EST Ch 9

As he quickly grasped the situation, he tossed a rope to Lee Donghun. Catching it mid-air with a swift move, Lee Donghun held his breath and ducked behind the flickering flames. The sound of his hatchet clanging added to the tension, causing the enemies to hesitate.

Watching Lee Donghun’s improving skills, Hae Gijun turned his gaze to the man in front of him. The man let out a mocking laugh before speaking in a voice tinged with anger.

“I was going to let you kids off easy…”

“Oh…”

Was he trying to convince himself that he was being merciful? It was ridiculous. They had released monsters into the training center, watching as the students were chased around.

Gijun approached with his gun aimed at him and saw the floor slowly turning a murky green. The sight of the floor melting like a swamp was disturbing. Even the slightest touch would bind and drag them down.

Gijun stared blankly at the floor, then exchanged a glance with Baek Sunwoo. As they confirmed their shared thought by glancing at the man’s hand simultaneously, Gijun pushed the nearby table forward with a loud crash.

“Such tricks…!”

The man used the energy in the floor to seize the table’s legs and clear it away. It was an attempt to avoid blocking his path, but Gijun hadn’t expected to stop him with that table.

That table was the path Gijun created.

Stepping onto the half-submerged table in the swampy floor, Gijun ran towards the man at high speed.

If the floor turned into a swamp making it impossible to walk, he could run across the tables.

Startled by Hae Gijun’s dash, the man hurriedly infused his mana into the swamp. The floor melted completely like jelly, causing the tables to shake and separate. But Gijun leaped widely between the scattered tables.

Finally, the man’s hand stretched towards Hae Gijun. As the dark green energy swirled like a vortex.

“Clench your hand!”

Baek Sunwoo shouted. Earlier, they had noticed that the man always opened his palm when using his ability. Exploiting the momentary distraction caused by Gijun’s charge, Baek Sunwoo enforced his will. Short and intuitive commands were the most effective.

The man’s hand clenched reflexively as Hae Gijun closed in. With a gun pointed at his forehead, the man squeezed his eyes shut and screamed. Drawing up his mana to resist, the air thickened like a swamp.

A dark green barrier formed around the man’s face. The viscous mana clung to the gun, trying to block the shot, but Gijun’s goal was different. The gun aimed at the forehead swung upwards.

—Bang! 

The gun’s grip struck the necklace.

The red-glowing artifact cracked and shattered. The forceful blow left the man gasping. Hit near the collarbone, he seemed momentarily breathless. Stumbling back, the man collapsed to the floor.

As expected, the artifact boosted his resistance. With it broken, the man’s hand clenched fully. What had been a tentative grip now fully complied with Baek Sunwoo’s will.

The man’s ability was neutralized.

Paled, the man staggered back, then fell. The floor returned to normal, and the sticky energy in the air vanished. Baek Sunwoo walked across the white marble floor. Confirming that the man had no gun, Gijun acted decisively.

He twisted the man’s arm behind his back and pinned his shoulder with a knee. The man’s eyes were locked onto Baek Sunwoo, unable to look away. He couldn’t even if he wanted to, as he was now under submission.

Baek Sunwoo’s submission ability was most effective when the opponent was terrified. Losing the ability to move one’s eyes at will induced immense shock, helplessness, and fear.

Standing before the man, Baek Sunwoo commanded.

“Restrain your comrades.”

Given that the man was an offensive user, using him was their safest way out. Seeing the man’s eyes glaze over, Hae Gijun felt a sense of relief. Everything was going smoothly…

—Crash!

A small bead flew towards them and shattered like glass. A burst of black energy spread like a smoke bomb. The darkness that filled the room obscured their vision, creeping along the walls and floor until the space was fully cloaked in a few seconds.

The moment it was thrown, Gijun grabbed Baek Sunwoo and leaped to the side. Blinking slowly at the transformation, he recognized the scene.

“…Hah.”

It resembled the situation they had faced while hunting the fox monster the previous night.

The bead was likely infused with dark energy. Not only did it obscure their sight, but it also disrupted spatial awareness. The three on the opposite side were clearly disoriented.

Shim Dokyung, who had started to calm down, shrieked again, collapsing to the floor. Ahn Youngah embraced him, trying to soothe him, while she and Lee Donghun unconsciously looked towards Gijun. The previous night, he had seen clearly even in the dark.

With Baek Sunwoo’s vision forcibly blocked, the submission broke. The man quickly regained his composure and rejoined LINK. Gijun regretted not holding onto him, but his instinctive reaction to protect Baek Sunwoo was unavoidable.

Their coordinated actions revealed an important fact. Not only did they avoid detection by monsters, but they were also immune to the dark energy. The room remained visible to them despite the darkness.

Considering breaking the fluorescent lights for equal footing, he realized there were too many. The switch was unfortunately on their side. While contemplating, one of the LINK members began to move.

