There had been many disasters on Earth.

“In recent years, humanoid monsters such as mermaids have reappeared.”

The bishop of the Moon Sect explained in her characteristically calm tone.

“With the appearance of the mermaids, Sankallut, who should have remained sealed within the Association’s research facility, also revealed his power. Traces of him were mostly discovered in the Church of the Sun.”

“Do you believe the mermaids truly allied with Sankallut?”

“It now seems even the Evil God of Dreams has joined the equation. No—rather, one could say he orchestrated it all. Neither the mermaids nor Sankallut have shown their full power or cruelty…”

“So the Evil God of Dreams imposed restrictions on them.”

“It’s uncertain whether they acted under his command, but it’s certainly possible. At the very least, they must have allied. And the leadership would have belonged to the Evil God of Dreams.”

“Only then can the behavior of past disasters be explained.”

The Moon Sect priests nodded.

“It seems the Evil God of Dreams truly seeks to colonize Earth.”

Even the word “colonize” was a softened expression.

“I’d say it’s more like turning Earth into a feeding pen.”

“Looking at the situation, his intent must be to reduce Earth’s inhabitants to livestock.”

“To the Evil God, using the empty bodies of those addicted to dreams and detached from reality would be a trivial task…”

“Hopefully the government and the Association can come up with a decent countermeasure, though I can’t say for sure.”

“Indeed, this is an issue that must be handled on a national level.”

But this wasn’t something the Moon Sect needed to deliberate on.

“Everyone, please focus.”

The bishop once again called for attention.

“Our task is not to save the citizens. As I’ve said, that’s the job of the government and the Association. Our role is the destruction or sealing of the ‘Dream Amusement Park.’ And…”

“……”

“…the rescue of the Saintess.”

At her words, the air grew heavy. The expressions of the priests remained unchanged, yet their hearts were anything but calm. Quietly, they burned with rage.

“…We will rescue the Saintess safely.”

“We won’t let her remain a plaything in the Evil God’s hands.”

The Moon Sect priests, raised in an insular culture and taken to extremes of individualism, trusted and loved their fellow sect members more than anyone else. Their only family was each other.

“Many of our brothers and sisters, addicted to dreams, still haven’t awakened.”

“Though they wake up periodically, since actual sleep time isn’t extended…”

“They continue to flee reality, consumed by dreams. We’ve been forcefully stopping them from increasing their sleep time with medication, but that’s only a temporary measure.”

“We can’t just stand by and watch… It’s horrific.”

“At this rate, they’ll fully cross into the ‘Dream Amusement Park.’ Not just an illusory dream, but a real dungeon—unlike the Saintess, they’ll willingly surrender their bodies to it.”

“In the worst-case scenario, Earth could become completely deserted. And the first to fall might be our Moon Sect.”

They were people driven by a thirst for knowledge. The Moon Sect priests didn’t delve into dreams for base pleasure. But even if it was a dream, knowledge wasn’t an illusion—and that made it all the more sweet.

Even the priests who were still awake sympathized with the dreamers. Some went beyond sympathy and even envied them. The only reason they hadn’t yet succumbed to dreams was one:

“That’s why the Saintess…”

“…We must take her back.”

“How dare they lay a hand on her.”

“Unforgivable.”

Her absence loomed unbearably large.

“We must enter the dungeon.”

It was time for concrete action.

“Not everyone can cross into the dream.”

“Correct. Some of ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) us may again fail to recognize the dream for what it is and become trapped at the threshold. That would defeat the purpose.”

“Those who have been tempted by dreams should remain in reality as much as possible. Only those who have recognized dreams as dreams at least three times should be allowed to participate in the entry.”

“Even better if they’ve seen the ‘Dream Amusement Park’ itself. There aren’t many such priests, but their experience could be helpful.”

If all the priests fell asleep, the Moon Sect’s operations would collapse. Even if they did fall asleep to enter, how many would actually reach the ‘Dream Amusement Park’? An elite few were needed.

“Therefore, for this operation…”

The bishop, gazing around at the priests, spoke in her characteristic emotionless tone.

“I will also be joining the entry.”

“Bishop, but the ones remaining in reality need you.”

“If I shy away now, with the Saintess taken, how can any priest trust the bishop again?”

“We would trust you regardless, Bishop.”

“I firmly believe that all of you remaining in reality will perform admirably.”

“But Bishop, now that the Saintess is gone—if even you are absent, who can we turn to? We cannot allow it.”

“Then let’s establish a fallback plan.”

She had to remain.

“…We’ll set an order.”

“To prepare in case the first entry fails?”

“You can’t expect to succeed on the first try. Especially when the opponent is so abstract and the real enemy is inner greed—it’ll be even harder.”

“We understand, Bishop.”

“We’ll split the entries into first, second, and third phases.”

“Then the first three entries must be considered preparatory stages.”

Even without the bishop saying more, the priests considered it natural to offer themselves. Even though those assigned to the ‘preparatory stage’ were essentially test subjects.

Looking at them, the bishop thought:

‘…Yes. This is a barrel of rotten wine.’

Outwardly, the barrel might appear fine—but one had to know what was inside. One had to recognize that it had rotted. Otherwise, it would eventually leak and alert the wine-makers.

‘That we’ve stagnated and spoiled.’

So ask to be discarded.

‘Then new wine can be poured in…’

The Moon and the Saintess, held close by the Evil God, would become the beginning of that.

‘So my task is simple.’

