Screeeech. The sharp edge of the axe scraped against the floor, producing a spine-chilling sound. Ha Yeong twisted her lips.

“Hah, disgusting. What are you, some kind of spider?!”

She fumbled at her waist, grabbing a glass vial and hurling it to the ground. Crash — purple liquid splattered across the floor, bubbling and frothing. From the seething pool, a grotesque, twisted mass of flesh began to rise.

Sssshh… The marble floor and walls began to melt away. Ha Yeong pulled out a gas mask and strapped it on.

“Stop him! I don’t care if you kill him!”

Ha Yeong ran. Not much further now. She grabbed the doorknob and twisted. It wasn’t even locked. Bang — the door to the lab swung open.

Inside the lab, there was nothing. No captured mutants, no researchers. Everyone had probably gone to deal with the chaos outside. Ha Yeong’s eyes scanned the room quickly.

‘They dispersed the chemicals in gas form here too….’

Which meant they would have connected the chemicals to the pipes. Ha Yeong yanked open the metal door labeled "Machine Room." Inside was a tangle of pipes connected to a central machine, and there, on a small stand, a clear vial containing a luminous white liquid was secured.

This was it!

A wide grin spread across her face as she reached out her hand.

Saving humanity? I couldn’t care less.

“Do you hate Hunters?”

Ha Yeong nodded. The man’s smile deepened.

“Then we can work together.”

“Who are you?”

“A person who dislikes Awakened Ones.”

A large hand extended for a handshake. Ha Yeong looked up. The man was…

Tall. Very, very tall.

His face was obscured by the backlighting….

All I need to do is accomplish my own goal!

Ha Yeong snatched the vial.

And at that moment.

Clench.

A massive hand enveloped hers, covering it completely. Ha Yeong’s eyes widened as her gaze traveled from her hand to her arm, to her shoulder, and finally to the face of the man holding her.

Reflected in his dark sunglasses was her stunned expression.

From the floor, shadows slithered up her legs like writhing snakes. The inky blackness coiled around her limbs, even ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) ensnaring the hand holding the vial. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t move.

“Tsk…!”

An indifferent voice spoke.

“Did you really think we’d leave such a critical location unguarded? We took minimal precautions.”

The man in the sunglasses, Minggijeok, plucked the vial from her hand and slipped it into his inner jacket pocket.

“For instance… asking a specialist in infiltration and stealth to keep an eye on things.”

Ha Yeong gritted her teeth and glared at him, her eyes blazing with fury.

“You son of a—!”

Minggijeok raised his hands as if surrendering, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.

“Didn’t it feel a bit too easy walking in here? If it were me, I’d have been suspicious. Guess you were in too much of a hurry. Well, can’t blame you. The good doctor’s assistant is quite scary, isn’t he? I mean, being chased by a kid wielding an axe would make anyone’s heart race. Oh, did you get to see the spider show? Did you know he can run along walls too?”

Minggijeok snapped his fingers.

The shadows began to creep up from Ha Yeong’s feet, engulfing her body inch by inch.

“Well then… let’s go, Miss Criminal.”

Ha Yeong thrashed with all her strength.

“Let me go…! Go where?!”

“Where else? The Room of Time and Mind.”

Behind the dark lenses, Minggijeok’s eyes winked playfully.

“Oh, and just so you know, I’m not a cop, so I don’t really do Miranda Rights. Which means…”

Ha Yeong’s wild, glaring eyes disappeared beneath the engulfing shadows. Minggijeok waved his hand in a casual farewell, adding cheerfully:

“Don’t even dream about getting a lawyer.”

***

Awakened Management Bureau, Director’s Office.

Inside the Director’s Office, the gathered group included Matthew, Honeybee, Bae Wonwoo, Yoon Gaeul, Jeong Bin, Gyugyu, and Director Ham Seok-jeong. Judging by the number of people present, it seemed they had only managed to call in S-rank Hunters and those they could reach quickly. Yoon Gaeul was still wrapped in the cloak that Kang Jisoo had draped over her.

Uijae entered the room, holding Kkokko close, and took an empty seat.

Ham Seok-jeong directed a questioning gaze at Jeong Bin.

“The Doctor?”

“He’s not responding.”

“And the assistant?”

“Yes. I’m not sure if he’s too busy managing the situation or….”

“Then let’s proceed.”

Ham Seok-jeong gestured toward Uijae. All eyes turned to him. Uijae took a deep breath and began to speak, gradually unfolding the story.

In the past, when the apocalypse first came to this world, J had faced it alone. But he couldn’t defeat it. Instead, he turned back time and fled.

The White Hole is the “eye” of the apocalypse. The Black Hole is the eye closed.

From the Day of Rupture onward, that eye has remained open, watching this world. In the first world, Hong Yeseong had sacrificed himself to divert the eye and buy time, but that, too, was now over.

The “eye” had gained a consciousness and started to act. The final stage was approaching.

