* * *

I wanted to scour the entire mountain immediately, but I held back.

Running through the dark night to search for Seo Heewon, who might have collapsed somewhere, wasn’t practical.

So, I waited—impatiently but determined.

“Guild Leader! I’m here!”

After what felt like an eternity, Choi Yuhan finally arrived.

A quick glance at my watch made him flinch.

He was painfully late.

I swallowed my frustration, prioritizing the urgent situation at hand.

“Search.”

“Yes, sir!”

Choi Yuhan activated his skill.

Within his range, nearly nothing could escape his detection.

It was an immensely reliable skill, as long as the target wasn’t hidden by something more advanced than Choi Yuhan’s own A-rank ability.

Seo Heewon didn’t have stealth skills.

In the past, one of his monsters had possessed a concealment skill, but that wasn’t the case anymore.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

Among Seo Heewon’s monsters was one with a powerful mind-control skill—a nine-tailed fox capable of overwhelming manipulation.

If it wasn’t Kim Kyungmin but that fox who cast the skill on Seo Heewon…?

‘…No, that’s impossible.’

As far as I knew, the fox didn’t exist in this timeline.

Even if it did, Seo Heewon’s monsters wouldn’t have any reason to attack him.

Still, the nagging feeling that I was overlooking something refused to leave.

Why did Seo Heewon’s monsters follow him in the first place?

Even if Seo Heewon had taming skills, we were talking about S-rank monsters.

The Seo Heewon I once knew had subdued them through sheer force and earned their submission.

But those monsters hadn’t needed taming this time.

They acted like they adored Seo Heewon from the start. I couldn’t bring myself to believe that the soft-hearted Seo Heewon had forced them into submission.

Maybe I should’ve pressed him harder. Regret surged belatedly, but back then, I couldn’t.

Seo Heewon had flinched at even a glance toward his monsters, watching me with those pitiful, wary eyes.

Seeing him like that, I couldn’t bear to push.

Seo Heewon had always been weak toward the small and fragile.

As a child, he would cry his eyes out watching videos of animals dying.

The Seo Heewon of the past, however, had sacrificed his monsters for skills without a second thought. Back then, I believed that was just who he was.

But now…

[VVillain’s Qualities]

An EX-rank trait. Just as powerful—if not more—than my [Regressor] trait.

In the past, it had seemed natural that Seo Heewon possessed it.

After all, the Seo Heewon I had known was a fitting villain.

But now, I couldn’t help but wonder if that trait had manipulated everything.

The more he resisted, the more it dragged him into misfortune.

With no safeguards in place, the Seo Heewon of the past had spiraled into endless tragedy, becoming the ultimate villain.

Even so, the past Seo Heewon was still the same as my Seo Heewon at his core.

If only he’d had the chance, perhaps he, too, could’ve changed.

And then, he wouldn’t have pushed me away like he does now.

“Guild Leader, he’s not in this area.”

“…I see.”

“I’ll move up the mountain and expand the search range.”

I gestured for Choi Yuhan to proceed.

He grimaced but reluctantly obeyed, dragging his feet like a prisoner heading to execution.

When I hoisted him onto my shoulder and used [High-Speed Movement] to reach the mountainside, he gagged in protest.

After setting him down, I grabbed his arm and pulled him upright.

“Stop complaining and get to work.”

“Ugh, I’m seriously exhausted…! Alright, alright. I’m on it.”

Choi Yuhan focused again.

But even there, nothing.

I carried him from place to place throughout the night, searching for Seo Heewon.

By dawn, we had nothing.

As the sun began to rise, Choi Yuhan turned to me with a grim expression.

“He’s not on this mountain.”

“…Yeah.”

“Should we search the nearby cities?”

“……”

Instead of answering, I checked my phone.

There was no news from the Hunter Management Bureau either.

It seemed unlikely that Seo Heewon had collapsed on the mountain.

At least he wasn’t out here in the cold… but if not here, then where?

Where did you go, Seo Heewon? In this bitter cold… how far did you run?

Just then, something icy brushed my nose. I looked up.

“Wow… it’s snowing.”

The brightening sky was dusted with white snowflakes.

I frowned at the sight.

