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* * *

Jang Man, the elderly man well-known among smugglers in Incheon, entered his bar with a sullen look on his face.

He didn’t expect much when he saw the broken window, but the bar\'s condition turned out to be worse than he had anticipated.

The floor was pitted in places, and all the tables and chairs were smashed. Shards of glass from broken bulbs, windows, and bottles littered the floor.

At least the counter is still standing; that\'s a relief.

Grabbing some cleaning tools and a burlap sack, Jang Man entered the bar with a sigh.

The cleaning process dragged on slowly, taking quite some time.

With the stubbornness of an old man, Jang Man worked with his hands busily, but he was unable to see an end in sight. Way too many things were broken.

The old man struggled with the cleaning for quite a while before Dung Beetle finally returned to the bar.

His soot-covered clothes made it look like he had come from a mine.

"Ah, you’re safe, Sir. I was worried that they might have followed you."

"What’s there to worry about? It\'s not like it’s difficult to escape."

Jang Man waved his hand dismissively. Well, he wasn\'t wrong since every smuggler had at least one escape route prepared.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, but I did have a rather strange experience…"

"Really? You can tell me about it later. Now, let\'s clean this place first."

Jang Man handed the cleaning tools to Dung Beetle, who accepted them without a complaint and started cleaning.

As the former janitor and now  Superhuman, took over the cleaning, the amount of trash began to decrease noticeably.

And it didn’t take long for the bar to start regaining its shape.

Luckily, Jang Man managed to find an unbroken liquor bottle, which he picked up, as he sat on a burlap sack full of trash.

"So, what happened?"

Dung Beetle gave Jang Man a brief explanation about what happened after he fled.

He spoke about Freya Cahn joining the fight, releasing the Blue Rats, hitting him with her swordsmanship in the name of teaching, and giving him a dagger.

Jang Man, who had been sipping his drink, perked up at the mention of the dagger.

"Freya Cahn gave you a dagger imbued with martial arts? Are you serious?"

"Should I show you?"

Dung Beetle nonchalantly took the dagger from his pocket. A beautiful, shining blue blade, with glittering letters engraved on it, was revealed.

"Oh…."

Jang Man immediately stood up and began to inspect the dagger. His eyes gleamed like those of a child looking at a toy.

"I can tell just by looking at it. This is genuine—an authentic Arcane Relic from beyond the dimensional portal, not some crude counterfeit made on Earth."

"…Arcane Relic?"

"Why? Have you never heard of it?"

Dung Beetle nodded. Arcane Relic? He had never heard of such a term, neither in the textbooks for his GED¹ nor on TV.

"…Well, that\'s possible. It\'s not a term you\'d encounter in your regular education."

Jang Man took another sip of his drink before continuing.

"Arcane Relic... it’s a popular term that refers to items created by Superhumans or Mages beyond the dimensional portal to pass down skills and teachings to future generations."

"Skills?"

"Imbuing mana in the relic activates the magic recorded in it, allowing you to see the creator\'s memories. Sometimes it plays like a video, other times it feels like you\'re dreaming... that\'s what they say."

"...It\'s more impressive than I thought."

"Yes, it\'s an extraordinary and very precious item."

"Is it precious even by your standards, Sir?"

“Of course it’s precious. It’s not something an ordinary person like me can even use, right? And because of that, it’s only traded among Superhumans, so even the most seasoned smugglers might only see a couple in their lifetime.”

Dung Beetle took another look at the strange letters engraved on the blade.

If it could be used just by infusing mana, then was it really necessary to find a translator to decipher the letters?

As he was thinking about this and gradually began to summon his mana, Jang Man looked at him and said.

"I’m saying this, just in case—But don\'t even think about infusing mana here."

"..."

"...You were about to, weren\'t you?"

Dung Beetle responded with an awkward smile. Jang Man massaged his forehead and shook his head.

"Follow me. I have a suitable place."

Holding the dagger, Dung Beetle followed Jang Man, who led the way. Jang Man left through the back door of the bar and headed deep into the back alley.

Passing through an alley filled with the smell of the sea, they arrived at a dead end that had more trash than people. Jang Man then stopped, looked at the ground for a moment before bending down and lifting a manhole cover.

Squeak.

