Most of the infiltration process for volunteering at the orphanage had been handled by Lee Myung-won, but this place demanded such rigorous documentation that it could hardly be considered a “normal” orphanage. Just to volunteer, they asked for absurd things like a copy of our resident registration and a family relationship certificate. Because of that, we had no choice but to disguise our identities thoroughly, sneaking in under the guise of university students doing community service.
From the orphanage’s perspective, there was probably a need to appear “normal” on the surface. Just like the warm and cheerful image shown on their website, they likely needed volunteers from the general public to maintain that façade.
“You’ll start cleaning in the main building’s counseling room, but please don’t clean together. One of you should stay here and watch the kids, okay?”
“Yes.”
Ahn Ki-yoon picked up the vacuum with the expression of a man going to war.
“Then I’ll leave them to you.”
Still wearing my cap pulled low, I took off only my mask and faced the children. There were five of them, looking no older than early elementary schoolers, staring up at me with wide eyes.
“I-I’ll go clean the main building now.”
“Okay.”
“If… if something happens…”
“I’ll call you, so don’t worry.”
After sending Ahn Ki-yoon off, I fell into thought. It wasn’t that I disliked kids, but I’d never had much to do with them. It had always been that way. So whenever I happened to encounter a child, it felt incredibly awkward. Sometimes I wondered if it might’ve been different if I’d had a younger sibling like Baek Tae-beom. But it’s not like I could conjure one out of nowhere at this point.
As long as I didn’t make them cry, I’d consider it a win. While I was thinking that, the staff member stepped out. I immediately took off my cap. When I looked back at the children, their expressions had suddenly changed.
“Hyung, are you a Hunter too?”
“Huh?”
“That thing on your wrist—it’s a Hunter tool, right? Are you strong? Super strong?”
“Uh… not really that strong.”
“See! I told you the Hunter noona who came last time was stronger!”
“No way! This hyung looks way stronger!”
What does “looks strong” even mean?
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: What do you think? He means you look like me, obviously.]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: I seriously hate that.]
“It’s the vibe! The vibe!”
“What vibe?”
“That electric tingle that you feel! You know what I mean!”
The kids were having some bizarre conversation. I awkwardly picked up an origami booklet.
“Wanna do some origami?”
“No, that’s boring.”
“Oppa! Instead of that, can’t you show us your ability?”
“Yeah, show us your ability!”
“Show us!”
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: Is there anyone here who’s good with kids?]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: Hello?]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: Why is no one saying anything?]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: Hermes, you have a kid, don’t you? Say something useful at least.]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: The number you have dialed is either not in service or has been restricted. Please check the number and try again.]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: Seriously, you’re all useless as ever.]
I tried my best to make something up.
“No can do. The teacher said if I use any powers, I’ll get kicked out.”
“Then I’ll go ask the teacher for permission!”
“Wait, hold on.”
I quickly scooped up the child who tried to bolt for the door. The kid burst out laughing, clearly having the time of their life.
“Me too!”
“Me too!”
“Please pick me up too!”
And just like that, I found myself unexpectedly transformed into some kind of Viking amusement ride, hoisting kids into the air. Then I ended up swinging a jump rope across the floor, acting like a monster under attack from the five Hunter Rangers sworn to protect Earth. Less than thirty minutes in, I collapsed onto the floor.
This was hellishly exhausting.
For the first time in a while, I felt a genuine surge of respect for people who take care of kids. I thought my arms might fall off. On top of that, the kids had genuinely kicked and punched me while playing, so now even my legs were aching from the hits.
“Oppa, are you dead?”
“No, I’m not dead….”
It was the child who had introduced herself as Kim Eun-ji. Now that I thought about it, she did look vaguely familiar. That especially round, bobbing back of her head… felt oddly familiar.
Could it be…?
“Yeah. Oppa. That’s why we think the monsters took them. I’m fine not getting adopted because of that.”
“They might be the kind of kids who never wanted to contact the orphanage again.”
“No way! Min-ji and I were really close. She wouldn’t do that.”
Was she the same girl from the video Yoo Ji-won had shown me?
I sat up and looked closely at the child who had said her name was Kim Eun-ji.
“Do you know someone named Min-ji?”
“Gasp—how do you know Min-ji, oppa? Did she contact you?”
So I was right.
The moment I brought up Min-ji, the kids’ faces all turned serious. One of them ran to the open door and quickly shut it before hurrying back. The others started murmuring and gathered around me in a tight cluster.
“Hyung, do you know Min-ji? Did she tell you to come here?”
“No, no. I just… happened to hear about her.”
“Then you’re not her friend?”
How did they jump to that conclusion?
