"Ji-Hye noona, did you dispatch the twins to Laios recently?"𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

— Where did that question even come from? The whole continent is already in chaos trying to find them, so they’re in isolation right now and are staying lowkey.

"Are you sure? And you made sure that they never went outside?"

— I ate with them yesterday, today, and even the day before. They’ve been making such a big fuss since they can’t go outside, asking me to play with them... Why? Is there a problem?

"What about the others?"

— It’s the same for them as well. I’m keeping a close eye on them until things calm down, so there’s no need to worry.

"Really?"

— Yes. By the way, regarding Commander Jin’s upcoming evaluation...

"Ah. I don’t think I can go."

— Ahhh... Actually, I’ve been seeing some decent results lately. I think he’s been really annoyed about it... poor guy. Anyway, how are things on your end? Are you sure you’re okay?

"Yeah, no major issues."

— I think there's a major issue, though...

After parting ways with Oscar and Rafael, I found myself tapping my thigh for no particular reason. I didn’t really believe that Ji-Hye noona wasn’t managing them properly, but I just wanted to deny the conclusion that I reached.

‘It doesn’t make sense for you to be here.’

Could it really be possible... to encounter people from the first life? I was confident in my theory, but accepting this bizarre phenomenon was another matter entirely.

This continent was filled with inexplicable phenomena, but nothing was as difficult as this one. I knew it was too early to confirm my theory, but the anxiety in my chest wouldn't stop growing.

Obviously, neither Benigoa nor Belial had created a first life dungeon. Actually, I was sure that was impossible. Unlike the Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary, the first life wasn’t a forgotten story—it was an erased story.

As far as I knew, it was impossible for us to host an event based on something like that. I couldn’t claim with certainty that there was no method at all, but that would be problematic as well.

‘It’s ridiculous.’

It was problematic, as I wasn’t aware of it.

‘Maybe the summoning circle wasn’t the Six Stars doing...’

Could they be the catalyst connecting the second and first lives? And the ones that activated it were probably those tentacled creatures.

The Six Stars probably had no idea what they were worshipping. At the very least, Professor Traore and his underlings—the ones stuck in the last car of the Six Stars Express—had no idea where they were headed or what any of this meant.

They were worshipping blindly. It was interesting.

If they were worshipping a demon or something that crawled out of the rift, I could understand it, but to think they were worshipping a tunnel that linked the second and first lives without knowing that the first life existed.

I couldn’t help but think that there had to be some transcendent will at work here. Those tentacle monstrosities were likely their servants, and their will had to have taken root somewhere on the continent. Somewhere on this continent, a rift was torn open.

‘There's definitely nothing wrong with the security system... and no breach has been detected either.’

If that was the case, then...

'The rift has always been around.’

Otherwise...

‘Did they use the gate to Rohen to get in?’

It was more accurate to say that someone was deliberately attacking the continent, rather than this being a series of coincidences piled on top of each other.

With so many enemies, there were too many suspects to narrow it down. It could be someone we already know or a new face. Naturally, there were so many scattered puzzle pieces around us that it was too early to jump to conclusions.

In times like this, the best approach was to start calmly and work through the clues that were in front of me. Like... the sample that Rafael gave to me.

Max had been examining the octopus-headed creature with a strange magnifying glass. After seeing that I was done organizing my thoughts, Max finally said, “I don’t think it came out from the rift, Fa—Dad."

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes. At the very least... it didn’t come from the Rift Museum. As you probably know, all sorts of objects and creatures emerge from the rift... so I can’t say for sure... but the rift has not really made any movements recently.

"It’s not just the museum, but there haven't been any rifts anywhere on the continent. It’s true that the largest rift is sealed here... but Miss Metel, the guardian of the rift, had designed this system to monitor every rift across the continent,” Max explained.

“It was made by humans... so I can’t say it’s completely free of errors...” I commented.

“The system is almost 99.1% perfect. There are errors, but we can track them down. More importantly, it’s from the Rift!” Max added.

‘Look at his face getting all red just because I talked badly about his mom. I was close to your mom, too. I helped make this thing, damn it.’

“Usually, things that come from the rift have a distinct rift energy, but I can’t detect anything like that from this. If this did come from the rift, it’s likely been here for several years at least,” Max said.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes. I can say this with confidence, so you don’t need to worry. Of course, if I had other samples to compare, I could be even more certain...” Max replied.

“Can you really be sure?” I asked.

“...”

“...”

“O-Of course there might be errors... s-so I can’t be a hundred percent sure, but—”

“No, it’s fine. So basically, I just need to keep in mind that the chances are low, right?” I asked.

“Th-That’s right. It’s not just low... it is extremely unlikely. P-Practically nonexistent, even...” Max answered.

It seemed unlikely that I’d get any more useful answers. Max clearly had a lot of pride in the Rift Museum. Even if there were errors, he’d just keep denying it like his life depended on it. Rather than wasting time arguing over something pointless, it was better to move on to the next question.

“Is it possible to activate a specific magic circle using that sample?”

“I’m... not sure. I’ll have to test it out. I could create a catalyst through alchemy, but whether it will function properly is uncertain... Since we only have one sample, our options are limited,” Max answered.

‘I agree.’

“I need to run a few more experiments to draw any conclusions... Are you busy, Father?” Max asked.

I could see a trace of hope in Max’s expression. He seemed to be dreaming of a relaxed father-son experiment session after a long time, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any time to spend with Max. Once we started experimenting, it would never end in a day or two.

Since I had to leave within two days at the latest, making that kind of promise was out of the question.

“I don’t think I have time to do that...” I told him.

“I-I see... Just as I expected...” Max mumbled.

‘Now I’m feeling bad.’

