1.
When did it start?
Nahan had developed a mysterious talent that no one else possessed.
That talent was <Acting>.
Whether he watched a movie, read a book, or read a comic.
Whenever Nahan encountered a <Character>, he could perfectly imitate them.
– Wow, Brother, your acting is amazing! Among all the volunteers, you were the only one who looked like a real actor.
– Tsk. Stop exaggerating. Anyway, we’re done here, right? Don’t make me do things like this again.
– No! I changed my mind. Brother, have you ever thought about going to an acting school? I’ll pay for the tuition, so how about quitting gang life and attending instead?
– …What?
Thanks to a precious connection, I discovered my talent.
– If you promise to attend diligently, I’ll ask my father to drop the charges. But you really have to be serious about it. I’ll even help you find a separate place to stay, so you can stop living in that rough lodging.
– I’m not a thug yet, okay? I just don’t have a home… Whatever. Why am I even saying this to a kid? Anyway, I’ll ask the big brother.
– Yay! That means you accepted!?
– …Don’t get your hopes up too much.
For the first time in a life that had been running toward the abyss, light seeped in.
Anyway, one month later.
Nahan seriously delved into the field of <Acting> for the first time in his life, and about another month later—
– Brother Han! The acting academy director contacted me! He said you’re a real genius!!
– …I haven’t even fought there yet.
– No, not fighting!! Acting!! He said you could go straight onto the field right now!! No, he said you should trust him and just go for it!!
Nahan had grown to the point where he was recognized by a legendary actor-turned-director.
– …He became the character itself.
– …How is that level of acting even possible? Can I ever reach that?
– …Call the agency immediately. We need to recruit this actor no matter what.
Everyone praised him.
– H-How?! Just one month?!
– You’ve only learned for a month!?
– What’s your secret!?
They asked for the secret behind his <Acting>, but Nahan couldn’t answer easily.
To those who looked at him with sparkling eyes, asking seriously.
He couldn’t just say.
It just works for me.
I just do it and it happens.
You guys can’t do this?
And honestly—
– …I don’t know.
Nahan himself didn’t know the answer.
There were things he could guess, but if he had to sum it up—he just did it, and it worked.
It might sound like the obnoxious excuse of a goddamn genius to some, but—
He really just…
.
.
.
【<Stage 2> – <Immersion> complete.】
【You perfectly replicate the <Yellow Dragon> based on your understanding.】
.
.
.
—So it worked.
‘<Yellow Dragon>.’
One of the Great Ten.
He normally speaks little, but when he does, he is hearty, cheerful, and kind.
However.
If one were to make the grave mistake of turning him into an enemy, they would eventually come to face—
“Damn…!! Just what the hell are you…!?”
“…<Yellow Dragon>.”
—The presence of an Overlord.
【<Sun’s Blessing (Ex)> activates!】
Clank, clank, clank.
A man shining in dazzling gold approached, gripping a greatsword, and gave a warning.
“This is your last chance. If you take your people and flee now, I won’t pursue you today.”
Nahan was no longer afraid.
Because <Yellow Dragon> would have certainly done the same.
2.
The atmosphere changed.
—Smile brightly, or you won’t survive.
—That’s it. A little more.
—Wider. Until your lips tear.
—That’s how you survive.
A nightmare resurfaced.
“This is your last chance. If you take your people and flee now, I won’t pursue you today.”
The overwhelming presence crushed his body.
—Don’t tremble, or you won’t survive.
—When it gets too hard, wear a mask and cry.
—Keep trying. Keep enduring.
—One day, you’ll smile through the mask without effort.
Beyond the pale face behind the mask, a faint, forced smile could be seen.
The fourth member of <Black Wolf>.
Luna – Persona looked at the approaching <Yellow Dragon> and thought to herself.
‘…I want to live.’
This life that had been saved—how much had it taken to survive? There were still so many things left to do.
She had endured all her life just to stay alive.
Not a life of mere survival, of performing tricks just to cling to existence, but a life where she could achieve what she wanted, one step at a time, and live happily.
She had only lived such a life for five years out of her 23 years.
Only five years spent happily at the Captain’s side.
She had suffered for 18 years.
To make up for that, she needed at least 13 more years of happiness.
‘And now I’m supposed to die?’
Crunch.
Her small, white teeth clenched, a sharp, sinister sound escaping through her lips.
“You didn’t hear? They’re all criminals. We’re just cleaning up.”
“The Sun shall pass judgment.”
“And in the meantime, people are dying? Suffering so much that they choose death themselves?”
“…The Sun shall pass judgment.”
A dazzling display of hypocrisy.
‘<Yellow Dragon>… He must be a knight.’
He didn’t seem like a wicked person, judging by his scent. But hearing his honeyed words, he was clearly still ignorant of the Empire’s true nature.
That must be why he couldn’t understand our—the Captain’s—grand vision.
—Think carefully, Luna. <Black Wolf>’s role is to clean up. Even if the Empire stands righteous by our actions, the ones drenched in blood—us—can never be part of it. We will live in the darkness forever.
—That’s fine. I’ve grown more comfortable in the night than in the day. And more than anything…
—…In that darkness, I’ll be with the Captain, won’t I?
At the memory of the past, the forcibly lifted corners of her lips relaxed.
Her trembling fingertips, her quivering pupils, her hunched shoulders.
