Detroit, USA.
Drizzling rain fell steadily, mixing with white ash to dampen the ground. People hurried along, umbrellas shielding them from the downpour. Strangely, there were many dressed in white, and the sound of coughing echoed here and there.
Amidst the crowd, a tall figure in a hood, unbothered by an umbrella, stepped into an alley. Through the faint fog, a glowing pink sign could barely be made out; Paradise.
The figure descended the stairs leading underground. The farther down he went, the louder the lively music grew. He pushed open the door with ease. A sharp mix of alcohol and cigarette smoke tickled his nose. At the sa ti, wary gazes pierced him. He lowered his hood, revealing light sky-blue hair, damp at the ends. A small gasp rippled through the room.
"Oh, look who it is."
"Q! It’s Q!"
"Long ti no see!"
"What’s up with your hair color?"
Gyu-Gyu shalessly replied.
"Yeah, yeah. Nice to see you too."
People approached him with arms open wide. He embraced and bumped fists with them as if he were used to it. After a flurry of greetings, everyone returned to their seats, chatting noisily. Gyu-Gyu perched himself on a stool at the counter. The bartender, who was polishing a glass, raised an eyebrow.
"Thought you were finally dead."
Gyu-Gyu replied in fluent English.
"Well~ I almost was."
"Guess you liked being back ho?"
"More or less."
"What’ll you have?"
"The usual."
Paradise. A haven. This place was a bar created by an eccentric hunter, ant specifically for hunters. At first, only the owner hung around here. But as word spread, hunters began to gather. And when hunters gathered, so did clients looking to hire them. Eventually, this place served as a hub for freelance and rcenary hunters not tied to any guild.
The rundown bar didn’t differ much from Gyu-Gyu’s mories. Dusty speakers played old jazz music. Cigarette smoke lingered heavily in the air, blending with boisterous laughter and chatter. Even the bartender, now with a bit more gray hair, stood tall and confidently shook a mixer. Gray eyes scanned the surroundings. The only difference was...
Gyu-Gyu turned his head to examine the wall with a hollowed-out dent. It used to be covered with request papers, but now, apart from one or two fluttering scraps, it was bare.
"Not as many people around. Fewer requests too."
At that mont, the bartender slid a glass toward him. Inside, a bright blue liquid swirled. Blue Lagoon. Gyu-Gyu smirked.
"This isn’t what I used to drink~ Problems with your mory?"
"I matched it to your hair color. Got a problem with that?"
"Not the kind of consideration I need~"
"I’m the king here. Got complaints? Get out."
"No complaints here~"
Hiding any signs of dissatisfaction, Gyu-Gyu sipped the cocktail. The bartender tidied up the shaker, responding flatly.
"It’s true. There are fewer people, and fewer requests."
"That’s strange. A new competitor, maybe?"
"Hey, Q. Did you turn dumb while you were gone?"
A Hispanic man staggered over, slinging an arm around Gyu-Gyu’s shoulder. He reeked of alcohol. It was chanist, a hunter who had worked with Gyu-Gyu several tis. A good guy, apart from his inability to pronounce "Gyu-Gyu." chanist called him "Q" instead. Gyu-Gyu skillfully played along.
"Then why don’t you explain it to , smart guy? What happened?"
"The drug supply’s dried up! So everyone’s left, wandering the streets."
"You an that drug for the awakened?"
The drug distributed by Protheus. Gyu-Gyu’s gray eyes sharpened. Thinking back, there used to be plenty of addicts loitering around the bar. So even tried offering it to him, saying it would help him sleep peacefully.
chanist nodded.
"Yeah. It’s been a while. Since... those weird monsters showed up, the supply just disappeared."
"Ah, you an those big-mouthed monsters. How bad was it here?"
"Don’t even get started! You wouldn’t believe how many people died."
"And the addicts?"
"They went nuts! Withdrawal must’ve hit them hard. A lot of them started attacking people out of nowhere... The bartender threw them all out. That’s why it’s so empty now."
chanist gave the bartender a thumbs-up. The bartender nodded in acknowledgnt, his expression stoic. Gyu-Gyu chuckled.
"Thanks for the update."
"Co by more often, Q. No one’s as fun as you."
"I’ll think about it."
chanist humd a tune as he staggered back to his seat. The bartender, still polishing a glass, spoke up.
"After that day, a group was ford."
"A group?"
"One that insists everything is the Awakeners’ fault and calls for their removal from society. Even so U.S. senators agree with them."
"..."
"So of the addicts I kicked out got beaten to death by them. They used to be regulars here."
"How can civilians kill addicts?"
"They hired the hunters who co here."
"..."
Gyu-Gyu emptied his glass in one go. Propping his chin on his hand, he asked,
"What about the bar? Think it’ll be okay~? They won’t leave you alone."
"For now, it’s safe. Not sure how long that’ll last, though."
"It’d be a sha if it disappeared."
"Agreed."
"Any other rumors?"
Just then, footsteps echoed from the staircase. Not just one person— several. The bartender’s polishing slowed to a crawl. Gyu-Gyu slipped his hands into his pockets, casually turning toward the entrance. The dice in his pocket rattled softly. The bartender set down the polished glass with care.
