chapter three

The early morning streets were cold and quiet. On the deserted roadside, only street lamps were sparsely turned on. It was the beginning of spring, and the days were getting longer. But it looked like it would still take a little longer to get brighter.

"Haa... It's cold."

A passerby strutted hurriedly fastening the hem of his overcoat. When he got up on time for the first subway train, he couldn't tell whether he was still in a dream or not. His eyes were dry and his head was splitting from lack of sleep. He looked back on last night. How many hours did he sleep? 3 hours? 4 hours?

He had a good reason for waking up in the still dark dawn and walking on deserted streets. The location of his house took more than an hour commuting to work, and he had to arrive at work by 7 a.m. Dirty company. Dirty capitalism. After I saved up some money, I'll definitely quit this company. Reaffirming his useless resolve that was repeated every month, he staggered toward the subway entrance seen in the distance.

The streets, which were always crowded during the day, were as quiet as a lie at night and at dawn. All the shops lined up along the wide boulevard were locked with the lights off. The only places that were lit up were ATM booths and 24-hour convenience stores. He skipped breakfast and came out on an empty stomach, and his bones were numb. Hot canned coffee on display at the convenience store flickered in front of his eyes.

"Should I get one?"

Mumbling to himself, the passerby shook his head. Don't waste your money on trivial things, just go to work later and drink coffee in the pantry. Nowadays, every penny is scarce. It was the reason why he went to work early at dawn through the darkness and cold every day, while cursing his job like breathing. It was also the reason why people prefer to use the first subway car instead of their own.

The entrance to the subway was also one of a kind. A pale fluorescent light shone on the stairs leading down to the basement. Nothing was heard other than the occasional crackling of old fluorescent lamps.

The passerby, drunk with drowsiness and fatigue, closed his eyes and staggered down the stairs. The fact that he did not trip down the stairs was praiseworthy enough.

He went down the long stairs and turned a few corners. Then he went down more stairs again. Because it was still early and the escalators were not yet turned on, he had to go down a number of stairs one by one. He headed for the ticket gate at a familiar pace.

"Haaaah."

Yawning his mouth out, he rummaged through his padded jacket pockets with swollen, half-opened eyes. It was to find the card. Blinking his eyes, he searched through the pockets littered with all sorts of things, mobile phones, earphones and tissues, until he noticed the strangeness in his surroundings.

"...huh?"

The subway station, which he had been in and out of everyday for several months, was not in its usual appearance. Something was out of the ordinary. The wall lined with billboards was cracked and moldy. It was an old station, so it was a bit shabby in the first place, but it wasn't this bad. There was also a smell of damp water. Black moss half covered the fluorescent lights installed at regular intervals on the ceiling.

The ominously flickering lights soon went out. The room became dark.

"What, what was that..."

He woke up from his sleep. He recoiled unwittingly. The card he was looking for had long since disappeared from his mind. He hurriedly turned around. He didn't know what happened, but he knew he had to get out of here quickly. However, the lights suddenly went out, so he couldn't tell the direction. Where did he come in? Which way was the stairway to the ground?

"Ah? That scared me. What is it?"

Then he heard someone's voice from behind.

"Why all of a sudden? Did something happen?"

The moment he heard the voice, the passerby was greatly relieved. There was another person here. Someone who was in trouble just like himself. After being frightened as if he had become the protagonist of a horror movie, he calmed down without realizing it.

"Excuse me! There's someone here."

He shouted loudly in the direction of the voice. After a brief silence, the other person murmured from the other side of the darkness.

"Huh?"

"There are people here, too! Ah, wait a minute. I'll be there."

Belatedly, he thought of the flashlight function of his cell phone. He took out his phone and turned on the light. Once he joined the other person, he was thinking of reporting it to the police who would then call the subway call center. The round, artificial light drove away the darkness a little. As if it were in the middle of the deep sea, he could see the moss and aquatic plants growing steadily on the floor. The stench was worse than before.

"Excuse me. Where are you?"

"What's going on?"

A sound was heard nearby. He picked up his phone and glared at it. But what it revealed under the light wasn't what he expected. The limbs were strangely long and the body was pale... It was a strange-looking mutant, with three or four more legs attached to the sides of a starving corpse and the skin of a raw chicken with all its fur pulled out.

Blood was dripping from its wide-open mouth as if its jaw joint had fallen out. The monster turned its head and looked straight at the passerby. There were hollow holes instead of the eyeballs where the eyes should have been, but he knew intuitively that he was being observed by the monster.

Then it moved its jaw slowly. Crunch, Crunch. There was something like human hair and flesh in the bloodied snout. The passerby lost his gaze and fell to the floor. The corpse of a man who had lost his head was strewn across the dirty floor. The monster swallowed what it was chewing on. The neck, wrapped in grayish leather, wriggled once.

"Why all of a sudden? Did something happen?"

A voice that was so clear and natural came out of the structure of the mouth that seemed impossible to speak human words; as if a recorder was turned on.

"...That scared me."

It burst out laughing with its blood-stained snout wide open. The passerby's body trembled uncontrollably. He had to run away, but his feet didn't move.

"Uh, Eurgh, Ah..."

A scream echoed through the gloomy subway station.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

Erewhon Team 1. It was Erewhon's representative team and the team with the strongest people. The members were Woo Shinje, Joo Taein, Kwon Heesu, and Yoon Chan. There were fewer than ten S-Class Awakened in the country, and only in Erewhon there were two, Shinje and the other was Chan.

If he had left Erewhon on his own, he would have won enormous wealth and honor wherever he went. An S-class Awakened would be welcomed kowtowed, not only at home but also abroad. However, he remained under Shinje, not even as a second-in command, but a general member. It was because he had been friends with Shinje since they were teens, and even if he was offered a higher position, he knew he would be just pestered to death. He would rather not.

The first time Yugeon met Chan was at a meal. The Hunters were summoned by Shinje under a pretentious excuse to introduce the new guide. Even today, he emptied the entire floor of the restaurant attached to the Erewhon headquarters building for this occasion.

A panoramic view spread out across the large glass window. A gray city with a dull light blue sky, rivers and bridges flowing under it, obsessively stacked buildings and tangled wires. It was even more spectacular when the sun went down and the lights were turned on one by one.

Four men were seated at a large table. Soon after, Yugeon appeared under the guidance of the staff. Today he was wearing a Chinese collar shirt and slacks. He couldn't find the hoodie he was wearing when he first arrived.

Taein's taste was plain and simple enough that you could go into any office nearby and sit at the desk. After receiving instructions from Shinje to buy Yugeon pretty clothes, Taein was stressed underneath his calm face. Buy clothes for the guide and bring them? Knowing that he was terribly uncomfortable with him? It was the worst. Heesu or Chan, or no, anyone else would have been better than him.

Yugeon himself was also a problem. He had no idea what to buy for that bleak and rugged young man. To put the words ‘Baek Yugeon’ and ‘Pretty’ together. There was no other combination in the world that was so inconsistent.

He didn't even consider the option of asking Yugeon about his taste in clothes. He doubted that he had a delicate sense of aesthetics, and he didn't want to get mixed up with such trivial things. He was not going to take him to the shop himself, and choose and dress him up, so there was only one method left. And it would take some time for customized uniforms to come out, so he just ordered a staff to buy some ready-made clothes that fit any size at a nearby department store.

Yugeon came out quietly wearing the clothes Taein had sent. There were no complaints. Maybe it was a matter of course. He seemed like the kind of person who only wore sportswear and combat clothes everyday.

"Guide Baek Yugeon. Did you sleep well? Was there anything uncomfortable?"

Shinje asked with a smile. That wasn't what the man who shoved his fingers into him and forced him to inhale the narcotic smoke, which he eventually passed out, wasn't talking about. Of course, there was no way he could have slept well after such a thing happened. Yugeon's complexion paled noticeably.

"......."

He did not answer. Unreadable emotionless eyes dropped down at the table top. A glass, plate, and cutlery were neatly placed in front of him. It was all new to him. The luxurious dishes might come out soon after. At this moment, his older brother must be surviving on a respirator and numerous tubes attached to his body. His stomach throbbed a little.

"Here, as you well know, our guide, let's get along well."

Shinje introduced Yugeon with the rest of the Team. It was a relaxed tone that didn't suit the mood. Taein and Chan ignored Yugeon as if he did not exist. Only Heesu spoke warmly.

"Yugeon hyung, hello."

This side had a history of grabbing Yugeon and pouring water into his nose and mouth. They all greeted him with such clear faces as if nothing had happened between them. It gave him the creeps.

Soon Amuse-Bouche was served. A dish the size of a finger or two was placed on a round plate. The chef approached the table and added an explanation, but Yugeon didn't understand most of the words. It was unrealistic to sit around and pretend nothing was wrong among these insane humans. He didn't even think about picking up the tableware and just quietly sat there.

"Woo Shinje."

It was a stranger who broke the strange silence. A man with short black hair and tanned skin shouted in a low voice like a beast growling. Shinje replied casually like poking fun at him, playing with the fork and knife.

"Why? Chan."

"Are you really crazy?"

"What again?"

Shinje didn't bat an eyelid. Still focusing only on his meal, he even smiled softly like a person who became embarrassed after receiving compliments. Chan wrinkled his face.

"You called me seriously all of a sudden, so I was wondering what the hell was going on. But you also called the guide and made him sit down with us? And what, get along? What on earth are you doing?"

Chan lost his cool and raised his voice.

"I was definitely against having an exclusive guide. I'll look for a rental. I said it a few times. But really you didn't listen to me with your damn ear!"

"Mind your language. The guide must be scared."

There was a crackling sound. His ferocious eyes grew even harsher. No matter how much he barked at Shinje, he realized it would be useless, and the target of his anger turned to Yugeon.

"Hey, guide."

A large fist with tendons struck the table. A dull sound echoed throughout the restaurant.

"I don't know what you were thinking coming in here, but behave yourself. It's better if you keep quiet as it is."

"......."

"I can't stand guides, especially condescending ones. To be honest, I don't even know why I have to sit face to face with you right now."

Yugeon looked up slowly. The eyes of the four men were all focused on him. Perseveringly without even blinking once. They were wearing human clothing, but they did not look like humans. Their expressions varied but they were all eerie. Even just glancing at this side, he felt a sense of intimidation as if they were crushing an opponent.

The suppressed anger rose. But at the same time, he was scared. If he went against their will, he might be subjected to cruel acts that was close to torture again. The pain engraved on the body, which had not yet healed, sent a warning.

What should he do? Should he keep silent and succumb to the pressure? Yugeon clenched his hands on his lap. Before he knew it, a cold sweat was forming in his hands. His heart beat anxiously.

"......."

Yugeon's expression, which was only looking down, changed to a dark complexion. He looked up directly at Chan and smiled.

"Where are your manners?"

"What?"

"Is this how you behave at the table?"

"What did you just say? Do you think you can do and say anything now that you're sitting at the same table with S-classes and A-classes?"

The atmosphere became irrevocably cold. Yoo Chan looked like he wanted to kick the table away and punch Yugeon at any moment.

"What can I do? I'm an exclusive guide. What should I do other than coop up at home and hug and flirt with you, after you guys have already spent a budget on me."

Those who were staring at Yugeon without even moving, resumed what they were doing one by one. Shinje gracefully sipped the aperitif from the glass. Heesu eagerly chewed the pre-dinner bread with the spirit of eating popcorn. Taein quietly focused on the meal with an attitude that whatever you do was none of my business. However, their attention was still focused on Yugeon's every move.

"What's the difference between that and a pet? Ah. Pets wouldn't turn their backs on their owners. What about you?"

"The metaphor is wrong. Pets are welcome, even if they are not cute. Livestock is the right word."

Chan laughed like the sound of the wind blowing. Under the bright lights, his amber-colored eyes gleamed dangerously.

"Ha... fuck, that's funny. Where did this thing crawl up from?"

He picked up the plate in front of Yugeon and dropped it down the table without hesitation. Kwaang! The dishes scattered across the floor. The plate, however, did not break. Uneaten food splattered everywhere. The sauce that the chef must have put his heart and soul into making also got a drop on Yugeon's shoes.

"If you want to be treated like livestock, you can tell me. From now on, what you eat is feed. Not a meal."

"......."

"What are you doing? You're not going down to your seat."

"......."

"Ah, would you like some water?

It didn't stop there. Chan picked up a clear glass of water and spilled it onto the plate on the floor. Food and water were mixed up in the dish and made a mess. Decorative gold dust floated on the murky surface of the water. It took only an instant when expensive dishes became trash.

Others watched the scene without fail. But no one came forward. Neither did they stop the two, nor did they defend or criticize either of them. Rather, they seemed to look forward to how Yugeon would react.

It was indescribably bizarre. Things that were not acceptable in general common sense and morality were taking place right under their nose, and everyone except Yugeon was calm. In a world where everyone was abnormal, normal people became abnormal.

The men at this table seemed impeccably flawless at first glance, but each was mad in different ways. They wore clean outer skin and acted socially, but their eyes were full of madness.

The Order centered around Shinje was solid. He felt like a prey caught in a spider's web. No matter how hard he struggled and struggled, it would be useless. It was just a game for predators. Yugeon slowly stood up, feeling the hallucination of spider webs entwining his hands and feet. Four pairs of inorganic eyes stuck at him. The whole floor was silent as in one could even hear the sound of a pin drop.

He bowed his head, receiving everyone's gaze. He picked up the plate that had fallen on the floor and then poured the whole dish onto the plate in front of Chan. The greasy liquid filled the plate and overflowed the table.

"Thank you for taking care of even the livestock feed. Eat a lot for me, too."

He shook off the plate spilling everything that was stuck at the bottom.

"You're so polite, aren't you? Unlike anyone else."

He put down the empty plate back on the table. Chan's face, which had been dazed by the unexpected development, reddened.

He didn't want to be here for even one second longer. Fine dining with gold dust and herb leaves? He did not have any lingering feelings about the food that he did not know the taste of, or how to eat it, or what its name was. Yugeon clenched his teeth and turned back to the way he had come. A bitter pain rose from his insides from not eating anything. He plodded across the wide hall and headed for the exit.

The moment the heavy door closed behind his back, someone burst out laughing as if he was waiting for it. As if he was letting out what he had been holding onto until now, laughing out of breath. The sound of Chan's bursting anger mingled with his laugh was faintly audible.

However, Yugeon never stopped and walked straight. Passing through the spacious hallway with no one in sight, he noticed a bathroom. There was nothing to measure back and forth. He jumped into the first compartment he saw, bent down as if he was falling down, and vomited. All that came out was plain water mixed with gastric juice.

The cell phone on the table vibrated. He was in the middle of reviewing reports that had been uploaded to his tablet. Shinje answered the phone tapping the screen with his fingertips without taking his eyes off the tablet screen.

"Yes."

- Leader Woo Shinje. This is Lieutenant General Bae Cheolseong.

"It's been a while, Lieutenant General. Have you been well?"

Shinje greeted him smoothly like flowing water. However, the other party seemed to have no time to say hello leisurely. A man of age going from middle-aged to old spoke into the speakers with a loud voice.

- How can you do this all of a sudden? Leader Woo.

