The next morning crept in slowly, golden light filtering through the leaves and tickling Hyunwoo's face like fate itself trying to wake him up—and not in a gentle way.
He opened his eyes, already feeling uneasy.
"Ugh… I don't wanna do this," he mumbled, dragging himself out of bed.
Today was the day. The mission. The one where he had to go on a dangerous journey with Lirae… and Flairan, the same elf who still refused to make eye contact with him. Fun.
Hyunwoo stared at his reflection while pulling on his clothes, talking to himself like a man on trial. "I just have to survive. Just live. If I do this right, maybe… just maybe… I can earn my place here."
He walked to the kingdom's entrance, where the forest loomed like a wall of secrets. Lirae was already waiting—graceful as always, silver-blonde hair glinting in the sun, her presence a weird combo of princess and warrior.
"Morning, Lirae," Hyunwoo said, putting on his best fake smile.
She turned to him with a soft one of her own. "Did you sleep well?"
"Kinda," he answered, the smile twitching. How can I sleep when I have to drag you with me, when I can't even protect myself properly?
Before he could say anything else, Flairan arrived—late, of course. Still carrying the weight of his recent defeat like a backpack full of shame. His eyes briefly flicked toward Hyunwoo… and then looked anywhere else.
Still can't look at me, huh? This is gonna be awkward…
They headed into the forest, the trees growing thicker, older, and quieter the deeper they went. After about an hour of walking, they came across an abandoned camp.
Hyunwoo paused.
"Again? Just like last time…" he muttered. Something felt off. Too off.
They checked the site carefully. Nothing seemed dangerous. Just leftover meals and a few dirty dishes. But the details didn't add up.
Hyunwoo crouched near the fire pit. "Wait a minute…"
The meal remnants were cold—like, "hasn't been touched in days" cold—but the ashes in the fire pit were still warm. A faint steam curled out like the fire had only just been put out not too long ago.
His brow furrowed. "This is sus... I'm either overthinking it or walking straight into a trap."
Lirae checked the surroundings, while Flairan stood unusually still. Tense.
As they pressed deeper into the woods, Hyunwoo's unease grew like mold on bread.
Then—fwip!
An arrow sliced through the air, heading straight for Hyunwoo's forehead.
Instinct kicked in.
He ducked—just barely missing death. His heart almost leaped out of his mouth.
"HOW THE HELL DID I DO THAT?!" he yelped. "If that was a gun, I'd be in elf-heaven by now!"
Two figures emerged from the trees—black-cloaked, silent, fast. Assassins.
Lirae stepped forward. "Who are you?!"
The attackers said nothing.
Hyunwoo's eyes flicked to Flairan—his face had gone pale, eyes wide with shock, like he recognized them. But he said nothing.
Strangely, the assassins barely engaged with Lirae. They dodged her strikes with impressive grace—but they weren't focused on her.
They were locked onto Hyunwoo. Every move. Every slash. Him.
"Wow, I must've really pissed someone off."
He didn't have time to joke further. One assassin threw a dagger toward him. It moved like lightning.
Hyunwoo braced. Time slowed.
He blocked it—barely—his sword vibrating from the force.
Lirae and Flairan tried to provide cover, but the assassins kept slipping through, their attention still zeroed in on him.
Hyunwoo tried to cast buffs. "Support mode, baby!"
As he charged one of them, sword raised, he thought dramatically, This ends now!
Instead—his foot slipped on a root.
"OH COME ON—!"
Face first into the dirt. Classic Hyunwoo moment.
The assassins didn't wait. They moved in to finish him.
DING!
Status Window: "Hyunwoo has unlocked [High Instinct Survival Mode]."
A sudden clarity filled him. His body moved on its own.
He rolled to the side as a blade slammed into the ground where his head had been. Still on the floor, he kicked up, twisting mid-air and landing in a low crouch.
The aura around him changed.
No elegance. No technique.
But deadly.
The assassins paused. Their instincts screamed danger.
Hyunwoo's posture was a mess—back hunched, stance uneven, eyes wild—but something about him screamed: "Attack me and you'll regret it."
One of the assassins charged, aiming to take him out quickly.
Big mistake.
Hyunwoo twisted his body and slammed the flat side of the celestial sword right into his face—BAM!—a brutal makeshift punch that knocked the man out cold.
Lirae blinked. "Did… he just slap him with the sword?"
The second assassin froze for a brief second—then turned and sprinted into the thick forest, vanishing into the shadows like smoke.
"Damn it!" Hyunwoo cursed, already moving to chase, but Lirae stopped him with a firm grip on his arm.
"He's gone. We won't catch him in that mess… not now."
Reluctantly, Hyunwoo backed off, panting, sweat trickling down his forehead. The adrenaline was still surging, but he forced himself to turn back.
The first assassin was still unconscious where he'd fallen—tied up and slumped against a tree trunk like a discarded puppet.
"Let's see who's behind door number one…" Hyunwoo muttered, stepping forward.
He knelt down, grabbed the edge of the mask, and peeled it off.
Silence.
It wasn't a human. Not some shady merc from the black market. Not a beastkin, or any of the rogue creatures they were half expecting.
It was… an elf.
Hyunwoo blinked. "Wait, what?"
Lirae took a step closer, her brows furrowed. "An elf? That… doesn't make sense."
But Flairan just stood there. Frozen. Staring at the face beneath the mask like it had knocked the air out of him.
He didn't speak.
Didn't move.
But something shifted in his eyes.
Recognition.
Hyunwoo glanced at him, and for the first time since the fight, he looked genuinely unsettled.
"…You know him, don't you?" Hyunwoo asked carefully.
Flairan didn't answer. He just kept staring.
The forest felt colder now. Heavier. Like something invisible had just stepped into their circle.
Hyunwoo straightened up and exhaled slowly. "Yeah… this mission's about to get a whole lot more complicated."