The dark-blue flas rippled. Thin enough to seem translucent, yet holding an unfathomable heat—flas that seed as if soone had torn off a piece of self-luminous midnight and spread it wide. The fire could not threaten . That was why it was simply beautiful.
No jewel, however precious, does more than reflect sunlight and sparkle. But fire carries its own light. Even beneath a sky without sun, moon, or a single star. Is it not instinctual, natural, for humans to be drawn to fire?
“Kugh—!”
A muffled groan sounded. Because the arrow had already been nocked and aid within the drawer, even SS-ranks could not fully dodge the shot. Chohwayun clutched the arrow-pierced leg and glared at . The potent power of fla suffused the wound, preventing any healing. Until the fire subsided, no elixir could nd it.
Beside him, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» I spotted the fanatic. The na on his budding Skill-Status window was sothing like Jeral... Gérard. One arm was nearly severed, his flank deeply torn. The fanatic sent a terrifying glare. I don’t even know him, yet here he is.
“Hey, Cho. If your limbs are all better, why not just go ho and hide instead of chasing all the way here?”
I asked, arrow still aid. Even if he’d lost, as an S-rank he could have lived warmly and well-fed. So why chase down and volunteer as fuel? Chohwayun ground his teeth and shouted.
“Don’t look down on !”
“The one with a grudge isn’t you, it’s . Kidnapping the wrong person, breaking their leg—”
“That was... my place.”
Even at this point, Chohwayun insisted it was natural for the weak to kneel before him. They say anyone can change, but I doubt that bastard ever will.
“I’ll decide my own place.”
“Even if you were alone, could you really say that?”
A hint of a smile curled Chohwayun’s lips. I recalled mories from before regression—he always liked to poke at weak spots.
“Anyway—”
“So what?”
I cut him off. He frowned, but I couldn’t care less.
“A victim doesn’t owe excuses, you son of a bitch.”
Should I be groveling and apologizing for being too weak? There’s nothing but sha in a creature that exploits the weak calling anyone a dog.
“I’ll just forget this as ‘almost got bitten by a dog.’ That’s all you’re worth.”
His once-smooth face twisted savagely. I let the string down and watched him roll in the dirt to dodge the arrow. The surging heat turned his face crimson.
“Han Yujin!!”
“Ugh, shut up.”
Watching Gérard, I loosed another arrow. Chohwayun rolled in the ashen, earth-mixed ground again—quite nimble. I could close the distance for an easier shot, but they were still SS-rank and had the power to block Skill use. Boeun’s Skill would last over ten more minutes; no need to approach dangerously. I could take my ti and kill them.
Just as I nocked and drew again—
Sssss—
The flas around us suddenly waned. Mana trembled, and with one push it swept away the last periter. The ground cooled and the charred trees regained their green.
My heart pounded. I felt I had to kill them before it was too late, but my body would not move. Clenching my jaw, I searched for the gathering mana. The space split, and a foot adorned with multicolored feathers appeared on the cooled earth.
Thud. A light step echoed. A tall, human-shaped man easily over a ter in stride stood there. Draped in fur, leather, and tallic ornants, his chest was bare. On well-sculpted muscles akin to armor, a beast’s tattoos were etched. Beneath roughly cropped dark gray hair, his eyes mirrored those of wolves.
“O god!”
Gérard crouched and bowed deeply. Chohwayun glared at him. Without a glance at them, the newcor looked up at .
“Pleasure, Honey.”
“...A wolf?”
“That’s what they call .”
I swallowed dryly. I’d half-expected the wolves’ master to intervene—sacrificing his thralls—but I hadn’t thought he’d appear so directly. I hurriedly sent Seong Hyunjae away.
“Showing up like this—”
“We are the reserves.”
An arm grabbed . Before I even registered it, I was dragged to the ground. Tension squeezed my chest and a Fear-Resistance status blinked. Once freed from that massive grip, I backed away swiftly. Even from a distance, I could see his chest. I drew my head back further.
“No need to be afraid. Words won’t convince you? Then—”
Thunk! At a slight gesture, Gérard’s head—bowed in reverence—exploded.