"What are you talking about?"

- I know you're young and full of spirit, but shouldn't we respect each other's morals? Even if we now belong to different affiliations, we are in a situation where we can only live by killing mutants, aren't we?"

"As I said, I can't guess what you are saying ‘cause I'm young. Why did you contact me?"

When he continued to feign innocence, the Lieutenant General eventually exploded.

- Last press conference, press conference!

"Aha. Press conference."

Shinje grinned and sat down on the sofa. Then he picked up the cell phone that was on the table and put it to his ear.

- Why did you suddenly say such absurd things in a place full of nosy reporters? Do you know how much we've been struggling these days because of Head Woo's words? Weird conspiracy theories, people's petitions, all kinds of noises are coming out.

"What nonsense, Lieutenant General? Was there anything wrong with what I said? Unreported mutants at the gates that the Awakening Management Headquarters kept secret from the general public. Isn't it all true?"

- Did you really have to word it like that? I mean, would you have been hushed because of us?

The lieutenant general burst into rage as if he was full of energy. The 60th birthday must be just around the corner, but his voice was full of power even through the speakers. He must have reigned as a tiger-like superior thanks to that fiery spirit. Well, that was the case with the Espers, and it was none of his business. No matter how high the rank was, he was only scary for the soldiers. But to the civilians, it didn't matter if it was a lieutenant general or a general, he was just a loud uncle.

While the lieutenant general poured out his complaints under the guise of shouting, Shinje boredly blinked his eyes, his long eyelashes fluttering. Tired eyes stared into the air.

- Unheard-of mutant will appear out of nowhere, and if you encounter it, you will 100% die or go crazy. We don't know how to deal with it as we don't know the pattern of its appearance, so we have no choice but to be stuck wherever they appear. Say it like that. Where would the country go? It's all over then. If mankind is going to be destroyed as it is, should I just lie down and wait for it?

It was then he heard a faint knock from the outside. Shinje glanced at the door. Soon the door opened and the person outside came in. It was Yugeon. He did ask him to put on the uniform he ordered and came up as soon as it arrived. It seemed like it did. Yugeon stood at the door with a stiff face and touched his sleeves. He looked awkward in his new outfit. He only started to walk this way when Shinje made a slight gesture.

A black shirt, well-fitted gray pants, black leather gloves, a leather harness that tightened the chest and shoulders and connected to the dominant arm to support it firmly, it was a uniform worn by Hunters belonging to Erewhon. Wear walkers or shoes here, and add personal gear or put on a coat according to your preference.

The Hunters' uniforms varied widely for each Order, but they mainly reflected the leader's taste. For example, the leader of another nearby Hunting Order, ‘Bari’, had a unique and loud taste, so it was a blouson uniform with eye-catching colorful embroidery all over the back. As long as their Hunters wore it, it didn't matter what kind of clothes they wore underneath. Erewhon's uniforms were also tailored to the Order's senior Hunters, Shinje and Taein. Since they both liked neat and stylish things, the uniform was tailored to that.

Two metal badges were attached to Yugeon's chest. One engraved with Erewhon's logo and one with a net woven with light. The latter was worn by all guides regardless of their affiliation.

The implicit rule was not to touch the guide with this badge even if there was a fight between Hunters. Just like in wars between nations, if someone was wearing a red cross, you wouldn't kill them recklessly, even if they belonged to the enemy country. Of course, if you want to harm the guide, you can do it, but even if you win the battle, you will be accused of being an absolute bastard and branded as a public enemy among Hunters.

From the beginning, he thought that achromatic colors would look better on Yugeon than colorful clothes. However, it looked much better than expected after dressing from head to toe like this. Now that it had been neatly put on, all that's left was to tear it apart. While Shinje was thinking stuff like that, the voice of the Lieutenant General continued to ring through the cell phone near his ear.

- Leader Woo, this guy. If you sit in a high place, you should also know how to look into the future. In this important time, huh? What should we do if Espers and Hunters can no longer work closely together? What was the reason for such an accident?

It was not until he stood in front of Shinje that Yugeon realized that he was on the phone. He didn't know what to do because he didn't say anything. Standing still and observing the signs Shinje might give him, and he asked bluntly.

"Shall I come back next time?"

- What do you want? I think you made that comment because there's something you want here. Is it because of the J.S. merger and acquisition last time? If that's the case, I'll take care of you next time so you won't be disappointed, so let's hold a correction interview right now...

"......."

Two different people, inside and outside the speaker, asked questions. Shinje didn't answer anyone. How he interpreted his silence, Yugeon turned back with a calm expression.

"We are old acquaintances so I've kept my mouth shut until now, and it's a spectacle, Lieutenant General. Until when do you intend to deceive the whole country?"

Shinje stretched out one arm, answering nonchalantly. He wrapped his arm around Yugeon's waist and pulled him back. A firm waist wrapped in a shirt was clasped in his hand.

"Ah…"

Yugeon swallowed a sigh. Unlike his appearance, which seemed to have lived carefully touching only pretty and noble things, the man's touch was ruthless. He was dragged helplessly and pulled into Shinje's arms. Shinje then lightly lifted him up and sat him on his thighs without giving him a single glance. While fiddling his waistline with his long, white fingers, he held the phone with his other hand and continued the call with a blank face.

"If you're going to raise the scale and cheat, shouldn't you do it thoroughly? The last time the Hwangan Bridge disaster happened, all the eyewitnesses died and couldn't secure a statement, and this time, an F-class Hunter intentionally caused a rampage accident. Don't you think the excuse this time is a bit too lax?"

No matter how dull Yugeon was, he knew the current atmosphere was unusual. It was clear that it was a sensitive conversation that should not be leaked to outsiders. However, Shinje tightly wrapped his arm around his waist and did not let him go as if he didn't mind if Yugeon heard it, or as if he was deliberately telling him to listen.

"The competency of your officers is really not up to par like before. Lieutenant General Bae, maybe because you've aged, your eyes on people seem to have become dull. Why don't you take this opportunity to change the water a little bit?"

- Would you have done something like this if Brigadier General Woo was alive? If he saw what you're doing right now, he'd be weeping.

As if stroking a pet dry and asking him to play, the hand that was gently caressing Yugeon’s waist stopped. Yugeon turned his head to glanced back at Shinje.

"What if my father is alive?"

Shinje opened his eyes a little wide, asking softly. Normally arrogant and shrewd, this man deliberately act like an idiot from time to time. Like a concubine who was held in the arms of the king, asking him to dig out the hearts of all the people and decorate his palace, he suddenly leaned his cheek against Yugeon's shoulder. His light colored hair was disheveled and his eyes softly curved. He smiled sweetly like a flower in full bloom and whispered.

"...then I'll have to kill him again."

There was silence over the speakers for a while. The Lieutenant General was speechless and just clicked his tongue.

- Ha! Haha... Oh, by the way.

After that, he left a warning and hung up the phone at will.

- You're making a mistake.

Shinje put down the disconnected cell phone as if tossing it anywhere. Then he clasped his fingers behind Yugeon's waist and pulled him in. Their chest and stomach were tightly pressed against each other.

"Earlier, why did you leave like that? You didn't even eat."

He asked Yugeon who was sitting on his thigh. Judging by the way he was speaking and the expression on his face, it was as if he was making a complaint to his cold-hearted lover. The face of a man fluttering his eyes at a distance where the tip of their noses was almost touching was too gorgeous to a fault. He had nowhere to look. Yugeon avoided his gaze without saying a word. Even so, he couldn't escape from Shinje's arms.

"The phone call, I didn't mean to hear that. What do you mean by covering up?"

"Was the food bad? I didn't know what you'd like, so I made it my style."

"Is the Hwangan Bridge incident related to this case?"

"Should I ask them to serve Korean food next time? Or something else?"

"Is the center covering it up on purpose? Why?"

"Guide Baek Yugeon."

Shinje cut off Yugeon's words. It was a soft voice that was no different from before, but somehow it gave him goosebumps. He felt like he shouldn't disobey him.

"If you keep doing that, I will get hurt…?"

With his waist gripped hard so that he could not run away, Shinje made his face look as pitiful as he could. The eyes that looked up his way were shaded by eyelashes.

For a moment, Yugeon doubted his ears. It was so ridiculous that he even forgot to breathe. You are hurt? From this? It was coming from a human being who had hurt Yugeon without blinking. The sensation of his fingers pricking his tongue, the roof of his mouth and the inside of his body was still so vivid, making him nauseous.

"......."

All kinds of swear words came up to the tip of his tongue. Yugeon frowned and pushed Shinje away. Contrary to his relaxed appearance, his body was very strong, and he was immovable even when he pushed him with all this strength.

He didn't realize it because he was distracted by the phone call earlier, but his posture was too inappropriate. He felt the heat wherever he touched the other person. Their chests were pressed together so that he could feel the other person's heartbeats, and Yugeon could feel the thickness under his hips. Once conscious of it, it became irrevocably uncomfortable. If he just lost his balance and tilted, their lips would touch immediately. Yugeon's spine and waist were all tense.

Most people that Yugeon encountered in his lifetime had tried to press him down under a hundred stones. It was basic to curse and swear at each other at the very beginning, and it was not uncommon at all for people to start beating each other out of the blue. Violence was the simplest way to establish one's authority for low-level Hunters who had lived rough lives without system or culture.

In that sense, it was rather easy to deal with Chan. It was such a familiar pattern that Yugeon even had a strange nostalgia. When he and his brother first entered the scene, they experienced a lot of cases where senior Hunters were territorial. Considering that Chan's actions were also a kind of territoriality, he could endure it.

But Shinje was different. He didn't fit into any human image that Yugeon knew. He was whispering softly to him one moment, then he would turn violent, trample on him in an extremely humiliating way, and then the very next day he would call him to a dazzling restaurant, serve him a meal and dress him up in expensive clothes.

He had no idea what to do with him. Yugeon's pride did not allow him to yield obediently. Shinje was smiling like he was going to die of fun. He hated that his desperate resistance was reduced to no more than the other person's amusement.

"Did you call me for guiding?"

He stopped beating around the bush and just popped out the main point. Seeing that he called him in, hugged him and did not let him go, he thought he needed guiding. He just wanted to do what he had to do and get away from him quickly.

Shinje looked at Yugeon with a smile. Under an indifferent expression, Yugeon was showing discomfort with his whole body. Tensioned like a log, he was honestly startling every time he rubbed his thighs or caressed his back.

"No, I don't really need guiding yet. Compared to the past, now it's completely heaven."

As he said, Shinje's condition had improved incomparably to when they first met. He even wondered if it was the same person as the man who was whispering mad words while exhaling rough breaths with out-of-focus eyes.

Since that was his first impression, the appearance of current Shinje now was more alien to Yugeon. It was as if they had caught a wild beast that was running wild, put a leash on it, washed it clean, and trimmed its fur. But that wouldn't change the nature of the beast. Yugeon tried to raise himself on Shinje's shoulder without hesitation.

"Then I'll be on my way..."

"But I think I need it all of a sudden."

Shinje gripped his waist and pulled him down.

"Guiding, you just said you didn't need... ah."

Looking at Yugeon without even blinking his eyes, Shinje slightly turned his head and narrowed the distance. They got close enough to feel each other's breath.

"That was then, and not now."

Their lips barely grazed just before Shinje dove for a kiss. Yugeon shook his head reflexively. His upper body was tilted back as the other person was holding it below the waist. The rebellion was brief. The back of his head was wrapped in Shinje's hand and returned to its original position. He fixed his head so that he could not run away and pressed their lips together again. But Yugeon kept his mouth shut.

"Open your mouth."

He whispered just above his lips. Yugeon frowned unconsciously. It was a passive expression of rejection. Shinje let out a small sigh.

"Your older brother can't even open his mouth on his own and is just lying down at the moment. I'm sorry to hear that..."

He spoke gracefully, but it was a threat. Yugeon's face was grimly distorted. The pursed lips relaxed. Like tasting alcohol, he softly pressed their lips together. The texture of the even teeth and the softness beyond the lips was felt on the tip of the tongue. But it wasn't the time to rush in yet. Both of them were sober for the first time in a while, so he was going to taste them step by step.

Throughout the process, Yugeon was pitifully stiff. He couldn't even breathe properly. His chest trembled intermittently as he let out the breath he had been holding back little by little. Even the tongue had not yet been mixed. The first time he knocked him down in a cold alley and stole his lips, he was covered with wounds, and the second time he knelt him down on the marble floor and kissed him, he was not in his right mind because of the drug.

"No way."

He bit his lower lips playfully, and Shinje whispered in a low voice.

"You have never kissed before? The first time was when you did it with me?

"......."

"Sex... I can just tell right away."

"Why are you asking that? Do you have anything like that in your guide resumes?"

Yugeon, who couldn't stand it longer, shot back. No matter how broad-minded he was, he was not going to just sit quietly and listen to someone commenting on his sex life.

"No I don't."

Shinje laughed like a sigh.

"I thought I'd make a limited edition Guide resume for Baek Yugeon."

He grabbed his shoulder in one hand and his waist in the other, Yugeon was then dragged away helplessly. Ack. The center of gravity tilted sharply backwards. As soon as his back touched the spacious sofa, the man's body climbed on top of him. He had no idea what to do. His open lips were blocked immediately. A tongue slipped in.

With a clean and beautiful face, Shinje gave him a very barbaric kiss. His tongue dug deep and licked his insides, then suddenly slipped out and sucked his lips. There was an obscene sound from rubbing wet tongues together. Every time a hot, lumpy tongue stirred in his mouth, his body throbbed. Neither of them closed their eyes. Yugeon stared into the air with shocked eyes as he could not adapt to this unfamiliar behavior, and Shinje observing him in detail.

"Erm, haa, ah..."

This was no longer just a kiss. Yugeon was being eaten. Feeling chewed alive, inside the other person's mouth, from head to toe. The flesh of the soul was being torn off, and the intangible blood flowing through the blood vessels and nerves of the whole body was being sucked away.

His mind kept getting farther and farther away, and he felt like he was going to fall straight down there. Yugeon stammered out his hand. Heuk, Hah. He took a deep breath one after another and grasped Shinje's shoulder as hard as he could as if he was about to crush it. Shinje did not stop him. Rather, he dropped his weight down as if asking him to try harder. The man's weight was placed between his open thighs. The unfamiliar posture caused a stiff pain in the pelvis.

"Euh….. Haa, heuk!"

Unable to endure it, Yugeon turned his head sharply. Their lips fell out. However, Shinje soon followed him obsessively and kissed him again. The breathing sound that had been bursting out desperately was cut off.

Shinje's hand groped Yugeon's chest over his shirt. The shirt buttons were all neatly fastened except for the one at the top. Rubbing his chest and fiddling with his nipples, he tried to shove his hand under it as if the harness across the rib cage annoyed him. However, it was not easy as it was tightened to fit the body. Shinje, whose heart was twisted, pulled the leather strap roughly as if going to rip it apart.

"Uh..."

A painful groan escaped from Yugeon. Without taking off his lips, Shinje reached out and loosened the buckle. That was not the end of it. Tuk, Tuk, Tuk. The shirt buttons came off rhythmically. Finally, the belt and pants zipper.

