Fragment of the Black Moon. A mysterious item that suddenly appeared after regression. Right now, Sungshik was fixated on that very Fragment of the Black Moon.

“Sigh, finding a mutated gate is harder than I thought.”

―Wouldn’t it be faster to locate the Revolutionary Knights headquarters instead of searching for that?

“Impossible. The Revolutionary Knights headquarters is probably in China.”

―And what stops you from finding it just because it’s in China?

At Heaven-Splitter’s words, Sungshik responded with disbelief.

“…You wouldn’t be able to cover the entire Chinese territory even if you searched for a lifetime.”

Did Heaven-Splitter not understand the sheer scale of the continent? Shaking his head, Sungshik checked the Rune of the Black Moon.

[Rune of the Black Moon (5/100)]
―Grade: ?
―Description: ??

He had only gathered five pieces so far. Progress was slow.

“Ah~ I wish a large number of mutated monsters would just show up somewhere.”

Truthfully, there wasn’t an urgent need to gather them right away. However, lingering at the stagnant stage of a 7-Star rank was making him restless.

Sungshik’s level was in an unusual state. Thanks to the perk he had obtained when acquiring the Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, he had already reached the realm of 9-Stars once. Mentally, he was already prepared to step into the 8-Star level at any moment.

However, enlightenment alone wasn’t enough to reach 8-Star.

Body. Energy. Spirit.

The ‘Body’ that represented the physical form. The ‘Energy’ that was mana itself and served as a bridge between the Body and the Spirit. And finally, the ‘Spirit,’ which was tied to the mind, soul, and enlightenment.

That was the key. To reach the 8-Star level, all three elements—Body, Energy, and Spirit—had to harmonize and balance perfectly.

Sungshik already had remnants of 9-Star enlightenment. However, those remnants only pertained to ‘Spirit.’ To ascend to 8-Star, both ‘Energy’ and ‘Body’ needed to rise alongside ‘Spirit.’

“But that’s not something that can be resolved all at once.”

Unlike ‘Spirit,’ which could advance through sudden bursts of enlightenment, ‘Body’ and ‘Energy’ were much harder to rapidly improve. ‘Energy’ could at least be boosted temporarily through elixirs, but ‘Body’ required consistent training. This was why many superhumans failed to break through the barrier of 6-Star to reach 7-Star.

“After all, from 7-Star onward, the balance of Body, Energy, and Spirit becomes crucial.”

In that sense, Sungshik’s case was truly unusual. His ‘Spirit’ had developed rapidly, dragging along his ‘Body’ and ‘Energy’ to maintain balance.

And that balance was surprisingly stable. Since ‘Spirit’ was leading the way, his equilibrium wasn’t collapsing.

―If it were someone like that Lee Xiaoguang fellow we saw before, with an unstable ‘Body’ filled only with ‘Energy’ while his ‘Spirit’ couldn’t keep up, he would end up in a completely unstable state.

Lee Xiaoguang wasn’t suited to reaching 7-Star. He had forcibly advanced using elixirs obtained through his pre-regression knowledge, modifying his ‘Body’ slightly and artificially inflating his ‘Energy.’ It was like filling a cracked jar with water—it was bound to break.

The only solution was for him to experience enlightenment, allowing his ‘Spirit’ to undergo a sudden transformation, thereby balancing out his ‘Body.’ In the end, even if Sungshik hadn’t dealt with him, his balance would have collapsed sooner or later.

―Though it seemed he wasn’t even aware of that himself.

Lee Xiaoguang’s forced 7-Star rank was nothing more than a poisoned chalice leading him to ruin.

“Ah, that guy must have consumed a ridiculous amount of elixirs to reach 7-Star, right? I should have taken them for myself.”

If he had, maybe he’d be at least 7-Star+, maybe even 8-Star by now?

Even though they weren’t his elixirs to begin with, Sungshik couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss at their waste.

‘What a parasite feeding off humanity.’

Who knew how many precious resources he had squandered? Thinking about it made Sungshik unconsciously click his tongue, and his thoughts drifted to the 11 Thrones.

“Then just how monstrous are those 11 Thrones?”

Unlike himself, they didn’t have a broken ability like [EX Rank] Consumption. They had no future knowledge. They hadn’t consumed world-defying elixirs.

