Every sentient being carries a fragment of its origin within. It is, literally, the source of a person. The fundamental essence of existence that even Transcendents have not fully unraveled. It must be there that something has gone wrong.

“So… it feels like there’s a huge crack in a really important place…”

It was hard to explain precisely. In truth, I wasn’t even sure. When I severed the system and lost all senses, even after drinking the gemstone the King of Devourers gave me and recovering, I still perceived a tiny flaw. My very being felt off, creaking—but perhaps it was only my imagination. If so, that would be a relief, yet I remained uneasy.

“Like an instinct that if this breaks, it’s really over?”

“Instinct, eh.”

I snorted. It sounded absurd, but there was no helping it—I couldn’t stop worrying.

“I cut out the system.”

“What?”

With a thud, I drew the Slayer Spear from my inventory and planted it point-first in the floor. Even in this dreamlike state, it radiated a dull white light, as if still charged. Even if I had exhausted my strength, that ominous aura made me frown.

“…What is this?”

“A spear that kills Transcendents.”

Suspicious, I touched the spear’s shaft, narrowing my eyes.

“Christ. It’s real. But I can’t use it now.”

“Is that so?”

“You and I have diverged so much that I never thought I’d see it again.”

“Sure, you’re basically someone else now. So Han Yujin Two can’t wield it, huh?”

“Why ‘two’? By chronology I’m the first.”

“Hey, I’ve lived longer—so I’m the first.”

“You’re two all right. Bigger number. Lucky old fart.”

“My body’s twenty-five, and since my birthday passed, twenty-six!”

“Fine, call me ‘hyung,’ then. Do a bow three times.”

That unyielding bastard—how obnoxious he was. Had I really been that insufferable?

“I broke the system with this.”

“And you even took down a Transcendent with it.”

His calloused hand, tougher than mine, fiddled with the spear. We must both have thought the same: every action carries a price.

“Even if the spear was a system reward, swinging it is on me. I nearly died doing it.”

“You’re going full wrecking crew.”

“Clean the spit off your face.”

“When I was twenty-nine, I only dared pick fights with High-Rank Hunters.”

“To an F-Rank, Transcendent or S–Rank, it’s a one-shot kill all the same.”

Of course the one who fell was me. He eyed me, wondering if I’d lost my nerve. I met his gaze and summarized the situation.

“Going home and living peacefully would be nice, but I doubt that’s possible.”

Transcendents wouldn’t stand idly by, and I still had unfinished business.

“It’s been precarious so far. Now I feel like I’m scraping rock bottom.”

Young Chaos had told me I could bind myself to a higher Transcendent to extend my life. But if my very source were fractured, even that wouldn’t help. The solution must lie above Transcendents—at the level of origins themselves. A being impossible to communicate with, but perhaps the key.

“In any case, it’s just a hunch.”

“Right.”

“I’m not giving up.”

“Right.”

The white spear vanished. I conjured a chair and sat. Water gently lapped around my toes, curling softly before receding.

“To be honest, we never clung too tightly to our lives.”

“Not me.”

“What? You say that, but you did.”

The me before me sat as well, one ankle resting on the opposite knee.

“Thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me?”

“Yes. Because some irritating idiot insisted on living my life for me with all that bullshit, I realized my life was my own, damn it.”

She must be referring to Nightmare Dungeon. I’d been insufferable then—my scowl still fresh in my memory.

“I felt filthy. I thought my sister had come for me, only to learn I was the dungeon’s monster. And that idiot said, ‘Your sister’s going to die because of you, and you won’t live long either,’ whining nonstop. And the people who tiptoed around me wondering how to treat me—I hated them. But the most obnoxious was!”

I heard teeth grinding. Yes, I really…

“The Sesung Guildmaster, that son of a bitch!”

“…Hm?”

“The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Who does he think he is, taking me in? There are people who truly care about me, but he treated me like I was spare change, showing off how he’d profit from me. He didn’t even bother hiding it!”

“Um…”

“After being treated like a fake, I felt so dirty I decided to take care of myself. Is Hyunglim still alive?”

