Little Pink Starfish

Demons see the underside of the world.

It’s only natural—they belong to that underside.

Is Hell the abyss The Savior Who Is One and All wants to keep hidden?<We see what humans wish to hide.> 

The Star Hated by All said.

“…What humans wish to hide.”

I repeated.

What was that black-and-white mask hovering behind Hamin’s head?

If I take it at face value—maybe it meant deceit?

Then what about Madojin?

For a moment, his figure had completely disappeared.

<…A ghost, perhaps?>

Could it be that simple?

I reached to scratch my head—
but stopped, remembering it was already styled.

<What we demons see is the root of humanity. Papa gave humans not good nor evil, but eternity as their origin. However, as you know…>

“You’re gonna bring up the Tree of Knowledge, huh?”

<Indeed. The moment they ate the fruit, the root of humanity changed—
They became both good and evil. From then on, demons could see only the evil in them, and angels the good.>

“Hm…”

So with the Burning Demon Eyes, what I saw was each person’s evil side.

And the good parts—I couldn’t see them.

Then that guy Madojin… was he such a good guy that there was nothing to see?

I shook my head.

…So what.

Even if he’s a good guy, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s competition.

The Star Hated by All, who had been perched on my shoulder, suddenly fluttered up and hovered before my face.

Up close, he really looked disgusting.

<In any case, my creation, I was planning to command you to use the artifact today.>

It wasn’t hard to guess what The Star Hated by All was getting at.

“Because not only the competitors, but the audience is all gathered here….”

No way I could check each person’s status window one by one among this crowd of hundreds.

And the farther someone was, the harder it became to see.

While my status window appeared right before me, everyone else’s floated above their heads.

So using an artifact to spot suspicious ones from a distance made sense.

I could check status windows later.

I tossed my soda can into the trash.

Then looked over the balcony.

Chatter, chatter—

The garden of Count Aysen’s estate had become packed with people.

Above each of their heads, ring-shaped flames were burning.

It looked like a valley of fire.

This was definitely what the Burning Demon Eyes revealed.

Flames burning above the heads of every guest—

What could that mean but:

Everyone was expecting something.

…All right. Let’s do this.

---

Only about 500 people were invited to the Stairway to Heaven event. A very small number.

You can’t compare CYB to the survival shows from before the gate era.

Sure, its format came from those shows.

But in terms of cultural impact, CYB was more akin to the Olympics or World Cup.

It was that big.

Even idol concerts sold out the moment ticketing opened—so this was next level.

People were all over forums talking about “ticket cancellations” or “last-minute grabs.”

So these 500 people here today were just like us.

We, the contestants of the 2nd preliminary round, had survived the 1st.

And the audience here had made it through a ticket war of their own.

We didn’t have personal fans yet.

So this audience of 500 was essentially our harshest judges.

“Ryu Eunyul-ssi, you can take this seat here.”

Following a staff member’s lead, I sat at a long table set up in the hall.

“Please wear this as well.”

They handed me a name tag.

I pinned it to the front of my blazer and took my seat.

“Ah! Madojin-ssi!”

The staff called out to Madojin, who was walking over.

They led him to the seat right next to mine, handing him a tag too.

“You look nervous.”

As he sat and put on his name tag, Madojin said:

“No need to be. For both of us.”

…Something about that rubbed me the wrong way.

People can be nervous.

…Not that it’s ideal.

“You don’t seem nervous at all, Dojin-ssi.”

I said, my tone laced with barbs.

He nodded calmly.

“Of course not. I’ll pass, after all.”

Then, as if remembering something, he added:

“And so will you, Eunyul-ssi.”

The confidence in his voice grated on me.

I spoke inwardly to The Star Hated by All.

“…Can ancestors pass down prophecy powers to descendants?”

<If that were true, no way that would be his holy name.>

From my earphone case, The Star Hated by All replied.

<Prophecy is a high-tier authority. For a mere human to touch it is a lifetime achievement. If one did, their Constellation’s name wouldn’t be something like ‘Old Ancestor’—that’s barely more than windowsill dust.>

“Then why is that guy so sure?”

<You got a theory, my creation?>

No.

…But I kept thinking.

“Status window: Madojin.”

I whispered.

Madojin’s window appeared.

Same as last time. No changes.

That was the important part.

“Status window.”

Mine appeared in front of me.

---

[Ryu Eunyul]
– Level: 34
– Title: Deep-rooted Demon Worshipper
– Constellation: The Star Hated by All
– Constellation Rank: ?

– Base Stats
Strength: 31
Agility: 45
Stamina: 50
Mana: 666
Charm: 72 (+16) (−3)

– Special Skills
[Black Magic LV.16] [Scheming LV.2]

– Status Effect
[Extreme Nervousness LV.3]

---

Passing the first round had leveled me up a lot.

