Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Two hours passed.
To put it simply, nothing happened.
As long as they didn’t touch the artworks inside GT-257, no issues arose at all.
At one point, it got so quiet that Aren even tried touching a small piece.
Clench.
“…I’m awake.”
“Ugh, my fingers hurt. Why are you so unnecessarily sturdy?”
Ran pinched Aren’s side to snap him out of it.
Eric and Rua fell into deep contemplation.
Should they really be recording scenes like that?
Their actual mission was to observe whether any additional mental attacks occurred inside the gate.
But what they had witnessed instead was—
“—How about tteokbokki for lunch?”
“Huh? Are you a kid?”
“I’m suggesting it because you like it, Team Leader.”
“Come on, even then, we’re all eating together. Tteokbokki’s not it. Let’s just have it later, the two of us.”
Watching Ran and Aren bicker over lunch menus.
“Yaaawn… This is boring. How much time has passed?”
“Twenty minutes.”
“Ugh. It feels like two hours already.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve had peace. Try to enjoy it.”
“…I guess that’s true.”
Watching Aren calm Ran down as she clung to him in boredom.
“Aren. What are you doing after work today?”
“Training.”
“Want me to spar with you?”
“…I’m an E-rank hunter right now. If I fight you, it won’t be training.”
“Oh? Sounds like you’re scared.”
“Then no aura. Pure physical strength.”
“Wow, that’s so cheap.”
Watching Ran provoke Aren, and Aren taking the bait perfectly.
In the end, all they really did was observe Ran and Aren.
No matter how beautiful the artwork in the gallery was, it couldn’t compete with the far more interesting spectacle right in front of them.
How could the chairman’s daughter and an ordinary agent be this close?
Why did they seem to understand each other so well?
The layers of curiosity kept piling up, leaving no room for boredom.
And just like that, two hours passed.
“Yaaawn… Good work, everyone. You recorded the internal environment, right? And you confirmed that nothing happens as long as you don’t touch anything?”
“Yes, confirmed.”
Eric nodded, relieved that this incomprehensible situation was finally over.
“Y-Yes! I recorded everything…!”
For some reason, Rua answered with a flushed face.
The others glanced at her briefly but didn’t dwell on it as they exited the gate.
Whoooosh—
Their vision warped, and the dull underground containment facility came back into view.
“11:34 AM, return confirmed. We will now conduct mental evaluations for Agent Eric and Agent Rua.”
The research team rushed forward and checked their mental states.
Aren and Ran were excluded, as their mental metrics were already recorded as abnormal.
“Stable. Good work, everyone.”
The researchers, interested only in the results, finished their checks and left.
Ran turned to her team with a bright smile.
“Eric and Rua, you’ve got the records, right? Please organize and submit them later. But before that—shall we grab lunch?”
Their next assignment at GT-078 “Grand Garden” was at 1 PM.
They had time for a meal.
“Does anyone have something they want to eat?”
Ran’s eyes sparkled.
Despite being the chairman’s daughter, she looked like someone who hadn’t had a proper meal in over a year.
Rua carefully raised her hand.
“Um… how about pork cutlet?”
She had been paying close attention to Ran and Aren earlier.
Ran wanted something filling, but Aren didn’t seem keen on gukbap.
So she chose pork cutlet, thinking it would appeal to everyone.
“Ah, that’s…”
“That might not work. Aren doesn’t eat pork.”
Ran and Eric’s expressions stiffened at the same time.
Rua flinched.
Not because Ran hesitated—but because Eric shut it down so bluntly.
“O-Oh! I’m sorry! Is it because of religion…?”
Thinking she had made a mistake, Rua apologized immediately.
Aren shook his head casually.
“No, nothing like that. When I was young, my parents were eaten by a pig-type beast. So I just avoid pork.”
He said it like it was nothing.
But it wasn’t nothing.
“Ah… um…”
Rua’s face turned pale.
She hadn’t just made a mistake—she had crossed a line.
“I’m so sorry! I’m really sorry!”
She bowed repeatedly, sweating nervously.
Aren waved his hand.
“You didn’t know. It’s fine. If anything, I’m the one who should apologize. I can just sit this one out, so you all can go eat—”
“N-No! If we’re a team, we eat together!”
