Under Creature Chapter 1.4

“Well, that’s a relief, then.”

After that, the two focused on their assignment again. A few minutes passed, and Yigeom’s hands trembled as he typed on his laptop in the cafe.

‘The data I just researched is all gone.’

“Is something going on with you lately?”

Meanwhile, Kang Taeha repeated the question he’d asked earlier.

“It’s resolved, so it’s fine.”

“What is?”

“Huh?”

“What’s been resolved?”

Yigeom, who had been answering while keeping his eyes fixed on the laptop screen, rolled his eyes and looked up at Kang Taeha.

“Why do you keep prying? I said it’s fine.”

“I only asked once.”

A dejected Kang Taeha lowered his gaze. Yigeom brushed him off and fixed his eyes back on the screen. A few more minutes passed like that.

That’s when he felt a sense of unease.

“Is something going on with you lately?”

He couldn’t ignore the question any longer. The data he’d just researched had vanished as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and Kang Taeha was asking the same question again.

Yigeom abruptly checked the time.

“…Nothing’s going on.”

“If nothing’s going on, that’s good, but you’ve been acting strange lately.”

He crossed his arms and stared intently at the time displayed on his laptop screen. Tick-tock. Time passed.

“Yoon Yigeom, what are you doing?”

“…….”

At Yigeom’s silence, Taeha tapped the table in front of him as if knocking. Yigeom came to his senses and replied.

“Ah, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

His gaze flicked back to the time. As if by preordained conclusion, after 5 minutes had passed…

“Is something going on with you lately?”

“…As I thought.”

“Huh?”

The 5-minute loop. Yigeom knew exactly who was capable of this.

Seo Dohyun.

“Yoon Yigeom. I asked if something’s wrong.”

“Let’s just focus on the assignment for now.”

Yigeom ignored Kang Taeha and placed his hands on the keyboard. Then he hesitated. If it happened again, the research data would disappear anyway. Wouldn’t it be pointless?

Maybe he should consider the next 5 minutes a break.

So, he fiddled with his phone. Repeat, play, repeat, play.

“Is something going on with you lately?”

“…Sigh.”

Seriously, how many times has this been?

He couldn’t stand it anymore.

Kang Taeha would feel wronged. He’d only asked once. But not Yigeom. They say people get angry if they hear the same thing two or three times, but Yigeom had been subjected to the same question more than five times.

Another 5 minutes passed.

“Is something going on with you lately?”

Yigeom protested inwardly to Seo Dohyun.

How long are you going to keep this up, you crazy bastard?

🦅࿐

“This is crazy. This is insane.”

Ignoring the alarm ringing on his phone, Yigeom muttered blankly to himself. His gaze, fixed on nothing, had long since lost its focus. He slumped listlessly in his chair, his spirit drained.

A full ten times a day, 5 minutes each.

Sometimes in the morning, during class, while eating lunch or dinner, while talking with friends, or when he’s alone.

The starting times varied.

He couldn’t relax because he didn’t know when this recurring event would start or end, and he was tired of repeating the same words in conversations with his friends that kept looping. Lately, Yigeom had been stressed out for various reasons.

He had a headache, and his stomach was churning.

There was only one reason why he didn’t call Seo Dohyun to demand an explanation.

How can I contact that lunatic?

That person killed me. A murderer. Or maybe he killed other people in places he couldn’t remember.

What’s so hard about doing it once, twice, or even more?

What if he goes crazy and tries to kill him again? Yigeom was scared.

But right now, in this repeating daily life, he felt like he wasn’t living. Yigeom’s mental state was deteriorating day by day, and he spent more and more time in a daze. The expression “dying a slow death” perfectly described his situation.

Would it be better to just bite the bullet and contact him, rather than endure these randomly repeating 5-minute loops for the rest of his life? The thought simmered, but it was too early to decide.

Yigeom was a cautious person, especially when his life was on the line. Who wouldn’t be?

He decided to endure it for a while longer, and if it became unbearable, he would contact him.

Ding.

Having finished his contemplation, Yigeom checked the time on his ringing phone alarm.

“Fuck.”

An involuntary curse slipped out.

Time was ‘again’ resetting.

“Wooo~! I only have eyes for you!”

“Only you!”

Yigeom covered his ears.

“For you!”

“For you!”

But he finally snapped and pressed the stop button on the karaoke machine, unable to endure his friends holding microphones on either side of him and singing the chorus.

“…Hey, who stopped the song? Ah, the mood’s ruined.”

“I did.”

Yigeom raised his hand and spoke.

Normally, he would have laughed off his friends’ disregard for pitch and rhythm, saying, “As long as you’re having fun,” but today he couldn’t stand it.

How many times has this been? He felt like his ears were bleeding from hearing the same song repeatedly due to the time loops. And of all times, it had to be at karaoke….

Jooseungtae slung an arm around Yigeom’s shoulders and spoke directly into the microphone. Yigeom felt his eardrums about to burst from the close proximity.

“Why, you want to sing too? Guys, Yoon Yigeom wants to sing!”

“No, I’m not.”

“Ooh, what song are you going to sing? Hurry up and reserve it. Time’s ticking.”

“I’m not singing.”

Despite Yigeom’s best efforts to dampen the mood—stopping songs mid-play, refusing to sing—his friends’ enthusiasm remained undeterred.

“Guys, start the next song!”

“Tantantarantan tantantan! You’re like a wave~!”

It felt like the pressure building in his ears during a plane’s takeoff. As the singing started again, Yigeom covered his ears.

Sigh, don’t you guys ever get tired? Of course, you wouldn’t, since you don’t remember anything.

“Please, pleeease, let’s take a 5-minute break!”

Damn it, Seo Dohyun, just drop dead.

A few days later.

Having reached his limit, Yigeom dialed the 11-digit number with lightning speed. He had a good memory, so he rarely forgot something he’d seen once.

Ring, ring. The call connected almost instantly, as if the other party had been waiting.

—You finally called.

At Seo Dohyun’s self-introduction, laced with amusement, Yigeom retorted pointedly.

“You crazy bastard, stop it already.”

After making the call and hearing his voice, Yigeom realized something.

‘Did this asshole do this on purpose?’

Did he create these repeating situations, knowing Yigeom would eventually contact him if he used his ability?

—I wasn’t sure if you would call, so I was planning to stop after just one more day.

“…….”

Yigeom clutched his throbbing head.

Maybe…. Ah, now I understand.

Seo Dohyun wasn’t certain either. Whether Yigeom still remembered his ability usage after that day.

So he had been experimenting these past few days.

Ten times a day, 5 minutes each. He’d been squandering his ability, which he didn’t need to use, for 50 minutes, sending a signal to Yigeom. Asking if he was aware of the time loops.

He was planning to stop after one more day? That meant if Yigeom had held out for one more day, this torturous repetition would have ended?

‘I should have waited one more day.’

Regret washed over him.

“Whatever it is, now that you’ve confirmed it, stop it.”

—Want to meet up?

Why is the conversation going in this direction?

Now that they had mutually confirmed the forgotten time, there was no need to see each other again, right? Yigeom didn’t understand why Seo Dohyun was doing this, but he fervently wished that he would leave him alone now that the confirmation was over. But what? Meet up?

“Is he crazy?”

The thought he’d kept to himself slipped out involuntarily. But he didn’t regret it. The perpetrator wants to meet the victim? What kind of nonsense is that?

Seo Dohyun reacted calmly, as if he was used to being cursed at.

—I have something to tell you. Let’s meet briefly.

“Tell me over the phone.”

—I want to talk to you face-to-face. Should I come to your house? Can you come out for a bit?

Yigeom was disgusted and even creeped out by Seo Dohyun’s cheerful voice, pleased with what he clearly thought was a brilliant plan.

