Chapter 46: Recruiting Friends

A long time had passed since the Guild Master left.

Irene let out a worried sigh.

“Hmm… this is terribly late.”

If the awakening had failed, Luna should have woken up by now.

But there was no sign of that.

Irene wondered if Luna had slipped and died in the fountain, but of course she hadn’t.

After all, when people die in this world, their bodies vanish.

With the event window long since closed,

Irene’s anxiety only grew.

“There’s only one option…”

Irene slowly summoned her mana blade.

If things continued like this, there was no telling when Luna would awaken.

But if she killed her, she could simply revive her again.

True, Luna would be removed from the party and lose the chance to retry the event.

Still—it was better than leaving her like this.

After gripping and releasing the blade several times,

Irene finally let it fade.

“Hmm… at this point, it’s too late to recruit another healer.”

Right now, if Luna left the party, there’d be no healer at all.

Friess could cast healing spells, but her performance paled in comparison to Luna’s.

And above all, the party would lose its versatility.

A healer who could also dish out damage and buff allies—that was Luna’s greatest strength.

Since Luna was the only one crazy enough to be a multi-attribute mage,

Her absence would leave a huge gap.

Only after circling the fountain three times

Did Irene make up her mind.

She couldn’t abandon this precious MacGyver knife.

Might as well take a gamble.

“Ugh, it’s freezing.”

So she decided to gamble.

The night air had turned the fountain water into ice.

Without any protective magic, it felt lethal against Irene’s skin.

And the fountain’s edge came up to her knees—like plunging into the cold pool at a sauna.

Yet without a second thought, Irene submerged herself fully.

After all, Luna’s event was on the verge of failing.

Why not help directly?

Who better than me, the seasoned veteran of this game.

With a loud splash,

Irene sank beneath the water and then slowly opened her eyes.

“How calm she looks, not knowing what’s happening.”

Somehow, Luna was smiling.

It was entirely different from the anxious expression she’d worn when she first fell in.

It seemed something significant must have occurred.

Irene squeezed Luna’s hand tightly.

She closed her eyes one last time.

‘Empty my consciousness…’

—

Lios Fantasy’s plaza.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary gathering spot for players.

But in reality, it was far stranger than it appeared.

Just look at this “fountain.”

I hadn’t told Luna this, but it wasn’t a fountain at all.

It was once a ritual chamber the Empire used to ascend one to Archmage.

No one knows how it became a fountain.

Regardless, its easy accessibility made it useful.

Irene slowly relaxed every muscle in her body.

And deliberately shut out all thoughts.

Leaving her mind open for something else to fill.

Before long, the sensation of floating vanished completely.

When Irene felt she was standing and opened her eyes,

She truly was standing upright.

And in front of her stood Luna.

“Ugh… when I first dropped in, that was a Rank 7 dungeon, honestly.”

I had expected a grand trial or a flashback—

but instead, Luna was streaming live.

“And when I combined shock magic with wave spells, it just swept everything up, you know?”

She sounded excited, almost breathless.

[LIVE] 

[8,193 viewers]

[“The person who spawned a dungeon in front of their house”]

“But looking back, it still feels like a dream.”

Luna, just having escaped the dungeon, panted for air.

Since she had raced her guest to the boss room,

Luna—who had no knack for physical tasks—had completely depleted her stamina.

She slumped the moment she exited the dungeon,

And viewers offered words of praise one by one:

-“Our Luna is the best”

-“While people are picking up trash in front of their homes, she’s slaying a Demon Lord’s Castle in front of hers lol”

-“First time here—how is she casting all those spells?”

– “No, it’s not this person—it’s ‘Exclusive‑Attribute Mage Luna’!”

– “Who on earth came up with that name? LOL”

“I did name it! It’s stylish and romantic. When everyone else is ‘water‑elemental’ or ‘fire‑elemental,’ I alone get to be Ex‑at‑tri‑bute. What could top that?”

I can’t believe people still don’t see how cool an Exclusive‑Attribute Mage is! Luna sighed as she spoke.

Even after a whole year, whenever the topic turned to magic, Luna’s passionate responses always fired up the chat.

Irene watched, astonished.

“…Have I somehow come from the future?”

Had her soul slipped out and swapped with her future self?

Irene worried—after all, it echoed what happened at the fountain—but then she checked her viewer device and shook her head.

[Luna]

[Followers: 88,000] [View Profile]

“Streaming top‑tier spellcasting and healing content!”

[Luna]

[Followers: 190,000] [View Profile]

“Lunarununarununarununarununarununarununarununarununa…”

Her device showed two Lunas online.

The follower count made the first profile look like the real Luna… but then who was this second Luna—i.e., the one on that stream?

Dizzying confusion washed over Irene.

She felt like she’d fallen into the trial instead of helping with it.

Just as she wondered whether to speak up, someone outside her view marched into sight—someone so unexpected that Irene’s eyes went wide.

