“Such a hassle~ Why do you insist on taking off your shoes to live?”

Riet asked, genuinely curious.

“I don’t get the other way either. Before, you even climbed into someone else’s bed with your shoes on!”

“That was your fault, Riet unni. Wait, sir—bed? You mean Taewon’s bed?”

Yerim glanced between Riet and me in disbelief. What was she thinking?

“Back when you barged in wanting to take Bellare off my hands—I told you, didn’t I? I left right after the request, just the request!”

Truly, nothing happened. Almost did, but in the end, nothing.

“Honey had to regrettably refuse. I’d be fine with it even now~”

Riet, babbling nonsense, moved as if to sit beside me. Flames flickered around her arm. Riet roughly swept the fire aside. Scales rose black along the back of her hand, shining in the light.

“My Honey brother is too prickly.”

Riet clicked her tongue and drew back onto the sofa.

“He’s sweet, you know? It’s just because you marched up wearing your shoes.”

“My little brother is much better. He sparkles!”

“Noah does sparkle, but Yuhyun has fire too! And he treats me so well!”

Riet threw her arms around Yuhyun boastfully and ruffled his hair. Look at this—he’s so gentle with me! He’d never complain as long as I didn’t toss him around. At our affectionate display, Riet turned sharply toward Noah, who had quietly stepped aside. Gasp—Noah.

“My beloved brother!”

“.......”

Noah avoided Riet’s gaze. I felt sorry—for him, not for Riet. Riet ignored Noah’s discomfort and swept down like lightning to hug him tightly.

“Sis, sis!”

“See? Aren’t you even sparklier than usual?”

Riet, perfectly and familiarly holding Noah, planted kisses on his pale cheeks. As expected of a French person—uninhibited in displays of affection. I used to pepper Yuhyun’s cheeks with kisses when he was little, but now... Still, it looked good. Noah didn’t seem to hate it outright. He probably just disliked the way Riet could be violent like a tyrant, but little kisses were fine.

‘...I kind of feel like I lost.’

It’s just different cultures—they don’t do it, but a cheek kiss is no problem for me.

“Just take your shoes off and live here already! They’re just items anyway. Put them into your inventory!”

“Sweetie, more importantly, why did you summon us? And what affiliation are you under?”

Riet released Noah and turned to me. Her sharp eyes, perched high thanks to her tall stature, looked down at me. She had agreed to this affiliation invitation, but didn’t seem inclined to follow orders meekly. Still, there were ways.

“Yerim, what did you receive from your settlement just now?”

“S-rank skill and this SS-rank bracelet~”

Yerim waved her arm happily. She omitted mention of the title—her Hunter experience was showing. Riet’s gaze turned to the bracelet on Yerim’s white arm. The moon-like gem glowed faintly.

“Looks good.”

“And Noah also completed his settlement.”

“Yes, I received this veil. SS-rank.”

Noah smoothly revealed the veil wrapped around him. Riet whistled sharply.

“No wonder! It suits you! But settlement?”

“It’s a privilege I acquired as a provisional system administrator.”

I briefly explained recent events to Riet.

“Riet, you also have achievements to settle, right? The Chatterbox party, and especially that Seokwon incident. You and Soyeong played the biggest roles in defeating an SS-rank of the Transcendent clan.”

Even if you didn’t defeat him completely, it should still count.

“If you cooperate with this matter, I’ll use that as your settlement reward. I can even advance it.”

“A request? An SS-rank item or an S-rank skill—that’s nice.”

Riet nodded lightly.

“Great! But I might ask for more depending on the situation. It’s Transcendent-related, after all. And don’t forget to secure the Chatterbox legacy.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll bump the Chatterbox vault items up your priority too.”

I wondered about the Hunters who were lured by the Chatterbox legacy. Yuhyun had returned first when he was moved by the serpents, but I’d been told the spot was cleared. Still, I worried. Director Song was here too... Peace should be okay.

