormones will be wild so be careful of emotional ups and downs. The Lord of Chaos explains in detail.]

“What are the ingredients of this? Can I trust something given by a constellation from your side?”

Rude looked suspiciously at the white pills inside the black case with no explanation written on it.

As silence continued for a moment, Rude’s eyebrows twitched.

“…Not going to say?”

Soon an indirect message popped up.

[Disposing of used pads in the military and not being able to store them in the inventory (high possibility of getting caught in an inventory inspection) VS Taking medicine given by a constellation who has cherished Nari for several years. The Lord of Chaos demands you to choose.]

“Okay, the latter.”

Rude, who absolutely could not store used pads in his inventory, shoved the pill case deep into his coat pocket and looked around.

Beyond the barbed-wire fence with an ominous sign saying ‘Danger Zone, No Unauthorized Entry’, hunters with the military’s logo were staring at him.

This northern area beyond the barbed-wire fence. The place where people can no longer live due to overflowing gates, guarded by the public enterprise guild. The atmosphere was much more dry and brutal than he thought.

“Rude! You’re here early.”

“Oh, hey.”

When he looked, a familiar voice came from behind. Kang Ihyeon was approaching him, dragging a carrier.

“What’s with the carrier? I told you not to bring personal luggage.”

“Ah, this is… a strategy to deal with military bigshots?”

“Huh?”

Kang Ihyeon stopped the trunk with a clatter and shrugged his shoulders with a chuckle.

“We’re going over there. As a way to say please take care of us. Like a bribe?”

“Isn’t it a violation of public service ethics if it’s over 30,000 won?”

“They still accept it through connections. Oh, they’re here.”

As Rude was blinking and staring at the trunk, a rattling sound was heard.

From beyond the barbed-wire fence, a military jeep with their logo was approaching.

The hunters guarding the front of the fence approached the vehicle and started fiddling with a machine.

As Rude watched them continuously communicating through walkie-talkies, Kang Ihyeon firmly grasped his wrist.

“Rude. You need to be careful. You did everything I told you to, right?”

“Yeah. But is there really a need to be that cautious?”

Yesterday, along with saying ‘the military will definitely want Rude’s information, and that’s why they want to take you up alone’, Kang Ihyeon had told him a few precautions. Rude lightly nodded his head.

Strength entered the hand grasping his wrist. After a few beeping sounds, the gate of the barbed-wire fence slowly began to open. The black jeep rattled as it approached.

“The reason my aunt assigned me to you is to protect your information from leaking out as much as possible. Don’t talk much in the military, and don’t have long conversations with anyone. I’ll speak for you. Of course, I’m also not one to say things carelessly.”

Social life max level, it seemed to be attached as a passive skill. As Rude was thinking that, he raised his head and looked up at Kang Ihyeon.

It was an expression filled with tension, which he was seeing for the first time.

“The military is… a real den of foxes.”

The black jeep with heavily tinted front windows slowly stopped near where they were. The military’s logo in the center of the jeep, two pairs of guns crossing a shield.

Rude suddenly thought the headlight part looked like fierce eyes, and the marked area seemed like a third eye.

As Rude was frowning, feeling like those three eyes were staring intensely at him, the driver’s side door swung open with a clack.

“Oh my, the #1 and #2 went through the trouble of coming all the way here~”

A sly male voice flowed out from inside the vehicle along with long legs.

And what appeared next was a lanky man with long black hair tied in a topknot, wearing sunglasses.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Lee Jisung, the guild member in charge of escorting you. We may look like soldiers, but we’re actually pseudo-public officials taking on outsourced work with a soldier concept, so feel free to be casual with us. I won’t use formal speech with you either, okay?”

He smiled brightly and spoke to Rude and Kang Ihyeon. Sharpness and tenacity could be felt within his friendly expression.

Rude could immediately tell who the ‘key figure in the military’ that Kang Ihyeon mentioned was.