“So when we were naming you, I said something concise—like ‘Resonance Luna.’”

Startled, Irene snatched up her device and tapped the second Luna’s profile.

Sure enough, the stream showed a face all too familiar.

“But the name you gave me is way too boring,” the on‑screen Luna complained.

“Huh? Then ‘Exclusive‑Attribute Mage Luna’ doesn’t work?”

“It does!”

And there stood that Irene.

They were so close that Luna had switched to casual speech with her.

…This was on a whole different level from the plush‑doll Irene she’d seen before.

Irene swallowed hard, glued to the broadcast.

“Alright, we could do a poll later—though it’s probably too late to change now.”

“I’m not changing it! From now on, I’ll live my life as Exclusive‑Attribute Mage Luna.”

– “Why didn’t she call herself Archmage or something more grand?”

– “She said she was too nervous in front of the emperor to pick a better name lol”

– “Well, if she’s truly the first ‘Exclusive‑Attribute Mage,’ I guess it makes sense”

– “Imagine meeting the emperor and he helps you name your magic type—she’ll be dining on that story forever lol”

– (Luna casting spells emoji)

“So that Irene is fake… does that mean this Luna is fake, too?”

Irene’s head spun—yet she knew there was always a way to handle a situation like this.

“I really want to praise the emperor so badly… but I’m holding back in case it stirs trouble. So… huh?”

Luna’s voice trailed off. She stood frozen, staring at the impossible sight before her.

Finally, Luna spoke again.

“Irene…?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

And there were now two Irenes on Luna’s stream, the second one appearing for the first time…

Luna and the Irene 2 she’d been talking to both answered at the same time.

Irene 2 instinctively glanced toward Irene 1, and just like the very first moment, Irene 1’s eyes went wide.

“Clone…?”

– ?

– Is this a new event or something? lol

– Two Irenes…?

– My wish has finally come true!

– Wow, does this mean double the Irene streams now?

Cautiously, Irene 2 offered a hypothesis. Irene 1 immediately read her mana and drew a conclusion.

Irene 2 is an illusion. In other words, this isn’t the future.

Most likely it’s a space Luna conjured.

At once, both of them were horrified.

If that was true, Luna had genuinely lived here for a full year.

…It’s going to be hard to pull her out of this, Irene 1 thought grimly.

Oblivious to Irene 1’s inner turmoil, Luna crept closer to Irene 2.

“It looks like the fake showed up.”

In the illusion where the globally famous Luna had become best friends with Irene,

Irene 1 suddenly recalled a line from Luna’s awakening story:

“In the reality she chose over her favorite illusion, Luna lives on as a multi‑attribute mage.”

“So… you’ve been living inside an illusion?” Irene 1 said.

“Luna, don’t listen to her. It might be a mental attack,” Irene 2 warned.

“I know!”

Of course, Luna believed Irene 2 was the real one.

It had been a year since she became a multi‑attribute mage—and if so, she and Irene 2 had spent far more time together than with Irene 1.

Irene 1 felt no resentment. Instead, she resolved to focus solely on rescuing Luna from this illusion she loved most.

‘What on earth is going on…?’

Luna gathered both Irenes together and thought it over.

At first, she’d assumed Irene 1 was the “illusionist from the Demon Realm.” But when she read her mana, it wasn’t the case at all.

Even Luna—already at the pinnacle of magehood—could not distinguish the two auras.

In other words, both of them were Irene.

If at least one had been fake, things would’ve been simpler. But if both were real… what was she to do?

As Luna hesitated, Irene 2 spoke up first.

“Luna, why the hesitation? It’s obvious that I’m me.”

Irene 1 chimed in.

“I’ll accept that you might be confused. But you have to leave now. Time is running out.”

Luna frowned. Time? Was she really on the clock?

“What do you mean, time?”

“The trial’s time limit. Don’t you remember throwing me into the fountain?”

“Of course I remember. But I already passed the trial—a year ago, at that!”

Luna cocked her head.

Clearly, this was no easy puzzle. At the same time, Irene realized why she’d mistaken this place for the future.

In a sense, it was the future—but one born from Luna’s imagination, set a year ahead.

That made things all the more difficult.

It wasn’t an edited cutscene—Luna genuinely believed the trial had ended and a year had passed.

Just as Irene wondered if she truly had to break through dimensions with magic, Luna suddenly clapped her hands.

She looked more confident than the Luna Irene once knew.

“Alright. I’ve found a way to tell who’s the real Irene!”

“Oh, really? What is it?” Irene 2 asked.

Irene 1 was… skeptical. After all, Luna claimed to have uncovered a method none of them had found.

What impossible trick would she reveal? Luna took a breath and spoke words no one expected.

“From now on… whoever gets closer to me is the real Irene…!”

Even as she said it, Luna blushed. Irene 1 narrowed her eyes and stared at her.

This girl clearly knew exactly what she was doing.