Even I think what happened in the rift sounds less like reality and more like a fairy tale, a fable, or some fantastical myth completely detached from the real world.

I don’t believe that just because I speak sincerely about my experiences, others will take them seriously.

Humans, generally, only accept ideas within the boundaries of their own experiences. Anything beyond that tends to trigger rejection.

Who in their right mind would believe me if I said that the so-called savior, Kang Han-min, has now become a monster—one who’s aligned himself with the rift, is creating a new breed of monsters to wipe out humanity, and intends to reduce the human population to less than 1% of its peak?

Maybe Na Hye-in or Woo Min-hee would believe me, but they’re in places unknown to me now.

When I was moving through that terrifying mist... and when I was ambushed inside it by something unknown and vile...

I felt it, keenly.

We have to leave.

We must get as far from here as possible.

That warehouse is 3.5 km from our base.

That’s right.

Only 3.5 km.

We, the doomsday believers, generally recommend settling in one place and staying there until death. But that doesn’t mean we wait passively in the face of guaranteed death.

We must leave.

Even if that migration means risking our lives.

“You really are the Captain. I lost five men and couldn’t even scratch that place, and you take it out in one try. You’re still the Professor.”

Sim Hyeong-bo holds his tongue, but he’s not the man he used to be.

Back when he had that shiny government Hunter badge, he had ambition, drive, and the skills and agility to match. But a few defeats, a dose of grim reality, and it broke his wings.

Can’t be helped.

Hunters like us aren’t like the Awakened—we’re not “special.”

We joke about it, but really, Hunters are just highly trained soldiers. The only difference is, we’re better suited for very particular situations.

Personally, I think what separates a Hunter from an average civilian is purely psychological.

Mechanical courage—the ability to overcome fear in the face of monstrous enemies. The emotional numbness to carry out your mission even as your teammate dies beside you. And the will to fight, or the sheer depth of hatred.

When those traits fade, we take off the uniform.

Sometimes, the school didn’t even wait for graduation—they just tossed you out.

Sim Hyeong-bo once stood at the same rank as us. But now it’s time for him to hang it up.

He’s been overwhelmed by fear.

Not just momentarily—permanently.

We call it getting your clothes stained.

And once they’re stained, they don’t come clean.

“Care for a drink? It’s been a while.”

Still, I can’t blame him.

In the wreckage of a crumbling world, he’s just walked a path similar to so many others.

“I’m good.”

“Oh? Really?”

“But how about a light tea instead?”

Even so, I think he still has value.

But first, there’s a more pressing matter to take care of.

We need to get out of here.

*

I didn’t expect anyone to accept my plan without resistance.

“What? Leave the shelter? Not even staying through the winter?”

Even Cheon Young-jae, who’s always backed me, looked doubtful when I mentioned abandoning the shelter.

“Well... if you say we’re leaving, then I guess we are. But honestly, isn’t that too risky? I mean, if it’s just the two of us, we’ll manage somehow. Just us two.”

Then he continued.

“You’re heading south, right?”

I nodded.

“Of course.”

“Then we either have to take a wide detour around the Seoul area or find a boat and travel by sea. Across the river? That’s a goddamn killing field. Even for us, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ that won’t be easy. You know, the place crawling with snipers using night-vision scopes.”

“I agree.”

“Even so, getting to the sea isn’t easy either. And who knows what’s out there.”

If Cheon Young-jae’s reacting this nervously, I can already guess how Kim Daram will respond.

Still, I’ll tell her.

Her family might be baggage, but in terms of headcount, they’re useful.

Her husband also has a solid specialty as a non-combatant.

And let’s be honest—nobody knows Kim Daram better than I do.

Saying I know her better than her own husband might sound arrogant, but I’m not talking about her as a woman—I’m talking about Kim Daram the warrior.

I’ve said it many times before—she’s an excellent fighter. And because of that, even when she fell into disgusting, vulgar selfishness, I didn’t give up on her.

