Seowon Guild, Nam Woo-jin’s Lab.
Cough, cough, his thin shoulders trembled. Nam Woo-jin gasped, lowering his hand that was covering his mouth. Bright red blood flowed from his hand. The boy standing next to him held out a wet towel.
"Here’s the towel, Master. Should I get you so water to rinse your mouth with?"
"Ah... yes. Bring it."
"Understood, Master, may I tell you the news about the White Hole and Hunter Hong Ye-seong as well?"
"...Tell ."
"The White Hole has disappeared from the sky. Furthermore, Hunter Hong Ye-seong has lost contact, and the space he created has collapsed. The Awakened Managent Bureau cannot confirm whether he is alive or dead, and is currently tracking his tracks."
"Wait, what?"
He dropped the blood-soaked towel, revealing his skeletal hand. The boy stared blankly and answered.
"The latch holding back the apocalypse has been released, Master. The number of mutant reports coming in has also increased significantly."
"...Damn it!"
Nam Woo-jin hurriedly turned around, cursing. However, the doctor couldn’t keep his balance and staggered violently. Nam Woo-jin grabbed the corner of the drawer and knelt down. The boy supported his master’s arm and helped him up.
"Be careful, Master. Your body has beco very weak."
"Shut up! My body is not important! I need to make the vaccine right now..."
"No, Master."
His sharp green eyes, like glass beads, captured Nam Woo-jin’s emaciated figure. A mont later, the young boy’s tiny hand hit squarely on the nape of Nam Woo-jin’s neck.
"Keuk...!"
His thin body lost its balance and fell forward. Just before his face hit the floor, the boy supported his. His half-closed, pure white eyes attempted to glare at the boy.
"You, just now... what..."
"I’m sorry, I’m not mature enough to knock you out right away."
"What are you doing... this is... disobeying orders!"
The hand, which was only left with skin, gripped the boy’s collar with difficulty. However, the boy remained calm, even as he held onto his collar.
"No, it’s not disobeying orders, Master."
"What...!?"
"As you know, Master, your current health is at a critical level. I have decided that you need to recover your physical strength and health."
"Shut up!"
"The order you gave is to always be on your side, to devote myself to you. And..."
A cold, small hand grabbed his thin one. The emotionless eyes blinked.
"The order my creator gave is to protect you. No matter what, whatever it takes."
"..."
"Anything that harms Master must be eliminated. Even if it is..."
The burning white pupils slowly disappeared behind their eyelids. The boy listened to his breathing gradually beco more even and finished his sentence.
"Even if it is Master himself."
"..."
The boy carefully took off his crooked glasses and whispered softly.
"Sleep well, Master."
***
It was quiet.
No one dared to open their mouths.
It was simply a ’gaze’. Yet, that gaze alone was so intense— it was hard to breathe. Several people who had been staring at the sky had collapsed. So couldn’t stand it and vomited, so closed their eyes and scread, and so foad at the mouth.
A soul that had experienced two ends. Fear had been etched into their souls.
Even the hunters didn’t dare move. They were frozen in place as if caught.
However,
There was soone who walked alone.
A black cloak fluttered.
Cha Eui-jae knelt on one knee in front of a man foaming at the mouth and checked his airway. After administering basic first aid, he placed his cell phone between his shoulder and ear, then spoke.
"...Jung Bin-ssi."
Cha Eui-jae looked up at the sky again.
It was still looking at—
Him, Cha Eui-jae.
"The White Hole, it’s an eye."
—...
"Until now, it had no purpose or ego.... it just kept its eye open and watched. Like a surveillance cara."
—So now it has a purpose?
"...Maybe."
Cha Eui-jae got up. The scattered puzzles in his head began to connect one by one.
’There was no black hole or white hole in the dungeon.’
There was no need to watch a world that had already been destroyed.
"I’ll hang up for a mont, Jung Bin-ssi."
His heart was beating fast. Fear? No. It was another kind of emotion, stirring within him. Ever since he t the eye of the apocalypse, his soul had been writhing.
Terror?
No.
Sothing more intense. Cha Eui-jae placed his hand on his chest where his heart was. At that mont, sothing poke Cha Eui-jae’s ankle. It turned out to be Kkokko, whom he had previously put down so he could administer first aid.
