The Player Who Became a Constellation

In the dense and dark forest.

“…Hah!”

Histon opened his eyes. Startled, he screamed and struggled. But he couldn’t move his body.

“Khah… What is this… Where am I…? Could it be… a dream?”

Histon thought he had been having a nightmare. In that nightmare, everything had ended. He had lost his arm and both legs to the terrifying demon.

Histon rolled his eyes. He groaned from the pain he felt in his body, his mouth trembled, and he barely managed to speak.

“…Is anyone… there?”

“……”

At that moment, a familiar man appeared hanging upside down in front of him. Blonde hair, blue eyes, sunken nose, and broken teeth. It was Hans, the slave.

“Oh, A, Hans! Hans! Thank goodness. Hans!… Please, save me. Please… save me!”

“……”

Hans stared at Histon with an indifferent expression. He then slapped Histon’s cheek several times. It seemed like he was checking if Histon was even conscious.

Histon’s anger surged at this absurd behavior, but he couldn’t move his fists. So, he tried to kick him with his feet, but… he couldn’t feel his legs.

“……!”

Histon sensed something was wrong and rolled his eyes. Then, he realized that it wasn’t Hans who was hanging upside down but himself, and he was immediately taken aback.

“What… what is this…?”

“…Because of you, I lost everything.”

“H-Hans! What… are you saying?”

“…What am I saying?”

Hans picked up a nearby rock and forcefully struck Histon’s head.

Thwack!

Histon’s body, which had been hanging like a punching bag, shook violently.

“What do you mean, ‘What am I saying?'”

“Khah! H-Hans, you bastard! You want to die…”

“Is this really what you have to say right now?”

Hans gritted his teeth and continued to strike Histon’s head with the rock.

Thwack!

“That’s right. Remember! What you did!”

Thwack!

“What you did to me…!”

Thwack!

“And what you did to my family…!”

Thwack!

For a while, the sound of rocks hitting flesh echoed through the forest. Histon hung there, bleeding heavily, while Hans stared at his broken hands with clenched teeth.

The rock in his hand shattered. Even his fingers seemed to be broken and misaligned. Having no strength left to strike, Hans glared at Histon with resentment.

“Dammit…! Is your face made of stone or something? How is it so damn tough?!”

“S-save me…!”

“Save you? Hah!”

Hans pulled a leather pouch from his waist. He smeared the purple powder inside the pouch onto Histon’s bloodied face.

“Yeah, you begged. But it wasn’t for you—it was for me and my family…!”

Histon groaned and struggled when he realized what the powder was. He tried to wriggle free from it.

“But what did you do? In front of my eyes, you killed my father, used my brother as bait for monster hunting…!”

He forcefully shoved the leather pouch into Histon’s small mouth.

“I killed him! What did I do wrong? Just because I’m from the southern nobility? But even though I am nobility, I’ve lived for the kingdom, for the people! But then, this ridiculous false accusation… I was plundered, turned into a slave, and lost my precious family…!”

Then, with the leather pouch still in Histon’s mouth, Hans repeatedly kicked him as if aiming for a target.

“I lost everything! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

Thwack!

Thwack!

Hans kicked at him, and Histon shuddered with each blow.

“You monster! After being beaten with rocks like that, you’re still fine. But that’s good! Because you’re so tough, I’ll be able to take my time getting revenge, thanks to your damn roach-like tenacity!”

Hans looked around. When he noticed some unusual movement in the grass, he quickly fell away from Histon and mounted the horse he had previously prepared.

“…Die slowly, just like you killed my family.”

He spurred the horse and left the scene. Histon shook his body and tried to struggle, but he couldn’t move at all, as if his body had been firmly bound.

With swollen eyes, Histon stared at the black shadow. Slowly, something walked out.

Green skin, a long nose, and a small, squat body. It was a creature wearing a stone spear and beast-hide clothes.

A goblin.

They stared at the motionless Histon, sniffing at the purple powder on his face. Then, they grinned as if they had found delicious prey. Thick saliva dripped down, causing Histon’s face to turn pale.

“Ugh… Hans! Hans…! P-please… save me… Uaaahhh!”

“……”

Hans tightened the reins as he heard Histon’s screams from afar. He then stared blankly at the sky. Histon’s screams echoed endlessly through the forest. Eventually, the screams grew quieter and eventually stopped.

“…Is it over?”

He felt a sense of relief. Some say that revenge is hollow, but that was a mistake.

Listening to Histon’s desperate voice was the best feeling. Revenge could be so satisfying!

The only regret was that he hadn’t been able to inflict more pain. Hans shook his head with a half-hearted smile.

“What should I do now…?”

‘…Should I just die?’

Now that revenge was complete, his reason for living had vanished. He had lost even his most precious family, so there was no longer any will to live.

Even if he wanted to live, he had no confidence in escaping this frozen land on his own.

Furthermore, even if he returned to the kingdom, he would be considered a ‘slave’—a mere shadow of his former self.

“Come to think of it, that demon… Will it kill me?”

It had given him the chance to free himself and kill Histon with his own hands. So… he had to repay that debt. Hans had always despised the idea of owing anyone.

