How could this be...
No... this can’t be happening!!
We should still be some distance away from the "Fall of the Stars"! It’s impossible that crossing the horizontal boundary stripped me of my power!!
Impossible... I can’t accept this!!
Taking all my Wish Points and Wish Power? No... no no no no!!
Ah—right! If I just make a wish now to test it, I’ll know for sure!
I’ll definitely still see that starry sea. It absolutely won’t be a pitch-black sky after every star has fallen...
Hurry up, start now—hands clasped, eyes closed...
...
............
No good...
No good—!!!
I can’t clear the noise in my head at all!! I can’t reach the state of mind needed to wish!!
Right now, all I can think is *What do I do? What do I do?* Panic floods my body like anesthetic, freezing me in place.
The whooshing in my ears is nothing but my own heavy breathing.
Half Moon Outflow: ...
Half Moon Outflow: ............
In the pitch darkness, Half Moon Outflow seemed to be saying something, but I still couldn’t understand a single word.
Damn it...
There’s nothing I can do!
If the gods’ gift is truly gone, I can’t do anything anymore!!
Seriously...
This is... all your fault.
It’s this damn wall’s fault!
It has to be... these cursed stones must’ve stolen it!
They stole my wealth, the capital I promised others, my very will to survive in this world!
I clenched my fist so tight my entire right arm tensed. A tremor of furious shame urged me to slam it against the rock face before me.
Seventh Ju: —GIVE IT BACK—!!!!!!!
BOOM—!!
RUMBLE—!!!!!!
Seventh Ju: ............
Pain flared on my knuckles. But that wasn’t all I felt.
The entire cave’s violent shuddering overwhelmed the faint sting in my hand.
What’s happening to this cave...?
Suddenly, a cold wind swept past me, accompanied by the grinding *clack-clack* of massive rocks shifting.
Like a cavernous maw inhaling deeply in the darkness before me.
Half Moon Outflow: —!!
Just for an instant—then—
THUD—!!
Something slammed into me.
Like a mountain, yet not a crushing avalanche—more like a single, explosive impact that stopped the moment it landed.
My fragile body hung suspended in midair for seconds before crashing onto the rocky ground.
Half Moon Outflow: Diqiju!!
I heard Half Moon Outflow shout my name with a thick accent. So this is what my name sounds like in this world’s tongue...
The cave kept trembling, grinding rocks against my back. Uncomfortable.
I felt no pain—just utter exhaustion. Too weak to tell if it was from grave injury or the aftershock of panic.
Was I hit? By that wall? It felt unnatural... like a piston recoiling before slamming into me.
Everything’s too unnatural.
*Crack... crack...* Rocks splintered all around. Was this cave collapsing?
Only now did I calm down slightly.
Half Moon Outflow: Diqiju!!
His voice rang in my ears as he lifted my upper body a little.
I fumbled for my communicator beside me and muttered in a language unknown to this world—
Seventh Ju: Aiton, you bastard... Didn’t you promise there’d be no geological collapses???
Ha... I didn’t know if I was truly cursing him or just venting for comfort.
THUD—CLANG—CRASH—!!
An angry symphony of rocks played at a frantic, incomprehensible tempo.
Gusts of wind and gravel buried me as the open space shrank.
THUMP—!!
Heavy weight crushed my chest.
Hah... I knew my luck wasn’t good enough to dodge all the falling rocks.
This crushing pressure—I didn’t need to look to know my body was pulp beneath it.
Without Wish Power’s protection, my life was just a flickering candle in a storm.
Is this where Seventh Ju meets his end...?
The final act... of the whole play.
..................
............
......
Seventh Ju: ............
Seventh Ju: Huh???
Two minutes later, my body’s metabolism and reflexes seemed to normalize.
I... wasn’t dead.
I pushed the rock on my chest. It rolled heavily aside, reluctant.
I sat up dumbly, lost in the darkness.
I... really wasn’t dead. No obvious injuries.
Were my other Wish Powers still intact?
I’d thought all my Wish Powers would vanish together—but apparently not.
Seventh Ju: ............
Seventh Ju: Now... I should be able to—
—Hands clasped. Calmly clearing my mind.
Though a trace of unease remained, I could finally reach that wishing state.
In the darkness, a faint light appeared first...
Seventh Ju: ............
—Then rapidly spread. A dazzling starry sky filled my vision.
...It’s still here.
My Wish Points... they’re all still here!!
But why did some Wish Powers vanish while others remained??
...I’ll think about that later. First, I need to wish back my lost language ability!
............
The wish ended. I opened my eyes—though it made no difference in the dark.
Seventh Ju: —Mr. Outflow!
No reply in the cramped space. My echo confirmed I was trapped in a narrow gap.
