* * *

“…Baek Gunho.”

His grip on Heewon’s collar was so tight that it was hard to speak.

Not only was it the first time anyone had grabbed him like this, but the fact that it was Gunho made it all the more shocking.

But the shock didn’t last long.

Beep! Beep!

Noeul let out an ear-splitting noise from behind.

It seemed he had fallen and rolled away after Heewon let go of him.

Considering how fragile Noeul already was, rolling around like that wasn’t good.

As Heewon turned to check, Gunho yanked him closer.

The grip on his collar was merciless, as if Gunho thought he was some kind of criminal.

“Are you out of your mind?”

There was no time to explain.

Heewon couldn’t hold Gunho’s piercing gaze and instead looked away.

“Let go,” he said weakly.

But Gunho’s grip only tightened, pulling him so close that their breaths mingled.

He glanced up at Gunho’s face, which remained expressionless, save for those burning, unforgiving eyes.

“Flirting with a monster, are we?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Not like that?”

“….”

“If you’re done talking, should I kill you now?”

Gunho wasn’t listening.

He wouldn’t listen.

Caught in an unrelenting storm of rage, he looked ready to explode at any moment.

I glanced at Noeul.

The person who usually shouted, “Heewon! Heewon!” noisily was now silent, standing still.

It was as if Noeul knew I was in trouble because of him, and he was silently agreeing to follow my lead.

“…Don’t kill me.”

I knew Baek Gunho wouldn’t listen, but I couldn’t help but try to stop him.

It felt like I was throwing gasoline on a fire.

Baek Gunho’s face was so filled with rage that it wouldn’t have been surprising if he exploded at any moment.

I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or just reflex, but his grip on my collar tightened.

It felt like he was choking me now.

“Baek… Gunho, please…”

Despite my plea, Baek Gunho remained cold.

He wasn’t releasing his anger yet, just holding it back.

It seemed like he no longer thought my words were worth listening to.

His actions were almost instinctive.

The dagger Baek Gunho had thrown was deflected by my power and bounced off in the opposite direction.

Having known Baek Gunho well, I anticipated his move and reacted.

Fire sparked in his eyes.

“Do you want to fight me right now?”

“It’s not that…”

Baek Gunho let go of my collar.

At the same time, he moved toward Noeul, and despite my unsteady stance, I used all my strength to stop him.

In that moment, I felt my strength waver.

It was as if a stream of water that had been flowing in one direction suddenly found a new path, and my power shifted course.

I’d experienced this once when I entered the dungeon with Baek Gunho, so I wasn’t surprised.

It seemed Baek Gunho had a skill that allowed him to interfere with my power.

The way to counter it was simple.

No matter what trick Baek Gunho tried, I just had to keep applying pressure.

My telekinesis allowed me to direct force in multiple directions as long as I could reach it.

But despite thinking it would be easy to block, it wasn’t.

Whether it was Baek Gunho or something else, the force coming at me seemed to twist and break through little by little.

What kind of force is this?

Even without being fully armed, it was on a completely different level from a speeding truck.

It was impossible to keep blocking like this.

Eventually, I’d be the one to break.

The only thing in my favor was that I was closer to Noeul than Baek Gunho.

I continued pushing Baek Gunho back, inching toward Noeul.

“Come inside.”

“Seo Heewon!”

Baek Gunho’s angry voice rang out.

“Hurry and get inside!”

I snapped at Noeul, who was hesitating.

Startled, Noeul quickly scurried into the safety of my shadow.

Only then did I release the strength I’d been barely holding on to.

Baek Gunho approached me, his presence looming like a storm.

He looked ready to strike me across the face.

This time, instead of avoiding his gaze, I met it head-on.

I had already done the deed; now, I had to make him understand, no matter what.

“Seo Heewon…”

But the way he muttered my name in that low, chilling tone left no room for negotiation.

Baek Gunho raised his sword and stabbed at the shadow.

‘Shard of the Sun’ was a weapon capable of cutting through shadows. A fragment of my shadow broke away.

I had always wondered what that weapon was good for, and now I knew—unfortunately, my skill relied on shadows.

