However, sheer strength alone wasn't going to be enough to defeat this thing. If I wanted to put an end to this fight, I would have to cut it cleanly in half with my blade, but doing so here would risk destroying everything in the surrounding area.
And I couldn't afford to let that happen with Seo Elena nearby.
I wasn't even certain whether the barrier I'd placed around her would be able to withstand the full extent of my power. What if the force of my attack exceeded the amount of damage it could absorb? If the barrier shattered in the middle of the fight, she would be caught in the crossfire before I could do anything to protect her.
It was times like these that made me regret never having gained complete control over my own abilities. Having overwhelming power was one thing, but being unable to use it without worrying about the destruction it might cause was an entirely different problem.
I clicked my tongue in frustration and forced myself to consider another approach.
There was one possibility, although I had no idea whether it would work. Given the circumstances, however, it was the only option I had left.
My gaze shifted toward the floating symbols that surrounded me, including several that I had barely paid attention to until now. I focused on each one in turn, studying their strange patterns until they gradually became clearer, as though they had been waiting for me to acknowledge their existence.
Taking a deep breath, I reached out with my willpower and attempted to seize control of them.
The moment I did, an indescribable sensation washed over me.
It felt as though something fundamental had shifted, as if the world itself had suddenly become an extension of my will. For a brief moment, I had the bizarre impression that everything beneath the sky belonged to me, that the very laws governing my surroundings were no longer beyond my reach.
And then, before I could fully process what had happened, the world around me began to change.
The cave disappeared, replaced by a vast arena with a solid concrete platform stretching beneath our feet. Above us, the sky had transformed into something resembling an endless cosmos, with countless points of light scattered across its dark expanse, while towering walls rose around the battlefield and sealed off the surrounding space.
Seo Elena was no longer within my sight, hidden somewhere beyond those enormous walls, but I could still sense her presence on the other side.
Good.
As long as I could still feel her, I knew she was there. More importantly, I could finally fight without worrying about my attacks reaching her.
I summoned a sword from my inventory and tightened my grip around its hilt before turning toward the boss. The shadowy figure remained motionless, its masked face directed at me as though it had yet to comprehend what I had done to our surroundings.
Too bad for it.
I had already wasted enough time.
Lunging forward, I unleashed the fifth form of my ability, channeling my power through the blade as I closed the distance between us.
"Go to hell," I muttered.
Petals scattered through the air.
For an instant, they drifted between us like fragments of a fleeting dream, their delicate movements belying the deadly force hidden within the attack. Then my blade passed through the boss, and its body split cleanly in half before it had a chance to react.
I landed behind it and slowly lowered my sword, watching as the two halves of its body began to separate.
Curiously, not a single drop of blood spilled from the wound. Instead, the shadowy figure began to disintegrate, its body breaking apart into wisps of darkness that gradually faded into thin air.
I watched until the last fragment disappeared, finally allowing myself to relax as the tension drained from my shoulders.
The arena vanished soon afterward, and the familiar cave returned around me as though nothing had happened.
I let out a long, weary sigh.
Finally, it was over.
"Jinhyuk-ssi!" Seo Elena rushed toward me, her face filled with worry. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine." I took off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
"What is this for? I'm not the one who's hurt. Keep it on, it's cold."
She tried to take it off, but I stopped her, making sure she kept it on.
Did she seriously not remember that she'd nearly died just moments ago? If it weren't for the ultimate healing potion I'd kept for emergencies, I would have lost her again.
...Again?
My head started throbbing, but I ignored it.
"Once we get out of this dungeon, there'll be reporters everywhere. If you don't want to get mixed up in a scandal, you'd better hide your face."
"A scandal?" She looked at me as though I'd said something ridiculous.
"You come out of an S-rank dungeon wearing the world's strongest hunter's jacket. What else do you think people are going to make of that?"
"Ah. Then should I just take off your jacket?"
I clicked my tongue and pulled the hood over her head before she could say anything else.
"Just keep it on."
"Ah! Wait, I can't see!"
Ignoring her protests, I turned and started walking toward the dungeon's exit. I could hear her hurried footsteps following close behind me.
Truthfully, I didn't care much about what the reporters would say. Let them write whatever nonsense they wanted. I could deal with that later.
What mattered was getting her out of here safely.
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
"How was the date?" Diana asked, leaning closer with a curious smile.
It was early morning, just after the café had opened, and there weren't any customers yet.
"It was a disaster," I groaned. "We got dragged into a dungeon, and all these memories started playing. It was so awkward."
The conversation immediately caught Atticus's and Prometheus's attention. They stopped what they were doing and pulled up chairs at our table.
Well, that was understandable. I'd been so out of it these past few days that I'd decided to take some time off work. Naturally, they were curious about what had happened.
"What happened inside the dungeon?" Atticus asked.
"Well... we had to clear every stage by finding the exit within a memory. It's just..." I hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain it. "The System said they were my memories, but I don't remember any of them. There were monsters, and..."
I trailed off.
