310 – HGL 310

310

Butterfly Dream

Three days had passed since the child’s escape. Gyu-Gyu had visited Prometheus’s chapel several times alone, and fortunately, they didn’t seem to have noticed the child’s absence. The security hadn’t been strengthened. Did that test subject cover it up well? Or is it that the disappearance of one such child isn’t worth bothering about? It’s impossible to know.

Nam Woo-jin decided to take care of the rescued child. Jung-bin, Gyu-Gyu, Nam Woo-jin, and even J. The four gathered in a small monitoring room. Nam Woo-jin observed the sleeping child through the Magic Mirror and said.

“Mutation progresses rapidly in civilians. Those who undergo partial Mutation… are mostly people under the influence of the System.”

“But isn’t that child not an Awakened?”

“Even if you look at the whole world, don’t people Awaken from high school age or older?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, if they’re too young, they might not be able to withstand the Awakening ability and die. It seems the System takes many things into consideration. Let’s just say they’re prospective Awakened marked by the System…”

Indeed. Cha Eui-jae himself Awakened when he was in high school. He nodded. Jung-bin tapped his arm and asked.

“Anyway… J, you infiltrated and rescued the child… What are the results of Gyu-Gyu’s infiltration?”

“Huh? Me?”

Gyu-Gyu twisted his hair around his finger and replied.

“It’s just a cult~ Praying, listening to what the Seer says, crying and begging, pleading for them to heal our child, my friend, my other half.”

“……”

“Well, I didn’t know they’d use them as test subjects for human experimentation~”

Gyu-Gyu smirked. Jung-bin, with a rare displeased look, stared at Gyu-Gyu, then swept back his hair and sighed.

“I understand for now. Gyu-Gyu, can you continue to infiltrate periodically?”

“Huh? Are you commissioning me? My fee is expensive.”

Gyu-Gyu made a circle with his thumb and index finger. Jung-bin responded with a gentle smile.

“You’re going to keep going anyway, aren’t you? Since you’re a filial son. I’ll pay for the information.”

“Ah… that’s right. All the informants have gone mad. So you’re trying to exploit me~?”

“Haha. Surely not. I’m asking because you’re skilled.”

“Liar. I should add a surcharge for your insolence.”

Sparks flew between their smiling faces. Nam Woo-jin, who had been receiving a report from a boy who had appeared unnoticed, suddenly shouted.

“If you’re going to fight, go outside and fight! Get out!”

“Geez, you’re so strict.”

Gyu-Gyu grumbled, opened the door, and left. Eui-jae sighed and grabbed Jung-bin, who was tidying his clothes.

“Hey, Jung-bin.”

“Yes, J. What is it?”

Jung-bin replied with a soft smile. Eui-jae pondered what to say, then asked directly.

“Are there any members on the team showing signs of Mutation?”

“…Pardon? Signs of Mutation?”

Jung-bin’s eyes widened. Eui-jae hurriedly rattled off words like a machine gun.

“Suddenly, their hair or skin turning white, or scales, fur, or feathers growing on their body…”

“Well, as far as I know, there aren’t any… Do you know something?”

“…It’s best to be careful.”

The words, ‘You’ll be killed by that person,’ didn’t come out easily. He wanted to stay by Jung-bin’s side, but opening the closed Dungeon Portal was his top priority. Eui-jae glanced at the wide-open door and added.

“Don’t be alone, and always stay with someone other than a team member.”

“……”

“Please.”

The clattering sound of dice colliding was heard like an answer.

Jongno 3-ga Underground Dungeon. The researchers were gathered together, dancing.

“Oh my god! Look at this radiance!”

“So beautiful… Ah, to see the Tomato Market Mana Stone in person!”

“With this, the energy will be overflowing!”

To be exact, it wasn’t dancing but ecstatic gestures. They were waving their arms and legs like a company of monkeys who had discovered fire, gathered in a circle, and in the middle of them, Cluck, with a Mana Stone in its beak, was bravely spreading its wings wide.

Eui-jae sat a little away, propping his chin up and watching the scene.

After rescuing the child and entrusting it to Nam Woo-jin, Eui-jae contacted Hong Ye-seong. It was to check the Mana Stone he had given him.

‘Huh? Did I use the Mana Stone? No! It’s such a precious item. I’ve only come up with about 100 ideas of what to make. I’m in the stage of worrying about making something perfect. Why?’

‘…Can you possibly give it back?’

‘What? Where does taking back what you’ve given come from?’

‘Please.’

‘…Huh?’

‘I’m asking you just once. Please.’

‘…Wait, wait, are you okay?’

