“Why… didn’t they tell me…?”
Luna mumbled bitterly without realizing it. If they had told her first, she would have secured the teacher faster and more safely than anyone else.
Just when she was about to blame the guild officials in her mind…
Riley, who was listening to her mumbling beside her, tilted her head and innocently asked,
“Huh? What do you mean? I thought only the Lightning Division on standby would respond to an emergency like this? That’s why Alice went.”
It was then that Luna remembered. Alice’s complaints about being part of the standby team recently.
“Ah…?”
Luna was surprised.
Ah.
So that was it.
Alice hadn’t gone to protect the teacher for some special reason.
‘Not knowing even that…’
The flames of anger that had been burning darkly in Luna’s heart were instantly extinguished, turning into embarrassment.
And immediately, Luna clasped her hands together, praying that nothing would happen.
***
It was busy.
So busy that it felt like she would die.
In the center of Seoul Forest, where a shift was expected to occur, the temporary command center of the association set up near the chaos was quite hectic.
“Please wear this transparent protective gear… and the in-ear monitor…”
The technology of this world had advanced dramatically even after the shift. Initially, it only emitted an alarm after anomalies occurred, but now it could analyze wave patterns to predict where incidents might occur and estimate how strong the outsiders would be.
This meant that I had a little bit of time to prepare.
The transparent protective gear was designed not to intimidate clients who had just arrived in this world. Even a small in-ear monitor for communication with the command center was included.
I finished the preparations in a daze and let out a deep breath.
“Phew…”
Now was the time to start my first mission.
– Beep beep beep.
At that moment, my smartphone in my pocket vibrated and rang.
[Sin Jae-A]
It was Sin Jae-A. I answered the call immediately.
“Hello.”
I heard her weak, trembling voice through the receiver.
– Sun-Woo…
“Uh, what’s wrong? Is something happening?”
My heart plummeted at her feeble voice. I wondered if something had happened…
– I’m fine… But you, Sun-Woo, are you okay? You need to be careful. Ugh… Really. Our guild should have secured the area… But if it’s not the responsible guild, we can’t move over there…
It seemed that Sin Jae-A was worried about me. She looked frustrated by not being able to come herself.
I learned for the first time that other guilds couldn’t immediately contact outsiders. It seemed that such rules existed because there were several guilds attempting to approach an outsider who had just arrived in this world.
“It’s okay. The Union has provided good security. You know Alice the Hunter, right?”
I brought up the most reassuring name to calm her down.
– Alice…?
Her voice on the other end turned cold.
“She’s an S-rank hunter…”
“Teacher~ Are you okay?”
It was then. Alice entered through the tent of the command center, casually lifting the flap. She spotted me on the phone but showed no concern, instead offering me a playful smile.
“Oh, Alice has arrived. Just a moment…”
I shot her a glance telling her to wait a second. But Alice lightly ignored the signal and approached me, putting her hands on her hips while complaining, her cheerful voice loud enough to be heard on the other end of the line.
“Even if the teacher is okay, I am not at all okay. Because you worked so hard yesterday, I almost broke my back. I almost couldn’t come for security today.”
She was referring to when I let the kids ride the bunny-horse one after another at the orphanage yesterday. I had piled the excited kids on Alice’s back, and I remember she was quite exhausted.
– … What was that just now? Sun-Woo. Sun-Woo?
Just then, an association staff member entered alongside Alice. It seemed that a briefing about the operation was about to start.
“Um, we are about to start the briefing. It won’t be anything major, I’ll call you after it ends.”
– No, wait, why is my back hurting…
– Bzz…
Before she could finish her sentence, I turned off my smartphone completely. For now, this was more important.
“Who was that? A girlfriend?”
Alice’s teasing voice came from behind me after I hung up.
“No.”
I felt her ears perk up at my answer, but there was no time to play along with her teasing right now.
The association staff member’s briefing was about to begin.
“Briefing will now begin, Counselor. At 06:03 today, a shift wave from the designated area of the Middle Realm was detected in the Seoul Forest area.”
The staff pointed to the enormous hologram screen in the center of the command center. The screen displayed a flashing red warning sign along with complex data.
“Considering the current scale of the wave… there’s presumed to be only one outsider. It is estimated to be at least an A-rank strong outsider. Given the characteristics of the Middle Realm, it is highly likely that they will be a martial artist.”
