CHAPTER 174: THE ONES WE TRUST

The cafeteria was already warm when they stepped in, the scent of toasted bread and broth-soaked herbs curling through the room like an invitation.

Jin took the first breath deep.

Echo was already seated, three slices of pan-seared rice cake vanishing into his mouth in rhythmic bites. Across from him, Hanuel had settled in with a plate he’d barely touched, still riding the high from their morning spar. Yujin slouched in one of the corner chairs, chin propped against a palm, looking like she’d woken up and regretted it immediately. Areum sat a little farther down, polishing one of her glasslike daggers with slow, practiced strokes.

At the center of it all was Seul.

Apron still on, sleeves rolled up, ladling hot soup into the last of the bowls. Steam rose around her like mist off a battlefield, and she didn’t look up even when they walked in.

Jin took a seat beside her. Joon collapsed across from him with a satisfied grunt and grabbed a spoon without waiting for permission.

"You’re welcome," Seul muttered dryly.

"I was gonna say thank you." Joon sniffed the bowl. "Just figured it’d sound more sincere after I’d tried it."

"Mmhm."

Jin reached for his own tray and nodded once. "Smells good."

"Tastes better," Echo added with his mouth full. "Assuming you can get some before Joon blacks out and eats through the wall."

Joon shrugged, already on his third bite.

Seul finally sat, sliding into the space beside Jin and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"So," she said, leveling a glance across the table. "You two done blowing up the forest?"

"Not my fault," Jin said, sipping his soup.

"Absolutely his fault," Hanuel grinned, wiping at a bruise near his collarbone. "He said to go all out."

Joon raised a brow. "So that noise we heard earlier? That weird, quake-y crash?"

Hanuel looked proud. "Dropped the staff from the sky. Big version."

Echo blinked. "Wait, you dropped a skyscraper on Jin?"

"More like a tree trunk," Hanuel said, then corrected himself. "A really angry tree trunk."

"I survived," Jin muttered.

"Barely," Hanuel teased.

Laughter passed around the table. Even Yujin managed a half-smirk before returning to nursing her tea.

They ate for a few quiet minutes. The kind of quiet that wasn’t uncomfortable—just full. After the recent days they’d had, silence with a meal felt earned.

Eventually, Echo leaned back in his chair. "Alright. That was good. So..." He looked over at Jin. "What’s next, boss?"

Jin didn’t answer immediately. He finished the last spoonful of broth, set the bowl down, and wiped his mouth.

Then he said, "We’re not attacking anyone yet."

That caught attention.

Seul looked up. Hanuel stopped mid-chew. Areum’s dagger paused in her hand.

"We’re not going on offense?" Echo asked.

"Not yet." Jin leaned forward slightly. "First, we gather allies."

Seul’s gaze narrowed. "Who?"

"Chul."

That made Seul go still.

The table stayed quiet as Jin continued, voice even. "We’re going to need him."

Nobody spoke at first. Spoons paused mid-air. Even Joon’s usual smart remark didn’t come.

Jin didn’t fill the silence. He let it hang—just long enough to make sure they understood the weight behind the words.

Then Echo leaned forward, brow creasing slightly. "You really think he’d be down for it? After everything?"

Jin nodded once. "He will. Especially now."

Joon let out a low breath, leaning back in his chair. "Can’t lie—I’ve been wondering when his name would come up. I still remember the crater he left after that landing."

Hanuel tilted his head. "That was him?"

"Yeah," Echo said.

"He dropped on Gugwe-mok right before it crushed us," Joon added.

Hanuel let out a whistle. "Damn."

Finally, Seul set her bowl down, slow and deliberate.

"Yeah, he saved us. But after that hit, he couldn’t fight. That one attack took everything out of him."

Jin met her eyes. "That was a month ago."

She didn’t respond immediately.

"He went through the same trials we did," Jin continued. "And you know how the first one works. You either break or evolve."

Seul frowned faintly.

"You really think he got that much stronger?"

"I think he had to," Jin said. "And if we don’t give him the chance to stand with us now, when it matters... we’re wasting more than just potential."

Echo nodded quietly. "Feels like he’s been waiting for that second call anyway."

Seul let out a slow breath. "He won’t say no."

