Inside the quiet sanctuary of the Catholic church, a profound, historic shift occurred. All six of us… reincarnated beings dragged from the modern streets of Earth into the unforgiving, evolutionary meat-grinder of Andromeda… drew close together. We formed a small, tight circle right before the altar, under the towering shadow of the stone crucifix.
Since the physical reality of my missing tongue kept me completely mute, I stood like a silent, crimson anchor in the circle, giving a subtle nod to Father Columbia. He understood the cue perfectly. Stepping forward, the thirty-year-old priest adjusted his glasses, his gold-embroidered vestments catching the flickering candlelight as he opened his hands to initiate our communion in fluent, smooth English.
"Greetings, my brothers and sisters, we are gathered here today by our Lord Jesus Christ, who has gracefully guided each of our souls to be in this very room. We, as displaced wanderers of Earth, are willing to share our past experiences to heal and unite our strength against the cruelty of this world." Father Columbia murmured, his voice carrying the deep, soothing resonance of a Vatican-trained preacher.
The three newcomers listened intently, their eyes wide with reverence. Father Columbia then turned his gaze toward my towering silhouette, gesturing to my tattered trench coat and the calcified bone of my Leech's Hollow Mask.
"Let me introduce our vanguard, this bounty hunter... the one who single-handedly dismantled three S-rank criminal titans, and who just this morning permanently shattered the continental human trafficking ring of Town Balka. In this world, she is known legally as the Luminous Knight, Eirene Rynd. But her true Earth name was Roxanne Albatross."
I stood perfectly still, my single green eye staring straight ahead behind my mask as my old life was laid bare.
"She lived in Manila, Philippines, back on Earth, she was a devout altar server in her local parish and a disciplined master of Kendo. Tragically, her life in that world ended in a final, heroic sacrifice… she threw herself in front of a speeding van to save her high school crush, trading her life so another could live." Father Columbia explained to the group.
Na Tae-man simply crossed his arms, leaning back in his newly acquired iron-leather vanguard armor with a casual smirk. He didn't say a word because he already knew my entire backstory from our encounter two months ago.
But the three new reincarnated beings gasped, the revelation striking them like a physical blow. Their eyes darted from my empty left sleeve to the heavy firearms strapped beneath my coat, their faces completely flooded with awe and deep emotion.
"An altar server... from Manila?! To go from serving the parish to swinging a sword as an elite Knight... that's incredible. You carried your faith straight into the line of fire." the first newcomer stammered, their eyes shining with recognition.
"A Kendo master... no wonder your blade work is legendary across Caria, but to die saving your crush from a speeding van... Roxanne, that is the most textbook, noble way to go out. You're a literal hero, both in our world and this one." the second one commented, shaking their head in pure amazement.
"It's an honor to stand in the same room as you, knowing someone with your heart and your sheer strength is guarding us... I finally feel like we might actually survive this place." the third whispered, looking at my intimidating frame with a newfound, profound sense of safety.
I remained absolutely silent as their comments echoed through the hollow nave. Behind the bone mask, a cold, bitter knot tightened in my chest. They praised my "noble heart" and my "heroic soul." They saw a righteous, flawless paladin from the Philippines.
None of them knew the dark, toxic truth of the chemical tear gas resting inside my spatial inventory ring at this very moment. None of them knew that the "heroic" Eirene Rynd had just suffocated dozens of locked captives in the dark sewers barely two hours ago to secure her multi-million gold retirement payout. I accepted their validation in total silence, letting the praise wash over my scarred, demonic biology while keeping the heavy secrets of the Crimson Phantom buried deep within the dark.
Na Tae-man stepped forward into the center of the circle, confidently tapping the chest plate of his newly acquired iron-leather vanguard armor. The earlier street-rat bravado rushed right back into his face as his crimson eyes gleamed under the church's candlelit altar.
"Well, it's my turn, I didn't want to share my fantasy name because honestly, it's a bit of a drag. You guys can just call me Na Tae-man. Obviously, based on my name, I'm a Korean, and I used to live in Seoul, South Korea." Tae-man said, crossing his arms with a proud grin, sticking strictly to the fluent English the Bishop had requested.
He let out a dry, self-deprecating chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Back on Earth, I was a total shut-in… a NEET, perhaps. I didn't care about school or traditional jobs. My entire life revolved around the screen, and I actually won a high-tier championship in a major MOBA game. I had peak mechanical skill and tactical macro-knowledge. As for how I checked out of that world? It wasn't a truck. I actually died saving an old man who had fallen onto the tracks at a train station on the way to Busan. The next thing I knew, boom… I was an infant in a dirt-poor Andromeda village."
