Hi, guys! I'm glad to welcome you back after such a long break!
Yours Santos :)

 

Thwack!

The spear shot out violently, piercing through several monsters in one go. Uijae kicked off the one leaping at him from behind. The monster let out a bizarre scream as it slammed into the wall upside down. He didn’t stop—his fist flew. Crack. The feeling of bones and flesh being crushed was sharp and distinct. Uijae tilted his head to avoid the spray of white blood. A cold bead of sweat dripped from his chin.

There’s no end to them…

Kill one, and ten more come. Kill ten, and a hundred swarm in. Uijae glanced up at the Whitehole above his head. He could feel a clear gaze. It was watching him. And the monsters were gathering around him.

Just as I thought…

The target is me.

Ever since realizing that, Uijae had gradually been moving away from the shelter. But it wasn’t easy to lead the monsters with him. People, people, people. No matter where he went, there were people. Uijae leapt up and yanked his spear out of a monster’s corpse.

“…Urk.”

Suddenly, his vision swirled. Monsters pouring in. Endless combat. The landscape around him flashed white. Uijae gripped the front of his mask. His stomach churned. The spear, slick with cold sweat, nearly slipped from his hands. He barely forced down the bile rising in his throat.

Of all times…

No matter how much he told himself he was fine, this kind of moment always brought those thoughts to the surface.

Is Haeun okay?

Is she crying, looking for me?

The shelter—was it really safe?

Should I have stayed by her side…?

Then, a piercing scream rang out like a tear in his eardrums.

“P-please help us!”

“G-get away! I said get away!”

Through the swarm of white monsters, he caught sight of black hair. A woman crouched, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} clutching a child to her chest, while a man stood in front of them protectively. He was swinging an umbrella, brave in spirit but clearly overwhelmed. Even from a distance, Uijae could see the man’s hand and legs trembling pitifully.

Damn it!

Uijae moved to dash forward but stopped himself. He couldn’t go directly. The monsters would follow him—and that would only push them further into danger. What if he took them out from a distance with a thrown spear? But his spear was single-use...

The woman hugged the child tighter, sobbing.

“Please, please save us…!”

"Please save us."

Lee Sa-young’s dying voice stabbed through his mind. Dammit. Uijae bit down on his tongue hard. The sharp pain brought him back.

What the hell are you hesitating for!

Uijae charged forward, cutting through the monsters. If they swarmed, he’d kill them. Until that family was safely evacuated. He delivered a powerful kick to the monster lunging at the man.

Boom!

A cloud of gray dust exploded. At the same time, Uijae spun the massive spear above his head. A whirlwind whipped up around it. The monsters rushing in stumbled and lost their balance. He brought the spinning spear down into the ground.

Rumble!

The road cracked open from the point of impact. A massive chasm now separated the flood of white monsters from Uijae.

That should buy them some time.

They could bill him for repairs later. Uijae turned toward the two. The man had shut his eyes tight and was flailing the umbrella blindly. It was to the point he looked more likely to injure himself. Uijae reached out and stopped the umbrella.

“I’m a Hunter. It’s okay now.”

“A H-H-Hunter…?”

The man cracked open his eyes—and his face instantly twisted in disbelief.

“W-wait. Are you, y-you’re, you’re, you’re—?”

“Yes, I’m that person. This place is dangerous. You should get to the nearest shelter—”

The woman clutching the child cautiously interrupted.

“W-we were heading to another one because the designated shelter was already full. But I twisted my ankle on the way…”

“It’s already full?”

“Y-yes…”

She bowed her head as she tightened her hold around the child. It wasn’t the posture of someone trying to protect—it was the desperate movement of someone trying to hide. Something felt off.

…The kid’s too quiet.

Wouldn’t most children cry in a situation like this? But the child didn’t even whimper. Only a strangely peaceful sound of breathing could be heard. Uijae took a step toward the woman and child—but the man stepped in his way, his whole body trembling.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“……”

“S-sorry…”

“It’s fine.”

Uijae placed a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“I’m not going to hurt anyone. I won’t do anything. I just want to look.”

The man, frail as a twig, fell back almost pathetically. Uijae knelt to meet the crouched woman at eye level. She shrank back even more. The child in her arms was completely bundled up—turtleneck covering the neck, gloves, long pants, a hat with ear flaps, even a mask covering half the face.

