The person who brought news of Ryu Jeong-ah’s death was an employee from the Disaster Management Agency. While in the middle of treating guild members who had just come out of a dungeon, a call came through on his personal contact number.

“Hunter Ryu Seo-ha, I regret to inform you of sad news…”

He thought he had misheard. That there must have been some mistake. He didn’t remember how he arrived at the mortuary.

Except that amidst it all, he had first notified Choi Gang-hu of the situation, wondering if it might be a trap set by the Order.

“How do you feel right now!”

“The cause of death for your last remaining blood relative…”

“As a healer, did you notice any abnormal signs…”

Reporters had already gathered at the entrance, having heard from somewhere.

“You people! Don’t you know journalistic ethics?”

“Security!”

“Remove them all!”

Neither the scene of them confronting the mortuary staff, nor the sight of dispatched Awakened Management Bureau employees joining to clear the way, registered in his eyes.

Only after entering the mortuary interior, where outside access was controlled with permission from relevant personnel, did the commotion finally subside.

The freezer door was already open. The moment he saw his older sister laid out on the stainless steel shrouding table, his vision wavered. It was because his legs suddenly lost strength.

If Choi Gang-hu hadn’t supported his back, he would have collapsed to the floor. But he couldn’t even think to offer thanks.

“I pray for the deceased’s eternal peace.”

His ears buzzed. The employee’s words of comfort seemed to come from a distant place. It didn’t feel real. Could this be a nightmare?

Without realizing it, he nodded. It was clearly one of the bad dreams he had every night. Thinking how amazing it was to have a lucid dream like this, he smiled slightly.

Ryu Jeong-ah’s body lying in a neat posture looked like an elaborate mannequin. As he quietly turned to leave, a large hand grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

“Ryu Seo-ha.”

Choi Gang-hu’s voice, speaking with a seriously hardened expression, tried to stimulate his tear glands. He tightly closed and opened his eyes to shake off the rising emotions.

“Even in a bad dream, Choi Gang-hu appears as a good person.”

He laughed, wondering if it was a reflection of his subconscious. Even if he were a bad person to all of humanity in this world, it was different for Ryu Seo-ha.

It was an unchanging fact, no matter what cruel and unscrupulous sins he might commit in the past or future. The judgment of a ‘good person’ can only be highly subjective.

“Will you leave with me? It’s too cold here.”

“…”

“No, I’ll go alone. I’m scared it might turn into another nightmare.”

From long experience, the worst dreams weren’t those with consistently painful content. What could be more cruel than a dream that deceives you into thinking it’s happy, then suddenly takes everything away?

He was afraid the Choi Gang-hu before him might die absurdly too. Though he knew it would never happen in reality, dreams always package the unreal plausibly.

Especially negative imaginings were often supplemented with surprisingly realistic grounds. For example, because he had hatched the Fire Egg, Choi Gang-hu would never recover…

“No.”

Shaking his head to forcibly cut off thoughts racing into endless darkness, he tried to hurry away. He didn’t want to see the image of his dead sister, even in imagination.

“…This isn’t a dream.”

But once again, he couldn’t escape, his shoulders grasped by large hands. A familiar warmth transmitted from the captured shoulders.

Senses that had been disconnected from the world slowly began to return. He turned his head slowly to look at the body laid in the corner.

A massive shock swept through his brain like a storm. The hem of his sister’s clothes, looking as if she were just asleep before rigor mortis had set in, was stained with blood.

Uncontrollable anger boiled up. He saw a man standing at the entrance with his head bowed solemnly. It was the head of security assigned to his sister.

“Explain.”

He closed the distance in one breath and grabbed the man’s collar. Though he was an A-rank hunter with stealth abilities who could have easily avoided it, the man showed no sign of defense.

That attitude further fanned his anger that had lost its direction. He wanted to shout: What were you doing! Where were you and what were you doing while our sister ended up like this!

“Explain what happened.”

But the voice that came out of his mouth was eerily low and calm. It wasn’t intentional. It was just an attitude called forth by a habit ingrained like a callus.

“…We were on guard for all possibilities, but…”

The man, still mindful of Choi Gang-hu even in this situation, recounted the circumstances in a dejected voice. The head of security’s explanation went like this:

They had identified all attendees at the party and blocked suspicious approaches, but couldn’t prevent Ryu Jeong-ah herself from approaching others.

“She collapsed spewing blood right after happily hugging a friend. We suspect a deadly poison was released at close range.”

