With a soft click, Moon Hyunah held a metal case in her hand. What emerged from it was nothing other than a cigarette.

“There’s something like this, and you say I’m a dungeon monster.”

A slender finger drew out a cigarette and brought it to her lips. She offered the case to Song Taewon.

“Here.”

“I’ll pass.”

“There wouldn’t have been any cigarettes that worked back then. This one tastes pretty good.”

“No, I—”

The cigarette pressed against Song Taewon’s lips. Moon Hyunah furrowed her brow, muttering about his needless stubbornness. Eventually Song Taewon parted his closed lips. A cool, refreshing scent filtered through the tip.

“Anyway, it’s good to see you after so long.”

Moon Hyunah raised her index finger. A small flame sparked at her fingertip.

“It’s a skill I picked up from a dungeon in LA a few months ago.”

She lit her own cigarette.

“Only E-Rank—can barely make a fire this size. But it’s pretty convenient.”

Moon Hyunah offered the flame to him. Song Taewon hesitated a moment, then leaned forward. Instead of the thick smell of blood, cigarette smoke filled the space between them.

“What kind of dungeon is this supposed to be?”

“They called it the Nightmare on Christmas. Said to reference A Christmas Carol.”

“Then am I a ghost from the future? Though from my perspective, the Chief is a ghost from the past.”

Exhaling a long stream of smoke, Moon Hyunah tilted her head.

“How does it feel, Taewon-ah? Being dead. I don’t know the details, but they say you entered the same dungeon as Seong Hyunjae, and only Seong Hyunjae came out. So there’s no body in your grave. Officially, you died during a dungeon clear, and your grave is in the National Cemetery—behind the Sesung Guild.”

His personal belongings had been placed in the empty coffin.

“Do you have any idea? Seong Hyunjae didn’t say anything.”

“No.”

“Seong Hyunjae didn’t dislike you. He actually liked you. Even though that man went around showing interest here and there, you know there was always a line.”

No one was allowed to cross that line. Even guild members were the same.

“Soyeong said she got the creeps sometimes too.”

“That’s just how he is.”

“What do you mean, how he is? Is that why Seong Hyunjae paid special attention to Song Taewon?”

“That’s not it.”

“What do you mean, it’s not? Me, Soyeong, the Haeyeon Guild Leader, Evelyn and Noah—I guess you don’t know them. Anyway, all the other Awakened and non-Awakened were nothing to Seong Hyunjae. Wait, come to think of it…”

Moon Hyunah suddenly burst into laughter.

“Isn’t this the first time that man has been dumped first!”

“What?”

“Damn, I should have teased him more! Where is he now? Should I ask Soyeong?”

Cigarette ash fell to the ground. The disappointed Moon Hyunah turned to look at the fallen corpses.

“Let’s burn them. Don’t make that face—you said they’re monsters.”

“If they’re monsters, there’s no need to burn them, is there?”

“They feel like people to me. Even knowing they’re not, that’s how they feel, and it’s disgusting. There are many faces I recognize too. Though it’s probably not as bad for me as it is for you, Taewon.”

Moon Hyunah tossed her cigarette aside and began moving the corpses. Song Taewon clenched and unclenched his fist. The hesitation was brief before he joined her.

“Funerals are for the living. What do the dead know?”

Moon Hyunah brought a large cloth and covered the bodies.

“It’s a kind of period. Just like a new sentence starts after a full stop, the living have to finish things and keep going. But sometimes that doesn’t work out, and they keep repeating the same old parts. Or they just close the book entirely.”

A small flame dropped onto the cloth’s edge with a soft thud. Moon Hyunah fed her mana to the fire, nurturing it to grow. Red flames slowly began to spread.

“Since I’m playing the role of a ghost from the future, I feel like I should do something. The only thing that comes to mind is telling you not to die this time.”

“That’s something I can’t do anything about.”

“Are you going to say that when you up and died after getting engaged to me?”

“What?!”

Song Taewon’s eyes widened. Moon Hyunah continued speaking calmly to his shocked expression.

“Seong Hyunjae was supposed to officiate our wedding.”

“Th-that’s…”

“We were going to have a double wedding with Han Yuhyun and Kang Soyeong.”

“What…?”

“Seong Hyunjae was already married.”

“What…?”

