Chapter 1―14. The Shadow Leaves Its Shade (1)

Lee Jun watched the shadow gradually hardening.

And the warmth that had been holding him mere moments ago now clung to him uncomfortably.

"……"

He couldn't say why, exactly, but the fact remained: he had won because this thing had taken an interest in him. Whether that was a coincidence, or the result of some other reason entirely… there was no way to know now.

"Whew…"

Perhaps it was because the thing had lost consciousness. The shadow that had wrapped the surroundings in black began to slowly melt away.

Ttinggeurang―

The shadow, too, spent its last of strength and became nothing more than a simple jewel, clattering to the floor. You could have passed it off as an artifact and gotten away with it.

Lee Jun slipped it into his Pocket and locked it down completely — so that no one but himself could ever open it.

And one more thing.

His hand and the tonfa, both lying on the ground. The tonfa went into the Pocket; the severed right hand he placed in a preservation device.

"…Tch."

Reattaching that is going to cost me.

Shuuuuk―

At last, the shadow that had enveloped the walls vanished entirely. And through the falling rivulets of black, there stood Seo Yoon — battered, as expected, but looking better off than he was. She had wounds here and there, but nothing seemed deeply cut.

"Seo Yoon-ssi."

"CEO-nim? What… what on earth happened here?"

Confused by the shadows vanishing before her eyes, she glanced around for a moment. Then she looked at his wrist and went visibly pale. This wasn't the usual 'mildly startled, for Seo Yoon' reaction — she looked genuinely shocked.

"CEO…-nim…?"

Lee Jun found her reaction refreshingly new. But he was in no condition to make ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anything of it right now. Wedging the preservation device holding his hand against his side, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he called to her.

"Just… come here for a second."

"Yes, yes…!"

Seo Yoon, flustered more than she'd ever been, rushed to his side at once. The moment he confirmed she was close enough, he collapsed.

Tteoseok―

"C-CEO-nim! Are you all right?!"

"Just… get me outside…"

"Just—just close your eyes for a moment, I'll have you out in no time…!"

"If Seolwon asks… no comment. Until I wake up…"

"…Understood. To make sure nothing works against us, I will keep my mouth firmly shut."

Pisik―

"You don't… have to go that far…"

Lee Jun let out a laugh at the sight of a Seo Yoon he'd never seen before — and then lost consciousness.

Jjaek-jjaek―

Birdsong. At the peaceful sound drifting in past his ears, Lee Jun slowly opened his eyes.

"Ugh…"

"CEO-nim!"

The moment he tried to raise himself, Seo Yoon, who had been at his side, moved to support him.

"Where… am I?"

"A hospital in Seoul."

"The gate? What happened to it?"

"The gate… has been handled. The boss was subdued without incident, and there are no casualties at all."

Then, after a brief pause, she added:

"…If you exclude yourself, CEO-nim."

"Whew… I see. That's what matters."

Lee Jun let out a breath of relief and sank back onto the bed. And then, from over there, a gruff voice chimed in.

"Hey, punk. Are we invisible to you or something?"

Kang Tae-san. And Go Seok-gu. The two hulking figures filled one corner of the hospital room to bursting.

"Of course not. I couldn't possibly miss two men built like that."

"Judging by how you're talking, you didn't get hurt much either."

"Indeed not."

That's right — Kang Tae-san's older than Go Seok-gu, isn't he? Funny how their hairlines are the other way around.

"You're thinking something pointless again, aren't you?"

"No. It's just interesting, seeing you use polite speech."

"How about instead of just using polite words, you show me some respect in your heart?"

"Yeah. You're not Vice-Chairman anymore, so quit mouthing off to the Chairman."

"…I've always thought this, but you two get along remarkably well."

"Not as well as you two."

"Wow, I genuinely wish you'd both just leave."

Anyway…

Yeah, Kang Tae-san I can understand. Something happened in his guild's gate, so he has his reasons. Sure, guildmasters don't usually make bedside visits like this… but they're acquainted, so fine.

But why is Go Seok-gu here?

"Honestly, Chairman, you shouldn't be here. Have you forgotten we're putting on an act?"

