#4 See You Again
Morning always started with a cup of coffee. They say you lose your ability to sleep in as you age, and it was true. Lately, Kang-ho rarely slept long. When the sun set, he hit the hay out of habit, and he was up before dawn.
Leaning against the window frame with the shutters open, sipping his coffee, Kang-ho spotted a white blur charging through the darkness from afar. It was a massive Furball, sprinting silently without a single footprint in the snow. An A-rank disaster-grade Shabel Tiger, but in front of Kang-ho, it was all playful puppy vibes, sweet as could be.
Hek hek hek hek!
Furball skidded to a stop in front of the window sill and flattened itself to the ground. Kang-ho's gaze met the beast's ruby eyes perfectly.
"Up early, huh?"
Krreung krreung!
"Yeah, yeah, good boy."
Kang-ho stroked its head, and Furball purred happily, rumbling deep in its throat. He took another sip of coffee and stepped out the door. Furball's massive eyes followed him, tongue lolling out, those marble-sized pupils rolling around in a way that was oddly adorable. Its enormous back twitched with excitement.
Shabel Tigers loved winter. They went nuts for snow-covered ground, and the fiercer the icy winds, the more hyped they got.
"Happy about the snow?"
Krreung!
"You rascal."
As Kang-ho stepped beyond the fence, Furball sauntered out casually and positioned itself in front of him. With practiced ease, Kang-ho hopped onto the house-sized beast's back. Furball trotted lightly across the snow-blanketed world.
Winter had arrived, and Cheorwon would be buried in snow for months. Few creatures could adapt to this brutal cold. Only the monsters were thrilled.
Monsters. Or magic beasts, as they were sometimes called. Mysterious creatures. After Daybreak, they'd overrun Earth. Half a century later, they still popped up worldwide, spawning dungeons.
Dungeons were worlds unto themselves, utterly unlike Earth, hinting at other realms. Rarely, intelligent otherworlders emerged from them, leading to classifications for monsters, races, and ranks.
One of Kang-ho's old comrades had been such an otherworlder.
Anyway, aside from those exceptions, monsters dominated. Tireless, they poured through dimensional rifts from countless worlds.
'Common monsters across multiple dimensions.' A hot topic in academia forever.
Krreung krreung krreung!
Furball wagged its long, fluffy tail side to side like a broom, sweeping the snow clean behind them. Kang-ho patted its back.
Monsters were inherently feral. More precisely, they lived by the law of the jungle. Some had high intelligence, others low. Their world mirrored the animal kingdom.
To monsters, humans were prey. Devouring the weak was logical to them. Conflict never ended.
But taming made all the difference.
Riding Furball, Kang-ho scanned the landscape. Questions lingered.
Who unleashed the monsters on Earth? Why did Daybreak happen? And...
'Why don't I age?'
His old comrades aged. Year by year, they became relics of the past. Time marched on, but Kang-ho remained unchanged. He'd sought answers, but to no avail.
'New monster species are emerging...'
Exactly 50 years since Daybreak ended. An inexplicable unease gnawed at him.
Thump-thump-thump.
His heart pounded ominously.
Krrreung krreung!
Furball bounded across Cheorwon's snowy plains, hopping like it was dancing, leaping into the air to scare off nearby monsters for fun. It ruled this area as the apex predator; lesser beasts fled at the sight of it.
"......"
Kang-ho scanned around, his eyes locking on a low hill.
Pat pat!
He tapped Furball's back and pointed. The tiger shot forward, stopping at the base of the hill amid snow-laden conifers that looked like Christmas trees.
Hek hek hek. Furball panted, tongue out, flattening itself.
'Nice environment.'
Kang-ho dismounted and scouted the hill slowly. True wilderness. Since Daybreak 49 years ago, human presence had vanished, letting a monster ecosystem thrive. Exotic plants unknown to old Earth dotted the land.
First, the spiral-shaped fruits hanging from a tree ahead: Ability Fruits. They boosted monster attack power—a common variety everywhere.
The tree was old, thick trunk with many branches.
"Let's see who moved in this winter."
Some monsters nested under these trees. Kang-ho brushed snow from the roots and pressed his palm to the earth.
Thump-thump-thump-thump.
Faint heartbeats, laced with monster mana. He stroked the ground gently.
"I won't hurt you. Come on out."
The earth trembled, and a small creature poked its head out like a mole. It resembled a golden hamster, but with marble-sized eyes and brown fur.
