When I came to my senses, I found myself face-to-face with Kong.


    The first thought that crossed my mind was simple: annoyance.


    —Crack.


    ‘…Still as annoyingly cute as ever.’


    Objectively speaking, the situation was incredibly cool.


    The res lighting up the sky, the boy descending through them.


    Even showing up at the worst possible moment—right in the middle of an EX-rank gate catastrophe.


    He looked like a character ripped straight out of aic book.


    If I were in his ce, I’d have asked someone to y this scene at my funeral.


    "Behold the epic montage of the dearly departed."


    ‘But of all things, why his face?’


    His unnecessarily handsome and delicate features turned the whole thing on its head.


    Instead of looking like a superhero making a dramatding, he came off as… the main heroine.


    Even after all this time, he was as infuriating as ever.


    ‘Why is that guy a dude, seriously…?’


    —Ding.


    [Chwimyeon-jjang dashes toward you, shouting, "Headbutt Dino Mode, activate!"]


    [Chwimyeon-jjang delivers a yful headbutt to snap you out of it.]


    [Skill ''Perfect Hypnosis'' activates.]


    [12 abnormal status effects nullified…]


    Well, it worked.


    Around me, all I had to protect were the women I cared about and a senile grandma.


    That made my PTSD re up even worse.


    But then, out of nowhere, my most reliable friend appeared.


    The mental copse that had been dragging me down stabilized instantly.


    Kong’s Arrival. Five letters that brought a wave of relief.


    Atst, I could think clearly.


    ‘The reason he came….’


    [You’ll help, right? Because we’re friends.]


    [Yeah. I’lle for sure, Yujin.]


    ‘…This guy.’


    I realized why Kong was here.


    At the start of the semester, when I’d spoiled him with necromancer strategies, he’d insisted on paying me back.


    I’d jokingly told him to show up if an EX-rank gate ever appeared.


    It was just a throwawayment.


    But he remembered—and actually came.


    A surge of gratitude filled me.


    “Phew… Thanks foring, my best friend.”


    “Oh, so you’re finally back to normal? You were about to bawl your eyes out.”


    “Looking at your unnecessarily cute face snapped me out of it, idiot.”


    “Chi. Even now, you’re like this.”


    “Stop puffing out your cheeks. It’s too cute, and I’ll be tempted to flick your forehead.”


    We exchanged lighthearted banter, and my frayed nerves began to settle.


    My racing heart slowed to a steady rhythm.


    The trembling in my hands stopped.


    Even my grip on the katana rxed.


    Kong’s worried gaze softened into one of relief.


    “Good. That’s more like it.”


    “….”


    ‘This guy… he nned this, didn’t he?’


    Having spent years in drawn-out gueri battles in Vietnam, he knew exactly how to handle a teammate on the verge of a breakdown.


    All of this—the banter, his yful attitude, even the way he pretended to be embarrassed bypliments—was calcted.


    It was his way of mentally stabilizing me.


    “Still, how are you this cute even in times like this?”


    “What?”


    “If I were into guys, I’d definitely fall for you.”


    “Hmph! Whatever, seriously.”


    “……?”


    ‘Is he… blushing? Half-embarrassed, half-happy?’


    It was hard to tell. But no matter.


    With his help, I regained myposure. Now, it was time to assess the situation.


    ‘I don’t know where Yushia ran off to. I don’t know why the Chairwoman’s dementia suddenly disappeared. And I don’t know why the Americans are here….’


    But there wasn’t time to dig into any of that.


    What mattered now was one thing: the cards we had on the table.


    “Kong, did youe alone?”


    “Of course not. I brought my subordinates. Three hundred A-rank veterans. If I give the order, they’ll deploy immediately.”


    “Three hundred, huh? And Sybi? What about those American forces?”


    “The President anticipated this. He sent about 500 A-rank personnel just in case.”


    “That many because of Paimon? Damn.”


    Thanks to Kong and Sybi, I had an urate picture of our forces.


    n Chunhwa and the Association had around 200 A-rank awakened.


    Kong’s 300 seasoned veterans.


    Morrison’s 500 American soldiers.


    A total of 1,000 A-rank awakened.


    Compared to the first timeline, where the Association was wiped out in 30 minutes, this was an almost luxurious setup.


    Yet my expression remained grim.


    “Sybi, Chairwoman. Please hand overmand to Kong.”


    “Oh, finally some good thinking! Let’s—”


    “And Kong, take the awakened and evacuate.”


    “…What?”


    “Listen. Here’s what we’ll do—”


    I exined my n to the gathered leaders.


    It was the most realistic option we had.


    And the one I hated the most.


    “We need to hold out until the research to harm the Saint ispleted.”


    “But we can’t hold this stalemate forever. The enemy numbers are overwhelming.”


    “If we keep fighting like this, we’ll be annihted within three days. That’s my assessment.”


    The monsters shared the same traits as the Saint—impervious to conventional attacks.


    I didn’t know how long the research would take, but it wouldn’t be done in three days.


    “So, we need to bunker down and focus on defense. If we stock up on food and water, and if Kong takesmand, we can hold out for two months.”


    “If we seed in developing a countermeasure, we win. If not, we’re doomed.”


    It was humanity’sst gamble—a desperate bid to buy time.


