It hadn’t even been thirty minutes since the rifts opened when the injured began flooding into the treatment facility like waves.
The numerous tents were divided into zones, and the one Cha Seohu was assigned to received only the most severely wounded.
“Wouldn’t it be better if I just used a wide-area healing skill?”
Cha Seohu grabbed the Association Supporter managing the facility and asked.
It had already been revealed during the Gyeongbokgung incident that he could use both area-of-effect healing and purification skills. There was no need to hide it anymore.
“No, that’s not allowed.”
But the manager shook their head firmly.
“Using a wide-area skill instead of healing one person at a time would drain your energy much faster. In a situation where we don’t know how long this battle will last, managing a Supporter’s energy is most important.”
Cha Seohu was about to argue that he’d be fine—but closed his mouth.
In all his past experiences, he’d never run out of energy. Didn’t the Association’s analysis confirm he had an enormous reserve?
Still, the manager wasn’t wrong either.
Monsters were pouring out of six rifts like mad. Who could say when this battle would end? It was entirely possible it could last over 24 hours.
He had never used wide-area skills continuously for over a day without a break.
When fighting a Great Dungeon boss, he had used skills on nearly a hundred Hunters at once, but even that hadn’t lasted long. At most, about an hour.
Even Cha Seohu himself wasn’t sure if he could sustain wide-area skills for such a prolonged time.
If he insisted on doing it and collapsed midway, it would be a much bigger problem.
“Support units are arriving soon. There’s an S-rank Healer among them—we’ll send them your way as soon as they arrive. Please hold out until then. After that, the two of you can take turns healing.”
“...Understood.”
Cha Seohu nodded reluctantly.
From then on, he was overwhelmed treating the flood of wounded.
“Thank you.”
Even Hunters who would normally take the chance to flirt left the moment they were fully healed, leaving only a quick thank-you behind.
They ran back toward the hotel, where the rift was being held back. Though they had just barely escaped death, they rushed back to the battlefield without hesitation.
It was natural. Their comrades were still out there fighting for their lives in what was basically hell.
As he sent off over twenty dealers already, Cha Seohu anxiously bit his lip.
Of all things, the position he’d been assigned to had its tent facing away from ~Nоvеlight~ the hotel. To check on the situation, he would have to go outside—but the constant stream of wounded left him no time.
“...They’re doing fine, right?”
He worried about Cha Sahyeon, Kwon Taehyuk, Ryu Sunghyun, and Song Jiwoon, who were surely fighting the unending wave of monsters.
“They’re S-rank, so they should be fine... No, that’s not right.”
Even if you were S-rank, fending off a flood of monsters attacking from every direction couldn’t be easy.
Cha Sahyeon was airborne, so he had a bit more mobility, but the other three worried him. Especially considering their personalities—it wouldn’t be surprising if they got seriously hurt trying to save others...
“Hunter Cha Seohu?”
“Ah!”
Someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind.
Seohu, lost in thought while waiting for the next patient, flinched and whirled around in shock.
The person who grabbed him looked just as startled, not expecting such a reaction.
“Ah, sorry. I called you several times but you didn’t respond.”
“...Hunter Dan Yeoun.”
The S-rank Healer he met during the Great Dungeon. Dan Yeoun smiled at him.
“Long time no see!”
“So you’re the S-rank Healer who came to help.”
“Yep.”
Dan Yeoun rolled up his sleeves and sat down next to Seohu.
“As soon as we got word, my guild members and I rushed over. I only found out later that the Guildmaster and Vice-Guildmaster were here too.”
If she meant Guildmaster and Vice-Guildmaster...
“You already know, right? I’m officially part of Circle now.”
“Ah.”
“I wanted to see you again anyway. I heard you dropped by last time. I was at the guild then too—too bad we didn’t get to say hi.”
...Did we really need to say hi? Were we close enough for that?
“Yes, it’s nice to see you again.”
Honestly, Seohu wasn’t in the mood for cheerful small talk, but since she was going to be Circle’s new lead Healer, he responded politely.
Still, having an S-rank Healer in Circle now was definitely a plus—especially during times like this.
That was the end of their light conversation. As soon as greetings were exchanged, a stretcher carrying a new patient was wheeled in, almost like it had been waiting.
The patient’s limbs were twisted, blood soaking the stretcher. Dan Yeoun’s expression hardened instantly. Before Seohu could even react, she quickly checked the wounds and activated her skill.
