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“Sunbae, I…”

At Euna’s words, Woo Taek nodded. Though he couldn’t speak due to being wrapped in bandages, he stood out as someone who survived thanks to the Silent Mouth’s magic, exhibiting remarkable endurance despite his entire body being burned. That was just yesterday. For a while, the strong magic had seeped deeply into him, leaving him in a state where he couldn’t touch anything or even undergo surgery. But now, he felt a sigh of relief.

If he hadn’t exhibited that skill… Euna let out a deep sigh.

“See you later in the clan.”

Walking past the slightly nodding Woo Taek, Euna glanced at the hospital room of Gu Jin-ha, who had just finished his last surgery that morning. Though visits were still impossible, she had heard that his life was not in danger. Now, he just needed to regain consciousness…

‘Phew…’

If only she had made up her mind and helped a little faster, perhaps things would have turned out differently. With a heavy heart, Euna arrived at the clan and took a deep breath in front of it.

…To be honest, she had initially wanted to rest, but seeing the two of them had erased that thought.

Her desire for revenge against Alpha— that had been her motivation for so long, but now it had changed. Now that the misunderstandings were cleared up, she thought purely about wanting to become stronger.

—Like Alpha.

Just as Euna steadied her emotions and took a deep breath, someone grabbed her shoulder.

“Good to see you.”

A voice she had heard somewhere before. Euna turned her head to see her eyes widening in surprise.

“Sunja? What brings you here? More importantly, are you okay?”

“I’m mostly unhurt.”

That was ridiculous. There was no way Euna, who had held off the Juggernaut alone, hadn’t sustained any injuries. It was just that some fairy-type magic dust had healed her wounds, allowing her to bounce back quickly.

“Are you alright? Your name is…”

As Sunja squinted, Euna quickly replied,

“I’m Euna!”

“…I’m not your superior, so no need to be so formal. If it’s not urgent, can I ask for directions?”

Directions— the representative clan of Daejeon. Why on earth had someone in that position come all the way here? Euna tilted her head in confusion.

“Sure, that’s fine… but where are you headed?”

“I have business with the Swordmaster.”

Euna’s eyes widened. She had never even spoken with someone in the same clan… just amazed by the sheer difference. It hit her again that this person was the best hunter and a disciple of Chang-seon, the Seven Heroes.

“Yes!”

—Euna followed the procedure to guide her, and soon they arrived at the seventh floor. There, Ha Yeon, the vice team leader of Team 1 and Kang Tae-jun’s secretary, was waiting. Just as she thought it was time to go back,

“—Euna, wait.”

Ha Yeon stopped her. With a puzzled expression, Euna wondered if she had done something wrong. Feeling uneasy, she couldn’t think of anything. Soon, the voice of Kang Tae-jun could be heard outside the door, and the two of them entered the clan leader’s room together.

“You’ve arrived?”

“It’s been a few days. Swordmaster. Are you feeling okay?”

As the two greeted each other casually, Euna felt she was missing her timing and was fidgeting. Should she greet them or not? She felt she had to, but doing so would interrupt the flow of conversation…

In the situation where her mind was spinning, Kang Tae-jun’s gaze turned toward Euna.

“I see. You’re…”

“Yes! I’m Euna!”

The respectful greeting from her made Kang Tae-jun gesture with his chin.

“Sit tight. It will take a little time to return. And Sunja… there was no real need to come all the way here.”

‘Come back?’

“…I also wanted to see Seonru soon.”

Seonru. It was the name of her white spear. Kang Tae-jun nodded and handed her the spear, which he had placed on a stand. Yet, Eun Ja-rim was looking around as if searching for something. Euna tilted her head at that sight, but Eun Ja-rim appeared distinctly disappointed. After hesitating for a moment, she finally parted her lips.

“…I’m a little tired from coming so early. Could I take a short rest?”

“Ugh. Do as you wish.”

‘……?’

Did she smile? Euna wondered if she had seen it wrong, but seeing Sunja’s fist clenching, it seemed unlikely. The sound of papers being organized by the clan leader soon drowned out everything else. The atmosphere didn’t seem bad, but Euna had to ponder dozens of times about why she had been summoned here. She couldn’t help feeling anxious while Eun Ja-rim leisurely enjoyed the tea provided by Ha Yeon.

“…….”

Still, since the clan leader called for her, the vice team leader shouldn’t scold her, right? Just as various thoughts crossed her mind, the sound of the door opening without a knock echoed.