“Uh, well… he’s nicer these days. He’s become kinder.”

“When he wakes, jab him with that spear for me—Transcendent killer, right?”

“…I’ll step on his foot, if I remember.”

“A faint echo will remain, at least. I felt it then too—are you pretty close friends with that guy?”

“More like friends, sure.”

That maddening look again as he prodded my cheek. No, he wasn’t that bad… just filthy stubborn and with a temper to match. Hmm. I’d just chalk it up to him being weird. But even Director Song is kind of friends with Hyunjae. I’m not the only odd one here.

“So you…”

The question hung in the air. I answered:

“I thought I had to live. More precisely, I thought I shouldn’t die, especially for the kids’ sake. Then I started to enjoy life—despite crawling through hell, as long as I survived, I could be happy.”

My image among the people I loved. Now I could place myself into that happy scene I once observed from afar.

“But if I try to live cautiously, that’s the end. I don’t want to die. I want to live. But—”

“Without losing anyone.”

“That’s the problem! My desires are too big. And…and…”

I watched the water swirl around my feet. No matter how much I pondered, no answer came. If I could not retreat, I had no choice but to advance.

“When it’s all over, I want to still be here.”

“Weak words.”

I snorted. Subtly irritating. So much for peace—he’d only had his life threatened by his sister at worst.

“Keep holding on. It’ll work out.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“It’s not someone else’s problem. It matters to us too.”

“What do you mean? Because we were the same being once?”

Would my failure hurt him? He stood, and a large bed appeared beside him. He tapped its mattress.

“Sleep more.”

“You said I can’t wake up if I sleep here.”

“Usually. But you have someone to wake you. Sleeping here is efficient. Still, it’s risky to rest long; I’ll dunk you in water in an hour.”

Hesitant, I lay on the bed. I was still tired. My eyes closed as soon as I lay down.

“If you don’t give up, you won’t die.”

“That’d be nice. If only I’d been born S–Rank—A–Rank at least—I wouldn’t worry like this. My durability’s just too different.”

My physical limits capped what I could endure.

“Wish I had some special power now.”

“There isn’t one. You and I are both F–Rank.”

“You leveled up with a dungeon buff. Still just Low-Rank, though.”

Despite everything, my body remained as it was. My stats stuck at F–Rank. Shouldn’t I get at least one rank up? The system’s gone, so limits should vanish, but still.

“You’re doing your best. Cheer up.”

“Don’t fake the ‘encouragement’ keyword.”

“We know each other anyway. If it registered, it’d be easy to check if I’m alive. But it won’t.”

“If you die, I think I’ll feel it.”

Consciousness blurred. I swatted away the hand stroking my hair. I heard laughter.

“Don’t worry too much. It’ll be fine. You have—”

Me? Of course I can’t help but worry… My eyes closed. Darkness beckoned, then—

“Puhat!”

“Hyung!”

Yuhyun scooped me up as I flailed, calming me. I gasped for air.

“W-water….”

I must have been drowning. Was it a dream? Ah, Yerim!

“Yerim’s safe!”

“She’s outside.”

Yuhyun supported me to the window. Beyond the glass, I saw everyone gathered. Yerim held a large fish on a skewer; Director Song tended the flames. Myungwoo and Mari were brewing porridge. Liet was cleaning the game they’d caught. Noah sliced fish with practiced skill; Samir trimmed vegetables. Beside the elder in the chair stood Hyunjae, boldly chatting with Mun Hyena. Though distant and silent, the air was joyous.

—Whirr.

Peace circled me anxiously, showing his worry. I smiled and reassured him.

“You must have had that flood in your world, so you dreamed of drowning.”

“How’s your body?”

“I’m fine. Sleeping so well helped—I feel surprisingly light.”

I yawned softly. Rather than drowning, it felt like someone pushed me in. A water spirit, maybe. I can’t recall clearly, but it seemed nastily relentless—dunking my head over and over so I grabbed his hair… Just an ordinary nightmare.