“Let’s experiment later... How about we separate the sample and turn them into catalysts?” I suggested.

“O-Okay!” Max answered.

‘I can’t go into the dungeon empty-handed.’

“Set it up,” I instructed him

“Yes, sir!”

‘He’s really happy.’

It was honestly a really simple task, but he seemed genuinely happy. I could already see Max placing the sample into the magitech cutter and cutting the octopus head into thirds. Worried that he could damage the sample, he immediately sealed the exposed cut with magic, and then he stored the unused portions in the stasis vault. Naturally, I kept the conversation going with casual small talk because that was probably his real goal.

“I think Dialuria has been kind of stressed lately,” Max said.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes. I think it’s because Miss Dialugia's training is pretty strict. I don’t know much about it, but it seemed like she had a lot to learn about the dragon race. Lately, other elder dragons have been visiting the nest a lot... I don't know what they’re preparing, but she has been struggling a lot.

"She seemed to be feeling a clash between her human life and dragon life. Still, she’s always confident... but sometimes, she seems a little sad,” Max explained.

“...”

“She talks about you a lot... She must miss you,” Max added.

This was a subtle way of mentioning Dialuria while hinting at what he wanted. He was probably asking to take care of her while taking care of him as well, as Dialuria and Max usually moved as a pair.

“Really? Then once this is over, how about we visit Kids World together?” I suggested.

“Kids World... D-Do you think I’m a kid or something? B-But I think Dialuria might like it,” Max answered.

‘Despite saying that, he has such a big smile.’

He was pushing forward with the work. His concentration was so intense that it was like watching a skilled surgeon performing an operation.

‘Could this actually yield a ninety-nine percent pure result?’

There could be little difference before or after the process. Since there was no certainty at all, having good-quality materials wouldn't hurt.

In fact, I’d more than welcome it.

“And we have to go to the amusement park, too,” I said.

“Th-The amusement park? I-I think Sera might like it,” Max stuttered.

He made an effort to prevent even the slightest impurities from entering the sample. Occasionally, I saw spells being cast to burn the impurities trying to enter the processor.

“I’ve gotten younger, so it might be fun if we ride together. We can also take pictures on the train...” I said.

“Y-You... and your jokes...” Max mumbled. He didn’t even blink once. He was carrying on with this difficult task like it was nothing. Of course, turning something into a catalyst was something he had done many times before, but the octopus monster’s head was a brand-new, never-seen-before sample.

It was surprising how he handled something that required so much concentration so effortlessly.

“Father, should I make one as a potion and the other as a solid object?” Max asked.

“Yeah, I think that’s best,” I replied.

“Could you hold onto this for a moment?” Max asked.

“...”

He was surprisingly proactive. Contrary to my worries that he would drag things out, he was making swift progress. He probably preferred the fun amusement park over the fun lab time. He tried to act like an adult, but he was still just a kid.

“I think it’s almost done. The purity is pretty high!” Max said.

‘It’s really high.’

“It doesn’t seem much different from the original. There’s more than usual, too... I think we can attempt it three or four times. Of course, it depends on the type of magic circle... and it’ll vary depending on the type...” Max explained.

“Good job, Max,” I said.

“You’re the one who did most of the work, Father,” Max said.

‘No, I barely did anything. You actually did all the work.’

He removed his lab coat and goggles with his tiny hands. I noticed he was completely drenched in sweat. The hot air rushing out of his coat told me just how focused he was on his work.

‘I really should spend time with him.’

Of course, the odds were slim. But just this once, I thought it would be good to give him a hug, so I beckoned him and gave him a hug. He looked a bit flustered. That was it, though. After acknowledging Max’s contribution, things went back to normal. Still, he seemed happy and expressed his enthusiasm.

“The sample analysis will take a bit of time. B-But I’ll do my best to work quickly and get the results to you as soon as possible,” Max said.

‘Yeah, yeah. I like that attitude.’

“I should be able to get additional samples. It’ll be a different type... I’ll also get Miss Jung-Yeon’s help...” I told him.

“Okay!”

“It would be best to leave the rest to the Magic Tower,” I added.

“The Magic Tower? But why...” he asked.

“No, those elders over there spend all their time buried in research. There’s a chance they might produce something useful,” I said.

“Ahh! That’s true. So even reclusive old men might prove to be useful... Just as I expected from you, Father... So, when are you leaving?” Max asked.

“We haven’t picked the party members yet. Once that’s settled, I’ll probably depart sometime today...” I answered.

Most of it was already set anyway. I planned to take a few members from the Friendship Guild, which I was originally supposed to join with Rafael, and some members from the Blue Guild.

Taking all the guild members was impossible, as not everyone could be away from their posts. There was a lingering worry about what could happen on the continent during my absence. Honestly, I wondered if Rafael and I would be enough, but...

‘Nothing’s certain yet.’

Were the people from the first and second lives sharing the same timeline right now? If I were to encounter the first life, would it distort the future?

The first life... so, the Masked Scum... had he already obtained an understanding of the current situation? And if that was the case, then what was his goal?

Like what happened in the Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary, if what happened in the first life could directly affect the second life, then I had to be cautious about this.

Of course, there was no need for me to be overly cautious. Regardless of what I was going to do there, my past life was destined to be destroyed, and it ought to be destroyed.

The second life wouldn’t be affected as long as I confronted Ki-Young from the first life and avoided disrupting his plans.

‘Of course, there’s a chance it’s all just a hallucination...’

I had to act under the assumption that I could affect even this life. But obviously, there was something crucial I had to check first. I needed to find out what happened in Laios... and what the brigade that went there had done.

“...”

“...”

‘I wonder if Hyun-Sung still remembers it...’