“Shall we draft a contract?”

“You have high curse resistance, don’t you? There’s no high-tier contract right now, so I’ll trust you—for now.”

“I won’t betray you, not even for Noah~”

Riet winked. Still, her love for her brother was genuine, so she was trustworthy enough. As I tried to register Riet’s achievement settlement, a message appeared.

[Provisional system administrator call.]

“They’re calling us.”

I quickly applied for the settlement and stood from the sofa. Now that all four were summoned, perhaps they’d tell us what to do next. Shishio? A reserve?

“Don’t worry too much. Yerim, don’t go into my room.”

“Okayyy.”

Yerim replied grudgingly.

“Riet, please take off your shoes and don’t pick a fight with the others.”

“I’ll do my best to keep them in line.”

“Please keep an eye on him, Noah.”

“Hyung, you need to be careful.”

“There won’t be any trouble for now.”

Though who knew what would happen later. I pulled the lynx boots out of my inventory, slipped them on, and used system magic to teleport to the summoning location. The coordinates were already set, and moving within the system space was easy—like riding a subway line. One with tens of thousands of routes.

“You adapt quickly.”

A low, slightly hoarse voice spoke. I saw the crimson serpent’s body. The King of Devouring. Still adorned in lavish ornaments, he sat in a wide, round chair without a back—like a basin with the top sealed. His tail, long enough to reach the floor, flicked. Gold and silver decorations jingled like rattlesnake scales.

“...Am I the representative of the Parricide faction? Will I remain in this form the whole time?”

“Because I can covertly assist you through direct contact. I could boost your stats or grant unauthorized information.”

“But you could also withhold what’s due, right?”

“That’s why there’s an aide.”

He meant Myungwoo. So while I’m provisional system administrator, meeting rookies might be impossible. I wanted to ask about Yerim’s title.

“Sit.”

A round chair, smaller and lower than the King’s, appeared. Still huge compared to me. I could lie down on it. I climbed onto it and sat, looking up at the serpent. Even in humanoid form, his upper body was easily twice my size. They could at least adjust the scale.

“Do you know what item holds the greatest value for Transcendents?”

“...I’m not sure.”

Even an L-rank item seemed ordinary. Only a Wish Stone would merit true value. And beyond that... Oh. I recalled something I’d heard long ago.

“The fragments of a world not swallowed by the Source.”

“That’s right. Most Transcendents have lost their worlds—some consumed by the Source, some devoured themselves, some perished naturally. Each world rejects powerful outsiders, so Transcendents wander.”

“They’d create their own space instead.”

Like Myungwoo’s forge or my drawer—those were such spaces.

“But none match the genuine article created by the Source. To fashion a proper space, one akin to a real world, you need material from a true world. That’s why Transcendents seek the world’s fragments the Source overlooked.”

The serpent’s narrow eyes opened. I shivered under the cloying sense of death.

“When a world nears destruction and anyone can reach its core, for just that moment, even the Parricides aid the Source in devouring the world. If Transcendents steal fragments, regeneration becomes impossible.”

“...But the Source can regurgitate them.”

“Yes. And the Source can also create worlds anew. Though it’s mostly ceased production recently.”

If a Transcendent steals a world fragment to build their own space, that’s the end—but if the Source devours it, there’s a chance to reclaim it.

“It was a glorious war.”

The serpent chuckled low. That had been the battle with the Mermaid Queen.

“Weren’t you the Filial Addiction faction? You shouldn’t help the Source steal worlds.”

“A predator hunting another predator’s prey always exists.”

Ah, yes. You follow Nature’s laws. Why not just strip off everything and return to the wild?

“Since the system returns dying worlds to the Source, the imprisoned Parricides can fight directly at that moment. Dormant warriors rise en masse, weapons drawn, blood spilled.”

Were the wolves or deer those warriors? The rookies hardly seemed to do much compared to the trees.

