What exactly is this so-called life force?

The power bursting from the seed shell like a breached dam tore through every barrier of stone and soil, driven only by the desire to glimpse the brilliant blue sky.

I suppose this expanding force I feel now must be just like that.

The sensation on my right upper arm surged upward rapidly, swelling as it violently carved through solid rock.

The rock layers trembled, shaking with increasing intensity as if about to split in two at any moment.

Beneath my hand, the stones crumbled like dry cheese, piling up and pressing upward relentlessly, as though determined to claw a sky-reaching gap through these prison walls.

In the darkness, I couldn’t gauge what my right arm had become—its size and strength likely dwarfed my entire body many times over.

It felt like wriggling through a sweater with sleeves too tight, straining until I finally reached the limit of my reach.

Half Moon Outflow: Seventh Ju… what is this…?

Seventh Ju: Ah—Mr. Outflow! Can you breathe easier now?

Half Moon Outflow: Breathing’s the least of my worries right now.

Seventh Ju: Uh… I still can’t see anything. What do you see?

Half Moon Outflow: …………

Half Moon Outflow: Probably… a miracle.

Seventh Ju: That dramatic…?

But… it wasn’t enough.

My hand still felt buried under rubble. I hadn’t reached the surface above yet.

This won’t work. We still can’t get out like this.

Seventh Ju: Release—2%!

The unstoppable flood of power surged forward like a commanded army, charging toward the surface.

I spread my palm upward, unknowingly cradling countless stones that tried to block my path.

Yet their weight, their tension within the rock strata—all were utterly insignificant against this fusion-powered growth force.

*Boom—*

Finally, a distant echo reached me, like a thermos stopper popping loose. The pressure on my hand vanished instantly.

The surface.

Cool air brushed my fingers, carrying the damp kiss of unceasing drizzle.

This vertical lifeline had finally been pierced through.

*Sssssss—*

Half Moon Outflow: …What’s that sound?

Seventh Ju: Probably rocks scattering as they hit the ground.

Seventh Ju: I’ve… reached the surface.

Half Moon Outflow: Seventh Ju…

Seventh Ju: Let me pull you out, Mr. Outflow? Just grab hold.

Half Moon Outflow: …

Half Moon Outflow: …………

Seventh Ju: Um… does it scare you?

Seventh Ju: I can’t see myself right now, but… I must look terrifying.

Seventh Ju: But since I’ve chosen this path, I *will* get you out.

Half Moon Outflow: —Don’t misunderstand me, Seventh Ju.

Seventh Ju: …?

Half Moon Outflow: I’m just annoyed you keep calling me "Mr. Outflow."

Half Moon Outflow: Factoring in the Great Chasm’s depth plus how far we fell, this "well" can’t be more than three hundred meters deep.

Half Moon Outflow: What makes you think I can’t climb out myself?

Three hundred meters—no joke.

Seventh Ju: Uh… but you’re injured!

Half Moon Outflow: —If you doubt me so much, race you to the top?

Seventh Ju: …………

Seventh Ju: Fine. I’ll come back down if anything happens.

Half Moon Outflow: Hah. Overthinking it.

Well then. Time to go first.

My hand gripped the hole’s edge. Fingers spread, then clenched—I felt solid earth locked firmly under my grasp.

Seventh Ju: Restore—my "Disguise Ability."

A colossal pull yanked my feet off the ground.

Like a rubber band snapping back after reaching its limit, my body shot upward through the vertical shaft.

Sensation in my arm shrank rapidly, shrinking back toward human proportions.

Just as I’d calculated—this method could turn impossible movement into simple reality.

Heh. Finding this solution to escape danger? No surprise—I *was* an exam-taking machine once.

In under thirty seconds, light flooded the tunnel mouth.

—The world above ground.

Sparse wilderness stretched to my left. To my right lay charred ruins where dense jungle once stood.

Beside me gaped the escape route I’d carved—a crater several meters wide.

And just a few meters ahead to my right, I spotted a signal marker I’d seen yesterday.

This was… the border of the Fall of the Stars!

