Chapter 47

"Sis!"

Thud, thud!

Minju pounded on the inner wall of the collapsed gate with all her might.

She hit it so hard that her fists ached, but there was no response from Eunha, and the mountain of debris did not budge even a centimeter.

The darkness was so thick that she couldn't even see her own feet.

Using a bazooka to blow up this space was not an option. However, using a bazooka in this enclosed space would also blow off her own limbs. Naturally, using buckshot was also out of the question.

But the problem was not just that.

"Sis, are you there?"

Thud, thud!

Thud!

Thud...

Swoosh.

"Ugh..."

The small fist that had been pounding on the wall fell weakly to the ground. She couldn't breathe properly, but it wasn't due to a lack of air.

"Huh, ugh..."

Her mind began to drift, and her breathing gradually became rapid. It was a symptom of hyperventilation. Despite this, Minju strained to reach out her hand toward the inner wall.

Creak, creak.

Minju, who could no longer clench her fists, scratched the inner wall with her fingernails.

Blood clots formed on each finger, and her nails were worn down, but she continued to scratch the solid inner wall without regard for the pain.

Then, Minju, who had collapsed on the spot, shivered.

It was dark.

A pitch-black landscape that didn't change whether her eyes were open or closed.

The cruel and thick darkness brought back memories she had forgotten, like waves. And those waves swallowed the young boy in one gulp.

'Minju.'

One.

'You're going to close your eyes and count to a hundred here. You must not open your eyes, understand?'

Two.

'Mom and Dad will hide over there. It's a game of hide-and-seek that you like, Minju.'

Three.

'Then, our son...'

Four.

'Mom and Dad will hide.'

Five, six, seven, eight...

In the fading consciousness, Minju felt a sense of relief.

'Good.'

That no one was here.

She couldn't show this side to anyone, not even the guild members of the Legion.

S-class Hunter Trickster, the master of the Legion, did not want anyone to know about this weakness and trauma.

It couldn't be known.

***

Eight years old.

In a ten-square-meter semi-basement house, Mom, Dad, Minju, and a cockroach the size of a thumb lived.

There were no windows in the house. So it was less cold in winter and less hot in summer.

The lack of hot water was a minor flaw, but it was fine. Mom always boiled hot water in a pot as big as Minju's body.

There was no shortage of food. The country provided a certain amount of rice and ramen every month.

At that time, Minju's favorite dish was ketchup rice. It was exactly as it sounded: ketchup sprinkled and mixed over plain rice. One bowl of ketchup rice was enough to keep him full until dinner.

That day, for some reason, there was a half-boiled fried egg on top of the ketchup rice.

"Mom, can I really eat this?"

"Of course. Do you want another one?"

"Yes!"

He was happy.

Two fried eggs in one meal. Was it really okay? It was the first time in his eight-year life that he had such a luxury.

That day, Dad didn't go to work. Dad, who left home every day at dawn, even on Sundays, was sitting across from him, watching Minju eat.

"Do you want anything else, Minju?"

"Um..."

Minju, with rice stuck to the corner of his mouth, rolled his eyes. His round eyes were like his mother's, and the small teardrop below them was like his father's.

"No, this is the best."

"Is that so?"

Dad and Mom laughed at the same time. If it were now, Minju would have immediately understood the meaning of their smiles, but at that time, he just smiled and said, "Hehe."

"Then, shall we play hide-and-seek after you finish eating?"

"Hide-and-seek?"

"Yes. Since it's Sunday, let's play as a family. What do you think?"

"..."

Minju's eyes widened as he held his spoon. But only for a moment, he swallowed the rice without finishing it and smiled broadly.

"Sure...!"

At that time, he didn't know.

Why that day, Mom fried two eggs.

Why that day, Dad didn't go to work and suggested playing hide-and-seek.

"Minju, you're going to close your eyes and count to a hundred here. You must not open your eyes, understand?"

After finishing his meal, Minju stood facing the kitchen wall and covered his eyes with both hands.

"Yes, I understand."

"Then, Mom and Dad will hide."

One, two, three, four, five...

Minju counted the numbers with excitement. The sound of a door closing behind him was strange, but he had promised not to open his eyes. Minju kept his eyes tightly closed and continued counting.

Seventy-two, seventy-three, seventy-four...

This time, there was another thud. Minju, startled, hiccuped and stopped counting.

He almost opened his eyes, but it was fine. Minju was a good child who kept his promises.

'Where did I count to?'

Right. Seventy-five, seventy-six...

Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine.

--One hundred.

"Now I'll open my eyes!"

There was no response, but Minju, who was very excited, opened his eyes. However,

"..."

The house was strangely dark.

Did they turn off the lights to scare him? Minju felt for the light switch on the wall.

Click.

Click, click.

But no matter how many times he pressed it, the light didn't turn on. It couldn't have broken suddenly. It was working fine when he was eating.

It must have been a prank.

'I'm a primary school student now.'

I'm too old to be scared by such things. Minju quickly scanned the surroundings. In the pitch-black darkness, he couldn't see a thing, but after a while, his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

However, there was no place in the ten-square-meter semi-basement where an adult could hide. That was a fact even an eight-year-old Minju knew.

Minju quickly headed toward the front door. Mom and Dad must be hiding outside.

Click.

Click, click.

Click, click, click.

The door wouldn't open. No matter how many times he pulled and pushed, it didn't budge.

"Um, Mom...?"

His heart sank. Minju tried to understand the situation. Surely, surely, they couldn't have left him here, could they?

'No, that's impossible.'

Minju shook his head vigorously. He must have counted too quickly. He walked back to the kitchen wall and pressed his forehead against it. Then he raised his small hand and pressed his eyelids.

"One, two, three, four, five..."

He counted the numbers out loud, more clearly and slowly than before.

"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred...!"

Minju opened his eyes.

The house was still dark. There were no windows, so he couldn't tell if it was day or night.

Minju ran to the front door and tried the doorknob again.

Click, click.

It didn't open. Minju, who had collapsed on the spot, felt hot tears well up in her eyes.

"Mom! Dad!"

He called out to his parents as loudly as he could. There was no response.

Minju wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and stood up. He pressed his forehead against the wall again.

"One, two, three, four, five..."

Once more.

"Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen..."

Again.

"Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six..."

One last time.

But no matter how many times he counted, the darkness remained.

The darkness consumed the young boy's hope, expectations, hunger, and eventually, even his despair.

What came to the empty shell of a boy was not his missing parents, an indifferent homeroom teacher, or the friends who teased him for being poor.

Ding.

The zodiac 'Rabbit Walking on the Moon' offers you a contract. Do you accept?