“Honey, you’ve heard the explanation, right?”
I tried to sit up and remove the adornnts, but gave up. They were snakes after all—I didn’t want to get bitten. It wouldn’t hurt to keep the King of Devouring placated.
“I’ve heard it loud and clear.”
A sarcastic tone slipped out despite myself. The rmaid Queen looked down at . Nearly human-sized, yet still much larger than I. Her torso was wrapped in loose cloth, but her biceps alone looked like she was built for combat. If she could spar evenly with the King of Devouring, she must be a combat specialist too.
“I wish we could all just hold hands and ask you to leave our world. Why on earth should I—and we—take part in such a bet?”
I had resolved to accept the proposal, but shrugging and nodding seed utterly unreasonable.
“You heard that as well. Did you perhaps forget when that reptile was explaining?”
“Unless its intelligence is at fish level, how could I?”
The King of Devouring bared his fangs and spoke lowly. A fish... huh, even the local fish must be dumb.
“Perhaps it went into hibernation mid-explanation, being a creature that can’t regulate its own temperature.”
The gazes of both Transcendents clashed coldly. Both cold-blooded, and both likely as dense as fish heads. It was like beasts spitting at each other in bed.
“One is a fish and the other a reptile—yet all I hear is nonsense. Neither of you even has vocal cords, right?”
I’d tried to remain calm, but it was too much.
“Mammals sure yap a lot.”
The serpent spoke without a care, as if amused. Yes, such a trivial pet would simply boast of its talents if insulted. If a scrawny chick chirped “You rotten son of a—” and a human truly flew into a rage, it would be pitiful.
“We have no reason to wager parts of our world.”
I faced the rmaid Queen directly and stated flatly.
“We’ve protected it perfectly and will continue to do so.”
“Didn’t we offer you a separate reward, Honey?”
“Is this world mine to give away?”
I’d have preferred if she’d said “I’ll bet my life,” at least that would feel straightforward. Countless innocents might lose their ho without knowing why. I didn’t know how they’d remove fragnts, but the impact would be real.
“If losing fragnts causes no harm, then I suppose I’d be fine.”
“Fragnts are assigned randomly by country.”
The rmaid Queen spoke in a dispassionately calm voice.
“The assigned countries will lose the system’s protection. They’ll be overrun until your world ets its end.”
“...Until its end?”
“Whether by natural causes or by the Source, every world reaches a finale. Since it’s hard to carve out pieces forcibly, the agreent is to withdraw protection.”
So they wouldn’t take them imdiately, but withdrawing protection still ant we’d lose them eventually.
“How dare you—!”
“Honey. The people of your world have received our help.”
The rmaid Queen continued gently.
“If not for the system’s aid—”
Her hands, scales glinting here and there, spread wide. A pallid light, cast in rectangles, suddenly swelled—
“Ugh!”
It washed over . I blinked reflexively. Collapsed buildings filled my vision.
[This is how your world must ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) have been.]
The rmaid Queen’s voice echoed distantly. I scanned my surroundings in panic. Ruins, but a familiar street. English signs among the wreckage, glimpses of a park. Manhattan, New York. Sunlight spun across the sky, beating the earth dry. No sign of life.
Boom—!
The ground shook. Debris rattled, trembling as if hopping. I used stealth and retreated.
Rumble!!
Half-collapsed towers were swept away. A colossal, fur-coated foot crashed, trampling everything. A body so tall its head was out of sight. Its tail swung; wreckage and cars soared like in a typhoon, then rained down. I braced my arms over my head for impact—
Clang!
A tallic crack as debris shattered. A chain, long over my head, recoiled to its owner.
“...You got caught up too?”
Seong Hyunjae looked up silently at the passing giant monster.
Kirruk!
Keeik!
Around the moving mountain of a beast, smaller monsters sward. Even the small ones were two or three tis human size. The scene wasn’t unfamiliar, yet in a quiet dayti city without resistance, the beasts strode oddly peacefully—eerily alien.
No frantic helicopter whirring, no sirens, no Hunters preparing to fight. A world without ti to halt monsters ravaging the city.
[Without a dungeon as a waiting room, they must have poured straight out.]
The scene blinked to darkness: a river. That—
“The Han River.”
Seong Hyunjae stepped forward. The roads and riverside that should have glowed with lights were pitch black. Bridges once glittering at night lay in ruins.
Thud—
I jerked around. A wolf-like monster batted a car like a toy, crushing its tire with its teeth. One vaulted onto an overturned truck and glared at us.
– Grrr.
No doubt it saw using stealth on Hyunjae and dared not strike the human. Tires screeched as they shredded. A low growl slithered into the night air, then—
Whip! The wolves’ heads snapped in unison. Sensing sothing, they bounded off the road. I hesitated, then trailed them. Beyond the road lay an apartnt complex. Faint lights glowed.
People. A mixed group of Hunters spilled from the convenience store at the complex entrance.
– Kyaaang!
A monster lunged at them. A man, presumably a Hunter, raised an iron rod to block it—but the rod snapped instantly. A normal iron bar? Were they unard?
