Chapter 728: City of Dreams (1)
Mari and Samir’s backs disappeared beyond the fog. A tangle of emotions surged up, but I didn’t have time to dwell on them.
[Honey! We have to get ready right away!]
Newbie hurriedly explained.
[I got a message from Senior Tree, and it looks like neither side plans to quietly let you go back after all! I mean, too much has happened!]
The bet falling apart was a problem, but the system disconnecting was a much bigger incident. On top of that, the representatives of both the Unfilial Children and the Filial Duty Addicts had fallen asleep and vanished. Even for a dispute between Transcendents, it was a major event, and standing at the center of it were Awakened below S–rank.
“People are going to find this suspicious, of course.”
[There are more than just one or two Transcendents who’ve gotten tangled up with you and then disappeared, Honey. I was honestly shocked this time too! Even if it’s just that the System Administrator’s connection got cut, no one has ever damaged the system this badly before! How on earth, I mean, before that, like, how!]
“Calm yourself.”
Sloth finally spoke up, unable to watch the flustered Newbie any longer. Newbie, who’d been flitting around here and there, came to an abrupt stop.
“The Transcendents aren’t making any moves yet because you and your group are still here,” Sloth said. “But the moment you try to return to your world, they’ll reach out. They can’t let you go back.”
“If that weren’t the case, we would’ve gone back ages ago.”
There was no reason to be lingering in the Transcendents’ domain. If not for us—more precisely, if not for me and Seong Hyunjae—the Transcendents wouldn’t bother trying to invade our world. Seong Hyunjae was because of Crescent Moon, and I… somehow ended up too deeply entangled in all this.
[Like I said before, even the traces of the connection link to your world will be completely erased in about a month. That’s why they’re not trying to force their way in right now. They still have time.]
“But that won’t be the case anymore. If Ms. Mari… manages to safely pull in the dream and build a barrier.”
[Once it’s down to just traces of the connection, they won’t be able to interfere with your world. So as soon as the world of dreams is complete, you have to go back! There’s no time except for then.]
“It will not take long.”
Sloth added. We’d have to slip out in the brief moment when the Transcendents let their guard down. But the answer didn’t come easily.
‘…If I go back like this.’
Our ties with the Transcendents would be cut. We’d be able to keep living a peaceful daily life, safe in our nest. That’s what I wanted, what we all wanted. A happy ending with nothing left to worry about.
Except for a single person left behind.
‘Yuhyun.’
If we went back like this, I probably… would never be able to get my little brother back. On my own, I couldn’t even get outside the world, let alone bring him back. Someday, maybe, Yuhyun or Yerim would gain the strength to take an F–rank all the way to the Source. But would I even still be alive by then? Would my brother under the Tree still be safe?
I wanted to stay. But I couldn’t. I had to send everyone back.
[Honey, you move them yourself. It’s hard for the administrators to interfere with your world now, but that doesn’t apply to you. They might notice, so just get everything ready and then, the moment the world is complete, go back!]
Newbie told me the system was fixed enough for us to use again. I opened my system window like they said. I sent everyone a prompt asking if they agreed to be transported. One after another, confirmation messages popped up. I’d send everyone back, and then move myself as the last one remaining.
I had to go back. There were a lot of people waiting for me. My brother was there too.
I didn’t want to give up. I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t let go of either side, and yet I still had to choose.
“I’ll stay.”
“…What?”
I snapped my head around. It was Myungwoo. Newbie looked just as shocked.
[You want to stay? For real?]
“I don’t believe I’d be in that much danger. What do you think?”
[Uh, well, Mr. Blacksmith is halfway to being a trainee administrator anyway. And he’s a facilitator who’s been with me the whole time, so he wasn’t part of the bet itself. He’s a bit different from the team members on each side.]
“And I can go back whenever I need to.”
[Right. Mr. Blacksmith belongs to Honey’s world, so that’s not an issue! But why would you…]
“Because getting out from our world is going to be a lot harder. At best, it’ll take decades before we can break out on our own power. So I plan to stay here and learn while I can.”
Myungwoo glanced back at me and gave a small smile.
“Once I get a bit more used to this, I should at least be able to contact the outside. It’s only the administrator link that’s being cut off; the system itself is still there. Shouldn’t we at least be able to call customer support, the A/S center, just in case? Then I can somehow tinker with things from here.”
[R–right! It won’t take long for you, Mr. Blacksmith! Maybe about a year? Or even less! The system itself still exists and there’s already that subspace forge connected to me, so I can fine–tune things in advance and even set up a whole new subspace that links directly to the forge and…]
“Once the Transcendents’ interference disappears, it should be fine for me to step away for a bit. What do you think?”
