Funeral songs echoed through every street.

Prayers of gratitude and farewell did not cease.

Even after Bomiteka’s death, the [Isolation Wall] did not open for several days, and so the territory’s people had to do their assigned tasks. Many worked to restore the shattered county.

Dante’s assassination team helped them. Many of the people received assistance from the strange figure in the elephant mask.

Kaiser, head of the Dominion Society, deployed several excellent tactical strategies from the shadows, and later worked alongside Baronet Modrio on the postwar reconstruction.

Neutral professor Gula had screamed so much by the end of the war that his vocal cords were severely damaged. He tried to apply for a long-term hospital stay just to loaf around, but was rejected by someone.

Former department head Moong Hyul returned after a brief hospitalization with a walker, announced his plan to take time off, and was talked out of it for nearly three hours—ending in failure.

Legendary war general Eymon worked hard on the reconstruction while also lightly suggesting to someone, “Should we, uh... put together a tactics manual tonight, just the two of us...?”—bottle of alcohol in hand. He, too, was rejected.

Count Kahla wanted to hold a ceremony to award military merit. His real goal, of course, was to claim this great achievement as his own. But the moment someone declared they wouldn’t attend, the whole thing fizzled out.

The Hero, Glory, escaped at dawn the very next day after being hospitalized, clutching a bottle of hand sanitizer. With reddened eyes, he wandered the territory. The sanitizer was consumed in place of alcohol, and it seemed he was hunting for leftover demons.

And at the center of all this chaos was Senior Professor Dante Hiakapo of the Department of Assassination...

‘...It hurts.’

He was in bed.

The feeling was familiar.

‘I hate hospitals.’

There wasn’t a single part of his body that wasn’t in pain. Torn wounds, bruises, internal injuries from pressure, his eyes, his broken ribs, his hands... Everything throbbed endlessly. Even someone as accustomed to pain as him found it unbearable.

So he spent several days in a loop of falling asleep, waking up, taking meds, drinking elixirs, and undergoing simple surgeries.

At last, the long-awaited system window appeared.

───

⧉ Hotfix Scheduled Notice

Hello. This is 「System⧉」.

We have identified internal [Errors] related to [Erosion] and [Hero] and will be conducting a hotfix accordingly.

We apologize for the inconvenience this error may have caused to normal gameplay. Through this hotfix, the issues related to [Erosion] will be corrected, and elements affected by the error will be adjusted.

Hotfix details:

a. Bug where 【Scripts】 do not appear during [Erosion], and detailed review of bugs affecting the [Hero].

b. Adjustment of certain affected elements.

c. Compensation distribution.

The hotfix will be implemented shortly. Detailed timing will be announced in a future notice.

We apologize once again for the inconvenience and will continue striving to provide a smoother gameplay environment.

Thank you.

───

‘System, you dumb bastard.’

He decided not to curse too harshly. After all, it had given him 16 extra star fragments. He’d let it slide this time.

“If you’re feeling well enough, shall I request a meal?”

At that moment, Ran asked emotionlessly. Dante gestured with his bandaged hands, both fractured into pieces.

“Will you feed me?”

“Shall I? Like a baby.”

“...It was a joke.”

He declined the food.

For the record, right after the Bomiteka incident, Dante had hidden Ran in the deepest part of the county. If she got struck by a stray arrow, it would be game over.

“When will the [Isolation Wall] open?”

“It’s being opened in stages. Information exchange began several days ago. Physical isolation should end—possibly today.”

“I thought the communication was cut because the relay tower was destroyed?”

“There was also a communication interference function built into the wall itself.”

“I see.”

Dante looked out the window.

Toward the fading silhouette of the Isolation Wall in the distance.

Or maybe it was just his blurred vision.

“I’m curious what the outside reaction is.”

“It’s probably chaos.”

“Do you have a device to show me that?”

“There’s no such device, but there is a support tool that estimates web responses based on existing record bases.”

“I’ll take that.”

Ran placed something on her head and began to speak. Around the time phrases like “Whoa, Dante went wild. Bomiteka totally got ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ wrecked, for real. Admit it, right?” started spewing forth, Dante’s eyes were already closing.

Drowsiness washed over him.

