Star City 1.
Luna was sorting through the collected data when she noticed that the main server had grown increasingly unstable.
"These discrepancies—compared to a few years ago—they're too significant. The interference with the server must've intensified."
Chu stood silently, gazing out the window.
Rain was falling on the street.
But Star City 1 wasn't a planet. Naturally occurring rain was impossible here.
The rain was artificial—simulated.
The citizens of the Eternal Cycle Star Nation still enjoyed rainy days. The streets were just as lively as ever, indistinguishable from normal.
"Maybe it's not just external interference," Chu muttered. "Maybe the sheer volume of accumulated data has hit a tipping point. A quantitative shift leading to a qualitative breakdown in the server."
He felt a deep unease about the state of Star City 1.
They'd discovered these anomalies years ago, but nothing had worked.
And if the server collapsed, the entire command chain of the Eternal Cycle Star Nation—top to bottom—would be severed.
"Both explanations are valid," Luna replied calmly.
"The enemy's goal is clear: wipe out all life, and then take over the nest."
"Or perhaps there's something more behind it... Who knows."
Her voice carried no urgency.
The enemy's assault had stirred a trace of helplessness within her, but even so, she saw it as nothing more than a preliminary probe—not a full-scale attack.
"Your solution is just to fix the server? That's it?" Chu asked.
He knew what Luna had been doing these past few years.
But somehow, it all felt dangerously naïve.
"What else would you suggest?"
"As long as the server recovers, everything else falls into place."
"If it doesn't recover, then nothing we do will matter."
"Human Civilization is, after all, a machine civilization."
Luna didn't view herself as the true leader of Human Civilization.
That role belonged to Ayla.
Luna might hold the title of monarch, but in reality, the power rested with the prime minister.
"But you're acting like you've already given up."
Chu found Luna's attitude unsettling. Was she too calm because she was just a part of the Metacellular initiative? Was death simply irrelevant to her?
Did the Eternal Cycle Star Nation mean nothing to her?
Had she planned all along to sacrifice it?
Countless questions swirled in Chu's mind.
"Giving up?" Luna replied lightly. "Star City 1's treatment began long ago. You're just too unaware, Chu."
"Retirement isn't so bad. But if you let yourself rot, you'll be discarded."
She clapped her hands.
A holographic projection materialized beside her—an exact copy of herself.
"Server reconfiguration complete. Star City 1 is now under full control. All data is currently being collected. Estimated duration: 19 days."
Chu stared at the projection in disbelief.
"You activated the Metacellulars?"
Luna shook her head.
"I was going to."
"But then I realized it would be too chaotic. It might've caused widespread confusion."
"If I walked outside and saw everyone looking like me, even I would feel weird."
"So I thought—what's the true strength of Metacellular?"
"It's not just replication. Metacellulars can also act as data conduits. Each one contains a full record of my memories."
"Perfect. Then why not just become the server?"
That's exactly what she did.
Luna became the server.
Her access privileges were enough. She borrowed processing power from the existing computing clusters, and used the Metacellulars as distributed memory nodes. With such dispersion, the enemy would never be able to wipe them all out.
"Sometimes I really think Metacellular is brilliant."
Metacellular represented the apex of Human Civilization's biotech. Its internal designation was [Infinite].
Of course, "infinite" didn't mean invincible. It just meant the system was unimaginably vast—especially in terms of cellular fission.
"No wonder I've been feeling off during server interactions lately," Chu murmured.
He remembered a strange "Luna-like" aura coming from the server.
He thought he was hallucinating.
But no—it was Luna.
She ignored his reaction and continued,
"To prevent signal desyncs, I've expanded beyond the main server. Every signal tower in Star City 1 is now me."
Then she turned to the hologram.
"No need to report back. Handle the data if you can."
"I want results—not surface-level resolution, but a clean, complete conclusion."
Luna had a deep understanding of the system—down to the microscopic level.
Her method was simple: overwhelming force.
"Norm particles aren't your exclusive domain."
Twenty days later, Star City 1 launched the extermination protocol.
All compromised individuals were eliminated without exception.
In the years leading up to this, Luna had secretly constructed norm particle devices on the city's outskirts.
They were deliberately kept disconnected from the main system, positioned at a safe distance to avoid contamination.
