Under Creature Chapter 2.2

“Are you okay?”

Dohyun’s concern felt both strange and unfamiliar. Because of this, Yigeom couldn’t respond with his usual sharpness.

“Uh, I’m okay, I guess.”

Ding-dong.

Stepping onto the first floor as the door opened, Yigeom stopped Seo Dohyun, wanting to confirm what had just happened.

“Hey. I think I just saw something weird….”

“Saw something?”

Yigeom rubbed his eyes, seemingly tired from the earlier incident, and replied.

“Yeah. Like, a second awakening or something?”

“What do you mean? What did you see?”

Watching him, Seo Dohyun gently pressed his thumbs around Yigeom’s eyes. Yigeom flinched, embarrassed by the physical contact that even his parents rarely offered. Goosebumps prickled his skin.

“It happened too fast. I couldn’t get a good look.”

‘I guess we need to leave the Association to talk more. Since I’m tired, I should ask him for a ride home.’

Dohyun gave a small smile and followed behind Yigeom.

As he exited, Yigeom glanced at an unfamiliar visitor entering the Association. With his hood pulled low and his body swallowed by oversized clothes, there was no way to discern his face or physique.

‘Strange guy’, Yigeom thought as he passed by.

Suddenly, a black barrier formed at the building entrance, blocking entry and exit. At the same instant, Yigeom’s heart was pierced.

“…Huh?”

His brief, confused utterance was cut short as the same spot was pierced again, as if with determined intent to kill. The renewed pain finally brought the situation into focus.

Limply, Yigeom forced his eyes to look at Seo Dohyun beside him. He too seemed caught off guard, his eyes widening for a moment. Then, the screams of those around them, who had finally noticed Yigeom’s state, erupted.

“Aaaaaah—!”

The visitor’s arm suddenly extended, morphing into a skewer-like form that impaled one of the screamers, silencing them instantly. With each swing of the arm, a sharp pain shot through Yigeom, who was still strung along on it, eyes wide open, unable to even close them.

Security guards, alerted by the screams, poured out of the security room. Objects shattered with explosive sounds. Blood splattered everywhere, turning the building into a scene of chaos in an instant.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, less than five minutes.

“Combat ready!”

The Association’s security team, seemingly well-trained for such attacks, formed ranks with practiced efficiency and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the visitor, now an intruder.

Yigeom felt his vision blur and his body grow cold. ‘I’m going to die’, he thought fleetingly, as everything seemed to slow down.

People drawing their swords and rushing the intruder, terrified faces, bodies crashing against walls with loud bangs.

Everything was slow. So slow that Yigeom felt as if everything was rewinding before his eyes. And he wasn’t wrong.

Shattered glass pieces reassembled, bodies that had slammed against walls seemed to stand up to fight back, and those rushing the intruder appeared to retreat.

Then, Yigeom felt himself slip off the intruder’s elongated, skewer-like arm. He landed awkwardly on his feet, the wound on his chest already healed.

Amidst the chaos, everything reverted back to normal as if nothing had happened.

Then, the world stopped.

He gasped, taking a deep breath. As the second hand started ticking again, Seo Dohyun stood beside him.

Whoosh—.

The intruder’s arm lunged towards them, clearly visible. Dohyun instantly grabbed it, stepped forward using the momentum, and hurled the intruder against the wall.

A loud crash echoed as Dohyun quickly pulled Yigeom behind him. Yigeom trembled, frantically patting his chest. There was no puncture wound, not even a scratch.

“What… what just….”

Staring at the creature while slowly backing away, Dohyun muttered playfully, as if trying to ease the tension.

“One.”

“…What?”

“Saved you once.”

‘Haha. Four times left, Yigeom.’

‘What’s going on…? Saved me once? So just now… was that real…?’ 

Confused, Yigeom continued to feel around his heart.

He couldn’t believe it.

‘Was being impaled real? Were the security guards rushing out real?’ 

Suddenly, Yigeom’s gaze shifted to the right.

The person who screamed… the second victim, after him.

He saw the intruder, that thing, that creature, embedded in the wall, and screamed in terror.

“…Aaaaaah—!”

At the same time, Yigeom’s legs sprang into action.

*Just a little faster, a little faster…! *

Yigeom rushed forward, tackling the terrified man to the ground, narrowly avoiding the creature’s extending arm.

“Th… Thank you… What… What’s happening…? Why… Why is there a creature…?”

“We’ll figure it out later!”

“…Yes, yes!?”

Yigeom glared at the man, whose face was pale and body trembling with shock.

“Just move!!!”

He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself as much as the other man.

“Yoon Yigeom!”

Seo Dohyun’s furious roar erupted from behind.

His usual playful smile was gone, replaced by a coldness Yigeom had never seen before. He strode towards Yigeom and grabbed his arm tightly.

“Don’t recklessly throw yourself around.”

Because you can’t save everyone anyway.

Yigeom opened his mouth to argue but closed it again. He couldn’t deny it. It was all true.

“Combat ready!!”

“Combat ready!”

Security guards from the security room chanted and formed ranks to attack. Amidst the noisy chaos, Seo Dohyun’s voice cut through clearly.

“I only need to save my people. So don’t you go throwing your life away trying to save others.”

Yigeom was silent for a moment. But in this chaotic situation, thinking was a luxury. Noble sacrifice for others? He didn’t know anything about that. He didn’t have that kind of conviction.

Then, there was only one answer.

With a look of grim determination, he slowly nodded.

“Okay.”

At his agreement, Dohyun’s frozen expression finally relaxed into a smirk.

“Good boy.”

Meanwhile, another guild member grabbed a security guard and spoke urgently.

“The entrance…! The entrance is blocked!”

“It’s a creature! Fall back!”

A creature in the Association? Yigeom’s eyes darted towards the entrance. It was sealed shut by the black barrier. Everyone tried to use their abilities to break through, but to no avail.

Yigeom was filled with questions. What’s the black barrier? More importantly, what is that creature? Did it just appear out of nowhere? Why? If it’s a CA Area, the Association should know. The guild should have known, too.

It looked much stronger than the ‘Upper’ rank creature he and Seo Dohyun had hunted before.

That made sense. They had managed to take down an ‘Upper’ rank creature with just the two of them. But this was different. All the Association’s security guards were out, barely managing to hold the creature back. The creature’s appearance itself was bizarre.

Yigeom sensed something was wrong.

“Seo Dohyun. If it hasn’t been five minutes, we can….”

“Let’s go to the basement.”

“What? Why the basement…?”

Before Yigeom could finish, Seo Dohyun pulled him towards the stairs leading down.

The Association’s basement housed the training rooms. It was usually filled with combat personnel from other guilds. While the creature rampaged above ground, keeping other hunters occupied, the hunters in the basement could prepare.

The counterattack would start from there.

“Call for backup! And the medical team!”

A security guard, one arm mangled by the creature, shouted with desperate resolve.

The battle raged on above ground, while Yigeom and Dohyun descended to the basement via the emergency stairs. Hearing the fading shouts of the security guard, Yigeom called out to Dohyun. He stopped and yelled.

“Seo Dohyun…! If it hasn’t been five minutes, there’s that reset thing, right! Let’s rewind and get out before the entrance gets blocked!”

“We can’t.”

“…What?”

Dohyun said calmly,

“Even if I reset, the entrance is already blocked. There’s no way out. And…”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“I’m satisfied with the current outcome. There’s no reset right now.”

An ability usable ten times a day. It had to be conserved whenever possible. Dohyun was content with having saved Yoon Yigeom’s life. He didn’t want to go back to how things were before.

Yigeom frowned. Satisfied with the current outcome? People are dying upstairs, what…

Of course, he wasn’t suggesting they save everyone. He knew that was impossible. But at least making an effort…

As if reading Yigeom’s mind, Seo Dohyun warned him to focus on the present situation.

As they descended to the basement, people, curious about the commotion above, were trying to go upstairs. Suddenly, communication was down, and loud noises were coming from the upper floors. Hunters affiliated with the Association and members of other guilds, who had emerged from the training rooms to check the situation, buzzed with questions. One person, about to take the initiative and go upstairs, asked Yigeom and Dohyun, who had just come down.

“Uh… what happened upstairs?”

Dohyun quickly explained the situation.

“Creature attack. The entrance is blocked by someone, escape is impossible. We suspect it’s the Blood Hunters’ doing, and currently, fighting is our only option.”

The room erupted in commotion.

“Blood Hunters? What creature? This isn’t a CA Area, why is it here?”

“A creature appeared? At the Association? Can’t we just hunt it down like usual?”

“Hunt it down? Are you kidding? Do you not know what the Blood Hunters are?”

Some had recently awakened and had no concept of the Blood Hunters. Others had heard bits and pieces from their seniors. Some were well aware. A few insisted on seeing for themselves to believe it.

And that applied to Yigeom as well. Blood Hunters? A group that worships creatures? Why? What does that have to do with the creature appearing now? How is this creature any different from the ones we usually see?

Sure, his heart had just been pierced, but wouldn’t things be different once he got his bearings? Yigeom didn’t understand the difference between the creatures he’d faced before and this one.

“It’s a mutant.”

Dohyun’s eyes turned cold.

There were various types of creatures. Hence the existence of bestiaries. Blood Hunters took creatures from CA Areas and crossbred them. Offspring created by combining the strengths of different creatures. A prime example was the mule, born from a horse and a donkey.

There was one reason why creatures were classified as Upper, Middle, and Lower. The difference in power between the ranks was significant. A Lower could never defeat a Middle, and a Middle could never defeat an Upper.

So what if you crossbred the strengths of two Uppers? That’s what had appeared now.

A mutant.

The sacrifice of the few for the many creatures.

Humans who hunt creatures are all enemies. Exterminate them. Mutants have short lifespans anyway. So burn brightly while you can, and sear the hunters with your flames.

Mutant creatures didn’t appear often. The Blood Hunters also had difficulty obtaining creatures due to the hunters constantly guarding the CA Areas, and crossbreeding creatures was a difficult task.

Success was rare, occurring only once every few years.

The most recent mutant creature appearance was five years ago.

Back then, the Blood Hunters were the greatest enemy. They had unleashed a mutant creature on the Vigilantes’ base.

Unlike guild hunters who teamed up to safely hunt CA Area creatures, Vigilantes, specializing in tracking down Blood Hunters, always faced life-or-death battles. And they were skilled in combat because of it. Even they had suffered significant losses back then, but now it was the Association. Communication was down, the entrance was blocked, and requesting support from the Vigilantes was impossible.

The hunters who knew the full extent of the damage from the incident five years ago couldn’t easily suggest going upstairs to help the security guards fight the mutant creature.

Some of them, with hopeful eyes, glanced at Dohyun and spoke up.

“Still, there are many people here, and you have experience fighting mutant creatures. Do you have a plan?”

“A plan?”

Dohyun’s gaze shifted to the person who asked the question. Then he spoke frankly.

“Well, every man for himself is a plan, isn’t it?”

A real-life situation. There was no room to worry about the lives of others. Everyone was busy trying to save themselves.

Dohyun would survive no matter what. Along with Yigeom.

He glanced back at Yigeom, who was looking around in confusion. The memory of being pierced by the creature seemed to have become a trauma, as he unconsciously raised his hand and rubbed the spot where he’d been impaled.

Dohyun pulled Yigeom’s hand down.

“You’ll live. You will live.”

He reassured Yigeom as if casting a spell. Yigeom gave a weak laugh, as if to say, Are you serious, even now? The wounded area still felt sore. He didn’t even have the energy to be angry.

“How?”

Seo Dohyun narrowed his eyes. His voice was soft and quiet, as if sharing a secret.

“I’ve always survived.”

Now, and five years ago.

Today, with you.

Despite his attempt to lighten the mood, Yigeom’s face remained stiff. He checked the spot where he’d been impaled again with his other hand, the one Dohyun wasn’t holding.

He vividly recalled the creature’s appearance.

Black thorns sprouted from its back, preventing easy approach, and it had four arms made of something like steel that could extend and retract freely: two on its shoulders and two protruding from its ribcage.

When it opened its mouth, a sewer-like stench assaulted the nose. Past its sunken eyes, below its pelvis, were thin legs that seemed barely able to support its weight. However, its large feet, about three feet long, firmly held the body upright.

‘It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt. I’m not dead. Get a grip, Yoon Yigeom. You’ve been through this a lot. It’s not the first time.’

Ironically, the day he first stepped into this world, the day Seo Dohyun had killed him repeatedly by impaling him, became his comfort today. Without that day, he might have fainted from shock and been huddled somewhere in a corner.

The thought made him chuckle. Even crap can be useful sometimes.

Confirming that Yigeom’s tension and fear had eased somewhat, Dohyun reassured him once more.

“I’ll make a prediction. You’ll live. Even if everyone here is wiped out, you will live.”

“…You’ve killed me the most. You son of a bitch.”

“Son of a bitch…”

Dohyun chuckled softly.

“Then do you want to be the owner of this son of a bitch? I’ll be your loyal guard dog.”

Yigeom was speechless at Dohyun’s pledge. After a moment of silence, he asked,

“Why? Why are you going this far?”

Doubt crept in. Is he trying to relax me so he can use me as bait for the creature and escape while he can? It was a possibility with Seo Dohyun.

Contrary to Yigeom’s expectations, Dohyun answered calmly.

“I told you I’d save you. I’ve killed you five times, so I have four times left now.”

In truth, four times was nothing. He would have said he’d save him dozens of times, not to be afraid. However, knowing Yigeom wouldn’t accept goodwill without something in return, he framed it as a transaction. If Yigeom asked why he was going this far, Dohyun wouldn’t have a clear answer.

He knew he wasn’t a model citizen. But as the master of the Latter guild, as long as Yigeom was a member of Latter, as long as they were family, he would protect his own.

‘From now on, Latter is family.’

He wouldn’t let anyone kill his family, his people, his Latter guild members. That was the reason he founded the guild.

“If you understand, stay by my side.”

Don’t die without me knowing. Don’t stray from the reset point.

Dohyun casually set the alarm on his wristwatch. It was almost time to go upstairs.

“We’re going to gather people to go upstairs now. Anyone coming with us?”

Dohyun called out cheerfully, as if asking who wanted to join him for a picnic.

Just then, someone pushed through the murmuring crowd and addressed Seo Dohyun. It was Choi Taewoong, from the Association’s Team 1.

“The masters of the other guilds have all left. I saw it myself and came down to the basement, so it’s certain. The Association President is also currently away on business in a distant region. And judging by the fact that communication throughout the building is cut off, it seems they planned this while the President was away.”

“I see. An ambush. How many people are in the building?”

“…Over thirty per floor. Excluding office staff, I estimate less than fifty combat-capable personnel, including those here.”

Seo Dohyun scanned the room and clicked his tongue.

The top guilds had their own training rooms, so they didn’t need to come to the Association, meaning those using the Association’s training rooms were from mid-tier guilds or lower.

In other words, there were no real powerhouses here.

Moreover, even if there were Association hunters present, the experienced ones would all be out in the CA Areas, and the ones here were likely newbies who hadn’t even received proper combat training.

He had hoped to find some useful people in the basement, but it seemed he had miscalculated. Knowing this, he might have been better off fighting alongside the security guards upstairs.

In fact, if it weren’t for Yoon Yigeom, Seo Dohyun might have done just that. He had come down to the basement to catch his breath, giving Yoon Yigeom some time to collect himself.

He looked at Choi Taewoong, who had addressed him. Is this guy the only usable card?

He wasn’t the type to offer hopeful words about everyone surviving together, and in reality, they couldn’t all survive. Some would likely freeze up and die, others would die in battle.

Among them, Seo Dohyun would survive, along with Yigeom.

To avoid death, that kind of resolve was necessary. The preparedness to calmly face the deaths of unrelated others. Whether Yigeom could make that cruel preparation was uncertain, but there was no more time to delay.

“But… the plan…”

“Stop whining.”

He glanced with disdain at the person still harping on about a plan. Upstairs, the security guards were risking their lives waiting for reinforcements. They were doing everything they could to stall the creature and minimize casualties.

This was the precious opportunity they had created. Every second was crucial, what plan?

The only option now was to go upstairs as quickly as possible, join forces with the security guards, and defeat the mutant creature.

“Do you think we have time to leisurely devise a plan?”

Every man for himself. That was the best approach for now. Dividing into Team 1, Team 2, and creating a plan would be pointless when more than half would likely die upon going upstairs.

But they couldn’t just become a disorganized mob, so a leader was needed…

“I’ll take command for now. I’ll give brief instructions upstairs, so don’t just stand around like idiots. Just listen to what I say.”

Then you’ll at least have a fighting chance.

“We’ll go up in three minutes. Any objections?”

“Why?”

A voice of discontent erupted from the distance.

“I think our senior would be a better commander.”

Dohyun clicked his tongue in annoyance. As expected, it was Yeho.

A man puffed out his chest, declaring,

“I’m Choi Hyunsik from the Yeho Guild.”

They hadn’t come to use the training room, but to meet an acquaintance, and had ended up staying in the basement. Though their lives were in danger due to the mutant creature, Choi Hyunsik, still unaware of its power, was full of confidence. It was a common mistake among hunters.

If this battle was won, all the credit would go to Seo Dohyun and Latter. *Why? Our senior has also been in this field for a long time, has more experience and combat power than others, and is skilled at hunting creatures. If our senior were the commander…! *

If they resolved this incident, all the credit would go to Yeho.

Yeho’s Choi Hyunsik grabbed his senior’s hand and raised it.

“This is Kim Minsik from Yeho. If we need a commander, our senior would be…!”

“Hey… Hey, are you crazy? Are you out of your mind? I’m good…. Just let Seo Dohyun do it….”

Kim Minsik was sweating profusely. His clueless junior was dragging him to hell. Did he not know Seo Dohyun used to be a Vigilante because he was new to being a hunter? If he valued his life, he sincerely hoped they would leave it to someone experienced in dealing with mutants.

“What are you saying, senior! Now is the time for our Yeho Guild to…!”

Just a sec. Seo Dohyun pulled a dagger from the inner pocket of Choi Taewoong’s jacket and walked towards them.

“Choi Hyunsik from Yeho, you say?”

Dohyun twirled the dagger in his hand and, without a moment’s hesitation, plunged it deep into Hyunsik’s shoulder.

“Ugh… Aagh!”

Yigeom’s eyes widened. Hyunsik let out a low groan, unable to move with the dagger embedded in his shoulder.

“Wh… What is this.”

Dohyun looked at him indifferently and muttered.

“An injury. Stay in the basement.”

Then his gaze shifted to the man named Minsik from Yeho.

“Are you staying too?”

He snapped to attention.

“…No, sir!”

Dohyun pressed his tired eyes, as if annoyed.

“Time is of the essence. Disobeying a superior’s orders during battle will only worsen the situation.”

He crouched down and, with a swift motion, pulled the dagger out of Hyunsik’s shoulder as he sat there trembling, clutching his wound.

“Ah… Aagh!”

Blood, previously trapped by the blocked entrance, welled up. Dohyun flicked the bloodied dagger, shaking off the blood, and scanned the room with cold eyes.

“Anyone else. Any objections.”

No one dared to speak.

In this chaotic situation, a reign of terror was the only answer.

The alarm on his wristwatch signaled that three minutes had passed.

“Let’s go then.”

People crowded onto the narrow emergency staircase. Among them, Choi Taewoong, standing near the front, gripped the dagger in his hand, his breath hot in the air.

He peeked his head out to assess the situation.

The creature. The mutant creature was really there. Familiar faces around it made his heart sink.

Fellow members of the Association. Precious colleagues he had dined with, laughed with, and chatted with. They were all injured, covered in each other’s blood.

Seeing his colleagues battered and bruised at the front lines made him uneasy. Taewoong wanted to rush out and save them.

But Dohyun only ordered them to wait, giving no other signal. It was inconsistent with his earlier urgency to go upstairs as quickly as possible.

Was he scared of the mutant creature now?

He had taken control through fear, but…

‘There could have been a more peaceful solution.’

It was hard to accept.

“When are we moving out?”

Choi Taewoong asked impatiently, but Dohyun dismissed him casually.

“Wait.”

Taewoong nodded, trying to hide his displeasure. Objecting to Dohyun’s words now would gain him nothing.

After a few more minutes, black thorns erupted from the creature, blocked by the security guards’ shields. In that moment, the head of security charged through, plunging his sword into the creature’s neck.

“…What!”

Sanghyuk’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Keeeaaak—!”

The creature’s grotesque shriek of pain echoed as the sound of reinforcements coming down the emergency stairs from the upper floor reached them. Seo Dohyun spoke softly.

“Move out.”

🦅࿐

Taewoong didn’t like Dohyun’s violent methods.

‘There could have been a more peaceful solution.’

Yigeom, eyes fluttering, grabbed Dohyun’s arm urgently.

“Hey…, Seo Dohyun, I just….”

Dohyun sighed.

“Haah…. Yigeom, you can’t close your eyes during battle.”

“That’s not it….”

Taewoong felt pity for the panting Yigeom. He was just a rookie who had recently completed his first awakening and joined Latter, yet here he was, at the scene of a creature attack within the Association. He must be more bewildered than anyone else in this chaotic situation.

‘I must save him…’

He felt determined to save Yigeom. His growing impatience made him urge Dohyun.

“When are we moving out?”

Ignoring Taewoong, Dohyun suddenly pointed at the person next to Yigeom.

“You there. You’re not a candle. Stop just poking the creature with small fireballs. Wait and condense them into a powerful blast. And you, roll to the left once then charge. You, stop scattering ice everywhere and use it to freeze the enemy. And you…”

In a short time, Dohyun gave brief instructions to five or six people.

“…How does Seo Dohyun know my ability?”

“Didn’t he investigate us?”

“What? But that’s….”

“Hey, it’s Latter. What can’t Latter do? There are rumors they investigate people.”

Finally, Dohyun’s gaze turned to Taewoong.

Bam—! He grabbed Taewoong by the hair and slammed his head against the wall.

“I understand you’re sad about your colleagues dying, but don’t space out during battle.”

Taewoong’s eyes widened at the sudden attack. His head rang.

“I wasn’t spacing out…!”

“Of course. Just a warning.”

What kind of warning is this? He was dumbfounded. Everyone around them stopped their battle preparations and looked at Seo Dohyun in disbelief.

He ignored their stares and instructed Taewoong.

“You, attack the creature’s right side.”

“…Understood.”

He replied sullenly. Regardless, Seo Dohyun was the current commander. Objecting now would only cause more chaos.

Just then, black thorns shot out from the creature, blocked by the security guards’ shields. The head of security charged through the gap and plunged his sword into the creature’s neck with all his might.

“…What!”

Taewoong’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Keeeaaak—!”

The creature’s shriek of pain echoed, and the sound of reinforcements coming down the emergency stairs from the upper floor grew louder.

At that moment, Seo Dohyun gave a quiet signal.

“Move out.”

🦅࿐

They surrounded the creature from above and below.

Some released charged blasts of fire, while others rolled to the left and charged, narrowly avoiding the creature’s attacks. His heart pounded. A moment later, and he would have been dead.

Someone else used ice to freeze the creature’s feet to the ground, but the creature simply thrashed its legs, shattering the ice like glass.

Dohyun frowned.

‘That won’t work.’

As Taewoong pressed in on the creature’s right side, he caught sight of the head of security lying motionless on the left.

‘He’s unconscious… Just temporarily unconscious.’

‘I understand you’re sad about your colleagues dying, but don’t space out during battle.’

Taewoong suppressed his desire to check on the head of security. Recalling Dohyun’s words, he activated his ability. If ice couldn’t hold the creature, something stronger would.

Taewoong’s eyes flashed, and the floor around the creature bulged and softened. The creature’s legs sank into the floor as if it were water, and then the floor hardened again, trapping its legs in the concrete. Choi Taewoong’s ability: Attribute Transformation.

Dohyun smirked, picked up a weapon from a fallen man, and as the creature, legs now immobilized, reached for him, he grabbed its arm, plunged the knife into the back of its hand, and pressed down. Then he shouted someone’s name.

“Choi Taewoong!!”

“Yes!”

That was all the communication they needed. Though they had never coordinated before, they were both seasoned fighters.

The floor around Dohyun softened like water, and he pushed down on the creature’s arm, the knife still embedded in its hand. As before, the floor solidified, trapping the creature’s hand.

Both its legs and one arm were now immobilized. The creature had no other way to attack.

Dohyun stepped onto the creature’s trapped arm. He balanced perfectly on the thin limb and ran along it.

Yigeom watched his every move.

This was their second attempt.

The first had been a disaster. People unable to dodge attacks, Choi Taewoong frozen by the death of his colleague, the reinforcements from the basement following Seo Dohyun’s instructions while those from the upper floors were out of control.

The security guards had bought them time, waiting for reinforcements, but their efforts were in vain as they began to fall. Faster than the time they had held out.

It was inevitable. They were just a ragtag group from smaller guilds and inexperienced rookies. The difference between those who received regular specialized training and those who didn’t. While his colleagues were being attacked and floundering in confusion, Seo Dohyun moved.

Only Seo Dohyun moved.

Even if this attempt failed, he had the next one. He keenly observed the abilities of those around him, searching for the creature’s attack patterns.

He didn’t care if his flesh was torn or his bones broken. He knew it would all reset anyway.

Yigeom just stared blankly. Seo Dohyun barely managed to deflect the attacks aimed at Yigeom. As if keeping his promise: You will live. I’ll make sure of it.

Why? How? Even if I die, it’ll reset. It’s meaningless, right? Even if I’m injured now, once the ability is used…

Suddenly, the sprinklers activated. Someone who was manipulating small flames had accidentally triggered them.

Yigeom’s vision suddenly cleared. As if looking down from the ceiling, everything came into sharp focus.

He saw himself standing there, mesmerized, covering his eyes with his hands.

“Yoon Yigeom!!!”

He heard Seo Dohyun’s urgent voice calling him. He was probably telling him to open his eyes. But he could see without opening them.

He could see.

He could see the creature picking up a weapon from the floor and about to throw it at him. And…

He could see that the angle from above was slightly off.

It won’t hit. I don’t need to dodge.

Only by covering his eyes could he truly see.

‘Second awakening is the blossoming of an ability.’

Water. Water was the medium.

Water is my vision.

Suddenly, the scene rewound, and he found himself crouched near the emergency stairs.

“Hey…, Seo Dohyun, I just….”

“Haah…. Yigeom, you can’t close your eyes during battle.”

Seo Dohyun’s frown silenced Yigeom.

And now.

“Excuse me. Could you light the sprinklers on fire?”

“…Me? You mean me?”

“Then who else? Hurry up.”

“Yes… Yes!”

Yigeom made the request naturally, taking in the chaotic scene. If his abilities couldn’t help in battle, he could at least observe the situation.

I’m no different from Seo Dohyun. I remember the repeating events.

If this attempt failed, he would try again, and again. Just do something, even if it’s clumsy.

If he shared the same memories as Seo Dohyun, he should at least try to help.

Seo Dohyun was in the midst of battle, his vision limited, having to fight, observe the surroundings, and give instructions. He needed ten bodies, not just one.

But what about him?

Shhhhhhh—. Water poured down from the sprinklers like rain.

Yigeom closed his eyes as the water hit him. Unlike before, everything was dark. He bit his lip.

Seo Dohyun, running along the creature’s arm towards its face, shouted again.

“Yoon Yigeom!”

Why? How? Why can’t I see? Did the creature throw another weapon at me? But the angle should be wrong…

Ah, we acted differently than before. The outcome must have changed.

But he felt like he was close to seeing…

“Open your eyes!!!”

At Dohyun’s command, Yigeom’s eyes snapped open. The creature was right in front of him.

Whose vision is this?

Squeeze. Yigeom’s neck was caught in a grotesque hand.

Ah. It’s my vision. I couldn’t see after all.

Its arms and legs should have been trapped on the floor. When did it get free? He glanced around and saw the remnants of the concrete floor where the creature had broken free, deeply gouged.

Dohyun’s wristwatch alarm hadn’t gone off yet.

Then he just had to wait for the next opportunity. The pain would only be momentary. Crack. Yigeom’s neck snapped.

🦅࿐

“When are we moving out?”

“Shut up.”

Seo Dohyun silenced Taewoong’s urging and focused on Yoon Yigeom, tilting his head slightly. His expression was cold.

“Yigeom, what are you doing?”

“What?”

“Why do you keep closing your eyes? Yoon Yigeom. Is your life a game? If you keep doing that, I can’t protect you.”

Yigeom met his gaze. Is my life a game? Honestly, wasn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? He pushed aside the retort and explained briefly.

“I’m testing something about my second awakening ability. There’s no time to explain, just trust me.”