"…Huff… Kuff…"
Yoo Yeonha's breaths came in shallow gasps, her body trembling as blood dripped from her lips. Her usually composed demeanor had crumbled, replaced by pale, sickly skin and wide, terrified eyes.
This is bad… The thought raced through her mind, accompanied by the growing dread in her chest. Her hands pressed weakly against her mouth, but the metallic taste of blood was relentless.
Am I poisoned? The question rang loud and clear in her thoughts, but no answer came. Her mind darted back to the most recent unusual event: the kiss.
The kiss.
Her stomach churned at the memory. Yun Hyuk's audacious act, one she had dismissed as disgusting and inconsequential at the time, now loomed over her as the most likely culprit. The thought made her shudder.
"J-Jonghak…" Her voice was weak, barely above a whisper, but she managed to call out to the one person who could help her.
Shin Jonghak, still holding her trembling body, looked down at her in sheer panic. "Yeonha! What's wrong? What's happening to you?" His usual bravado had vanished, replaced by genuine fear.
Yeonha tried to respond, tried to explain, but the words wouldn't come. Her throat burned, and her vision began to blur. Her body felt heavier with each passing second, her strength slipping away like sand through her fingers.
"I… I think…" she managed, but her voice faltered. The darkness at the edges of her vision grew, threatening to swallow her whole.
"Yeonha, stay with me!" Jonghak's voice sounded distant now, muffled and distorted, as though he were speaking from the other side of a thick wall.
I need to tell him… The thought lingered, desperate and urgent. But her body betrayed her. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and the world around her faded into nothingness.
Jonghak shook her gently, his voice breaking. "Yeonha! Wake up! Please!"
But Yeonha didn't respond. She had fallen unconscious, the weight of the poison—or whatever malevolent force was coursing through her—dragging her into a restless sleep.
Jonghak's jaw clenched, his grip on her tightening as he looked around the empty café. He was alone with her now, and every second that passed felt like an eternity.
"I'll get you help," he muttered, more to himself than to her. His voice was shaky but determined. "I swear, I'll get you help."
With that, he carefully lifted her into his arms, her limp form cradled against his chest. He didn't know what had caused this, but he wouldn't rest until he found out—and until Yeonha was safe again.
As he rushed out of the café, a single thought lingered in his mind: Who would do this to her?
***
Shin Jonghak's hands trembled, not from fear, but from a seething, unrelenting anger. Yoo Yeonha, the proud and composed leader he respected, was crumpled in his arms, pale and unconscious. Her breaths were faint, her lips tinged with a ghastly shade of blue.
"What is this?" he muttered, his voice laced with fury and disbelief.
His fingers brushed against the blood smeared on her lips, noticing the faint, unnatural blackness that tainted it. It wasn't normal. It couldn't be. If this was poison, then it was no ordinary toxin. It was potent enough to discolor blood, an ominous sign that this was something far more dangerous than anything Jonghak had encountered before.
His jaw clenched as he adjusted Yeonha's weight in his arms. Despite her fragility in this moment, she felt heavier than ever, as though the burden of her state pressed down on him with the weight of mountains.
"This is no accident," he growled under his breath.
He stormed out of the café, his movements swift and purposeful as he headed toward the infirmary. His heart raced, not from exertion, but from the storm of emotions raging within him. Anger. Worry. Guilt. He hated the helplessness that gnawed at him, the fact that he couldn't do anything for her in the moment except carry her.
"Devil Hunter's Club…" The words hissed through his teeth like a curse.
His thoughts turned to Kim Nayun and her newly established club. He'd been skeptical of it from the start. A club dedicated to hunting Djinns sounded noble on paper, but the reality was far more dangerous. If Djinns were truly hiding within Cube, as Nayun claimed, then Yeonha's collapse could be connected.
"If there are Djinns within Cube, then I swear…" His grip on Yeonha tightened, his knuckles whitening. "I will mince them until they're ribbons."
The thought of Djinns infiltrating Cube and harming his friends made his blood boil. The possibility that they were responsible for Yeonha's current state wasn't just plausible—it was likely.
His steps quickened, the weight of his emotions driving him forward. He could feel the stares of other students as he passed, their curious and concerned gazes following him. But he paid them no mind.
"Out of the way!" he barked at a group of students blocking the path. They scrambled aside, intimidated by the raw fury in his voice.
Jonghak's mind raced as he approached the infirmary. He couldn't shake the image of Yeonha's pale face, her weak voice calling out his name before she collapsed. It was burned into his memory, fueling the fire of his rage.
