Site Inspection
Hyun Jeong-woo, a 32-year-old man and top A-rank player in the Eterna Guild, was heading home late after wrapping up his daily duties.
"Ahh, guess I'll just scroll on my phone before crashing."
The country had finally stabilized, so his workload should lighten up a bit. He'd still have to keep up patrols for the time being, though. Monsters could pop up out of nowhere, so he couldn't let his guard down.
Weeeeng! Kagagagang!
The construction noise battered his ears. It was the massive expansion of Eterna Guild's headquarters, funded by Sertina's enormous capital.
How the hell is this even possible? Hyun Jeong-woo marveled. They'd bought up every scrap of nearby land and were piling up buildings on a colossal scale. Was this what they meant by biting off more than you could chew? The size was on another level compared to the current Eterna HQ—like building an entire new city.
Come to think of it, rumors said the previous residents had all been handsomely compensated by Sertina and left very satisfied.
Just how loaded do you have to be to pull this off?
And that was just the start. Schools, government offices, commercial districts, key facilities—all rebuilt. Sertina had poured a fortune into restoring the Seongsu-dong area in exchange for the land purchases.
Hyun Jeong-woo stood in quiet admiration before the elevator. "Gotta soak in a steaming hot bath before bed and broil away the day's grime."
He was fiddling with his smartphone when something felt off.
"Hm? Why isn't the elevator coming?"
He glanced up at the floor display: 34th floor. The elevator was stopping at every single floor on its way down. His mood soured instantly.
"Haa... some asshole from the guild must be messing around."
Hyun Jeong-woo gritted his teeth. Pulling this kind of inconsiderate stunt in a shared guild building? Had to be some green kid. He'd give them a stern talking-to when they got here.
Sertina's fair and just. Even if something comes of this, she'll handle it right.
Ding—
The elevator finally arrived, doors sliding open to reveal a petite girl in a hooded sweatshirt.
Figures, a student.
Hyun Jeong-woo let out a heavy sigh and snapped at her in agitation. "Hey, kid. Was that you screwing around with the elevator floors?"
The girl just flinched in surprise, saying nothing.
That confirmed it for him. He laid into her. "This elevator's for everyone—how can you play around like that? I waited 30 minutes! The other ones are all under maintenance—what kind of nuisance is this...?"
But the more he spoke, the weirder it felt.
Huh...?
Blood-red eyes glinting through the hood. A few strands of silver-white hair peeking out like threads. An emotionless face that somehow looked familiar.
"S-Sert... Sertina...?"
Hyun Jeong-woo couldn't believe his eyes.
No way—why is she here?
The identity of the elevator villain was none other than the very Sertina he so revered.
*
An awkward silence stretched on.
The fidgeting Hyun Jeong-woo finally ventured cautiously, "Um... Sertina, what brings you here...?"
"I was trying to set up a soundproof barrier... in case the noise bothered anyone..."
Sertina fidgeted with her fingers, a wry expression on her face.
Hyun Jeong-woo's face drained of color, as if he'd seen a ghost. The world already knew Sertina wielded magic from another realm. A soundproof barrier—obviously to block the construction racket.
"Then why was it stopping at every floor...?"
"Yeah... my soundproofing magic's still clumsy, so it took forever to set one up per floor..."
Sertina's eyelids fluttered as her shoulders slumped. Her complexion suggested she might collapse and pass out any second.
Ahh.
Hyun Jeong-woo's head spun.
What the hell have I just done...?
Sertina was enduring exhaustion to help the guild members. Not just her own building, but going floor by floor in others to install barriers.
And what had he said to her?
—"This elevator's for everyone—how can you play around like that? I waited 30 minutes! The other ones are all under maintenance—what kind of nuisance is this...?"
Nuisance my ass!
Hyun Jeong-woo fought the urge to slap his own cheek as hard as he could.
His own petty fatigue, his plan to just veg out at home on his phone—it all looked so shameful next to her efforts.
"I-I'm sorry! It was a misunderstanding!"
Cold sweat beaded on his brow as he bowed at a perfect 90 degrees.
Sertina's eyes widened in brief surprise, but fatigue soon half-lidded them again.
"Uh, yeah. It's fine."
She patted his shoulder reassuringly. "You were on patrol today, right? Good work. Go home and get some solid rest."
