Chapter 77

Shin Jae-heon squeezed his eyes shut tight, then opened them again.

It was the same. The world before him still looked blurry.

Amid the especially hazy background, only Shin Yuri stood out clearly.

He knew it was impossible with S-rank eyesight, yet there it was.

“……”

The way she stretched and yawned, smiling whenever their eyes met.

No matter how he looked at her, she seemed stuck in the past, ten years ago.

Looking at him with the same gaze as back then.

Shin Jae-heon clamped his mouth into a straight line.

Back then, just having her gaze linger on him had been enough.

…When did that start feeling insufficient?

He didn’t know the details, but one thing was certain.

He’d thought it began when they entered this L-rank RP dungeon, but it had started much earlier.

For far longer, he’d craved something more from Shin Yuri’s gaze.

He wanted her to look at him the way he looked at her.

“Walking together like this after so long feels nice.”

The idle thought slipped out unbidden.

Shin Yuri raised an eyebrow.

Their eyes met. She would surely respond with bewilderment, as expected.

“Weren’t we supposed to start getting tense now?”

Just as anticipated. It was so predictable he couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah. Feels nice all over again.”

If he answered like that, she would…

“Yeah, it does.”

Yes, let out a light sigh and chuckle as if it were silly.

Then he had to casually shift the topic, as if nothing was wrong.

“……”

That was the flow between them.

It had always been that way.

From ten years ago until now.

Like an unspoken promise between you and me.

Shin Jae-heon couldn’t bring himself to speak.

He knew silence here would make things awkward, knew he shouldn’t stray from the ‘right answer,’ yet he couldn’t stop.

This unspoken promise between them, unbroken for ten years—this wall he’d never felt before.

I… want it broken.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Shin Jae-heon blurted out,

“How is it nice?”

“What?”

Shin Yuri’s eyes widened at his words.

The unspoken ‘rule’ between them had been broken.

As she asked again, Shin Jae-heon stopped walking and turned to face her.

Shin Yuri blinked. As if wondering what random question this was.

“……”

Normally, this was when he’d toss out something silly to change the subject.

Then they could resume their banter as if nothing had happened.

But he didn’t want to.

Feeling himself veering off course, Shin Jae-heon still couldn’t move.

Because instead of the usual ‘right answer,’ something else would pour out.

Like asking if she felt driven mad too.

If she felt like she’d trip from constantly glancing sideways, if the world ahead blurred, if every strand of her hair swaying with her movements painted masterpieces piling up endlessly in his mind until his head exploded.

If she felt the same.

He wanted to ask her.

Shin Jae-heon was acting strange today.

“How is it nice?”

And especially with that question.

What the hell was this guy on about, like he’d woken up and started pounding on a drum?

It felt like being told to write a reflection essay after a picnic.

Just being out together is nice. Exciting. What more needed saying?

I shrugged.

“Well, it feels like back in school, brings back old memories. And nice ones. We hardly get moments like this since the gates opened.”

Shin Jae-heon just stared at me quietly.

Then he subtly averted his gaze. A blue glint flickered in his eyes again.

Tracking skill.

“True enough.”

I saw him shrug. I held out my hand, palm up.

“At first, reporters were chasing us everywhere, no time for this. Then the hunter team formed, and it was nonstop chaos.”

Shin Jae-heon nodded slowly, as if recalling those days.

Before the gates, who knows—but from the moment they opened, we’d always been together.

So the memories we recalled were the same.

“Come to think of it, ten years flew by in a blur.”

I reflected on the past anew.

Ten years… Shin Jae-heon and I had grown up a lot.

[The government has officially named the recent ‘catastrophe’ the ‘Gate Incident’ and decided on swift countermeasures.]

[The Blue House is centering its response around the military, police, and the newly emerged ‘ability users’…]

Back when terms like gates and hunters were unfamiliar.

We two were just kids thrown into a chaotic world.

‘Kids don’t know, but this is big money, you hear?’

‘An exclusive contract means…’

People trying to exploit us were everywhere.

Especially after Shin Yuri was revealed as the youngest natural-born S-rank—crowds boiled over at her house.

No one could be trusted.

‘That guy’s lying!’

‘The Seoul Hunter Alliance promises you…’

‘Shut your mouth! How many hunters have you scammed?’

We saw dozens, hundreds mutually sabotage while sniping each other’s weaknesses under the guise of caution.

What I’d said back then was this:

“‘Let’s not trust anyone at all.'”

Shin Jae-heon turned to me at my words.

“That’s what we said, right?”

I held out my hand again. Had he forgotten our childhood pact?

But Shin Jae-heon’s face didn’t look forgetful.

With a slightly sunken expression, he replied,

“Yeah.”

A beat late. I reminisced about that time.

“Kicked out all the guilds to rest, then Joo Yian showed up… Man, other guilds treat you better.”

I chuckled, and Shin Jae-heon let out a low laugh.

Joo Yian was a funny guy.

S-rank healers were still rare worldwide, countable on one hand, yet he turned down every offer to stick with our hunter team.

“Ugh, if you’d joined a big guild back then, no scandals, no diving into L-rank dungeons like this.”

People bring their own troubles.

Still, I had no reason to resent him. If anything, I was grateful.

‘Always grateful to the hunters, especially Hunter Shin Yuri.’

He said that, but I’d done nothing for him.

Not even the ‘membership fees’ big guilds typically offered.

Of course not. Our operations differed from massive guilds.

“Then Hunter So Yeri joined too.”

So Yeri had joined in her own quirky way, no less than Joo Yian.

“Met her first at that S-rank gathering.”

Shin Jae-heon picked up my words. I nodded.