His sudden suggestion threw me off. But I slowly opened my mouth.
“Thanks to Chatterbox, we’ve got a lot more gear now, and everyone’s stronger… so it shouldn’t be a big problem. About a year, yeah.”
“I should at least pack you some side dishes, but I guess we don’t have time for that. Take care of your health, and don’t overdo it.”
“Uh, yeah.”
I answered stupidly. Myungwoo turned to Noah.
“Tell them I’ll be in the forge for about a year, uh, doing something like closed–door training. I’m counting on you.”
“…Yes, hyung. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of the Dodam Building.”
[Honey! I’ll do my best so he can come back as soon as possible! Then you’ll be able to contact me again too!]
I nodded. It felt strange. Myungwoo had no idea about my circumstances, but in the end, he was helping me. If I could keep in touch with Newbie, a way might open up. It would still be difficult and painful, but my heart felt a little lighter.
“Newbie, Myungwoo really will be okay, right? They could use him as a hostage to drag us back out, or as a link to meddle with our world.”
“I’ll stay for about a year.”
Young Chaos said. His voice made it clear he found it a hassle, but I couldn’t have asked for anything more reassuring.
“I can deal with anyone who comes at him first.”
[I’ll protect him thoroughly too! I might not be good at fighting, but I’m great at defense. I’m an administrator. I can get help from the system! On top of that, I’m a candidate for creator–level administrator, so not only the Unfilial Children, but the neutral side and the Filial Duty Addicts will have more people who want to protect me as well.]
Hearing them say that much finally put me at ease. I walked over and pulled Myungwoo into a tight hug.
“You make sure you eat properly and take care of yourself too. Once you focus on something, you get so absorbed you don’t even sleep well. I’m in no position to nag you about it, am I?”
“Yeah. I’ll be careful. Within a month, I should at least be able to send you a line or two, so don’t worry.”
[Then Mr. Blacksmith should move to the forge first. Once you and your group leave, the Transcendents might swarm this place, so it could be dangerous.]
Myungwoo stepped into the Golden Forge. I let my gaze linger on the empty spot he left behind, then turned to Chaos. I bowed my head deeply to him.
“I’ll definitely come visit you again, sir.”
“Forget it. You coming out here would only make things more dangerous.”
“So I won’t be able to see Grandpa anymore?”
“You, Third, can come out in, oh, one or two hundred years. But don’t even think about coming to where I am.”
“Why not? I can’t go?”
“Because I beat up all the Transcendent bastards and kick them out.”
Yerim said that sounded fun too and vowed she’d definitely go visit him.
“Thank you for everything up until now.”
Yuhyun also bowed his head to Young Chaos. Sloth said the world of dreams was nearing completion. It would soon be time to leave. Without thinking, I lifted my head and looked up at the distant sky.
Thanks to Myungwoo, a possibility had opened up, but even so, I still had regrets. I’d clawed my way up and up until I reached a place where I could interfere with the system. Would I really be able to stand here again? To bring Yuhyun back, I’d need at least power on par with a Transcendent. I had even held that power in my hands, if only for a brief moment.
Could I really throw away all the time I’d built up here, go back, and then leave the safety of home all over again?
‘…Yuhyun.’
I tried to tell myself I was just stepping back to rest for a while, but I kept wondering if I was actually giving up. I…
“It is time.”
[Honey, get ready!]
The system recognized me and carved out a path to my world. Newbie reinforced the thin, unstable road. In the distance, I could feel the sea. The dream was nearing completion. Mari’s dream.
– No.
A voice like an auditory hallucination reached me. The moment I blinked,
– It is not that child’s dream.
My vision wavered. In a landscape washed completely in grayscale, a distant head of pink hair spilled loose. Night–dark eyes holding a silver moon looked at me—indifferent, and at the same time, full of affection.
– You know me.
Crescent Moon spoke. Not the Crescent Moon of the present with silvery hair and gold–flecked silver eyes… but the Crescent Moon I’d faced in the memories of the past.
– You know me.
Five steps away, the moonlit eyes fixed on me without so much as a blink. The world was still drained of light. The only color in the gray night trailed long around us.
– I am Crescent Moon.
White arms wrapped around me. Pink hair cascaded down, turning into a chill of silvery moonlight that buried me. My lips moved on their own.
“The lowest moon that opens the night.”
“…Hyung?”
I know her. I know the time when she stayed as a dream reflected in the forest, eyes filled with her true nature.
