End and Beginning (9)

I rubbed my sore ear and grimaced. The ringing in my head had gotten so bad on the way to the gate that I could almost hear tinnitus.

“Don’t do anything reckless — wait somewhere safe.”

Told off again, I waved my hand without answering.

Yeah, even if I don’t look it, he’s genuinely worried. If I think of it that way…

“All right, suit yourself. Die or don’t — I’m not helping.”

Even when I try to read his intentions kindly, he’s a show-off at being prickly.

“My body’s my responsibility. You said you need to make money, right? Go on in.”

He seemed hesitant as if afraid others would grab the valuable loot inside before us.

I gave Yi-yul a push on the back to check his condition since he still hadn’t gone in.
‘His mana control’s still shaky. I should be careful so he doesn’t cause trouble.’

At my level, a mess would only wreck a few fixtures inside the gate, but still.

I remembered there was only one critical gate around this time — the one Min Ha-jun and I had cleared not long ago.
‘If it were normal, he’d be out of power by now — that says it all.’

We should be able to clear a regular gate without much trouble. Yi-yul probably only aimed for the ancillary rewards or the clear bonus, so I planned to support him briefly and then leave.

We stepped through the gate together. My vision dimmed for a moment and then a hot, humid rush of air hit us.

Are gates trending hot now? After the desert, a tropical jungle?
Seeing a dense tangle of vines before us, I sighed inwardly. I hate heat, and this sticky humidity… the hot, muggy air clung to my skin.

‘Wait… something’s off.’

A weird feeling froze me in place.

There were no signs of life in the area at all. Not even the chirp of insects — nothing. With the association already on-site controlling the outside, other hunters should’ve begun the raid.

Even if all who entered were wiped out, it didn’t make sense to have this kind of silence. At least some monsters should remain.

‘No signs of battle either.’

Everything was too clean.

From experience, such unnatural quiet always preceded something tragic.

I glanced around and reached out to Yi-yul’s shoulder. He, too, seemed to sense something strange — his mouth, which had talked nonstop until we entered, was tightly shut.

For a moment it felt as if the sky were shaded by clouds; the area darkened. Gate physics weren’t the same as Earth’s, but a bad feeling settled in.

“Bad omen.”

Yi-yul murmured. He glanced at me and spoke.

“It’s not too late — you should get out first.”

That meant now was our last chance to leave. A humming sound came from a passage just behind us.

Logically, I’m probably not stronger than Yi-yul. Leaving now might be the most efficient choice.

But—

“If it’s dangerous, I’m not leaving you alone.”

How could I leave you, unaware and vulnerable, in a place you might get dragged into?

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Whether the hunters who entered earlier were missing or dead, this wasn’t a scale to shrug off.

‘If this is because I looped back in time…’

All the more reason to go in together. If altering the past created variables, we might find a small clue here that could help prevent the apocalypse.

“Heh, really. We just met today, you know?”

“You’re the one acting overprotective to someone you just met.”

Why are you always worrying about my safety?

“Not worrying — I’m not some sadist who likes watching people die.”

Yi-yul huffed but then took the lead and started walking.

“Throwing your life into the trash is your choice, but don’t drag me into it.”

“I don’t plan on dying. If that happens, don’t expect to show up in my dreams, so relax.”

“You talk a big game.”

He casually cut away a blocking vine and kept going. With no clues around, he decided to push forward.

It wasn’t efficient, but there was no better option.

I followed the path Yi-yul cleared, studying the surroundings carefully so I wouldn’t miss a single trace.

We walked for quite a while but the scenery stayed the same.

I rotated my neck and tried to ease the stiffness. My whole body ached.

“Hey, wait a sec—”

Yi-yul, trailing behind, must have noticed my pace slowing; he finally spoke. At that moment something caught our eye.

“Isn’t that a path?”

Flattened grass.

At a distance you could almost miss it, but the depression showed someone had passed through.

We approached cautiously, both on edge.

The flattened grass looked recent.

“Someone definitely walked here.”