The moment the words left his mouth, the three newly rescued reincarnated beings blinked in surprise, instantly breaking out into a wave of animated commentary.
"A MOBA champion?! No wonder your scouting instincts and situational awareness are so sharp! You've been treating Caria's lower districts like a massive tactical mini-map this entire time!" the first newcomer exclaimed, their eyes widening with genuine gamer respect.
"Wait, a train station on the way to Busan? Man, saving an old man on a train track... that is incredibly brave for a shut-in. I guess when the moment came, your reflexes from gaming actually translated into real-world heroics. You didn't hesitate." the second one piped up, a slight, nervous chuckle escaping their lips.
"It's kind of crazy, both of you died in the exact same way… sacrificing yourselves to save complete strangers from a speeding vehicle. It's like the universe specifically chose heroes from Earth to become the protectors of this sanctuary." the third whispered, looking between Tae-man's sturdy new vanguard gear and my towering, silent crimson silhouette.
Tae-man puffed out his chest, soaking in the praise like a true protagonist, completely validated by the group's reaction.
I stood perfectly still by the altar steps, my single jade-green eye tracking his movements from behind the dark slit of my Leech's Hollow Mask.
The first of the three new reincarnated beings stepped forward. To my profound internal shock, she was a face I actually recognized from my dual life, though she had absolutely no idea who I truly was behind this terrifying bone mask.
It was Miss Karrie, a prominent faculty member and combat exhibition coordinator from the prestigious Sisiphon Magic Academy. In the academy, she was known as a professional, strict, and efficient overseer of the arena battles, though she secretly possessed a deeply caring and supportive side for her students.
She stood tall, her eyes sweeping over our tight circle before she spoke in fluent, clear English.
"My fantasy name is Karrie, and what's completely surprising is that my Earth name was actually Karrie as well. Coincidence? I think not. In this world, I managed to build a stable life as a professor and combat referee at the Sisiphon Magic Academy. But a few weeks ago, Na Tae-man tracked me down all the way in Sisiphon City. When he approached me and revealed that he was a reincarnated soul from Earth... I can't even describe the feeling. I had felt so incredibly isolated and alone in this massive, bizarre fantasy world for years. But seeing that I wasn't the only one? I felt an overwhelming wave of happiness."
She glanced over at Tae-man with a look of genuine gratitude, which made the teenage gamer puff out his iron-leather chest plate even more.
"I literally resigned from my comfortable job at the academy, and right now, I am just so happy to stick with you guys and help this sanctuary. For all of you wondering what my past life on Earth was like... it wasn't nearly as heroic as Roxanne's or Tae-man's. I was just a boring, ordinary office worker typing away at a desk. Then one night, during a terrible rainstorm, I was walking home alone and was suddenly struck by a massive bolt of lightning. My vision instantly went pitch black, and the next thing I knew, I was an infant crying in Andromeda."
The moment she finished her story, the remaining two newcomers immediately voiced their comfort and thoughts.
"Struck by lightning?! That is terrifying, Karrie, but don't call your past life boring. Surviving the corporate grind on Earth is a nightmare in itself, and the fact that you became a high-ranking professor at a magic academy proves you have incredible macro-management skills." the second newcomer murmured.
"Exactly, and resigning from a prestigious academy position just to join a hidden sanctuary... that takes real courage. We are so lucky to have a literal magic scholar on our side." the third added, nodding vigorously.
I stood perfectly frozen in the shadow of the altar, my single jade-green eye locked onto Miss Karrie from behind the dark slit of my Leech's Hollow Mask. My analytical mind processed the sheer strategic value she brought to our covert team. A high-ranking faculty member from Sisiphon Magic Academy possessed invaluable logistical knowledge, deep understanding of advanced magical theory, and a network that could prove vital to our survival.
Beside Karrie, a beastkin girl with vibrant amber eyes, golden ears, and a plush golden tail stepped forward into the candlelit circle. The moment my single jade-green eye locked onto her features from beneath my hood, a sharp jolt of recognition ran through me.
It was Joy.
During my undercover infiltration arc in the dangerous border territories of Tata, I had disguised myself as a mute servant girl named Clara to gather intelligence inside a corrupted noble manor. Joy had been my background companion there… a weary, cautious maid who worked with a practiced, mechanical grace. We had shared heavy wooden buckets, scrubbed marble floors side-by-side, and navigated halls crawling with hostile thugs. She had been a fiercely loyal, kind soul who always warned me to be careful when the night air turned sharp.
She twitched her golden ears nervously, looking around our circle before clearing her throat and speaking in English.
"Hi guys, my name here is Joy. But in my past life... you can call me Muhammad. I was born in Delhi, India."