“You fucking dog!”
Seeing that churned my stomach. Even the wolf who sought to kill Chohwayun paused, looking at as if puzzled. He was definitely my enemy—had been—but...
“Humans aren’t disposable tools for you to use at will!”
“They call Wolf, but technically I’m a Wolf-Hunter. Shortened, of course.”
He ignored my protest and continued.
“I caught Transcendent Wolfkin, plucked their mana-crystals, swallowed them to gain wolf-power. These two have wolfkin power, too. Since they’re expendable, they beca the prey, not the hunters.”
Chohwayun staggered up. His glare was murderous, as though ready to tear apart the wolf that called him prey. But the wolf gave him not a shred of interest.
“I did him a favor, yet you still cling to kinship?”
“...Even with another species, if you took them in, the least you owe is respect!”
One mustn’t raise voiceless beasts only to slay them when useless—no emotion, as if handling tools. The wolf exhaled a low hum.
“Emotional, aren’t we? Then what shall we do with him? Force him to bow and apologize? Is that your custom, Honey?”
The wolf glanced at Chohwayun. At a nod, Chohwayun was dragged over like on a leash. His injured leg scraped, struggling in vain against impossible resistance.
...My feeling toward Chohwayun was precisely zero. Yet I hated seeing him like that. Part of wanted to kill him myself.
“Does becoming a Transcendent thrall allow such control?”
“Oh, it depends on the contract. That’s a low-level pact. Hunt a requisite number of prey, offer them to , gain power in return. Because the sacrifice’s caliber was high this ti, the binding strengthened. In exchange, freedom was forfeited.”
Even if contracts vary, being bound to a Transcendent is to be avoided. Chohwayun trembled as he ca to a halt just beyond our circle.
“...I’ll devour you.”
“A foolish pact can be revoked.”
Chohwayun’s ferocious mana ebb was t by the wolf’s unwavering gaze. Then he flopped to the ground like a dog.
“Shall I turn him fully into a wolf? You want to hunt him too?”
...In that mont, I wanted to shoot an arrow into that wolf’s head instead. Chohwayun scraped his fingers on the earth, snarling:
“The contract is... null!”
“What—?”
“I... Cho Hwa-yun returns to Hwangrim!”
Cling—like shattering glass, the sound echoed and Chohwayun vanished. The wolf cocked his head, mildly surprised.
“A double contract?”
“...Double contract?”
“One ans another bound him first. Unlike my pact, it was looser. Who was it? Even low-level, since a subsequent pact took priority, it must have been no re mortal.”
Hwangrim was S-rank, but backed by a Transcendent. So the “dog” really did run off and bind Chohwayun.
“So whichever contract signs first holds sway?”
“If rank gaps are small, yes. If wide, one can overpower to seize. Among Transcendents, first claim seals it. His original master seems not Transcendent—there may be side effects.”
He won’t die, the wolf smiled calmly, turning back to . I took a deep breath. With Chohwayun gone and Gérard dead, I’d effectively won—yet now faced a Transcendent.
“What’s your purpose?”
“Giving the wolf your arm and letting go was... morable.”
“Bragging about cheating?”
“I admired how you defended London. If you endure again, I’ll admit defeat and side with you, Honey.”
I wanted to tell him to piss off. But having even one Transcendent on our side—
“I won’t last long awake to help,” he said. “You interfered too much.”
“Get lost! Right now, get lost!”
That damned wolf’s interference—and the whine of his nonsense—drove to kick a stone at him. My boot struck his sturdy leg, but only a bit of dirt sared—the wolf didn’t flinch.
“Are you the r-Queen? You must be the r-Queen!”
“As I said, we’re the reserves. Unlike novices or Sprouts and Droplets, we normally sleep. In other words, it’s fine to pay a price for breaking rules.”
I stopped my outburst. The wolf continued:
“Dulling power to slumber also pre-pays for future costs.”
“...So, several Transcendents await, free to break constraints? Is that it?”
“Unlike the Filial Addicts, who ignore rules and can’t rest, we sleep. Though we seem weak now, when fully engaged, it won’t be so.”