Only after making Yugeon in a disheveled outfit did Shinje take off his lips and raise his upper body as if he was finally satisfied. Underneath, Yugeon gasped and glared at him. The area around the half-open eyes were stained red.

The hem of the garment was wide open, revealing his bare chest and belly. There was a faint mark from the harness on the skin. The guide badge with a smooth gloss hanging on the hem of the wrinkled shirt was oddly eye-catching under the bright lights. He could see the underwear through the front of the pants with the zipper open.

"You look good in that uniform. I'm glad it fits."

There was no words about it before, but Shinje suddenly brought up the uniform out of the blue. It was ridiculous. If you're going to compliment me on my clothes, you can do it while I'm all dressed up. Even if the timing was off right this moment, it's been off since a while ago.

"If you eat well and gain weight... it will leave a deeper mark here."

Shinje tapped his chest with his knuckles as if he was knocking. Yugeon frowned. Even that soft touch was a stimulus for his body, which had become sensitive with a kiss that felt like he was being chewed and swallowed whole.

"So eat what I give you. Don't stand up to me like you did before, and upset the person who is taking care of you."

It was funny. As long as he was chained here, it was clear that Yugeon would soon become dried out and torn to death, rather than gain weight. If these bastards were giving it to him, he didn't want to put anything in his mouth, even the greatest feast.

"Guide Baek Yugeon keeps acting cold, huh? I'm hurt again… and might want to cut off the sap that goes into your brother, right?"

"......."

Yugeon was speechless for a moment. The dark eyes became a little darker. Yugeon grinded his teeth loudly.

"You, really. You're an asshole."

Shinje gently lowered his gaze and smiled shyly.

"Don't mention it."

He leaned Yugeon's head on the back of the sofa, and lowered his upper body. A shadow was cast on Yugeon's face. One wouldn't be able to see him from above, as his whole body was all covered with Shinje's larger frame.

With a soft touch, he lifted up Yugeon's hand and took off his gloves. He dragged the bare hand underneath and put it on his pants. The heavy outline protruding under the suit pants was felt through the palm of his hand.

"What..."

Yugeon was startled and tried to withdraw his hand, but to no avail. As if caught under a rock the size of a house, his hand did not move.

"Try to suck it with all your heart. You didn't like the food. So have your fill."

He understood what he meant after a beat. A sense of rejection flared up. His stomach, which had been hurting all day, throbbed even more intensely. Shinje smiled after confirming Yugeon's expression.

"You don't like it?"

It wasn't a question.

"......."

Yugeon bit his lip and took a deep breath. After hesitating a few times, he loosened the belt and lowered the zipper slowly. The genitals wrapped in underwear were revealed through the wide open zipper. It was big enough to make him cringe at first glance.

His brain went blank. Was the size of the S-class' dick also S-class? He had to suck that? With his own mouth? All the motivation died down and the resolve that he had barely made up was shaken. He thought it would have been better to be beaten to death and yelled at, and thrown bare in the middle of a swarm of mutants.

"Until when are you going to just watch it? We have a long way to go."

Shinje smiled around his mouth and frowned slightly. The thing trapped in the taut cloth wriggled once.

"You keep looking at me so passionately and not doing anything, are you doing this on purpose to make me angry?"

"That's not..."

Before Yugeon could even finish speaking, Shinje grabbed his cheek and pulled him in, and recklessly pressed his head to the side in his front.

"Heup..... eug!!"

"Didn't I tell you to suck it? Do you want this to be dragged on forever?"

The hard bulge slapped his cheek. Yugeon floundered and reached back with his arms and barely managed to balance on the sofa. His lower lip was pressed against the head and slightly forced open.

Yugeon gasped and looked up, with his face stuck between Shinje's strong thighs. His eyes reddened, perhaps from suffocation or shame. His cool, open eyes crumpled up as if he was about to cry. Did Shinje want him to ask for forgiveness now? Even though he knew it couldn't be, he wanted to misunderstand for a moment.

Yugeon pulled himself together again. It wouldn't make any difference even if they dragged it on like this. He grabbed the band of underwear in front of him with his trembling hands. Far from anticipation, fear seemed to mount. Yugeon closed his eyes tightly and pulled down the underwear at once. It was a defeat.

Slap! There was a sound of flesh and flesh colliding. A huge cock jutting out of nowhere slapped Yugeon on the cheek.

".....ah."

Even after being slapped on the cheek, Yugeon couldn't immediately grasp what had happened. He stared up at Shinje dazedly, a few drops of precum on one side of his cheeks.

"Ha..."

Shinje barely managed to hold back his laughter. Seeing what he was doing, he left it up to Yugeon. It seemed that this would not end even if the date of the trip changed. It was good in its own way, too. If it wasn't for the schedule, he just wanted to keep Yugeon's mouth open with his cock and his chin fell out all day long. Wouldn't it be cute to see him cry and drool all over himself because he can't close his mouth properly?

"Can you open your mouth?"

Shinje quietly comforted him with a soft voice. He stroked his cheek a few times, and put his thumb between his lips to open his mouth.

"A little wider. Then I won't even be able to put it all in."

"heu..."

"Stick your tongue out. There you go."

Holding Yugeon's chin with one hand, Shinje held the base of his dick. He tapped Yugeon's lips with the tip a few times as the angle was carefully adjusted. As soon as he got in position, he pushed straight in.

"Heuk, eurgh..... keuk!"

The blunt head brushed past the roof of his mouth. Nausea ensued immediately. He grabbed the back of Yugeon's head, which was convulsing, fixed it in place and shoved in. He slowly pulled out the dick until it was lightly scratched by the front teeth, and then thrusted back in. A soft tongue wound around the hardness.

"eugh..."

He didn't even put in half, but Yugeon was in agony as if he was about to run out of breath. As he swallowed saliva, his throat went up and down with his mouth filled to the brim. Once the roof of the mouth narrowed, the cock was tightened further.

Watching every change in his expression, Shinje thought again as he thrusted his arousal down into his narrow mouth. How many times does he have to rape him to ruin him completely? How many hours should he spend shoving his dick down and cumming inside him so that Yugeon becomes numb to all these stimuli? Will the day come when he will get tired of this sacrificial lamb? If he doesn't get tired of this, then what should he do?

It was then. Someone outside knocked on the door. It was too clear a sound to ignore. There seemed to be someone who came to see Shinje.

"......."

Yugeon's staggering movements suddenly stopped. He mumbled his bulging cheeks as if he was about to spit the cock out of his mouth.

"Why are you trying to quit on your own?"

"Mmm!"

A large hand gripped his hair. The color drained from Yugeon's face. Soon the door swung open. Unfortunately or fortunately, the sofa where they were lying on was with its back to the door. He didn't know about Shinje with this half-upright body, but Yugeon, who was completely lying down, was obscured by the back of the sofa.

"......."

Yugeon struggled under him. Who is putting their penis in someone else's mouth when someone enters the room? It was crazy. At this rate, if that person saw this scene..... But the cock filled to the point where his jaw was sore showed no sign of retreating. On the contrary, it grew bigger as if excited. The bitter liquid from the head wet his tongue.

"Oh, well, sir. Nice to meet you."

It was a voice Yugeon had never heard before. He sounded nervous, and he seemed to be one of the lower ranked Hunters working for Shinje.

"Yes."

Shinje answered, looking down without giving him a glance. Then he slowly began to move his back. His cock plunged in his wet mouth. Yugeon's eyes widened in surprise.

"heuk…!"

Tsk. The head the size of a child's fist barely passed through the cramped throat, making it sound like sucking wet fingers. Yugeon grabbed Shinje's thighs like a lifeline. He clawed his fingernails down on the fabric of his trousers.

"It is reported that a gate opened inside Jangheon Station. It spawned overnight and was discovered this morning. A few civilians who came to get on the first car were killed."

"How big is it?"

Shinje asked calmly while pounding his cock back and forth, rubbing the roof of the mouth and tongue. If it wasn't for his messy hair and flushed cheeks, he sounded so calm that even Yugeon could have been fooled.

"It's not that big of a subway station. Considering that Jangheon Station is a transfer station for lines 4 and 8, it is small and medium-sized."

"......."

"The mutant species appears to have the ability to imitate the voices of the people it ate, but only a few words. It's not very intelligent either. I think it'll be between Class C to D at most, and even if the boss came out, it would be B-class..."

While talking, the Hunter felt something strange. It was impossible not to know with the sensitive senses of the Awakened. A foot in a black walker sticking out of the armrest of the sofa, rough breathing sounds from behind the backrest. The high-quality leather sofa seat was also making occasional squeaking noises.

He grasped the situation immediately. If he had known that the leader was with the new guide, he wouldn't have even come around here. He blurted out the words with a blank face.

"Well..... sir, if you're busy right now, next time."

"I'm not busy."

Shinje smiled and leaned over, wiping Yugeon's sweat-soaked bangs.

"The guide is the one busy... sucking my dick."

The Hunter flinched back. Only the thought that he was dead now filled his mind. There was no emotion when he was reporting about the mutant eating people, but he was more terrified right now.

"I'm, I'm so sorry!"

He bowed his head and ran out. As soon as the sound of the door closing was heard, the movement of his cock became intense. Shinje got down on his knees and got on top of Yugeon, and began thrusting in earnest. Yugeon scratched and scratched Shinje's thighs while gurgling, but it was futile resistance.

"Yugeon-ah, that guy..... Were you afraid that he would see you?"

Shinje's breathing gradually became harsher. The cock pounded inside Yugeon's mouth with more strength. The corners of his mouth felt like they were about to crack and the roof of his mouth felt like it was going to tear. Distressed moans swelled from Yugeon's throat.

"I was just kidding..... don't be scared."

"Haah, keugh..... keub!"

Yugeon's toes hanging on the armrest of the sofa uselessly trembled. His vision was dyed red, blue, and black. Like a broken TV screen.

"When I saw you got scared, I got so horny, you see."

Puck, puck, puck. The head wet with cum forced open his narrow throat. He greedily rutted into the soft mouth, looking for a spot to wrap it up. He slammed it further inside and pounded the area around Yugeon's Adam's apple. Shinje clenched his teeth. The pleasure climbed down his spine and burned in his lower abdomen.

"Eurgh....."

His dick swelled. It wasn't enough. He wanted to ram it in more persistently, more violently. He wanted to break through the esophagus and crush the inside of Yugeon's throat as he choked on his cock. The heat rose up sharp.

His vision went white from the edges. He closed his eyes, eyelashes trembling, and climaxed like a priest who fell the devil.

The semen wet the insides of his cheeks and pooled in the back of his tongue. The viscous liquid ran down his throat. Yugeon didn't want to swallow it, but he reflexively gulped down. And immediately came a cough.

"Keulrok, keuk!"

As soon as the cock that had been filling his mouth withdrew, Yugeon coughed violently. It was red all over his face and neck. Every time he coughed, the semen and saliva he couldn't swallow mixed up and flowed down his lips. Shinje reached out his hand. He shook it off and curled up on the sofa. The coughs showed no sign of stopping. Yugeon's shoulders and back, wearing a half-opened shirt, shook sharply.

"Gasp.... heueu, keuk, haa"

After calming down to a certain extent, Yugeon looked around, wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes were bloodshot as if they were crying. A puddle of whitish semen was dripping down from his wet, red lips. Shinje stared at him with one arm on the back of the sofa, sweeping his hair. He couldn't find any regrets for the person who had gone to the brink of suffocation because of him.

"...If you are done looking, give me something to clean."

It was the first thing Yugeon said after sadistic oral sex. Tiredness was evident from the cracked voice. Shinje opened his eyes wide as if he had heard something unexpected, then tilted his head and smiled softly.

"Yes, as much as you want."

Replying obediently like the most caring man in the world, he leaned down and kissed Yugeon. It was the lips that sucked his dick and swallowed a lot of cum, but he didn't care a bit.

Yugeon knew. How he was forcing himself to obey cruel instructions. It would be Yugeon's last pride to stick to his expressionless face even in situations where he cannot maintain his composure. The last stronghold he wanted to protect while being ravaged and violated.

Yeah, that's fine, too. It will be good to leave it as it is. If they work hard to ruin him, it too will collapse one day.

"So what? You're going to go directly to that shitty gate with nothing to see? And with that guide?

Chan asked with his eyes wide open. He couldn't believe the absurdity of Shinje's bombshell announcement, all he could do was laugh.

"How many times do I have to tell you to understand? Chan-ah, you don't have hearing loss these days, do you?

Leaning back on the sofa and checking the tablet, Shinje said without turning his head. Across from the spacious drawing room, Taein, who had just finished a business call, was walking this way.

"You punk..."

"It might be difficult if there is a problem with your ability. If that's the case, tell me in advance. I'll have to pick a new replacement for you."

"Hey, The blood pressure test I mentioned earlier, the brain test or something, make an appointment for me. At this rate, I'm going to die really soon."

"Okay, I'll add an intelligence test to that."

"Fuck!"

Heesu, who was only fiddling with his cell phone next to Chan, whether he was shouting or not, raised his head.

"Leader, let him take a psychological test, too. There's a scary thing called anger management disorder. I searched for symptoms on the internet and it's just Chan hyung."

"You psycho bastards. That psychological test. You guys take it first!"

In the end, Chan, who reached his limit, exploded. The guys with the most mental problems were casually chatting and exchanging such conversations, so he couldn't help but burst into tantrums.

"But I'm against taking Yugeon hyung to the gate."

Shinje's hand, which was half-heartedly flipping through the tablet screen, suddenly stopped.

"Really?"

"This guide, I really like it. This time, I promise to take care of it with great care. I won't break it and save it for a long time."

"......"

"What if Yugeon hyung gets eaten by the mutants? No, it's not that. I can still do a few things even without a few limbs, but what if he dies? You can't even use it properly, and you have to clean up the body. Where do I go to get a guide like this again? It's such a waste."

Heesu pouted his lips. Chan, who couldn't calm down, intervened.

"No, not that. Why are you taking the guide in the first place? Do you even have any reason to do that? It would be a nuisance to have a guide on the battlefield."

Shinje turned off the tablet screen and put it down. Sitting in a relaxed position, he lightly touched his chin as if telling him to continue. Chan held back his hot temper and continued.

"That Baek Yugeon or something, what can that bastard do there? It's obvious that he will get jumped on like an idiot. It might even be a relief if he didn't faint crying because he's scared of mutants."

"He's going to ‘Mazzaroth’ with me one day."

"What?"

"I have to train him in advance for that."

"Are you serious? You're really going to take the guide and go in there to catch Almuten?"

"Almuten's ability to force a rampage does not work with non-Awakened or Guides. In the first place, rampage is a symptom that occurs when an Awakened person exerts excessive power. Only guides can calm the rampage, so there's only one answer."

"Except for their guiding ability, the guides are just helpless ordinary humans. It's no use training them 100 times or 1000 times. They will die as soon as they step into the pit."

"Then what? I can't help it."

Shinje shrugged his shoulders. Chan said, "Ha!" and smiled in vain. His eyes sank.

"Hey, Woo Shinje. Let's stop, let's not drag him in. He doesn't know anything."

