“Kurgh, ugh….”
The strength drained from Kang Si-hoo’s hand as it gripped my throat. I crumpled to the ground. Before I could even stabilize myself, Baek Tae-beom rushed in and helped me up. His shoulder, slashed by a blade, was drenched entirely in red. I instinctively touched my sore neck, then gasped when I saw his wound.
“Are you… okay?”
Even with an S-Rank Awakened’s insane stats, it was staggering that he could move both arms normally after a cut that deep. Baek Tae-beom widened his eyes at my question, then gave a soft smile. He rubbed his face against the back of my hand instead.
“I’m fine. But you, hyung… are you okay? You look like a mess.”
“Look who’s talking.”
Just as Baek Tae-beom was about to say something more, Kang Si-hoo coughed up blood and staggered to his feet. From the way he swayed, it was clear he’d taken serious damage from the last blow.
“You bastard…”
With lifeless, bloodshot eyes, he raised his sword again. Baek Tae-beom gently set me down and faced him squarely.
Baek Tae-beom with a wounded shoulder versus Kang Si-hoo who’d been run through the stomach. Depending on how you looked at it, Kang Si-hoo might even have the upper hand. He was nearly completely fused with the Constellation Angrboda. It wouldn’t be strange for him to unleash powers beyond imagination.
But Baek Tae-beom’s new sword was clearly extraordinary. Kang Si-hoo’s legs kept buckling, and he looked like he might collapse at any moment. Baek Tae-beom let out a long breath and pointed his blade at the man’s neck.
Then he made a face I’d never seen him wear before. A smirk full of derision, speaking in a voice laced with venomous sarcasm.
“You ever look in the mirror? You’re the bastard here.”
Kang Si-hoo snarled in response.
“A cowardly sneak attack…!”
“But it wasn’t cowardly when you stabbed me in the shoulder?”
“You’re making a huge mistake right now.”
“Seems to me you’re the one making it.”
Whether in the original <The Apocalypse Chronicles of Another World> or now, Kang Si-hoo could never beat Baek Tae-beom in an argument.
With a glare, Kang Si-hoo clenched his teeth and charged. Their speed was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even see the blades move—only the sound of metal clashing echoed around us. The shockwaves from the duel between two towering figures forced me to take a step back.
Occasionally, when their swords separated for a brief second, I caught glimpses of Kang Si-hoo’s face—utterly ravaged. He looked agonized, the injury clearly weighing on him.
In contrast, Baek Tae-beom’s arm moved fluidly despite his injured shoulder.
A harsh screech rang out, like metal scraping metal. The one to retreat first from their power struggle was Kang Si-hoo.
Step by step, Kang Si-hoo was being pushed back by Baek Tae-beom’s assault. And just when he was finally driven against the wall—
Oh Kwon-hyuk, who had been restraining the giant hand, suddenly shouted.
“Watch your back!”
‘Back?’
At that exact moment, something flew toward Baek Tae-beom’s rear. BOOM! An enormous explosion erupted, and even after the blast, a ringing filled my ears. For a moment, it felt like my entire body had been shattered. Pain surged through every nerve so fast I couldn’t even cry out. Knocked down by the explosion, all I could do was watch Baek Tae-beom collapse.
‘No.’
I felt the blood draining from my entire body. Red filled my vision. As my consciousness began to fade, I heard Jin Ha-yoon’s voice shouting.
“Now! Guildmaster, run!”
“Hunter Jin Ha-yoon, what the hell are you doing?!”
‘Guildmaster? Jin Ha-yoon’s?’
Kang Si-hoo quickly retreated to Hel’s side. He released the shackles that bound her, helped her up, and opened a Gate. In a flash, Kang Si-hoo and Hel vanished.
“Baek Tae-beom…!”
I called out to the fallen Baek Tae-beom, but the darkness overtook my vision too quickly.
A new notification window appeared.
[Upgrade complete. New synchronization complete. Update for ‘One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction’ has finished.]
[Dungeon clear failed.]
[You have failed to clear <Tower of Hellnest>. A new title will be granted.]
I sank into unconsciousness, unable to move even a fingertip.
And I dreamed.
The world was engulfed in flames. Acrid smoke stung my nose. I stood atop a collapsed steel beam, oversized shoes dangling loosely on my feet. Everywhere I looked, scarlet fire blazed. There wasn’t a single soul left to scream. Only Baek Tae-beom stood before me.
Just like in the final chapter of <The Apocalypse Chronicles of Another World>.
Volcanic ash drifted down like snow. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. Baek Tae-beom was holding an umbrella.
…An umbrella?
I made a strange face. Baek Tae-beom, standing beneath a riddled umbrella, looked completely out of place in this apocalyptic scene.
“Why’d you take so long?”
“What?”
“I said, why are you only showing up now?”
His question left me visibly confused, and I asked back.
“Do you know who I am?”
“What did you say?”
“Do you know me? Do you know who I am?”
If this was Baek Tae-beom from <The Apocalypse Chronicles of Another World>—if this dream-version of him was true to that—then he shouldn’t know me. That thought prompted me to ask, and Baek Tae-beom’s face twisted into an unreadable expression before he spoke my name.
“Choi Ga-hyeon. That’s right, isn’t it?”
“Wow… how did you know that?”
Was it because this was a dream? Is that why he knew me? As I marveled, Baek Tae-beom gave me an utterly baffled look and said,
“I searched every corner of the world, but you were nowhere to be found. Just where the hell were you? Who are you?”
He asked with an accusing tone. I answered, flustered.
“Choi Ga-hyeon.”
“Not your name. I’m asking what you really are.”
