episode_0002

They won.

The wyvern, which had seemed unbeatable, turned into chunks of meat and scattered in the sky.

In that downpour, Jisoo landed slowly on the ground.

“Sister…”

I hurried to her.

Beside her, Gyuseon was already standing, praising her for the finishing blow.

It’s a joyful occasion.

Because my beloved sister has once again surpassed herself.

But the more she experiences this, the more bittersweet I feel.

As she grows stronger, it feels like she’s drifting further away from me.

Just imagining watching my sister leave as a Ranker someday made it impossible for me to smile.

“Why are you so gloomy on such a good day?” Hyunsu asks, lighting a cigarette.

Standing next to me, he looks at Jisoo and Gyuseon together.

“Just… I feel like I didn’t help much this time.”

Hyunsu glances at me briefly, then flicks ash onto the spilled meat.

“Today, though, you did well enough.”

Unexpected words come from his mouth.

His expression is different from the mocking one he usually shows me.

“That last blow from Jisoo earlier. It seems a faint attribute buff was applied.”

“Attribute buff…?”

“What… You didn’t even know despite writing it down?”

“Not at all.”

Hyunsu casually puts his thick arm over my shoulder.

His usually heavy arm felt quite bearable today.

“Think about it. The difference between the heal you gave Jisoo and the heal from the past.”

Difference…

I pondered those three words carefully.

What could be different?

The point of ability manifestation was the same.

“Oppa! Dohyeon!”

Jisoo runs towards us with a bright smile.

She stumbled over a chunk of meat while running hastily.

“I… I hit the jackpot.”

He shakes his head vigorously, flicking the cigarette butt to the ground.

“Did you both see it? Me slicing that huge wyvern in one stroke!”

“Yeah, we saw it. How does it feel to deliver the final blow after fighting tooth and nail?”

“It feels amazing, doesn’t it?”

She smiles broadly with a blood-stained face.

“Congratulations, sis. You caught a Grade 7 monster without any hesitation, now all that’s left is to become famous.”

“Of course! Someone might have already uploaded it on YouTube.”

Jisoo tidies her face with a dimmed phone, anticipating a possible broadcast appearance.

However, with wyvern blood splattered all over her face, a clean appearance without washing seemed unlikely.

“When you become famous and I come looking for you, don’t pretend you don’t know me.”

I smiled, hiding my bitter feelings as much as possible.

“What are you talking about?”

She tilts her head to the side.

“Obviously, we’ll tackle the next raid together!”

Jisoo pushes my shoulder playfully.

“Yes, Inma, we agreed to stick together until we catch at least a Grade 3 monster.”

Hyunsu also responds wearily with his arms crossed.

“We’ll have to keep looking at your boring faces in the future.”

“Do you dislike it, oppa? Then leave. I should pick a warrior class that’s handsome and much more capable.”

“What? Who raised you all this time? You’d still be short of tuition fees even if you paid me!”

When Hyunsu talks about money, Jisoo shivers.

While they laugh and chat, I looked down at my hand, which had worked a small miracle today.

Have I grown a little through today’s experience?

If I really gained a buff skill like my brother said, I would be able to laugh and chat with my comrades leisurely.

Yes, I won’t just be discouraged anymore to become like that in the future.

“Let’s go gather the loot quickly. Before Gyuseon steals everything.”

Jisoo moves towards the wyvern’s corpse, wiping her palm swiftly.

Hyunsu follows her, starting to walk with heavy steps.

“Hyung.”

“What?”

“There’s a bar called Moment in Seoul.”

“Why suddenly mention a bar?”

“In that place, there’s a drink called Victory Brew. It’s given to the hunters who succeed in raids as a commemorative drink.”

“Drinks are all the same anyway.”

“But I still want to drink with you, Hyung. I want to drink with Gyuseon and also with Nuna.”

Hyunsoo stops abruptly.

“Well then…”

He muttered quietly.

Then, with his hand in his pocket, he turns back towards the wyvern’s corpse.

Leaving behind his departing comrades, he raises his head high.

The once ash-gray sky is now clear without a single cloud.

Yes, my life starts now.

He closes his eyes.

And takes a deep breath.

“…”

Already feeling like a new person, his body feels light.

Maybe I should go too…

I remember watching on YouTube what loot came out from the wyvern yesterday.

Refining its teeth could make excellent protective gear.

Perhaps I should make protective gear for Nuna, whose wrists hurt from constant sword practice.

I’ll make arrowheads for Gyuseon.

And knee guards for Hyunsoo Hyung.

“…”

Lost in these thoughts, I suddenly feel unease coming from above.

It feels like someone is standing on the broken building’s steel frame.

“Who’s there…?”

Thinking I might have seen wrong, I blink my eyes.

In the moment of rubbing my eyes, the small silhouette has already disappeared from the steel frame.

