Lord, I cried to you out of the depths.

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;

Lord, hear my voice and give ear to my cry.

Domine, exaudi vocem meam Fiant aures tuae intendente in vocem deprecationis meae.

- Psalm 130

- Congestion is expected for approximately 3 kilometers at the section entering the city center across Hwangan Bridge. A vehicle collision occurred near the Western Ring Road a while ago, and the accident has just been resolved. However, it does not seem easy to relieve congestion as lower lane control continues in the Jeoksan-dong direction.

The traffic announcer's monotonous voice came from the speaker. But no one listened to the broadcast. There was nothing particularly different about it. Without having to listen to the radio, I could only see the roads that had been congested for hours. Eventually, the channel was changed by someone's half-enthusiastic hand.

- The evacuation measures imposed in the area of ​​Migwang-dong, Yeon-gu have finally been lifted. The area has been closed for several months since the gate was created last March and mutant species appeared, resulting in casualties of two civilians and seven awakened people.

While holding the game console and engrossed in the puzzle game, Yoo Geon suddenly raised his head. His father, who was sitting in the driver's seat, habitually placed his arm on the window frame and tapped the steering wheel. Her mother was leaning back against her back and looking through her glass window. There were things like uneaten candy bars and snack wrappers scattered on the seats. It was a scene no different from when we departed.

- The Awakened Management Headquarters announced at a press conference this morning that all dangerous elements in the Mikwang-dong area have been eliminated and that two C-class Esper teams will be permanently stationed to defend the area until the gate is completely destroyed. I did. Accordingly, some Hunting Orders, such as Taekwang and Healek, who cooperated with the sweep, expressed their intention to protest... … .

It was our first family outing in a while. All nearby roads had been closed off for the past few months, but had barely been released. Citizens who could not enjoy their leisure time properly because they were trying to protect themselves from the danger of mutant species roaming the city went out of their homes as if they had been waiting. There was so much crowd that there was nowhere to go.

Decades after Outbreak swept the world. Large-scale facilities such as amusement parks and zoos have become relics of the past that can only be seen in photos. Open grounds without cover were the worst for avoiding attacks by mutants.

The amount of uninhabitable land has increased. Refugees were crowded into a small space. Population density has rapidly increased and buildings have become precariously tall. However, Yoo Geon did not know such complicated circumstances. I was happy just by taking advantage of the weekend to go to the theater and indoor game room in the next city.

"mom."

Yoo Geon, who was quietly playing the game without complaining even though he had been locked in the car for several hours, stuck his head out. Her mother turned around with a look of inertial irritation on her face. Her dark, childish eyes stared up at her.

"When are we going home?"

"The car has to move to go."

My older brother Hee-seong, who had been complaining of motion sickness earlier, suddenly intervened.

"Oh, go quickly. I feel like throwing up. "My head hurts and I'm dying!"

"Oh my gosh... … ."

The moment my mother was about to nag me, the car skidded forward. As if it was a lie that the road was completely blocked until now, the road has been cleared. Countless cars entered as if they were being sucked into a large bridge.

"Why are you falling so quickly all of a sudden?"

"Do you guys know? Was there an accident ahead?"

Sigh! Before I could finish speaking, the car came to a sudden stop. Yoo Geon, who had leaned his body forward as much as possible, was pushed back. Even though I just blinked in an unexpected situation, my parents were even more surprised.

"Yoogun!"

The shock quickly spread backwards like a wave. Deafening honking was heard from all directions. Irritated drivers opened their windows and shouted loudly towards the front. Something was strange.

"Baek Hee-seong. "Please fasten your seatbelt, little brother."

"I don't feel well."

"hurry!"

Heesung was so annoyed that he kept his mouth shut. This is because I sensed that now was not the time to complain. He dragged his hurried little brother and put him in his place. A sturdy belt cut diagonally across the ten-year-old's small body. Yoo Geon was staring blankly ahead as his brother's hand moved over his body. The pitch-black eyes were fixed on one spot as if fascinated.

"… … ."

"what's the matter? "What are you looking at?"

Heesung also turned his head. And she was quietly shocked.

"What is this... … . what's the matter."

My father muttered like a groan. But there was no one, including himself, who could answer that.

