Chapter 130: The Sixth (1)

Jin Seong-ha reached the memoir vault first.

. He arrived before Ion.

So this is the memoir.

As Butterfly Mask had said, a single notebook lay unprotected—no glass case.

He picked it up—it wouldn’t lift. Not heavy—more like glued in place. Forcing it would destroy the book.

Jin Seong-ha flipped through it, then tilted his head back slightly.

CLANG!

A metal sphere grazed his face and embedded in the wall.

He looked toward the thrower—a man in a butterfly mask.

“Butterfly mask and iron balls—you’re Kim Young.”

“…”

Since his identity was already known, the mask was just an annoying obstruction now.

Butterfly Mask—Kim Young—tossed the mask aside without hesitation.

“Hands off the memoir, Jin Seong-ha. It’s full of things the precious protagonist must never know.”

“You knew we were coming?”

“Didn’t expect you. Thought Butterfly Mask would come… Those bastards finally did it after all. Teaming up with the protagonist despite their place…”

Kim Young ground his teeth.

“Hunter Jin Seong-ha!”

Ion arrived just then. He blocked the gaping ceiling with vines and immediately reached for the memoir.

“It won’t move.”

“I’ll handle him—you secure the memoir.”

“Yes.”

Ion quickly flipped through, memorizing the short lines. After reading everything, he frowned.

“This is weird…”

“I know. Copy it first.”

Realizing, Ion pulled out a copy item. While it copied atom-by-atom, Jin Seong-ha blocked the bullet-like iron spheres.

CLANG! CLANG!

“You can’t kill me. Don’t you need me for the future you want?”

“Hmph, we can cripple you for a while. The protagonist recovers fast.”

WHOOSH!

Two spheres flew from left and right. Jin Seong-ha swung the Black Cloud-Cutting Sword, deflecting them. He tried to slice one in half—it didn’t cut. Not ordinary iron.

Creak. The first sphere embedded in the wall slowly wriggled out.

Jin Seong-ha knocked away the one aiming for Ion’s back of the head, then blocked another targeting his own arm. —the first sphere shot back fast.

SWOOSH!

Jin Seong-ha caught it bare-handed. His brow furrowed—far heavier than expected for one hand. He hurled it at another incoming sphere.

BOOM!

The collision produced a heavy explosion unbelievable for two small balls. Even Kim Young flinched. Jin Seong-ha moved instantly, grabbing the third sphere. He crushed it—CRUNCH—it crumpled under pressure.

Not cut by sword but crushed by force.

“Phew.”

Clatter. Jin Seong-ha shook off the debris, flexing his tingling arm.

“You little…!”

Kim Young’s face twisted like the spheres.

“You were going easy because I’m the protagonist… Fine, I’ll get serious!”

Two more spheres materialized around the furious Kim Young.

Jin Seong-ha raised an eyebrow. More spheres than expected.

“Hunter Jin Seong-ha, max five spheres.”

“Little late with the info. Copy done?”

“Yes. Leaving.”

“Go fast.”

Ion didn’t wait for Jin Seong-ha—he shot upward.

As planned from the start. Splitting forced the enemy to divide firepower.

“Let’s keep going. Entertain me a bit.”

Jin Seong-ha flexed his fist with a wide grin.

Still utterly confident—Kim Young’s face contorted further.

Ion escaped the warehouse and stopped at the original meeting spot.

He landed on the snow; the bumblebee reverted to Shin Sae-mi.

“Hey, the memoir is weird.”

“Yeah, I was about to say the same.”

They put their heads together over the copy.

The last torn page Butterfly Mask leader took was clearly [51.04.18 Descent].

Yet the next page after the tear…

[49.02.05 Cataclysm]

From [Year 51 Descent] back to [Year 49 Cataclysm].

“f*ck, did the moths prank us knowing we’d come?”

Ion first thought it was a trick.

Like how System Age lured them to kidnap Wendy Lowell.

But thinking again… no.

This was real.

The real <Hunter and Hero>… was a regression story where the protagonist regresses two years after the Cataclysm.

Ion felt strangely empty.

“Hey, turn the page.”

“Yes.”

Ion was about to flip when—

Crunch.

Footsteps in snow.

Not Jin Seong-ha—both knew instantly.

BZZZZ—

Thousands of wasps instantly swarmed the source of the sound—Sae-mi’s skill <Swarm Summon>.

The figure in the shadows made a small gesture.

Thud thud thud.

The swarm dropped dead into the snow.

“What the—?!”

