"I'm fine."

"But…"

"I'll be right back. Don't worry, hyung."

"…"

I looked at Do-gyul in silence, momentarily lost for words at the smile on his face, as if to say he was fine. All this time, I had selfishly believed I had to protect him on my own—but maybe that hadn’t been necessary after all. Do-gyul was a strong kid who had endured all those countless years alone without ever meeting the real Han Yi-jin.

“…Come back safely.”

“Okay.”

In the end, all I could do was nod and let him go. Maybe I never had the right to stop him in the first place. I’m not even the real Han Yi-jin, and right now, I’m disguised as someone else—Park Ho-soo.

I watched in silence as Do-gyul left with Eden and Andrew Bailey, my feelings all over the place. My eyes began to fill with tears, and I quickly looked away on purpose. Feeling oddly sentimental, I crossed my arms and pretended not to care—then heard someone grumbling beside me.

“Ah, I wanted to go too. What a shame.”

“…”

It was Liam White again. Honestly, he really couldn’t read the room.

The other hunters were thinking the same thing, but none of them could say it out loud. There was only one person who could—and that was Joshua Lehmann, the guildmaster of the Ur Guild.

“Do you really have to act like such a weirdo to feel better?”

“Me?”

Liam White smiled in response to Joshua Lehmann’s sharp remark, which only deepened the frown on Joshua’s fair face.

“Why don’t you cut it out? You’re making everyone uncomfortable.”

“Doesn’t seem like anyone’s said that to me.”

“Of course they wouldn’t say it to you, Mr. White. Are you doing this on purpose?”

“Who knows? I’m just living the way I want to.”

“…”

Liam White shrugged, acting like it was no big deal. But there was something off about the way Joshua Lehmann was looking at him. I got the sense those two had been at odds for a long time. Joshua’s gaze felt strangely familiar—it was the kind of look you’d see in someone consumed by inferiority. I was sure I’d seen it somewhere before.

‘Seo Ha-jun.’

It was Seo Ha-jun—the vice guild master of the Tyr Guild. Joshua’s gaze reminded me of the way Seo Ha-jun had once looked at me. No way…

I couldn’t afford to draw conclusions based on a single look. Still, at this point, I had every reason to be just as suspicious of Joshua Lehmann as I was of Liam White. There was something off about both of them.

So I had to approach them carefully. They were both well-known, high-ranking hunters, so I couldn’t let them know I was suspicious. I had to keep my cool and act natural.

“Hunter Park Ho-su.”

“…”

“Hunter Park Ho-su?”

“Uh, yes?”

I instinctively stepped back, startled by the sudden close-up of those blue eyes. Liam White, who had been staring straight at me, burst out laughing.

“What were you thinking about that you didn’t even notice someone calling you?”

“Ah, that…”

Startled, I took a moment to compose myself before looking at Liam White. Seriously, why did he keep popping his face out of nowhere and startling people? Then again, I was the one getting lost in my own thoughts at a crucial time.

I cleared my throat and answered.

“I just… I was worried about the hunters who went down below.”

“Ah, I see. You’ve got a kind heart.”

“…”

I couldn’t tell if that was a genuine compliment or if he was teasing me. Liam White was a man whose thoughts I couldn’t read at all.

“I’m not being sarcastic, just so you know.”

“Can you read minds too?”

“Haha, no way.”

“…”

Liam White had been quietly laughing at what I said for a while before finally looking up. There was even a hint of moisture in his eyes—he really did seem to find my comment funny. He glanced at my cold, unfazed expression and let out a quiet chuckle before speaking again.

“They’ll be fine. They’ll come back safely soon, so don’t worry.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I saw it.”

“…?”

What does he mean by that?

I frowned at Liam White’s words—they made no sense to me. When our eyes met, he winked.

“I saw them come back safe and sound.”

“Do you have precognition or something?”

“No. But anyway, I saw it.”

“…”

So, it’s like this:

‘I saw it! I saw in the future that they’re going to be okay!’

Just empty words meant to sound reassuring—in other words, complete nonsense.

“Fuc…”

“Fuc?”

“I’m seriously worried. But they’ll be fine, right? Haha.”

