After the Dungeon Break, the family was hailed as "The Lucky Survivors." But while the public celebrated, inside the high chambers of the DPO, eyes were watching.
Commander Kael, the Head of Intelligence, replayed the mana-recordings of the battle. He was a sharp man, his face scarred from years of fighting high-level demons.
"Look at this," Kael whispered to his assistant. He pointed to a frame where a Void Spawn's head suddenly snapped back as if hit by a hammer, just inches away from Seo-jin. "There is no mana trace. No spell circle. No physical projectile. It's like the world itself rejected the monster's presence."
His eyes drifted to the background of the image—to Heixin, who was calmly holding a wooden shield, looking bored.
"Find out everything about this 'Heixin,'" Kael ordered. "I don't care if he's their adopted son or a stray they picked up. Nobody is that lucky."
The Family's New Life
Meanwhile, the family was settled into a comfortable villa provided by the DPO. For the first time since the accident, Seo-jun and Seo-ah felt a sense of peace.
"Heixin, thank you for looking after the kids during the chaos," Seo-jun said during dinner. "I don't know what we would do without you."
Heixin gave a small, shy smile—the perfect mask. "I just stood there, Uncle. I think the knights did all the work."
But Seo-yun, the 7-year-old daughter, looked at Heixin with big, curious eyes. Later that night, she snuck into Heixin's room.
"Big brother?" she whispered.
Heixin looked up from the old book he was reading. "Why aren't you asleep, Yun-yun?"
"I saw it," she said, pointing a tiny finger at him. "When that big monster tried to bite me... you didn't move, but the monster flew away. You're like the superheroes in my cartoons, aren't you?"
Heixin froze. He could lie to the DPO. He could lie to the Commander. But he couldn't lie to those innocent eyes. He knelt down and put a finger to his lips. "It's our little secret, okay? If you tell anyone, the 'superhero' has to go away forever."
The little girl nodded solemnly, hugging him. "I won't tell. I'll help you protect Mommy and Daddy too!"
Heixin felt a warmth in his chest he hadn't felt in 500 years. But his peace was short-lived. A dark presence was approaching the villa—not a monster, but a High-Rank Assassin sent by a rival faction to test the "New Otherworlders."