If there was one thing Shin Jonghak prided himself on, it was his loyalty. He would never abandon his friends, no matter the cost. And right now, Yeonha needed him more than ever.
As he reached the infirmary doors, he kicked them open with a force that startled the staff inside.
"Help her," he demanded, his voice cold and commanding.
The medics rushed forward, taking Yeonha from his arms and placing her on a stretcher. Jonghak stepped back, his fists clenched at his sides as he watched them work.
But even as they tended to her, his anger didn't subside. If anything, it grew stronger. He wasn't going to sit idly by and wait for answers. He was going to find out who did this to Yeonha, and when he did, they would regret ever crossing Shin Jonghak.
***
Cube's artificial terrains never failed to amaze me, even after months of training here. From limestone caves to volcanic craters, the variety was mind-boggling, and each environment had its unique set of puppet monsters. Today, though, we were headed into an artificial dungeon—a cave oozing with ominous energy and a stench so vile I felt like my nose had been assaulted.
"This place stinks," I muttered under my breath, scrunching my nose.
"Today's combat training is a bit special," Instructor Kim Soohyuk announced, his booming voice echoing in the cave's entrance. "Two classes will participate, and you'll form joint teams for a mock dungeon trial."
The excitement—or dread—was palpable among the cadets. A team of eight from two different classes would navigate a dungeon together. It sounded straightforward enough, but knowing Cube, it wouldn't be.
As I stood with my team, I couldn't help but let my mind wander. My thoughts drifted to Yoo Yeonha. She was still in the infirmary, unconscious. My visit earlier had been uneventful, save for leaving a small camera to monitor her. Hajin promised to alert me if anything happened, but I couldn't shake the unease gnawing at me.
If only I could skip this stupid training… I thought bitterly, glancing at Jonghak, who stood at the center of our group like a king surveying his subjects. His militaristic aura was as stifling as ever.
"Now, get in your usual teams," Soohyuk instructed.
Reluctantly, I moved closer to Jonghak. My "Hyon tingle" was buzzing—my sixth sense that danger was near. And that danger, unfortunately, seemed to be Shin Jonghak. His sharp gaze felt like it could cut through steel.
No way. Am I being targeted? I wondered, beads of sweat forming on my brow.
Jonghak didn't seem nervous, though. He never did. As the heir to the Desolate Moon Guild and Shin Myungchul's grandson, he carried himself with an unshakable confidence that bordered on arrogance.
Around him, our team quickly assembled. The atmosphere was stifling. Fear of Jonghak's authority united us more than camaraderie. None of us even knew each other's names. We referred to each other by roles—"archer," "warrior," "support"—and addressed Jonghak as "Lord."
"Name," Jonghak demanded, his voice cold and commanding.
What was this? A sudden show of maturity? My heart swelled with misplaced hope.
"My name is Hyon Hyung, sir!" I said enthusiastically. "A pleasure to meet you! I am your reliable supporter, better than any scout, and more annoying than a wall!"
The archer and warrior grumbled at my arrogance, but I ignored them. First impressions mattered, and I wasn't going to waste mine.
The archer, Su Yung-il, stepped forward. "I'm Su Yung-il, the archer! Boss Jonghak, I may lack as a scout, but my observational skills are top-notch!" he boasted.
Sure, if you ignore the friendly fire, I thought bitterly, remembering the time he nearly shot me during training.
Next came the warrior. "I am Koh Young-jae… I will be loyal to you, sir!" he shouted, his voice trembling slightly.
Jonghak barely acknowledged them. His eyes remained on me, unblinking and intense. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, resisting the urge to cry out again.
"Team 2," the instructor called out, breaking the tension. "Veritas Class—Team Shin Jonghak. World Class—Team Kaine."
A girl with long dark hair approached us. Her Mediterranean features and tired eyes gave her an air of quiet strength, but there was something off about her—like she was carrying a weight too heavy for her shoulders.
"Hello, Jonghak-ssi," she greeted him, her voice deferential.
"Miss Kaine, are you okay?" I asked, noticing the exhaustion in her voice.
"I… I'm fine," she replied weakly.
Jonghak wasn't as kind. "Tell me what the problem is. I can't have you hindering our dungeon exploration," he said bluntly.
I expected Kaine to snap back, but instead, she looked down, her expression submissive. Ah, she must be one of Jonghak's fangirls.
"It's my friend… Seungyeon," Kaine admitted after a moment. "She disappeared. I was with her last night, but when I checked her dorm this morning, she was gone."
Her words sent a chill down my spine. Seungyeon was the second victim of Cube's recent disappearances.
