Chapter 04
The Moon-Bathing Constellations Appeared
The place I arrived at was a real hot spring.
The surroundings weren’t very visible due to thick fog, but it seemed to be in a remote mountain area.
It felt a bit eerie, but at least the hot spring was real.
After confirming the worn-out signboard that read “Hot Spring,” I finally let go of my doubts.
“I guess it wasn’t a lie about awakening as a hot spring owner.”
“Of course not! This mighty being never speaks falsehoods!”
I thought I was alone, but suddenly, I heard a chirping voice from somewhere.
It seemed to be coming from below…
When I looked down toward the sound, I saw a small chick covered in silver feathers, holding a blue egg.
“Who would abandon a chick in such a remote place? How heartless. Leaving it here is like handing it over as a snack for wild animals.”
Feeling pity, I reached out to stroke its feathers, but the chick jumped and smacked my hand away with a loud slap.
“Who are you calling a chick? Didn’t I already tell you not to compare me to such lowly creatures?!”
One thing was clear—it had a bad temper. But….
“A talking chick?”
This scene felt strangely familiar.
“I am not a chick! I am the great Yeong-gye!”
Yeong-gye… that was the name of the dragon that gave me the golden key.
So, this chick was the same silver dragon that had been soaring through the sky, stirring up whirlpools with its majestic power?
I carefully examined the chick that claimed to be a dragon.
No matter how I looked at it, it was just a chick.
“Then what’s that egg you’re holding? No, from your perspective, should I call it an egg?”
“How insolent! That is my Yeouiju, which I obtained after thousands of years of cultivation!”
Judging by its shimmering glow, it definitely wasn’t an ordinary egg.
“Well, in any case, I guess I can’t eat it.”
“Of course not!”
The chick—no, Yeong-gye—chirped in frustration.
Since it wasn’t edible, my interest in the egg faded as quickly as it had come.
“I just thought you were holding it so carefully that it might be an emergency food supply.”
A Yeouiju wouldn’t exactly put food on the table.
“What was Constellation Sharenian thinking, choosing someone who only has food on their mind as a successor?”
Yeong-gye muttered something, glancing at me like I was a complete mystery, but I had already lost interest.
“I’m starving to death, let’s go inside and order something to eat while we talk.”
Awakening is all about survival, after all. If I didn’t eat soon, I might die of starvation before I could even start my new job.
“I can open the hot spring door with this key, right?”
I took out the hot spring master key I had received earlier.
“Wait! First, let me explain…”
Koreans always skip tutorials.
Before Yeong-gye could finish speaking, I inserted the master key into the lock of the hot spring door.
[Reading information from the ‘Hot Spring Master Key.’]
[Hidden Field ‘Dried-Up Hot Spring (EX)’ has been unlocked.]
Click.
Along with the sound of the lock opening, a window appeared announcing that the hot spring entrance had opened.
I rubbed my eyes and checked the message again.
It still said the hot spring was EX-rank.
An EX-rank hot spring?
It had appeared so quickly that I thought I had misread it, but no—I saw it right.
Even the world’s number-one hunter was only S-rank. I had never heard of an EX rank before.
Besides, I was only F-rank. Wasn’t this a bit too unbalanced?
“Yeong-gye, don’t you think the balance here is completely off? How can an F-rank hot spring owner run an EX-rank hot spring?”
I thought this was a good chance to negotiate with Yeong-gye and get my rank upgraded, even just a little.
“Well, this hot spring is a special place for certain individuals. It wouldn’t be fitting if it were anything less than EX-rank.”
“Certain individuals?”
Before I could get an answer, a series of notifications appeared.
[News of the hot spring’s opening spreads, and the exhausted constellations cheer and rush in like waves.]
…What now?
[Constellation ‘Do You Believe in Fortune?’ runs happily asking, “Has the Hot Spring Old Man returned?”]
[Constellation ‘Yeomra of the Underworld’ opens the Book of Life and Death and says, “The Hot Spring Old Man has long since crossed the River of Death.”]
[Constellation ‘Do You Believe in Fortune?’ asks, “Then who is the current holder of the Hot Spring Master Key?”]
[Constellation ‘Immortal Murderer’ explains, “Yeong-gye has recruited a new successor.”]
[Constellation ‘Yeomra of the Underworld’ replies, “As long as the hot spring is open again, it doesn’t matter who the owner is.”]
