Sayoung fell into the endless cycle of finger games, forgetting the world’s law that states, “The first time is hard, but after that, it’s easy.”

Every time she made a hand gesture, Haeun would shout, “Again!” So, each time she showed it again, Haeun would demand, “Again!” It seemed the child was quite excited to see someone from the TV right in front of her, doing the same thing. Even after about twenty repetitions, Haeun showed no signs of getting tired of it.

Sayoung spread her fingers once more and thought,

‘Is she not afraid of the poison?’

Most people tended to keep their distance. Even with the gas mask on, the special order gloves on her hands, and always carrying an antidote, they still didn’t come near.

Sayoung had no regrets about this. In fact, she thought it was entirely reasonable. If she let her guard down even for a moment while breathing, the person next to her could die. It made things easier for her if people were cautious, reducing what she had to worry about.

But Park Haeun was different, and so was Cha Euijae.

“Again!”

When she heard the word “again,” Sayoung moved her hands like a machine while lost in thought.

Haeun was just a child, so she might not understand. She might not comprehend why Sayoung wore a gas mask or why she never took off her gloves. Or perhaps she understood intellectually but couldn't grasp the reality of it. Children often had a bravery that bordered on recklessness.

But Euijae was different. He had nearly died from her poison, and yet, instead of keeping his distance, he boldly grabbed Sayoung’s arm. He wasn’t a child who didn’t understand; he was someone who already knew how harsh and dangerous the world could be.

Sayoung found it hard to comprehend such behavior. But did it bother her?

‘He almost died.’

No. It wasn’t that bad, actually. Of course, there were moments that were frustrating or tense. The image of Euijae coughing up bright red blood remained vividly etched in Sayoung’s memory.

In that moment, she felt anxiety for the first time since awakening. Why wasn’t the antidote working? Such logical questions didn’t even arise.

Euijae couldn’t die. She couldn’t just let him die.

That thought consumed her. The red alarm in her mind blared loudly. Without hesitation, she used the elixir obtained from a first-grade dungeon on Euijae. Its worth, its value—none of it mattered. What was important in that moment was only…

“Again, again!”

Haeun demanded again. As Sayoung made the gesture once more, a boy in a white coat approached them, walking briskly. His smooth and delicate features resembled fine porcelain, but he was not a boy.

“Lee Sayoung.”

It was Nam Woojin’s marionette, a reward for saving the life of an Italian puppeteer. The boy looked up at Sayoung with a blank expression.

“Park Haeun, it’s time to go read a book for real.”

“Eh….”

Haeun looked between the boy and Sayoung, pouting her lips before returning to the children’s book section. Her demeanor was a stark contrast to how she had been insisting on the hand gestures.

‘She’s quick to catch on when it really matters….’

Thinking of Euijae, Sayoung shook her head to block the ensuing thoughts. Only when she confirmed that Haeun had settled down and opened a book did she nod.

“Speak.”

The marionette began to brief her in a monotonous voice.

“The consultation for the patient you requested has concluded. The owner is currently selecting a treatment method, so I’m here to relay the information.”

Sayoung asked succinctly, “What’s the condition?”

“The owner has diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms initially appeared in the hands, but it seems they spread to the knees due to a lack of timely treatment.”

“What about a complete cure?”

“With medication and consistent management, there should be significant improvement. Additionally, rather than aiming for complete recovery, it was suggested to focus on reducing pain to a manageable level for daily life.”

“No use of abilities?”

“Correct. Since this is a naturally occurring illness based on real-world laws, it cannot be healed with the owner’s abilities.”

“…….”

Sayoung nodded as if she understood. The boy bowed his head and continued with his second message.

“Recently, the PRO-009 you sent in bulk is being used for experiments and analysis. They send their gratitude.”

PRO-009. It was the temporary code name for the drug that Euijae had thrown himself into danger to recover.

The drugs that had been obtained and analyzed so far had undergone gradual changes and enhancements. Therefore, every time variations occurred post-analysis, the numbers were updated. The most recent discovery was different from the previously obtained drugs, earning the designation ‘9.’ Given that there had been nine iterations of progress, its danger and efficacy were likely the strongest among all the drugs discovered thus far.

The marionette added casually, “The owner suggested that it would be good for you to stop by the laboratory briefly to check the analysis results. The child will be taken care of by the librarians.”

“…….”

Sayoung looked down at the marionette with cool eyes at its suggestion.

While it was a logically sound proposal, it wasn’t necessarily an essential procedure. She could be informed of the analysis results later at her leisure. So why was Nam Woojin so intent on sending her to the laboratory?