The cover, which was lifted rather easily for a manhole, was actually an iron door in disguise.

Instead of asking why something like that was in the alley, Dung Beetle simply followed Jang Man down through the iron door.

Beneath the iron door was a long concrete corridor. Seeing only a minimal amount of dust, it seemed like it wasn\'t an ordinary sewer.

"What is this place...?"

"A path leading to an underground bunker."

"A bunker? Did you build it, Sir?"

"Even if I have that much money to burn, do you really think that I\'d build something like this? This was built by the U.S. military during their trusteeship period. It\'s a place that even the Korean government doesn\'t know about."

As Jang Man and Dung Beetle walked down the corridor using a phone light as torches, they passed through the narrow corridor until an iron door appeared.

It was as thick as a bank vault door, and Jang Man, looking familiar with the place, opened it with ease.

Creaaak.

And beyond the door was something akin to a treasure trove.

There were enormous safes, stacks of cash, and gold bars piled in disarray inside the large bunker.

"...You were wealthier than I imagined, Sir."

When Dung Beetle commented briefly, Jang Man snorted.

"Even if you combined everything in this vault, it wouldn\'t match the value of the dagger in your hands."

"..."

As Dung Beetle was left speechless, Jang Man handed him a phone.

"You can use the Arcane Relic here without worries. No one will chase after you if something goes wrong. I\'ll leave the phone, so contact me if you need anything."

Jang Man patted Dung Beetle\'s shoulder. It was the rough kindness of a smuggler who had never shown anyone his affection.

Faced with this unfamiliar kindness, Dung Beetle bowed his head low.

"…Thank you, Sir."

* * *

Left alone, Dung Beetle positioned himself at the center of the bunker and pulled out the blue dagger.

An Arcane Relic…

A dagger that was more valuable than all the gold in this safe.

He didn’t believe that Freya Cahn had given it to him out of pure goodwill. No matter how great of a Superhuman she was, at the end of the day, she was still affiliated with the Australian government.

She must have clearly given him the dagger with some sort of understanding of mutual benefit.

However, no matter what her intentions were, it was still a favor.

I’ll have to repay this someday.

Dung Beetle thought about the various favors he had received: Mr. Jang Man, Freya Cahn, and Seti.

If he survived after his revenge was complete… he would return the favor.

With that resolve, Dung Beetle infused mana into the dagger.

And the next moment… the bunker vanished from sight.

When he blinked and looked around, he found himself standing in a vast prairie.

There was a night sky he had never seen before in place of the bunker ceiling, and the ground with the safe and cash was now covered in unknown grass.

An illusion?

Dung Beetle narrowed his eyes and drew up more mana.

All his senses felt normal, but the prairie seemed both unfamiliar and oddly familiar at the same time.

It felt like... when he was in Mignium’s dream.

A dream.

...A dream of another being, not mine.

The moment he realized that a light, yet sweet voice spoke from above.

- You’ve already gained self-consciousness? That’s quick. Almost too quick.

Dung Beetle looked up to locate the source of the voice.

The voice literally belonged to a comet—A comet streaking across the night sky with its white and blue tails.

Dung Beetle wasn’t sure if this was the right way to put it, but he locked eyes with the Comet.

- I was expecting a successor to come, but instead, a monster has arrived.

The Comet grumbled as if dissatisfied.

After a moment’s hesitation, Dung Beetle asked in his usual calm voice.

“…What is a successor?”

- A successor is someone who will inherit my freedom. It means someone who will wield the Star’s Sword to break free from all constraints. It seems like that child did not tell you anything.

“Freya Cahn only told me to learn swordsmanship.”

- Yes, that child was never good with words. Or perhaps she thought there was no need for an explanation.

The Comet sighed and spun across the night sky. The star\'s tail traced a winding line, as if expressing its annoyance.

- Tch, it seems like that child wanted to make a connection with you, but you’ve already made a pact with something else. Unfortunately, I cannot give the Star’s Sword to one who is not a succes—

The Comet, who was speaking in an irritated tone, suddenly stopped. It felt as if its mouth had been stuffed in the middle of the night sky.

- What... what is this...?

It seemed like the Comet was trying to say something, but then clamped its mouth shut as if it was being choked.

After a brief silence that felt oddly unsettling, the Comet finally spoke up again.