"You think snubbing me in a situation like this won't get people talking? They'll say you have no sense of courtesy to your elders."

"Hmm. How long have you been here?"

"Twenty minutes."

"Then you can leave in ten."

"Ha… you really are insufferable. You wake up and the first thing out of your mouth is PR management?"

"If you're going to do it, please use the word thorough. It sounds much classier."

Lee Jun had always been like this. Every action shown to the press was calculated, and it had become second nature to him. Even now, he could manufacture a desired image as naturally as breathing.

"…Anyway. You've been through hell."

"Compared to two years ago, this is nothing. Look — the hand's back on, isn't it?"

Lee Jun raised his right hand as he said it.

Raised it…

Huh?

"What the—"

Where his hand should have been… there was nothing. Only a bandaged stump met his eyes. He tried to spread his fingers, but the sensation lingering in his head was just that — a phantom memory. Nothing actually moved.

"…What is this? Why couldn't they reattach it?"

At Lee Jun's flustered question, Kang Tae-san answered with an awkward grimace.

"Well… they said it won't take."

"It won't take?"

"That's right. Something unidentifiable is interfering with the regeneration. Healing, anything else — apparently none of it works."

"They said conventional surgery won't work either?"

Deuk-deuk―

Kang Tae-san nodded gravely.

"……"

"Th… don't take it too hard, son. These days there's mana-engineering too — plenty of good prosthetics out there. So, uh… anyway. Chin up."

"That's right. A prosthetic might be awkward at first, but you always did have a knack for this sort of thing… you'll adapt in no time. Just say the word if you need anything."

It's hard not to laugh, watching these muscle-bound old men fuss like this.

But that's the funny part. My situation? Not funny at all.

'…Something is interfering with regeneration?'

Lee Jun turned the problem over in his head. It was almost certainly the shadow. The thing should be sleeping soundly inside his Pocket right now. And yet its power remained active outside its vessel?

'Should I wake it up and tell it to reel it back in?'

But if I ask it to, would it actually comply? I'd be lucky if it didn't just go 'very well' and lop my head off instead. I'll have to wake it eventually… but that's easier said than done.

"Haah…"

A sigh escaped him despite himself. He knew the solution; it just wasn't an easy one. The two old men, apparently reading the sigh as something else entirely, began floundering in a most uncharacteristic way.

"Hey, don't you worry! I'll tell Armea to sort out a prosthetic for you no matter what it takes."

"And Taesan's side will support you too. It happened within Taesan's jurisdiction, after all — no one will dare say a word about it."

"Ah, both of you, enough. It'll be reattached in no time."

"Reattached how, you brat? They just said it won't take."

"…Were you trying to comfort me, or pick a fight?"

"Neither. You seemed like you weren't accepting reality, so…"

"…Pfft."

Lee Jun failed to hold back a laugh. Burly old men acting like this — it was funny in its own way too. Who knew they had hearts so much softer than their appearance suggested.

And yet the two of them still looked stricken right up until the moment they stepped out of the room. Because Lee Jun was so composed, it only worried them more.

He's right, though — laughing in a situation like this isn't exactly normal.

'But what am I supposed to do, if not laugh?'

In truth, whether it was the Director of the Technology Bureau or Freya, they'd all be falling over themselves to fit him with a prosthetic. It was a prime data-gathering opportunity — of course they would. And with a prosthetic arm, his combat capability would climb even higher than before.

Besides, he'd gotten the Hidden Piece from this gate. With it in hand, he could push for a favorable ruling in the bet with Seolwon.

'For now, though… huh?'

Midway through the thought, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lee Jun noticed something. Even after the two men had left, one more person remained in the room.

"Seo Yoon-ssi?"

"…Yes."

She was standing quietly beside the bed, looking at him. Her gaze was fixed on his right arm. Apparently, it kept weighing on her mind.

"It'll be reattached soon enough."

"But… the attending physician said it would be difficult."

"I'm telling you it's fine. I know what happened in there — the doctor doesn't. It can be reattached."

Well… you could argue the prosthetic counts as reattaching it, for now. It's not a lie.

"And it won't interfere with your growth, so don't worry about that."