“There’s an S-Rank Hunter named Evelyn. They got along pretty well and lived happily. At Seong Hyunjae’s wedding, you were the officiant, Taewon. I sang the congratulatory song. Seong Hyunjae was so pleased that the Chief finally got a custom-made suit as a gift. It suited you well. At the reception that day, you confessed to me.”

“Th-that…”

“You said you were lacking in many ways, but you’d try your best for the rest of your life. And then you just went off and left me.”

“S-sorry…”

“Shouldn’t you have realized by now that I’m lying?”

Moon Hyunah chuckled. Song Taewon, who had frozen in bewilderment, blinked.

“It’s true that Soyeong and the Haeyeon Guild Leader had a scandal. Soyeong called me and complained for three hours about how unfair it was. ‘He’s absolutely crazy! In the first place, the two words “love” probably don’t even exist in the Haeyeon Guild Leader’s dictionary! He’s so cold, he just does his business and that’s it! He has nothing to offer besides his face and skills! I’m way too good for him!’ she said.”

Moon Hyunah’s hand patted Song Taewon on the back. Meanwhile, the flames had completely covered the cloth. Smoke rose thick into the sunset sky.

“If you have questions, ask. Think of it as a fortune-telling session.”

‘You’re too quiet.’ At Moon Hyunah’s grumbling, Song Taewon opened his mouth, then closed it again. He couldn’t think of anything he was curious about regarding his own future. He’d never really thought about it.

“Was there really nothing?”

“Huh? Oh, between us? What, Taewon, were you interested in me?”

“No. I mean, not in that way.”

“It’s sad that you’re so blunt. I was.”

“What?”

“You’re well-built. You weren’t cute, though. I think you’re a little cute now. Should we date?”

“No, that’s…”

“There was no time for that when you were alive. I was going through a lot too. Breaker hasn’t gone bankrupt yet, has it?”

Song Taewon nodded. Moon Hyunah turned her gaze to the distant sky and shrugged slightly.

“I was stubborn too. Tried to do things too cleanly. But it’s not like everything ends just because you fail once. After Breaker went bankrupt, a lot of things changed for the better when I left Korea. It was like shock therapy. If I hadn’t gone bankrupt, Soyeong would have had a hard time leading the Sesung Guild after Seong Hyunjae disappeared.”

“Did you leave Korea completely?”

“My nationality is still there. To be precise, I’m multinational. There’s more to do overseas. I ended up doing more rescue work than dungeon clearing. I’m a specialist in catching guys who kidnap kids, force them to awaken, and sell them.”

At least there were laws in Korea, Moon Hyunah said with a bitter smile.

“When I left Korea, I thought I’d take a short break and start fresh, but before I knew it I had my own team, and that grew too. I’m busier than before—forget about taking a break. In terms of numbers alone, it’s already bigger than when I was with Breaker.”

Though she complained about it being hard and busy, Moon Hyunah’s voice was bright.

“So, Mr. Song Taewon. If you don’t value your life, don’t throw it away—just give it to me. I’m short-handed.”

“I have a lot of work too.”

“Then why did you die?”

“I don’t know. But…”

Song Taewon looked at the accumulating, scattering ashes. Perhaps because it wasn’t ordinary fire, despite the skill’s low grade, or perhaps because of Moon Hyunah’s mana, the flames burned everything quickly and cleanly.

“It must have been necessary.”

“Then that’s enough.”

Instead of asking for detailed reasons, Moon Hyunah nodded. Then she jumped back with a light hop.

“I doubt you came in alone—there’s a clearing team, right? The current me seems stronger than usual.”

Whether she was a monster or not, she had no intention of being quietly defeated. Moon Hyunah shook her hands lightly as if warming up.

“I won’t go easy on you. Come back well-prepared.”

Just as Song Taewon was about to respond, a message window appeared.

[The Sesung Guild area has been temporarily closed!]

“What’s wrong?”

“They say the Sesung Guild area has been closed.”

“What? Well, since it’s a Korean background, there would be a Sesung Guild. Could Seong Hyunjae be there too?”

At Moon Hyunah’s words, Song Taewon’s expression hardened. If he was really there, then there were two Sesung Guild Leaders. Could there be two of the others as well? The Haeyeon Guild Leader, Park Yerim, Noah, and Han Yujin. His stomach clenched.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Why the long face? Ah, could Seong Hyunjae be here too? Are there two Seong Hyunjaes?”