The scene that unfolded before my eyes was a disaster. It was enough to call it a disaster.

The middle of the bridge crossing the wide river was crushed. Chunks of asphalt and concrete fell away like powder, and cars filling the roadway fell helplessly into the gap between the crushed bridges. It was an unrealistic landscape, something you only see in disaster movies.

An insidious shadow was cast over the car body. Yoo Geon held on to the tightly fastened seat belt with both hands and looked out his window from afar. There was something in the air above the bridge. He initially thought it was a construction crane. But when I looked closely, I could tell. That was a body part of some creature. It's so huge that just looking at it makes you feel a sense of awe.

Is that a variant that we only see on the news or in safety education videos? Yoo Geon thought half-fazed. But it was too big for that. The mutant species seen through low-quality CCTV footage of the accident site was not that large.

I couldn't guess what its shape was, what its overall size was, or what its body structure was. It was hard to tell whether the lump the size of a house visible through the glass window was an arm or a leg, a head or a torso. But strangely, for a moment, I felt like I had made eye contact with it. My mind went blank due to extreme fear.

Forelimbs, antennae, tentacles, no... … . Something that could not be clearly defined split the air. Quang! My ears went deaf. Concrete fragments flew out. Some of them hit the side of the car, causing my vision to shake violently.

"Ahh!"

Someone screamed until my ears pierced. Is it my mother, father, older brother, or someone else out there? There were so many terrible noises everywhere that I couldn't make out anything.

"Guys. honey!"

My father looked back urgently. His hands gripping the steering wheel were shaking. Looking around at his wife and children, who were stunned by the sudden tragedy, he gritted his teeth solemnly.

"Don't panic and move. Then my whole family can live. You learned it during emergency preparedness drills at school. "You know, right?"

Heesung cried and nodded. But Yoo Geon couldn't answer. Because I could see the shadow forming behind the parents looking back at their children and through the front windshield of the car again.

"You have to get out of the car first. As soon as dad says one, two, three... … ."

"ah."

I tried to call him, "Dad." But before I could say those few words, the world turned upside down. The car heaved loudly, and the seat belt I was still wearing tightened so hard that it felt like it would break my ribcage. I couldn't breathe for a moment.

The ceiling of the car collapsed, unable to withstand the giant mutant's attack. The thick metal was crushed so easily like a piece of paper. After losing consciousness for a moment, Yoo Geon opened his eyes, panting heavily like a drowning person. His vision was blurry and it was difficult to distinguish objects. I could only catch a glimpse of a window that was cracked like a spider's web and a door that was horribly crumpled.

"Knock, call."

It was difficult to hold my head because of the low ceiling. He lowered his head and coughed heavily. His vision was blurry and he felt nauseous as he suffered repeated high-intensity shocks.

My brother sitting next to me was unconscious in his chair. The backseat window was completely broken, leaving several scratches on his cheek. Pieces of shattered glass were scattered on my knees. Fortunately, there seemed to be no other injuries other than that.

What about mom and dad? He absentmindedly looked back ahead. The front, where the driver and passenger seats are, is where his parents were just a moment ago.

Everything was a mess, like a piece of paper crumpled up haphazardly. The uneven, dented ceiling came down to the point where it almost touched the chair. And in the meantime… … .

"… … ."

Yoo Geon stiffened in that posture. The child's face, which had wounds everywhere, turned pale.

He moved his unfocused eyes and looked down. It was all red in color. The soaked blood spread across the floor and toward the back seat. It soaked the cookie crumbs that had fallen on the floor of the car and flowed down to Yu-gun's feet.

The cracked concrete broke off in chunks and fell into the river. Sprays rose up with a loud, deafening sound. As the ground supporting the front wheels suddenly disappeared, the car body tilted forward. The car the family was riding in was now hanging dangerously close to the edge of the collapsed bridge.

"Huh… … ."

Yoo Geon even forgot that he was wearing his seat belt and desperately tried to shake Hee Seong, who was sitting next to him, to wake him up. But he was sitting far away, and the short arms of a child had their limits.