With each sentence, the faces around the room shifted. Honeybee cut in, incredulous.

“Wait, how do you know all this? You know way more than we do!”

“…It just came back to me somehow.”

“What? How? What kind of memories?”

“Hold on, we can discuss that later.”

Ham Seok-jeong raised a hand to stop them. Her hawk-like eyes scanned Uijae sharply.

“We’ll hear the source of the information later. But first, let me ask you one thing.”

“Yes.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, I’m certain.”

Ham Seok-jeong’s gaze lingered on him, as if trying to read his expression through a mask. Finally, she nodded and turned to the other Hunters.

“All right, that’s what we’re going with. Prepare to confront the apocalypse.”

“Uh, but….”

Bae Wonwoo raised his hand. He cleared his throat nervously before speaking.

“Can we… actually win?”

“And it’s in the sky, right?”

Gyugyu shrugged, leaning back in his chair.

“How the hell do we fight something in the sky? The Master Craftsman is missing, so it’s not like he can make a ladder to reach that eye.”

“He hasn’t been declared dead yet. He’s still considered missing.”

Jeong Bin cut in with a serene smile. A sharp tension hung in the air as his and Gyugyu’s eyes clashed. Gyugyu shrugged again, arms crossed.

“Yeah, yeah, still missing. But if he were around, he’d be able to make a ladder or something to reach that eye. Now what? Take a helicopter up there?”

Though he was being sarcastic, his words rang true. Uijae tried to sift through his memories.

‘…Right. How did I fight the apocalypse?’

Cha Uijae had definitely faced off against the two eyes — on the ground. That much was certain. What condition had brought the eyes down to earth? Was there a specific trigger, or was there something he was missing…?

Uijae poked Kkokko lightly. The little porcelain chicken, who had been dozing off, blinked up at him irritably. There was no indication that it would show him anything this time. Uijae clicked his tongue.

‘Useless.’

Ham Seok-jeong gestured to Jeong Bin.

“Go to Seowon Guild and check on the situation. Also, confirm the status of the vaccine development.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“As for the other guilds, assist with capturing mutants and evacuating civilians. I’ll send out an official directive immediately. And you, Gyugyu. No running off alone.”

“I’m not affiliated with any guild, though~”

“You’re a ranked Hunter in South Korea, so you still have some responsibilities, don’t you think? Or should I pay you a visit at Sunday service this week?”

“Tsk. Low blow.”

Gyugyu quickly slipped out of the office. The other Hunters stood up one by one, exchanging brief nods and words of encouragement.

As Matthew stood to leave with Honeybee, his gaze fell on Yoon Gaeul, who was keeping her head down, her hood pulled low.

“Now that I think about it… I don’t recognize this Hunter. Wasn’t this meeting only for rankers, Director?”

“Oh, that’s….”

“Oh! She’s a newbie from our guild! Right, a new recruit!”

Bae Wonwoo jumped in, wrapping an arm around Gaeul’s shoulders and pulling her closer. Jeong Bin also smiled, playing along smoothly.

“Yes, that’s right. Kang Jisoo couldn’t make it, so she sent her instead. Isn’t that right, Bae Wonwoo?”

“Y-Yes! Absolutely, Captain — I mean, Team Leader Jeong Bin! New recruits need to gain experience, right? Right, newbie?”

Yoon Gaeul, still hiding beneath her hood, nodded rapidly.

“I see. Well, it’s hard to find good Hunters these days. Congratulations.”

Matthew offered a polite nod before exiting the office. Honeybee, however, lingered a moment longer, narrowing her eyes at Bae Wonwoo. She leaned in, lowering her voice.

“Hey. What’s going on? That’s Gaeul, right? Why is she your recruit? Was this arranged? You didn’t kidnap her, did you?”

“Shhh! Shhhh!”

Bae Wonwoo hissed, pressing a finger against his lips.

Jeong Bin let out a small sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

“Yoon Gaeul needs to stay in Hong Yeseong’s space for safety. But the space collapsed, so it was decided that she should stay temporarily with Pado Guild.”

“What? You don’t trust our guild? I can look after her just fine!”

“We’re respecting Yoon Gaeul’s wishes. I hope you can understand, Honeybee.”

Honeybee cast a skeptical look between Bae Wonwoo and Gaeul. Gaeul lowered her hood slightly and gave a small, sheepish smile.

“Hehe… Jeong Bin’s right. Thank you for worrying about me.”

“Well… if you say so.”

Honeybee clenched a fist and shook it at Bae Wonwoo before finally leaving the office.

A brief moment of calm settled over the room. Uijae quietly stood up to leave.

Just then, Jeong Bin, who had been listening to something through his earpiece, caught Uijae by the arm.

“J.”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to come with me to Seowon Guild?”

“Seowon Guild? Why?”

“Minggijeok just reported capturing an intruder.”

“……”

“It’s Ha Yeong.”