I glanced at Zeke and Yang Len, still facing each other in silence, then turned my head.

Abel was walking toward us with several of his guildmates.

“You all right?” he asked in a quiet voice.

I nodded.

Thanks to the Substitute Doll, my life had been spared, and after drinking a potion just moments ago, my body had fully recovered.

A little while later, the silence between All-Round and Black Hound finally broke.

“We’re leaving.”

Yang Len stowed his greatsword back into his inventory.

The other Black Hound members followed suit, putting away their weapons.

Without a word, they marched past the still-armed All-Round hunters and headed toward the stairs.

Yang Len lingered for a moment, staring at us, then turned and followed his subordinates.

Phew.

I forced back the sigh rising in my throat.

“Sorry we were late,” Zeke said as he approached.

“We checked the alert immediately, but since the opponent was Black Hound, we had to prepare for the worst. Still, I’m glad you had your guild terminal with you, Yein.”

The guild device I’d received yesterday was strapped to my ankle.

It carried an emergency function—allowing other guild members to track the user’s location.

I remember using it in the game too. Only back then, the one in danger wasn’t the protagonist’s squad but another guild member.

As soon as I saw Yang Len show up at Gwangcheon, I had hidden the device inside my clothes and contacted Zeke, letting him know Black Hound was targeting us.

“Thank you for saving us,” I said. “We haven’t contributed anything to the guild yet, but we’ve already received such help.”

The All-Round hunters smiled at my words, and Zeke’s lips curled into a smile too.

“You’ve gone through a lot. Let’s get out of here first.”

“Understood. And Guildmaster, since we’re guild members now, you don’t need to be so formal with us.”

“Very well. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Zeke ordered his guildmates to clear the building.

Once outside, we spotted the cars parked along the street.

“All right,” Zeke said. “We should send you back. Unless, of course, you’d like to visit our headquarters today. It wouldn’t be a bad chance to look around. What do you think?”

I glanced at my teammates before replying.

“Today we’d rather return to the dorms to rest. Everyone seems tired after being dragged into a sudden fight.”

“Fight? You mean those Black Hound bastards actually attacked trainees?”

“They’ve lost their minds…”

The All-Round hunters muttered in disbelief, some voices dripping with anger.

“Thank goodness you’re safe,” Abel said from beside us.

“Black Hound lives off killing people. And that Yang Len in particular… he’s infamous for being unreasonable.”

Then he turned to Zeke.

“Guildmaster, are you sure it’s fine to just send them back to Gwangcheon? What if Black Hound tries again?”

“They won’t—not now that they know these kids are ours,” Zeke said firmly. Then he looked at us.

“But if you’re uneasy, I can assign guards.”

I shook my head.

“That won’t be necessary.”

If we had escorts, it would make it harder to make contact with Chun Jiweon or the City Guard.

From the look in Yang Len’s eyes earlier, I was certain he hadn’t given up on us.

But now that he knew we belonged to All-Round, any further move would mean declaring outright war. For the time being, at least, we were safe.

“Very well. Abel, I’ll leave them to you.”

“Yes, Guildmaster. Come on, let’s go.”

Before leaving, we bowed to Zeke and the All-Round hunters, offering our thanks once more.

Abel led us to one of the cars waiting on the street.

“All right, everyone in.”

I let the three of them climb into the back while I took the passenger seat.

Abel got behind the wheel, started the engine, and soon the car was on its way.

When he fiddled with the audio, soft classical music filled the cabin.

“Get some sleep if you like. Rest on the way back.”

“Thank you.”

I half-expected him to start prying about what had happened underground, but instead, he gave us space.

I leaned against the seat and closed my eyes.

----------------------------------------

“Wake up, everyone.”

Abel’s voice pulled me back. I opened my eyes and saw Gwangcheon’s front gates outside the window.

“For today, don’t leave the dorms. If anything happens, contact us right away.”

“Understood. Thank you for looking after us.”

We got out, and Abel waved before driving away.

“Haaaah…”

A heavy sigh came from behind me.

Lumina was clutching her chest, shoulders trembling slightly.

“You okay, Lumina?”

“Y-yeah…”

Her voice said otherwise.

“Senior,” I said to Seo Yui. “Could you take Lumina back to her room? Let’s all rest today, just as Abel suggested.”

“Right. Come on, Lumina.”

“O-okay…”

Seo Yui supported her while Meiling followed closely beside them.

The guard post by the gate was empty as we passed.

Back in the dorms, I checked my smartwatch.

Three messages had arrived.

[We’ve been informed by the academy. Where are you right now?]

[Are you all right? Tell me what happened.]

[Call me immediately when you see this.]

All from “Im Seongyeon”—but of course, it was Lee Hanye sending them.

I returned to my room and called her.

[Hello? Brother! Are you okay?]

Hearing her call me “Brother” in Im Seongyeon’s voice made me grit my teeth slightly.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

[Where are you? Are you still with Black Hound?]

“No, I’m back at the dorms.”

[The dorms? But how? There’s no way Black Hound just let you go. Did you escape?]

“Not exactly…”

I explained everything that had happened.

[So that’s what happened… As expected, you’re sharp. Using All-Round to block Black Hound like that.]

“I don’t have the power to beat them on my own yet.”

If not for the Substitute Doll, I’d have died the moment Yang Len swung his blade.

