Chapter 74

"Chahaya was the first to cross over using the gate. At that time, there was no information about the gate, so surely he must have had the U-gwangseok with him, right?"

Seo-un had also not thought of this. How did he know how to use the gate?

It would have been faster to ask him directly, but he was too busy getting used to the changed situation and the messenger. Chahaya, who had gone to Seoul to look for him, would have found it presumptuous to interrogate him.

"As you know, Chahaya is a top-tier species. He must have caught countless variants in the Narakga, so he wouldn't have used the gate without any preparation."

"Wow, so he just happened to have the U-gwangseok when the gate appeared? Are you covering for him because he's in the same guild? Or are you hiding something?"

Kim Han-sol also had purple eyes, but they were lighter and more diluted compared to Seo-un's. She stared deeply into Seo-un's dark, deep eyes.

"I'm not covering for him, and I'm not hiding anything."

"You know, the situation is perfect for misunderstanding, especially for the Tachun guild. Chahaya, the first user of the gate, returned from Seoul after catching a variant. When did all the Manseong in Narakga find out about this?"

Seo-un, who had been secluded in the mountains, wouldn't have known.

"When everyone was just looking at the gate at the intersection like primitive people encountering new technology, Chahaya returned from the black circle next to the gate."

Seo-un finally opened the can of drink she had given him. After taking a sip to moisten his dry throat, Kim Han-sol continued.

When Chahaya emerged from the black circle, he was holding a box of snacks, filled with corn chips and soft cookies sold in Seoul. That's how they knew he had been to Seoul.

The Union, knowing Chahaya's personality, approached him with their lives on the line. Among them, Lee Gwan-woong of Oseong asked about the gate. Chahaya drew a line with cosmos to create a transparent wall in front of the approaching people.

'Have you seen Chae Seo-un?'

Looking around, Chahaya saw no one raise their hand, so he walked away with the box. One of the mid-level officers tried to grab him, and he annoyingly gave the U-gwangseok to the person's hand.

'This U-gwangseok is from a third-stage variant, so it's a fair trade.'

Then he threw the mid-level officer into the gate.

Kim Han-sol spread her hands and even mimicked the shock and screams of that moment. Seo-un, listening to the story, couldn't hide his suspicious gaze. Chahaya was the type who would do such a thing, but...

"You might not believe me, but I was there that day. After that, there were talks about subduing the bomb-like Chahaya together. But how easy is that? Just as we were racking our brains, the mid-level officer who had been thrown into the gate returned safely. Chahaya said the third-stage variant, the white horse, had appeared in Seoul."

After that, it seems the people of Earth learned about Narakga. The Manseong knew that they needed at least a third-stage U-gwangseok to use the gate.

The Oseong guild accumulated information on gate usage and took control of the intersection.

"Do you know what the Union is thinking now? They suspect that Tachun is hiding many secrets, and that there must be a reason why the deputy guild leader was missing for a while."

But why is Kim Han-sol giving me this information? Seo-un still couldn't shake off his suspicion.

"Aren't you a Union person? I don't understand why you're telling me this."

Just as Kim Han-sol was about to speak again, a sharp wind whistled past. Then, a thud, followed by a muffled scream from Kim Han-sol.

Confused, she looked down, and Seo-un followed her gaze.

"Team Leader...!"

Seo-un quickly caught Kim Han-sol, who was falling backward. A dagger about two feet long was embedded in her back, the tip piercing through her abdomen, dripping with blood.

Panicked, she tried to use cosmos, but the bleeding wouldn't stop. Despair flashed in Kim Han-sol's eyes. This was an attack from a top-tier species.

There are only about 20 known top-tier species, and one of them had attacked her.

Seo-un looked around, but with buildings of similar height, he couldn't guess where the attack came from. Her breathing grew rapid, and the silver cosmos in her body became faint.

<If you save 'Kim Han-sol' now, you will be known as 'Healer Chae Seo-un.' Letting her die would be more beneficial.>

Seo-un hesitated, wanting to save her but also considering the warning.

Letting her die would be more beneficial.

He knew ignoring the messenger's warning wouldn't be good, but could he ignore a way to save her?

How many people in the world would weigh a human life against an unknown benefit? But is it right to say, "I protect my own"?

