Chapter 664: Chapter 664
The two golden eyes and the single golden eye gazed at each other as if studying one another. There was almost no emotion in their stares. They methodically sized each other up, as though reading a long program script. After a brief silence, they spoke at the same time.
“You turned back time.”
Seong Hyunjae slowly scanned the trace from head to toe. It was a fragment of the past—five years, or rather four years from now—yet felt faded compared to the present. Hair dulled by time, aged eyes, a white shirt with the top two buttons undone, one empty arm socket, loose indoor attire offset by straight-cut trousers and gray slippers.
It felt more like examining an old photograph than facing a person. Seong Hyunjae clicked his tongue.
“Still dull, still weary, and you look a mess.”
The trace lifted the corner of his lip slightly.
“You’re younger now. Perhaps younger than any Seong Hyunjae from dozens of resets.”
The appearance never changed. Even after hundreds or thousands of lifetimes, no sign of aging marred the exterior. But the aura, the glint in the eyes, the expressions differed. If the body remained eternal, its contents inevitably aged and shrank. By that measure, the present Seong Hyunjae was undeniably young.
Seong Hyunjae smiled silently.
“It must feel like living again after a very long time.”
Savoring every emotion.
“Just a few days ago, I was furious, anxious, regretful, even a bit sad.”
It was an enticing tremor. Seong Hyunjae could control himself and his surroundings to near perfection, but that only faded his world further. Intentionally disturbing it was pointless, so naturally he gathered a variety of subjects within a vast enclosure, even peering beyond to wild beasts.
“In contrast, before the reset I seemed to have lost everything.”
“I was just scribbling postcards.”
The trace stepped forward. As he moved, the blurred surroundings sharpened: an antique fireplace, carpets on the floor, arched windows framing a white mountain peak. It wasn’t as lavish as the grand mansion of the Sesung Guild, yet far from modest. Seclusion in the mountains didn’t necessitate a one-room hut, nor did he favor contrived simplicity.
“Summer here is far too short.”
Because of it, one person died. The other erased the memory itself. Then remained alone here, where eternal snows gleamed. The trace swept a postcard off the desk: a generic tourist card depicting a lakeside view, so ordinary one might pass it on the ground without noticing.
Leaning at the desk, the trace regarded Seong Hyunjae. His single eye held no emotion.
Seong Hyunjae coaxed gently. The trace tilted his head slightly. Lips remained sealed.
“So this never repeats for us.”
“We? That’s not accurate.”
The trace spoke calmly.
“You don’t consider me the same as yourself.”
“I recognize you as my past and future self.”
“And since I was also Seong Hyunjae, I feel nothing for you.”
Ordinary people feel unease or threat facing their duplicate. But Seong Hyunjae was different. One who had built and preserved a self unwaveringly couldn’t be shaken anew. Unlike Sigma, who rebelled early, Seong Hyunjae had dismissed Sigma lightly. Even a perfect clone couldn’t crack the unique identity he’d firmly established.
And so he felt no obligation to cooperate with his past-future self. They were the same yet clearly different. Seong Hyunjae desired something from the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ trace, but the trace remained indifferent.
Seong Hyunjae narrowed his eyes slightly.
“I’m still demanding. Sometimes it’s nice to do a good deed, isn’t it.”
“In fact, I have a son now.”
The trace raised an eyebrow. The slightest interest had surfaced. To draw information, he’d need to offer something of equal value. If the trace would vanish soon, material things clearly wouldn’t suffice.
“Director Song Taewon is also... raising a child.”
“That piques my curiosity.”
“A charming child, obedient to his father. Even senior officers secretly call Chief Song ‘Dad.’ Taewon sometimes leaves him at Han Yujin’s house because of work. Still busy, after all.”
“The Han Yujin I know?”
The postcard spun at the trace’s fingertip. Interest was certainly captured.
“In fact, the oldest is the child of Han Yujin and his brother. The second with Soyeong, and the third involves the Breaker Guildmaster.”
If Han Yujin were here now, he’d have grabbed Seong Hyunjae by the collar at once—what a tangled family situation.
The trace remarked astutely.
“And the reset... was the work of Han Yujin? Glad he reconciled with his brother safely. That was my only lingering concern.”
“We were close. Shortly after the reset we began living together, and the little miss joined us.”
Seong Hyunjae drew out his phone. A photo of a boy with pastel-pink hair filled the screen. The trace set down the postcard and lightly stroked his chin.
“More of a skill, though I played a part.”
The trace’s voice cut off, then continued quietly.
“The caregiver title itself is common. Yet Han Yujin raised an innate S-rank. Rumor held they were at odds, so no title seemed fitting.”
“But they’re inseparable. Han Yujin likely holds one of the highest caregiver titles known.”
The trace studied Seong Hyunjae.
“You still don’t know. Or you pretend not to.”
“I should reflect on my speech habits.”
Prepared, without warning.
A slipper struck the toe of his shoe. The trace’s solitary hand slashed through the air toward Seong Hyunjae’s throat, met by a sleeve-wrapped arm. Golden chains swung wildly, crackling with electricity. Only the carpet beneath smoldered, filling the air with acrid smoke.
