[Note: filial piety addicts= THE FALLEN ONES]
engrave= IMPRINT
mana hall= mana hole
Younger/ little Brother= dongsaeng
Little moon, huh? Is it like a childhood nickname? But he also said he doesn't remember his real name.
"From when you were a child? From your parents?"
It's a cute nickname. It must have suited him well. Honestly, he must have been really cute when he was a child. With a rounder face than now, chubby cheeks, and skin that made his cheeks especially red. With big, beautiful golden eyes, it makes sense to call him our little moon.
"Do you have any childhood photos or something?"
"No."
That's a shame. Our Yoohyun only had a group photo from kindergarten. He doesn't even have that now. Maybe I should offer a reward or something. There might be someone from the same kindergarten who still has the album.
"So, Moon, do you remember anything other than your nickname?"
"..."
"Moon."
"Call me by my original name."
"That's right hyung. It doesn't suit you anyway."
For some reason, the two of them agreed. Sigma said with a chubby expression.
"My memories before awakening are vague. I only remember a few vague things."
"all your childhood memories?"
Sigma nodded and then tilted his head slightly.
"Now that I think about it... it's strange."
"You didn't think it was strange until now?"
"...Maybe."
He said, looking puzzled. I wonder if it has anything to do with this world not being real. Maybe the information was too much to bring even childhood memories, so they were deleted. I could ask other people too.
A brief silence passed. Sigma seemed to have complicated feelings, and I had a lot on my mind. The main quest story explanation is too poor. If this was a game, I would just curse and end it, but to me, he feels no different from a real person. So I couldn't just let it go.
Mr. Sung hyunjae, please have another interview. Tho It'll probably be full of squares..
"asking about the future will not be possible then."
"Uh, um... Yes. We will eventually leave this place. We don't know what will happen to this world after that. If Sigma really becomes real, we might be able to leave together, but that's impossible..."
"I'm gonna leave behind."
Sigma said calmly. But it hit my ears heavily. What would happen to him if he was left here? In a world that rejects him. Maybe it will be reset like a dungeon. A new Sigma, who is real in this world, might appear. Then, in the end, the current Sigma is a fake that can't mix anywhere and continues...
That's not really it. No matter how good a person is alone, it's not the same. It would be the same as being rejected by everyone in the world. It's not like now, where there are people like me who are less affected by possession.
"Don't worry, I can't promise that everything will be fine, but I'll take responsibility somehow. I won't just leave."
"Why should you take responsibility?"
Yoohyun burst out angrily. His face was full of displeasure...
"...But what about the doll?"
"In the inventory."
Oh, it goes in. Well, it's an item, so it's natural. But there's no need to bother with that.
"...When we go back, should I get you a doppelganger doll item? I don't know if we can take it, so I'll make a new one."
"No, I don't need it. I just brought it because it was already made. Why would I need it when I have the real hyung."
Yoohyun said that and sat down next to me. His gaze at Sigma was icy.
"He's not a kid, he'll take care of himself. Why do you care about that guy in the first place? You said you were attacked."
"Well, a little bit of hate is love... and most importantly, we need him to conquer? It's a main quest."
"The quest is sent by the guild leader of Sesung. He might be trying to protect him with a fake quest because he looks similar."
"That's not it. He did say to protect him, but..."
I quickly shut my mouth. But in his red eyes, there was already suspicion.
"What are the exact conditions?"
"Hey, would Sung Hyunjae care about someone who looks just like him?"
"We agreed not to hide anything."
That... yeah, we did. I had no choice but to spill everything honestly. At the words that as long as he was alive, a glint appeared in my brother's eyes.
"Hyung, SS rank is strong."
"Still, it's better to protect yourself. Do you want to see me protecting Sigma? Do you want me to shrink him and carry him around?"
"That's..."
After a moment of hesitation, Yoohyun reluctantly suppressed his previous excitement.
"Anyway, it's a quest with no deadline. Put all other reasons aside, it's necessary for us."
Me saying I'll protect Sigma is a joke. I was startled by the sudden situation, but I'm not someone who can't protect myself. So.