[Constellation ‘Immortal Murderer’ groans, “I’ve been aching all over from not being able to soak in the hot spring for so long.”]
[Constellation ‘Do You Believe in Fortune?’ looks at the successor’s fortune and says, “Her manual dexterity isn’t good, but she should be fine as long as she’s careful about what she eat.”]
Do constellations also read fortunes?
I was secretly impressed by how accurate the reading was.
I really do have terrible hands.
How bad was it? Well, anyone who ate ramyeon I cooked ended up in the emergency room.
After that, Park Si-woo never asked me to cook ramyeon again, and Jiho would always step up to make it whenever I even reached for a pot.
It worked out well for me since I didn’t have to cook anymore.
“But why are there so many constellations? Isn’t it usually one constellation per person?”
Feeling overwhelmed by the noisy chatter, I frowned, and Yeong-gye continued explaining.
“These constellations you’re seeing are the special guests of this hot spring I mentioned. This space exists solely for these four constellations.”
So, the reason it’s EX-rank is that only constellations can use it?
That’s why it was a hidden field.
That also meant I only had four customers, which honestly sounded perfect.
I always dreamed of running a hot spring, and now that I’ve awakened, if I manage it well, I might actually achieve my dream of a peaceful, healing life.
I don’t have to pay land fees, and a perfectly good hot spring just fell into my lap.
It might not be a lottery jackpot, but it’s still a huge win.
“So that means you’ll contract with four constellations.”
As soon as Yeong-gye said that, the happy vision of me relaxing peacefully in the hot spring shattered into pieces.
“Oh no. I don’t need four constellations.”
It was already too noisy, and I didn’t have the patience to deal with four of them talking all the time.
[Constellation ‘Immortal Murderer’ initiates a vote for the hot spring successor. All four constellations, please close your eyes and nod for approval or shake for rejection.]
[Morning has arrived. Those who approve, please nod.]
[Night has fallen. Those who reject, please shake your head.]
Wait, I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before…
Before I could even say anything, the constellations went ahead and held their own vote.
[Successor Vote Result: The position of ‘Owner of the Dried-Up Hot Spring (F)’ has been granted by majority approval.]
[Constellation ‘Ruler of the Hot Spring’ rages, yelling, “Are you all insane?”]
Judging by that reaction, my first contractor must have voted against me.
They seem quite displeased with me, what should I do about this?
The deal was already signed and sealed, so this hot spring was mine.
I smiled victoriously at the results.
[Hidden Skill ‘Hot Spring Pass Sales Desk’ opens.]
What’s a Hot Spring Pass Sales Desk?
When I tapped the info icon, a menu popped up, listing different membership passes, just like the ones at public bathhouses.
The longest option was 30 days.
Who would come to a hot spring every day for 30 days straight?
Losing interest, I quickly closed the window.
“Fortunately, most of the constellations seem to like you.”
“No, seriously, I never planned to make contracts with all four of them—”
I was about to voice my complaint to the smug-looking spirit beast when—
[Constellation ‘Do You Believe in Fortune?’ has purchased a 30-day hot spring pass from the ‘Hot Spring Pass Sales Desk’. You obtain 30 million gold as pass fee.]
[Constellation ‘Yeomra of the Underworld’ has purchased a 30-day hot spring pass from the ‘Hot Spring Pass Sales Desk’. You obtain 30 million gold as pass fee.]
[Constellation ‘Immortal Murderer’ has purchased a 30-day hot spring pass from the ‘Hot Spring Pass Sales Desk’. You obtain 30 million gold as pass fee.]
Wait. Not 3 million gold. Not even 30 million.
30 million gold per person?
And three of them bought it, so that’s 90 million gold.
Since 10 million gold equals 10 million won… that means 90 million gold is… 90 million won?!
As soon as money was involved, my brain started working at lightning speed.
I haven’t even properly opened the hot spring yet, and I just made 90 million won?
The water isn’t even made of gold, and they threw that much money at me without hesitation?
These guys were seriously big spenders.
Counting the zeros in my head, I immediately put on my warmest smile.
‘Thank you for using our hot spring, dear customers.’
[Skill ‘Capitalist’s Smile’ acquired. Increases the spending urge of those who see it.]
Thank you for reading! ♡
