Chapter 22: The Unknown Force (2)

Daon bit her lower lip nervously.

“It’s like looking at ourselves. The abusers who want the story to diverge from the novel, and the preservers who want it to stay on track. Even the fact that they’re not in the novel is the same.”

“…That’s not certain.”

“What?”

“We don’t know if they’re truly absent from the novel. The Hahoe Mask I met hid their face, and Butterfly Mask… the name alone suggests they do too.”

“No novel character would do this. How would they know who’s supposed to die in the future?”

“…”

Ion’s current thought likely mirrored Daon’s.

Someone unknown had tipped Jin Seongha about Moshi.

It wasn’t Il-on or Sa-on—those aiming to erase the protagonist and become heroes wouldn’t reveal Moshi to him.

Ion and Daon suspected a foresight skill user. In the novel, no such person approached Jin Seongha, but with D-NATE’s emergence disrupting the plot, the foresight’s content might have changed too.

Were Hahoe Mask and Butterfly Mask acting differently from the novel due to this person’s influence?

A heavy silence followed.

Ion, gently stroking his Sansevieria’s leaves, spoke up.

“I don’t know about the woman, but a 2-meter-tall Black man reminds me of Ade Tuna or Adol. Adol uses a bow, not a spear, and doesn’t speak Korean. Ade Tuna isn’t even awakened yet.”

“Was there a character named Ade Tuna? I only know foreign characters like Wendy Lowell, Elliot, and Joseph,” Daon said.

Hunter and Hero primarily focused on Korea on Earth and Illiand in Ideya, with little emphasis on foreign settings.

Teacher told the other orphans they didn’t need to memorize foreign characters, but made Ion learn every detail, down to spellings.

Ion recited the list of Black characters he knew.

Daon’s expression turned bitter as she jotted them down.

“You still remember every single name, even those mentioned once.”

“Of course. Forgot already? Teacher would be disappointed.”

“Teacher was never disappointed in us—she had no expectations. She only had them for you…”

Daon trailed off, seeing Ion’s proud expression.

“I didn’t say that to make you proud. I meant I’m sorry.”

“…?”

Ion tilted his head, confused, looking every bit the youthful boy.

Daon realized this topic was too heavy for him now.

“Anyway, I’ll share this with Seon and dig deeper. She’ll be shocked. You should go—time’s up, right?”

“…”

Ion’s fine brows furrowed deeply.

Today marked the start of Spec-1 Team’s teamwork training. He’d have to spend days with strangers he wasn’t close to.

“With Park Yujik dead, Horizon’s bid is secured. Do I really need to join the Moshi dungeon raid?”

“You’d feel better if you went.”

“…”

She was right.

Learning about Hahoe Mask and Butterfly Mask, plus a mysterious foresight skill user approaching Jin Seongha, made sending him into the Moshi dungeon alone risky.

It felt like leaving a child by the water’s edge—though Jin Seongha was hardly a helpless kid.

Ion would have to follow him everywhere to feel at ease, even to team-bonding training, in case Hahoe Mask or Butterfly Mask infiltrated in disguise.

To follow Jin Seongha, I’ll need to reveal some of my strength.

A sigh escaped him.

“Damn moths again! Screw them!”

Crash! A Hahoe-masked figure kicked chairs and tables furiously. The person at the head of the table, also in a Hahoe mask, tilted their head to dodge a flying vase.

Shatter!

The vase smashed to pieces.

“Tuna,” the leader called softly.

“Yes,” replied a large man sitting one seat away, his arm bandaged. He extended his uninjured hand toward the broken vase.

Golden, desert-like mana enveloped the shards, reforming them into a vase—not its original elegant style, but a rugged, masculine one.

Tuna puffed out his chest proudly, but the leader sighed.

All three wore Hahoe masks and suits, but distinctions were clear. The ranting figure was a small girl with slightly darker skin. The leader, a woman with long hair tied back, had East Asian skin. The muscular man, the darkest, was the Hahoe Mask Ion fought, evidenced by his bandaged arm and leg.

“How many times have those moths screwed us over? And this time, they broke Tuna’s limbs! They were out for blood!” the girl shouted.

“Calm down and sit,” the leader said.

“How can I? All you’ve got going for you is your body, and it’s busted!”

“I’ll heal in two days. Bones are already mending. And my face isn’t bad either.”

“Ugly compared to Jin Seongha, so shut up!”

“…”

Tuna fell silent, deflated.

The girl, Samja, tugged her short hair, pacing the small meeting room.

