Jung Bin studied the boy's face. Behind the fierce expression, there was a clear sense of wariness.
‘It’s best to ease his suspicions first.’
He would have to stay with the boy until his powers stabilized, so building trust quickly was essential. Jung Bin took out a laptop from his inventory and spoke calmly.
“Let first explain the situation. I’m Hunter Jung Bin, from the Awakener Managent Bureau. We received information about a facility conducting experints on kidnapped people, and when we arrived, you were the only survivor. I brought you here to safety.”
“……”
“There are many things I’d like to tell you, and many questions I’d like to ask….”
Jung Bin cautiously asked a question.
“First, can I ask you one thing? Did you happen to see a white, rectangular window?”
The boy, who had been silent, slowly nodded. Seeing the system window ant that the boy had been chosen by the system as an Awakener. It was expected.
“You’ve Awakened. Do you rember when you first saw it?”
“…Not long ago.”
It was a vague response. Jung Bin tapped his laptop lightly and made eye contact with the boy. The wariness in the boy’s eyes had not diminished.
From the slightly ajar door, the sound of rhythmic chopping could be heard. Baewonwoo was busy splitting firewood he had found sowhere with his bare hands. As Jung Bin carefully chose his next words, the boy spoke first.
“…You said you’re from the Bureau.”
“That’s correct. If you’re unfamiliar with the Awakener Managent Bureau, I can explain….”
“I know.”
The boy glared at Jung Bin and asked again.
“So, what about the Rift?”
It seed he wouldn’t move forward unless his question was answered first. Jung Bin opened his laptop and asked.
“Which Rift are you referring to? If you can provide a location, it will be easier to find.”
The boy’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly. He glanced at Jung Bin before replying curtly.
“I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
Jung Bin blinked in surprise. The boy continued in an indifferent tone.
“I don’t know. The location.”
“I see… do you have any other details? Like when it was created? Even a rough ti fra would help.”
“I don’t know.”
Despite his clumsy way of speaking, the boy’s uncertainty was clear. His violet eyes drifted toward Jung Bin’s laptop, which bore the Bureau’s logo on the back. He tilted his head slightly.
“It could be a dungeon… maybe.”
“……”
“Anyway, they said it would take a long ti.”
“A Rift or dungeon that takes a long ti….”
It wasn’t the best lead. The term “long ti” wasn’t exactly specific. Jung Bin rubbed his chin with his thumb. The boy turned his head away.
“That’s all I know.”
“I see. I’ll look into it, but….”
With the added information, the number of possibilities had increased as well. It seed they would have to search all Rifts and dungeons. Jung Bin resigned himself to the task and began scrolling through the list of Rifts and dungeons in his database, ordered by date. The boy, who had been watching him out of the corner of his eye, muttered suddenly.
“…Never mind. Asking like this….”
“Pardon?”
“You’re definitely with the Bureau, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
“J. Do you know him?”
“What?”
At the ntion of J’s na again, Jung Bin looked up.
Did this boy have so connection to J? Or perhaps he admired him and used him as a model? After all, J was a national hero. The boy, still looking suspicious, sat up with his knees pulled to his chest, resting his chin on them as he stared at Jung Bin.
His dry lips parted slightly.
“They said J… died.”
Jung Bin’s hands froze.
J’s death. It was a story the public had co to accept, but clearly, it wasn’t so obvious to the boy.
It had taken about three months for J’s death to be officially confird. If he could get the boy to talk more, Jung Bin might be able to estimate when the boy had been kidnapped. He was about to ask another question when the boy blinked. His pale lips trembled as he bit down on them, and then his eyes shut. For a brief mont, an emotion flickered across his usually expressionless face. With his eyes tightly closed, his voice trembled as he asked.
“How long has it been?”
The emotion in his voice was unmistakable,
“……”
An imasurable depth of….
Despair.
Jung Bin couldn’t bring himself to speak, his mouth clamped shut. What could have driven this young boy to such despair? But before he could gather his thoughts, the boy swayed as he got to his feet. Alard, Jung Bin quickly stood up, putting his laptop aside, and reached out to grab the boy’s arm.
“Get away from !”
Wham! The boy violently shook off Jung Bin’s hand, kicked open the door, and dashed out barefoot. In the yard, Baewonwoo, who had been stacking firewood, pulled out his wireless earphones and yelled in confusion.