“You’re here.”

But no one entered. Instead, what gripped the doorknob was a long, stretched-out tentacle. Following that, her gaze dropped to see a black puppy entering, playing with a fairy-type monster.

“No way…”

While Eun Ja-rim was thinking the same thing in disbelief, Euna stood up confidently.

“Alpha…!”

This unexpected meeting. Before even feeling the magic, Euna knew for certain when she saw the puppy that it was Alpha. The joy she felt was even stronger than when she met him as a wolf.

“――.”

The wolf nodded instead of replying. As it waved its tentacles like a friendly gesture, Kang Tae-jun once again couldn’t help but chuckle silently. Soon, Eun Ja-rim also set down her tea.

“Long time no see, Alpha. Eun—?!”

Suddenly, the fairy came rushing in, but Eun Ja-rim opened her arms and embraced her. There was even a look of ecstasy on her face. The two were relishing their reunion— when did they get so close? Hadn’t Eun Ja-rim always been the one following her around? I shook my head in disbelief. After all, the awaited moment had arrived.

Locking eyes with Kang Tae-jun, he nodded.

“Euna.”

“Yes!”

Startled by her name being called out, Euna tensed in place. After all, she had more or less been summoned into the office of the CEO. It was natural to be nervous.

“The reason I summoned you today was to confirm one thing, but… judging by your reaction, it seems unnecessary now.”

“…Yes?”

“Jirisan Beopgyeongsa. Alpha is your benefactor who saved you, not the worg that attacked you— right?”

Seeing Euna answering in a daze, Kang Tae-jun let out a small sigh. He had anticipated this, but any remnant of doubt he had just vanished.

—After confirming, there was no room for suspicion left. Watching Marang, who had been completely cleared of suspicion, Kang Tae-jun nodded. Now, all that was left was to verify whether he was someone who could betray that trust. Even that wouldn’t take long.

“Understood. And Sunja. It seems your business is concluded… are you still tired?”

“……!”

Grinding her teeth, Eun Ja-rim apologized for interrupting and left the room. Following her, Kang Tae-jun said,

“…You may leave now. I have nothing more to say to you.”

“Ah, yes!”

As Euna opened the door to leave, Kang Tae-jun spoke in a barely audible voice.

“…Thanks for your efforts with the Neverland raid. Please continue to do your best.”

“……Thank you!”

Left alone, Kang Tae-jun began cleaning his glasses.

***

‘…I thought I was dying.’

It felt as if I was sandwiched between the clan leader and Sunja. Thankfully, it was just a simple confirmation, or else if I had stayed longer… Euna shook her head vigorously.

‘…By the way.’

What on earth was Alpha doing in the clan? No, even before that, she wanted to have more conversations with him… but she couldn’t. Though she didn’t know when the opportunity would come again, she would surely meet him again. As she tried to suppress her disappointment, something nudged her.

Curious, Euna looked down to see the black puppy staring up at her with wide eyes.

“……!”

The way the tentacle wagged seemed to urge her to lower herself, and Euna nodded. The wolf, who had opened space for her, pulled out a ginseng.

“What’s this…?”

“It’s a token of thanks for helping.”

Euna’s eyes widened at the deep voice that didn’t quite fit the little puppy. It was unmistakably a voice she had heard before from that looming monster. It made her realize that it really was Alpha. She had cleared up the misunderstandings and could properly reunite with him… Euna’s heart swelled with joy.

“You helped me…?”

Rather the opposite, didn’t it? How many times had her life been saved? Twice. No, even three times until Neverland… She had inconvenienced others so much. Yet here she was, thinking of chasing him out of sheer misunderstanding… What did he mean by that he helped her? Her mind began to swirl in confusion. But this time, she could ask him directly. Alpha was right there in front of her.

“Wait a moment…”

***

‘Surprisingly not bad.’

Vending machine coffee. Just as Euna was sipping the coffee she bought, it suddenly hit her. She had become too accustomed to only eating awful food, but considering she had taste buds, there was really no reason not to eat and drink.

After all, everything she had eaten until now had been horrendous. Raw and inedible unless it was bad food. The visuals were terrible, and there was no real need to eat it. But this place was like a society. If it was delicious, it was abundant. Suddenly hit by an unforeseen revelation, she sighed.

“…Um.”

As she sipped the coffee Euna bought, someone spoke to her, making her turn her head. She looked just like before, but after the struggles in Neverland, she seemed a bit more frail.