Meet up? Me? You? The perpetrator and the victim? Does he not even realize what he did wrong? After killing someone? Does he have no common sense? Oh, right, the act of killing someone in itself was beyond common sense.

—Should I send someone else if you don’t want to see me?

When Yigeom didn’t answer, Seo Dohyun pressed him. Yigeom couldn’t understand why he was being so insistent.

“No. I just want this damn looping to stop. That’s all I care about.”

—That’s a problem.

“What?”

—That means you want me to seal my ability, right? I can’t just stop using it forever, and I’m also having a hard time because of you.

…Yigeom was speechless. They were poison to each other. It wasn’t even clear who was to blame. Is it my fault I remember? Is it wrong for me to use my own ability?

They couldn’t find common ground.

—So, let’s meet and talk.

“…Contact me before you use your ability. I need to be prepared for when and how many times it will repeat.”

—Do I really have to?

Sounds like a hassle. He sounded annoyed through the speaker.

“What else are you going to do? Your ability is creating victims.”

—Is it my fault? Haven’t you considered that it’s strange that you remember?

“No. I haven’t. It’s your fault. If you hadn’t killed me that day, I wouldn’t have these shitty repeating memories.”

— …….

Seo Dohyun fell silent for a moment. Did he finally feel some guilt? Yigeom’s hopeful thought was shattered by Seo Dohyun’s cheerful voice.

—Okay. It seems neither of us is at fault, so let’s just take care of ourselves.

“What? At least give me a heads-up if you’re going to use your ability…!”

—Alright, take care.

Click— Click—.

The dial tone rang out. Yigeom sighed deeply, holding his phone.

“What the hell am I supposed to do?”

The damned world wouldn’t give him a moment’s rest.

A few more days passed.

Seo Dohyun refrained from using his ability as much as he had when he was testing Yigeom’s memory. He only refrained from using it in daily life, though; whenever he went creature hunting, Yigeom’s time would invariably loop as well.

Things had improved, but Yigeom continued to deteriorate day by day.

Moreover, he was making mistakes he hadn’t made before.

“Did you do this?”

“…….”

“Hey, Yoon Yigeom, I asked if you did this.”

“…….”

Expecting the situation to repeat at least three or four more times, he didn’t answer Jooseungtae’s question about whether he had finished the assignment, silently passing the time on his phone. In 5 minutes, Jooseungtae would forget he had been ignored and ask again as if nothing had happened.

That’s what he thought, anyway.

“Do I look like a joke to you?”

“…Huh?”

Contrary to his expectations of several more repetitions, this time cleanly ended after just once.

“There’s a limit to ignoring people. Have you completely lost your mind lately?”

“Ah, sorry. I’ve been out of it lately. I’m really sorry.”

Seungtae stared intently at Yoon Yigeom. He seemed to have left his mind at home recently, as if something was really bothering him. Seeing Yoon Yigeom’s genuinely apologetic face, he decided to let it go.

“If something’s wrong, tell me. What are friends for? Huh? Let’s go drinking! Let’s blow off some steam! Huh!? Drinks are on me!”

“…Thanks.”

Yigeom smiled faintly and nodded.

Yigeom’s days were a little longer than others. Sometimes 24 hours and 10 minutes, sometimes 24 hours and 20, 30… 50 minutes. It varied.

They say time is relative. 50 minutes, short if it’s short, long if it’s long. For Yigeom, it felt as slow as a full 24 hours. And after experiencing those loops, he would be mentally exhausted and utterly drained.

He wondered when this would end, but he knew that Seo Dohyun would use his ability whenever he went creature hunting or his life was in danger. Yigeom was just an innocent citizen caught in the storm.

And so, another repetition began.

Yigeom abruptly stood up and left his seat. If he couldn’t escape time, he could at least try to escape the location.

But time is fair to everyone, and after 5 minutes, Yigeom easily found himself back in his seat.

A hot breath escaped his lips. He felt like his head was about to explode from the stress.