The absolute, jarring contrast between her rugged, traditional past identity and her current appearance as a petite, golden-furred beastkin maid was too much for the room to handle. Someone in the back of our circle instantly muffled a desperate snort, trying to hold back their laughter.
But Na Tae-man completely lost it. The teenage gamer broke down, clapping his iron-reinforced leather gauntlets together as a massive, booming laugh echoed off the cathedral's vaulted stone ceilings.
"Hahaha! Seriously?! Muhammad?! That is the name of a grown, hardcore Indian man, and you reincarnated into a cute, fuzzy cat girl! Ahahaha! The cosmic gacha system absolutely destroyed you!"
Joy's amber eyes narrowed, and her golden ears pinned flat against her hair in deep annoyance, though she maintained her practiced, stoic dignity.
"You can laugh all you want, gamer boy, but I really was a regular guy back then before I got reincarnated as a beastkin maid. I've spent years doing hard labor in a noble manor just to survive. And for those of you wondering how I died... I didn't get struck by lightning or fall on train tracks. I was violently run over by a speeding truck while walking down a Delhi street. Just a classic, brutal vehicular end, like you, Roxanne."
Tae-man's laughter slowly petered out into amused chuckles, while Karrie offered a sympathetic, comforting pat to Joy's golden shoulder.
I stood perfectly still in the shadows, my empty left sleeve pinned tightly against my side as my Level 5 Healing ring pulsed with a faint, comforting warmth against my right hand. Behind my Leech's Hollow Mask, I felt a profound sense of relief seeing Joy alive and safe inside the 7th District sanctuary, away from the grim dangers of the Tata borderlands. Even if she used to be a man named Muhammad in Delhi, to me, she would always be the kind, enduring maid who shared her cleaning rags with "Clara." My covert team was expanding in the most unpredictable ways, and the bonds of our past lives were tightening with every soul we recovered.
The last member of our circle stepped forward. My single jade-green eye locked onto his familiar, composed frame beneath the dark slit of my Leech's Hollow Mask.
It was Garret Pink.
Back during my undercover infiltration at the Sisiphon Magic Academy under the alias Zenni Roy, Garret had been my fiercest rival… the cold, aloof top student of Room 1-B who manipulated liquid mercury-like metal with heat-resistant gloves. He had nearly overwhelmed me in the arena before I defeated him with my blood magic. To see him standing here, completely detached from his usual stoic academy demeanor, was surreal.
He adjusted his posture, his expression calm and dignified as he spoke fluent English to the group.
"Well, I guess it is my turn, my fantasy name is Garret Pink, while my Earth name was Kang Chul-yeong. I am a Korean, like you, Na Tae-man... but in a very different way. I was born and raised in Pyongyang, North Korea."
"North Korea?!"
Tae-man blurted out, his crimson eyes widening like dinner plates as his South Korean gamer brain nearly short-circuited. The absolute historical contrast of a Seoul NEET and a Pyongyang citizen meeting in a magical fantasy church in Andromeda was staggering.
"Yes, my life was miserable there. Food was scarce, freedom was nonexistent, and survival was a daily struggle. In this world, I became a top student at the Sisiphon Magic Academy, hiding my past from everyone. But then Tae-man snuck into the academy campus. When he found me and revealed he was a reincarnated Korean, he actually managed to drag both me and my academic adviser, Miss Karrie, out of our routine. I had kept my origin a strict secret for all these years, but seeing that my own professor was a fellow world-crosser... I couldn't stay behind. I resigned alongside her to join this sanctuary."
He paused, a faint, melancholic shadow crossing his sharp features.
"And for those of you wondering how I died... it was far more tragic than a speeding vehicle or a lightning strike. While attempting to escape across the heavily fortified border, I stepped directly onto a hidden military landmine. The blast was instantaneous. My vision cut out, and I woke up as an infant in Andromeda."
A heavy, profound silence fell over the cathedral's altar. Even Tae-man lost his usual cocky edge, looking at his northern counterpart with a newfound, silent respect.
I stood perfectly still, my right hand resting subtly against my crimson trench coat. The Level 8 Mana Pool ring on my finger hummed with a low, chilling warmth, perfectly synchronized with my demonic core. Looking around the circle, the raw strategic value of this group was immense: an elite hunter, a high-tier Vatican bishop, a veteran street-vanguard, an advanced magic academic, a stealthy infiltration maid, and a top-tier liquid metal combat prodigy.
Six souls from vastly different corners of Earth, all broken, reshaped, and brought together under one roof. The apocalyptic ninety-day countdown was ticking away, but right here in the shadows of the 7th District, our covert alliance was finally complete.