[They wouldn’t have had finished gear like now. They must have crafted weapons directly from monster corpses.]
“What?”
I lunged forward, but Hyunjae caught my arm.
“It wasn’t real. Just a mass of mana.”
Rumble—! All around, crumbling apartnt blocks collapsed in unison. The vision vanished. We were back where we started; Hyunjae released my arm. My mouth was parched.
No dungeons, no reward items. A top-tier Hunter could slay starting monsters barehanded, but most lesser Awakened would never survive this. And the monsters only grow stronger. How long could any army or nation hold out?
“Without system aid, in three years your world’s population would drop below one hundred million.”
One hundred million. They’d have killed at least that many. Even if multiple top-tier Hunters awakened to defend, they’d have to fight in cities, not dungeons. Cities would be ruins in an instant. It’d be impossible to slay every monster pouring out; people couldn’t even sleep safely.
“Those who survived might adapt and outlast the Source. They might flourish again. But most of your people survive only under the system’s protection.”
“......”
“Thus, we need no consent to wager a few fragnts.”
“I wonder if the system’s creators feel the sa.”
I ground my teeth. Yes, the system saved many lives, I admit. But still—
“You offered no choice.”
“Would giving one now change anything?”
“It’d all say ‘continue protection,’ of course.”
Better to choose that than doom together. Knowing they’d win, they’d pick that—thus making even more disgusted.
‘System architects, see this ss you’ve wrought.’
After all, they didn’t create it themselves. Early designers wanted it to remain just an aid; current admins wield it however they please. I can do nothing but watch.
No wonder revolutions arise against the powerful. I almost wanted a torch in my hand.
“Don’t you have any complaints? You treat people like worthless things.”
I grumbled to Hyunjae. He glanced at .
“Must I answer?”
“...Hearing it would only make angrier.”
He’d treated the sa—Seong Hyunjae, who could ascend beyond Transcendent whenever he chose, who likely would have long ago.
“The Filial Addicts and lending neutrals demand five fragnts. With each side’s victory taking one, if you lose, you might give up to three.”
“What a great deal.”
“Random selection ans you might lose only a tiny nation.”
“Or the U.S. or Russia.”
Which nation was largest? Russia, I think.
“If you ultimately win, you will reclaim the lost nations.”
“Long live independence.”
Sneering had no effect—he didn’t even lift an eyebrow.
“Main team mbers are the Awakened you choose.”
“I didn’t realize it was first-co; they’re already taken.”
“Your physical abilities are weaker than the Chain’s, so we’ll account for that. But team choice isn’t negotiable.”
“Can we change team mbers?”
“The main team is fixed; you can add extras. I can grant that with admin privileges.”
A contract appeared in front of us, detailing terms: if more than half of Team Han Yujin wins, all involved Transcendents may not harm her world and must defend it.
“How many Transcendents are involved?”
“Awake Parricides, so Filial Addicts, and so neutrals.”
“And the people of my world?”
“We can’t protect each life individually. But we will intervene if damage threatens to be catastrophic.”
No personal protection—aning they wouldn’t stop the New Moon from kidnapping Hyunjae. They’d only defend the world itself.
I signed the contract like a dog on a leash. Refusal was impossible.
“You may announce this to your world, though we advise against it.”
“There’d be chaos. And more interference.”
Transcendents had already ddled enough; we barely patched things with the Thread and King of rcy’s power.
“Sub-team mbers will be those you’ve already assembled.”
“...What?”
“They’re the Awakened you trust.”
A screen displayed Hunters at an Alpine ski lodge. So were eating, so chatting. On an empty table lay Peace, sprawled, looking a little put out to be left alone.
“Twenty-three. You could add a few more.”
Over twenty more? What do they plan? Most were S-rank with so A—easy to explain. They knew about regression and glimpsed Transcendents and the system.
“Chain side is decided too.”
Another screen: a building guarded by top-tier Hunters. That—
‘The seer’s gathering place.’
No wonder they all flocked there. I glanced at Hyunjae. So one of his five must be Chohwaun. Good luck to him—no luck escaping from Hyunjae.
“The sub-team will be led by the remaining main team mber.”
“...Wait, what?!”
What a thunderbolt! He’s sub-team captain? Chohwaun?!
“Replace! I demand a replacent!”
“Not possible right now, Honey.”
“But—!”
Still, even compared to Chohwaun... no, actually... uh...
‘I’m dood!’
Chohwaun was at least a guild leader barely holding a country. Impulsive but oddly popular, with many foreign exchanges.
“Chohwaun is already with the sub-team, so please ssage the remaining main mber and summon them.”
“...Chohwaun?”
“There was a suitable beast.”
“He has an owner. Return him if he runs off.”
“You should’ve secured the collar better.”
Good luck, Chohwaun. With trembling fingers, I ssaged him. He accepted imdiately. Was that really okay? I used the system to transport him to the Alps. Light flashed on the screen.
[I have arrived!]
Chohwaun appeared in his uniform, cape fluttering. Well... yes. Hyunjae peered at my screen.
“You’ve developed unusual tastes.”
Don’t look. Go away.
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