Lee Jisung smiled and stared at Rude. After observing Rude as if appraising him for a while, Lee Jisung spoke in a light tone.

“It must have been tough for you to haul your heavy ass over here. #1?”

“……”

“Hunters rarely come in here. Though I guess for #1, doing volunteer work up here once is a cheaper deal than training inside the guild.”

His tone was playful, but the implied meaning was pointed. It was different from Min Jaewon.

When Rude didn’t respond, he glanced at Kang Ihyeon with a dry gaze. Then seeing the trunk he was holding, he grinned again.

“Baekya Guildmaster? Baek Jangmi, right?”

“…Yes.”

“As expected. Korea’s crown prince sure has top-notch connections. Even snagging #1, Sujin must be thrilled. No wonder Baekya is sending gifts, not the Holy Palace. Hand it over~ We should still accept the sentiment.”

As Kang Ihyeon handed over the trunk, Lee Jisung quickly opened it and laughed out loud.

From the corner of his eye, Rude peeked inside the trunk which contained all kinds of alcohol, side dishes, and game consoles.

“Our guys will like this. Didn’t Baek Jangmi try too hard? Anyway, okay.”

He tucked his hair behind his ear again and straightened his bent back. He slowly took off his sunglasses.

Sharp eyes were glaring at them. Lee Jisung’s tone instantly became dry.

“Body search begins now. Open your inventories. I’ll overlook one carrier’s worth of suspicious items out of regard for Baek Jangmi’s sincerity.”

[A temporary trait sharing request has been received from the Awakened ‘Lee Jisung’.

Shared Trait – Material Identification (Passive)

Sharing Duration: 30 minutes

Do you accept the request?] [Y/N]

“Ah, this…!”

Rude, who pressed Y together after checking Kang Ihyeon’s reaction, stepped back in surprise.

It was because the inventory had opened on its own. When he reflexively tried to close it again, Kang Ihyeon grabbed Rude’s wrist once more.

Rude sighed deeply and stopped resisting. He could feel Lee Jisung’s gaze observing the inventory one by one. One of the things Kang Ihyeon had insisted on before going to the military.

‘Never put important items in your inventory and hide them on your body’.

Because of that, all personal belongings except the gold scissors and black scissors were tightly hidden in his studio apartment. Of course, the pill case received from the Lord of Chaos was tucked deep into his coat pocket.

“…Well, it’s clean. No dangerous items~ No prohibited items either~”

After rummaging through the inventory for a while, Lee Jisung shrugged and withdrew the personal trait sharing.

Even though there was absolutely nothing to kneel to, perhaps due to his unique aura, the anxiously pounding heart seemed to deflate.

Lee Jisung put his sunglasses back on and looked at Rude.

“But… isn’t it too clean? It’s the first time I’ve seen a hunter come with only weapons in their inventory and no extra clothes.”

“I was told the military provides everything. I only brought myself.”

Before Rude could answer Lee Jisung who was raising his knife-like aura again, Kang Ihyeon intercepted with a smile.

Lee Jisung’s expression stiffened for a moment, then he made a playful grin again and opened the back seat door.

“Well! I understand. Get in for now. Ah~ and. What was it. #1?”

Lee Jisung, who had carefully moved the carrier to the back seat, turned around and slightly lowered his sunglasses.

His hair flowed down with a rustle. His sharp eyes stared straight at Rude.

“The pill case in your coat pocket.”

“…!”

Rude flinched and looked at Lee Jisung. At his undisguisable reaction, Kang Ihyeon lightly clenched and unclenched his fist as if anxious.

Lee Jisung, who had put his foot back in the driver’s seat, raised his sunglasses again.

“That counts as ‘one carrier’. I don’t know what it is, but if you don’t want it tested for ingredients, don’t let anyone else see it. I can’t overlook any more.”

With a thud, Lee Jisung got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

The rattling sound of the jeep was heard. He opened the window and pointed to the back seat with his finger.

“Get in. We’re leaving now. To go up.”