“Haaah...”
Ryu Sunghyun gasped harshly and spat out the blood that surged up his throat.
The stench of sulfur was growing thicker. It meant the poison released by the demon-type monsters had intensified.
It had been manageable when the rift first opened, but the toxins accumulating inside his body were becoming impossible to ignore.
A moment ago, a red beam of light had crashed down from the sky, splitting the ground and shaking it violently. The buildings nearby all collapsed at once with the quake, and thick smoke filled the area.
'Good thing I sent Hunter Cha Seohu to the treatment facility.'
Ryu Sunghyun spat out another mouthful of rising blood and straightened his back.
As the monsters’ attacks overturned the earth, the venomous gas that seeped from their blood and bodily fluids spread through the air.
They had killed hundreds of gremlins, and the amount of toxins leaking from those corpses was overwhelming. With the poison now in full circulation, even an S-rank like Ryu Sunghyun was having trouble breathing.
If a Supporter—no different from a civilian—came here, their organs would melt, and they’d die almost instantly.
Of course, Cha Seohu had a purification skill, so he might be able to neutralize the poison... but with this many monsters, it was still just as dangerous.
“Hunter Ryu Sunghyun.”
While catching his breath and glancing at his stinging palm, Song Jiwoon emerged through the smoke.
He looked just as worn out as Ryu Sunghyun and opened his mouth to speak.
“Hunter Ko Taeseong and Hunter Yoo Harin have collapsed. The poison buildup in their bodies was the cause, so I sent them to the treatment facility first, but...”
His words trailed off unnaturally.
Sensing an ominous foreboding, Ryu Sunghyun furrowed his brow, and Song Jiwoon let out a sigh.
“They said the treatment facility was attacked by monsters and completely destroyed. I only heard after I sent them.”
“......!”
Ryu Sunghyun, who had just thought it was fortunate Cha Seohu had gone to the treatment facility, turned pale in an instant.
“What do you mean, destroyed? There should’ve been Hunters guarding it, right?”
“I heard even that line of defense was breached. Something flew over from beyond the rift and just happened to strike the treatment facility—but I’m not certain...”
As he was explaining, Song Jiwoon abruptly activated a skill.
Crack—a translucent shard of ice flew behind Ryu Sunghyun. A swarm of gremlins, flying in like a cloud of bats, were pierced by the ice spikes and dropped to the ground.
The rift, which had briefly quieted, was now once again flooding with monsters.
Ryu Sunghyun bit his lip and shoved Song Jiwoon’s shoulder.
“Go. I’ll hold this place.”
“No. You should go, Hunter Ryu Sunghyun.”
Song Jiwoon gestured with his eyes toward the hand that had pushed him.
The hand, pale from the toxins coursing through his body, was trembling uncontrollably. If he was already coughing up blood, it meant his body was near its limit.
He was trying to act unaffected, but Song Jiwoon—also an S-rank—could tell that his movements were slower and clumsier than usual.
Unlike Song Jiwoon, who had been running around checking on guild members, Ryu Sunghyun had been fighting at the center of the battlefield ever since the rift opened. Naturally, he had been exposed to the demons’ poison for longer.
“Go check on the Supporters’ condition and get treatment too. I can hold out that long.”
He was worried about Hunter Cha Seohu, of course, but he was also concerned about Dan Yeoun, who had supposedly arrived just a little while ago.
If someone had to check on the Supporters, it made more sense to send the one in worse shape.
“...Understood.”
Ryu Sunghyun had been about to refuse, but then accepted the reality that the symptoms of his poisoning were severe. If he stayed here, he’d only become a burden.
“I’ll return as fast as I can.”
After watching Song Jiwoon nod, Ryu Sunghyun turned his back.
He already knew the direction of the treatment facility. He was just about to run toward it—
'Wait, what is that?'
Through the thick smoke, a shimmering white light flickered into view.
A piercing light strong enough to cut through the dense haze.
It began somewhere and rippled outward in waves—pulsing, again and again, like a heartbeat.
The light spread so widely that even Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon, standing far away, were bathed in it.