“…Alright.”

Whatever his ulterior motives were, Nam Woojin wouldn’t harm her or Euijae. Reason, not trust, guided Sayoung’s judgment as she slowly made her way to the laboratory.

“…It’s not an incurable disease, but it requires consistent management. You could think of it like diabetes, where you have to be cautious for life.”

Nam Woojin’s examination room was located deep within the labyrinthine library. Passing through the dimly lit corridors, which felt suffocating with books, she opened a steel door to reveal an ordinary doctor’s office, indistinguishable from any other hospital.

Euijae’s grandmother was assisted by a guild member and headed for the physical therapy room, leaving only Nam Woojin and Euijae in the examination room. Nam Woojin clicked his pen and continued speaking.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t provide a complete cure, but I can only heal wounds that occur under the system’s rules.”

“That’s alright. I’m just grateful for your examination.”

Euijae cautiously asked, “Where will we go for future appointments? We can’t always get treated here.”

“That’s right. My schedule is flexible, so I can’t always be available. However…”

Nam Woojin typed something on the keyboard and handed over a yellow sticky note with the name of a hospital. It was a university hospital located in the heart of Seoul.

“I’ll contact the hospital, so from now on, you can go there for your appointments.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“You won’t need to pay for consultations or medication. The Seowon Guild will cover all expenses.”

“Excuse me? Why?”

Euijae asked in surprise. Today was his first meeting with Nam Woojin. Why would this complete stranger cover his hospital bills? Arthritis wasn’t a rare disease, after all. Instead of answering the question, Nam Woojin stared at Euijae with his transparent white eyes.

“Since my work as a doctor is finished, I’d like to introduce myself as a Hunter.”

He slowly blinked his white eyes before continuing.

“I’m Nam Woojin, ranked 7th in Korea. I’m the leader of the Seowon Guild and also the owner of this library. You must be Cha Euijae?”

“Oh, yes.”

“You’re Sayoung’s ‘supporter.’”

“…….”

The corners of Euijae’s eyes sharpened slightly. Nam Woojin continued with the same courteous smile he had shown to the grandmother.

“It’s fine if you don’t answer. Your presence here is an answer in itself.”

He was completely certain of that. Euijae pondered his words and asked, “How is my being here an answer?”

“…Sayoung has never brought anyone else here. You are the first person she has brought to this place.”

He stood up and looked down at Euijae.

“Would you like to take a short walk?”

Without a word, Euijae stood up. As Nam Woojin took a step forward, the pristine examination room vanished, replaced by a lush green garden. The scent of grass tickled his nose, and the gentle flow of air felt just like a real garden. Was it a skill of Nam Woojin’s? As he walked ahead, Nam Woojin began to speak.

“Since the Day of the Rift, I have developed a great interest in this altered world. What is the system? What is the rift? Where do the monsters come from?”

These were questions everyone was curious about. However, no one in Korea, or even the entire world, including Euijae, could provide clear answers to them. Nam Woojin continued speaking slowly, as if he didn’t expect an answer.

“I have been gathering knowledge indiscriminately in search of the answers to these questions. I also maintain a good cooperative relationship with Sayoung.”

“Is that so?”

Every time he stepped on the dew-kissed grass, a fragrant aroma wafted up. Nam Woojin came to a halt.

“Recently, Sayoung delivered a massive quantity of drugs to me. She said her supporter brought them.”

“…….”

“Do you know the name of those drugs?”

He was probably referring to the drugs Euijae had recovered by throwing himself into danger. Euijae shook his head.

“I only heard them referred to as drugs.”

“The name of the drug is PRO-009.”

“…….”

“It’s the ninth drug created by the organization Prometheus, which gathers subjects for experimentation.”

The mythology of ancient Greece and Rome was fundamental knowledge for children in Korea before the Day of the Rift, so Euijae had indeed heard that name before.

“Prometheus… isn’t he a figure from Greek mythology?”

“Correct. He is the one who was tortured for bringing fire and knowledge to humanity. They claim to be seers, looking into the future through dreams, asserting that they enhance human abilities to avert the end times.”

An organization that scatters drugs to gather subjects for experiments, using the gathered subjects to create artificial awakeners: Prometheus. Their claims were very similar to the fragments of stories Yun Ga-eul had shown.

Nam Woojin turned slightly to look back.

“You seem quite intrigued.”

“…….”

“Then… how about this story?”

Euijae’s face was completely reflected in Nam Woojin’s pure white eyes. The healer observed even the smallest changes in his expression before stating plainly,

“Lee Sayoung was a test subject of Prometheus.”

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