"Squawk!"
At the same time, inside the rift, a giant pterosaur, struck in the throat, flapped its wings frantically before going limp. Cha Eui-jae twisted the neck of the pterosaur, which resembled a bird but exuded an unpleasant aura, with the decisiveness of wringing a chicken's neck on a hot day.
Before entering the rift, he felt nauseous, but after fighting off a few monsters, he started to feel better. Since he didn't sense any more presence, it seemed he had dealt with most of the monsters around. After stacking the pterosaur corpses neatly in a corner, he dusted off his hands.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the people swept into the rift seemed to have scattered. Thanks to that, he could slaughter the attacking monsters without hesitation. He stood over the dead pterosaur, rubbing his chin.
"It doesn't seem like a particularly dangerous rift… but should I reduce the number of monsters?"
He had to keep his identity hidden, so he couldn't openly rescue people, but he could indirectly ensure their safety by killing the monsters. He couldn't let innocent people get hurt because he didn't do what he could. Cha Eui-jae adjusted his misaligned shoes and started walking.
After wandering around for a while and destroying 24 pterosaurs and three herds of horned buffalo, he found a half-buried office chair with two wheels missing, a broken desk, and a half-buried cutout of Lee Sa-young near a field of blue reeds.
With a puzzled expression, Cha Eui-jae inspected the cutout. Despite being a thick piece of wood, it hadn't broken.
"Should I throw this away or not…"
After a moment of contemplation, he decided to keep the cutout. Even though it was just a familiar face, or rather, a familiar gas mask, it had become somewhat endearing due to frequent appearances in public service announcements. Recently, Park Ha-eun had been mimicking Lee Sa-young's strange hand gestures, making Cha Eui-jae acutely aware of the impact media could have on children.
In the end, he yanked out the familiar cutout and tucked it under his arm. He then stood the dirt-covered cutout upright under a tree shade and sat down on the broken chair. Though his body wobbled, his face was seriously pensive.
"Will the rescue team… come?"
This rift occurred at a temporary registration center in the middle of the city. Logically, a rescue team should come. Probably.
Since he had dealt with most of the monsters, the safety of the other survivors was ensured, and he didn't need to clear the rift himself. He just had to wait quietly for the rescue team with the Lee Sa-young cutout.
However, waiting for the rescue team posed a significant problem for him.
"What about tonight's business?"
He had to open his hangover soup restaurant at 5 PM.
Moreover, he had a practical and crucial concern. To make clear broth, he had to keep skimming the foam off the top, and leaving it unattended for too long could affect the taste. He had also left the broth on low heat without turning off the stove…
What if a fire broke out due to neglect? The thought alone was terrifying.
Cha Eui-jae checked his phone. The clock had stopped at 3:25 since he entered the rift. With electronic devices out of order, he couldn't contact his grandmother or check the current time.
'…No way.'
If this continued, his pride in running the hangover soup restaurant without any incidents would be tarnished!
Stuck waiting for the rescue team, with his restaurant and possibly his heart at risk of burning down. Cha Eui-jae anxiously shook his legs.
Actually, the problem started with the possibility of meeting the rescue team. The plan agreed upon with Seo Min-gi was to minimize contact with other hunters and return under the guise of an ordinary hunter.
But being swept into a rift in the middle of Seoul, especially at a temporary registration center, had introduced a significant variable. The rescue team would likely include hunters from the Rift Management Bureau, the Awakened Management Bureau, and guild hunters responding to the support request.
The hangover soup restaurant was a popular spot among hunters, with all kinds of hunters frequenting it.
If a regular customer from the rescue team saw him, they would recognize him immediately.
'What brings the hangover soup restaurant's staff to this rift?'
'Right…'
Naturally, they would be curious and engage in various conversations, inevitably revealing that he got swept into the rift while registering as an awakener. All the regulars at the hangover soup restaurant would know. The mere thought sent chills down his spine.
He wanted to live quietly, but he kept bumping into hunters at the hangover soup restaurant, meeting Lee Sa-young, dealing with the aftermath of the magic stone, and now getting swept into a rift while registering as a hunter.
With so many misfortunes piling up, Cha Eui-jae recalled a superstition he had heard somewhere.