Gijun held his breath. If they discovered his ability, they would target him first. He had to wait for the right moment.

“Stay back! Don’t come any closer!”

Lee Donghun swung his hatchet wildly, trying to keep them at bay, but their enemy had a gun. One offensive user and another member moved towards Baek Sunwoo, while the third headed for Lee Donghun.

As footsteps mixed and Lee Donghun’s confusion grew, the enemy closed in, raising his gun. Just then.

“Run towards two o’clock!”

Gijun shouted and immediately fired his gun. The LINK member approaching Baek Sunwoo fell without even screaming, sparks flying from his body.

Lee Donghun also moved at Gijun’s command, clashing with his opponent. But the enemy narrowly dodged and quickly distanced himself. The man glanced at Hae Gijun in surprise, then exchanged a quick look with his comrade.

Gijun bit his lower lip. He had hoped to take down both of them.

The floor began to melt again.

“Dodge to the right!”

The man who escaped Lee Donghun’s attack vanished into the darkness, planning another assault. Realizing Gijun could see in the dark, they devised a diversion.

Driven by instinctive fear, Gijun pushed Baek Sunwoo aside. A bullet whizzed past where he had been standing. Just a bit slower, and Baek Sunwoo would have been hit. His reason was fraying. This couldn’t happen.

He needed to see clearly. More accurately, more definitively…

—Buzz

His head throbbed, and his eyes burned. The searing pain felt paradoxically cold, almost sharp.

As Gijun stumbled, cursing.

—Thud! 

He collapsed backward.

The large man, the offensive user, had charged at Hae Gijun. Though he instinctively dodged the punch, his glasses were flung aside by the man’s mana.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lee Donghun was clashing noisily with another LINK member. The noise from this commotion masked their own, and Gijun let out a short groan as he looked up at the man straddling him. His head had been throbbing continuously since earlier, but he couldn’t tell if it was from the impact or the pain in his eyes.

One thing was clear: the man was furious enough to attack him directly because of the earlier restraint.

“You brats won’t ruin our plans. We have a great purpose to fulfill…!”

The man’s words sounded strange. It wasn’t just the content that seemed cult-like, but as he spoke, it felt like ink was spilling over Gijun’s vision.

Usually, Gijun could see the outlines of all objects clearly even in the dark. But as the man spoke directly in front of him, his face appeared pitch black.

‘What the… what is this…?’

Confused and filled with an unusual sense of discomfort, he saw the man raise his fist. Though the upper body was almost invisible, the fist raised to the ceiling was clear.

This lunatic is about to hit a student. Gijun reached for his gun. But it had fallen during their earlier clash. Cursing inwardly, he frantically groped the floor for it, just as the fist came crashing down.

“Don’t touch him!”

—Bang! 

An enormous noise reverberated through the space.

Just as the fist grazed Gijun’s cheek, Baek Sunwoo used his submission ability. Mana exploded outwards, ensnaring the man in a crimson glow. Transparent, bright red chains wrapped around his arms, and then his entire body, flinging him against the wall.

Hae Gijun looked at Baek Sunwoo in amazement. Baek Sunwoo couldn’t possibly see, yet he read the direction and used mana to bind the man. He wasn’t looking at the man but following the path of the red mana. It was an instinctive, perhaps obsessive response.

Despite the strange sense of déjà vu, Gijun retreated. With the man at a distance, his vision cleared.

Meanwhile, the LINK member fighting Lee Donghun groaned.

“Mana as a weapon… This level shouldn’t be possible!”

His shock served as a clue for Baek Sunwoo to locate him. The red chains flew over, binding him as well. He was thrown against the wall, screaming.

Shaping mana into a weapon.

This was an extremely rare and difficult skill among ability users. While Baek Sunwoo’s mana had briefly taken the form of red chains yesterday, it hadn’t reached the level of binding and flinging opponents.

In other words, Baek Sunwoo had advanced a step further in this space.

Gijun sighed inwardly. He had seen Baek Sunwoo grow rapidly in actual combat before. But he couldn’t bring himself to push him forward. While he wanted to protect him, pushing him into the lead felt like forcing him off a cliff to grow stronger.

Moreover, a stronger Baek Sunwoo was even harder to hold back. The stronger he got, the greater his sense of responsibility. Thinking it was a troublesome problem, Gijun suddenly had a realization.

‘…Every time I get hurt, Baek Sunwoo seems to advance?’

As he traced back his memories, Lee Donghun and Ahn Youngah were also looking up. Even in the pitch-black darkness, the red mana stood out clearly, their faces full of surprise.

Gradually, the darkness in the room began to dissipate. The dark energy contained in the bead was limited and couldn’t dominate the space for long.

As the room brightened, the LINK members screamed and thrashed, trying desperately to free themselves from the chains. One of them managed to move his hand between the chains and used his mana gun.

