Chapter 40

The fourth player to come up was a man with a baseball bat on his shoulder, smiling wickedly.

The aluminum-made bat, not wood, reflecting light and shining looks intimidating.

His muscular body seems to add to the intimidating atmosphere.

He uses rocks to enhance his weapon and also to attach them to his body for defense.

Perhaps because of that, he maintained a berserker-like style of continuously going in rather than retreating.

But more impressive than that was his expression.

He keeps smiling even in the midst of fighting.

It’s a smile filled with madness. He smiles ecstatically as if enjoying fighting something.

Among those, the best was the appearance he showed in the last tutorial.

“Hello h…”

Before even finishing the greeting, he swung the bat and took off the head.

He instantly changes from an expression of expectation to a frightening expressionless face.

Like a child who expected a gift but didn’t receive it.

“Ah.”

He expresses regret with an expression full of disappointment.

He savors the lingering feeling while wiping his face wet with damp blood.

He looks up at the sky with an expression full of displeasure.

“Something not human pretending to be human.”

He said that in a serious voice after shaking off the bloodied hand.

Is he saying it knowing something? Or is he just spouting any words?

Where are those words directed?

Is he speaking to himself? Or to the fallen figure?

As if not caring about such things, various Constellations begin to contact him.

[‘The One Who Has Kept One Place’ offers the apostleship to Ma Seokdoo.]

[‘The One Who Embraces Warmly’ offers the apostleship to Ma Seokdoo.]

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Those who were rejected before sent many contacts.

He’s certainly an attractive player. A player that many small and medium Constellations would like.

It seems there are personality flaws, so large-scale Constellations are reluctant to contact.

Rather than personality issues, they are reluctant because he seems too bold.

There are moments when boldness is needed, but if it’s always like that, the survival rate will naturally drop.

He definitely has skill, but such aspects are concerning.

Also, he doesn’t seem like he would listen well to the Constellations’ words.

For large-scale Constellations, it’s a cake not worth eating, but for small and medium-scale Constellations, it’s a cake worth trying.

Rather, those who think it’s an opportunity because there’s less competition are flocking.

[Ma Seokdoo forms a contract with ‘The One Who Has Kept One Place’.]

What Ma Seokdoo chose was ‘The One Who Has Kept One Place’.

Unlike the proposal made to Park Choonsik, he came with a proposal that could maximize the aggressive aspect, and Ma Seokdoo accepted it.

Well, the two’s images seem to match in their own way.

The last player to come up was Haemi.

Her black, semi-curly long hair flows.

The faintly visible dark circles under her eyes catch attention.

The meeting of white skin and deep black makes both look whiter and blacker.

It’s a color combination where they make each other stand out.

Unlike her clear features, she has a strangely thin presence.

Given the Tower’s characteristic of constantly having to define oneself, such a thing seems natural.

She lacks confidence and self-esteem.

Those without certainty about themselves will naturally be pushed out of the Tower.

Perhaps knowing that well, fewer than expected are sending contacts.

It was fortunate for me. It means I don’t need to compete unnecessarily.

[‘The Painter Who Paints Ash Gray’ offers the apostleship to Kim Haemi.]

[‘The Flower That Doesn’t Bloom’ offers the apostleship to Kim Haemi.]

[‘The Owner of the Bookshelf with Nostalgia’ offers the apostleship to Kim Haemi.]

‘The Painter Who Paints Ash Gray’ was the Constellation name of ‘Longing’.

He only paints in monochrome.

He paints peculiar pictures that feel similar to both ink wash paintings and watercolors.

Those pictures, perhaps because they hold water, looked somewhat blurry.

A vague and pitiful feeling, as if submerged in water.

Trying to approach but unable to. Like scenery on the water surface that scatters when touched.

For him, who paints longing, the title of painter truly suited well.

‘The Flower That Doesn’t Bloom’ was the Constellation name of ‘Time’.

I was surprised because it was a more emotional name than expected.

Thinking that there’s still something like emotion left in this human.