“Hey, hey! Where are you going without shoes? I left slippers out for you!”
Of course, no answer ca. The boy disappeared into the brush and trees before anyone could stop him. Should he chase after him? No, if the captain had wanted him to, he would have shouted for it. Baewonwoo grumbled as he continued stacking firewood.
Thud!
“Huh?”
There was a loud, resounding thud. Baewonwoo spun around in surprise and gasped.
There stood Jung Bin, his face smacked right into the top of the doorfra. A crack had ford along the thick wooden beam where his head had struck it.
Only the lower part of his usually calm face was visible, lips tightly pressed together in a grim expression. The ceiling was too low for soone as tall as Jung Bin, and it had resulted in this unfortunate accident.
Baewonwoo stamred.
“W-what the… Captain, what happened?”
“……”
“Did you, uh… interrogate the kid or sothing?”
“I didn’t do anything. I just….”
Jung Bin leaned against the doorfra and bumped his forehead lightly.
“No… never mind. I guess I just wasn’t good enough….”
“Pardon?”
Seeing his usually composed captain muttering to himself, Baewonwoo didn’t know how to react. He stood awkwardly, waiting for orders. After a deep breath, Jung Bin suddenly looked up.
“…Hunter Baewonwoo, do you have siblings?”
“Huh? Well, yeah, I’ve got a younger brother.”
That was a reassuring answer. Surely, soone with a sibling could handle a difficult kid better than an only child. Jung Bin pointed toward the forest where the boy had disappeared.
“Could you go after the target? Don’t force him back—just make sure he’s safe and stay close.”
“Sure, I guess that’s fine….”
“Thank you. I’ve got sothing I need to look into.”
Jung Bin spoke in a low voice before stumbling back inside. The door clicked shut. Left with the sudden responsibility, Baewonwoo sighed and headed toward the mountain.
In the dim early morning light, with mist hanging in the air, Baewonwoo trudged through the tall grass, holding a pair of green rubber slippers in his hand.
It was a secluded mountain with no clear trails or signs of human passage. There had to be so trace of the boy sowhere. But Baewonwoo wasn’t exactly skilled at tracking, and dragging this out too long might lead to other dangers.
“Well, no choice….”
It was part of the job, after all. He cupped his hands around his mouth and took a deep breath. Then, he shouted loudly.
“Hey! Where are you?!”
The shout echoed through the dense trees, startling a few birds into taking flight. But there was no response. Baewonwoo called out again.
“Hey! The forest is dangerous! I don’t care if you’re an Awakener!”
Just as the echo began to fade, Baewonwoo prepared to shout again, but a voice full of annoyance spoke up from behind him.
“Stop it. You’re too loud.”
Baewonwoo whipped around to find the boy sitting on a thick tree branch. How he’d climbed up there was anyone’s guess. Baewonwoo scratched his head.
“Well, glad you’re safe.”
“……”
“Why’d you run off without shoes? I left slippers out for you.”
The boy turned his head away, clearly not interested in listening. Baewonwoo, however, continued speaking cheerfully.
“We’re not bad people. We’re Hunters from the Awakener Managent Bureau. We ca here to help you.”
“……”
The boy ignored him, swinging his legs lazily. Despite running through the forest barefoot, his pale feet remained oddly clean. Jung Bin had told Baewonwoo to just stay close to the boy, but….
‘At so point, we’ve got to bring him back to base camp.’
He understood the captain’s unspoken orders. They had to get the boy back, but without pushing him too hard.
How could he convince the boy to return with him? Baewonwoo pondered for a mont, then an idea struck him. He, too, had heard what the boy had muttered back in the ruins—J.
‘Even though J is gone, no one really dislikes Hunters these days.’
“You’ve only Awakened recently, right? You’re probably not used to controlling your powers, and you might not fully understand the system window either. But and the captain
can help you with that.”
“……”
“And you’re pretty strong, aren’t you? You could beco a Hunter like or the captain.”
“…A Hunter?”
“Yeah, a Hunter.”
The boy stared down at Baewonwoo, seemingly interested. Good, it looked like he’d taken the bait.
After a brief silence, the boy slowly opened his mouth.
“If I beco a Hunter.”
“Yeah?”
“If I go into a Rift….”
The boy paused, then tilted his head slightly.
“Can I find the people who went in before ?”
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