Belatedly, my thoughts turned to the seat belt that restrained my body. Yugeon's fern-like hands trembled pitifully as he searched for the unlock button. As soon as he loosened the belt, the car shook violently and tilted even steeper.

Yoo Geon pulled Hee Seong's arm tightly. It was at that time that Hee-seong, who was suffering from cold sweat, came to her senses. As soon as he opened his eyes, what he saw was the river sloshing beyond the window.

"Mom is? "What about Dad?"

Heeseong asked. But instead of answering, Yoo Geon gritted his teeth and shook his head. All he could think was that he shouldn't be allowed to see the seat in front of him. I begged desperately to keep him from looking elsewhere.

"Brother, let's go out quickly. hurry."

I pushed the door on the other side as hard as I could. However, as the car body was deformed, the door was also distorted, making it difficult to open. The handle just rattled and turned. The button to lower the window was also useless.

"The door won't open."

"Well, then what should I do?"

A terrifying shock struck me again. The brothers clung to each other with their faces covered in tears and snot. In the meantime, Yoo Geon hugged Hee Seong with his whole body, determined to protect his brother who was much older than him. The car window broke and debris poured into the car.

"Ugh!"

Yoo Geon scratched his limbs on a piece of glass. The delicate flesh was torn and blood spurted out. Hee-seong, who saw her younger brother getting hurt in front of her eyes, trembled so much that she could hear her molars chattering.

The glass was broken and there was a hole, but it was at most about the size of two or three fists. I didn't have the confidence to squeeze through the jagged glass and get out through that narrow gap. Just thinking that she might get hurt like her brother sent a shiver down her spine. But she couldn't stay still. The car was now tilted almost vertically, and the entire broken window was filled with river water.

Someone must have reported it, but the accident location was a bridge in the middle of the city. Access was difficult unless using a helicopter or ship. Additionally, the only road crossing the bridge was completely destroyed, causing massive traffic jams back and forth. I didn't know how long I would have to wait until the rescue team arrived.

If you continue like this, you will die. I had to do something. The blood all over my body boiled with impulse. Heesung knocked on the glass window with all his might. Sigh! My eyes flashed. The broken glass that was stuck to the window frame fell off cleanly. As if that wasn't enough, the door was deeply scratched.

"W-what was that just…" … ."

Heesung looked down at his hands. It was fine. Suddenly, long, sharp claws did not sprout in place of human fingernails, and blades did not protrude from his knuckles. But he remembered the sensation he felt a moment ago. Apparently his hands tore the door alive.

Before I could even think about what was happening, I was overcome with impulses. You can get out of here. You can buy it. A will that was close to coming engulfed my mind. He waved his arms wildly in anger.

Not long after, the hinges broke and the entire door fell off. The brothers managed to get out of the car and fell to the ground, while the crushed car ended up sliding into the river. with a plop! A black figure sank beneath the surface of the water. The huge disaster that engulfed the bridge had already disappeared.

Even though he succeeded in escaping, Heesung was still extremely excited. He fell to the floor, shaking and flailing his arms convulsively. Every time his fingernails grazed the asphalt, a shallow rut occurred and pebbles spattered.

Then, suddenly, my head felt like it was going to explode. All my senses became terribly sensitive. My senses of sight, hearing, touch, and smell were going crazy. It was unbearably painful.

"Huh, heh. Ah, it hurts."

He raised his hands and covered both ears. All the blood vessels in his eyeballs burst and turned red, and the muscles of his entire body twitched and convulsed. Anyone could see that it was not normal. I don't know what happened, but I felt like if I left him like this, something big would happen. Yoo Geon rushed in and grabbed his brother.

"brother!"

But now, Hee-seong can't even see his younger brother. He waved his arm and threw away the small body that was clinging to him.

Although the brothers are both young, the older brother is a middle school student who will soon be entering high school, and the younger brother was still in elementary school. The physique difference of five or six years apart was not something to be ignored. Yoo Geon was pushed away and rolled around helplessly. He got up without showing any signs of pain and approached me again.

"Brother, what's wrong? are you okay?"

"Please stop, it hurts! "It hurts!"

The tip of my finger, which I swung arbitrarily, scratched the area below my collarbone. The sweatshirt that Yoo Geon was wearing with the dog character on it was torn and stained with blood. I held back the pain and narrowed the gap. My fingernails ran wild and lost their senses, this time scratching the area around my eyes.

