"Awakened Management Bureau! Everyone, hands up!"
"Knock them all out first!"
"Wait! We're civilians! You can't do this!"
"This is an emergency, please cooperate!"
"Damn, why are there so many people here?"
Honeybee scanned the interior. Inside the small office, men and women in white clothes were crammed together. But Matthew wasn't here either, only panicked, shouting people. 'Did they even realize they were contributing to the end of the world?'
'Of course not.'
And even if they did, they'd probably think of it as some trial to overcome the apocalypse, never knowing the higher-ups' real goal was the destruction of the world. Honeybee walked over to a hunter injecting a sedative.
"I'm leaving first. Isn't there somewhere bigger? A larger-scale location."
"Somewhere bigger? Hmm…"
The hunter pulled out his device with an uneasy expression, checking the map. Honeybee bit her lip, chewing nervously. Would meeting Matthew change anything? No. She wasn't foolish enough to think optimistically. She just wanted to see him, talk to him, just as he once had spoken to her when she was lost.
"There is one large site… but Team Leader Jung insisted on handling that himself."
"Ah, I see. I'll speak to him myself. Just give me the location."
"Ah, understood."
Honeybee slipped out of the suffocating office, leaping lightly from the top of the stairwell. The moment she exited the building and prepared to take off, a sly voice greeted her.
"Hey there~ You look busy."
Gyu-gyu was perched on the edge of the flowerbed. When Honeybee ignored him and kept moving, he rose and began to follow.
"Looks like you've got somewhere to go?"
"Don't get in my way. If you've got nothing better to do, go help upstairs and knock people out."
"Shame~ I was just going to offer you directions."
Honeybee snorted.
"You even know where I'm headed?"
"Isn't it obvious? You're heading for the head of the snake."
Her pace faltered just slightly, and Gyu-gyu covered his mouth, chuckling.
"I know where it is. In fact, I've already infiltrated once before."
He held out his hand. Honeybee slowly turned, her sharp eyes scanning him up and down as she whispered.
"If you're lying, I'll kill you. I'm not in the mood for jokes."
"I'm serious~ If you don't believe me, ask J, I went with him the first time."
"Then look around you. Why are you here, chasing after me, instead of helping people?"
"Hm. Isn't it the same for you?"
Honeybee skewered a flying monster with a swift strike, while Gyu-gyu dodged falling debris effortlessly.
"Don't be so suspicious, I'm just going where help is needed."
"Hah. Since when have you ever lived helping others?"
"You're free to doubt me, but if we stand here too long, the crowd will catch us. Won't you decide quickly?"
She could already feel the piercing stares of the people nearby. Saving lives was a duty, yes. But…
Gyu-gyu wiggled his fingers, urging her to hurry.
"Want to hire me?"
Honeybee slapped his hand away.
"Lead me by the fastest route."
***
"That Sa-young fellow, he doesn't plan to keep helping, does he?"
"No. Seems he has other priorities."
"Tsk… He's been busy ever since he returned."
"Also, at the park Lee Sa-young-ssi handled, a pool of poison has formed. Within a hundred meters it's nearly impossible to approach. It'll take quite some time to purify."
"No need to emphasize his danger. I'm not planning to have him detained."
"Yes… apologies."
Jung Bin forced an awkward smile. Ham Seok-jeong clicked her tongue softly, resting her chin on her hand. They were critically short on manpower. For every monster slain, more spilled forth. More and more people were mutating. It was a defensive war of attrition with clear limits. And yet, what choice did they have but to endure?
"And J?"
"He entered a Big Mouth's maw directly."
"That was after you saw him?"
"Yes. He seemed to have found some method."
"Then we must hold out until he returns."
Her hand tightened around the grip of her staff. She exhaled, rose, and motioned toward the door.
"To the prison."
"…Will that be alright?"
"It will."
But the worry on Jung Bin's face didn't vanish. Ham Seok-jeong covered her lips with her hand, laughing low.
"I said it'll be fine. I've known that man far longer than you."
The Bureau was quiet. All the able hunters were in the field, while those on desk duty were busy evacuating civilians. No one crossed their path as they descended to the underground prison.
The air in the Bureau's underground jail was cold. Tap, tap, her staff struck the stone floor, echoing. She halted before the deepest cell.
"Song Jo-heon."
The old man, shackled at wrists and ankles, slowly lifted his head. The smug smile and relaxed demeanor that once never left his face were long gone. His hair, once peppered black and white, was now starkly white. Side effects of modifications? Or of missed doses of medication? He seemed frailer than before.