“That’s a possibility.”

“Oh my!”

Moon Hyunah clutched her stomach and laughed loudly. Song Taewon let out a deep sigh. Seong Hyunjae was one thing, but Han Yujin was also a headache. With two of them—no, four of them—he didn’t know what kind of trouble they’d cause, so he had to find them as soon as possible—

BOOM!

Moon Hyunah’s foot suddenly kicked the ground hard. She drew her long spear and charged at Song Taewon with terrifying speed. In the rushing gust of wind, Song Taewon hastily lowered his center of gravity and crossed his arms. There was no time to dodge.

Just as he braced for his arms to break—

A wet thwack followed by a sharp crunch.

Blood splattered. It wasn’t Song Taewon’s. Moon Hyunah swallowed the blood rising in her throat and swung her spear. A silver chain wrapped around the long weapon and pulled taut before stopping with a scrape.

“Damn it, what is that?”

Moon Hyunah, now shielding Song Taewon, looked up at the sky. Under the sunset, impossible moonlight was pouring down.

“Hunter Moon Hyunah!”

“Do you have a gate stone? It would be better to just get out of this dungeon.”

Blood dripped from the silver chains that had pierced Moon Hyunah’s body in several places. The moonlight swayed loftily, then flashed sharply again. This attack too was aimed precisely at Song Taewon.

“Get out, I said!”

Moon Hyunah kicked Song Taewon away. He tried to hold his ground, but couldn’t withstand the force and was pushed back. Moon Hyunah’s arms, gripping the long spear, tensed. The taut chains snapped, and powerful mana raged toward the newly descending moonlight.

“What kind of monster is this!”

The ground beneath Moon Hyunah’s feet caved in. Every muscle in her body strained as the white spear cut through the air.

The wind roared, and the paved ground didn’t just crack—it was overturned entirely. Every surrounding window shattered. The building directly in front of Moon Hyunah cracked severely, and unable to withstand the mounting pressure, its center caved inward.

In the midst of that tremendous force, the moonlight-forged chain and the long spear clashed.

Clang! Clang!

With dazzling light, the sound of clashing metal rang out. Among tens, hundreds, thousands of echoes, the light faded, and the tattered spear was stuck in the ground. Moon Hyunah, who had barely held on, slowly began to blur.

“Taewon-ah, run.”

Song Taewon staggered backward. To run away, leaving Moon Hyunah—another Hunter—in danger was an absolutely impossible choice for him. If she hadn’t been a monster, he would have stood by her side even if he couldn’t last a single moment.

But in this dungeon, there were real raiders.

Song Taewon gritted his teeth and turned away.

The moonlight slowly circled, as if assessing the situation. It soon found its distant target and gathered pale light.

The illumination, which had hung like a veil, materialized and began taking solid form. A bell-like ringing tapped at Song Taewon’s ears. The faintly trembling silver chain cut through the air, aimed at Song Taewon’s back.

Clang!

“What a pain this is!”

Someone blocked the attack meant for Song Taewon again. A blade severed the chains in one stroke, and a small hand grabbed the back of Song Taewon’s neck.

“Rabbit!”

With that shout, both of them vanished from the spot. The moonlight tore up the now-empty road with explosive force.

The scenery changed abruptly. Song Taewon roughly twisted his body and broke free from the hand gripping his neck. His eyes widened slightly as he turned around.

“Why are there no normal guys around the firstborn?”

The boy clicking his tongue had a familiar face. If Han Yujin had a younger brother even younger than Han Yuhyun, he would look exactly like this. At Song Taewon’s stare, the boy—Young Chaos—looked up at him.

“Where’s Gangnam?”

“From here…”

Song Taewon looked around. Seoul City Hall ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) came into view.

“About a thirty— to forty-minute drive.”

“Let’s go for now. Hide your mana as much as possible, and don’t use it.”

Young Chaos walked a few steps, then stopped again.

“Which way?”

“This way, but who are you?”

He didn’t seem to be an ordinary boy. Young Chaos answered as he walked briskly.

“An old man who’s getting sick and tired of cleaning up after the young ones.”

“…”

“I shouldn’t have given him my sword!”

Song Taewon quietly followed behind the boy who called himself an old man.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep