“Han Yuhyun is like a statue,” Park Yerim murmured, staring at the castle gate. The brambles that had surrounded the castle had vanished, and the briefly opened gate had closed again after Han Yujin entered. Han Yuhyun stood there, motionless. Mun Hyunah tried to speak to her, but there was no response. Until Han Yujin reappeared or they heard news of him, Han Yuhyun seemed stranded alone in a cut-off world. Since Han Yujin had been her only means of communication with others, it was effectively no different.

“Do you think Uncle will be okay? Yuhyun said she likes that weird guy.”

“He is strange, even I’ll admit that.”

Hwangrim said, looking at the fluttering banner atop the castle. Park Yerim narrowed her brows sharply.

“You were in China with him, right?”

“We weren’t particularly close. How to explain… you know those people who don’t think about the future.”

“You mean he’s reckless?”

“The type who doesn’t feel any sense of danger? Most people consider consequences before acting. But Park Hayul acted purely on impulse: ‘I like Han Yujin, so I must rescue him!’ and immediately moved to do it.”

“…Even though he knew you’d hate it, Uncle.”

“Jin really did get mad. But even then, Park Hayul didn’t think twice. You could say his mind is spotless, or that he’s brimming with confidence. I suppose it makes sense if he’s a Transcendent’s seed.”

Hwangrim tilted his head lightly and continued.

“Maybe he unconsciously feels no need to consider others’ feelings?”

People coo at cute little pets without pondering what those creatures actually want.

“If we liken our Jin to a hamster, he’d simply shoo away a cat prowling outside and lock it safely in the cage. From his perspective, there’s nothing strange about it, and he’d have no problem ignoring the hamster’s squeaks.”

“Could that really be it?”

“Maybe he’s just stupid~ or maybe both~.”

Either way, it wouldn’t bode well for Han Yujin.

“It seems like strange people gravitate to Uncle.”

“He’s really popular, you know.”

“Exactly. Even right next to him.”

“You mean Guildmaster Seong?”

“A Chinese person.”

“We shouldn’t discriminate by nationality.”

Park Yerim sighed and stepped away.

“I’ll wait out here by the gate.”

As Park Yerim headed for the gate, Peace followed. Soon the three of them stood in a line before the gate. Hwangrim stretched his limbs and turned around.

“Wait, I need the restroom.”

It sounded suspicious, but no one stopped him. In the silence, only the clatter of weapons being readied could be heard occasionally. Song Taewon’s gaze, once fixed on the castle, began to shift. Beyond the heavy machinery, he spotted people taking breaks. There were some hunters among them, but more were unawakened professional soldiers.

“Normally, these are the people we’d protect.”

Seong Hyunjae’s low voice whispered into Song Taewon’s ear. The golden-eyed man turned and offered a faint smile.

“And all those others.”

The people they’d passed on the way here—mostly civilians. Some had never held a weapon. They wielded baseball bats, golf clubs, even clothes hangers. Some wore interview suits with pajamas and slippers, or aprons.

No one forced them. Even though they wouldn’t die or be hurt, they had stepped forward of their own accord.

“…I felt…”

“They looked happy,” Song Taewon continued, his tone unexpectedly gentle instead of mocking.

“They don’t want only protection because they’re weak and ordinary. There’s a good example right beside us.”

“……”

“So, Song Taewon, why not enjoy it a bit more yourself?”

Song Taewon said nothing, lips pressed tight. The faces of the officers’ hunters flashed before him—the exuberant expressions they’d worn as they positioned themselves before him.

But he was not someone who should be protected.

“Hmm.”

In Song Taewon’s silence, Seong Hyunjae raised his head and looked up at the sky. Song Taewon also lifted his gaze. The moonlight was growing stronger.

As though blocked by an invisible barrier, moonlight that had failed to reach the castle now slowly curled down over its pointed roofs. Song Taewon’s jaw tensed without his realizing it. Seong Hyunjae’s eyes glinted with interest.

“Can Han Yujin handle the madman bewitched by the moon?”

“So it wasn’t sending him alone after all. To come here rashly—”

“He had to come, sooner rather than later.”

“Pardon?”

“As time passed, the crescent moon’s hold over Park Hayul would only have strengthened. He still speaks now, but had we been even a few days later, he’d have become a perfect puppet.”

