Seti’s meal didn’t last long. It only took her three minutes to finish off the ramen broth and instant rice, leaving the pot spotless.

Rather than wolfing down the food, she ate efficiently, almost methodically. If she had a bottle of soju next to her, one might believe she was a janitor with ten years of experience.

…In any case, after finishing her meal, Seti cleared her throat and spoke.

"Ahem, you must have a lot of questions. Where should we start?"

"…How long have I been like this?"

"Five days. I’ve been waiting for the last two."

"Five days?"

Dung Beetle frowned unconsciously. Five days? It had felt like no more than five minutes in the comet’s dream.

"Some relics can do that. They test the user’s mind and body, or force them into a deep trance… You really shouldn’t use these things recklessly."

"…."

"More importantly, where did you get that relic? It’s incredibly rare."

Rare indeed.

Dung Beetle recalled Frea Khan’s face, the one who had given him the dagger. Did she know this would happen when she gave it to him?

‘She didn’t seem like the type to think that far ahead.’

The advice she gave when handing over the dagger wasn’t a lie. As the comet in the dream had said, her goal was likely to create a bond through the Comet Sword.

‘Though Mignium made it all pointless in the end.’

Having organized his thoughts, Dung Beetle responded to Seti’s question.

"I came across Frea Khan."

"…Frea Khan? You mean the Holy Sword?"

"Yeah, that one."

Seti’s delicate eyebrows arched as she contemplated the revelation, tapping her lips. After glancing at the dagger, she nodded.

"Well, unless someone of that caliber gave it to you, they wouldn’t just hand over a relic like that."

She didn’t ask what connection he had with the Holy Sword, nor why Frea Khan had given him the relic. Instead, she stood up and inspected Dung Beetle’s body.

"You seem fine on the surface. How do you feel?"

"Not bad."

Dung Beetle clenched and unclenched his hands, checking himself from muscle to mana. Everything felt the same as before he entered the comet’s dream.

"To be honest, it feels like a lie that five days have passed."

"Is it that extreme? Just how strong was the magic imbued in that relic…"

Seti narrowed her eyes.

"So, what did you gain from the relic? Insight? A martial art?"

"Swordsmanship."

"Swordsmanship? What about Pahyanggyul? You’re going to wear yourself thin if you spread yourself too wide."

Without answering, Dung Beetle picked up a pair of chopsticks Seti had forgotten to put away.

His breathing steadied, and his mana settled quietly within.

In the stillness of his mind, Dung Beetle first recalled Pahyanggyul.

The waves of his heart, the waves of mana, and himself.

Mana surged from his shoulder, flowing down his arm.

Next, he recalled the swordsmanship Frea Khan had demonstrated.

The Comet Sword. Borrowing its form, he gripped the chopsticks.

—When the light overflows, it knows no distinction between left or right.

He still didn’t fully understand the essence of the sword as described by the comet. It was too abstract to be called an insight into swordsmanship.

However, filling the empty spaces left by the absence of that essence with waves was something he could do.

‘If placing your heart into your fist creates the Pahyang Fist, then if you place your heart into a sword…’

The wave struck. As he raised his right hand, mana filled the chopsticks.

His hand, moving slowly, felt heavy. The mana enveloping the chopsticks emitted a dense, powerful energy.

When his shoulder aligned with the chopsticks, he swung. The wave followed, and the mana sliced through the air.

Just once.

The chopsticks traced the path of a sword.

Wooong!

A strange hum resonated from where the chopsticks had passed. The dust in the bunker recoiled in fear, and the air itself was split.

Crack!

The next moment, the bunker wall, more than ten paces away, cracked.

"Uh…?"

Seti, dumbfounded, alternated between staring at the cracked concrete wall and Dung Beetle.

"What in the world…?"

"Understanding the essence isn’t the end. Even just applying it to swordsmanship shows its limitations."

"…You applied it to swordsmanship, not a sword?"

"It won’t be easy to use more than once in real combat. I’ll need to practice diligently."

As Dung Beetle muttered to himself, Seti covered her face with her palm. One deep breath, two sighs.

"…You know, I always feel like slapping you when this happens, right?"

Dung Beetle merely shrugged in response.

Seti glared at him for a moment, then pouted as she spoke.

"Forget it. There’s no point in arguing. It’ll just stress me out."

She gathered the trash and dishes and swiftly turned on her heel, opening the bunker door.

"Let’s get out of here for now. I’ll explain our next steps on the way to see the boss."

Dung Beetle watched her confidently stride out of the bunker, then chuckled softly.

"What are you waiting for? Let’s go already!"

He pocketed the chopsticks and the dagger, then followed after Seti, who was already a few paces ahead.

 

The time when the goddess of dawn was just beginning to lift her head.

Walking ahead in the back alley, Seti spoke.

"You remember the gist of the plan, right?"

Dung Beetle recalled their conversation from a few days prior. The plan was to create a false identity, rise to fame, and gather government officials in one place to take them down….

It seemed complicated, but in reality, it was the simplest option.

"After leaving Incheon, the first thing I did was prepare a fake identity. I planned to manipulate the residential registration to make it look like you were an entirely different person. But… I found out you were officially declared dead."

Seti looked at Dung Beetle with a questioning gaze, as if asking, Did you know about this? He nodded.