"......."

"I tried to scare him out, but I don't think he's the type to quit easily on his own feet just because he cursed a little bit, and I don't care if you take Baek Yugeon and eat him or beat him up or whatever. Don't tell me you're gonna drag him inside the gate."

He didn't feel sorry for the guide. Chan had always been against recruiting exclusive guides. They could just buy a rental guide if needed. There was no need to attach them to the name Erewhon and provide food, clothing, and shelter. He was also concerned that there would be infighting among the team members over one guide.

It wasn't because he felt sorry for Yugeon. If he did, he wouldn't have left him alone knowing he was being abused by the others. No matter how much the intention was to make him quit voluntarily, he wouldn't have been verbally abusive. To be honest, it was because of the little conscience left behind as a human being.

Old calamity, fanaticism, or the most powerful star (Almuten). It was Shinje's long-cherished desire to defeat it and then destroy the world, all the Awakened and the mutant species. Chan sympathized with him and together they formed a group called Erewhon. Taein and Heesu joined together later for their own goals.

However, Yugeon was fundamentally different from them. He didn't know what weakness Shinje took and threatened him, but he stepped foot in Erewhon as if he was being sold without knowing anything. At the very best, he must have been burdened with living difficulties, debts, and dependents. It is too painful to pay for such small and cozy things.

Chan was born and raised as an ordinary person. Studying normally and making friends, he went to elementary school and middle school, and it was not until he was 17 that he manifested as an Awakened. Seventeen. He was still very young. However, it was also the age at which values have been formed to a certain extent. Shinje and Heesu, who was born an Awakened, had no choice but to differ in their way of thinking.

Although he had been an S-class Awakened for nearly 15 years, and became very blunt in terms of morals and common sense, there was still an unacceptable line deep inside him. Perhaps it was similar to the last stronghold that Yugeon wanted to protect.

"How much did you tell Baek Yugeon? You bastard, does he know exactly what Almuten is? What about Mazzaroth?"

"He knows I'm taking him inside the gates."

"Yeah? The center secretly did research and formed many special forces to catch this guy for decades, and you of all people know that only a lot of people died and they all failed. Hell, they even did living experiments to create Awakened that wouldn't go wild even if subjected to brainwave interference. And your father too....."

"Yoon Chan."

Shinje warned without any intonation. The smile had disappeared from his face. Instead only a gruesome eerie expression was left on the mannequin-like face.

"I told him everything he needed to hear. And he agreed. What more do you need?"

"Cool your head and think straight! No guides have ever entered the gates. How long do I have to adjust to your rhythm?"

"If you won't understand, go ahead. I don't have time to persuade you with words."

Shinje just cut him off and declared flatly. The surroundings became quiet as if cold water was poured down. Taein, even Heesu, just kept their mouth shut and watched the situation.

"......."

Chan was dazed at first, and soon his face contorted in anger. Big, hard fists clenched hard, fangs were exposed. A ferocious cry broke out through his teeth. Shinje took off his watch without taking his eyes off him. That was the signal. Yoon Chan jumped out with a roar that sent chills down the spine of the listener.

It was a tall young man who sprinted off the floor, but it was a beast, not a man, who crossed the air and attacked the opponent. A huge black tiger that could devour one or two people easily tried to tear Shinje apart with their claws.

Thud! Kwaang! There was a loud bang. Chan was thrown away by an intangible force before he could even reach Shinje. The smooth floor was dented in the shape of his body. Marble shards scattered everywhere. It didn't hurt that much. Chan quickly bounced back to his feet. He tensed all the muscles in his body, lowered his posture, and was ready to attack again.

The beast's yellowish eyes pursued his opponent without blinking even once. He flew unannounced and attacked Shinje. At the same time, the sofa behind him flew in and crashed into his hind legs.

"Grrrrrr!"

An angry cry broke out. He succeeded in blocking Chan's movement, but failed to completely avoid the attack. A handful of flesh in Shinje's side was ripped off by the beast's fangs. The floating table was smashed in the air at once. Bang! The glass top shattered into thousands of pieces and flew to Chan. The black tiger's fur was also drenched in blood. Chan, filled with adrenaline, growled and bit Shinje with all his might.

The luxurious penthouse was destroyed in an instant. Taein and Heesu watched the battle from a distance so as not to be swept away by the attack. They couldn't even see the movements properly. With a deafening roar, everything around them was crushed in the blink of an eye.

The two S-classes of combat type faced each other. The liver cannot intervene unless it comes out of the stomach. The four of them here were of the highest rank in Erewhon, so they couldn't even bring a superior to stop the fighting.

Shinje relentlessly kicked the stomach of the black tiger and slammed it down with his heels. Chan, who was roaring while twisting his body, bit down his arm with all his strength. The flesh and muscles were all chewed up.

"......"

However, Shinje did not budge. With one arm intact, he stretched out his other hand and pretended to grab Chan's neck. The jaw joints of the large and strong beast was slowly crushed.

As they laid down on the messy floor, breathing heavily, Chan spat out Shinje's arm as if it were dirty. Blood gushed out from his tattered forearm. Subsequently, the shape of the large beast changed. Black mass crumpled and distorted here and there, as if the clay held in one's hand was clumped together at will. Before they knew it, instead of the black tiger, a young man with dark hair and dark skin was lying there in its place.

The human figure was also miserable. Bones all over his body were broken and twisted. In some places, bone fragments tore the flesh and even popped out. It was a fatal, no, immediate injury that would have killed an ordinary person several times over.

Chan was not really pushed to the limit and lost. He was momentarily furious and ran head in first, but in the middle of it, he thought about what all of this was for, so he got frustrated in the end and just gave up. If they really risked their lives to fight, it wouldn't end up just like this. This room, as well as the entire building, would be destroyed to ashes. None of the people in the same space would have been unharmed.

Sprawled in a pool of blood, Chan murmured in a hoarse voice.

"Do whatever you want, you nutcase."

Shinje didn't look that good either. From head to toe, he was also drenched in blood. The arm Chan had bitten was numb from the middle as if his muscles or nerves were wrong. The hand under the messed up wound trembled uncontrollably.

"Chan-ie will understand."

As blood dripped from his soaked sleeves, Shinje slowly ruffled his disheveled hair with one hand. There was also blood dripping from the light colored hair. His smiling eyes were clouded with madness.

"...next?"

Heesu, who was so far away, walked out. Only his footsteps were heard in the cool silence. The youthful face that Shinje faced had raw intent to kill. He tensed his body and measured the timing as if he was about to rush in, but Heesu relaxed his stiff face and grinned.

"I want to surrender."

He raised his hands cheerfully.

"You want me to throw my bare body at an S-class combat type? I'm not that insane."

"......."

"I don't want to die. I was wrong. Leader can do whatever you want."

Shinje tilted his head slightly with a smile on his face.

"What about you, Taein-ssi?"

"I agree with you."

Taein answered mechanically without even looking at Shinje. Looking around the ruined interior with worried eyes, he seemed to be busy tapping the calculator in his head to estimate the repair.

"Well then..... I see we've come to a conclusion. I'm glad everyone is willing to understand."

Shinje clapped lightly as if to call attention. One hand didn't work properly, so it looked a bit bizarre to call it a clap. He soon ordered to disband. Since they all didn't like looking at each other's faces for a long time, they dispersed quickly as if they had been waiting.

Everyone left and the room was empty. Finally, Chan scrambled to his feet and spit blood onto the floor. The shredded bones seemed to have stuck, and it hurt terribly, but it was still moveable.

"Fuck. Everyday I'm the only one who gets mad..."

Miserable words that no one listened to came pouring out.

A schedule to attack the gate of Jangheon Station had been set. It was the very next day.

Gates with high difficulty or large scale were held for several months or even years at the longest, to proceed the attack. In some cases, the area around the gate was permanently closed down after giving up on the attack. However, this time, the schedule was tight, which was rare for a large Order like Erewhon.

The Awakening Management Headquarters took a step back this time. Rather than actively dealing with the mutant species, they focused on preventing further civilian casualties. Since the gate site was a subway station in the middle of the city, all the connected routes were paralyzed, causing a stir. Of course, it's plausible, in fact, it was clear that they wanted to pass the tough work on to the Hunters, sit back and get a justification for the safety of the people.

In any case, since money-making was money-making, Hunters started preparing for the attack. Accessibility was great and the difficulty level was not too high for once. Several Hunting Orders turned on the lights and make haste. They had to move quickly. If you drag your time, the others will get the best out of it, and you'll be like a dog chasing chickens around.

The list of participants was announced. The list was very simple. Woo Shinje (S), Baek Yugeon (G). It was different from other raid teams that went up to the three digits when the number of Hunters participating was huge. The reactions of those who saw it varied. It was good enough to doubt whether an alphabet such as A or B was incorrectly written as G. Some said that they were crazy to take a guide to the battlefield or that the Leader was so obsessed with the new guide he parachuted in, bringing a person with no experience or recognition.

They were mainly Hunters who had just entered Erewhon, or freelancers who only participated in one time assignments for specific tasks. However, they, too, soon shut their mouths at the earnest dissuasion from those around them, saying, ‘please shut up if you treasure your life’. In the midst of everyone's attention, Yugeon, the person concerned, was as quiet as the eye of a typhoon.

"Haa, heuk, haa....."

Yugeon pressed the stop button taking a deep breath to the tip of his chin. The treadmill, which was operating alone in a vast indoor space lined with various exercise equipment, slowly stopped. He lowered his upper body, placed his hands on his knees, and picked his breath. Beads of sweat dripped down his darker hair, dampened with moisture. After calming down to a certain extent, he stepped down from the treadmill, zipping the open jersey all the way up to his neck.

A city shrouded in darkness could be seen through the huge glass window. At 4 a.m., the lights that lit up the city all night were turned off, but the sun had not yet risen, perhaps darker than in the middle of the night.

When he was living with Heeseong, he took time to jog early in the morning when his brother was still asleep before preparing breakfast. Heeseong hated everything that had anything to do physically, whether it was labor or exercise, so he was alone every time. He ran along the side of the road sparsely lit by dim streetlights, and sometimes even climbed the mountain behind the neighborhood. As he exhaled and traversed the cold early morning air, his cramped breathing became a little easier.

But now it was impossible. Yugeon was not allowed to leave the building without prior permission or without a Hunter from Erewhon Team 1 accompanying him. Even buying a trifle or a piece of clothing had to be approved by them. He couldn't even imagine going to the hospital to see his brother whenever he wanted to.

The justification seemed plausible. You never know when an emergency guiding is needed, so you have to wait at the headquarters all the time. But Yugeon was not naive enough to take the explanation straight. He had been locked up here so their prey could not escape from their grasp.

After sitting idly all night in the luxurious room assigned to him, he ran out on impulse. He felt like he was going to go crazy if he didn't move his body. He walked blindly down the hall recklessly without a destination. On the way, he remembered the training room he had seen at a glance when he first entered the building with Taein. There was no one in the training room because the time was ambiguous. It was a relief.

"Haa. Ah......."

When the body was somewhat worked to a certain extent, the pain that cut through his stomach wall soared. Yugeon leaned his forehead against the handle of the exercise equipment and gulped down the pain. His thin face, wet with sweat, was dangerously white.

He hadn't had a decent meal since he arrived here. Except when he passed out and lost consciousness, he never slept deeply, and it was not that Yugeon intentionally refused to eat as a protest. Erewhon's Hunters didn't starve him on purpose either. Rather, he also tried to force himself to eat something.

The body did not accept the food. The vivid memory of the fingers poking inside with his mouth forced open to the point where his jaw hurts seemed to have been engraved on his body. There was no way he could eat anything. All he had ever ingested was a few sips of water, and a horrible reminder, but other people's body fluids.

At this rate, he thought he would die before he could even enter the gate that Shinje spoke of. If so, how would that man react? At best, the guide he brought with him died before he could do anything, so he would be annoyed or disappointed. What would happen to his older brother if he failed to fulfill the terms of the contract and died early on?

He walked away from the quiet, huge training room. The spacious hallway was also terribly quiet. The whole building was enveloped in death-like silence, to the extent it was unthinkable that it was a place where so many people came in and went out in the middle of the day.

When he returned to his room and opened the door, Yugeon found a strange creature. A large, black-haired cat broke into the ownerless room and had the audacity to occupy the bed. He was pressing down the messy futon with his front paws when he sensed a movement and raised his head.

"Nyann."

The cat gave him a low cry. Its sharp yellow eyes flashed golden under fluorescent lighting.

There are two main reactions from people who suddenly encounter a cat. People who like animals scream and pet them, and people who hate them scream to go away. One way or another, it was common to be flustered. But Yugeon was neither the former nor the latter. He murmured as he stared at the cat.

"What kind of animal walks into this building without fear?"

It was a dry reaction. There was not even a speck of admiration for the dashingly handsome cat. The cat, who was watching him with both paws together, wagged its tail as if irritated. It looked very upset. Either way, Yugeon was lost in thought.

Since he had never raised an animal, he had no idea how to deal with a cat. The only beast he had encountered so far was a beast-type mutant, with one paw the size of his head. But if you treat the cat as if you were dealing with that kind of mutant species, the cat would be covered with bullet marks and cuts instantaneously.

How do you even move a cat? Can he just grab it by the back of its neck? What if it gets hurt? Thinking about how to handle it, Yugeon approached the cat. His yellowish eyes glared at him, full of vigilance. Instead of picking up the cat, Yugeon lifted the corner of the duvet and put it on the top of it. The cat stiffened under the blanket at the unexpected action.

He rolled the cat up in the blanket and lifted it up. When he said it was quite large for a cat, it was also quite heavy. He went straight to the doorway, opened the door, unpacked the bundle, and dropped the cat into the hallway.

"Go."

Yugeon turned around, leaving a short message. It was like putting spiders or cockroaches in a dustpan and sending them out into the trash can. It was the first time it had been ignored like this. The cat, that had been in a daze, as it could not grasp the situation, soon crouched its back, bristled its fur, and yawned. Meanwhile, the door was closing. Feeling a sense of crisis, the cat bounced as if flying towards Yugeon's back, which it could see through the crack in the door.

Yugeon looked back reflexively. At the same time, the cat's sharp claws scratched the back of his bare hands. When the cat landed on the floor of the room, the scratch on the back of Yugeon's hand had already become long and blood began to spurt out. The cat flinched. It didn't know he'd get that hurt. It had forgotten that unlike anyone else, its opponent would quickly break down even if it dealt with him a little roughly.

"......."

Yugeon looked down at the back of his blood-stained hand. At this point, he could have become angry to the end of his head and yelled at the cat or kicked it away. But he did nothing but sigh quietly. Because he always stood firm against the strong who always tried to stamp him out, and on the contrary, he became infinitely weak against the weak.

Yugeon gave up letting the cat out. He thought it just happened to come in while it was wandering around here, so if it loses interest, it'll get out on its own. He did his job with or without a cat. Instead of his injured hand, he lightly bit the collar of the jersey with his mouth and pulled down the zipper with his other hand. After taking off his jersey, he pulled up the black short-sleeved T-shirt he was wearing inside and took it off. Clothes piled up on the bed like trash.

