* * *

What the hell am I doing?

If Jessica or the team knew, I’d undoubtedly get chewed out.

“Hiun. Monsters are, by default, dealt with by Espers. That’s how the system is structured. So don’t get greedy.”

“As non-Espers, our role is only to buy time until the Espers arrive. It’s better to set that limit clearly. That way, you avoid dying a pointless death.”

It was one of the first things I heard on my first day with the team, as we headed to a mission site.

They emphasized it as the most critical rule to protect ourselves, drilling it into my ears for three straight days.

And yet, here I was, blatantly ignoring that advice.

At first, I thought it was a child’s corpse.

Its hair, skin, and clothes were so caked with dust that their colors were indistinguishable.

It looked as though it had been dragged for a long time.

But then… the child’s lips moved.

“Save me.”

I don’t have the skill to read lips, especially not from such a distance.

And yet, that’s what it looked like to me.

A desperate plea: Save me.

From that moment, my body no longer felt like my own.

“Since it’s impossible to defeat them, just focus on holding out. Defense is the best strategy.”

“But it might be tempting to attack. The phrase the best defense is a good offense only applies to Espers. For us, the best approach is to provoke as little as possible. But if you absolutely must attack…”

I crept behind the building, aiming for the monster’s blind spot, and pulled the trigger.

Thanks to the silencer, the shot wasn’t loud, but the recoil was intense.

Though the weapon was slim, the kick was at least 1.5 times stronger than the guns I’d used before, and I nearly lost my balance.

—Screeeech!

The bullet’s power, however, was undeniable.

Perhaps because the creature lacked scales or had already been injured in a fight with an Esper, its body bore numerous wounds.

Targeting the largest gash, I fired an energy round.

The creature let out a horrifying screech, thrashing violently.

“No matter how advanced anti-monster weapons are, they’re designed for civilians to use. A gun that dislocates your shoulder or breaks your arm with each shot isn’t practical. This means their power is limited, and it’s tough to inflict fatal damage on most monsters.”

“To deal even minor damage, aim for weak points. Existing injuries, soft areas like eyes or joints, inside the mouth… Weak spots vary by creature, but we’re the weaker ones here. Pathetic or not, you cling to whatever hope you can.”

The creature swung its tail at me.

But its massive, battered body wasn’t agile.

By watching its movement carefully, I dodged and fired another shot into the same spot.

—Kraaaaah!

The wound tore open, oozing foul-smelling blood.

Thrashing in pain, the monster looked enraged and raised its tail stiffly.

Perhaps realizing it couldn’t attack effectively while holding something, it finally flung the child away.

The child’s limp body landed far off, but I had no time to check if they were alive.

My priority was to lure the monster away—as far from the child as possible.

Ideally, toward the Espers I’d seen earlier from the rooftop.

“Let me reiterate: our job is to ‘buy time,’ nothing more.”

“Don’t delude yourself into thinking you can kill a monster.”

But lofty ideals and determination don’t always lead to success.

I hadn’t eaten since the airplane meal and had been running around all day.

Exhausted, I couldn’t keep outrunning or outmaneuvering a monster bent solely on killing me.

I tried to stick to narrow paths, hoping to slow it down, but it was relentless.

Uncaring of its injuries, it chased me down while obstacles only hindered me.

From the moment I dove in to save the child, the outcome had already been decided.

“Charging in to save someone from a monster is equivalent to offering yourself in their place. At best.”

“And usually, it just means there’s one more victim instead of one.”

In the end, the monster caught me.

—Thud.

With a grotesque sound, my body flew and crashed into the ground.

Oddly, it wasn’t as painful as when Cha Younghwan had thrown me against a wall.

The lack of pain was unsettling, almost numbing.

But I couldn’t move, couldn’t get up to escape or fight back.

Out of breath, my heart felt like it would burst.

Lying there, I couldn’t even flinch as the monster loomed closer, savoring its victory.

Its rough, scaly tail coiled around my ankle, flipping me upside down.

Blood rushed to my head, my vision whitening before colors gradually returned.

Blinking slowly, I saw something in the distance.

Someone running toward me.

Eunsoo.

He must’ve come looking for me when I didn’t return.

‘Thank goodness.’

The child will be safe.

Though Eunsoo was injured, he was the protagonist of this world, possessing physical prowess rivaling an Esper.

The monster was already wounded and tired, giving Eunsoo a solid chance.

The child would be much safer with him than left alone on the ground.

Ah, it’s a shame. I wanted to be praised for finishing the artifact installation without a hitch, to prove I didn’t mess up.

Instead, here I am, dangling upside down, caught by a monster.

But… isn’t saving a child, even for an extra like me, still something remarkable?

When I came to Korea, even though I couldn’t reunite with the Espers, I did meet Eunsoo.

Eunsoo would tell them.

He’d tell them that it wasn’t because of them that I died.

That they didn’t need to carry the guilt anymore.

That should be enough.

My purpose for coming back has been fulfilled.

“……!”

Eunsoo shouted something at me.

The emotions in his voice felt like anger, or perhaps sorrow.

Was it because of the blow I had just taken that my eardrums were damaged, making it hard to hear him clearly?

Still, it was fortunate.

If I clearly heard his words, I might develop regrets about this life that was about to end.

So, I decided not to listen.

Instead, I smiled at Eunsoo.

“I’m okay.”

Whether in a peaceful era or in a precarious one like now, most deaths are sudden, meaningless, and unfair.

Someone’s beloved family member, friend, or lover becomes just another statistic among hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of deaths—or doesn’t even make it into the count.

My previous life was like that, too.

But the death coming for me now, at least, holds some meaning.

Even if I die, the people I saved will live on.

In both my past and present lives, I’ve been nothing more than an extra.

But this time, I’m not dying without achieving anything.

So I’m okay.

I hope you can be okay, too.

Eunsoo opened his mouth, as if to reply to me.

But before he could form any words, the tail that had been wrapped around my ankle loosened.

Immediately, my body began to fall—straight into the gaping black maw of the monster.

Crunch.

I heard the sound of something breaking.

---

Korea was blessed by fortune.

Once this incident is resolved, people both at home and abroad will think so.

A gate of this scale—an entirely new type, one that had never been recorded before—suddenly appeared in the middle of a city.

Yet the damage was astonishingly minimal, barely greater than what would occur with an ordinary gate.

The one who deserved the most credit for minimizing the damage was, of course, Polwel.

“You’d do well to heed the voices of the dead.”

“A wish strong enough to defy death is one that ought to be granted.”

Polwel, who usually refrained from meddling in worldly affairs, had not only forewarned of the disaster but also offered this rare piece of advice.

But “the voices of the dead”?

It sounded far too cryptic, like some prophecy out of mythology.

Even within the Bureau, opinions were divided on how seriously to take Polwel’s words.

The debate didn’t last long, however.

Because soon after, a call came in.

From one of the “dead.”

* * *