Then Die
Just as Im Seung-hun said, his house was incredibly close to the barbershop.
I stopped in my tracks and eyed the place, letting out a short assessment.
"......You live pretty damn well, huh?"
"Eh?"
No matter how cheap the land was in Jangwon-dong, this was still Seoul.
And the house he was unlocking with his key looked like a proper residence no matter the angle.
A two-story detached home, at that.
He unlocked the front gate with familiar ease and walked inside, saying,
"This ain't mine."
"Then whose?"
"Our granny's."
"......"
Wasn't that the same thing?
The question nearly burst out, but I barely managed to swallow it back.
Stepping through the open entrance, I gaped at the cozy, drama-like scene before me.
"That's where Choi Su-ah's sleepin'."
Im Seung-hun pointed to the room right next to the entrance.
Following him inside, I found a bare, empty room with just a single bed in it.
"What was this room used for originally?"
"Where our granny used to sleep."
"And your grandmother?"
"She passed on, what else."
I clamped my mouth shut, wondering if I'd said something wrong, but his reaction seemed fine.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to pry."
"Eh? What you sorry for? Happens to everyone."
Im Seung-hun brushed it off casually.
I bowed my head to apologize once more, then turned to Choi Su-ah.
"Su-ah noona. Wanna lie down on the bed?"
"......Yeah."
She nodded slowly and lay down on the bed.
Confirming she was in position, Omen hopped lightly off Gini and tapped her forehead with a paw.
With just that, Gini nodded, having put Choi Su-ah to sleep.
"All good now. Let's get started right away."
Mana swirled around Gini.
Eyes closed, she spread her arms and murmured softly.
"Omen. If you would."
Smoke - Musangbi (Fog Flight)
Omen ballooned up in an instant.
Now about a meter tall, it spread its arms in sync with Gini.
Dark energy flowed from Omen, seeping into Choi Su-ah.
After minutes of closed-eyed focus, Gini finally opened her eyes.
"Phew...... It worked."
Choi Su-ah was cloaked in darkness, sleeping so deeply no shaking would wake her.
"Next up......"
Gini turned to me quietly.
Meeting her gaze, I blinked blankly.
"Why're you looking at me?"
-Prepare to enter. Good human.
"Huh?"
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
As I blinked in confusion, Omen spoke in a tone that brooked no delay.
-Dreams always lose their way. Good human, you must be the guide.
So, I had to enter the dream again this time?
I let out a long sigh and turned to explain the situation.
There stood Jeong Chan-woo, Seong Yu-mi, and Im Seung-hun, staring blankly at me and Gini.
"......What the hell just happened?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Th-that was spirit arts? For real?"
Gini flinched under their stares and hid behind me.
I nodded in her stead.
"Obviously spirit arts......?"
"Never heard of spirit arts like that."
"'Cause spiritists are rare as hell—"
"No."
Jeong Chan-woo cut me off firmly, eyeing Gini and Omen seriously.
"There are six types of spirits in this world. Fire, water, wind, earth, light, lightning. None make you sleep."
"......?"
Gini and I both floated question marks over our heads.
Something felt off.
Spirits numbered seven, and there should be darkness spirits too......?
Jeong Chan-woo responded firmly to my mutter.
"No such thing as darkness spirits."
"No way. Omen's right here."
"That means it's a newly observed spirit type, or a special variant."
I stared into Jeong Chan-woo's eyes.
No trace of lies.
He truly believed he was speaking the truth.
Which meant.
"......Master. Could it be there were no darkness spirits on Earth?"
"Looks like it."
Apparently, Earth really had no darkness spirits.
That was new.
-No darkness spirits? I'd love to call bullshit, but different worlds, hard to say for sure.
Omen seemed intrigued by the fact too.
Anyway, I explained to the three that I'd be entering the dream.
They didn't get it at first, but as the explanation went on, realization dawned, leaving them shocked.
"What the......"
Seong Yu-mi stared at Omen and Gini like they were some unfathomable mystery.
Gini flinched at her gaze; Omen puffed out its chest prouder.
"A darkness spirit. One I really wanna study."
She murmured, then nodded to show she understood.
"Sleep easy, Black Dragon. We'll keep watch, no issues."
"Thanks."
I bowed to Seong Yu-mi and the hunters, then looked at Gini.
Her face pale from exertion, she still raised a fist like it was no big deal.
"I'm counting on you, Gini."
"L-leave it to me!"
"And these folks here are all good people, so no need to be so scared."
"......I'll try."
I let out a small chuckle and lay down on the floor under the bed, using my back as a pillow.
Omen climbed onto my stomach, waddled up to my chest, and stretched out a leg.