“It’s only been an hour. You can sleep more.”

An hour? Then I’d sleep a bit longer. I lay back as Peace curled protectively beside my head.

“Yuhyun, you should nap too.”

He can chase off any water spirit for me. I closed my eyes and drifted off—this time without dreaming.

“Myungwoo is a genius!”

Mari exclaimed as she set a bowl of porridge before me.

“The most perfect porridge in the world!”

Myungwoo, looking slightly weary, watched me. Mari was quite energetic. I thanked him and took a spoonful. The perfectly warm porridge filled my mouth. The grains rolled gently across my tongue before melting smoothly. Its nutty aroma and tender flavor slid down effortlessly. Before I knew it, I was taking a second spoonful. Wow, it was truly delicious—lightly savory with no overwhelming seasonings, yet endlessly comforting.

“Feeling any [N O V E L I G H T] oddness?”

“No. The King of Devourers said the gemstone made from his own blood was healthy for my body. Eating it healed me completely.”

Young Chaos nodded at my words. Indeed, I was practically whole again.

“That’s a relief.”

Seong Hyunjae said. Why did I still want to smack that man? It wasn’t new, but the urge burned stronger than ever—maybe I should just stamp on him. I finished my porridge and looked to Myungwoo.

“Any message from the recruit?”

“No. She still seems busy. It’d be nice if she could return immediately, but everyone tied to the wager remains captive…”

“Good call sending the sub-team.”

So until the recruit returns, we’d simply rest. The elder beckoned softly.

“First-born, let me examine your body.”

“…What? I’m fine!”

“But you did push yourself. I won’t hurt you.”

“You’ve done this before!”

I tried to dodge, but no one helped. They handed me over to the elder. I screamed, but it did feel refreshing. And young Chaos seemed completely oblivious—Transcendents can’t help that, I suppose.

Breaking free from Chaos’s grasp, I stamped hard on Hyunjae’s foot—who’d been staring at me oddly.

“Ack!”

Of course, only my foot hurt. Damn it.

“What’s wrong, hyung?”

“The Sesung Guildmaster did something again? Should I stomp him for you?”

“No, I’m fine… but where’s Hwangrim?”

He hadn’t been around for a while. Yerim looked up, scanning the area.

“He’s over there.”

Hyunjae pointed to the forest. Hwangrim strolled out and bowed to young Chaos.

“Oh my, Elder, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“First-born, that brat was gone for thirty minutes.”

“I was just taking care of something!”

“Grab him.”

Before I could blink, Liet’s kick flew and Hwangrim narrowly dodged, pouring out excuses.

“Sweetheart! You know me!”

“You said no contact!”

“This place is different! I wasn’t saying much, just watching the situation!”

That suspicious fellow. He’d claimed the Puppeteer lost contact—but it seemed he’d ventured outside our world and reestablished it.

“It was literally only that! I swear! I love you! You know how I feel?”

“Elder, he kidnapped me. He’s my kidnapper.”

“Shao Jin, help—”

Clang! A frying pan struck Hwangrim’s skull. Myungwoo did it. Controlling space makes S–Rank useless. The blow barely hurt him, but he bowed his flattened head. With a chill, Myungwoo asked:

“Yujin, what shall we do with him?”

He looked ready to toss him away—but I’d rather have him in front of me.

“Bind him tight and bury him.”

And so Hwangrim was buried up to his head.

[Honey!]

A day passed. The recruit appeared in a message window.

[I’ve contacted the system creator you mentioned before! He said he can come briefly to assist, but—]

“Yuhyun, can you hand me the lucky pouch?”

Yuhyun withdrew a black pouch from his inventory and gave it to me. I also produced a larger pouch of the same style: New Year’s money from the system creator, Sloth.

“As an agent of Creator Number 05, I humbly request your aid.”

The blue sigil on my wrist flared, then vanished. I offered back what I’d received and asked for help. Soon, a dark figure appeared, struggling upright.

“Boy.”

A man with long black hair and pink eyes gazed at me.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep