* * *

It had already been four days since Seo Heewon disappeared.

Ever since I briefly fell asleep and woke up from a nightmare, I hadn’t been able to sleep properly.

I spent every day scouring the mountains and combing through the dungeon where Seo Hoon was found.

But Seo Heewon had vanished without a trace, as if he’d evaporated.

My nerves were frayed to the breaking point.

While I expected as much from myself, I hadn’t anticipated hearing absolutely nothing from Choi Yuhan.

At the very least, I thought he’d find a lead.

From what I knew, Seo Heewon didn’t possess any skills particularly suited for escape or concealment.

Yet, he’d hidden himself so well it left me baffled.

Adding to the tension, members of the Baekmyeon Sect who had vanished from Kim Kyungmin’s side were spotted near where Seo Heewon disappeared.

It was clear they, too, were searching for him.

I kept a close eye on them since there was a chance they could track him down using their foresight abilities.

The only silver lining was that the Hunter Management Bureau didn’t seem particularly eager to find Seo Heewon.

Seo Hoon’s attitude, however, was lukewarm.

He hadn’t even been showing up to work, possibly due to some health issue.

Given his ambiguous behavior, it seemed like he might be resisting the brainwashing he was under.

And then, there was…

“It’s been a while, trash.”

Kwon Sahyuk had come all the way here, bringing a search-type hunter from the Samo Guild with him.

I glared at Kwon Sahyuk, barely suppressing the urge to kill him on the spot.

“What are you doing here?” I spat.

“Why else? I’m here to find Seo Heewon.”

“… …”

“I heard you’ve been wandering around here for days now.”

“What’s it to you?”

“I mean, you’re wasting your time doing something pointless. Why are you running around frantically looking for Seo Heewon when you could just leave it to Choi Yuhan? Why are you so desperate?”

Why? Isn’t it obvious?

How could I sit idly by when the kid had gone missing?

I didn’t respond.

There was no need to explain something so self-evident to Kwon Sahyuk.

Seeing my silence, he shrugged nonchalantly.

“Don’t waste your energy on useless things. Use it for something more productive.”

“Mind your own business.”

“Me? I’m just here for a specific reason. I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Then get lost already.”

“Hmm. Aren’t you curious where I’m heading next?”

Kwon Sahyuk smirked in a way that made my skin crawl.

His blatant attempt to grab my attention only fueled my irritation.

I had no idea why he’d show up just to waste my time.

I turned my back on him.

“I don’t care where you’re going. Just get lost.”

“I’m headed to the Baekmyeon Sect’s branch nearby. Heard it’s around here somewhere.”

I stopped in my tracks.

I’d already checked out that area, but I couldn’t figure out why he was mentioning it to me.

“Speaking of Seo Heewon… They say he’s joined forces with the Baekmyeon Sect.”

I turned to look at him.

He was still smiling, but there was a chilling edge to his expression.

“You probably already know that, don’t you?”

“… …”

“Oh, and did you know? Seo Heewon tried to kill Kim Kyungmin.”

This was news to me.

Before I could dismiss the idea outright, something came to mind.

There was a moment that could explain it—when Seo Heewon had suddenly confessed that he’d tried to kill someone.

Back then, he hadn’t looked well.

I’d assumed it was just physical exhaustion, but maybe he’d been shaken from failing to go through with something so uncharacteristic of him.

But how would Kwon Sahyuk know about that?

“I was actually the one who set things up so Kim Kyungmin could be killed. It didn’t work out in the end, though,” Kwon Sahyuk added, making my hands clench into fists. He noticed and laughed softly.

“Oh, and for the record, Seo Heewon came to me first, asking for help to kill Kim Kyungmin. I didn’t force him into anything.”

The fact that he’d even supported such an idea was infuriating enough.

Of course, he’d jumped at the chance, thinking it’d be fun.

Instead of handling it himself, he pushed Seo Heewon into doing it.

There was nothing remotely likable about this guy.

I wanted to go back in time and slap my past self for ever suggesting Seo Heewon should get along with someone like him.

I couldn’t understand why he was telling me all of this.

One thing was clear: nothing he said was worth hearing.

“Anyway, Seo Heewon failed to kill Kim Kyungmin. But what if, at that moment, he ended up being swayed by Kim Kyungmin instead?”