And yet, the 11 Thrones had already reached 7-Star or at least a comparable level, purely by being born with monstrous ‘talent’ granted by the heavens.

‘Ah, no. But they all have absurdly overpowered traits, so maybe that played a role?’

However, there were plenty of superhumans with incredible traits who still fell far short of the 11 Thrones. Realizing this, he once again felt just how monstrous they were.

―I don’t know what you were like before your regression, but your potential now isn’t inferior to theirs. No, perhaps you may even surpass them.

A sudden compliment from Heaven-Splitter. Sungshik blinked in confusion.

“Me?”

Hadn’t he only made it this far because of his broken [EX Rank] Consumption ability and future knowledge? He had noticed some differences in his talent post-regression, but he had never considered himself particularly gifted. His own words sounded skeptical.

―You really have no idea, do you? Tsk.

“No, I…”

Just as he was about to respond to Heaven-Splitter—

―Brrring!~ Incoming call!~ Incoming call!~

His phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed Kim Subin.

“Huh, it’s Subin?”

He had been too busy lately to keep in touch. They had stayed in contact even after graduation, but with his recent workload piling up, he hadn’t reached out in a while. Reminded of this, he answered the call.

“Hey, Subin. Long time no see.”

But the call from Kim Subin wasn’t just a casual greeting.

Kim Subin, the Priestess of the Moon. Just like before the regression, she had graduated early once again. After graduation, she joined the Shining Clan. The ‘Shining Clan’ was the Korean branch of ‘Noah’s Ark.’

She had been given many conveniences to help her adapt, and it seemed she had already secured her place within the clan. According to her, she had broken through the 3-Star barrier and reached 4-Star. Though Sungshik’s pace overshadowed hers, her growth rate was astonishing.

It was true that she had been guided through gate raids and received massive clan support, which contributed significantly.

What Sungshik didn’t realize was that, due to ‘Luna’ sharing her power with him, Kim Subin’s growth had actually been hindered. Before his regression, she had already reached 4-Star+ by this time. Though unintentional, Sungshik had ended up receiving the privileges that were originally meant for her.

Despite that, Kim Subin had quickly become a rising rookie in the clan due to her innate talent and sharp instincts. It was no surprise, then, that she was selected as a backup member for the Shining Clan’s raid team.

―So, we're planning to attack the 'A-rank' gate we discovered this time, but it seems like it might be a mutated gate.

"A mutated gate? How did you figure that out?"

―Part of it was something I could detect with my trait in advance, and Yun Gardes came to check it out and said it seemed like one as well.

Hearing that, Sungshik could understand.

'With Kim Subin's trait and Yun Gardes' trait... it's possible they'd be able to sense it in advance.'

"Ah, so the Shining Clan is the one attacking the A-rank gate this time?"

―Yeah, yeah. It appeared in the area we manage. But because of that, things are a mess right now.

"Why?"

―Because it's a mutated gate. Even though the Shining Clan is one of the top ten clans in the country, there's a concern that handling a mutated A-rank gate might be beyond our capacity.

That wasn't wrong. Even though the Shining Clan ranked among the top ten clans in the country, the highest-ranked superhuman within it was only at the 5-star+ level. If a 6-star+ boss monster emerged from the mutated A-rank gate, the raid team would be wiped out without question.

"Huh, that's a big problem. So, what did you decide to do?"

―So, we decided to recruit mercenaries... but it's not going well. Fortunately, the superhuman 'Kang Hanil' agreed to join, but there's some internal opposition to hiring mercenaries.

The internal politics of the Shining Clan were quite complicated. The reason was that the Shining Clan was actually the Korean branch of 'Noah's Ark.'

The core members of the clan were affiliated with Noah's Ark, but since it was an overseas branch established in Korea, the majority of its members inevitably ended up being Korean superhumans. Furthermore, since 'Noah's Ark' itself was a secretive organization, only a handful of vetted individuals within the Shining Clan were even aware of this fact.

As a result, those who were not affiliated with Noah's Ark remained largely unaware of the real dangers posed by the mutated gate and were indifferent to the situation.

'What's the big deal? Just go and clear it. Why hire mercenaries? We're one of the top ten clans in the country, aren't we? It's not even an S-rank gate, so why all the fuss?'

That was their mindset. They believed that recruiting outside help and hiring mercenaries would only expose the 'Shining Clan's' lack of ability.