“If she hadn’t introduced the other S-ranks back then, I’d still not know half their faces.”

So Yeri was the ultimate social butterfly, even then.

The issue was S-rank dynamics.

They didn’t help each other—they wanted to step on rivals to claim the top domestic spot.

And So Yeri hated that vibe.

That’s when she met us. We couldn’t care less about rankings.

“She’s improved a lot since.”

I stretched. Adding a healer and support hunter boosted team stability naturally.

“Being with you was nice too. But honestly, just the two of us was kinda scary.”

I said it while looking at Shin Jae-heon’s back.

He was in his holy knight form now, but imagining his true form wasn’t hard.

Shin Jae-heon turned to me again.

“Scary how?”

His face showed genuine puzzlement, like he’d never considered it.

“Like, if one of us messed up, things went wrong, someone died.”

I pressed my lips tight, then continued.

“I’d be alone.”

Shin Jae-heon narrowed his eyes briefly, then faced forward again.

“As long as it didn’t happen.”

“True, but…”

Even recalling it now felt like walking on thin ice.

Those were the times.

A world where yesterday’s colleague died in a gate today.

No funerals possible for gate deaths.

Unless a teammate retrieved the body or someone braved an uncleared dungeon for recovery—both rare.

Gates were hard enough to clear without salvaging corpses, and few risked it.

Best case, spotting traces on the way out—but otherwise…

The dungeon vanished upon clear, taking the dead with it.

As if they never existed.

Missing equaled dead back then.

“But now it’s different, and that’s nice. At least if I die, you won’t be alone.”

Shin Jae-heon turned at that, then chuckled.

“So you’ll die then?”

“No?”

Are you insane?

“I’m the type who prefers this life even rolling in shit.”

I waved my hand and shrugged.

“Besides, living now is more fun.”

Shin Jae-heon seemed to pause for a split second at my words.

“Wasn’t like that right after the gates.”

Back then, despair was crushing, fearing I’d wake alone tomorrow.

Not anymore.

As I smiled lightly,

Shin Jae-heon suddenly halted.

“Whoa.”

I nearly crashed into his back.

“Use a blinker before stopping?”

“Sorry.”

He replied half-heartedly, without remorse, then turned to me with blue-glowing eyes.

“The tracks are scattered messily.”

His voice had been soft, but now softer.

“Seems like this area’s their haunt.”

“Oh.”

Finally here? I lowered my voice to match.

No eavesdropper could tap hunter chat, no matter how skilled the poisoner on Joo Yian. Perfect for talking.

I didn’t forget to ping Hunter So Yeri too.

Hunter So Yeri, on standby to seal the mountains, chimed in.

We’d agreed to alert her when nearing the target.

To lock down the entire range, preventing escape.

Why not seal earlier? Simple: massive mana drain.

Only possible for S-rank support Hunter So Yeri, boosted by mage tower lord buffs.

—Vmmm!

Suddenly, the air around us hummed subtly.

Familiar sensation. Hunter So Yeri’s Barrier (S) skill.

Usually for dividing monster waves in gates, but different use now.

Two hours? Plenty!

My eyes met Shin Jae-heon’s.

“……”

He silently pointed to himself, then the brighter path. Meaning he’d take that side.

I glanced the opposite way.

Deep into the forest.

Normally riskier, but not for me.

This level of darkness was enough to trigger Dark Adaptation (S) and Shadow Outlaw (S).

“……”

Then I’ll go this way. I pointed to the forest, conveying the same.

Joo Yian’s message popped as we split.

Worrier to a fault.

I slipped into the forest as quietly as possible.

As expected, skills activated. Vision brightened noticeably.

Good…

Time to see the bastard’s face.

‘I’m fine.’

Joo Yian smiled saying that, but an L-rank poison must’ve hurt badly unspoken.

Especially one knocking him out without full detox.

Even with his poison immunity passive blunting it, anyone else might’ve died.

“……”

My lips twisted.

The culprit would’ve laughed here upon hearing if Joo Yian worsened.

Suddenly grateful Shin Jae-heon had lightened the mood earlier.

Alone, I’d have seethed nonstop.

“Reminds me of when the gates first hit…”

I muttered so low even I barely heard.

Early gate days.

People obsessed with clearing shifted to competition once they understood a bit.

When backstabbers hogging items inside gates started rampant.

‘Whatever happens inside gates, outsiders don’t know.’

‘Even if they do, how many A-rank dungeons can top rankers handle? Punish them?’

‘Who’s punishing? Civilians on A-ranks? How?’

Famous A-rank thug’s words.

‘Gates are basically lawless zones.’

His crew specialized ambushing high-rank hunters, stealing gear.

During support hunters’ dark era, they’d targeted So Yeri.

Undefeated till then, arrogant—maybe thought S-rank support was blockable and killable.

‘……’

But So Yeri escaped.

Joo Yian’s face seeing poison-struck So Yeri? Murderous.

‘Lawless zone, huh?’

So in that gate ‘lawless zone,’ we repaid them identically.

No need for big guilds.

Showed what happens touching S-ranks, what ranker rage means.

And it held true now.

Sealing the whole range in barrier—probably So Yeri’s grudge from back then, feigning calm.

‘Hunter So Yeri, who did this? See their face?’

Joo Yian asking like his own crisis came to mind.

I remembered that rage too.

So I’d show the culprit.

Who they touched. How gate ‘lawless’ hunters change.

“This way?”

I swiftly followed snapped branches, faint footprints.

No tracking skill needed for this.

But emerging from forest, I raised an eyebrow.

“This is…”

Where Shin Jae-heon and I split?