“In that war, Parricides generally held the advantage over some Filial Addicts and neutrals. Those hunting fragments were rivals, so they only grabbed scraps at best.”

Large fragments were rare. The King of Devouring explained as my unease grew.

‘No way...’

The more I heard, the clearer the answer.

“The Parricides offered a wager.”

His long talon pointed at me.

“For your world’s fragments.”

“You bastards—!”

I stifled the curse. They used pieces of my world as gambling chips? Unbelievable! Grinding my teeth, I watched the King of Devouring narrow his eyes.

“Unlike before, the more I see you, the more you intrigue me. If weakness only makes you shrink back, that’s boring.”

“So you sent a proxy to wager that if you win, you take part of my world?”

“Similar. But if the Parricide side wins, your world will remain safe.”

“That’s...”

Something felt off. We weren’t exactly at a disadvantage. Our world, yes. We had the New Moon Guild and the Puppet Sorcerer and other unusual Transcendents, so we couldn’t be complacent, but...

“Even if the Parricides stopped us without betting, our world could be defended without issue.”

Our world’s people alone could handle it if they just refrained from interfering. So why risk world fragments on this bet? The Parricides weren’t weak.

“The Chatterbox was an anomaly, and other Filial Addicts wouldn’t throw away their power like that. Then they could handle it themselves. Yet they still wagered. Just to ensure the world’s safety?”

It was suspicious. There was little for them to gain—so why?

“What you gain is safety.”

The King of Devouring spoke in a low laugh. So the Parricides must have another agenda. Damn.

“...I’m not a toy.”

“It’s a fleeting pleasure for us.”

The serpents coiled around me, but I held them off.

“Even if the winner receives nothing, that would be dull, wouldn’t it?”

As he rose, serpents slithered {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} toward me. I barely kept them at bay.

“If you win, I’ll grant you one wish.”

“...Anything?”

“But don’t crave the world after winning. Anything reasonable.”

I fell silent. My mind raced. In a way, this was the path to get everything I wanted. Guarantee the world’s safety, and even the New Moon won’t intervene. No matter how strong she is, facing many Transcendents is difficult. And with one wish—I might bring my brother back. It wouldn’t be easy, but perhaps.

The path that had seemed blocked suddenly opened. And it wasn’t as treacherous as I feared.

Which made it more suspect.

“...I’ll look forward to it.”

But I had no choice. I had to do something.

I nodded, and Seong Hyunjae came to mind. Wouldn’t it be far better for me to win? Maybe he truly plans to help by siding with the Filial Addicts. Even with a contract, it won’t be easy... Well, even if he doesn’t help, I’ll still win.

‘Besides, Director Song and Hyunah would only interfere. No reason for Seong Hyunjae to help.’

I looked at the serpent. “If they win, do they also get a wish?”

“They would. I don’t know the specifics. I shifted positions to avoid offering excessive rewards.”

“You’ve treated me quite well for that.”

“You said I pleased you.”

A golden serpent wrapped around my arm suddenly transformed into gilded ornament. What?

“It’s a bit too plain otherwise.”

“In our world, plain is normal!”

“Gold and jewels mark the victor.”

—Beep!

The concealed courtesy agreed in a small chime. No, Enyeh—how can you side with the serpent? You’re a bird! Though once a dragon. Another serpent wrapped around my neck, and one climbed atop my head. Wait!

“Excessive covering of the body is for the weak who don’t trust their own scales.”

“I’m a mammal! Humans barely have any fur!”

The red-speckled silver serpent turned into a neckpiece. Something metallic curved over my head. Respect other cultures!

“You’re somewhat more presentable now. Let’s go.”

Where—suddenly my surroundings changed. The chair vanished and I collapsed onto the floor. Seong Hyunjae watched me. He lifted the corner of his lips.

“You’ve changed your tastes quite a bit.”

...I felt wronged. The Mermaid Queen hovered above us, gently moving her wings as she turned toward us.