The smell of freshly cooked food filled the air as Akira walked into Cha-Jong's comfy home, holding a sleeping Yuna in his arms.
Min-Ji welcomed him with a friendly smile, her apron a bit covered in flour.
"Oh my, she fell asleep already?"
Min-Ji asked gently when she saw her daughter's calm face.
"She played a lot today," Akira said softly as he held Yuna in his arms.
Min-Ji came over and lightly touched Yuna's cheek.
"Let me take her, Akira."
"I'll help her change and get her ready to eat."
"You must be tired too i have prepared dinner sit at the table"
Akira gave Yuna to her gently, her small body fitting easily in her mother's arms.
"Thank you, Min-Ji."
"I'm sorry for the trouble."
Min-Ji laughed softly.
"It's not a problem."
"Go sit at the table and relax."
"I'll set out the food after I change Yuna."
Akira nodded and walked to the dining table, looking back as Min-Ji took Yuna to her room.
As she walked away, he asked,
"Oh, by the way, where's Cha-Jong?"
Min-Ji paused for a moment and turned her head.
"He's home and is just taking a shower."
"He'll be with us for dinner soon."
"His phone has been buzzing a lot, though."
Before Akira could say anything else, Min-Ji went down the hallway with Yuna, and her soft humming faded away.
Akira was sitting at the table.
The house was very still except for the soft running-water sound from the bathroom.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, enjoying the peace, until the buzzing of Cha-Jong's phone on the kitchen counter caught his attention.
It was not his job to check, but the noise bothered him.
He respected Cha-Jong's privacy.
But then, the phone screen lit up with Grido's name.
The call happened quickly, and when Akira looked, he saw there were 43 missed calls.
Something was off.
The phone stopped ringing, but just before the screen dimmed, a message flashed on the screen and caught his attention.
He froze, his sense of what was right and wrong wrestling with his need to know, but he could not tear his eyes away.
Finally, he stood and went to the counter.
The message on the screen was from Grido, and it chilled Akira to the bone:
"A Demonic Human is suspected to have gone into the Evolved C-Rank Dungeon that was assigned to you. Come to the guild building right away. We will leave in one hour."
Akira felt a sudden tightness in his chest, and his hands became fists.
The moment Akira's eyes fell on the message, the world around him seemed to dissolve.
"A Demonic Human..."
The words echoed in his mind, clawing at his very soul.
His body tensed, and a surge of emotions flooded him—rage, pain, and an all-consuming thirst for revenge.
These monsters were the reason his father was gone, the reason his mother lay lifeless in a coma.
They were the reason he continued to exist, pushing himself beyond limits, clinging to the promise he made to himself: to destroy them all.
His breathing grew heavy, labored. A faint white glow began to pulse in his eyes, flickering like an unstable flame.
The rage within him was a storm, too vast to contain. His teeth ground together, and veins bulged visibly across his face as his clenched fists trembled.
Akira's fists clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms as veins bulged across his face.
His jaw tightened, gritted teeth threatening to crack under the weight of his rage.
His entire body began to tremble as a faint, ominous glow of white mana started to wrap around him, swirling like a raging storm barely contained.
"Finally…" he muttered under his breath, his voice low, venomous, and filled with an uncontrollable fury.
His glowing eyes, now faintly white, burned with hatred as the mana around him intensified, crackling faintly with raw energy.
"Finally… one of you shows up again."
His mind was a battlefield of anger and determination. He wasn't just angry; he was enraged, consumed by the fire of vengeance that had kept him alive all this time.
But a soft voice cut through the storm.
"Oni-chan?"
Akira froze, his body stiffening.
He turned his head slowly, his eyes locking onto Yuna's small, frightened figure standing at the edge of the hallway.
Her big, innocent eyes were filled with tears, her lips quivering as she looked at him.
"What's happening?"
"Are you… okay?"
Her voice trembled, her small hands clutching her pajama top tightly.
For a moment, Akira felt the storm within him shatter.
He blinked, and the faint glow in his eyes flickered and faded. Taking a deep breath, he forced his mana to retreat. His fists unclenched, though his body still trembled.
