From This Moment On, You're the Hunt

Click— The metallic clank echoed.

I didn't need to turn my head to know what it was. Shegwin sheathing his sword, Atlas, into its scabbard. The implication was simple.

The Sword Saint's intuition. No more threatening presences lingered here.

That realization made me feel like I'd wasted my time. I was gonna punch Raymon Sean right in the face. I'd cleared the rift and manifested [「The Anomaly of Reversal」], for crying out loud.

'Was there never a real body to begin with?'

Out of sheer spite, I had to scour the control room.

The effect of [First World Tree's Blessing] was still active. But my mana was far from ideal. I'd been forcibly holding the rift open against its urge to collapse even now.

Still, manifesting a single light spell should be no issue.

Fwoosh— A glowing orb of light, Light, illuminated the control room.

I couldn't believe it. It really wasn't here?

Of course, I hadn't made an appointment—I'd barged into his hideout ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠half by force. So I had no real grounds to complain...

'He never intended to meet me from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠start, did he?'

Makes sense. He'd sent a mannequin cloaked in polymorph ahead. Just like always, he'd tried to fool me.

In that sense, maybe I should be grateful I didn't fall for it.

Regardless.

"Thou art utterly devoid of pride to the very end."

I might let it slide. But to Grandfell, Raymon Sean's evaluation had hit rock bottom. Practically demonic levels.

The voice of Illusion Breaker rang out.

It was directed at me, not Shegwin. I hadn't let my inner trembling show on the surface.

Unlike me, Shegwin wore his emotions plainly. Tch. Genuine regret at letting the prey slip away.

Truth be told, I felt the same, Shegwin—though I couldn't show it.

So we had to find some clue, anything.

'The control room.' There had to be some information left behind, somehow.

No one could predict what form this place would take after the rift cleared. With The Anomaly of Reversal staving off closure, this might be our last chance to find traces of Raymon Sean.

As I scanned the surroundings...

'!'

Something familiar caught my eye.

Shegwin spotted it first.

Tap tap— He prodded it with his scabbard, then knelt carefully, pressing his ear close.

He glanced at me steadily.

A beast's egg. To Arcana eyes, sure, it might look that way.

Not to mine.

It had been over a decade since I'd last seen one, yet I couldn't forget. The red sticker plastered on it burned fresh in my memory.

Back when Arcana was just a game. The dedicated access device for Arcana Continent Chronicles. Cosmo's VR capsule. The one that cost ten million won a pop.

The control room, lit by Light, held nothing but the access device. No traces, no items worthy of a clear reward.

Which meant...

That access device was both Raymon Sean's invitation to me and the dungeon's clear reward.

I finally understood.

'The lamp was pitch black right under our noses.'

Right after launch, it was hailed as a VR game decades ahead of humanity's tech. Arcana Continent Chronicles.

Yeah, knowing is seeing.

In hindsight...

It was definitely [『Anomaly』]-level technology.

I murmured.

"So that's it."

That egg-shaped dedicated access device was the path to the Arcana Continent.

The moment realization dawned, a message appeared before my eyes.

Raymon Sean, scheming right up to the bitter end.

...

As the quest description made clear, it wasn't just visible to Hoyeol.

Players watching the footage recoiled.

"!!!"

The instant they recognized it as an access device, the message popped up.

A World Quest, no less.

"What's with this vibe all of a sudden?"

Yusra Kingdom. Golden Calf Tavern.

Rackid eyed the suddenly silent tavern.

The adventurers' faces were off. They gulped whole mugs of beer while stealing glances.

'Rolling their eyes like...'

They looked ready to stab each other in the back.

Having weathered countless battles, Rackid sensed it. The subtle tension rippling among the adventurers.

Players had no choice.

'Access device.'

'That prototype access device is the way into the Arcana Continent?'

'Diving straight into the Arcana Continent sounds insane... but there's a quest. A World Quest.'

Even class quests brought massive rewards. Top rankers pulled ahead by dozens of steps just by completing them.

What if they could tackle a rarer World Quest?

'This is our shot!'

The rewards were beyond imagination.

Players eyed each other warily. Hoyeol had claimed one access device—nine left.

Naturally, no one thought of snatching his.

'Touch Lee Hoyeol? Are you nuts?'

'No sane person would even dream it.'

'And come on, he's human too...'

How much had they owed him all this time? Plus, he'd uncovered this World Quest.

So they turned their gaze to the remaining nine spots, locked in a game of chicken.

The news reached the AAU too.

"Haha..."

Park Minjae let out a hollow laugh.

How long had he racked his brain over this? Ever since the Mage Tower sprouted in central Seoul.

Not a single day passed without agonizing over how to return the Arcana natives to their continent.

