By Zephyria The restructuring phenomenon that occurred in the Invasion Dungeon and the upgrading of the West Sea Rift. As if it had been waiting for Cha Eui-jae to enter, things changed as soon as he stepped in.
Eui-jae swallowed a groan. In truth, he knew it too. That he was involved in all these problems. He couldn’t help but realize it instinctively.
Taking his hand off the table, Eui-jae asked cautiously.
“Could I possibly check the data from the Jongno 3-ga Underground Dungeon? Or go back in?”
“Oh, going in is out of the question. The Guild Master would strongly oppose it. But reviewing the data is fine. That’s actually one of the reasons for my visit today. Just a moment.”
Very Small Miracle Mingi Seo took a thin file out of his Inventory and handed it over.
“This is the investigation data of the restructured Jongno 3-ga Underground Dungeon. Bae Won-woo, the Deputy Guild Master, investigated it himself, so you can trust it. Take your time to read it.”
Eui-jae received the file and quickly skimmed through it. Before the invasion, the dungeon was a lucrative one where Elixir ingredients were found, but abnormal invasion phenomena had been detected a month ago. The restructured dungeon is a ruin covered in white ash, and if you brush away the ash, you can see broken Korean signs….
Eui-jae bit his lip. He had seen Korean signs in the West Sea Rift, too. And in Yoon Ga-eul’s Fragment. The puzzle pieces of information were slowly coming together. Min-gi Seo dusted off his hands and got up from the table.
“Then, I’ll pass on any additional information as soon as it comes in, customer.”
“…Yes. Could I also ask for information on other Invasion Dungeons?”
“Of course. You can order me to do anything. Infiltration, information gathering and manipulation are my specialties.”
Min-gi Seo was saying that he was an expert in illegal manipulation with unnecessary confidence. But Eui-jae had benefited from him before, so he couldn’t doubt his skills. Of course, the problem was that he was a bit off his rocker.
“I’ve delivered everything I needed to today… I’ll be on my way then. Here, take my business card, and if anything comes up, feel free to contact me.”
Polite hands extended a business card. Eui-jae also took the business card with both hands and read it. Wave Guild Combat Support Team 1, Very Small Miracle Mingi Seo, Seo Min-gi. Min-gi Seo, who was standing at the door with his hands behind his back, said seriously.
“Feel free to contact me anytime. Our support team is always on standby to back you up, customer.”
Come to think of it, this was the third Wave Guild member’s business card he had seen. One used in the warning sent to Lee Sa-young, one from Romantic Opener Choi Goyo, and now Min-gi Seo.
Eui-jae fiddled with Min-gi Seo’s business card before putting it in his apron pocket. Min-gi Seo waved his hand and turned to push the door open.
At that moment, Eui-jae spoke up.
“If you specialize in information gathering… can you also find people?”
“People?”
“Yes. They might be dead now, though.”
“Oh, you’re putting me to work right away. You know how to use people, customer.”
Click, thud. Min-gi Seo, who had been opening the door, closed it again and turned around. He pushed up his sunglasses and took out a familiar tablet from his Inventory while blocking the door.
“If there is clear information and instructions, it is possible. However, it may be a little difficult for people who died on the Day of the Rift. Because the whole society was paralyzed then… there are still unidentified dead people.”
“It’s not someone who died on the Day of the Rift.”
Eui-jae, who was touching his mouth with his hand and recalling his memories, slowly added.
“About… three years after the Day of the Rift. Or maybe later. Anyway, they died after the West Sea Rift.”
Min-gi Seo’s hand paused for a moment when he heard the words West Sea Rift. He scratched his temple with the tablet pen and asked.
“Are you sure the target is dead? Did you confirm it yourself?”
“No, I didn’t. But… they’re probably dead.”
“Hmm….”
Min-gi Seo lowered his head and glanced up at Eui-jae. His dark eyes scanned Eui-jae’s face and muttered.
“But from what you’re saying, it’s not certain. I’ll mark it as ‘status unknown’.”
He scribbled something on the tablet and asked.
“What’s their name, age, appearance, etc.? Please tell me their basic information and physical characteristics.”
He held up his pen and waited for Eui-jae’s answer. But Eui-jae was rarely at a loss for words. After hesitating for a long time, he was barely able to give a clumsy answer.
“I don’t know their name… or their face. Their age… they’re a little younger than me.”
“Hmm. You don’t know their exact age either?”
“…No.”
Min-gi Seo frowned as if he was troubled and muttered.
“This might be a bit rude to say…. What facts do you know about that person?”
“…….”
“I’m not trying to blame you, but I’m asking to get more detailed information. Where they lived, what school they graduated from. Even the smallest clue to start the investigation. Anything is fine.”
Eui-jae, who had been silent with his arms crossed, opened his mouth after a long time. His echoing voice was lower than ever.
“It’s a child I rescued from the Mangwon Rift….”
“…….”
“They were the only survivor of that Rift.”
“…….”
“Their whole body was covered in Poison, their entire body was ruined, and their vocal cords were damaged from inhaling the Poison. The only thing that worked was their hearing, but they couldn’t move their body, so proper communication was impossible. Anything that could identify them was all melted in the Poisonous swamp. So….”