Half Moon Outflow had been beside me at the end... I reached out frantically on both sides.
Sure enough, less than two meters away, I felt a warmth unlike cold stone—human body heat.
Seventh Ju: Mr. Outflow!
His body was half-buried under rubble. Impossible to tell if he was alive.
I needed to find his face, check his breath—confirm he was still breathing.
But first, my fingers brushed against a matchbox fallen from his pocket.
*Fwip—* A flame sliced through the dark, casting jagged shadows. We were indeed trapped in a tiny space.
In the flickering light, I finally saw Half Moon Outflow’s face.
Blood streaks ran from his forehead down his cheek. His head must’ve been struck by falling rocks.
I checked his breath—faint and shallow, but he was alive.
...We had to get out fast. I didn’t know how badly he was hurt, but every second counted.
If my Wish Powers were still intact... what was the fastest way to escape?
I lit a second match, raising it to search for an upward path—
—A hand suddenly clamped over mine, snuffing the flame.
I yanked my hand back, nearly jumping off the ground.
Half Moon Outflow: Don’t light fires, Seventh Ju. We’ll suffocate from the smoke.
Seventh Ju: ............
Seventh Ju: Mr. Outflow! You’re okay!?
It was Half Moon Outflow’s voice! And in a language I understood!
My Wish Power hadn’t vanished again after the re-wish!
Half Moon Outflow: Mr. Outflow? No. Call me "Old Man Half Moon," how about that?
Seventh Ju: ...
Seventh Ju: Huh???
Rocks crunched as Half Moon Outflow seemed to stand up beside me.
I couldn’t see him in the dark, but his tone... same voice, completely different demeanor!
Seventh Ju: Mr. Outflow, did the rocks damage your head?
Half Moon Outflow: Head? Hah... Last time this old man’s head got hit, I casually took out four small fry.
Half Moon Outflow: If not for patrol soldiers showing up, I’d have slaughtered them on the spot. Heh.
Seventh Ju: What are you even talking about...
Seventh Ju: ............
Seventh Ju: Hey... you don’t mean that ambush by adventurers on the bridge... do you?
Half Moon Outflow: Exactly—this old man admits it! I, Half Moon Outflow, did it! Hahaha—
Seventh Ju: ............
I couldn’t see his grin, but I imagined it was wildly arrogant.
True... the real culprit behind that incident was never found.
Could it really be Half Moon Outflow? But wasn’t he also hit by stun-powder and knocked out?
Seventh Ju: Mr. Outflow... could you have some kind of split personality?
Half Moon Outflow: Split personality? Hah, Seventh Ju, you’ve got it backwards.
Half Moon Outflow: *I’m* the real Half Moon Outflow... and the one you knew before—
His voice dropped low. Suddenly, his hand landed precisely on my forehead.
Half Moon Outflow: —If you’re so curious about my messy past, figure out how to escape before we suffocate first!
Seventh Ju: Ahaha... Fair point.
Half Moon Outflow: Hmm... Air’s barely seeping through the cracks. We’re probably buried under layers of rock.
Half Moon Outflow: Without heavy excavation tools or explosives, even this old man’s powerless.
Seventh Ju: Ah! The communicator—
Half Moon Outflow: Crushed into parts by falling rocks behind you.
Seventh Ju: ............
For ordinary people, this would be hopeless...
I wondered if miners trapped after explosions felt like this.
Seventh Ju: ...Hah. Your night vision’s really sharp, Mr. Outflow.
Half Moon Outflow: Trying to flatter this old man into optimism? Just call me "Old Man Half Moon" properly.
Seventh Ju: "Old Man Half Moon"... That name sounds so dumb!
Half Moon Outflow: Hah? You dare mock me?! Brats like you, I’d just—
Half Moon Outflow: ............
Seventh Ju: ...?
His hands, which had gripped my shoulders, suddenly fell away.
Silence hung heavy. He seemed lost in some sorrowful memory.
Half Moon Outflow: Fine. This old man accepts his fate.
Seventh Ju: ...Huh?
Half Moon Outflow: While we can still speak before suffocating, I’ll satisfy your dying curiosity.
Seventh Ju: ............
Half Moon Outflow: I once said, "I was born with no Wish Points," right?
Seventh Ju: Yeah.
Half Moon Outflow: That was a lie. I had a normal amount once. 95 points, I think.
Seventh Ju: Then...
Half Moon Outflow: Not bragging, but this old man’s a genius. Wish Points? Never needed ’em.
Half Moon Outflow: I’d rise above others without begging gods for wishes. That’s what I believed before I turned ten.
Half Moon Outflow: Until my father returned from military service ten years ago... and hanged himself days later.
Seventh Ju: ............
