At the warning to hold tight unless he wanted to become a deserter, Kang Sihyun clenched his eyes shut.
He felt as if his body was floating, followed by dizziness. The long-distance teleportation induced nausea.
However, there was no time to complain about such symptoms. Opening his eyes, Kang Sihyun looked towards the Redem building. Being a weekend afternoon, the streets were packed with people. Being in the heart of Seoul, it was inevitable that there would be pedestrians everywhere.
Kang Sihyun and Russ checked the condition of the sky. The crack was gradually widening, sweat trickling down and soaking his neck.
"This is different from a normal rift. Instead of creating a strange space, as the rift slowly widens, Gula's eye becomes visible, as if it's forcibly tearing through the space."
Forgetting to breathe, Kang Sihyun explained in one breath before entering the Redem building. They needed to find Haehyuk and inform him of the situation.
"Welcome to Guild Redem. We appreciate your visit. Is this your first time here? If you have any requests…"
"Take me to your guild leader."
"Excuse me?"
"Guide me to Haehyuk."
Russ abruptly asked for Haehyuk. The staff, taken aback by his blunt demand, looked at Russ with disbelief. Then, regaining composure, they asked if an appointment had been made. Russ sighed.
He then tossed away the wig that covered his radiant blond hair. The black wig was ripped off violently.
Blond hair and golden-green eyes.
Russ's signature appearance stirred the central hall. Not stopping there, Russ took out his ID and showed it to the staff member, growling like an enraged beast.
"Tell them Russ is here to see Haehyuk. If you don't want to see this guild building blown away, go tell him."
Each syllable was packed with suppressed rage, his presence felt palpable. The staff member, who might have mistaken it for murderous intent, received the message.
Kang Sihyun grabbed Russ's collar, reprimanding him for his approach. Although the situation was urgent, he didn't want to knock out an innocent person. The pallid-faced staff hurriedly made a call.
Soon, Kang Sihyun and Russ were guided to an elevator.
In the quiet hum of the elevator, the staff glanced at Russ before quietly asking.
"May I know the reason for Mr. Russ's visit to Redem...?"
"Curious?"
"No, sir."
Realizing he was not in the mood for casual conversation, the staff remained silent. Kang Sihyun, observing Russ's unusual tension, tapped his foot anxiously. In the stark silence, the elevator stopped, and they were led down a long corridor.
From an open window, murmurs could be heard from outside the building.
"Apologies for the disturbance. I wonder what the commotion is about…"
The flustered staff sought understanding. Kang Sihyun, fearing the worst, hurried to the window.
Crack, click.
Transparent, sharp fragments fell from the sky as the rift widened. And in the opened gap, something that shouldn't have been revealed became visible.
A curved line with long eyelashes, and its immense size induced a gulp of fear. The very eye he had seen in his dream was breaking free from its confinement to emerge into the world.
Fortunately, less than half of Gula's eye was exposed. Kang Sihyun grew anxious. Before the eye fully revealed itself, before it opened, they had to evacuate the people.
Feeling as if someone was urging him on, Kang Sihyun dashed towards Haehyuk's office with Russ following.
"Just a moment, please!"
Caught off-guard by the unprecedented sight, the staff hurried after them, resuming the interrupted guidance. Kang Sihyun quickened his pace.
Knock, knock.
Arriving at the office, the staff neatly knocked on the polished door, stating that a response would come in about three minutes. Hearing they had to wait, Russ, with a furrowed brow, pushed the staff behind him.
Crash!
The door burst open with a loud noise. With no time to spare waiting even three minutes, Russ acted.
"No beast like him."
Before Kang Sihyun could respond, Haehyuk, seated, commented as he saw Russ entering. The task completed, the staff quickly bowed and descended to the first floor.
Upon hearing Haehyuk's voice, Kang Sihyun and Russ hastened inside. Haehyuk glanced at the battered doorframe then removed his glasses to face Russ.
"How many can you deploy right now?"
Russ, exuding an intimidating aura as if angered, asked. Haehyuk nonchalantly interlocked his fingers.
"Even if you're notorious for being unruly, you need to state your business for me to help, don't you think?"
"Now's not the time for
that…"
"I'll explain."
Russ wasn't exactly skilled in communication. While usually manageable, now, with Gula's impending doom, he was on edge.
Right now, preventing the apocalypse and minimizing civilian casualties were his only concerns. To avoid escalating the situation here, it was up to Kang Sihyun to clarify.
Approaching Haehyuk, whose cool gaze met Kang Sihyun's, he tapped the black table.
