A dark, menacing presence surrounded the creature, and in an instant, it severed the necks of two of the three figures. They didn’t even realize they were dead until the moment their heads flew off.

[AAAH!!]

The remaining creature, with six arms, desperately tried to retreat...

*Whoosh-*

A sharp blue blade was already closing in from behind, slashing through the air. Black ooze poured from the creature’s compound eyes as the attack landed.

\- !!

In that moment, the creature sensed something chilling.

So fast?

*Whooooosh-*

The strike that had immediately killed **Blue Ray** was now rushing towards them, its incredible force cutting through space and flying toward its target.

What had been an immeasurable distance was now suddenly within reach.

There was no time to hesitate.

Despite the urgency, the creature remained calm and composed, knowing the attack wasn’t aimed at it.

The trajectory of the flash of light seemed to pass between it and the glowing-headed human woman.

It was clear the additional attack was aimed at protecting the woman, not at the creature itself.

The creature hadn’t realized this objective until now.

It was confident it had completed its goal. The others had misunderstood its target.

If it could just clear out the parasites infesting the dimensional space and seal the portal...

However, the creature quickly had to twist its body.

*Swish-*

A red flash flared into golden light, appearing right in front of it. The causality seemed twisted, making the movement unnatural as if it had been aimed directly at it from the beginning.

The creature’s compound eyes widened in disbelief.

This power...!

---

*Beep-*

\- "You’ve missed your chance. Survival is unlikely."

"..."

Karlstein's eyes darkened. From the analysis of the creature’s emitted waves, it seemed to be a Double Numbering creature.

A dangerous entity specializing in stealth and mobility.

"Is it an existing registered entity?" he asked.

\- "No, it appears to be a new type of entity."

"Hmm..."

If he had known, he would’ve prepared more substantial equipment.

He had only brought two weapons for the throwing spear.

It was unfortunate, but there was nothing to be done.

No one had anticipated such a creature would appear out of nowhere.

A Double Numbering.

Two-digit creatures were of a different caliber than Triple Numberings. The fact that it had remained undetected by any observation equipment made it clear just how dangerous it was.

Single Numbering creatures typically didn’t interfere with humanity’s affairs, which made the Double Numbering the true leader among the monsters.

It was unfortunate, but this battle should be considered finished.

Moreover, the results gained from this encounter were not insignificant.

Had the creature not revealed itself, no one could predict what kind of disaster it might have caused. Even the fact that it was forced to expose itself and lose its upper body was already a significant achievement.

Additionally, the reason it revealed itself.

"Perhaps it was to eliminate the spirits..." Karlstein mused.

Had the creature been more hostile toward the spirits than humanity?

Karlstein didn’t think so.

Instead, the creature’s actions seemed to aim at preventing any contact between the spirits and humanity.

This was highly significant.

It was unlike the usual behavior monsters had shown toward humans.

Was this a strategy? There was something distinctly more calculated in its hostility compared to its previous irrational aggression.

"Haha," Karlstein laughed.

This was even better.

If the enemy was acting strategically, it meant that they could also be countered strategically. If their goal was to prevent contact between humans and spirits, then they could do the opposite. That alone would strike a significant blow to them.

How could he not laugh at that?

The creature, having lost half its upper body, killed the three spirits and fled. Its astonishing vitality allowed it to open an astral portal and escape.

Had Maksien not severed its upper and lower bodies, it might have recovered and returned to the battlefield.

At the place where Maksien had been, the lower half of the creature’s body and the silver liquid floated aimlessly.

The corpse of the Double Numbering would be used as material for etheric weapons. Researching it could lead to better strategies and the production of new weaponry.

Moreover, the creature had attempted to collect the silver liquid but failed. By the time it had killed the spirits and gathered half the liquid, Maksien was already close enough to stop it.

Thus, they secured the remaining half of the silver liquid.

However...

\- "There’s an anomaly in the astral signal reaction in the area."

It seemed the creature had done something on the other side of the portal, causing an anomalous reaction.

"Hmm."

As expected, the monsters seemed to handle the Astral Dimension with ease.

It was apparent that, like humans using the Astral Dimension for warping, the monsters could do the same.

This wasn’t the first time a monster had used the Astral Dimension portal, but it was the first time they had done so so openly.

