Kim Songcheol woke up. The morning sun streamed through the window, illuminating his bed.

It had been almost a month since he moved into this house. The bed, which had initially felt awkward, was now familiar.

Kim Songcheol tidied his bedding and went out into the living room.

After drinking a glass of water, he stretched according to his routine.

Next, he bathed in lukewarm water, purifying his body and mind.

He had finished his study of Oneness.

Now it was time to embody the theory that existed only in his mind.

Magic doesn’t require many ingredients. Manifestation is possible with only a body that can handle mana and knowledge.

Understanding the theory was akin to having all the ingredients.

Kim Songcheol stepped into the yard with a clear morning mind. The chilly air pierced through his thick hoodie and brushed his skin.

The reason he went outside was that it was better than indoors.

The flow of mana inside and outside is slightly different.

Although it wasn’t enough to affect his training, Kim Songcheol preferred being outside.

He took off his slippers and walked barefoot on the grass. A soft yet ticklish sensation spread through the soles of his feet.

Kim Songcheol found a spot in the middle of the yard and sat down.

“Hoo…”

He took a deep breath, signaling the beginning to his body and mind.

His eyes were half-open.

The shadow of the stone wall stretched across the yard in the rising morning sun.

Kim Songcheol watched the boundary between the sunlight and the shadow, then closed his eyes without realizing it.

Sshaa…

The air around him formed a steady flow.

It was more of a phenomenon than wind.

A single fallen leaf on the grass gently floated up and slowly rose above his head.

It was at that moment.

Kiiiiing!

The circle expanded and revealed itself outside his body.

It was much larger than before.

Four rings rotated in different directions, showcasing their blue brilliance.

The circle gradually increased its rotation speed. In response, the air swirled erratically in all directions.

His hair fluttered. The strings of his hoodie also whipped through the air.

Kiiiiing!

As the circle spun faster, the blue light scattered as if paint was peeling off. Gradually, a pure white circle was revealed.

Hwaaak!

Then, at some point, the blue light scattered in all directions, and the circle became completely white.

The white light fiercely emitted light as if battling the sunlight.

Soon, the pure white circle began to move.

The Circle floated in the air, perpendicular to the ground, and moved behind Kim Songcheol’s back.

The brightly shining Circle suddenly expanded, drawing four large concentric circles, then contracted back into a single circle.

It was Oneness.

The pure white Circle, shining so brightly it was blinding, cast a brilliant golden light.

At this moment, Kim Songcheol’s concentration soared to its peak.

Oneness demanded Kim Songcheol’s memories.

Oneness was not something with consciousness, but it certainly felt that way.

Memories define a person.

Kim Songcheol opened his mind and showed his ‘definition’ to Oneness.

Oneness began to look through those memories.

Kim Songcheol also shared his vision with Oneness, watching the film rewind in reverse chronological order.

Events at the Training Institute, incidents in the Dungeon, and the first time his Mana Affinity was measured flashed by.

His time as an Accountant, and the moment he passed the Accountant Trial, also came to mind.

The more deeply etched memories were clearer and more voluminous.

He went past his military service to his college days.

Memories of confessing to his first female friend, which seemed laughable in retrospect but were serious at the time, also flashed by.

High school, middle school, elementary school, and even kindergarten.

And then, his very first memory.

Kim Songcheol’s ‘known memories’ ended with the memory of seeing a butterfly in a house with a small yard.

But Oneness did not stop.

He felt himself being pulled further down.

He felt as if he was being sucked into the deepest abyss.

He was being drawn into unconsciousness.

The scene Kim Songcheol was seeing and feeling now was indescribable.

Beyond visual aspects like colors and shapes, tactile and olfactory sensations were also felt, and he heard sounds of unknown origin.

These sensations, unconnected, surrounded Kim Songcheol at random.

Furthermore, emotions such as happiness, sadness, and depression, which were impossible to grasp with the five senses, also asserted their presence.

Oneness bravely sank into that chaotic mixture.

He wondered if there would be a bottom, but surprisingly, a bottom appeared.

He didn’t know it by seeing or feeling it; he just realized it.

This was the bottom.

But Oneness did not stop.

It pushed through that bottom as if breaking through a tough membrane.

‘There was no mention of anything beneath…?’

At some point, Oneness broke through the bottom and descended. Kim Songcheol’s consciousness, led by Oneness, also passed through to what was beneath.

The deepest part of a human being.

To put it another way, it was the part that could be called the roots, hidden in the soil, past the leaves, branches, and trunk.

It was pitch black.

He ‘saw’ nothing.

What is this place…?

The moment Kim Songcheol questioned it,

The Oneness began to rapidly ascend.

He ascended back to the Nothingness consciousness, and then, tracing back the fragments of his memory in order, he returned to the present.

There was no time to concentrate on the rising doubt.

Because the process of achieving Oneness was not so leisurely.

Kim Songcheol immediately projected his inner self into the Oneness.

The Oneness absorbed that inner self as it was, and the form of the Oneness began to transform wildly.

They were undefinable shapes, not triangles or squares. The Oneness, whose shape changed every 0.1 seconds, simply became a mass of light and began to emit light.

Kim Songcheol’s heart quickened.

Oneness (一元) must be a circle (圓).

Because it is the most perfect shape.

An Oneness that is not a circle cannot be maintained.

It was time to quickly move through the stages.

However, Kim Songcheol could not easily move on to the next stage, ‘Concentration’.

According to the plan, he should concentrate on ‘the greater good’ to seek a connection with the Oneness.