"Please let me protect you, Mr. Sigma."
Being protected is like helping. So I asked. Sigma stared at me.
"C rank, huh."
"So, do you hate it?"
"So, do you hate it?"
His golden eyes flickered slightly.
"There's no reason to hate it since it's mine. It's commendable to offer to protect your owner at times like this, right?"
"Look at the way you talk to adults."
"The one next to you seems to hate it."
As Sigma said, Yoohyu was very upset. I had a hard time calming him down, saying he would kill him as soon as the dungeon conquest was over. It was even harder because Sigma kept provoking him, saying he was welcome anytime.
In that respect, the two of them really get along well.
"I'll keep the contract for now, but I absolutely won't like to be imprinted."
Sigma said that if the contract penalty disappears, there's no reason to be protected, so I replied that I wouldn't do it. Honestly, I think he would follow me even without that, but there's no need to bother a kid who has nowhere to go.
"If you even try, I'll do it right away."
I said that, but the idea of imprinting the spine, was a bit tempting. If I engrave a protection engraving without connecting with others, wouldn't it help a lot? But because of my low magic stat, my magic control ability was also mediocre.
If I can handle magic delicately, my skill utilization will also increase. Even resistance skills would become adjustable.
'Wouldn't it be possible to reduce the resistance to SS and instead widen the range?'
I mean, spread poison and curse resistance over a certain area around me. There would be ways to apply other skills as well. Giving up one life to gain magic control ability, it seems okay.
'Persuading Yoohyun would be the biggest hurdle.'
I looked at my brother, who was clinging to me and glaring at Sigma like a furious beast. If I explain well that I can be safer, would he accept it? It's not like I'm really going to die, and I'll anesthetize well. Oh, I need to modify Yoohyun's engraving too. He might have to face a monster with a mana absorption skill or a guard.
"Then, Yoohyun, tell the Sollemnis guards that we've dealt with the monster that killed Sigma. Also request immediate eviction from the city."
"Yeah. But don't we need solid evidence? They would believe us if we cut off an arm or a leg."
"...Say we burned it and just send it. Oh, the SS rank guard suddenly disappeared, I wonder if they can return safely."
I was worried about the city. Sigma told me that even if they are S rank guards, if they are numerous and experienced, it's easy to escape from an SS rank monster. Well, they said they hired S rank guards in the drama too.
"There are measures in place for the city. It's not uncommon for an SS rank guard to be absent for a long time."
He said that if an SS rank monster appears when there is no SS rank guard, instead of hunting, they endure in the shelter and lure it out of the city. The city's economic activity would inevitably plummet, but they had enough supplies to live for several years. At the same time, they seek cooperation from other cities and invest most of the energy of the mana hole in creating S rank or higher awakeners.
Even though it was just data, I was worried, but luckily everything turned out fine.
"You stay here quietly, and I'll go with Hyung."
When Yoohyun grabbed me and stood up, Sigma also got up.
"Are you trying to leave right after saying you'll protect me?"
"Did you really have any intention of protecting me? Think about your own rank. You have no conscience."
"C-rank said it first. But you, an SS-rank guard, are sticking to a C-rank and causing trouble."
"He's my brother and I'm his younger brother, so it's only natural."
Yoo Hyun said arrogantly, and Sigma hesitated for some reason before speaking up.
"Is it really natural? The brothers I've seen didn't have that kind of relationship."
"It's stranger for brothers to have a bad relationship."
...Yoohyun, I don't think it's right to instill wrong common sense in someone who has no memories. There are many families with bad relationships in the world.
In the end, Sigma was left alone while Yoohyun and I went outside together. Surprisingly, the Sollemnis Guards easily accepted Yoohyun's words. It seemed that everyone had a clear perception that Sigma was dead.
After leaving a message expressing gratitude for avenging the SS-rank monster, the Sollemnis Guards quickly prepared for departure. They said they needed to return quickly to defend the city and left as soon as the helicopters were ready.
"I feel a bit uneasy too. Idk who's Real and fake, it's hard to tell."
Moon Hyuna crossed her arms loosely after hearing a rough explanation from me.
