“They’re still alive, but I think Mr. Seong Hyunjae and Director Song need to get on at the same time. If only one side boards first, we might overturn.”

Even though it’s rated for four people, it’s just a recreational rubber boat, so I was uneasy. It’d be safest for me to sit in the middle, with someone at the front and someone at the back.

[Honey created a secret private line. They won’t be able to interfere here!]

“All right, rookie. How’s it on your side? Myung-woo must be worried.”

[The blacksmith is trying to create a path into Honey’s world. But it won’t be easy.]

“Can’t I send the others now?”

[It looks like all the dependents have gone in... but the turbulence from the intrusion hasn’t settled. And Senior Crescent Moon is watching. If Honey tries to open a path, she’ll either send more dependents or forcibly interfere in this world.]

Even if we left Seong Hyunjae behind, I doubted Crescent Moon would let me go. His top priority was Seong Hyunjae, the Little Moon, but he also seemed to care about me.

“We still have to get home. This won’t sink, right?”

Cradling the ethereal Peace, I climbed into the center of the boat. Squeezed between Seong Hyunjae at the front and Director Song at the back, I felt cramped and a little embarrassed. Why are there no oars in the middle?

“Shall I grab an oar, too?”

“No. If the power differs too much, the boat will spin in circles.”

“Director Song alone is enough.”

“Don’t freeload. You’re already exhausted and have no intention of rowing.”

“I was thoughtless. Since I’m hitching a ride, how about I gift you a car in return?”

Obviously not the kind of car one drinks.

“That’s quite the generous offer~ Right, Director Song? I’ll fill the inside with ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ tea. Including ten years’ worth of mana-stone fuel.”

“...That won’t be necessary.”

Director Song answered curtly and began to row. I told him where to find Ye-rim and Hyun-ah. The puppeteer slid across the water alongside the boat.

[If the system were still linked to Honey’s world, we could return easily... but it’s been severed.]

“We couldn’t reconnect it, could we? It’s chaos even now.”

Imagine the dependents’ intrusion happening in reality, not a dream—it would be total ruin. Even if returning were hard, this situation was far better.

[The blacksmith and I are still searching for a way. We’re trying to find a place where Honey can safely reconnect the path.]

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“Yes. The dream world’s system is connected. We’ll keep trying!”

“Thanks. Please tell Myung-woo too. To not overdo it and take care of himself.”

Honestly, Myung-woo had no right to scold me these days... though that was my fault. Yes, I was to blame.

[We’re delaying the dependents’ system integration as much as possible. But it won’t last long—complaints are already coming in...]

“Rookie, be careful too. Don’t pick fights with other Transcendents. Look after your own safety first.”

Even with the elders around, caution was needed. If the rookie disappeared, there’d be no one left to help system-wise.

“Don’t worry~♡ I’m more worried about Honey. Honey’s group can handle the dependents, but a Transcendent could enter directly. You’ve experienced it a few times.”

“That’s true.”

The first was Diarma. He tried to pull me into the mental realm—well, I practically jumped in myself. But since I wouldn’t consent, he couldn’t use that method again. Ru Ga-pye had used the dungeon’s space to weaken her power and invade. If not for Gyeol, I wouldn’t have survived. This isn’t a dungeon, so her method wouldn’t work. But other methods might.

“In the Japanese dungeon, Seong Hyunjae entered using the excuse of protecting his contractor. Here, the puppeteer showed up with my ownership contract.”

[Yes, Honey. One way Transcendents enter another world. But ordinary worlds are strongly protected, so it’s only possible if they’re near ruin, like the Japanese dungeon, or weakly guarded, like the dream world.]

“Still, there are limits here. I’ve weakened too.”

Even weakened, he’d be stronger than most dependents.

“On the other hand, the Chatterbox was threatening.”

The Transcendent who announced his presence to our world and obtained a new body, abandoning his Transcendent status. I thought we were done for back then.

[No one uses the Chatterbox’s method—it’s too dangerous. But it is possible to enter a dependent’s body and assimilate. It’s called an avatar.]

...Hyun-yi came to mind. Surely the Gardener wouldn’t try to use my brother that way.

“How exactly does it work? Could a dependent refuse?”

