The hand's owner stepped out of the helicopter and, expressionless, pulled the trigger again and again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Large holes tore through Irina’s chest, and pools of red blood began to form.
This wasn’t a warning shot like before. Each bullet aimed straight at vital points pierced clean through her body.
Khuk!
Coughing up a gush of blood, Irina’s lips trembled.
Kill me? Zenya is trying to kill me?
Her one and only remaining family?
As Irina collapsed, Jin Siwon fired without a moment’s hesitation.
Nayeon’s eyes widened.
“Why is he... over there...?”
In response to her confused voice, Jurim replied dryly.
“Team Leader Jin was in the helicopter, so I figured something was up...”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The regenerating body was repeatedly torn apart by mana bullets.
Blood splattered across his face, and though he frowned, he didn’t stop pulling the trigger.
Irina’s breath came in faint, raspy gasps. Her regeneration was monstrous.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Even as the brutal scene continued, Jurim didn’t blink. He approached Jin Siwon, who was still firing.
“Sorry, but I’m in a bit of a hurry too. Team Leader Jin, where’s my daughter?”
Jin Siwon took a trembling breath.
Khuk!
From where he’d aimed, Irina burst into another spray of blood.
A faint crack passed over his expression, but he quickly composed himself and spoke gently.
“Guru’s in the room with one of our people right now.”
“She’s unharmed?”
“Yes, nothing happened to Guru... Would you like to check?”
“Where is it?”
When Jin gave the room number for Allen Kravis, Jurim hurried off without hesitation.
“Team Leader Jin...”
Nayeon looked at Siwon with worried eyes, clearly concerned.
“It’s fine. Go ahead. I’ve got to wrap things up here.”
“Okay...”
Nayeon nodded once and followed after Jurim.
Only two people remained on the rooftop.
Lying there as twilight fell, Irina murmured, eyes dazed and half-shut.
“Zenya... now, you’re... all alone.”
Siwon brushed Irina’s cheek with the back of his hand.
“...Ira, Mykola is still alive.”
Irina’s eyes quivered at that.
He’d clearly shot through the heart. No potion in the world should’ve been able to save him. Then how...?
As if answering her unspoken question, Siwon calmly explained.
“There was an elixir in my pocket.”
The moment he caught the collapsing Serhi in his arms, the elixir had activated inside his pocket.
What emerged... was none other than an acorn.
A miracle brought by the tiny sky squirrel angel.
“This country... is seriously ridiculous...”
Irina narrowed her eyes and let out a breathless laugh.
An elixir. To think something like that actually existed.
“Why did you do it, Ira?”
Siwon sat beside Irina and spoke in a low voice.
“I would’ve done anything for the two of you.”
Even if it meant breaking out of the orphanage. Hiding you both under a bridge, doing whatever it took.
Irina stared at him and replied clearly.
“I would’ve done anything for you too. With one less mouth to feed, you’d suffer less. I helped you. That’s why I even went to Kiruth... It was all for you.”
At her madness-laced words, Siwon shut his eyes tightly with a pained expression.
He’d always sensed there was something off about his little sister. Maybe this ending had been decided from the very beginning.
Whether it was a final flare of clarity or not, Irina’s breath began to fade.
“...That’s why I took his hand.”
“His hand? Who?”
Irina’s lips moved faintly.
Siwon leaned in close to her mouth
“...Han.”
She whispered softly into his ear, then closed her eyes.
Siwon held his now breathless sister tightly in his arms.
Tears fell at last, like a °• N o v e l i g h t •° dam had burst.
Inside Allen Kravis’s room.
Yoon Arin let out a sigh of relief as she confirmed Serhi’s breathing had stabilized.
Floating about three centimeters above his chest, the acorn glowed with a warm light.
They said his heart was pierced, though...
At that moment, Guru—who had been huddled close to the bed—lifted her head.
“Unniii... Sewuhi Oppaw still huwtin’?”
Her bright red nose and lips quivered.
Yoon Arin stroked the girl’s head gently, seeing she was on the verge of tears.
“No. See the acorn? It’s fixing Oppaw, so he’s not hurting at all.”
