I had agreed to travel with Encia to Sangam-dong.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that she could drive, making our journey much more comfortable than I had expected.

“Encia, you know how to drive?”

“Yes. I obtained my driver’s license two days ago for you and Sophia.”

“For me…?”

The thought that she got her license for my sake was touching, yet I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

“Since you and Sophia cannot run like the beast-kin, I thought we would need another means of transportation.”

“You didn’t have to do that…”

“It’s okay. Assisting you is my duty, after all.”

Why was Encia so intent on aiding me?

What did she gain from it?

I really couldn’t understand.

Alone with her, I decided to try and learn a bit more about her.

“Isn’t it bothersome for you, Encia?”

“What do you mean?”

“Helping me with all these things.”

Encia shook her head at my question, her response appearing firm and without hesitation.

“Not at all. I take pride in helping you.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Do the beast-kin feel pride every time they raise a new one, since their numbers are so few?

I was curious but decided to ask about it later.

We were almost at the gate, after all.

“You seem surprisingly calm about all this, Encia.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you would try to stop me from entering dungeons. It’s surprising that you just let me go.”

Hmm?

Encia, still holding the steering wheel, rolled her eyes, seeming confused by my words.

“You will surely clear the dungeon.”

“Oh…”

Encia was confident that I would clear the dungeon.

It seemed like I was beginning to understand what kind of person she was.

Determined to live up to her trust, I resolved to clear the dungeon.

At that moment, we arrived near the gate.

“We’re here.”

“Okay…”

After sending Encia back, I walked towards the gate.

I wanted to enter, but someone blocked my way.

“Please turn back, this is a dangerous area.”

It was a young man wearing a fluorescent vest, seemingly a government official managing the gate.

I needed to enter the gate.

As I pondered what to say to him, a middle-aged woman in a suit hurried towards us from a distance.

“It’s okay, let her through!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, she’s from the Daybreak Guild.”

The woman lifted the ‘No Entry’ police tape, signaling me to come inside.

She kept looking around, seemingly uneasy, as if unsure whether what she was doing was right.

“I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do…”

She spoke meaningfully, as if knowing I was about to enter the gate.

“I’m sorry. I’ll definitely succeed…”

“You have to. Otherwise, I’ll be in trouble too.”

“Understood…”

It wasn’t just my livelihood at stake, but others’ as well.

For everyone’s sake, I had to clear the dungeon.

✧✧✧✧✧

Upon entering the gate, a familiar grassland came into view.

It resembled the expansive grassland of the beginner’s hunting ground.

“Hmm…”

My body felt more sluggish than usual.

Instinctively, I realized that all the mana had drained from my body.

Fortunately, even without mana, the physical abilities of a beast-kin were superior to those of ordinary humans.

I could hear sounds from hundreds of meters away.

I remembered hunting horned rabbits with an even less stable body.

This level of ability was enough to clear the dungeon.

Using all my senses, I began to search for any traces of people.

My enhanced sense of smell and hearing soon led me to human footprints.

‘This is…’

Near the lake, the footprints were chaotically intertwined.

Among the multiple human footprints, there were also small animal tracks.

The mix of blood stains suggested something had happened.

Clearly, a disaster had occurred.

While observing the mixed footprints, I recognized familiar ones – much larger than those of an ordinary person.

They had to be Choi Jinhyuk’s.