Crescent Moon’s eyes were silver shot through with gold. But that was just her eyes veiled by moonlight.
[Honey!]
“We made a promise.”
I said. Marisa had asked Crescent Moon to keep Moon Hyunah safe. Not Mari, but someone even more necessary to the world that would survive.
“Wait–!”
Moon Hyunah’s figure vanished. She was sent back to the original world. But the ones left behind…
“Hyung, now!”
“Don’t touch anything, Yuhyun.”
I jumped back a step. I saw my little brother freeze in place. Everyone was clearly flustered. Newbie had no idea what to do either.
[Honey was connected to Crescent Moon, but there’s no way she could suddenly possess you by force like this! Something’s gone wrong!]
– Dreams are my domain. And the seed specially prepared and sown with a trait close to mine became its pillar.
‘…If the seed that became the pillar of the dream world is Mari, then? Don’t tell me Mari was actually a Transcendent’s seed?’ Young Chaos rose from his chair. Liette asked, “What happened, do we fight?” My own hand lightly brushed the back of my neck.
“She hasn’t taken me over completely, so don’t worry.”
The problem was that I knew Crescent Moon’s origin. On top of that, the body I’d once offered up as a sacrifice became even more tightly linked, and the dream world belonging to Crescent Moon had just been completed. Crescent Moon’s knowledge flowed into me—that all the conditions were in place for her to inhabit me for a moment.
“…It’s the First, right.”
[Yes, it’s Honey’s body with no protection at all! Only Honey will get hurt, Crescent Moon! Why are you doing this!]
“We can’t go back right now.”
I said. It was Crescent Moon’s will, but at the same time, it was my own heart speaking. Right, what she wanted and what I wanted lined up. We must not send them back. We must not go back.
But we had to go back.
“So let’s go to the sea for a while.”
I moved the system. Wait a second!
“Ah!”
Yerim’s figure vanished. Everyone had already agreed to the transport. Next, Noah, Liette, and Hwang Rim were also moved into the newly created dream, not our world.
[N–no! The system there hasn’t even settled yet–!]
Newbie shouted in a panic, but couldn’t stop it.
“Hyung!”
Yuhyun reached his hand out toward me. Peace ran at me in a panic. The two of them vanished as well. And then–.
Craack!
[Honey!]
A golden chain pierced my shoulder. A surge of electricity followed in an instant. My vision flashed white and my whole body went limp, like my strings had been cut. Powerful mana interfered with the movement of my own magic. Damn. I had used Teacher’s skill on Seong Hyunjae. I saw myself collapse onto the grass. My eyes, dyed silver, blinked with difficulty.
[Chain! What are you doing! If you’re not careful, Crescent Moon’s power will hurt Honey–!]
“I know.”
Seong Hyunjae said. At the same time, Chief Song Taewon shot forward as if he’d been struck by lightning.
“We have to stop it!”
Clatter, the chain yanked as if it were going to tear my shoulder apart, and just before Seong Hyunjae could reach me, Young Chaos kicked his chair away. The shattered wood fragments flew at Seong Hyunjae like a dozen throwing knives. Instead of dodging, he raised his arm to block. Thud–thud–thud! The fragments drove into his outstretched arm like quills on a hedgehog.
“Hunter Seong Hyunjae!”
Song Taewon grabbed Seong Hyunjae. The chain pulled out of my shoulder, and I took out a potion to treat the wound. Emotionless golden eyes looked down at me.
“If Chief Song Taewon cooperates, we can injure what’s inside him as well. Sir, you think so too, don’t you?”
Young Chaos clearly hesitated—even though he was more than capable of stopping him. Chaos clicked his tongue softly.
“The First wouldn’t get out unscathed either. Even so.”
“I want Han Yujin to stay Han Yujin.”
Seong Hyunjae’s gaze softened just a little.
“It might be impossible with the Second or Third, but you, brat, will stop it. Won’t you, Crescent Moon?”
If she tried to keep her connection with me and take over my body again, he’d drive Crescent Moon out even if it put me in danger. In the body of an F–rank Awakened rather than her true form, even a faint eclipse of her power was still a serious threat. If they weren’t careful, I might end up falling asleep for a while like before the regression. And then he’d lose the little moon for good.
Crescent Moon closed her eyes. She sent the last remaining people tumbling into the world of dreams and left my body.
[Honey! I’ll just–.]
I didn’t wait to hear the rest of what Newbie was saying and operated the system. I too dropped into the sleeping sea. There was a splash of water, and then everything went pitch–black.
–TL Notes–
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