A great warrior needs many qualities.

Strength in combat is just the most obvious one.

But we know very well that being strong doesn’t guarantee survival.

You might shine in a single battle, but to keep surviving, to keep stacking victories—only two kinds of people can do that.

Those with extraordinary luck, or those with cold, sharp judgment.

Kim Daram has both.

And not many could deny that.

“Why do we have to leave?”

Just as I know her, she knows me too.

Seeing my face, my seriousness, my eyes—she instantly understood I was about to say something heavy.

She even sent her husband and son out of the room. That was one of the signs.

With a short sigh, I spoke.

“You might not believe this, but... I met Kang Han-min.”

“Huh? The real deal?”

“Yeah. The one who used that callsign.”

“And?”

Kim Daram waited, predator-like.

“He’s turned into a monster.”

“Really?”

She nodded and murmured.

“So he’s gone too.”

The killing instinct in her gaze gave way to deep disappointment.

That was the kind of presence Kang Han-min had.

Even those who hated him couldn’t help but hold out a sliver of hope.

Say what you will, but his stance against monsters was always genuine.

No one else I know threw themselves into the fight the way he did.

Even if he eventually chose a twisted path.

“You mean... you met him as a monster?”

I nodded.

“He’s become one, but he’s still got his human mind.”

Then I told her about Kang Han-min’s “plan.”

The terrifying, unforgivable delusions of the so-called savior.

“That’s insane...”

As expected, Kim Daram couldn’t accept it.

That’s the nature of my story.

More fantasy than reality.

“I’m not asking you to believe it.”

“Yeah. I’ll hold judgment. Until we have hard proof.”

“That’s what makes you a Hunter.”

I nodded, looking at my junior.

There was something in her eyes—distrust, yes, but also something I didn’t have.

The will to protect.

Yeah.

Say what you will, but that girl genuinely wants to protect her family.

That will probably burn until the day she dies.

Just like the fire of hatred still burns in my chest.

“Most of the world’s kill zones have collapsed, and humanity is clearly in the endgame. The rift no longer needs to deploy large assault or infiltration units. No point in wasting reflective-shield monsters.”

I spoke plainly.

Kim Daram listened.

Like the quiet, sweet junior she once was.

“And in this new phase, we can expect the emergence of a new tier—above interdimensional species, below full monsters.”

“Have we seen examples?”

“Probably. Caterpillar types and Executioner types seem to be prototype experiments in that category.”

“Hm.”

“Caterpillars are subordinates to other major types. Executioners technically fall under monster—small type, according to mass classification—but neither rely on reflective shields. That’s what they have in common. And the in-between ones are already here. You know the one with the spike between its legs?”

“The Raper?”

“Yeah. That creepy bastard.”

“...So what did you see in the warehouse?”

Her ability to keep pace with the conversation is one of her strengths, though I rarely point it out.

I nodded slowly, replaying the memory that still burns in my mind.

“This is just my personal theory. Based purely on my experience. But the thing I fought—it was the fog.”

“The fog itself?”

“Yeah. It normally exists as harmless mist, at the particle level. But when someone enters its domain, it manifests and attacks.”

Kim Daram tilted her head.

“That kind of thing can exist? That’s a monster?”

She stared at me, visibly skeptical.

Of course she would.

All the monsters we’ve been trained to fight share certain traits.

Inanimate characteristics. Reflective force fields. Massive size. Tree-like exoskeletons. Can’t be contained. Can’t be analyzed. And that now-disgusting, ever-present pale gray color.

We’ve fought them thousands of times. They’re part of our lives.

But that reality no longer functions as it used to.

I looked her in the eye and answered clearly.

“That’s why we have to leave.”

Is there any fear more primal than the unknown?

If anyone can understand why I’ve made such an extreme decision, it’s Kim Daram.

She’s crossed as many frontlines as I have.

In battle, not knowing is as close to death as it gets.

“...Ha.”

