“Since you called, I had to come. And since you told me to wait, I waited.”
“Thank you for understanding. The reason I asked you to come in today is because we received intel that an A-rank villain from Chilryonghoe has illegally entered the country via the Philippines…”
Oh Se-dan rarely says the word sorry. Instead, he expresses gratitude for understanding—even when none was shown—and removes any possible grounds for complaint.
With that, even someone like Go Yeong-won can’t keep pushing back. Letting the complaint roll past him like water off a duck’s back, Oh Se-dan sat across from him and set down a few freshly printed documents.
“Normally, wouldn’t someone like Kang San-woo handle that kind of thing?”
“Well, this one’s in your wheelhouse too, Hunter Go, and apparently Hunter Kang San-woo is preparing for an out-of-town assignment related to a dungeon. Anyway, according to the report, the A-rank villain—Jang Ryu-wei, also known as Tucker—departed from Busan and is currently on the move. The estimated destination is Incheon…”
“A dungeon issue?”
“Excuse me? Ah, yes.”
The moment Go Yeong-won—who usually couldn’t care less about dungeons—showed the slightest interest, Oh Se-dan, as if expecting it, slid the document from the bottom of the stack to the top.
It had clearly been printed in advance. Turns out the real reason he was called in wasn’t Tucker, or Cutter, or whatever his name was—it was this.
“Kang San-woo’s headed for the villain case, right?”
“Not yet. But since it was our hunters who discovered the dungeon anomaly, we can swap assignments if you say the word.”
“The Association doesn’t want to give up a high-profile dungeon, the Bureau of Regulation wants to bag more villains, and Kang San-woo’ll go wherever without fuss?”
Wearing a perfectly tailored suit and sporting the same hairstyle he wore 365 days a year, Oh Se-dan simply gave a serene smile without responding.
So I’ve stepped right into their game. Might as well play along. Go Yeong-won sighed and picked up the dungeon report.
“I’ll make sure the surplus performance is factored into your end-of-year bonus.”
“That petty change… You’d do better giving me auction priority or something.”
“I’ll see what I can do. By the way, about this dungeon… It’s a newly formed one, but it’s already showing abnormal signs. C-rank, located in Seojeong-eup, Taeju-gun—the Jeongchoduk Dungeon.”
“A C-rank dungeon, and you’re calling me or Kang San-woo?”
“This morning, Team 3 reported seeing an S-rank monster inside and barely made it out alive.”
Damn. I guess I’m going. Go Yeong-won muttered to himself as he skimmed through the report. Like it or not, a high-ranking Awakened had to step in for something like this.
Still, dealing with an S-rank monster might be more fun than chasing a villain.
“Is there any missing information on the dungeon’s condition?”
He uncrossed his legs and stared for a long while at the photo of the Gate, perched halfway up a mountainside.
***
The Demon King and the Hero. The ultimate evil threatening the world, and the noble savior destined to defeat it. Among the countless tales of valor, is there any narrative as classic and overused as this one?
Thanks to centuries of constant rehashing and variation, the Hero story has been wrung dry to its core. There are so many versions out there that, to an external observer unfamiliar with Earth, the eternal clash between Demon King and Hero might even seem like a fundamental law of this world.
Rustle.
A lumpy pile of blankets stirred on the bed.
Beep—beep—!
A low-battery warning blared, prompting a hand to shoot out from the mound of fluff and plug in the phone charger. Only then did Cha Eui-sung poke his head out from under the covers.
The air brushing against his neck felt uncomfortably sharp.
“Shit…”
He’d buried himself in bed like this ever since returning from the clearing. This was the first time since his Regression that he’d ever actually wanted to hide. Of course, being under a blanket wasn’t exactly going to keep him safe. But hiding wasn’t about logic. It was instinct.
So for now, he just wanted to crawl under the covers and calm his nerves—even if only a little. Try to sort through his thoughts in the meantime.
*
“You ignorant fools! The Hero you once so proudly hailed is now in my hands!”
“That’s impossible, you despicable fiend!”
“An annual salary of 800 gold! Night shift pay, overtime bonuses, meal stipends, and performance incentives! Sixty paid vacation days a year! Congratulatory cash gifts, full coverage under the four major insurances, medical and educational support, welfare points, long-term service awards, and even stock options! You really think any Hero could resist that?!”
The parchment flung by the Demon King stretched a full two meters long.
The knight commander, who’d been working field missions for three straight years eradicating the Demon King’s forces, collapsed to his knees.
“Ugh… I want in, too…”
To be continued in Volume 3
*
Looking back, Cha Eui-sung had searched for every kind of intel out there, but had never actually read or watched any Hero-themed stories in earnest. It was clear the System had based this shoddy project on the overdone “Demon King vs. Hero” cliché. He’d dismissed it as childish fairy tale stuff, too soft to be worth his time.
And yet, there he’d been—face-to-face with what was almost certainly a Gateway—and the Outer God had tried to rope in a Hero.
After enduring that surreal, incomprehensible encounter, Cha Eui-sung’s head was still spinning.
That thing… it must’ve tried to possess me.
Only after burrowing into bed and bingeing every relevant novel he could find did he realize just how many stories involved Heroes changing sides or going rogue. Not surprising, really—most human drama was built on betrayal and backstabbing. But he’d never imagined someone would actually apply that twisted crap to a real-life Hero.
What would’ve happened if I’d gone through that gate…?
The question was reckless and dangerous, yet he couldn’t help wondering. His chest tightened with unease. Still, the Outer God probably hadn’t intended to split the Demon King into dual blades and wield them like some anime protagonist.