Yigeom calmly picked up his phone and pressed Seo Dohyun’s number, his fingers trembling with rage.

After a few rings, the call went unanswered, connecting to voicemail. He leaned his head back against the chair and rubbed his tired eyes with the back of his hand.

It was time to endure another 5 minutes of this hell.

Tick-tock.

Listening quietly to the ticking of the clock, Yigeom suddenly looked up. He’d been spacing out for a while. It wasn’t 5 minutes; more than 10 minutes had passed.

“Ah.”

When did it end? He’d been keeping his eyes closed, finding it agonizing even to look at the time, but the repetition had long since ceased.

Buzz.

Yigeom’s phone vibrated. A familiar 11-digit number. He pressed the call button without hesitation.

—Hello. You called.

The background noise filtering through the speaker suggested Seo Dohyun was in a busy place. It was loud.

“…….”

In the end, Yigeom had no choice but to speak first. To put an end to these hellish 5-minute loops.

“Let’s meet.”

🦅࿐

“…When are they coming?”

Yigeom rubbed his tired eyes as he waited for someone on a busy street in broad daylight. The thought of meeting Seo Dohyun again brought back memories of that day, and he hadn’t slept properly due to a nightmare.

Not that he hadn’t been stressed lately anyway.

Suddenly, someone tugged on his clothes. Startled, he looked down at the source of the tug.

“Hello, hyung!”

“…You are.”

“I’m Cha Jewoo from Latter!”

It was a short boy. Yigeom had seen this person, who introduced himself as Cha Jewoo, before. That day, the day Yigeom died, he was definitely next to Seo Dohyun, helping him keep track of time.

The boy Seo Dohyun had with him. He looked much younger up close. Probably a middle schooler.

“Hyung Dohyun had something come up, so I came instead. He’ll be here in the afternoon. Please, call me Jewoo.”

“Okay.”

He made a promise and didn’t show up? He said he wanted to talk about his ability usage, but he sent a kid instead? Irritation flared. But on the other hand, he was also relieved Seo Dohyun wasn’t here.

Jewoo chattered non-stop as he led Yigeom.

Yigeom kept a three-step distance from Jewoo, cautiously following him. Jewoo had been there with Seo Dohyun that day. He wouldn’t forget that. It was a tacit way of saying, I haven’t forgotten that you stood by while I died.

However, Jewoo’s unnecessary consideration in matching Yigeom’s slow pace easily nullified Yigeom’s attempts to maintain his distance.

“I’m 18. I go to high school around here.”

“A student?”

“Yes, but I miss a lot of school because I go creature hunting with Master. And I’m tired from working until dawn.”

Cha Jewoo yawned as he spoke.

Is that why he’s so short? A minor hunting creatures… Yigeom recalled the gruesome scene he had witnessed when he followed Kwon Sanghyuk on a hunt. Creature parts severed, blood splattered everywhere.

And this young kid does that. Setting aside the fact that he stood by while he died, a wave of sympathy washed over Yigeom. One’s environment shapes them; had he become like this because he grew up in such a harsh environment at such a young age?

“Killing people is wrong.”

“……? Yes, it is.”

Cha Jewoo pondered Yigeom’s words, then clapped his hands together.

“Ah, I’m sorry about that time. Master told me a bit about you. He said he had to see you awaken… I should have stopped him.”

“What’s so important about awakening…”

As if he’d heard Yigeom’s mumbling, Cha Jewoo kindly explained.

As Kwon Sanghyuk had said, the first awakening involves physical changes, and the second awakening is the blossoming of one’s ability. Hunters are ranked high, mid, and low; the higher the rank of the first awakening, the higher the probability of a high rank in the second awakening.

Jewoo also explained various aspects of Seo Dohyun’s ability. After listening, Yigeom’s face hardened, and he gave a one-word assessment.

“Overpowered.”

“Yes, it is. But the risks are also high.”

He could only use it ten times a day, and due to the physical and mental strain of running simulations, he could only use it for up to 5 minutes. Having recently experienced this periodically, Yigeom already had a rough idea of his ability, even without Jewoo’s explanation. But ten times a day is still overpowered, isn’t it? Technically, that’s 50 minutes.

“Humans exhibit superhuman strength in moments of crisis. That’s Master’s philosophy.”

Yigeom scoffed.

“So that day, you killed me because of that? To create a moment of crisis?”

“…Yes. I’m sorry, but that’s the easiest way to induce a first awakening. And even if you die in the virtual world, you don’t really die.”

But he had a question. What’s the point of inducing a first awakening? Once the virtual world ends, they’ll revert to their pre-awakened state.

As if sensing Yigeom’s question, Jewoo quickly added,

“After confirming the first awakening through simulation, we scout them into Latter and quickly train them, or if they’re not up to par, we let them go. They don’t remember what happened to them anyway. But hyung Yigeom is…”

A rather special case.

He trailed off.

His ability seemed to be “high” rank, he remembered everything that happened in the virtual world despite the fact that no one else, except Seo Dohyun, should remember, and he even successfully completed his first awakening.

“But is it okay to tell me all this? Isn’t it like telling me his weakness?”

“Yes. Actually, very few hunters know about Master’s ability. But Master got permission from you to tell you everything. Ah! But please refrain from talking about it carelessly.”

Yigeom frowned. What’s he going to do if he doesn’t refrain? Kill him again like that day? No. This time, he might actually kill him.

He could never forgive him for killing him. That was a natural reaction, even for someone who doesn’t hold grudges.

Jewoo continued to explain various things.

When the ability of the second awakening blossoms, it’s classified into several categories, the main ones being attack, healing, and defense. In gaming terms, it’s like DPS, healer, and tank. Abilities that are difficult to classify are generally called miscellaneous.

Jewoo puffed up his chest.

“For your information, I’m miscellaneous type, and my rank is ‘high’.”

“What’s the difference if it’s ‘high’?”

“Well, there are a lot of mid and low ranks, while high is special. A very small minority.”

“…But who decides high, mid, and low?”

Jewoo replied as if it were obvious.

“The Association. Soon, it’ll be more detailed, like S, A, B, C, D… Hmm, I think I’ll be S? I hope it’s S! At least an A!”

As if ranks are so important. Yigeom gave Jewoo a strange look as he clasped his hands together and prayed for an S rank.

“By the way, which guild are you in, Yigeom hyung? Still thinking about it? How about Latter?”

“I’m not going to be a hunter.”

If, and only if, he absolutely had to become a hunter, he’d prefer a desk job like Kwon Sanghyuk, where he didn’t have to go creature hunting and his life wasn’t at risk.

So, does that mean he’ll join the Association?

“Huh? You won’t be a hunter? Then you won’t join a guild? Why?”

“I won’t do something like being a hunter. I’m going to live a normal, peaceful life.”

Just like he always had. Ignore creatures when he sees them on the street, ignore hunters when they talk to him. He’d live his whole life pretending not to see them. He was confident he could. If he hadn’t gotten entangled with Seo Dohyun’s ability.

And he was here to negotiate about that ability. Even though the person with the ability didn’t show up.

“Hmm. That’s too bad. You were good at catching ‘Pire’ back then, so I thought it would be good if you joined Latter.”

“Pire?”

“Yes. The fish-type creature Yigeom hyung caught!”

“…You were watching back then.”

They were watching him from that moment. And instead of helping him, they just watched and then followed him to kill him. Were they running a simulation then too? To check his first awakening? Sigh. Yigeom let out a quiet sigh. To Jewoo, it sounded like a reprimand.

“Uh… I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have done that.”

“If you shouldn’t have done it, then you shouldn’t have.”

“…I’ll be careful. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

Yes, he wasn’t thinking straight. Not at all.

He didn’t think Jewoo would actually listen, but seeing him looking dejected, Yigeom’s irritation subsided. If only Seo Dohyun would act shamelessly like he always did, then at least he could vent his anger properly.

He felt even more frustrated.

“A cafe! Let’s go to a cafe and have some cool drinks! I’ll buy.”

Yigeom looked at Jewoo, who was pulling out his wallet with an apologetic, sweaty face. He didn’t want to take a high school student’s money, but technically, Jewoo had a decent job as a hunter, while he was just a college student.

He understood Jewoo’s desire to express his apology, even if it was with money.

“Alright.”

As he started walking towards the cafe at the intersection in front of the station, Jewoo followed.

“But doesn’t Latter have a guild office or something?”

He wondered why they were meeting outside when they presumably had a proper office.

“Ahem! Well… Our office is currently under renovation… It’s quite messy. Isn’t a cafe cleaner and nicer for a meeting? Haha.”

Jewoo seemed reluctant to take him to the office. Yigeom also preferred the bustling cafe to a place filled with Latter members, so he simply nodded in agreement.

After ordering their drinks, Jewoo stirred the ice with his straw.

“Oh, right. Yigeom hyung. Did you take the hunter test? Master said he saw you there.”

“I didn’t.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah. I got annoyed and left.”

Jewoo mumbled apologetically, fiddling with his straw.

“Because of our Master, right?”

Master must be referring to Seo Dohyun. Was Seo Dohyun watching him during the test? Where?

“No. Because of someone else.”

The thought of Kwon Sanghyuk made him grind his teeth.

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t take it since I’m not going to be a hunter.”

“That’s true.”

Reluctantly agreeing, Jewoo was silent for a moment before speaking again.

“It would have been great if you had joined Latter, hyung.”

“Would you want to join a group of murderers? Oh, right, you already did.”

“A g-group of murderers! Latter isn’t like that.”

“Why not? It’s true. Starting with the Master.”

Jewoo’s lips moved, but no sound came out. In the end, all he could manage was a meek, “I’m sorry.”

He knew that even his own justifications would sound like lame excuses to Yigeom. And he had followed Seo Dohyun without thinking.

Only Seo Dohyun remembered what happened that day; the person who was killed, Jewoo who stood by and watched, were both meant to forget everything.

In fact, Jewoo had only heard about Dohyun’s ability; he hadn’t experienced it himself. Even if he did, he would forget.

In other words, if he just followed Dohyun and kept track of time, most things would be over before he knew it, without him remembering a thing.

Perhaps that’s why he could be so irresponsible and indifferent about the deaths of others. It was only when a real victim appeared that he realized he was also a perpetrator. If Yigeom, who could remember Dohyun’s world, hadn’t existed, he might have lived his entire life unaware of his wrongdoing.

Jewoo fidgeted nervously with his hands. As time passed, he couldn’t bring himself to meet Yigeom’s eyes. He kept his head bowed in guilt for a long time.

“Sorry I’m late. Something came up.”

Yigeom flinched, his body trembling slightly as he felt something touch his shoulder.

He turned around to see Seo Dohyun standing there.

A face he had only seen once, but a face he hated with a passion.

…Surprised? Hearing Yigeom’s murmur, Seo Dohyun gave his characteristically charming smile.

“Did I surprise you? I won’t do it again.”

Even that smile was only disgusting to Yigeom. Dohyun sat down in the empty seat next to Jewoo.

“Did Jewoo explain everything well?”

“Explain… Um, he answered my questions diligently!”

Cha Jewoo replied stiffly, his posture ramrod straight. Then he glanced at Yigeom again. Seo Dohyun checked the time and stood up.

“Shall we go then?”

“Yes!”

“…Where?”

When Yigeom asked, bewildered, Seo Dohyun replied.

“A CA Area incident at 2:10. You’ve seen Association hunters at work, right? They must have shown you during the curriculum…”

“…I saw it, but…”

“Let’s go. I’ll show you Latter’s hunting style.”

