My heart thundered like a stormy night, only to stop altogether for a brief moment because of one particular man.
"Jinhyuk-ssi, I don't know what you're talking about, but there are way too many cameras watching us," I whispered.
He glanced around, seemingly only just noticing the countless eyes and cameras trained on us. Then his gaze shifted to the man wearing glasses.
"Kim Taewon. Explain the situation. Why was Seo Elena on the ground?"
The gentleness he'd shown me just moments ago vanished without a trace.
"You'd better have a good explanation, or I'll bury your head in the harshest dungeon I can find."
The threat was delivered so casually that it took me a moment to process it.
Kim Taewon adjusted his glasses.
"Guild Master, these people demanded an audience with you without following the proper procedures. They caused a disturbance in the lobby, and when I ordered them to leave, they—"
Crack!
A sharp sound echoed through the lobby.
Cracks suddenly spread across the wall behind Kim Taewon, as if the building itself were reacting to its master's fury.
"From now on, anyone who dares to disrespect Seo Elena is disrespecting me. Starting with you."
Han Jinhyuk pointed at the woman behind the front desk. Her face had gone deathly pale.
The woman immediately dropped to her knees, clasping her hands together and rubbing them frantically as she begged for mercy. She looked so desperate that I felt sorry for her.
I wanted to say something on her behalf, but before I could open my mouth, Han Jinhyuk had already taken me away.
The next thing I knew, we were soaring high above the ground, the building rapidly shrinking beneath us. The wind rushed past my ears, and I barely had time to process what was happening before we landed in front of a door. The door to his house, apparently.
I stared at it, then at the man who was already unlocking it as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
Seo Elena sat awkwardly on the couch, her eyes wandering around Han Jinhyuk's apartment.
It was hard not to notice how empty the place was. There was hardly anything that made it feel lived in, leaving the entire apartment cold and devoid of warmth.
It reminded her of a show house, where the furniture was arranged solely to make the place look presentable for potential buyers.
And yet, somehow, it suited Han Jinhyuk.
Just as she was beginning to wonder if he owned anything that could make the place feel more like a home, the doorbell rang.
Han Jinhyuk stood up without a word. Judging by how casually he headed for the door, he seemed to know exactly who it was.
Sure enough, it was Atticus.
After greeting him, Jinhyuk returned to the living room and served them coffee before taking his seat. Atticus settled into the side across from him, while Elena wrapped her hands around the cup.
It was a little ironic, really, to be served coffee by someone who seemed to know nothing about coffees.
Still, Elena could appreciate a cup of coffee made with care, and Jinhyuk's was no exception.
She wanted to compliment him on it, but the matter at hand was far too important to put off.
Atticus was the first to speak.
"You probably don't know who I am, but I used to be Seo Elena's constellation."
Elena nearly choked on her coffee.
She stared at him, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and confusion.
"Oppa, what are you talking about?" she asked, forcing out a laugh. "This really isn't the time for jokes."
Even as she said it, a part of her already knew he wasn't joking.
That was precisely the problem.
What he'd just said was so absurd that she couldn't bring herself to believe it, even when her instincts told her he was being completely serious.
"I know. I saw you during the final battle against those creatures." He replied.
"You remember?"
"That's not what's important, is it? The other constellations are in trouble."
Atticus nodded, but Seo Elena was already getting to her feet.
"What do you mean by the other constellations? Oppa? Jinhyuk-ssi, can you explain what's going on?"
"I'll explain everything," Jinhyuk assured her. "But first, we need to help your family."
Elena nodded. "Then let's go."
"Stay here, Yena. You're no longer an awakened."
"But I still have to go and help—"
Before she could finish, Jinhyuk reached out and struck the back of her neck.
Her vision went dark almost instantly. Her body went limp, but Jinhyuk caught her before she could fall.
He carefully carried her over to the couch and laid her down. After making sure she was comfortable, he pulled the blanket over her.
"Sorry, Yena."
He stood and turned toward the empty space in front of him.
With a sharp motion of his hand, he struck the air.
A thin fracture appeared before him, spreading like a crack in glass. The space itself began to split apart, widening into a fissure that revealed the familiar interior of Elena's café on the other side.
Atticus stared at the opening.
"How did you do that?"
"A gift from the system."
Jinhyuk smirked before stepping through the fissure.