While Sae-mi panicked, Ion slammed his palm to the ground and summoned vines. But the vines rising high wilted and collapsed.

FWOOSH.

Ion summoned a flame sword. Snow melted helplessly. He tried to charge—but his body wouldn’t move.

“Ugh…!”

Sae-mi, who had drawn her gun first, was frozen in place too.

Gravity control? Telekinesis?

Whatever skill, they couldn’t move.

Ion released mana to create sleep pollen—but the pollen just floated motionless.

Telekinesis!

If true telekinesis, only mental skills—or stronger telekinesis—could counter it.

Then a sharp shard flew from the opposite side.

CRUNCH. A sound of penetration—Sae-mi coughed blood and collapsed.

“Kuheuk…”

Ion’s heart raced.

“Shin Sae-mi Hunter, are you okay?”

“Kuhuk…”

Ion’s mind raced.

“Oppa.”

A calm voice came from the shadows.

Familiar voice.

“Have you read the memoir?”

Moonlight broke through clouds.

The figure standing with a sad, forlorn smile…

Ion muttered blankly,

“Dam… Yeo-on?”

After Teacher died, the orphans split into abuse faction and preservation faction. Five chose immediately.

Except the sixth, who couldn’t decide until the end.

“Oppa. Will you fulfill Teacher’s wish?”

“Yes.”

“Should I side with you?”

“No. I’ll move alone.”

“…Okay.”

“What about you?”

“I… don’t know yet. I’ll think about it…”

Yeo-on, eyes darkly sunken, left the orphanage after saying that to Ion.

Ion had assumed Yeo-on would go into seclusion.

That was his personality—always observing, always one step removed.

Not timid like Se-on. Not avoidant. Just lazy about asserting himself. He found conflict and confrontation extremely bothersome.

That’s why he always came last in Teacher’s matches and tests. Like finishing sixth in the naming race.

No matter how much Teacher punished him—whipping or starving—Yeo-on’s personality never changed.

He simply endured every punishment with a gloomy face, dark circles reaching his chin.

“What to do with that kid. Too talented to discard. Talent…”

Teacher never expelled Yeo-on because of his talent.

Excluding Ion’s special ability, Yeo-on was the strongest among the orphans.

Everyone knew his real strength despite always placing last.

About Yeo-on and the orphans’ relationships:

With Il-on: distant.

Il-on was indifferent to all orphans except Ion; Yeo-on was also quiet—too lazy to speak aloud.

With Se-on: awkward.

Se-on envied Yeo-on’s talent he lacked. Too timid to show it openly.

With Da-on: fairly good.

Da-on was gruff but caring behind the scenes. Yeo-on knew and usually responded to her calls.

With Sa-on: worst.

Sa-on unilaterally rejected Yeo-on—not jealousy of skill.

.

“Every time that gloomy bastard’s eyes glint, I get chills. Be careful too, On-on. He follows you well.”

Sa-on got goosebumps looking at Yeo-on’s ash-gray eyes and didn’t hide it.

With Ion: decent.

Ion hated being babied as the youngest; after Yeo-on got his name, he consistently called Ion “hyung.”

Once:

“Yeo-on, they say you pulled the cosmos flowers here.”

“Ah, yes, hyung. It was me.”

“Why?”

“Too bothersome.”

“What?”

“If weeds grow thick, Teacher will order weeding again, you’ll resist, get solitary confinement… the atmosphere gets murderous until you’re out… too annoying to watch…”

Ion wrapped vines around Yeo-on’s ankles and hung him upside-down. Yeo-on could escape with physical ability but hung for an hour without resistance—too lazy to fight until Ion cooled off.

Next time cosmos bloomed, Yeo-on came first.

“Hyung, pulling weeds again—punish me now so it’s less trouble later.”

“Why cause conflict on purpose? Transplanting elsewhere is least bothersome.”

“Ah… right. Didn’t think of that. As expected of Ion-hyung.”

Ion took Yeo-on to transplant the cosmos flowers safely elsewhere.

After that, they transplanted Teacher-labeled “weeds” together several times.

Yeo-on had no dexterity or care—killed most plants—but Ion appreciated his steady help despite laziness.

Ion was softest on Yeo-on among the orphans. Sa-on was openly jealous of the favoritism.

“It’s been a while.”

Calm gray hair, same dark circles. Below them, gloomy, melancholic ash-gray eyes.

“Ion-hyung, have you been well?”

Despite their decent relationship…

Calling him “hyung” was clear deception.

Yeo-on knew he was treating Ion like the youngest too.