Chapter 5

It seemed as if Chahaya was asking, "Do you still like this?" as she extended the bag of snacks. It was a scent of civilization that he hadn't smelled in a long time. Having been forced to stay in a temple, his mouth watered involuntarily. Seo-eun deliberately turned his gaze away from the corn chips.

Despite the crunching sound of Chahaya eating the snacks, his throat didn't make a sound.

"Did you say that if we hunt mutants, we can return to Seoul?"

"It's like a kind of reward leave."

That meant, in the end, he would have to come back here.

"Recently, guilds are going crazy trying to recruit searchers because of the gate transfers."

"Searchers?"

For Seo-eun, who had been hiding, all these unfamiliar terms were overwhelming.

"They are the new ability group that appeared in the mental category this time."

Gangsan looked at Seo-eun as he got up from the floor, brushing off his knees.

When Manseongs awaken, their eye color changes. Black eyes like ink indicate the combat category, golden eyes the elemental category, and purple eyes the mental category. They are broadly divided into three categories for easy classification, but within each category, their unique abilities are further subdivided.

"They call them searchers because they have the ability to detect mutants in advance."

Chahaya looked at Seo-eun, who was listening to Gangsan's story. It was as if she was looking at her uncle from long ago, or when something was bothering her, Seo-eun's eyes were wavering.

"So, the Manseongs with the ability to detect mutants... are called searchers?"

"Right. In the Narakga, how quickly and how many mutants can be caught depends on the searchers' detection ability. That's why guilds are trying hard to recruit searchers. The best searcher right now belongs to the DK guild and can detect about four mutants a day."

Just four?

Seo-eun, a master of evasion, had detected a flood of mutants to survive until now. Just four being the best?

Seo-eun slumped onto the sofa.

"How many can you detect?"

Chahaya asked Seo-eun a question out of the blue and looked at him.

Their eyes met, but Seo-eun didn't waver.

Seo-eun's eyes were the color of a swallow flower that had grown in a sunny spot, basking in the sun. Suddenly, Chahaya thought she wanted to chew on a lone swallow flower.

"A thousand?"

Even with this sarcastic answer, Chahaya smiled as usual.

"Wow! Seo-eun! Really?! Amazing! You awakened as a searcher?! But you were a prosecutor."

Gangsan was so excited that he was drooling.

"I didn't even get to the entrance of law school."

Seo-eun poured cold water on Gangsan's excitement. It wasn't a lie. Before the world changed, he had been aiming to enter law school under his father's pressure.

"Who's talking about that prosecutor? It's really strange. Most of the searchers who re-awakened this time were mental category ability users. You being a searcher from the combat category is probably the first."

"Listen to what people finish saying. I'm not a searcher."

"Ah, really, Seo-eun. You know I'm easily fooled."

Gangsan's tone was more scolding than disappointed. Suddenly, Chahaya, who was sitting next to him, reached for the armrest of the sofa. Feeling a heavy weight pressing down, Seo-eun leaned further into the backrest. Before he could complain about the weight, Chahaya brought the sword from the desk, still in its scabbard, and placed it at Seo-eun's feet.

"What's this?"

"You said you don't have a sword, so I got this for you to use."

"Ah, I'll use it well."

Seo-eun tried to pick up the sword and place it next to him, but it was so heavy that he couldn't lift it with one hand. The scabbard looked crude, and the handle was covered with snake skin, making it look unappealing.

Seo-eun quickly drew the blade to check it and then slammed it shut. He pushed the sword into Chahaya's chest.

"Are you kidding?"

The sword, engraved with 'Matahari' (which means 'sun' in Indonesian), was a gift from his uncle when he joined the guild. He hadn't recognized it because the handle's leather had changed.

"Did you buy it back after you sold it?"

His face flushed.

It felt like he had become a shameless person who had thrown away a gift given to save his life. No, in fact, he had left the sword behind because it was awkward to take it when leaving the guild.

