By Zephyria “Haa….”
He neurotically threw the recorder away. This recording couldn’t be made public. It needed to be more realistic; releasing this content, filled with such insane ramblings, would undoubtedly lead to accusations of fabrication. Especially now, when public opinion against him was at its worst. Furthermore, considering the common testimonies of the people at the cafe, it was better not to release it at all.
Go Jae-won drank strong liquor repeatedly. Since becoming an Awakened, he didn’t get drunk easily, so to feel even a slight buzz, he had to drink at least three bottles of strong baijiu or whiskey. Empty bottles were already piled up nearby. It wasn’t an amount he’d only drunk for a day or two, but now there was no one to stop him. The spot where the Golden Bug team members, who had been the core of the Sunrise Guild, had been active was now desolate.
‘If you were truly innocent and had done nothing wrong, this place would be the Sun Guild by now!’
Go Jae-won, recalling how Elena, the leader of the Golden Bug team, had shot back with a tone full of conviction beyond doubt, tore at his hair.
The Sunrise Guild was desolate now. Even when Lee Hyun-muk returned, the guild members who had hesitantly stayed put had either quit or transferred due to the press conference attended only by Go Jae-won, and the news of Lee Hyun-muk and the other Sunrise Team members leaving the Sunrise Guild. The Sun Guild even covered their severance pay, so no one hesitated to leave the guild. Even the remaining guild members seemed to be staying out of reluctance, having nowhere else to go.
Most of the people who had once revered them as the top guild in the country had turned their backs. He was openly called a traitor, and everywhere he looked, he was met with contemptuous and disdainful attitudes and gazes. Just a while ago, he was pelted with rotten eggs on his way to work. The torrent of curses, criticisms, and inquiries via guild mail and phone calls had brought work to a standstill.
But what troubled Go Jae-won more than anything else was what had happened today. His hand, which was searching for another bottle of liquor after emptying one in an instant, trembled.
‘Monsters….’
No matter how he looked at it, his former colleagues didn’t seem human anymore. Among them, the most terrifying was not Lee Chan-ha, who must have hated him the most, but Lee Hyun-muk. He had felt an oppressive aura from Lee Hyun-muk before, as he was a High-level Awakened, but the encounter at the cafe this time was entirely different.
Was Re-awakening truly a reality? Had Lee Hyun-muk, as well as the other team members, undergone Re-awakening? What kind of place was the Abyss? Go Jae-won gritted his teeth. How he wished Lee Hyun-muk and his team members had never returned alive.
His former colleagues genuinely seemed to want to kill him….
If he had known things would turn out this way, he shouldn’t have accepted the government’s offer back then. Go Jae-won, his throat parched, downed more liquor. His body still felt chilled. With a head dizzy from intoxication, he nervously tapped his leg.
‘Could they really kill me?’
He would have been certain that his former colleagues wouldn’t kill him, no matter what, but not anymore. He looked around with anxious eyes. He felt as if Lee Chan-ha, Seo Yakrin, Yoon Seung-ryong, and Joo Ho-young would burst through the door any moment, ready to kill him.
‘Could the Team Leader’s shadow… could that have been real, not an illusion…?’
No matter how much Go Jae-won thought about it, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Lee Hyun-muk and the other team members were severely Corrupted. What wouldn’t a madman do? Having experienced the brink of death, Go Jae-won put his mind to work. Rather than live in Korea under such threats, why not seek asylum abroad?
He wished he could just convey the information that his former colleagues were actually seriously Corrupted. He didn’t know how they passed the Corruption test, but Go Jae-won was certain of their Corruption. No, he wanted to believe they were Corrupted. As he poured another drink, a knock sounded. He flinched in surprise.
“Who, who is it! Damn it!”
Clutching the Eternal Stone Weapon, which Seo Yakrin had meticulously crafted for him, as if it were his life, Go Jae-won yelled. The moment the door burst open, he couldn’t breathe, falling into extreme fear. Fortunately, the person who strode in was both unfamiliar and familiar.
“What, you were inside? But why are you swearing?”
“…Uh, your name is, Park….”
Drunk, Go Jae-won fumbled for his memory. The other person frowned, scanning him up and down with a condescending gaze.
