Is it here?
Where is that damn artifact he fought so hard to obtain in previous regressions?
Han Jinhyuk scanned the area again, certain he hadn't made a mistake.
It had to be here.
"Minwoo, search over there."
The fire mage scratched his head, glancing around before letting out a small sigh. "Hyung, I'm pretty sure this isn't the right spot. Is your memory deteriorating?"
That damn brat.
Still, he didn't argue.
Minwoo was the only one he had chosen to regress with him, the only person he had trusted enough to tell the truth, and the only one who believed it.
And because of that...
Minwoo was now trapped in the same endless nightmare.
Even if he died, he would just return to a certain point with his memories intact, forced to relive everything all over again and again.
Even if he was tired of it, he couldn't do anything. As long as Han Jinhyuk died, he would only regress.
It was cruel.
But at the same time, he felt disgusted with himself at the thought that he wasn't alone in this. That he found some solace that somebody knew.
Minwoo had only experienced ten regressions so far, but even that was more than enough to break a person.
Sometimes, he worried.
Worried that one day Minwoo would come to regret this choice and start blaming him for it.
Han Jinhyuk had found him while running away from his foster parents.
They were the kind of people who took in children not out of kindness, but for the government subsidies, spending that money in gambling dens while leaving him to fend for himself. Hunger, bruises, neglect, none of it was anything unusual.
It was the kind of story orphans face more often than not.
The only difference was that he had awakened early, and he understood very quickly that it was something he needed to hide. For a child in his situation, power was not safety, it was a risk. So he endured, quietly watching, quietly waiting.
He learned their habits, their routines, the way they moved, the times they were most vulnerable. It wasn't particularly anger that drove him by the end, but simply revenge for making him suffer.
After all, by nature, fire-attribute hunters are reckless, stubborn, and prideful by nature. He was no different, acting merely on instinct.
He started a fire to exact his revenge.
By the time the neighbors noticed, it was already too late. The house collapsed in on itself, taking his foster parents with it.
Minwoo stood at a distance and watched it burn.
There was no hesitation in him, no panic, no regret. Just a steady gaze, as if he was confirming that everything had gone exactly as planned.
That was when Jinhyuk found him.
He had looked at the boy, smoke still clinging to him, eyes reflecting the flames without a trace of fear, and saw something worth taking.
So he made a simple offer.
Follow me.
I'll give you a better life.
Minwoo was young then, and he understood how powerless he was as a minor so he easily took that hand that reached out to him. Actually, more than that, Jinhyuk seemed like a god that day.
His savior.
From that point on, Minwoo followed him without question, calling him hyung as if it had always been that way.
Jinhyuk trained him personally, teaching him how to control his fire instead of letting it run wild. At first, it was crude, explosive, difficult to manage. But Minwoo learned quickly, far faster than any normal awakened.
He was talented.
Now, standing a few steps away, Jinhyuk's gaze fixed on something ahead. His expression sharpening at something.
It was a black wooden box.
So it was here.
Jinhyuk felt a small sense of confirmation settle in his chest. His memory hadn't failed him yet.
"Alright," he said, already moving, "let's go."
They cleared the dungeon at a pace that would have made headlines anywhere else. Monsters fell before they could react, their coordination seamless, but there was no one here to witness it.
Because this wasn't their territory.
The Sahara Desert stretched endlessly beyond the dungeon's entrance, its dry winds swallowing any trace of their presence.
They had arrived long before the dungeon even formed, positioning themselves quietly in advance. It wasn't a coincidence, nor was it luck, it was planned from the start.
If they were caught operating here, especially without permission, it wouldn't end quietly. The Korean Hunter Association alone would have a lot to say about it, not to mention the local authorities.
That was why they moved early, while the window still existed.
Using knowledge from previous regressions, Jinhyuk had led them straight to this place, cutting through variables, skipping the uncertainty.
All for this.
Inside the box were five talismans.
At first glance, they looked like nothing more than yellow sheets of rough, aged paper.
But that description couldn't be further from the truth.
They were often described as "wish-granting talismans."
But that was a misleading name. In truth, they never granted any kind of wishes. Instead, it acted more of a search item.
As long as the user had a clear idea of what they were looking for, these talismans would guide them to it, whether it was a person, an object, or something far more abstract.
Of course, there was a cost.
To activate one, the user had to carve their intent into the paper using mana, not just quantity, but quality mana.
If your mana was lacking, or your intent was vague, the talisman would simply fail.
I remember the first time this one time use artifact was announced.
That had been... a long time ago. Which regression, he couldn't even remember anymore.
They became famous almost immediately among high-ranking hunters. Whether it was for revenge, ambition, or something they couldn't obtain otherwise, everyone wanted one.
There were only five uses, and that alone made them invaluable.
Each talisman had sold for seventy billion.
Since the African Hunter Association had been planning to auction them off anyway, Jinhyuk felt no guilt taking them. Not that it mattered. He wouldn't have felt guilty either way.
"Those damn cultists are already scattering like rats because of that damn outsider, so we had to resort to this," Jinhyuk said, clicking his tongue.
Just as they stepped out of the dungeon, his phone rang.
It was Kim Taewon.
"Guild Master, there is something urgent you need to know."
"Make it quick. I have other matters to attend to."
Jinhyuk's gaze lowered to the box in his hand.
"There has been a dungeon break on Jeju Island. The monsters are unusual. Their ranks are mixed, and at least one of them is confirmed to be A-rank."
A dungeon break was nothing new. There had been countless incidents in the ten years before the world ended, ranging from minor outbreaks to full-scale disasters. However, Jeju Island was different. He didn't remember any major incident occurring there, and it had always been considered relatively safe...
That was what made this situation strange.
If it were truly insignificant, other hunters would be more than enough to handle it. That was likely why it hadn't remained in his memory.
"Then why have the nearby guilds not dealt with it?"
"They have already begun responding. Hunters are being dispatched to support the island. However, there is something else you should know..."
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What is it?"
"Ms. Seo is there. She went on vacation with the Baekwha team."
For a brief moment, Jinhyuk questioned whether he had heard correctly.
"...What did you say?"
"I do not know her exact situation, but Jeju Island is currently facing a serious crisis."
Minwoo, who had been listening through the call thanks to his S-rank senses, stiffened. His expression darkened as a certain person came to mind.
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue.
"Damn it."
Without hesitation, he opened the box and took out one of the yellow talismans. He placed it down and focused, mana flowing from his fingertips as he carefully inscribed his intent onto the paper.
Seo Elena.
"Minwoo, I am going ahead."
"Hyung, wait!"
Before Minwoo could finish speaking, Jinhyuk tore the talisman.
In the next instant, he disappeared.
"...Ah, damn it," Minwoo muttered, staring at the empty space. "Are you really just going to leave me here alone?"
Despite his initial complaint, Minwoo glanced down at the talisman and hesitated. He seriously considered using one himself.
No. It's fine. Hyein is an S-rank too. She'll be fine.
He pushed those selfish thoughts aside.
Besides, if I really tried to use one, Hyung would probably beaten me to death.
Clicking his tongue, he steadied himself.
With that thought, he leaped into motion and headed straight for the guild, already preparing his next move. He requested access to an A-rank teleporter, the fastest way he could reach the scene.
It was his only real option.