As soon as the call connected, Jurim's voice came through.
"Yeees. I'm staying well."
Jurim had dropped off Guru at home while taking calls left and right, before hurrying off. He seemed busy dealing with the Malikian situation.
"But, Guild Master-nim."
It was a cryptic response.
"Does that mean he's not okay right now?"
What did that mean? Was Dani-oppa in that much of a disastrous situation?
A small sigh followed.
Gidan pushed his team away. Not because they didn’t accept him—he had a sociable nature, so fitting in wasn’t an issue.
Even so, he refused to coordinate with the team and insisted on going solo.
Especially when entering high-ranked dungeons, he displayed an extreme fear of having anyone by his side.
To him, being in a situation where he couldn’t go in alone was equivalent to running away—a cowardly act.
Because of that, Gidan admired Jurim, who had once closed a high-ranked dungeon completely by himself.
He both wanted to become the Jurim of that time and loathed himself for having {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} survived by running away.
But unless one was a special case like Jurim, solo play was practically suicide.
Dungeon raids were always structured around teamwork, whether one liked it or not.
Even Jurim had climbed the Tower with his team.
The fundamental reason for working with a team was necessity—survival and success.
To reject that meant...
Guru murmured the words Jurim had spoken.
Guru vaguely understood what he meant.
The terrifying S-rank monster that had been overwhelming Gidan had turned and fled at the sight of Jurim.
Being alone was something only On Jurim could manage.
Gidan still needed help. But he was deliberately pretending otherwise.
A voice called out to Jurim from the other side of the call. There was a brief exchange of urgent conversation before Jurim spoke again.
"But what about 'pat-pat'?"
Lately, Jurim had been taking responsibility for Guru’s bedtime every night.
If Guru pestered him to pat him to sleep or read a book, Jurim would sigh in exasperation but still stay beside him until he drifted off.
"Come home quickly. Guru might not sleep and wait for you."
A quiet chuckle echoed in his ear.
After hanging up, Guru returned to the sofa and lay down, opening his skill window.
The Deeply Rooted Attachment compendium now included Gidan's face.
He glanced again at the news clippings he'd been reading earlier. The last page contained details about Gidan's awakening.
[Fifth S-Rank Awakener: Gidan!]
The article mostly covered Gidan’s past—his reputation, achievements, and an interview with the aunt who had taken care of him.
It also mentioned that he had once won a youth baseball championship.
A photo showed Gidan smiling alongside his teammates.
"Gangneung Chungyeon Middle School Baseball Team..."
In the photo, the baseball team was gathered around Gidan with their arms draped over each other's shoulders.
Back then, had he been happy being with his teammates?
As Guru stared intently at Gidan’s photo, his eyes drifted to a note scrawled in messy handwriting on the corner of the page featuring Malikian.
It was clearly Jurim’s writing.
Just as Guru tilted his head in curiosity—
A system notification popped up before his eyes.
[Emergency! Guardian in danger detected!]
Hyeonak's Underground Training Room.
Seated on a chair, tightly bound in a rough knot, was Gidan. Arms crossed, Kim Jongwon, the leader of the 1st Strategy Team, leaned against the wall.
Having rushed back to headquarters after an emergency call, he had already heard the full story from Jurim.
"So he tried to take on Malikian alone..."
When facing an S-rank monster, the standard protocol was to assign at least one S-rank and ten A-rank hunters.
Trying to fight Malikian alone? That was no different from suicide.
"I get why... I understand it completely... But—"
This kid needed to learn that once reason was lost, nothing could be accomplished.
Gidan’s eyes slowly opened. His face was paler than usual due to the effects of "Purple Blood Flow."
"Jeez, look at our team’s poster boy."
Jongwon stepped closer, crouching with his arms still crossed. Seeing the boy’s gaunt face up close only fueled his frustration.
"Hey, hey, Gidan. Can’t you trust your teammates just a little?"
Hyeonak was the guild with the most elite hunters in Korea. And among them, the 1st Team was the best of the best.
They had fought S-rank monsters more than once. If they worked together, they could definitely take it down.
Yes, definitely... If this kid would just accept that.
Despite Gidan’s usual easygoing and adaptable nature, when it came to this, he was stubborn.
It was as if he had locked himself inside an impenetrable suit of armor—no words could get through.
Jongwon, feeling exasperated, thumped his chest, while Gidan simply stared blankly at the back of his hand.
A small unfamiliar mark stood out, as if something had been imprinted there.
A dull, throbbing pain spread from it, like roots digging deep.
At that moment, along with the team leader’s nagging, a voice echoed in his ears.
"Gidan. Why aren’t you answering?"
— "You reek of blood."
Gidan’s gaze drifted downward.
"Dani, don’t do anything reckless on your own."
— "It’s a nostalgic scent. My once-glorious land smelled the same."
Jongwon didn’t seem to hear it. This voice was meant for him alone.
Suddenly, a memory resurfaced—the Yeti Clan boss, who couldn't take his eyes off Guru.
As if he had somehow known Malikian was there.
Malikian had ridden the spatial currents by attaching himself to Guru.
Suddenly, in front of Gidan’s eyes, three swirling pupils appeared, spinning in eerie synchronization.
— "I am the last heir of Biat. I must reclaim my sword from you."
At the time of his awakening, when the world’s eyes were focused on his rise to S-rank,
Gidan had stormed into Hyeonak, demanding to join.
The sword, "Biat’s Aspiration", had been thrown to him by Jurim.
"Use it if you need it."
From that day on, he had stopped wielding his baseball bat and took up the sword instead.
— "You, too, have unfinished business with me, don’t you?"
The same Malikian that had fled in disgrace before Jurim was now resting in his hand.
A thrilling mix of rage and competitiveness made his mind buzz. His vision burned, as if his pupils were melting.
Malikian’s mocking laughter echoed like a hallucination.
A low chuckle escaped from Gidan.
"Dani, have you seriously lost it? Should I take you to the hospital?"
Suppressing his laughter, Gidan looked up. A bitter, self-deprecating smile lingered on his ghostly pale face.
"...Hyung, I’m sorry."
"Hey, I’m not here to get an apology out of you."
Jongwon ruffled his hair roughly.
"Guild Master-nim isn’t in the office, right?"
Jurim’s presence was absent from headquarters.
Jongwon hesitated for a moment, then answered bluntly, realizing lying would be pointless.
"He got summoned by the Bureau Director. He’s at the National Management Bureau, but he’ll be back soon."
It was probably to explain and undergo questioning about today’s events.
Even in the unpredictable world of dungeons, the appearance of an S-rank monster like Malikian was far too unusual.
"I can’t forgive myself."
A dungeon was the boss’s domain—a shadowed world shaped by the boss’s will.
And all S-rank monsters were categorized as bosses.
Gidan unleashed his mana.
The reason Malikian wasn’t showing himself was because he feared Jurim.
And that was also why he was only speaking to him.
Malikian was mocking him.
Even now, despite him being an S-rank hunter.
With a flick of his wrist, Gidan effortlessly slipped free of his restraints and stood up.
"If you want your sword back—"
"Then come and get it."