Through them, Luna discovered something critical: the influence of the unknown civilization had a strict limit. Beyond 10 AU from Star City, its power faded completely.
After all, their enemy was still just a civilization—not a god.
They couldn't possibly have infinite energy to burn.
Which meant their sphere of influence had its limits.
Norm particles were actually the prototype of the particle plundering weapon.
Norm particles functioned by standardizing all particles, forming a pre-defined system. It was a chain-type weapon, harnessing the inherent order embedded in matter itself.
Matter, by nature, is chaotic—but it also tends toward order.
Given the right configuration, matter will spontaneously align itself into an ordered structure, one that follows the design intended by the creator of the norm.
Particle plundering, on the other hand, was far more brutal. It extracted particles directly, violently disrupting atomic structures.
Both methods were devastating in their own ways.
Weapons like these, even when not aimed at a Star City, could still affect entire stars.
They weren't "super-range" weapons, but they were still cutting-edge tech from Human Civilization.
"Activate."
No countdown. No warning.
At the command, the norm particle device powered up.
Closing in from all sides of Star City 1, it spread by direct physical contact, rapidly converting the city's structure into a norm particle lattice.
This standardization wasn't just a shift toward order—it was also a descent into chaos. A fundamental, microscopic-level transformation.
The entire city's material composition began to degrade. Or more precisely, its previous engineered systems collapsed.
What once consisted of synthetic, intelligent particles was now reduced to ordinary metallic elements.
Afterward, Luna would have to deal with extensive cleanup.
But for now, she wasn't in any rush.
The process of norm particle conversion was anything but quiet.
Along with it came mass casualties.
The situation in Star City 1 hadn't reached the extremes seen in Star City 5. The number of controlled individuals here was only in the tens of billions.
Initial estimates had suggested over 500 billion.
But that figure was wrong.
Not every dead person was suitable for parasitic control.
In many cases, post-mortem degradation rendered bodies unusable as hosts.
Even so, the simultaneous deaths of tens of billions sent ripples through the city—though they quickly faded.
The explanation provided to the public was simple: system failure.
Normally, such a claim wouldn't hold water.
But those under parasitic control exhibited severely diminished intelligence. Over time, they had become isolated from the rest of society.
They no longer appeared in official population records, and with the passage of time, most had no family, no friends left alive.
So when they died, no one mourned.
Their disappearance passed without a whisper.
The explanation offered to the underworld was far more direct:
An invasion by an unknown civilization had caused the deaths—but the threat had been neutralized.
The underworld's citizens had lived since time immemorial, carrying full memories of their former lives.
To them, the loss of tens of billions meant little.
The only backlash came from a few individuals who felt their authority had been slightly diminished. They wanted clearer information, earlier warnings—tools to protect themselves from similar fates.
That wasn't Luna's problem.
That was Hossie's.
Except Luna had no idea where Hossie was anymore.
"Did you find Hossie's ship?" she asked Chu.
She'd assigned the search to him. She couldn't do everything herself.
"Based on the scan routes of the active sub-light detectors, we've covered over 73% of the projected trajectory. Still no trace."
Chu's tone carried deep regret.
It was very possible they'd lost Hossie for good.
"Think of it this way—we don't have confirmation of death."
"Hossie has his tricks. He might turn it around."
"As for Star City 4, the fleet I dispatched is in position. They're split into two task forces."
"One will move in close to gather intel. If they go dark, the second will immediately launch a strike using super-range weapons."
If Star City 4 was lost, it would mark the beginning of all-out war.
Luna wasn't sure how things would unfold.
Would the Connecter intervene?
She had too much on her plate already. If the unknown invaders continued unchecked, the Eternal Cycle Star Nation would collapse.
And who could carry the weight of that outcome?
"What about Star City 5?" Chu asked.
Earlier reports had indicated serious issues—so serious that even ordinary civilians had sensed the disturbance.
"Star City 5?" Luna smiled faintly. "Interesting place. Those two civilians who leaked information to us… they're planning something."
"I'm curious to see what they'll do next."
"Our civilization is sorely lacking in heroes. As our population grows, more and more people just go with the flow."
"But this might be their moment—and also our nation's."
"I'll help them."
Luna had been closely monitoring the situation in Star City 5.
Whether or not those two individuals had passed intel to her, she was always going to send personnel there.