“You encountered it too.”
The trace said. From his grip on Seong Hyunjae’s arm seeped a black shadow. Seong Hyunjae summoned his plunder power, but it was far weaker. Noting this, the trace twisted his lips.
“You know something of that incident.”
“I had a chance to observe before the reset. And even now, I nearly endured an unwanted wedding.”
“Han Yujin was there?”
“That’s part of why I came here. The crescent moon once dwelt within Han Yujin.”
A faint crack echoed as bone twisted beneath the sleeve. Their strength was nearly equal. Though four years apart, the pre-reset Seong Hyunjae had lost part of his body and secluded himself for a long time. He shouldn’t have differed much from the current self. His overall physical power may even have declined.
Yet the plunder power Song Taewon gifted him was unraveling and weakening the protective magic around Seong Hyunjae’s arm.
Just before the bone would break, Seong Hyunjae’s free hand swung a short dagger. The trace’s plunder mastery was practiced—direct contact had to be avoided. The blade scored the trace’s shirt shallowly. As the trace released and recoiled, he dropped low and delivered a long kick.
Had Seong Hyunjae blocked, his bone would have shattered without magical protection. He swiftly thrust a long staff into the floor. Crack! The middle snapped and bent into a right angle. Grasping the top end, Seong Hyunjae vaulted with the staff’s bend, spinning fiercely in midair. Simultaneously—
Chains hidden within the staff unfurled and entwined the trace’s leg. Seong Hyunjae landed after a full rotation and yanked hard. Though the plunder-weakened chain soon snapped, it had briefly restrained the trace’s movement.
It was time to counterattack, yet Seong Hyunjae stepped back instead, massaging his aching arm as he watched the trace rise.
“You tried to plunder the crescent moon.”
He couldn’t have resisted using the final key Song Taewon handed him. Googlᴇ search 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾·𝗇𝖾𝗍
“But the power I received was only a fraction. Skilled use, yes, but impossible to shear a gnarled tree trunk with pruning shears—within the time allotted to me.”
Constant drops may carve stone, but only over countless ages. During that long span, the crescent moon would not remain idle.
“Shall I show you a cat photo for comfort?”
Without waiting for a reply, Seong Hyunjae displayed a picture on his phone.
“This cat here is Han Yujin.”
“You’ve learned an amusing trick in the meantime.”
“And this is the splendid wedding suit of Director Song Taewon, seen rarely twice. Han Yujin wore it to crash my wedding.”
It had been delightful.
“Turns out the bride’s mother died by my hand before the reset—right here.”
Seong Hyunjae said with feigned surprise.
“She claimed I killed her that day. Do you remember?”
“She had no children.”
“No resemblance to her mother. A rather charming young woman.”
“Though born with S-rank potential, her aged body couldn’t bear S-rank stats at awakening.”
Stat limits depended on the body’s condition. Even if innate talent was high, if the body couldn’t accommodate the awakened stats, they would drop to survive. Thus hunters with high physical stats seldom aged beyond their thirties.
“Yet she caught my eye. After I severed our contract and vanished, the Cursed Venom Dragon King approached Moore.”
“The details are unknown, but Moore contacted the crescent moon through the dragon king and deliberately triggered a dungeon nearby.”
Using the momentary impact of the dungeon on this world, the crescent moon sought to reclaim the small moon once more. But Seong Hyunjae killed Marisa first.
“Marisa Moore sought to protect this world and effectively managed the European hunter scene.”
“By her death alone, the crescent moon’s goal was achieved.”
For the crescent moon to directly interfere and forcibly extract an awakener was arduous. Usually it only reclaimed the small moon on the brink of destruction. Yet the pre-reset Seong Hyunjae had plunder’s power. Though unable to sever all the tangled webs instantly, given time he could cut them one by one.
Before then, it had drawn Marisa Moore into leading this world to ruin. Whispering to countless transcendent beings before, promising the salvation of more worlds. Success whether the small moon returned safely or Marisa Moore died by Seong Hyunjae’s hand.
“Is that why Han Yujin lost his brother and reset?”
That sudden target on Han Yujin after nearly a decade of indifference. Yet the reset wasn’t the crescent moon’s intent. Seong Hyunjae smiled wryly.
“With Song Taewon revived, the world moved further from destruction—I’m sure it disappointed him.”
“And now the key lies with Han Yujin.”
“Also the key to your release.”
“I have no hobby of forcing the turning and breaking the key.”
The trace stepped forward and looked down at the postcard again.
“To enjoy every emotion means you can always step back and watch. Emotions you can’t even afford to enjoy. Rage so fierce you’d go mad, sorrow so deep your breath would stop—you’re too old for that.”
Seong Hyunjae said nothing. The trace smiled.
“Ask. I’ll answer for the little time left. But at this rate we’ll still meet the same end.”
The little fairy dragon balled his fists. Yet his trembling eyes betrayed him. Gyeol, who had suppressed every emotion, seemed determined as he spoke again.
...Who showed a kid an inheritance dispute article? Still, it was tempting.
After crashing the wedding, that afternoon’s uproar was even greater than expected. But seriously, just a lookalike appearing spun how many novels? People can be so dramatic.