"Shit… could this year be my samjae1?"
He couldn't even ask Nexby about it due to being in the rift. His already messy life had become even more chaotic in the past few weeks. Something had undoubtedly gone wrong somewhere. He resolved to sprinkle salt around his shop once he got out of here.
Anyway, whether it was bad luck or not, he couldn't let his quiet life slip away. Even if it was already half ruined thanks to the magic stone and Lee Sa-young, and he might have to put up a sign saying 'We're still quietly open for business'… he had to protect whatever was left.
Cha Eui-jae stood up from the chair and cracked his neck.
'Time to make a plan.'
Hunters would come to rescue those trapped in the rift, but they weren't coming for him specifically. So, it was better to assume there would be no rescue team. Briefly, the faces of Mingi and Lee Sa-young flashed in his mind, but he shook them off.
'They won't come.'
It's best not to have even the slightest hope in such situations. Always assume the worst and plan accordingly to handle unexpected situations calmly. This was the truth Cha Eui-jae had learned from his experiences.
He exhaled deeply, rubbed his face, and drew a sketch on the ground with his sneaker. He had to make an efficient plan to escape this place.
To close the rift, he had to deal with its core entity. Rescue teams prioritize rescuing survivors, usually leaving the core entity for later. This meant he would be late opening his shop.
So, while the rescue team was rescuing survivors, he would avoid them and kill the core entity alone. Perfect.
Cha Eui-jae smudged the drawing on the ground with his sneaker. The rescue team would take time to locate the scattered survivors. If asked where he was after the rift closed, he could just say he was hiding in a corner.
'Kill the core entity as quickly as possible, escape, and return to the shop to manage the broth and open for evening business.'
Revisiting his plan mentally, Cha Eui-jae took out a fan with a Buddha print from his hoodie pocket. He had grabbed it from the glove compartment of the delivery truck earlier.
If he fought barehanded and got his clothes dirty, it would delay opening time. You have to make do with what you have. Cha Eui-jae closed his eyes.
'Please cooperate, Buddha.'
When he reopened his eyes, they glowed blue. Flames flickered on the flat ground map. Thanks to his earlier actions, the number of monsters seemed low. The human figures scattered around suggested the survivors were well-hidden.
After confirming the number and location of the survivors, he turned his gaze elsewhere. At the rift's center was a large, green, flickering flame.
'There it is.'
White wind wrapped around his feet, concealing his presence. Cha Eui-jae started running silently towards the flame.
***
Hunter Yang Hye-jin of the Rift Management Bureau, an A-grade hunter, stood in front of what used to be the Gwanggu Temporary Registration Center, her face marked by dark circles. The site where the container stood was now a rift-ridden ruin.
She had thought it would be a quiet day when she went to work this morning, but a major accident had happened.
'This is why you shouldn't say it's quiet… It jinxes things.'
Her fluorescent vest with "Safety" written on it flapped forlornly in the winter wind. She sniffled and muttered while lighting a cigarette.
"Sigh… Why did the rift have to appear here of all places? Our luck is terrible."
Another B-grade hunter, holding glowing safety wands in both hands, nodded as he glared at the rift's entrance.
"Yeah. Fortunately, most of those swept in are awakeners. We have some leeway."
"Leeway, my foot. Most of them are low-grade or administrative awakeners who can't fight properly. It'd be lucky if they're just hiding…"
"Senior! Senior!"
Their worried conversation was interrupted by a rookie, who had been controlling the surroundings, running up urgently. Yang Hye-jin exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Did you come back? How many reporters showed up?"
"Oh… There were about six! More will likely come."
"It can't be helped. What about support personnel? I heard the Awakened Management Bureau was coming too."
"Uh, that's… I came to tell you this!"
The flustered rookie straightened up and shouted.
"L-Lee Sa-young is here! To raid the rift."
At the rookie's final words, Yang Hye-jin stopped halfway from lighting her cigarette. Despite her lack of response, the rookie continued to stand stiffly. Yang Hye-jin's face reflected more confusion than the rookie's anxious one.
'Have I been giving this kid too much work?'
She stared blankly at the rookie, cigarette in hand, unintentionally slipping into a moment of self-reflection.