Kim Han-sol wasn't his, and he didn't know if she was a good person, but she definitely hadn't revealed the abilities he had shown in the northwest tunnel or before to the Union. If she had, Lee Gwan-woong of Oseong would have mentioned it.

He could see Kim Han-sol's life fading away. The light in her eyes was dimming, and she was heading toward death. The knife that had pierced her pectoral muscles had likely damaged her spinal nerves, and her lower body was limp. The rooftop was drenched in her blood.

Seo-un didn't want to let her die. His time in the variant control center wasn't just because he was afraid of his father. He hated seeing innocent people die because of variants. If Sung-hee were still alive, Han-don-hee wouldn't have gone berserk. Death always brought screams and sorrow.

He had once seen a person fly off a motorcycle that had been hit by a truck. The bloodied face, without a helmet, was a sight he couldn't forget no matter how much time passed.

He didn't know Kim Han-sol well, but if she died here, he would never forget her. If he hadn't lost his ability, he might have noticed the incoming knife, along with a sense of guilt.

<'Chae Seo-un' is not ready yet.>

A strong impulse to save the dying person made Seo-un's body tremble with purple cosmos.

He could see the silver cosmos flowing through Kim Han-sol's body. It was like a river of stars, but it had stopped near her abdomen, dissipating with the blood.

The broken flow was clearly visible, like constellations in the sky. As soon as he recognized it, droplets of cosmos gathered and enveloped Kim Han-sol's body.

Seo-un gripped the handle of the dagger embedded in her back. Should he pull it out? If he couldn't stop the bleeding... If he touched the undamaged parts...

His hand trembled, and the purple cosmos seemed to disperse like smoke. He couldn't afford to wait any longer. Seo-un firmly gripped the handle.

As he pulled it out, Kim Han-sol's body convulsed, and blood gushed from her abdomen and back. Please, please, Seo-un laid her down and pressed his hand on her abdomen. The purple mass quickly seeped into her torn skin. Upon closer inspection, they were not droplets but all shaped like cosmos buds, like young flower buds trembling together.

Seo-un focused on pouring the cosmos into Kim Han-sol's wound. Cold sweat broke out, and his strength gradually drained.

Is this right? Is he really losing his own life to heal someone else? He hadn't shouted any words, let alone met the decibel requirement. How is this working?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Seo-un focused on the flow of cosmos. His pale face remained, but the bleeding gradually slowed.

<@#...>

The messenger shouted in an unknown language. But Seo-un was familiar with this feeling.

A fierce storm raged in his heart, and every cell in his body was replaced by cosmos. He was a universe. Like a creator, he could rearrange his universe, emit and retract his ability.

Seo-un quickly turned her body to focus on the wound on her back. The purple cosmos seemed to be pulling the torn organs back into their original shape. Sweat dripped from his forehead.

Finally, the blocked river of cosmos began to flow. The silver cosmos resumed its journey through her universe. Seo-un checked the wound again. The torn front and back had returned to smooth skin.

After laying her down straight, Seo-un collapsed on the ground.

The sky was unbearably dark. The sky of Narakga was pitch black, like a wall with no stars. It felt like a dead world.

Seo-un panted and looked at Kim Han-sol again. Fortunately, color had returned to her cheeks. He got up without fainting, as he didn't want to be swallowed by the darkness.

When he supported himself with his arms, he noticed something was missing.

The dagger... where did it go?

He had been so focused on healing Kim Han-sol that he hadn't noticed the dagger was gone. Worried about another attack, he quickly picked up Kim Han-sol.

A dull thud came from the rooftop door, followed by the sound of a sharp sword rolling on the ground. Turning around, he saw an intruder lying on the ground, and a dagger next to him.

Seo-un's eyes widened. The intruder, wearing a mask, had been pierced through the neck by a familiar sword. Chahaya, standing in front of the bleeding intruder, pulled out the Matari.

"Intruder."

He said it coldly.

Whether this person had attacked Kim Han-sol and tried to kill him, he needed to be saved to understand the situation. Seo-un approached the intruder and wrapped the bleeding wound with purple cosmos. He looked up at Chahaya, asking a single question.

"...How did you use the gate for the first time?"

Chahaya's expression, hidden behind a mask, was lost in the darkness.