Star City 5 was the closest outpost to Star City 4.
In fact, most of the warships deployed this time had originated from Star City 5.
But Luna's focus wasn't on managing the city itself—it was on remotely controlling the internal systems of the warships.
And she had no doubt about it: those ships were crawling with enemies.
Real enemies—not just low-function, semi-conscious command nodes.
She fully agreed with Moffat's assessment: this was an attack.
But Moffat had misjudged one thing—just because it was an attack didn't mean the enemy had handed everything over to automation. On the contrary, they were actively observing the battlefield, intimately aware of every move, using the weapons as their eyes.
The moment the fleet mobilized, the enemy already knew what came next.
"Truly troublesome…"
"Fortunately, we're not without help."
Luna was overwhelmed.
She'd originally come here to serve as a commander in name only—overseeing strategic change, delegating actual tasks to Chu and Hossie as they gradually reshaped the Eternal Cycle Star Nation.
But now it had escalated into full-blown war. And she had to take the helm herself.
"Help?" Chu asked, curious.
"Who are you talking about?"
Luna smiled, cryptic.
"You already know. Go ahead—take a guess."
...
Qili-class Warship.
A unique designation of Star City 5.
During the transformation from the old eternally democratic regime into the Eternal Cycle Star Nation, Star City 5 had produced a legendary figure.
A man who led a rebellion against the old world—then submitted to Hossie.
But on the very day he surrendered, he took his own life.
He died while the people were still celebrating, full of hope for the future.
"My death is penance for my sins.
I am no pioneer—just a relic of a broken era.
I know my flaws. I cannot erase them.
I could keep living, but seeing others hope... I cannot forgive myself for surviving.
Death is not my return—it is the beginning of civilization.
By my life, by my name, may civilization endure forever."
Ironically, Qili's beliefs had never aligned with Hossie's.
His rebellion was selfish. He wanted power. He wanted the throne.
But he had been utterly defeated by Hossie—despite commanding an army dozens of times larger.
Afterward, Hossie's philosophy spread like wildfire through Star City 5. Qili read it... and realized he had already lost. There were only two options left: flee, or surrender.
Too proud to run and too ashamed to kneel, he chose death—to achieve eternity in his own way.
And he succeeded.
In the aftermath of the war, Qili's name was cleared. His infamy erased.
Ironic—but his death had prevented far more.
Today, Star City 5 was covered in his legacy: Qili Roads, Qili Towers, Qili-class Warships.
A Qili-class warship measured 164.1 km in length, 770.6 km in width, and 83.3 km in height.
Its design resembled a half-bracelet, with a massive circular opening at the center—inside which sat a rhomboid core, like an arrow nocked in a bow.
The entire vessel utilized advanced optical camouflage, making it virtually invisible during deep space travel. Its top speed reached 94,700 km/s.
Star City 5 deployed 507 Qili-class warships for the operation.
Unlike the old Federation, the Eternal Cycle Star Nation's navy was streamlined. There was no division into main or auxiliary fleets.
Every ship was a warship. Uniform. Efficient. Brutal.
And while the military command structure had evolved, it still retained traces of the Olive Branch Civilization it once emerged from.
One such remnant: the Shared Consciousness Cluster.
Socially outdated and inflexible, perhaps—but in warfare, it had its strengths.
Still, the Shared Consciousness Cluster wasn't always active. It could only be enabled in specific scenarios.
For this mission, Luna had explicitly forbidden its use.
She could already imagine the "noise" echoing through the minds aboard those ships if it were activated.
And yet... Luna had one lingering question in her mind.
...
[Main Quest: Eliminate all unknown-civilization infiltrators in the Star City 5 fleet]
・Reward (Success): +1,930,000 Ability Points | 10× God Chest | 10× Immunity Pass | 1× Quest Replacement Certificate
・Penalty (Failure): Death.
[Side Quest 1: Uncover the enemy's method of attack]
・C-Rank: +1 A-Rank Bloodline
・B-Rank: +1 Immunity Pass
・A-Rank: +100 Years of Safety
[Side Quest 2: Investigate the condition of Star City 4]
・C-Rank: +1 Immunity Pass
・B-Rank: +1 Warship
・A-Rank: +1 Star System
[If all quests are completed and the overall evaluation reaches A-Rank, reward unlocked: Escape from Hyperdimensional Space.]