The cat's pupils, sitting on the floor and watching him, grew to their fullest extent. With his back turned from it, Yugeon's bare body, wiping away his wet, black hair, was visible. He must have lived working at all sorts of things, but his posture was straight as if measured with a ruler. The pale nape, shoulders, and back, and neat lines along the waist, that might give off a sweet smell when buried in the nose, stretched on.

Yugeon soon took off his pants. Back when Heeseong rampaged, the engraved wound he then gave became a scar and still remained on his leg. He went into the bathroom only dressed in a simple drawer.

"Nyaaan."

The cat, who belatedly came to its senses, cried out as if to take a look here. Yugeon did not look back.

The cat was still there when Yugeon finished showering and came out with a bath towel wrapped around his waist. Maybe it's because it was nocturnal, it was lively. Aren't you sleepy? He thought indifferently, wiping his hair with a towel. The wound on the back of his hand had stopped bleeding before he knew it, but bare flesh was revealed at the scratch.

The cat growled and slapped its tail. Only then did Yugeon look at it. He didn't know if it had gone somewhere else, but unlike before, there was something in the cat's mouth. It was a soup in a cylindrical can.

It must be quite heavy for the cat, but he managed to hold his fangs on the ring of the can lid.

Yugeon finally realized. Did it come here to get that? It knew how to ask people for help so it was quite a clever fellow. He knelt down on one knee in front of the cat with the towel over his shoulder. Yugeon smelled of warm and moist body wash.

Come to think of it, can cats even eat soup? He didn't know. When he was young, he thought he remembered a scene in a children's fairytale book where a cat licks something similar to milk from a plate.

"Can you eat this?"

The cat's discontented voice grew louder. As if that wasn't the case, it wagged its tail quickly from side to side. Yugeon hung his finger on the hook and removed the lid neatly. A can full of soup was placed in front of the cat.

"Kyaang!"

The very angry cat flicked the can with its front paws. The can overturned and the soup spilled. It didn't stop there. The cat couldn't swallow its anger, exposed its teeth to Yugeon, then turned and ran out like an arrow through the open door.

"......."

With the soup soaking the floor in front of him, Yugeon remained silent for a while.

The day dawned. Yugeon quietly prepared and followed Shinje. Shinje's car was parked in front of the main gate of the building where he got off Taein's car. Taein's car was a sports car with a wild design that did not suit his image, while Shinje's car was a heavy, large sedan like the president of a conglomerate or a chaebol.

"Good morning, sir."

"Yes, good morning."

Shinje was naturally handed the keys. He thought he would use a driver, but it seemed like he was driving himself.

"The leader said he'd go on a simple trip..... but just in case, we have some off-duty Hunters on stand-by. Shall I ask them to accompany you?"

"Why? Do you think I alone will not be enough?"

Shinje took out the leather gloves, put them on, and asked them back.

"No. Of course, it doesn't make sense. I apologize!"

"What do you mean sorry? There's something else to be sorry about."

There was no smile in his eyes, but with his mouth slightly raised, Shinje stared at the Hunter, who was heavily disciplined in front of him.

"Greet the guide."

"Yes?"

Shinje flicked his fingers like mimicking a greeting.

"Be polite to my guide, too. Don't treat him like he's invisible."

Not only the Hunter who was involved, but even the staff who had lined up in front of the main gate to see Shinje off had their faces turned blue.

No one had deliberately approached Yugeon ever since Shinje brought him in. They didn't treat him badly, but they didn't treat him with respect either. They ignored him completely, like someone who wasn't there.

It was a great honor to become Erewhon's exclusive guide, and also be the guide in charge of the strongest team. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the most successful among the guides. Despite the rumors of abusing the guides, the title was still the object of envy. Shinje was not very interested in guiding, and his usual fit rate was also terribly low, so the position of the exclusive guide had been vacant for a long time, therefore the scarcity value had increased.

Then, suddenly, a young, green boy came in by the parachute, so there was no choice but to be suspicious. Was it possible that Yogeun was selected by the head of the team because he was such a competent guide? If so, he would have already made a reputation as a top-notch guide who could handle everyone from A-classes to S-classes. All kinds of Hunting Orders would have been impatient trying to bring him in by offering an astronomical amount of salary.

They've never heard of him before, and even before he came here, it was said that he used to eat among F-classes in a shabby neighborhood. How could such a low-quality guide win the exclusive position of Erewhon Team 1 with his abilities? Inside Erewhon, rumors had been circulating that a baseless peasant has bewitched all the team members, including the Leader and the Deputy Chief, with his body. So it was only natural that the looks on him weren't so pretty.

The Hunter immediately straightened out his emotions. It's not only a year or two he had been rolling on this floor, so he wasn't stupid enough to openly antagonize the guide in front of the Leader. He bowed down deeply toward Yugeon.

"Guide-nim, good morning. Please forgive my rudeness. I sincerely apologize."

"......."

Yugeon frowned slightly. It was rather uncomfortable to receive a greeting. However, as the other person would not move from that position at this rate, he bowed his head to greet him back. The world he lived in was as different as the sky and the earth from Yugeon. If he hadn't come into Erewhon, he wouldn't have seen him even from afar. There was no need for any kind of greeting from such a person. He thought it was more comfortable with them treating him as an invisible person.

Shinje was kind enough to open the passenger door for him. However, Yugeon hesitated a little bit. He was hesitant to ride Taein's car because the car door opened upwards and the body was low, but Shinje's car was too high on the contrary. It was at a level that could be ridden while standing. Everything he had ever ridden was a worn-out van or an old sedan on the verge of being scrapped.

"Escort?"

Shinje reached out his hand. Yugeon made a face.

"It's fine."

He ignored Shinje's hand and sat in the passenger seat. People lined up in front of the main gate were seen through the side mirror.

"We will greet you again later."

A polite greeting was heard over his shoulder. There were no ceremonial words to return safely or to win the battle. Even if they didn't, Shinje would make a triumphant return anyway.

"Did you sleep well?"

Shinje asked as he skillfully drove the car to the side of the road. The question was so absurd and without conscience, he got pissed. Did I sleep well? Just yesterday you pressed someone down on the sofa and did that thing, and now you're asking that after looking at my complexion?

Yugeon also had to clean up the room in the dark at dawn to get rid of the soup the cat had left upside down. Even though he tried so hard, he couldn't sleep, so he ended up staying up all night. The lack of sleep made his body droopy but his mind became clearer and sharper. Now he was very nervous.

"Did the leader get a good night's sleep?"

Yugeon gave a sharp answer. He even politely called him ‘leader’ instead of ‘you’. It was sarcasm in its own way. While driving and looking straight ahead, Shinje calmly replied.

"I've never slept soundly. Never in my life."

Yugeon glanced back at him casually. Shinje's side profile was pale and gentle as if painted. Was this what an angel in a sanctuary looks like under the lights? But you shouldn't be fooled. Underneath that angelic face, there was a kernel that was crueler than the devil and more savage than the beast.

All the way to Jangheon Station, there was no more conversation between them. Yugeon sat in a stiff position, folded his arms and glared at the front. Traffic jam was severe because all the roads near the gate were controlled. The closer they got to Jangheon Station, the more blocked the road was.

However, whether it was because of the guiding that he received yesterday or for some other reason, Shinje seemed strangely in a good mood. Although the car was crawling like a tortoise, he didn't even frown. He manipulated the car audio to play classical music, and even hummed himself by tapping the steering wheel with his fingertips. If they were not on their way to slaughter the mutants, anyone who saw him might have thought he was going for a drive on a date.

The seemingly endless wave of cars gradually faded away. Yugeon could see an access control gate in front of him. The mark of the Awakening Management Headquarters engraved on the barricade was clear. The low-ranking Espers, who were standing in the road, saw Shinje's car from a distance and opened the way on their own. The car glided in between them.

"Greetings, Hunter Woo Shinje from Erewhon. We have received your official letter regarding participation in the Jangheon Station Gate attack."

As soon as the driver's window went down, the Esper gave a quick salute. He looked like he saw a famous celebrity or a high-ranking politician. Espers and Hunters are said to be on bad terms, but when there was a big difference in ranks between them and Shinje, the admiration and novelty were greater than the antipathy caused by their affiliations.

"Yes... Thank you for your hard work."

Shinje smiled at them and nodded his head slightly. Even though it was obvious that he treated them half-heartedly, the Esper did not seem to mind.

"Who is riding with you?"

Their gaze was then focused on Yugeon, more precisely, on the guide badge on Yugeon's chest. Shinje answered with a smile even before Yugeon could open his mouth.

"He's my guide. He's so cute, isn't he?"

"......."

The Esper's expression became strange. The black-haired young man riding next to Shinje was looking out the window with his arms folded indifferently all the time they were talking. There was even a scar around his eye. At first glance, they thought that only one eye had double eyelids, but upon close inspection, it turned out to be a scar. They would understand a hundred times if he said he was handsome....... but they were not really sure about his cuteness.

Yes, there must be something cute about him that only Shinje knows. In fact, it was none of their business whether he's cute or not. They struggled to maintain a business-like attitude and scanned the official documents.

"On the list... Guide Baek Yugeon. Yes, confirmed."

"......."

"Is the guide waiting in the vehicle? Please park as far away from the gate as possible and be careful not to be swept away by wide-area attacks. If you see a mutant while waiting, immediately seek assistance from a nearby Awakened. Of course, we're protecting the area, but just in case."

"I don't think that's necessary. I will protect him."

The pleasant smile that Shinje had been habitually putting on until now had disappeared. The only thing left was the eyes dying from boredom.

"Guide Baek Yugeon, he will enter the gate together with me."

"Yes..... What?"

The Espers were stunned and carelessly asked back. Shinje, no longer feeling any further response, raised the window and started the car. They went inside through layers of barricades and makeshift posts. A radius of several tens of meters was empty around the entrance of the subway station. Hunters were standing in front of them sporadically and checking their equipment. Someone recognized Shinje's car and was astonished.

"Was the rumor true?"

"I already don't want to step in there if Erewhon is here. The Leader is coming in person? This isn't right."

There were some people who spat irritably and packed their belongings.

"Guys, put your equipment back in. I guess the business is closed today."

"Why's a shark playing in the piranha waters?"

"It's already difficult to get a bowl of rice. They should be making regulations for the big guys."

To them, Shinje was an object of admiration as well as a competitor in the same industry. His appearance was not good for them at all. Furthermore, most of them here were intermediate ranking Hunters from B to D. The lower ranks were pushed by their numbers and cheap labor costs, and the higher ranks were pushed by their abilities. The people who used to treat F-class people like slaves couldn't even make a sound and were forced to play nice.

"Hunter Woo Shinje, I heard he went to a small gate by himself last time, too. An abandoned industrial complex on the outskirts of Seonram-dong or somewhere."

"I heard he massacred that place."

"Shhh."

The murmurs outside pierced through the window and even Yugeon could hear it. Not to mention Shinje, who had much more sensitive senses than him. But he didn't look like he cared one bit. Following the classical music flowing in the car, he parked the car leisurely, flicking his fingertips.

When they opened the door and got off, everyone looked their way. Curiosity, yearning, questioning, vigilance. Various colors of attention were focused on Shinje and Yugeon. The gazes then immediately shifted to another place. It was because from afar, a loud engine shaking the earth's axis was heard.

A flashy bright yellow sports car came to a halt with a colorful drift. Squeak! Skid marks were engraved on the road. Those who were nearby stepped back in surprise. The driver's door opened and a young woman in sunglasses got off. She was wearing ripped jeans and a blouson. Her hair color was as unique as her car. The platinum blond hair, which had become brittle after bleaching it several times, was cut short around the ears, and the natural black hair growing around the roots.

"Hey, Hunters. How are you doing?"

The woman crossed her legs and said hello. She looked like a gangster. After seeing her, even the remaining Hunters began packing their bags with an expression that they had been caught again.

"That's it. We've come all the way to Seok Munyeong."

"After S-class, this time it's A-class?"

The woman took off her sunglasses and looked back at Shinje.

"Hey. Who is this? Leader Woo, what a shabby place to meet face to face like this, huh?"

With a single word from Seok Munyeong, everyone gathered in the place became shabby. Shinje received her greetings like flowing water.

"I came out to play. What about Leader Seok?

She grinned and pointed to the passenger seat of her car.

"My unni is commuting by subway. She says it is taking an hour more to come and go these days because of the lock down. All for my unni's comfortable commute!"

"Munyeong-ah!"

The front passenger door swung open and a red-faced woman got out in a hurry. She was wearing the same blouson as Munyeong. The difference was the guide badge on her left chest. Same as what Yugeon was wearing.

"Why are you saying that to people you don't know..... They will think I'm weird."

"I can't even count how many times you complain every morning that you are going to die because you can't sleep enough, and that the gate needs to be cleared quickly."

"I didn't! When did I?"

"So, are you going to pack up and move in now? Then you won't have to commute, right? Just come with your body. All I have to do is put one more spoon on the table."

The two women quarreled. Even a short conversation revealed how close the two were.

"What do you mean, just my body? There's really nothing you can't say."

Munyeong's guide looked teary with red cheeks. There was no shade on her fair face. If she changed her clothes, she would look just like a middle-class young lady who grew up beautifully. In any case, it was a heavenly difference from Yugeon, who had already strayed far from an ordinary life. The woman who had been clinging and whispering to Munyeong suddenly turned her head and glanced at Yugeon. The eyes of the two guides, who were in very different environments, met for the very first time.

"......."

Yugeon met her gaze and just stared back at her. There seemed to be no intention of making friendly communication. Munyeong also saw Yugeon as well. At first glance, the two men seemed to be standing at a slight distance, but Shinje was one step ahead of him, half-hiding Yugeon from them. It was so natural, like a coincidence. There was not a single blemish on his face smiling like a flower, which made him look even more creepy.

She knew right away that the young man was a guide. Still, she tried to pretend she didn't know. Whatever Shinje did with the guide, it was their own problem. But seeing the situation, she couldn't help but twist her judgment.

"Leader Woo, are you going to change it this time too?"

"What do you mean?"

"The guide. Aren't you throwing him at the mutants in there, so that neither mice nor birds know it, and trying to bring in a new one?"

"No way... How could you say such a terrible thing?"

"Well I've heard some unsavory rumors..."

Munyeong warily twisted her forehead and gave him a smile that didn't look like one.

"That the guides in Erewhon have expiration dates shorter than fruits."

"Really? There are all kinds of interesting rumors."

"It doesn't matter what you do, or not, but let me do one presumptuous meddling. I would never do that if I were you. I could never treat my guide like that."

"If you know it was out of line..."

Shinje looked up in the air with a look of boredom, and laughed out of the blue. His gray eyes, which had become scarier than before, looked straight ahead. Before she knew it, the smile had disappeared from his lips.

"You should have shut up."

Munyeong had too much on her shoulders to provoke her opponent more. From the guide next to her right now to the countless members below her. There's nothing to gain from messing with the crazy bunch for something that had nothing to do with her.

"......."

Munyeong ended the conversation by biting her lips. She put the guide back in the car and tilted her head over the passenger seat window, repeatedly telling her to be careful of people, watch out for mutants, and beware of the aftermath of the attack.