—Chaarrrg! 

One of the wildly fired bullets headed towards Gijun. But with his arm restrained, his aim was off, and the sparks only grazed Gijun’s clothes.

Baek Sunwoo’s face hardened at the sight.

“I said, don’t touch him.”

—Bang, bang, bang!

A series of thunderous crashes followed. Baek Sunwoo’s red chains bound the enemies, slamming them against the floor and walls, wrecking the lab. It was like the space was being clawed apart.

Lee Donghun watched in shock. It was alarming to see Baek Sunwoo this enraged over just grazing Hae Gijun’s clothes, but what truly stunned him was how forcefully Baek Sunwoo was using his power. The previously gentle-looking Baek Sunwoo now seemed utterly inhuman.

Expressionlessly binding the enemies with chains, tossing them around as they struggled, mocking them. When the large man tried to gather mana in his hands, the red chains immediately twisted his wrist, making him scream.

Baek Sunwoo’s reaction seemed to go beyond anger at his friend’s danger. He acted with an eerie obsession, dropping and trying to eliminate his opponents. His emotionless eyes were chilling.

Lee Donghun started to feel uneasy. Just as the brutal scene was becoming too much to bear.

“Stop it, Baek Sunwoo.”

Hae Gijun stepped forward and grasped Baek Sunwoo’s arm. The violent red mana swirling around him made approaching seem dangerous, but Hae Gijun looked unbothered. As soon as Gijun touched him, Baek Sunwoo instinctively reined in his energy. With a short sigh, his expression slowly returned.

Lee Donghun finally exhaled. It seemed even Gijun thought Baek Sunwoo’s actions had gone too far…

“Your nose is bleeding. You need to stop.”

But Gijun was only checking Baek Sunwoo’s condition with a worried expression. Lee Donghun felt profoundly confused.

Ignoring any strange looks, Gijun wiped Baek Sunwoo’s nosebleed with a tissue. Baek Sunwoo, embarrassed, tried to do it himself, but Gijun’s hands didn’t retreat. Taking a short breath, he met Baek Sunwoo’s gaze until he calmed down.

Gijun sighed inwardly. Baek Sunwoo would get nosebleeds or headaches if he overused his ability. But he always hid the pain and pretended to be fine. Gijun hadn’t known about his aftereffects at first but now knew them all too well.

Why are you so infuriatingly kind? Gijun felt a surge of anger but still wiped Baek Sunwoo’s nose gently. He held the back of his neck gently, warning him not to tilt his head back.

Just then, one of the LINK members freed from Baek Sunwoo’s chains opened his eyes. It was the man who had been humming. Baek Sunwoo’s attacks had focused on the large man who had tried to hit Gijun, so he was relatively unscathed. Though one leg was broken and his head was bleeding, he wasn’t in good shape…

The man crawled to the side. Realizing that the students who had stayed out of the brawl were the weak point, he decided to target Ahn Youngah, who was closest. Sitting down, she would be easy to grab, and being the shortest made her an ideal hostage.

Finally, the man lunged and grabbed Ahn Youngah’s arm.

“Stay still, or—!”

“Ah, aaah! Help me!”

Ahn Youngah screamed and thrashed. The high-pitched scream drew the attention of the three standing. She seemed to be the group’s weak point. The man felt a thrill of triumph but was also taken aback by her fierce resistance.

“Stay still!”

“Aaaah! If I stay still, I’ll die!”

“Cooperate, and I’ll let you go…!”

“Let me go? You’ll just kill me after you’re done with us, aaargh!”

Screaming, Ahn Youngah scrambled backward. Realizing he’d picked the wrong person to hold hostage, the man’s desperate cries mingled chaotically.

Just as the standoff seemed to escalate, Ahn Youngah slammed into a display case. The pain in her back was secondary to the despair of having her escape blocked.

—Bang!

A box fell from the display case, and the tablet inside struck the man’s head. With a final scream, he collapsed.

Witnessing the scene, Ahn Youngah’s eyes widened. She looked like she had just experienced an epiphany about “self-rescue in life.”

Observing the commotion with caution, Lee Donghun let out a dry laugh. Initially shocked, he had exchanged glances with Hae Gijun when Ahn Youngah’s struggling created an opening. They planned for Hae Gijun to pretend to threaten with a gun, and in the ensuing standoff, Lee Donghun would stealthily approach and ambush the man.

Having rushed to the wall only to have Ahn Youngah’s luck solve the issue, and in such an absurd manner, the tension dissipated into laughter.

“She’s like a crow…”

“What? Oh, my voice is hoarse now.”

Ahn Youngah coughed, holding her throat. Still uneasy, she gave the man a few kicks to ensure he was unconscious. He didn’t move.

They had subdued all four members of LINK.

