chapter 1 : Rescued
Hello, hope all are healthy!
The air reeked of blood and mana. A low rumble echoed through the shattered streets as shadows slithered along broken glass and concrete. The dungeon break had reached the heart of the city, and chaos was all that remained.
*He walked through the wreckage, slow and steady. His black coat fluttered behind him, untouched by the blood and dust around. People called him a hunter, but right now… he was just tired.*
Kang Jinsoo
"Another break in this area... civilians still unaccounted for."
*He passed the burned remains of a car, its roof crushed in. His eyes glowed faintly—deep violet, like gems under a dark ocean. Then, he halted. His senses twitched.*
*He turned toward the narrow alley. A house, barely standing. He stepped over the debris and made his way in. The walls were cracked, furniture overturned.*
Kang Jinsoo
(Mana residue... and something else. Fear)
*He opened the closet door*
Kang Jinsoo
"...You're alive."
*He sat at his desk, highlighter in hand, flipping through his economics book. His parents’ laughter floated from the kitchen. The apartment was warm and filled with light.*
*He tapped his pen against the textbook.*
Do Yooha
"(If I don't pass this exam, mom's going to kill me...)"
*He chuckled softly to himself.*
Yooha's Mom
(from the kitchen)
"Yooha! Dinner's ready in ten!"
The sudden sound was like tearing fabric—loud and unnatural. The ground shook. The lights flickered and burst.
Yooha's Dad
(shouting)
"Yooha! Get back!"
*He ran out of his room, only to freeze. The wall cracked open as a beast, horned and grotesque, lunged into the living room. Screaming. Blood. His father tackled it with a kitchen knife, his mother yelling behind him.*
*He didn’t remember running. He didn’t remember the stairs or the door. Just the cold metal of the closet latch. And silence.*
*He hugged his knees, trembling, blood on his uniform sleeves.*
Do Yooha
"...My parents... they..."
*His voice cracked. He swallowed.*
Do Yooha
"I... I escaped on my own... What should I do...?"
Do Yooha
(Why am I still alive?)
(What am I supposed to do now...)
The muffled sounds of battle had long faded. The walls creaked every now and then, dust falling from the ceiling. Yooha’s body had gone numb from the cramped position, but his mind stayed wide awake, haunted by everything he'd seen.
Do Yooha
(...Did they die?)
(No—no, no, I didn’t see it... Maybe... Maybe they’re still alive...)
*He bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood.*
Do Yooha
(I shouldn’t have left them. I ran. I ran like a coward...)
The silence was shattered. A heavy thud. Then another. Steady, deliberate footsteps echoed from beyond the hallway. Closer. Closer still. Yooha held his breath.
Do Yooha
(Don’t move. Don’t breathe. Please... Don’t find me—)
Kang Jinsoo
“...You're alive.”
*His breath hitched. That voice wasn’t a monster’s. It was human. Cold... but somehow gentle.*
Do Yooha
*He slowly raised his head, vision blurry.*
A tall figure stood in the dim light, black hair tousled, violet eyes gleaming like tempered glass.
Kang Jinsoo
*His brows furrowed slightly, not in anger—but concern. He extended a gloved hand toward the boy huddled inside.*
Kang Jinsoo
“Can you walk?”
Do Yooha
*He stared at the hand. His lips parted, but no sound came out. Slowly, he nodded. His fingers, stiff and shaking, reached out.*
Kang Jinsoo
*Without a word, he pulled Yooha gently to his feet, then onto his back. The boy was light. Too light.*
Do Yooha
(His back... It's warm... Why is my chest hurting so much... Is it because it’s safe now?)
Jinsoo emerged from the crumbling house, the boy on his back. The street was quiet—cleared. Drones hovered overhead. A few remaining monsters were being finished off by his team in the distance.
Headnurse
(approaching)
“Sir Jinsoo! We’ve set up an infirmary in the west wing—portable, but stable. Injured civilians are being treated. Should we—”
Kang Jinsoo
“I’ll take him there myself. Notify Doctor Han.”
Jinsoo didn’t speak again. He carried Yooha through the cracked streets, stepping past monsters’ corpses and shattered glass, as if the world wasn’t crumbling around them.
Do Yooha
(...His footsteps are so calm. Is he always like this? ...What kind of person is he?)
(Who... even is he?)
Justice Guild had deployed all over the city—cleaning up after the break. But even among the chaos, their commander’s figure stood out. People watched, whispered, but no one approached. Not yet.
Kang Jinsoo
*He glanced over his shoulder, his voice low but clear.*
Kang Jinsoo
“You can sleep if you want. You're safe now.”
Do Yooha
*He blinked. His vision finally blurred—not from fear, but from exhaustion. The kind that settled only after surviving something that shouldn’t be survived.*
And just like that, the boy passed out.
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