Bright light can be seen.

The place where Han Si-Hoo arrived was overwhelmingly bright.

“…A fire?”

Buildings are ablaze.

The closer I get, the fiercer the flames become.

The sound of crackling fire echoes from everywhere.

Everything is burning.

It’s reminiscent of the lab I saw last time.

The difference is that this place is smaller and more in ruins.

Nothing seems to have survived the stampede of the monsters.

It could be that another monster escape occurred like last time.

“Are there any living people…?”

Can I find Seo-A here?

Is Seo-A somewhere in this building?

I still don’t know.

The smoke is thick.

For now, I decided to enter the nearest building.

Bang.

I break down the closed door.

The reason the door wouldn’t open is that a significant part of the building has collapsed.

“-Help, help me, cough.”

It’s a person.

They are trapped under the rubble.

A name tag similar to a badge is hanging around their neck.

They look like a researcher.

“Is there anyone else inside?”

Creeeak.

Han Si-Hoo pushes the debris aside.

“There’s no one left, they abandoned me and ran away, cough. Ugh.”

The air is too thick.

It would be hard to endure if you weren’t an Awakener.

I hoist the researcher up and run outside.

To a safe zone for now.

“What’s happening?”

I ask as I run.

“Escape… someone let all the monsters loose. I don’t know how.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Must be a villain. You’re an Awakener, right? Decent guy? Phew, thank goodness. I might survive after all. Thank you.”

I run over the collapsed barricades to a place where the flames haven’t spread.

“Is there anyone else inside?”

I wait for the researcher to answer.

“Well, everyone’s either dead or escaped.”

“What about the test subjects?”

“Huh? The humanoid ones? Did you know about them?”

“Are there any?”

Rumors about humanoid test subjects have been circulating for a while now.

“They’ve all been disposed of.”

“…Disposed?”

“Normally, when a facility malfunctions, they just kill everything and run away. That’s in the manual. The suppression team should be going to handle everything right now.”

“Where do we need to go?”

“The biggest building in the center, underground… But why would you want to know all this… Are you trying to save them? That’s not a human; I shouldn’t be saying this since I owe you help, but really, it’s not worth saving—”

“Shut up.”

Thud.

I knocked them out.

And I run again.

The structure is indeed similar to that lab from last time.

Those strange organizations, like the suppression team and rescue team.

I know they’re a government agency.

I thought it was suspicious back then, but now I definitely know.

These guys, the suppression team, are the enemy.

I run.

I see the central building.

Bam!

I break through the wall and enter.

Is Seo-A in here?

Whatever the disposal procedure is, I need to stop it.

I don’t care what condition Seo-A is in.

The inside is filled with flames.

This kind of fire doesn’t pose a problem.

The protective features of the academy uniform are more than enough.

The researcher’s clothing had some protective functions too, but it was still inferior.

“Seo-A?”

I call out.

Hoping for a response.

But no one is visible.

I continue searching the building.

Since it’s a facility with an underground expansion, I look for the path down.

“An elevator?”

Creeeak.

I forcibly open the elevator doors.

Of course, the elevator was neither arriving at Han Si-Hoo’s floor nor moving at all.

So I just jump down.

Falling down.

I crash through the smoke to the lowest floor.

Bang.

I can’t tell if it was a landing or a collision.

I don’t know if the dust is from me falling or from the fire.

Staggering to my feet, I speed through the facility’s interior.

I see traces of where the monsters were kept.

Being on the bottom floor, escape would have been difficult.

It seems most monsters have gone through the disposal procedures the researcher mentioned.

“-What’s happening? Who’s behind me!”

It’s the suppression team.

They are wearing thick protective suits reminiscent of space suits.

Sounds are muffled inside their suits, making it hard to hear clearly.

They are equipped with firearms and flamethrowers.

Killing monsters is the right thing to do.

The suppression team is just killing monsters.

Thud.

But Han Si-Hoo takes down the suppression team.

It’s likely they set the building on fire too; whether the facility collapses or burns, they would probably survive on their own.

“Who—”

Thud.

A strike with the handle of my sword is enough.

While the suppression team’s suits are tough, they are specialized in blocking monster attacks.

Still, without that armor, it would have been fatal, so it’s better than nothing.

“Monsters—?”

Crack.

“Watch out!”

Thud.

I dash out and incapacitate the suppression team.

However, I couldn’t take them all down.

I want to interrogate each one for information, but there’s no time.

“I’ve taken care of everything. Hurry up and follow me!”

“Taken care of?”

“What are you talking about?”

The fog makes it hard to see.

Now that I look, it’s not smoke; it’s fog.

I initially thought the flamethrowers just sprayed fire, but they might have been dispersing gas instead.

To handle so many monsters in one go, such a weapon would be effective.

Even monsters wouldn’t just inhale gas, but the monsters here are all confined.

“I said I’ve handled it! Let’s go up!”

“What about the humanoid test subjects?”

“What are you talking about? That was sent for transport ages ago! Let’s hurry! We’ll die!”

Crash.

An ominous noise rumbles.

Since it’s located deep underground, if the facility collapses, things could get a lot worse.

“It might collapse!”

Bang!

The sound grows louder.

The dim light is barely holding on.

