[The scene begins]
[A fleshy, orange-red spherical organism covered in writhing tendrils fills the entire sky.]
In the world of Ling Cage—
On the surface squad, Xia Dou suddenly jumped up, pointing at the sky.
"Boss! Look! It's a Mana Bloom!"
Beside her, Bai Yuekui remained calm.
"I see it. Looks like this time… it's our world being shown."
Far above—
Inside the floating fortress known as the Lighthouse—
The people watching the sky briefly fell into chaos.
Watching other worlds had been entertaining.
But now—
It was their own world being exposed.
That wasn't something they could treat as mere spectacle anymore.
Fortunately, the panic didn't last long before the city guards restored order.
In other worlds—
Most viewers had the same first reaction.
Disgust.
"What the hell is that thing?"
"It looks like it has roots underneath… is that a plant?"
"Since when are there plants this disgusting?!"
In the Naruto world—
Just as Team 10 was about to celebrate at a barbecue restaurant—
Ino Yamanaka nearly gagged at the sight.
[The camera zooms out.]
[A swarm of grotesque creatures appears, moving in groups across the ground.]
["ROOOAR!!!"]["GRRR!!!"][Various monstrous cries echo through the scene.]
[As if summoned, the creatures—regardless of type—crawl toward the Mana Bloom in massive waves.]
[The camera rises further.]
[Six figures sitting atop a watchtower come into view.]
"Boss! Boss! That's us!"
"Is that… our future selves?!"
Xia Dou and Shan Da excitedly pointed at the screen.
But Bai Yuekui remained unmoved.
"I see it. Just watch quietly and we'll find out."
Embarrassed, the two sat back down.
Still—
Their eyes were glued to the sky.
[The scene continues.]
["Every time it's rent collection day, all the relatives come crawling out, huh?"]
[On-screen Xia Dou shaded her eyes and looked down at the monster tide below.]
[Then glanced at her teammates.]
["Hey… do you think that guy named Mark can make it in?"]
Inside the Lighthouse—
A white-haired girl smacked the shoulder of Mark playfully.
"Captain, when did you meet such a cute girl?"
"What are you planning to do—visit a Devourer nest?"
"I don't know her."
Mark replied flatly.
"And I'm not stupid enough to charge into a vortex."
"She's probably talking about someone with the same name."
"What if it's something that happens in the future?"
"…Even then, I wouldn't be that stupid."
[Back to the scene.]
[A masked man resembling a high-tech opera performer shook his head.]
["Hard to say. Compared to previous years, there are way more coming into the vortex this time."]
[Xia Dou bit her finger nervously.]
["It's all because of that giant dome… sent so many people to their deaths."]
["Who knows what kind of thing will evolve this time…"]
[Another teammate shrugged.]
["As long as you make it to the Bloom King and release your soul… that's basically a promotion."]
[A man with a mohawk turned to Bai Yuekui.]
["Boss… you don't have beef with Master Lai, do you?"]
["Sending us here at a time like this…"]
["…Feels like we're not meant to come back."]
["Don't talk nonsense!"]
Another teammate snapped back immediately.
[Behind them, Shan Da looked increasingly uneasy.]
["We've waited this long and still haven't seen this 'Mark' guy."]
["We should leave. If we're discovered, we won't be able to escape."]
["He's already here."]
For the first time—
Bai Yuekui spoke.
["…Huh?"]
Shan Da looked confused.
He'd been watching the entire time—no human had entered.
["Look."]
She gestured downward.
["…Where?"]
The others scanned the monster swarm in confusion.
Xia Dou even pulled out a high-powered telescope to search.
[Seeing they still didn't get it, Bai Yuekui added:]
["Have you ever seen one with four legs?"]
[Everyone froze.]
Then looked again—
Carefully.
Among the mass of six-legged Devourers—
They finally spotted it.
A single—
Four-legged creature.
["…WHAT?!"]
Xia Dou lowered her telescope in shock, rubbed her eyes, and looked again.
"…Is that him? Why is he…?"
The others were equally stunned.
No matter how they looked at it—
They couldn't connect that monster…
With the Mark they knew.
The screen zoomed in—
Giving a clear shot of the transformed Mark.
Back in the Lighthouse—
All eyes turned toward Mark.
"Is that you?"
"Yes."
"…Really?"
"Yes. In the future… that's what I become."
"…No. That's not you."
"…You're saying that's not me?"
"No."
"…I'm saying it's not me either! Why are you all staring at me?! That thing isn't me at all!"
"What's going on then?"
"I already told you—it's probably someone with the same name! How could I turn into a Devourer?!"
Mark spun around in frustration—
Then pointed at the sky and exploded:
"If I ever meet that thing with my name—"
"Ugly as hell and still using my name?!"
"I'll beat the shit out of it!"
"Then I'll use its shit to beat it again!"
"And finally bury it in its own shit!!!"