[“The new system administrator must first create their own ‘room’!”]

“Basic requirement,” Myeong-woo added.

“You get your own workspace. But since the two of you are temporary employees, the newcomer made provisional rooms for each of you. Even Transcendents can’t easily interfere with an administrator’s room.”

That’s nice. Like a drawer but with tighter security. I hope I can keep using it.

[Temporary System Administrator ▶ Han Yujin

Temporary ID ▶ H0207]

Seong Hyunjae’s must be S0830. A card key embossed with that number appeared before me.

[You can operate the system from your own ‘room.’ The current permissions for Administrator Han Yujin are:

◇ Register and unregister Awakener affiliations

◇ Move affiliated Awakeners

◇ Manage affiliated Awakeners

※ Requires the consent of the affiliated Awakener.]

“Aren’t these permissions too few for a system administrator?”

“One of the administrator’s main duties is managing Awakeners. Even if limited to your own, it’s not insignificant. It includes viewing detailed status screens, adjusting skills and items, and allocating raid rewards. Consent is required for security, so newcomers can’t snoop recklessly.”

My ears perked up. So I can examine Awakeners like a newcomer and assign skills or items.

“To be honest, we’ve done a lot and received almost nothing. We didn’t clear a dungeon, but it involved Transcendents. Yet we didn’t get a proper reward.”

“You can check on that too. Your permissions might expand depending on the situation.”

Myeong-woo’s gaze turned serious.

“Don’t get greedy. The system itself carries burdens. If you feel any abnormalities, speak up immediately.”

“I’m fine. No issues.”

Myeong-woo, Yuhyun, and Director Song all stared at me. Really, I’m okay. Thanks to Mr. Sloth, I still feel nothing.

“You may be fine now, but remember this system is designed for Transcendents. Be careful.”

“I understand. I’ll engrave that in my heart, Teacher.”

Myeong-woo sighed briefly. I have done some unbelievable things, after all.

“Use the card key to move to your room. Practice operating the system, then call three of the remaining four affiliated Awakeners to your room.”

“And then what will we do?”

“Both sides have appointed proxies, so you’ll have a fight. Similar events happened in the past. Conflicts among Transcendents have too big an impact.”

“It’s better for us to fight than have Transcendents interfere... but I still don’t like it.”

They always decide things among themselves without our input. Even if they say it’s for our benefit, dictating every detail and dragging us around is no different from violent breeding.

“Be careful. A filicide archer aims to protect the world, not people. Don’t trust Transcendents.”

“Understood.”

Protecting our world doesn’t make them our allies. People with the same goal can still become enemies. A black-and-white division would be easier, but life isn’t that simple.

Myeong-woo’s worried gaze faded, and I prepared to use the card key. Then Seong Hyunjae approached. Yuhyun and Director Song tensed.

“Han Yujin.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t overdo it.”

Seong Hyunjae continued quietly.

“I was asked to convey that.”

“What? Wait!”

Before I could finish, both Seong Hyunjae and Song Taewon vanished—presumably using the card key. “Convey that”?

“Don’t overdo it? Is that what they tell you?”

My barely calmed heart flipped again. My head throbbed. Yuhyun watched me with concern.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”

“You saw it too—Seong Hyunjae flipping my gear.”

“Not that.”

My brother stood before me, studying me gently but intently.

“You’ve seemed strange lately. Since the wedding, actually. You’re still pretending to be okay as always, but sometimes you look more anxious, and your mood shifts sharply.”

“...Well.”

I brushed my cheek absentmindedly.

“...Honestly, it’s because the future’s so dark.”

Since rejecting the Crescent Moon’s proposal, a heavy stone of anxiety has settled in my chest. The world’s ruin isn’t my fault, but I can’t deny responsibility for that choice. I have to do something—anything—but there’s no clear answer, and in the meantime Seong Hyunjae is like that.

“You’re my biggest support—Yuhyun you are, and Yerim, Gyeol, Noah, and Peace too. But they’re not like the adults. You depend on the Sesung Guild master, right?”

It’s a different kind of reliance than on Director Song or Hyunah—more hopeful.

“So this is heavy on my shoulders and hard.”

“Can’t you tell me yet?”

“...Hm?”

“At the wedding.”

Yuhyun asked calmly. No one asked me about the details then, but surely they noticed something happened.

“...Yeah.”

I nodded slightly. But I can’t tell anyone yet. My guilt is one thing, but if Yuhyun knew he’d insist we capture Seong Hyunjae and hand him to the Crescent Moon. Director Song would worry, and Hyunah might say to just throw him away.

“Understood. But hyung, as always, I’m on your side. No need to agonize or feel guilty—do what you want. Even if the world ends because of your mistake, I’ll stand by you.”

“Thank you.”

My reply sounded hollow even to me. Yuhyun hugged me tightly. This time ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ his kindness only hurt more. I must protect him somehow. By any means.

“Let’s go to your room first.”

He said my system permissions might increase, so maybe I could use the system to drive Transcendents out of our world. I used the card key. The place we stood shifted. Sunlight filtered into a modest living room. A sofa, a table, a TV. The clock on the wall was frozen at midnight.

My breath caught at the familiar sight.

[The room’s initial design is set to the place with the most information.]

A message popped up. Information—I have the most at home, the place I’ve lived the longest.

“This is my home.”

I murmured. My childhood home. I exhaled deeply. It was my old home, but still my home. All I’ve ever wanted was one thing. That fact struck me anew. Yes—I need to finish this quickly so we can all go home.

“Ah, my shoes!”