He knelt down, his expression softening as much as it could.
"I'm sorry, Yuna," he said, his voice gentle but strained.
"I didn't mean to scare you.Something important came up, and I need to leave. But I'll be back, okay?"
"Oni-chan… you looked… different," She said hesitantly, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Please don't go."
Akira smiled faintly and ruffled her hair.
"I need to go now, Yuna."
"But I'll come back soon."
The gesture seemed to calm her slightly.
"Promise?"
She whispered.
Akira smiled faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes.
"I promise."
He stood abruptly, his expression darkening once more as he turned and headed for the door.
The storm inside him reignited the moment he left her sight.
His footsteps were heavy, deliberate, as he walked outside
Back in the house, Min-Ji and Cha-Jong emerged from their bedroom, concern etched on their faces.
Min-Ji immediately noticed Yuna's teary eyes.
"Sweetheart, what happened?"
"Where's Akira?"
Min-Ji asked gently, kneeling to her daughter's level.
Yuna sniffled, her voice shaky.
"Mom, Dad… please help Oni-chan."
"He looked so… weird."
"His eyes were glowing, and his face had these… lines all over it."
"He looked different...scary."
"Please, help Oni-Chan!"
Cha-Jong's expression darkened as he grabbed his phone from the counter, his instincts screaming that something was wrong.
His phone lit up with another call from Grido.
He picked up immediately.
"Grido, what's going on?"
Grido's voice was sharp, filled with urgency.
"Where have you been, Cha-Jong?"
"I've called you more times than I can count!"
"I was taking a damn shower! , what's the deal?"
"The C-Rank Dungeon you were assigned together with guildmaster"
Grido snapped.
"It's evolved, and now we suspect a Demonic Human has entered. We're gathering the team and departing in one hour. You need to get to the guild right now."
Cha-Jong's blood ran cold.
"What did you just say?"
"A Demonic Human?"
"Yes!"
"Now stop wasting time and get here!"
Grido ended the call.
Cha-Jong stared at his phone, dread settling in.
He remembered Akira's face when he had first spoken about Demonic Humans.
The hatred. The pain.
THE OBSESSION.
It all clicked in his mind.
"Oh, shit," - he muttered, panic rising in his chest.
"He saw it. He read the message."
Min-Ji grabbed his arm.
"What's going on honey?"
"What message?"
Cha-Jong's voice was frantic as he grabbed his coat.
"Min-Ji, put Yuna to bed."
"I'll explain later."
"I have to stop him before it's too late."
Without waiting for a reply, he rushed out of the house, dialing Grido as he sprinted to his car.
Akira's feet pounded against the pavement as he raced toward the dungeon. His mana crackled faintly around him, the cold air biting at his skin as he moved at high speed.
His thoughts were a blur of rage.
"They're the reason I lost everything… My father… my mother… You took them from me. But this time, it's different i shouldn't act in a rush and kill him like the other without getting a single piece of information. This time, I'll make you to split everything before I tear you apart. I need answers. And then… I'll kill him ."
The dungeon wasn't far now. Akira knew he could reach it in ten minutes if he pushed harder. His body surged forward, his rage driving him faster than ever.
Meanwhile, Cha-Jong was speeding toward the guild, his phone pressed to his ear as he yelled at Grido.
"Grido!
"Listen to me, you fool!"
Grido snapped.
"What now , i don't have time for this!"
"The boy… Akira. He saw your message. I know for sure—he's heading to that dungeon right now."
"What?! Why the hell would he do that?"
"I can't explain everything, but trust me when I say this: he will stop at nothing to get in there. You need to send everyone near the gate—block him from entering! Use whatever it takes to stop him!"
Grido cursed under his breath.
"Damn it… fine! I'll handle it. But you better get here fast, Cha-Jong!"
There was a pause before Grido muttered,
"Got it."
"I'll handle it."
The call ended, and Cha-Jong slammed his fist against the steering wheel.
"Damn it, Akira!"
"Don't do this!"