Chapter 62

 

Seo Woojin’s expression brightened.

 

It was only natural since the people he had been searching for were all gathered in one place.

 

“Dahye!”

 

Lee Ji-ah, who saw Kim Dahye appearing behind, rushed towards her.

 

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

 

Although she was just a petite guardian, she took care of her friend as if she were her protector.

 

“Fortunately, everyone is gathered.”

 

Seo Woojin exchanged greetings with a delighted face.

 

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

 

Ludian sighed with relief at Seo Woojin’s unscathed appearance.

 

“Well, it’s nothing…”

 

He shrugged.

 

“Oh? The saint.”

 

At that moment, Kang Byeong-gyu discovered Seong Yura and widened his eyes.

 

“Ah, we met by chance.”

 

When Seo Woojin nonchalantly replied, her expression sharpened.

 

“Then what about the others?”

 

“Well… I did see one more person, but they disappeared when the space changed.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

While conversing with Kang Byeong-gyu, Seong Yura suddenly interjected.

 

“What’s the matter?”

 

“You saw one more person? What do you mean by that?”

 

“I briefly met Lim Taeeun. We separated right away, though.”

 

Seo Woojin’s response left an impression on Seong Yura.

 

“Why are you telling me this now?”

 

Lim Taeeun is Seong Yura’s friend.

 

Seo Woojin must have known that, but he didn’t mention it, and that angered her.

 

“Is that important?”

 

“Of course!”

 

“If I had said that when we first met, would anything have changed?”

 

There was no mood to talk in the first place.

 

Who was the person who frowned and spoke sarcastically as soon as they met?

 

Even though he received such treatment, Seo Woojin wasn’t entirely without consideration.

 

Thanks to that, he didn’t feel the need to share such information.

 

“… But you could have still said it.”

 

Seeing Seong Yura clenching her lips and speaking, Seo Woojin clicked his tongue inwardly.

 

“Was Taeeun okay?”

 

“Still, she seems to care about her friend.’

 

Cold to others but warm to my friend, is that the kind of personality she has?

 

“Although she seemed a bit exhausted, there didn’t seem to be any injuries.”

 

Although the invisible pet dragon bothered Seo Woojin a little, he didn’t want to add to the anxiety by telling it unnecessarily.

 

Taking his gaze away from Seong Yura, who sighed with relief, Seo Woojin looked at his team members.

 

“Everyone looks okay.”

 

They seemed a bit tired, but there were no noticeable injuries.

 

“We’ve all been together since the third day.”

 

At Kang Byeong-gyu’s words, Seo Woojin nodded.

 

“From the third day?”

 

“Yeah. If that hadn’t happened, we would have been in big trouble. Especially me.”

 

Although Kang Byeong-gyu laughed, Seo Woojin’s expression became even stranger.

 

“What day is it today?”

 

“Huh? It’s the fifth day. I’ve been checking the time regularly, so I’m sure.”

 

There was a time discrepancy.

 

Not only among those who entered first but also among the companions who entered together, time seemed to flow differently.

 

“I’ve been here for only two days.”

 

Kang Byeong-gyu didn’t immediately understand Seo Woojin’s words.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The time we spent in the ruins is different. Seong Yura over there has already been here for more than ten days.”

 

Kang Byeong-gyu and others were surprised.

 

“There are anomalies not only in space but also in time!”

 

“That’s right. So we need to get out of here quickly. While we’re wandering here, we can’t tell how much time has passed outside.”

 

If it was just a few days’ difference, it was okay.

 

But what if it had been months or even years?

 

He didn’t want to witness a horrifying situation where they went outside and found that the Demon King had arrived.

 

“Uh, then we need to find other knights…”

 

“We have to give up on the knights.”

 

Seo Woojin shook his head, remembering the lump of flesh.

 

“Did you see something we don’t know about?”

 

Looking at Seo Woojin’s somewhat heavy expression, Ludian asked cautiously.

 

“Everyone has fallen to monsters.”

 

To be precise, they became the monsters themselves.

 

He couldn’t reveal that fact.

 

It was expected that Ludian would be shocked when he found out that his subordinates had become like this.

 

“Is that so?”

 

Ludian tried to appear calm, but his trembling pupils showed how painful his feelings were.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Mr. Seo Woojin, there’s no need for you to apologize; it’s our fault for being inadequate.”

 

Ludian sighed.

 

“But how do we get out of here? Even Byeong-gyu couldn’t find a way out.”

 

Suddenly, Lee Ji-ah, who was next to Kim Dahye, asked seriously.

 

“Oh, I have something in mind.”

 

Seo Woojin slightly smiled, as if trying to change the atmosphere.

 

“What is it?”

 

Kang Byeong-gyu asked with a curious expression.

 

“This way.”

 

Seo Woojin pointed to the thicket he had just emerged from.

 

More precisely, the space beyond.

 

“I found something over there.”

 

* * *

 

“…Missing?”

 

“That’s right. Two teams and the knights who were watching over them have had no contact for three days.”

 

Irene couldn’t speak at the words of the Imperial Knight.

 

Seo Woojin, along with the other Heroes, are missing?

 

If she had known this would happen, she should have stayed by his side even if she had to use force.

 

It was a mistake to take on the role of escort for other Heros in order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

 

“So, we plan to form a search party. Are you interested?”

 

Since one of the missing people was Seo Woojin, who was supported by Sion, it seemed that he was informing Irene.

 

“Of course.”

 

Of course, Irene accepted the proposal.