"…That is not why I—"

"I know. Still, I wanted to say it. The management company isn't going anywhere, and I'm not losing the bet I made with Seolwon either. Your training — I can supervise it the moment you're out of the hospital."

"……"

"Also, the Hidden Piece was originally meant for you, Seo Yoon-ssi, but I'm afraid that's off the table for now. It's in a state I'd rather not hand over to anyone just yet."

Seo Yoon nodded silently. Behind her glasses, her eyes looked — just slightly — sad.

What's this? Why?

"…Seo Yoon-ssi. While you were inside the shadow — did you see anything?"

"I'm sorry? I was occupied with the puppets pouring out endlessly, but… beyond that, everything was pitch black. I couldn't see much of anything."

"Hmm. So that part was purely combat-focused, then."

If she'd glimpsed anything about the regression… that would have been awkward. Fortunately, it didn't seem she'd seen anything else.

Most likely she was simply shaken by the sight of Lee Jun so grievously wounded. Her awakening was fairly recent, and her position had never put her in live combat where people died around her. She had probably never seen anyone injured this badly in her life.

"You were badly frightened too, Seo Yoon-ssi. Don't stand around here — go inside and rest."

"…You've been unconscious for over a day now, CEO-nim. I have rested plenty during that time."

"From what I can see, you've been stationed here this whole time. That's not resting. You can only last long in this line of work if you release your fatigue properly, when it's due. Go on in."

This was, for all practical purposes, Seo Yoon's first real battle. She'd been suddenly pitted against an enemy of that caliber — she'd had no choice but to push herself past her limits. And intense combat came hand in hand with mana overload, and with pain. So obviously, she needed rest. Managing affiliated hunters was also part of what a management agency did, and Lee Jun was simply doing his job.

At his urging, Seo Yoon spoke quietly.

"You are… a remarkably strong person, CEO-nim."

"I just don't worry about things I needn't. I've had pieces of me carved off all over the place. And every single time, they went back on just fine."

Granted, the one who'd reattached Lee Jun's limbs all those times had been an S-Class healer — the single finest healer among the Initial Awakeners. There was nothing she couldn't put back on.

"Either way, my hand has fallen off and gone back on plenty of times. I know what I'm talking about."

"If you insist that strongly… then I will go in for today."

"Good. Go get some real rest."

"…I will come again tomorrow."

"Aigoo, it's not like I've got some terminal illness. What's with the fuss? I'm truly fine."

"Even so…"

"I said truly, truly fine. Now go."

"Yes…"

With those words, Lee Jun sent her off — watching as Seo Yoon kept glancing back over her shoulder. And then, at last, he was alone in the hospital room.

"Whew…"

He sighed and closed his eyes.

The problem right now… was not that he was missing a hand. It was the past the shadow had forced him to chew over all over again. The mental strain of that — that was what hurt.

"Goddamn it."

He opened his eyes again. The bandaged wrist came into view.

"This is why… I hate this job."

Enter a gate, and the past resurfaces. Look at hunters, and the painful memories stir. Meet old comrades, and his chest tightens until he can barely breathe.

And yet Lee Jun is a hunter. A hunter… is supposed to shrug off this much and more. If you have the power, you're meant to shield those who have none. Protect people from the threat of gates and dungeons and monsters… protect the country…

―Wake up. You're no hero. What do you take hunters for?

The thing's words surfaced in his mind. And unfortunately, Lee Jun couldn't rebut them. On the subject of hunters, he could have argued. But in the end, when it came to himself, he had no defense.

"…A hero, huh."

He knew all too well that he was nothing of the sort. A half-baked S-Class. To save anything… he was lacking far, far too much.

And yet, even to this half-and-half failure, a chance had come. Regression. That unknown force had brought Lee Jun back to life.

'In this life… can things turn out better?'

In the time that had turned back.

Righting every regret.

Catching everything as it fell apart.

Reining himself in.

And then, like that… could he reach a better ending?

He already knew the answer.

"I have to. One way or another."

That was the one and only thing this life's Lee Jun had to do. And he knew it. Knew it down to the bone.

He looked out the hospital room window. The clouds hung thick, and the moon was nowhere to be seen.

He just…

did.