A Desperate Plea
“Save me!”
A voice so desperate it scraped at her throat.
Kim Jun found himself reaching out and grasping her hand without thinking.
A blue light surged from her hand, enveloping his body. It felt like plunging into a mountain stream after breaking through winter ice—his body shuddered. But moments later, an immense heat drove out the chill and began scorching him from the inside.
The extreme cycle of cold and heat.
Kim Jun knew exactly what this familiar agony was.
Bone Transformation.
It was the exact process he'd endured on Yeongun Island. Calmly, he accepted the pain—the biting cold and blistering heat that would break an ordinary mind. He could endure it because he knew its end and had already passed through it once with his body.
As Kim Jun drew in a portion of the Blue Ellipsis's energy, Skyla—who had been slowly sinking from midair toward the ground—grew visibly more at ease.
By the time Go Cheolmin screeched into the Uramata Guildhouse parking lot, Skyla had barely regained consciousness.
“What the hell happened?”
“...I'm sorry.”
Skyla bowed her head deeply.
She hadn't realized three Blue Ellipsises would be this potent.
If Kim Jun hadn't arrived early, if he hadn't taken on some of that energy for her, she never would have seen the brilliant morning sun again.
She'd seen Kim Jun as a talented kid who still needed experience and a guiding hand.
The same went for Yoo Min-jeong, Choi Muhyun, and Yeom Sang-taek.
That view had solidified during the theft investigation and anticipating the disciplinary committee's questions.
They were astonishingly naive about how the world worked, but as Raiders, they surpassed her.
I really let my guard down. No excuses. I was so ignorant of my own condition that I couldn't even predict what Blue Ellipsis would do.
“Talk to me. Out with it.”
Go Cheolmin pressed her.
“Master, maybe we should let her rest first and hear the story later?”
Kim Jun interjected.
“Hoo. Fine.”
Go Cheolmin and Kim Jun carried Skyla to the infirmary in one corner of the guildhouse and laid her on the bed. Exhausted as she was, she was asleep in under thirty seconds.
Go Cheolmin stared in disbelief.
Kim Jun quickly fetched a can of beer.
Go Cheolmin cracked it open and chugged it down, frustration boiling over. With the disciplinary committee mess and the Changwon Dungeon raid weighing on him, he'd been terrified something had gone wrong with one of his guild Raiders.
Stepping out to the parking lot with Go Cheolmin, Kim Jun broached the subject carefully.
“Huh? No Harley.”
His tone was exaggerated, like he'd just noticed.
“...Probably parked it somewhere else.”
Irritation laced his voice.
“The lot's completely empty. No reason to park her prized bike anywhere else.”
“You know something.”
Go Cheolmin's eyes sharpened.
“Didn't see her bracelet either.”
“That silver one? The one she always wears? It was really gone?”
“Yes.”
“Hm. Something's up.”
Go Cheolmin's expression shifted from annoyance and disappointment to concern and worry.
“What was that blue light?”
“You said it was floating in the air? Hard to say for sure—too many possibilities. Looks like she took some kind of enhancer.”
“Enhancer?”
“A drug that boosts your physical state. Speeds recovery, amps up absorption of certain energies or mana types. All sorts out there.”
“Is there an enhancer that injects cold and heat into the body to unlock its potential?”
“Of course. We call those Ellipsis. Damn expensive. Not easy to get. Black market might have 'em if you've got the cash.”
“Taking a massive dose of Ellipsis could trigger something like Bone Transformation, right?”
“Exactly! But you'd need an insane amount. Even a rich bastard like Lee Hwan couldn't handle it easily.”
“Truth is, no sane Raider with that kind of money would do it. Potential unlocked? Sure, maybe—but your body usually can't withstand the Ellipsis power and breaks down. Worst case, you die.”
“I survived.”
“You're the exception. And you had your teacher with you.”
The moment he said it, Go Cheolmin realized what had happened to Skyla.
She'd bought and swallowed Ellipsis.
The bike, the bracelet—they'd gone to the black market to fund that pricey enhancer.
Go Cheolmin glanced at Kim Jun.
Suddenly, he understood why Yoo Min-jeong was jealous of him, always watching him. It was this knack for piecing together the truth from clues.
“Will it work?”
Go Cheolmin asked.
“Yes.”
Kim Jun pictured Skyla's arms—slimmed overnight, sleek and toned.
That reminded him of something he absolutely had to tell Go Cheolmin. He'd forgotten amid the disciplinary committee chaos.
“Master, teach me the second secret of Mokhonbo.”
“After this raid.”
Go Cheolmin shut it down flat.
Even after ten minutes of sprinting in snake formation, Skyla brimmed with energy. She felt like she could ride forever.
Yes! This is it. This is me!
Riding was pure joy. The thrust kicking off the ground, the rush of air whipping her hair—it was exhilarating.
Choi Muhyun flagged first, then Yeom Sang-taek.
Yoo Min-jeong raised a hand, slowing them down. Panting hard, she eyed Skyla's unflagging form.