“I’m Park Seung-min. Didn’t you receive the official document from the government? They told me to work here starting today.”
Only then did Go Jae-won recall that the first Purifier to appear was named Park Seung-min. Park Seung-min, who walked in without permission, pinched his nose.
“Wow, why are you sweating so much? Ugh… the smell of alcohol.”
Though not entirely pleased, Park Seung-min, as if bestowing a favor, scattered a gentle light. Go Jae-won, staring blankly at the room being purified in an instant, chuckled. He threw the liquor bottle in his hand onto the floor.
‘A High-rank Purifier joining my guild… even if the sky falls, there’s a way out!’
Yes, it was okay not to be the guild with the best combat power. If they had a guild with a High-rank Purifier, even the Sun Guild wouldn’t dare to act rashly. Go Jae-won tried to soothe his anxious heart.
Yohan’s adaptation to the guild was very smooth.
Every day when he commuted, reporters swarmed, looking for other survivors from the Abyss, but they couldn’t get past the guards’ loyal protection. Moreover, with twelve newly hired Awakeners, they couldn’t get a clear picture. It seemed the Rift Management Agency managed Awakener information more thoroughly than expected.
The guild members of the Little Sheep team were all around Yohan’s age. Most had Awakened recently and hadn’t properly experienced a Rift yet, so they were young, cheerful, and appropriately tense. They were all proud to have joined the Sun Guild after overcoming fierce competition.
“But who could that survivor be?”
“A Low-rank Awakened, Strength Enhancement Type? There are four such people among the new recruits. And how can we be sure their abilities are real? There are so many fake articles these days.”
“I’ve seen several people claiming Re-awakening online lately.”
“Maybe they didn’t join the Sun Guild at all? Honestly, if it were me, I’d hide at home the moment I came out of the Abyss….”
“Even if they’re a ‘parachute,’ aren’t they technically veterans who debuted in a Rift? They came out of the Abyss.”
Every time such conversations arose, Yohan, the unofficial parachute, felt somewhat awkward. He also felt guilty for hiding his abilities from them.
The new guild members diligently learned from the Golden Mary team and Sun Rise team members, who had extensive experience in Rift exploration and monster hunting. They learned everything from writing basic exploration reports to methods for avoiding Corruption as much as possible, properly removing Corruption from weapons, building teamwork, training, and what to watch out for in Rifts.
This was essential for Yohan too. He had never been active in a guild, so he lacked such basic knowledge. He knew how to hunt and evade monsters, but he didn’t know the common sense required for Awakeners.
After diligently learning and practicing, he would pretend to go home after hanging out in the second-floor lounge or cafeteria, but instead head to the conference room. Then, he would return to the building with the Sun Team members who had finished their work. Today, when he arrived at the conference room, Lee Hyun-muk was already there.
“Yohan, have you made any friends?”
…His remark, more like that of a parent sending their child, or rather, nephew, to school for the first time, than a lover’s, prompted Lee Hyun-muk to gently take the bag Yohan was carrying. It was the basic Rift Survival Gear he had received today, with instructions to familiarize himself with it by looking at and touching it. The significant age difference between him and Lee Hyun-muk suddenly came to mind, but Yohan tried to erase it. After all, as long as he looked like he was in his twenties, that was enough….
“The bag isn’t that heavy.”
As he said that, Yohan took his bag back. The survival bag seemed designed to hold a considerable amount of items while fitting snugly to the body, not hindering even vigorous activity.
“Oh, it’s not heavy?”
Lee Hyun-muk smiled, his eyes crinkling softly. The way his lover spoke to him was always so gentle and affectionate that it always made him feel a ticklish sensation. And Yohan loved that feeling very much….
“I’m getting along well with the team members! The Little Sheep team members are all good people too. But somehow….”
Is it my imagination that they seem to like me particularly?
Yohan hadn’t been unpopular in school either. For one, he was quite handsome, and his sociable and easygoing personality allowed him to make many friends, regardless of gender. Except for someone like Park Seung-min, all his friends were good guys. Moreover, he was quite favored by his teachers….
Even considering that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was gaining favor unusually easily this time. Was it because he was a Purifier? Yohan tilted his head, then shook it. Be humble… Don’t inflate your ego… These were words he constantly repeated to himself since becoming a High-level Awakened.