Half Moon Outflow: My father served in the Sincere Kingdom’s Pioneer Team. He was exceptional—his total Wish Points exceeded 100. He absolutely could’ve become a revered figure.
Half Moon Outflow: But that disaster stole all his Wish Points and abilities. It stole his will to live too.
Half Moon Outflow: Do you know what I thought, at just ten years old, seeing my father’s corpse?
Seventh Ju: ... I don’t know.
Half Moon Outflow: ... Revenge.
Half Moon Outflow: I wanted those who took his life to pay the same price.
His words were calm. So calm I almost forgot we were trapped, waiting to die.
Half Moon Outflow: I used every bit of knowledge I had for one purpose: killing.
Half Moon Outflow: Calculated fights. Deadly traps. Even vile methods only Alchemists understand...
Half Moon Outflow: Disguises. Evasion. The Pioneer Team and police never even knew my true face.
Half Moon Outflow: I wiped out my father’s former colleagues and superiors. It took six years.
Half Moon Outflow: Against Wish Power professionals, evading manhunts—six years was short.
I vaguely recalled Preman’s words from the vengeance campaign’s first assembly:
“Even after Pioneer missions ended, some lost trust. They attacked the military, seeking revenge for innocent sacrifices.”
Half Moon Outflow: When I snapped out of it, I realized my life knew nothing but “killing.”
Half Moon Outflow: My mind’s knowledge, my body’s skills, my will—all served only murder.
Half Moon Outflow: The day my revenge ended, walking home, a drunk thug provoked me.
Half Moon Outflow: In under a minute, I lured him into a dark alley and strangled him alive.
Half Moon Outflow: He was my first kill unrelated to revenge.
Half Moon Outflow: That’s when I learned “guilt.” I grew to hate how my instincts drove me to kill innocents.
Half Moon Outflow sighed. His breathing was already slightly labored.
Oxygen in this sealed space wouldn’t last much longer.
Half Moon Outflow: Looking back... what was I meant to become?
Seventh Ju: ... A superior person who never uses Wish Points, right?
Half Moon Outflow: ............
Half Moon Outflow: You’ve listened well to Great Ben’s words, Seventh Ju.
Half Moon Outflow: But I never got that chance.
Half Moon Outflow: My first wish was my only wish...
Half Moon Outflow: “Please give me a chance to atone.”
Half Moon Outflow: I spent all my Wish Points on that wish to the gods.
Half Moon Outflow: Their answer? A new personality—the one you first met.
Half Moon Outflow: Only when forced to violence does my true self surface.
Seventh Ju: ... I see.
Half Moon Outflow: My other self decided: join the Pioneer Team. Work for them. Give all my wealth and contributions.
Half Moon Outflow: With only killing skills left, it was my only path to atonement.
Half Moon Outflow: But...
Half Moon Outflow’s breathing grew heavier. He was starting to gasp.
Half Moon Outflow: This damn place steals my “chance to atone” before it takes Great Ben’s life!!
Seventh Ju: !?
I remembered—Half Moon Outflow’s hand had touched that rock surface too.
Did he lose his Wish Power like me?
Half Moon Outflow: Forget it...
Half Moon Outflow: Great Ben, who could’ve been superior, dying here... atonement for past sins, I suppose...
Half Moon Outflow: Pity an innocent like you, Seventh Ju, must die with a sinner like me...
Half Moon Outflow: Haha... cough—cough... ugh...
Seventh Ju: ...
Seventh Ju: ............
Hearing his strained breaths, I smiled with a sigh.
Seventh Ju: That’s not true, Lord Half Moon.
Half Moon Outflow: ............
Seventh Ju: Facing yourself like this—you’re truly remarkable. Dying with you isn’t so bad.
Seventh Ju: I could never be this honest alone.
Half Moon Outflow: Heh...
Seventh Ju: But I won’t die with you here. And I don’t want Lord Half Moon to die either.
Half Moon Outflow: ...?
Seventh Ju: I’ll take you as my example. I must face myself too.
Seventh Ju: Face my true self.
Half Moon Outflow: You... aren’t afraid of someone like me...
Seventh Ju: Those words are mine to say.
Seventh Ju: Don’t fear me, Mr. Outflow... Lord Half Moon.
Yes. I made a decision—one that even I feared.
I focused my mind, pouring all thoughts into that single point.
In the darkness, I began to see... the so-called [Control] method.
That elusive, hazy feeling—frivolous and unreliable, yet I trusted I understood it.
Yes... the god-given ability that shifts with my will.
Seventh Ju: Deactivate—the “disguise ability making my appearance and body feel like an ordinary human unaffected by Wish Power”—on one hand.
Seventh Ju: Let’s try... 1% first. See what happens!!
This was the only way I could save us!
