How?

"Angel, let's play again!"

The tentacles coiled around Moon, pulling her in an instant.

But then, a tremendous suction force surged forth. Chino's tentacles vanished as if consumed by the void, replaced by a rapidly expanding angel.

Moon emerged from the grasp, her height now towering over four meters. Her wings unfurled behind her, larger than before, her form resembling a small giant.

Raven perched lightly on Chino's shoulder, her black wings folding neatly behind her. "Be careful. That angel-thing is 023. Her combat power is unknown, but she thrives on stronger opponents. The tougher the fight, the stronger she gets."

Raven tilted her head, studying Moon with a mix of amusement and wariness. "I've been watching her. She's a true evolutionist—she chooses her own path with every battle. Unpredictable, and worse, she's got a twisted side. Loves the sound of screaming. Probably enjoys it even more than 005 does."

Chino's deep voice rumbled. "So, what's her evolution this time? Devouring?"

"Possible," Raven replied casually.

Moon's gaze swept over her growing form, her expression thoughtful. The new ability coursing through her was life fusion. Through mere contact, she could absorb flesh and blood into her own body, enhancing her size and power.

Theoretically, she could grow to rival Chino's immense form. And for an opponent like him, whose strength relied on regenerating flesh, this posed a unique danger. While he could heal what was taken, the angel's relentless growth would eventually match, if not surpass, his own.

However, size alone didn't concern Chino. Bulk without strategy was no threat. What unnerved him was her ability to consume his flesh directly, making her harder to restrain or corner.

Still, there was a limit to her evolution. Moon could only grow as large as the original being she absorbed. If she merged with a human, her size wouldn't change—humans were too small to make a difference. And once she reached the maximum size of her prey, she couldn't expand further unless her target grew larger.

Chino didn't know this yet. If he did, he would surely drag the battle out, waiting for her to reach her limit.

"Is there a way to counter her ability?" Chino asked, his gaze fixed on Raven.

"Um… just don't let her touch you?" Raven replied, shrugging. "She's not immortal. You just have to find a way to finish her off."

Eliminating Moon… there was one clear method.

Drag her into the deep sea and let the crushing water pressure do the work.

But Moon wasn't foolish. She wouldn't follow Chino willingly into his domain.

As they strategized, Moon, now adjusted to her new form, launched another attack.

Chino snapped his fingers. The halted waves roared to life, surging forward like a tidal beast.

Moon flapped her massive wings, retreating swiftly as the colossal tide slammed into the mainland. The deluge swept over everything in its path, crashing down with unrelenting force.

When the waters settled, Moon scanned the horizon. Chino and his army of Fish-Men had vanished, retreating beneath the waves.

The ocean's assault had consumed almost half of North America, leaving behind a drowned wasteland.

Moon turned her attention to the lone survivor of the Church of Light—an aged priest, trembling yet alive.

"Angel, you saved us again!" he cried out, his voice thick with reverence.

Moon descended gracefully, her feet touching the fractured earth. "The creatures from the sea seek to build their kingdom on our land. We must not let them succeed. This land is God's kingdom."

Her gaze sharpened, her tone commanding. "Find more believers. I will evolve to a thousand wings and ascend to the 4th Step. Only then will I become truly invincible."

The priest's eyes burned with fervor. "We will obey your will!"

Moon's expression softened as exhaustion began to creep over her. Her wings drooped, her eyelids heavy. "But first… I need to sleep."

Her body swayed slightly, her voice growing quieter.

The more she evolved, the more her energy waned. Each transformation shortened her waking hours, forcing her into longer periods of slumber.

Moon called this balance of power and rest Static and Sonic Rhapsody.

...

In a modest apartment building somewhere in Asia, a young man slowly opened his eyes, his brow furrowed against a persistent ache.

"…Headache. Whose room is this?"

He sat up, scanning his surroundings. An unfamiliar ceiling. An unfamiliar room.

Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a cell phone. The date on the screen caught his attention, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"If I'm not mistaken… isn't today November 25th, 2024? Why has the date… changed?"

He turned the phone over in his hands, scrutinizing it. "Is there something wrong with my phone?"

A moment later, a troubling realization hit him. "Wait, this isn't even my phone…"

He flipped through the device, scrolling until a series of messages stopped him in his tracks. One of them included a video. He opened it.

On-screen, a man ranted furiously:

"Vampires appeared before, and the experts talked to me about science. I accepted that. Then the Blood Moon came, and the experts still talked about science. Fine, I accepted that too!"

"But now a colossal Ancient God has risen from the deep sea, bringing hordes of Fish-Men to swarm the continent—and you still want to talk to me about science?! Have you all been drinking radioactive water?!"

Reinhard blinked. "Vampires? Blood Moon? An Ancient God from the deep sea? Fish-Men?"

The details struck a chord of eerie familiarity. He stared at the screen in shock.

"Monsters from the deep sea…?"

He scrolled further, uncovering another revelation: his country had apparently long ago established an organization called Kitsune.

"Kitsune?" he murmured, the name sparking something in his memory.

Suddenly, he leapt into action, navigating to a novel website. He searched frantically for a title: Unwritten Mythos.

But nothing appeared in the search results.

"I can't be… transported into a novel, right?"

His thoughts raced as he tried to piece it together. His name was Reinhard, and he vividly remembered celebrating his fifth anniversary—Valentine's Day.

He had been engrossed in reading Unwritten Mythos, catching up to chapter 112 of the ongoing epic.

And then…

Nothing.

The next thing he knew, he was here.

"So I'm really in a novel?"

A flicker of excitement bloomed in his chest, but it was quickly eclipsed by dread.

"No, no, no—if this is that novel, then life here is dirt cheap. And I haven't even finished reading it! I'm only at chapter 112 out of 800+ chapters!"

His mind churned, recounting what he knew of the story's current events. "Based on the news, Chino is about to unleash a world-ending flood…"

He buried his face in his hands. "How am I supposed to survive?!"

Reinhard began pacing, muttering feverishly to himself. "Should I find Death and ask for a potion?"

He shook his head. "No, no, no. Even if I could find the Library of the Exiled, there's no guarantee I'd make it inside."

"Calm down, Reinhard. Think carefully…"

He took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts. "In this world, there are ways to boost combat strength."

His mind darted to 079's game space, a realm that allowed upgrades. But there was a problem: "It requires entrance fees! Where am I supposed to get those?!"

He considered another option: joining the monsters.

But then he thought of Vespa, the Fish-Man. Vespa's fate was proof that even becoming a monster's subordinate offered no guarantees.

Reinhard sat down at the table, attempting to consolidate everything he knew.

"My main objective is survival."

"My secondary objective is to find Death—and, hopefully, get a number."

Numbers offered a modicum of security. At worst, bearers were captured; they didn't simply vanish like the rest.

"Or… I could follow Shino's path and become a vampire?"

He quickly dismissed the thought. "No, Shino's a prodigy. His willpower's off the charts, and his luck is ridiculous. Besides, even 079 said he was destined to become a monster. I'm nothing like him."

Reinhard tapped his fingers on the table. "That leaves Ancient Artifacts. Maybe I could compete with the organizations or Kitsune for one."

He sighed. "But who am I kidding? That's practically suicide."

Leaning back, he stared at the phone.

"If only I could still see the comments on the novel…"

If the comments were visible, he could ask the all-knowing author for help.

A grim thought crept into his mind.

"That's right. Could I… actually be in the novel?"