"No, I meant gods in a general sense."
"I don't." Shun shifted his gaze to Rakina and shook his head.
She pointed at the book. "This book reveals a method to summon a higher, interdimensional being—a divine entity, also known as an Outer God.
"Once summoned, you'll gain power and knowledge in exchange for a terrifying price."
"As if they exist," he scoffed.
"That's for you to decide." Rakina turned and stepped onto her blade. She flew off, returning to the detention room.
But Shun didn't follow. He remained behind, staring at the book.
'Gaining new powers, huh?' he thought.
If he could decipher its contents, he might be able to obtain powers like Rakina described. But there was no way he could read it—
Unless… he had some kind of artifact for that.
Right. He remembered now—he did have something like that. He'd received it years ago as a reward for completing his first hunter quest.
Skipping school, Shun rushed home, rummaged through his old belongings, and found it—a monocle.
He stared at it. A chill pierced through him, straight to his soul.
———
[Monocle of Revelation]
Description: When worn on the right eye, allows the user to read unknown languages. When worn on the left, grants guidance from the System.
Type: Consumable
Usage: 1/3
Rarity: Very Rare
———
Only one use remained. Shun had pondered how to spend that last charge for years, and eventually forgot about it—until now.
He placed the monocle over his right eye.
[Activate the effect?]
He agreed and turned his eyes to the book.
The unreadable language writhed like serpents, twisting and aligning into characters he could comprehend. Even so, the writing felt wrong. It radiated a sickening presence. His stomach churned.
But he pushed through the discomfort and read from beginning to end—and nearly lost himself in the process.
With each word echoing in his mind, it felt like swallowing live worms. His heart pounded violently, as if about to burst. His vision blinked in and out beyond count. His mind hung between lucidity and madness, and yet—somehow—he endured.
[Warning! You have received a severe mental attack.]
The system alert echoed—not out of kindness, but like a doctor reciting a diagnosis.
"Thanks, Sherlock," Shun muttered dryly.
Yet he continued reading.
When he finished, something stirred in his stomach—hot and acidic.
He sprinted to the bathroom, but the aftereffects of the book overwhelmed him. Losing his balance, he slammed into a wall and collapsed onto the floor.
But what he vomited wasn't bile.
It was moths.
Tears streamed down his face as he retched. Dozens—no, hundreds—of moths spewed from his mouth, filling the apartment in seconds.
Then, at last, it stopped. He collapsed, eyes fluttering shut.
***
He awoke hours later.
Darkness.
Panic surged. He sat up in confusion—then realized the truth.
Moths.
They covered him. Crawling on his face, body, everywhere. Blinding him.
When he moved, they scattered.
His entire apartment was infested.
He blinked. He remembered. It wasn't a dream. He vomited moths.
Reality shifted under his feet.
'That... really happened,' he thought.
Who would believe him?
Who could?
All he could do was process it slowly.
Moths crawled in every corner of the apartment, making it feel more like a nest than a home. He had to get rid of them before the neighbors noticed and called someone.
He opened the window. A gust of fresh wind swept in.
The moths flew out in droves. From a distance, it would look like a black cloud erupting from his window.
Some lingered, stubbornly clinging to furniture and walls. Shun ignored them.
His eyes returned to the book.
He could now remember what he read—its contents seared into his mind.
It was an introduction to a being calling Himself the Monarch God.
———
Monarch, essence of All That Is.
Corrosion of All That Was.
You who body the Celestial and Terrestrial—
Bearer of Dream, Keeper of Time—
———
Whoever wrote the notebook was clearly a devout believer. They worshipped the Monarch God as a benevolent protector of humanity—one who drove away other malicious Outer Gods and kept this world safe. That, they claimed, was why no other Outer God had ever been recorded here.
Shun narrowed his eyes.
It all sounded far-fetched.
Many religions claimed many gods. This book dismissed them all, claiming only the Monarch God was real—without evidence.
Yet… this was the first time Shun had ever heard that name.
So who should he believe?
Well… for now, the Monarch God was the only one who'd made him vomit moths.
That was evidence enough.
Shun pinched his chin in thought.
'Now that I know He's real... maybe I can obtain His powers. That way, I'll become stronger—and prove to my family I'm no less than my little brother.'
He made up his mind.
He would summon Him.
The book outlined the ritual. It had to be done at high altitude, with a clear view of the sky. He needed to draw the symbol.
Shun knew just the place.
***
He climbed over the school fence and made his way to the rooftop. Once there, he set his bag down and drew the sigil.
A pupil with roots dripping downward like tears. Above it, lines shaped like a crown. Below, the mark descended into a pointed sword-like edge. Coiling around the symbol were two lines—black and white—with a serpent biting its tail.
"It's done."
Shun stared at the symbol. The air around him trembled. Doubt crept in.
Was this the right thing to do?
He forced himself to stay calm.
This might be his only chance.
He bit his thumb. Blood flowed freely.
Using it, he wrote a phrase in that ancient language—Call Forth.
Then he began to chant:
> "Monarch, essence of All That Is.
Corrosion of All That Was.
You who body the Celestial and Terrestrial—
Bearer of Dream, Keeper of Time—
We call you forth from beyond the Veil."
---
Meanwhile, at the Hunter's Guild…
Alarms blared. Sirens wailed.
They had detected a massive energy spike—greater than a Red Rift. A reading that could annihilate an entire city-state.
The control room descended into chaos.
"Call all available hunters and guilds! This is Code Black—I repeat, Code Black!"
Code Black.
A world-ending threat.
A man in a reinforced battle suit burst into the room. His presence silenced everyone.
"What's going on here?!" he demanded.
The staff shrank back under his gaze.
"We detected a Code Black signal, Sir Yama," said the lead scientist.
"Ma'am, the readings are fading," another technician added. "But… mid-class monsters have appeared in the city!"
"What?! How is that possible? Is the system malfunctioning?" The lead scientist rushed to the signal analyzer.
The reading had calmed… but not fully.
"Violet," Yama said quietly, "what's going on?"
"We don't know yet, sir. But I believe this event warrants investigation. We can't risk another Wave."
Wave—a cataclysmic event.
The first had occurred fifty years ago: endless rifts, swarming monsters, and Towers erupting from the earth.
"Send the Dove Guild to investigate and eliminate the monsters. Tell the other guilds… it was a false alarm."