CHAPTER 161

I hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

“I’ve been chosen by God.”

“…?”

“…?”

I did my best not to laugh, keeping a completely serious expression as if I truly meant what I said. Still, it was a close call. Even I had to admit—I sounded like I had eighth-grade syndrome. I held it in and looked straight at Park Yoon-sung and Kang Yoo-hyun.

“What… exactly do you mean by that?”

Park Yoon-sung asked again, maintaining his composure. No matter how I thought about it, there was just no way I could admit that I was a possessor. So I decided to be honest about everything else—except that.

Now that I’d actually said it, I realized I sounded like someone with eighth-grade syndrome. It was a mess—but the part about meeting God was true.

“I came into contact with God back in that timed dungeon.”

“Wait—are you saying… like, an actual god?”

“Yes.”

Park Yoon-sung pointed upward with a confused expression. Seeing that, I realized this world didn’t have the concept of constellations yet. While there were hunters like Joshua Lehmann who had met a god, most people didn’t even know such beings existed.

How do I explain this? As I pondered, Kang Yoo-hyun—who had been leaning back casually behind me—spoke up before I could.

“I’ve met one too.”

"What? Really?"

I was taken aback by Kang Yoo-hyun’s words, but then a part of the novel suddenly came to mind. Even though this world had been reset and ended up different from the original story, the part where Kang Yoo-hyun fell into a gate had probably stayed the same. The only changes since the reset were the events that happened after I took over this body.

Come to think of it, Kang Yoo-hyun had gone through all sorts of strange experiences while he was trapped in that gate. In the novel, those hundreds of years were glossed over pretty quickly—probably because the story focused more on what happened after his return. So it wasn’t all that strange to think he might’ve come into contact with one of Asgard’s gods while he was in there.

“He was… one hell of an annoying bastard.”

“…”

The sharp sound of Kang Yoo-hyun grinding his teeth filled the small meeting room. Even I—and surprisingly, Park Yoon-sung too—swallowed hard as we looked at him. I noticed the veins bulging at the nape of his neck and quickly looked away.

“Hmm, so gods really do exist?”

“Of course. Who else do you think created the system and hunters’ abilities?”

“Aha.”

I was mostly just guessing at this point. But after meeting a god in that timed dungeon, I felt somewhat certain. In Norse mythology, Odin—the king of the gods—was warned by a prophet about the world’s destruction and began training warriors. That army was called the Einherjar. These human warriors, raised by the gods to stop the apocalypse, are probably the main characters of the novel. ℞άΝ𝔬𝔟Εʂ

“So does that mean the reason you went out of your way to enter the dungeon this time was because the god instructed Hunter Han Yi-jin?”

“Well, rather than saying ‘instructed,’ it was more like… I was warned that if I didn’t go and stop it, the worst-case scenario would happen.”

Honestly, it’s not like the god told me directly. I just figured it out after seeing the original story the system showed me. But since the system’s functions likely reflect the gods’ intentions, I’m probably not wrong.

“So that’s why Joshua Lehmann already suspected something and knew the route to get the legendary weapon?”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s why I was so determined to go to the Svartalfheim dungeon.”

“Hmm…”

Sharp as ever, Park Yoon-sung understood my explanation perfectly—even though it was a bit all over the place. He stroked his chin with one hand and muttered to himself.

“So, all of this was planned by the gods…”

“…”

Honestly, it was hard to tell how Park Yoon-sung would take all this.

He was a rational guy—someone who made decisions based on logic and clear judgment.

As for me, I was used to things like gods and constellations, having read tons of fantasy novels in my past life. But Park Yoon-sung wasn’t like that.

To him, this kind of talk probably sounded like something only religious people would believe in. He might even take it the wrong way…

"That would be quite useful."

"…Yes?"

"…?"

Park Yoon-sung and I tilted our heads at each other in confusion.

What did he just say? Useful?

Seeing how stunned I looked, Park Yoon-sung pressed me for an answer.

“Can that god be contacted whenever Hunter Han Yi-jin wants? What kind of information does he provide? Can we get everything we want? And—”

“W-Wait. Hold on a second.”

Overwhelmed by the flood of questions, I quickly raised my hand.

Seeing that, Park Yoon-sung realized he’d gotten a bit too worked up and fell silent. An awkward expression briefly crossed his face.

"I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away.”

“Ahem, it’s alright.”

His reaction surprised me. I hadn’t expected Park Yoon-sung to be this curious—I thought he’d be completely against it. But it seemed the benefit of gaining a legendary weapon outweighed any doubts he had.

