The whole world fell silent. The strange and beautiful fragments of the universe disappeared from the sky. What remained in the “Dream Amusement Park” was a portion of a floating castle and the broken decorations of the park. No trace of the curses that once gnawed at mind and body could be found, and the air was now...

“......”

The hunters momentarily lost themselves in the dreamlike scene.

“...It’s over...”

Someone spoke.

“...Is it... really over?”

“...Seems like it?”

“Shit, we’re alive.”

Thud—!

A middle-aged hunter collapsed to the ground.

“I swear I’ll never fight an evil god again...!!”

“To be honest, we didn’t really fight the evil god this time either, Captain.”

“Did you really have to say that right now?”

“We pretty much just cleaned up the scraps that came from the evil god...”

“Damn it, you clueless bastard.”

Thanks to their bickering, the atmosphere gradually lightened. One by one, the exhausted hunters sat down. They exhaled deeply. The air felt fresh and light—unbelievably welcome. It tasted sweet.

“Ah, damn... I’m starving...”

“...Now that I think about it, yeah...”

“I’m really alive? This is insane.”

Time passed a little more.

“...Hey, wait a sec.”

Someone raised a question.

“Then why hasn’t the clear message appeared yet?”

“Please don’t say that.”

It was a completely reasonable question.

***

Aram looked out at the dungeon that had turned into a dreamlike landscape. All that remained were pieces of land floating in the air like islands. It was impossible to tell what was up or down anymore. And scattered around were the bony graveyards of small dragons...

“......”

Yet it looked peaceful. The curses and poisons that once gave the place its oppressive mood had vanished, leaving only tranquility. It was like a dream.

“It’s still a fact that we defeated the evil god.”

Aram opened her mouth.

“...Most of what made up the evil god in the first place was rage. Rage born from the young dragons that had been sacrificed over time in the Black Forest. Thanks to the efforts of my seniors within the Moon, we were able to release that rage.”

“You mean all those dragons forgave the humans?”

“That’s not quite it. The end of rage isn’t always forgiveness. It could be resignation. It could be enlightenment. It could be loss. But maybe... yes, maybe it was forgiveness.”

The Moon, inscribed with the stories of the little dragons, gave off a lukewarm warmth.

“But that’s not the important part right now. Or—maybe it is important—but people are probably more curious about why we still haven’t seen the clear message.”

“Yes, for some reason...”

The vice-guildmaster of Justitia, Kang Eun-Seong, who had been staring into the void, continued.

“...Normally by now the system would’ve sent out a notification, but nothing’s come. Even after defeating the evil god, there’s been no reaction at all. Isn’t that strange?”

Then he went “Ah,” and added,

“Of course, we didn’t destroy the evil god, right?”

“That was indeed what the evil god wanted. But no, we didn’t destroy him.”

Aram, holding the Moon in her arms, held great authority. Her seniors within the Moon had granted her permission to wield ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) its divinity. And divinity can only be killed by divinity. The evil god had desired that.

But Aram had gone to such lengths precisely to avoid that.

“The little dragons let go of their rage and returned to nature. They did not disappear within their own providence. The death of divinity results in annihilation... and if that had happened, there wouldn’t have been any dragon bones left like now.”

Aram looked at the bones of the sleeping dragons resting on a floating piece of land. Bathed in the dungeon’s sunlight, the pure white remains gleamed like polished marble. Like ivory. Like jewels.

And nearby, soft flowers and grass had bloomed.

Life belongs to providence.

It was proof that those corrupted by rage had returned to the order of things.

It was beautiful.

“If I had used the Moon’s divinity to continue a violent struggle, we couldn’t have arrived at this outcome. But I didn’t want to repeat the tragedies of this world. So...”

“You empowered the people, used the creatures of this place to turn the tide, and turned Hero Ather into a part of the evil god to guide the dragons back to order.”

“It was a precarious plan that required many people’s help and mutual trust. But in the end, it led to this beautiful result. I think sometimes, you just need the courage to go through with it.”

“Ah, yes...”

The vice-guildmaster looked at Aram with a subtle expression.

“But in the end, didn’t we defeat the final boss of this dungeon? And yet the dungeon isn’t marked as cleared. That’s odd. Usually, that only happens when there’s something left to do.”

“I think so too. And I have a guess. This was an evil god’s dungeon, wasn’t it?”

“Hmm, right...”

Kang Eun-Seong nodded knowingly.

“Dungeons made from divinity sometimes don’t work properly with Earth’s system. They’re great mysteries governed by a different providence—something Earth’s laws can’t fully handle...”

“I was thinking the same, Vice-Guildmaster. In that case, even if we’ve cleared it practically, the system might not send the notification. Or maybe the notification is just delayed.”

“What do you think, Saintess? Do we still have some unfulfilled condition, or is the dungeon cleared and the system just bugged? It’s got to be one of the two.”

“I think it’s both...”

Aram stopped mid-sentence and gently stroked the Moon. As the noble sphere shimmered faintly in response, Aram blinked slowly, as if holding a conversation with it. Then she spoke again.