She had to break the hardened barrel. To help the spoiled wine seep out through the cracks. She would destroy the religion built atop this rot and build anew.

“……”

And so, we sinners shall become stars beside the moon.

“…From now on, elders, listen carefully. The priests participating in the first through third entries must be helped to determine their own worth. We don’t know what dangers they may face.”

“Even without your instructions, Bishop, we are all ready to offer ourselves. If it’s to reclaim our precious Saintess and our family, what sacrifice would be too great? Please do not doubt us.”

The trainee priests were excluded from all of this. Some were relieved, but most were disappointed. Even so, the bishop did not permit them.

They had to survive and lend their strength to the Saintess’s new beginning.

“Then the list is finalized.”

The Moon Sect’s decision-making was no different than usual. Priests who saw themselves as expendable. So ordinary it felt natural.

“We’ll share our plan with the Association.”

“Yes, Bishop.”

“In the meantime, the priests shall continue their training in prayer to the Moon.”

“We shall.”

“May wisdom be with us.”

May a better future come to us.

‘Even if it begins with the mercy of an Evil God.’

There was nothing to lose.

***

Trainee priest Iru Da of the Church of the Sun asked,

“So, this Evil God of Dreams is basically opposing the Black Cloak, right?”

“Huh? Oh… yeah, I guess?”

“Then are you really going to be fine?”

She was worried about her partner, Cha I-Sol.

“If two divine forces clash, their respective priests are bound to be affected. After all, the power a priest uses comes from the god they serve. And you’re borrowing quite a lot of power from the Black Cloak.”

“I thought I’d be fine though…?”

More than anything, Cha I-Sol already knew the truth behind the incident.

“It’s okay! Everything will work out!”

To her, this was just a minor squabble between Gio’s second and third personalities. Even she, who doted on her siblings, had fought with her older brother and sister. But they always made up—surely Gio would too.

Watching her, Iru Da sighed.

“You’re too optimistic.”

“Isn’t that a good thing…?”

“……”

Iru Da clearly had more to say but held back.

“…I hope, like you say, it ends without trouble.”

If the past incidents with the mermaids and Sankallut were caused by the Evil God of Dreams, then this dungeon had been prepared for a long time. The ‘Dream Amusement Park,’ abstract and stimulating the human psyche, had become a tangible threat.

‘But considering all that, the damage is oddly minimal… strange.’

In such cases, it’s usually one of two things:

‘Either the instigator is holding back, or someone else is restraining them.’

But it was hard to imagine an Evil God with the self-control to do that. And even if he did, the lack of damage was still too abnormal.

‘If someone else is restraining the Evil God of Dreams… then they must be not just equal, but superior in rank. And there aren’t many who could do that in this situation.’

There were only a few possibilities: the “Promise” that protected Earth’s system—or the Black Cloak, the Sun God whom Cha I-Sol served. Given the current state of Earth, the latter seemed far more likely.

“…Hmm…”

But even that felt a bit off.

“…Are you really not affected at all?”

“I haven’t felt anything. Maybe I just don’t have any ability?”

“Ah, no—don’t start blaming yourself all of a sudden.”

Flustered, Iru Da instinctively continued her analysis.

‘The power Cha I-Sol receives from her god isn’t small. And she doesn’t seem to be lying. In these cases, it usually means the god is either so vast that no effect reaches the priest, or that nothing has changed with the god at all.’

The first was absurd. The second made no sense either.

‘Is the Black Cloak, a familiar ghost story among humans, really that high-ranking?’

If not, it would mean the Black Cloak wasn’t truly opposing the Evil God of Dreams.

‘Either way, that’s hard to accept.’

Still—if the Black Cloak was a superior existence, then it all fit.

“What do you think about this Evil God?”

“Um… I kinda wanna go to the Amusement Park too?”

“You’ll end up in trouble like with Sankallut last time.”

At that, Iru Da thought,

‘Maybe it really is the latter… or maybe… both.’

As a disciple of the Black Cloak, Cha I-Sol did not reject the Evil God of Dreams. Even if unaware, a priest inevitably reflects their deity’s stance. That alone gave Iru Da some certainty.

“……”

But why?

‘…Why doesn’t the Black Cloak, who enjoys protecting Earth, hate the Evil God of Dreams?’

It didn’t make sense, but it wasn’t something she could press further.

“Anyway… Priest Kang Seodam said he’s joining the operation too. Will he be okay?”

“They said no one’s died from this dungeon, so maybe?”

“But it’s still a dungeon.”

“And it’s also a dream.”

Cha I-Sol smiled while drawing the Black Cloak.

“How could anyone die in a dream?”

“…That’s true, I guess.”

Iru Da didn’t criticize her partner’s innocent question.

***

Some of the divine beings Gio called friends played along with his mischief.

The Goddess of the Sun condemned the evil acts committed by the Evil God of Dreams. The priests of the Church of the Sun, despite their usual tension with the Moon Sect, agreed to cooperate. The Moon Sect welcomed it.

The God of Death mourned those addicted to dreams who diminished the value of life. His priests said nothing—but in doing so, they made their stance clear. They offered material support for the dream expedition.

“…Your friends are scary.”

“They’re all kind people.”

Meanwhile, the Black Cloak remained silent.

“I’m in a good mood.”

“Is that you, Argio?”

“Excellent guess.”

The battlefield was prepared.

“I will be stepping away soon. Please look after my empty portrait.”

Argio smiled contentedly as he returned to his place.