"You shouldn't trust them completely."

At that moment, Kang Yoo-hyun, who had been quietly observing, spoke in a low voice. He was the only one speaking realistically. Both Park Yoon-sung and I turned to look at him.

“They’re two-faced. They act like they’re helping, but they enjoy turning humans into their puppets—then tossing them aside.”

“Oh…”

What kind of god did Kang Yoo-hyun meet to make him hate them this much? The aura pouring off him was intense. Just remembering the god he’d come into contact with seemed to put him in a foul mood.

Let me think… the god he encountered while trapped in that gate…

That gate was connected to Niflheim, and the god associated with Niflheim is…

Could it have been the goddess Hel?

The daughter of Loki, ruler of Niflheim and Helheim—the goddess of the underworld?

No, no, no… it couldn’t be…

That terrifying god, with Kang Yoo-hyun…?

“…?”

“…”

They really suit each other. Kang Yoo-hyun and the goddess Hel—that combination is just perfect. Even their mutual hatred is kind of incredible. If the goddess Hel ever became Kang Yoo-hyun’s constellation down the line, the synergy would be off the charts.

As I nodded to myself in silent agreement, Kang Yoo-hyun gave me a puzzled look. I cleared my throat before speaking again.

“Anyway, for now, we don’t have much choice but to trust them. I managed to get a legendary weapon and hand it over to you.”

“That’s exactly their trick. They’re not to be underestimated.”

“Alright then, I won’t rely on them anymore. That’s enough, right?”

“…”

I had no intention of relying too much on the gods, either. After all, my goal was to return to my original world. Hearing that there were gods who disapproved of my existence only strengthened that resolve. No matter what, I would find a way back.

But I couldn’t tell Kang Yoo-hyun or Park Yoon-sung about that, so I kept my mouth shut. Kang Yoo-hyun shot me a displeased look—clearly unhappy with my answer.

“Anyway, thank you for the information, Hunter Han Yi-jin. We should probably keep this from the other hunters for now.”

“Yes, that’s probably for the best.”

We didn’t want to cause any unnecessary confusion, so we agreed to keep quiet until the final dungeon was cleared. If I had any further contact with the god, I’d inform Park Yoon-sung and Kang Yoo-hyun right away.

So… can I finally go back to my room now?

"Wait a minute."

“…?”

As I was about to head back to my room, a deep voice stopped me.

I froze, halfway out of my seat, staring at Kang Yoo-hyun.

Still stuck in that awkward half-standing position, I glanced at him, then quietly sat back down. Doing my best to play it cool, I asked,

“Hm? Why?”

Come to think of it, Kang Yoo-hyun had followed me here saying he had something to tell me. Why is he getting all serious now—what’s he trying to say?

I tried to stay calm on the outside, but I was nervous on the inside.

My mind kept drifting back to what happened between us in the Svartalfheim dungeon.

I mean, it wasn’t exactly a disagreement. Kang Yoo-hyun had asked me to stay on the main team, but I had my reasons and insisted on joining the exploration team instead. He did get a little upset, but still…

“…”

Ah… so I guess it was kind of a confrontation after all.

Realizing this a bit late, I quietly placed my hands on my lap.

“The Odin Guild’s pair system allows someone to equip items to protect their partner, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct, but… ah.”

“…?”

Park Yoon-sung nodded at Kang Yoo-hyun’s question, then suddenly seemed to realize something—and turned to look at me. Kang Yoo-hyun also fixed his gaze on me. Caught under both their stares, I tilted my head.

“I want to use it on Han Yi-jin.”

“Ah, I see.”

“W-Wait, what…?”

I could instinctively tell this wasn’t going to end well for me.

Wearing an item to “protect their partner”? I had a really bad feeling about this. Kang Yoo-hyun looked at me like a predator eyeing its prey, then took something out of his inventory. I stared at the item with trembling eyes.

“Hey, that is…!”

I was shocked when I saw what Kang Yoo-hyun was holding.

In his hand was a small item that, at first glance, looked like a necklace made of a thin leather strap. But it wasn’t just a simple accessory—the system window showed it was a defensive item packed with all sorts of effects. But…

‘Why does this look like a collar?!’

The strap was thin and short, so it would fit tightly around my neck.

I could already imagine how I’d look wearing it—and how others would see me. They’d definitely tease me, saying I had weird tastes…

When Kang Yoo-hyun held it out, like he expected me to put it on right away, I shook my head desperately.