Damoro stared silently at the mission window before him.
Especially those final words.
Leave Hyperdimensional Space!
How powerful was that temptation?
Only Divines who had survived countless quests within Hyperdimensional Space could truly grasp it.
How long had he been trapped here?
It must have been over 30,000 years.
He had entered Hyperdimensional Space even before the Eternal Cycle Star Nation existed.
At first, he had been ecstatic. Life in the eternally democratic star nation was unbearably dull, so he chose death.
Hyperdimensional Space was the complete opposite—it had everything he craved.
He dove into quests obsessively.
He plunged into world after world.
Thousands of years passed. Tens of thousands. He became a Divine.
But over even more thousands of years, he began to hate Hyperdimensional Space.
Now, he was just going through the motions—entering new worlds, completing new tasks.
Even though those tasks could still kill him—after all, virtual worlds could simulate anything.
In one of them, he had conquered the entire universe.
But too many wars had dulled his spirit. No matter how much he had once loved it, his passion could not endure forever.
He had thought he would stay here forever.
He had never heard of anyone escaping Hyperdimensional Space.
Not even the ancient Divines.
Not even the terrifying beings above him—they too remained trapped.
Yet now, he had a chance.
"So it really is possible to leave..."
"But this quest must be terrifying."
A quest that could break the rules of Hyperdimensional Space—how dangerous must that be?
"So this one's real."
Damoro had experienced many worlds before. Some had felt real at first, but once he dove deeper, he realized they were simulations.
He had even fallen in love in one.
And when he discovered it was all fake, he had felt deeply humiliated.
It was all pre-scripted. All an illusion.
Worlds in Hyperdimensional Space were indistinguishable from reality—both on the surface and at the microscopic level.
The only way to tell the difference was to probe the world's foundational threads.
In reality, threads couldn't be perceived. But in a virtual world, there had to be a base layer.
Those base threads could be seen, like fine silk—only a few thousand times smaller than a fundamental particle.
There was one other way to tell.
It was what he was facing now.
When the reward is too great, it means the world is real.
People in Hyperdimensional Space were no longer as ignorant as before. Except for the lowest tier, everyone now understood the connection between Hyperdimensional Space, Human Civilization, and the Federation.
No one said it outright—but those who had their suspicions could already deduce the truth.
Many tasks involved the Federation. And most virtual civilizations were built within the scope of Human Civilization. Mystical elements were rare.
"So the Eternal Cycle Star Nation is being invaded… in reality?"
"Don't tell me I'll have to collect all the intel myself?"
Just as Damoro was pondering this, a knock came from outside.
He opened the door with a thought.
Someone stepped in.
He seemed familiar with Damoro. As soon as he entered, he struck up a casual conversation.
"I just wanted to chat."
"This trip's been too dull... and honestly, a little tense."
"Damoro, do you think we can actually save Star City 4?"
Here it is.
Damoro knew instantly—this was the guide character. The one meant to feed him information.
"That depends on how much we know about the enemy."
"I'm still unclear on the situation. Can you tell me what you know?"
The man nodded.
"Sure."
"Honestly, no one knows what really happened in Star City 4. The moment we realized something was off, the transmissions stopped."
"At first, no one thought it was an invasion. Not until full contact was lost."
"That's when we started investigating. And we found out... other Star Cities were facing similar issues. Even Star City 1."
"But Star City 1 has our leader. It won't fall. The rest… like Star City 5, where we are now—those are different."
"We're too far from Star City 1. Our leader can't help us."
"Honestly, what I know is limited too."
He told Damoro everything he knew.
And Damoro was shaken.
The situation was far worse than he'd imagined.
The entire Eternal Cycle Star Nation was collapsing.
And no one even knew who the enemy was. Where they came from. Or how they attacked.
Still, Damoro now had a rough idea of what he had to do.
He had fought for tens of thousands of years across countless worlds in Hyperdimensional Space. This sort of crisis wasn't common—but it wasn't unprecedented either.
It all followed the same principles.
"I see. Sorry—I don't have any good ideas yet."
"I'm going to step outside. If things are really as bad as you say… if there are enemies already aboard our warship... then we're in for a hell of a fight."
With that, Damoro left the room.
It was time to act.