[Sorry. Something that dangerous happened, and I couldn’t help at all.]

“Don’t blame yourself. Even if you’d been there, Yang Len was beyond what you could handle.”

[…That still stings a little.]

Does it?

I never saw the point in feeling pain over things beyond one’s control.

[Brother. Have you thought about how to deal with Black Hound going forward? Oh Sungcheon and Yang Len will definitely come after you again.]

“There’s only one answer: bring down Forward as fast as possible. That’s the only way.”

[Hmm… If it’s the Forward-destruction route, then what I can do is…]

“Gather evidence.”

[Evidence?]

“Anything that could serve as a weakness. Just investigating Gwangcheon’s corruption should give us plenty.”

[Ah… But some of those would be things Seongyeon did before I took over her body.]

“That’s fine. I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt you. Just gather what you can.”

[…All right. I’ll trust you.]

“Good.”

I ended the call.

Now then…

I entered a new number and waited through several long rings before someone finally answered.

[Yein. What’s going on?]

“Mayor, there’s something I need to tell you.”

[Is this about mana stone development?]

“That too, but there’s something else I must report first.”

[And what would that be?]

“Black Hound came to Gwangcheon today.”

[…Tell me everything.]

Chun Jiweon’s voice dropped low.

I relayed to him all that had happened earlier.

[Hmm… so you relied on All-Round’s help.]

“Yes. I thought if I contacted you directly, Forward might suspect our connection.”

[I see. A wise choice. Still, from now on, you must always prioritize your safety and your comrades’. Don’t limit yourself to asking All-Round for help—contact me as well. If anything were to happen to you, it would be irreversible.]

“Understood. I’ll do as you say from now on.”

[Good. As long as you understand. We’ll monitor Black Hound and Yang Len’s movements on our side too. Meanwhile, you must be extremely cautious. Stay reachable at all times, and put off dungeon runs for a while—except for mandatory academy expeditions.]

“Yes.”

[Good. Now, you also said there was news about mana stone development?]

“Yes. I’ve received permission from my friend to share the details with you.”

[Oh! Is that so.]

Chun Jiweon’s voice brightened at once.

“My friend asked me to deliver the information myself. I’d like to meet with you—when would be convenient?”

[Hold on. Let me check and call you back.]

“Of course.”

He hung up.

Barely thirty seconds later, my smartwatch buzzed again.

“Yes, Mayor.”

[When I call again, come out to the main street from Gwangcheon. By the way—have you and your friends had lunch yet?]

I glanced at the time. Nearly noon.

Now that he mentions it… we haven’t eaten a single meal today.

We’d been so caught up in the chaos I’d forgotten about food entirely.

“Not yet.”

[All right. Then bring everyone with you. Eating together will be better for all of you.]

“Yes, sir.”

[Good. I’ll see you soon.]

He ended the call.

He told us to rest in the dorms earlier, but now I’ll have to call them out again.

I sent a message to the others.

Almost immediately, Meiling called back.

“Hello.”

[We’re already together. You’re the only one missing. We’ll head down to the usual spot, so come out.]

She hung up after saying just that.

Guess she’s been staying with Lumina out of concern.

Before heading down, I crafted a new Substitute Doll—just in case.

I also checked my inventory again to ensure I had the necessary materials for meeting Chun Jiweon. Then I left my room.

The “usual spot” Meiling mentioned was the bench near the fork between the boys’ and girls’ dorms.

I sat waiting, and before long the three of them appeared.

Lumina’s face looked much better than earlier, which put me at ease.

“So, what’s the mayor treating us to?” Meiling asked.

“Don’t know yet. Hopefully not blood sausage stew.”

I joked, and Meiling shot me a glare.

“Lumina, you okay? Think you can eat?”

“Yeah.” Lumina gave a faint, weary smile. “I’m hungry.”

I nodded.

“Yein, what about you?” Seo Yui suddenly asked.

Huh?

Her question made me pause.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Meiling cut in, chuckling. “It’s not the first time he’s had his neck cut off.”

Only then did I understand Seo Yui’s meaning.

Right… it wasn’t the first time.

Back when I fought Persilla, her blade had nearly taken my head too.

“I’m fine. The one who got hit was the Substitute Doll, not me.”

“Good,” Seo Yui nodded.

We sat together on the bench, chatting idly for about thirty minutes.

No one complained about how we could’ve just stayed in our rooms instead. After what happened this morning, it felt safer being together.

Bzzz.

My smartwatch vibrated. It was Chun Jiweon.

[Come out to the main road.]

“Yes, sir.”

The four of us headed to the front gate.

The guard post was still empty.

Once we reached the street, we saw a very ordinary-looking sedan parked there.

The window rolled down, revealing the mayor’s face.

“Ah!” Lumina gasped softly.

“You came yourself,” I said to him.

“Of course. It’s the weekend after all. Now hurry in, all of you. Let’s get some food in you first.”

We climbed in, and he drove us away.

A short while later, the car pulled into what looked like a residential house.

When Chun Jiweon parked in the garage, I blinked in surprise.

“Mayor… this is your home?”

“Yes. If I eat out with you, it might raise suspicion.”

He smiled.

Wow… I’ve never seen the mayor’s house before. Not even in the game.

My heart thudded faster.

(End of Chapter)