Euijae thought that after passing the Hunter qualification exam, things would get easier for a while, but that was a huge mistake. Now that he was a certified Hunter, the amount of knowledge he needed doubled, and the things he had to be cautious about tripled.

The first thing Euijae did was open the book *One-Touch! How to Use the Hunter Market*, which Jeongbin had given him. He had an ambition—not necessarily out of greed—that one day he would sell his mana stones and make a huge profit. To avoid repeating the nightmares of the EZ era, he needed to study every section thoroughly.

As he was scanning the book with a serious expression, his phone vibrated briefly. Seeing the name on the screen, Euijae reached for the phone to check the message. It had been a while since he’d heard from the sender, who had congratulated him on passing the exam.

**Sayoung**: When are you free?

**Sayoung**: Nam Woojin.

Nam Woojin. The name alone was enough to prompt Euijae to immediately call Sayoung. After just a couple of rings, Sayoung picked up. Euijae, his voice slightly tense, jumped right into the question.

“Is it true? Can we get Grandma’s leg treated?”

“Yes, thanks to you, I’ve got a way…”  

Euijae could hear the quiet sound of pages being turned from the other end. After a brief pause, Sayoung spoke again.

“We’ll need to prepare the materials in two days. Does that work for you?”

“I’ll need to ask Grandma, but…” Euijae trailed off. Since she’d been mostly staying at home due to her knee pain, he figured she wouldn’t have any pressing engagements. As for himself, his newly acquired abilities made gathering materials far more efficient than before, so there shouldn’t be any problem. Euijae nodded to himself.

“It should be fine.”

“Good. Let’s meet at the Seowon Guild then.”

It seemed like the conversation was over, but Sayoung didn’t hang up. Instead, there was a moment of silence, broken only by the faint sound of his breathing. Euijae, who had resumed reading the "Rules for Using the Hunter Market" while holding the phone between his shoulder and ear, glanced at the screen. Realizing the call was still active, he asked curiously.

“Is there something else you wanted to say?”

“No… I’ll see you then.” Sayoung finally hung up.

Euijae stared at the phone’s display for a moment, then immediately dialed his grandma and Haeun's house. It didn’t take long for a bright, cheerful voice to answer.

“Hello? Who is this?”

A smile unconsciously spread across Euijae’s face. Haeun’s innocent tone lifted his spirits, and his own voice rose half a pitch in response.

“Hey, Haeun. It’s your uncle. Is Grandma home?”

“Yeah!”

“Can you pass the phone to her?”

There was a brief sound of Haeun calling for her grandma, her voice fading as she moved away from the phone. By the time Euijae had finished reading the entire section on the Hunter Market’s rules and was halfway through a section on common scams, he heard a faint cough and the sound of someone coming to the phone.

“What’s up, son?”

“Grandma, are you free at 2 p.m. two days from now?”

“Free? What would I be doing? Of course, I’m free.”

Though he had expected that answer, Euijae couldn’t help but feel a little lighter. Without wasting any time, he got to the point.

“Would you like to go to the hospital then?”

“The hospital? Why?”

“Your knee’s been bothering you, right? One of the regulars at the restaurant told me about a hospital that’s really good with leg pain. The treatment’s affordable too.”

Euijae had wanted to explain that the hospital was actually home to South Korea’s only A-rank healer, but instead, he rephrased it as a "hospital that’s good with leg pain." Technically, Sayoung *had* been an orthopedic specialist before he became a healer, so it wasn’t a total lie. There was a doctor, and there would be good treatment for her knee—what more did she need to know? Euijae justified it to himself as he waited for her response.

“Ah, no need,” Grandma sighed.

“Why not, Grandma?”

“What good would seeing a doctor do now? I’m walking just fine as is.”

Her exasperated tone made Euijae shift in his seat as he responded gently.

“Still, Grandma, you should get better soon so you can come visit the hangover soup restaurant. The regulars keep saying they miss seeing you around.”

For 30 years, Grandma had cooked hangover soup here. She had done so before the Rift Day, and continued just the same afterward. It was the warmth of the hangover soup she had once served to a lonely stranger that kept Euijae grounded in this place.

Without her, he would have wandered aimlessly through this unfamiliar city and likely died a lonely death. That much, Euijae was sure of. He wanted to repay her for keeping him alive. He tapped his fingers softly on the table as his voice took on a slightly somber tone.

“Please, Grandma? Just trust me this once and go?”

“…”

“If you take some medicine, you’ll feel even better…”

“…Alright, I’ll go.”

“Really?”