It was all thanks to Hae Gijun and Baek Sunwoo. Hae Gijun had exploited their weak spots, and Baek Sunwoo had neutralized the enemies using his shaped mana. While Ahn Youngah’s luck played a part, it was Baek Sunwoo who incapacitated the man enough for her to finish him off.

Imagining the scenario if those two hadn’t come out of the cabinet was something neither Ahn Youngah nor Lee Donghun wanted to consider. As they silently breathed sighs of relief, Shim Dokyung apologized timidly.

“Sorry I couldn’t help, guys…”

His eyes, which had already shed tears, were welling up again. Shaken since the moment LINK discovered them, he had been calmed by Ahn Youngah but lost composure again when the dark energy spread.

Hae Gijun likely intended for him to use his ability when he yelled at Ahn Youngah to calm him. Everyone understood this but couldn’t bring themselves to comfort Shim Dokyung. Just then, Gijun spoke.

“Keep your wits about you next time, Shim Dokyung.”

“Y-yeah! I’ll definitely be helpful next time…”

“I’m not saying you have to be helpful. I’m saying you need to keep your wits about you to survive. This time, Ahn Youngah was able to help, but next time she might not be able to. If you lose it then, you’ll die.”

His calm tone carried no rebuke, just an objective statement of fact, making the words all the more impactful.

“It would be good if you could help, but what’s more important is not being a burden. If you die, it will lower the morale of the others.”

“…Yeah.”

“Fear alone won’t solve the problem. Even in dire situations, think about doing something. It’s better than trembling and dying for nothing.”

While Hae Gijun’s words might have sounded cold, Shim Dokyung nodded earnestly. Rather than warm comfort or encouragement, it was the cold reality check he needed.

Shim Dokyung then bowed deeply in apology.

“…Sorry for being a burden.”

“When did I say you were a burden? You didn’t die, did you?”

“…Huh?”

As Shim Dokyung looked up in confusion, Gijun stared at him oddly. His look conveyed bafflement at why Shim Dokyung was apologizing after everything had been explained. With a short sigh, Gijun dusted off his shoulder.

“Just stay alive. That’s all that matters.”

So that Baek Sunwoo would feel less guilt and be less stubborn in dangerous situations.

Gijun had seen how much Baek Sunwoo was affected by witnessing his friends’ deaths. While it might be a normal reaction, Gijun had grown numb to the countless deaths he had seen.

He hadn’t been indifferent to the deaths of students initially, but after repeating the experience multiple times, it became hard to attach meaning to each one. While Gijun distanced himself from such shocks, he had to care to some extent to protect Baek Sunwoo.

And those words from Hae Gijun were enough to move the others.

Walking with someone who valued survival above all else. Seeing a different side of the seemingly cold Hae Gijun made the weight of his warm words more impactful, leaving them deeply moved and feeling a stronger bond.

While misunderstandings were growing, Gijun approached the fallen LINK members.

“Is there anything useful we can get from these guys?”

“Search all of them? Two are covered in blood…”

“If you’re squeamish, check the two relatively unscathed ones.”

“No, never mind! I’ll help!”

Rolling up his sleeves, Lee Donghun took action. Searching unconscious, near-death people was scary and unpleasant, but he tried not to look at their faces. He moved faster as he rifled through the bloodstained robes.

Gijun watched the unusually enthusiastic searches by Lee Donghun and Shim Dokyung with curiosity. Did they develop a sense of vengeance? Shim Dokyung’s determined expression was quite amusing.

Soon, Ahn Youngah approached.

“Hey, Hae Gijun. One of your glasses is broken…”

The glasses she handed him were even more cracked than the day before, with the edge completely shattered. It was to be expected after being hit by mana and thrown during the clash with LINK. In fact, it had survived remarkably well.

“I can still use it for now.”

“Really? Well, I guess anyone who needs glasses should use them, but…”

Ahn Youngah gave him a peculiar look. She seemed to doubt him since he’d appeared to see perfectly fine without them for several minutes. Though aware of her gaze, Gijun quietly cleaned the glasses with his shirt.

Putting them on, his eyes hurt as they did the day before, but he endured it. Suppressing the pain, Gijun thought quietly.

What was the strange phenomenon when the LINK man spoke earlier? The more he spoke, the more his face seemed to disappear into a black void. It wasn’t just bewildering; it was deeply unsettling.

His eyes sometimes showed him things he didn’t want to see. Sighing, Gijun suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. He vaguely remembered seeing such phenomena as a child…

“Oh, and I picked this up.”

Ahn Youngah’s voice broke his thoughts. Gijun’s gaze shifted to the object she held out.

It was a palm-sized tablet. Though its edges were darkened, the intricately carved surface gave it a quaint, ancient appearance. The center was filled with engraved characters that were unreadable, though they resembled Chinese characters.

Gijun recognized it as the tablet LINK had examined earlier. They had said it was reacting to something, but what changes were they talking about?

