“Lumina! Don’t just stand there—come in!”

“Ah, w-wait…!”

I sat beneath the parasol, watching the three of them play.

Meiling had grabbed Lumina’s arm and was dragging her toward the sea.

Whether it was a matter of stats or simply strength, Lumina couldn’t resist and was pulled right in.

“Take this!!”

“Eek!”

Lumina shrieked as a wave crashed over her, drenching her completely.

But Meiling wasn’t satisfied. She splashed more water on her.

For a while, Lumina only raised her arms to shield herself, but then she retaliated. Before long, the two of them were laughing as they flung water back and forth.

Meanwhile, Seo Yui was off on her own, floating on her back without even a tube.

So still was she that I wondered if she had fallen asleep.

“…Hm?”

I narrowed my eyes.

She was drifting quickly away from shore.

And yet, she continued lying there, unmoving.

“Shit.”

I shot to my feet and sprinted into the water.

“Ah, Yein!”

“What’s with him, barging in like that? Wanting to join th—”

I ignored Meiling’s words and swam hard toward Seo Yui.

“What’s going on with him?” she grumbled faintly behind me, but I kept my focus ahead.

“Senior! Get up!”

I shouted as I swam.

But Seo Yui didn’t respond.

“Senior!!!”

She tilted her head up at last—only to sink straight down into the sea.

Moments later—

“Pwah! That scared me…”

She surfaced, muttering, then casually swam toward me.

“What’s wrong? Why so frantic?”

“…Do you realize you were being swept away?”

I could only stare at her, exasperated.

She blinked her half-lidded eyes toward the beach, tilting her head.

“Huh? How’d I get out this far?”

A sigh escaped me.

I knew it was her first time seeing the ocean, but could she really be this clueless?

“Let’s just head back.”

“Okay.”

We swam for shore. Even then, the stat difference left me irritated as she easily outpaced me.

When we finally climbed onto the sand, I found Seo Yui watching me quietly.

“I troubled you for nothing. Sorry.”

“…It’s fine. As long as you’re safe.”

I’d nearly lost the tanker I had worked so hard to recruit.

I pushed my wet hair back—and then Seo Yui suddenly laughed.

“Heh.”

“…?”

“It feels strange.”

I gave her a questioning look.

“In Vallahal, no one ever tried to protect me.”

“You were the champion there.”

She nodded at my reply.

“The others were all weaker than me. I thought it was my duty to protect them. But you—Yein—you protect me. You freed me from Vallahal, gave me weapons, armor, a shield, and skill gems so I could fight monsters. You always watch my back so I don’t get hurt from overdoing it.”

She stepped closer.

“And today, you even got permission from the teacher to bring us here so we could relax. It feels strange to say this to someone younger, but it’s like I’ve gained an older brother I can rely on.”

Seeing her shy smile, I turned my head away.

“Not only brothers look out for their siblings.”

“Hmm… then maybe a father?”

…Some fathers aren’t exactly role models. A perfect counterexample was walking toward us right now.

“What are you two whispering about?”

The counterexample—Meiling—strode up, her wet dress clinging under a tied pareo.

Lumina followed behind, with a pareo draped over her shoulders.

“I was saying Yein feels like a big brother.”

“What? A brother? Well… I guess he does remind me of my second brother—bad-tempered and always picking on people.”

Meiling pouted.

“Then you must be the youngest, always sulking and pouting whenever someone disagrees with you.”

I looked down at her.

“What!?”

“See? Already red in the face and yelling.”

“You—!”

“Alright, enough.”

Seo Yui caught Meiling’s arm before she lunged at me.

“H-hey! Let go of me!”

“Cool down a little.”

“Kyaaah! D-don’t lift me! Put me down!!”

Seo Yui hoisted Meiling over her head with ease.

No matter how much Meiling thrashed, Seo Yui didn’t budge. That was the difference between a Strength Aptitude of S and C.

Seo Yui glanced at Lumina, then winked at me before marching off toward the waves with Meiling kicking and flailing in her grip.

She called me a big brother earlier, but honestly, she looked far more like the eldest among us.

“What was that about…?”

Lumina had come to stand beside me.

“Why did Senior Seo Yui suddenly carry Meiling into the sea?”

“She said she’d cool her off. Lumina.”

“…?”

I wasn’t about to waste Seo Yui’s gesture.

“Walk with me for a bit?”

“M-me!?” Lumina’s eyes widened.

“Come on.”

“O-okay.”

I took the lead, and she hurried to keep pace.

“So, what do you think of the ocean?”

“Mm… the sand makes my feet tingle, the air smells strange, and the water… it really tastes salty. And…”

“And?”

“I realized how vast and endless the sea is. It makes me feel like I’m nothing at all.”

“Earlier you said it felt like you’d dissolve and vanish into it.”

Lumina nodded.

We walked quietly along the beach for a while.

“Yein…”

I looked at her.

Still gazing down at the sand, she spoke again.

“When Persila died… what went through your mind?”

“That I had survived.”

“I see…”

“And at the same time, that there was no going back.”

Lumina flinched.

“Killing monsters and killing people… they’re different.”