Smoke and fog envelop everything.

“But who are you… Damn it, it’s collapsing!”

Thud.

The rate at which the building is collapsing is faster than expected.

Structures, having lost their support, crush everything beneath them.

*

It’s extinguished.

The fire has spread to the nearby mountain, but it hasn’t spread widely.

All that remains where the flames have swept is ruin.

No signs of life can be seen.

Only ashes are left.

The concrete creaks ominously.

And then it crumbles.

And a hand breaks through.

It pushes through the cracks in the concrete.

Once there’s enough space, I crawl out.

“-Cough.”

That was a close call.

This wasn’t my usual condition, nor was it a normal situation.

But in the end, I survived.

Somehow.

Han Si-Hoo doesn’t die.

Not until he saves Seo-A.

Seo-A was not down here.

I should’ve asked where they transferred her.

I also question whether she was even here in the first place.

Blood drips down.

No matter how much I enhance my body and wrap myself in protective skills, there are limits.

Just making it this far has severely drained me.

“Damn it.”

Still, I somehow survived.

Somehow.

So what’s the next destination?

Where should I go to save her?

Exhaustion.

A sensation I haven’t felt in a long time resurfaces.

“…I keep going.”

The device is broken, so it’s hard to gauge my location now.

But I must save Seo-A.

The person I saved and knocked out earlier.

Where are they?

It’s hard to run.

My bones are probably broken in several places.

It’s fine.

I can just get treated.

Compared to the pain Seo-A has endured, it’s nothing.

I wipe the blood flowing from my forehead and keep running.

I found them.

The researcher lying sprawled out.

“Wake up.”

Thud.

I stomp on their fingers to wake them.

“Ugh, eh…?

They finally regain consciousness.

“Tell me, where’s a place they could have transported the humanoid test subjects?”

“That, that…”

Crack.

I stomp hard again.

“Ah! I-I don’t know much!”

“Is there another lab nearby?”

“I’m just a low-level employee, so I don’t know of any other labs. But if it’s a factory supplying resources here…”

“In what direction?”

“If you keep going straight on the road to the opposite side, that’s where it is. I swear. Really.”

A factory, huh.

That might be something.

“If you go about 10 kilometers, you’ll come to a place where some people live. I’ve taken a ride in a vehicle there. They receive goods from there, so please—”

I had no plans to stop talking.

I dash in the direction the researcher indicated.

Every second counts.

If there’s even the slightest chance that Seo-A is alive, I have to go.

I have to go.

I’m running.

And of all things, it’s in the opposite direction.

I cut through flames, traversing the entire lab.

“Si-Hoo!”

Someone calls out to Han Si-Hoo.

Someone is standing near the facility’s entrance.

“I’m here to help! Are you okay?”

The silver-haired figure looks familiar.

“…Lena?”

“There’s that notification when the device gets destroyed, remember? The one we set up last time when we moved in a team.”

“Ah.”

With the building’s collapse, the device was destroyed.

So that made the signal go out.

“I’m here too.”

A girl with blue bobbed hair.

“Chun Yu-Hwa? What are you doing here?”

She’s a rival to Han Si-Hoo.

Not someone I would call a close friend.

“I called for help. I happened to be nearby. You took the top spot in the academy rankings and disappeared… Anyway, what’s going on? You’re covered in blood… Everything’s burnt down.”

“I don’t have time right now. I need to save Seo-A.”

There’s no time.

Will my friends from the academy even be helpful in this situation?

“Seo-A… who’s that?”

Chun Yu-Hwa asks.

She knows nothing about Han Si-Hoo’s personal life.

“She’s a friend.”

“I see. Where do you plan to go?”

“To the factory area that should be this way.”

“Then let’s get in the car. My blood relative is driving. Chun Yu-Seong! This way!”

She calls out to her twin brother.

“What a unique pair of siblings…”

Lena chuckles.

We’ve gained another companion.

There are now four of us.

Vroom.

An SUV pulls up.

“Hello!”

Chun Yu-Seong leans out of the window.

“Do you have a driver’s license?”

Han Si-Hoo asks without thinking.

I’ve had a connection with Chun Yu-Seong, but never expected him to drive.

“My family is a bit unique, so I can drive a car. Get in!”

“Thanks. I appreciate everyone coming to help.”

I say while getting in the car.

Is it good for someone who doesn’t know the situation to join in?

But it’s better than being alone.

“…But are you okay? You’re bleeding…”

“I’m fine. Now let’s move.”

“Right. We’ll talk after everything is over. Things seem complicated.”

Making friends was probably the right decision, wasn’t it?

I recall Seo-A being upset that she went to meet other friends instead of just me.

…Upset?

She was upset?

I don’t remember that happening.

It feels like my memory is getting tainted.

Damn Saint.

“Is this the right road? Just keep going straight?”

“Yes.”

The existence of friends is a good thing.

Thanks to them, I can save Seo-A much more easily.

Han Si-Hoo takes a moment to rest in the jolting vehicle.

Burned facilities flash by outside the window and then disappear.

And then only the scenery of a country road without streetlights remains.

“…But, is Seo-A really alive?”

Lena whispers, sitting next to me.

She looks like she’s about to cry.

“…Is it true?”