A king who was both revered and feared. A scholar who mastered knowledge and power, yet fell because of his own pride.
That duality was perfectly captured in the modifier. This constellation wasn’t just about raw strength. It offered knowledge, magic, and overwhelming potential for growth.
But that power ca with a cost.
Constellations like this didn’t just lend strength; they influenced their incarnations. Pride would seep into slowly over ti. My decisions would beco crueller, and the line between my will and his would blur over ti.
It wasn’t imdiate corruption. It was gradual, almost unnoticeable, until it was too late to separate the two.
It was tempting, but dangerous in a way that couldn’t be easily asured.
I shifted my gaze to the third option.
[Forgotten Shore]
Unlike the others, this one gave nothing to work with. There was no clear mythology, no obvious hint, no defining trait that could be traced back to sothing I already knew. Just two words.
It sounded like a place rather than a being. Sothing abandoned, sothing left behind, or sothing that existed on the boundary between two states.
The simplicity of it felt intentional, but if I was being honest, it didn’t sound powerful at all.
I searched my mory, trying to recall if this na had ever appeared before. And I found nothing.
That alone was enough to raise a red flag. Either this constellation was extrely obscure or pitifully weak. Neither possibility was sothing that made want to choose him as my supporter.
I couldn’t evaluate him properly, and that made it the most unpredictable choice out of all four.
Finally, my eyes moved to the last option.
[Amused Prankster]
This one didn’t need much thought.
An image ca to mind instantly. A smiling face with sharp eyes filled with mischief, and a presence that treated everything like a ga.
Loki.
Among all constellations, he was one of the hardest to deal with. Not because he was overwhelmingly powerful, but because he was unpredictable. He didn’t care about righteousness, strength, or even logic. What mattered to him was entertainnt.
If sothing was boring, he lost interest. If sothing was interesting, he would push it further, regardless of the consequences.
Choosing him ant giving up stability. It ant stepping into a path where outcos couldn’t be easily predicted. But it also ant freedom. He wouldn’t bind with strict rules of [Justice] like Athena, nor would he try to slowly shape into sothing else like Ravana.
He would simply watch and tempt to cause more chaos.
I stared at the screen for a few seconds, weighing the options one last ti.
Athena offered stability but demanded obedience.
Ravana offered power but risked losing myself in the process.
Forgotten Shore offered nothing I could understand.
And Loki... Loki offered freedom and stable support without harsh demands like the first two.
[There is one minute left to complete the Sponsor Selection.]
Ti was running out.
***
[The Sponsor Selection has ended.]
I exhaled slowly as the system ssages began to appear one after another.
[So constellations are greatly affected by your choice.]
That was expected. Rejecting a constellation wasn’t sothing that could be brushed off. To them, it wasn’t a passive decision. It was a clear refusal.
[The constellation ’Spokeswoman of Justice’ is disappointed in your decision.]
[She will continue to observe your actions.]
Athena’s reaction was exactly what I had predicted. There was no anger, no hostility, just quiet disappointnt.
A being like her didn’t need to express emotion loudly. If anything, this was worse. It ant I had placed myself under her scrutiny without gaining anything in return.
From now on, every action I took would be asured against her sense of justice. I did not doubt that her standards would not be easy to satisfy.
The next ssage appeared without delay.
[The constellation ’Ten-Headed Saint-Like Demon’ is displeased by your decision.]
[His pride has been slightly wounded.]
That reaction made far more sense. Ravana was not the type of being who would find rejection amusing.
He was a king, a conqueror, soone whose pride defined his very existence. To be refused was not sothing he would simply brush aside.
The fact that his reaction was limited to displeasure ant I hadn’t crossed a line yet. It wasn’t anger yet. But it was enough to leave a mark.
A being like him wouldn’t forget sothing like this.
He wouldn’t act imdiately, and that was what made it worse. Instead of reacting now, he would hold a grudge for a long ti. And if I ever needed his help in the future, this decision would not be ignored.
I had already drawn his attention. And attention from soone like Ravana was never sothing you could take lightly.
[The constellation ’Forgotten Shore’ is silent.]
There was no additional line and no reaction. What followed was a quiet silence.
For a brief mont, I wondered if the system had failed to display sothing, but that thought quickly disappeared.
Every other constellation had responded. Even indifference would have been shown in so form. This was different. It felt less like indifference and more like... absence. As if my choice had already been accounted for, or perhaps had never mattered in the first place.
I looked away from the ssage. There was no point trying to understand it now.
The final notification appeared.
[The constellation ’Amused Prankster’ bursts into laughter.]
[The constellation finds your decision extrely entertaining.]
[100 coins have been sponsored.]
That was the most predictable reaction of all. Loki didn’t care whether I chose him or not. If anything, rejecting all sponsors was probably more interesting to him than accepting one. He wasn’t looking for loyalty or strength. He was looking for sothing worth watching.
And right now, I had given him exactly that.
[You have not selected a sponsor.]
[You will proceed without a sponsor.]
This was the path I had chosen.
Most people would never consider it. A sponsor ant power, stability, and a clear direction for growth. Without one, I would be left with nothing but my own abilities and whatever I could obtain on my own.
Even I was tempted to choose a sponsor for a brief while. Athena, Ravana, and Loki were so great choices. But the places I wanted to reach, I didn’t know if they would be enough.
I slowly lifted my head.
If my mories were correct, there was another way forward. It was inefficient and far more dangerous, but it didn’t rely on anyone else. It didn’t bind to soone else’s expectations.
It was my own path.
A familiar voice echoed through the carriage.
{Haha... this is interesting.}
{Refusing all sponsors at the first selection... this is rare.}
{Well, it doesn’t matter. There will be other chances. Or perhaps there won’t.}
There was a hint of curiosity in his tone, but it didn’t last long. It was as if the outco didn’t concern him at all.
{Everyone has completed their selection. You now have 10 minutes before the next scenario begins. Use your ti wisely.}
With that, he disappeared again.
Ten minutes wasn’t much, but it was enough to prepare, if I used it properly.
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