-Connecting.
Tap.
Its paw touched my forehead lightly.
In that instant, my vision went black.
"......Where's this?"
I opened my eyes in an unfamiliar space.
Seong Yu-mi and Jeong Chan-woo gazed at the instantly asleep Han Mir with wonder.
Could a person really fall asleep that fast?
No.
Practically impossible.
Yet he had.
Just from that bat touching him.
Seong Yu-mi shifted her gaze from Omen to its master, Gini.
The girl, barely reaching her shoulder, smiled brightly and thanked the darkness spirit for its hard work.
She looked so young—where had this powerhouse come from?
No, that wasn't it.
'Where the hell did Black Dragon pick up summons like this?'
That Elpinire was insanely strong too.
And this Gini clearly packed similar punch.
The more she thought, the more amazing it got.
"Your name's Gini, right?"
"......!"
Seong Yu-mi smiled awkwardly at the girl who flinched and tried to hide.
She hadn't done anything threatening, but the wariness was intense.
"Nothing big, just curious about spirits."
"......About spirits?"
Spirit.
At the word, ripples spread through the girl's guarded eyes.
That was it.
Seong Yu-mi plopped down on the floor with a grin and opened up.
"Yeah. No darkness spirits on Earth, and spiritists as skilled as you are super rare."
"......If it's what I know, I'll tell you."
"Thanks?"
A bit distant, but Gini sat too and started talking.
A chat about spirits unfolding in the small room.
"......"
Jeong Chan-woo, listening close by, muttered in disbelief.
"......You trying to hide it or what?"
Earth, his master and all.
From that Elpinire earlier to now.
Impossible not to know.
How long was he supposed to play dumb?
With a long sigh, Jeong Chan-woo turned to the kitchen.
There gleamed Im Seung-hun's bald head as he mixed mi nut powder for the guests.
Shifting from the humming, cheerful man, he glanced at the darkening window and murmured.
"......Still, good call leaving the Association."
He chuckled softly and closed his tired eyes gently.
Where the hell was this?
I scanned the surroundings in confusion.
A dark space with only dripping water sounds.
Strong fishy stench at the nose.
'Omen said it worked.'
Omen wasn't one to mess up something like this.
If it said success, it was success.
So why wake up here?
I didn't know details, but Choi Su-ah was probably somewhere in this space.
Ankle-deep water sloshed as I pushed forward.
No light, but Black Dragon eyes pierced the dark easily.
'What kinda place is this?'
Splashing ahead, I looked around.
Looked like an underground tunnel.
What the hell was this place?
As I scanned and advanced, wind blew from ahead.
Stuffy, not refreshing.
Mixed with metallic blood tang.
Blowing straight at me.
Face hardening, I tensed my legs.
Smoke - Musangbi (Fog Flight)
Boom!
Water sprayed everywhere as my body shot forward.
I leaped clear of the narrow passage in a flash.
Landing in a wide cavern, ankle water gone.
I stared ahead, face grim.
"......What the fuck."
A prison.
The cavern held cells crammed with iron bars.
Along the round walls, countless people hung limp inside.
And in the center.
Of the auditorium-sized space.
"An altar."
A stone altar of unknown purpose.
What the hell was this place?
I scanned the altar and cells in bewilderment.
Then, in a distant cell, a familiar face.
"......!"
Spotting the slumped Choi Su-ah, I rushed over and yanked the bars.
Or tried to.
"What the hell."
If they weren't insanely tough.
Even shrouded in mist, they only bent.
Activating full Black Dragon, I slashed with sharp claws.
Finally, diagonal cuts shattered the bars.
"Sister-in-law! Su-ah noona!"
I dashed inside the collapsed cell and shook her gently.
Called desperately, but closed-eyed Choi Su-ah didn't stir.
Just faint, shallow breaths.
"......"
Biting my lip hard, I looked around.
The long-haired man behind her.
The balding uncle beside.
All like her, barely breathing in sleep.
What the fuck was this place?
Eyes trembling, I turned at the sound of slicing water nearby.
"Which test subject today...... What."
Drip.
The long black-haired man froze upon spotting me.
I laid Choi Su-ah down carefully and stepped out, asking,
"You?"
"Huh?"
"You the one who kidnapped these people?"
"Oh, that? Yeah, me."
He grinned back.
Hands in pockets, slouching, I nodded.
"Got it."
"Anyway, you. Where'd you come from?"
"You're the bastard who took my sister-in-law."
"Hey. You deaf?"
Clack—
Clear footsteps echoed hollowly.
One leap, and I was before him.
Peering past his bangs at swollen purple eyes, I grinned.
"Then die."
Boom—!