"Wha, Eat Him Up? You Lunatic!!"
“Wha, eat him up? You crazy...!!”
The Pale Knight couldn't hide his bewilderment and shock at Black Eye's words, shouting in outrage.
“If you're gonna eat him anyway, better rip off the arms and legs one by one.”
That sounds good.
“Wha, stop!!!”
Eating him up didn't mean devouring flesh—it meant absorbing the spirit's essence. But the bastard had no way of knowing that. The Pale Knight's face drained of color, and for me, who'd only ever seen the smug look of this thing gazing down at humans like bugs in countless dreams, a strange thrill washed over me.
“But first.”
Just as Black Eye's greatsword was about to cleave through the half-severed neck, my words halted the blade.
“I need to know who summoned you here and what you're planning to do.”
“Nonsense. As the Connector, you should know better than anyone.”
Connector...?
At the Pale Knight's words, I forced a look of confusion onto my face.
Does this bastard know about the Connector title?
I'd gained the Connector title after the second summoning, but even I didn't fully understand it. The only times its privileges had activated were during the foresight with Rerto Karen in Parahum's Tomb.
“How do you know about that?”
“Of course I do. We...”
That was when it happened.
Sensory Amplification Lv3 effect triggered!
Instincts surge dramatically.
Tzzzzz—
But unlike before, the Pale Knight's voice came through muffled, like static from a radio with no signal.
“#!##$ %$#^#!% ^&$%%.”
He kept talking, but the Pale Knight himself seemed baffled that his own voice wasn't coming through, staring at me with a rigid expression.
Connector privilege level is insufficient.
Cannot retrieve shared memories from special entities.
Cannot collaborate on 'Pale Knight's Disease Eye' memory fragments. Please raise your level.
Fwaaah—!!
In that instant, sparks flew between me and the Pale Knight, shoving our bodies backward.
“...”
I knew it instinctively then.
Until now, I'd thought the dreams were mere prophetic visions, like having a walkthrough for this game—a cheat code to breeze through. But that was naive.
The vague unease I'd felt.
Something's off.
And another difference. Just as I tried to extract calamity intel from him, the Dimension World system blocked his voice—like it was deliberately silencing him.
The first direct system intervention.
A blatant mistake.
It proved the Pale Knight held crucial information.
“So you're still at that level, huh.”
His voice returned, and the Pale Knight sneered at me.
Thud—!!
“Graaaah...!!”
In that moment, I thrust my sword into his left chest.
“You bastards have two hearts. True monsters. One popping won't kill you right away, so quit whining.”
“...You son of a bitch!!!”
“Shut up and answer my questions. Fine, rephrasing: Why are the Mooksi Knights trying to destroy the world? And... where did your master, the Destroyer, come from?”
“Keep dreaming. You'll die before that. As the Connector, you know. The future you saw becomes reality. No exceptions.”
That was when it happened.
His face paled, and a low, unfamiliar voice leaked out.
Only an ominous future awaits you all.
Chill—
His piercing gaze, like a stab through my heart, triggered a reflexive dodge.
Kwachik—!!!
The moment my sword crushed into his second heart, the Pale Knight didn't even scream—just trembled violently.
Why's he suddenly like that? Doesn't look like he can talk anymore.
“...Finish it.”
I exhaled like a sigh and gave the order to Black Eye.
Hurp...!!
As if he'd been waiting, Black Eye drove his greatsword into the Pale Knight's gut with all his might. The embedded blade began slowly corroding the Pale Knight's entire body, like roots taking hold.
Kin Devour Lv1 used!
Black Eye successfully absorbed the Pale Knight's lingering thoughts, transferring some abilities.
Traits reform into skills matching user's conditions.
Black Eye acquired skill 'Flame Regeneration Lv1'.
Black Eye acquired skill 'Flame Armor Lv1'.
...Tasteless bastard.
As Black Eye pulled out his greatsword, the Pale Knight's body melted into goo and vanished.
Sure enough, when he'd absorbed Kuntaka, it was "pure thoughts," but with the Pale Knight, it became "lingering thoughts." No surprise—a harbinger strong enough to doom the continent wouldn't have a spirit as pure as an elemental or divine beast. But in exchange, we'd gained something useful.