Internal opposition was strong. That was the situation. As a compromise, they decided to bring in only a few select mercenaries, specifically those with experience in A-rank gate raids, including 'Kang Hanil.'

―So, we decided to have Kang Hanil and Seo Haneul as the main force, along with a few more mercenaries who have experience in A-rank gate raids.

"Oh, even Seo Haneul? That's great."

―And speaking of which… would you be willing to join too, Sungshik?

Sungshik hesitated at Kim Subin's sudden request.

"Huh? Me? On what grounds?"

―Oh, come on. We all know. 'Big Sir' superhuman~

That was right. Kim Subin already knew that the 'Big Sir' who had been the star of the A-rank gate raid in the Baekdu Clan was actually Sungshik.

"Ah."

Now that he thought about it, it made sense. The only person who knew that he was Big Sir was Yun Gardes. Yun Gardes was a member of Noah's Ark. And Kim Subin had joined the Korean branch of Noah's Ark.

That meant...

"So you’re also a member of Noah’s Ark, Subin?"

Sungshik realized that Kim Subin, too, was affiliated with Noah's Ark.

―Yeah, yeah. That's how it turned out. I meant to tell you earlier, but I'm only saying it now.

"Wow, Subin, I figured you’d end up there. Congratulations."

―Thanks! But that's not what I called about~ Um… would Big Sir superhuman be willing to join this raid?

"Hmm~ I'm super busy, but if it's a request from Subin, of course, I have to go!"

―Okay, deal! You can't take it back now.

There was no reason to refuse. Participating in the raid was beneficial for Sungshik.

The Fragment of the Black Moon. He had already been searching for mutated gates, so this offer required no second thought—it was an instant acceptance.

"Of course. I'm not the type to go back on my word."

―Then I'll send you the detailed schedule through chat!

"Okay."

The A-rank gate raid scheduled by Kim Subin was set for three weeks later. Nearly twenty mercenaries were recruited for this raid. Among them were 'Kang Hanil' and 'Seo Haneul.'

"Kang Hanil… I wonder what kind of person he is."

Before his regression, Sungshik had never seen Kang Hanil in person. He had only heard rumors. He had long held the position of the number one ranked superhuman in Korea. However, unfortunately, his story ended with the gate break.

During the gate break, one of the most densely populated areas was Yongsan-gu in Seoul. Kang Hanil had stood against it alongside a few other superhumans. Thanks to their efforts, many people were able to evacuate, but in the end, Kang Hanil lost his life to a 7-star monster.

"I wonder if he's someone who can surpass 7-stars."

Since Sungshik now existed, such a tragedy would not happen again. That was why he was curious—whether Kang Hanil had the potential to surpass the 7-star barrier.

―If he reached 6-stars first in Korea but never broke through to 7-stars, then it’s likely he reached the limit of his talent.

That was a reasonable statement. At present, Kang Hanil was the strongest and only 6-star superhuman in Korea. However, before long, more 6-star superhumans would begin to emerge, and he would eventually lose his rank as number one.

Setting aside his thoughts about Kang Hanil, Sungshik accessed the superhuman community. Over time, Sungshik had been using the community to build up his reputation.

If he could establish himself as a well-known figure here, he would be able to issue strong warnings about the impending 'Gate Break' when the time came. With that goal in mind, he had been posting regularly, and his notoriety had grown faster than expected.

[EX] Returner's login has been recognized.

After logging in, Sungshik checked the Tips & Strategies board.

[Best] A Critical Weakness of Hobgoblins That No One Knew About
Author: [EX] Returner
Upvotes: 19,921

[Best] Essential Tricks for 2-Star Gates Based on Terrain
Author: [EX] Returner
Upvotes: 17,521

[Best] 3-Star Boss Monsters Aren't That Hard! Detailed Strategies by Type
Author: [EX] Returner
Upvotes: 24,821

…

…

Many of the top posts in the Monthly Best section were written by Sungshik. He had been discreetly posting unknown but valuable low-rank strategies to help nurture low-tier superhumans.

As a result, countless 2-star and 3-star superhumans who had struggled in dungeon raids were able to grow more efficiently. While establishing his reputation, he was also making an effort to support the development of lower-ranked superhumans.

While browsing the community, Sungshik's eyes were drawn to a trending post on the free discussion board.