A burning pain spread to the corner of one eye. Soon, warm blood flowed down my eyelashes and cheeks. Blood from the long cut eyelids got into my eyes and I couldn't see clearly. But Yoo Geon did not let go of his brother. I hugged him with my whole body as he squirmed like a time bomb about to explode and held on with all my might. It seemed like it had to be that way.

"Wow… … ."

After struggling in pain, Heesung suddenly vomited blood. My limbs, which had become stiff and twisted at strange angles like someone who had been electrocuted, gradually lost strength. Is it really the end now? Are my mom, dad, brother, and I going to die like this? Yoo Geon thought with a faint mind, covered in blood from his brother's vomit and his own blood.

At that time, a small waterway opened deep inside my body. The water that had been floating around in one place began to move to one place. It felt like a hose was connected to a full water tank. Warm energy flowed gently through the blood vessels of my entire body. Slowly, but without stopping once. Yoo Geon felt the waves flowing along her entire body and lost consciousness.

How much time has passed? Soon, vehicles with government license plates stopped in front of the bridge one by one. The letters engraved on the side of the vehicle were clear. 〈Awakened Management Headquarters〉. Everyone who got out of the car was wearing dark red uniforms. They moved in unison to control the scene and recover the casualties.

"We have now arrived at the Hwangan Bridge site. The bridge was completely destroyed, but there were no traces of the mutant species. The gate too... … ah."

A person walking through the rubble holding a walkie-talkie let out a short exclamation. His gaze stopped in one place.

"There are two civilian survivors here, no, one is an Awoken. He is an unregistered person, but seeing signs of runaway symptoms, it is presumed that he just manifested himself in this incident. Both are minors. Parents are not visible. Other survivors... … doesn't exist. yes. yes. "I will rescue you first."

Crackling. Communication was cut off with an inorganic sound.

* * *

The city crouched under the thick darkness, breathing heavily. Between the wires tangled like moss, a red and blue neon sign glowed, threatening to go out.

The man sat back in the driver's seat and looked out. The night view seen through the heavily tinted car window is like a firework submerged in a swamp. He took out a cigarette and lit it. At first glance, it looks like just a homemade cigarette, but it is made by condensing various psychotropic drugs into high concentrations. It's enough to kill an average person from shock if he smokes it.

I held the filter in my mouth and sucked deeply. Acrid smoke filled my airways. But the pain pounding in her head did not subside. He exhaled smoke thoughtfully and blinked his light eyelashes. In contrast to his languid movements, his eyes are unusually bloodshot.

Like drugs, it is resistant to pain. Just as once you become addicted to a drug and are not satisfied with a small amount, you also become accustomed to the pain that shatters your brain and burns each cell. Even though he knew it had no effect, the man smoked cigarettes out of habit.

Jiyiing. The cell phone I had casually thrown in the passenger seat rang through the silence. Even the slightest sound made my auditory nerves hurt as if they were all cut off. My eyes flashed black and my stomach turned. He frowned slightly for a brief moment, then answered the phone like nothing happened.

- Are you really going? It's all been a waste lately.

Without any greetings or introductions, all sorts of questions were asked. The man leaned his head back, holding a cigarette in one hand and a cell phone in the other. At first glance, I could taste blood in my throat. He inhaled his smoke deeply, trying to suppress the bloody smell.

"I got a feeling. "It's real this time."

- If you're going to go, let's get back in shape before going. Could you please at least check out the rental guide?

He habitually smiled even though he knew the other person couldn't see it.

"Since when did our relationship become this close? "They even worry about my physical condition."

- What happens to you is none of my business. That's because I think it would be embarrassing to see the news that our superior had a fit and died on the street.

"… … ."

- How many months has it been since you last received guidance? No, should I count it in years now?

"well… … . Oh, the rental is okay. "No matter how hungry you are, you can't buy cheap junk food."

- Who is the one who can't even eat that junk food and is making a fuss about it?

"It hurts a bit. "Still, it's not like it's too expensive."

- Who wants to wear a rental guide for the rest of their lives? Just buy someone one night and put out the fire in a hurry. Maybe borrow something from other guys for a few days. Still, if you borrow a lot of A-listers, the message will go away.

"You know. "I'm a picky eater."

-What kind of taste do you have? They're causing a lot of trouble, so why bother considering their appetite? I'm so damn tired. So even the guides I found ran away.

"this… … . Be rude too. Our Chan, what should we do? "You already look like a rag, but you even talk like a rag."

The man frowned as if he was truly sad and upset. Soon, curses came from beyond the speaker along with noise-filled shouts.

- 그래, 우신제 이 씹새끼야. Whether you die or not, it's up to you. go away!

The phone was disconnected. The man lost the composure he had been pretending to have a moment ago. He casually brushed away his disheveled bangs and opened the window. And then he threw the not even half-smoked firewood onto the dirty asphalt floor. Although it was a cigarette butt that was thrown away without being touched, the embers died down strangely quickly. As if someone had trampled and rubbed it out.

He placed his cell phone on the passenger seat. No, he tried to put it up. Ttuduk. Because I couldn't control my strength for a moment, the edge of the thin terminal was dented into the shape of a hand. Glass powder fell from the cracked screen.

"… … ."

He quietly frowned. I caught a glimpse of the darkness hidden beneath the straight and gentle features. At the same time, the phone started to twist into a mess. Sigh, blah blah blah. The sound of crushing plastic and metal was eerie. Soon, the cell phone, damaged beyond recognition, was also thrown outside.

Decades have passed since Outbreak, the first moment monsters emerged through the gate. Meanwhile, one-third of the world's population has decreased. People around the world were talking about this, saying it was a repetition of the Black Death, a divine punishment for humanity, and the beginning of the end. There are quite a few people who conclude that there is no hope in this world anymore.

However, just as Europeans in the 14th century eventually overcame the Black Death, humanity in the 21st century also found a breakthrough against the outbreak. Around the time of Outbreak, people began to appear one by one, discovering mysterious abilities that could not be explained by modern science. Thus, the order of the world was reorganized around people with supernatural powers, or 'awakened people.'

All awakened people suffered from the side effects of their abilities. Although there are individual differences, the most common side effect was that all senses became extremely sensitive.

Some people nauseated because they could not stand the smell of the air, while others screamed in pain just from having their skin chafed by clothes. The same was true for sight and hearing. Even if I closed my eyes and covered my ears, I could clearly see the blood vessels and mucous membranes inside my eyelids, and I could even hear my own heart beating and my organs moving.

Among those who had not received guidance for a long time, it was not uncommon for them to faint, lose their senses, go crazy, or even commit suicide because they could not bear the feeling of the rising tide. Additionally, the higher the rank, the more severe the side effects were. This was the reason why the average lifespan of awakened people was extremely short, even though they had miraculously powerful abilities.

The man was stretched out on the seat like wet cotton. Is it belatedly that I feel like I am feeling better? The speckled light of pleasure spreads over the white face, black dress shirt, and haphazardly scattered arms and legs that seem to have been painstakingly drawn by a Romantic painter.

When will this terrible pain that has followed us like original sin from the moment we were born end? How long must we suffer and long for liberation without any promise? What if my life ends? What if all mutant species disappear from the face of the earth? What if this long war ends with humanity's defeat?

"The beast that is causing you pain does not just let people go along its path; it even blocks them and kills them. Their nature is evil and desolate, and they have never satisfied their greed... … "He is a guy who gets hungrier the more he eats."

The night scene that filled my field of vision was gathered together, mixed, and distorted at will. He licked his parted lips and mumbled something like a sigh.

"There are so many beasts similar to him… … . There will be more before the hound's fierce teeth kill him."[1]

In any case, he had to still be alive. Until he tracks down 'that guy' and kills him.

* * *

Armed people gathered in a dark alley. Some people were wearing bullet belts and carrying magazines, while others were wearing gas masks that covered half their faces. It's a narrow and dirty road that most people would shy away from and avoid, but I felt a strange sense of skill from the way they casually leaned on it. They were awakened people and hunters who hunted mutant species.