 

If the search party wasn’t organized, she was determined to go out and find him alone.

 

“The search will begin in 30 minutes. Prepare and come to the assembly point.”

 

The Imperial Knight seemed to be in a hurry.

 

Of course, the disappearance of the Heroes was not a matter to be taken lightly.

 

Even so, why was he in such a hurry?

 

‘It’s probably because Baek Siwoo went missing.’

 

A Hero supported by the Empire and an SSS-class superhuman.

 

With the greatest force against the Demon King gone, the Empire had no choice but to move as quickly as possible.

 

Thanks to that, a quickly organized search party conducted a search within 30 minutes.

 

“This is where some of the missing Heroes were last seen.”

 

One of the knights skilled in tracking pointed forward.

 

“It seems to be where the red flare went off.”

 

“There was a battle with Dark Elves. And from over there…”

 

“What on earth happened?”

 

The leader of the search party asked with a serious expression.

 

It was inevitable.

 

The place he was looking at was flipped as if hit by a bomb, like the entire forest had been turned upside down.

 

There was no way such ruins could have been created as a result of a battle with the Dark Elves.

 

“Burtal appeared.”

 

“Burtal!”

 

At the knight’s words, everyone who had gathered opened their eyes wide.

 

Isn’t he one of the ten most dangerous demons in the Demonic Realm Helldane?

 

The number of knights of the Empire who lost their lives to that bastard reached dozens.

 

“Is there a possibility that they fell victim to him?”

 

“No. Burtal has been killed.”

 

“…Is that true?”

 

“It is said that the head of that damn monkey was cut off through the combined efforts of Captain Ludian and a Hero.”

 

“Ah!”

 

It was said easily, but this was a remarkable achievement.

 

“I’ve heard rumors that Ludian has recently risen to the highest rank, but this is indeed impressive”.

 

The leader of the search party admired the strength of the top class knight.

 

“But which Hero teamed up with him?”

 

“A D-class Hero named Seo Woojin.”

 

“Ah, that…”

 

Everyone’s eyes turned to Irene at the subordinate’s answer.

 

“He seems to display quite a presence that doesn’t match his rank, doesn’t he?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

That was the end of the story about Seo Woojin.

 

Certainly, clearing out the Dark elves and Burtal in itself was a significant achievement.

 

If it were a normal day, the Empire’s royal court would have acknowledged and celebrated such merit, making a fuss about it.

 

However, at the moment, instead of worrying about a low-ranking Hero like Seo Woojin, it was more important to find someone else.

 

“Over here.”

 

The knight accurately pinpointed the location where the elite friends were present.

 

“Fortunately, it seems that the direction those who went missing from here headed is also that way. So, as we move, we may be able to find traces.”

 

That was positive news.

 

“Let’s move quickly.”

 

A search party of 60 people, including Irene, started moving.

 

In their search for any possible traces, their movement speed was extremely slow.

 

How much time had passed like that?

 

The knight leading the way suddenly stopped.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

Wondering if they had found a clue, someone approached and asked.

 

However, his expectations were brutally shattered.

 

“…Traces have been lost here.”

 

It disappeared completely, as if it had risen into the sky.

 

“Does that make sense?”

 

There was an expression of disbelief.

 

“That’s not the only thing.”

 

As if indicating another problem, he turned his head to look in one direction.

 

“It seems that Baek Siwoo has also disappeared from here.”

 

The traces of the elite friends had also disappeared from this place.

 

This meant that there was something in front of them.

 

But…

 

“There is nothing?”

 

In front of them, all that could be seen was a dense forest.

 

There was no apparent cause for dozens of knights and eleven Heroes to disappear.

 

“Search the surrounding area thoroughly.”

 

However, there was no way to simply withdraw from here.

 

The commander of the search party had to overturn every inch of the land in this area to find them.

 

Upon his command, the knights began to move.

 

Irene was no exception.

 

She surveyed her surroundings with a more serious expression than anyone else.

 

There were numerous traces, including footprints.

 

And everything disappeared at a certain place.

 

‘Did it really soar into the sky?’

 

If not, there was no explanation.

 

Irene raised her head and looked up.

 

Naturally, except for the darkening sky, nothing else was visible.

 

This time, she looked down.

 

Then she began digging the ground with her hands.

 

It was a simple thought that if it’s not above, it must be below.

 

The knights who witnessed her actions started mocking.

 

“They said the knights of Sion were unparalleled in barbarity, and it seems it wasn’t a lie.”

 

“Do they only know how to think in such a one-dimensional way?”

 

Openly contemptuous words were heard.

 

But Irene paid no attention.

 

After all, wasn’t it a situation without any particular clues?

 

If so, she had to find traces no matter what.

 

She didn’t stop digging the ground despite the ridicule from the knights.

 

As time passed.

 

When the interest of other knights gradually faded.

 

Irene’s hand stopped.

 

Tap, tap –

 

Something hard was felt at her fingertips.

 

At first, she thought it was a rock, but the feeling was different.

 

Lighter and flatter than a rock.

 

As if there was even a vibration as if it were empty inside.

 

Irene’s movements became even faster.

 

And the identity of what was buried in the ground was revealed.

 

“…What’s this?”

 

Her expectations were correct.

 

It wasn’t just a simple rock.

 

A box emitting an eerie magic.

 

On the top of it, an unmistakable seal of the Demon King was engraved.

 

“Kademain.”

 

The seventh Demon King.

 

It was Kademain’s seal.

 

“Why is this here?”