“...We’ll find out if we keep going. Will you come with me?”

“I’m listening. What should I do?”

“First, let’s move to the ruins of the underground Black Forest. There lies the evil god’s tomb...”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

Adjusting his glasses, the vice-guildmaster asked,

“...Didn’t we just face the final boss?”

“Didn’t we?”

“Are we going to have another fight?”

“I don’t think so. Please trust your Saintess.”

“If it’s a saint’s prophecy, I’ll believe it.”

Seo Seo-Hee, who had been silently listening, stepped forward.

“Then I won’t have to take up arms again, Saintess?”

“All the corrupted rage has returned to the order of things. Violent methods will no longer be necessary. The dragons here have already let go of all their rage.”

“Then what we need is a conversation.”

“Exactly.”

Aram, holding the now-warmer Moon tightly, said,

“...If we don’t seek it out, we might miss something important.”

And so they headed for the ruins of the Black Forest.

***

“Se—Saintess...”

“I’m glad to see you’ve all been continuing your work while I was away.”

“...That’s one of the things we Moon Temple priests are best at.”

The priests of the Moon Temple who had been staying at the ruins warmly welcomed Saintess Aram.

“That... could it be...?”

“It’s the Moon.”

Aram lifted the Moon, holding it like a baby.

“......”

An elder of the Moon Temple smiled awkwardly, as if on the verge of tears.

“...You no longer call it Master.”

“The Moon was merely a repository of knowledge and wisdom.”

“Of course, of course. Still, it feels warm now.”

“Because it wasn’t alone all this time.”

“...Is that so...”

The elder slowly bowed his head.

“...I greet the Master.”

“I greet the Master.”

Following the elder, all the Moon Temple priests bowed their heads.

“Please accept us.”

They were speaking to their Saintess, Aram.

“Will you do that for us?”

“Of course. That’s why I embraced the Moon.”

Aram smiled brightly.

“But it seems we still have something left to do.”

“Yes. Earth’s system hasn’t declared this dungeon cleared. Have you come to the ruins to finish that task?”

“Yes. Only a small number will come with me.”

“The Moon Temple will follow the Master.”

“...Only those who still have stamina, please. The rest should rest.”

Leaving behind the Moon Temple, who immediately began a ruthless rock-paper-scissors game full of dirty tricks, Seo Seo-Hee called out to his friend, the vice-guildmaster.

“Kang Eun-Seong.”

“Yes.”

“The Saintess seems to be preparing to show us something.”

“Looks like she’s gathering spectators.”

Both were seasoned, experienced hunters, and they were beginning to suspect what was happening. Some of the hunters who still had strength rose from their seats. As the crowd grew, Aram nodded. Any more would be unnecessary.

“Then let’s go.”

When Aram released the Moon, it gently floated toward the underground tomb.

“I’ll follow it.”

“Oh, that’s really...”

“There won’t be any danger.”

The path to the underground tomb was smooth. All the curses and even the magic that had once enveloped the ruins were gone. Seo Seo-Hee looked up at the ceiling of the ruins.

Then he murmured in awe.

“It’s the night sky.”

A ruin without even torches—it was a night sky densely filled with stars. It wasn’t as dazzling as the universe the Saintess had shown earlier, but there was a quiet calm that brought peace to the heart.

Soon, they arrived at the underground tomb. The priests of the Moon Temple looked slightly surprised.

“It wasn’t like this just a while ago...”

“...It’s gone...”

“Even the blood has vanished.”

The blood that once formed a shallow pool inside the tomb had vanished. The priests who had studied the ruins in place of the Saintess remembered how horrific it had been. A space full of curses and madness—nothing like now.

But now the tomb carried a calmness—not silence, but peace. First-time visitors were stunned that such tranquility existed in what had once been the evil god’s tomb.

“...It’s quiet.”

“It is.”

The stone floor, walls, and ceiling were a little weathered and mossy. Faint torchlight flickered and lit the tomb. Inside the once-ominous giant coffin, unfamiliar children now lay asleep atop a bed of flowers.

The Moon Temple recognized them immediately.

“They’re young dragons.”

“...Fortunately, they look peaceful...”

“That’s truly a relief.”

They didn’t seem very old. Unless, like the adults of the Moon Temple, they had stopped aging after a certain point, they looked just as old as they appeared. Most didn’t even seem to be in their mid-teens.

And at the end of them sat a man.

“......”

“......”

A male figure wrapped tightly in bandages, not a single patch of skin visible. Emaciated like an old tree, he sat on the cold stone floor, gently stroking the body of a deer with its throat torn out.

Then he spoke.

“...So.”

In a hoarse, ragged voice, the man asked the visitors,

“Did you come to see me?”

“Yes, we came to see you.”

Aram, glancing once at the Moon floating between them, continued. She had to tell the story of this man to those around her.

With silent permission, Aram began to speak his tale.

“You, the last dragon, knew how to forgive from the very beginning.”