When he realized this was a world from another dimension, not Earth, the first thing he felt was, unsurprisingly, confusion. Although its people had evolved in a way biologically similar to humans, their civilization was entirely different. There were vicious beasts, and even humans wielding powers akin to psychic abilities. But above all, the most pressing issue was the language barrier.
After some time, once he’d adjusted, what came next was a sense of relief.
If Tae Woon—still so young—had been caught in the rift and ended up here, he would not have survived. At the very least, Kim Sibaek was an adult who could defend himself from monstrous attacks and stay alive. The weight of the sword he picked up again after nine years of retirement was what had allowed him to endure.
Kim Sibaek never once regretted reaching into that rift to save Tae Woon. Just like he hadn’t nine years ago.
“Hyung.”
He could no longer hear the boy’s voice calling to him. But that voice hadn’t vanished from his ears—it had taken root in his heart, echoing deep within. As long as he could still feel that voice, Kim Sibaek knew he had to stand tall and walk the righteous path without hesitation.
His upright posture would tell the boy, I’m alright, so you’ll be alright too. His unwavering integrity was the only thing that could lighten the boy’s burden of guilt.
Even though there was no child now watching his back, Kim Sibaek walked a straight path through unfamiliar lands, hoping the boy—who might be somewhere far away, perhaps never to be seen again—would live without guilt.
“Drifter.”
With no way to prove who he was, Kim Sibaek had been unable to blend into the city. He spent his days communicating with the occasional passerby using hand gestures and body language. Then one day, an ugly bird appeared and spoke to him.
He was stunned to realize he could understand the creature—especially since it wasn’t even human. The bird, which resembled a young crow, flapped its wings.
“Speech through an Incarnate Body differs from human voices. Think of it as your will being etched into a language that humans can understand.”
The bird gave its explanation with a strangely self-satisfied air.
“You are a drifter, crash-landed after crossing the dimensional boundary. The gods took notice early. They saw that your spirit would not break under hardship, and your pride would remain unsoiled by disgrace. So I ask you…”
Perched on a high branch, the bird locked eyes with him and clicked its beak.
“What is it that you truly seek?”
“Hyung. Are you awake?”
A shadow of old, forgotten memories had briefly swept through his mind, so when Kim Sibaek opened his eyes, it took a moment to recognize the face in front of him. After blinking a few times, the blurry image finally sharpened, and just as he was about to say the name of the boy who had grown up—
“Sibaek! Sibaek!”
Biendeoé burst into tears and flung herself over his face, embracing him tightly.
“All the humans passed out, and then you were unconscious too—I was so scared I thought I was going to die! Are you okay? You are okay, right? We can’t die in a place like this! I don’t want to die without seeing my sister!”
She was trembling so badly that he gently pried her off and patted her comfortingly.
“It just felt like a sudden wave of dizziness. I’m fine.”
“Really? You’re not hurt? Huh? Huh?”
“Yes, I’m alright. I’ll protect you. But Lord Biendeoé, you’ve dropped your character voice.”
“……”
Her beak snapped shut with a click, and she calmly preened her feathers as if nothing had happened.
[Death and Beauty feigns ignorance, pretending not to understand what her Apostle is talking about.]
Now that he was fully conscious, Kim Sibaek realized his head had been resting on Tae Woon’s thigh. He sat up, fixing his tangled hair, and Tae Woon sounded a little disappointed.
“You could’ve stayed lying down longer.”
“Your thigh’s too solid. If I stayed there too long, my neck would start hurting.”
“…Uh, this is just decorative muscle. Looks good, doesn’t do much.”
“Anyway, what the hell happened?”
“We got swallowed when the Eid Portal formed.”
Eid Portal. It was a phenomenon that hadn’t occurred in Mak Slechth, but Tae Woon had explained it before. Named after the psychological term “id,” it was a type of instance dungeon—where a person’s internal nature manifested as a symbolic world.
Sure enough, the place he’d collapsed in front of was a subway station. The fog was so thick that visibility was poor, but the MA Department Store building could still be seen about five minutes away. There were no living beings around except for themselves and a few people collapsed nearby.
“The human brain is subjective. Anything outside of conscious focus gets hazy, like it’s covered in fog. The scenery gets distorted in all kinds of ways too.”
Now that he mentioned it, the stairs coming up from the subway looked unnaturally steep and tall. The host of this Eid Portal must not have gotten much exercise.
“What about the people who passed out? Are they going to be okay?”
“They’ll wake up soon. Each person’s consciousness is like a tiny universe, and when it gets forcefully consumed like this, they faint from the shock. That’s what the research says. I’m used to it as a Hunter, so I recovered quickly. You, hyung, woke up incredibly fast for your first time.”