The culprit disappeared on the spot by tearing a spatial movement scroll, and the hunter hosting the party reported it immediately, with a healer being dispatched right away.

“Ah.”

However, upon hearing that she had already died and been moved to the institution, Ryu Seo-ha suddenly turned around in surprise. He approached the body with hurried steps.

He had been too flustered to even think of attempting treatment. He had momentarily forgotten even the fact that he himself had awakened as a healer.

Skill ‘Light of Healing’ is activated.

Ryu Seo-ha placed his hand on the cold skin and desperately unleashed the skill. He could feel the magical power just skimming the surface instead of penetrating the flesh.

Characteristic ‘Sanctification’ is activated.

Buff ‘Healing Regeneration’ is granted to the designated target (1 non-awakened person).

Even when activating the characteristic, the magical power only consumed greatly, bouncing off futilely unlike usual.

“Please.”

He prayed to a god he didn’t even believe in. That if He helped just this once, he’d do anything, please save his sister, forgive him for all his wrongs.

Buff ‘Healing Regeneration’ is granted to the designated target (1 non-awakened person).

Buff ‘Status Ailment Removal’ is granted to the designated target (1 non-awakened person).

Though he had already confirmed it was useless, he couldn’t stop pouring out characteristics. Again and again, over and over. Even on the verge of magical depletion, he couldn’t rest.

“Stop it.”

Until he felt a force grabbing his wrist and pulling it away from his sister.

Magic Power 452

Just then, as his stats increased, his depleted magic power recovered to a full charge level. It felt like encountering a ray of light descending into the deep sea.

“Please help me.”

Without realizing it, he grasped Choi Gang-hu’s hand. His desperate pleading voice sounded somehow empty.

“If you just lend me your hand… I’ll somehow solve it on my own, so…”

“Ryu Seo-ha.”

He felt the familiar precursor of magic from Choi Gang-hu, who called his name like a sigh. It was a sign he was about to cast the skill [Spatial Jump].

It was already too late to shake off his hand. He drew up magic power and pushed back, resisting the other’s strength. Just as Choi Gang-hu had taught him during breaks in the IHL period.

“Ryu Seo-ha!”

At the same time he felt a strong repulsive force, red blood gushed out between his lips. Choi Gang-hu, turning pale, hurriedly canceled the skill.

Buff ‘Healing Regeneration’ is granted to the designated target (1 non-awakened person).

Ryu Seo-ha quickly turned and continued his attempt at healing. Like a broken machine.

“You’ll cause a magic power rampage at this rate.”

Choi Gang-hu, embracing his shoulders from behind, soothed him in a regretful voice.

“I don’t care. If I can just save my sister, even if I die…”

He answered blankly, then stopped all movement with wide eyes.

‘The elixir.’

It was because the item he had received as soon as he arrived at work and carefully stored in his space expansion pouch flashed through his mind.

“Ha.”

Why hadn’t he thought of it right away? He felt like an idiot.

“…Choi Gang-hu.”

He slowly turned around to face his most reliable ally in the world. Just meeting eyes made a corner of his heart throb.

“I have a request.”

He had only been receiving without giving anything in return. He had wanted to love him freely, adding the delayed interest, once the lifespan issue was resolved.

“Just once…”

Ziing. As if cutting off his words, his phone let out a short cry. He had a strange feeling that he needed to check this. Sure enough.

Invitation

We invite you who wish to avenge Ryu Jeong-ah.

Time: The day of Ryu Jeong-ah’s death, 11 PM sharp

Location: Entrance of the permanent confessional inside Myeongdong Cathedral, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Essential: Ryu Seo-ha must come alone

Caution: Additional deaths of acquaintances if instructions are violated

The opened text message stimulated his anger while maintaining a familiar format. He recalled the words the head of his sister’s security detail had laid out like an excuse.

A joyful hug with a friend, escape using a spatial movement scroll. It was a pattern he had seen many times before. The faces of the Four Apostles dyed his vision red.

His cooled head deduced the Order’s intentions. They must have hoped for Ryu Seo-ha, consumed by anger to the point of losing all judgment, to rush in recklessly.

He had been careless. Though he had attached security just in case, he had rashly judged that the probability of directly targeting his sister wasn’t high.

Even after receiving similar threats before. He had taken it too lightly, focusing on obtaining the elixir. He should have at least prevented her from going out to an unfamiliar place.

“…Please take me home.”

Suppressing his raging emotions with clenched teeth, he made his request in a darkly subdued voice. He intended to administer the elixir.

“Together with my sister.”

Family is more precious than life itself.