It was already freezing in midwinter, and now snow?

With how lightly dressed he’d been, this felt like a cruel twist of fate.

I just hoped he’d found somewhere warm.

“Damn it…”

Thinking of Seo Heewon wandering in this cold tore at my nerves.

Even if the weather had been better, I would’ve worried just as much.

He’d vanished after coughing up blood.

That alone was enough to drive me mad.

Choi Yuhan hesitated, watching me closely, before speaking.

“Should we head back for now?”

“…Yeah.”

I threw Choi Yuhan over my shoulder again, ignoring his grumbles, and carried him down the mountain.

“I’m taking a break… seriously.”

“Guild Leader.”

As Choi Yuhan staggered away, Ahn Sangwook approached me, having appeared at some point.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s talk in the car.”

It meant this wasn’t something he could say here.

I followed Ahn Sangwook to the car.

After glancing around, he lowered his voice.

“I’ve received a message from Han Areum. She says she has something to tell you.”

Of all times… Han Areum was my informant, infiltrating Baekmyeon Sect to pass me critical information.

But right now, Seo Heewon took priority.

“Tell her to wait.”

“But, Guild Leader—”

“I don’t have time to take Han Areum’s call right now. We don’t know what could’ve happened to Heewon…”

I stopped mid-sentence, clamping my mouth shut.

Even as an S-class Awakened, Seo Heewon only had combat abilities.

How could he have figured out the whereabouts of Seo Hoon inside the dungeon?

Perhaps he had the help of the Baekmyeon Sect.

The Black Sea Guild, which is tied to the church, has a powerful clairvoyant.

If it’s through foresight… it might even be possible to locate Seo Hoon within the dungeon.

The timing of Han Areum’s call was suspiciously convenient.

In the end, I suppressed the urge to rush out immediately.

“When did they say they’d call back?”

“They said they’d contact you again at 8 PM.”

I checked the clock.

There wasn’t much time left until eight, just enough to spare.

After giving Ansangwook some simple instructions, I remained alone in the car.

I rubbed my face with both hands and buried it in my palms.

“…Damn it.”

The video of Seo Heewon coughing up blood replayed in my mind, twisting my insides.

I wanted to break something, to scream, but I knew such outbursts wouldn’t solve anything, so I held back.

After enduring the agonizing wait, Han Areum’s call finally came—exactly at the promised time.

I answered immediately.

“Yeah.”

—It’s me. Been a while, hasn’t it?

“What do you want?”

—Oh, nothing much. Got summoned out of the blue yesterday, and guess what? They said we’d finally get to meet the god.

I gripped the phone tighter.

—So I showed up. While waiting, Seo Heewon turned up with Kim Kyungmin.

“When? Where?”

—At Kim Kyungmin’s house. Around noon yesterday. Seo Heewon didn’t say a word, just stood there while Kim Kyungmin did all the talking. They didn’t stay long.

“…”

Yesterday at noon.

That was after Seo Heewon disappeared from his home.

So he must’ve gone to the Baekmyeon Sect first, gotten the information about Seo Hoon’s location, and then showed up here.

—Do you think Seo Heewon joined hands with the Baekmyeon Sect?

“There’s no way. Don’t spout nonsense.”

I retorted irritably.

—Touchy, aren’t you? That’s surprising.

“…”

—Still, it didn’t seem like he was there willingly. He looked awful, like someone being dragged against their will. And yet, those freaks were cheering… What a bunch of cultists…

“…”

—Oh, and he looked even worse when he saw me.

“Heewon’s expression changed when he saw you?”

—Yeah. You know I’m good at catching those things.

“Why?”

—Beats me. Maybe he figured I’d tell you about it.

“…”

—Not something you approved of, right? He probably felt uneasy about it.

I clenched my fists tightly.

Did Heewon think I’d just lose my temper over him working with the Baekmyeon Sect?

Ridiculous. I know him better than that.

Under normal circumstances, Seo Heewon would have trusted me.

He might even have been hiding, waiting for me to find him.

But now, I couldn’t shake the thought that he would run if I approached.

I have no intention of harming you as you are now.

The bitterness lingered on my tongue.

* * *