"Kkokko? You want to be held again?"
"Bawk!"
Kkokko shook its head sharply and ran towards the Pado Guild building. It bobbed its head up and down at Cha Eui-jae, as if telling him to follow.
"..."
Did it have sothing to say about Hong Ye-seong? Cha Eui-jae looked around at the people who were still frozen, staring at the sky, then started running after Kkokko.
Kkokko ran up the ergency stairs without stopping and reached the floor where the conference room was located. It slipped through the half-open door and sat down at the table where the projector screen had been lowered.
"Why here?"
"Bawk."
Kkokko opened its beak. Then, a pure white light radiated from it. The light projected an image onto the screen like a projector. Cha Eui-jae stared at the image with a blank expression.
A workshop was shown, scattered with various tools and materials. In it, Hong Ye-seong was picking up stuff that had fallen to the floor, and...
’Cha Eui-jae’ was staring out the door.
It was a familiar sight. One he had seen before.
White ash fell. Above, a white hole had swallowed up most of the sky, swirling.
Cha Eui-jae imdiately rembered. It was a mory he saw at the end of the morial Dungeon where he was trapped when he went to rescue Yoon Ga-eul. A mory of the first world, and a mory of the mont just before the end.
Wasn’t it finished already? Before he could question further, ’Cha Eui-jae’ began to move. Blinking his red, swollen eyes, he bent down and picked up the fallen debris. ’Hong Ye-seong’, who was holding a bunch of miscellaneous items in his arms, asked.
"How much of your mories will you keep?"
His voice sounded more clearer than when he heard it in the morial Dungeon. ’Cha Eui-jae’ shrugged.
"As much as possible."
"How much are you going to squeeze dry!"
"It’s okay. I’ll buy you ti to make it."
"You’ll buy ti? How? You said you were going to turn back ti."
’Hong Ye-seong’ asked a series of questions. ’Cha Eui-jae’ answered while dumping junk on the table.
"Why did you suddenly beco so stupid? You should try everything you can first and then turn back, of course."
"Wah, this is ridiculous. You were the one who said we were over the limit! That we didn’t have ti!"
"And you’re just going to try to hold out until the end? Don’t you want to find out a little more?"
’Cha Eui-jae’ took a bent cigarette from his inventory and put it in his mouth, lighting it several tis with a malfunctioning lighter. He sat on the edge of the table and exhaled a long puff of smoke.
"If it really doesn’t work, I’ll use the watch."
"Hey, what if you die without being able to use the watch? Just use it now..."
"You never know. I might be able to scratch it with my spear."
’Hong Ye-seong’ paced around the workshop with unsteady steps. He bit his thumb nail anxiously.
"Are you giving up on yourself? Commit suicide? You shouldn’t do that, you know? You shouldn’t waste your life away."
"Suicide? ...That... does it look like that to you? ?"
A bright blue light pierced through the thick smoke. Hehehe... ’Cha Eui-jae’ laughed out loud, shaking his shoulders. He turned his head, then muttered, tilting his head slightly.
"You don’t know well yet..."
’Cha Eui-jae’ reached out toward the open door. The white ash swept across his blood-stained hand.
"I think it’s better to live your life even if it’s miserable."
"..."
"If I live, there’s bound to be a chance soday."
"I don’t think that’s sothing soone about to die would say."
"Well, there are tis when you shouldn’t run away."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Now is the ti."
"..."
"And..."
Crack, The sound of knuckles cracking was heard.
"I should kill that damned bastard. What do you an committing suicide?"
"...Huh?"
"It touched Lee Sa-young."
The calm voice continued. His blue eyes shone eerily.
"I’m going to pay off that debt."
’Hong Ye-seong’ frowned as he found it ridiculous. While looking at the magic stone basket, he muttered.
"Isn’t that too selfish a reason to make a heroic sacrifice?"
"Isn’t there always more than one reason for a sacrifice? No one would know that one of them was just soone’s petty revenge."
"You really aren’t destined to live quietly."
Cha Eui-jae smiled and put his index finger on his lips.
"This is a secret."
The smiling face dispersed like fog.
"Because we’re friends."
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