The sound of rushing wind.
A flash.
A projectile hurtling toward me.
Before even the bead of sweat hanging from my chin could fall—
the giant came flying straight toward my abdomen.
‘Ah. I’m dead.’
His head would slam into my stomach.
The first explosion.
My body would burst apart from the inside.
Then the giant would punch straight through me and fly out the other side.
The second explosion.
If there was one fortunate thing—
perhaps it was that I would die before I even had time to feel the pain.
“…….”
I quietly closed my eyes.
Strangely enough, my heart was calm even in the face of death.
I could not even bring myself to tense my body.
And so—
he reached me.
[Wind-Thunder Fist Art ― Baek Yulheon (Borrowed)]
[Exclusive Skill activated.]
“Hup―!!”
WHAM!!
THUD.
‘……WHAM?’
One second.
Two seconds……
Time passed while my eyes remained shut.
Am I dead?
Did I die?
I did not feel any pain.
The only sensation filling my body was the heat from the surrounding fire.
I cautiously opened my eyes.
“……?”
Hissss―.
The first thing I saw was my own fist extended straight ahead.
Smoke rose from it.
The next thing I saw—
was below me.
“Uuugh…….”
“W-Waaagh!?”
THUD!
I fell backward in shock.
Even after landing hard on my backside, I barely registered the pain.
“W-What the hell is this!?”
The giant was sprawled flat on his back with his arms stretched wide.
His reddened jaw had been twisted at an unnatural angle.
“D-Did I do that……?”
I had not thrown a punch.
I had relaxed my entire body and waited for death.
And yet—
‘……Status Window.’
Just before he collided with me—
I thought I had seen something.
‘The Exclusive Skill of Wind-Thunder Fist Art…….’
“Status Window!”
I hurriedly examined Baek Yulheon’s ability, Wind-Thunder Fist Art.
[Target ― Baek Yulheon (Wind-Thunder Fist Art]
[Synchronization Rate with Retainer: 30%]
―Rank: A ―> C
―Exclusive Skill: Wind-Thunder Self-Defense
―Exclusive Skill: Wind-Thunder Strike Locked
“Wind-Thunder Self-Defense……?”
[Exclusive Skill: Wind-Thunder Self-Defense]
―Rejects all approaches toward the user’s body.
―A perfect counter.
“Wow…….”
I more or less understood what had happened.
The stance I had unconsciously taken must have activated Wind-Thunder Fist Art’s Exclusive Skill, Wind-Thunder Self-Defense.
Then the giant came flying toward me at tremendous speed and fulfilled its activation condition.
‘So the result was that he took a perfect counter to the jaw and went down……?’
Should I call myself lucky?
The whole situation was so absurd that reality still had not quite sunk in.
‘At least I survived…….’
“Haaaa…….”
I let out a relieved sigh.
I nearly started crying.
“God, that was terrifying…….”
Just as the strength began draining from my legs—
I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.
‘……The kids.’
This was not the time to celebrate being alive.
Why had I risked my life in the first place?
‘I haven’t heard them crying for a while.’
There was no time.
I hurriedly tried to stand.
“Urgh……! My legs……?”
SPLAT!
I tried to get up too quickly and fell flat on my face.
There was no strength in my legs.
Because I had been too tense.
Because I had been too afraid.
But those were not the only reasons.
‘The recoil……?’
The backlash from forcing my body to move beyond its limits.
Even though the ability had been downgraded to a rank compatible with my body, its original essence was still that of an A-Rank ability.
Even when I used Enhanced Senses after it had been downgraded from B-Rank to D-Rank, the side effects had been severe.
Then what about an ability downgraded from A-Rank to C-Rank?
“B-Borrowing. Cancel borrowing……!”
[Borrowing Wind-Thunder Fist Art has been canceled.]
“Whewww…….”
Once I canceled the borrowing, I felt somewhat better.
My muscles still ached—
but at least I could walk.
“K-Kids……! Where are you……!”
I used my left leg, which could still move reasonably well, to support my right as I searched the gardening section.
FWOOSH!
The fire had spread far more than before.
There was no answer from the children either.
‘Don’t tell me…… they already burned to death…….’
Terrible possibilities began flooding my mind.
“Damn it…… Kids!!”
“Uuugh…….”
“……!”
Then—
faint as it was—
the sound of shallow breathing caught my attention.
“Where are you! Kids!!”
…….
Nothing else followed.
The crackling flames and collapsing wreckage kept drowning out the children’s faint breathing.
‘If I leave them like this, they’ll suffocate from the smoke or burn to death. There has to be something—some way……!’
“Ah!”
One possibility suddenly crossed my mind.
‘Enhanced Senses.’
With that ability, I would not miss even the faintest sound.
But—
‘I probably won’t even be able to walk properly…….’
And that was not the only problem.
Enhanced Senses amplified all five senses.
Sight.