As he pondered, Lee Donghun approached.

“What’s that?”

“My savior. No, my salvation tablet.”

“Why do I even ask you… It does look like an artifact from the Joseon Dynasty.”

As Lee Donghun noted, the tablet resembled a relic from an ancient dynasty. Gijun examined it thoroughly but couldn’t discern anything for now.

He shook his head.

“Maybe we’ll find clues to interpret this language in the data we photographed. For now, let’s take everything we can and get out.”

There was no guarantee additional researchers from LINK wouldn’t arrive. They had caused quite a mess. If they encountered someone now, it wouldn’t end well.

Nodding in agreement, Ahn Youngah subtly extended her hands.

“Can I hold onto this? I feel more secure having it.”

Lee Donghun was incredulous, asking if it was a talisman, but Gijun handed it over readily. The weight of the tablet was quite heavy, so Gijun was grateful to have Ahn Youngah hold it. She cradled the tablet lovingly, as if it were a treasured pet rock.

They continued to search the researchers, but found nothing special. Lee Donghun sighed briefly.

“I thought we might find a key to the basement…”

“Maybe we can open everything with the LINK card key?”

“Hmm, maybe. What do you think, Hae Gijun?”

“They probably didn’t expect anyone to search them, so all the keys might be the same… But once they realize what’s happened, they might change the keys.”

“Wow, things are getting more complicated.”

Lee Donghun shook his head wearily. Just then, Shim Dokyung, who had been diligently searching, spoke up.

“These people… all have tattoos on their left chest.”

Perhaps feeling the need to be helpful, he had been the most enthusiastic in examining the LINK members. Particularly the ones Baek Sunwoo had attacked had their robes torn, revealing the tattoos. Upon checking the others, he found they all bore the same mark.

Lee Donghun quickly confirmed and exclaimed in awe.

“Wow, it’s true!”

The tattoos were black chains, resembling interconnected diamonds. The emblem of LINK seemed to signify their unity, making them even more off-putting. Gijun scrutinized them with cold eyes.

These lunatics had planned to kill students while getting matching tattoos? They should have been branded instead, he thought angrily, just as Ahn Youngah exclaimed.

“This must be it! The reason the monsters didn’t notice them!”

“Right. We didn’t find any artifacts on them…”

Gijun grew even more furious. When LINK and the monsters had crossed paths in the hallway without incident, he had hoped to seize any perception-dampening artifacts they might have. But they were thwarted in this way.

As he stared down at their chests, Lee Donghun muttered, shivering.

“Hae Gijun looks like he’s about to skin them for their tattoos…”

“Maybe.”

“I-I object.”

As Gijun nodded, Ahn Youngah quickly made an X with her hands. He glanced at the others and LINK with a somewhat disappointed look. They all looked queasy.

Carrying someone’s skin around was probably too much…

Especially since Baek Sunwoo’s eyes were wide with shock, Gijun decided to regain some humanity. If the tattoos really did deter monsters, the mana likely flowed through the skin during the tattooing process. Cutting out the tattoos wouldn’t be effective.

Still reluctant, he stared down at them until Lee Donghun nudged him away.

“You go check the room again. We’ll finish the search.”

Gijun silently stared at him. Was this a normal reaction? he wondered briefly, but seeing the sweat on Lee Donghun’s forehead, he moved away.

Watching Gijun’s retreating figure, Lee Donghun sighed inwardly. Sometimes, Hae Gijun seemed almost inhumanly detached. His excessive calmness, his stoic demeanor even in front of monsters, and his seemingly predictive actions…

But there was an underlying oddity that couldn’t be explained by these traits alone. Reactions that a typical 18-year-old high school student, or even an ordinary person, wouldn’t have.

While Lee Donghun looked at Hae Gijun with a slightly unfamiliar gaze, Gijun focused on the floor, ignoring the rest. He was searching for the mana guns dropped by the LINK members.

But all four guns he found were empty. They had fired indiscriminately, exhausting their ammunition. Even during their final struggle with Baek Sunwoo, they had fired wildly…

Gijun felt frustrated again. He had conserved his bullets carefully, and now only had one left. Deciding to save the last bullet for a crucial moment, he holstered the gun.

Instead, he would use the rod. While searching the annex office, he had found a support beam from a metal shelf. Though less intimidating than a gun, it could help maintain some distance.

Gijun looked at the end of the rod wistfully. Attaching a multi-tool knife would likely make it break easily, and cutting metal with it was impossible. As he pondered how to sharpen it, Baek Sunwoo approached.

“Gijun.”

“I told you to sit and rest.”

Hae Gijun responded instinctively. Just after Baek Sunwoo’s nose had bled, he had forced him to sit. They had all agreed he should rest during the search, so why had he gotten up?

But before Gijun could say more, Baek Sunwoo spoke.

“You only have one mana bullet left, right?”