“Ah, so that’s why Lord Biendeoé was fine.”
[Death and Beauty smugly claims it as divine proof.]
Now that he was awake, Biendeoé also seemed fully at ease and had returned to her usual attitude. Still, she clung to him tightly in this unfamiliar world, just as afraid of being apart as ever.
“But there’s something that’s kind of weird.”
Tae Woon rubbed his chin.
“Sure, sometimes people get randomly swept in if they’re unlucky, but usually, it’s people nearby who are tied to the summoner’s consciousness that get pulled in. I get why I’m here—my face is somewhat recognizable—but I don’t get why you were dragged in too, hyung.”
“Maybe I was just unlucky. More importantly, is it just us in here? Do we have to clear the portal on our own?”
“Chances are, everyone’s been scattered. Once the civilians start waking up, we’ll be able to regroup.”
As time passed, the others who had fainted slowly began to stir. Realizing they’d been swallowed by an Eid Portal left them terrified at first, but the moment they saw Tae Woon, they visibly relaxed—as if they’d been waiting for him. Watching their reactions, Kim Sibaek tilted his head.
Once most people were conscious again, Tae Woon pulled out a penlight. The specially made device cut cleanly through the fog with a long beam of light. Unlike monster fields, which could be predicted in advance, Eid Portals formed without warning, so civilians were taught to use basic light signals just in case.
“Since sensory perception gets distorted in here, it won’t take long to regroup—as long as there aren’t any beasts attacking. Depending on how someone conceptualizes the space, you can walk straight through buildings or objects in the outer regions of the portal. It’s tricky, though. Most people’s ideas about the physical world are so rigid that it’s hard to maintain the mindset that lets you pass through stuff.”
Hearing that, Kim Sibaek touched a parked car on the road. His hand sank right in.
[Death and Beauty expresses curiosity.]
While Tae Woon blinked his penlight to search for others, and Biendeoé gleefully practiced phasing through objects, Kim Sibaek greeted the small group of people who had gathered.
Everyone except one high school student—who had come to the mall for a school holiday—were adults. After a brief round of introductions, Kim Sibaek asked casually:
“So, is Guildmaster Tae Woon really that famous? Everyone seems to recognize him.”
The student, who introduced himself as Bae Ji-han, reacted with the over-the-top energy of a teenager.
“You seemed close to him—how could you not know? He’s been famous since before I was even born! How could you not know who he is?”
“I was living overseas for a long time.”
“He’s crazy famous abroad too, though. Were you like, off-grid in the jungle with no internet for the last twenty years or something?”
Kim Sibaek fell silent, struck squarely in the nerve. A woman—who’d introduced herself as an employee at a luxury boutique—quietly chimed in. She seemed to vaguely remember him from a past shopping trip with Tae Woon.
“He’s an S-rank Hunter. Super tall, incredibly handsome. Honestly, he’s even more intimidating in person than he is in pictures…”
“A bunch of Hunters tried starting guilds and failed, but he built one that’s doing better than the ones backed by major corporations! That’s what impresses me most. My dad tanked every business he started and ended up divorced, lol.”
“He’s been famous since his Awakening. During the Cataclysm, four S-rank Awakened manifested in the same location—that’s a one-of-a-kind event in the entire world…”
The group marveled at the idea that someone existed who didn’t know much about Tae Woon. They eagerly dove into gossip, their chatter helping ease the lingering tension. Kim Sibaek listened quietly, then asked:
“So the other S-ranks who Awakened with him were…?”
A young woman who had stayed silent until now finally spoke in a shy voice.
“Th-the same-age group. Hunter Seo Gaeun, and Hunter Pi Minhyung…”
“And Sister Benedicta!”
Bae Ji-han jumped in excitedly, then lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
“When I realized I was trapped in an Eid Portal, I was seriously pissed—like, thinking I’d die here without ever ranking up, stuck in Silver forever. But holy shit, Tae Woon’s here. I mean, not Tae Woon—Guildmaster Tae Woon. Honestly, I’m kinda psyched we’re stuck together.”
He was practically glowing, saying his friends would be jealous when he told them he’d cruised to a portal clear in first class.
“If only Seo Gaeun and Pi Minhyung had gotten pulled in too, that would’ve been next-level…”
He didn’t even get to finish his sentence.
A penlight beam appeared in the distance and quickly drew closer. Then, a tall man came running toward them, carrying someone on his back and shouting with joy.
“Tae! Introduce me to your boyfriend!”
Kim Sibaek lifted his head, recognizing the voice he’d only heard through phone calls. It was Pi Minhyung.
His expression instantly twisted into one of utter horror.