Why move me to the middle of the living room instead of the entrance? I ended up wearing my shoes inside. I quickly removed them into my inventory, then looked around. Though light shone in, the view outside was hazy, like fog. The front door wouldn’t open. The TV was on but showed no broadcast; the fridge ran but was empty. The stove flame and boiler worked.

“This house... it’s exactly the same?”

Yuhyun nodded. Of course it’s well preserved. I wonder if anyone ever visited, or if they avoided the area.

“When we return to Korea, shall we visit?”

“To this house?”

“Yeah. It’s okay now. It’d be silly to leave it forever.”

Though it was the place we fled, it’s fine now. I should go tidy it up. I wonder how it looks. I turned on the kitchen water, and it flowed well.

“I wonder if changing this would require grasping property or something. Let’s see.”

I summoned the system’s mana for the five plates I once moved. My mana mark tingled, and the surroundings melted into chaos.

“Ugh!”

“Hyung!”

Yuhyun supported me as the cabinets, table, and fridge in the kitchen twisted into a tangled mass of mana. The table was straightforward, the cabinets more complex, and the fridge’s mana structure was beyond my full comprehension.

‘...The flow that generates cold, huh.’

Real fridge components are complex, so a mana-constructed fridge would be too. I’ll postpone redesigning the room; I can’t handle that. Instead, I opened my granted permissions.

[Affiliated Awakeners

Han Yuhyun (S)

Park Yerim (S)

Noah (S)

Gyeol (S)

Sisio (S)]

I checked Yuhyun first.

“Hyung, it’s asking if you’ll consent to viewing Awakener info. I will.”

“Okay.”

[Han Yuhyun (S) – Human

Title

Skills

Stats

Achievements

Other]

Different from the status screen. He has no title yet, but I pressed it.

[Title

None

Likely Titles

Ash’s Footprint (SS)

Blessing of Fire (SS)

Dungeon Expert (S)]

“Ah, this one.”

I recognized Dungeon Expert from TV. It’s awarded for clearing over 100 S-Rank dungeons; several S-Rank Hunters had it just before regression. Ash’s Footprint and Blessing of Fire... Yuhyun, at twenty-five, probably had them. I must’ve glimpsed his status screen then.

His skills matched what I know: Black Flame, Sword Devourer, Last Melting Gate, Fire Resistance, Blue Willow Leaf, Fire Enhancement, Weapon Mastery, Unyielding Sword, Lone Action, Paralysis Resistance, Focus, and more. Among them:

[Black Flame (SS) – The source of flame condensed into inky blackness

※Growing beyond the system’s scope]

An extra note. It must refer to the blue flame. He shattered the system wall in the Chinese Nightmare Dungeon, after all.

“Yuhyun, you have Cold Resistance listed as a likely skill. Because of Yerim?”

“Maybe. She uses it at home all the time. You might get it too.”

“She avoided letting me touch her, though. Still, more skills can’t hurt.”

More is always better. Yuhyun, Yerim, and Peace should earn more too. We faced Transcendents—rewards are too stingy.

“Hey system, let’s settle this properly. It’s almost year-end reconciliation—let’s wrap up a clean year’s worth of records before we go.”

[Would you like to reverify Awakener Han Yuhyun’s achievements?]

“Yes!”

[No additional achievements in system records]

[Would you like to submit achievement data manually?]

“Yes! My brother is amazing—”

[Connecting directly to Awakener Han Yuhyun’s records.]

“...It’s not dangerous, right?”

[The system can’t directly monitor the world. Even newcomers couldn’t know our movements perfectly.]

Suddenly the message tone changed.

“Myeong-woo?”

[I was told to use simpler explanations, so I connected you. With Awakener consent, you can verify directly. It’s like confirming memories, but it’s secure. The type is special—will take maybe two hours. And you set the period—recent half-year if you want it faster.]

“Thanks! While you’re at it, contact the Sesung Guild master to look after Director Song and Hyunah too!”

Though we’re on opposite sides now, I can’t miss this chance. After connecting Yuhyun’s records, I summoned Yerim and Noah.

“Auntie!”

“Yujin.”

Yerim clung to me with a bright smile.

“Nobody can do without me, right? I calmed Gyeol down just fine!”

“Was he upset?”

“He almost cried, actually.”

Poor thing.

“He said he’d understand and go home first. But where are we? What’s happening? Noah oppa, shoes!”

“Oh, right.”

Noah yelped and removed his shoes. Yerim hovered lightly.

“The Transcendents proposed a sort of proxy war.”

I explained everything so far. Yerim’s eyes went wide.

“Sesung uncle? Why?”

“I’d like to know. What’s he thinking?”

“So you’re affiliated with Yujin too, sister?”

“Yes. Is that okay? I should’ve told you earlier but had no way...”

Noah smiled gently.

“It’s fine. Really, I’m more worried about you, Yujin. Hunter Kang Soyeong is pleased with your skill, so baiting with Bellare would be tough.”

“Oh... right.”

In specialized forging form, he can’t use the sword. So no one can pressure him about raising Bellare anymore. And Gyeol doesn’t crave items or showy skills—no good bait...

“...We’ll manage somehow.”

“You hang in there. I’ll help as much as I can.”

This is more troublesome than I thought. Still, they’ve treated me relatively well. If worse comes to worst, maybe I’ll ask Soyeong for help instead of Sisio. Yerim and Noah requested achievement reverification too. After some time passed:

[Additional achievements update complete]

A message confirmed the task was done. “Please take good care of me, system!”