Chapter 58: Orphan Gathering (2)

“Wait…”

Se-on adjusted his glasses, glancing at Sa-on’s earpiece. “I get it, but why make it so public? Onil could’ve gone to the mermaid nest alone, leaving the raid at camp, and met the Demonkin quietly. Why let the whole world know? People didn’t even know the Demon Realm existed…”

“Still dumb as ever, Dam Se-on,” Sa-on said.

“…”

“From the Demonkin’s perspective, it’s wartime—they’re scrambling for anti-Giant byproducts like Solminium. They’ll appear across Monster Domains, not just mermaid dungeons. Imagine humans encountering Demonkin without knowing they’re a superior race and acting rudely. Instant annihilation.”

Now that Demonkin’s superiority was known, fewer would die from ignorant disrespect.

“And history shows wars are economic boons for third parties. We know who wins—Demonkin triumph, Giants fall. That skips System Level 2 entirely, jumping to Level 7. Got it?”

“Tch, it’s not certain…!” Se-on protested.

“If Onil says it’s certain, it is. Shut it, dummy.”

“You…!”

Se-on, unable to meet eyes, clenched his fists.

“W-We’ll end up fighting Demonkin eventually, so what then…?”

“Dunno. Onil didn’t tell me that far.”

“So irresponsible—!”

“But by Stage 3, Demonkin will be war-damaged, and we’ll have absorbed their tech. Earth will be the only winner in this whale fight. We won’t lose.”

That made sense. By then, madness would likely have spread to the Demonkin Domain.

Ally when needed, discard when not.

“Ion… you’re okay with this? It’s completely different from the novel… W-We’re supposed to uphold Teacher’s will…!”

Se-on hadn’t received as much of Teacher’s ‘affection’ as Ion but was her most pitied among the five. She went easier on the shy, timid Se-on, starving and disciplining him less.

When Teacher died, Se-on unhesitatingly chose to uphold her will.

“…”

Ion stayed silent, lost in thought.

Se-on looked to Da-on desperately, as if for a lifeline.

Unlike her neat guild appearance, Da-on’s hair was loosely tied. She spoke plainly, “It doesn’t align with my values, but if it doesn’t harm Jin Seongha’s appearance, I don’t care.”

“Dam Da-on…!”

“Good call. It’ll only help him, less hardship. I’ll keep his chiseled looks pristine, so don’t worry. What about our On-on?” Sa-on asked, smirking slyly.

Ion, fixated on hastening the ending, had no reason to object.

Skipping Levels 4–6 would save at least three years.

But that meant Demonkin wouldn’t be infected by madness. Would Earth and Idea face sane Demonkin in Stage 3?

Could they win?

And would the Hahoe and butterfly mask breeders just watch?

“If it goes as planned, I’m fine with it,” Ion said.

“Dam Ion!” Se-on shouted, voice full of anguish, before Ion finished.

“You can’t…! Teacher loved you so much, how could you betray her…!”

Sa-on snorted. “You still don’t get On-on. Living in your flower garden…”

“Flower garden?”

“Ah.” Sa-on adjusted under Ion’s sharp green gaze. “Still clueless, Eye-Se-on. Teacher’s wish was for this world to reach its ending, not for Jin Seongha to climb Levels 1 to 10.”

Sa-on’s smile contrasted with his fingers tapping the table—a habit when annoyed.

“On-on just needs the protagonists to kill the Demon King, however it happens. That’s why he’s been soloing dungeons, gathering Demon Realm entry materials to revive the Demon King. Our baby just wants it over fast.”

Hot gazes landed on Ion—Da-on’s with pity, Se-on’s with empathy.

“And we don’t need your approval. The world’s already moving as we planned.”

Se-on bit his lip, looking at Ion. “I-Ion… We exist to guide the world back if it strays… We don’t have the right to change the novel… That’s Teacher’s teaching…”

“Bullshit, Dam Se-on. Don’t act like Teacher’s loyal disciple. You just want the world to stay predictable so you don’t fall behind like an idiot,” Sa-on snapped.