Powerful lingering thoughts absorbed.
Kin Devour Lv1 → Lv2
Kin Devour Lv2 effect: 'Kin Summon' unlocked
Black Eye acquired Kin Summon.
Summon slot added.
1 summon slot created.
Kins that can be slotted depend on dominance over absorbed entities.
Summon list updated.
[1. Kuntaka (Dominance: 50%)]
[2. Pale Knight (Dominance: 10%)]
[Note: Summons impossible if dominance below 50%.]
Hm...? What's this?
Kin Summon ability shared with divine beast body owner.
No sooner had Black Eye spoken than a bracelet embedded with two gem orbs appeared on his wrist.
Acquired Kin Summon.
“Kin Summon...?”
Incredibly, the list contained the names of every spirit Black Eye had devoured so far. And what caught my eye was, predictably, the Mooksi Knight—the Pale Knight.
“Summon. Pale Knight.”
Dominance too low. Summon impossible.
I'd expected it—dominance at just 10% triggered a red warning. But the key point was, if I raised dominance as described, I could even turn the Pale Knight into my familiar.
“Ha, haha...”
I couldn't help but laugh at the unexpected power of Kin Devour. If the remaining three Mooksi Knights weren't just calamities to block but familiars adding to my strength, it'd be like gaining an entire army.
“Whoa...!!!!”
That was when Baek Yiheon shouted, making me turn.
While I'd been checking Black Eye's new ability, I'd overlooked the items dropped by the Pale Knight.
“Hey, who said you could touch the reward chest...”
As I lowered my voice in warning, Baek Yiheon pulled a worn scroll from the chest and showed it to me with a dazed look.
“Th-this...!!”
A familiar scroll bound with red string. Just like the one from the Sword's Tomb.
“Wo, World Quest scroll!! Does this make sense? Insane...! Jackpot? Server first, right? Holy shit...! Crazy, crazy!”
Baek Yiheon jumped around, unable to shut up after receiving the red quest. Of course, he had no idea I'd already claimed the server-first World Quest Chilya. Still, finding a World Quest before even hitting max level was astonishing.
For a Mooksi Knight, it's beyond a World Quest. They're just precursors to the Destroyer to come.
I smacked the back of the rampaging Baek Yiheon's head and snatched the scroll.
“Quit acting wild and check the rest of the items in the reward chest.”
“Ugh... Do I have to share this? You know? We took him down together. Right?”
Quest item usage rights from party hunts prioritized the leader, so Baek Yiheon pleaded with puppy-dog eyes, tail wagging.
“You know what quest this is?”
“Doesn't matter. No player passes up a World Quest right in front of them. It could change Dimension World's history!”
“Even after getting wrecked like that before?”
His face hardened at my words.
“That's not it. Don't pin our breakup on the quest.”
Baek Yiheon spoke softly.
“...”
His uncharacteristic Mad Dog demeanor made me bite my lip.
“Depends on how you act.”
“Huh? Wh-what...! You asked if I'd follow you! I will! I'll keep today's secrets—even that blue giant. So let's team up!! No, let's join forces! Master!!”
His cheeky formal speech drew an involuntary chuckle from me.
First time seeing you smile like that. You like the guy, huh? Seems like old acquaintances... His fighting was decent.
Simple guys don't backstab. He'll be useful to you.
“Yeah?”
I gave a wry smile at his words.
“Chan-ho and Jin-su will have headaches hearing Mad Dog's joining... But I agree. He's a lunatic, but not a bad one.”
“Right, right! Wise words! I'll check the remaining items in the reward chest, Master.”
Saluting playfully, he rummaged through the Pale Knight's leftover chest. I glanced at him, then tore the string off the scroll I'd taken.
Fwoosh—!!
The moment the string snapped, the scroll burned away, spewing light. But unlike the iridescent glow from the previous World Quest Chilya Sword, this was a dull, somber gray.
“Hm...”
No heart-pounding thrill like with Chilya Sword—just an eerie wail like a dirge from the vanishing scroll. But reading the quest in the gray alert window made me grin harder than I had for Chilya.
“Now that's a name I like.”
Quest: Catastrophe
Dominate the Mooksi Knights who sow disasters across the continent and reign supreme over calamity itself.