She let out a deep sigh.

Those predator eyes of hers were now fixed on the empty air, lost in thought.

“Shit.”

She actually swore.

Not like her. She’s always held back, trying to set an example as a mom.

But what can you do?

We’re neck-deep in shit.

Multiple problems are threatening our survival.

And the most fundamental threat of all is now just 3.5 kilometers away.

The rift.

Kang Han-min’s malice is practically breathing down our necks.

We don’t know what’s coming. We can’t even imagine it. But it will try to wipe out humanity.

“If we leave, where are we going?”

“My bunker.”

“That place?”

Kim Daram scowled.

“Ugh, I hate that place.”

“Then we’ll find another. Cheon Young-jae’s bunker’s an option.”

“Yeong-jae?”

“Yeah. That guy’s loaded.”

“Really? With that face?”

“He can hear you.”

Even if not his, there are plenty of options.

The VivaBot might even help us find that offshore bunker we lost contact with near the orthopedic clinic.

Anywhere but here.

The rift’s malice is certain death.

And judging from Kim Daram’s attitude just now, I could tell—I’d halfway convinced her.

Sure enough—

“I’ll think about it. No—I’ll talk with my family.”

She’s considering it.

I nodded faintly.

She’s ready to move.

Still—not a 100% yes.

“We’ll need a vehicle, right? Gotta take all our supplies. Where do we even get one? You know full well we’ll die out there without gear.”

“You’re right.”

Her conditions aren’t excessive.

They’re survival basics.

“I’ll find one.”

“Oh, and... isn’t it too risky just the two of us? We should get more combatants. People we can trust.”

“I’ll think about that too.”

If the conditions are met, Kim Daram will abandon this shelter and join me on a journey through hell.

Of course, I’m not about to recklessly throw her or her family into danger.

Professor’s team has a low death rate.

That’s one thing that hasn’t changed, even with age.

And I have an idea.

*

“Seung-hwan?”

As promised, I sat down with Sim Hyeong-bo for tea.

Well, not really tea—just some boiled mystery herbs.

We met outside our territory.

Up until the day of Hong Jeong-ho’s coup, Sim Hyeong-bo had been working alongside An Seung-hwan and other regular Awakened from the anti-Kang Han-min faction. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

If anyone knew the whereabouts of those people, it’d be him.

“Yeah. People like An Seung-hwan, Kim Han-na. The regular Awakened you worked with.”

Of course, I wasn’t expecting much.

Odds are they’re dead.

Even Minsik, the top dog, got killed. Individual lives mean nothing now.

Sim Hyeong-bo thought for a moment.

“Yeah. I know them.”

“Do you know where they are now? If you can put me in touch, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Why do you want to contact them?”

“Well, if I’m gonna make a living out here, teaming up with them seems efficient, right? You know better than anyone—they’re good people to work with.”

A flicker of discomfort crossed Sim Hyeong-bo’s face.

Clearly, there was something I didn’t know.

“I can’t speak for the others, but I know where one of them is.”

He set down his awful tea and lit a cigarette.

“Who?”

“Kim Han-na.”

“Han-na.”

Her face passed through my mind—a woman who always seemed timid but never let go of that last thread of self-belief.

She’s alive.

It felt like water to a parched throat.

I asked for her location.

“She’s in our district. Followed us here.”

“Oh, really?”

That’s good news.

But from the moment he brought her up, Sim Hyeong-bo didn’t look happy.

There was a reason.

“But she ended up with the wrong man.”

“What kind of man?”

I asked again.

Sim Hyeong-bo shook his head with a bitter smile.

“A total bastard.”

Looks like trouble.

But it’s something I have to deal with.

The duty of a Hunter is to exterminate monsters, mutations, and all rift-born supernatural disasters—but in an age of ruin, humanity’s duty is survival.

If I can raise our chances of that, a bit of trouble is worth it.

“Where is he?”

I grinned.

“That bastard.”