If I told them I'd nearly died in that dungeon, or that a sword went straight through my chest, they'd probably worry themselves to death. Besides, what mattered was that I was safe now. There was no point in ruining the start of their day over something that was already over.
"And?" Diana prompted.
By now, all three of them were completely invested in the conversation, leaning so far across the table that I was beginning to feel cornered.
I could understand Diana and Prometheus being curious, but even Atticus?
"Jinhyuk-ssi and I kissed in one of my memories."
Atticus and Prometheus let out synchronized sighs.
Diana, on the other hand, looked as though she'd just received the most exciting news of her life.
Her eyes practically sparkled.
"How was it? Did it feel awkward watching yourselves kiss? It must have been awkward, right?"
"Never mind that. What kind of memories were they?" Prometheus interrupted, steering the conversation back on track.
"I don't know..." I lowered my gaze, trying to recall the strange scenes that had played out inside the dungeon. "I think I might have been a hunter before, but I can't really remember."
I looked at the three of them.
"Is it true that the System never lies?"
Although they were only D-rank hunters and weren't legally required to participate in dungeon subjugations, they were still hunters. Surely, they knew more about the System than I did.
"That's right, my dear Elena. The System never lies," Diana answered confidently.
"Then the memories I saw were really mine?"
"Even if they were, what would you do?" Atticus asked.
I fell silent.
What would I do?
Even if those memories were real, what difference would they make? I didn't have the power to fight monsters or save people. I was just an ordinary café owner.
"Nothing, I suppose."
"What? So you're just going to ignore the fact that you and that Jinhyuk kid have something going on?" Diana teased, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
My face heated up instantly.
"What are you talking about, unnie? There's nothing going on between us!"
"About the dungeon..." Atticus began, seemingly trying to steer the conversation back to the topic we'd been discussing, but Diana wasn't having any of it.
"Oh, please! Every time he visits, you get all giddy. And don't think I haven't noticed the way that boy looks at you, either. His eyes practically follow you everywhere you go! The two of you are so obvious that there might as well be sparks flying whenever you're together."
She leaned back in her chair, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.
"Hohoho! This unnie sees everything. I am a professional drama watcher, after all!"
I could only sigh and shake my head at her ridiculous claims. There was no point arguing with someone who had already decided she was right.
Fortunately, before Diana could come up with another embarrassing observation, the bell above the café door rang, announcing the arrival of our first customer of the day.
I immediately straightened in my seat, grateful for the interruption.
"Welcome to Shurelia—"
"Get back!"
Before I could finish my greeting, all three constellations sprang into action. They moved in front of me almost simultaneously, their expressions changing so abruptly that I barely had time to process what was happening.
"Huh? What are you guys doing?" I looked between them in confusion. "That's a customer! Why are you being so rude?"
None of them answered me.
Diana's gaze remained fixed on the person standing by the entrance. The playful expression she'd worn just moments ago had vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous look.
"Atticus, get Elena out of here. Find that human!"
In the blink of an eye, a sword and shield materialized in her hands. The sight alone was enough to make my stomach drop. I'd seen Diana act eccentric, dramatic, and occasionally downright ridiculous, but I'd never seen her look at someone as though she were prepared to kill them on the spot.
Whatever was happening, she wasn't joking around.
Atticus immediately nodded. He seized my arm and began dragging me toward the back exit, moving so quickly that I nearly stumbled over my own feet.
"Wait! Oppa, what are you doing? Let go of me!"
He didn't even glance back.
Before I could demand an explanation, the customer finally moved.
"You three are always such a nuisance!"
The voice that came from the entrance was dripping with irritation. The customer's otherwise ordinary face twisted into an ugly scowl, and a low, venomous hiss escaped its throat.
Then its fist began to glow.
My eyes widened.
There was no time to make sense of what I was seeing. The figure lunged toward us with startling speed, its glowing fist aimed directly at me.
Atticus was still pulling me toward the back exit, but I had no intention of being carried away like a sack of potatoes without even knowing what was going on.
With a sharp twist, I managed to wriggle free of his grasp.
"Stop! What are you doing?!"
"Elena, listen to me!" Atticus finally turned toward me, his expression unusually grave. "That thing isn't human. It's a monster!"
I stared at him in disbelief.
A monster? In my café?
My gaze darted back toward the entrance, where Diana and Prometheus were preparing to face the intruder. Neither of them had moved from their positions, and the tension in their bodies made it clear that they were taking this threat seriously.
But that only made Atticus's behavior even more incomprehensible.
"What are you talking about?" My expression darkened as I looked at him. "Then what about unnie and Theus oppa? Are you seriously going to leave them behind?"
Atticus didn't answer.
He simply tightened his grip on my arm and continued dragging me toward the back exit, as though getting me out of the café was the only thing that mattered.
"Oppa! I'm talking to you! Where are you taking me? What about the others? Are they going to be okay?"
Still, he said nothing.
The more he ignored my questions, the more uneasy I became. I'd never seen the three of them react this way before, and I couldn't understand why they were treating an apparent customer like some terrifying enemy.
It wasn't until the car pulled up in front of a familiar building that I finally realized where we were.