"Have I ever made you feel neglected?"
"No."
"Then why did you bring that thing here with you? Because of it?"
Haehyuk gestured towards the window. He too had noticed. Following Haehyuk's gaze, Kang Sihyun gasped in shock.
The crack had widened significantly, revealing more than half of the gigantic eye.
Realizing there was no time for detailed explanations, every second was critical.
"We need to mobilize all available forces to save people. Not just Redem personnel but the Association, without discrimination. If we can't complete the evacuation before that gigantic monster opens its eyes, the heart of Seoul will transform from a bustling, peaceful city into hell. So, please help us. As quickly as possible."
Kang Sihyun's attempt to organize his thoughts came out somewhat disjointed. Faced with a boy who barged into his place of business asking for help without any persuasion, Haehyuk spoke.
"Do you know anything about this situation?"
"Yes."
"Then start with that."
Haehyuk's relaxed retort indicated he wasn't in a rush. Kang Sihyun, blocking Russ's advance, spoke up.
If persuasion was needed, then so be it.
In the way that awakeners would understand best.
"The apocalyptic-level Irregular that existed only in theory."
"..."
"That's what that is. So please, listen to my request for now. Criticisms can wait until later."
With a firm tone that brooked no argument, Haehyuk checked Gula's eye outside. His violet eyes deepened in contemplation, then he stood up, slightly curling the corners of his eyes.
"Even if I can't trust the hooligan behind you, Kang Sihyun, I'll trust you."
Haehyuk, subtly mocking Russ, picked up his phone. Watching him call Redem's awakeners and contact the Association, Kang Sihyun held onto Russ. They had work to do while Haehyuk finished up here.
"Then we'll head down first to evacuate the people."
To save even one more person, they needed Russ. The so-called strongest had to go down first to rescue people. Haehyuk waved them off carelessly. Kang Sihyun quickly boarded the elevator with Russ, pressing the button in urgency. At that moment, a sigh escaped.
Kang Sihyun, horrified, looked up at the sky, trembling. The giant eye had fully revealed itself, though still closed as in his dream.
"Is that... an eye?"
"Where? What?"
"Yeah, it really looks like an eye."
Damn the complacency of the people of Korea. Even with a space tearing open in the sky, they were intrigued rather than predicting a rift. The click of cameras was irritating to the ears. Kang Sihyun grimaced at the sight.
He knew the calamity that would unfold once the eye opened.
By then, people wouldn't be leisurely taking photos like now.
Damn it. Kang Sihyun bit his lip and spoke urgently. He knew it would cause panic, but there was no other way.
"Everyone, get away!"
Using a copied amplification skill, his shout resonated throughout the city. People looked around in surprise at Kang Sihyun. Seeing their bewildered and confused faces, Kang Sihyun grimaced.
"If you don't want to die, move! When that eye opens, we're all dead!"
As Kang Sihyun shouted towards the sky, he expected everyone to flee. After all, he had warned of death. However, the reaction of the people was contrary to his expectations.
Instead of fleeing, people who belatedly recognized Russ by Kang Sihyun’s side began to swarm around, forming a crowd. It seemed they ignored his warning of impending death entirely.
Requests for autographs emerged from here and there. Dumbfounded by the situation, Russ let out a curse.
Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning struck.
“Aaah!”
A woman screamed as the lightning fell right beside her, causing the crowd to panic. With a fierce expression, Russ scolded them.
“What are you doing? Didn’t you hear we’re all going to die? If you don’t want to die, run! Run!”
Bang! Bang!
His shout was followed by more lightning. Only then did people start to scatter in fright, more scared of Russ immediately before them than the strange occurrence in the sky.
Disheartened by the scene, Kang Sihyun shook his head to clear his thoughts and surveyed his surroundings.
“Huaaah!”
Perhaps having lost his parents in the chaos or simply fallen and been left behind, a child was crying alone. Kang Sihyun quickly approached the child. Redem guild members, following Haehyuk’s orders, had started assisting in the evacuation. Then, a strange sound was heard.
- WoooWooo.
It was a peculiar vibration, resembling both tinnitus and a wail, reverberating through the world as if awakening something. The vibration made the heads of Redem guild members, the child in Kang Sihyun’s arms, and Kang Sihyun himself slowly turn towards the sky, as if by some unspoken agreement. They all stiffened momentarily, fixating on the sky.
A chill ran down their spines. Huaaah, the keen child cried out, sensing something was amiss.
Chaos ensued in an instant.
“Kieeeek!”
