Declaration Of Extra Strike

 

‘Of course, the map isn’t mine, unlike the still-inactive main quest. No wonder I couldn’t find it no matter how hard I looked! Damn it, how could the system just hand out a tracker for my location to the S-ranks?!’

 

I clutched my head, hurling silent curses at the intangible system window. As I raged, Seong San-ha grabbed my hand, prying it away from my hair.

 

“It’s not just Tae Jae-heon. The other S-ranks could be just as dangerous. You know how deeply those cultists have infiltrated everything.”

 

His words sank in, and I slowly lowered my hand. The realization chilled me. 

 

Yet what unsettled me even more was the proximity of Seong San-ha, who had leaned in closer during the exchange. Instinctively, I took a step back, only to find myself trapped against the wall.

 

He chuckled lightly at my reaction and raised an eyebrow, his expression far too relaxed for my liking.

 

“Wouldn’t it be safer to reveal yourself? Hide in plain sight, within the watchful gaze of the public. What do you

think?”

 

“…Not like I have any better options.”

 

“Good.”

 

With that, he stepped back, as if the conversation was over and he had nothing more to say. Gripping the door handle, he nodded slightly, a casual dismissal that irked me to no end.

 

So that’s what he called me out here to say.

 

The issue was resolved, more or less. But for some reason, an overwhelming wave of dissatisfaction washed over me.

 

This wasn’t what I wanted.

 

When I imagined meeting Sa-na again—meeting Seong San-ha again—it wasn’t supposed to feel like

this.

 

Seong San-ha called out to me, his voice firm and deliberate.

 

“Kang Eui-jin? Do you have something else to say?”

 

I stayed silent. Just hearing him call me that irritated me. I much preferred the way he used to softly call me

hyung

in that small, endearing voice. Or even how he used to call me

Eui-jin ah

when he addressed me like he did Joo Ho-hyun.

 

The pettiness of my frustration became all too apparent, and I shook my head to clear it.

 

Enough. This isn’t the time for that. We’ve got a quest to handle, and this can wait.

 

“You—”

 

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

 

“Kang Eui-jin!”

 

“Let go, you Minotaur.”

 

“…What?”

 

Caught off guard by my absurd quip, Seong San-ha froze for a moment. I used that chance to push past him and throw open the door to the stairwell. And then—

 

“Hic!”

 

Standing just outside the emergency exit was Yeon Seung-yeon, his hands clapped over his mouth in shock, his expression a mixture of panic and embarrassment.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“Ho-Ho-hyun nim… No, I mean… Eui-jin, I— I mean, Boss……….!”

 

His words tumbled over each other as he fumbled for something coherent to say, his face turning beet red.

 

It seemed he heard everything.

 

Looking at Yeon Seung-yeon’s face, I felt a slight relief that he hadn’t brought up the

Sa-na

topic. I had no idea where he’d overheard things, but in the end, revealing that I was Kang Eui-jin was something that had to happen sooner or later, so it wasn’t a big deal.

 

Seong San-ha spared a glance at Seung-yeon and then passed by without a word.

 

“I’ll go first.”

 

“Ah, wait, Seong San-ha! Can you get me a new phone?”

 

Seong San-ha acknowledged my request with a wave and disappeared down the hallway.

 

“Ugh! Hic!”

 

Yeon Seung-yeon was still trying to suppress his hiccups, his eyes filled with tears as she looked up at me.

 

This was going to be a problem…

 

“…Wack!”

 

“Wha—Ahhh! Ho-Hyun-nim!!”

 

The familiar name slipped out of Seung-yeon’s mouth before he could stop himself, and he jumped in surprise. I gently patted his back as he apologized through his tears.

 

“Don’t worry about it. The hiccups stopped, didn’t they? Have you finished packing? You didn’t bring your things earlier.”

 

“I’ve packed a little, but… I was thinking of asking for permission before bringing it up, just in case you changed your mind…” 

 

“Why would my mind change? Then I’ll stop by your room first. What floor is it?” 

 

“11th floor… I’ll guide you!”

 

***

 

I watched Yeon Seung-yeon packing his things, his face resting on his hand. He said he had been staying here for a few weeks, and it was clear he had accumulated a lot of stuff. 

 

Every time he passed by, he would glance at me, and instead of moving everything at once, he kept moving it piece by piece. 

 

Unable to watch any longer, I rolled up my sleeves and stood up. 

 

“I’ll help. Where should I start?” 

 

“No, no! I’m almost done! Ho-hyu… I mean, Ho… Just stay seated, Boss!” 

 

“When it’s just the two of us, call me casually. We’re going to reveal everything later anyway.” 

 

The things Yeon Seung-yeon was carrying fell to the ground with a crash. The sound of a glass flask breaking made me jump, and I quickly ran over. 

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll clean it up! …jin-nim, you just…” 

 

“Don’t move. You’ll hurt yourself. Do you have a broom or something? No, this won’t do.”

 

Unable to stand still, Yeon Seung-yeon kept tapping his feet. Seeing this, I thought Seung-yeon might end up hurting himself, so I quickly lifted him into my arms. His body stiffened in mid-air and clung tightly to me. As I was about to set him down on the sofa, I heard a voice as small as a bug in my ear.

 

“I feel like I’m dreaming.”

 

What nonsense is this? Was he really that surprised?

 

I set him down on the sofa and checked his face as Yeon Seung-yeon fidgeted with his hands and spoke.

 

“Potion Master was my idol ever since I first awakened. But since I’m with the Center and Potion Master rarely appears in Nox, I thought I’d never get to meet them… But when I met you, I was really shocked. For the first time, I thought I had found someone who could rival Potion Master Kang Eui-jin, or maybe even someone greater.”