Unlike the awakened people, called espers, who belonged to the awakened management headquarters, hunters were not tied to the state. Espers were treated the same as special forces officers and protected the country, while hunters freely searched for prey solely for their own benefit. Depending on your ability, you could earn not a penny or an astronomical amount.

Although they are the same awakened person, their paths pursued are completely opposite, so naturally the esper and the hunter had an extremely bad relationship. It wasn't a day or two that we started calling each other affectionate nicknames, such as public servants who gave their souls to the country or hyenas who are interested in money.

"How did you get anything?"

"What can you save in that situation? "I couldn't see anything else because the soles of my feet were on fire."

"Hagiya."

"I hit the ball today too, what should I do? "Even if I wanted to eat and run away right now, I don't have the money."

"Still, you get the basic daily wage… … ."

"Yes, it's not even the price of medicine."

"I'll just accept that and look for work somewhere else next time."

Two hunters sitting on trash bags piled up in the corner of an alley were having a casual conversation. Looking at them fully armed, it would be safe to say that they are mercenaries who have just fought a full-blown war, but the conversation gave off a sense of the hardships of daily labor.

"These days, it's no big deal to go somewhere else. "Is it common for F-level people to hire them while paying them on a regular basis?"

"That's right. "If you think the job is a little safer, Fei will be a nuisance, and if Fei feels like he's a little stronger, all you have to do is push his back and tell him to go out and die as a bullet point for the minnow hunters."

Hunter, who was lamenting self-destructively, chuckled and took out a cigarette. When I picked up a cigarette with a hand wearing a shiny leather glove and flicked it, a red flame erupted from the end. Pyrokinesis, the ability to ignite.

People with ignition skills were not rare, but they were very efficient and had many uses, so they were not looked down upon wherever they went. Even so, the limit to level F was to light a cigarette or light a campfire.

"There is a gate that was recently discovered. The manager is predicting that he will make a big contribution. "I heard that because of that, S-class is on the rise."

"what? "S-class?"

"You know 'Mid-Heaven'? "I heard about it because I knew someone there."

"Does this really look like a big hit?"

"Do you think they are going to post a day job posting there too? "Then I have to get rid of it right here and change."

"Arthur. "There are already a lot of high-level hunters there, so why pay money to hire an F-level person?"

"Once you reach S rank, hundreds of millions per raid is ridiculous. "Maybe we can donate some money as if we were doing social contribution activities."

"What is a few billion? I heard that a resourceful place can fetch several billion won, or even tens of billion won at most. "It's just a big company, a big company."

"It must taste good." It's like winning the lottery 10 times. Buy a large house, drive a foreign car, and drink expensive liquor like water. "You must be very busy every day making money."

"well. "Is that really true?"

"why?"

Hunter, who was listening to his colleague's meaningless chatter with a cigarette in his mouth, shrugged his shoulders.

"They say S-class people aren't human. I heard that seeing them as just another species wearing a human mask is good for your mental health. Do people like that like foreign cars or liquor?"

"If you're not a human, you're probably a ghost. "Even if you're S-class, eating, sleeping, and sleeping would be the same as us."

Instead of answering, he dropped the finished cigarette on the floor and stubbed it out.

"I don't understand either. "You must have been in the S class before."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud noise came from the other side. However, the others did not pay much attention and did their own thing. A few pairs of unenthusiastic gazes glanced in that direction as if they had written, 'Here we go again.'

"Take a break."

The young man stood with his back to the cement wall covered with faded flyers and gritted his teeth in an immobile posture. This is because they sensed the violence that would follow. As he lowered his head slightly, black hair fell over his forehead.

"I'm slowly losing strength. "Stand up straight."

A heavy fist landed in my lower abdomen again. Even though she wore a body armor to protect against the mutant's attack, it did not protect her from the blow that hit her squarely in the stomach. The young man silently swallowed his moans and closed his eyes tightly. I caught a glimpse of his scar, drawn thin like a double eyelid, above one of his eyes.

"Baby, Baek Hee-seong. ok? "Where are you going again, and why can't you see me?"

A middle-aged man with a stocky body clenched and unclenched his fists and asked, making a crunching sound. He was the head of the Hunting Order, a group of hunters. Orders also varied greatly depending on the level, ranging from those with numerous members under a systematic structure to those with just a few wanderers gathered together. And here, unfortunately, it was closer to the latter.

The man was a class F awakener in the muscle strengthening field. She's a good talker. She's a muscle-strengthening type, an arousal dick, and F-class, so there's not much difference other than being a little stronger than an ordinary person.

"I gave first aid to the injury and received some guidance. "I am resting now."

"rest? Rest? After making this mess? The orphaned cubs left behind by their mother and father have grown to conception. "Are you showing off what you didn't learn?"

The Hwangan Bridge disaster, which took away his parents and his peaceful life in an instant, ultimately remained an unsolved incident. Everything happened so quickly, and most of the civilians on the scene died. When the center responded after receiving the report, the situation was already over. The two boys, the only survivors, were too young and too traumatized to give a proper statement.

"… … ."

Yoo Geon was just looking at the floor with his mouth tightly shut in a resting posture. He was already very accustomed to unprovoked or reasoned assaults and verbal abuse from others. Skepticism and resistance to irrationality were the leisure of those who had it. Since he has nothing, he has no choice but to endure it.

When he was young, he was softer and more naive than he is now, so he followed what others said. When an adult asked him a question, he was told to answer quickly, but when he answered everything he was asked, he was beaten for always talking back. So he stayed quiet, and this time he was criticized for being arrogant for keeping his mouth shut. His current attitude was something he learned through countless trials and errors.

"This is not the first time this has happened. "Anyway, this is why we don't harvest black-headed animals."

"I'm sorry, Captain."

Yoo Geon apologized in a voice without an accent. It was also a familiar experience to take on the grudge against his older brother.

Heesung made a mistake during tonight's operation. The goal of the operation was to find and kill mutant species that remained wandering around the city even after the gate closed. However, the problem was that the mutant species was large and powerful at a level that was difficult to find among F-class hunters who had only dealt with small animals. Hee-seong, who encountered the ugly monster right in front of him, immediately fell into panic, ignored the operation instructions and retreated. Because he arbitrarily destroyed the battle line, other hunters were almost in danger.

My brother had that kind of personality in the past, that is, even before he appeared as an awakened person. Even a small scratch on his body would put him on edge for the whole day, and he couldn't stand the sight of blood, whether it was his own or someone else's. When he was stressed, he immediately developed a high fever and fell ill. He was the exact opposite of Yoo Geon, who would get up with a clean sweep of his hands even if he fell hard and was covered in dust and blood.

If he had been born in a time of peace, his personality might have been called a bit unusual, but it would not have been a fatal flaw. Because Heesung was at the top in terms of grades. He is an honors student who has never been outside of the top 3 in all his exams, so it could be that he has a rather sensitive personality. He would have gone to a prestigious university and gotten a good job without any problems.

But unfortunately, this was an era where strength proved everything. Among the awakened people, he is the lowest level F, has mediocre cutting abilities, and is also timid, nervous, and incompetent. Wherever Hee-seong went, he was a cold person. If he hadn't had a guide by his side, he would have either run away and died due to the side effects of his preemptive abilities, or been caught by a mutant species.

"Hey, my pals are pretty damn good too. "There aren't enough people to beat up monsters, so we have to pay money to hire these guys."

"I will correct it."

"But this guy, why does he look like that?"

A thick finger violently pushed Yugeon's forehead. Yoo Geon reflexively strengthened his toes. His head was slightly tilted back, but his entire body did not stumble.

"Hey, Yugeon. Are you picking it? Don't you think you're the only one rolling around on the spot while the other guides are falling behind and being taken care of? Are you dissatisfied? No, if you have it, say it again and again. "Don't just look like a fucking bastard."

"doesn't exist."

"Nothing. "I put it on my face saying it sucks."

"no."

"Baek Hee-seong can only make 0.5 servings, so you have to make 1.5 servings. That way, the money I give you will be less wasted, right? huh?"

"… … ."

"The fact that your brother is an asshole is all your fault, so what can you do?"

My heart, which I thought was already worn out and dull, was scratched again. Yugeon, who had been silently looking down in an obedient manner, raised his eyes for the first time. Sharp eyes hidden under black eyelashes stared straight at her man.

