As soon as the call was received, the first thought that came to mind was, "Has Haewoon awakened?" The last conversation with Haehyuk had been about what to do after Haewoon woke up, so there was no reason to contact him otherwise.
A fleeting glimpse of undeniable anticipation flashed through the blue eyes and then vanished.
Rash judgments are to be avoided. Reminding himself of this, Kang Sihyun took off the gloves he was wearing and pushed the phone.
"I've answered the call."
[Ah, Mr. Sihyun. Is the rift support over?]
"Just now. What's the matter?"
Has Haewoon awakened?
The words he had grown tired of repeating surged to the tip of his throat, but feeling like he had asked too often, he swallowed them back down. On the other end of the phone, Haehyuk paused as if gauging something before speaking.
[Mr. Haewoon hasn't awakened.]
"Ah…"
It seems he had seen right through him. Given it was a phone call, the only thing he could judge the condition by was the voice, but it seemed his concern had been that obvious.
Or perhaps Haehyuk was just that sharp.
"What's the matter then?"
[Unfortunately, the dungeon didn't wait for Mr. Haewoon.]
Hearing this, his brows furrowed, and wrinkles formed on his forehead. Considering the context, Haehyuk's vague words meant one thing.
"A second dungeon has appeared?"
[That's right. Just like in Egypt. People are missing, and there are no survivors who entered and came out, and a large-scale rift opened nearby.]
"Where is it?"
[Russia.]
Haehyuk answered without delay. Sihyun mulled over the countries where traces of Adam and Eve had been left.
Egypt, Russia, China, America, Germany, Japan, Rome.
If it's Russia, it's a place he must go. Realizing this fact, his expression twisted slightly.
He wasn't fully adapted to the Archer class yet, and Haewoon hadn't recovered, but he didn't want to depart for a new dungeon already.
Knowing he had to go, yet not feeling up to it, his expression soured, and it was Haehyuk who broke the silence.
[They want an Awakened who participated in the first dungeon from our side in Russia. They said they'd make it worth our while… Should we go?]
He didn't phrase it as if the guild was pushing him to go for its benefit. Rather, he took a long pause before speaking, as if he himself was reluctant. Sihyun ran his hands through his hair and clenched his eyes shut. If it were any place he didn't have to go, he would have ignored it, saying they should handle a second dungeon themselves, but it had to be Russia.
Such bad luck.
"We have to go."
[Adam and Eve?]
At Haehyuk's question, filled with a rough understanding of the situation, frustration sealed his lips, leaving him unable to reply. He sighed in exasperation, and the man on the phone concluded this call.
[We should go then. We can't discuss everything over the phone, so let's talk in person. See you in the guild master's office when you return.]
"…Yes."
He forced out a reply he didn't want to give and told him he would see him after returning, and Haehyuk hung up with a promise to see him later. The phone screen displayed a notification that the call had ended.
Staring blankly at the darkened screen, Sihyun carelessly shoved the phone into his pocket. Even in the midst of battle, Sihyun's expression, usually calm, had turned sour with a single call, prompting his teammates to cautiously approach and whisper to him.
"What's wrong, is there an issue?"
"Did something go wrong with the strategy?"
"Are you being dispatched elsewhere immediately?"
"Did the guild master scold you?"
They all looked at Sihyun with pity in their eyes. Their gaze, filled with sympathy, resembled that of looking at a subordinate bullied by a superior. Asking about what happened and providing examples, their voices seemed to share their own experiences, causing Sihyun's expression to darken momentarily. It was unclear who should feel sorry for whom.
"It's nothing like that. I will report on this rift incident, so please go in and rest."
It seemed like Haehyuk had become the one to scold subordinates, and to clear up any misunderstanding, he shook his head, which only seemed to backfire. He thought he had responded composedly, but hands comforting his shoulders followed, and initially, there were words of encouragement, telling him to hang in there since everyone goes through it. Sihyun didn't have the energy to further clear up their misunderstandings and waved them off casually.
"Let's part here.
If there's a chance, I look forward to fighting alongside you again."
After formally saying goodbye, the team members who had gathered around Sihyun dispersed. As they moved away, their murmuring reached Sihyun.
"It really seems like he got scolded, doesn't it?"
"Yeah."
"The guild master, too, Sihyun seems mature, but he's still a kid, it's too much."
"But where else would treat you as well as our guild master?"
"Seriously. Have you not seen Sihyun fight? With his skills, other guilds would be drooling to have him. They're probably watching and waiting to poach him right now."
"But about Sihyun…"
"……"
Perhaps because they didn't struggle much in this battle, the returning team members released their overflowing vitality through chatter. Judging from the atmosphere, it seemed like there would be talks about Quadruple this and Haehyuk that later, but such trivial matters were of no concern to him at the moment.