If it had power like that, this world wouldn’t have lasted ten months, let alone ten years.
It was probably just trying to push him toward the Gateway. Maybe stir up friction between him and Moon Tae-young. That much, at least, seemed plausible enough for Cha Eui-sung to cling to with some comfort.
That black spear… Was it something like an Administrator’s Administrator?
Then he remembered what was written in Episode 4.5. Apparently, what had happened in the clearing was considered a violation. Exactly which part had been flagged was obscured, but it clearly wasn’t a typical occurrence.
Cha Eui-sung never believed the Outer God could meddle freely in this world. But still, hiding away like this… It was instinct—his survival instinct—screaming after witnessing something that simply should not have been seen.
He felt like a defenseless little animal, claws and teeth all gone.
Everything else was normal. But that feeling… that absence—it gnawed at him.
And now… the one thing that wouldn’t leave his mind was Moon Tae-young.
Especially since all hell had broken loose right in front of the dungeon he’d kept hidden.
Did he find out? Did he notice something happened there?
What did it mean when the System said “traces were left behind”? If it went out of its way to mention it, that was a red flag.
Cha Eui-sung had always operated under the assumption that his backing was stronger. Only he had knowledge of the Demon King and the Outer God. Moon Tae-young, by all appearances, hadn’t the slightest clue.
Which is why the Outer God—unlike the System—never tried whispering sweet nothings to him.
But what if that lunatic did manage to cause chaos again, like this time? What if, while he was waving hello to Moon Tae-young, the damn thing pulled a stunt like:
[Hey, did you know?]
[There’s a thing called a Hero.]
[That guy’s the Hero lol]
Even once would be enough to blow everything sky-high.
Forget Savior Gauge—he’d lose all of it. His future as an S-rank, world peace—gone.
“No. Come on. If something that big was on the table, the System would’ve said something. It’s not that crazy.”
Shady as it was, the System wasn’t totally incompetent.
Steeling himself, Cha Eui-sung dropped his forehead onto the mattress.
Thunk—!
The whole bed shuddered, springs screeching in protest.
“…Should I go today?”
He muttered while peeking outside. It wasn’t exactly bright anymore. It felt like barely any time had passed, but the sky was already shifting into evening.
Almost reflexively, he found himself wanting to see Moon Tae-young.
He’d been planning to slowly escalate things again anyway, to keep building the Gauge. Didn’t want to show up like some clueless idiot this time, so he’d even studied up on all sorts of dumb little things.
But then the System… And the Outer God… This damn hardcore life of his just kept getting in the way of the tiniest hopes.
Maybe I’ve got some cursed fate or something.
Does Regression change your fortune reading?
Curled up alone at home, even that level of superstition was starting to sound reasonable. The sheer absurdity made him scowl.
Cha Eui-sung glanced around, even though he knew full well no one else was in the house.
Hesitating, he finally peeled the blanket off.
What if Tae-young did find out about what happened earlier?
Even if he didn’t know Cha Eui-sung was the Hero, if there were lingering anomalies at the clearing…
Now that the vague, ungraspable terror of the Outer God had subsided, the real fear crept in— a practical, grounded dread.
Moon Tae-young wasn’t stupid. He’d quickly narrow down the list of suspects. Actually… was there even a list? Cha Eui-sung was the only one who’d ever even gone near that place.
[Hey, did you know? If a pencil sings, it becomes pen-cing.]
[…Did I need to know that?]
The teasing text he’d sent earlier had gotten the usual deadpan reply. Moon Tae-young was the type to keep his suspicions to himself, even if something smelled fishy. But relying on that alone…
Wasn’t exactly comforting.
Am I… scared?
The thought made Cha Eui-sung’s pride sting.
He could hold his own in a fight—what the hell was there to be afraid of?
What, was he worried Moon Tae-young would unleash some secret Demon King beam on him? And if he did, would Cha Eui-sung just stand there and take it?
But the sudden burst of bravado didn’t last long. It quickly fizzled out, leaving him slumped and defeated.
It wasn’t the thought of getting hit that scared him.
It was the idea of seeing that bastard’s eyes changed.
Damn it.
He buried his face in his hands.
The instinctive fear had morphed into something… melancholic.
If he wasn’t going to see Moon Tae-young, then what was the point of even staying in this town?
Sigh…
He rummaged through his wardrobe, pulled out something decent to wear, and grabbed his car keys without another thought. He wasn’t planning to drive all the way to Seoul—but maybe just getting out of Cheongseri for a bit would help.
His coat pocket felt bulky. Reaching in, his hand brushed against a neatly folded piece of cloth.
A handkerchief—blue checkered, still stained.
Shit. His ribs twinged under the weight of something nameless.
“Taeju-gun… Was it the center area?”
He shoved the handkerchief back into his pocket and forced himself to look away.
According to what Kim Jeong-baek had said, facilities were slowly springing up near the Jeongchoduk Dungeon to accommodate Hunters and businesspeople visiting the area.
He still felt tense, body stiff with residual fear. But if he didn’t have the courage to face Moon Tae-young, and couldn’t stand lying around at home either… Maybe that place was the best alternative.
Cha Eui-sung glanced at the mirror, catching the pale face that stared back at him.
There was still a leaf fragment stuck in his hair, matching the dull color of his skin.
He flicked his fingers—pop!—and the leaf shattered like it’d been shot.
What the hell kind of state am I in…
He raked a hand through his hair and trudged out the door.