Eui-jae couldn’t answer. He chose his words for a long time, but there were no words he could utter. He wasn’t okay. He wasn’t okay at all. Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered the figure struggling inside the glass tube.

He wanted to see Lee Sa-young right now.

Hong Ye-seong, noticing that something was wrong, declared that he would gladly return the Mana Stone without even asking why.

‘We’re friends!’

And now, Cluck had appeared with the Mana Stone in its beak.

After finishing its boasting, Cluck handed the Mana Stone to the researcher. And it toddled over to Eui-jae and took a seat on his lap. Eui-jae stroked Cluck’s smooth head with his finger.

“Tell your Master I said thank you.”

“Cluck.”

Cluck nodded its head. After a while, someone shouted.

“J! Please prepare!”

Eui-jae put Cluck down and stood in front of the dead-end wall. Hoo, he took a breath. He touched the wall. A cold chill was transmitted through his palm. Woooong, the passage began to vibrate. It was a much larger reverberation than before.

Paaat!

The passage flashed with white light. A strong force struck Eui-jae’s back. Eui-jae gathered the waves of energy flowing in into one point. So that it could be transmitted to the closed door through his palm. His body shook. Eui-jae gritted his teeth. He felt something round gathering in his palm.

‘Just a little… more!’

Eui-jae focused all his mind on his palm. Making the round mass a little bigger, bigger.

Soon.

Pat, the energy expanded greatly.

Cheers erupted from behind. Strangely, the sound felt far away. Was it because he had poured all the strength in his body? He had no strength in his body. Eui-jae slowly opened his eyes. The blue entrance that he had been through several times was rippling right in front of him.

‘…I did it.’

His heart thumped, thumped. The corners of his lips went up.

‘I can meet him.’

The moment he was about to turn around, his legs swayed greatly.

‘Ah, damn it.’

He staggered, his body tilting towards the Portal. J! People’s screams faded away. Well, it didn’t matter, did it? He was going anyway. Eui-jae entrusted his body to the Portal that was sucking him in without resistance.

He mulled over with his hazy head.

‘Wait for me, Lee Sa-young…’

It was then. Just before Eui-jae closed his eyes, a pure white window appeared in his vision. The window was densely filled with something written on it, but he couldn’t read it with his flickering mind.

Well, caution? Individual Cha Eui-jae? Change? Eui-jae waved his arm roughly. His body and mind began to sink into the distant darkness.

‘They’ll show it to me again when I open my eyes…’

With a strange belief in the System.

Thud.

Thud.

Something was poking Eui-jae’s side. Ugh, what is it… Eui-jae tossed and turned. Once again, thud, something poked his side. It seemed to be… the toe of a shoe.

What kind of guy kicks someone’s side. Eui-jae frowned deeply and raised his head. A large, dark shadow stood tall. A sweet smell wafted.

Eui-jae widened his eyes.

“…Lee Sa-young!”

Lee Sa-young turned his head. A pale complexion, a face that was much sharper and thinner than the last time he saw him, and deeply sunken purple eyes were captured in his eyes in turn. Eui-jae couldn’t hide his joy and staggered to raise his upper body. And he spread his arms wide towards Lee Sa-young.

“Sa-young!”

However.

“……Hoo.”

A short sigh full of annoyance returned. Lee Sa-young stared at Eui-jae with a blank face, then,

As it was,

“……”

He passed by Eui-jae. Whoosh, the wind blew. It was a surprisingly cold attitude. The fingertips he had reached out to him shrank back. Eui-jae stared at Lee Sa-young’s back with a dumbfounded face.

What is this now? Did he ignore me? Me?

Well, I was expecting a tearfully touching reunion… I was honestly expecting it a little. Eui-jae pouted. Was I the only one who wanted to see him?

‘…Is he perhaps angry?’

Is he angry because I left like that at the end? It was understandable. Lee Sa-young’s temper was twisted like a pretzel every now and then. Damn it, I have to start by appeasing him as soon as I come here with difficulty.

“Hey, Lee Sa-young…”

Eui-jae raised his body. The moment he was about to run and grab Sa-young’s arm.

“…Tsk.”

Whack!

A large hand grabbed Eui-jae’s neck without hesitation. Lee Sa-young lifted the hand that grabbed his neck as it was. Eui-jae widened his eyes. His feet left the ground. Eui-jae hurriedly grabbed the hand and wrist that were grabbing his neck.

A cold voice muttered.

“I don’t know where you crawled out from…”

Cold fingertips mercilessly pressed down on his neck. Eui-jae gritted his teeth. His breath was gradually being cut off. Sunken purple eyes were shining brightly. What was contained in those eyes was…

“You should look at your opponent before you attack… Huh?”

It was murderous intent.