***

Beyond the Isolation Wall — The World

Colossal unknown monster attacks humanity

At last, the [Isolation Wall] was dismantled, and the aftermath of [Erosion] was revealed to the world.

The entire globe was thrown into chaos. News outlets and networks from every country began reporting on the incident.

Monster assault results in tens of thousands of casualties worldwide

Kreutz official report confirms 2,000 casualties

Humanity’s calamity—harbinger of the apocalypse?

Mourning procession continues for Challenger Busione, esteemed professor and fallen hero

“Toward the realm of myth” – Total annihilation of Yoo Soon-mun’s lineage

After covering countless victims, the world began focusing on another fact.

Because this, too, was the kind of topic that sparked global competition.

Every country had been assigned the same test.

An Isolation Wall had been raised.

The same monster had appeared.

Who stopped it best?

“The best-performing nation, that is.”

A broadcast was currently airing in the Empire.

“In terms of metrics, the Empire ranks first.”

The host cautiously, but proudly, peeled off the tape from the board.

[ 1st: Hattengraj Empire ]

“What’s your take, Senior Professor Habael, our military analyst?”

“Let’s see—battle time, 27 minutes. 517 casualties. ...Still unfortunate, but the damage is nearly negligible compared to other nations.”

“It was a tragic incident, but the results are outstanding. How did they manage it?”

“Well, thanks to Rank #15 Constellation 『Freezing Star氷』 and four accompanying Challengers.”

Indeed, the Empire’s damage was astonishingly low. The reason? Combatants ranked 12, 77, 91, 126, and 188 were trapped inside the Isolation Wall.

By coincidence, the wall had formed on an island—an area where 『Freezing Star氷』 was strongest.

That version of Bomiteka was immediately sealed within an ice tower that reached 2,000 meters above the ocean, like a severed head in a freezer. Bombarded with magic and assassination strikes, it was torn to shreds before it could fight back.

One Challenger was lost in the process—an unfortunate tragedy.

“Next in performance were the Khan Federation and the Kingdom of Kreutz.”

[ 2nd: Khan Federation ]

[ 3rd: Kingdom of Kreutz ]

“Oh, right. The Khan Federation is nearly as powerful as the Empire. And Kreutz, they just got lucky?”

“Indeed. 『Crucifix Star†』 just happened to be on vacation in the Brynhild region when the wall appeared.”

Footage shows the Constellation dressed in drag—an androgynous boyish beauty.

Ranked 7th in the world, he didn’t even need a team. Eyewitnesses reported that ‘a sun had risen inside the wall.’

Bomiteka melted from the crown of its skull under the divine light. Though it managed to thrash the Brynhild region with its jaw alone—like a denture gone rogue—it was ultimately neutralized.

[ 4th: Duchy of Sombania ]

[ 5th: Kingdom of Hitahita ]

The next two nations were also relatively fortunate, as their Bomitekas had landed directly atop major military bases.

However, neither had a Constellation. They lacked the firepower.

“Each reported 4,742 and 5,117 casualties. Very heavy tolls.”

“A terrible loss indeed.”

Lastly, two nations remained.

“There’s been no news from the other two?”

“Correct. Horanche and Hiaka have yet to report.”

“......”

A sharp intake of breath. The analyst frowned.

The faster the monster was killed, the faster the [Isolation Wall] would collapse.

Yet, six hours had passed since the Empire’s wall had been dismantled.

In other words, those two nations had been battling a head-shaped monster for over 6 hours and 27 minutes.

Sombania and Hitahita suffered over 5,000 casualties after 3 hours of fighting.

So then what did 6 hours and 27 minutes mean...?

“......”

“......”

An awkward silence fell over the broadcast.

As worried looks passed between hosts, the line producer hurried up and whispered in the host’s ear. “...What? Huh?” He then handed something over.

“Ah, yes... breaking news. The Kingdom of Hiaka has become the sixth to dismantle its Isolation Wall. Fortunately, they succeeded in defeating the monster, and, um...”

The host trailed off as he read the report.

...Is this real? He looked at the producer, who nodded and gave an OK sign. The information had been verified three times.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah, before I comment... Professor, could you review this first?”

“Of course.”