"No. No, no, no. What are you doing? I'm not going in there!"
I tried to pull my wrist free, but Atticus's grip was like a vice. He dragged me through the entrance before I could put up much of a fight.
The moment we stepped inside, dozens of eyes turned toward us.
Of all the places he could've brought me, why did it have to be here?
This was Korea's most prestigious guild, a place where some of the country's most famous hunters came and went. Fans regularly gathered outside just to catch a glimpse of their favorite hunters, and now I was making a scene right in the middle of it.
"I need to speak with your guild leader," Atticus said sternly.
The receptionist looked up from her computer, visibly displeased.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No. But if you mention the name Seo Elena, I'm sure he'll understand."
Her fingers, which had been hovering over the keyboard, stopped as she gave him a skeptical look.
"What's your hunter rank, sir?"
"C-rank."
Her expression immediately soured. She looked him up and down, barely concealing the disdain in her eyes.
"I'm afraid the guild leader doesn't meet with just anyone. If you don't have an appointment, you'll need to submit a formal request and wait for approval."
"I don't have time for that. Just tell him Seo Elena is here!"
The receptionist let out a small, incredulous laugh.
"And you expect me to interrupt the guild leader's schedule just because some nobody says so? Unless you're an A-rank hunter or above, I'm afraid you'll have to leave."
Atticus's expression hardened.
"Oppa, let's just go! We need to get back to them. They're still in danger!"
I tugged desperately at his sleeve, but he wouldn't budge. Instead, he slammed his fist down on the counter.
I flinched in surprise. In all the time I'd known Atticus, I'd never once seen him get angry. He was always the calm, collected man who preferred peace over conflict, someone who would rather talk things out than resort to violence.
Yet the man standing before me now seemed like an entirely different person.
"I'll find him myself, then."
Before I could even ask what he meant, Atticus tried to drag me past the security checkpoint. Unfortunately, we didn't get very far before more security guards rushed over and blocked our path.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
Within seconds, we were surrounded.
Several people nearby began pulling out their phones to record the commotion, while I continued to be dragged around by Atticus like some stuffed toy he refused to let go of.
This was getting ridiculous.
"Stand down!" one of the security guards shouted.
The next thing I knew, several guns were pointed at us. The guards had formed a tight circle around us, their weapons trained on Atticus as though we were dangerous criminals who had just broken into their headquarters.
"Oppa!" I hissed, desperately tugging at his sleeve. "Please!"
He didn't seem to hear me. His expression had grown increasingly grim, and one of his hands was moving toward his inventory.
My stomach sank.
Oh, no.
I had a terrible feeling that whatever he was planning to pull out would make this situation a hundred times worse.
Fortunately, before things could escalate any further, a new voice cut through the commotion.
"What are you all doing?"
The security guards immediately turned toward the speaker.
A man wearing glasses approached us, his appearance suggesting that he'd barely slept in days. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and his expression was so exhausted that I felt sorry for him.
"Put your weapons down," he ordered.
The armed hunters obeyed without hesitation, lowering their guns and stepping aside to clear a path for him. Only then did the man approach us, stopping in front of the counter.
"What is going on here?"
His gaze settled on Atticus.
The moment their eyes met, an oppressive pressure washed over me. It was so sudden and overwhelming that my body trembled involuntarily, as though every instinct I had was screaming at me to keep my head down.
Who on earth was this man?
"My name is Atticus," he answered, his expression stiff. "I'm a relative of Seo Elena."
"And why should I care who you are?" The man adjusted his glasses, his tone utterly unimpressed. "State your business here."
"It's Seo Elena! Don't you know who she is?"
Atticus sounded genuinely bewildered, as though he'd been absolutely certain that dropping my name would solve everything.
Unfortunately, it seemed to have accomplished the exact opposite.
The man in glasses merely stared at him, his expression growing colder by the second. Atticus's face began to stiffen as he finally seemed to realize that whatever plan he'd had in mind wasn't working.
And judging by the way his eyes darted around, he was beginning to panic.
Right. Of course they wouldn't know who I was.
Why would anyone here recognize me?
I was just an ordinary café owner. Whatever relationship I had with Han Jinhyuk, it wasn't something people in this world could possibly know about. So why was he making such a huge fuss over my name and dragging me into this humiliating mess?!
"Enough." The man in glasses narrowed his eyes. "Get out of here before I make you."
The pressure surrounding us intensified.
It crashed down on my shoulders with such force that my knees buckled beneath me. I couldn't even manage a proper breath before I collapsed onto the floor, completely overwhelmed.
For a moment, I could only stare at the ground, too stunned to move.
Oh, great.
Not only had I somehow managed to cause a scene in front of one of Korea's most prestigious guilds, but there were also people recording the entire thing. And knowing my luck, those videos would be all over the internet before the day was over.
I could already imagine the headlines: Who Is the Mysterious Woman Accompanied by a Strange Man?
I wanted to disappear.
No, scratch that.
I wanted to crawl into a hole, bury myself six feet underground, and never come out again.