All of it, as if it had never been, returned to the visage of a ruthless killer.
“…For the Captain, I’ll do anything.”
Even if—
It meant staking her own life.
Tap, Tap.
The moment Luna, now fully composed, tapped the mask on her face with her finger, a deep blue system window appeared before her.
【Warning!】
【The fourth member of <Black Wolf>, <Luna – Persona>, is attempting to break <Restriction>!】
At the same time, Nahan’s body felt heavy.
‘This sensation… I’ve felt it before.’
During the battle with the Empress, he had felt the same thing from <Han-Ryang – Tal>.
【Passive: <Black Wolf (Ex)>】
◆ Effect
: Allows you to designate targets and form a contract, placing a <Soul Restriction> on them. Restricted targets become members of <Black Wolf>. The more members you have, the stronger <you> become.
* However, if a member dies, <you> die as well.
◆ Number of members
: Current… (8/10)
Gulp.
【Time remaining until <Restriction Break>】
: 00:00:29.
Luna’s mask began to shift, turning into a black liquid that slowly engulfed her entire body.
He instinctively knew.
If Luna forcibly broke <Black Wolf>’s Restriction in 29 seconds, while he wouldn’t take damage, Luna would suffer immense consequences.
And by ‘consequences’—
‘In the worst case… Luna might die.’
That could not be allowed to happen.
Not for sentimental reasons, like how she had become precious to him in just a month, or how <Black Wolf> would grieve for her.
No—his reasoning was entirely pragmatic.
‘In the original novel, <Babylonia>, the main story begins when the Hero returns.’
From what he remembered of <Babylonia Full Content>, the sixth Bad Ending likely started when <Luna> and the Hero encountered each other.
If Luna were to die today, drastically altering the course of the <original story>…?
The Bad Ending would come in an unpredictable form, and most of the information from <Babylonia Full Content> and the <Encyclopedia> would become useless.
That meant that the situation Nahan, as <Yellow Dragon>, needed to create right now was—
‘A resolution where neither Luna nor Black Wolf dies, and they can safely retreat.’
With his thoughts settled, Nahan stepped forward toward Luna without hesitation.
Ssssshh…!!
Just touching the energy emanating from her was enough to melt armor and burn skin.
Luna, sensing <Yellow Dragon>’s approach through the thickening, intoxicating aura, lifted her gaze and warned him.
“You’ll die if you keep going.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Whether it was her skill or a side effect of breaking the Restriction, the black energy pouring out of her was indiscriminately dissolving everything it touched.
If I so much as laid a finger on her, my armor—and my body—would melt away in an instant.
‘But I have to make contact.’
Right now, I am merely acting as <Yellow Dragon>, and the abilities I can use are only a fraction of what I possess.
Among those abilities, if I suppress Luna without using any of <Black Wolf>’s powers and send the rest of the members back, and the price for that is merely losing one arm—
“Sorry, but I’m not the kind of person who’s merciful enough to wait for your transformation.”
Well then.
I’ll just borrow it for a moment.
Thud.
The moment my golden armor descended onto Luna’s shoulder, which was gradually turning black—
Crunch!
“…!!!”
The armor that had made contact instantly melted away, leaving my bare hand pressing against her shoulder.
【<Transcendent> Artifact – <Iaso’s Ring(SS+)> activates!】
【<“Remember, no pain will ever be able to kill you.”>】
An endless cycle of melting and regeneration.
Enduring the pain was all I needed to do, and with only 10 seconds remaining before breaking through the restriction, Luna furrowed her brows and asked.
“…? What the hell? Are you crazy?”
“I get that… a lot…!!”
“…What?”
She couldn’t understand.
Luna had expected <Yellow Dragon> to deliver the same devastating blow as before the moment she became defenseless.
Since she couldn’t avoid it, she had planned to endure it somehow, staking her life on mutual destruction.
Grit!
But <Yellow Dragon> was instead pushing forward toward her with his bare body, enduring excruciating pain.
‘Why…?’
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand.
But then again, terrified humans often did unpredictable things.
“If you just die on your own, that makes things easier for me.”
She smirked, already confident in her victory.
But moments later—
【Condition met – <Physical Contact>.】
【<Legendary> Artifact – <Sword Specter’s Necklace(A+)> activates.】
【<“Covet it, and it shall become mine.”>】
Just one second before she could break through the restriction, a whisper filled with madness brushed past Ruby’s ear.
【Greed – Steals all of target <Luna-Persona(S-)>’s <Mana> in the form of <Aura> for 5 seconds.】
【Mana Exhaustion!】
【<Restriction Break> has failed!】
A faint dizziness overwhelmed her, her body grew heavy, and an intense wave of exhaustion struck her.
“You said it’d be convenient if I just died, right?”
“…What?”
“Sorry, but I’d rather no one dies. That’s what would be convenient for me.”
“What the…!!”
Barely clinging to her fading consciousness, Luna shouted at <Yellow Dragon>, but he had already gripped his greatsword once more and smiled.
“So don’t try to die so easily.”
“…Huh?”
What is this?
‘Why Captain…?’
At that moment, as Luna looked at <Yellow Dragon>’s back, she was reminded of the most dependable person she had ever known.
【Skill – <Solar Annihilation(EX)> activates!】
【Flash—!】
The same golden strike that had once been aimed at her now shot straight toward Han-Ryang and Lactea.