She had brought Guru straight from the bathroom to Allen Kravis’s room.
“Da acown?”
“Yeah. So don’t worry too much. Oppaw’s just tired, so he’s lying down a bit, okay?”
“Yees...”
Thank goodness. Guru gazed at the acorn in relief.
Good thing she’d put the acorn in Hungsam Ajusshi’s pocket.
Even if the person it healed had changed... had the acorn also healed his pain before?
Just then, members of the Special Investigations Division who had been monitoring Serhi’s condition began to chime in when the acorn was mentioned.
“An elixir, though... Can that really be? Even seeing it, it doesn’t feel real.”
“Yeah. Who would’ve guessed an elixir looked like an acorn...”
“Seriously... to see an elixir like this. But where did it come from? Was it a donation from Mr. Allen?”
He was a billionaire from the U.S.—getting his hands on an elixir wouldn’t be strange.
“No way. He looked totally clueless too.”
“Then where the hell did something that insane come from?”
Then someone muttered under their breath.
“...Don’t tell me, RP...?”
Everyone fell silent all at once.
If it came from an [RP-Rank Dungeon], then it must belong to either Hyeonak or Team Leader Jin.
“If this gets out, it’s gonna be chaos...”
Even if it belonged to Team Leader Jin, it’d be a commotion—but if Hyeonak was involved? Even a baseless rumor could explode.
Not just in Korea—international eyes would lock onto Hyeonak.
And Guildmastuh On already looked visibly annoyed in interviews. If word about an elixir spread, their entire team could be obliterated over some “crime of arrogance.”
“Let’s all keep this quiet.”
“Yessir.”
“Got it, understood.”
Meanwhile, Guru—ears perked, secretly eavesdropping—snorted excitedly through her nose and kicked her feet in glee.
Ewikser was someting super dupew!
Zeejon!
Ma baby is zeejon!
Guru rolled her eyes up to look at the [Zeejon Snow Bunny] she’d planted in her head, then looked back down.
The snow bunny was currently knocked out again, nestled in its cradle, because it was a weak little [Zeejon].
This time, its panting looked seriously dangerous, and when Guru began stamping her feet in panic, Veilach clicked his tongue and gave her some advice.
“Mymyoooong.”
It meant she should charge its mana while staying close.
As Guru held the snow bunny close, it shimmered and reabsorbed into her head, growing back into a sprout.
It looksh a wittol withy-withy though.
The sprout that popped up on her head had a skinny stalk and crinkly cotyledons.
If Gwuu eats lots, and gets good sun, and gives it wots of nutwients, it’ww get bettew again, wight?
Hope evewyone get bettew...
Just as Guru turned her gaze back to Serhi, who still hadn’t opened his eyes—
Clack! The door flew open.
A few team members sucked in a breath as Jurim entered.
“Hmm?”
Guru perked up like a puppy spotting her owner and sprang up with a sparkling face.
Brushing past the people who greeted him, Jurim went straight to Guru.
She nestled into Jurim’s arms, pressing her cheek against him with a soft mewl.
“Daddyyy... Sewuhi Oppaw...”
“Yeah. I heard.”
He’d run into a Special Investigations team member on the way and heard everything.
Serhi had been seriously injured by Gnosis, and was now being healed with an elixir.
“Are you okay?”
Guru tilted her head in confusion at the worried tone and nodded.
“Did anything happen?”
Anyting?
...It had.
She’d pretended to go potty in the bathroom and made an SSS-Class her follower.
I tuwned him into a hamstuh and put him in my bag... how’d Daddyy know?!
Guru rolled her eyes nervously and tilted her head, afraid she might get scolded if she answered honestly.
“Yeshhh... nuffin happen’d at aww...”
Jurim scanned her from head to toe.
Didn’t look injured...?
What’s with the sprout on my daughter’s head?
“What is this thing...”
When Jurim tried to pull it out—
“KYAHHH!!”
Guru screamed.
Startled, Jurim pulled his hand back.
“Whew... my chest went thumpy-thumpy.”
“Wait, no, mine is the one that—”
How the hell did she plant this? Actually, why’d she plant this in the first place?

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