* * *
Kang Yigeon frowned faintly.
This man had the classic T-zone face.
Even with furrowed brows like now, he didn’t look ugly—if anything, it was like an artistic expression worth preserving.
Skreee!
A monster charged toward them, noticing their idle stance.
Seohwa debated testing how fast a C-rank could react, but didn’t move.
Whoosh!
Green flames encircled them.
The monster, aflame, flailed without realizing it was burning alive.
Black ashes scattered into the air.
“I can’t exactly ‘impress’ you.”
Kang Yigeon raised his hand, and the green fire vanished, replaced by crimson flames stretching outward—the weakest level of [Phlogiston] fire.
“My skills… are too hot for that.”
The flames slithered past Seohwa like a red serpent.
Whish—
The fire zipped around the battlefield so fast the eye could barely track it.
Monsters burst into flames, their screams filling the air as they collapsed one by one.
The party members stood frozen, watching the monsters die in agony.
Some stumbled backward, falling on their butts.
“Holy shit, I’m gonna piss myself…”
“Thank god I’m not a monster…”
The acrid stench thickened, but the flames didn’t stop there.
Circling the area, searching for more fuel, the flames left red trails in the air before darting elsewhere once everything nearby was ash.
Seohwa blinked slowly.
Once. Twice.
Three times.
Dungeon Clear.
Congratulations.
Time Limit: 100 hours, 30 minutes, 1 second
Elapsed Time: 12 minutes, 9 seconds
Dungeon Grade: Grade 2
Party Members: 6 ← See details
The Gate is opening.
Seohwa let out a dry chuckle.
‘Is it even allowed to be this overwhelming?’
The entire Epsilon Expedition team had become the strongest across all timelines, but even among them, Kang Yigeon’s growth stood out the most.
If before he was like the sun, now he had to be compared to a quasar, shining somewhere far, far off in the vast universe.
‘So this is what an EX-rank is…’
Seohwa could still clearly remember the day Kang Yigeon leveled up to EX-rank.
It was during the latter half of a Grade 6 dungeon raid, in the middle of a fierce battle with a monster.
Seohwa had been badly injured, his spiritual energy and mana depleted, his body no longer responding, and Kang Yigeon was nowhere near him.
Just as Seohwa bit his lip, staring at the monster’s tentacles reaching for him—
“Damn it, Seohwa!”
With Kang Yigeon’s shout, a blinding light engulfed the entire space.
It was so bright he couldn’t even open his eyes.
When the light faded and Seohwa managed to open his eyes, the monster was gone.
The rest of the team looked bewildered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Seohwa had approached Kang Yigeon, who was staring into the void.
“Just now… what happened? What was that?”
“They say I had a second awakening.”
“Second… awakening?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not… dangerous or anything, right? You’re okay?”
Kang Yigeon silently looked down at the fallen Seohwa, then reached out his hand.
When Seohwa flinched and didn’t take it, Kang Yigeon grabbed his arm and pulled him up firmly.
And without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around Seohwa’s waist.
It was an intimate gesture, done right in front of everyone.
Seohwa felt all eyes on them, tried to push Kang Yigeon away, but Kang Yigeon only held him tighter.
Leaning in close, lips brushing Seohwa’s ear, he whispered:
“I’m EX-rank now.”
“EX…”
Extraordinary.
An outlier rank.
The rank that used to be tossed around in speculations alongside SS-rank or L-rank—higher than even S-rank.
“You said you got a new skill that day too.”
But Kang Yigeon never revealed what kind of skill it was, or what attribute it had.
“It’s probably fire-type or mental-type… or maybe a new attribute entirely.”
Seohwa wanted to see it for himself.
But the odds of seeing an EX-rank’s new skill in a beginner dungeon were slim to none.
The party members scattered to collect dungeon byproducts.
Herbs from beginner dungeons were basic ingredients for all kinds of potions—comparable to wheat, corn, potatoes, or sweet potatoes in farming.
For lower-ranked hunters, gathering herbs was a major source of income, so everyone worked diligently.
Seohwa, who had no need to gather herbs, lay down in the grassy field near the Gate.
Kang Yigeon cast a large shadow as he stood nearby.
“Not going to gather herbs?”
“My contract says no collecting. Guess they’ve had people sneak stuff out before, so they wanted mercenaries who wouldn’t touch the herbs. Works out for me—less hassle.”
“……”
Kang Yigeon quietly sat down beside him.
Familiar yet different scenes flashed through Seohwa’s mind.
First timeline, lying in the grass, Kang Yigeon quietly sitting beside him, shielding him from the sun with his large hand.
Second timeline, Kang Yigeon tossing a blanket over him and silently sitting nearby.
Third timeline, Kang Yigeon sitting with his back turned.
Fourth timeline, Kang Yigeon walking past, only to circle back and sit beside him.
Fifth timeline, Kang Yigeon grabbing Seohwa by the collar, demanding to know what exactly they were to each other.
And now, sixth timeline.
This Kang Yigeon… was taking off his combat gloves.
A glint of radiant light caught Seohwa’s eye, making him sit up abruptly.
“Your ring…!”
“Engagement ring.”
Kang Yigeon raised his right hand, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
His long, rough fingers—not exactly elegant—wore a luxurious, simple ring.
‘So, the press release is out. No need to hide it now…’
The Danbaek Guild had proudly announced Kang Yigeon’s engagement.
The statement was all positive: Kang Yigeon, who’d been mentally unstable, had finally found someone who brought him peace, and they hoped everyone would support him.
The fiancée’s identity wasn’t revealed, but rumors circulated that they worked for the National Security Agency, earning the couple the nickname “Hero Pair.”
The world was celebrating Kang Yigeon’s new love.
On the other hand…
‘Kang Yigeon? Engaged? Leaving Seohwa behind??? No way???’
‘It’s obviously a fake engagement lololol’
‘Total PR stunt, so obvious ㅠㅠㅠ’
‘He even went as far as an engagement now, haha’
‘Guess Operation Jealousy is on after the fake injury tactic flopped’
‘Everyone knows it’s for show, why are people congratulating him???’
└ They’re playing along to drag Seohwa down.
└ Oops, my bad, didn’t get the memo. Congrats to the lovely couple, Mr. Gam!
There were those reactions, but Seohwa didn’t buy into those posts.
He’d met the guy himself—he knew.
Yoon Youngin wasn’t fake.
He genuinely loved Kang Yigeon and was a good person.
Knowing Kang Yigeon’s personality, he wouldn’t deceive someone like that just to drag Seohwa down.
“Pretty ring. Congratulations.”
“……”
“Who picked it out?”
“I did. Chose the one that suits me best.”
“Oh, right. The one that suits you best. Great aesthetic sense you’ve got there. Aiming for a Nobel Prize in Ring Design?”
Seohwa regretted the snark as soon as the words left his mouth.
Kang Yigeon slipped the ring off his finger and held out his hand to Seohwa.
“Give me your hand.”
“…What?”
“I’ll put it on you.”
Seohwa recoiled in shock.
“Are you insane? Who puts their engagement ring on someone else? It’s not a fashion accessory!”
“You said it was pretty.”
“Yeah, so keep that pretty ring on your fourth finger where it belongs. If Youngin finds out you tried to slip it on someone else’s hand, he’ll be heartbroken. And besides, that design isn’t my taste anyway.”
Kang Yigeon’s dark eyebrows twitched.
“You said it was pretty… What don’t you like about the design?”
“I like bold, flashy ones. The kind you can spot from miles away, the kind that catches so much light it’s ridiculous. The kind that screams, ‘I’m expensive!’ You know, statement pieces.”
Truthfully, Seohwa liked things a bit flashy but not that over the top.
But since he wanted to sound completely opposite to this minimalistic design, he exaggerated.
Completely unaware of the consequences his words would have, Seohwa lay back down.
Kang Yigeon stared at the ring for a moment before slipping it back on.
Then, silently, he remained by Seohwa’s side.
Seohwa narrowed his eyes, studying Kang Yigeon’s profile.
That sharp, masculine jawline was tinged with fatigue.
His expression still carried traces of conflict and worry.
Thinking, ‘Alright, I’m the adult here. I’ll let it slide,’ Seohwa broke the silence first.
“Kang Yigeon, if you’ve got something to say to me, say it.”
Kang Yigeon silently gazed down at him.
“You trailed me all the way here after I turned down Uncle Wang Jungsoo’s party invite. What’s your reason?”
“……”
“I’m not a mind reader. If you want something from me, just spit it out.”
“……”
The silence dragged on, and Seohwa grew irritated.
“Oh, I get it. You’re so hot-blooded you can’t even give a straight answer, huh? Your flames are hot, your hands are hot—what else is hot, huh? You burning hot everywhere?”
* * *