“…How did you know?”

“I saw when you checked the bullets yesterday. I also know how many you’ve used so far.”

Gijun fell silent. He hadn’t told the others how many bullets were left, yet Baek Sunwoo had figured it out easily. Do observation skills improve at H.N.?

Seeing Gijun’s reaction as confirmation, Baek Sunwoo smiled.

“It’s okay. I’ll take the lead now. I can shape mana too—”

“What are you talking about? Are you kidding?”

“Uh?”

Baek Sunwoo had spoken kindly, confidently, hoping to instill trust. But Hae Gijun’s response was cold. His eyebrows shot up angrily, making Baek Sunwoo fall silent.

Finally, Gijun sighed and gripped Baek Sunwoo’s shoulders. Pushing him gently back to sit on the table, he stood in front of him. Baek Sunwoo looked up, bewildered.

“I know you’ve gotten stronger, but I also know you strain yourself every time you use the chains. This time it was a nosebleed, but next time you could cough up blood.”

“No way…”

“You can’t argue with me.”

He had seen it with his own eyes.

Cutting him off firmly, Gijun made Baek Sunwoo blink. Their proximity made his legs touch, surprising him, and the worry and anxiety in Gijun’s eyes were confusing. Despite seeing him attack people with mana chains, Gijun’s unafraid reaction gave Baek Sunwoo a strange sense of relief.

Feeling the intense emotions from being cared for, it was a very unfamiliar, yet wonderful joy.

Meanwhile, Gijun carefully chose his words. How could he convince this soft-hearted guy to stay put? He had almost exploded with anger when Baek Sunwoo offered to lead after gaining new strength, but he couldn’t very well shout at him.

His thoughts jumbled, Gijun sighed deeply. Pressing Baek Sunwoo’s shoulders to keep him seated, he spoke.

“Unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t overuse your ability. It’s not a problem that can be solved by exhausting yourself.”

“…”

“I remember when you said I could use you as needed, and my stance remains the same. Don’t rush forward just because your ability got a bit stronger.”

In fact, it was becoming harder to hold Baek Sunwoo back if he decided to act. There were no solid reasons to stop him. Additionally, he might need his abilities as conflicts with LINK escalated. Protecting Baek Sunwoo was becoming increasingly challenging.

Looking down at Baek Sunwoo with a feeling of despair, Gijun asked.

“Do you remember what I said?”

Worry about future events caused his voice to lower, mingled with a hint of desperation. Baek Sunwoo’s eyes wavered as he looked up at Gijun, then he nodded emphatically.

“Okay. I’ll do as you wish.”

Gijun was surprised by his compliance. What? He had expected a struggle, but Baek Sunwoo had given in much more easily than anticipated. While it was curious, Baek Sunwoo suddenly reminded him of a white puppy. It was a strange train of thought.

Though Baek Sunwoo wasn’t short, the fact that he now looked up at Gijun made him seem smaller. With his bright eyes and nodding head, he resembled a well-trained puppy…

It was like watching a small dog on a walk, always glancing back and guarding its owner.

Instinctively, Hae Gijun patted Baek Sunwoo’s head. He recalled how he used to stroke the family dog when it behaved well or performed tricks. Baek Sunwoo’s hair was also quite soft, making it a pleasant sensation…

Suddenly, Hae Gijun stopped. His expression hardened as he grabbed Baek Sunwoo’s face.

“Hey, you’re bleeding again.”

“Uh, what? No, wait…”

“It’s clear you’re not in good shape, so why are you pushing yourself…!”

Flustered, Baek Sunwoo covered his nose. Blood dripped onto the white sleeves of his knitwear. The sight of blood on Baek Sunwoo’s white clothes triggered a deep-seated trauma in Gijun, causing an even stronger reaction.

As Baek Sunwoo tried to push him away, insisting he was fine, Hae Gijun held on, insisting he check his condition.

Ahn Youngah, Lee Donghun, and Shim Dokyung, who were watching the commotion, had similar expressions. It was the same look they had when they learned that Baek Sunwoo hadn’t slept the night before.

Ahn Youngah muttered quietly,

“Sometimes, even though those two are incredibly reliable, I can’t help but worry about them…”

The other two nodded silently.

They exited the laboratory.

Fortunately, nothing happened as they left the space. They were cautious, fearing LINK might send out a distress signal and draw people in, but they managed to leave the lab safely.

Everyone moved with tense faces, finally breathing a sigh of relief once they were far down the hallway. Ahn Youngah asked,

“Where do we go now? Keep searching for the basement entrance?”

“First, we need to review the materials we gathered from the lab.”

“Oh, then back to the lodging…!”

“No, we’ll find a suitable space on the second floor.”

Lee Donghun visibly showed his disappointment. But Gijun’s decision didn’t change.