...If they all rose together, our world could be ravaged. Even those asleep are warrior types who failed to beco Keepers. They likely won’t go that far—but the thought chilled my spine.
“But why is Droplet obsessing over you, Honey?”
“I’d like to know that, too. Isn’t it for you to learn?”
“Droplet’s done a fine job over long years. I trust and follow. But lately sothing’s... off. A bit anxious.”
I don’t know much of the r-Queen, but she certainly seed less composed than at our first eting. I sighed and offered both palms respectfully. The wolf tilted his head and gazed at .
“Give it up. Even peel off that leather for .”
“...Huh?”
“You’re not penniless as a Transcendent, are you? That bracelet looks good. Hand over the necklace, too.”
Strip everything. I’d let him keep his shoes—they might shrink too far. Everything but the boots.
“It’s pointless. The system won’t permit it—they’ll reclaim instantly. Most dungeon loot was used or crafted by us. Occasionally, if adequate reward lacks, the system auto-synthesizes one.”
“Useless.”
“I know, but you’re really big, Honey.”
“You’ll sleep soon anyway. I won’t see you alive again, so why hide them? As the r-Queen, targeting ans you can’t harm .”
He refolded those once outstretched palms, leaving only middle fingers raised. The wolf chuckled and placed his hand upon my head. His grip easily encompassed it—a chilling touch.
“Breaking constraints this much, might as well break more.”
...Should I apologize now? He has three children—I should’ve toned down.
“To make up for my ddling, I’ll help another of your teams, then sleep.”
Rumble—space vibrated. The hand that stroked my head fell away. In the wolf’s hand appeared a massive barbed spear.
“The aftermath will be severe. Return to your room. This wager is your victory.”
With finality, the spear’s tip split the air and mana storm. I retreated to my chamber. Silence fell swiftly. Perhaps the match wasn’t fully over; Yuhyun still slept soundly.
‘Boeun’s skill will end soon.’
I removed my boots into inventory and headed to the master bedroom. Opening the door quietly, I saw my brother asleep on the bed, perfectly unhard, without a drop of blood. I paused, then approached.
“If you’re going to sleep soone, at least take off their boots.”
I moved him only to the bed. He didn’t stir at my gentle touch—chilling—but I could hear his faint breathing.
‘...Yuhyun.’
All the thoughts I’d deferred flooded my mind: my twenty-five-year-old brother, the cold look in his eyes.
‘Why didn’t he say anything?’
How we t, what happened—I’d known nothing. I wondered if I should ask, if I even could.
...Because I’d been hiding, too.
I hadn’t told Yuhyun about the pre-regression Han Yuhyun. That his twenty-five-year-old self was cut off from the world and fell into the hands of a white bird—I’d kept it hidden. I couldn’t say to him that I wanted to reclaim him.
Sitting at the edge of the bed, I watched his body tremble slightly.
“Yuhyun, you’re... different.”
Even identical clones beco distinct the mont their lives diverge. The sa person would think the sa thoughts, make the sa choices. But my brothers were now very different.
I thought of the in the Chinese dungeon—my Han Yujin there, no longer recognizably the sa. If he continued living there, he’d differ even more. Like twins born at twenty-nine: identical at first, yet living separate lives.
“...Obviously different, yet—”
Though different, they both felt like my brothers. I couldn’t abandon either. How could I let go? I can’t.
Unable to hold only one, I hid them both. The twenty-five-year-old I cannot reclaim—that made it harder still. I’d intended to take them in and end it there.
“Should I tell him?”
If I pressed to pry out his silence, should I reveal everything in return? Ti, brief yet drawn out, passed. In the silence, the system window appeared.
[Team Han Yujin Victory!]
At once, Yuhyun’s eyes opened. He bolted upright and reached for .
“Hyung!”
“I’m fine. Totally fine. We won.”
I embraced him quickly, relief sighing in my ear.
“But, Yuhyun—”
Stepping back from his arms, I spoke. He looked at .
“Have you ever t the pre-regression you? In the Chinese dungeon, for instance. Pre-regression was there too.”
I asked as lightly as I could. His black eyes, aglow with residual fla, blinked once.
“No. Never.”
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