Transcendent seeds always were. Seong Hyunjae spoke, brushing against faint memories.

“If not roused by Han Yujin, then by the crescent moon itself.”

Seeds of destruction losing their original selves, only swallowing the world—filling completely and rebirthing as new Transcendents.

But Park Hayul remained Park Hayul. Seong Hyunjae tilted his head slightly, watching the moonlight swirl ever thicker around the castle’s roofs.

“The crescent moon also has a purpose… he must have left the seed in an incomplete state.”

Even so, now that a chance remained, it was better. Song Taewon narrowed his brow and regarded Seong Hyunjae.

“Shouldn’t we have told Han Yujin in advance?”

“That was merely my conjecture.”

“You think all this—!”

Rumble— The air thickened with sound. The sky trembled as clouds and moonlight mingled and shattered. The sky cleared, and a vivid image of the moon’s surface appeared.

[Hello, everyone!]

It was Park Hayul. His smiling face loomed large above the sky. It wasn’t only here: over waiting military units across the country, over concert halls, above bustling airports—his image appeared. People looked up at Park Hayul. His clear blue eyes curved in delight.

[I am the master of this world! Ta-da!]

Park Hayul spread his arms wide and spun.

[I was supposed to destroy the Earth, it seems. But I fell into a dream? I don’t know who did that, but I saved the Earth! Was it you, brother?]

The image, which had only shown Park Hayul, now expanded to include his surroundings.

“Brother!”

“Uncle!”

– Rumble! Han Yujin appeared, still in his tailcoat, bound to a pillar before the round window. Moonlight streamed in, silvering his black hair. Han Yujin glared at Park Hayul as one would at a madman.

[I’m not alone, you crazy bastard. That hair of yours—is it really grass?]

[Huh? Should I dye it green? Do you like green?]

[Your head must be full of pure water to grow that lushly.]

[Well, Peace tore this much out before! But it grew back so quickly! It grows really well. How did you know?]

Park Hayul smiled innocently. Han Yujin looked ready to burst with fury.

[I really, really love you, Yujin brother! You saved the world and you saved me! You became the prince and woke me up!]

[No! I never planned to wake you!]

“If you’re the Sleeping Beauty,” Seong Hyunjae muttered. Mun Hyunah at the gate uttered a small impressed “Oh,” and Park Yerim’s eyes rounded in disbelief.

[You hit me with a bouquet and woke me up on your own!]

[It was touching, brother.]

Park Hayul looked wistful. Then he turned again to the crowd.

[Yujin brother is so cool, he’s really popular. Even bad people cling to him.]

[That’s you—yes, you!]

[So I wanted to take good care of him, but the kind brother saved me again.]

[No! Listen to me!]

[Brother, you’ll lose your voice.]

The vines binding Han Yujin snapped shut over his mouth. Han Yujin bit through them and growled.

[But I set up this castle for you! I thought I should give you a chance.]

[Grr, uhmmph!]

[People who think of you so much!]

Clang—the closed gate swung open. Han Yuhyun, as if she’d been waiting, dashed inside.

“Hey! Han Yuhyun!”

Startled, Park Yerim followed, and Peace too. The gate began to close again. Mun Hyunah clicked her tongue and glanced back at Seong Hyunjae and Song Taewon, too far away to follow.

“I leave the rest to you!”

Just as Mun Hyunah dashed in, the gate shut.

[Those waiting for me before the gate, that’s you~]

Park Hayul kicked at the air.

[Now I think brother needs friends too. But they can’t just come here easily!]

Rumble… The castle began to grow. Moonlight-enshrouded upper floors shot skyward in an instant. Stairs appeared along the tower-like outer walls, and gargoyle-like monsters nested on the multiple triangular roofs.

[Pretty good. Oh, one more thing!]

Park Hayul clapped his hands.

– Rumble. A colossal dragon appeared, half-wrapping around the castle. Its red scales glittered as it opened its jaws wide.

Roaaaaar— Flames burst forth. The long, sweeping breath incinerated half of the assembled army in an instant. Sparks scattered over the charred ground.

[Now brother is ready! I guess it’s time I do my part.]

Park Hayul looked down through the vision.

[But it’s inside a dream! What do I do?]