"Let's not just disturb each other, shall we?"

She turned around with a harsh tone. She plodded her hands into her pockets and walked towards the subway entrance. The brilliant all-natural color embroidery engraved on the back stood out. It was the image of a goddess wearing a gorgeous silk hanbok and long hair with a hairpin. The goddess was called King Inwi of all gods, or Princess Bari.

Seok Munyeong, 28 years old, A-class Hunter, Ability - Necromancy. And the Leader of the Hunting Order ‘Bari’. [1]

Shinje and Yugeon later followed Munyeong to the underground stairs. There were no signs of anyone else around. It must have been a place where a lot of people came and went just a day or two ago, but every step of the stairs was covered in moss to the extent that it was strangely thick.

It smelled like dead animals and plants getting tangled together and rotting. A person with a weak stomach would immediately vomit and run out. Yugeon made a slight impression. However, he did not block his nose and mouth or do anything stupid like turning his head. Shinje looked back at him and smiled a little.

"I guess you didn't know because you've never been near the gate. Originally, around the gate, the environment of ‘the other side’ spreads over here. The closer we get, the worse it gets."

"......."

"Be careful. You might end up over there in the blink of an eye."

He sounded like an adult trying to scare a child with sloppy ghost stories. His pride just got hurt for no reason. Although Yugeon only had experience hunting with F-class Hunters, he had basic knowledge about high-level gates.

"It won't happen."

"How reliable our guide is."

Shinje made a sound like a chuckle. Yugeon's expression became hardened even more. No matter what he did, he couldn't shake the feeling of being teased by that guy.

He could attack the gate even with his eyes closed, but he wasn't Yugeon. The insect-type mutant he encountered in the abandoned factory area was the weakest among the mutant species. Without even looking at it, Shinje crushed it as easily as literally killing a worm. Even if there were hundreds of them, not one, it would not have made much difference. However, Yugeon had to risk his life to deal with only one.

"I chose a place that would be a moderate experience. It's not too easy, it's not too difficult, and you will experience it a lot in the future, so get used to it."

"......."

"If you're too scared, you can hug me."

"I'd rather die alone."

"I'm getting hit with ice."

Yugeon listened to his words with one ear and spilled it from the other, and focused on the senses of his hands. The metal handle wrapped heavily around his hand. The equipment supplied by Erewhon was incomparably better than the one he used before. Still, the structure of the gun was there, so it wasn't difficult to handle. The familiar feeling calmed his mind a little. Now all he could count on was this one pistol. How far did they go down the stairs like this? A faint sound was heard from below.

"Excuse me! There's someone here."

"......."

Yugeon looked into the eerie darkness where he heard the sound, and glanced at the man next to him. Shinje must have noticed it first, but he didn't show any particular expression. It was as if he was testing Yugeon's judgment. There was silence when neither of them answered. Someone shouted from below again.

"There are people here, too! Ah, wait a minute. I'll be there."

Yugeon stared across the other side of the darkness without blinking, unmoved. Even the sound of breathing subsided.

Yugeon slowly lifted the pistol in his hand. It was the basic posture of holding the handle with the right hand and supporting it with the left hand. It was crude since he did not learn it formally and instead learned it through a lot of real battles. It was an unexpectedly cautious response. He thought Yugeon would move immediately as soon as he heard someone shouting desperately.

"Excuse me. Where are you.....?"

Taang! Before the other person could even finish speaking, Yugeon fired. The sound of gunfire resounded through the empty station. There was a strange howl mixed with it.

"Kieek!"

The mutant, who was shot in his forehead at a slant angle, got excited and started running to their direction. Tadak, tak, tadak. Several legs quickly crawled on the floor. It sounded like a giant centipede moving.

Taang! Taang! Taang! Taang! After roughly confirming the enemy's position with the first shot, he fired in succession without hesitation. The mutant staggered as it shook its body, so the aim was constantly shifting. Nevertheless, his shot hit the head with precision, as if it had a guiding function. The recoil must be formidable, the tension or psychological pressure must be high, but the posture was not disturbed in the slightest.

A .44 Magnum revolver. When all six shots are filled, it becomes so heavy that it is difficult to hold and aim with one hand. Heavy bullets are slow. So they are not suitable for long-range shooting. However, it has high stopping power. For this reason, they are not used to pierce the enemy, but to burst the flesh and break the bones. Even if it couldn't kill the mutant, it had to be this much to inflict damage.

Taang! The last shot emptied the magazine. Finally, about five meters from Yugeon, the mutant collapsed. It didn't stop breathing. It got up again, dripping black blood from the places where the bullets struck. However, the movement was significantly slower than before.

"Excuse... there's someone..."

It murmured in a strangled voice. Several long limbs, like gnats, struggled in different directions.

"Kkigig..... kkeueueueug"

The mutant had a skinny body and a strange bloated stomach. Its stomach, without a single hair, flailed, and vomited what was inside. The injuries made it difficult for its body to move, so it was as if it was trying to reduce the weight by vomiting what it had swallowed. The chewed heads rolled out, mixed with all sorts of disgusting bodily fluids and blood.

"It really is doing all kinds of things."

After just watching from behind, Shinje pitched in. He looked terribly bored. Yugeon reached out his hand to change the magazine. During this gap, the movement had to be definitely neutralized. Shinje was faster than him. He just glanced at it, but the mutant's stomach exploded. Inside were fragmented limbs and torsos of human beings intertwined. It wasn't just one person.

"Haa..."

Only after confirming that the mutant was completely dead did Yugeon exhale a long breath. He's been holding his breath all this time. It wasn't because he was afraid. Because if your body shakes from breathing, your aim will shake.

Of course, he knew Yugeon wouldn't be a complete beginner like other regular guides since he had been rolling with F-classes for years. But at least he thought he'd be scared. But he really exceeded his expectations.

The closer you get to the gate, the higher the difficulty, the less important it was about the ranks. It was not expensive equipment. It was perseverance that stand firm in a desperate environment and composure that was unperturbed by anything. Shinje had seen so many Awakened people who had died horribly due to their weak mentality despite having unprecedented strong abilities. In that respect, Yugeon was better than most junior Hunters.

"How did you know it was not a human being?"

Without looking at him, Yugeon responded, concentrating on changing the magazine.

"If you are a Hunter or a normal person who received proper emergency training, you will never think of making a loud noise in the current situation."

"What if it's so scary and everyone forgot about it?"

Shinje spread his hands with a lot of theatrics.

"There's also a good chance of that. If I was stuck in a dark place and shivering, I might scream for help. Then the first thing I would ask is..."

Yugeon, who quietly finished up changing the magazine, raised his head. And he looked straight at Shinje and said,

"‘Who are you?’"

"......."

"Or, ‘is anyone there?’ It wouldn't be ‘there's someone here’."

"Have you ever dealt with it before? Those who mimic human voices."

Yugeon shook his head quietly. The lowest mutants hunted by F-class Hunters are mainly those that looked like insects or animals, and their intelligence was no different from that. All they did was bite humans with their mouth to suck blood or spit venom.

Then, it came to the conclusion that the previous actions were completely due to innate judgment and fighting sense. Shinje was convinced once again. In this world, there was a kind of ability that couldn't simply be quantified by ranks or levels, and Yugeon possessed it.

"Our guide is such an honor student, so there's nothing more to teach. Do you want to go down the mountain now?"

"It's not a mountain, it's underground."

Yugeon answered politely. There was a question mark floating on his expressionless face. For a moment, Shinje wondered if he was making a lame joke. However, the character, Baek Yugeon, who he had identified so far, was not at all like that. Holding back his laughter, he gently wrapped his arms around Yugeon's shoulder and pulled him in.

"You did a great job. I'll stamp it for you."

He kissed the temple that came near the corner of his lips as if he was pressing a stamp firmly. The scent of perfume that didn't fit in with the musty surrounding air engulfed him. One beat later, Yugeon's face contorted. He reflexively pushed the man's chest away, but only his arms were tingling and Shinje did not budge. In the meantime, Shinje was laughing under his breath as if he couldn't help it.

They passed through the mossy waiting room and the ticket gate that was out of power. They stepped on the escalator that wasn't working and went down deeper. When they reached the platform, Hunters who went in first had already gathered. Someone sensed their footsteps and shone the flashlights at them.

"Ah... Hello!"

Gas masks, bulletproof suits, helmets made of special materials, and goggles. Among Hunters armed with all kinds of equipment, Shinje, who only wore a holster over the Erewhon uniform, looked very defenseless. He was like a menswear model who suddenly fell into the middle of a battlefield.

But the most relaxed person here was also Shinje. Yugeon felt that he was pretending not to notice everyone's looks. He was standing at an angle with his hands in the pockets of suit pants.

The other Hunters also arrived one by one. They descended while killing the mutants, hence everyone eventually gathered at the lowest platform. Munyeong had yet to be seen, so she was still somewhere upstairs.

"Umm? Can I turn on the light?"

"They don't have eyes, you guys. They don't sense any light at all. Only hearing and touch seem to be sensitive."

"That's great. It was frustrating because this just keeps covering my vision."

The Hunter, who took off his night goggles, turned on a portable light instead. They gathered in twos and threes, sitting or leaning on a bench in the middle of the empty platform. They exchanged the information they got so far while checking their equipment.

"It wasn't that hard to catch. Just be careful with the pattern; stepping back, crouching down and suddenly rushing in. And it can only imitate a few human words."

"What's the class? C?"

"I don't think it'll even be C."

"Oh, I can't even get my money's worth."

"But I almost fell for it when the thing I ran into copied the station staff."

Yugeon sat on the bench alone, a little further away from the other Hunters, even Shinje. After waiting for a long time staring into the air unmoving, he lifted his stretched legs and tapped the floor with his heels as he slowly got bored.

He used to hang out with Hunters in waiting times. Of course, Yugeon was absent-minded and other people just talked unilaterally. Then, if someone liked Yugeon, they would share some food or emergency medicine.

But now, he didn't feel like it. It didn't seem like he could communicate well with the Hunters who were much closer to the elites compared to Yugeon, and above all, he didn't want to be seen flirting with others in front of Shinje.

"Excuse me, excuse me."

Someone whispered. At first, Yugeon didn't know if they were talking among themselves. After a few more calls, he turned his head.

"Hello. Are you new to Erewhon? You look young. What's your rank? D? C?"

As expected, his words and actions were polite like an elite. The F-class people he worked with before would suddenly pour out harsh words starting with ‘How dare this little bastard didn't even say hello to the hyungs!’ and so on and on.

"Hunter Woo Shinje is personally taking you to the raid... maybe B?"

The unfamiliar Hunter lowered his voice and whispered. Although the portable light was turned on, it was dark all around. It could be that he missed the guide badge.

"How did you get into Erewhon? There have been no open positions in recent years. Oh, a day job? No, then there's no reason for Hunter Woo Shinje to personally take care of you."

He was constantly bombarded with questions, even with no response from Yugeon. Yugeon kept his mouth shut with an uncomfortable look.

When it was revealed that he was a guide during the missions, the reactions of other Hunters were largely divided into two types. The first type who criticized Heeseong for being too incompetent that he had to bring his guide parter to the battle, and the second type who insisted on him not to be too expensive and fight with them instead. Either way, he felt dirty.

"By the way, I killed everything I could see on the way here, but the gate doesn't show any signs of closing yet."

Someone spoke up. Everyone paid attention to it. Thanks to that, Yugeon was able to naturally escape the baptism of questions.

"I know right? I think we've almost caught up to it now."

"I came in late, and only saw traces of the corpses."

"What about the people who went with other routes?"

"Just came on the radio, and the situation is similar there."

There was silence after those words. An answer that no one wanted to think of popped into everyone's mind. In the middle of the silence, someone threw the bomb.

"Isn't this ‘Type 2’?"

There are three types of gates in total. First, Type 1. Kill all the mutants that come out of the gate. Until no more appears. The empty gate then closes naturally. This is the most simple and clean format. They attack until all mutants die, the gate completely disappears and the surrounding returns to its original state. Only then the gate is ‘cleared’. Most gates were targeted in this way, that is, Type 1.

And Type 2 with less than 5% probability. Among the mutants, they have to kill a particularly strong one, the "Boss." When the boss dies, the gate closes even if the other mutants are still alive. Conversely, if the boss does not die, the gate will never close. Once the boss is dead and the gate is closed, there is no longer fear of more enemies appearing, so you can hunt the remaining mutants comfortably. If the boss is too strong, unexpected big damage can occur.

Lastly, Type 3. The type where the boss doesn't come out of the gate, so you have to go in to catch it yourself, or do something beyond the gate. It is the rarest and most demanding type. Currently, the Type 3 gates are closed indefinitely with a majority of them giving up on the attack.

"No way. That's ridiculous. If I knew it would be Type 2, I wouldn't have entered in the first place! I, I'm going out. I'm going out right now."

Some Hunters became contemplative. Probably someone with a low rank and barely entered with a pull-up. From his point of view, it was enough. If the regular mutant was C-class, then, the boss would be at least B-class, and if you were unlucky, it would be even higher.

When one person loses their morale in a group battle, it directly affects others. Once morale is low, it's difficult to show off your skills no matter how much you fly and crawl normally. Experienced Hunters who knew the fact well patted him on the shoulder and comforted him.

"Don't be too scared. Are we the ones who've done this once or twice?"

"I've been doing this for 20 years, and I've caught a lot of bosses. They're no big deal either. It's just a little bigger and stronger. Don't worry and get ready."

"Yeah. No matter how strong it is, We can catch it with this number of heads."

Then he glanced at Shinje.

"And there's that guy here with us."

Yugeon questioned inside. Even if they were in danger, would Shinje come forward? Far from saving people, he was someone who would sit back and enjoy the massacre like watching an opera.

Then there came a sound in the tracks. Tuck, tuck. The tunnel through which the train passed made it even louder. Everyone jumped to their feet and was ready for battle. The bright lights went out at once. The regular mutant had no sight, but it was unknown whether it would be the same for the boss.

The sound drew nearer. Yellow platinum blonde appeared in the tunnel engulfed in darkness. It was Seok Munyeong. Some people let out a sigh of relief.

"Over there."

She pointed to where she had come from.

"The boss, it's inside the tracks towards City Hall Station."

"Did you see it yourself? How was it?"

"I didn't see it in detail, but the type is similar to the regular ones."

Munyeong calmly answered the questions. Even though she's A-class, she's alone without any colleagues, so what courage did she have to even go to the boss alone? When such a question came up,

"Oh, by the way, Leader Woo."

She grinned at Shinje.

"Thank you very much. For killing it at best and leaving the body intact. You killed it very nicely?"

"You're welcome."

Shinje responded smoothly. Both of them each had a smiling expression on their faces, but the atmosphere between them was cold and terrible. Munyeong turned halfway around and raised her hand.

"Well, then..... Shall we go catch a ghost with a ghost?"

At the same time, an unexpected event occurred. The dark shadows crouched behind her stood up one by one. It was the same regular mutant that Yugeon shot and suppressed earlier. However, the flesh was rotted, the bones exposed, and the leather was darkly discolored. The corpses of the mutants, which were already long dead, were moving again. Some of them had been dead for a while, and their joints creaked with post-mortem stiffness.