Her hand on his shoulder felt limp, devoid of strength. Even in this moment, she was worrying about her guildmates first. Hyun Jeong-woo was deeply impressed.
"N-No, ma'am! You've done all the heavy lifting. I was just tagging along."
Everyone in Eterna Guild knew Sertina had barely slept for days straight, focusing on monster subjugation.
Hyun Jeong-woo scratched his head and flashed a friendly grin.
That was when Sertina raised her voice slightly.
"No."
Hyun Jeong-woo flinched. Her eyes were half-closed, but her tone was firm and clear.
"It's because of you all that I can keep going. If it was just me, I wouldn't have pushed this far."
Sertina looked dazed, like someone drunk or half-asleep. Hyun Jeong-woo could tell her hazy mind was spilling unguarded truths.
A man in his thirties with long-dried tear ducts, he suddenly felt emotion well up.
Sertina continued, breathing raggedly with evident strain. "Do your best in your roles. That's the fuel that drives me."
She clenched her fist and lightly knocked her forehead a couple times.
Hyun Jeong-woo was speechless, stunned as if hammered in the head.
Sertina shook her head side to side, as if shaking off fatigue, and shuffled past the lobby.
"Well, good night... then."
She covered a yawn with her hand and headed out.
Hyun Jeong-woo stared after her for a long while.
"Gotta cut back on sleep."
Loyalty toward Sertina surged within him.
***
A few days after the minor commotion, I was lounging happily in bed, fiddling with my smartphone.
My legs crossed and bounced merrily.
That was when Yunsia flung the door open.
"Sertina! How long are you gonna roll around in bed? It's already 1 p.m.!"
"Sleepy..."
I stuck out my duck feet defiantly and brazenly pulled the blanket over my head.
A sigh and footsteps approached, then the blanket was yanked away, letting in a chill draft.
"Eek..."
I curled up reflexively.
"Get up. You have a site inspection today."
"Postpone to tomorrow."
"No way!"
"I've been busting my ass for days..."
"That's why you've slept over a week straight!"
A week?! Time had flown that fast already? No wonder my sense of time was off from holing up in bed. Food was easy enough from the market anyway.
Still, I wouldn't back down. Yield here, and I'd lose my precious bed for good!
"I'm not going."
Yunsia sighed, looped an arm around my waist, and hoisted me up effortlessly.
Suddenly elevated, my limbs dangled limply like a floppy cat.
"Hyah."
"Let's get going."
Yunsia strode out with light steps. I gazed longingly at my receding bed.
Damn, if only I weren't so light...
Body weight was an unavoidable physical trait. No choice but to go along with Yunsia this time.
*
No need for flashy clothes for a construction site visit. Black hoodie and white tennis skirt. The weather was warming up, but not full summer swelter yet.
I licked at a strawberry ice cream cone with my tongue.
Ice cream's best when you lick it clean.
Savoring the artificial sweetness flooding my mouth, Yunsia and I wandered the site.
Massive construction everywhere. The gray concrete buildings, unfinished with bare walls and no paint, looked eyesores for now. Someday they'd transform into splendid, majestic structures.
"Oh, over there! Let's head that way."
"Sure."
We approached the tallest, most massive building: the one slated for Eterna's main headquarters.
Workers in hard hats sweated buckets, immersed in their tasks.
Wish I could do something for them...
After some thought, I opened the market and swept up supplies into my inventory.
This too, yeah this. How about this...? Eh, toss it in.
Fully loaded, I approached the workers. Amid the grinding metal noise, snippets of their chatter drifted over.
"I still find Sertina scary. She's a straight-up disaster, a walking catastrophe."
"Hey now, don't start. How many times has she saved our hides?"
"Sure, but massacring ten million people? That's creepy as hell. If she snaps, she could wipe out the whole country."
I halted mid-step.
"Sertina...?"
Yunsia blinked at me in confusion.
Of course. Even if more people trusted me now, not everyone did. Fear born of difference was inevitable.
But... it stung anyway.
Weird. I used to shrug off everyone shunning me...
I bit my lip, standing still.
Then—
Kwajajajang—!
A deafening roar split the cloudless blue sky.
"Wh-What's that noise?!"
"L-Look! Up there!"
The workers jumped up, pointing at the sky.
Jjeojeojeojeok—!
A massive rift began tearing open above the under-construction Eterna headquarters.