It wasn't just humanity's burden. The Mage Tower had declared it plainly.

—"The Mage Tower's purpose is a return to the Arcana Continent."

Both humans and Arcana natives strove desperately. To reclaim life before the cataclysm.

Yet it felt like mockery.

"You really make fools of us to the end."

Raymon Sean dangled the answer: an Arcana Continent Chronicles access device. A VR capsule all too familiar to Park Minjae.

Yoon Sugyeom asked.

"Branch chief, do you know anything about it?"

"About what?"

"The shape's a bit off from what I remember."

"That's nothing special."

Park Minjae swallowed his rage and continued.

"Beta test era. Prototype access device. That's what it is."

"...!"

"He really saw us as idiots, Raymon. Arcana Continent Chronicles was just a means to him. All of it buildup for the cataclysm."

Everything was fake, geared toward the cataclysm. Beta tests, dedicated access devices, the Arcana service—all prep work.

Powerless fury crushed him.

'Then what the hell have we been doing all this time?'

Dancing in his palm from the start.

'What did that bastard think watching us flail?'

Founding the AAU, posturing against the cataclysm—how pathetic must we have looked?

Park Minjae ground his teeth.

'...But we can endure.'

The bastard was wrong inside. His rebel spirit let him grit through it.

But the issue was Raymon Sean's deceptions weren't over.

Even if all smoke and mirrors, they had experience running Arcana Continent Chronicles.

The stunned AAU Korea branch fell silent as Park Minjae spoke.

"Everyone, pay attention."

The murmurs died.

Their faces were a sight—experience painted the future crystal clear.

"To sum up: massive rewards for just nine players... excluding Chief Lee Hoyeol, that is."

Fierce competition inevitable.

But not just among players. Those Arcana natives stranded in reality craved the continent most.

Someone spoke up.

"...But we have the chief, right?"

Park Minjae nodded.

"Yes. With him here, Mage Tower, Lionheart Knights, Muon, even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shadow Mercenaries won't budge. But you know they're not all."

Like the forces he named—some integrated with reality.

"Carpent rebels or Red Wing warriors, for instance."

Others hadn't.

If they heard this...

"They'll leap into the fray gladly."

Park Minjae was certain.

"Raymon tossed a massive bait."

To shatter humanity-Arcana harmony, the new order built on Hoyeol's sacrifices. Raymon baited with irresistible rewards.

Park Minjae swallowed dryly.

"Ugly scenes ahead."

What competition wrought? Zero Mountains proved it recently. Tianxia Tongyi charging on aircraft carriers, conquering the range.

"Their guns might turn from monsters to players or Arcana natives. The first breach is the hard part—once it happens? You all know what follows."

Moreover.

"Ryu Ojuncheon won't hesitate to pull the trigger. His infamy rang out even when Arcana was a game."

Class: Monarch. Overwhelming violence. The tyrant who'd claimed his throne.

Post-cataclysm, even more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so.

Tianxia Tongyi's Arcana database showed abnormal level distributions among members.

"He demands others' sacrifices for his goals."

Tianxia Tongyi teemed with players whose growth had stalled completely.

Had that changed post-cataclysm?

"Monarch boasts huge potential but a fatal flaw: tough leveling. Yet Ryu Ojuncheon? He surged post-cataclysm, forming a three-way deadlock with Skal and Rocks."

Park Minjae sneered bitterly.

"Not just him. Transcendents, notorious players, Arcana natives. Raymon set the board for those dangerous sorts."

Inciting strife like a demon.

Now that he saw through it, no time to hesitate.

Park Minjae declared.

"Only nations can check Tianxia Tongyi."

"...The Chinese government?"

"Yes. Global powers must rein them in."

Once Ryu pulled the trigger, chaos erupts. Suppress him temporarily, buy breathing room.

"Branch chief meetings start now."

Park Minjae eyed the monitor. More precisely, Hoyeol on screen, staring blankly at the access device.

He clenched his fist.

'This time, we'll share your burden.'

...

Raymon Sean. His schemes rivaled demons.

Maybe from clearing more quests than most—the hidden intent shone clear.

Simply: fight over ten access devices.

A cataclysm even Grandfell's pride couldn't fully counter.

And instead of helping, this sabotage?

I intoned coldly.

"Is this a mockery of the Demon King Struggle?"

Swap access devices for thrones, and it was identical.

Thus, Raymon Sean—whatever conversation we had left vanished this instant.

I declared.

"Then I shall deem thee prey from this hour."

Of course, thinking I'd dance to his tune—

—to that quest goal, those words?

Mistake.

Having entered the anomaly's domain, my eyes saw it.

The prototype access device's structure.

The implication? Simple.

Like dragons, I too could now tear dimensions.

Hummmm—!