The world he was to destroy didn’t exist here. This place was merely a mirror-image, a dream of the real world reflected in the Mer-Queen’s sea. As Park Hayul pondered, people began appearing one by one on the blackened earth.

“I know Park Hayul. He was a celebrity, but went off the radar over half a year ago.”

“How do you fight a dragon?”

“Hace frío aquí!”

“Who is Baka-Yul?”

“Um, Korean?”

“Hey, tell those people his eyes are blue and hair’s bright—they’ll think he’s not Korean.”

“Why does it matter? The one bound is Han Yujin anyway.”

Now non-military people could move freely around the castle area, filling the open square. Among them were familiar faces.

“Director! Are you safe?”

“Oh? Where’s our Guildmaster? Breaker Guildmaster! Sister!”

“I can’t see our Guildmaster either… since Chief Han is captured….”

“Guildmaster, here’s your cold medicine. Hunter Kang Soyeong asked me to give it to you.”

Seong Hyunjae politely declined the offered cold medicine. The Sesung Guild hunters hesitated, then stepped forward.

“I never thought a day like this would come.”

“I never dreamed I’d step up before the Guildmaster.”

“We’ve had a lot of dreams, though.”

Amid their whispers, officers’ hunters interjected. The Sesung Guild and the Awakened Management Office had tangled often, so they were on friendly—but rivalrous—terms.

“Chief Han!”

With a thunderous cry, Sishio dropped to his knees, face as if the sky had fallen, before the vision of Han Yujin.

“I’m getting used to monster hunting now!”

“Little sister, dreams and reality differ. Don’t act cocky just because you wake up and become a hunter.”

Moonlight once more poured through the sky as monsters flooded down. People brandished all manner of weapons and marched forward with confidence and pride. Park Hayul watched their forms below.

[Yes, hunters!]

He nodded, then added,

[But two of you aren’t dreams—they’re real.]

Park Hayul pointed at Seong Hyunjae and Song Taewon.

[I’ve been annoyed by them anyway. If you remove those two, I’ll give you a gift~]

“…What nonsense «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» is that?”

“It’s a dream, after all.”

[Make the dreams you want come true!]

Spreading his arms wide, Park Hayul smiled.

[I can do it, you know.]

All eyes turned to the vision. Some cried out in disbelief. Park Hayul shrugged extravagantly.

[It’s true. Maybe not something huge—if I could, I’d have destroyed the Earth~ But I can make your personal wishes reality.]

Behind Park Hayul, Han Yujin thrashed fiercely. The murmurs among the people grew louder.

[You could have lots of money, or become as handsome as me. Or smarter, or stronger.]

Park Hayul chattered excitedly. Amid those listening, Song Taewon quietly approached Seong Hyunjae.

“We need to prepare to dodge.”

At his low whisper, Seong Hyunjae smiled.

“You said they looked happy.”

“…Pardon?”

“To be protected is to be at the mercy of others. But to protect someone places yourself at the forefront.”

And they already had done so.

“I’ll protect the Director!”

An officers’ hunter shouted. It sounded like he was trying to wake from sleep. At that shout, the Sesung hunters nodded as well.

“Honestly, this is something to brag about forever.”

Even more so for those not hunters.

“Damn, I did protect him, after all.”

“I’ve been following from Gangnam. Took leave and kept sleeping.”

“We saved the world and we saved S–ranks.”

They were the people I protected and defended. Not mere strangers, nor distant S–rank Awakeneds—but their achievements, their pride. Of course, some were tempted by Park Hayul’s offer. But more were motivated by their own honor, and themselves.

“People surprisingly like giving more than receiving,” Seong Hyunjae said.

“There’s pure goodwill, but giving also elevates the giver. And everyone, no matter who, enjoys praise.”

They longed to be great. It’s a universal desire. And right now, they were protecting the strongest beings—those who saved the world.

“…But I—”

“And here—”

Seong Hyunjae lightly leapt onto a nearby vehicle. Song Taewon—and all the people—looked at him. Seong Hyunjae bowed gracefully to them, expressing his thanks.

An S–rank Awakened, called the strongest of all.

The expressions of the people changed. Hunter or unawakened, no matter who, they became the ones who stand and protect those at the very top—standing equal to or above them in dignity.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep