As soon as she answered the phone, Jurim’s voice came through.
- Han Geuru, you’re home safe, right?
“Yeees. I’m doing good.”
- The helper auntie will be leaving late today, so tell her if you need anything.
“Okaaay.”
Jurim had brought Geuru home, then rushed back out while taking calls from all over the place. It seemed he had gotten busy because of Malikian.
“But, Guild Mashter.”
- Yeah.
“What about Dan oppa?”
- …….
“Is he okay?”
- He’ll have to get okay.
It was a meaningful answer.
“He’s not okay now?”
- No.
“Why?”
- Because he’s acting like On Jurim.
“Eeeh?”
What did that mean? Was Dan oppa in that much of a desperate crisis right now?
Soon, a soft sigh came through.
- I mean he’s acting like he can do everything on his own.
Gidan pushed his team away. It wasn’t that his team refused to accept him, nor did he have trouble getting along with others thanks to his sociable personality.
Even so, he refused to coordinate with a team and insisted on going solo.
In particular, when he was deployed into a Great Dungeon—a high-grade dungeon—he even became extremely afraid of having someone by his side.
He seemed to regard any situation where he could not step forward alone as running away, as an act of cowardice.
That was precisely why Gidan admired Jurim, who had once closed a Great Dungeon by himself.
At the same time that he wanted to become the Jurim of that day, he despised himself for having run away alone and survived.
But unless one was a special case like Jurim, solo play was no different from suicide.
Raids always revolved around a team. Whether one liked it or not.
Even Jurim had climbed the Tower together with his teammates.
The fundamental reason for being with a team was necessity. In other words, survival and success.
To reject that meant……
“Alone……”
Just as Geuru was quietly chewing over Jurim’s words—
- Dan…… wants to pull off something that can’t be done without a team. That’s why he isn’t okay. Gidan isn’t On Jurim, and as he is now, he can’t become him either.
Geuru could vaguely understand what he meant.
The terrifying S-rank monster that had been one-sidedly pressing Gidan had run away upon seeing Jurim.
Being able to stand alone was only possible because he was On Jurim.
Gidan still needed help. Yet he was trying hard to pretend he didn’t.
- I can’t keep pretending not to see him acting recklessly every time, but he keeps trying to step forward……
- Guild Master On!
Behind his words, someone could be heard calling out to him. A few urgent exchanges followed, and then Jurim continued.
- I have to hang up now. I’ll be late because I’m busy, so go to sleep first today.
“Then what about pat-pat?”
Lately, Jurim had been in charge of Geuru’s nights every day.
If she pestered him, saying, “Pat me to sleep,” or “Read me a book,” Jurim would act annoyed but still stay by her side until she fell asleep.
- Ask the helper auntie.
Geuru stuck out her lips.
“Okaaay……”
- I’m hanging up.
“Guild Mashter!”
- Yeah.
“Come back quick. Geuru might not sleep and wait for you.”
At that, a low laugh flowed into her ear.
- Got it.
After hanging up, Geuru returned to the sofa, lay down, and opened her skill window.
Gidan’s face had now been added to the “Deep-Rooted Attachment” encyclopedia.
She looked again at the article clippings she had been reading earlier. The last page was about Gidan’s Awakening.
[The 5th S-rank Awakener, “Gidan”!]
The article mainly covered various details of Gidan’s past.
His reputation among those around him, his grades, an interview with the aunt who had taken him in.
It also listed his history as the winner of a youth baseball tournament, along with a photo of Gidan smiling together with his club members.
‘Gangneung Chungyeon Middle School Baseball Club……’
The baseball club members had their arms around one another’s shoulders, surrounding Gidan.
Had he been happy back then, even together with his teammates?
Just as Geuru was staring intently at Gidan’s photo—
On the corner of the page where Malikian was printed, there was a scrawled word that was clearly written by Jurim.
‘Gnosis?’
What was that?
The moment Geuru tilted her head in confusion—
A notification window appeared before her eyes.
Ding!
[Emergency! Detecting danger to guardian!]
*
Hyeonak’s underground training room.
Kim Jongwon, captain of Raid Team 1, who had seated Gidan in a chair and even bound him in a rough tangle, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
He had returned to the company after receiving an emergency summons and had heard the whole story from Jurim.
‘He tried to take down Malikian alone……’
When fighting an S-rank monster, it was standard to assign at least one S-rank and ten A-ranks as the minimum raid force.
So facing Malikian alone was no different from suicide.
‘I understand how he feels, and I can more than sympathize, but……’
This kid needed to learn that the more he lost his reason, the less he would be able to accomplish anything.
Gidan slowly opened his eyes. Because of “Purple Bloodflow,” his face was paler than usual.
“Good grief, look at the state of our team’s pretty boy.”
“…….”
Kim Jongwon approached Gidan, then squatted beside him with his arms crossed. Seeing the boy’s face even paler up close made his insides burn.
“Hey, hey, Gidan. Can’t you start trusting the hyungs on your team now?”
Hyeonak was the guild where the most outstanding Hunters in Korea belonged. Among them, Team 1 was the elite of the elite even within Hyeonak.
It wasn’t as if they had only raided S-rank monsters once or twice. If they were together, they could certainly take it down.
Yes, certainly…… if only this guy wanted to be with them.
But no particular answer came back.
Though Gidan was usually easygoing and good at matching the people around him, he was stubborn at times like this.
He looked as if he were wearing a sturdy suit of armor that no words could pierce.
Jongwon thumped his chest in frustration, and Gidan merely stared blankly at the back of his hand.
“…….”
There was a small, unfamiliar dot, as if something had been branded there.
‘This is……’
An inexplicable throbbing. And a sensation as if it had taken root.
At that moment, along with his team leader’s scolding, a voice reached his ear.
“Gidan. Why aren’t you answering?”
- You reek terribly of water.
Gidan’s eyes rolled downward.
“Dan, don’t you even think about charging in alone like a moth to a flame.”
- It is a nostalgic smell. My glorious land was like that as well.
It seemed the team leader couldn’t hear it. It was probably a voice only he could hear.
Suddenly, he recalled the boss of the Yeti tribe, who had been unable to take its eyes off Geuru.
As if it had known Malikian was there.
Malikian had parasitized Geuru’s body and come through space.
‘Then this is……’
All at once, three eyes spun round and round before Gidan’s eyes.
- I am the last descendant of Biat. I shall take back my sword from you.
After Gidan Awakened, when everyone was paying attention to the path the S-rank would take,
Gidan had gone to Jurim and stubbornly insisted on joining Hyeonak.
“Biat’s Aspiration” was the sword Jurim had tossed him back then.
“Use it if you need it.”
From that day on, Gidan held a sword instead of a baseball bat.
- You, too, must still have business with me, no?
Malikian, who had fled so unsightly before Jurim, was now in his hand.
A thrilling anger and fighting spirit made his head go numb. His eyes felt as if they were burning and melting away.
Malikian’s cackling laughter reached him like an auditory hallucination.
“Ha, haha.”
When a low laugh burst from Gidan, the team leader’s face crumpled.
“Dan, have you seriously lost it? Should we go to the hospital?”
Gidan held back his laughter and lifted his head. A hollow smile rested on his deathly pale face.
“……Hyung, I’m sorry.”
“Hey, do you think I’m doing this because I want to hear an apology from you?”
Jongwon tousled his own hair.
“Guildmaster hyung isn’t at the company, right?”
There was no trace of Jurim inside the company.
The team leader hesitated, then seemed to realize there was no point lying and replied curtly.
“The Director summoned him. He’s at the Administration Bureau, so he’ll be back in a little while.”
It was probably for an explanation and investigation regarding today’s incident.
No matter how unpredictable dungeons were, the appearance of an S-rank monster like Malikian was far too unusual.
“Hyung, as for me.”
“……?”
“I can’t forgive myself.”
A dungeon was the boss’s space. A shadow world created by the boss.
And every S-rank monster was classified as a boss.
“Malikian.”
Gidan released his mana. The reason Malikian had not revealed himself was probably because he feared Jurim.
The reason he was speaking only to Gidan like this was likely an extension of that as well.
Malikian was looking down on him.
Even now that Gidan had become S-rank.
“Open your land.”
Gidan lightly undid his restraints and rose.
“If you want your sword back.”