From Monday to Wednesday, I led the three of them back and forth through the Bag Toter Mine.

The reason I chose an independent dungeon instead of an open one with a different time flow was simple—avoiding any chance of running into Persilla.

Meeting her outside would already be a problem, but encountering her inside a dungeon would be fatal. There would be no witnesses, no help, and no escape.

The level grind went smoothly. After three days of hunting, the three of us—excluding Seo Yui—had reached Level 29.

“Alright. Let’s stop here for today. If we push a little tomorrow, we should all hit Level 31.”

I looked around at everyone.

“Mm!” Lumina smiled brightly, nodding. Seo Yui also gave a small nod of agreement.

Meiling, however, pressed her lips together and remained silent.

Not just now—she had been like that the entire day.

She didn’t even smile while cutting down monsters… something’s off.

I walked up to her.

“Something wrong?”

“The problem is you!”

Meiling glared at me and burst out, like she’d just pulled the pin from a grenade.

“While you’re leisurely grinding EXP, what the hell are you planning to do about Persilla?”

“Oh, that? I’m gathering the materials I need.”

“What?”

“By tomorrow, everything I need to deal with her will be ready. If she comes to Platinum Wings next weekend as promised, we’ll have time. And even if she shows up earlier, we’ll be prepared.”

“Uh… what?”

Meiling’s face went blank, clearly not expecting that answer.

“Right. And when we face Persilla, I’ll need your help. Senior Seo Yui's strength too.”

I turned toward Seo Yui. She nodded without hesitation, as if she’d been waiting for those words.

“What about me?” Lumina asked, her face pale with worry.

“Of course I’ll need your help too. I’ll tell you the full plan soon.”

“O-okay!” Lumina’s face brightened immediately.

The design was complete, and by tomorrow I’d have all the materials.

What was left was adjusting the stage to handle any unexpected twists.

The next day, before heading to practice, I stopped by Platinum Wings.

“Welcome,” Lee Donghyuk greeted me from behind the counter.

“I heard you’ve got the materials I requested.”

“Yes, right here.”

He placed a small inventory box on the counter. I checked the contents. Inside were exactly the items I’d asked for.

“We already paid the supplier.”

“I see. I’ll transfer half the cost to the shop’s account.”

“Mr. Nam Yein.”

I lifted my head from the box to look at him.

“Recklessness isn’t courage. Sometimes, when the enemy is too overwhelming, running away is the only solution. If you can’t block all the damage, then minimize it. Don’t push yourself alone. No matter how talented you are, you’re still only a Hunter candidate. Your future has value nothing else can replace.”

In other words: don’t fight alone. Ask for help. Even if the shop takes a hit, what matters most is your life.

“…Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Platinum Wings had just started anew, at a critical turning point. Yet even as its manager, Lee Donghyuk was more worried about me than his own store. That sincerity made me feel grateful.

When I stepped out, I spotted the others—Lumina, Meiling, and Seo Yui—all standing with tense shoulders, each scanning a different direction.

“What are you guys doing?” I asked, puzzled.

“Ah, Yein.” Lumina turned. “We were keeping watch.”

“She might be lurking nearby,” Seo Yui said, her eyes still fixed ahead.

“Keeping watch?”

“That crazy woman could be around here,” Meiling muttered.

Then it hit me. They were all on guard against Persilla.

“Did you get what you needed?” Seo Yui asked.

“Yeah. Let’s head to the dungeon. We’ll hit Level 31 today.”

We grabbed a taxi to the Bag Toter Mine’s third floor.

Once inside, we sprinted straight for the boss room, cutting down only what blocked our way. After five boss runs, we reached our goal.

“Level 31… doesn’t feel real.” Lumina murmured.

“The promotion standard for second-years is Level 25, so we’re way ahead,” I replied, sliding the boss drops into my inventory. I had already asked their permission to keep everything we found today.

It was a selfish request, but they all agreed without hesitation. Seo Yui had said it was fair—since I’d crafted them Rare gear—and the others followed suit.

“Principal gave us this assignment to prepare for HAUT, right?” Meiling asked.

“That means all the participants will be at least Level 31?”

I nodded. “Especially the Crystal Academy students. Their levels are even higher.”

“Crystal… then she will be there.”

“Who?” Lumina tilted her head.

“That girl who raided Valhall with us. The Crystal president’s eldest daughter.”

“Oh. Iris.”

The moment I heard her name, my mood soured.

HAUT included academy duels. If Iris got the chance, she’d use it to settle the grudge she’d invented against me.

But that also means it’ll be my chance to put her in her place.

If things went as planned, I could flatten Iris’s nose along the way.