After all, Haehyuk would handle those rumors himself. He was someone who obsessively cared about what was said behind his back.
"Are you done?"
"Yes."
"Where to?"
"Please take me to the guild. I need to return."
Sihyun spoke to the attendant assigned by Haehyuk and boarded the car, rubbing his eyes. As the car wheels rolled, dismissing the question of whether he was tired with a no, the unfamiliar scenery swiftly disappeared from view.
Sihyun, staring quietly out the window, leaned his head back and sighed.
Perhaps he was a bit tired after all.
***
"You've come early."
"The words I heard in place of the command to return were quite shocking."
"Seeing you joke like that, it seems you don't need any rest. Please, take a seat."
Not much time had passed since the Egypt dungeon raid, and already a second dungeon had appeared, to which Sihyun let out his complaints to Haehyuk, who then smiled and offered him a seat. Realizing he had acted immaturely, Sihyun apologized belatedly and sat down on the sofa. The sofa brought comfort and softness, but the situation was far from good.
"How long has the dungeon been there?"
"It's been three days today. Russia contacted us yesterday, but it reached me today."
The creature in the second dungeon must be stronger and more malicious than Decumanus. The fact that such a being had been left loose in the world for three days was not a good sign.
"What about the damages?"
"We still can't judge what happened inside the dungeon, but three massive rifts have opened outside."
Sihyun doubted his ears for a moment. His eyes, wider than usual in surprise, looked at Haehyuk.
"Three places?"
"Yes."
"...The damage must be significant."
"The Russian Awakened are skilled, so it shouldn't be too extensive."
It was as if a city had disappeared. Haehyuk added. Sihyun was about to point out that such a thing is usually considered significant damage but decided against it. Brushing his lips, he asked about the form of the dungeon, to which he received an utterly absurd answer.
"An ice castle has appeared?"
"Yes."
Even after receiving a firm answer, disbelief only elicited a hollow laugh. Egypt had pyramids, and now Russia had an ice castle. Moreover, it wasn't like Decumanus's appearance in the desert but rather an entire city suddenly freezing over to form the ice castle.
If an entire city had frozen over and then disappeared, the damage must have been far from minor.
"It seems the situation is bigger than I thought."
"The freezing hasn't stopped, and even now, cities nearby are freezing. They urgently requested support, hoping you could come as soon as possible. What will you do?"
"Was the request for support only sent to me?"
"No, it went to you, Uiheon, Jihye, and the American team as well, but the association is especially desperate for your help."
That made sense.
If the Egyptian Awakened Association had relayed his words correctly, his ability to understand and deal with an Irregular was most crucial. However, it wasn't he who had dealt with the Irregular last time but the entity in his voice. The situation had come upon them too quickly before he was ready.
Villains in movies were just that, villains in movies.
Unlike those in films who wait for heroes to transform, real-world calamities don't wait for people to be ready.
"...How is Haewoon?"
"The same. There's really nothing more to improve unless he opens his eyes."
Haewoon's condition was in no way less than perfect in every aspect. He was so well that he could fly around as soon as he regained consciousness. That being the only consolation, Sihyun slowly nodded and buried himself deeper into the sofa.
"Are you going to send me?"
"Honestly,
I'd rather not."
"...What?"
"Why are you surprised? After such an incident where a guild member was severely injured, which guild master would want to send their people again?"
"……."
"I might seem like I'm just occupying a position, but it's a role that bears the heaviest responsibility. If a guild member dies, it's as if I've pushed them to their death. It's like I've sent them to a slaughter, and if we were close, I even hear their voices from time to time. How many people do you think would want to experience that feeling multiple times?"
Haehyuk spoke as if jesting, but the words he carelessly uttered didn't feel light to Sihyun.
For the first time, he truly saw Haehyuk's age.
He was only twenty-one years old. Had he been a regular person, he would have been enjoying the prime of his youth in college, evoking a compassionate gaze towards Haehyuk. At a time when others were experiencing the most exciting and enjoyable moments of their lives, he was mired in mud.
"...You also have it tough."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
He murmured almost reflexively, then shrugged it off when Haehyuk jokingly asked if he had been insulted. Sihyun was sure Haehyuk had heard him correctly. With four cores awakened and such heightened senses, even the faintest whisper couldn't be missed at such close proximity.
He was just pretending not to have heard.
Tsk, Sihyun clicked his tongue once and straightened up.
After all, who was he to lament his fate?
The expression Haehyuk had worn when he returned with a dying Haewoon still lingered in his mind. Thinking of the boy lying in bed, Sihyun spoke up.
This was precisely the moment to demonstrate the demeanor of an elder.
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