“…Yeah.”

“But even if I could go back, faced with the same choice, I’d do the same again. To live.”

Lumina froze mid-step.

“The same choice…”

“But next time, I’d ask you, Meiling, and Senior Seo Yui once more—are you really willing to follow me? That’s my only regret from last time. I didn’t ask.”

“I—I would!”

Lumina looked straight at me, pressing a hand to her chest.

“Even if you asked me again, I’d still choose the same thing!”

Lumina’s eyes flew wide after her outburst.

It was the look of someone who had suddenly realized something.

“…Yes. I’d make the same choice.”

She whispered the words to herself, then let out the faintest of smiles.

“Yein. You bought drinks at the store earlier, right? I’m thirsty.”

“Then let’s head back.”

“Mm.”

We retraced our steps toward the parasol.

“Branch Leader, I’ve brought the compatriots you asked for.”

“Come in.”

Ju Yeongsong, seated at her desk, gave the command.

The door opened, and in walked a man in his forties and a woman in her twenties.

“This is the compatriot who works as staff at Crystal Academy,” the man explained.

“Thank you for coming. Please, step closer.”

“Y-yes!”

The short-haired woman replied nervously and approached the desk.

Ju Yeongsong fixed her gaze on her and spoke.

“The reason I called you today is because we need to locate an Awakened.”

“An Awakened…? You mean a hunter candidate?”

Ju Yeongsong nodded.

“They seem to be attending a hunter academy, though I don’t know which one. Most likely one near Yongsan.”

“I-I see.”

“Do you have any acquaintances among the staff at Martial God or Gwangcheon Academy?”

“Yes. I have a friend at Martial Academy.”

“Perfect. Could you ask for their help as well?”

“I’ll try.”

Ju Yeongsong described the boy she had seen, and the girls who were with him.

“And I’d like you to see if you can reach someone on the staff at Gwangcheon, too.”

The woman hesitated, then spoke in an uncertain tone.

“I’ll ask around, see if anyone knows someone from there.”

“Good. But be careful. No one must know that I’m searching for this student. Proceed cautiously.”

Ju Yeongsong held her gaze until the woman nodded quickly.

“Y-yes! I’ll do as you say.”

“Thank you. May the Demon God’s mercy be with you.”

“M-May the Demon God’s mercy be with you…”

With a glance, Ju Yeongsong dismissed her. The man escorted the woman out.

Left alone, Ju Yeongsong rose and looked out the window.

“Demon God, may the stone I lay become part of your sacred temple.”

Her murmur melted into the sunlight streaming through the glass.

We stayed in the Archipelago dungeon until late.

We watched the sunset over the sea, lit a bonfire, grilled meat.

For the others, it was all their first time—and they were brimming with wonder and joy.

By the time we left, smiles were bright on all three faces.

“Haah… I never thought I’d experience something like this inside a dungeon!”

Meiling laughed brightly.

“Yeah! It was so much fun!”

Lumina’s voice was livelier than I had ever heard it.

That blank look she’d worn that morning at the academy was gone without a trace.

‘Bringing them here was worth it.’

Both Lumina and Meiling had been deeply shaken by the Persila incident.

When a wound is that raw, trying to “push through” only makes it fester deeper.

To heal, you need the right medicine.

And one such medicine is a place where, even briefly, you can forget your burdens.

‘When you stop obsessing over a problem and focus on something else, the heart calms. Then maybe you see it from a new angle you’d missed before.’

They had to be whole—mind and body both—if they were to endure the crises ahead.

And me as well.

‘If my guess is right, the Demon God Cult will approach us soon.’

In the game, their quests didn’t even appear unless you hit specific triggers.

That’s why on a first playthrough, you might know they existed, but never encounter them before reaching the ending.

But I’d seen Ju Yeongsong’s eyes that day. And now, events were triggering on their own.

Their approach was inevitable.

‘Fights are certain to follow. Depending on the situation, I might even lose a comrade forever. I’ll have to be careful.’

At least there was one relief: after the Persila incident, everyone’s levels were near 40.

“Since we rested today, let’s hit the dungeons hard again starting tomorrow.”

I looked around at my squad.

“Mm!”

“Yeah!”

Lumina and Meiling answered with renewed vigor. Seo Yui nodded firmly.

Two days later, during dungeon training.

All the first-years, myself included, headed for the open-type dungeon Magongham.

Starting today, first-years would begin challenging the second floors of each dungeon.

Of course, for me, Lumina, and Meiling—already clearing third floors and aiming for the fourth—it should have been easy.

Should have been.

“What the hell was that just now!?”

“There was this sudden flash—”

“Where are we!?”

Panic rippled among the students.

“Yein, this….”

“Don’t tell me, again?”

Lumina and Meiling looked at me in alarm.

‘Right… I’d forgotten about this one.’

I scanned our surroundings.

The hallways of steel, the windows showing strange skies, the huge machinery that marked Magongham—gone.

In their place: a sky black as ink, thick with storm clouds.

Jagged mountains rising all around.

And beneath our feet, a massive stone altar.

‘This time… we’ve been warped into an entirely different dungeon.’

(End of Chapter)

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