It seemed the Guild Leader wouldn't back down until he received a proper answer. Of all times, why did he have to come back at a time like this?! Any joy she felt upon seeing him vanished completely. Kang Ji-soo spoke with her eyes tightly closed.
"J-nim went inside the mouth of the big-mouthed monster, he went in so cleanly that there wasn't even a chance to stop him. I contacted the Rift Management Bureau to ask them to capture the monster alive, but they couldn't take any other measures. Prometheus is causing a ruckus right now, so I received the call and came here while dealing with all that."
Lee Sa-young nodded as if to say 'Continue.' Kang Ji-soo pointed to the White Hole swirling in the sky.
"As you can see, that thing is causing trouble again. The Pado Guild is handling the rifts that have opened up all over the place. Romantic Opener is cooperating with the Awakened Management Bureau to evacuate civilians, and Seo Min-gi has been taken by Team Leader Jung Bin."
"How much time has passed since J went in?"
"Let's see… about… 20 minutes."
It was only 20 minutes. It was a hair's breadth. If only he had been a little faster, he could have caught him. Lee Sa-young asked as he processed the information Kang Ji-soo had recited to him in his head.
"What is Prometheus doing now?"
"I heard they performed another ritual to summon the apocalypse? What was it again? Something about them opening its eye when it's not supposed to? So now gates are opening everywhere, rifts are forming, people are mutating. It's absolute chaos."
"…"
"So we have to go back there too. And Matthew is the head of the group—"
"You rascal! Don't say things you aren't sure about."
"Ouch!"
Kang Ji-soo grumbled, clutching the crown of her head where she had been smacked.
"Ah, why?! If Honeybee-unnie said so, it's true."
"What about Honeybee?"
"She says she's going to kill Matthew."
Lee Sa-young furrowed his brows slightly. In the previous world, Prometheus did not exist. Matthew, too, died saving people. What could be the singularity of this world?
The 8-year gap when J was absent.
"…"
He wondered if the world could be turned upside down like this by the absence of just one person, yet he quickly came to accept it. After all, his own life had been turned upside down thanks to Cha Eui-jae. Lee Sa-young weighed his two options. Go get Cha Eui-jae, or chase Honeybee to the Prometheus headquarters. In truth, it was a matter that didn't even need to be weighed. The scale tipped toward Cha Eui-jae. Always.
Now, he had to follow the other's train of thought.
Cha Eui-jae's thoughts and judgment? It was obvious without even looking. He must have jumped in thinking he would deal with the main body before the thing above them destroyed the world. How can he be so simple-minded, ignorant, and consistent?
That aspect of his was both good and bad.
"Phew…"
Lee Sa-young let out a small sigh and lowered his head. He felt hungry. He wanted to put something in his mouth. It was a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time. Lee Sa-young reached out his hand toward Bae Won-woo.
"Huh? What, why?"
"I'm hungry. Don't you have anything to eat?"
It was said with a brazen attitude, as if he had given an order.
"Oh dear, right now I only have energy bars…"
Bae Won-woo's eyes busily scanned the signs of the surrounding buildings. He pointed at a sign for a franchise hamburger shop and asked.
"S-Should I go buy some hamburgers?"
At the same time, the blinking sign tumbled to the ground with a thud. A hamburger poster fluttered through the broken glass. Yes, they are definitely open for business. Lee Sa-young flicked his fingertips.
"No need. Just give me that."
Bae Won-woo quickly pulled an energy bar from his pocket and handed it to him. Lee Sa-young tore open the wrapper and took a bite. He still couldn't taste anything. Mechanically chewing the dry lump of nuts, he wondered if that person had eaten before jumping in, or if he had just jumped in without any plan.
'There's no way he ate.'
Tsk, Lee Sa-young clicked his tongue in annoyance and carefully sealed the wrapper containing the energy bar, which was two-thirds full. He thought that if he hadn't eaten anything, he should at least feed him this. Bae Won-woo asked cautiously.
"Hey, does it taste bad?"
"What kind of nonsense is that, Vice-Guild Leader? Of course it tastes bad, he can't taste anything."
"That's not what I'm talking about, you rascal!"
Would this be enough? He didn't seem like the type to eat much. Still, you never know. Lee Sa-young looked at the small energy bar, then turned his head toward Kang Ji-soo.
"You. Do you have anything?"
"…Me?"
The way she stealthily averted her gaze was suspicious. Come to think of it, Kang Ji-soo never seemed to go hungry. She had even gasped in horror whenever Lee Sa-young skipped a meal, asking how he could do that.
'She must have something.'
Lee Sa-young gestured toward Bae Won-woo with his chin. It meant for him to bring it. Bae Won-woo scratched his chin with a troubled expression.