There were clear shoe prints as if someone had stepped in mud.

“But why all the way out here…”

At my mutter, Yi-yul looked up at the canopy. I followed his gaze without thinking.

‘What’s that?’

Purple feathers clung to the vines overhead — I must’ve been staring at the ground so I hadn’t noticed before.

“Doesn’t look like they went willingly.”

“…Then this silence makes even less sense.”

“One of two things.”

They’d either been swallowed or killed.

Yi-yul mouthed it silently, then added bitterly, “Either way, same result.”

“No. If we find bodies, at least families can have them back.”

His firm answer ended the conversation.

“And there’s still a chance they’re alive.”

“If they were chased off and fled…”

“Do you think it’s possible with no bloodstains?”

“…”

Right. The traces we found were all we had. No battle marks, no corpses.

If an overwhelming force had defeated them, we should have found at least a limb.

There must be a reason. If they couldn’t fight, maybe they escaped and hid.

“Let’s follow them.”

The path continued ahead.

Retreating wasn’t an option; our choice was clear.

Not knowing what lay ahead heightens the tension. I readied myself to sprint if necessary and moved carefully.

‘Still, with this power level, ordinary monsters should be manageable.’

I hadn’t used my new mana in combat yet, but I figured I could at least topple an A-rank alone.

And with an S-rank hunter alongside? That felt overkill.

Even if we were outnumbered, Yi-yul’s area skills would be an advantage — mobs usually have low individual strength.

The troubling part was this gate felt like a new future that hadn’t existed before.

Putting aside the faint guilt that it might be my fault, if a branch had split off, this felt like the starting point.

I’d planned just to support Yi-yul when I first entered, but the objective had changed.

‘Save as many as possible, and take whatever we can.’

It started sooner than I expected, but from the moment I saved Min Ha-jun, the clock had already begun to warp.

If we get out of here, I need to recruit Yi-yul as an ally immediately. There’s no time to waste.

We didn’t stop walking.

The deeper we followed the path, the heavier the air seemed.

Just as the sound of our footsteps filled the quiet—

“…damn.”

Yi-yul, a few steps ahead, cursed in frustration.

He was frozen mid-motion, hand still holding aside a large leaf.

I braced for the worst and moved forward quietly and quickly.

‘If there’s been no sound until now, then maybe—’

Hopefully it’s something we can handle.

My gaze fixed straight ahead.

Where before the woods had been dense, the front opened into a clearing — but something about it felt oddly artificial.

‘A monster nest?’

Before I could finish thinking, people lying collapsed across the clearing caught my eye.

Ten, no — more than ten people were scattered about. They didn’t move; not the slightest sign of life.

“Stay alert. The one who did this is probably nearby.”

Yi-yul’s voice was calm as he scanned the perimeter. The sharp tension I felt when facing him now wrapped around us like a cold wind.

We tensed to fight at any moment and approached the fallen people. There was a slim chance someone might still be alive.

But the closer we got, the stranger the sensation grew; the world around us warped.

No blood anywhere. Bodies lying motionless. A deathlike hush.

‘Don’t imagine impossible things.’

I clenched and unclenched my trembling fists.

We closed the distance until we reached the nearest fallen person. We moved as if by tacit agreement: Yi-yul on guard, me to examine.

While he kept watch, I crouched and quickly checked the body.

The clothes covering the body were intact, not a tear; only a little dirt.

‘No visible wounds.’

“Ugh.”

A small groan escaped. Thank God — someone was still breathing. I carefully flipped the person over to check for injuries on the front.

Dark black hair shifted slightly, revealing the face.

Thump thump.

My heart pounded in my ears.

They were choking, barely able to breathe.

“Alive?”

I hadn’t noticed Yi-yul approach. “Get your hands off!” he snapped, slapping away my touch on instinct.

My head spun.

The exposed face had a mark I knew all too well. Like a black mist that shimmered, crawling over the skin as though it were parasitic — spreading aggressively.

The poison that had ravaged humanity, the same toxin that had caused the end of the world.