Hearing.
Smell.
Taste.
And—
‘Touch.’
Which meant—
the heat from the fire raging all around me.
That pain would be amplified as well.
‘Can I endure that……?’
I was already dizzy, and my legs were trembling.
Could I really search for the children while enduring pain severe enough to feel like I was being burned alive?
I might be an Awakened—
but could an E-Rank Awakened like me withstand that kind of strain?
“…….”
‘Should I run?’
For a moment, the easier path crossed my mind.
Saving the children might be impossible.
But I could probably escape safely on my own.
I had already scraped together every last bit of courage I had and even stood against the terrorist.
And now I had to do even more?
“You pathetic bastard…….”
SMACK!
I slapped both cheeks with my hands.
Hard enough to make them swell.
That defeated mindset had taken root all the way down to my bones.
‘If you’re going to play hero, then see it through to the end.’
“Borrow.”
[Target ― Jeong Sohyeon (Heaven-Splitting Greatsword ]
[Target ― Baek Yulheon (Wind-Thunder Fist Art ]
[Target ― Jeong Cheongun (Enhanced Senses)]
“Jeong Cheongun. Enhanced Senses.”
WEE-OOO― WEE-OOO―.
Sharp sirens filled the supermarket entrance.
Ambulances.
Fire engines.
Police cars.
Even people from the Awakened Management Bureau and television stations.
Considering the scale of the incident—
the massive response was hardly surprising.
“Oh! It’s Mom!”
“Mommy!!”
“Yuseong! Hyeseong!!”
The children we had brought to the supermarket entrance—
safely reunited with their mother and returned to her arms.
Their clothes were soaked because they had been wrapped in a wet blanket.
Fortunately, however, neither of them had suffered so much as a scratch.
“Sniff…… Yuseong, Hyeseong…… I’m sorry…… Mommy’s so sorry…….”
“We’re okay! This big brother and this big sister protected us!”
“Big brother even beat up that huuuge man! It was really cool!”
“Hey, I told you that wasn’t me…….”
Their mother kept bowing to me over and over in gratitude.
I had no idea what to do.
“Oh my…… How could I ever repay you for this……?”
“Haha, there’s no need! It was only natural for us to help! If you truly want to thank us, just remember one name—White Lotus. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“W-White Lotus! Yes! I understand. I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life……!”
Unlike me, who could only stand there opening and closing my mouth—
Hyeon Chae-rin of White Lotus smoothly handled both the response and the advertising at the same time.
“……You seem used to this.”
“Yes, well. It isn’t unusual for guilds to deal with accidents occurring nearby. It’s an excellent marketing opportunity.”
“Haha…….”
‘This is awkward…….’
As though the smile she had shown while speaking with the children’s mother had been entirely fake—
her face instantly returned to a stiff, expressionless mask.
Unless I spoke to her first, Hyeon Chae-rin did not say a single word.
She simply stood beside me like a wooden statue.
“Um…… Would it be all right if I left first……?”
“No. Please wait a little longer.”
“……Right.”
She did not seem to have any particular reason for keeping me here.
She would not answer my questions either.
Yet she refused to let me go home.
‘I want to go hooome…….’
My body felt completely exhausted.
My shoulders felt as though they were carrying boulders, and my legs were heavy.
‘I just want to lie comfortably in bed and take a nap…….’
How long was she planning to keep me here?
Then Hyeon Chae-rin finally opened her firmly closed mouth.
“……May I ask you one question?”
“Yes……? Ah, a question…… Go ahead.”
Hyeon Chae-rin seemed to hesitate over how to phrase it.
Then—
“That giant. You’re the one who did that to him, aren’t you?”
“E-Excuse me?”
She stared directly into my eyes.
“No…… Haha, I told you earlier. He was already unconscious when I got there.”
“The children said you did it.”
“They’re kids. They probably got someone’s face mixed up. Haha…….”
“I heard children can’t lie.”
“……Urgh.”
‘This is troublesome…….’
Hyeon Chae-rin questioned me as though she were already almost certain.
I had never been particularly good at lying to begin with.
I could not even meet her eyes properly.
“No matter how much I think about it, you’re the only possibility. What do you say? Why don’t you just tell me the truth?”
“…….”
I ignored Hyeon Chae-rin as she continued pestering me from beside me—
and thought back to when we had still been inside the supermarket.
‘How did things end up like this……?’
About an hour earlier.
While we were still trapped inside the supermarket.
After I covered the children with a wet blanket—
I went to look for something like an emergency exit.
When I returned—
Hyeon Chae-rin had suddenly appeared and was glaring at me with a dagger in her hand.
“……Mr. Jeong Sohyeok?”
“Wh-Who are you……?”
Black clothes and a dagger.
She looked almost like a ninja from a movie.
‘Another terrorist……?’
As I slowly raised my fists—
“I’m from White Lotus. My name is Hyeon Chae-rin.”