Our horizontal distance underground had indeed brought us close to the Fall of the Stars.

Those rocks that stripped me of my Wish Power—they must have been within the Fall of the Stars’ boundary.

This needed reporting to command immediately.

Half Moon Outflow: Yo. Right above us, of all places.

Seventh Ju: —Mr. Outflow!

Half Moon Outflow: You flew up fast, Seventh Ju. I lose this round.

Seventh Ju: No, no—you won…

Half Moon Outflow crawled out, filthy but intact. I could barely believe he’d stood at the bottom just a minute ago—without Wish Power.

This guy… seriously impressive.

Still, escaping unscathed like this? A relief.

I lay on the thin grass, eyes closed, feeling raindrops trace gentle paths down my cheeks.

I needed calm.

The lingering fear of losing my Wish Power. The relief of survival. The shock of shedding my disguise. All of it demanded stillness.

…………

…………

Preman: My, my…

Preman: I don’t even know what expression to wear for you two.

After the Pioneer Team’s rescue squad brought us back to camp, Commander Preman faced us.

Preman: How many times now, Seventh Ju? First the Molehog, then the蛊, and now… what was this?

Seventh Ju: Ahaha… guess I’m just lucky to be alive.

Half Moon Outflow: …(Gu?)

Preman: —Explain. What happened?

Seeing Preman’s dead-serious face, I recounted everything underground.

Of course, I lied about the escape—I claimed I’d bought mysterious explosive powder during my rest days in Bao City. Said I’d used it to blast the exit.

Preman: Huh… I see.

Preman: So you lost your Wish Power and Wish Points… just from touching underground rocks?

Seventh Ju: …………

Seventh Ju: Yes.

This truth couldn’t be hidden. Concealing it might doom the entire Pioneer Team.

That underground passage definitely led toward the Fall of the Stars.

I couldn’t gamble their lives on my silence.

Preman: Animated rocks causing a collapse… sounds complicated.

Half Moon Outflow: I vouch for him. We’re not lying.

Preman: Hard to verify with only two witnesses claiming innocence.

Preman: Doesn’t matter. Lying’s irrelevant—you’ve done it twice already.

Seventh Ju: …!?

…Huh?

Preman: Don’t look so shocked, Seventh Ju.

Preman: You know explosives leave residue, right? And that my deputy, Aiton, is an Alchemist?

Preman: Did you think he couldn’t tell that hole wasn’t blasted?

Seventh Ju: …

Seventh Ju: …………

No words left. My "logical" lie crumbled so easily.

I really am terrible at deception.

Preman: Seventh Ju, even now… I don’t know if I should trust you.

Preman’s gaze held detached scrutiny.

Preman: You understand what I mean. I still don’t know if you’re a trap… or the opposite.

Preman: Objectively, you’ve caused no losses—in fact, you’ve brought us intel and gains.

Preman: A hard-to-catch Molehog. An unknown蛊. Untouched underground data…

Preman: But… nothing ever unfolds as I expect.

Preman: Can’t you just tell me, Seventh Ju…

Beneath the detachment flickered urgent concern.

Preman: Who… *are* you?

Seventh Ju: I…………

…I still couldn’t say it.

I’d always feared being treated like a zoo exhibit for being a transmigrator. Now, with friends? Even harder.

Mo Chuan might not care—but not everyone was like him.

Today proved my true form exceeded all expectations. Revealing that? I’d become a monster in their eyes.

I wouldn’t lose what I had now. I couldn’t speak.

Half Moon Outflow: —Easy to accuse others, Commander.

Preman: …?

A strong arm suddenly draped over my shoulders.

Half Moon Outflow pressed close to me, his glare locked on Preman.

Half Moon Outflow: Are your demands for Seventh Ju based on soldier protocol—or friendship?

Preman: What do you mean?

Half Moon Outflow: Your words make no sense.

Half Moon Outflow: If he’s just a tool-soldier you distrust, kick him out. Assign him somewhere harmless.

Preman: A commander must know his soldiers.

