Kang Juwon, observing from his corner, raised an eyebrow. Even he, who had seen countless dangerous and deadly situations, felt the tension radiating from Lee Aseok’s gaze.

  The cold, terrifying clarity in those black eyes was something that no monster he had encountered could match.

  The other humans around him, less fortunate in temperament and skill, paled under the same scrutiny.

  Mu Yichen, battered and bruised, glanced at Park Taegun and Seo MinHyun and immediately understood something vital.

  They did not remember anything from their past life. No flash of memory, no shard of understanding, just fragments that they had mistaken for illusions.

  Relief softened his features for a moment, even amid the lingering pain.

  He could let the past lie undisturbed for now; the others were safely ignorant of what had truly occurred.

  Lee Aseok looked at them both and calmly looked away.

  Seo MinHyun exhaled audibly, his breath shuddering through his chest. “Thank God,” he muttered, a weak smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “For a moment, I thought we were all going to end up in the ‘beaten by Lee Aseok’ club. And believe me… I don’t want that membership.”

  Park Taegun, for once, didn’t argue with him. He simply nodded, eyes fixed on the cold, impassive figure of Lee Aseok, silently acknowledging the truth: in this room, in this world, Lee Aseok was a force far more terrifying than any monster they had faced in the dungeons.

  The irony wasn’t lost on him: monsters they could fight, strategize against, and predict.

  Lee Aseok’s gaze flicked toward Kang Juwon, who offered his usual gentle, almost benign smile.

  It was the kind of smile that made people wonder whether the man was harmless or quietly planning something subtle and terrible.

  Lee Aseok didn’t care. Whether Kang Juwon remembered the past or not was irrelevant.

  Nothing in this world seemed to rattle him anymore, not illusions, not monsters, not even humans with grudges.

  The air remained taut with tension as Lee Aseok’s gaze swept across the room once more.

  Even Mu Yichen, still battered and nursing his pride along with his injuries, sensed the shift.

  The room, the people within it, all seemed secondary to the presence of this man. The calm terror he radiated was absolute.

  Park Taegun sighed, feeling every instinct in his body scream at him to keep still, to avoid drawing attention, to not breathe too loudly.

  He exchanged a brief glance with Seo MinHyun, who nodded slightly, both silently agreeing: today, their only hope was to remain unnoticed, invisible even.

  Under the gaze of the man who knew far too much, remembered far too much, and now, wielded it all with ruthless efficiency.

  Kang Juwon, ever the observer, allowed himself a quiet chuckle. It was rare to witness someone wield terror not through overt strength or intimidation, but through absolute composure.

  It was elegant. It was brutal. It was… funny in a way, if one ignored the existential dread threatening to suffocate them all.

  And then, as if sensing the shifting dynamic, Lee Aseok turned slightly, casting a glance at Mu Yichen before moving.

  The iron rod rested lazily on his shoulder, the holy sword trailing behind him like a loyal shadow.

  No words, no explanation, no need. His presence alone spoke volumes. The room seemed to exhale collectively, tension thick but somehow held in check.

  Somewhere in the distance, the faint shimmer of a protective barrier hinted at the arrival of something massive.

  Mu Yichen, on the other hand, had a very different reaction. He held a potion in hand, the one Seo MinHyun had hurriedly handed him after his ill-fated encounter with Lee Aseok.

  One sip, and he started to laugh. A low, trembling laugh at first, then louder, more unrestrained.

  Park Taegun and Seo MinHyun froze.

  The sudden burst of laughter was almost surreal, considering the situation.

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  They exchanged nervous glances. Mu Yichen didn’t look deranged, exactly. No, this was something far stranger. He was… happy. Ecstatic, even.

  “What… is he laughing at?” Seo MinHyun whispered, unable to suppress a shiver.

  “I… I don’t know,” Park Taegun muttered, watching the red-eyed man with wary curiosity. “I think… I think he’s gone insane.”

  But the truth was simpler. Mu Yichen’s laughter was relief spilling out uncontrollably. Lee Aseok was alive.

  And having given Mu Yichen that unforgettable beating, his presence now, his living, breathing, indomitable presence, was a comfort that no potion, no shield, no past regret could provide.

  For the first time, Mu Yichen felt that he could stand before Lee Aseok without any guild support, without any strategy, without hesitation.

  He could face him as a man, and perhaps, somehow, as a friend and maybe even more.

  Kang Juwon observed the scene with his usual measured calm. His gentle smile remained, almost apologetic, but his eyes were cold and sharp.

  He knew Mu Yichen’s feelings too well.

  Kang Juwon also knew that Mu Yichen bore the weight of the past, and that much of Lee Aseok’s suffering, pain carved into his very soul, had originated from Mu Yichen’s own actions.

  Forgiveness was not in Kang Juwon’s vocabulary, not yet. He wouldn’t allow sentimentality to interfere with the hard truths of survival and consequence.

  “Some people never learn,” Kang Juwon murmured under his breath, eyes fixed on the laughing Mu Yichen.

  But there was a quiet amusement in his tone too, a reflection of humanity’s strange, stubborn hope.

  And then it happened.