This is because in the Concentration stage, the largest piece among the elements that form the inner self is needed.

In particular, a piece related to Magic and his Official Position was needed.

Kim Songcheol believed that the reason he learned Magic was for the greater good.

However, after examining his inner self, a doubt arose that it might not be the case.

‘Perhaps it’s curiosity.’

From a purely altruistic reason like the greater good to a purely selfish reason like curiosity.

He could be more certain because he had reviewed his memories once.

That he might be exceptional in Magic, but essentially, he was just an ordinary human.

In that case, choosing the greater good might be arrogance or hypocrisy.

His 고민 was deep but not long.

Ultimately, the choice narrowed down to curiosity.

If this choice was wrong, the Oneness would scatter, and the Circle would also vanish.

In its current state, the disappearance of Oneness was no different from the disappearance of the Circle.

Curiosity exists within Kim Songcheol’s inner self, and also within the Oneness onto which that inner self is projected.

He began to connect the large Islands of curiosity with intricate Magic Formulas.

Like building a bridge with needlework, he wove the Magic Formulas stitch by stitch.

He still didn’t know if his choice was correct.

The result would appear in the Confirmation stage.

Sweat ran down Kim Songcheol’s Official Position. He couldn’t make even the slightest Thread count.

All Magic Formulas must be organically connected. Moreover, being Magic Formulas that dealt with the inner self, they were incredibly complex and fragile.

After a long struggle, he embedded the Magic Formulas without a single Thread Capital City.

Kim Songcheol took a very brief breath.

‘…Here I go.’

And confirmation.

Kim Songcheol controlled Oneness.

Whoosh!

Oneness, which had become merely a lump of light, instantly took shape and became a circle.

The magic formula connecting Oneness and Kim Songcheol was pulled flat, continuously testing the firmness of the supporting layer.

No breaks were allowed.

The connection changed to thread-time. Accordingly, supporting magic formulas had to be continuously woven in.

Meanwhile, the rotation speed of Oneness gradually slowed.

The loud noise also gradually decreased.

Oneness, which was about the size of an armful, gradually became smaller in diameter as its rotation speed decreased.

And when all the auxiliary magic formulas were woven in, it had shrunk to the size of a palm.

Rotation speed was 0.

Oneness no longer rotated. It simply existed, which also meant that the confirmation had been successfully completed.

‘…It’s done.’

The tension on Kim Songcheol’s face eased.

All the tasks that required luck were now over.

What remained was fixation.

Kim Songcheol began to weave in the magic formulas to fixate the existence of Oneness in the current thread with a relaxed mind.

It was the most boring task, but also the most comfortable one.

Kim Songcheol finally opened his eyes after fixating Oneness.

The sun had already set, but thanks to that, the golden light of Oneness floating behind him looked even more brilliant.

“It was truly a fruitful day…”

Kim Songcheol just flopped down on the grass.

He saw the dark night sky.

A single morning star twinkled in the black sky.

***

Kim Songcheol got into the car that came to pick him up on time and headed to the Center.

The Center and his home were close. It was about 10 minutes by car.

“Thank you.”

Kim Songcheol greeted the driver, packed his belongings, and got out.

It was the usual luggage he carried when entering a Dungeon.

He adjusted the bag buckle and put it on his back snugly, then entered the central office.

The Haetae Team was already waiting in the lobby.

“How do you do? Haha.”

Kim Jongwon immediately stood up and bowed.

The expressions of the Haetae Team members welcoming Kim Songcheol were all bright.

There were several unfortunate incidents in the first Dungeon, but after that, it was smooth sailing.

They didn’t bother entering a Dungeon in Dungeon, and Hunters like Celestial Spirit Maiden were no longer seen.

Safety was as good as guaranteed.

That wasn’t the only reason Haetae Team wanted to include Kim Songcheol.

Ever since Kim Songcheol joined, their Points income had significantly increased.

Because substitute Hunters received Points incentives, the increase in Points income led to an increase in their annual salaries.

So, Kim Songcheol was a team member who both guaranteed safety and increased their income.

“You’re here? How are you feeling today?”

Song Yeongjin asked in a friendly manner.

“Good. Always good. Everyone’s feeling alright, right?”

Kim Songcheol replied with a smile.

There was no one older than Kim Songcheol on the Haetae Team.

No, in fact, among all the Hunters in Korea, Kim Songcheol was the oldest.

“We’re fine.”

“Excellent, haha.”

Everyone laughed and nodded.

The Haetae Team immediately stepped onto the Stone Slab.

It was while Kim Jongwon was adjusting the Stone Slab.

“It’s been over 30 days… they won’t come, will they?”

Kim Sujin mumbled, half-question, half-statement.

It was something everyone knew but didn’t explicitly mention.

Today marked the 31st day since their promise with the Celestial Spirit Maiden.

When Kim Songcheol first entered the Dungeon after achieving Oneness, she didn’t appear.

That was the 23rd day, with a week remaining until the promised deadline.

But today was the 31st day.

If she were to appear, they would encounter her on this Dungeon trip.

“Don’t worry. Even if she appears, there won’t be a problem. She’s someone you can talk to, after all.”

Kim Songcheol said as if it were nothing. Confidence was evident in his tone.

As the person directly involved spoke so nonchalantly, the others also seemed relieved.

“…Then I’ll teleport. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Teleport.”

The moment Kim Jongwon’s countdown ended, the Haetae Team was teleported into the Dungeon.