EFME 7

It wasn’t a cool commercial like the one featuring Muyoung from a moment ago. It was a scene far more vivid… and at the same time, even desperate.

Sunyul read the title written in the upper left corner: “5th Anniversary of the Rift Incident: What Must We Do?”

Sunyul knew what a Rift was.

The phenomenon where a gap opened in midair as if space itself had been torn was called a Rift. Unlike Dungeons, where monsters were generated at regular intervals, Rifts vomited out monsters endlessly. Because of this, even though they had only occurred once, they caused far more casualties than Dungeons.

Rifts occurred simultaneously all over the world and disappeared at the same time for unknown reasons.

The documentary about the Rift captured the scenes of destruction exactly as they were. There was no direct footage of bloodshed, but it was enough to recognize the misery of that time, even indirectly.

His heart thudded anxiously. It seemed he had watched something far too harsh.

Just as he was about to change the channel, Muyoung appeared once again.

In the video, Muyoung was at the very front, striking down monsters. As if possessed, Sunyul stopped his hand which had been about to change the channel.

The Muyoung on the screen was incredibly cool.

『I felt that Hunter Kwon Muyoung was scarier than the monsters. But at the same time, that made me feel so relieved.』

An interview with someone followed.

Certainly, Sunyul had been scared when he first saw Muyoung too. But he was a good person. He wanted to believe he would continue to be a good person.

Before he knew it, Muyoung’s segment ended. The documentary didn’t only show tragic scenes. It continued with stories of people who fought against the Rift and those who worked hard to recover from it.

It was a heartwarming story.

He wanted to watch a little more, but the documentary ended just like that. Sunyul tried flipping through the channels, but there was no similar content. Sunyul gave up on looking further and put down the remote.

Wavering because he didn’t know what to do now, Sunyul began to fiddle with his smartphone. Then, he put the smartphone down and stared blankly at the TV.

On the TV, a celebrity had pulled a pair of flashy patterned pants up to his chest and was dancing a strange dance. Like the other celebrities who were doubling over with laughter next to him, Sunyul burst out laughing as well.

He hadn’t expected much, but the content on the TV was very funny once he started watching. It was while Sunyul was laughing like that for a long while.

“Lim Sunyul.”

The door opened, and Muyoung’s low, heavy voice was heard. Sunyul, who happened to be laughing, froze awkwardly. Then, he straightened up, pretending he hadn’t been laughing. Seeing that, Muyoung let out a short chuckle.

“Why act like you weren’t laughing?”

“……Just, I didn’t laugh that much.”

“Is it fun?”

Muyoung asked, glancing at the celebrity on the screen who was struggling after falling into a mudflat. Seeing the boots the man had been wearing fly far away, Sunyul eventually nodded honestly.

“Yes, it’s fun…….”

“…….”

Instead of answering, Muyoung quietly stared at Sunyul. At that silent gaze, Sunyul flinched despite himself.

“Why?”

“No… just because you seem so human.”

Muyoung muttered. They hadn’t been close for long, but the sense of distance was shrinking by leaps and bounds.

However, regardless of those thoughts, it was a rude thing to say. Just as he thought he shouldn’t have said it, Sunyul unexpectedly beamed with a bright face.

“Really?”

“……Yeah.”

Staring at Sunyul’s face, which was as radiant as a blooming flower, Muyoung spoke.

“Do you like seeming human?”

“Yes. Do I not seem like a human?”

“You seem like a human.”

Muyoung approached and ran his hand through Sunyul’s hair, tousling it.

“So, experiencing various things like a human wouldn’t be bad.”

Sunyul nodded quite enthusiastically.

“If it’s fun, watch the rest. Tell me when you’re done.”

“Why?”

“I was going to show you around the guild.”

At those words, Sunyul immediately sprang to his feet.

“Really?”

“Yeah. There might be some guys who’ll be surprised… if you’re okay with that.”

He was a little scared by the mention that some people might be surprised. It didn’t feel good to be looked at as if he were a perilous monster or a bomb. However, curiosity about the unknown space took precedence over that. Moreover, since it was the place where Muyoung was the Guild Leader, he wanted to know about it even more.

“I want to go.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Wow!”

Sunyul stood up, full of excitement. After tidying up the cushions scattered where he had been sitting, he followed Muyoung out.

Muyoung explained as they crossed the Guild Leader’s office.

“From the 10th floor up, it’s space used only by guild members. The 2nd to 4th floors and the 1st basement level are the item market. This is the 28th floor. Other places are work spaces, so you won’t have much reason to go there… On the 26th floor, there’s a restaurant and a cafe. There are various things on the 25th and 24th floors too… take a look this time and use them when you want. Though I won’t be able to leave you alone.”

“Then will I be going around with you, Guild Leader?”

“I’m busy with work.”

Muyoung said firmly. Sunyul’s face naturally fell.

“Other guild members will look after you in my place.”

“Other guild members…….”

“I’ll train them thoroughly before I entrust you to them, so don’t worry.”

He had just wanted Muyoung to be with him. Instead of saying that, Sunyul nodded. He was already very grateful for what Muyoung had given him so far, and he couldn’t risk being disliked by throwing a tantrum.

Sunyul arrived on the 26th floor with Muyoung via the elevator.