Ryu Sunghyun stared, entranced by the light approaching through the haze, then his eyes widened.
“My body...”
It felt light.
The poison that had weighed down his shoulders and made his hands tremble—it was vanishing. The demon-type toxin that had scorched his insides and made him cough blood was being purified.
And Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon both knew exactly who this power belonged to.
“Hunter Cha Seohu?”
Ryu Sunghyun’s {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} heart dropped like a stone.
No way—Cha Seohu came here? When monsters were pouring down from overhead?
“No.”
He muttered instinctively and sprinted in the direction of the light. Song Jiwoon followed behind.
They arrived just as layer after layer of smoke was swept away.
Whoosh—a strong gust of wind blew through, clearing the lingering smoke. Ryu Sunghyun squinted reflexively and looked up.
In front of the hotel entrance, Cha Sahyeon was descending slowly to the ground, using his black wings to sweep away the smoke.
And beneath him, one man stood tall.
A fluttering blue overcoat, a longsword at his waist.
A pale side profile, gazing up at the rift—it was a familiar face.
Then Ryu Sunghyun noticed the man’s hair, no longer black but now gleaming gold, and froze in shock.
While Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon stood there dumbfounded, the surrounding Hunters began to come to their senses and get to their feet one by one.
“Ugh...”
“Wh-what...?”
The Hunters, who had been poisoned or dying from monster attacks, rose in perfect condition. All eyes turned toward the source of the white light.
After confirming that everyone had recovered safely, Cha Seohu lowered his hands.
“There.”
Without a mask, he smiled brightly. With hands just released from prayer, he expertly drew the longsword at his waist.
Just then, Cha Sahyeon landed beside him. Seohu glanced at him once, then raised his voice for all the Hunters to hear.
“Let’s begin again.”
Clink—a clear sound rang out as chains rattled.
A gremlin, pierced through by a hook at the end of a chain, shrieked as it crashed to the ground. Blood splattered across Eun Woojeong’s glove, and he swapped it out. Then, he sensed the approach of an S-rank presence rapidly closing the distance.
“...Who are you?”
The wary voice made Eun Woojeong glance sideways.
Facing his masked face, Park Minhyuk swallowed dryly.
“Why are you here—?”
“I have a question.”
Eun Woojeong cut off Park Minhyuk’s inquiry and asked flatly.
“What about the treatment facility?”
“What?”
“I heard there was a treatment facility here. Was I mistaken, or did something happen to it?”
“...It was destroyed in a monster attack. The Supporters who were there have all been evacuated.”
“Evacuated? To where?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
Park Minhyuk took a step back, visibly on edge. He looked ready to fight at any moment.
Eun Woojeong stared at him for a moment before falling into thought.
Should he subdue this civil servant and extract the evacuation location? Or search the area himself? Which would be faster and more convenient?
'Cover must be with Cha Seohu no matter what.'
If even the treatment facility had collapsed, then she definitely hadn’t left his side.
Cover treated grown adult Cha Seohu like he was going to shatter if touched or fly away in the wind—there was no way she’d leave him alone in this chaos.
Grumbling internally, Eun Woojeong ignored Park Minhyuk and walked off.
Rather than wasting energy here, it would be better to scout the area personally. It wasn’t like they could’ve fled far with Supporters, who were basically civilians.
Just as he was about to activate a skill toward the rubble nearby—
“...!”
A blinding white light exploded from the direction of the hotel entrance. The energy brushing against his skin was unmistakable.
“That’s... no way...!”
Park Minhyuk must’ve felt it too. His voice trembled behind him.
“Aha.”
There you are.
Recognizing Cha Seohu’s holy skill, Eun Woojeong smirked behind his mask.
He’d thought Seohu would’ve been moved somewhere safe—but to find him right under the rift was unexpected. Did he beg Cover to stay close or something?
Whatever the case, it didn’t matter. Thanks to that, he could find Cover even faster.
Without hesitation, Eun Woojeong activated a skill.
Clatter—he rode the chain straight toward the source of the erupting white light.

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