Chapter 96: Chapter 96

The lazy sunlight streamed through the glass, where a faded red sticker that read "Hangover Soup" was stuck.

It was a quiet day at the hangover soup restaurant, during the usual time for preparing ingredients. Today, it seemed particularly calm. Haeun had gone to a friend’s house, there were no missing ingredients, and the meat was simmering perfectly on its own.

As a result, Uijae sat alone at the counter, flipping through a paper newspaper for the first time in a while. The pleasant warmth of the sun, the familiar jingle from the TV commercials, and the rustling of the newspaper under his fingertips—it was all nostalgic, like the days before the Rift.

'...'

Uijae rested his temple on his fist, tilting his head slightly.

Is that why Hunters come here so often? To reflect on the fact that there were once ordinary days, even though the world had changed, and they themselves had changed too?

'Well, it could just be because the hangover soup is cheap...'

He dismissed the fleeting emotional thought. Instead of sinking into sentimentality, he figured it was more efficient to enjoy the peaceful afternoon and rare quiet moment he had.

'But it really has been a while.'

When did it all start? The moment he truly got entangled with Hunters. The face that immediately popped into his mind was that of Lee Sayoung—his flashy, mischievous smile and strikingly handsome face, radiating an overwhelming presence like a vibrant red rose. Thinking of him, Uijae let out a long sigh.

‘Everything is because of Lee Sayoung.’

From the moment they met, he should have accepted that his peaceful life had crossed the river into chaos. Smacking his lips, Uijae folded the newspaper and stretched his arms with a yawn.

Even so, thanks to Sayoung, Uijae had come to realize what he truly wanted. Picking up a broom, he spread out his palm. A faint golden line flickered across his skin, barely visible.

Cha Uijae wanted to protect people. He didn’t want to experience the pain of helplessly losing someone dear to him ever again. Why hadn’t he realized something so simple and obvious until now?

It was as if someone had placed a blindfold over his eyes....

*Clatter!* The dustpan flipped over as it caught on his foot. Startled, Uijae quickly gripped the broom again and sighed deeply. At that moment, a public service ad for the national gas mask hotline featuring Lee Sayoung was playing on TV.

Everything—from top to bottom—was about Lee Sayoung. Glancing briefly at the gas mask, Uijae resumed sweeping the floor.

Even after taking down the S+ rank golem with a single strike and revealing his identity as J, Cha Uijae’s quiet daily life hadn’t changed much.

He opened the restaurant, saw Lee Sayoung on TV, took care of Haeun, checked on his grandmother’s health, saw Lee Sayoung on TV again, and closed the restaurant. The hangover soup still sold well, the customers remained the same, and their attitudes were unchanged. It was almost eerily consistent.

A few days had passed since Uijae announced he would be working two jobs, yet his daily routine remained peaceful. In fact, it was quieter than usual. There was no sign of Lee Sayoung, Yun Gaeul, Hong Yeseong, or even Jung Bin.

He figured everyone was probably busy with their own affairs. After all, the Awakener Management Bureau was likely breathing down their necks. They all seemed capable of handling things on their own.

Then one day, a new visitor arrived at the restaurant—one in human form.

"Hello, customer."

Standing stiffly at the entrance was none other than *Ajujageungeojaeng Mingeojeong*, still in his black suit and sunglasses.

Ah, finally, he’s here. The one to disrupt my peaceful life. Uijae, not surprised in the least, opened the door for him. Mingeojeong, who had timed his arrival perfectly during the ingredient preparation period, handed him a heavy paper bag.

“This is a gift.”

“A gift? What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, I was on a business trip to Daejeon. While I was there, I picked something up for you. It’s bread.”

“Daejeon?”

“Yes, Hong Yeseong mentioned that he wanted to eat fried soboro bread from a famous bakery there, so I thought maybe he escaped to Daejeon, and I went to check. The bread was delicious.”

Uijae remembered the message that had arrived on *Choe Go-yo’s* phone, about Hong Yeseong’s escape. As soon as Mingeojeong sent that message, Choe Go-yo had shot out the door.

It seemed that they had formed a “Hong Yeseong Pursuit Squad” and set out to find him. Meanwhile, the escapee was leisurely munching on boiled eggs somewhere!

Uijae was about to pity Mingeojeong for his late-night suffering, but he noticed something odd. Mingeojeong’s face looked healthier, his pale cheeks now filled with color...