Suddenly, rifts appeared all at once, and Irregulars emerged. They turned the peaceful weekend streets into a battlefield. Without distinction between caution, warning, or danger levels, numerous Irregulars filled the city streets.
Kieeeek! One of the Irregulars screamed as if the world was ending, prompting a woman to scream. That scream plunged Seoul into turmoil.
“Huaaaak!”
Only then did people fall into panic and begin to flee. The awakeners, frozen until then, grasped the situation belatedly and started using their abilities.
Crack!
A flying Irregular grabbed a man trying to escape, bit off his head, and swallowed it. The body without its head rolled on the ground, but no one paid it any attention. People's feet trampled over the man's corpse in their rush to escape. Everyone was desperate to save themselves.
In the midst of this catastrophe, Kang Sihyun, holding the child and trembling, looked up at the sky. His teeth clacked together, the sound coming from his own mouth.
Russ flew around, urgently rescuing those in immediate danger, and other awakeners were too occupied with rescuing people to pay attention to him. Normally, Kang Sihyun's mind would operate coolly, but now it seemed frozen.
There was no way to overcome this situation.
All plans had fallen apart the moment the Irregulars appeared before the evacuation was complete.
If only they had listened earlier!
If they had fled when he first shouted to run, the damage would have been less severe. Convinced of this, Kang Sihyun held the child calling for his brother tightly.
Unsure of what to do next.
No matter where they ran, it was hell.
With a hollow laugh, Kang Sihyun repeated reassuring words. Knowing it wasn’t okay, he nonetheless reassured himself. Then, as he slowly stood up, he faced it.
The giant pupil dominating the sky began to lift its heavy eyelids.
Ssssss―.
The primeval Irregular, Gula, was waking up. Watching the eyelid move slowly, Kang Sihyun felt the surrounding noise increase.
Screams and cries grew louder, curses and the sound of battle were incessant. As his consciousness blurred, the oldest being opened its eyes. The world fell silent for a moment.
Chaaaak-!
A sound like water bursting forth was heard everywhere.
Feeling his palms becoming damp, Kang Sihyun stiffened. Suddenly, the child's crying stopped.
“Aaaaah!”
Amidst the piercing scream, Kang Sihyun slowly, very slowly, unnaturally turned his head down to check what was in his arms.
Gone.
The child he had been holding was gone.
Only a burst corpse was within his view.
“Ugh!”
Feeling nauseous, Kang Sihyun covered his mouth with his flesh-covered hands, trembling as he looked up at the sky with wandering blue eyes. Darkness descended upon the world. Gula, the giant Irregular, overshadowed the sun.
Knowing without seeing that there wouldn't be many survivors—perhaps not even three-tenths of those present—Kang Sihyun held tight to the trembling child in his arms. Despite the darkness that had enveloped everything, Kang Sihyun could sense Gula's gaze upon him.
With a sly curl of its enormous pupil, Gula seemed to smile. It wasn't just looking around; it was looking directly at him, as if mocking.
The mere act of awakening had caused hundreds, if not thousands, to lose their heads. Now, receiving Gula's attention, Kang Sihyun's body shook uncontrollably. He managed to stand, despite the trembling, and faced the source of the apocalypse.
Gula smiled once more, this time more clearly, as if taunting him. With a casualness that belied the gravity of the moment, it closed its eyes and vanished.
Thunk. Kang Sihyun felt his strength leave him as he collapsed to the ground.
“Kang Sihyun!”
Russ, having dispatched the Irregulars that swarmed Seoul following Gula's brief appearance, rushed towards him. Unable to respond to the call, Kang Sihyun surveyed his surroundings.
Few had survived.
There should have been hundreds, thousands, but now the streets were eerily empty.
Cars overturned and bodies littered the area, caught in Kang Sihyun's gaze. He thought it fortunate that his classmates weren't here, only to be sickened by his own thought.
Exhaling a deep breath, he clenched his fists. His fingernails dug into his palms, grating against bone.
He hated to acknowledge it, but it was clear.
Fight or perish. There was no other choice.
Sweat matted his hair to his forehead, his face marked by dried blood. Wiping it away, Kang Sihyun stood on shaky legs.
His ordinary life had been uprooted by a mere flick of an Irregular's wrist.
He had to fight.
To save the world, to live, to protect those he wished to keep safe.
Gula had targeted him, the one with the most cores, for a reason. Kang Sihyun breathed deeply, his eyes now sharp with resolution.
Gula's emergence had signaled the beginning of the end.
His once ordinary life had changed genres in an instant.
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