The view of Seoul from such a lofty height was far more beautiful than expected. The fierce wind made my ears sting and my eyes water, but considering this was tied to the potential end of the world, it was tolerable enough.
Baek Tae-beom held me in his arms as he bounded perilously across the rooftops. My hair whipped wildly in the wind. My body floated, weightless, beneath a sky that looked ready to collapse. Beneath that, I asked:
“Is it here?”
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: …Hmmm.]
“Yes or no? Can you stop beating around the bush?”
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: Shouldn’t I be certain first?]
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: I’m not stalling—I’m thinking.]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: You are stalling, though.]
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: No, it’s not here.]
“Another dead end?”
“It’s not?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
We were currently surveying the sky for any signs of Fenrir’s possible location. The only reason we could move so freely through the air like this was thanks to Yoo Ji-won at our side.
Yoo Ji-won was gliding through the sky on his skateboard, twisting mid-air into a full spin.
The ability of the Constellation, Horseback Herald Hermóðr.
Or perhaps more accurately, the power of Sleipnir, Odin’s swiftest steed. We moved as if we were soaring atop a winged horse. Even then, Yoo Ji-won never forgot to keep his stream going.
Forming a V-sign in the air, he spoke toward his phone camera.
“Everyone~ it looks like this isn’t the place! Retreating!”
[Took longer than expected]
[Any hunters watching~~~it’s a no-go~!]
[LMAO this is killing me]
[Look at Yoo Ji-won’s staticky hair lolol]
[Where to next?]
[Eng plz T.T]
The reason I didn’t stop the stream was simple: for real-time coordination. I couldn’t possibly text or call every Hunter out there, and messages were out of the question—this was the compromise. By now, the Hunters watching Yoo Ji-won’s stream would be moving again.
Still, even if I was flying through the sky in Baek Tae-beom’s arms, being this high up was something else entirely. I tried my best not to look down as I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck.
“I’m not gonna drop you, so relax.”
“Who says I’m worried?”
“You’re trembling.”
I couldn’t bring myself to deny it.
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: What a sight.]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: Apollo. Are you jealous again?]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: You know, Ga-hyeon? When you two kissed earlier, Apollo—]
[The Constellation One More Dazzling Than the Sun covers Free Wind’s mouth.]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: Mmph!]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: You idiot, Apollo! This is a chat window—what’s the point of covering my mouth?! Anyway, Apollo was…!]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Stop! Just stop!]
[The Constellation One More Dazzling Than the Sun grabs his head and screams.]
…What’s his problem?
[CH. Private / One Who Weaves Euphoria: Just think of it as a good thing that Ga-hyeon is simple-minded and doesn’t overthink, Apollo….]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Sorry, but that’s not comforting at all.]
[CH. Private / One Who Weaves Euphoria: Idiot. How is that supposed to be comforting?]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: What are you guys doing? Can you stop teasing Apollo already?]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: This isn’t the time for that.]
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: Indeed, this is getting far too chaotic.]
And the one in the most awkward position right now… was me.
I stole a glance at Baek Tae-beom’s face. He stared straight ahead with an expression as unreadable as stone. Yet the heartbeat pounding through our contact betrayed him completely.
How did I really feel about Baek Tae-beom?
It wasn’t just a matter of whether I once treated him as merely a character on a page—this was about my own heart.
Did I actually like Baek Tae-beom?
It had been so long since I’d liked anyone that I couldn’t be sure anymore.
Of course, I worried when Baek Tae-beom got hurt, missed him when he wasn’t around, wanted to always be with him, and never once felt uncomfortable with our physical closeness—but that wasn’t quite the same. I was asking about something more essential, deeper.
Did I love Baek Tae-beom?
“……”
I could confidently say that I cared about him—as a person, from one human being to another—but the emotion Baek Tae-beom spoke of was likely of a different nature. What he wanted from me was something denser, more certain.
‘…I don’t know.’
What I felt first was the sense of something blocking me. Like a wall looming right in front of me. Maybe it was because I was a Constellation. A being not permitted to feel more than necessary.
But I quickly shook off the thought. Now wasn’t the time to be worrying about emotions like this. The apocalypse was approaching. The question was—how would we stop it?
“We’ve arrived, Hyung.”
‘This is smack in the center of Seoul.’
Standing precariously atop the tallest building sent a chill down my spine.
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: This place….]
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: Yes, Fenrir too is, in a sense, Odin’s descendant.]
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: My father said his presence can be sensed through the power used to bind Loki.]
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: Judging by how strong the signal is, it seems they’re planning to release not just Angrboda, but Loki as well.]
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: This is it. It’s here, Ga-hyeon.]
“Around here?”
I let out a faint gasp and turned my eyes to the scenery before me.
Namsan Tower stood tall, greeting us like a sentinel.
We descended. People were beginning to gather—Hunters who’d seen Yoo Ji-won’s stream. One of them had a device capable of detecting rifts, so we were able to easily confirm how many had formed in this area.
“Twenty-six…”
That was manageable.
“Choi Ga-hyeon!”
“Lee Myung-won?”
Lee Myung-won came running over then, breathing hard, staring straight at me.
“If this was happening, you should’ve let me know beforehand.”
“I thought you might be busy with something else…”
“Do I look like someone who can’t be trusted, Choi Ga-hyeon?”
“Excuse me?”
“You think I’m the kind of person who’d just let you handle everything because I had other things to do?”
A wave of warmth spread through me.
“And the others feel the same way.”
“The others…?”
Several distinct figures stood out as they approached. Oh Kwon-hyuk was practically pushing people aside to get to the front, and Blue Star followed behind him with fluttering steps. Yoo Ji-won, grinning at the rare gathering, was filming us on his phone. Behind him, Aquila smacked the back of his head.
“If something like this was going on, you should’ve told us.”
“Oh Kwon-hyuk…”
“Quit making people run around in circles.”
“Why do you always talk like that?”
Blue Star jabbed Oh Kwon-hyuk in the side with his fist. Ignoring the flinching Oh Kwon-hyuk, Blue Star turned to me with a smile.
“You have my number, right? You know who my Constellation is, don’t you? Are you saying I’m less reliable than Baek Tae-beom?”
“Why are you bringing him up?”
“Because you ran off with only Baek Tae-beom. That must mean you don’t trust the rest of us.”
Blue Star patted me on the shoulder with a grin.
“Well, I guess it is convenient having a loyal puppy right by your side.”
“Puppy?”
Baek Tae-beom muttered incredulously, but Blue Star ignored him.
“Still, pulling something like this without saying a word? That stings. Do you know how much faith we have in you?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“You know this isn’t something you need to apologize for, right?”
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Why is your Contractor such a child?]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: What did you say?]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: ….]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: Still. Hasn’t he… grown, at least a little?]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: I mean, sure. Grabbing someone by the collar right off the bat is no longer his go-to move.]
Then I noticed everyone was holding a box. Curious, I looked closer, and Lee Myung-won explained.
“Supplies. Sent from China and the U.S.”
“Supplies?”
“You could think of them as potions to help facilitate combat. They were created using Mana Stones. In addition to that, there are other items included as well.”
It hit me all over again—this wasn’t just our country’s problem. It was a global issue now.
“So, we’ll deploy teams into these 26 dungeons.”
“How about sending higher-ranked Hunters into the more dangerous ones, in descending order?”
“That doesn’t sound bad, but… I don’t think Angrboda would structure things so straightforwardly.”
Lee Myung-won pointed toward Namsan Tower.
“What if there’s a Gongmyeong research facility beneath it?”
“Beneath there? That doesn’t sound unreasonable.”
“And why do you think that is?”
“Well, it’s a mountain… Even with landscaping, there are areas people don’t usually visit. Plus…”
I paused mid-sentence, eyes widening.
“No one would ever think to build a lab in a place like this…”
“Exactly.”
“But how?”
“They made that ‘how’ possible. Look at the radar—see how the rifts are clustered around the mountain? I’m certain this is one of Gongmyeong’s research sites.”
“Then we’ll need to concentrate forces here.”
“Exactly.”
Just as Lee Myung-won affirmed that—
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Prepare yourselves.]
Rumble—
The ground roared beneath our feet. I could hear people’s panicked screams as the sudden quake struck. But I remained calm, surveying the area around me. Somewhere, a massive cave-like opening suddenly burst from the earth, and a giant gate appeared in midair.
There was no longer any room for hesitation. No place left to retreat.