“Argh, I’m pissed! And I’m more pissed that I’m the only one pissed! Why are you and Leader so calm, Tuna? Are you pushovers? We got hit—retaliate! Raid their hideout now! Why are you sipping tea so calmly?”

“Samja Yang,” the leader said.

“Don’t call me Samja!”

Crash! Her shout shattered the vase again. She had a habit of breaking fragile objects when angry. Placing a glass vase here was a mistake.

Tuna and the leader exchanged glances—or rather, felt like they did, as Hahoe masks had no eye holes.

“Shouldn’t we back her up?”

“If we do, she’ll rampage more. Ignore her, and she’ll cool off.”

They were right.

Samja, ignored, soon sat down, huffing—on the table, not a chair, as all chairs were broken. No one reprimanded her.

It was time to talk.

Tuna spoke about the dungeon where he tried to save Park Yujik. The disguised C-rank Hunter, Lee Minsu, wielded a flaming dagger (likely an item) and skills to manipulate vines and clone trees.

The leader shook her head. “Never heard of such a skill. Samja, you?”

“Don’t call me Samja!”

“…Sammy, answer.”

“Ugh, fine. Never heard of tree-cloning either. Vine whips sound like aura users from the other side.”

“It’s too early for contact with them,” the leader said.

“Yeah, at least four months,” Sammy added. “Tuna, no info on the guy who attacked you?”

“None.”

Tuna investigated Lee Minsu after escaping, but the address in D-NATE’s records was an empty building. The real Lee Minsu was untraceable. A day later, his records vanished entirely—a sign of a powerful backer.

“Sneaky moths. How far do their claws reach?” Sammy muttered.

“…They might not be Butterfly Mask,” Tuna said.

“What?”

“Our info says no Butterfly Mask has plant-control skills.”

“Newly awakened, then.”

“He wasn’t wearing a Butterfly Mask or any butterfly accessories.”

“…!”

Sammy froze, as if told the Butterfly Masks were now Moth Masks. Her eyes, hidden by the mask, were likely wide.

“The moths worship ‘that person’ fanatically. They’d never ditch their butterfly trademark,” she said.

“I agree,” Tuna nodded.

“…A third force, then.”

Two names flashed in their minds: D-NATE’s guildmaster siblings, Il-on and Sa-on.

To the Hahoe Masks, they were enigmas. Never mentioned during their training under ‘that person.’

Sa-on was A-rank, fine. But Il-on, an S-rank, should’ve been mentioned, even briefly, during their time there.

Initially, they thought D-NATE’s leaders were Butterfly Mask’s new faces, created to counter them. But over time, they realized D-NATE wasn’t with the Butterfly Masks either.

“D-NATE isn’t our ally, but definitely not moths. No idea where they came from, but the moths are suffering because of them. D-NATE’s messed up plenty of ‘futures,’” Sammy said.

Tuna and the leader nodded.

That left one possibility.

“…There’s an unknown force out there. Damn it,” Sammy cursed.

The Hahoe masks couldn’t hide their complex emotions.

“More enemies don’t matter. We do our job,” the leader said.

“Yes. We failed this time, but we’ll save the next one,” Tuna vowed.

“Do it right. Moth or third force, we’ve lost two already. I’m still pissed. That little girl—what was her crime?” Sammy said, referring to Lee Youngran’s daughter.

The leader had saved her, only for her to die days later, leaving deep sorrow.

The leader, struck by a thought, asked, “Tuna, is protection on Hong Insu’s family?”

“B-rank guard assigned, but I’ll stay with them myself going forward.”

“Good. One month of caution, then we’ll pull back. Choi Jungho’s the likely target soon, so we’ll warn Jin Seongha about the moths’ attack.”

“Whoa, Leader, you said ‘moths’!” Sammy exclaimed.

“…Meeting adjourned. Return to your posts.”

“You’re calling them moths in your head too, right? So natural!”

Ignoring the bouncing Sammy, the leader stood. Tuna followed. Though the leader was tall, Tuna’s massive frame cast a shadow over her.

“I’ll be out of contact for a few days,” the leader said.

“Yes.”

“Where’re you going, Leader?” Sammy asked.

The leader sighed, leaving without answering. Her tied-back hair whipped Sammy’s face.

“Ow! That hurt! Why ignore me, Leader!”

Sammy moved to follow, but Tuna grabbed her collar. She glared through her mask, and Tuna answered for the leader.

“Leader’s going to Jin Seongha’s team training. She’s on edge, so don’t poke her.”

“Oh… fair.”

Sammy backed off, conceding.