MLCAI 17

Chapter 17

At his question, Saebyeok hastily wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand.

“No, it’s nothing,” she said.

Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, no tears came out.

But the tip of her nose tingled, which made it clear that he had sensed her emotions well.

“I’m angry,” Saebyeok said, hiding her feelings and sounding annoyed.

The rain, which had started to fall softly over the two of them, had extinguished the fire from her lightning, but it couldn’t wash away the awkward tension between them.

Saebyeok spoke again.

“How did you even end up caught by this crazy cult? Even bringing along your little brother.”

She wiped the dust off Sihoo’s face as he nervously glanced between them, then asked.

“They said it might be hard work, but they provide food and lodging,” Sihoo answered.

Saebyeok thought he would be too proud to speak the truth, but Kang Suho’s mouth surprisingly opened without resistance.

“There aren’t many places that take in a little brother too,” he added.

Most places Suho could work required cheap labor.

They wouldn’t look kindly upon a kid who didn’t contribute labor but only talked.

“Even so… here… sigh…”

Saebyeok held back her words.

He probably didn’t come here knowing it was a cult. He must have just gone there searching for a way to support his little brother.

Moreover, in his past life, Kang Suho had never been involved with scavengers or cults, so the reason he ended up here this time was probably because she had saved her little brother. She felt exasperated.

‘In the end, it’s probably a good thing.’

She had been worrying about how to find him after he disappeared, and now he appeared in person—it was a small relief amidst misfortune.

“Sihoo.”

Saebyeok poured potion on Sihoo’s arm as well, healing the traces left by the kidnappers.

She handed him a potion with calming, vitamin, and nutritional effects and asked:

“Do you remember the promise you made with noona earlier?”

Little Sihoo, cautious and wary, took the potion bottle and nodded.

The way his eyes darted around showed how long he had lived carefully, always observing adults.

He sipped the potion, rolling his eyes in thought, then whispered in a timid voice:

“Hyung, let’s… live with noona.”

“What?”

Kang Suho’s usually stoic face twitched slightly.

Sihoo, frightened, hid behind Saebyeok and tugged at her clothes.

“Noona said it’s okay for us to live together… and there’s lots of yummy food…”

“Kang Sihoo,”

As the little boy clung close to Saebyeok and nervously spoke, Kang Suho let out a small sigh.

“Wait a moment.”

Suddenly, Saebyeok spun around and hid both Sihoo and Kang Suho behind her.

“<Return>.”

A crimson spear flew with a swoosh and landed squarely in her outstretched hand.

She thrust the springy spear forward.

“Woah.”

The opponent, with a spear at their throat, raised both hands.

Seeing who it was, Saebyeok relaxed her grip slightly.

“You’re not even a thief—why sneak around like that?”

“You just wanted to imitate Han Saebyeok Hunter, flashy in magic but sneaky like an assassin,” Kim Ihan said, walking calmly under the soft moonlight. He tilted his head slightly, looking past Saebyeok.

But Saebyeok moved her body enough to block his sight.

“I told you I’d give you all the credit. Why come here, when you should be showing off to the survivors and letting the newspapers cover it?”

“Our deal isn’t over yet,” Kim Ihan said.

As he stepped closer, Saebyeok instinctively braced herself.

She pressed the spear more firmly while keeping Sihoo and Kang Suho closer behind her.

“If you intended to use a child to earn sympathy points, I think you’ve completely misjudged me.”

Small sparks of lightning started to form at the tip of Saebyeok’s spear.

It was as if she was ready to strike Kim Ihan just like she had against the cult leader.

“Han Saebyeok Hunter… have you forgotten what kind of person I am?”

He raised his hands to show he had no intention of attacking.

“I only gave you some buffs, and even then, you’re the type to dominate headlines nationwide. Do you think I would have a conflict with you?”

“Then why are you here? Our deal ended once I left this place…”

“Your title.”

At Kim Ihan’s prompt, Saebyeok let out a short sigh.

Their deal wasn’t about the 2.1 billion or accompanying him—it was about her title and the aftermath of the incident.

Saebyeok smiled slightly.

