As his eyelids flickered a few times, his thinshes trembled. His empty eyes stared nkly into the darkness. The first thought that came to mind was nothing significant.


    "Have I gone blind again?"


    Just that much.


    Fortunately, his body’s senses gradually adjusted to the darkness, and the surrounding objects became distinguishable. He slowly pushed himself up from the mattress, leaning on his elbows. The feel of the nket covering him was familiar. It was likely his bedroom.


    He reached out and switched on the bedsidemp. The room was filled with an orange glow, casting his pale face in a reddish hue.


    …


    It felt like he had just woken from a very long dream.


    …


    But was it really a dream?


    Something sparkled on the soft nket. Without hesitation, he grasped it in his hand and stepped out of bed. Every step he took made his body wobble, as if moving was foreign to him, like it wasn’t even his body.


    He opened the door. His bare feet made contact with the cold floor, lifted, and touched it again a few times as he made his way to therge window.


    "…"


    His clouded eyes focused on the sky beyond the window. The massive hole in the middle of the sky was tinged white, with ash swirling around like snow. It was andscape he had grown dreadfully familiar with over time.


    The end of the world.


    Slowly, he lowered his gaze. Ash settled on the ruins of broken buildings. Everything was covered in white. There was no trace of life anywhere. A sharp pain throbbed in his head. The hand he pressed against the ss was ckened up to the wrist.


    The end was always quiet and...


    Thud.


    He shook his head and looked out at the street again. There was a high-rise building under repair, draped in cloth, with cars busily moving along the road and small figures walking along the sidewalk. The faint sound of car horns reached his ears. Everything was still in ce. Only one of his fingers was ckened up to the knuckle, and nothing more.


    For now.


    "Ah…"


    He sighed softly and ran his hands roughly over his face. His forehead and neck were soaked in cold sweat.


    "Sh*t."


    Between his ckened fingers, his violet eyes glowed brightly. A trace of unease flickered in his otherwise arrogant gaze.


    "What the hell is this mess now?"


    ---


    "Why..."


    Click.


    "Won’t this…"


    Click.


    "Light!"


    Cha Uijae struggled with a lime-green gas lighter, pressing it repeatedly. He was crouched on the ground, attempting to light a cigarette. Mingi nced at him.


    "Shall I prepare a new lighter for you?"


    "No, no need for that... It’s weird. There should be some gas left."


    Uijae held the lighter up toward the light. Finally, he noticed the strange lettering on the surface: "Fresh Mackerel Sashimi Market" with a phone number beneath it. It must have been one of the lighters left behind by customers at the hangover soup restaurant. He could never understand the preferences of Hunters.


    Mingi lifted his head.


    "Ah… I do have an item that can light it. Would you like to try?"


    "What is it?"


    He rummaged through his inventory and pulled out something that resembled a gun. When he pulled the trigger, a vivid blue me red up. Uijae stared at the zing pir of fire, dumbfounded.


    "A methrower?"


    Mingi beamed with pride.


    "I picked it up when we raided the Awakener Management Agency. It seemed useful, so I kept it. It’s made with a mana stone from a fire-type monster."


    Uijae suddenly remembered Kkoko, Hong Yeseong’s bird, spitting blue fire as well. Surely not… He asked.


    "Did Hong Yeseong make this?"


    "Yes, the artisan himself made it."


    That guy really made all sorts of bizarre things. Uijae reluctantly held the cigarette to the me. But…


    Whoosh!


    "Sir?"


    The blue me engulfed both the cigarette and Uijae’s hand in one swift motion. Mingi quickly released the trigger to stop the fire. Uijae calmly shook off the minor soot on his hand, unfazed.


    "The me’s too strong. I can’t use it."


    "I see. I’ll have the lighter delivered to your ce, sir."


    "I said I don’t need it…"


    Uijae clicked his tongue and put on his mask.


    "So, it’s a bust again."


    They were standing amidst the wreckage of a copsed building inside the Erosion Dungeon. The periodic bursts of ash had stopped once the dungeon boss had been defeated.


    "Yes. We explored as much as we could, but nothing stood out. There was nothing particrly unusualpared to previous Erosion Dungeons. But over there…"


    Mingi gestured beyond the ck water. A vast expanse ofnd stretched out on the other side.


    "There could be something over there, though. It would be good to investigate now, but…"@@novelbin@@


    Mingi busied himself scribbling something on his tablet and shrugged.


    "But you don’t exactly have the time for that right now, sir."


    "…"


    Uijae didn’t respond. His silence was a form of agreement. Mingi stopped writing.


    "We could consider sending in a team from the Wave Guild, but that’s a bit tricky. It’s unlikely to be possible."


    "Who owns this dungeon, anyway?"


    "A guild called Sanyoung. They’re in a partnership with HB Guild. Essentially, it’s under HB Guild’s ownership."


    Mingi scratched his temple with the end of his pen.


    "Sir, you’re free to go anywhere with your hero status and your official documents, but…"


    "…"


    "If I get caught here, it’s over for me."