"Eurgh....."

Someone gasped in surprise.

"It's my first time seeing a necromancer. Wow, it's not just one or two. Are you in control of all those things?"

"That's why that yangban was traveling alone. It would be rather cumbersome to have someone next to her."

The Hunters easily smashed the screen door and jumped down the platform. They walked along the track behind Munyeong while being wary of the surroundings. There were resurrected mutants between the Hunters and Munyeong who were at the forefront. It was as if they were not panicking just a few minutes ago, the Hunters followed Munyeong in an orderly manner. The goddess of the underworld embroidered on Munyeong's back, and the corpses following her. It was a strange combination. Shinje moved leisurely only when the group of Hunters had disappeared halfway into the tunnel.

"Shall we go now?"

Yugeon's gaze was still fixed on their backs. It was also Yugeon's first time seeing a necromancer. It was spectacular enough to carry a dozen of them, but what if the number went up to hundreds or thousands? Most enemies wouldn't even be able to get near Seok Munyeong. While the enemy's corpses kept increasing, she would use the corpses to summon allies again.

He realized that he was a frog in a well. He lived thinking that the narrow world converging on shabby back alleys and dilapidated old houses was everything.

"Did you like that?"

Shinje smiled and tilted his head gently. A calm madness swelled in his vaguely beautiful eyes.

"If I were a necromancer, I would have killed and revived Guide Baek Yugeon and keep him with me for the rest of my life. Quiet and obedient, how good is that."

His spine cooled down as if he had poured ice water. Yugeon couldn't say anything. It was best to clench his fists so that his hands did not tremble, and not avoid his gaze.

"I'm just kidding. I meant to make you laugh, but I'm upset that you don't laugh..."

Shinje slightly turned his head and lowered his gaze. Far from pathetic, it was detestable. How many people would laugh at something like that?

It was dark inside the tunnel. Even in the event of a power outage, emergency lights, which were supposed to operate as back-up power, were all turned off. A terrible stench reeking to the point that he thought he might have to wear a gas mask. A Hunter stepped on the wrong track and stumbled against the wall. He tried to regain his balance and stand upright, but black stuff drooped from his hands.

"Eugh... Ugh! What is this?"

He groaned and shook his hands in panic. It was only a few seconds that he touched the wall, but the gloves were quickly eroded by the mold. It was fortunate that the gloves were made of special materials. Otherwise, even the hands would have rotted.

Kuung. They felt a heavy vibration from up there. Everyone else, including the one who screamed, froze in place. Silence hung over the cold air that had been stagnant for a long time underground. Kuung. The sound was heard again. There was still nothing ahead. People who felt fear instinctively stuck together.

"Here it comes. Don't stick together. Those who can attack from a distance, prepare immediately, and for the melee type, measure the timing before you enter."

Munyeong gave out orders quickly with a sharp voice. She seemed used to giving orders.

"Leader Woo, and next to him... Guide-ssi..."

Everyone's eyes widened. In particular, the person who spoke to Yugeon earlier was the most surprised. They doubted if they had heard it right. Why was a guide here, a suicide seeker?

"I know Erewhon won't cooperate."

"You didn't even ask this side. This is so upsetting."

"You weren't interested in attacking the gate from the beginning. I thought you were on a date with the guide."

"Who comes on a date to a place like this? You will either get slapped or dumped."

"I want to see Leader Woo get slapped once in my life."

"I didn't know Leader Seok hated me so much."

"My motto is to be kind to all guides. Even if they are not mine."

"What a coincidence. Same goes for me."

"Say that again? Kind? The Leader of Erewhon? Even a passing mutant will laugh at you."

Unlike others, who were nervous about the unexpected situation, Shinje and Munyeong were certainly relaxed. There was a powerful monster in front of them, but there was time to have a casual conversation, so Munyeong tilted her head and looked at Yugeon.

"Guide-ssi, I'm sorry but please do me a favor. Give him one slap in the face. It is my wish."

Yugeon couldn't understand the slightest bit of how their conversation was going. Not knowing when the enemy might come out, he was so focused that he kept looking around. The stories of Erewhon's Hunters were full of things that he couldn't understand or didn't want to understand. He just thought that the world of high-ranking Hunters would all be like that.

"No."

Without even looking at Munyeong, Yugeon fixed his gaze in front of him, lowered his hand and answered, loosening the pistol's safety switch.

"It won't just be a slap."

"......."

Munyeong made a face like she had a shot. Shinje bowed his head and laughed with bated breath.

Thump, Thump, Thump. The interval between the vibrations was gradually shortened. Someone loaded the gun. Someone with the ability to freeze rose several white ice crystals in the air so that they can clearly see through the thick darkness. Soon the enemy emerged from beyond the turning corner. For a moment, Yugeon forgot to breathe.

The mutant was huge enough to fill all the open tunnels. It was like someone jammed it in the tunnel. Moss, mold and hair were tangled throughout the huge body. A bloated belly, an oddly large number of heads and limbs, and a body that kept bulging intermittently. A lump made of greed and filth was waddling towards them. When the distance was narrowed, they could see countless people's heads hanging on its thick neck.

The corpses controlled by Munyeong blocked its way. However, they did not do much damage because they were only moving fast and did not have high attack power.

"......."

It opened its mouth and murmured something. They couldn't understand what it was saying. The voices of various people were mixed as if there was confusion between radio frequencies.

"Crazy, what the hell..."

The ice maker, who was waiting for the enemy's appearance with a large ice spear, muttered in vain. Eyes were out of focus.

"Die, die!"

He hurled his spear with a whimper. Still, he had the combat experience accumulated so far, so it hit even if his aim was a little shaky. The spear slightly deviated and hit one of the heads. The head pierced by the ice spear fell and rolled. Rotten bodily fluids flowed from the spot. The mutant twisted its body and screamed.

"Keuaaaag!"

Thump, Thump, Thump. The mutant ran as if rolling over, shaking off the undead that clung to it. It moved quite fast compared to its massive size, and swung its limbs towards the one who attacked it.

"Ahh, Eurgh!"

The Hunter who threw the ice spear flew through the air. He banged against the wall and fell to the ground. But no one approached him. In this situation, they knew too well that if they rushed out to take care of your colleagues, they would all die.

"I thought all we have here are shabby little ones, but this big guy's got a spear on him."

Munyeong laughed nervously. The enemy was more difficult than she thought. There should be other corpses around to increase power or not, but unfortunately the boss was alone. And she cannot use necromancy on the bodies of dead Hunters.

They attacked and cut off the heads, but to no avail. With the exception of one head protected in the middle, the rest belonged to the victims who had been devoured.

"Haa, haa....."

Yugeon wiped his lips with the back of his hand and lowered his gun. This was the end of the attack he could make. He used up all the bullets he brought. But a bullet the size of a human finger at best could not strike down an enemy the size of a single-family house.

It felt as if the mutant was mocking Yugeon for not running away right now, and that a guide with no combat prowess dared to step in this place. It was just a face-to-face encounter with the boss from a distance. It wasn't even a one-on-one match, and while other Hunters were rushing in and fighting desperately, Yugeon could only help a few shots in total. Still, he was scared like this. Even now, he felt so weak and helpless, how could he get through the gates to fulfill the contract with Shinje?

The movements of the mutant gradually slowed down by the attacks from dozens of Hunters. The mutant suddenly inhaled as much as it could and inflated its body. He had an ominous feeling. Yugeon looked around hurriedly.

"Quickly! Avoid it..."

But the mutant was a bit faster. It leaned back and then forward, vomiting a liquid mixed with bone fragments and flesh. The turbid, murky liquid spurted out like water from a sprinkler truck, embroidering the air.

His vision was obscured for a moment. Was he blinded by the poison? However, in the next moment, Yugeon was grabbed from his back and dragged away. Strong arms hugged him tightly. The scent of a cool, dried rose quickly disappeared when the stench from the poisonous liquid spreaded all directions.

Shinje turned his body halfway with Yugeon in his arms and turned his back on the mutant. He pulled Yugeon in his embrace and pressed him tightly to his own body, covering his back and waist so that there was no gap. Not long after, poisonous rain poured down. Terrible screams were heard from all sides.

"Aargh!"

"It hurts! Aah! Urgh! Keuheuk....."

The track that could be seen over Shinje's shoulder was the pandemonium itself. Those who rolled on the floor and cried in pain were at least fine. There were many more people who fell down with liquid all over their bodies and already stopped moving. After turning dozens of meters in front of it into literal hell, the mutant could no longer be seen. There was a fork in the road ahead that split the track into two. It seemed like it had entered one of them.

"Yugeon-ah, I'm hurt too."

Sensing that Yugeon was distracted by the sight behind him, Shinje murmured with a blank expression. Only then did Yugeon's gaze return to him. The back of the shirt he had been wearing was discolored black and there were holes everywhere. Even under the dimly lit portable light, he could see some of the flesh had shriveled and melted.

It was not a knife cut, it was not a bruise, but a wound covered with poison. Although he was still standing on his own feet because he was S-class, his high rank did not reduce the pain. Rather, the higher the rank, the more acute the senses become. It must hurt so much that an average person wouldn't even be able to bear it.

Yugeon did not like Shinje. If he had to choose between like and dislike, he would choose the dislike option without hesitation. But apart from that, he couldn't pretend not to know when he saw Shinje get hurt while trying to cover for him. He did not like Shinje but a debt was a debt.

"Guiding..."

He murmured in a daze. His clouded eyes sharpened back with resolve.

"Leader, I'll guide you."

He was Shinje's guide. The only thing he could do in this situation was guiding. He clenched his teeth and placed his hand on Shinje's shoulder.

"No, later."

Shinje shook his head and took down Yugeon's hand. As always, a bright smile returned to his expressionless face. He smiled and whispered into Yugeon's ear.

"I'll go back and have sex with you."

Leaving a blunt remark, Shinje went away casually. Soon after, Munyeong, who was hiding in the side of the track by the emergency door, appeared.

"Is everyone alright? Who can still fight?"

Munyeong only had her clothes worn out in several places, but there were hardly any injuries. She was relatively fine as she used the undead to cover herself from the poison. But she lost almost all of her corpses.

"Damn it. Did you see where that bastard went?"

Yugeon answered briefly.

"I think he entered that fork in the road, but I didn't see exactly which way it went."

The mutant was in a state of extreme excitement. Then, it vomited a lot and reduced its size. It would have been much faster than before. In this state, it might climb up to the ground. A catastrophe incomparable to that of the Hunters here being slaughtered would occur if that happened. Above all else, there was a guide on the ground waiting for her to return.

"Leader Woo and I each take one. If you can kill it by yourself, by all means. If you can't, then retreat back here. And Guide-ssi."

"......."

Munyeong hesitated for a moment even though she knew it was an urgent situation. It was because she suddenly remembered the words her guide whispered to her before entering the station.

"What to do... That kid doesn't look good."

At first she thought so, too. A guide who met the wrong partner and had to follow the raid. He was as pitiful as a livestock on a leash being led to the slaughterhouse. But now she didn't really know. It was true that Yugeon's fate was twisted. It was also true that Shinje was a dark-eyed madman who swallowed about a thousand snakes. Nonetheless, it wasn't her place to sympathize with Yugeon.

"Be careful."

In the end, only one word came out. That was the end of the conversation. They dispersed in different directions at the Y-shaped fork.

They walked along the tracks for a long time. There was no sign of a mutant. With a small flashlight the size of Yoongeun's hand, all it could do was to illuminate a few steps ahead.

He didn't think Shinje would protect him to the end. The guide he got was a waste of time for the most part, so he might prevent minor attacks, but in a situation where he had to choose between his own life and Yugeon's life, he thought he would abandon Yugeon without hesitation.

Was this path correct? Did the mutant go to Seok Munyeong's side, not this one? Then they would have to go back quickly and help her. No, maybe the mutant had already climbed up through the platform through the screen door. The more he thought about it, the more he got out of breath.

It was a natural phenomenon. Humans evolved closer to light than darkness. In dark and enclosed places, judgment became clouded, and if you stayed there for too long, you would lose your reason and go mad. Especially in situations where you were overwhelmed with extreme fear and tension.

"Wait."

Shinje whispered. A hand cladded in black gloves blocked the flashlight. Just before the light went out, Yugeon saw a large scar on his forearm exposed under the tattered sleeve of Shinje's shirt. It was not a wound that had come into contact with the mutant's body fluids. It was a big, sharp wound, and half full of flesh in the scratched position. Did he get bitten by a wild beast? Like a tiger or a lion.

Shinje stared straight ahead in the dark. Holding his breath, Yugeon heard an inaudible sound. Concentrating on hearing, the enemy's position was immediately identified.

"It's over there."

As they stammered through the darkness, relying on small lights, Yugeon gradually felt strange. The temperature dropped little by little. He was wearing custom-made clothes with thermal insulation and even equipment on them, most temperature changes shouldn't be a problem. It was strangely cold.

It wasn't just that. It was getting a little harder to breathe. So subtly that it was hard to notice right away. Shinje walking next to him seemed indifferent. So, at first, Yugeon wondered if he was just panicking and causing confusion. But as time went by, he became more certain. It wasn't an illusion. The surrounding air was apparently thinning.

"It's because we're getting closer to the gate. Let me know if your condition gets worse."

Shinje said without looking at him. Yugeon didn't want to come all the way here, whine and hold the other person back. He shook his head and took a deep breath.

"Kkeu..... Euug..... Kigigag."

There was a mumble mixed with noise in front of them. The boss, the mutant with the heads of the people he ate and devoured, reappeared. A grotesque voice, as if it had been tampered with, roared, causing the tunnel to rumble.

"Yugeon-ah!"

Yugeon stood startled in place. A shiver ran up from his fingertips and toes. How did that mutant know his name? How the hell? His head froze cold and he couldn't think of anything.

"Hurry up!"

After a moment of silence, the voices were heard again. This time, it was the voice of a man who seemed nervous.

"Don't panic and move. Then our whole family can live."

"......."

"You have to get out of the car first. When dad says one, two, three then......."

It had been over ten years since he last heard them, but he recognized the voices immediately. How could he not know? The voices of his parents who sank down the icy river with the crushed car.

"Ah, ah..."

Yugeon's body, which had been holding up well so far, began to tremble like a leaf. The gun he was holding as a habit, even without any bullets, slipped and barely hung on his fingertips. He stepped back unintentionally. Then his foot caught on the tracks. The center of gravity tilted backward.

He wondered if he was going to fall down helplessly like this, but a large hand that popped out of the darkness grabbed his arm. He could feel warmth beyond the leather gloves. Yes, there was Shinje beside him. Although it was someone whom he hated and was reluctant to, there was another person by his side right now. That fact alone was comforting. Yugeon seized a little of his mind that had collapsed out of control.

When Yugeon's reaction was less than expected, the mutant soon changed its target. It changed its voice in an instant, as if it was doing a one-man play.

"Captain Woo Shinje. Are you sure that Brigadier General Woo Seongyeon was killed inside the gate?"