“Yein?” Seo Yui had crept closer, studying my face.

“Yes, Senior?”

“You suddenly started smiling. What’s going on?”

Oops. I quickly smoothed my expression.

“Ah, I was just excited about HAUT.”

“…I see.”

“But before HAUT, we have to deal with the lunatic first,” Meiling cut in.

“You said you’d need our help. So why haven’t you told us the plan yet?”

For once, Meiling had a point. I nodded.

“My goal is to defeat Persilla.”

Their eyes went wide.

“Of course, she’s over Level 80. Even all together, we can’t beat her head-on. That’s why we’ll use other means.”

“What kind of means?” Seo Yui asked.

“Special items—and Persilla’s habits.”

Then I explained the plan in detail.

“I see. If that works, we do have a shot.” Meiling folded her arms, nodding.

“I never knew an item like that even existed…” Lumina muttered.

“But how do you know Persilla’s habits?” Meiling asked.

“I saw survivor testimonies on the news. The craftsmen she maimed.”

“…Will it really work?” Seo Yui asked quietly, resting her finger against her chin.

“If it doesn’t, then it’ll be a disaster.”

“I’ll make sure it works,” I answered immediately. “To face someone in the 80s, we have to be prepared. I’ve been laying the groundwork for this. I’ll force Persilla to move exactly as I want her to.”

That much was true.

“But if it really goes south, I’ll give you a signal. When I do, leave me behind and retreat. Persilla’s only after me.”

“No. I can’t accept that.” Seo Yui’s answer was instant.

“You gave me back my freedom. If I abandoned you, my body might survive—but my spirit would be dead. So don’t hold back. Use me. I’ll face this with you.”

I was left speechless.

“I-I won’t run either,” Lumina said firmly, looking straight at me. “I don’t want to be without you.”

“Ugh. Why are you all acting like this? Gross,” Meiling muttered, her voice laced with irritation.

“Enough already. Let’s get out of the dungeon. At this rate it’ll be midnight, and the dorm gates will be locked.”

“She’s right. Let’s go.”

As I turned toward the portal, Meiling sidled up to me.

“I won’t run either. Just so you know.”

With that, she stepped through the portal first. But as she disappeared, I caught a glimpse of her red ears.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Just as we stepped out of the dungeon, my smartwatch vibrated. A call from Eleanor.

“Hello?”

[Why didn’t you pick up sooner?] Her voice was urgent.

“I was in a dungeon. What happened?”

[Persilla came to the shop earlier.]

“!!” My hair stood on end.

“Are you both safe?”

[Yeah.]

“Why was she there?”

[I wasn’t around, so she asked Uncle for your contact info. When he refused, she said it was a shame… then bought all the Rare weapons you crafted. She said she’d be back tomorrow to ask again.]

“…”

Her patience was already thinning. Tomorrow, she’d return. And if she got refused again, she’d likely resort to violence.

“Eleanor. Tomorrow, if she asks for my number, give it to her.”

[But—]

“It’s fine. If you don’t, your uncle will be in danger. I was planning to make contact with her anyway.”

[…Okay… I’m sorry.]

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for. The problem is that woman, not you.”

As soon as I hung up, the three others bombarded me at once.

“Did that psycho do something?”

“She went back to Platinum Wings?!”

“Are you sure it’s okay to give her your number?”

“Calm down. All of you. Senior too.”

I stepped back, raising my hands.

“We’ll just have to move the plan forward.”

Persilla had been told it would take two weeks for the “imaginary craftsman” to reply.

But the fact that she had gone to Platinum Wings, bought up items, and even demanded my number meant only one thing—her cravings had grown too unbearable.

Good. Let’s settle this.

I clenched my teeth.

The next morning, while I was in class, my smartwatch buzzed.

The caller ID showed an unregistered number, but I knew immediately who it was.

I slipped out quietly and headed to the restroom. The call was still going when I checked that it was empty and answered.

“Hello.”

[This is Nam Yein’s number, right?]

“Who’s speaking?”

[It’s me, me. The one who commissioned a weapon last Saturday.]

“You went and dug up my number, didn’t you?”

[Sorry~. I just couldn’t sit still any longer. Did you deliver my letter to HC?]

If she meant the erotic letter, I had burned it in a dungeon.

“Not yet. Tomorrow, I was planning to hand it over to—”

[No. Too slow. Fuuuuh. I need that craftsman’s weapon right now. Haaak.]

Her rough, excited breathing hissed in my ears through the earbuds. It was so disgusting I wanted to rip them out.

[Please. Take me to that craftsman. Or just tell me where he keeps his inventory. I swear I’ll stop bothering you if you do. But if you don’t…]

“Fine.” I cut her off.