“They didn’t let you in at the designated shelter.”

“……”

“You were turned away?”

The man sighed. No matter how tightly the clothes wrapped the child, no matter how much the mother shielded them with her body, she couldn’t hide the scales blooming across the child’s face. The woman began to cry.

“Someone in white clothes said… th-they couldn’t take in a mutated one. That it’d endanger the others… They said they’d let us stay if we sent the child away alone…”

“……”

“But we couldn’t just send her away like that. So we…”

“You all left together.”

The woman nodded. The child in her arms stared into empty space with vacant eyes. Long gill slits were visible on the back of the neck.

“……”

The mutation was already fairly advanced. No shelter would take them in.

Maybe Seowon Guild, if anyone…

Uijae lifted his head and looked around. He spotted a crushed, but still legible, road sign. Seowon Guild was a long way off.

Can I get them all the way to Seowon Guild?

It wasn’t impossible—but it would be difficult. The monsters would follow him. That might put the family in even more danger…

There wasn’t time. The monsters were already climbing, filling the chasm with their bodies.

And then—

Whoosh—

Heat surged from the fissure. The monsters packed tight into the gap burned away without even screaming. The flames devoured even the white ashes.

A massive shadow rose through the firelit cleft.

“…Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Huh? What? J? What are you doing here?”

“Honeybee?”

It was Matthew, in his silver suit, and Honeybee with her rapier. Honeybee leapt effortlessly over the flaming chasm and landed beside Uijae.

“What the—there were so many monsters around here, I came to check it out and… who are these people?”

Uijae quickly explained the situation. Honeybee listened carefully, then glanced at the child. Her expression tightened. Naturally so. She, too, had lost a comrade to mutation.

“So, you’re planning to take them to Seowon Guild?”

“It’s the best option. No other shelter will take them.”

“Yeah, guess not…”

“Then you two should head toward Seowon.”

It was Matthew, who had been quietly listening. He stood on the other side of the chasm, before the wall of fire.

The flames reflected off his glasses, hiding his expression. Matthew took off his jacket, draped it over his left arm, and rolled up the sleeve of his right. Uijae’s eyes widened. His arm was covered in scars darker than his skin—twisted, wrinkled burns that looked disturbingly alive.

Just like the fire reflecting in his glasses…

Matthew spoke in a businesslike tone.

“I’ll take care of things here.”

“No, I can’t let you—”

“Are you really alright? Your breathing’s unstable.”

“……”

“Your body temperature and heart rate are both elevated. You’re not in normal condition, are you?”

Hunters—damn them—were always sharp. When Uijae stayed silent, Matthew pushed his glasses up. He looked like a corporate worker on field assignment. If it weren’t for the monsters’ cries and the burning inferno, it would’ve been easy to believe.

“You’re our greatest asset. Don’t wear yourself out in a place like this.”

“But these monsters—”

“I can handle them. My ability is tailored for fighting large numbers.”

“But still—”

“I’ve already refused your help.”

The towering flame flared high enough to engulf even Matthew. It looked like a tidal wave. Sparks crackled in every direction. Matthew warned quietly:

“There’s no guarantee I won’t attack you. You should keep your distance.”

“……”

“I’m ashamed to admit I don’t have perfect control over my ability.”

He turned his back. Fire bloomed in his large hand. Despite the coldness of his face and tone, the heat could be felt. Honeybee patted Uijae’s shoulder.

“Well, J can stay here. I’ll take the couple to Seowon. No need for thanks.”

“Ah, thank y—”

“I said no need! Jeez, using a top-tier agent like me as a bodyguard…”

She grumbled petulantly as she knelt in front of the woman.

“Get on. Have your husband carry the kid.”

“Wh-what? But…”

“You twisted your ankle, didn’t you? Better to ride me than limp through a horde of monsters.”

“……”

The woman looked anxiously at Uijae. He nodded reassuringly. She climbed onto Honeybee’s back while the man cradled the child. Just before setting off, Honeybee glanced back past the fire.

“You’re staying here?”

“Yes, probably.”

As Uijae nodded, she scraped her shoe against the ground and spoke slowly.

“Then… just one favor. Can you keep an eye on Matthew?”

She rolled her eyes awkwardly.

“He really hates his ability.”

“……”

“Try to make sure he doesn’t explode.”

It was a foreboding request.