However, Uijae had learned sothing from his part-ti job experiences—eting custor demands. Especially when he was the one making a request.
Clenching his eyes shut, Uijae stepped onto the red carpet.
"Wow!"
Cheers and applause erupted.
A step behind him, Minggijeok whispered softly.
"Feels like we’re actors or sothing."
Is this amusing to you?
Uijae didn’t bother responding to the childish remark. But Minggijeok, undeterred, continued speaking.
"Do you know anything about Professor Jang?"
"No."
"Then I’ll brief you in advance. The professor is fundantally a kind person, but due to so… side effects from his self-experintation—"
"Side effects?"
"He looks a bit different from others. You'll see for yourself soon."
At the end of the red carpet stood a small figure, about waist-high to Uijae.
…What?
Tilting his head, Uijae examined the figure closely. A bushy white beard reaching down to the clavicle, a round nose, round eyes, and a completely round face…
"Oh-ho! Welco, welco!"
A Santa doll?
"……."
Uijae glanced at Minggijeok as if to confirm. No way, this is him? Minggijeok gave a firm nod and then greeted the round old man.
"Professor Jang, have you been well?"
"Haha, I’ve been fine. Busy, but fine."
"If you have complaints about your workload, take them up with the Guild Master. But first, let introduce you. This here is J."
When Uijae bowed slightly in greeting, a rosy flush spread across Professor Jang’s round face. His round eyes sparkled—he looked exactly like a cartoon character. With a hearty laugh, the professor extended his hand.
"J! I’ve wanted to et you for so long. When I heard you had visited before, I was so disappointed I missed you!"
"Ah, yeah. I had urgent matters to attend to back then, so I couldn't stop by."
"Well, now that we’re eting, that’s all that matters! Co, let’s sit and have so tea. Oh, wait, can you drink with that mask on?"
"I'll just enjoy the aroma."
"That works, that works!"
At Professor Jang’s double clap, the researchers scattered to their positions.
As the professor scurried away, Uijae whispered to Minggijeok.
"…He’s pretty cute."
"Isn’t he? If you put him in a red hat and coat, he’s the perfect Santa. We make good use of him during Christmas season."
"Can I ask what kind of experint led to this… side effect?"
"There’s a tragic backstory."
Minggijeok pushed his index finger under his sunglasses, miming wiping away tears.
"A while back, they discovered a sheep-like monster that could rapidly, infinitely grow wool. It was given the designation Dolly. The professor was trying to develop a hair growth and baldness treatnt using its byproducts, and well—"
"Ah."
"He ended up with fluffy, sheep-like hair and beard, and a small, round, adorable body. Originally, he was muscular and had a shiny bald head."
"Ah."
…Is that a good thing?
Watching Professor Jang stride around the lab, gesturing animatedly, Uijae scratched his head. Well, at least he achieved his goal of growing hair.
Two small, fluffy sheep trotted behind the professor.
"What about those two following him?"
"They’re Dolly’s offspring. They see the professor as their uncle and follow him everywhere. Since they’re not a threat, we let them be."
When everything was ready, Professor Jang beckoned them over.
Uijae took a seat in what was probably a researcher’s rolling chair. At the sa ti, one of the mini Dolly lambs hopped onto his lap.
It was soft. So incredibly fluffy. The kind of fluff that made you want to bury your face in it.
Minggijeok signaled with his eyes—get to the point.
Stroking the plush wool, Uijae spoke.
"I need to open a closed dungeon. I heard you've done a lot of research on this."
"Oh? A dungeon?"
"Yes. Have you heard that all the entrances to the Erosion Dungeons have vanished?"
"Ah, yes. Of course. I was also inford about the Guild Master's disappearance and the issue of whiteout."
Professor Jang adjusted his round glasses.
"Is this about resource acquisition?"
"No."
Still petting the tiny lamb behind its ears, Uijae said,
"I need to get soone out of there."
"……."
Professor Jang’s round eyes widened. Then, he smiled.
"I see… Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to help."
…That easy?
Uijae blinked.
Professor Jang clasped his small, round hands together and began rambling at a rapid pace.
"This is a perfect opportunity! I’ve spent years researching this, and just when I was about ready to start clinical trials—boom! J suddenly returned, and we never got to test anything. Oh, not blaming you, J. If we had been faster, it wouldn’t have been an issue. Haha!"
"Haha… yeah…"
"Anyway, I’ll assist you wholeheartedly!"
"Ah, thanks. That’s reassuring."
"By the way, would you like to explain how it works? Aren’t you curious? Hm?"
His round eyes sparkled with excitent.