- What... what the hell are you?

“Sir Comet?”

- How... this, contract, ack, ack!

The shadows in the night sky stirred, and the Comet’s body shook up and down.

The night sky, full of starlight, was filled with bewilderment, confusion, and fear.

It was a beautiful yet absurd scene, but fortunately, it didn’t last for long.

As the night sky seemed to swallow the Comet’s light, the Comet finally yielded.

- Stop, stop! I-I’ll do as you say!

Hearing the Comet sound frightful, Dung Beetle turned away from the Comet.

The shadow tormenting the Comet at the moment was probably… a being he knew well.

- Ugh, ugh... I’ll give it directly, stop... please just stop.

And with those words, the Comet emitted a blinding, intense light, unlike anything he had seen before.

Flash!

Dung Beetle closed his eyes instinctively. And when he opened them again, the Comet was no longer in sight.

Instead, a child made of light lay collapsed next to him.

As Dung Beetle squinted, the child staggered and got up.

This child is…

The moment he saw the face made of light, he knew it right away. This child was the same comet he had just spoken with.

- You, you... you wanted swordsmanship, right? I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you as much as you want. So... heub!

The Comet couldn’t continue speaking. The next moment, the Comet began to vomit something.

- Blehh!

Starlight poured from the Comet’s mouth. It was a sight that made one frown instinctively, but Dung Beetle approached it without showing any reaction and began patting its back.

It was a habit from his days as a janitor; after all, if a drunk customer was left to vomit all by themselves, who knew when it would end.

After he patted its back for a while, the Comet finally stopped vomiting.

- Sigh... th-thank you.

The Comet took a deep breath and looked at Dung Beetle, who was patting its back.

Although it was difficult to read the expression made of light, it seemed to be trembling with emotion.

- I-I’ll give you my sword... the Comet Sword.

“...Didn’t you just say that only a successor could receive it?”

- I... I can’t give you the power of the stars. But giving you the true intention of swordsmanship is not that difficult. Do you understand?

Regardless of whether he understood or not, Dung Beetle simply nodded.

He could have asked for more details, but seeing the Comet’s tearful face, he couldn’t bring himself to ask further.

- As the light overflows, it does not discriminate between left and right.

The Comet said this and tightly clenched its fist. After a while, when the Comet opened its palm again, a small orb was revealed.

- This orb is the true intention of the Comet Sword. I don’t know how long it will take you to comprehend it all... but with your talent, it shouldn’t take a year.

Dung Beetle carefully reached out to receive the orb. Or rather, he tried to.

The Comet stopped just before it could hand over the orb. When Dung Beetle stared at its face in curiosity, the Comet’s hand trembled as it spoke.

- Uh, well… Kid, please promise me one thing.

“A promise? What kind of promise?”

- When you meet Freya Cahn, be sure to return the dagger. I-I’m begging you.

Hearing the desperation in the Comet’s voice, Dung Beetle couldn’t bring himself to refuse it.

“...Yes, I promise.”

- Th-Thank you. Uh… Please… keep the promise...

Only then did the Comet transfer the light to him. The moment Dung Beetle grasped the light orb, the dream surrounding him vanished.

Syaaaaahhh—

Returning to reality felt more disorienting when compared to entering the dream.

His skin tingled as his sense of touch returned, and a faint ringing signaled the return of his hearing.

The next sense to awaken was his sense of smell. And amidst the dusty scent of the bunker, he detected the sharp scent of red pepper and the rich aroma of MSG...?

...Is that the smell of noodles?

Dung Beetle frowned unconsciously. And the next moment, his vision returned.

After blinking a few times to clear his blurry sight, he saw a familiar face.

A strikingly beautiful face with distinct facial features, black hair tied up loosely, and sparkling blue eyes.

Hong Seti—The familiar figure was sitting on a mat on the bunker floor, cooking noodles over a portable gas stove.

“...Am I still dreaming?”

Their eyes met the moment Dung Beetle spoke.

Just as she was about to take a bite, Seti froze, holding the lid of the pot filled with noodles.

In the brief silence which stretched into awkwardness.

“Um...”

As one of Dung Beetle’s eyebrows arched, Seti spoke.

“...Would you like to join me in eating /genesisforsaken