For a moment, the man felt unrefined murderous intent in his eyes. And right after that she felt ashamed. To deny her sense of shame, she deliberately swung her hands more roughly. This time, it wasn't her stomach that was protected by equipment, but her face.

Wow! Yoo Geon's head turned helplessly because he was grinding with one hand the size of a pot lid. One of those watching behind the scenes whistled softly. That wasn't the end. Without giving me time to rest, I slapped my cheek two more times. It wasn't long before the corner of his lip burst and blood showed.

"Here's a bastard the size of a dick rolling his eyes arrogantly."

Yoo Geon bit his blood-covered lip and did not let out a moan. He was quite a toxic guy. Aside from the fact that he has guiding abilities, he is no different from a normal person, and he can die from a single attack from a mutant species and cannot heal well when injured. He knew from the moment he went into battle side by side with the hunters with a gun and a sword, saying that if there was anything my brother was lacking, he would fill it in.

You ugly bastard. They raise their eyes straight and say, "What's so great about me?", and it's unfortunate. Her man tilted his head, spat out her spit, and turned his back. Enough of her anger for ruining her operation. If you hit him wrong and something goes wrong and he gets upset, or if he says he can't do it anymore and goes out with his brother, there will be a huge loss in power.

Anyway, there is only one guide in this order. Among those who are awakened, it occurs in at most one in dozens, and in rare cases, in one in hundreds. This was the reason why he could not throw away Baek Hee-seong's garbage team, even if he took a big risk. Those damn Baek brothers are so good at camaraderie that they go around as an older brother and younger brother.

"Tell that Baek Hee-seong to come to his senses. If you mess up again next time, there will be no soup. The next operation is really important. Did you understand?"

A quiet answer came from behind me a beat later. The voice was slightly muffled.

"… … yes."

* * *

I climbed the narrow and steep stairs. The walls and floor, which were all plastered with low-quality cement, were covered in old dust, and the emergency lights that indicated the floor number were long gone. A shabby building a few blocks away from where the mutant extermination operation took place. This was Hee-seong and Yoo-gun's house.

Next door is a pawn shop that has long since gone bankrupt and been abandoned. Right in front of it is a store with a butcher shop sign that is so worn out that most of the letters are gone. From the outside, it seemed like they were dealing with human flesh rather than beef or pork, and the overall scene was extremely lame.

A bright red neon sign in the shape of a cross flashed loudly through the cracked window. I stood in front of the door and pushed the key into the rusty keyhole. With the advancement of technology, we are living in an era where doors have been developed to open by recognizing a person's brain waves, but some awakened people are said to be able to hack the locking system and open the door without even putting a finger on it. Where he lives, you still have to put the key in the keyhole every time.

"I'm here."

The front door closed behind him with a hard sound. It was so old that the wood was warped, so it wouldn't close properly without a lot of force.

The inside of the house was as shabby as the outside. Anyone could see that it was a narrow studio apartment, but they separated the tiny kitchen with a poor sliding door and insisted that it was a 1.5-room apartment. I saw a big puffy bundle of blankets on an old bed in the corner. Without hesitation, Yoo Geon unzipped the coat she was wearing.

"Did you eat? brother."

"… … ."

"I told you to eat first. "You didn't even buy groceries, right?"

Yoo Geon took off his coat and threw it over his shoulder. The coat hung haphazardly on the back of the chair. He opened the refrigerator like he was used to and looked inside. As expected, all that was inside was a few bottles of mineral water. Hysterical cries came back from under the blanket.

"You really did it too much. Do you want me to go shopping outside? "How can you ask your only brother to do such an unreasonable thing?"

"I always do those unreasonable tasks alone."

"Are you and I the same? Hey, Baek Yoo-geon. "What on earth are you saying like that?"

Again, words came out in the wrong place. If the useless conversation continues like this, Hee-seong will get hurt a lot again and build a wall around his heart.

Unlike Yoo-geon, who was a calm person by nature and would pass it off even if he was scolded or slapped in the face in front of many people, thinking it was just bad luck, Hee-seong was extremely delicate and sensitive. He was easily hurt by a single word or gesture that Yoo Geon threw casually.