He didn’t just want the title’s name—he wanted the detailed description beneath it.

The title’s name would be revealed when a hunter registered anyway. And since the system calls awakeners by their titles rather than names, skills often reveal their titles.

But the descriptions beneath the title contained significant information and were often kept secret by hunters with unique titles.

“Thanks to you, I’ve got the nation’s attention. Isn’t that enough?”

“You’re not trying to settle for that, are you?”

Saebyeok attempted to bargain but failed.

“You didn’t bring me here for buffs in the first place. It was to avoid detection by the association.”

Kim Ihan sharply pointed this out, leaving her with no reply.

“At first, I thought you really needed my buff, but seeing you fight, it wasn’t necessary. Han Saebyeok Hunter could have handled them easily without me.”

Thinking her lightning needed his buff to succeed was arrogance and misjudgment.

“Then you could have reported to the association and done the cleanup timed to their arrival…”

Kim Ihan stepped closer.

“Calling me with the title as bait and wrapping it in ‘credit’… there’s something you don’t want the association to see, isn’t there?”

As he leaned closer, Saebyeok suddenly pulled back and shoved Kim Ihan away with force.

“…Please step back. My brother seems uncomfortable.”

Though she claimed it was for Sihoo, her arm was a shield protecting herself.

Sihoo, clutching Saebyeok, glared at Kim Ihan as if he were a scoundrel trying to take her away.

“You really didn’t find this child by accident, did you?”

Kim Ihan looked between Kang Suho, Han Saebyeok, and Sihoo with interest.

“No wonder your humanity was so passionate.”

He referred to her uncontrolled rage when rescuing them, shaking the surrounding mana.

Sihoo tightened his grip on Saebyeok, and Kang Suho moved closer to her.

But Saebyeok gently held his arm, guiding it to her hand.

“<Spear of the Dawn>.”

“Huh?”

Saebyeok pulled Kang Suho’s hand back behind her and took a half-step forward to block him from Kim Ihan’s view.

“My title.”

It was clear she wanted to divert attention from Suho and the child, and Kim Ihan willingly complied.

Saebyeok slowly moved the spear, tracing a smooth circle above and sweeping leaves along the ground.

Lines appeared on the ground as her calm voice spread:

“No matter how long the night, the dawn always comes.”

Her words, calm and resonant like poetry, moved nature itself along the spear’s path.

First, the rain around the four froze midair as if time had stopped.

The sound of raindrops falling on leaves continued, but the space itself was surreal.

“The dawn comes silently…”

As Saebyeok spoke, branches snapped and trees shifted, creating a new space.

It was as if they sensed the rising sun and began to tilt upward.

The sun slowly colored the city and forest red, heralding a new day.

“The light colors the sky and covers the world.”

The sky gradually turned red and blue, blending with the lingering white light spheres nearby.

A gentle wind stirred the spheres, swirling them around the four.

“The spear carries the light of radiance…”

Flames gathered around the spear, red embers spiraling along the shaft while sparks crackled at the tip.

“<Spear of the Dawn> strikes with the light. Towards the world.”

Saebyeok planted the spear on the ground.

The first light of dawn behind her refracted through the droplets, creating a beautiful rainbow.

Her power surged like an unstable balloon about to burst—uncontainable, yet tamed by her touch.

“There is no eternal darkness. If you endure, the dawn will always come.”

Saebyeok pressed Kang Suho’s hand firmly.

“So… as long as my spear doesn’t lose its light.”

Though she spoke to Kim Ihan, it was really a vow to herself and to Suho of the past.

“As long as <Spear of the Dawn> shines, the world will not die.”

At that moment, she realized something:

<Passive: Last Hope (A)>
If you endure the darkness, the dawn will always come.
└Effect: As long as your spear shines, allied morale never fades.

The passive she once resented in her past life might have been the fundamental reason she was given another chance at the world’s edge.

‘If only one of us must survive, it should be you.’

Perhaps Kang Suho knew this…

‘So survive to the end, Han Saebyeok.’

That thought suddenly struck her—perhaps that was why he had sent her headlong into the “end.”