By Zephyria Jung-bin examined the boy’s face. Behind the fierce expression, there was a hint of wariness.
‘It’s better to ease his wariness first.’
He would have to stay with the boy until his ability stabilized. The faster he built trust, the better. Jung-bin took out a laptop from his Inventory and said calmly.
“First, let me explain the situation. I am Jung-bin, a Hunter affiliated with the Awakened Management Bureau. I heard about a facility that was kidnapping people and experimenting on them, and when I went there, I rescued you, the only survivor, and brought you here.”
“…….”
“There are many things I want to tell you, and many stories I want to hear….”
Jung-bin asked cautiously.
“First, let me ask you just one thing. Have you seen a white, square window?”
The silent boy slowly nodded. Seeing the System Window meant that he was an Awakened chosen by the System. It was expected.
“You’ve Awakened. Do you remember when you first saw it?”
“…Not long ago.”
It was a vague answer. Jung-bin tapped the laptop and met the boy’s gaze. The wariness was still there.
Through the slightly open doorway, a light, rhythmic thudding sound could be heard. Bae Won-woo was diligently splitting dry wood he had picked up somewhere with his bare hands. While Jung-bin was choosing his words, the boy took the initiative.
“…Management Bureau, you said.”
“That’s right. Ah, if you don’t know about the Awakened Management Bureau, I can explain….”
“I know.”
The boy stared at Jung-bin silently before asking again.
“So, what about the Rift?”
It seemed that he had to deal with his question first before making any other progress. Jung-bin opened the laptop and asked.
“Could you explain in detail what kind of Rift you’re talking about? It would be easier to find if I knew the location.”
The boy’s stiff shoulders relaxed a little. The boy, who had been scanning Jung-bin as if observing him, spat out gruffly.
“I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
Jung-bin’s eyes widened. The boy added nonchalantly.
“I don’t know. The location.”
“Hmm…. Do you have any other information? When it was created, perhaps? Even a rough estimate would be helpful.”
“I don’t know.”
His speech was awkward, but the word “don’t know” was clear. The boy’s purple eyes turned to the laptop with the Awakened Management Bureau logo on the back. He tilted his head slightly.
“It could be a Dungeon… or something.”
“…….”
“Anyway, they said it would take a long time.”
“A Rift or Dungeon that takes a long time….”
It wasn’t very good information. The standard for “a long time” wasn’t clear. Jung-bin rubbed his chin with his thumb. The boy turned his head away.
“I don’t know…. Nothing else.”
“I understand. I’ll try to find it first, but….”
As the information increased, so did the possibilities. It would be better to just find all the Rifts and Dungeons. Just as Jung-bin, having emptied his mind, began to scan through the Rifts and Dungeons stored on the laptop in chronological order, the boy, who had been watching his profile, suddenly muttered.
“…No. Asking like this….”
“Yes?”
“You’re definitely a Management Bureau person, right?”
“That’s right.”
“J. Do you know him?”
“Excuse me?”
Jung-bin raised his head when he heard J’s name again.
Did he have some kind of relationship with J? Or perhaps he admired J and used him as a milestone. He was a national hero. The boy, with a suspicious look on his face, sat up with his knees bent, rested his chin on his knees, and stared at Jung-bin.
His dry lips parted.
“They said he’s dead. J.”
Jung-bin’s hand, which had been moving busily, stopped for a moment.
J’s death. It was already a matter of course in the world, but it didn’t seem to be a matter of course for the boy.
It took about three months for J’s death to be confirmed. If he could draw out the story a little more, he might be able to estimate when the boy was kidnapped to that research facility. Just as Jung-bin, who had made that judgment, was about to say something,
The boy blinked. He bit his pale lips and then closed his eyes. For a very brief moment, an emotion flashed across his expressionless face. With his eyes tightly closed, a trembling voice asked.
“How long has it been?”
The emotion in his voice was clearly,
“…….”
So deep that he couldn’t see the bottom….
Despair.
Jung-bin couldn’t bring himself to say anything and closed his mouth. What could have happened to make such a young boy despair to that extent? But as if that was the fuse or the answer, the boy staggered and got up. Jung-bin put down the laptop and hurriedly followed him. When he grabbed the boy’s arm urgently,
“Get lost!”
Thwack! The boy shook him off roughly, kicked open the door, and ran out barefoot. Bae Won-woo, who had been stacking firewood in the yard, took out the wireless earphone from his ear with a bewildered expression and shouted.
“Hey, hey! Where are you going without your shoes! I put out the slippers!”