In the end, Grandma relented, her voice soft with resignation. The burden that had been weighing on Euijae’s heart lifted significantly.

“Yes. Two days from now, right?”

“Yeah, around 2 or 2:30. I’ll come pick you up.”

“Got it. And don’t overwork yourself at the restaurant. If you’re tired, just close up early and rest. Your health always comes first.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

After hanging up the phone, Euijae stretched, feeling oddly content.

Two days later, it was time to prepare the materials. As Euijae hung the "closed" sign outside the hangover soup restaurant, the figure in the gas mask waiting by the door nodded in greeting. It was surprisingly pleasant to see that familiar dark face after so long.

“Hello, hyung.”

“You're here?”

“Where’s your grandma?”

“She’s at home. Her leg's still bothering her.”

“That’s fine. We’ll just rip another escape button.”

Euijae bit back the urge to comment on how many times they had used those escape buttons, but held his tongue. Though it was part of the deal, Euijae was the one receiving help today, and he decided to keep things smooth.

“Can I bring Haeun along?”

“Haeun? ...Oh,” Sayoung replied, tilting his head slightly as he realized. “Your niece?”

“Yeah. I can’t just leave her alone.”

“Alright. I’ll let them know.”

Sayoung nodded, and Euijae, showing that he was ready to go, placed both his hands on Sayoung’s shoulders with a casual gesture. Sayoung let out a slight chuckle as he pulled out Hong Yeseong’s masterpiece from his inventory. When Sayoung tore the button, in an instant, they arrived at Grandma and Haeun’s house.

Euijae, now standing face-to-face with Sayoung, quickly turned and headed toward the entrance. Haeun, who had been eagerly waiting for them, hopped up and grabbed onto Euijae’s hand before shyly hiding behind him, peeking at Sayoung from behind her uncle.

As Euijae gently stroked Haeun’s hair, explaining their trip to the “hospital that specializes in legs”—which was really the Seowon Guild—Sayoung stood a few steps away, watching in silence.

‘...Hm?’

Sayoung’s gaze, from within the gas mask, shifted downward. Haeun was half-hiding behind Euijae, her bright, curious eyes staring directly at him. After meeting her gaze for a moment, Sayoung was called back to attention by Euijae.

“Lee Sayoung, let’s go.”

Sayoung approached slowly, pulling out yet another escape button. Even though this was the second one he was using today, he didn’t hesitate to tear it.

The Seowon Guild building was a tall structure in the heart of the city. As Sayoung signaled to the security guard at the entrance, the guard seemed to receive instructions through his earpiece before bowing respectfully.

“Welcome, Guild Leader Lee Sayoung of the Wave Guild. Guild Leader Nam Woojin is expecting you.”

“The location?”

“He’s in the central library.”

They were given identification badges to proceed further inside. Haeun, who had been excited from the start, clutched her badge tightly, fiddling with it as they entered the building. Once inside, the sleek, modern lobby gave way to an entirely different sight.

[Checking entry permissions…]
[Lee Sayoung and three others, identity confirmed.]
[Welcome to the Seowon Guild.]

Euijae had expected something more akin to a hospital since Nam Woojin was a former doctor who was supposed to treat them. But what greeted him was a massive library.

Haeun’s mouth dropped open as she gazed around. Towering bookshelves stretched up to the high ceiling, packed with an overwhelming number of books. Seowon Guild members, each wearing yellow armbands marked with "librarian," bustled between the shelves, pushing book carts.

Euijae, too, took in his surroundings as they walked. The floor tiles and the shape of the shelves looked familiar. If his memory was correct, this was the same place he had seen in Yun Gaul’s vision—the Seowon Guild’s library had served as a base for survivors after the end of the world. Though in that other world, it was mostly in ruins…

Sayoung walked confidently through the maze-like shelves as he spoke.

“Nam Woojin will be at the central bookshelf.”

“The central bookshelf?”

After weaving through the labyrinth of books, they entered a cozy hall-like area surrounded by large bookshelves. In the center of the hall was a staircase that led up from the first floor to the second. Standing there, with his back to them, was a man dressed in white.

His long, snow-white hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he was wearing a white coat. Noticing their presence, the man turned his head. Sayoung gave him a nod, and the man slowly descended the stairs.

“You arrived earlier than I expected,” he said, holding a book under his arm as if greeting them.

A low voice came from beside Euijae, calling out the man’s name.

“Nam Woojin.”

This was him—Nam Woojin, the 7th-ranked Hunter in Korea, and the country’s only A-rank healer.