"Sa-young-ah… isn't it a bit shameless to take from a kid? We have to eat to live, too."
"That's right, Guild Leader. I'm a hungry college student!"
Actions speak louder than words. Lee Sa-young took his wallet out of his inner coat pocket and flatly handed over two 50,000 won bills.
"100,000 won."
"Yes! Here is a chicken breast Chipotle sandwich and an isotonic drink. I bought them right before the incident, so they're very fresh and cold…"
Kang Ji-soo politely handed over a black plastic bag and took the bills without hesitation. Bae Won-woo looked down at the red-haired head with a bewildered expression.
"Didn't you say you stood in line for an hour to buy this? And that you were going to savor it?"
"Oh come on, it just found a better owner."
Kang Ji-soo grinned and fanned herself with the bills. Lee Sa-young rose from the ambulance. Having already packed food for the person who liked to move recklessly, it was time to go get said person.
Just then, a hunter from the Awakened Management Bureau, who had been on the phone nearby, approached. He observed Lee Sa-young's mood and spoke.
"Um, Team Leader Jung"
"…"
"I apologize for the suddenness, but he asked for your cooperation."
Lee Sa-young tilted his head slightly.
"To me?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Is the situation that bad? Bad enough for me to step in?"
Lee Sa-young's ability was poison. It was not suitable for saving people. Unless it was for killing. For that reason, he mostly used his ability only inside the dungeon. The hunter nodded with a resolute expression.
"Yes, the civilian evacuation is mostly complete. There is an area where gates have opened intensively, and he asked you to handle that area."
"Hmm…"
Lee Sa-young rubbed the corners of his mouth, then smiled, lifting the corners.
"What if the asphalt and the building melt while I'm handling it?"
"That's fine."
Seeing that smile, Bae Won-woo took a step back.
"What if something unavoidable happens?"
Kang Ji-soo also took a step back, stuffing the bills into her pocket.
"That's fine, too."
"Then… who would take the responsibility?"
"Team Leader Jung says he will take it."
The smile grew even deeper. It was welcome news to hear. Lee Sa-young nodded.
"Location."
"Ah, yes! I just transmitted it to the terminal!"
"Ah, it's close… good."
No wonder it was so noisy, it was the sound of hunters trying to close the gates. Lee Sa-young spoke in a languid voice.
"Get all the hunters fighting over there to clear out. They're just going to get in the way."
As he took off his single glove, his pitch-black hand was revealed. He pointed at Bae Won-woo with his black fingers.
"Bae Won-woo, call Jung Bin and make sure you record what he said properly. So he can't change his story later."
"Huh? Uh, sure. Understood."
"And, Kang Ji-soo. You have a motorcycle, right?"
"Yes, I do. But the roads are a mess. Will it be okay?"
"Call me when you bring it over. I won't be going far."
"Where are you going?"
"Where else would I go?"
He threw the blue blanket draped over his shoulders into the ambulance and stood up. The black bag tucked into his wrist dangled.
"I have to go pick up that idiot."
The place Jung Bin had asked him to deal with was a cluster of gates that had appeared in the middle of a park. Monsters poured endlessly from the glowing white gates. The park floor was covered in the ash of the dead monsters.
'It seems they are severely short on manpower.'
The moment Lee Sa-young closed the gates, this place would turn into a poison-covered wasteland. A space of death where not a single tree or blade of grass could survive. It seemed Jung Bin chose human life over the park.
Perhaps it was only natural. After all, one could not have everything.
"I don't think I need to drag this out for long…"
Pure-white monsters rushed toward him. Lee Sa-young did not dodge. Instead, he knelt on one knee and placed his left hand on the ground. A black liquid spread from where his hand touched.
The black liquid, spreading like water, melted everything it touched. Not only the grass, but also the brick floor, benches, fences, streetlights, and even the tall trees. The monsters attacking from all sides were no exception. The monsters that stepped on the black liquid screamed and collapsed. Their feet and legs melted, and they floundered in the poison.
Lee Sa-young slowly rose to his feet. The park had lost its former appearance. All that remained was a pool of black poison. Stepping through the poison, he headed toward the cluster of gates. He reached out his black hand toward a white-glowing gate.
"Alright… let's finish this."
Through his black fingers, a vividly shining violet eye shone.
"Because there is someone waiting."
The moment his black hand touched the white light,
Paaat—
Black liquid enveloped the gate. The gate soon lost its form and melted away. Splat, a black mass fell to the ground. Lee Sa-young carefully surveyed the empty park, then checked the contents of the black bag. Fortunately, the sandwich and sports drink were safe.
He took out his phone.
"It's me. It's over. Come to the park entrance."
Splash, splash… Lee Sa-young glanced back as he made his way out of the black pool.
"Ah, tell them to issue a no-access order for the park."