‘Looks like he had a good time.’

It seemed more like he had been on vacation rather than a business trip. Well, since his cruel boss had been busy, he probably enjoyed himself. Uijae decided to let go of his concerns and sympathy. Mingeojeong, now bursting with energy, set the bag down on the table and spoke seriously.

“There were many delicious breads, but since this is a gift, I bought a special gift set. Please try them, and if you find anything you particularly like, let me know. I’ll get more for you.”

“You really don’t need to go that far…”

“No.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Mingeojeong shook his head firmly and spoke in a grave tone.

“Since a few days ago, the Wave Guild's Combat Support Team 1 has been assigned to provide close backup for you, sir. That’s a direct order from our Guild Master, Lee Sayoung.”

“…What?”

Uijae stared at him, dumbfounded. But Mingeojeong’s pale face remained deadly serious. Combat Support Team 1—where Mingeojeong, *Rangman Offner,* and Choe Go-yo were all assigned—was a team from the elite Wave Guild. They weren’t supposed to be supporting guild members?

Mingeojeong pushed up his sunglasses.

“No need to be surprised, J. We may be called the Combat Support Team, but in reality, we’re the Guild Master’s personal lackey team. We do whatever he asks. This time, our task is to support you. Oh, and we’ve been doing our best to keep the rankers quiet about it too!”

‘Lackeys…’

Uijae looked at Mingeojeong, who was smiling brightly with a thumbs-up, with a gaze filled with a hint of pity. Clearing his throat, Mingeojeong glanced around before stepping closer and whispering.

“To explain a bit about this matter, the Awakener Management Bureau has no intention of revealing J’s return. The Corrosion Dungeons are not widely known, and this time, the unprecedented reconfiguration of the dungeon occurred. This is the first time it’s happened in the world.”

“Yes.”

“And being ‘first’ isn’t always a good thing. Even in a country that’s obsessed with rankings, being first in a situation like this... is questionable.”

Mingeojeong rubbed his chin with his fingers before letting out a short sigh.

“Instead, it stirs fear. People start to wonder, ‘What if it happens again?’ Fear and anxiety take over.”

People are easily swayed, after all. Fear is probably the best emotion to manipulate them with. Watching Uijae’s expression, Mingeojeong continued carefully.

“The Bureau doesn’t want to stir up unnecessary panic. There’s already been the unprecedented event of a rift appearing at the registration center.”

Uijae had been there as well. He clasped his hands together and rested his forehead on them. Wherever Uijae went, incidents seemed to follow. As if his very existence triggered them. Mingeojeong popped a vegetable cracker into his mouth, chewed it thoughtfully, and shrugged.

“It’s already surreal enough that a system like this exists… But when unreal events start happening repeatedly and in close succession, it’s only natural for people to become uneasy. Especially the general public.”

“......”

“Anyway, all the Hunters who witnessed J are claiming they don’t know who it was. And since J appeared in a dungeon that reconfigured itself, they can’t exactly make an official announcement. And you said it yourself, didn’t you? That you’d show up again if something like this happens.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That seems to have reassured them a bit.”

The comment seemed strange. Uijae looked up at Mingeojeong, who was smirking cynically.

“It’s trust in J, I suppose. A belief that J won’t abandon us.”

“......”

“Well, here’s the thing.”

Mingeojeong rested his chin in his hand and muttered as if deep in thought.

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot. While they’re saying that dungeon reconfiguration is a first, I believe we’ve seen something similar before.”

“…What?”

Mingeojeong suddenly dropped a bombshell. Uijae whispered quietly.

“What exactly are you saying?”

“Exactly what I said. Dungeon reconfiguration is when a dungeon’s form suddenly changes, and its rank increases, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm… I’m about to say something impolite, so please forgive me.”

Mingeojeong cleared his throat. His black eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, stared at Uijae.

“Haven’t you experienced something like this before, J?”

Uijae’s grip tightened around the edge of the table. His dark eyes gleamed with a faint blue light, casting a chill over the room. Yet Mingeojeong pressed on.

“When the West Sea Rift first appeared, it was classified as a Grade 5 Rift, but as soon as J’s team entered, it was immediately upgraded to a Grade 1 Rift, wasn’t it?”

“......”

“The phenomenon itself is quite similar to the Corrosion Dungeons, isn’t it? Although, I admit the West Sea Rift grew larger over time.”