"Rumor is, humans are turning into monsters."
"..."
"Monsters have been roaming the streets more often, even far from dungeons or rifts."
"Uh-huh."
Not only Gyu-Gyu and the bartender, but everyone in the bar turned their eyes toward the entrance. A strange tension hung in the air. At that mont, a phone buzzed loudly. Sharp eyes darted toward the sound. Gyu-Gyu smiled faintly and held up an open palm, pulling out his phone.
[Poor Civil Servant]
"Hold on, I need to take this call."
"At a ti like this?"
"Sorry, sorry~ It’s a call I really can’t miss."
The other patrons turned their attention back toward the entrance. Murmurs echoed from beyond the door.
"There are hunters in here, right?"
"Yeah, this place is a known spot for them."
"How many could there be?"
"They wouldn’t dare touch us..."
The voices of several people blended together in hushed whispers, occasionally interrupted by the sound of coughing.
With an air of nonchalance, Gyu-Gyu tapped the answer button and brought the phone to his ear. Before the caller could speak, he rattled off rapidly,
"Hello~ Just so you know, I’m in the U.S. right now. Can your civil servant salary cover international call rates? Should I call you back?"
—Gyu-Gyu-ssi, I’m contacting you because...
"Ah, hold on a sec."
Gyu-Gyu’s gray eyes darted toward the door. A sharp, wet coughing sound erupted outside, followed by gagging.
"Wait, what’s wrong with him? Oh, God."
"No, Jane’s been cursed! Run!"
A pale, viscous liquid oozed beneath the tightly shut door. From beyond, ca the grotesque crunch of bones breaking and reassembling.
And then—
"Aaaaargh!"
A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air. Gyu-Gyu sprang to his feet, grabbing the chair he had been sitting on.
"Hey, Master, mind if I break so furniture~?"
"Every penny’s going on your tab."
Thud. Thud. THUD.
KA-BOOM!
As the door exploded into shards, Gyu-Gyu hurled the chair with all his strength. Among the flying debris, a blood-streaked, alabaster figure ca into view. Gyu-Gyu raised his free hand high, its shape morphing into sothing beastlike, with sharp, clawed fingers.
SPLAT!
His hand pierced clean through the creature’s torso. Viscous white fluid splattered everywhere. Gyu-Gyu stuck out his tongue and licked a drop that had splashed onto his cheek. No taste. The monster staggered backward before collapsing in a heap, revealing the terrified faces of people crouched on the stairs.
They were all dressed in white, staring at him with wide, fear-filled eyes.
Gyu-Gyu shook off the sticky fluid from his hand and adjusted his grip on the phone. Switching to Korean, he asked casually,
"Hey~ ever seen a human turn into a monster?"
—...
"Because I just saw it happen in real-ti. Feels like we have a lot to discuss, huh?"
—That’s why I’m calling. It’s about J, Lee Sa-young, and Honeybee. They’ve gone missing in the dungeon.
Gyu-Gyu froze, his hand midair as he was about to grab another of the white-clad people by the collar.
"Missing?"
***
139 hours until Cha Eui-jae’s death.
"Ghosting?"
Lee Sa-young asked incredulously. Honeybee nodded with a sullen expression. They stood in the middle of a dense forest, facing each other. Nearby, Romantic Opener lay sprawled on a picnic mat, while Cha Eui-jae, crouched and wearing a gas mask, rested beside him.
Right after escaping the hospital, Lee Sa-young had contacted Honeybee. Told her to open the door. She did open it. But the problem was that what lay beyond was the middle of so random forest. Honeybee grumbled as she fidgeted with her nails.
"I have no idea where Hong Ye-seong is. He’s completely shut himself away and declared he’s not eting anyone. I’ve tried every possible way to reach him, but nothing works. What can I do? We were camping here in Jirisan, snacking on tteokbokki, when you called."
"Then you should’ve said sothing."
"You ignored every single one of my calls!"
Lee Sa-young raised a finger to signal silence. Honeybee, who had been raising her voice, glanced over at Cha Eui-jae. He was sound asleep under Lee Sa-young’s coat, his soft breathing audible. How long had it been since he had seen him sleep so peacefully? Maybe it was the first ti. Cha Eui-jae was always bustling around, never staying still. Even when they ended up lying in the sa spot, he’d often toss and turn, unable to settle.
Honeybee whispered,
"I heard it from Matthew... This world’s J is in bad shape. Is he sick right now?"
"Yeah."
"And you’re okay bringing him here?"
"It’s better to find a way out quickly and escape."
"That’s true, but..."
Honeybee bit her lip, worrying it between her teeth.
"Sothing doesn’t add up... A dungeon should have an escape condition, right? Whether you kill the dungeon master or do sothing else. But there’s no goal here. No dungeon master. What is this place even supposed to be?"
A chilling breeze swept through the air. Lee Sa-young glanced at Cha Eui-jae’s rising and falling chest before replying.
"That’s what we ca to figure out."
"What, to et Hong Ye-seong?"
"Yeah."
"Does he even know anything?"
Lee Sa-young looked up. Through the lush green foliage, sothing small and white flitted past.
"He probably knows a lot more than we do."
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