Episode 1
Twelve Years Later.
A bee emerged from a hive nestled in the corner of the roof.
It was a queen bee—slightly larger than a thumbnail, with long, slender wings.
[“How dare a human demand an audience with me? Such impudence.”]
Morae smiled and extended her hand.
“Thanks for meeting me. Want to sit here?”
[“Hm. It’s a humble perch, but I shall accept it out of respect for your sincerity.”]
The queen bee perched delicately on Morae’s fingertip.
[“I’ve heard of you. They say you can communicate with us, unlike other humans.”]
“Yeah, and I was wondering… could I ask you for a favor?”
[“Speak.”]
“See that mountain in the back? What do you think about moving your home there? There’s way more food than here.”
[“Why should I do that? It’s your kind who dug up our land and invaded our territory. If anyone should leave, it’s the humans!”]
The queen bee flared her wings as if ready to take off, her aura suddenly bristling with tension. Morae gently brushed over the sharp energy with a soft one of her own.
“I’m really sorry about that. But you know humans can’t understand your words. How else could we ask for your understanding?”
The volatile aura began to calm. Morae’s voice grew even softer.
“I came this time, but next time it might be scarier humans who just destroy your hive. Wouldn’t it be sad to lose your hard-earned home again? You might even get hurt.”
[“I insisted on building here out of sheer defiance—tired of human selfishness.”]
“I think I understand how you feel. I’d probably feel the same.”
[“Still… your words have moved me. I shall relocate, just as you said.”]
The once-spiky aura of the queen bee smoothed into a gentle curve. Morae smiled brightly.
“Thank you. It’s not far. With those beautiful wings, you’ll get there in no time.”
The queen bee soared gracefully into the air.
The worker bees buzzing around Morae started flying in a flurry of activity.
[“Come visit sometime. I shall grant you my finest royal honey.”]
“Really? You’d give me something that precious?”
[“You’re a special human. I like you.”]
“Thanks. I’ll definitely visit. Now go on. You’ve worked hard living in such a harsh place.”
The queen bee circled around Morae’s head once, paused midair as if bidding farewell, then flew toward the mountain.
The swarm followed in a dense, black cloud like an escort.
“Live well. And try not to come too close to people, okay?”
Morae waved to the bees, smiling with contentment.
As she turned around, a middle-aged woman was watching her with a face on the verge of laughter.
It wasn’t an unfamiliar reaction. Most clients who watched Morae work reacted the same way.
Morae approached her.
“All done. It’d be best if you remove the empty hive, though. Hornets might take over otherwise.”
“Oh gosh, we get so many bugs because of the mountain. This is already the fifth hive we’ve had to deal with! I always feel bad calling 119…”
“That must’ve been tough. 119’s busy these days. But don’t worry—there won’t be any more hives around your home.”
“You’re saying they won’t come back at all? Gosh, if I’d known it was this easy, I would’ve posted on ‘Hunter Help’ ages ago!”
It had been 27 years since dungeons started appearing. Awakened individuals were now involved not only in dungeon raids but also in everyday civilian life.
As a result, matchmaking platforms for civilians and awakened professionals were born. The most well-known was “Hunter Help.”
“And what was your awakened class again, Hunter Kang?”
“I’m a Tamer.”
“Oh right, you said that! I keep forgetting, since I’ve never heard of that before. But do Tamers normally talk to bugs like that?”
Instead of answering, Morae simply smiled. The friendly client smiled back.
“Do you have any other abilities? I’d love to hire you again if I need help with something.”
“Oh! I can help sick plants grow healthy again, or even design your whole garden. I can also help find lost pets. If you entrust me with the job, I’ll do my best.”
“You’re so polite and sweet—not arrogant like other Hunters. Would you be willing to take care of our garden from now on?”
Morae gave a deep bow.
“Thank you so much!”
Clunk!
Morae tossed her bag into the back seat of a jeep and climbed into the passenger side.
Im Songiya, watching YouTube on her phone, didn’t even look up.
“All done?”
“The queen bee was cooperative, so it finished quicker than I thought. You?”
“I finished a while ago. It doesn’t take long to install an E-rank barrier in a barn.”
Honestly, the job Songiya took wasn’t something a C-rank Shield-user needed to do.
She had accepted a nearby job just to accompany Morae, who didn’t have a car and had to travel far.
Songiya had been Morae’s friend for twelve years. She always helped her like this.
Morae leaned her head gently on her only precious friend’s shoulder.
“Songiya-Songiya.”
Finally, Songiya looked up from her phone.
“What is it, Morae-Morae?”
“Thanks for coming with me.”
“…I didn’t take the job for you. Don’t flatter yourself.”
“I know. I love you too.”
Morae teased, and Songiya raised an eyebrow in annoyance. Then she chuckled and adjusted the air conditioning.
“At least you didn’t get stung.”
“Please, that was ages ago. I calmed them down nicely. The client was really happy, too. She wants me to manage her garden.”
“She’s got good taste.”
Morae’s cheeks flushed red.
Songiya’s compliments—rare and always delivered with a hint of sarcasm—never failed to make Morae giddy.
Morae beamed, and Songiya’s lips curved up slightly.
“Good for you.”
“Of course! Hungry? Let’s head back.”
“Dinner’s kimchi stew?”
“Should we? With those leftover pork belly slices from last time.”
“You froze them, right?”
“Of course.”
“Buckle up.”
The yellow jeep rumbled and drove off smoothly.
As a C-rank Shield-user, Songiya earned decent money—enough to buy a car after just ten jobs.
Shield-users were common, but those of decent rank usually went on dungeon raids rather than take civilian jobs.
Songiya could earn far more by raiding dungeons, but she had no interest in them.
In contrast, Morae, an E-rank Tamer with little demand for her skills, barely scraped by.
Elbow resting on the window, Songiya said,
“Turn on YouTube. There’s a live stream of the Yongin Dungeon.”
“Okay, give me a sec.”
Morae opened the app on her phone.
The top video was a live broadcast of the newly appeared dungeon in Yongin. A calm announcer’s voice played.
[“Early this morning, a B-rank dungeon appeared in Yongin City. Reporter Kim Jimin, what’s the current situation?”]
[“It’s been 12 hours since contact was lost with the first entry team. As a result, the Ability Control Agency upgraded the dungeon to A-rank at 2 p.m. and requested emergency support from all branches.”]
When a dungeon appeared, the agency’s sensors would grade it and call appropriate Hunters.
The chosen awakened would then begin the raid—but shockingly, they had failed.
The entire nation buzzed with concern over the incident.
Was it a sensor error, or something else entirely? The exact cause was still unknown.
“Songiya, Yongin is pretty close, right?”
“Yeah, about a 30-minute drive?”
[“There aren’t many available A-rank Hunters. This could be serious. Do we know the cause of the failure yet?”]
[“The Ability Agency will hold a press conference shortly… Oh? Wait, that looks like Hunter Gyeon Suho from the Seoul branch!”]
Morae perked up her ears.
“Songiya, did you hear that? Gyeon Suho’s joining the raid!”
“No way—let me see.”
Usually aloof, Songiya quickly pulled over to the side of the road. As the car stopped, both girls huddled close to Morae’s phone.
The camera switched from the reporter to the dungeon entrance, where a man was walking toward it.
“There, look! That’s him!”
“His head is tiny.”
They couldn’t see his face yet, but his towering height and broad shoulders made it obvious.
Kyeon Soo-ho.