“Did I see wrong…?”

Well, today’s raid was the most challenging one we’ve faced so far, so maybe I’m just tired.

I turn my gaze back to my comrades.

But as I approach them, a strange red dot appears in the space where they stand.

“What’s this…?”

Frowning, I peer closely at the dot.

Is everyone so distracted by the loot that they can’t see it?

While walking slowly, I suddenly stop in my tracks.

I realize what that dot signifies.

Chills run down my spine as if all the blood in my body is draining into the ground.

“Hyung! Nuna! Watch out!”

As I urgently shout, my comrades all look at me.

A small stick falls beside them.

“No!”

From the sticks embedded around them, eerie screams echo out.

As I reach out to my comrades, red waves emanate from the sticks.

As a result, Gyuseon’s and Hyunsoo’s bodies start to distort like liquid.

Gyuseon completely distorts and disappears, spreading blood in all directions.

Eventually, Hyunsoo’s body also bursts into blood, unable to withstand the shockwaves.

Only Jisoo Nuna remains, holding a knife in the ground, trying to endure.

But even she, finding it hard to hold on, starts to bleed from her eyes and mouth.

“How…?”

“Do Hyun-ah! Don’t come this way!”

She desperately shouts at me, spitting out boiling blood.

What on earth is happening?

Is this… a dream?

It can’t be anything but a dream.

Such abilities are unheard of!

“Wow, your comrades are impressive.”

Suddenly, a voice of an unknown person is heard beside me.

At that unfamiliar presence, I am momentarily frozen.

“Most D-rankers can’t endure and burst. How on earth is she holding on?”

I manage to roll my stiffened eyeballs to look at the owner of the voice.

Red eyes amidst black hair.

A young woman in a navy hoodie and sweatpants.

Between the hood of her hoodie, the number ’09’ is tattooed on her neck.

Instinctively, I knew.

This woman is undoubtedly the same person who was standing on the steel frame earlier.

“Shall we increase the intensity somewhere else?”

As she flicks her finger, the screams from the sticks grow louder.

It was so loud that all the glass windows in the surrounding abandoned buildings shatter.

I need to move.

I need to stop this woman.

But my body simply refuses to listen, once again paralyzed by fear, just like before facing the wyvern.

I thought I had grown a little. How foolish of me.

My body, stiff with incompetence, is gradually collapsing.

“But aren’t you going to help her? You’ve been watching her closely all this time. Aren’t you two close?”

The crazed killer stares into my eyes intently, asking.

Her red pupils seemed to have no focus, like insects.

“Oh, well, I thought intervening wouldn’t be helpful anyway. Smart reasoning, right?”

The woman’s eyes narrow slightly.

“Then just stand there like a bug and watch.”

She pulled out a small dagger from her sleeve.

The dagger was covered in a disturbing purple liquid.

With each drop falling to the ground, steam rose from the surface.

If you get hit by that, even an older sister would surely die.

I have to stop it somehow.

But why…

It’s pathetic that all a man can do is shed tears and snot.

Hot tears ran down my lips.

The tangy taste burned my tongue, and suddenly I remembered what my sister had told me.

“Human beings weren’t originally creatures who relied on skills, were they?”

I bit my tongue.

I chewed and tore at it as if insane, pressing my teeth into the flesh.

A chunk of red flesh fell to the ground with a thud.

As it did, the vitality that had sunk resurged throughout my body.

The fear that had gripped me only moments ago dissipated.

My unshackled feet began to run frantically.

Even though I have no attack skills, there is nothing I can do against a Ranker charging at me.

But what does that matter?

With the sole intention of saving my sister, I grabbed the psycho Ranker’s shoulder.

“What…”

As my hand touched her shoulder, a faint white radiance burst from my fingertips.

That light enveloped the Ranker’s body.

…

As a result, the red-eyed woman stood frozen in place as if all power had been cut off.

Thanks to that, the gravitational force pinning down my sister, Jisoo, also weakened.

What happened…?

Did my skill also have the ability to induce unconsciousness?

Seizing the opportunity, Jisoo rose to her feet once more.

She drew her sword and spoke to me in a trembling voice.

“You did well, Dohyun…”

There was no hint of vigor in her dry voice.

“This… this…”

Jisoo’s lips trembled.

With blood flowing from her eyes, she pointed her blade at the Ranker who had killed her comrades.

But there was no trace of anger in her eyes.

Jisoo wore an unfamiliar expression that she had never shown me before.

But I know that expression well.

More than anyone else in this world, I would know best.

Because it’s an expression I often made.

That face filled with resentment and injustice towards the whole world.

On that day, I learned for the first time that she, who was more talented than anyone else, could make such an expression.

The ruined city echoed with her screams.

To this day, I cannot forget that sound.