I never thought I’d be the one pulling off a wall-running move. Dodging a storm of bullets, I sprinted forward, then launched myself up the wall, aimed, and fired an arrow at the soldier’s feet. The arrow pierced straight through. Screaming in agony, the soldier crumpled to the ground.
Then, a surge of crackling electricity shot between us. The bluish current barely missed me and surged toward Oh Kwon-hyuk. But he caught it with his bare arm, then lunged like a beast and slammed the Hunter who had been using a skill into the ground.
“Guh-heuk…!”
He was clearly aiming to avoid fatalities, but with every violent motion and pained grunt, I couldn’t help but flinch. Everyone was targeting limbs—legs or arms—to incapacitate without killing. Yoo Ji-won, obnoxiously, was zipping through the air on a skateboard, taunting the Gongmyeong Hunters from above.
“This bastard’s not coming down?!”
“Try and catch me~.”
Aquila danced like a blaze in battle. She grabbed two Hunters by the heads and slammed them together. Dodging an incoming wave of flames with a backbend, she spun and launched herself feet-first. As the two crumpled, Lee Myung-won began to play an instrument—a massive harp.
Though the notes were simple, every time the melody rang out, the enemy soldiers and Hunters alike clutched their heads and screamed. When one soldier tried to approach Lee Myung-won to stop the music, Blue Star swung his spear with terrifying precision, so close it looked like he’d sever the man’s neck.
“Do you recognize this face?”
“……!”
“Look at your pupils shaking. Should I give you a little fan service?”
Then, he headbutted the soldier without warning and followed up with a kick that sent the man tumbling. I landed lightly beside them and looked ahead—Baek Tae-beom cutting down enemies with overwhelming force, completely unfazed.
Each strike didn’t leave deep wounds, but they were more than enough to incapacitate. Like a raptor gliding low, he snatched his prey and hurled it to the ground. I rushed forward to disable the next door’s security.
[Confirmed. Kang Si-hoo.]
With a mechanical hum, the door opened—revealing a hallway of countless doors. Just thinking about finding the right path made my head pound. As if sensing my hesitation, a message appeared in the chat.
[CH.#Private/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: That way.]
“You can tell?”
[CH.#Private/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Of course. It’s getting closer. Something blazing—like a fire that’s sickeningly intense.]
“Is that a poetic metaphor, or are you warning me about an actual fire hazard?”
[CH.#Private/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Shut it, idiot. Just stay sharp. Third door to the left.]
Kang Si-hoo’s ID card could bypass security on any room, but it couldn’t disable the alarms. The once-white ceiling lit up in crimson as an ominous siren blared. A horde of Gongmyeong Hunters came flooding from somewhere.
So that’s where you all were, huh? Wondered why none of you were upstairs.
The moment I faltered, Aquila bolted like a bullet. Using the handle of her weapon, she bludgeoned the Hunters’ heads. She struck one in the face and kicked another square in the jaw—knocking them out cold before they could even scream. Behind her, for a split second, I thought I saw the form of a massive bull.
“They’re monsters!”
“Guns don’t work! Drop them! Use skills!”
Explosions rang out in succession. Then, a deep gong sound echoed—lightning struck down on the soldiers’ heads. With the weather turning inside the building, chaos ensued. As Blue Star shook his bell, the weather kept flickering—rain falling and stopping in rapid bursts.
[CH.#Private/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Turn right here!]
“I think I can figure it out without being told now. My stomach’s churning.”
[CH.#Private/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Just don’t puke.]
“Can’t promise that. I feel like I just drank moldy soybean paste soup.”
[CH.#Private/Free Wind: What does moldy soybean paste soup taste like?]
What does it taste like? I remembered it vividly—white mold blooming on the surface of the soup. I’d tried to scoop the mold off and eat the rest, not wanting to waste it. Almost boarded a one-way train to hell that day.
“Let’s not make me relive that, please.”
[CH.#Private/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: From now on, get permission from us before you eat anything.]
“Are you kidding me? Are you my dad or something?”
At my teasing, Apollo stayed silent for a moment before replying.
[CH.#Private/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: That title might not be so bad.]
Was he serious, or joking? I couldn’t tell. A strange, indescribable feeling swept over me.
[Constellation, ‘One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction,’ is synchronizing with the Holy Vessel.]