Jin gave her a small nod. "Then it’s time we went back."

Yujin leaned back in her seat, arms crossed loosely. "What about the base while we’re gone?"

"Covered," Jin replied. "We don’t leave it unattended. Jinhyuk and Sujin will oversee the schedule. Taesung and Byung-ho will rotate with them, and the rest of the squad knows what to do if a new quest pops up."

"And the forest?" Areum asked, flicking a glance toward the windows where vines still pressed against the glass.

"Aesteros and the spirit have the perimeter," Jin said. "If anything comes close, it won’t get far."

Joon snorted. "Yeah, no kidding. I still remember what happened to that scout group that got within fifty meters."

"Didn’t even make it out of the roots," Echo muttered. "That poor one guy... all twisted up."

Areum gave a faint shrug. "Shouldn’t have tried to scan the place."

Hanuel straightened in his seat. "And who’s going with you?"

Jin didn’t hesitate.

"Me. Seul. Echo. Joon. Hanuel. Yujin. Areum. Jisoo."

Joon raised a brow. "Pretty stacked crew."

"Not for show," Jin said. "If things go wrong at the station, we need to be ready."

"And Jisoo?" Yujin asked. "She’s still training in the east grove."

"I’ll brief her once we’re ready," Seul said. "She won’t argue."

Echo finished the last bite of his food and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. "Then what’s the move? We heading out now?"

Jin stood, pushing in his chair. "Half an hour. Pack light. Bring whatever gear you trust most, but don’t weigh yourself down."

Echo was the first to jump up from his chair, practically knocking it over in the process.

"Oh man, you think Ryu’s still in one piece?" he grinned, already halfway to the door. "Bet he’s still built like a tank. But maybe—just maybe—I can finally land a clean hit this time."

"You?" Joon laughed as he stood, grabbing the last half of a toasted flatcake off someone’s tray. "You couldn’t hit Ryu with a homing missile."

"You sure?" Echo shot back. "Because last time I checked, you were the one who tried that aerial drop-kick and bounced off his shoulder like a ping pong ball."

"That was strategy."

"Looked like desperation."

"You’re just jealous my leg form’s cleaner."

Jin listened to their bickering with a faint smile as he adjusted the strap on his sheath. He didn’t interrupt. Let them burn the nerves off through banter. It meant they were still in good spirits. Still eager. That mattered more than they knew.

Hanuel followed close behind, adjusting his gloves. "So this Ryu guy... he really that tough?"

Seul passed him by with a faint shrug. "You’ll see."

Echo glanced over his shoulder. "Trust me, when a guy blocks an axe kick with a smirk, you don’t forget it."

"Back then, his skill was just called Iron Body," Joon added. "Probably changed by now. I don’t even want to guess what he’s packing these days."

"Think he’ll spar us?" Hanuel asked.

"Only one way to find out," Jin said.

They exited through the courtyard, sunlight now high enough to pierce clean through the upper branches of the Lifebound Tree. Their boots moved easy across the dirt path, the grass already parting where the forest recognized them. Behind them, base life resumed—recruits returning to drills, patrols changing shifts, Sujin and Jinhyuk already calling out the next rotation.

Ahead of them, the woods grew denser, the route to the station familiar but not forgotten.

"Still feels weird going back," Echo murmured after a minute.

Jin glanced sideways. "Why?"

"Dunno." Echo flicked a sound disk into the air and caught it again. "Feels like a different life. Like back then, we were just trying to figure out the system. Now we’re trying to outplay it."

"Yeah," Joon muttered, eyes forward. "Back then, it was survival."

"And now?"

Jin answered quietly. "Now it’s war."

That sobered the moment slightly, but only for a heartbeat.

Jin watched them all—the mix of experience, power, and still-growing potential walking at his back. They’d faced monsters, trials, corrupt spirits, anomalies.

And now they were heading toward allies.

Old friends.

Maybe even new ones.

His pace didn’t slow.

The path ahead curved—first through the trees, then down the slope that led toward the collapsed metro trench that once served as the station’s hidden entrance.

By the time the sun cleared the canopy overhead, they were already moving deeper into the territory’s edge, where memory met intention.

The station waited.

And this time, they weren’t arriving as survivors.

They were arriving as contenders.