It was a story that Yugeon didn't know. A rank from the Awakening Management Headquarters came naturally after Shinje's name.

"Answer only yes or no. Your statement will determine whether or not you will be punished."

"I said I did everything."

Shinje, who had been silent, muttered. A faint smile spread across his lips.

"Were you the bait?"

Shinje left Yugeon behind his back and walked with a quick pace. Thump, Thump, Thump. The sound of angry shoes echoed in the tunnel.

Poong! One of the mutant's heads exploded without warning. It wasn't an internal explosion. It was as if an invisible strong force was applied from the outside and burst under pressure. That was the beginning. Heads hanging from the body of the mutant exploded one after another like rotten cherry tomatoes. Brain matter and blood were sprayed on the walls like graffiti.

"Kkiaaaag!"

The mutant twisted its body and howled. With its gigantic body and countless skinny limbs, from a distance it looked like a chubby centipede screaming under insecticide. Shinje did not stop there. It had been a while since he had done a decent job, he couldn't get enough from just removing a few heads.

The mutant gradually leaned forward. The whole body trembled. As if desperately resisting something.

"Kkeugeug....... kkeu, eueug!"

However, the force applied from above did not disappear. Rather, it became stronger. The limbs that were barely supporting the body were snapped, plattered, and bent. It opened its mouth desperately and tried to spit out the venom again. Shinje frowned slightly, reached out to the air and pretended to press something.

"How dirty can you be?"

Kwang! The head thumped down to the floor. The mutant fell like a frog with its limbs stretched out. The jaw joint was crushed in a bizarre shape and the foul-smelling body fluid leaked from between its snout and flowed to the floor. Ppudeudeudeug. The sound of crunching and twisting and breaking of the spine was stark.

"Kyaag! Kkig! Kieeeeg!"

Even though the mutant was pressed flat, it struggled like crazy. The tunnel walls and rail tracks were smashed into disorder.

"Yeah... it hurts, doesn't it? It's going to hurt more......."

Shinje shrugged his shoulders and laughed softly.

"You're still watching, aren't you? Your ‘real’ boss. Tell him to stop being useless and come out by himself."

The mutant was no longer able to imitate human sounds as elaborately as before. Picking up only a few fragmented words, it struggled to raise its shattered body. It busily wriggled its cramped legs and hid into the darkness deeper. It didn't really seem to understand Shinje's words, it just felt the overwhelming difference in power and retreated.

They could have followed it to the end and tried to kill it. But Shinje did not do so. It was the boss, however. There was a marked difference between just suppressing and completely destroying. Now, it was only temporarily frightened and its momentum waned, and it would be quite annoying if it was determined to die. He couldn't be sure if Yugeon would be okay if he tried to finish it alone.

In any case, he had already achieved the results as much as he expected, no, far above his expectations. He had already lost interest in that little mutant.

"Leader!"

Yugeon, who had been lost for a while, hurriedly chased after Shinje. He didn't know what happened, but he couldn't just stay quiet.

"What did that mutant say earlier? It wasn't like that when it first showed up."

"Because it was controlled. By a higher being."

"What?"

"The guy hiding in the back, deliberately trying to call us out."

"What do you mean by that!"

Shinje suddenly turned around. Yugeon stopped with a start. Shinje tilted his head at an angle and narrowed the gap between them. The light that Yugeon was holding showed his face, his neckline, and the shoulders with a messed up shirt stood out pale.

"First, second... and third."

From a distance of less than a stone, he lowered his eyes and looked at Yugeon as if he was about to swallow him, and whispered. Shinje kindly folded his fingers one by one according to the number. His voice, which was a little rougher than usual, was strangely sensational.

"That's what happened when we first met, remember? Almuten appeared, floating in the air, and suddenly disappeared."

Why is he bringing this up all of a sudden? What does the unidentified mutant that killed his parents and drove his brother crazy have to do with the current situation?

"It was weird. Why? Why did he make an exception to a guy whose hobby is killing people like ants? Why was he interested in Guide Baek Yugeon?"

"......."

"So I did some research. The Hwangan Bridge incident 13 years ago. Back then, I didn't pay more attention to the lucky children who survived without knowing anything..... and that was you, Baek Yugeon."

The story he unraveled was horrifying. Thirteen years ago, Hwangan Bridge, survivor. These were words he didn't think he'd hear from Shinje. The horrors of the terrible past flooded in. The voices of his parents, imitated by the mutant earlier, lingered in his ears. Yugeon backed away without knowing. Shinje continued.

"Almuten must have thought you were dead. No, he probably didn't care if you died in the first place. But, unexpectedly, it saw you again. Guide Baek Yugeon, still alive, having grown up well. Maybe he thought like this."

Shinje recited the sentences without agitation and grabbed Yugeon's arm, pulling him closer. The gap was so close like he was about to fall into his arms at any moment.

"Why isn't he dead and still alive? Why?"

Shinje's eyes shone with eerie silver in the dark. He raised his brows and smiled.

"It's fun... and..."

At that moment, Yugeon forgot to breathe. A deep chill wrapped around his body as if he had fallen into the deep sea.

"And thirdly, right now. This time, he must have come to ‘check’. Guide Baek Yugeon, is he worth playing with?"

"......."

"From now on, Almuten will follow you for the rest of your life. Living doesn't seem like living. He'll show up whenever you are about to forget, and he will play with you, drive you to madness until you die a miserable death. In other words, if you have Guide Baek Yugeon next to you, you'll see him very often."

The arm that was in Shinje's grasp trembled finely. Was it because he was afraid or was it because he was angry?

"Why are you shaking like this? Are you scared?"

Shinje looked into Yugeon's eyes. Contrary to his gentle voice, his grip on Yugeon's arm was forceful.

"If you're scared, you can run away now. I will unfortunately have to find another guide. This will be your last chance. You can't even save your brother, and the disaster will follow you for the rest of your life....... but you'll be able to save your life at the very least."

Shinje smiled generously. As if he would let Yugeon go if he said he would run away. Silence passed. The intermittent tremors stopped little by little. Finally, Yugeon opened his mouth.

"Did you come all the way here just to save my life? And......."

"......."

"Do you have any other choice than me?"

Yugeon provoked him back, glaring at him with well-proportioned eyes, a scar on one of his eyelids. It was a question he had asked already knowing that Yugeon would not run away. Nevertheless, for a moment, his back was prickly.

I want to kiss you. Shinje thought so inadvertently. Just like when he had impulsively rushed at Yugeon, who had fallen on the asphalt floor. He wanted to climb on top of him like an uncontrollable beast, biting his flesh, bleeding and digging through his body, and see his face collapse.

"Yeah, I'm blind....... and I can't take a step forward without my guide."

He graciously admitted. Yugeon was straight and firm, and even as a guide, he had a lot of combat experience, and under the curse of Almuten. It was as if everything about Yugeon was made for him. No guide in the world could replace Yugeon. Whoever wandered the bottom of the abyss with him, it had to be Yugeon.

He was about to say something more, but suddenly he lowered his head and covered his mouth. Under the dim light, a liquid that looked black gurgled and flowed over the gloves. It was blood. Warm blood soaked the front of his shirt and dripped down.

The whole mutant, which was several hundred times larger than a human, was crushed and pressed. It was not something that even an S-class could do easily. The side effects that inevitably follow an Awakened became more severe the stronger the ability and the more frequently the ability was used on a large scale. Even Heeseong, an F-class Awakened, suffered from chronic body aches and pains.

"Are you okay?"

In the meantime, Yugeon tried to check Shinje's condition. Even if Shinje's limbs were all cut off, he would still be much stronger than Yugeon. Do you want to know what will happen if a guide keeps lingering in front of an insane Awakened due to side effects? Yugeon's foolish pity was ridiculous. But at the same time, he was very pleased.

Shinje shook his head. There was blood all over his mouth. It resembled the appearance of messed up and crushed lipstick. With his red-dyed lips, he grinned wide.

"What if I said I'm not okay? Will you take pity on me?"

Far from the word pity, a man who seemed to have always reigned over everyone else casually begged for sympathy. He couldn't figure out if it was a joke or not. Yugeon couldn't find a word to answer, so he brought up another story.

"How did you know about that mutant called Almuten?"

"There must be someone he have eyes on before Guide Baek Yugeon, right?"

"......."

"I have been a target for Almuten ever since I was born. Brigadier General Woo Seongyeon, I mean... my father made me for that purpose."

Shinje wiped his blood-soaked lips with the back of his hand and asked softly.

"Am I a little pitiful now?"

At first, Yugeon just stood there blankly. Then he slowly understood what the other person was saying. As if dropping ink in clear water, shock spread in his dark eyes. He suddenly remembered a passage from a book he read a long time ago.

If you want to get out of this forest, you have to go the other way. I judge that it is in your best interest to follow me, and I will be your guide and lead you from here to eternity. [2]

The situation was quickly sorted out. Munyeong, who went to the fork in the opposite direction, returned after confirming that there were no mutants. Hunters on the platform on the other side of the route also thought it was strange that communication was cut off from their colleagues and came to support.

The boss had already been put to near death by Shinje. The joints of the whole body were crushed, and the jaw joint and esophagus were damaged, so it could not spew poison like before. In addition, Munyeong, who had already faced the enemy once, grasped the characteristics and patterns and skillfully gave instructions. The attack was much easier than the first time. Under a careful attack of dozens of Hunters, the mutant finally died with a grotesque cry with its neck twisted. After confirming that the gate had disappeared, they all went up to the ground.

Thanks to sending a Hunter up in advance to inform the situation, the crowd in front of the subway station was much larger than before. Rescuers quickly picked up the wounded. Others silently prepared to collect the bodies. The companions of the deceased Hunters sterilized the equipment that had been ruined by the monster's body fluids, mold, and moss, with dark faces. There was no one sobbing with their heads down. Humanity after the Outbreak had to become accustomed with scarcity and loss. Every time they attacked the gates, there were always casualties, whether large or small. This time, it was an unexpected Type 2, so the damage was only a little bigger.

"Munyeong-ah... I mean, I was really worried. I was waiting in the car, and I heard the radio outside, and the Espers kept going back and forth..."

"What do you worry about, I told you to trust me and wait. Look, I'm fine."

In the corner over there, Munyeong and her guide were having an emotional reunion. The total attack time was only a few hours, but as if she was quite frightened, the guide tightly embraced Munyeong, tears welling up her eyes.

On the surface, Yugeon was fine. Except when the body fluid of the mutant splashed out, corroding his outer garment, and causing minor scratches here and there, there were no injuries. Rather, Shinje was seriously injured to protect him and even vomited blood later on.

He didn't know until they got near Shinje's car that he parked before entering the station. A familiar car was parked next to it. Taein, who was smoking a cigarette while leaning against the slippery sports car, looked their way. There was a flash of surprise in his eyes when he saw Shinje and Yugeon but it quickly disappeared. He rubbed out his cigarette and came over.

"Are you back? When I got the news that it was a Type 2, I was waiting in case a request for back-up came."

Shinje nodded his head without sincerity.

"How's your injury? Bleeding... no, did you vomit blood?"

"These days, I've been neglecting the drugs, only believing in my guide. I should become a diligent smoker like Taein-ssi, but I'm in trouble because I keep losing my will."

He made a joke that didn't sound like one. Taein sighed and held out the coat he was holding in one arm. Shinje took it and wore it, like it was a familiar gesture. The bloody, tattered gray shirt was hidden underneath the coat.

The other person was the problem. Taein looked down at Yugeon with a frown and was in trouble. Yugeon didn't have a coat. However, he couldn't let him walk around like a mongrel dog that had been rolling around in the mud. His official title was Erewhon Team 1's exclusive guide, and not because he was worried about Yugeon, but because he didn't want Erewhon's image to be damaged even further.

After a conflict, Taein decided to throw away a suit. He took off the coat he was wearing and put it on Yugeon's shoulders. The size was quite large, so it was more appropriate to say that it was overlaid rather than put on. The woolen coat with a subtle scent of men's perfume was heavy. The silk lining flowed smoothly. It was also warm as Taein was wearing it just a little while ago.

"Ah..."

Yugeon reacted one beat late. Ever since earlier, he looked strangely dazed. Like someone who had lost his mind in the station. Did he witness a shocking sight down there? Just because he saw a few mutants? This was why he didn't like guides.

"Why are you spacing out? Because you did one thing well?"

A sharp voice suddenly intervened. Chan, who was standing at the back of the car far away and talking to someone on the phone, ended the call angrily and trudged out. Unlike Taein, who was dressed up in a neat suit, he was only wearing a simple T-shirt and a hat. His wide shoulders and chest stood out. On top of that, when the beautifully dark skin color was combined, he looked like a surfer who had just returned from riding the waves on the sunny southern shore.

"Woo Shinje looks like shit, but you look unscathed? Others will think he's the guide, not you."

What he said as soon as he saw them was an argument that was close to a fight. However, it was not wrong and he could not refute it. Yugeon looked down silently.

"You said you were going to take him to the raid, so I came to see how talented he is. What were you doing when that guy looked like he's going to burst? Did you eat popcorn with your glasses on?"

"Chan-ah, I'm not going to burst. It wasn't that bad."

Chan snorted. In fact, he was also fascinated by the way Shinje was pretending to be sad and pitiful on the surface, even though he was not impressed.

When they first met as children, Shinje acted so different from the others, so alien, that Chan had wondered if he was even a human, no, a living creature. However, from a certain moment onward, facial expressions, speech, habits, and even small movements completely changed. Like a machine programmed to mimic human behavior patterns. How creepy it was then. But now that he was used to it, he no longer blinked an eye at that guy's usual theatrics.

"What the hell is this bastard acting pretty for?"

Mumbling like chewing and spitting, Chan tilted his head crookedly and brought it to Yugeon's eye level. The yellowish eyes like a cat or a beast stared fiercely at the opponent in the shade of the brim of the hat. Yugeon thought unconsciously. Those eyes, I think I've seen them somewhere.

"Hey, guide. I still don't like you. Other guys may be happy with you, but I'm not."

"......."

He had to respond to Chan's words. He knew it in his head. However, the body did not move at will. When was the last time he had a decent meal? Had he ever slept soundly without waking up like having a nightmare or having a seizure?

Mutants who mimicked people's words, Hunters who died horribly, Shinje's words, and the bloodstains on his chest. All kinds of images were mixed up and wandered around his eyelids. His head felt like it was going to split apart. Fatigue, which had been forgotten, flooded in.

"You're not going to answer, are you?"

Despite the threats in front of his nose, Yugeon kept his head down without saying a word. Chan, who thought he was ignoring him on purpose, eventually exploded.

"Fuck, this is really..."

He grabbed Yugeon's shoulders roughly. At that moment, Yugeon's body tilted forward. The black hair fell flat on Chan's chest.

The urgent cry of someone rang in his ears. Even those sounds gradually became muffled. At the same time, his field of vision quickly darkened from the edges. That's all Yugeon remembered.

Volume I Ends.

[1] Princess Bari, from Korean mythology. wiki.

[2] Dante Aligieri, Divine Comedy: Hell, Park Sang-jin, Minumsa, 2007.

⤷ The original annotation from the ebook.