‘Middle Realm… martial artist…’
I repeated those two words in my head. And then, one person’s face came to mind.
The one who disappeared without a word when the sirens sounded.
Jahwa Yeon. She was also an outsider from the Middle Realm.
The staff member continued his briefing.
“It is expected that the shift phenomenon will soon be completely over. Once the shift is finalized… that is when you should enter.”
He looked at me and continued, his voice laden with weight.
“Your mission, Counselor, is clear. Along with the security team, you will enter the site first and attempt the initial contact with the target. Through conversation, you must induce psychological stability and assess the threat level of the target.”
The staff handed me a small device the size of my palm. Three colored buttons were lined up on it.
Red, yellow, and green.
“Red means danger, yellow means caution, and green means safe. You will inform us of your judgment regarding the target using this button.”
In simpler terms, it meant to press the button when I had a hunch while counseling.
“The security will be provided by Alice Hunter, who is currently responsible for the warden in this district, as previously mentioned.”
A cheerful voice came from behind me.
“Don’t worry~”
I made a wry smile as I looked at Alice, who waved her hand innocently.
It was at that moment.
– Boom!!!
The entire command center.
No, the entire area seemed to shake with an enormous sound.
With that sound, all the monitors in the command center turned into red warning screens.
The staff member, who had been calmly briefing just moments ago, spoke to me.
“It has begun, Counselor.”
Alice, the staff member, and I hurriedly went out of the tent.
Outside, heavily armed hunters had deployed a massive translucent barrier in multiple layers, completely sealing off the area.
And at the center of that barrier, the target point shimmered in an impossibly unreal blue, rippling like a heat haze. It was a disorienting sight as if space itself had twisted.
I could see the ripples gradually calming down.
– Wave stabilization confirmed. Shift complete. You may enter.
At that moment, I heard the voice from the command center through the in-ear monitor.
Alice and the staff, who stood beside me, seemed to receive the same message, nodding with serious expressions. The staff gave the final authorization.
“The wave is stabilized. From now on, the control of the site is handed over to you two.”
And with a solemn voice, he added,
“You may enter.”
– Zzzzt…
We stepped into the barrier.
As I passed through the translucent veil, it felt like entering another world, with all the sounds from outside being cut off as if it were a lie.
Outside the barrier, dozens of camera drones were blinking red lights, seemingly trying to relay images of the new outsider in real time.
I felt my body stiffen unconsciously under all those gazes and the silence.
“Don’t be too tense, Teacher.”
At that moment, Alice, walking beside me, spoke softly to reassure me.
“I… I’m stronger than I look, you know?”
Her voice contained confidence along with her usual playful tone.
“That’s reassuring.”
Instead of a wry smile, I replied with a sincere smile.
I knew what kind of hunter Alice was. The weight of being called an S-rank hunter was something an ordinary person couldn’t imagine.
Though I myself, having been a former hunter, couldn’t imagine it either.
In fact, this strong rabbit beside me was far safer than dozens of awkward bodyguards.
Feeling a strange sense of relief, I walked with her toward the source of the shift.
“Yeah, don’t worry too much.”
“…?”
A third voice suddenly came from right next to us.
“I will not merely watch as my courtier is harmed by a wooden puppet of a faction.”
“Yes, thank you…?”
I reflexively tried to respond but stopped myself. I felt cold sweat running down my back.
What was that?
Just me and Alice.
This space was supposed to have only the two of us, yet somehow a figure had started walking silently alongside us.
Not just me.
Even Alice didn’t seem to notice her approach at all.
With a shocked expression, she turned to the intruder.
There stood Jahwa Yeon in her black battle attire, smiling leisurely.
“Here we meet again, Counselor.”
Jahwa Yeon glanced disdainfully at the massive barrier that other hunters had desperately set up, as if she had stepped into her garden for a stroll.
I tried to conceal my embarrassment and asked in as calm a voice as possible.
“Lady Cheonma… What are you doing here?”
“Ah… Were you speaking of me?”
Jahwa Yeon looked beyond at the bluish rippling source of the shift. Her voice held a hint of faint anticipation.
“There’s an extremely foul and unpleasant aura coming from beyond that point,”
She turned back to look at me.
“I came to see for myself with my own eyes.”
With that statement, Jahwa Yeon ended her speech with a very deep smile.