Climbing back up to the lodging on the third floor and then coming down to search for the basement would be inefficient. They also had a higher chance of encountering monsters on the stairs. Ideally, they would stay on the first floor for easier basement access, but the first floor had the highest risk of monster encounters, so he chose the second floor.

Hae Gijun’s opinion had become absolute within the group, so they all followed his lead to the second floor.

They had started moving at dawn, and now the morning was fully bright, but the space still felt eerie. The damp air hung heavy.

Shim Dokyung looked up at the cloudy sky through the window and murmured,

“Looks like it might rain today…”

“It was cloudy yesterday too, but cleared up at night. Maybe it will again.”

“It will rain.”

Hae Gijun stated flatly. Having spent several days here already, he knew. It always rained on the second night. A thunderstorm.

Shim Dokyung asked nervously,

“When?”

“Around 10:20 PM.”

“That’s too specific to be a guess.”

“Anyone else could be joking, but when he says it, it feels like it will really rain then…”

Lee Donghun looked at Hae Gijun curiously. They might think he had checked the weather forecast before coming to the training center, but it felt like his statement wasn’t based on such information. Even if the forecast said it would rain at 10 PM, they wouldn’t believe it, yet Gijun’s words carried a strange credibility.

Ahn Youngah shivered.

“Who goes on a school trip on such a gloomy day? It was doomed from the start…”

Complaining about the fear rain brought, she quickly muttered about the possibility of ghosts appearing in addition to the monsters already present. She was bold in crises but rather fearful in everyday life.

But what Hae Gijun was concerned about was something else.

“When it rains, sounds get drowned out.”

“Huh? Oh, you mean our footsteps will be muffled?”

“Our sounds will, but so will the monsters’.”

“Oh…”

Lee Donghun sighed, and Shim Dokyung turned pale. Gijun knew this information might frighten them, but he decided it was better to warn them. It was better to prepare them for the heavy rain than to have them act cluelessly during the storm.

They had to find the basement before the day ended. Preferably before sunset, but they would proceed regardless.

After the storm, the training center would become even more dangerous. There would be more monsters, and they would be more aggressive. That’s why Gijun had never survived the second night.

Would today be different…?

Suddenly, Gijun remembered his dream. In the dream, the air felt heavy as if it was going to rain. Did dreams usually have such sensory details? Or did his subconscious set the dream at that time, anticipating the second night?

Anxiously, he glanced at Baek Sunwoo. Though his nosebleed had stopped, Gijun was still worried.

“Baek Sunwoo, you…”

Just as he was about to warn him to be careful again, Baek Sunwoo reached out. Grabbing his arm and pulling him urgently, Gijun stumbled and collided shoulders with him, finally realizing the situation.

Someone came around the corner.

He always checked before turning corners, but looking at Baek Sunwoo had created a momentary gap. Seeing the person’s foot outside the wall, Baek Sunwoo must have pulled him reflexively. Grateful for his quick reaction, Gijun sighed briefly. His future worries had made him miss the present.

Fortunately, this encounter wasn’t serious. The person who came around the corner looked at them with wide, surprised eyes.

“G-Gijun? Youngah…?”

“President!”

It was Kim Joowan, the class president of Class 2, with an unknown female student beside him.

Ahn Youngah immediately brightened up and approached him. She had been worried about him after hearing that he had been separated from the student council group due to the commotion caused by the fireball incident last night. Since she was staying in room 304, the dormitory for the boys of Class 2, he was constantly on her mind.

Kim Joowan, with his freckled face and gentle, slightly naive personality, had become the class president by getting along well with everyone. His slightly awkward nature actually endeared him to the classmates. Smiling with relief, Kim Joowan spoke.

“You’re all okay. Thank goodness…”

“But you’re hurt! Your face and leg, aren’t you hurt?”

A large bandage was attached to one side of Kim Joowan’s cheek. Additionally, his gait seemed slightly off, which Ahn Youngah noticed and expressed concern about. He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

“I got a bit hurt rolling around yesterday…”

“If you get hurt any more, you’ll end up in the hospital. Oh, our president!”

In Class 2, there was a tendency to support their gentle class president. For example, during sports day or class competitions, they would massage his shoulders and cheer, saying, “Don’t get discouraged, president! You can do it!”

Even Lee Donghun from the neighboring class knew this and glanced at Hae Gijun. He wondered if he would show a similar reaction, considering how protective he was of Baek Sunwoo.

“Why are you here.”

Hae Gijun asked. His gaze was filled with the intention to get straight to the point. Lee Donghun was a bit surprised but found it typical of him.

Kim Joowan, familiar with Gijun’s straightforward manner, just laughed awkwardly and responded.

“The teacher asked me to get more blankets. They said there were some in this storage room.”

“…Are you with the teacher?”

Ahn Youngah took a step back subtly. The others also glanced at Hae Gijun.