Even though my ‘Stronghold Building’ wouldn’t disappear entirely, no matter how much it was sliced, I still felt a cold dread seeping into me.

The moment I took a step back, Baek Gunho seized me and slammed me to the ground.

“Ugh!”

The impact reverberated through my body as I hit the floor, unprotected.

Pinning me down, Baek Gunho pressed his sword against me, so close it seemed it would slice my cheek at any moment.

“Bring it out.”

“…No.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“…”

He clenched and unclenched his fist, glaring at my silence.

“Are you going to hit me?”

“No… just thinking about how to knock out an S-rank like you.”

That’s basically hitting me, isn’t it?

I didn’t care if he hit me. It would hurt like hell coming from Baek Gunho, but I could endure it.

What I couldn’t endure was letting Noeul out.

If I did, Baek Gunho wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.

“Seo Heewon.”

“…”

“I’m asking nicely. Bring it out.”

“What if I don’t?”

“What do you think will happen?”

I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to find out.

“You know me—I always get what I want.”

He wasn’t lying. Baek Gunho always forced his way, one way or another.

Yet, I stubbornly avoided his gaze.

This wasn’t something I could back down from.

“Fine. Let’s do it this way.”

“What…?”

Baek Gunho pressed his blade against my neck.

The sharp edge was cold against my skin.

A slight movement, and it would cut.

“Bring it out. Or I’ll cut you.”

“…Go ahead.”

Did he think I’d cave to a threat like this?

He wouldn’t really hurt me.

No matter how angry he was, Baek Gunho wouldn’t attack me.

This wasn’t a threat aimed at me—it was bait.

“Stay inside!”

I shouted to those hiding in the shadows.

This wasn’t about me.

He was drawing out the monsters.

Baek Gunho watched me, unfazed by my defiance.

“Unbothered, huh?”

“You won’t cut me anyway.”

“And why’s that?”

“…”

“Right… I’ve been too soft on you.”

He murmured coldly, raising his sword.

The blade aligned perfectly with my chest. I wasn’t scared—mostly.

My heart raced with a primal instinct for survival, but I ignored it.

No matter what, Baek Gunho wouldn’t stab me.

He thrust the blade downward.

At that moment, Yeon burst from the shadow.

Baek Gunho, as if waiting for this, shifted his strike midair.

The blade slashed cleanly through Yeon.

I quickly caught Yeon with my skill, pulling him back.

Thankfully, he wasn’t cut in two, but vivid blue ichor spilled everywhere.

The wound was dire, no question about it.

“Are there more?”

Baek Gunho muttered darkly, rising to his feet, preparing to strike again.

As he advanced, I leapt to Yeon’s side, holding him close.

I tried to gain height, to escape, but Baek Gunho’s oppressive power dragged me back down.

My body wavered, and Yeon trembled in my grip, forcing me to land.

I hastily created a barricade from nearby equipment, pulling out potions from my inventory and pouring them over Yeon.

One bottle, two—nothing worked.

Desperation clawed at me as I kept going, pouring bottle after bottle.

The wounds refused to heal.

I couldn’t let him die.

There were times I wished they’d just disappear, but now that death loomed over them, my heart twisted painfully.

They’d loved me unconditionally, even when I’d treated them coldly.

Regret stung sharper than any blade.

“Seo Heewon, move.”

Baek Gunho’s voice broke through my thoughts as he closed in, stepping over the shattered barricade.

I hated him in that moment.

Why kill them when death was inevitable anyway?

We’d been through this so many times before.

“…”

My head throbbed, a dull ache spreading as if I’d already witnessed Yeon’s death.

The pain wasn’t physical; it was deeper, like emotions bottled up for too long, simmering under pressure.

Baek Gunho hesitated, his gaze sharpening.

“Are you… crying?”

“No, I’m not…”

Denying it, I wiped my cheeks, but the tears were undeniable, streaming down uncontrollably.

I couldn’t stop them, no matter how much I tried.

The dam of unspoken feelings cracked, spilling out.

Baek Gunho watched me in disbelief before letting out a derisive laugh.

“You’re seriously attached to that thing?”

“…”

“You’re insane,” he muttered, exasperated.

* * *