  The ground shuddered violently, a deep, resonant tremor that rattled teeth and echoed through the surrounding hills.

  Dust rose in choking clouds, and before they could fully process it, a massive barrier materialized in the distance.

  Its sheer scale was staggering, stretching high into the sky, shimmering with an almost oppressive energy.

  At the same time, a pressure unlike any natural force descended upon them, weighty and suffocating, as if a colossal mountain had decided to press down on the world.

  Even standing upright was a challenge, their legs trembling under the invisible weight.

  Park Taegun’s face hardened. He clenched his fists instinctively, readying himself for combat against whatever force had arrived.

  Seo MinHyun’s usual flippant demeanor vanished, replaced by genuine apprehension.

  Mu Yichen’s laughter ceased abruptly, replaced by a rigid, cautious awareness.

  Even Kang Juwon’s gentle smile faded, replaced with sharp calculation.

  The atmosphere shifted instantly. The ground beneath their feet seemed heavier, the very air pressing down on their lungs as the pressure intensified.

  Mu Yichen, Park Taegun, Seo MinHyun, and Kang Juwon stiffened, their faces drained of color.

  Each of them felt it, the silent, overwhelming presence of a force unlike anything they had ever encountered.

  Lee Aseok, however, chuckled. Just a soft, almost imperceptible sound, but enough to make the others glance at him with a mixture of irritation and confusion.

  He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with something dangerously close to joy.

  “Is he… laughing?” Seo MinHyun muttered, voice trembling slightly. He was usually the jokester, the one cracking quips no matter the danger.

  “Yes,” Park Taegun said quietly, his voice tight. “And that’s the scariest part.”

  Even Kang Juwon’s gentle smile seemed to falter, replaced by a faint narrowing of his eyes.

  He was calm, always calm, but the sight of Lee Aseok enjoying this, truly savoring the tension, sent a ripple of unease through him.

  Seo MinHyun, normally agile with words, broke the silence with a rare seriousness. “The final boss has arrived.”

  His statement was simple, but his body betrayed the enormity of the situation: his muscles trembled under the invisible pressure, a sheen of sweat glinting on his forehead.

  Mu Yichen’s eyes darkened, a shadow of determination crossing his usually composed features.

  This time, he would not let Lee Aseok face the creature alone. No potion, no distraction, no trick of fate would allow it.

  He gripped his weapon tighter, preparing to fight beside the man who had punched him into unconsciousness just days ago.

  Somehow, the thought of charging forward together made his chest swell with a strange, nervous hope.

  And then, beyond the shimmering barrier, the figure appeared.

  It was human-like in shape, but every instinct screamed danger. Pale skin glimmered faintly, as though absorbing the pressure around it.

  Long golden hair flowed unnaturally, moving against the wind. Eyes sharp and narrow, like snakes observing prey, locked immediately on Lee Aseok.

  On its back, twelve enormous wings unfolded with a graceful, terrifying motion, each feather glinting like polished metal under the faint light of the Hell Gate.

  The final boss had arrived.

  Time seemed to slow as the creature’s gaze met Lee Aseok’s.

  The golden eyes narrowed slightly, but a smirk curved its lips.

  The expression was mirrored almost perfectly by Lee Aseok, who had never moved an inch but seemed to already savor the confrontation.

  The others, Mu Yichen, Park Taegun, Seo MinHyun, Kang Juwon, stared, frozen, as if the eyes themselves weighed them down.

  Mu Yichen’s fists tightened, Park Taegun’s jaw clenched, and Seo MinHyun’s usual bravado vanished completely.

  Even Kang Juwon’s steady calm didn’t falter, but a cold edge crept into his gaze.

  The silence stretched, taut and unbearable. The wind howled around the barrier, the trembling earth echoing their collective apprehension. And then, Lee Aseok moved.

  Everyone instinctively assumed he would strike the final boss. His iron rod lifted smoothly, a single motion betraying nothing of his intention.

  His eyes locked on the pale golden figure, his expression unreadable except for that faint, knowing smirk.

  But then, the impossible happened.

  Lee Aseok swung his rod, not at the final boss, but directly at his teammates.

  Mu Yichen’s eyes widened in disbelief. Park Taegun’s reflexes surged too late.

  Seo MinHyun opened his mouth to shout a warning, but words failed him. Kang Juwon barely had time to adjust before the iron rod connected.

  The impact sent them all flying backward, propelled like ragdolls against an invisible, merciless hand.

  They slammed into the wall of the cavernous structure with a thundering crash, dust and rubble exploding around them.

  Pain shot through limbs and ribs alike, breath knocked from their lungs, heads spinning as they tried to regain control.

  Lee Aseok didn’t pause. With the fluid grace of someone completely unburdened by caution, he sprinted straight toward the shimmering barrier.

  His iron rod swung lazily at his side, as if it were nothing more than an accessory, a toy.

  Author Note:

  Every “OH MY GOD ASEOK STOP” gives me the strength to write the next disaster.

  Mon ? Wed ? Fri

  (Yes, I too question my life choices.)

  https://www.patreon.com/c/LithutheBloom

  please leave a review or rating—it helps summon new victims readers. ??