Memories that had been quietly buried in a corner were slowly resurfacing. Eui-jae quietly lowered his eyes. Something welled up, but he tried to swallow it.
A tall young man in a black combat uniform stood with his arms crossed in front of the glass. Beyond the glass, a pure white space was visible.
On the operating table lay a boy so grotesque that his original form was unrecognizable. At first glance, he looked like a corpse, but J knew that he was breathing, albeit very faintly. Numerous machines connected to him were keeping his thin life going.
At that moment, the door to the intensive care unit opened, and a doctor in surgical scrubs came out, wiping away sweat. J opened his mouth in a low voice.
“Doctor.”
His voice was strangely distorted, making it impossible to guess his gender or age from his voice alone. All that could be judged was that he was an adult male, based on his tall height and solid body. The doctor who approached him replied.
“You’ve been waiting.”
The black mask glanced at the doctor.
“Can you save him?”
The doctor sighed.
“J, to be honest… I can’t guarantee it.”
“…….”
“As you know, wounds inflicted by Monsters… are difficult to treat with modern medical technology. Simple external injuries can be treated with a combination of modern medicine and Elixirs, but….”
The doctor’s eyes turned to the boy.
“In such a severe state of being covered in Poison… in fact, it’s a miracle that he’s still alive. He would have died a long time ago if it weren’t for the Antidote you used non-stop.”
J silently turned his gaze beyond the glass.
This evening, an absorption-type Rift appeared in the middle of Mangwon-dong. The suddenly appearing Rift sucked in people and buildings indiscriminately, and the area within 3km of the Rift was turned into ruins as if something had been torn apart and eaten.
J headed straight to the Mangwon-dong Rift as soon as he came out of the Dungeon in Chungju, and after a full day, he came out holding something in his arms. The Hunters who were waiting approached, but J stepped back as if telling them not to come closer.
What J was holding. It was like a small bundle wrapped in a blanket.
A Hunter who was somewhat familiar approached.
“I heard it’s a Poison Rift, are you okay, J? What is that….”
J replied with an uncharacteristic sense of urgency.
“It will disappear soon.”
“Yes? Then what about the other survivors….”
J’s gaze turned to the small thing in his arms. He muttered.
“This child is the only one. There are no other survivors.”
He disappeared with the child in his arms. A short time later, the entrance to the Rift was filled with blackened, melted corpses.
J, who was tapping the edge of his mask, opened his mouth.
“If there’s Poison.”
“Yes?”
“If there’s Poison that the kid is covered in. Is it possible to make an Antidote with that?”
The doctor sighed and pondered. It is common to analyze the serum of poisonous animals to produce Antidotes. Moreover, several Elixir makers have recently emerged among the Awakened, so it would be possible to gather them and conduct research. But…
“It’s possible… but I doubt the child can hold out until then. And whether we can collect that much Poison…”
“Let’s do it.”
J turned around. The flustered doctor grabbed him.
“Yes? What do you mean….”
“I’ll collect it. I know what Monster’s Poison it is.”
“…….”
“Money, time, manpower, proceed regardless. I’ll get you as much as you need for the research.”
“…I understand.”
“Until then, treat him with the public Antidote that I supply.”
He walked out of the suffocating space. It was already the hospital corridor. People’s eyes followed his straight back. Expectation, admiration, awe, fear…. The watch on his wrist rang loudly. J put on his in-ear and pressed the receive button.
“This is J.”
―Oh, I’ve got you. Just a moment.
A gentle woman’s voice was heard. It was Ham Seok-jeong, the Director of the Awakened Management Bureau.
A Rift has appeared in Mokpo. It’s a Class 4 Rift, can you go? There’s no Hunter near there who can handle a Class 4 Rift.
“Yeah, sure. Am I going in alone?”
―I’m afraid so. Jung-bin is participating in a suppression operation.
“Okay. Please prepare so I can move immediately.”
―Okay, I’ll have a helicopter ready at headquarters.
Ham Seok-jeong must have been very busy, as the call was quickly cut off.
J hurried out of the hospital. The world, where the damage from the Day of the Rift had not yet disappeared, was quiet. The laughter of children, the sound of them running around, the everyday conversations of people had not been heard for a long time.
Through the quiet, a voice that was cracked and hoarse as if his vocal cords were damaged by Poison lingered in his ears.
“Save… me.”
J stopped walking.
In the Rift, where everything had melted into Poison and become grotesque, J searched for the very small and thin presence of a person. Hoping that the presence would not disappear until he arrived, hoping that they would endure just a little longer.
And finally, in the gap of a collapsed building, after tearing down the outer wall of the building, he found the boy who was dying while being embraced by two people who had melted in Poison. Even with his eyes blurred and melted by the Poison, he managed to look at J. His small lips moved.
“Save me.”
That appearance was the same as Cha Eui-jae, who was 17 years old and asking for help…
J had no choice but to take that child’s hand.
Because he was the only one who knew the weight and responsibility placed on that hand.