“You're a whole different person from yesterday. What gives?”
“Secret.”
Whispering to her team leader, Skyla shot Kim Jun a wink. He pretended not to notice, but Yoo Min-jeong caught it.
Choi Min-su checked his watch.
How long since I waited thirty minutes for someone? Never in the last ten years. Breaking records today.
Stretching, he gazed out the window.
Rain was falling.
“It's been a while. Nice rain...”
Guild Management Division staff stole glances at Choi Min-su. They all knew who he was.
The pillar of Cheonhondan, Korea's strongest tanker.
And here he was, waiting thirty minutes to see the division head. Yet the head... was claiming to be too busy.
Not busy at all.
Everyone knew about the power struggle between the Association and guilds.
But treating Choi Min-su like this? The staff thought Lee Wan-yeol was insane.
Of course, none dared say it.
Lee Wan-yeol snatched up his ringing phone.
“He gone?”
―Still waiting, sir.
Section Chief Park Myeong-seop replied.
“Told him you're booked solid today?”
―Said it twice. He insists on waiting.
“You're in charge—send him away. Got it?”
―Sir, I think you really need to see him...
“Can't? Then turn in your resignation!”
Lee Wan-yeol hung up. He nearly hurled the phone but held back.
He knew why Choi Min-su was here.
The awakening test.
Carrier Kim Jun needed to pass it to be recognized as a Raider.
The problem was the Association's stance. Director Jeong Gi-taek had issued a “no” directive. No methods provided—Lee Wan-yeol had to figure it out himself.
“Ugh...”
His bladder was about to burst.
He couldn't hit the bathroom until Choi Min-su left.
“Well, if it isn't you.”
A graying man approached Choi Min-su, hand extended.
“Ah, Director Seo. Long time.”
Choi Min-su smiled at Investigation Director Seo Yunhyeong.
The Association had some decent folks. Seo Yunhyeong was one. It still held sway because of men like him.
“Should've called ahead. Shocked to hear you were here.”
“Sorry.”
“The press conference, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Need help?”
“Nah.”
Choi Min-su wouldn't use a friend.
“Heading out early—drinks?”
“Sure. I'll call.”
As the Investigation Director left, tension in the Guild Management Division peaked. A mere division head snubbing a visitor—and now directors were showing up. A powerhouse like the Investigation Director, no less.
Next came Intelligence Director Choi Ung.
“Hey, Min-su! Dragging your noble ass to this dump? Sun rising in the west tomorrow?”
“How could the little bro stay away when big bro's here?”
Choi Min-su laughed, greeting him warmly.
“Save the sweet talk. Don't care why you're here—drinks later. With Yunhyeong too. You see him?”
“Just left.”
“I'll book a spot. Catch you later.”
“Yes, hyung.”
Investigation Director, then Intelligence Director—both visiting Choi Min-su.
One of them could be Association President in ten years, maybe sooner.
The staff glared resentfully at Lee Wan-yeol's door.
The call came from Dungeon Management Director Jeong Gi-taek.
“Director, I'm holding the line as hard as I can.”
Lee Wan-yeol said.
―What the hell are you doing?
The director barked first thing.
“...Pardon?”
―You've got it all wrong. You think you can disrespect Choi Min-su and get away with it? Know how much trouble you're putting me in? Investigation and Intelligence Directors just left my office. You know how ruthless they are? If I go down, you're taking the fall.
“Director...”
―Meet Choi Min-su now. Grovel if you have to.
“...And the awakening test? Accept it?”
―What nonsense is that? You know the directive. Business is business, personal is personal. Placate him somehow. But no awakening test.
The line went dead.
Lee Wan-yeol let out a hollow laugh.
When that bastard director shat, he had to clean it up. Dirty and petty, but quitting wasn't an option—he'd do anything.
If I were director, I'd never pull this crap.
He resolved it firmly, but knew he was no different. His mess would fall to the anxious section chiefs outside.
Lee Wan-yeol called Section Chief Park.
“Send him in.”
Lee Wan-yeol stood awkwardly.
An invisible force propped him up. Choi Min-su, on the sofa, was emitting inner energy to keep him from kneeling.
“I understand your position fully. Let's not make this embarrassing.”
“Ah, yes.”
Lee Wan-yeol got why so many called Choi Min-su a real man.
The pressure vanished.
Lee Wan-yeol sat opposite him.
“What I say now is my opinion—and the Yeon Family patriarch's. We want the Association to allow Kim Jun's awakening test. We'll accept the results.”
“...Since you understand my side, I'll be frank. That press conference threw the Association into chaos. Big organizations need ironclad standards. Opening awakening to carriers? It'd rock the Association and society. We don't like unpredictable change.”
“Honest.”
Choi Min-su smiled softly.
“I'm just a division head—a mere branch on the Association tree. All I can do is follow orders from above. If it were something negotiable, maybe, but no precedent. The Association has no choice but to refuse.”
“No precedent? Interesting. I just realized why Raiders and the Association clash and resent each other.”
“...Pardon?”