“People will come to the hotel lobby.” “Even for a low-rank dungeon in another country, they let us in really easily. What did you say to them?” Park Yerim fitted her translation device and asked. “I told them two S-ranks were about to start a big fight, that it would be hard to stop us, but if they provided us a dungeon, we’d go in quietly and fight there.” Better to offer a safe space in mid-Manhattan than let S-rank Hunters rampage through the streets. Moon Hyunah pressed the elevator button and glanced at Han Yuhyun. “I know you’re in a hurry, but be careful around civilians. We’ll need government cooperation to find your brother—” Screech. Under Han Yuhyun’s blade, the elevator doors were instantly sliced away. “I’ll be careful outside.” Han Yuhyun leapt into the empty shaft. With a thrust, he sprang onto the stalled car at mid-level and tore open its roof. The Hunters inside looked up at him. Before they could answer, the cable was severed. The safety brake melted in the ensuing sparks. The elevator plunged. Skreeeetch! It tore down the shaft, scraping the walls, and shot past the first floor. Just before crashing into the basement, Han Yuhyun kicked himself off the car, cut open the door, and dropped onto the lobby level. The falling elevator smashed to pieces, shards flying everywhere. A grumble came from below. “Oh? You don’t need to wait for the elevator anymore? What about Director Han?” Kang Soyeong, who’d come down with Rieta, called up to Han Yuhyun on the first floor. Instead of answering, he strode toward the lobby. “It’s faster and easier without the elevator car for us.” Rieta nodded, approving. Park Yerim, Peace, Moon Hyunah, Noah, and Song Taewon also came down, and Hunters on each floor began hacking open the doors. “What on earth is happening?” “Regression—did that even work?” “Wait, regression? What’s that?” Among the senior Hunters who hadn’t lost their memories, confusion reigned. Some doubted whether what they’d seen was real. But one thing was certain: “Where’s Han Yujin?!” An S-rank Hunter shouted at Han Yuhyun as he crossed the lobby. At the center of every memory was Han Yujin. Han Yuhyun glanced up at him, then in mid-stride pivoted on one foot and delivered a spinning kick. The Hunter blocked cleanly with both arms—perfect defense. Then: Skreeeetch—he was slammed backward, gouging the marble floor. Though pushed, the Hunter held on, blinking as Han Yuhyun vanished from sight. Then: A sheathed sword struck the back of his neck. As the Hunter spun and stumbled back, Han Yuhyun coldly drew the blade. Ssshh—the gleaming edge was revealed. His unspoken warning: next time the blade would not be sheathed. “Anyone interested in my brother, step forward now.” No one budged. Instead, Park Yerim stepped up beside Han Yuhyun. “If you can’t handle us, give up now.” “If you heed this warning, it’ll be wise. Not just because of the S-rank Hunters, but because Han Yujin himself will be too much for you.” Noah approached them too. Peace scampered up to Han Yuhyun. Moon Hyunah shrugged and raised one hand. “My child still needs his father. Don’t you dare touch an innocent child’s dad, got it?” “Exactly—Director Han needs to raise those kids!” Kang Soyeong chimed in and nodded. Song Taewon sighed softly and spoke. “Please respect the law. Dodam Giseungsu Breeding Farm is a special Hunter facility. Foreign senior Hunters must notify the Korean Awakened Management Office and the Hunters’ Association of their purpose before receiving permission.” His voice was calm though faint with fatigue. “I also have an obligation to protect my nation’s Hunters.” In other words, he would not stand by if anyone harmed Han Yujin. “This will be entertaining if you dare.” Rieta said with excitement. But unlike her, the other S-rank Hunters recoiled—partly because Han Yuhyun was formidable, partly because their memories were muddled. “What about Chatterbox? What happened to him?” “Huh? Who?” For origınal chapters go to 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱 “Oh... that... some woman?” Many didn’t properly recall Chatterbox. They remembered a Hunter party broadcast online, but his image had blurred. As rumors swirled, a few Hunters quietly slipped away. True or not, new information poured in—some of it helpful. Now that Chatterbox’s whereabouts were unknown, wasting time was unthinkable. “Is the Breaker Guild Master here?!” At that moment, an Association staff member burst into the lobby. Moon Hyunah stepped forward. “I’m here! He shouldn’t be far, right?” “Just two blocks ahead. But—who are—” “Oh, the Haeyeon Guild Master and her member. They want to duel for the Guild Master seat.” Moon Hyunah urged the staff to hurry, then called to Kang Soyeong. “Soyeong, you and Rieta wait here.” “All right. But where’s our Guild Master? With Director Han?” Unlike Kang Soyeong, Rieta still retained some memory and scratched her head with a puzzled look. The staff led the way, glancing around. “We keep getting strange reports. Especially requests from S-rank Guild Masters worldwide to visit Manhattan—” “They must want to crash the after-party since it ‘ended.’” Moon Hyunah replied offhandedly. Surely they came to meet Han Yujin, and Han Yuhyun’s expression darkened. They soon reached a lower-rank dungeon, and Park Yerim knocked three times. “I’m not sure if this is the right spot. It’s not ‘Sir.’” “They’ll respond. Just in case, I’ll wait here—there’s no signal inside a dungeon.” “I’ll stay with Hyunah-ssi, too. If we hear anything about Yujin-ssi, we must act fast.” Han Yuhyun bowed slightly, then stepped into the dungeon. The others followed. They entered a meadow where a pack of lanky, dry-furred wolves lunged. Peace, in his fully