Half Moon Outflow: That rule fails here. In the Pioneer Team, everyone fights to show their full strength. Who hides their abilities?

Half Moon Outflow: Given your missions, plenty could replace Seventh Ju. Why keep him close?

Half Moon Outflow: To me, that’s how you treat a *friend*.

Preman: …………

Half Moon Outflow: But if he’s a friend? Your "doubt" is laughable.

Half Moon Outflow: You know he has a Seasonal Wolf companion? When they first bonded, I questioned him too.

Half Moon Outflow: *"Do you even understand Seasonal Wolves?" "How dare you trust one blindly?"*

Half Moon Outflow: Guess his answer.

Preman: …………

Half Moon Outflow: He said: *"Humans don’t weigh those things when making friends."*

Half Moon Outflow: *"Human strength and unity come from choosing friends by feeling, not calculation."*

Half Moon Outflow: *"Gain and loss are reasons to *lose* friends—not barriers to making them."*

Half Moon Outflow: *"Those barriers? Remove them *after* becoming friends."*

Half Moon Outflow: If Seventh Ju’s your friend, is "doubt" your way of friendship?

Half Moon Outflow: Where’s the Realm of Sincerity’s famed unity now??

Half Moon Outflow: "I’m only two years older than you, yet I grasp this truth. You can’t possibly not understand it, Commander?"

Half Moon Outflow: "Has leaning too hard on your Wish Power made you lose the knack for reading people??"

Half Moon Outflow: "To me, whatever hidden secrets Seventh Ju holds aren’t worth your level of suspicion."

Half Moon Outflow: "His true nature—I won’t be mistaken about it, not with these eyes of mine."

Seventh Ju: "……"

Preman: "………………"

A rapid-fire barrage of words, and Preman gave no verbal reply, only gazing at Half Moon Outflow with half-lowered eyes.

Half Moon Outflow: "If it’s still unclear, why not figure it out yourself before questioning Seventh Ju? Sound fair?"

Half Moon Outflow: "As for my punishment for disrespecting a superior… can it wait until my injuries heal?"

Preman: "……"

Preman: "…………"

Preman: "Return to your camps for now… I’ll summon you when the next order comes."

Half Moon Outflow: "Understood. We’ll take our leave."

Seventh Ju: "…………"

After leaving Preman’s large tent, Half Moon Outflow’s hand slowly slid off my shoulder.

Seventh Ju: "Huh. Never thought Mr. Outflow would say such things…"

But when I glanced at him, his expression was dead serious, heavy with gravity.

Half Moon Outflow: "Seventh Ju—what’s the story with that ‘gu’?"

Seventh Ju: "Huh? Oh… that thing. Ran into it in the big ravine."

Half Moon Outflow: "A massive worm? Tall enough to stand several meters high while crawling?"

Seventh Ju: "Oh—you saw it?"

Half Moon Outflow: "When you and Ink River were on leave in the city, I saw Pioneer Team soldiers hauling it off on a cart for study."

Half Moon Outflow: "So that was the gu…"

Seventh Ju: "Problem?"

Half Moon Outflow: "You don’t know… ‘Gu’ means ‘worm in the belly’."

Seventh Ju: "…Worm in the belly?"

Half Moon Outflow: "To survive the ‘deadly poison’ that kills via digestion and immunity, venomous insects devour each other inside a host’s cramped body. They merge into one, fighting to live."

Half Moon Outflow: "In this ravine, in that cave where we nearly died—even palm-sized creatures are gone."

Half Moon Outflow: "That gu is already the apex predator near the Fall of the Stars."

Half Moon Outflow: "To birth such a belly worm, the host must be hundreds of times larger than the gu itself."

Seventh Ju: "……"

Seventh Ju: "…………"

The belly worm of the big ravine.

The finger-like shape on the map.

Unnatural silica powder.

Aggressive vines on the surface.

Struck like a reflex after a single touch.

Clues converging on an impossible answer.

But… if only one truth exists, no other path remains.

Seventh Ju: "No way…"

Seventh Ju: "Could the true form be—the Fall of the Stars??"