Still just a goblin compared to Rowen, but….

Hamin had also leveled up.

The first round clearly gave a ton of experience.

But Madojin’s window—every stat still set at 10—was just wrong.

Was it a bluff?

The question was whether this was something Madojin—or his Constellation—intended, or if it was for another reason entirely.

I decided to ask him directly.

“What’s your Constellation’s holy name?”

Straight to the point.

“I heard it’s Old Ancestor.”

…No reaction at all.

“Your Constellation’s name?”

“Yes. What about yours, Eunyul-ssi?”

“My Constellation hasn’t revealed their name yet. Bit of a problem, honestly.”

I laughed like I was embarrassed.

Madojin gave a small nod and looked away.

Shouldn’t he at least be a little ashamed, with a holy name like Old Ancestor?

But he wasn’t.

Constellation names aren’t self-chosen.

They’re granted by The Savior Who Is One and All.

So they can’t be faked.

Constellations can withhold their name, but not invent a different one.

So The Star Hated by All can’t go around claiming to be The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell.

Contestants can lie about their Constellation’s name, but it’s a one-time trick.

Once officially contracted, the records are filed by a Sanctuary Manager—like Sister Claudia, who observed my contract.

They have the authority to see the true name.

And that authority is granted directly by The Savior Who Is One and All.

So they can’t lie.

Which means: Madojin’s Constellation really is Old Ancestor.

That name suggests not a godlike presence, but more like dust in a windowsill.

<One thing’s for sure: that creation is one of the top threats to keep an eye on.>

Yeah.

…If he makes it through the second round.

One by one, contestants took their seats.

The Burning Demon Eyes showed something unexpected—

Their “undersides” were all very similar.

<What, did you expect everyone’s dark sides to be unique? Foolish. Most of humanity’s evil is samey and dull.>

Though many had been eliminated in the first round, there were still nearly 200 left.

There were probably some with unique sides, but from this distance, I couldn’t tell.

All I could see was a chill clinging to their bodies.

…Cold-hearted, maybe?

<No. Just nervous.>

Fair. That made more sense.

Contestants: ice.
Audience: fire.

It made me chuckle.

What a setting for a show.

Wouldn’t be surprised if I burst out laughing mid-event.

Squeeze.

I pinched my thigh.

Stay calm.

The audience couldn’t see us yet.
Nor could we see them.

We were separated by a veil.

Only the murmurs helped us sense each other’s presence.

Thump! Thump!

For some reason, my heart sounded louder.

And then—

― Light, bestowed by God!
Count your blessings!
Welcome to the Stairway to Heaven!

A popera-style logo song rang out.

The second round of prelims had begun.

---

2nd Floor Lounge, Count Aysen’s Estate.

From the box seats overlooking the main hall, Chaea sat preparing to judge.

Ryu Eunyul….

She thought, as the logo song played.

Chaea’s Constellation, The One Who Failed to Foresee Angolmois, had given a prophecy this morning.

The content was the usual:

[Skill Effect — Constellation The One Who Failed to Foresee Angolmois predicts: You will meet a destined companion today.]

As she judged the first round, Chaea had felt certain.

The one the prophecy pointed to… is Ryu Eunyul.

She had no concrete proof.

But Ryu Eunyul’s talent was undeniable.

If not for him, Madojin would’ve had the top score in his group.

If Madojin felt like a carbon copy of Rowen, Eunyul felt new.

Not just because of his bold song choice.

Not just his vocals or dance.

Something in his voice…

Chaea rested her chin on her hand.

A distinct sensation… something different.

She wanted to know what it was.

When she saw him in the first round, she was sure—

He was the man from her dream that morning.

…But why?

She was puzzled.

There were many talented contestants.

Showbiz was full of prodigies.

So why did he feel so special?

I’ll find out today.

Chaea steeled herself.

“Chaea.”

A familiar voice startled her.

So familiar, it gave her chills.

“Rowen hyung?!”

She leapt up and turned around.

Sure enough, it was Rowen.

He lowered his sunglasses, flashed a smile, then slid them back on and sat beside her.

“Managed to snag a ticket. Came to watch. Was gonna stay low, but the staff recognized me. They moved me to VIP. Thought I was in disguise, but—how the heck did they know?”

Chaea laughed.

“You only covered your eyes. How could they not know?”

She handed him a face mask from her pocket. Always kept one on hand.

“Ah, right….”

Rowen mumbled as he put it on.

“Forgot mine. Hope my manager gets back soon….”

“You’re only sane when you’re on stage.”

“True enough.”

Rowen glanced down at the main hall of Count Aysen’s mansion.

“…Anyone catch your eye?”

Chaea responded without thinking.

“…A guy named Ryu Eunyul.”

Rowen smiled.

“A good one.”

And added, without hesitation:

“But the one who’s gonna win the national finals—
That’s someone else.”