"...Where is this?"
Sung Jin-Woo slowly opened his eyes. Instead of the blood-soaked stones of the temple, he was met with a pristine white ceiling. The smell of copper and death had been replaced by the crisp, sterile scent of a hospital room. The sheer comfort of the bed beneath him left him disoriented.
Was it all just a nightmare?
The mere thought of the altar, the statues, and the visceral sound of his own limbs being severed sent a violent tremor through his body.
No. That experience was real. I was there.
"I'm still alive..." he whispered, his voice hoarse.
"Yes. You are."
Jin-Woo flinched, snapping his head toward the voice. Sitting quietly in a chair beside the bed was a painfully familiar face.
"Welcome back, Hyung," Kim Min-Jun said, offering a gentle, relieved smile.
Jin-Woo stared blankly for a second before his face crumpled. The dam broke. He wept.
It was an ugly, desperate cry, but no one could possibly blame him. The pure terror, the agonizing pain, the suffocating despair of watching his comrades die one by one—it was a miracle his mind hadn't fractured entirely. Most people would have been reduced to raving lunatics after crawling out of that hell.
Min-Jun didn't offer empty platitudes or make fun of him. He just sat there quietly, guarding the door. He knew Jin-Woo would never want his little sister, Jin-ah, to see him completely broken like this.
It was the tragic pride of men. They desperately wanted to be the immovable pillar for the people they loved. Revealing their deepest fears or rawest vulnerabilities felt like a failure of duty. Even when their loved ones genuinely wanted to share the burden, they usually chose to suffer in silence.
Min-Jun understood that mindset perfectly, but he also knew the grim reality of this world. Even if Jin-Woo confessed the truth about the System, the Monarchs, and the Rulers, what could ordinary people possibly do to help? Nothing. The burden of saving humanity was too heavy, and Jin-Woo would eventually isolate himself to bear it alone, becoming a hero hidden entirely in the shadows.
But I am definitely different from him, Min-Jun thought, watching Jin-Woo slowly regain his composure.
Min-Jun had zero interest in being an unsung hero. If he had to risk his life fighting cosmic threats and cleaning up the messes left by gods, he wasn't going to do it in the dark. It might be selfish, but he wanted the world to know exactly what they owed him. He wanted the rewards, the recognition, and the absolute freedom that came with it.
"Just rest for now," Min-Jun said softly, handing Jin-Woo a tissue. "You need to recover quickly. You don't want Jin-ah seeing you like this. She's been worried sick."
"Yeah... thank you, Min-Jun." Jin-Woo wiped his eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath.
As Jin-Woo settled back into the pillows, his eyes darted nervously in front of him. There was something hovering in the air that he couldn't ignore.
"Min-Jun, can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Can you... see the blue panel floating in front of me?"
Jin-Woo stared at the glowing screen. It looked exactly like a quest prompt from a video game, demanding he complete daily tasks or face penalties. He was half-convinced he had finally lost his mind.
"Blue panel?" Min-Jun frowned, tilting his head in perfect, manufactured confusion. "What do you mean, Hyung?"
"...You can't see it?"
"Should I be? There's nothing in the air, Hyung. It's just us."
"....."
Jin-Woo's eyes widened in shock. Min-Jun can't see it? Is this some sort of hidden reward from the Double Dungeon?
"Hyung? Are you okay?" Min-Jun pressed, leaning forward. "Do you want me to call the doctor back in?"
"N-No! It's nothing." Jin-Woo quickly shook his head. "I... I must just be exhausted. Seeing things."
"Fair enough. You've been through hell." Min-Jun stood up, deciding to give Jin-Woo space to process the System on his own. "I'll let you rest. But brace yourself for when you wake up. The Hunter Association is going to want to talk to you. You're a survivor of a major disaster, after all."
"A disaster?"
"Only three of you made it out alive. The old man who lost his arm, the female healer, and you. The rest of your party is dead. If that isn't a disaster, what is?"
"...They all died," Jin-Woo muttered, the crushing weight of survivor's guilt flashing across his face.
"Don't put that on yourself," Min-Jun said firmly. "Nobody could have predicted a Double Dungeon. You survived. Focus on living."
"I know."
"I'll go handle the Association staff so they don't hound you right away. And I need to update Jin-ah."
"Thank you, Min-Jun. Truly." Jin-Woo bowed his head against the pillow.
Without Min-Jun acting as a buffer, the Korean Hunter Association would have already been interrogating him. After all, an E-Rank Hunter surviving a total party wipe was highly suspicious. But with Min-Jun—an S-Rank Hunter—acting as his guardian, the bureaucrats wouldn't dare overstep their bounds.
"Don't mention it. Get some sleep, Hyung."
Min-Jun turned and walked out of the hospital room, letting the heavy door click shut behind him.
Inside the room, Jin-Woo immediately turned his full attention back to the mysterious blue screen.
Outside the room, Min-Jun leaned against the corridor wall and casually stuffed his hands into his pockets.
Manager, Min-Jun called out in his mind.
[Report. The System has been successfully replicated. Correction: The System has been completely hijacked. The host may now freely access all System functions without detection from the Architect or the Shadow Monarch.]
A predatory smile tugged at the corner of Min-Jun's lips. There was no hesitation.
"Open System."
Instantly, a cascade of glowing blue panels materialized in the air before him.