He had just assumed that some scoundrel from the guild had taken it. But he didn't want to explain such trivial details.

"Seo-eun."

"What?"

"You don't even consider my feelings?"

Chahaya's flat tone was tinged with considerable annoyance. Gangsan, looking uncomfortable, said, "Oh, um," and then said he was going to the bathroom, opening the steel door and leaving. The already awkward situation became even more uncomfortable without Gangsan.

He didn't know when Chahaya's side had become uncomfortable. Sitting across from him and facing him was even worse.

Instead, Chahaya got up from the sofa and sat at the table. When he tilted his head and looked at Seo-eun, Seo-eun rubbed his eyes evasively.

"I went out to assess the situation, and the deputy guild leader had abandoned the guild and fled. I brought frozen pizza to prevent the picky eater, Seo-eun, from starving to death in this hellish Narakga, but Gangsan ate it all. It's a mess."

If Chahaya had been angry, Seo-eun would have retaliated, but it seemed to be tinged with disappointment.

"Even if you abandon the guild, it's not your family. But am I just another guild member to you?"

"You're a friend, kid."

"Disappearing without a word is pretty bad."

<Death!>

At that moment, Seo-eun couldn't move, his eyes wide open. He couldn't even follow with his eyes. He didn't notice until Chahaya had drawn Matahari from its scabbard and pointed it at his neck.

He thought his neck had been pierced when he heard the sound of leather tearing. His forehead turned cold with the sudden sweat. As Chahaya pulled the sword back, Seo-eun instinctively covered his neck.

His dry neck felt no blood. When he turned around in surprise, he saw that the sofa back, less than a foot away, was torn.

"Would you still believe me?"

Chahaya tossed Matahari onto the sofa. He pushed the steel door, which hadn't closed properly, and left. Seo-eun, breathing a little roughly, slowly lowered his hand.

If he had really meant it, I would have died without knowing it.

'Chahaya noticed.'

It was a natural result.

***

Seo-eun thought Chahaya might be on the rooftop.

Perhaps because he had lived on a hill, he always found high places.

When he was left alone in the guild room, he was briefly angry at the guy who had threatened him with a knife, but he was convinced that the guy had taken a risky move to confirm his suspicions.

In the past, he would have reacted immediately when the guy drew his sword.

He must have suspected him when he tried to run away without fighting the mutant, and he must have stayed there, acting dumb, to prove he had lost his ability.

Sitting there and putting himself in Chahaya's shoes, he could somewhat understand his feelings. If Chahaya had lost his ability and disappeared without a word, he would have been very disappointed in him.

But what if the guy really lost his ability?

"Hey."

Chahaya was looking down from the rooftop, his back to Seo-eun.

"Chahaya, be careful, your back is exposed?"

"Be careful yourself. Your dad's hair is running away."

"You little brat, talking back."

Seo-eun walked up to Chahaya and hit his back. It felt like hitting a concrete wall, and his hand tingled.

"How long has it been?"

Chahaya turned to look at Seo-eun, who was looking at his palm. Every time he saw him, he was amazed by his appearance, and the concern in his eyes made Seo-eun's stomach itch.

"Who expelled the guild members?"

"Some were expelled by me, and some left on their own."

Seo-eun leaned on the rooftop railing.

[Errand Center, 12-3512-3122]

On the opposite building, separated by an alley, a sticker was posted. Below it was [Luminous Piano Academy], and next to it was [Luminous Essay Academy].

Narakga was strange. It looked like a common city somewhere in Korea, but it was a world that couldn't be reached by plane or public transportation.

When he first landed here, he was puzzled by the absence of any living beings that could be called human, except for Manseongs. The buildings, food, and equipment were all there, as if the people had evaporated.

"I lost my ability as soon as I got here. Matahari... the sword I used to use, felt so heavy."

Without Chahaya's prompting, the honest words flowed out smoothly.

"Do you know why?"

"If I knew, I would have left."

"How have you been living alone all this time?"

Chahaya sat on the railing and looked at Seo-eun.