Torrential rain poured down. But this wasn’t ordinary rain. The world—no, the dungeon—was melting. Neither the Unfilial Children nor the Filial Duty Addict should directly interfere in a world they do not belong to. By exploiting the fact that it was a fake world, a dungeon, we forced our way in, but of course the aftermath was immense.

And with two great powers clashing, just as Rookie had said, the world was crumbling rapidly.

“You mean you broke the restrictions with just that contract? That you retained enough power to stand equal to me—someone who made a contract with the King of Harmless in exchange for an SSS-rank monster?!”

The sixth shard of Crescent Moon shouted in disbelief. Certainly, the price seemed far too low for a Transcendent to interfere in this world.

“Well, part of it is thanks to someone barging in ahead of schedule and stirring things up.”

Seong Hyunjae stretched out his hand to the side. Sigma, who had been standing blankly, tried to step back, but his shoulder was seized first. Both of them had combat foresight, so the one with higher stats held the advantage.

“And also thanks to having someone I’m deeply connected with.”

“Let go of me!”

“Take out the Seeker’s Chain.”

At the commanding tone, Sigma’s brow furrowed deeply. Now that they were standing so close together, the resemblance was even stronger. At the same time, it was clear that Seong Hyunjae gave off a more mature air.

“Why should I.”

“Be a good kid, will you.”

Before anyone noticed, Seong Hyunjae had grabbed Sigma by the nape and pulled him downward, holding him in place. Their golden eyes clashed. Possibly because of the body he was using, Seong Hyunjae’s gaze was slightly higher.

“Don’t bully the kid.”

“He’s just too cute.”

“Wow, saying that with your exact same face right in front of you.”

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Sigma finally pulled out the chain. The golden chain, the moment it touched Seong Hyunjae’s hand, surged upward like a dragon ascending to the heavens, shedding its old skin and unleashing even greater force. The Centaur’s expression twisted in shock at the sight. Freed, Sigma rubbed the back of his neck and stared coldly at Seong Hyunjae.

“That chain cannot be wielded by anyone but the contractor.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Are you me, then?”

To the heavy question, a light smile was the only reply.

Chrrrr— The golden chain swirled around us protectively, deflecting the pouring raindrops.

“What in the world are you, Delroux!”

“No matter how fake or doomed this world may be, you shouldn’t go throwing names around like that.”

The Centaur leveled his bow. From the black bow, dark branches sprouted and intertwined, stretching out long. He now wielded a massive sword with no edge, more like a club, and his black hooves struck the air.

Kwa-gagak! The massive sword slashed through the air and tangled with the golden chain blocking its path. Sparks flew as they scraped and shoved against each other, shaking the earth and sky simultaneously. Without protection, even I—let alone Sigma, an SS-rank guard—would’ve died instantly from a single ember.

The massive sword swung wildly, and dozens of arrows rained down through the storm, but the golden chain didn’t budge. It was as if we were watching the rain and thunder roll by from behind a thick windowpane.

Centered around Seong Hyunjae, the white, barrier-like domain rejected the encroaching night without yielding an inch. No—if anything, it was expanding its territory.

“That chain was given to the Little Moon! No one but the Little Moon and the original master, the Crescent Moon, can use it!”

“You’re good at answering your own questions.”

Answering his own questions? Wait, but yeah…

“I don’t get it either!”

I reached out and grabbed the hem of Seong Hyunjae’s clothes—then yelped and let go. It was the sleeve of the arm I’d lost. Even though it wasn’t my real body, it still felt uncomfortable.

“Anyway—ack! What is this!”

Something wrapped around my waist as I stepped back. It was long, white—a tail. What the hell, he really has a tail?! He actually has a white tail?!

“Han Yujin.”

“Yes, can you let this go, please?”

“That is a Scouter.”

“Huh?”

“A Scouter—one of the cradles of the Transcendents, created from a part of the Crescent Moon itself, to seek out those worthy of becoming Transcendents in order to save the world, make contact with them, and foster their growth. That one is the sixth of them.”

As Seong Hyunjae spoke in a quiet voice, the stars in the sky disappeared. The world around us became filled with pure white or utter black. The only untouched area was the vicinity of the mana hole we stood on. The mana hole, scattering a brilliant blue glow all on its own, felt strangely out of place.

In that extremely surreal scene, Seong Hyunjae turned his head and looked at the sixth shard of the Crescent Moon. The creature’s white eyes met his with savage intensity.