[It depends on the contract. The world’s resistance scales with the intruder’s strength. So they send a weak dependent first to enter that body. The dependent can’t withstand the Transcendent’s power, so it’s effectively one-time use... it’s not used often.]

“So the dependents hate it too.”

It depends on how much control the Gardener could exert over Hyun-yi. Her will seemed strong, so forcing her in would be hard, but...

‘...If it were Hyun-yi, she might consent.’

If she thought it was the only way to protect me. She’d sacrifice herself in a heartbeat. Especially since she thought she was fake and already dead—she’d have no hesitation.

“Rookie, have you learned more about the Gardener?”

[Senior Tree doesn’t know much either. But Senior Tree and similar Transcendents all seem to fear the Gardener.]

“Is that so? An enemy’s enemy is our ally, right? Maybe they’ll help.”

[If you offer a surrogate source in exchange, they might.]

I glanced at Seong Hyunjae. He looked as relaxed as if he were in a tourist gondola. I heard Director Song rowing—splash splash.

“A passionate gaze you have there.”

“I wondered if you planned to swim.”

At my words, Seong Hyunjae smiled.

“Han Yujin liked stripping me, didn’t you?”

“What nonsense is that, all of a sudden!”

“When we were alone in the Japanese dungeon. You said you’d strip off all my clothes—”

What? When did I ever say that? This is unfair. I...I–

“You’re talking about yarn! If you’re going to spin things, why not wipe my memory too? You only erased my emotions, so you keep spouting nonsense!”

“It was a shocking experience for me too, so I can’t forget.”

I wanted to smack him on the back of the head. But I couldn’t discard him either.

[If you hold onto the chain, I’ll try to persuade the other Transcendents, Honey.]

“No, that’s fine. Besides, there’s a Transcendent who must protect that man right next to him.”

Because of Sigma, I have to protect Seong Hyunjae. Sigma did nothing wrong. It’s not Seong Hyunjae’s fault he’s in this mess. Neither is it mine or Hyun-yi’s. Suddenly I felt even more wronged. We hadn’t committed any grave sins—just legitimate self-defense when we captured a few people and Transcendents.

“How about Noah and Riette? Rookie, can you contact them?”

[It seems they’ve contacted another Transcendent. Probably a dependent or an avatar.]

“An avatar? Already?”

[Not certain. Sending system messages is impossible.]

Ha-yul was vague too, she said. I was worried. Once we find Ye-rim and Hyun-ah, we’ll set out for Noah and Riette too.

“Can you send messages to Hyun-yi and Hyun-ah?”

“Hmm, I’ll restore Honey’s administrator mode. They’re still affiliated with Honey, so the system should let you now.”

“All right, thanks!”

The system admin window appeared before my eyes. I quickly messaged Hyun-yi and Hyun-ah.

[Hyun-yi, it’s oppa.]

[Miss Hyun-ah, where are you?]

Soon after, Hyun-ah replied. She was on a rooftop near Gubanpo Station. I instructed Director Song on the direction.

[Ye-rim is still sleeping soundly. She hasn’t woken up.]

[She must still be with Park Ha-yul. I’ll go there and check.]

The boat turned and cut through the water swiftly. Even as we neared Gubanpo Station, no reply came from Hyun-yi.

[Hyun-yi, listen to me. That’s not what I meant.]

I tried to clarify via message, but–

[Connection with Han Hyun-yi (S) has been severed.]

Hyun-yi rejected the system message.

“...Hey, Han Hyun-yi!”

“A sibling quarrel seems likely to drag on.”

Rejection was possible, too. If I’d met pre-regression Hyun-yi, would that one have helped? The “(S)” tag on Han Hyun-yi bothered me. A rank again? For distinction? I glared at Seong Hyunjae.

“If Hyun-yi teams up with herself, the person we’ll have to worry about most is you. Same attribute means double the buff.”

My twenty-five-year-old sister must share the final domain skill like a melted gate. She hadn’t shown her skills publicly, and when they transferred as a reward...I hadn’t had time to examine them closely. But same attribute and same existence implies that if one receives a combat support skill, the other likely does too.

“Don’t worry. I’ll hide well behind Han Yujin.”