"But it seems like you know more about the system than I thought, Director hanYou were the only one who knew the strategy here."
"Ah... that's..."
Come to think of it, Hyun-ah hadn't met the newcomers. I took this opportunity to tell her about the Fallen Ones. I told her that there are powerful beings outside the world who manipulate the system and assist the Awakened Ones in order to prevent the world from being destroyed.
"They help, but they seem suspicious."
"Do they seem suspicious?"
I hadn't given her a detailed explanation, but Moon Hyuna nodded vigorously.
"Of course. What's more suspicious than people who offer to work for free? And it's not just one or two. If there's only one, it could be a rare kind-hearted individual who worries about the future, but if there are several, it's suspicious."
She agreed without thinking when I mentioned that they want something in return for their free labor. That's right, where in the world can you find something for free? It could be driven by a sense of justice to simply save the world, but they are Transcendents who have lived for a long time.
Is there really no other purpose, just the pure desire to save the world?
"Still, it's good that we can avoid destruction if we try hard. I should collect more points for this."
I felt a bit hesitant at Moon Hyuna's spirited words. There are so many unnecessarily strong people out there who are not trustworthy. Of course, I will do my best too.
"Let's fix your imprint before you leave tomorrow."
And I should also get a consultation for my imprints. Akates said that their techniques have developed as much as their treatment of combat guards. So I want to get it done here. But just as I was about to open my mouth to persuade Yoo Hyun...
- Growl, growl.
I heard the growl of a monster. It was where the mana hole was. The three of us quickly looked beyond the railing towards the mana hole. There were two lion-like creatures with two heads each, one after the other.
- Snarl, snarl!
A monster similar to a crow revealed itself from the mana hole. Both of them were SS-rank monsters. We were momentarily speechless.
"...Damn, Akates is done for. What should we do, Doryeon-nim?"
"I don't know. Hyung, be careful."
The one with the blue mane among the lion heads raised its head. Its sharp eyes were focused on the opposite building, where Sigma was. The mouths of the two lion heads opened wide, and a pale blue light gathered and mixed together. And then, like a laser beam, it was fired towards Sigma's room.
Kwaaang!! The top floor of the building was completely blown away. And the light streaked across the sky.
"Oh my, that's something. He must still be alive, right?"
"It's a shame, but he probably won't die from that."
"Don't just stand there and watch, catch them! You too, Yoohyun!"
At my urging, Moon Hyuna jumped down first. The grandiose sword was swung towards the lions. The lions couldn't even think of standing up against the devastating attack and quickly jumped away. The grandiose sword, having lost its target, left long scars on the devastated ground.
The attack power is no joke, but the path is too straightforward.
"If only we had a team member who could catch them, that would be great."
Yerim goes without saying, and if I choose someone else, Evelyn would be a good fit. It's about combat compatibility. I said their personalities don't match, but if she can restrain them from a distance, it would be easier to attack.
Just as Yoohyun was about to follow me over the railing,
Kurrrung!
Lightning struck. The crow that was directly hit screamed and flew up. As it spread its wings and tried to soar, a golden chain extended and wrapped around it. The endlessly long chain entangled the lion as well.
Kwagagak─!
Without waiting, Moon Hyuna charged forward. Large holes appeared in the bodies of the two monsters, and the lightning tore through their insides, finishing them off.
It was quickly resolved.
"Hyung, over there."
The shadow of a new monster flickered beyond the mana hole. This time, dozens, no, dozens of S-rank monsters appeared in a row.
"...It's endless. It would be best to clear the area around the mana hole."
Is this also because of Sigma? It seems like they're targeting him. Yoohyun and I went down to where Moon Hyuna and Sigma were. Moon Hyun furrowed his brows slightly and said,
"Doryeon-nim, besides you, we might have trouble because of the mana,et's call Mu."
"Mu?"
"Yes. Mu from the Medsang. I don't have a perfect memory of it, but if we have Mu, it will solve half of the problem."
MoonHyun confidently assured me,
"Among the support guards, Mu has a special ability to manipulate space."
---
[Changing MUSE to MU]