"So, I decided to create a completely new identity."

"A new identity?"

"Yes, from your family history to your education. Everything’s brand new. I hired the best in the field to make sure it’s foolproof, so even the government won’t be able to detect it. But…"

Seti trailed off and stopped walking. She turned her head to look beyond the market alley toward the cloud-covered horizon.

"That person said they need to see you in person."

"They’re coming to see me?"

"They’re already here. They’ve been waiting at Jang-man’s bar."

Since Seti had been waiting in the bunker for two days, it meant the identity forger had also been waiting for Dung Beetle for two days.

"…Doesn’t sound like an ordinary person."

"Definitely not ordinary."

Seti paused for a moment, then hesitated before asking,

"Do you have a pseudonym in mind?"

"A pseudonym?"

"You can’t use the name Dung Beetle for your new identity."

"What’s wrong with my name?"

Seti looked at him as if he couldn’t be serious.

"You’re not asking that because you don’t know, right?"

"…I’m kidding."

"Don’t joke with that expression. I can’t tell if you’re serious or not."

She sighed deeply and started walking again.

Even though they were heading in the opposite direction of Jang-man’s bar, Dung Beetle didn’t point it out.

"Anyway, I came up with a few pseudonyms. John, Bruce, Kefri… names like that."

"Kefri?"

"It’s the name of the Egyptian god with the head of a dung beetle."

"…Ha."

"But to become famous in Korea, it’s better to use a Korean name. So Kefri’s out. I also eliminated names like Gang-nang and Toehwan because they sound too much like Chinese characters."

Gang-nang and Toehwan—both were the Korean pronunciations of "dung beetle." Dung Beetle scratched his cheek, feeling inexplicably awkward.

"I also rejected names like Minsu, Cheolsu, and Junsik because they sound too much like politicians."

"…."

"Names like Siwoo, Yujin, and Jinyoon sound too much like celebrities. And names like Dongpung, Dongkyung, and Songkyung sound too much like they belong to a chaebol family…"

While Seti rambled on, they eventually arrived at the outskirts of the market, where they could see the ocean.

It was the exact opposite direction from the alley leading to the bar.

"…Oops, this isn’t the right way."

Only then did Seti realize she had led them in the wrong direction and blinked in confusion. A sea breeze swept through her black hair.

An awkward silence passed between them.

The wind stopped when Seti spoke again.

"…Why didn’t you tell me we were going the wrong way?"

"I thought you had a reason for bringing me here."

Seti turned her eyes toward the sea.

The clouded sky was slowly turning red, though the sun had yet to show itself.

"Hey, Dung Beetle."

"What?"

"Do you trust my plan?"

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

Dung Beetle furrowed his brow, and Seti mumbled awkwardly in response.

"Now that we’re about to execute it, I’m starting to worry. What if the plan fails? What if I lead you astray…?"

"Like now?"

"…Yes, like now."

Seti nodded. The dawn sky reflected in her blue eyes shimmered.

"What does it matter?"

"…What?"

"No plan is perfect. None of them will go off without a hitch."

Dung Beetle turned his head to face the same direction as Seti. A warm breeze blew from behind the clouds on the horizon.

"And more importantly, I’m the one who made the choice. I’m the one who decided to team up with you, and I’m the one who agreed to the plan. So even if it goes wrong, the responsibility is mine alone."

His voice was serious, and his words were sincere.

Though he had intended to encourage her, Seti’s expression was oddly conflicted.

"Uh… Legally speaking, that’s not necessarily true…"

"…."

"Each law has different standards of responsibility, and since we didn’t sign a contract, legally the responsibility would fall on… Ow!"

Thwap! Before he even realized it, Dung Beetle flicked Seti’s forehead. She rubbed her now-red forehead, pouting.

"…Did you really need to use mana for that?"

"Yup."

Dung Beetle replied bluntly, causing Seti to laugh. Her uneasy feelings disappeared as if they had never existed.

"Shall we head back now?"

Seti turned around with a light step. Or, at least, she tried to.

But Dung Beetle’s next words stopped her in her tracks.

"Dawn has arrived."

When she turned to look, she saw the sun peeking through the clouds, just as he had said.

Though the clouds still partially obscured the sky, they couldn’t stop the dawn from breaking.

Sunlight painted the sky and even bathed the sea in a warm glow. Even the once-chilly breeze felt pleasant against their skin.

"Watching the sunrise by the ocean isn’t so bad."

Seti couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight of night disappearing beyond the horizon. Dung Beetle felt the same.

The warmth of silence stretched between them. After a while, Dung Beetle was the first to break it.

"Seti."

"Yes?"

"Is there any reason I can’t use the name ‘Yeomyeong’?"

"Yeomyeong?"

"Yeah. Yeomyeong."

Seti was about to mention that there was already a famous person with that name. A rather well-known superhuman, in fact.

But at that moment, one of the clouds shifted, allowing sunlight to stream down and illuminate Dung Beetle.

From where Seti stood behind him, it looked as though a halo of light surrounded him.

As absurd as the thought was, in that moment, Dung Beetle appeared almost divine—like a figure from a painting in a church.

Momentarily entranced by the sight, Seti found herself answering without thinking.

"…It suits you. Yeomyeong."