Bang bang—the last Hunter resisting fell to the ground. With that, we took off running down the corridor again. My chest burned, but I didn’t show it. There was no room for such luxury. Even though I knew Baek Tae-beom kept glancing at me in concern, all I could do was keep running.
[Confirmed. Kang Si-hoo.]
“This place is insanely complicated, Ga-hyeon-hyung.”
[Feels like I’m watching some kind of action movie]
[Isn’t what they’re saying super weird? Stopping… the apocalypse??]
[Are they seriously saying Gongmyeong’s been preparing for something like that???]
[I don’t believe this. Isn’t this just a scripted broadcast?]
[But who would fake something this well?]
[ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Now I’m seriously freaking out.]
[Why is everyone so calm? Someone say it’s fake, please—just say it and I’ll believe you, f*ck.]
[But Seoul’s a mess, right? And the core personnel are all there? What do you think that means?]
Watching Yoo Ji-won’s phone screen as the chat exploded in panic, I spoke evenly.
“I don’t get lost, so stop worrying over nothing.”
The last room was just ahead. I could feel it. What struck me as absurd was the way this moment stirred a kind of wistful emotion in me—like I was yearning for something familiar.
That didn’t make sense. It couldn’t be.
“Alright… I’m opening it now.”
Beep.
[Confirmed. Kang Si-hoo.]
Then, my vision was drowned in white.
The world was engulfed in flames. Acrid smoke burned my nostrils. I stood atop a collapsed steel beam, wearing a pair of oversized shoes. No matter where I turned, crimson flames were all I could see. No one was left to scream. My body collapsed backward, and my head slammed against the floor, but something else grabbed my attention.
Baek Tae-beom was standing over me, crying. His face filled my entire view. Even though his eyes glinted with madness, a heavy mix of guilt and regret clung to him. I could tell. I could feel it.
—Choi Ga-hyeon….
What is this? A dream?
Volcanic ash fell like snowflakes. Suddenly, I felt déjà vu. There was an umbrella, tossed carelessly to the side.
An umbrella?
—Are you happy?
—…What?
—The me in that place. Is he happy?
Baek Tae-beom asked in a trembling voice. His fingers fumbled across my face, brushing the back of my neck—like he wanted to kill me on the spot, yet also with unbearable tenderness.
—Why couldn’t I be like that?
His voice turned bitter. I stared up at him stupidly, my mouth parting. But before I could ask anything, Baek Tae-beom looked down at me, eyes sharp as blades.
—Why… why didn’t it come to me? Why wasn’t I chosen? Why didn’t you choose me?
Was I lacking something? His voice was soaked in tears. Baek Tae-beom wept as he lowered his head, burying his face in my shoulder.
—I regret it.
His voice was achingly tender—like someone confessing to a departing lover.
A lover?
No, it was more than that. Like he was clinging to something greater. Something shapeless, slipping through his fingers no matter how hard he grasped.
—I regret everything.
I could only stare at him, dumbfounded. Then my vision began to blur. Baek Tae-beom frantically grabbed hold of me.
—Just give me one more chance!
“Choi Ga-hyeon-ssi, Choi Ga-hyeon-ssi?”
I opened my eyes to the sensation of someone gently slapping my cheeks. Everyone was looking down at me, faces etched with worry. What… just happened?
Was I dreaming?
But I couldn’t remember. Nothing. My head felt completely hollow. Baek Tae-beom cupped my cheek, his expression on the verge of tears.
“Hyung.”
“…Tae-beom?”
I thought I saw him in that dream.
“You suddenly collapsed. Are you alright?”
“Ga-hyeon-hyung, don’t scare us like that.”
“Sorry.”
I took Baek Tae-beom’s arm and slowly got up. I shook my head lightly and looked ahead.
So this is it.
A massive dome-shaped laboratory—but calling it a lab didn’t feel right. There weren’t any scientific instruments in sight. Instead, it resembled a greenhouse, with towering trees and lush greenery overflowing from every corner. On one side stood a prison-like container covered with cloth, and on the other, only traces remained of researchers who had hastily abandoned the place.
But most important of all—
Floating at the very center.
“…No way.”
A colossal mana stone, brimming with power so pure it defied belief, hovered in the air—resonating and spinning.