Hearing his nonsense snapped something inside me.

I stepped forward and punched Kwon Sahyuk in the face.

As he stumbled, I grabbed his collar and drove my fist into the same spot again.

Kwon Sahyuk wasn’t one to take a beating quietly.

A shadow from a nearby tree took on a solid form and shot toward me.

I disrupted his skill with [Interference], causing the diverted energy to crumble behind me.

I ignored the shadow binding my body and kicked Kwon Sahyuk hard.

“Urgh!”

He staggered back, grimacing but smirking faintly through his pain.

“Don’t get so worked up. It’s just a theory, after all.”

“Don’t make your own assumptions about Seo Heewon.”

“But… the Baekmyeon Sect called Seo Heewon their god. And Kim Kyungmin introduced him as such.”

“… …”

“You had to have known that. Doesn’t it make you wonder why?”

“Wow, you’re really making a big deal out of what those cult freaks say. If you trust them so much, why don’t you join the Baekmyeon Sect yourself?”

Kwon Sahyuk’s face twisted in annoyance.

“You’ve got a filthy mouth.”

“And who started this crap, huh?”

“Hah… Forget it.”

“Gladly. Now get lost, I’m busy.”

“What’ll you do if you find him? Beat him up?”

I shot him a glare.

Beat him up?

Where did this guy get his ideas?

Watching him spout nonsense made my stomach churn.

“From the look on your face, I doubt you’ll beat him.”

“… …”

“Don’t tell me… you’re thinking of hiding him?”

It seemed this was the real question he wanted to ask.

I barely restrained the urge to hit him again.

Talking to him had already wasted too much time.

What if I’d just missed a chance to find Seo Heewon?

I resumed walking.

“Be rational, Baek Gunho. It’s a fact that Seo Heewon is deeply connected to the Baekmyeon Sect.”

So what?

Whether or not he had ties to the Baekmyeon Sect, Seo Heewon was still Seo Heewon.

I ignored Kwon Sahyuk’s grating remarks and focused on my search.

While using exploration items to comb the mountains, Kwon Sahyuk’s words continued to gnaw at me.

It wasn’t the nonsense about Seo Heewon joining forces with the Baekmyeon Sect.

I knew Seo Heewon better than that.

Unless Seo Hoon’s influence was involved, Seo Heewon would never side with them for his own safety.

What bothered me was the revelation that Seo Heewon had attempted to kill Kim Kyungmin.

Seo Heewon wasn’t the type of person to kill.

And in the end, he hadn’t gone through with it.

But even attempting it—just deciding to kill someone—was so unlike him.

What could have pushed him to make such a decision?

How could he have acted so out of character?

There was one trait I knew of that could force someone to act against their nature.

The [Villain’s Qualities].

When I inherited that trait, it deemed me an unsuitable owner.

Against my will, it ran rampant. I lost consciousness and killed, again and again, until I nearly drove humanity to the brink of annihilation.

Seo Heewon was a rightful bearer of that trait.

Although he was caught up in misfortune, he had lived on without losing control—unlike me—for over a decade.

But now, has that trait become a problem for him?

[Villain’s Qualities] isn’t a supportive trait like others. It’s an oppressive one.

A powerful trait that forces you to do things you’d never want to, no matter how much you resist.

The new year is approaching.

At a time when everything should have already ended, Seo Heewon is still fighting back against the trait.

This is the first time in my countless regressions that I’ve survived until now, waiting for the new year.

If he’s reached his limit… If he’s resorted to committing murder…

Maybe it’s just baseless speculation.

Perhaps I’m trying to twist the facts to believe Seo Heewon isn’t at fault.

But if my guess is right, Seo Heewon could be in even graver danger.

Where are you, really?

Vanishing like that and running for four days straight… You must be completely cornered by now.

My steps quickened.

I had to find Seo Heewon, faster than anyone else, before things spiraled further out of control.

---

HEEWON’s POV

The delicious aroma stirred my hunger.

Swallowing hard, I stared at the golden-brown meat.

“Looks amazing.”

I placed the meat in front of Dust and Yeon, along with Noeul, before devouring my share.

It tasted just as good as it smelled.

“Am I enjoying this too much?”

Even though I was on the run, I seemed far too composed.

But what could I do?

People need to eat to survive.

* * *