Blue sparks burst as eight blades cut through the air.
The blades scattered in all directions, weaving swiftly between the monsters, and the swarm of gremlins charging toward the Hunters were shredded to pieces and dropped to the ground.
As the gremlins poured out of the rift only to be slaughtered without resistance, a goat monster perched atop a building let out a threatening howl.
Grrraaah! Kyaaahk!
A thick stench of sulfur wafted from the enraged monster.
The demon-type poison spread through the air. Even the blood from the freshly slain gremlins emitted a poisonous aura.
The poison was so thick and intense, it pricked the skin like being stabbed with needles.
The Hunters, well aware of how painful that poison was and how much it could paralyze the body, hesitated.
“...!”
Then, a white light burst out in rhythmic pulses, and the poisonous energy was completely swept away.
“Sahyeon.”
Cha Seohu calmly spoke as he sliced the neck of a gremlin that lunged at him just as he had unleashed his wide-area purification skill.
“Let’s take care of those bastards first.”
“Okay.”
When he pointed to the goat monsters, which emitted a poison far stronger than the gremlins, Cha Sahyeon flapped his wings hard and instantly took off.
Cha Seohu watched him charge at the nearest goat monster, then immediately moved as well.
'I have to find the flowers.'
According to the original plan, he should’ve started searching for them by now. He had assumed the flowers would be inside the hotel from the start.
But six rifts had opened in the sky, and an overwhelming number of monsters had poured out—far beyond expectations. The plan was derailed alongside it.
He couldn’t afford to hesitate any longer. Cha Seohu had managed to slightly stabilize the situation, but unless the rifts closed, it was bound to become dangerous again.
The °• N o v e l i g h t •° only problem was...
'Shit, just how many damn flowers did they plant?'
Back during the Gyeongbokgung incident, there had been one rift and one flower planted.
By that logic, there was a high possibility that six flowers were planted here.
It wasn’t like the Great Dungeon, where they might be trapped in a fixed space. Here, in this vast open field, how the hell was he supposed to find and deal with six potentially hidden flowers?
'Should I ask Cha Sahyeon for help? But then what about those goat-headed bastards? Can the Hunters here even hold them off?'
Cha Seohu wasn’t sure he could afford to leave this position in the first place.
The poison emitted by the demon-types was stronger than expected. Without him constantly purifying the air, the Hunters would collapse one after another in no time.
At the very least, he probably needed to take out three of the goat monsters before leaving.
'If only I could fly like Cha Sahyeon...'
His light-based wings were purely ornamental. They didn’t allow him to fly like Sahyeon did.
Growing anxious, Cha Seohu charged forward, slashing through monsters. But the tip of his blade wavered with nervous tension.
“Watch out—!”
“Ghk, kuh!”
A warning shout came just as a sharp wave of killing intent stabbed at the nape of his neck.
He ducked his upper body forward in a flash—whoosh—and the slicing wind skimmed just past the back of his head.
Cha Seohu rolled forward and immediately raised his sword to block the next attack.
Clang!
He deflected a massive hand that had swung at him, and his arm stung from the impact.
Looking up, he saw a massive goat’s head bared its teeth and exhaled sulfuric gas. Cha Seohu grit his teeth and steadied his trembling hand.
Enduring the throbbing pain that climbed from his grip to his shoulder, he was about to swing again—when a figure stepped into his field of vision.
“...!”
A blast of bright blue energy tore through the air.
Beyond the fluttering strands of deep blue hair, sharp blades cut the sky and shot toward the monster.
Cha Seohu was stunned to see Kwon Taehyuk suddenly appear, but before he could react, someone grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back.
He gasped, flinching as the arm around his waist tightened. Then a calm voice whispered by his ear.
“It’s me.”
Ryu Sunghyun.
Cha Seohu unconsciously let out a shaky breath.
The moment Ryu Sunghyun pulled him back, a wall of transparent ice surged from the ground. Frost spread across the floor, sweeping cold through the air.
The monster’s hide, which had been resisting Kwon Taehyuk’s blades, turned ghostly white as the cold seeped in. As a blade drove deep into the frozen area, the tough skin split open and spilled thick black blood.
Grrrk! Kraaak!
Realizing the attack was working, the two S-ranks moved even faster.