'...Oh.'
Watching up close, Seohu was quietly surprised by her technique.
Unlike him, she didn’t just flood the wounded with skill power. She examined the injuries with practiced hands and focused only on the areas that needed immediate treatment.
Where Seohu simply poured energy without thinking, Dan Yeoun knew her limits and adjusted her skills accordingly. It was the skill of someone experienced.
A naturally born S-rank Healer, and a veteran Supporter.
Even after finishing treatment, Dan Yeoun carefully checked the patient’s condition before finally lifting her head. The patient hadn’t regained consciousness, probably from the shock of the injuries.
“Hunter Cha Seohu.”
Dan Yeoun moved the stretcher to the side so it wouldn’t block the next incoming patient and spoke up.
“You can go outside for a bit.”
“...What?”
“You’ve been fidgeting non-stop. You want to see what’s going on out there, right?”
She wiped the blood off her hands with a wet cloth and smiled lightly.
“You’ve been busy nonstop treating people before I got here. So... let’s call this a baton pass!”
She said it brightly, like it was a joke.
Seohu stared blankly at that smile for a moment before swallowing dryly and standing up.
“Then... I’ll just step out for a bit.”
He couldn’t refuse her thoughtful offer—his mounting anxiety made that impossible.
He wasn’t planning to go far. Just outside the tent to check the state of the rift. It wouldn’t take more than five minutes.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Go on, don’t worry~!”
Only now did Cha Seohu fully understand what the facility manager had said earlier.
Right. This wasn’t something he could do alone. If he had to face nonstop bleeding patients without even a short break, the stress would’ve burned him out.
Seeing those blood-covered faces constantly—memories from before his regression kept surfacing, overlaying everything.
'Stop.'
Cha Seohu bit his lip and hurried out of the tent.
He walked quickly—almost at a run—to a spot with a clear view of the sky, and looked up.
The sky was still blood-red. He searched for the six rifts in that sky—but saw something he hadn’t expected at all.
“...!”
Right above his head.
A giant meteor, burning as red as the sky itself.
And swarms of monsters trailing behind it.
Cha Seohu’s face turned pale in an instant.
“Ugh... Urgh...”
“Are you awake?”
The Hunter who had passed out from shock stirred and groaned.
Dan Yeoun, who had been preparing for the next wave of patients after seeing Seohu off, walked over and asked.
The Hunter slowly opened his eyes and moved his lips.
“Yes?”
He was gasping, trying to say something urgently, but his voice was too weak to be heard properly.
It didn’t seem like he was injured—just dehydrated and hoarse. Dan Yeoun turned to get some water—but then she heard Seohu’s shout from outside the tent.
“Get out of here—now!”
Before the warning could even finish, the world exploded.
A wave of searing heat engulfed her body, and an earth-shaking roar blasted her ears.
“......!”
Dan Yeoun gritted her teeth and hit the ground.
Blunt pain thudded through her limbs, and for a moment, her consciousness flickered.
When she finally opened her eyes again, everything was shrouded in gray smoke and the remnants of the collapsed tents lay scattered.
“Cough, cough!”
The dirt under her felt scorching, like she was in a desert.
Keeek, keekeek!
Through the thick smoke, she couldn’t see a thing—but monstrous cries echoed all around her.
Dan Yeoun tried to get up and flee—only to freeze.
'My leg...'
Her ankle was completely pinned under one of the poles that had supported the tent. She struggled to free it, but it wouldn’t budge.
Creak, creak.
And in that moment, a monster—drawn by her sounds—flapped its bat wings and flew toward her.
A gremlin burst through the smoke, baring its fangs with a vicious hiss.
The stench was unbearable. Its claws were stained with dark red blood and clumps of something unidentifiable.
Sweat dripped from Dan Yeoun’s forehead.
She couldn’t run.
As the gremlin closed in slowly, eyes locked on her—
SCREEECH!
Shlak! Flesh tore and blood sprayed.
In a single stroke, a blade severed the gremlin’s neck. Its corpse dropped from the air like a rock.
“Haa...”
A relieved sigh escaped someone’s lips.
Dan Yeoun’s eyes slowly lifted toward the sound.
The one who kicked the headless gremlin’s body aside approached quickly.
Even through the smoke, his golden hair gleamed.
A bloodstained longsword in his right hand.
A man with a mask, his face hidden.
He walked right up and, without hesitation, lifted the beam off Dan Yeoun’s leg with one hand.

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