Boom!
The shadows exploded outward, toppling the table to the floor.
The deafening crash of furniture shattering jolted Hyun Dowoon awake. He sat up with a start.
“Wh-What the hell?!”
The black shadows surged and flickered like roaring flas.
They twisted with violent force, as if they ant to swallow everything in the room—and in the center stood Cha Seohu.
“What the fuck, what is this all of a sudden...?”
Hyun Dowoon, still half-asleep, gaped at the surreal sight, then quickly turned toward Kwon Seoyul.
“Kwon Seoyul! What the hell happened—”
“Be quiet.”
Kwon Seoyul’s hair whipped wildly in the turbulent air.
He stared wide-eyed at sothing ahead, then scoffed in disbelief.
“What the fuck... What is this aura?”
It was only then, following that low mutter, that Hyun Dowoon saw the massive thing rising between the dark, swirling shadows.
What had erged from the floor was growing larger by the second.
As the amorphous black mass began to take shape, its aura intensified.
Just feeling it was like being stabbed with needles all over—his skin burned, and his stomach churned.
Gagging, Hyun Dowoon clamped a hand over his mouth and looked toward Cha Seohu.
But Seohu, oddly calm, stared quietly at the figure standing before him, seemingly unaffected by the overwhelming pressure.
Through the haze of rising shadow, a pale face ca into view.
The man summoned into the room slowly opened his eyes, revealing brilliant green irises that glead like gemstones—and locked eyes with Cha Seohu.
“Hyung.”
Cha Sahyeon, who had been aching to see Cha Seohu these past few days, smiled brightly.
“Why’d you take so long to call ?”
“......”
“Hyung?”
When no answer ca, Cha Sahyeon tilted his head slightly, confused.
Then, he noticed sothing strange about Cha Seohu’s aura and stepped forward to grab his brother’s shoulders.
As he looked Seohu over, his gaze landed on the handcuffs binding Seohu’s wrists, and he frowned.
“These... items?”
Cha Seohu, who had been silently watching Sahyeon with a strange expression, extended his arms.
Even without explanation, the brief gesture was enough.
Sahyeon grabbed the handcuffs—and tore them apart as easily as ripping tissue paper.
Crack. Sparkle...
A few weak sparks flared in protest, but the cuffs shattered uselessly.
Clang.
The mangled handcuffs hit the floor.
Even though they were just lightweight items, the mont his hands were free, Seohu felt a tangible sense of relief.
Sahyeon gently ran his fingers along Seohu’s now-unbound wrists and asked,
“What happened to your palm? Did you cut it on purpose to summon ?”
“......”
“And there’s still one item left, isn’t there?”
“......”
“Hyung?”
Cha Sahyeon’s expression began to harden.
No fool could miss that sothing was seriously wrong here.
Cha Seohu, unable to speak due to the paralyzing item in his mouth, shook his head rapidly in a panic.
“Why aren’t you talking...?”
“Seohu-hyung!”
Another voice cut in suddenly.
Standing with Hyun Dowoon behind him, Kwon Seoyul—unusually tense—called out.
“Co here.”
Already on edge from seeing the injuries and the binding item on Seohu, Cha Sahyeon’s eyes turned wild at those words.
“Who the hell do you think you’re ordering around?”
Having t Kwon Seoyul and Hyun Dowoon while still in his child form, Sahyeon bared his teeth instantly.
“Stay out of it. Unless you want to die.”
Shit. I’m fucked.
Cha Seohu, watching Sahyeon’s temper boil in real ti, broke into a cold sweat.
“Wow~ So now a ho invader thinks he can make threats too?”
Stop. Just stop!
Screaming internally, Seohu lunged and clung to Sahyeon’s arm.
Can’t you just grab and get us out of here?
He had assud Kwon Seoyul would hear the summoning and co running—so he’d planned to escape through the window the mont Sahyeon arrived.
But he couldn’t talk, and Sahyeon looked far angrier than he’d expected.
Sahyeon doesn’t know I’m trying to escape.
Right now, Sahyeon considered Kwon Seoyul—soone who appeared to have hurt Seohu—as an enemy. His only thought was to destroy him.
It couldn’t be helped, but how the hell was he supposed to de-escalate this?