Rua frantically stopped him.
No decent person could go eat pork cutlet after hearing that.
And even if Aren had more experience, he was still younger than her.
There was no way she could ignore something like that.
“…Alright. Then we’ll eat together.”
Aren reassured her as she teared up.
He had meant it when he said he could sit out.
There was no reason for everyone else to avoid pork because of him.
Before regression, he often ate separately anyway.
But seeing her react like she had committed a grave sin caught him off guard.
“Whew… then how about naengmyeon? Or… since Team Leader wants something filling… maybe kalguksu?”
“Oh, kalguksu sounds good. What do you all think?”
The awkward atmosphere was smoothed over by Ran.
Neither Aren nor Eric objected.
That day, Gate Management Team 3 chose kalguksu for lunch.
After a hearty meal, they prepared to enter the F-rank spatial gate, GT-078 “Grand Garden.”
“The seed responsible for the tree that spawns monsters, as reported earlier by Agent Aren, has been removed.”
A researcher briefed them again.
“However, due to potential unknown risks, and considering Agent Aren’s high level of understanding of this gate, Team 3 has been assigned.”
In simple terms, since Aren discovered the seed, they wanted him to go back in and double-check for any dangers.
No one looked nervous.
Ran and Aren had survived far worse in their previous lives.
Eric and Rua trusted Ran, a C-rank hunter.
“If you identify any mana stone collection sites, there will be bonus compensation. Any questions?”
No one had any.
“None. Can we enter immediately?”
“Yes. Return once sufficient verification is complete.”
Aren stepped forward.
“1:03 PM. Gate Management Team 3 entering GT-078, Grand Garden!”
Ran followed, announcing the mission.
Whoooosh—
The scenery shifted.
Dense trees and lush greenery surrounded them.
It was exactly the same place where the mana devourer had appeared before.
Ran walked beside Aren and reassured the team.
“Don’t worry, everyone! If the research team did their job properly, nothing should pop out this time.”
Which also implied that something could appear if they hadn’t.
“There’s still a chance other monsters might show up, but since I’m here, you don’t have to worry—”
Before she could finish—
Whiiish!
A vine lashed out like a whip toward Ran.
Slice.
Before it could touch her, Aren cut it cleanly.
The severed vine dropped onto her shoulder.
“Worry about yourself before reassuring others.”
Ran just smiled.
“Hey, I was going to react too.”
There wasn’t a hint of bluff in her voice.
“I just stayed still because I trust you.”
In truth, her dual blades had already begun to move.
She simply stopped because she trusted Aren.
“Anyway, Aren’s strong too, so don’t worry!”
Ran threw an arm over his shoulder proudly.
It wasn’t very effective.
“Eek…! A-another monster…!”
Rua panicked at the sight of new creatures.
“…!”
Eric, however, was fixated on something else.
Aren’s sword.
Despite being the same E-rank, with no abilities, Aren’s technique was on a completely different level.
‘…How did he suddenly become this strong?’
The monster didn’t matter.
“Let’s keep moving, Team Leader.”
He urged them forward.
If more monsters appeared, he could observe Aren again.
“Hm? Sure! Let’s head to where the mana devourer tree was!”
“You don’t know where that is.”
“That’s why you’re leading! Let’s go!”
Ran laughed, patting Aren’s back.
Aren shot her a glance before moving ahead.
Eric followed.
More precisely, he followed Aren’s sword.
His sharp gaze burned with suspicion.
‘He completely changed after that incident.’
He had brushed it off before.
But now it didn’t add up.
How could an ordinary E-rank handle a crisis so flawlessly?
Slice—
“Ugh, why are these vines sticky? It’s in my hair.”
“That’s why you should dodge.”
Even now, Aren cut down incoming vines effortlessly.
“Eric…?”
“What.”
“Are you okay? You don’t look so good…”
Only then did Eric press his face and smooth his expression.
He returned to his usual cold demeanor.
But once ignited, emotions didn’t fade easily.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
“O-Okay…!”
Rua followed behind him.
But she noticed it clearly.
The way Eric looked at the back of Aren’s head.
That gaze carried suspicion, jealousy, curiosity…
And just a trace of admiration.