Guilt clawed at me. Maybe we could've done more, been more aggressive in rooting out the Djinns. But the Devil's Seed was a bigger priority, and our resources were stretched thin.
I felt another gaze on me and turned to see Sven, a cadet from Germany. His sharp blue eyes bore into me, filled with bitterness and envy. Sven was a prodigy in his homeland, but here, he was just another cadet overshadowed by true geniuses. His inferiority complex was eating away at him, and I knew where that path would lead—to becoming a Djinn.
But that was a problem for another time. For now, we had a dungeon to conquer, and a growing list of enemies to keep an eye on.
Focus, Hyon, I told myself. Survive first, save later.
With that, I steeled myself for the trial ahead, stepping into the dark, stinking cave alongside my team.
Cube's artificial terrains always gave me mixed feelings. They were marvels of magic and technology, sure, but they were also death traps in disguise. Today, we were thrown into one of those traps: the Mock Dungeon Trial.
I had no time to dwell on the stench of sulfur or the eerie, dark cave we entered. My mind was elsewhere—on Sven.
Hajin had been digging into Rachel and Yeonha's private investigations, and one name kept popping up: Sven. The poor guy was on the brink of accepting a Djinn contract. According to Hajin's knowledge of the original story, today was supposed to be the day Sven snapped under the weight of malice and manipulation.
The trigger? His crush on Nayun. Thankfully, Nayun was absent today, which meant Sven's descent into darkness would have to wait. For now, at least.
"Focus, Hyon," I muttered to myself.
Combat training began as all the teams finalized their pairings. Under Shin Jonghak's command, we didn't bother discussing our fighting styles. It was unnecessary. Jonghak had an uncanny ability to understand our strengths and weaknesses after a single battle.
Our first opponent was a Salamander, a beast with impressive physical attributes. It breathed fire, spat acid, and had thick scales that made it tough to kill. Our initial encounter with one was chaotic, but Jonghak adapted quickly. He learned how to incorporate the new additions from the other class into our strategy, and soon enough, the Salamanders were no longer a threat.
I hated to admit it, but Jonghak's leadership was sharp. Not as openly analytical as Yeonha's, but equally effective.
As we progressed through the dungeon, my unease grew. Something felt off. Jonghak's gaze lingered on me too long, and the way he gave me orders felt... targeted.
And then it happened.
We approached a turn in the rocky cave. Before I could react, Jonghak lashed out, kicking me hard in the abdomen.
"Ugh!" The force sent me flying backward. I tumbled down a steep cliff, the jagged rocks tearing at my skin.
I gritted my teeth as the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. My body instinctively curled into a fetal position, trying to minimize the damage. But the sharp rocks showed no mercy. Abrasions burned across my arms and legs, and I felt the sickening crunch of at least one fractured rib.
I finally came to a stop on a rough, semi-flat patch of ground. My head spun, and my body screamed in pain, but I forced myself to move.
"Ah… fuck…" I groaned, spitting blood onto the dirt.
When I looked up, Jonghak was already descending the cliff with ease, landing a few meters away from me. His spear was pointed at me, the sharp tip gleaming in the dim light.
"Come hither, so that I may smite you," he said coolly, his voice dripping with arrogance.
I glared at him, fury and pain mixing in my chest. "You fucking sick psycho," I hissed under my breath.
Jonghak didn't flinch. He just stood there, waiting, as if daring me to rise. My mind raced. Why the hell was he doing this? Was it some twisted test of loyalty? A display of dominance? Or did he just enjoy watching people suffer?
Either way, I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of breaking me.
I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the searing pain in my ribs. My legs wobbled, but I steadied myself.
"Is this how you treat your teammates now?" I spat, wiping the blood from my lips.
Jonghak's smirk widened. "You're not my teammate, Hyon. You're my subordinate. And subordinates need to know their place."
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. Subordinate, my ass.
But I knew better than to fight him outright. Not here, not now. The dungeon was dangerous enough without turning on each other. I needed to play this smart, bide my time, and figure out why he was acting like this.
"Fine," I said through gritted teeth. "What do you want?"
Jonghak tilted his head, his smirk fading into a more serious expression. "I want to see if you're worthy of being in my team. If you can't even handle this, you're dead weight."
I swallowed my anger and nodded. "Then let's get this over with."
Jonghak stepped back, lowering his spear slightly. "Good. Prove yourself, Hyon. Show me you're not just a burden."
As much as I wanted to shove his spear where the sun didn't shine, I had no choice but to play along. For now.