It was past lunch hour. There weren’t as many people in the cafeteria and cafe as there were during peak times. Still, being a guild where working hours were more flexible than general corporations, more eyes were fixed on them than expected.

After an emergency notice had been sent out within the guild, the guild members were trying their best not to look horrified upon seeing Sunyul. However, they couldn’t stop their eyes from drifting toward him.

Sunyul felt the people’s gazes as well. But since they weren’t sending blatant hostility or wariness, it was manageable.

“The view here is quite nice even if you’re not here specifically to eat something.”

A wide, unobstructed view spread out through the large window visible over there. Even though the surrounding area was a dense forest of buildings, the area directly in front was wide open.

“Why is it only open here?”

“An S-Class Dungeon entrance is right below here, so the surroundings were completely cleared out.”

He tried to walk toward the window, but Muyoung caught hold of Sunyul. Sunyul turned back to Muyoung and asked.

“……If a Dungeon is right in front, isn’t it dangerous here too?”

“Not at all.”

Muyoung dismissed it as nothing and turned around. Sunyul looked toward the window once more before following Muyoung again.

“Why isn’t it dangerous even though there’s a Dungeon?”

“Once a Dungeon is conquered, it enters a stabilization period. Since monsters or traps don’t appear for a while, there’s no reason for it to be dangerous. Even when the stabilization period ends, if it’s conquered before the Dungeon overflows, it enters stabilization again, so as long as proper conquests are carried out, there’s no problem.”

“I see.”

In fact, in Seoul, South Korea, even if an S-Class Dungeon pops up, buildings usually go up around it anyway.

However, the reason this spot was empty was that an A-Class Dungeon had appeared four times and an S-Class Dungeon twice in the same spot. One at the beginning of the Dungeon incidents, another right after that Dungeon vanished, and another one tailing it while that Dungeon still remained… something like that.

Occasionally, there were places like this. About a dozen places in the entire world where Dungeons persistently occurred in the same spot.

Six Dungeons had persistently emerged like that. The Cheongyeon Guild settled in a place that everyone else avoided out of sheer disgust. It was proof of their confidence that they could stop an S-Class Dungeon even if it erupted right under their noses. The fact that the surrounding land prices had plummeted also played a part.

Fortunately, there were no major issues during the process of putting up the building, and currently, the Cheongyeon Guild was managing their second S-Class Dungeon.

Sunyul, who didn’t know these behind-the-scenes details, simply followed behind Muyoung with an innocent expression, thinking that was just how it was.

On the 25th floor, various athletic and entertainment facilities were lined up. The 24th floor was also a rest area. They had looked through the sleeping room, massage room, and library, and were about to see other entertainment facilities when someone approached them.

“Guild Leader.”

There had been many staring eyes until now, but this was the first time someone had approached them directly. Sunyul slunk to Muyoung’s side and observed the people who approached.

“Is this guy the one?”

The person who said that was a woman with a sophisticated appearance and very flashy hair color. Her hair wasn’t just one color but several.

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t expect to see him here.”

Her tone was strangely accusatory. When Muyoung arched an eyebrow, the woman feigned innocence. Next to her, a man with a fierce impression spoke up.

“It’s not like she’s wrong, so watch your temper.”

“Lee Bada.”

Muyoung uttered the name of the grumbling man as a warning. The man shut his mouth tight. Perhaps because his impression was so fierce to begin with, it felt even more blood-chilling.

The last man who followed them stared at Sunyul without a word. Unlike his soft and gentle appearance, his gaze was quite tenacious, but it was strange that it didn’t feel particularly scary.

Muyoung turned to Sunyul and pointed to the three of them.

“In order, Song Jihyun, Lee Bada, and Jeong Dakyung. Most likely, these three will be in charge of your protection.”

“Pardon?”

“What?”

“Are you serious?”

The three of them spoke simultaneously, as if it were the first they had heard of it.

“No, what kind of protection duty is this out of the blue?”

“I’ll have to check my contract again.”

“This is a bit sudden for me…….”

“I’m not telling you to protect him while skipping your work. Since I’ll have him with me normally, there’s no need to protect him every day. You just have to look after him only when a situation arises where protection is occasionally needed.”

Muyoung explained in a calm voice, regardless of whether the three were surprised or not.

“Ah, if it’s that much…….”

“You’re giving in that easily?”

Dakyung glared at Bada, who was accepting it half-unconsciously. Then, he made a circle with his thumb and index finger.

“As long as you pay the extra allowance well, I have no complaints.”

“Then you’ll have no complaints.”

“As expected of God-Muyoung.”

Dakyung also gave in easily. Jihyun, the last one left, let out a low groan and then sighed.

“Fine. Looking at him now, he seems quiet. As long as I don’t have to clean up annoying accidents, it’s worth doing.”

“Good.”

Sunyul was listening to the conversation, which was progressing out of nowhere, with his eyes darting around. So, did this mean he had to be with these three whenever he came to the guild? He really didn’t feel like it. Seeing that, Jihyun burst into laughter.

“Guild Leader, look at him. He’s totally showing how much he hates it.”

“N-no, I’m not.”

“What do you mean ‘no’? Do you hate Noona? Do you not like me?”

“No…….”

“Don’t tease him.”

Despite Muyoung’s words, Jihyun was still laughing mischievously.