October 202X, District 0, temporary capital of Daejeon, South Korea.
“Hold them off! If they break through here, we’re all dead!”
“Even if you don’t kill us, it looks like these bastards will get to us first!”
“Why are they suddenly going nuts and attacking us like this?!”
District 0-C was in chaos, filled with a mix of desperate yells and the monstrous roars of beasts.
Kwak Yoonsang, the head of the Paranormal Incident Response Agency’s Support Division, ran frantically, shouting orders to the hunters as they struggled to fend off the beasts attempting to breach the barrier.
“Where’s the backup? Isn’t the leader of the Seven Guild back in the country this morning?!”
“He’s still not responding! The guild leader might be missing, but the rest of the Seven Guild should be heading your way soon… What the hell—”
The voice on the other end of the radio was suddenly cut off with a curse.
It was shocking enough that even someone communicating with their superior couldn’t hold back profanity.
Whatever was happening on the other side must have been unimaginable.
Kwak Yoonsang felt a chill down his spine.
Could there really be something worse than these beasts breaking through their habitat and launching an attack on the barrier?
“Sir, another portal has opened in Jungri-dong.”
“…Fuck.”
The world never hesitated to show Kwak Yoonsang just how much worse things could get. Jungri-dong was a residential area in the heart of the city.
As a result, the Seven Guild, which had been on its way to District 0-C, was redirected to Jungri-dong. Kwak Yoonsang bit down hard on his lip, tasting blood.
The situation wasn’t limited to District 0-C. All of District 0, which bordered the barrier, was in chaos due to the beasts from nearby areas suddenly going berserk.
Desperate requests for help flooded the radio.
‘Please, don’t tell me another Cataclysm is coming.’
Kwak Yoonsang pushed the ominous thought aside as he continued swinging his sword. Just then, the air distorted in front of him.
This wasn’t the usual sign of an Eid portal opening. Both Kwak Yoonsang and the hunters nearby tensed.
The distortion grew, crumpling the air like paper before splitting into a dark crack from which a sharp light shot out.
The brightness was so intense that Kwak Yoonsang instinctively closed his eyes, forgetting for a moment that he was in the middle of battle.
When he reopened his eyes, there was no longer a crack, but a young man standing in its place.
“…”
The man, who seemed to sway slightly, pressing his temples as if dizzy, looked around.
From the distance, Kwak Yoonsang could barely make out his face, but the expression seemed surprised.
Kwak Yoonsang, too, was stunned.
‘Who the hell is that? A wizard? No, but why is he dressed like that?’
Whatever the strange crack had been, its sudden appearance could be explained as some kind of magic.
But what surprised Kwak Yoonsang even more than the magic was the man’s outfit.
It wasn’t the kind of robe flashy wizards wore after awakening.
It was a long, bizarrely designed garment, and on his head was a strange, dark tuft of cotton.
Kwak Yoonsang quickly came to a conclusion—this guy must be some lunatic cosplaying in front of a swarm of beasts.
“Hey! You wizard! Save the cosplay for later and run this way!”
The swarm of beasts, briefly halted by the sudden light, soon resumed their ferocious assault.
To them, a lone human standing idly was nothing more than a quick snack.
But the young man only tilted his head, staring at the approaching beasts.
“Damn it!”
Lunatic or not, Kwak Yoonsang couldn’t just let him die right in front of him. He cursed and sprinted toward the crazy cosplayer.
Just then, the young man, who had been standing still, clenched his fist and raised his hand lightly.
A faint light wrapped around his hand, and in a flash, he struck a beast lunging toward him, smashing its skull with his bare fist.
Thwack!
The beast died instantly, without even a chance to scream.
“…”
Kwak Yoonsang, along with the other hunters, couldn’t believe their eyes.
Even the beasts seemed to hesitate. Had their skulls always been that soft?
“…What?”
Blinking in disbelief, Kwak Yoonsang found the young man now standing right in front of him.
He had been so far away just a moment ago.
Before he could even comprehend the situation, the young man tapped the flat of Kwak Yoonsang’s sword.
“What? Uh, do you want my sword?”
Without saying a word, the young man simply looked at him.
Under normal circumstances, there was no way Kwak Yoonsang would ever hand over his weapon in the middle of a fight.
Especially considering it was his saber, a fencing sword. In Korea, awakened swordsmen typically used a Korean saber, a much different type of blade.
Could this young man even wield it properly?
But the young man’s gentle smile, paired with the fact that he had just smashed a beast’s skull with his bare hands, left Kwak Yoonsang with little choice. Hesitantly, he handed over the saber.
The young man took the saber and tested its balance with a few swings.
Then, he assumed a stance, right hand and right foot forward, lifting the sword into what appeared to be a fencing stance.
Kwak Yoonsang’s jaw dropped slightly.
‘Did he… learn fencing?’
Before Kwak Yoonsang could voice his question, the beasts surged forward again, led by an iron-armored grizzly bear, a beast so massive it shook the ground with each step.
Its armored hide made it nearly impossible to defeat.
No matter how strong the young man was, he couldn’t fight that thing alone.
Kwak Yoonsang drew his backup saber, intending to join the fight.
But before he could, the young man thrust his sword forward. It was a perfect fencing attack.
Before Kwak Yoonsang could even admire the form, the tip of the saber touched the armored grizzly bear’s hide.
Squelch!
“….”
The armored flame bear exploded in an instant, as if a water balloon had burst.
That’s right.
If destroying the core hidden deep within the body is difficult, destroying the entire body is enough.
Thus began the beast dismemberment show. The hunters, including Kwak Yoonsang, watched with their mouths agape as the young man elegantly and effortlessly flew around, slaughtering the horde of beasts.
This was Kim Shibaek, a former detective and now an apostle, returning after 68 years.
As he easily cut down the beasts, Kim Shibaek turned to Beyondoe, who was clutching his hair with claws, and asked.
His voice was soft, inaudible to the hunters around him, who were in a daze.
“It’s been a while since I’ve used a sword. By the way, why are beasts showing up here? It’s not even Slacht.”
* * *
[‘‘Death and Beauty’’ is confused.]
[‘‘Death and Beauty’’ cry out, asking where they are.]
[‘Death and Beauty’ desperately call for Death and Rest.]
[There is no answer from Death and Rest.]
[‘Death and Beauty’ cry, asking their sister to save them.]
“Beyondoe, you’re being noisy.”
While Beyondoe was half-crazed and flustered, Kim Shibaek remained calm as he hunted the beasts, surveying his surroundings.
Where exactly is this place?
✽ ✽ ✽
It had been exactly 7,777 days since that day.
“Ah.”
In the boundless, pure darkness, a man’s lips curved into a thin smile with a short sigh.
He had found it. He had finally found it.
As the darkness rippled, laughter filled with madness and joy spread.
“I’m coming, hyung.”
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