Just as Uijae was about to answer, sothing tugged at the hem of his pants.
He glanced down.
A small shadow puppet was desperately yanking at the fabric, shaking its head furiously.
Uijae looked up.
Minggijeok, behind his sunglasses, was glaring.
Even the most clueless person would get the ssage loud and clear.
"Don’t you dare say yes."
…Better listen to Minggijeok.
Uijae politely shook his head.
"Ah, no need for an explanation."
"Oh… really?"
A visibly disappointed expression settled on the round, adorable face.
Uijae ignored the sharp pang of guilt pressing against his conscience.
Minggijeok swiftly changed the topic.
"Why don’t you tell J about the Guild Master? The two of them are quite close. In fact, J wants to open the dungeon specifically to rescue him."
"Oh-ho! Then that rumor about them playing catch if you can at headquarters must be true?"
Uijae’s hand froze mid-pet.
He had managed to repress that mory, but now the nightmare ca creeping back.
As a murderous aura started to seep from Uijae, Professor Jang chuckled, stroking his beard.
"That’s funny, the Guild Master said the exact sa thing."
"What?"
"Ah, right. Could you follow for a mont?"
Professor Jang scurried off sowhere. Minggijeok gestured for Uijae to follow.
Cradling the tiny lamb in his arms, Uijae trailed behind the professor.
They passed through a workspace full of researchers, walked deeper into the hallway, and finally arrived at a large, locked tal door.
Professor Jang pulled out an old key and unlocked it.
A musty scent of old paper and dust filled the air.
It was a storage room.
Stacks of paper-bound books, plastic boxes filled with videotapes, CDs, and storage devices lay scattered.
Professor Jang gestured to the pile.
"The Guild Master started collecting data on this even before forming the research team. And continued gathering it afterward."
"Collecting? What exactly?"
"Rift frequency and structure, phenona occurring when they close, basic theories, and especially data on the West Sea Rift… He gathered everything he could."
"…All of this? Himself?"
"Yes. He personally brought them to ."
Uijae picked up a file from the top of a stack—it was a collection of newspaper clippings.
"West Sea Rift: Has It Truly Disappeared?"
The article featured a photo of the sunken seabed where the rift entrance had once been.
He flipped through more. Every single one was about the West Sea Rift.
"A Hero’s Death—Who Is to Bla?"
There were multiple images of Ham Seokjeong bowing in apology, and of himself—J.
Among the docunts, he recognized the neat, familiar handwriting.
Lee Sa-young’s.
Professor Jang muttered,
"Reopening a closed rift… It’s an impossible idea, really. No one would think to attempt it."
"……."
"But the Guild Master was certain. That it could be done. That J couldn’t possibly be dead."
Professor Jang had originally been a physics professor at a university. However, after Rift Day and the subsequent establishnt of the Awakened Administration Bureau, he had joined the bureau as a researcher. His goal was to study the new physical laws that had reshaped the world.
He quickly absorbed knowledge, becoming a leading authority on rifts and dungeons. Yet even he could not comprehend the mystery of the West Sea Rift—how it had appeared out of nowhere, only to vanish just as suddenly. It was his first true failure after transitioning to this field.
One day, Team Leader Jeong Bin brought in a stranger—so lanky, black-clad guy.
The top-ranked Hunter who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, like a cot streaking across the sky, turned out to have a surprisingly youthful face. Tall like a beanpole, yet still slightly shorter than Professor Jang. Maybe early 180s? Not all Hunters were built like warriors, it seed.
Professor Jang, in his deep, commanding voice, spoke first.
"I hear you have sothing to ask ."
"Yeah."
"Lee Sa-young-nim, show so respect when speaking to elders—"
"You researched the West Sea Rift, right?"
The lanky black figure had an attitude as sharp as his appearance. But instead of correcting his manners, Professor Jang simply answered.
"Yeah. I did."
"Find anything?"
"No."
"Any results?"
"None."
"Then start researching it again. I’ll fund everything."
The black-clad figure thunked a heavy box onto the desk.
Professor Jang frowned as he examined the contents—various videotapes, CDs, and stacks of newspaper clippings. He scoffed.
"You a West Sea Rift fanboy or sothing? Nice collection. And just what am I supposed to do with this?"
"Figure out how to open a closed rift."
Professor Jang slowly lifted his head.
An absurd notion. Completely ridiculous.
Yet, as soone who had already tasted failure, he found himself listening to the black beanpole standing before him.
Lee Sa-young spoke in a clear, unwavering voice.
"I'm going to bring back the people trapped inside the rift."
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