"A Gallerg. Lucky this year."
Gallergs were natural workers, rare monsters whose droppings made excellent fertilizer. They lived under Ability Fruit trees, sometimes yielding exceptional fruits.
Kang-ho extended his hand calmly.
Sniff sniff sniff.
The Gallerg sniffed him, eyes widening round.
Sniff sniff sniff sniff!
In that instant, it sensed an overwhelming apex predator—vastly powerful, once-in-a-lifetime strong. Yet utterly benign. Overwhelmed, it flattened in submission.
Then, Kang-ho's Beast Master ability activated one of its unique skills.
His unique ability, Beast Eye. It revealed monster stats.
'Potential's F, huh.' But Gallergs weren't valued for potential. To Kang-ho, they were absolute predators now.
He nodded once. The Gallerg refused to disappoint its apex lord. It called its family from the burrow.
Chit! Chit chit chit!
'About ten, roughly.'
Kang-ho nodded as the group crawled out, plump and wriggling.
'Rare ones, and lucky this year.'
CC rarity was a step above C—hard to find.
The largest was forearm-sized; the smallest fit in his palm. They stood on hind legs, upper bodies upright—adorable. But Kang-ho knew how vicious they were to ordinary humans. Without Beast Master, they'd never be this friendly.
He glanced back at the waddling Gallergs and scoured the hill. No other needed monsters—just these.
Krrreung!
Furball bared its fangs at them. The Gallergs squeaked and hid behind Kang-ho. Furball chuckled krreung krreung, startling them again.
Kang-ho mounted up, beckoning the Gallergs. They hesitated, then climbed aboard.
"Furball, with Gallergs showing up, looks like good fortune this year."
Krreung! Krreung!
Furball bounced happily and resumed walking.
Kang-ho tilted his head at the snowy expanse.
49 years ago, this was Corporal Choi Kang-ho's post. Even on Daybreak, he'd been on night sentry duty. Society buzzed with New Year's cheer, but frontline Cheorwon knew none of it. A late enlistee, he'd just adapted.
That freezing, drowsy night battling cold and sleep. Gates opening—it felt like a dream, straight out of an SF flick. As monsters poured out, he'd gripped his K2 rifle, teeth chattering.
That's when he met Seolhwa.
-Kiiing...
A tiny fox kit.
-Kiiing...
Even in the chaos, chased by monsters, it caught his eye. Small, white, fragile, heartbreakingly pitiful.
Snow fell that day too. Instinctively, Kang-ho bolted, scooped Seolhwa into his arms, and fled.
Yeah. He ran—
Whoooosh!
The blizzard intensified. Furball trotted unfazed through the cold.
Chit chit chit chit!
The Gallergs huddled on its back, heads pressed together.
Whoooosh!
A world engulfed in whiteout. Kang-ho stopped, smiled at Furball's big eyes turning to him.
"Wait here a bit."
Krreung!
Furball's eyes followed eagerly.
Visibility near zero in the gale. But Kang-ho strode confidently into the heart.
A jagged rock loomed, barely visible, snowflake about to vanish. Atop it sat a pristine sapphire egg.
Kang-ho approached and gazed.
'30 years after the Great War.'
He waited. Here, for Seolhwa's egg, perhaps to hatch again.
Whoooosh.
The egg endured, absorbing snow and wind, pulsing faint blue light.
'Bigger than last time?'
Yes—the surface lighter, slightly swollen since last month.
Kang-ho plopped down before it.
"Hwa-ya."
He murmured like chatting with her, rambling on.
"A new officer stopped by today. Time flies."
Snow fell harder, winds fiercer. Sun dipping low.
"The world's changing. Maybe I'm the relic now."
He prattled. No reply needed.
"So many questions linger. I still don't get it. If I see you again, will they clear up? Some vague hunch—instinct? Fate? Dunno."
He smiled softly.
"Got a weird feeling, Hwa-ya. New monsters appearing. Gates increasing—trouble brewing, I think."
Just idle chatter, even trivial bits like monologues.
He scratched his head.
"Talked too much. Guess aging just brings this."
He sat, staring into endless white.
Long after sunset, darkness thick, he rose.
"See you again."
......
Furball passed the cabin. Behind, dense thickets hid a flickering small gate.
A dungeon gate—path to another world.
Furball stepped in casually.
Whoosh!
Its massive form twisted like a vortex, sucked inside.
Chit chit chit squeak!
The huddled Gallergs—and Kang-ho—followed suit.