awakened form, leapt and sank his teeth into one monster’s neck, then bared his fangs. The pack recoiled at his low growl. “Rookie! Volleyball! Sir’s gone missing!” Park Yerim shouted into the air. The space shimmered, and text appeared: Han Yuhyun grabbed Peace by the scruff while Park Yerim tugged his cloak. Lastly, Song Taewon took Park Yerim’s hand, and the scenery shifted. Ssshh—Han Yuhyun drew his sword at once, aiming at the man before him. Hwang Rim raised both hands in peace and smiled. “Calm yourself, little one.” “Huh? Is this Myeong-woo oppa’s forge?” Park Yerim looked around. Song Taewon also surveyed the surroundings. “Yes. On the first floor, not underground. I followed Sir here once. Normally Ismuar would be here.” “Where’s my brother?” Without lowering his blade, Han Yuhyun asked. Hwang Rim shrugged dramatically. “I don’t know what happened after he evaded Chatterbox and came into the forge. But I saw Jini roll around happily with the Sesung Guild Master after that.” “And Myeong-woo oppa?” “He’s upstairs. Looks like he’s not well—he even barred spirits from coming near. So he’s trapped here.” Park Yerim dashed up the stairs to the second floor. Calling “Ismuar!” she got no reply. As she climbed, a wave of heat rose to meet her—she conjured mist to shield herself. Ssshh—water hissed as it vaporized. “It’s true. Han Yuhyun, you go!” At her words, Erin bolted forward and waved both forepaws as if to stop her. [This is Ismuar’s domain—Honey, you’re in danger too! His rank is even higher!] Just then Volleyball popped out. Park Yerim caught him eagerly. “Rookie! Sir—Sir’s gone missing!” “Where did my brother go?” “Could it be related to the Sesung Guild Master’s disappearance?” [Oh, Honey was safely sent to Honey’s world! But it wasn’t a normal transfer, so I don’t know where exactly. And Chain was moved to a location Chatterbox preselected—probably kidnapped?] “Can you give us a rough idea where my brother was taken?” “He’s definitely alive, right? But someone kidnapped Mr. Sesung.” Song Taewon turned to Hwang Rim, who spread his hands in innocence. [It’s chaos here too, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous. It’s linked to places with many sentient beings. Honey used the Harmless King’s power to spread memories, which affected the world before regression. We gathered them all, but the world was shaken... then Chatterbox vanished and caused more chaos...] The Rookie muttered in an incomprehensible tongue, then bounced: [I’m sorting it out somehow! The smith needs rest after borrowing the Young Chaos’s sword, so I’ll escort that person out with me.] “I’d like to leave separately—Jini’s brother is so fierce here.” [People who learned of the regression will surely target Honey! And please find Honey and protect them!] Volleyball whirled, pouting, and the forge’s first floor transformed back into a ransacked hotel room. Hwang Rim, awkward, slipped behind Song Taewon to avoid Han Yuhyun. “I came to help, you know. Otherwise the smith would’ve saved me, right?” “My brother has my sword.” Han Yuhyun pulled out his phone and said, “If the sword leaves his inventory, we can detect its approximate location.” “Someone might steal it.” “No one but my brother or me can wield the Overlord’s Sword. Unless they have SS-rank Fire Resistance or higher.” No such person existed here. Han Yuhyun called Haeyeon again. Hearing that Dohamin couldn’t track him, he looked past Song Taewon. Park Yerim held a spear, and Song Taewon stepped aside. “I’m not a delivery service, though.” “Give me one reason not to strike your neck.” At Han Yuhyun’s icy words, Hwang Rim sighed helplessly. I called softly, but no answer came. My arms were tied behind me, fingers fully wrapped so I couldn’t access my inventory. ‘Auto-linking to my mouth would be handy.’ For humans with functional limbs, inventory items appear in their hands. If both hands are incapacitated, the system switches to mouth retrieval automatically. For tentacled species, it would link to tentacles. But with no manual override, blocking both hands made inventory use impossible. Even if I could draw items by mouth, I had no sharp tool here. “No earrings either, right?” My rescue Blessing was gone, the lynx gear too. They’d stripped me from head to toe. At least they tossed me onto a bed rather than the bare floor, but the empty room was hardly hospitable. Underground, then. Gyeol must be safe—they can’t hurt him even if they catch him. I wriggled a few times, then gave up and slumped back. That blasted Chatterbox caused trouble even now. I sighed and surveyed the room carefully. Nothing but a bed. The door seemed metal, and CCTV sat in a ceiling corner. No heater, but the air was lukewarm. ‘...Not New York, then.’ It didn’t feel like winter. Where was warm in early December? California? If this were another country entirely, it’d be a headache. At least everyone else was safe— Something foul welled up in my throat. I tried to hold it, then spat. This wasn’t my home; I didn’t need to wash sheets here. Ruga Peya had told me to take care, so I must be in bad shape. Apart from that, I’d certainly been battered. I checked my condition: with the Blessing and earrings gone, my mana was much lower—but not as bad as I feared. As distinct presences, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the Black Dragon’s and Kkumdong-i’s mana were clearly separate. The Black Dragon was fine, but I needed to rename Kkumdong-i soon—there wasn’t a spot of black left on him. Temporary name: “Blue,” for his eyes. He’s small, so “Kid Blue.” I coughed up more blood. After a moment, footsteps approached. Not exactly a kidnap—more like someone collecting me. Still, I’d get to see their face soon enough.