For someone who had become the focal point of attention, Uijae was in a surprisingly peaceful state—if you didn’t count the fact that Lee Sayoung’s heavy body was slumped against him, oblivious to its own weight. But, that aside, things were relatively calm.

*Thunk! Thunk!*

"Sayoung! Is this how it’s supposed to be?"

"Ah, just hang in there until the bid is settled, Vice Leader!"

"This is right, isn’t it?"

"Yeah. Don’t fight back, just block... we need an excuse, after all."

*Clang! Clang!* The blades aimed at Sayoung were deflected by a massive wall and clattered to the floor, making things surprisingly quiet behind that barrier.

Sayoung, eyes closed, lazily answered as Baewonwoo, who had been holding his stance in front of the sofa, exhaled loudly and readjusted himself. From the moment Sayoung had made a small hand gesture, Baewonwoo had been blocking the torrent of attacks aimed at them.

"Leader! Can I shout now?"

"Go ahead."

Taking a deep breath, the red-haired woman who Uijae had seen a few times at the hangover soup restaurant—Kang Jisoo—lifted her paddle, labeled with the number 7, and roared with a voice like a lion.

"SEVENNNNNN!"

The entire building seemed to shake from the sheer volume. Two Hunters, who had been brawling nearby, clutched their ears and collapsed. Uijae noticed that even the paddle on the table in front of him was shaking. The auctioneer, who had been groaning in pain, hurriedly grabbed the microphone again.

"Y-Yes... Number 7!"

An auction is supposed to be a process where the highest bidder wins the item, right? They even provided paddles for this. So why were these super hamsters using them to beat people instead? Rather than calling out higher bids, these Hunters were physically reducing their competition.

And Uijae saw it clearly. Just beyond Baewonwoo’s solid back, Honeybee leaped like a butterfly and smashed a fellow Hunter’s head with his paddle. *Crack!* The satisfying sound of the paddle breaking echoed. Honeybee cursed quietly and tossed the broken piece aside.

"Matthew! Do you have a spare?"

"No."

A low voice, as deep as a cave, answered. Uijae glanced to his left. In the midst of this chaotic war zone, there was only one other place that remained calm besides where Uijae and Sayoung were seated—the spot where Honeybee and a bear-like man sat. While Honeybee had started flying around and attacking other Hunters, the bear of a man remained in his seat, unmoving.

At that moment, the man—Matthew—turned his gaze toward Uijae. Or rather, toward Sayoung, who was resting with his eyes closed against Uijae’s shoulder. Despite his bear-like physique, Matthew, dressed in a gray suit and wearing silver-rimmed glasses, gave off an intellectual air.

"Lee Sayoung, don’t you think it’s time you did something about this situation?"

Sayoung, still resting his head on Uijae’s shoulder, replied lazily.

"Why should I? I didn’t do anything."

"You provoked the pride of these Hunters, didn’t you?"

"Isn’t it their fault for lacking patience? It’s not my problem if they didn’t learn self-control."

Even if his body was weak, Sayoung’s sharp tongue was as quick as ever. Sayoung’s snide remarks began to flow effortlessly. Caught between the top two Hunters—ranked second and third—Cha Uijae, the current number one, just wanted to run away to somewhere quiet. He wished they would talk without involving him.

"……."

Matthew didn’t lash out or argue. He just stood there, listening silently. Sayoung clicked his tongue and let out a short sigh before adding.

"Just keep an eye on Honeybee. You’ll need an excuse when Jung Bin shows up."

"Understood. Thank you for the advice."

Matthew bowed his head respectfully. Wait—did he take that as advice and not sarcasm?

‘Is this guy some kind of saint…?’

As Uijae stared in disbelief, Matthew began rummaging through his inventory. Uijae shot a cautious side-eye his way, wondering if he would suddenly attack. But instead, Matthew pulled out…

*A nostalgic snack! Grilled taffy.*

It was a bright yellow packet of taffy.

Despite the odd stares, Matthew casually opened the packet and raised his right index finger. A small flame flickered to life at his fingertip.

What happened next was even more absurd. Matthew began to grill the taffy over the flame, adjusting the heat with perfect precision. Smelling the toasted sweetness, Sayoung mumbled.

"That guy is grilling again…"

"...Does he grill taffy often?"

"Well…"

Sayoung, his voice hoarse, muttered weakly.

"When the guild leaders gather, he sometimes grills buttered squid for everyone."

Is he the guild’s snack guy? Uijae’s expression turned blank, but before he could react further, something warm and freshly grilled was thrust in his direction. Matthew had handed him two pieces of grilled taffy.

"Here, take them. They’re perfectly grilled."

"……."

"Just take them," Sayoung ordered.

Kim Seungbin’s persona snapped into action, and Uijae took the taffy with both hands, bowing politely. Matthew returned the gesture with equal formality before resuming his grilling.

As the chaotic noise in the hall began to subside, Honeybee returned to his seat, running a hand through his hair.

"Ugh, these guys are such weaklings... Huh? What’s this?"