Ham Seok-jeong had never liked him. The man who once tried to crush her with rank at their first meeting. The bitter rival from their days competing for the director's seat. The one who quietly ostracized J. A petty man who divided sides wherever he went, blinded by hunger for power.
…But she had known him a long time.
"Do you remember? At a drinking table once, you said if you were to die, you wanted to die fighting monsters. Right in the middle of the road. That was your wish as a hunter."
"..."
"Could a man like you, who valued only his own life, truly do such a thing?"
"Keh-heh…"
Song Jo-heon chuckled, shoulders shaking. His voice came out rough and cracked.
"Didn't think you'd still remember something from nearly ten years ago. You've gotten old, too."
"Yes. Old age makes you chew over old memories. Just as you do."
"..."
The laughter faded. Song Jo-heon's gaze went blank, fixed on the air.
"What happened with the Samra Guild?"
"They've united well, making you their common enemy. Fortunate, really. Losing a guild of that size would have been disastrous."
"I see…"
"I came here to make you an offer."
Ham Seok-jeong gripped the bars with one hand, leaning her face close. Her voice slithered through the dim cell.
"I'll release you. Fight."
"..."
"Fight monsters until you die, just as you wished. And if you still survive, I'll permit you to beg for forgiveness."
"Heh… ha-ha…"
Song Jo-heon laughed, low at first, then louder, echoing through the cell until it shook with his harsh mirth.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"..."
"Ha… You foolish friend. You don't even suspect I might just run?"
"I don't care if you flee disgracefully. This is me giving you a chance. Out of old times' sake."
Her eyes flashed. She smiled sharply.
"You have three choices. First, stay in this cold, dark cell and die here."
"..."
"Second, slip away in disgrace, and die lonely and forgotten as a nameless old man somewhere far away."
"..."
"And the third."
Their eyes met through the dim air. Ham Seok-jeong yanked at the bars. With a heavy groan, the steel bent, leaving a gap. She tossed a key inside.
"Fight monsters until you die. Then you'll be remembered as a hero."
"..."
"Ten minutes. I won't give you more. The situation is too urgent."
She turned and left without hesitation. As the sound of her staff faded, Jung Bin, still at the cell door, spoke.
"Song Jo-heon-nim."
"..."
"Your equipment, weapons, phone, and other possessions are in the evidence room on the second floor, in the cabinet labeled with 'S.' There's no custodian now, so retrieving them will be easy."
"..."
"The experimental drugs confiscated from Researcher Ga-young are also there. Whether you use them or not is your choice."
He bowed briefly and departed. Silence filled the prison.
After some time,
Clink…
The sound of keys being picked up broke the silence.
***
"Of all people, Lee Sa-young must not die."
Those words had left Hong Ye-seong with a knowing smile. Instead of showing Eui-jae the way to the source, he had told him only to wait, before wandering off somewhere. No matter how hard Eui-jae searched, not a trace could be found.
Left alone, all Eui-jae could do was sit beside a tent, sharpening the edge of his spear. But even that had its limits.
"Damn it."
He cursed under his breath. The more time dragged on, the worse things in reality would become. He couldn't just sit there wasting time. He had to repay the trust of those who had let him go.
"…Ah, screw it!"
Eui-jae sprang to his feet. Better to act, whether it meant finding Hong Ye-seong or the path to the source, than to sit idle.
"They said to search where things fall…"
Both to track Ye-seong and to hunt for clues, he began walking swiftly toward the spot where he had landed. Soon, a rounded hill came into view.
At the foot of the hill, he looked up. It had grown taller than before, proof it was still devouring endlessly.
'If living people can fall through too…'
Then he could both save someone and gather intel on the real world. Two birds with one stone. He smacked his lips, eyes lifting toward the sky.
And then, something black appeared against the pale white expanse.
'What was that? A car?'
He narrowed his eyes, but had no time to think. He hurried up the hill. The fluttering of those clothes was too achingly familiar.
"W-wait…!"
At the hill's crest, Eui-jae stretched his arms wide. Within seconds, something heavy struck his arms with a thud, followed by a low groan. Two voices, overlapping in pain.
Cautiously, Eui-jae opened his eyes. What had landed in his embrace
"…Lee Sa-young?"
It was Lee Sa-young, clutching a black plastic bag close to his chest.