The moment he emerged, he was greeted by the sight of the ruined café.
Diana and Prometheus were both unconscious, their bodies lying motionless among the wreckage.
And in the middle of it all, a man sat casually in one of the café's chairs, leisurely sipping his coffee as though he were simply waiting for his order.
"You're here, human. Where is the girl?"
Han Jinhyuk sat across from the creature, his expression unreadable.
"How did you survive?" he asked. "Your kind was supposed to have been erased from existence."
The creature scoffed, its expression twisting with resentment.
"The remaining members of the High Council did whatever they could to preserve me. They used what little remained of the system's power to alter my very existence, changing my species in the process." It glanced down at its hands, flexing its fingers as though it still hadn't grown accustomed to them. "I survived, but the rest of my kin are gone. Every last one of them."
Jinhyuk leaned back in his chair.
"How does it feel?"
The creature's eyes narrowed.
"To live as a human," Jinhyuk continued, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "The very existence your kind once considered inferior. I imagine that's quite the adjustment."
"Don't mock me, human!"
In an instant, the creature disappeared from its position.
The table between them exploded.
Jinhyuk leaned back, narrowly avoiding the fist that came flying toward his face. Splintered wood scattered across the room as the creature's punch carried through, nearly striking the wall behind him.
Before it could withdraw its arm, Jinhyuk caught it by the wrist.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
So it really did possess the physical capabilities of an A-rank hunter.
"Judging by your state, I guess they left you with nothing but a new body," he muttered.
The creature twisted its arm, attempting to break free. Jinhyuk let go before it could make another move, pushing himself away from the remaining pieces of the table.
The creature immediately followed with another punch.
Jinhyuk shifted his upper body aside. The fist slammed into the floor, sending cracks spreading beneath its knuckles.
A low chuckle escaped him.
"Not bad."
The creature's expression darkened.
"Do you think this is a game?!"
It lunged again, its movements growing increasingly violent. The remaining furniture was swept aside by the sheer force of its advance.
"I know what you're looking for."
Jinhyuk casually stepped aside as another attack came crashing toward him.
The creature let out a mocking laugh.
"A human like you wouldn't possibly know anything about what I'm thinking."
"You want Seo Elena for the system, don't you?"
Jinhyuk's lips curled into a smirk. "But I have that very same system now."
The creature stopped abruptly, and made no attempt to attack him. Its arm remained suspended in the air as it slowly turned its head toward Jinhyuk.
"...What?"
The creature stared at him, its expression gradually changing. The anger that had twisted its features moments ago gave way to something else. It was the look of disbelief.
"That's impossible."
"Is it?"
"That system belongs to her!"
"I said, I'm the new owner of that system."
The creature's jaw tightened before it contorted into a confident, almost hysterical laugh.
"Fine. This is better, in fact. I'll kill you myself and force the system out of you!"
It lunged toward Jinhyuk once more.
But its body suddenly stopped.
An invisible force pressed down on it, locking its limbs in place. No matter how desperately it struggled, it couldn't move an inch.
"What are you doing?" Its eyes widened. "I said, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
The mocking expression and confident smile had completely vanished from Jinhyuk's face.
Instead, his features settled into a cold expression, one filled with resentment.
"I want you to die and cease to exist."
"Who knows how many more of you are out there? I'll make sure every single one of you is thoroughly erased. And I'll start with you."
Jinhyuk stood motionless, his eyes following the countless symbols that had appeared around the creature.
The creature, however, couldn't see any of them.
It had lost that ability the moment it ceased to be an Aquacorl. Whatever remained of its former existence, whatever power the High Council had managed to preserve, none of it allowed it to perceive the system anymore.
Even if it had obtained a body capable of rivaling humanity's strongest hunters, it was nothing against Han Jinhyuk.
"No! Don't you dare harm me! I am a member of the Highest Council! Who dares to kill me?! No! Let me go!"
Jinhyuk watched its desperate struggle in silence.
A bitter feeling settled in his chest.
It was difficult to believe that so many worlds had been destroyed because of beings like this. So many lives had been lost. So many people had suffered under the power these creatures had accumulated, including himself who had regressed back in time so much it broke his mind.
And yet, standing before him now, one of those very beings looked no different from a frightened animal.
'How pathetic.'
Not long after, the creature's existence was completely erased from reality.