“…?”

For a moment, I almost cursed but managed to hold back. I held back really well. No matter how reckless Liam White was, I was pretty sure even he wouldn’t tolerate me cursing right in his face. Letting out a sigh of relief, I slowly moved away from him.

“But how do you have Lee Chae-jin’s potions? And so many of them, too?”

“Uh…”

But Liam White kept following me, asking questions. It seemed what he really wanted to know was the nature of my relationship with Lee Chae-jin. Lee Chae-jin was well-known—even overseas. It made sense. Potion masters were rare, even abroad.

While many could craft potions, those who had truly mastered the skill were extremely rare. No matter how much one practiced, without innate talent, reaching the rank of master was no easy feat.

That’s why creators like Sim Dante and Lee Chae-jin held such a unique position. They were highly sought-after talents around the world. It wasn’t something a low-level hunter like me should have.

But since I kept pulling those potions out like I was showing off, it was no surprise Liam White got curious. I was prepared to be questioned by other hunters because of Lee Chae-jin’s potions—but of all people, it had to be Liam White. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be getting away that easily.

“Just…”

“Just?”

“I just got them.”

“…?”

Liam White frowned at my vague answer, then fixed me with a serious look and asked—

“Hm, so you’re not planning to be honest with me?”

“Um… yeah, sorry about that.”

“It’s good that you’re honest.”

Liam White suddenly smiled. He was definitely unpredictable. Then he turned around and walked toward the dwarf.

"Phew…”

If he had pressed me any further, I would’ve been in real trouble. Still, it was a relief that he backed off so easily. Once I got back to the raid team, Kang Yoo-hyun—who already knew my identity—would cover for me when it came to Lee Chae-jin’s potions. I just needed to hold my ground and stay composed. Now, all I had to do was wait for Do-gyul and Eden to come back up.

I couldn’t help but worry about Do-gyul, but then I remembered the firm tone in his voice when he told me not to worry. Strangely enough, the uneasiness I’d been feeling started to fade. Do-gyul would definitely come back safely. Eden was with him too, so things should be fine. I clenched my fist and murmured to myself.

Rumble.

“…What's going on?"

A faint tremor rose from the ground, quickly growing stronger. Liam White's face tightened as he sensed danger and began making his way toward me.

"Hunter Park Ho-su—!"

"Ugh…!"

But at that moment, the ground beneath me shook violently. Why is this happening again? An ominous feeling crept over me.

‘No way…’

I’d experienced something like this before—in the Muspelheim Dungeon. Instinctively, I turned to the side and spotted someone who had been watching me earlier standing nearby.

“Joshua Lehmann…?”

“…”

Joshua Lehmann, the guildmaster of the Ur Guild, was staring at me coldly. He stood far too calmly on the violently shaking ground—as if he had known this was going to happen.

“You–this is all your fault.”

“…?”

Joshua Lehmann whispered so quietly that only I, standing close, could hear him. His voice was chillingly cold—enough to send a shiver down my spine.

"A variable like you needs to disappear."

"What—!"

Then, Joshua Lehmann shoved me with incredible force. I staggered and fell backward—and at that very moment, the rumbling beneath my feet grew even stronger.

“Kugh…!”

I felt my body sinking into something—just like when I’d fallen into the pit back in the Muspelheim Dungeon. Joshua Lehmann, the guildmaster of the Ur Guild. My vision began to blur as I looked at him. So it wasn’t Liam White who was the traitor—it had been Joshua Lehmann all along. Even after realizing the truth, I still reached out toward Joshua Lehmann, even as my body sank.

Whoosh!

"Ugh…!”

Something shot out from my hand and wrapped around Joshua Lehmann’s arm. Caught off guard, he was helplessly dragged toward me. As he was pulled closer, I scoffed at him.

“You thought I’d go down alone?”

“You crazy…!”

“Let’s go down together this time.”

“Kugh…!”

Joshua Lehmann’s face twisted in frustration as he struggled to break free, but Sim Dante’s item wouldn’t give way so easily. The next moment, the two of us fell with a loud thud—and in an instant, everything went dark before my eyes.