“Hyung, what are you doing clinging to that bastard? Co over here.”
“I told you—don’t get involved.”
Goddammit!
Ever since that item was lodged in his tongue, everything had been frustrating—but nothing compared to this mont.
No choice. I’ve gotta get the item out first.
He’d planned to wait until they escaped the zone before removing the item—both because it was embarrassing to dig around in his mouth in front of Sahyeon and because he didn’t want to explain what it was.
But given the current chaos, embarrassnt was the least of his concerns. Talking ca first.
Seohu quickly shoved his hand into his mouth.
...?
Why... why won’t it co out?
Panicking, Seohu gripped the gem embedded in his tongue and pulled harder. But the item wouldn’t budge.
It wasn’t fixed in place—just lodged there. He’d assud it would pop right out if he gave it a good tug.
What the fuck ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) is this thing?!
Grunting with effort, Seohu fumbled inside his mouth—and Cha Sahyeon, who had been glaring at Kwon Seoyul, imdiately turned back to him.
“Hyung, are you hurt? Does your mouth hurt?”
“Ugh... no, wait—”
Before he could stop him, Sahyeon reached straight into Seohu’s mouth.
Feeling his jaw being forced open to its limit, Seohu flinched and jerked back, but Sahyeon grabbed his chin and peered inside.
It didn’t take him long to spot the foreign gem embedded in Seohu’s tongue.
Sahyeon’s expression twisted in disgust.
“This was the leftover item?”
“Urgh...”
“What the hell were you doing here, hyung?”
It was so unfair—but Seohu couldn’t say a word.
As he swallowed the lump in his throat, Sahyeon yanked the item free.
“Ghh...!”
The sa gem that wouldn’t budge when Seohu tried ca out easily in Sahyeon’s hand.
“Ah—ah. Hm.”
His tongue moved.
The paralysis was gone. It felt just like before the item had been placed.
There was a tiny hole in the center of his tongue, but it wasn’t bleeding or painful. With a bit of healing or ti, it would close up naturally.
“Click.”
Sahyeon clicked his tongue in disgust, then tossed the gem to the floor without hesitation.
The piercing-like item shattered instantly.
Now finally free of the item’s effects, Seohu imdiately shouted:
“Sahyeon! Don’t fight—we have to get out of here, ugh!”
Before he could finish, his head was yanked down violently.
Boom!
A massive water sphere flew in from sowhere and struck the dark barrier behind them.
Sahyeon had moved instinctively, shielding Seohu from the spray with his own body. Then he folded the barrier like a pair of wings.
“Hah... what the hell?”
Kang Haeil laughed in disbelief as he looked at Sahyeon’s face, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re that guy from the Great Dungeon. How the hell did you sneak in here?”
Kang Haeil instantly recognized Sahyeon as the Hunter who’d faced the dungeon’s boss monster.
At the sa ti, Sahyeon also recognized Kang Haeil.
“You... you’re that bastard from before.”
The awakened one who tried to drag Seohu away in the hotel lobby.
Their mutual recognition sent a jolt through the air—brilliant blue water and inky black shadow exploded upward.
Each elent claid exactly half the room.
Cha Seohu’s face drained of color.
No. No!
If Sahyeon started rampaging here, the other “siblings” would inevitably co running.
Just Kang Haeil being here is already a nightmare!
And no matter how strong Kang Haeil’s elental skill was, he couldn’t possibly beat Sahyeon.
Can’t he sense how terrifying Sahyeon’s aura is? Why is he provoking him?!
Whatever effect the pearl Chronos gave must’ve already worn off. Sahyeon’s current aura far surpassed S-rank.
“Wait!”
As Sahyeon raised a shadow-forged sword to strike, Seohu clung to his arm—but then, a familiar window popped up in front of his eyes.
Ding!
《Warning! The Villain is becoming unstable!》
“...!”
It was the first ti in ages he’d seen a warning window like that.
There was only one reason such a ssage would appear.
Either the progress of the Seed of Catastrophe had changed—or it was about to.
Realizing this, Seohu turned pale.
'Why? Chronos gave an item to suppress his growth—did it already stop working?'
When?!
His thoughts spiraled into chaos.
As the sudden crisis unfolded, Cha Seohu’s heart pounded violently.
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