“What─ Oh, you promised not to touch Hyun-yi. But now you’re ca, ca–”

That promise was too precious to cancel. It wasn’t a forced contract, just a promise.

“Hey, oppa!”

From the rooftop above, Hyun-ah’s voice called. She waved Shishio’s coat like a flag.

“Miss Hyun-ah!”

“What a flood this is. I heard Ye-rim’s voice before.”

“It was Ye-rim’s doing!”

The boat bumped against the building wall. I took Hyun-ah’s outstretched hand and climbed up onto the rooftop. In one corner lay Ye-rim, still asleep.

“This water is what the Mermaid Queen laid as the foundation of the dream world. Being a Transcendent’s power, she couldn’t handle it properly.”

“Is that so? But where’s big brother’s shadow?”

Right, Hyun-ah didn’t know. I opened my mouth but words wouldn’t come.

“Well, so... Hyun-yi...”

My brother and sister.

“...is my sibling from before regression, the one I lost.”

The sister I should have come to fetch had returned. My gaze fell to my feet. Since I had to keep moving, the emotions I’d held back welled up. Mun Hyun-ah waited quietly. Her kind gaze was felt above my bowed head.

“She slipped away and stayed by the Source... I tried everything to bring her back...”

I stammered on. Hyun-yi had returned. Even if she claimed to have died, she was finally within reach. I managed to finish explaining. Hyun-ah nodded softly.

“You’ve met her.”

“...Yes.”

“In any case, that’s great.”

“...Yes.”

Without any further words, I nodded too. Yes, it was great. We met. That was most important. Everything else—Garden-keeper or whatever—we could handle. It was far better than doing nothing and watching from afar.

“But Hyun-yi is incredibly strong, and the current Hyun-yi left with her. She said she’d protect me. Anyway, they’re still the same pair... really...”

“Even if they’ve changed, they’re the same person. No matter how much Han Hyun-yi changes, her love for oppa won’t. If it did, she’d be a completely different person. Ye-rim would get upset, asking who you are.”

I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I wiped my face roughly with my sleeve and looked up. My eyes met Director Song’s, who looked embarrassed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t consider Han Yujin enough. And for your sister... please accept my condolences—”

His words trailed off. He seemed at a loss. I’d be in trouble too if I were Director Song. It was awkward to offer condolences.

“It’s okay. As Hyun-ah said, things are much better now. Before, it was really hopeless. Though both my siblings ran away, um...”

“I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Thank you, Director Song.”

Then I glared at Seong Hyunjae. He’d normally have noticed first and said something. He must have realized, but he didn’t think he needed to comfort me anymore. His silence stung.

“Do you need my help? At least pretend, since you’re good at acting.”

“It’s my way of caring. Han Yujin will easily fall for me.”

“How confident. Well, that works in your favor then.”

Instead of answering, he gave me a patronizing look. Ah right. That’s not his taste, even if a life’s at stake.

“So we have to fight siblings? If you came to kill Seong Hyunjae, it’d be better to hold out here. You can’t burn all this water.”

“That’s true, but we can’t leave the other dependents. We need to deal with them before system integration finishes. It’d be best if Ye-rim masters the Mermaid Queen’s water. If not, we split into teams.”

Seong Hyunjae would protect Ye-rim in the water while the other team attacked the dependents. That way he couldn’t consume mana-stones. Whether he’d stay put was another matter.

“One more thing.”

The puppeteer raised one hand. His gaze turned to Mun Hyun-ah.

“Miss Mun Hyun-ah, could you go out and meet Sigma?”

“Huh? Sigma, you say?”

Hyun-ah spoke reluctantly.

“Yes. I want you to protect Sigma instead of Hwangrim. I feel I can trust you.”

The puppeteer wore a gentle expression. He looked mature and sincere, but seeing him with a face like mine felt strange. Hyun-ah looked similarly puzzled. She sent me a ‘what do I do?’ look. Even if I told her, what could I say?

“So, where is Sigma...?”

“We couldn’t catch the Gardener’s dependent, but he’ll be relatively safe in the water.”

The puppeteer’s gaze then shifted to Ye-rim.

“If she can maintain the water, let’s bring Sigma here.”