Yigeom shuddered, disliking the idea of combat. Why are both Kwon Sanghyuk from the Association and this guy so eager to show him their hunting methods? He’s not going to be a hunter. He’s not joining a guild. They’re jumping the gun.

He’d come to reach an agreement about Seo Dohyun’s reckless use of his ability, but things were taking a strange turn. He felt like he’d walked into a clothing store to browse and was now being handed a hefty bill.

Seeing Yigeom’s displeasure, Cha Jewoo carefully said,

“Each guild has its own unique hunting style. How they fight, how they strategize and kill creatures. It’s the easiest way to understand a guild’s style and strength.”

“Ah… I see.”

As Yigeom nodded vaguely, Jewoo beamed, proud of himself for having shared some knowledge. Seeing that, Yigeom couldn’t help but pat his head.

Hate the sin, not the sinner.

Those words fit Jewoo perfectly. The kid had only stood by because he was immature. Seo Dohyun was largely to blame for leading Jewoo down the wrong path. He couldn’t stay angry at him when he was apologizing, constantly checking Yigeom’s expression and fidgeting nervously. Yigeom was too softhearted.

A short while later, arriving at the CA Area, Yigeom blinked. It was a busy main street, crowded with people even in broad daylight.

“Here?”

“Yes.”

“With so many people around?”

He knew they become invisible to people, like creatures, when hunting, but to be completely unseen by so many people? A flicker of worry crossed his mind.

“Don’t worry too much, hyung.”

It’s called temporary assimilation. Where did the awakening abilities of those called hunters come from? One of the most prominent theories was that something from the creatures’ abilities mutated and came to humans.

When hunters hunted creatures, they became invisible to people, as if assimilating with the creatures. This is why they could use convenient excuses like sinkholes and earthquakes to explain the damage caused during battles between creatures and hunters.

However, they were still visible in urban areas. Therefore, when a CA Area was designated in a densely populated area, many guilds would flock to subdue a single creature without causing collateral damage. In other words, it was a waste of resources.

So, someone who could quickly and efficiently neutralize the creature before it could cause any harm would be dispatched. Seo Dohyun was one of those people. That’s why he was here today, assigned to this CA Area.

One minute before 2:10, Seo Dohyun stepped forward, leaving Yigeom and Jewoo behind.

Jewoo quietly spoke to Yigeom.

“Master looks so cool when he fights.”

Yigeom frowned, looking at Dohyun’s back. That? Cool? He wanted to go over and smack him upside the head.

“He fights in a very stylish way. Master does.”

Jewoo gazed at Seo Dohyun with admiration.

Here it comes. Along with Jewoo’s murmur, Yigeom also felt a strange presence.

The creature that appeared in the middle of the city lunged at Dohyun without hesitation. Yigeom’s eyes widened, and he instinctively stepped back.

Seo Dohyun extended his hand, and the creature shuddered. It was a spider-like creature with eight hairy legs. It swung its legs, but Seo Dohyun blocked them with his hand.

Jewoo, with a confident expression, glanced at Yigeom’s reaction. He gave a subtle shrug, as if to say, So, what do you think of our Master?

Ordinary people passed through the creature’s body as if it weren’t there. Unfazed by them, Seo Dohyun fought with elegant movements. When the creature’s legs slammed towards the cement ground, Seo Dohyun either intercepted the attack with his own body or severed the legs to minimize damage to the city.

Seo Dohyun wasn’t reacting quickly. He moved calmly and deliberately, anticipating the creature’s attacks and positioning himself in its path.

Fire, swordsmanship, defense. No matter how flashy the techniques, they couldn’t compare to a strategy calculated with such precision. If you understand your opponent’s attack range, movement patterns, weaknesses, and fighting habits, you can defeat them even with a tiny toy sword.

In other words, Seo Dohyun was fighting the creature without any weapons.

“Isn’t he amazing? While we fight once, Master has already fought at least ten times.”

“…….”