“…So who is this Crescent Moon exactly? Have you remembered something?”

“No, this isn’t my knowledge. It’s the memory of this body—of the White Tail Delroux, a member of the Filial Duty Addicts. They say the Crescent Moon is a very ancient being. Naturally, there can’t be that many system administrators, the Unfilial Children. No matter how gifted someone is, very few ever grow into Transcendents.”

But even just among the Unfilial Children I know—the ones responsible for our world—there are more than enough to count on one hand. There must be others in other worlds too.

“That’s why they were created artificially. By having their worlds consumed.”

Sigma’s, Alpha’s, Delta, Myu, and Lambda’s worlds were vanishing fast. I found myself looking over at Sigma.

“To swallow their own world?”

“Unfilial Children. A fitting name, don’t you think? Not all of them, of course. Some may have grown naturally with long years and special luck on their side. But the majority of Unfilial Children are exactly that—those who swallowed the world they were born and raised [N O V E L I G H T] in.”

With that included, the Centaur slammed the chain down with force. A terrifying shockwave spread out, and the golden chain creaked as it was slightly pushed back. White hair fluttered in the wind. Raindrops slipped through the cracks and splattered down, soaking the ground at our feet.

“Only those who belong to and have grown within a world can swallow it. That’s why the Crescent Moon, while searching for suitable candidates to raise, embedded pieces of itself in various worlds. Not every piece could become a Transcendent, but their potential far surpassed that of ordinary humans.”

[The Moon That Swallowed a Thousand Worlds]

That message suddenly came to mind. So it wasn’t that the Crescent Moon swallowed worlds directly, but rather that it had its shards and chosen candidates do it?

More than that—if most of the Unfilial Children became Transcendents by consuming their own worlds… A wave of nausea rose. Rookie’s bright, innocent message about helping to save the world flickered in my mind. While they devoured their own.

“…Am I one of those shards too?”

Sigma asked.

“No. You, and I, are human. Just recipients of some unwanted attention.”

So we were among the potential candidates that the Crescent Moon had its eye on? That made sense. You’d have to be blind to overlook someone like that guy.

“Will you accept that attention? You’ll get crazy strong, right? Like now.”

There was a faint tremble in the voice asking. Seong Hyunjae turned to look at me, eyes slightly widened. Then he made an exaggeratedly hurt expression.

“I’ve already answered that before. Was it really so unconvincing?”

“Wh-what was?”

“Stay as you are. Don’t change, don’t disappear. Just stay the same.”

His gentle smile and those words left me dazed for a moment, and then my neck flushed hot. Crap, he’s got an annoyingly good memory. I mean, I did say that, but hearing it again now makes me want to crawl out of my skin. My limbs are cringing. Was I out of my mind? What kind of mental state was I in to say something like that? Did I turn off poison resistance? Was I drunk?

“Ah… no, that’s not the same as this! I just meant, like, please wait a bit.”

“And besides. It’s not my style.”

“…Huh?”

“Swallowing something that isn’t mine, and claiming it as my power just because I forced it down.”

A chill crawled down my spine. His golden pupils thinned like needles. One moment they looked feline, the next, reptilian.

“Powerful weapons, excellent skills, even humans who possess them—I have no issue wielding them. In fact, I enjoy it. The more valuable the opponent, the better. But power that isn’t mine at its core, power that doesn’t come from my will, is meaningless. Just dull and disgusting.”

And with that—A low growl, and Seong Hyunjae vanished from sight.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion rang out, and I frantically looked around.

“Gah!”

A white spear was embedded in the Centaur’s hind leg. The rain turned into a storm, lashing out wildly in all directions. The Centaur swung his massive sword, but Seong Hyunjae dodged with a single backward step. Wearing a cool smile, Seong Hyunjae’s body once again disappeared as if sinking into thin air.

The Centaur, expecting another attack, spread his mana outward and raised his greatsword like a shield. Branches extended from the blade, wrapping around him for protection, just as Seong Hyunjae appeared midair. Twisting his body, he came down with a powerful spinning kick, heel smashing into the wide surface of the sword like a hammer blow.

BOOOM!

With an explosive sound like a bomb going off, the branches surrounding the greatsword shattered into pieces. Before there was even a moment to breathe, Seong Hyunjae already had another white spear in his hand. Almost simultaneously with the kick, the spear stabbed through the gap in the broken branches. The Centaur hastily angled his sword diagonally to block the thrust. Spear and sword collided, bursting in a blinding flash.