“……Ah. White Lotus.”
The situation had been so chaotic—
I had completely forgotten that I had called for support.
I carefully pulled out my phone.
Sure enough—
fifteen minutes had passed.
“……You really are fast.”
“No. I was a little late.”
Hyeon Chae-rin looked back and forth between me and the children beneath the blanket.
“Did you bring this blanket?”
“Yes…… I thought they might suffocate from the smoke if I left them like this. I once saw instructions on my phone about what to do during a fire.”
“That was a good decision. A wet blanket can also protect against minor burns.”
Hyeon Chae-rin reached toward the blanket.
“Kids, can you curl up a little?”
““Yes……!””
Then—
roll, roll.
She rolled the blanket around them like a giant roll of gimbap.
“Um…… What are you doing……?”
“I’m carrying them out like this. A child’s respiratory system can be severely harmed by even a small amount of smoke.”
“Ah…….”
“Mr. Sohyeok, do you perhaps……”
“I-I can get out on my own!”
“That’s good.”
With a short grunt—
“Hup!”
Hyeon Chae-rin easily lifted the blanket containing both children.
How did such a slender body produce that much strength?
Once again, I was reminded that an Awakened really was an Awakened.
“Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes.”
WHOOSH―!
Hyeon Chae-rin kicked toward the flames.
A powerful blast of air opened a narrow path through them.
“Wow…….”
“I’ll go first.”
Hyeon Chae-rin lowered herself into a running stance.
Just as I prepared to follow her—
‘Ah.’
“Wait……!”
“……What is it?”
I remembered something I had forgotten.
“That man…….”
“……Ah.”
The terrorist.
If we left him here, he would probably burn to death.
‘Not that he doesn’t deserve it.’
Even so, I thought he should properly answer for his crimes.
“Hmm…….”
Hyeon Chae-rin looked at me as though she did not like what she was hearing.
“You got lucky this time, but that man nearly killed you. You still want to save him?”
“No…… It’s not that I particularly want to save him. I just thought it would be better for him to be handed over to the police than burned alive…… And there’s something I want to know too.”
“Something you want to know?”
“Haha…….”
As though she had lost interest, Hyeon Chae-rin clicked her tongue.
“The fire was caused by his own explosions, so he should be safe from it. It doesn’t look like he’ll wake up anytime soon either. Just leave him.”
“Ah, I see…….”
I felt embarrassed for asking such a stupid question.
“S-Sorry! Let’s hurry. We should get out before the fire spreads any further.”
“Yes…… Well.”
Hyeon Chae-rin looked back and forth between me and the steadily narrowing path.
She seemed to be thinking about something.
Then she sighed and cautiously spoke.
“I didn’t ask because it was an emergency, but did you do that to him?”
“……Excuse me?”
The sudden question—
made my legs freeze.
‘……Why?’
“Haha! Of course not. He was already unconscious when I got here.”
“Normally, even if a terrorist is unconscious, people don’t approach them that casually. Even if there are children nearby.”
“Uh…… Hmm…….”
“That man might look pathetic lying there now, but he cleared the 20th Floor of the Tower. He’s strong enough that he could’ve joined a respectable medium-sized guild.”
‘……The 20th Floor?’
No wonder he had looked absurdly strong.
Both his ability—
and his appearance.
‘And I knocked someone like that unconscious…….’
No matter how I thought about it, the situation made no sense.
“No…… Wait…….”
And she seemed to realize it too.
The contradiction in what she herself had just said.
“The Guild Master definitely said you were a Buffer…… and that you hadn’t even cleared the 1st Floor…….”
‘……It doesn’t make sense even to me. Thinking harder isn’t going to help you.’
At the very least, it seemed unlikely that she would seriously believe I was the one who defeated the terrorist.
There was no benefit in letting people know either.
‘My identity could get exposed for no reason.’
Baek Yulheon and my sister.
I wanted those two to be the only people who knew my secret.
Even if she was a member of White Lotus.
“Um…… The path is about to close. Shouldn’t we hurry out……?”
“……Ah.”
Hyeon Chae-rin had been muttering to herself about me.
At my words, she seemed to come back to her senses and clicked her tongue.
“……I’ll go first.”
“Huh?”
WHOOSH―!
She charged through the nearly closed wall of flames.
A powerful blast of wind followed!
The path opened even wider than before.
“W-Wait for me……!”
And that was how we ended up here.
“So? What is it? You’re hiding some kind of secret, aren’t you? Or did someone give you an Artifact?”
“……I really didn’t—”
“You don’t have to answer right now. I’m pretty curious by nature. We still have some time until the Guild Master arrives, so I’ll keep asking until then.”
“…….”
‘……So we’re waiting for the Guild Master.’
Chatter, chatter.
She kept talking without pause.
For the first time that day—
I desperately wanted to see Baek Yulheon.