“Hyung?”

Jewoo glanced at Yigeom, puzzled by the lack of response to his enthusiastic boasting.

He’d expected surprise… but Yigeom’s expression was one of intense annoyance.

“…Yigeom hyung?”

“That bastard.”

Yigeom seethed. So he used his ability like this every time he hunted creatures. And he, unknowingly, was caught in the crossfire.

Jewoo tugged awkwardly at Yigeom’s arm.

“Um… Come to think of it, you said you can remember the virtual world. Did you see anything special?”

“…….”

Yigeom remained silent. Special? Well, yeah, he fought well. But that was the extent of his assessment. He just felt disgusted. Disgusted that he was entangled with this ability. He wished he could be like Jewoo, remembering nothing.

The battle over, Seo Dohyun casually took off his blood-stained jacket and ran a hand through his dark hair. He jumped down from the creature’s back and stood in front of Yigeom.

“What did you think? Quite different from the Association, right?”

Yigeom glared at him.

“This isn’t why I wanted to meet.”

He’d wanted to meet to discuss and agree on limiting his reckless ability usage, but he’d dragged him here to show off his hunting style and used his ability again? Is he kidding?

“Why? Wasn’t it fun? A world only I remember. Ah, it’s our world now.”

Yigeom’s mouth twitched. Certainly, the situation was different from when he endured the repeating time alone. While everyone else acted the same way during the loops, Seo Dohyun moved differently, so Yigeom, watching him, never felt bored.

Moreover, he hadn’t expected him to fight so fiercely.

Separate from the repeating virtual world, Seo Dohyun had overwhelmed the creature, but he’d also sustained various injuries. It was quite impressive to see him throw himself into battle without regard for his own safety, knowing everything would reset after 5 minutes.

Come to think of it, from Cha Jewoo’s perspective, he only saw the last 5 minutes, so it must have looked like Seo Dohyun effortlessly subdued the creature. It was a novel perspective.

Seo Dohyun smiled knowingly.

“Want to join Latter? You won’t be bored during the repeating time if you’re with me. You don’t have to exhaust yourself. If you fight as I instruct, you can win easily without getting hurt.”

Well, that seemed likely. But… Yigeom looked Seo Dohyun up and down. Seo Dohyun was the root of all his problems.

“I don’t want to fight creatures. Just give me a heads-up when you use your ability so I can prepare.”

“Why would I bother?”

Yigeom’s lips pressed into a thin line at his shameless reply. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder. Seo Dohyun had slung his arm around him.

Disgusting…

His ears were riddled with piercings, and the corners of his lips were perpetually turned upwards in a slight smile.

“I might do that if you join Latter.”

“Would you team up with a murderer?”

“I didn’t know you’d remember. I won’t do it again. I swear.”

As if taking an oath, Dohyun raised his right arm, palm facing forward, and continued,

“I’ll give you the Vice President position if you join Latter. Well, I guess it would be Vice Master. What do you think? It’s a pretty good offer, isn’t it?”

Vice Master? According to Kwon Sanghyuk, Latter was a high-ranking guild, but because they had few members, they were overworked.

And above all…

“I’m not setting foot in there.”

At Yigeom’s blunt refusal, Dohyun surprisingly backed down easily.

“Really? Then live in an endless loop.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk about…!”

“Join Latter. I’m even offering you the Vice Master position. You’ll save your life by being next to me, and you’ll know when the loops happen. Isn’t that a great offer?”

Yigeom glared at Dohyun fiercely.

“Offer? That’s called blackmail.”

“Well, it might sound like blackmail. But why don’t you think about it? Joining Latter won’t harm you.”

It will! It’ll be detrimental!

He was saying, I’m going to keep doing this, so if you don’t like it, join my side. What kind of personality… Does he not have even a shred of guilt for killing him?

Why does Cha Jewoo work under this guy? What is there to admire about him? Yigeom glanced at Cha Jewoo. He was looking up at him with expectant eyes.