After the monster attack ended, everything was finally settled.
But in the midst of it all, there was no room for joy.
Too many lives had been lost.
When the monsters broke through the Wall at a time no one expected, shattering all predictions and prejudices, catching everyone off guard—how could anyone have been properly prepared?
Yoon Ha-min stared blankly at his surroundings, having witnessed this reality firsthand.
Though only a first-year, he had been sent out for practical training as a promising future hero. What greeted him instead was hell.
He had always dreamed of becoming a radiant hero who would sacrifice himself for others while somehow managing to save himself too. But facing people who were already beyond saving made him wonder if this wasn't hell, then what was?
After experiencing this situation, Kanna Aurora's words came back to him.
Her voice, filled with what seemed like pathological obsession, insisting that monsters would break through the Wall. No one else believed it, but she had spoken with absolute certainty, as if she had seen the future.
He wondered if things might have been different had he genuinely believed her and somehow spread the warning. These thoughts swirled in his mind, but he quickly shook his head to dismiss them.
There was no point in such thinking. At the time, her information wasn't credible enough to believe.
There had been no evidence, and the timing she predicted had been wrong.
Yet even as he tried to move past it, the thought kept nagging at him.
She had said there was no evidence because she had eliminated the threat, so nothing would happen. And true to her word, that day had passed quietly.
If she had been wrong about the timing, was it his fault for not believing her? He wondered.
In truth, it wasn't his fault, so there was no real reason to feel guilty. But when faced with the reality that people had died and families had been torn apart, he couldn't help but think "what if." What if he had said something? What if he had suggested checking the Wall just to be safe? These "what ifs" kept circling in his mind.
"...This is hell," Ha-min muttered.
Rain, the hero Ha-min had met during this crisis, responded.
"If you call this hell, you won't survive what comes next. Yes, it's sad when people die, but if that holds you back from saving others, that's the real hell."
"I suppose you're right... knowing something will happen but being unable to prevent it—that's truly hell."
Ha-min agreed with those words.
Rain thought Ha-min was simply agreeing with his statement, but Ha-min was already experiencing that hellish feeling himself.
To Ha-min, Kanna's information had been too uncertain. It had no source, no evidence.
It was like an irresponsible prophecy that anyone might worry about—just saying "it will happen someday."
That's why he had dismissed it, unable to believe her. But now, facing the aftermath, he kept thinking that maybe he should have pretended to believe her, just once.
"It's all over now, and the Wall needs repairs. You should head back, kid."
"Yes, I'll go back."
It was disheartening.
Even though he knew he had done his best, and that he would have reacted the same way if he could go back in time, his heart remained troubled and confused.
As Ha-min returned to the Academy, he took in the scenery around him.
Moving away from the collapsed outer wall toward the intact inner areas, he finally reached the Academy—and his eyes widened in shock.
"...What's this?"
Just as he was thinking about finding Kanna as soon as he returned, he discovered the Academy was also in chaos, as if it had been attacked separately.
Entering the grounds, he saw parts of buildings already collapsed and heroes dealing with monster corpses.
He had thought this place would be safe, but apparently that wasn't the case. Frowning at the strange situation, he spotted Mrs. Lucia running around in panic.
"Everyone gather so we can count heads! We'll take attendance once and then you can go home!"
The teacher shouted.
"Teacher?"
"Oh, Ha-min!"
"What happened here?"
"Well, monsters suddenly appeared here, and our response was delayed... or I should say it was quick? Anyway, they've been subdued so it's safe now, but some students who ran away are still missing... They're not answering their devices, which is so frustrating."
The teacher sighed heavily while looking around.
"So who are we looking for?"
"...Well, Kanna and..."
Hearing this, Ha-min immediately pulled out the device from his pocket.
He searched for the saved number and made a call.
"Teacher, I'll try to find Kanna Aurora. We're personally acquainted."
"Would you do that for me?"
The homeroom teacher nodded gratefully before heading elsewhere to seek help from other students.