To be honest, I don’t know why the name was chosen like that.

Is it like how a thorn vine turns out to be a rose stem or something?

She often makes metaphors related to flowers, so there seems to be some connection.

Lastly, my Constellation name was ‘The Owner of the Bookshelf with Nostalgia’.

I can’t tell how much thought I put into thinking of the name.

You might think it’s just a name, but our names are the first greeting and first impression we give to players, so I had to be cautious.

Defining oneself was harder than expected.

Thinking about what symbolizes me, I immediately thought of the used bookstore.

What is a used bookstore? The dictionary definition might vary, but more important was my own definition.

A dictionary is something that contains universal definitions.

Since the definition of each word can differ for each person, objective definitions are given.

People live with their own definitions of things.

They look at the same object, have different impressions, and paint over with their own memories.

People live with their own dictionaries.

That’s what I think.

How is a used bookstore defined in my dictionary?

I weave memories and impressions, neatly packaged under the name of reminiscence, to create my own definition.

I felt that a used bookstore is a place that holds the flow of time.

Forgotten stories soaked into each page, memories hidden in dusty books.

Each line resonates deep within the heart.

The unfamiliar sentences met there take out pieces of my life and connect forgotten pieces of memories.

Like morning sunlight seeping through curtain gaps, it sprinkles warmth ticklishly.

For me, a used bookstore was where past and present meet.

I smell the fragrant scent of time seeping between the bookshelves.

Nostalgia, expressed as longing for the past, rises from within.

Turning the pages of memories, I again ruminate on my memories of them.

That’s how the name was created.

Only three, including me, attempted to contact Haemi.

It wasn’t a situation I particularly liked.

Both were formidable opponents, making it difficult to predict the outcome carelessly.

Not to mention ‘Time’, ‘Longing’ was also one of the sufficiently strong Constellations, though not a member of the regression.

Moreover, in the current Tower ecosystem, ‘Longing’ was the Constellation with the highest potential.

‘Longing’ was a man with ash-gray hair, with his eyes slightly open.

He rose from his seat and began to enumerate the benefits he could provide.

The benefits he would provide appear as messages.

They were mainly related to scent.

It seemed he planned to add elements like illusions or poison by adding the concept of scent to mist.

It was certainly a plan with many branches to spread out and didn’t significantly damage the unique skill.

Next, ‘Time’ stood up and began typing in the air.

The conditions presented by ‘Time’ were mainly related to confinement and flow.

She said she would enhance the efficiency of magic circulation or the circulation of the skill itself.

She also said she could add concepts related to confinement to the mist.

The confinement here doesn’t simply mean blocking movement, but momentarily stopping the flow of time itself.

This side certainly has high potential too. Just that it takes longer to reach that point.

It’s what’s commonly called a scam property.

Finally, it was my turn to present conditions.

I stood up and came forward.

It felt new.

Haemi, whom I met again, was similar to my memory but different.

She was a bit more confident. She seemed a bit less hurt. So she looked good.

What I can provide is only the direction for Haemi’s path.

I won’t directly hand it over like others.

I can provide feedback on the path traveled and the path to travel.

If a teacher (先生) refers to someone who has lived before, I was confident that I could perform that role better than anyone else.

My job was to trace the path someone had walked, and it remained with me as a name called the future.

I will claim to be your teacher this time too.

So, could you hold my hand once more?

I wanted to say such words, but what I could actually use was just a combination of texts that felt somewhat rigid.

It wasn’t a soft handwriting like a letter, nor something that could sing beauty like a poem.

It was just a short message that had to be sent according to a predetermined format.

Nevertheless, if I hope for this feeling to be conveyed, am I being too selfish?

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After presenting my conditions, I sat down with an anxious heart.

Sitting with my fingers interlocked, the result came out not long after.

A strong impact hit me like thunder falling.

The heart sound sticks to my ears and doesn’t fall off. It was as if the location of the heart had moved to the ears.

And the result came out.

[Kim Haemi forms a contract with ‘The Owner of the Bookshelf with Nostalgia’.]