    Uijae needed to return quickly to check on Lee Sayoung’s condition and retrieve the watch. Leaving Mingi behind wasn’t an option either. Uijae kicked at some concrete debris with his boot. Fortunately, he was quick to ept and move on.


    "We don’t have a choice. Let’s go."


    "Understood, sir."


    Ajujakungminggijeok, also known as Mingi, melted into Uijae’s shadow.


    ---


    Ssh.


    As they exited the dungeon, the scent of salty seawater tickled Uijae’s nose. Gentle waves crashed against the cliff, wearing it down into white foam. The Erosion Dungeon in Mokpo was created beneath the cliff, where it met the sea.


    The sea.


    They had promised toe here together, but Uijae ended uping alone. Back then, and now.


    "When will we finally be able toe together?"


    Without dungeons, monsters, or systems—just the two of them.


    "Everything reminds me of Lee Sayoung these days."


    It seemed like his entire world had been reassembled into thoughts of Sayoung. The bitterness in his mouth lingered as he stepped onto the sandy beach. In that moment, a sharp presence pricked at his back, sending a chill down his spine. Uijae tightened his grip on his spear and focused on the source of the sensation. A sharp voice pierced the air.


    "Finally decided to notice me, huh? Isn’t the number one-ranked Hunter being a bit too careless?"


    Blonde hair tied high fluttered in the cold sea breeze like a g. Uijae recognized the person instantly. How could he not, when she had been a regr face on TV both before and after the Day of Change…


    And a regr customer at his hangover soup restaurant.


    "Let’s keep this short. We’re both busy, after all."


    Honeybee pushed her blonde hair behind her ear and stared directly at Uijae. Thankfully, there wasn’t any killing intent in her gaze.


    "…"


    Uijae lowered the spear he had been gripping threateningly and replied.


    "I have permission to be in this dungeon. The HB Guild shouldn’t have any issue with it."


    "That’s not my concern. I’m here for something else."


    Normally, Uijae would have ignored her and moved on. The more encounters he had with other Hunters, the greater the risk.


    But maybe it was because of the memories the watch had shown him. Or perhaps it was because of their connection through the hangover soup restaurant. Either way, he was curious enough to listen to her.


    Honeybee spoke.


    "Do you know anything about the drug that turns Awakeners into dummies?"


    Of course, Uijae knew. It was because of that drug that he had crossed paths with Lee Sayoung again. But he stayed silent, watching her reaction. Taking his silence as an answer, Honeybee continued slowly.


    "I came looking for you because I thought you could help."


    She twirled her hair around her finger, hesitating briefly, before speaking with a resolute expression.


    "I need your help, J. I need you to pass on a message."


    "What message?"


    "We need to treat Matthew."


    Matthew—Uijae had met him at the Artisan Exhibition. Currently, he was ranked third in South Korea and was the guild leader of HB Guild. Uijae asked casually,


    "Shouldn’t you be taking him to a healer for that?"


    "We already did. They said he couldn’t be treated. Even Nam Woojin said the same. Tsk…"


    Honeybee bit her thumbnail anxiously.


    "Are you aware that HB Guild has formed an alliance with Samra Guild?"


    "For now, yes."


    "I think that’s when things started to go wrong. After that, Matthew began to change. A man who was always calm started to have mood swings, bing increasingly anxious and losing control of his abilities…"


    Her eyes glinted darkly.


    "Sh*t,


    did they think I wouldn’t notice that?"


    "…So?"


    "Oh."


    She seemed to snap out of her daze and raised her head. Lowering her gaze again, she muttered.


    "Nam Woojin told me that Matthew’s symptoms are the early stages of addiction to the drug that mutates Awakeners. The group behind the drug’s distribution is Prometheus. Nam Woojin knows the drug itself, but the only ones who understand the organization well are in the Wave Guild. He told me to ask them for help."


    "…"


    It must have been serious if Nam Woojin had entrusted her with such a secret, despite the emphasis on keeping it confidential. Uijae remembered the fragment Gaeul had shown him, where Honeybee had copsed in tears.


    The Honeybee standing in front of him now might have reddened eyes, but she wasn’t crying.


    "You’ve been working with the Wave Guildtely, haven’t you? Then pass the message to Lee Sayoung. Shield Guy can’t pass it on because he’s stuck in a dungeon."


    "Lee Sayoung…"


    Uijae’s throat tightened for a moment. He cleared his throat quietly and shook his head.


    "Lee Sayoung won’t be able to help. You know that. Because of his health…"


    "What are you talking about?"


    Honeybee frowned.


    "That health excuse has already been exposed. A few hours ago, people in the Ranker chat shared that Lee Sayoung was spotted around Incheon."


    Thud. Honeybee’s eyes widened as J grabbed her shoulders and brought his face close to hers.


    His ck mask revealed no expression, and his voice, distorted by modtion, was emotionless. His words came out slow and deliberate, almost spat out.


    "What did you just say?"


    ______________________


    <strong>TL NOTE</strong>: Please don''t skimp on the stars for the trantion - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!