    “Wait, Yujin. What about the citizens of Seoul?”


    “……”


    “The Korean people. Other countries too?”


    “There will be astronomical casualties.”


    It was a dystopian strategy.


    A handful of awakened huddling together while the rest of the world burned.


    I didn’t need to spell out what the monsters would do in our absence. The others could infer it on their own.


    The Chairwoman’s face twisted with anger.


    “So, you’re saying we just leave people to die?”


    “It’s better than total annihtion.”


    “You damn brat. I didn’t go through hell for you to say this…!”


    “I’m sorry.”


    “…That look on your face… Damn it. I can’t even bring myself to curse at you.”


    Her anger dissipated as she saw the defeat written all over my face.


    —Ding.


    [‘???’ smiles wryly.]


    [“Yushia, your husband is screwing up again. Go p some sense into him. I’m too short for this.”]


    “Alright. Hey, Yujin.”


    “Yushia? What—”


    —CRACK!


    “Gah!!!”


    Lightning shed before my eyes.


    Yushia had spiked my back with her powers.


    “Ugh! Why are you hitting me out of nowhere?!”


    “Look around. Focus.”


    “…What?”


    I raised my head and saw the others staring at me.


    Their eyes held no reproach. Only trust.


    “We’ll buy you time, Yujin. Think. This is what you’re best ating up with strange solutions.”


    “Exactly! Even the President has faith in you!”


    “Well, I…”


    “Kong.”


    “I’ll handle the defense. No casualties for the first three days, like you said. After that… we’ll see.”


    “……”


    Kong.


    They weren’t giving up.


    And neither should I.


    “Uh… um, good luck, Dad?”


    “Haru! Now’s not the time for… Ugh. Dad, I don’t know what’s going on, but let me know if you need help. I’ll call the lieutenant general for you.”


    “Whoa, Big Sis, you’re so cool!”


    Haru. Winterer.


    “…Yujin, do you want some pine needle tea? Sweet and refreshing drinks help you think better!”


    “……”


    “And you know what? You’re soooo much more amazing than you think, Yujin! I totally believe in you!”


    My first wife, Alice.


    “Fox-face, why the hell are you talking about drinks right now?”


    “For the Pine Needle Guild, drinks aren’t just beverages—they’re life itself!”


    “Ugh. Whatever. Hey, Yujin. Think harder. There’s gotta be another way, right?”


    My second wife, Shia.


    Finally…


    —A piercing gaze.


    “…Master?”


    Myst wife, my Master.


    Her violet eyes met my golden ones.


    “Eh? W-what is it, Disciple? L-look, I’m not confident in anything except wielding a sword, so why are you staring at me like that?”


    “……”


    “I mean, you saw earlier—my attacks don’t work on them! I’mpletely useless… Oh! I can cook for everyone! My cooking skills are decent, at least!”


    Flustered, my Master waved her hands nervously.


    It was clear she was shaken.


    It was her first time facing enemiespletely immune to her attacks.


    And the fact that she had shown such helplessness in front of me—her disciple—must have deeply rattled her.


    ‘But still…’


    —Ding.


    [‘???’ smiles fondly.]


    [“That’s right. Stick to what you’re good at, my beloved child.”]


    [Chwimyeon-jjang attempts a dramatic whistle, cing her fingers in her mouth!]


    [“The time hase—pfffft. Wait, why isn’t it working?!”]


    [Instead of a whistle, a pathetic puff of air escapes.]


    ‘Why do I feel like I’ve forgotten something important?’


    Watching my Master, I felt a wave of unease.


    It didn’t take long to realize why.@@novelbin@@


    ‘Ah. I’m thinking like my first-timeline self again.’


    The sudden appearance of the EX-rank gate had thrown me into a spiral of fear.


    Even though everyone around me had helped me snap out of my panic, my thoughts were still trapped in the past.


    In the first timeline, I had been consumed by regret.


    I had wished I could have escaped with my wives before disaster struck.


    Even if it meant dyingter, at least we could have lived happily for a little while longer.


    That regret had bled into my current n.


    It wasn’t a real strategy—it was just an excuse to spend our final days together, avoiding the inevitable.


    I sighed, disgusted with myself.


    “Ugh…”


    ‘Seriously, thinking like the pathetic first-timeline me? So much for the great Seo Yujin.’


    Things were different now.


    The first-timeline Yujin had been azy,cent man.


    But the second-timeline Yujin? Apletely different person.


    A diligent, responsible young man who had fought tooth and nail to improve.


    The Second Timeline’s Hypnosis Breeder Extraordinaire.


    ‘I need to live up to the name.’


    With that thought, I silently stepped forward.


    My Master’s violet eyes widened as I drew closer.


    “D-Disciple? There’s no need to sigh so dramatically! I mean, sure, I’m useless if my sword doesn’t work, but—!!”


    “Master.”


    “Eek! W-why are you making that face…?”


    Without another word, I picked her up.


    —Grab. Lift.


    “Wha—Wait, Disciple! Hold on! This is—”


    [“———I love you, Master! Please have sex with me!!!”]


    “W-WHAT!?”


    In the most Yujin-like way possible, I delivered a confession fitting of my Hypnosis Breeder title.