Woooong—

A fierce wind like a blade wrapped around them both, and Seong Hyunjae soared with it as if carried by the storm.

BOOM! CRASH!

A barrage of continuous attacks followed, overwhelming the senses. The chains of the two masters tangled and neutralized one another, while skill clashed against skill, and mana with mana—repeatedly dispersing and colliding in a fierce contest of strength.

“Stop! Attacking me is pointless—this is all fake information anyway!”

With their transcendent powers in stalemate, it had come down to physical combat. The Centaur’s greatsword was mighty, but his movements were surprisingly crude. Seong Hyunjae had already slipped behind the Centaur’s head, and he stomped down hard on the horse’s back. It was just a shoe, yet it tore through the Centaur’s ornately decorated garments and split the skin beneath like a blade.

As the Centaur tried to dodge, Seong Hyunjae’s foot mercilessly kicked his body away, a smirk playing at his lips.

“You grew up eating only what was fed to you. No better than livestock.”

“Grghhh!”

The Centaur let out a furious cry and extended black branches toward Seong Hyunjae. Then, before those branches could be broken in retaliation, he charged in with ferocious force, swinging his greatsword. The momentum was savage—but the only thing his blade struck was rain.

Seong Hyunjae lowered his body, dropping to one knee, and smoothly slid to the side, swinging his spear at the Centaur’s legs. Both of the front legs he struck snapped with a crack, and the Centaur’s massive body toppled forward.

“You bastard!”

But he quickly sprang back up, pushing off the ground with both hands. In that brief moment, his broken legs had already healed. Whether it was a recovery skill or simply high physical regeneration, the wounds had been instantly mended—but Seong Hyunjae moved even faster. Grabbing the Centaur’s face, he drove a knee into the creature’s chest. The brutal blow looked like it would crush every rib, and for a moment, the Centaur froze.

Seong Hyunjae didn’t miss that opportunity. Tightening his grip on the Centaur’s head, he twisted it with a sharp crack. The massive body crashed to the ground, and his spear followed—thrusting down repeatedly.

“You may be a fake, but the Little Moon you managed was not entirely so.”

“Guh… you, what are you…”

Seong Hyunjae’s foot came down hard on the Centaur’s head. His gaze as he looked down was as cold as ice.

“It will escape from here intact, without being reclaimed.”

“Not entirely… not a true one either…”

“Right. This is the past, after all. But even a small distortion, a divergence, is enough. I don’t really like going along with that kind of talk either, though.”

The white spear pierced through the gasping Centaur’s throat and pinned him to the ground.

“A promise is a promise.”

Even in that state, the Centaur was still alive. But the overwhelming force that had once filled the sky was completely gone, and the silver chain had lost its strength, lying limp on the ground. Seong Hyunjae didn’t finish him off—he simply turned back toward us.

“Why didn’t you kill him?”

“If I kill him now, the world would collapse instantly. The kid wouldn’t make it out safely.”

Both Seong Hyunjae and I turned to look at Sigma at the same time. Perhaps because of the term kid, Sigma scowled in displeasure.

“What are you planning to do with me?”

“Let you leave here alive.”

“…To where the C-rank is?”

“That won’t do. I’m already there.”

I looked at the two of them standing across from each other. They were clearly the same—and yet not.

“The Crescent Moon must have thought the Little Moon was quite special. Even gave it part of its own name. But the Little Moon probably refused. Over and over. To swallow a world.”

That’s all I’ve learned, Seong Hyunjae said lightly, as if it didn’t concern him.

“When there’s enough of a gap, I’ll send you off. I can’t say where, though.”

Sigma glanced at me, then gave a small nod. My head felt like it was spinning. So Sigma was from the distant past… If Seong Hyunjae is right—

Then the Crescent Moon tried and failed to turn him into a Transcendent, and plucked him out to plant in another world. Doing it over and over again. Even without the memories, those two were clearly feeling the repetition deep in their bones. I thought of how both of them acted like they were bored with everything.

“…Crescent Moon, or whatever—you’re seriously messed up. Clinging to people who clearly said no.”

This wasn’t just messing with lives—it was playing with entire existences. Spouting nonsense about saving the world while doing it. And the Unfilial Children…

How exactly are they going to save our world?

As all those thoughts tangled in my head, the rain continued to pour down without end. Just then, all strength drained from my body. As I staggered forward—

Beep!

A blue bird appeared. It was Grace. She fluttered around me in circles, as if happy to see me.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep