Hong Seti narrowed her eyes, surveying the sewer.

Her glowing blue eyes cut through the darkness without a trace of fear or surprise. This kind of shadowy environment was far too familiar to her.

‘A subspace formed by warped mana? No… it’s a barrier overlaid onto the sewer.’

It wasn’t much different from the "ranches" run by the Korean government where she and her sisters had been raised as livestock.

Seti suppressed a bitter sigh, her thoughts churning.

‘The Korean government… unlikely.’

Staging something like this in the middle of an academy monitored by both the U.S. and Australian governments? Not a chance.

As frustrating as it was, South Korea wasn’t careless enough for that.

The most likely culprit was the cult priest Ava had warned her about. How the priest managed to create a barrier of this magnitude was unclear, but if they’d already committed one act of terror, what was stopping a second?

Pondering this, Seti continued her cautious exploration of the sewer until she suddenly sensed movement and froze.

Holding her breath, she strained her ears and picked up the sound of footsteps—two distinct sets.

Her body tensed as unease crawled down her spine. Instinctively, she drew on her mana.

“Anyway, as I was saying, junior, when that happens….”

Soon, two figures emerged from the far end of the sewer.

Two male students, both dressed in familiar academy uniforms. One of them, Seti recognized immediately.

A strikingly handsome boy, his sharp features often compared to those of a prince by clueless classmates.

The traitor’s son, Jeon Yunseong.

At his hip hung an imperial knight’s sword, though how he’d obtained it was anyone’s guess. He was casually chatting with the other boy, whose identity was unknown.

“Junior? You don’t have to be so formal. Just speak casually,” said Yunseong’s companion.

“Is that okay? I mean, I am your senior, but… you’re the freshman representative.”

The older boy’s grin seemed slightly awkward. Judging by his uniform, he was a second-year student, but there was something off about him.

Seti couldn’t put her finger on it, but everything about him—from his posture to his demeanor—set off warning bells.

Deciding against approaching them, Seti quietly took a step back.

She had no intention of joining their group.

“…Who’s there?”

The second-year spotted her before Yunseong did, his sharp eyes locking onto her position in the shadows.

At this distance? Seti bit her lip. Did he have some kind of magic that pierced through darkness? His gaze was unnervingly accurate.

“A first-year?” the boy asked.

Seti remained silent, her piercing stare fixed on him. The boy scratched the back of his head awkwardly, as if trying to diffuse the tension.

“Look, I get that meeting here is awkward, but there’s no need to be hostile.”

“….”

“I’m Arthas, a second-year. You probably already know him—Jeon Yunseong.”

Introducing himself, Arthas took a step forward, his tone still lighthearted.

“You’re not some ghost or anything, right? If you’re alive, could you say something?”

That’s when it hit her.

The source of her unease was his behavior.

Despite being trapped in a sewer filled with warped mana, he seemed completely at ease.

It wasn’t just a matter of confidence. His expression, posture, and overall demeanor showed not even a hint of tension.

“Hello…?” he called again.

Step.

As he took a single step closer, Seti’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Fight or flee?

Her decision was swift—she chose to retreat.

As much as she wanted to fight and uncover his true nature, now wasn’t the time to waste her energy.

If she had her hammer, maybe it would be different, but with Yunseong potentially joining the fray, even divine power might not secure a victory.

‘I need to find Yeomyeong first.’

Her resolve set, Seti prepared to use her movement technique.

But before she could act, a brilliant light erupted behind her—a radiant mix of sunlight and moonlight.

Startled, she stopped mid-step and turned. Her pupils adjusted to the sudden brightness, focusing on the source.

There stood a blonde-haired girl, glowing with an ethereal light emanating from two large orbs floating above her shoulders.

“…Sae-mi-ri?”

“Seti. Finally found you.”

Finally?

As Seti’s finely arched brows furrowed in confusion, Sae-mi-ri continued.

“Yeomyeong is desperately searching for you. Shall we meet up with him?”

“Sae-mi-ri, what are you—”

Seti began to ask, but Jeon Yunseong interrupted, noticing Sae-mi-ri and inserting himself between the two girls.

“Sae-mi-ri?!”

With a sudden leap, Yunseong crossed the sewer, bypassing Seti entirely to rush toward Sae-mi-ri.

It was a movement eerily reminiscent of the Flash Step technique—or perhaps its exact replication.