“Why do you say I helped you?”

“Because I received something.”

“Received?”

Admittedly, her actions had been foolish and naive. While she couldn’t remember a single thing from the novel’s world, she still felt that way when lost in Agail’s illusion. Still, separate from that, it was indeed a fact that she had survived thanks to her. If she hadn’t taken down the monster wolf, she wouldn’t have stood a chance against the worg. If it weren’t for her, she would neither have been in a position to push the worg to near death nor have garnered an opportunity to become a Hyun-yeong worg.

When fighting the monster wolf— it would have been impossible to defeat it alone if it weren’t for her. At that time, she and it were at a considerable difference.

—Of course, it all happened because of her actions, but had it not been for Euna, things wouldn’t have gone as smoothly. Regardless of whether it was foolish or silly, it indeed benefitted her. On the other hand, to her, I was a benefactor who had saved her life multiple times…

‘The events in Neverland don’t really need to be mentioned.’

Ultimately, it felt strange that they were indebted to each other. However, that didn’t mean I offered the elixir solely for that reason. While I couldn’t quantify all the reasons, at the very least, she seemed like someone worth investing in.

[Euna (Human)]

[Height: 164.4cm] [Weight: 44.1kg]

[Strength: 107] [Agility: 124] [Stamina: 131] [Magic Power: 389]

Her other stats were rather low, so it might have been relatively easy to boost them… but her magic power had surged by over 60 in a very short period, undeniably proving her talent.

“Even if you say you received something, I don’t know what that is…”

Stammering. Euna seemed at a loss for words, rubbing her intertwined fingers. The wolf licked the remaining coffee.

‘That’s a shame…’

After so long, it felt wonderful to taste something decent. I thought about asking for another one when I decided to answer her question.

“You can accept it freely.”

“…….”

Euna sighed deeply. Even when told to take it freely, she was only saying that because it wasn’t easy for her. Yet, the wolf spoke as if reading her mind.

“After all, my magic originates from you.”

“Really…?”

Her reaction showed disbelief, and soon Euna let out an exclamation as if she had suddenly understood something.

“If you don’t keep it, it just goes to someone else.”

With that affirmation, Euna seemed to have made up her mind. She slowly nodded and accepted the ginseng.

“…Thank you.”

As she expressed her gratitude, it felt like the knot tying their connection began to unravel. I nodded in response, and amidst it all, I saw Eun Ja-rim’s figure approaching from down below. Noticing the same, Euna’s eyes widened as she remembered something and took out her phone to check the time.

“Ah.”

—The work hour had long passed. No matter how much the clan leader had called her, she had completely forgotten. In the midst of hurrying to prepare, her coffee nearly spilled when the wolf caught it with a tentacle. It felt as if I had never used it for anything else besides battling and sensing magic, prompting a chuckle to escape me.

“Ah, I’m sorry, but that…!”

“Go on.”

With those calm words, Euna hurriedly nodded and walked away. Just then, Eun Ja-rim, who seemed to have returned from walking the fairy, stopped in front of me and sat next to where Euna had been earlier.

“…….”

She seemed to have something to say but remained silent, so I also stayed quiet.

“Kyuu~!”

As the fairy played with her tentacles, a sigh escaped her lips. After seemingly organizing her thoughts, Eun Ja-rim engaged me.

“…How’s it been, staying here?”

A sudden formality. In response, I tilted my head. It seemed she had been speaking informally until now… had something changed in her mindset?

“If you find it uncomfortable… you are welcome to join my clan.”

“I’m fine.”

“…….”

Her immediate answer made Eun Ja-rim gnaw her lip as she asked the reason.

“…What’s the reason? While it’s not as small as Yeo-myeong, Euna’s Forest isn’t exactly a small clan. If there’s something you want…”

Yet, I shook my head. Joining her clan hadn’t even crossed my mind. It didn’t seem like she had exceptional mages like Hong Yu-ri or Ha Yeon.

“……Phew. I suppose there’s nothing left to discuss.”

Feeling sorry as her sigh grew heavier, I thought there was no way I’d be going to Euna’s Forest. Was her insistence because they had fought together? Or was it because she viewed me as a valuable asset? Or maybe it was because of the fairy?

“But if your mind changes, feel free to come over. …I’ll be waiting.”

That was something I genuinely couldn’t refuse. Watching Eun Ja-rim walk away, I took a sip of the coffee.

—The coffee Euna had left behind.

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