Se-on flinched, stung.

An uneasy silence fell.

Se-on and Sa-on had never gotten along. Sa-on was the most unrestrained orphan; Se-on, the weakest and most sensitive. Sa-on often belittled weaker kids, and Se-on, the frailest of the six, had placed third in the naming race only because Sa-on deliberately took fourth for the ‘Sa’ name, Da-on slowed for Se-on, and Yeo-on didn’t care about winning.

“…Dam Sa-on,” Ion finally spoke.

“Does Brainstorming only calculate based on Il-on’s knowledge?”

Sa-on grinned, his earlier edge gone. “Yup. It’s analysis and deduction, not foresight.”

“Then how much Il-on knows matters.”

“Curious what our On-on doesn’t know, huh?”

“…”

“…”

Ion’s green eyes clashed with Sa-on’s purple ones—glaring versus smirking.

Sparks flew until Se-on broke the tension. “Do… you know about ‘breeders’ too?”

Pfft! Da-on spat water across the table.

‘Breeder.’ The exact word both had avoided to probe each other.

“If you’re clueless, at least shut up,” Sa-on sneered, then answered.

“I know. There are other breeders, their disciples split like us. You know that much. They claim to be regressors, with memoirs. We’re searching for them.”

Ion considered asking about Wendy Lowell—whether they kidnapped her for awakening methods.

But Sa-on’s next bombshell erased the thought. “More shocking: Brainstorming says Idea has a breeder too.”

“Idea…?”

“Two on Earth, so likely one in Idea. Onil says that breeder’s probably alive, unlike Earth’s two.”

“…”

Ion had suspected why Il-on gave him the teleportation crystal. Sa-on’s words confirmed it.

“She wants me to go to Idea and investigate.”

“Bingo.”

“…”

“We debated this. Didn’t want to send our pretty baby to Idea alone. But you’re the only one who can use it… Sorry, your hyung and noona are useless.”

Only Ion could activate the crystal on Earth—it required ‘mana,’ not magic, an artifact.

“On-on, you know the coordinates?”

“I do.”

“Onil said you’ll naturally know what to do in Idea.”

“Whatever it is, I won’t let it go your way.”

“Fine. You’d never harm Earth.”

“…”

Being played annoyed Ion, but it was an opportunity.

With Giants and Demonkin popping into dungeons amid their war, he could check on Idea’s Protagonist 2.

Though the blue powder was one-way, even a trace could be studied to recreate the crystal.

Sa-on asked for a date. Ion calculated. “Four days from now.”

“Oh? Thought you’d go immediately. Surprising.”

“…”

Spec-1 Team, including Jin Seongha, was in a dungeon. They’d exit soon, shocked by the Demonkin and alliance chaos.

September 1 was also when Jin Seongha’s gag contract ended.

Ion needed to know who leaked the future to him.

And he planned to tell the protagonist what was unfolding.

“Talk’s done, so hyung’s out. Onil gave me homework to finish before she returns, or she’ll chew me out. You know how scary she gets,” Sa-on said, standing. He’d said his piece, ending the meeting.

No time or mood for personal talk. Ion had tasks to settle with Da-on privately.

Before leaving the villa, Da-on hesitated, asking Sa-on, “Onil… she’s prepared, right?”

“…”

The unspoken worry in Da-on’s voice was clear.

The Demonkin Domain opened at Level 7.

Even Jin Seongha, with seven skills, and Sarah Harundas, an Aura Lord, struggled against Demonkin.

Demonkin wouldn’t harm Il-on until she revealed all three mermaid habitats, but after?

Would they return a now-useless human intact?

They’d allied for mermaid habitat intel, but Demonkin had little reason to partner with Earthlings wandering Monster Domains.

Da-on worried for Il-on.

Despite their split—maintenance versus abuse factions—they were family for fifteen years.