“Sae-mi-ri! What are you doing here? Are you okay? Are you hurt? If a beastfolk zombie bit you, let me know—I’m sure my senior here has a potion….”

Yunseong’s words tumbled out rapidly, but Sae-mi-ri cut him off with an icy response.

“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“But still….”

He seemed intent on continuing the conversation, but Sae-mi-ri brushed past him without hesitation, heading toward Seti.

Seti glanced between Yunseong and Sae-mi-ri before speaking.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine.”

Her words were firm, but her gaze was… strange. Her eyes looked through Seti, as though focused on something far away.

“Seti,” Sae-mi-ri said softly, gripping her arm tightly and lowering her voice so only Seti could hear.

“...You can feel Yeomyeong, can’t you?”

“....”

“That sensation in your chest—just follow it. That’s all we need to do.”

 

Before they knew it, the four of them were walking through the sewer together.

To be precise, Sae-mi-ri and Seti led the way, while Jeon Yunseong and the second-year senior trailed behind.

Though they might have exchanged words under different circumstances, an oppressive silence hung between them.

Jeon Yunseong occasionally opened his mouth as if to speak to Sae-mi-ri, but he never managed to say anything.

The only sounds filling the sewer were the rhythmic echoes of their footsteps.

Finally, the second-year, who had been watching Yunseong closely, broke the silence.

"Yunseong—not junior, Yunseong. Do you remember what I said earlier?"

"Ah, yes, I remember."

Even though the question came out of the blue, Jeon Yunseong nodded.

It would’ve been hard to forget.

After all, the senior had suggested that this bizarre sewer could be the precursor to a dimensional gate swallowing the academy—a terrifying possibility.

“I don’t have any hard evidence,” the senior admitted, “but back when I was in the Order, I learned about similar cases. Dimensional gates created with dark magic.”

“Hmm….”

“Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but… better safe than sorry.”

“That’s true. This situation doesn’t make sense otherwise.”

After a pause, the senior spoke again, his voice serious.

"Yunseong, would you consider coming with me to search for signs of a dimensional gate?"

“…Pardon?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this. I’d struggle on my own, but if you helped me….”

The senior trailed off, perhaps aware of how unreasonable his request was.

Jeon Yunseong didn’t answer right away. His gaze shifted to Seti and Sae-mi-ri’s backs as they walked ahead.

As his silence stretched, the senior eyed him sharply, as if scrutinizing his every move.

When Yunseong finally broke the silence, it was to offer a polite but firm refusal.

“…I’m sorry, senior. I don’t think I can.”

“…”

“Even if you’re right, the adults will handle it. There are U.S. military forces stationed at the academy port. This isn’t something we need to involve ourselves in.”

The senior nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation. Yet, as he looked away, he muttered so softly that Yunseong couldn’t hear:

“Not this one, then.”

 

Awoooo!

A piercing wolf’s howl echoed through the sewer, loud enough to make ears ache.

It was a sound that no rotting zombie vocal cords could produce.

“Ah, come on… it’s not just zombies now?”

The Saintess muttered in frustration as she loaded her rifle. Ahead of her, Yeomyeong calmly set down the warhammer and bundle of weapons, swapping them for his sword and shotgun.

“Why does it feel like they’re only chasing after you?”

“…Being popular is exhausting. Didn’t you know?”

Her sarcastic comment seemed to signal the next wave. From beyond the tunnel, the thundering sound of footsteps grew louder.

Even from the noise alone, they could tell:

‘Something bigger than the beastfolk zombies is coming.’

The Saintess reached the same conclusion and immediately began a blessing.

“White Wulsbatis, grant us the strength to vanquish evil.”

Her usually playful voice turned solemn as she recited the prayer.

Responding to her words, a radiant white light enveloped her rifle and Yeomyeong’s sword.

“This will last ten minutes. If you weren’t such a skeptic, it could’ve been thirty.”

She smirked, aiming her rifle into the darkness.

“How about converting now? I could make you a personal knight of the Saintess.”

“…Let’s finish this in ten minutes.”

Yeomyeong’s curt reply marked the end of their exchange as the Saintess pulled the trigger.

Bang!

A glowing bullet illuminated the tunnel, piercing through the darkness to strike something beyond.

Flash!

The bullet erupted into light, momentarily revealing their foes.

Charging toward them were not just the wolf-like beastfolk zombies they had seen before, but also…

“...Fiends?”

Massive creatures with the bodies of gorillas, multiple arms, and wolf-like heads stitched together in grotesque combinations.

The Saintess let out a hollow laugh.

“First zombies, now monsters….”

“A classic combination.”

“Classic? Where the hell is this classic from?”

Ignoring her incredulous tone, Yeomyeong rushed toward the approaching fiends and zombies.

The light of the Saintess’s blessing enhanced his blade, and as he activated the Wave Breaking Sword Technique, his mana surged.

His first target—a fiend leading the charge—opened its jaws and snarled, its voice eerily articulate:

“D-die—!”

Smarter than the monsters he’d faced in Manchuria.

But Yeomyeong didn’t bother replying, driving his blade straight into the fiend’s open maw.

Squelch!

Its blood was hot, unlike the zombies’. Yeomyeong didn’t hesitate, pulling his blade free and swinging it again.

Unlike the zombies, the fiends didn’t die easily. Even with its head split in two, the fiend lunged at him, claws reaching for his legs.

These weren’t mindless attacks. They targeted his ankles and knees, aiming to topple him.

‘Is something controlling them?’

Yeomyeong frowned at the shift in tactics. While the fiends’ attacks themselves weren’t a major threat, their interference disrupted his rhythm.

Each time he moved to avoid a fiend’s desperate lunge, more zombies and fiends closed in.

Still, none of their attacks landed.

Bang!

Whenever Yeomyeong’s sword stalled, the Saintess’s bullets filled the gap.

The difference was stark—having backup allowed him to move with far more freedom compared to fighting alone.

So much so that the Saintess found the time to joke.

“Yeomyeong! Use your sword energy! I’m running low on bullets!”

Taking her advice, Yeomyeong gathered mana into his blade, releasing it in a wide arc.

Whoosh!

The sword energy cut through the air, slicing the sewer in half. If this had been a real sewer, the walls would’ve been destroyed along with the monsters.

Where the energy passed, fiends and zombies alike were cleaved in two, their innards spilling out with wet plops.

“...Wow, that gets stronger every time I see it,” the Saintess remarked, her voice filled with awe as she surveyed the blood-soaked aftermath.

Yeomyeong, meanwhile, exhaled deeply, bracing himself. He worried about the latent bloodlust in his heart, but thankfully, it remained dormant.

“Don’t let your guard down. There are still more coming,” he warned.

As if on cue, the distant sound of shuffling feet grew louder. The Saintess swapped out her magazine and grinned.

“Heh, this reminds me of Manchuria.”

“…Does it? Not really.”

“…Ugh, you’re hopeless. Even if it doesn’t, you’re supposed to agree at times like this.”

“Lying goes against the Five Gods’ teachings, doesn’t it?”

“Does manhandling women go against them too? Or is it just me you disrespect?”

“….”

Yeomyeong ignored her teasing, focusing instead on drawing more mana.

There were still plenty of fiends and zombies left to kill.

 

Follow the feeling in your chest.

Seti did as Sae-mi-ri suggested, her steps guided by the strange, ticklish sensation deep within her.

It wasn’t just because she had no other option; she truly felt that something—or someone—lay beyond this sewer.

Yeomyeong had to be here. She was certain of it.

Though there was no concrete evidence, her conviction burned bright.

Soon, she stumbled upon proof: the sewer littered with dismembered zombie corpses.

Seti needed no further confirmation. She knew exactly who had done this.

‘Found him.’

Quickening her pace, she ignored the grumbles of Jeon Yunseong and the unsettling senior trailing behind her.

To Seti, Jeon Yunseong was nothing but an object of loathing.

Once, she had considered him a future ally.

Someone she could admire, even envy—a hero who might save her sister.

But the day she learned the truth, Seti stopped seeing him as anything resembling an equal.

One day… the Jeon family would pay for their sins.

Turning the corner, Seti felt the sensation in her chest vanish.

“...Sae-mi-ri? Yeomyeong?”

Ahead, Sae-mi-ri and Yeomyeong sat amidst a pool of blood.

“Oh! Seti! It’s Seti!”

The Saintess beamed, standing to greet her, while Yeomyeong paused mid-cleaning his blade to look her way.

Finally.

With joy bubbling in her chest, Seti ran toward Yeomyeong—

—or tried to.

Her feet refused to move.

Because Yeomyeong’s gaze wasn’t fixed on her.

He was staring past her, his eyes hardening with unmistakable hatred.

It was a look she had never seen before.