“Why are you asking that? Unless…”
“You missed me?” I teased him, watching for a reaction. Baek Tae-beom fell silent for a moment, then scoffed like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Are you insane?”
“I never thought I’d hear Tae-beom say I was crazy…”
“Do you realize you said the exact same thing last time?”
“Seriously?”
Last time? Wait—did I have this dream before? Baek Tae-beom looked extremely irritated by a situation he couldn’t control. And yet, the funny thing was… he wasn’t pointing a sword at me.
If looks could kill, Baek Tae-beom would’ve sliced me to bits by now. That made me laugh. Compared to the Baek Tae-beom in reality, I suddenly felt like poking fun at this dream-version of him.
“So that’s what this is. You just missed me. Isn’t that right, Tae-beom?”
“Don’t talk like you know me.”
“Can’t help it when I do. Wait—don’t tell me I gave you that umbrella? And you’re still using it? Right?”
I smiled as I stepped toward Baek Tae-beom. He flinched on the spot and took a step back.
“Don’t come any closer.”
“Our Tae-beom gets shy around me? That’s honestly kind of amazing…”
“Who the hell is “our Tae-beom”?!”
“If only someone had been by your side, it wouldn’t have ended up like that.”
I felt genuine regret as I thought of the ending of <The Apocalypse Chronicles of Another World>. Baek Tae-beom clammed up for a moment, then spat out his next words like they tasted foul.
“What the hell do you know?”
“I know everything. I saw it all. I didn’t catch the epilogue, but I know the rest.”
He didn’t even bother asking what I meant. He just stayed quiet for a beat, then asked again.
“Why did you come back?”
Hmm. I thought for a moment, then gave an answer that felt right.
“Maybe… because I missed you.”
“What?”
“But honestly, I’m really sorry. I have to go back.”
“Then why come here at all? If you’re just going to keep disappearing so soon…”
“I’m sorry. Next time, I’ll stay longer.”
Baek Tae-beom’s face twisted with emotion.
And with that, I woke up from the dream.
***
“Jin Ha-yoon, you crazy bastard!”
I shouted as I bolted upright—only to be met by a room full of startled stares. Oh Kwon-hyuk blinked as he watered what was obviously a fake plant. Lee Myung-won, who had been peeling an apple, stared at me with wide eyes.
The awkwardness made me realize I was lying in a hospital bed. I calmly lay back down. The antiseptic smell in the air was oddly familiar.
Lee Myung-won spoke evenly.
“…Could you not scare people like that?”
“I’m sorry.”
I apologized without hesitation—then quickly sat up again. This wasn’t the time to lie around.
“Where’s Tae-beom?”
“He’s resting in the room next door.”
“Is he badly hurt? Is he okay?”
“S-Rank Hunters recover faster than you think, Mr. Choi Ga-hyeon… and please, don’t get up. You’re injured too. Lie down.”
“Is that really the issue right now?” I cried out in frustration.
But Lee Myung-won remained firm.
“Lie down.”
In the end, he physically pushed me back down, pulled the blanket up to my chin, and calmly said,
“Baek Tae-beom is currently recovering. If you go to him now, you’ll only get in the way.”
“I’d be… a hindrance?”
“Because he’ll try to jump out of bed the second he sees you.”
I pressed my lips together. He had a point. Still, I was anxious. Baek Tae-beom had definitely been seriously hurt.
Lee Myung-won sat back down in his chair and said,
“By the way, what the hell kind of body do you have? Your recovery rate puts S-Rank Hunters to shame.”
“…What happened with the dungeon?”
“Wow, that subject change wasn’t even subtle.”
He sighed as he resumed peeling the apple. I subtly lifted the blanket and checked my body. Aside from some minor cuts, there didn’t seem to be any major injuries.
I could walk just fine right now.
Lee Myung-won let out another long sigh, then started peeling the apple again.
“Publicly, we’ve declared the dungeon a successful raid. But since it was being broadcast live, we had to cut the stream rather abruptly… And the casualties were worse than expected, so damage control was rough. Hunters Lim Chang-joo and Oh Kwon-hyuk led the last survivors out in the final wave.”
The sound of his paring knife scraping against the fruit filled the room as he began carving the apple into a bunny shape. Oh Kwon-hyuk, who had been silently misting the plant with water, kept his eyes on me.
“The wounded are currently hospitalized here at Hansung Hospital. Compensation will be distributed based on contribution ratings.”
“What about Jin Ha-yoon?”
At my question, Lee Myung-won paused for a beat—then began carving the apple into a cat this time.
“Hunter Jin Ha-yoon is being held in a detention cell in the hospital’s basement. We’ve tried speaking with him, but he’s unresponsive. The Gongmyeong Guild is also completely out of contact.”
“Nothing from Gongmyeong either? Jin Ha-yoon definitely called Kang Si-hoo Guildmaster. There’s no way that wasn’t a solid connection.”
“Still, it’s not something we can judge so hastily. From the looks of it, Gongmyeong has already abandoned Jin Ha-yoon.”
“Abandoned him?”
My voice came out disbelieving.
“It appears they applied some kind of special skill to him… He’s in a state where communication is completely impossible. It’s like he’s sleeping with his eyes open. Practically a living corpse.”
So that’s what they meant by unresponsive. I stared down at my hand for a moment.
Now that I thought about it…
“What about Kim Seong-jae?”
“Hunter Kim Seong-jae? He’s regained consciousness. But he hasn’t fully recovered and still needs treatment—”
“That’s good.”
“Sorry—what?”
Lee Myung-won looked confused. I nodded.
“Means he can’t run away.”
“Run away…?”
“Jin Ha-yoon won’t talk, Gongmyeong won’t respond. That leaves only one option.”
I spoke with conviction.
“We beat it out of him.”