“…I remember hearing that demons like human souls in old tales. So… Should I offer my soul?”

After some hesitation, Hans grabbed the reins and headed toward the Valhalla palace.

❃

Loki had learned some interesting things when he met Histon. Abilities similar to game skills.

People in this world possessed these abilities, which they referred to as [Divine Gifts].

It seemed that they believed these abilities were blessings from the gods. It was an intriguing concept, but what fascinated Loki even more was the behavior of the inhabitants of this world toward him.

Loki looked ahead. In front of him, hundreds of people had gathered, all bowing toward him.

They were kneeling with their heads touching the ground, their hands clasped together as if worshipping a deity, displaying an extremely devout posture.

Among them were mostly members of the Ragna tribe, but also others. The warriors wearing brass armor, whom Loki had killed not long ago. The members of the Partas tribe were also showing the same behavior.

“What does this mean?”

Loki’s question was answered by the shaman of the Nord tribe, who was standing beside him.

“The Nord tribe lives in a world ruled by the strong. Those who are plundered become slaves, and those who plunder become masters. The Throne of Sin.”

The shaman lowered his head slightly and continued.

“The Nord tribe has served the Throne of Sin for generations. Now that its master has awakened, we will serve you according to our original duty.”

The Nord people, who had sinned through plunder. For them to cleanse their sins and receive salvation, they had to swear loyalty to and serve the Throne of Sin.

This was what was written in the Nord scriptures.

“The Ragna and Partas tribes… All of them.”

It was a sign that the master, now awakened from slumber, would offer mercy and accept those who had not been judged.

“I swear here to follow my master.”

Loki, too, had to find a way back home. If he couldn’t find it, he would have to stay here.

In that case, it would be better to establish a stronghold. And these people here would help him build that. This was the moment when a new power was rising, with the Northern Throne at its center.

❃

Loki blinked his red eyes as he watched the man who had come to the Valhalla palace. The visitor was not just from the Nord tribe.

With long, wiry golden hair and blue eyes, his skin was swollen and bruised, as if he had been beaten. He appeared to be in his mid-40s, maybe early 50s at most.

It was Hans, the slave who had recently taken away Histon, whom Loki had tried to kill.

Loki, standing on the red carpet in the center of the battlefield, shifted his gaze to the shaman, silently asking, What’s this?

“He says… he came to repay a favor,” the shaman answered.

Loki stared at Hans.

“Repay a favor? What do you mean by that…?”

Loki trailed off, feeling strangely familiar with this person.

“Ah, I see! The one who was shouting—Histon—you came to save him! Hmm, I thought I’d never see you again.”

Every time Loki spoke, Hans flinched and trembled. Hans had come here to give up everything and die, but now, facing the demon, he lacked the courage to die. All he wanted to do was run away without looking back.

“Did you come here to repay me for sparing him? You’re a loyal one, aren’t you?”

Loki regarded Hans with curiosity.

“Well, that man… is he still alive? If he’s alive, then…”

Loki reached his hand into the air. In an instant, the space warped, and a red vial appeared in his hand. Loki shook it, then tossed it to Hans.

Hans caught it by accident and staggered.

“It’s a healing potion. I’m not sure how effective it is, but… it should be enough to save someone near death.”

‘…Maybe.’

The truth was, Loki wanted to test it out. But since there was no suitable subject, he intended to use Histon as the test subject.

“Uh… I’m sorry.”

At that moment, Hans spoke.

“Histon is dead.”

“I see.”

After all, it was a wound that made survival difficult.

“I… killed him.”

“……”

‘This is surprising, isn’t it?’

Loki was taken aback by the revelation.

“Weren’t you trying to save him?”

“I brought him to kill him.”

“……”

‘This world really does seem complicated…’

Loki, not knowing Hans’ circumstances, started to wonder if the world was out of its mind.

Plunder, theft, slavery, even killing—everything seemed so natural to them.

‘Well, I’m not exactly sane either.’

“Then…”

Loki raised his finger. The sharp, hook-like gauntlet on his finger pointed at Hans.

“Drink it.”

“What?”

“You seem badly hurt… Drink it.”

“That…?”

Hans smiled bitterly. No matter how powerful the healing potion, it couldn’t heal old wounds.

“If I drink it, the potion will be wasted…”

“Drink it.”

“……”

When Loki spoke firmly, Hans hesitated but eventually opened the vial and drank it.

When the last drop entered his body, something strange began to happen.

“Ughhh!”

“……”

Hans collapsed forward, vomiting blood. His body trembled as spasms wracked him.

And then…

Crack!

The sound of bones echoed. Dislocated bones returned to their places. Some bones broke through his skin but quickly regenerated.

The bones that had been broken by Histon’s blows and hadn’t been properly treated began to heal, fusing and hardening.

Gradually, his body’s balance was restored, and the recovery was so noticeable that it became visible.

Loki, watching this, stroked his chin in amazement.

When the recovery ended, Hans lay on the ground, panting, looking at his hands.

“I… am healed?”

His hands, which had been broken from hitting Histon, were now restored to normal.

❃❃❃