"Eat it."

"What? I didn’t think you had any! Thanks."

Honeybee grinned and bit into the taffy before sitting back on the sofa and crossing his legs. With Baewonwoo no longer blocking the view, Uijae could see that most of the super hamsters were lying sprawled on the floor, having been knocked out in the chaos.

"Well… now that the competition’s all gone…"

Sayoung muttered as he straightened up in his seat. He gestured toward Kang Jisoo, who was still holding her paddle high.

"Kang Jisoo."

"Yes, Guild Leader!"

"Collect all the paddles and break them."

"On it."

In the blink of an eye, Kang Jisoo disappeared. Sayoung picked up the paddle labeled with the number 2 from the table with his bound hands and looked at the auctioneer.

"You said you need a paddle to participate, right?"

"Ah, yes! That’s correct."

"……."

Sayoung’s violet eyes swept across the room. In the distance, the sound of paddles snapping echoed regularly as Kang Jisoo broke them. Sayoung raised his paddle to head height and smirked.

"Huh… Looks like I’m the only one who can participate."

"What? Hey! Who said you could—"

"Honeybee, here’s some roasted marshmallow."

"Mmph! Mmph!"

"Hmm? You want buttered squid too? Got it."

Honeybee tried to protest, but Matthew silenced him by stuffing freshly roasted marshmallows into his mouth one after another. The auctioneer, now completely flustered, glanced over at Hong Yeseong, but he was already too distracted. Grinning, Hong Yeseong snatched the auctioneer’s gavel and declared loudly.

"Then it’s settled. The item goes to Lee Sayoung. Let’s wrap this up!"

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* The gavel echoed through the hall. Sayoung blinked slowly, then let out a long sigh. He leaned his head against Uijae’s shoulder again and whispered into his ear.

"So… hyung."

"Yes?"

"Tell Jung Bin one thing for me."

"……."

"Tell him I’ll make him pay for this… twice over."

Sayoung’s body collapsed forward as he whispered, the paddle falling from his hand just as Uijae caught him. His body was frighteningly cold.

In the haze of his mind, only one word came to Uijae’s head. The murmurs around him blurred.

‘Why?’

Was it just that his condition had been poor? Was it really the binding of his power source that had affected him so much? Could it really weaken him to this extent, to the point of collapsing? Who should he call? Where should he—

His thoughts tangled and his heart raced. Uijae’s hands, shaking as they held Sayoung, tightened around him.

"Sayoung."

"……."

"Hey, Lee Sayoung."

His pulse seemed to slow, and even his breathing grew faint.

No. Uijae’s hands trembled as he held Sayoung’s cold body. He frantically looked around and saw a large figure stepping forward.

Baewonwoo, his face filled with panic, quickly raised a wall to shield them. He turned his head sharply to ensure they were hidden and then asked.

"Secretary, what’s going on with him? What happened?"

Uijae opened his mouth to answer but bit his tongue hard instead. The sharp pain and metallic taste of blood brought him back to reality. Thankfully, his voice came out steady.

"I don’t know. He’s been feeling off since he was bound, but he suddenly collapsed."

"What? He’s never been this bad before… I’ve been bound by those chains too, but it was never this extreme… Jisoo! Go find Jung Bin!"

"Damn it… Where even is Jung Bin? Fine, I’ll

 go!"

Kang Jisoo slipped through a gap in the wall. Meanwhile, Baewonwoo pulled out every potion he could from his inventory and laid them out, clutching his head in frustration.

After what felt like an eternity, when Uijae’s back was drenched with cold sweat, there was a series of rhythmic knocks on the wall. One of the walls slid open, and Kang Jisoo entered, panting heavily and dragging Jung Bin with her.

"Kang Jisoo, what happened to the auction hall—"

"Jung Bin!"

"...Lee Sayoung? What in the world…"

Jung Bin’s expression shifted in an instant as he dropped to one knee in front of Sayoung. A heavy silence filled the space. After assessing Sayoung’s condition, Jung Bin let out a quiet sigh.

"I’m sorry. I underestimated the situation. I didn’t realize so much time had passed."

With hurried movements, Jung Bin unraveled the chains binding Sayoung’s wrists. His limp arms fell to his sides. Baewonwoo, now kneeling beside them, muttered worriedly.

"Sayoung’s never been this bad before. What’s happening?"

"Hmm…"

Jung Bin looked troubled for a moment, but then his face hardened with resolve. He spoke in a low voice.

"You know my chains bind an awakener’s power source, right? That’s what’s publicly known… but…"

Uijae, still holding Sayoung’s cold arm, looked up at Jung Bin as he continued.

"To be precise, my chains return the body to its state just before awakening. That’s the essence of how my power works. It temporarily rewinds the body’s clock, locking it in that moment before awakening."

Suddenly, Uijae remembered something Nam Woojin had once said.

"In the middle of the black wasteland, he was found sitting alone, wearing nothing but a loose hospital gown."

"Back to the body they had just before they awakened."