They remembered the information Gijun had given last night. While only Class 1 homeroom teacher Park Inho was confirmed to be part of LINK, other teachers were also to be watched. Since they had some involvement in selecting the training center.

But the teacher Kim Joowan mentioned was unexpected.

“Yes, I’m with Teacher Ki. She treated my cheek and leg.”

“What? Teacher Ki is here too?”

“She came as an assistant teacher.”

Along with the homeroom teachers, who were required to attend the school trip, some non-homeroom teachers joined as assistants. It was less of a voluntary participation and more of a mandatory draft.

“Other teachers had prior engagements and couldn’t come, so Teacher Ki had to join.”

“Oh…”

It was a background filled with the woes of a working professional. Ahn Youngah pouted and said,

“Our teacher is so unfortunate…”

Ahn Youngah was part of the Shin High School cooking club, which Teacher Ki was in charge of. She glanced at Hae Gijun. Her eyes questioned whether they should also be cautious of the non-homeroom teachers who came as assistants. She would follow Gijun’s lead but already looked disappointed.

Meanwhile, Kim Joowan continued his story.

“The teacher gathered injured students and provided them with a place to stay. There are students from various classes… Would you like to join? You’re from Class 3 and Class 7, right? There are students from those classes too.”

“Oh, really? From our class?”

“You know my class too?”

“Yes. I have a good memory.”

Impressed by Kim Joowan’s words, Lee Donghun and Shim Dokyung’s eyes lit up. They were thinking of the classmates they hadn’t been able to meet while wandering around. Knowing they were injured and resting made them even more eager.

Even aware of their looks, Gijun didn’t immediately answer and instead quietly recalled his memories.

“…”

Home Economics teacher, Yoon Mijung. In her mid-40s, she had a somewhat delicate appearance and a gentle personality, making her well-liked by the students. Gijun also remembered speaking with her once or twice.

Nice weather, isn’t it? Yes, it is.

But it wasn’t these trivial conversations that Gijun focused on. During his repeated stays at the training center, he didn’t recall seeing Yoon Mijung among the teachers he first joined. The homeroom teachers were all taken away and locked up just before the commotion in the annex auditorium. Gijun had found their location and rescued the teachers, but Yoon Mijung wasn’t among them.

In other words, Yoon Mijung hadn’t been in the annex auditorium.

“…Why wasn’t she in the auditorium?”

“Huh? Oh, you mean yesterday?”

“Yes. The other homeroom teachers were taken and locked up, but she wasn’t.”

“That’s…”

Kim Joowan couldn’t answer. He didn’t seem to know either. As Gijun’s suspicion grew, the student standing next to Kim Joowan responded.

“I was feeling really nauseous and threw up. So the teacher stayed with me.”

She had felt unwell since arriving at the training center and had stayed in the main building. After taking some motion sickness medicine given by the teacher, she was just about to head to the annex when she encountered students fleeing from there.

Gijun stared intently at her. Though she seemed nervous, he needed to recall. She was tall, wore square-rimmed glasses, had her hair tied up high, and wore the school’s navy blue tracksuit.

Having experienced ten repetitions and tried various approaches, he recognized most students’ faces. Yet, remembering everyone was difficult, and memories tended to blend. However, it was rare to see a student in the school tracksuit…

‘Teacher! Aah… Run!’

Suddenly, a scene flashed in his mind. On the second night, he had seen a student in the tracksuit running down the hallway, terrified. At that moment, Gijun had been too preoccupied to understand the situation, but it seemed she had been with Yoon Mijung then too.

But is this fragmentary information enough to go there? And if Baek Sunwoo saw the injured students, he might feel more responsible and try to take charge. Visiting briefly might be okay, but finding the basement was urgent—

“Oh, right. The teacher has snacks that were meant to be distributed according to our schedule. There’s bread and instant rice. If you haven’t had breakfast, would you like some? The place we’re staying is lucky to have electricity. We can eat warm food…”

“Let’s go.”

At Kim Joowan’s words, Hae Gijun quickly changed his stance. It wasn’t for himself but for Baek Sunwoo. They had only snacked on treats since not having a proper meal all day yesterday and this morning.

It was curious that only their lodging had electricity, but the LINK lab also had power. It wasn’t evidence that the entire training center’s electricity was cut off. Perhaps a few places were left out, or LINK had mercifully left some areas with power.

Either way, they needed to eat. The previous repetition might have failed because he hadn’t fed Baek Sunwoo properly.

Moving ahead of Kim Joowan, Gijun spoke.

“Let’s go. Lead the way.”

“Huh? We need to stop by the storage room first.”

“Right, you mentioned blankets. I’ll help.”

“Oh, thank you…”

To get there as quickly as possible, Gijun offered his help. Ahn Youngah, Lee Donghun, and Shim Dokyung looked at him in mild astonishment before laughing and joining them.

They arrived at the lodging guided by Kim Joowan.