The host handed it over, visibly tense. Global audiences were already riled up—one misstep could cost a 30-year career. Even the famously androgynous 『Crucifix Star†』 was off-limits to jokes these days.

And now they had this... inexplicable report.

“Hm... hmm...”

The analyst put on his glasses and scanned the data—then fell silent.

“What do you make of it, Professor?”

“Ah... yes. Apologies. I’m having trouble making sense of it. One moment...”

Silence stretched long across the air. But even the usually noise-averse producers said nothing. Everyone wanted the expert’s verdict.

“...Regarding the Isolation Wall and the monster battle in Count Kahla’s territory of the Kingdom of Hiaka...”

The analyst paused, baffled.

Finally, he took off his glasses and spoke calmly.

“Battle time: 6 hours and 30 minutes. Casualties: 914. The monster was completely slain. Estimated damage: 1.3 billion Hika, about 8.8% of the Empire’s damage. But—officially, there were no Constellations. No Challengers.”

The host stiffly responded, “Ah, I see.” He wasn’t sure how to react.

“That's... quite an achievement, isn't it?”

“No.”

“Pardon? It’s not?”

“No. Sorry, but there seems to be some error in the data. As a senior professor of tactics in Hattengraj, I find this entirely implausible.”

“Ah...”

But then, the producer interjected, claiming the report was verified and accurate.

“They’re saying this is officially certified by the Hiaka royal house.”

Now the analyst's face twisted with disgust.

“What, you drag a professor on air and expect me to accept nonsense...?”

“You still believe it’s wrong?”

“Wrong? That’s putting it mildly. With respect, this Hiaka report makes no tactical sense.”

“Tactically?”

“Tactically, logically, physically. The monster’s exoskeleton alone is 2.7 meters thick. You need a Challenger to break that. It's in any first-year tactics textbook.”

“Couldn’t they have just taken 6 hours to slowly break it down?”

“That would still be nonsense. That would require a commander who understands the monster completely, executes a perfect strategy without a single error, and...”

In short, the report was bull.

He was glad Hiaka survived.

But only 900 casualties?

The Empire had four top-ranked warriors and still lost 500.

The producer then held up a whiteboard: [Hiaka Royal Seal – Certified]

If it was royal-certified, it couldn’t be fake.

But still, the analyst's expression grew darker.

He’d waited five hours for this segment, and now this clown was trying to spar with him?

“No, I don’t care if it’s royal-sealed—if it makes no damn sense, how am I supposed to analyze it?! Count Kahla’s territory has no known warriors! The terrain is a caldera basin—no strategic advantage! Not a single favorable condition for monster slaying—!”

And so, after a 20-minute tirade, the analyst had to appear the next day, showing his bald head to the nation as he bowed in apology.

“I offer my sincere apologies to the royal house of Hiaka and its citizens... for my presumptuous remarks, made out of arrogance and poor tactical judgment...”

Additional data had confirmed it: Hiaka really did kill the monster, without a single Challenger, and with just 914 casualties.

“Is that even real?”

“I know, right? Like, seriously...”

Meanwhile, during a hastily arranged press conference, another incident exploded.

Due to a sound error, a private remark by a network executive was captured on mic.

— “No, fuck, why are we apologizing for this? God damn it. So who the hell was that Kahla commander anyway...?”

That one muttered comment poured fuel on the fire.

“So... who was the commander?”

The next day, the entire world erupted—again.

***

— From the ⧉ Moderation Log of the Absolute Clown Fiesta Chatroom —

│ㅅㅇ) says to 火: If you enjoyed it, there’s something you should remember.

│ㅅㅇ) startles next to †: Isn’t that cathedral way too intact?

│ㅅㅇ) says to ☮: The professor is broke lately. Long-term world peace may be at risk.

│ㅅㅇ) pokes ↑: If you represent justice, which nation had the best Isolation Wall?

│ㅅㅇ) complains to ⚉: Even the nearby ⁺₊⋆ is sponsoring now. Honestly, for Hiaka’s ⚉ not to sponsor is kind of heartless—

≪ ⧉ has expelled │ㅅㅇ) ≫

⋮

≪ Unknown Star [?] has entered ≫

≪ ⧉ has expelled [?] ≫