Song Jiwoon’s skill enveloped the monster—not to attack, but to restrain its movements. Kwon Taehyuk covered the offensive gap.
Blades rose high and struck precisely where the ice had weakened the monster’s body.
Behind Kwon Taehyuk, more blades were summoned. They kept slamming down on the eight blades already embedded in the monster’s body.
Thk!
The final blade pierced through the monster’s throat.
With a gurgling cry, the massive body slowly toppled backward. Thud—as it crashed to the ground, black fluid spilled out, carrying a nauseatingly toxic stench.
Watching this, Cha Seohu finally snapped back to himself and pressed his hands together.
With Kwon Taehyuk, Ryu Sunghyun, and Song Jiwoon watching, Cha Seohu purified the poison of the demon-type.
“......”
Once the purification ended, silence fell—as if it had been agreed upon in advance.
Even though battles were still raging around them, the weight of tension pressed down on their shoulders.
Cha Seohu swallowed dryly and was forced to speak first.
“So, I...”
“Hunter Cha Seohu.”
A familiar form of address.
Kwon Taehyuk walked toward him.
Cha Seohu looked up with widened eyes, and Kwon Taehyuk met his gaze with a composed expression. There was still a faint trace of blood on his cheek—Cha Seohu hadn’t managed to wipe it all earlier.
“Don’t try to handle everything alone.”
“...Guildmaster.”
“I’ll help you.”
Words he never expected to hear in a situation like this, in this state.
As Cha Seohu stood dazed, Kwon Taehyuk added with firm resolve:
“We made the plan together from the beginning.”
“......”
“What do you need me to do?”
Cha Seohu slowly shut his mouth. Something hot surged up his throat.
It was a strange feeling. He wanted to laugh out loud, yet also run away on the spot. It was even a little embarrassing.
After mouthing several times, he finally managed to answer.
“The flowers...”
“Flowers?”
“Yes. We need to find the flowers. The ones we saw in the Great Dungeon.”
He explained haltingly, but the way he spoke sounded like a child tattling—and that embarrassed him even more.
“There are six rifts, so there should be six flowers planted somewhere. I don’t know where, but we have to find them...”
“The rifts will close once we do?”
“That’s the most likely possibility.”
Kwon Taehyuk nodded and exchanged glances with Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon.
They were probably dividing up areas to search for the flowers. Alarmed, Cha Seohu quickly interjected.
“Um, but I should at least—”
“No.”
“...Sorry?”
“Hunter Cha Seohu, you need to stay here.”
Kwon Taehyuk hesitated for a moment.
“There are still two humanoid monsters left, and the gremlins will keep pouring in. It’s best if you stay here to keep using buffs and purification. And...”
He let out a short sigh and added:
“Protect the other Hunters. We need an S-rank dealer to hold this position in our place.”
“Ah...”
Even though he had done nothing wrong, Kwon Taehyuk watched Cha Seohu’s reaction carefully. Ryu Sunghyun gave a faint, wry smile beside him.
Song Jiwoon had a complex look in his eyes, but there was no discomfort toward Cha Seohu at all.
“......”
Cha Seohu’s rigid shoulders eased slightly.
Only then did the strange tension wrapped around his body begin to lift.
He had been trying to convince himself it was fine—that he could accept this calmly—but only now did he realize he’d been anxiously waiting to see how the three would respond.
Nothing had been resolved yet.
Even if this crisis ended well, there were still many conversations they needed to have.
“...Alright.”
Even so, Cha Seohu smiled a little easier than before.
“I’ll leave it to you.”
As he smiled, Kwon Taehyuk let out an awkward cough. Ryu Sunghyun smiled along with him, more relaxed now, and Song Jiwoon exhaled a breath of relief.
The brief moment of rest, like a gift, came to an end.
The four of them kicked off in different directions.
And then—
“......”
On the rooftop of a building overlooking the hotel entrance.
A man with silver hair stood on the edge, the wind tugging at his clothes.
From beneath his red cloak, chains shot out like snakes. Eun Woojeong latched the chain onto another building and jumped down without hesitation.
There was only one destination.
Cha Seohu widened his eyes as he spotted the red cloak falling from the sky.
Their eyes met—Eun Woojeong behind a mask, black pupils beneath trembling golden hair.
From within the mask, Eun Woojeong’s lips twisted into a grin.

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