Ha-min ran quickly through the campus while listening to the ringing tone of his call.
He still hadn't sorted out his feelings, wanting to ask Kanna various questions when he returned, but now she wasn't even answering calls, which left him feeling uneasy.
How had she thought the Wall might be vulnerable? How had she known monsters would break through? And was it just coincidence that the timing matched so closely?
As Ha-min gritted his teeth and ran around, he suddenly heard a ringing sound coming from a secluded area.
"...!"
Startled by the sound, he immediately ran toward it and looked around.
Soon after, he found a device lying on the ground.
Ha-min, momentarily dazed, bent down to pick it up and narrowed his eyes at the three characters displayed on the screen.
'Yoon Ha-min'
When he ended the call, the other device stopped ringing, and he realized this was Kanna's device.
He remained silent for a while.
Just fidgeting with the device, letting out a hollow laugh, then hanging his head.
"...Where did you go, leaving this behind?"
He muttered, but in this deserted space, there was no one to answer him, making it feel even more desolate.
Not long after, worry arose that she might have been taken away by someone.
His heart grew increasingly anxious.
*
"Ughh..."
The rope bound my body once and looped around my neck.
Each time it tightened, my chest constricted and my neck was squeezed.
My chest felt like it was being torn apart, bringing tears to my eyes.
I wanted to scream, asking why such a thing existed, but considering that this arrangement actually reduced the strain on my neck, it felt somewhat fortunate.
The monster-like person, riding a horse-like beast with me secured to its back, was humming a tune as we galloped along.
With a human body, I couldn't withstand the mana outside the Wall, making it increasingly difficult even to breathe.
My breath trembled. It felt like I was dying gradually.
That invasive feeling was so painful that breathing itself became a struggle.
"Oh, are you having a hard time?"
"...Huk, heok."
Bent over on the horse's back, all I could do was gasp for breath.
The Mysterious Person seemed concerned and infused my body with mana.
Scratch, scratch.
At that sound tickling my ears, I struggled.
But the ropes securing my body prevented any violent movements.
I twitched, but the beast paid no attention and continued walking.
Clop, clop. With each step, vibrations traveled through my abdomen.
I groaned in pain, while the scratching noise invading my ears continued to torment me.
The Mysterious Person simply smiled and stroked my head.
"Shall I show you what humans do?"
I knew what they were trying to say.
"Humans are truly despicable. Like this, they call someone a witch or a monster to cleanse themselves of their sins. They're not satisfied until they cast someone out."
As the sound of hooves subsided, I turned my head toward where the horse was looking.
"Look at that. Those are the remains of humans who were driven out for being 'monsters.' Did you know? I'm human too."
"..."
"You don't seem surprised no matter what I say. It's no fun teasing you. Still, I like watching you struggle."
I couldn't be surprised by anything they said.
There was no need to receive information in order—this was just future information coming earlier than expected, nothing more or less to take in.
"Then shall I send you back..."
"Bullshit."
I muttered quietly.
"Why? Do you still think I'm lying?"
I didn't answer the Mysterious Person's question.
But they seemed angered by being treated like a liar until the end, so they lifted me off the beast and threw me forcefully.
My body was lifted lightly and thrown, and soon my head hit a rock.
There was a cracking sound, like something breaking.
Wondering if it was my head, I felt dazed, and the taste of blood filled my mouth.
When I opened my tightly shut eyes, human remains were scattered beside me, making me tremble.
No matter what, facing someone's bones was never a pleasant experience.
But I had no strength to escape from here.
More than that, my head hurt so badly I thought I might die.
The Mysterious Person dismounted from the beast and quietly asked:
"Do I look like a liar to you?"
I couldn't say anything.
I couldn't even grasp my foggy consciousness.
Even in this state, what I wanted to say was clear.
In this condition, I'd rather just die.
Living as a disabled person whom no one would help, only to starve to death somewhere unknown—what was the point of returning to that state?
The Mysterious Person looked at me with a distorted expression.