 

“And then?”

 

Yeon Seung-yeon, who had been carefully gauging my reaction, muttered quietly.

 

“Actually, when Tae Jae-heon took you away, I was really shocked to hear someone call you Kang Eui-jin right in front of me, but even though I suspected it, I couldn’t be sure it was really you. And even after hearing what Seong San-ha said today, it’s the same. I can’t fully believe it. Because… Because you were a Guide, right?”

 

“….”

 

“I was wondering… How did it happen… How did you end up being a Guide at the Center? Can you tell me what happened?”

 

Yeon Seung-yeon, who was trembling with a shaky voice, gathered his courage and continued speaking. I scratched my head, not knowing how to respond.

 

There’s no answer I can give other than “That is what happened. The Kang Eui-jin you know is me, but I died and woke up in Joo Ho-hyun’s body. But we seem to be like twins…” If I said that, who would believe me?

 

‘Right, we need to do a DNA test.’

 

I suddenly remembered that the hair I had hastily gathered was in the clothes I had worn earlier, and I had completely forgotten about it. I wondered if it might have disappeared while I was washing them. In the face of the unexpected situation, I became serious and shook my head.

 

“There’s a situation. I can’t tell you about that part.”

 

“Ah, yes. Of course…”

 

I tried to comfort Yeon Seung-yeon, who quickly slumped down again, and helped him get up before asking.

 

“Seung-yeon, did you bring the crafting tools from the workshop? Do you have any materials?”

 

“Yes. I didn’t want to waste the materials I’ve been aging for my research, so I was planning to continue the study with them. I do have some materials.”

 

“Alright, then do you have willow cotton, dried Florlianian, slime essence, Oowang’s horn, tears of faith, and sleepy branches?”

 

“Uh… I have willow cotton, slime essence, and sleepy branches. I don’t have Oowang’s horn, but I do have unicorn horn powder. Do you think this will work?”

 

Yeon Seung-yeon counted on his fingers, thinking hard, then asked. After calculating roughly, I nodded, thinking it would likely work.

 

“Let’s give it a try. So, we just need dried Florlianian and tears of faith. Dried Florlianian is a common material, so we can substitute it with something else. But the tears of faith are the problem… they’re hard to replace. Seung-yeon, do you have your phone?”

 

“Yes? Yes, I do.”

 

“Ask Zero to get it for us. As soon as possible.”

 

***

 

The staff said they would move the luggage, so I left it piled up in front of my door and went upstairs first. As I walked with Seung-yeon, we had a deep conversation about the dark future of the workshop and the benefits of revealing my identity. But when I reached my door, I found someone leaning against it.

 

“Oh? Han Seo-jin!”

 

As I waved my hand and approached, Han Seo-jin’s cold gaze met mine.

 

“Where have you been until now?”

 

“Where else would I be? I didn’t have anywhere to go besides the hotel. I just met with some people for a bit.”

 

“Who? Hunters?”

 

I nodded vaguely, then, sensing something off with the unusually tense reaction, I asked with confusion.

 

“Yeah. With Seong San-ha and Cheong… What’s wrong with you? Is something going on?”

 

His expression was stiff, and he seemed more rude than usual. Wondering if he was sick, I pretended to check his temperature using the “Touch of the Divine” ability. 

 

But as soon as my hand touched his forehead, Han Seo-jin quickly stepped back.

 

“What, nothing’s going on. It’s just that I couldn’t get in touch with you until nightfall.”

 

“You’re funny… You didn’t buy me a phone, but now you’re complaining about not being able to contact me? Let’s go inside first. Have you eaten?”

 

“…No.”

 

“Perfect. We can eat together then. Ha-yan noona said the room service here is really good.”

 

Han Seo-jin glared at Yeon Seung-yeon, who was hesitantly following behind me, and shoved him into the smaller room, then blocked the doorway with his tall frame.

 

“You can use this room. Take a look around.”

 

“I… I can manage on my own…”

 

“Just relax.”

 

Han Seo-jin closed the door behind him with a refreshed expression, then turned around to face me, meeting my eyes with an exasperated look. He flinched but tried to act casual as he approached, and I gently slapped his arm.

 

“Why are you bullying the kid?”

 

“…I can’t sleep if there are people around. You’re the one who brought someone else into our room.”

 

“Why is it our room? I’m going to take the big room by myself.”

 

“Stop talking nonsense.”

 

Grumbling, Han Seo-jin ordered three servings of food, including one for Yeon Seung-yeon, and casually spoke as if passing by.

 

“Don’t get too close to Hunters if you can help it.”

 

“Didn’t you team up with Templar? I thought you were both guarding this place together.”

 

“You never know who might be taking orders from Nox in that group. Hunters are different from us. They’ll switch sides anytime, depending on their interests. They’re a fickle bunch.”

 

If you think about it openly, I’m probably closer to the Hunter Association than the Esper/Guide Center anyway.

 

Muttering inwardly, I casually brushed off Han Seo-jin’s words.

 

After safely finishing Yeon Seung-yeon’s move and falling asleep comfortably on the first night, I heard Han Seo-jin talking to someone on the phone in his sleep.

 

“You’re still not ready? How many times do I have to tell you there’s no time to waste?”

 

‘…Who is he talking to at this hour?’

 

I was tempted to wake up but couldn’t bring myself to escape from the cozy embrace of my favorite blanket. I turned my head, buried my ear into the pile of blankets, and tried to go back to sleep.

 

“…I can’t give you the details right now, but this is the most beneficial thing for the Center. …Yes. If you understand, please hurry up with the resurrection procedure.”

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