Of course, there was no answer. The boy disappeared into the lush greenery. Should he catch him? No, if that were the case, the team leader would have shouted for him to catch him. Bae Won-woo grumbled and tried to finish arranging the firewood when,
Thud!
“Huh?”
A loud crashing sound echoed. Bae Won-woo was startled and turned around. And,
“Heok.”
He gasped. There, Jung-bin was standing still with his face smashed into the upper door frame. It was a bonus that there was a line on the thick wood as if it had been broken.
Only the lower half of his gentle face was vaguely visible, but his tightly closed lips were ominous. The ceiling of the house was low, and it was an unfortunate incident that occurred because Jung-bin was too tall.
Bae Won-woo stammered.
“T, this…. No, what on earth is going on, Team Leader?”
“…….”
“No, did you… did you interrogate him? The kid?”
“I didn’t do anything like that. It’s just….”
Jung-bin soon put his arms on the door frame and banged his forehead against it.
“No… it’s not. It’s probably because my ability was lacking….”
“Yes?”
He didn’t know how to react because the person who was always gentle and maintained his composure was just muttering. Bae Won-woo stood awkwardly with a dumbfounded expression and waited for his superior’s instructions. After taking a deep breath for a while, Jung-bin suddenly raised his head.
“…Hunter Bae Won-woo, do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Yes? Well, I have a younger brother.”
It was a reliable answer. Whatever the case, he would be better at soothing a prickly child than someone who was an only child. Jung-bin pointed to the forest where the boy had disappeared.
“Could you go after the target? Don’t force him to come back, just secure his safety and stay by his side.”
“Yes, well, there’s nothing I can’t do….”
“Then… I’ll leave it to you. There’s something I need to find.”
Jung-bin, who had whispered gloomily, disappeared into the room, staggering. Thud, the door closed. Bae Won-woo, who had been entrusted with a heavy mission without realizing it, couldn’t say anything and trudged towards the mountain.
In the dim light of dawn and the misty mountains, Bae Won-woo, holding green rubber slippers in his hand, scanned the surroundings as he stepped on the long grass.
It was a secluded mountain with no proper hiking trails or even footpaths. There must be traces somewhere. But he had no talent for observation or delicate work, and if he dragged on like this, there could be dangerous factors.
“I can’t help it, I guess….”
Wasn’t it the fate of a worker to do whatever he was told? He made a megaphone with his hands and put it to his mouth, then took a deep breath. And he shouted loudly.
“Hey! Where are you!!”
Ya… ya… ya…. Echoes rippled through the dense trees. Startled by the sound, a bird flapped its wings and flew towards the sky. There was no answer. Bae Won-woo shouted again.
“Hey! It’s dangerous in the mountains! Even if you’ve Awakened!”
Just as the echoes were fading, he put strength into his stomach to shout again. At that moment, a voice mixed with annoyance was heard from behind Bae Won-woo.
“Stop it. It’s noisy.”
Bae Won-woo quickly looked for the source of the voice. The boy was sitting on a thick branch. He had no idea how he had climbed the tree. Bae Won-woo scratched his head.
“Oh, I’m glad you’re safe.”
“…….”
“Why did you run out without your shoes, running out like that.”
The boy turned his head away as if he didn’t want to hear it. Regardless, Bae Won-woo stubbornly kept talking.
“We’re not bad people. We’re Hunters from the Awakened Management Bureau, Hunters. We came here to help you.”
“…….”
The boy was just swinging his legs back and forth, listening or not. Even though he had been wandering around in the mountains, his pale feet were clean. The team leader, Jung-bin, told him to stay by his side, but….
‘Anyway, I have to take him to the base camp.’
It wasn’t like he didn’t know what that meant. It probably meant to coax him well and bring him back.
How could he persuade him to come with him? Bae Won-woo, who had been thinking hard, suddenly raised his head. He also heard the first words the boy muttered in the ruins. J.
‘Although J is dead… well, no one in this world hates Hunters these days.’
“You haven’t Awakened for long, have you? You’re probably clumsy at handling your ability, and you probably don’t know the System Window well either. Me and the team leader can help you.”
“…….”
“Besides, you seem pretty strong. Then you could become a Hunter like me or the team leader.”
“…Hunter?”
“Yeah, Hunter.”
The boy looked down at Bae Won-woo silently. Good, it seemed like he had taken the bait properly.
The silent boy slowly opened his mouth.
“If I become a Hunter.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I go into the Rift?”
“Rift? Uh, that’s right. You catch Monsters, and you go into Rifts and Dungeons.”
“Then, if I go into the Rift….”
The boy, who had taken a breath for a moment, tilted his head.
“Can I find the people who went in before?”