“Tomorrow, 4 p.m. Come to the old Bucheon Station plaza.”

[Bucheon? That’s on the outskirts. The craftsman lives there?]

“As I said before, I don’t know where he lives. But that’s where I drop the money and pick up the items.”

[Got it! Four o’clock sharp?]

“Yes.”

[Kya-hah!!]

Her shrill laughter stabbed my eardrums before the line went dead.

I pulled the earbuds out and rinsed my ears in the sink.

Saturday, 4 p.m.

I brought my squad with me to Bucheon Station plaza.

Though it was once a station, the place was nothing but ruins now, the trains long gone. We had to take a taxi.

“Sorry, folks. This is as far as I can go,” the driver said.

The road ahead was blocked with debris.

“That’s fine. We’ll get out here.”

I paid him in cash. After the taxi drove off, we climbed over the rubble and headed toward the plaza.

The sight that awaited us was bleak—the cracked ground, the derelict buildings looming like skeletons.

“No one’s here,” Meiling muttered, scanning the open space.

Just then—

Whooosh!!

A sudden gust whipped through the plaza, followed by a voice behind us.

“Hello?”

We spun around in unison.

Persilla stood there, though moments earlier the spot had been empty. She must have been hiding nearby, watching for us.

“You came early,” I said, noting her identical outfit from last time.

“I was too excited to stay home. Hehehe. So this is where you meet the craftsman?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what about those two girls?” Her eyes slid toward Meiling and Seo Yui.

“We’re going to hang out afterward.”

“My, my. Two girls at once? Quite the playboy, aren’t you?”

“Enough chatter. You came here to meet the craftsman, didn’t you?”

I held out the inventory bag I’d brought.

“What’s this?”

“Open it.”

She tilted her head, then took it.

“Oh my!!”

Her smile sent chills crawling down my spine.

Her lips stretched too wide, like a demon grinning.

She pulled out bundles of mist and scattered them across the ground. They reverted into their original forms—Rare weapons, all seventy-one of them, crafted by my own hands.

And that wasn’t all. The bag also contained equipment, accessories, and items.

“Heavens… oh heavens! These must be the craftsman’s work! The weapon levels are low, but the magic signature is the same! Slurp!”

Drool dripped freely from her mouth as she ogled the weapons.

“No one’s come here but you kids… so my hunch was right!”

She beamed at me.

“Nam Yein, you’re the craftsman, aren’t you?”

I nodded.

“Ahaha!!”

Stuffing the inventory into her pocket, Persilla lunged at me with terrifying speed.

“Ugh.”

A groan slipped out as her nails dug into my arms, her grip like steel.

“Too cruel. You should’ve told me from the start. Why waste so much of my time?”

One look into her crazed eyes and I understood what it meant to face true madness.

“I needed time to see what kind of person you were.”

“Aha-hah! Shy little thing, aren’t you? But tell me—how can someone so young make such beautiful weapons?”

“We can talk after you’ve looked them over more carefully.”

I nodded toward the spread of weapons.

“They’re all gifts for you.”

“Wh-what??”

Her eyes went wide. She let go of my arms and staggered back.

“All these… as a gift?!”

“Yes. You love weapons more than anyone. I thought you’d deserve them.”

“Eeeeeeek! I’m so happy!!”

Twisting and writhing, she shrieked, then clutched at the weapons.

“Haaah… haaah… perfect. Their levels may be low, but the craftsmanship is flawless.”

Her eyes burned crimson as she admired each one. Then suddenly, her hand went to her bandaged arm.

“I can’t hold it back any longer!!”

The bandages unraveled, falling away to reveal her skin.

“Ugh.”

“…”

Even Meiling and Seo Yui gasped.

Her arm was covered in grotesque scars—slashes, gouges, countless wounds.

Awakeners healed quickly, rarely leaving scars.

For her to have so many meant she hurt herself constantly, faster than her body could recover.

With a chilling grin, Persilla grabbed one of my daggers and cut into her own arm.

The flesh split, blood gushing down as she trembled and collapsed to the ground, lifting her head back in ecstasy.

“Ahhhh… perfection…”

Like a drug addict lost in bliss.

This was Persilla’s secret habit—when she found a weapon she loved, she used it to wound herself, savoring the pain as pleasure.

Insane, incomprehensible.

But it was also the key to victory.

The next moment—

“Wh-what?!”

Persilla collapsed face-first.

“M-my body… it won’t move…”

Her panicked eyes locked on me.

“What did you… do to me?”

“You did it yourself.”

I looked down at her.

The corner of the inventory bag I’d given her was sticking out of her pocket.

(End of Chapter)

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