It must have been in a hurry.

Karlstein’s lips curled upward.

The overwhelming presence that had been pressuring the surroundings since the appearance of the Double Numbering creature was gradually diminishing.

\- "We’re still not sure what exactly the anomaly is?"

\- "We can’t determine that yet."

"Hmm."

The fact that the monsters’ ability to manipulate the Astral Dimension was better than humanity’s was clear.

However...

How long could they keep this advantage?

Monsters constantly evolve.

But humanity also keeps advancing and evolving.

The speed of technological progress?

The fact that humanity reclaimed the barrier speaks volumes.

As long as humanity didn’t make the same foolish mistakes as the previous emperors.

And wasn’t it true?

Recently, he had acquired powerful means related to dimensions.

\- "Master, are you alright? That power is..."

"Hmm? Ah..."

Karlstein glanced at his hand. Golden fragments swirled around him.

"After a bit of rest, it should calm down."

\- "Master."

"Don’t I have to walk it off?"

\- "..."

In his vision, the Imperial battleship suddenly halted and quickly reversed.

\- "Civilians can’t endure this."

"Well... anyway, hurry up with the next update while I rest."

\- "Understood, Master."

"I suppose the community also needs to be updated quickly."

\- "It will be done immediately."

Karlstein’s eyes blazed with determination.

---

**[Curious about someone’s life in another world?]**  
**[Wouldn’t you like to be a reliable sponsor?]**  
**[The ranking of constellations is determined by your sponsorship points.]**  
**[Constellation rank? Check out the benefits based on the constellation rankings! Also, rewards based on the audience's viewership are available!]**  
**[Is your life in another world so tough that it’s practically hopeless? Then, why not apply to be a streamer?!]**  
**[If you subscribe now, it’s only...]**

A major update was rolled out for the community.

It wasn’t a grand update, but users from Earth would recognize it immediately.

Of course, the reactions from users were hot, almost bursting into flames.

*Lmao*  
*I never get bored.*  
*Ah, what’s it this time? I hope it’s not another gacha shop thing.*  
*(GungjinAnigojin): It’s not that bad though.*  
*That’s just you. Ugh, RNG sucks.*  
*Did you really suck up to the admin? Why? Why?*  
*I’ve spent ten times more than you, and all I got was an SR.*  
*(GungjinAnigojin): Maybe if you tried once more, you’d get something.*  
*Are you crazy?! @^$*#*%^#^@&$*

Users tired of their mundane lives in the other world were excited.

*Why does it feel so bad to keep spending points and getting nothing?*  
*At least I’m not bored anymore. Old literature was the only entertainment.*  
*It’s better if it’s something that involves physical activity. Honestly, those who do nothing...*  
*We need a virtual reality game to be released!*  
*What’s everyone else doing, I wonder?*  
*Yeah. I want to see the real faces of those guys who keep bragging in writing.*  
*Lol, right? They all claim to be swordmasters and grand magicians, haha.*  
*Exactly.*  
*Will **Magical Keisha** come out?*  
*Young man, you have quite the unique taste.*  
*What’s this? High-definition paid service? Is that part of the points too?*

This time, the update was different—users could not only spend points but also earn them.

*What’s this now?*  
*I don’t know. Juduk is always doing stuff like this.*  
*Ah... I’m out of points already.*  
*This month’s nearly over.*  
*But this update looks like you can earn points?*  
*It seems like you get rewards for sponsoring streamers.*  
*But you have to sponsor to make it work, haha.*  
*Seems like Juduk is crazy about money. What’s with the 10% fee?*  
*If you don’t like it, why don’t you make your own, haha.*  
*5% goes to expanding the transmission device, the other 5% goes to content development and research.*  
*They’re still going to take a cut even from the developed content, haha.*  
*I don’t know. You figure it out.*  
*Doesn’t matter if I don’t subscribe, right?*  
*How can you stand this? Haha, lol.*

Especially users who had been bored with their otherworld lives

 couldn’t help but welcome the update.

---

And the long-awaited first streamer was an unexpectedly famous figure.

"Hello. This is **Rich King Raymond** from 'Riche is Rich.' Hehe."

On the screen, a skull grinned eerily.