“Did Min-ji ask you to save us?”
“To save you?”
That word jolted me back into focus.
“Did something happen to you?”
The children looked at each other, then made teary expressions.
“What is it? Tell me what’s going on.”
“Will you keep it a secret?”
“Of course.”
Then the boy named Lee Won-gyu came right up to me—the same one who said I looked strong. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
“They take away the strong ones first. They say they’re sending them to be adopted. But they never come back.”
“Maybe… they just lost contact.”
“No. It’s always the same. They always take the strong ones first.”
I thought that sounded strange.
“Strong ones?”
“Yeah. Like you, hyung… shiny people.”
A creeping sense of unease began to take hold. I had no choice but to open the status window of the child in front of me.
[Displaying target information.]
[Awakened: Lee Won-gyu]
[Title: Awakened]
[Estimated Rank: D]
[Status: Cannot be verified.]
[Contracted Constellation: None]
[Owned Coins: Cannot be verified.]
[Skills: [Discernment]]
There are skills that have not manifested due to unmet conditions.
This kid… is an Awakened?
Startled, I quickly checked the others.
[Displaying target information.]
[Awakened: Kim Eun-ji]
[Title: Awakened]
[Estimated Rank: C]
[Status: Cannot be verified.]
[Contracted Constellation: None]
[Owned Coins: Cannot be verified.]
[Skills: [Conviction]]
There are skills that have not manifested due to unmet conditions.
[Displaying target information.]
[Awakened: Park Hye-na]
[Title: Awakened]
[Estimated Rank: D]
[Status: Cannot be verified.]
[Contracted Constellation: None]
[Owned Coins: Cannot be verified.]
[Skills: [That Which Exists When You Turn Around]]
There are skills that have not manifested due to unmet conditions.
It was said that even very young children could become Awakened, and that the timing of Awakening differed from person to person—some were even born with it.
But those cases were exceedingly rare.
Yet here, as if carefully handpicked, were five Awakened children. Not a single one excluded. Every child in this place had Awakened. It was far too deliberate a situation to be brushed off as coincidence.
“No way…”
Gongmyeong wasn’t taking children indiscriminately. They were targeting those who showed potential as Awakened—or were already Awakened—to use them.
How could anyone even think of doing such a thing?
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: So they’re using the ‘purest’ form of power.]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: Pure power?]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: Ga-hyeon, do you remember what I told you before?]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: That Mana Stones are a kind of residue, like a fossil, left behind by divine stories.]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: I remember. But why bring that up now—]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: My guess is that they’re experimenting on these children. Using Mana Stones. Condensed power reacts best when it meets something pure.]
Experimenting with Mana Stones? Is that even possible? That kind of content hadn’t come up even once in <The Apocalypse Chronicles of Another World>.
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: So then it’s not adoption—they’re being taken somewhere by Gongmyeong…]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: That’s right. Gongmyeong seems to be taking them somewhere. For experiments.]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: The real problem is figuring out where that lab is.]
It was right then.
The door the children had shut earlier burst open with a bang. Startled, I turned to see several staff members with grim faces storm in and roughly drag me out.
“Wait a second!”
“Wait a second, my ass!”
“Oppa!”
“Don’t hurt hyung!”
“Shut your damn mouth!”
I was thrown outside, and only then did I notice Ahn Ki-yoon, in the same sorry state, sprawled across the ground. His clothes were covered in dirt like he’d been rolled through a dust storm, and he was trembling in fear.
“S-sorry… I got caught… I didn’t know how to cover it up…”
I tried to tell Ahn Ki-yoon it was okay, but I couldn’t even get the words out before a kick slammed into my stomach. My breath stopped short, and I curled in on myself, coughing dryly.
The realization of what was happening froze me in place like I’d been plunged into an icy lake. But the sharp pain snapped me back to full awareness.
“What the hell are you people doing?”
“We’re just… here to volunteer…”
“Don’t lie! Crawling around like rats—what were you really planning to do?”
I couldn’t retaliate recklessly. If they lost control, the kids might get hurt. That was what scared me most.
It was now undeniable—this place wasn’t a regular orphanage. These “staff members” were likely Gongmyeong guild members or Hunters hired by them.
Just as I was trying to figure out how to get through this—
Something dropped from the sky.
“Aaagh!”
It struck one of the men standing near me like a bolt of lightning.
I could only stare blankly at the scene.
Baek Tae-beom, standing atop the man’s collapsed body with both feet, cracked his shoulders and met my gaze. His golden eyes looked like they were burning—blazing like fire despite their color.
A low voice spilled from Baek Tae-beom’s lips.
“Which bastard hit my hyung?”
