I was writing to Anna Croft over [Midday Tryst] about the information I had gotten, finding it imperative for her to know quickly to prepare for the 'disaster' awaiting them. Call me selfish, but I've gotten quite attached to them as well.

Beside me was Jung Youngho, and we were retracing our steps to head toward the south-most corner of Washington DC. 

The streets for the most part kept their silence, although now we knew the reason as to why. It was why the air felt colder than normal to me at such a realization.

However, Jung Youngho and I soon paused mid-step as an audible 'thump' of something of considerable size fell to the ground. Exiting out of the window displaying the chat between Anna and me, I tensed slightly, on guard.

"...Help..." A fleeting, weak voice spoke out.

Korean? Who is that?  I narrowed my eyes at a suspiciously dark alley from where the sound originated. 

However, there was someone else who had a completely different reaction than mine.

"Jung Youngho-ahjussi!" I cried out in alarm as the person who had been nearby suddenly sprang into the alley at the call.

Following straight after, a single leap bridged the gap between me and Jung Youngho, and I found that he was holding a little boy in his arms.

A swath of black hair was clumped together by stains of dirt, sweat and blood that also marred their torn skin and ripped clothes. Due to pain, the closed eyes of the boy were tense, and his eyebrows were furled. It was a wonder how the boy ended up in such a state. Though, at the very least, all the wounds the boy suffered were minor abrasions.

Done with my brief look-over, I looked to Jung Youngho, wanting to ask him what was going on, until I glimpsed the look on his face. Then, he turned to look at me.

I flinched.

Although Jung Youngho was strangely quiet, the more terrifying part of his expression was the sudden pair of bloodshot eyes I saw, and the madness that swirled in his eyes.

I couldn't help but be reminded of the same pair of eyes I had saw when we were trapped in the [Welcome prison] created from Jung Youngho's trauma.

It was the pair of eyes when he saw that little boy die.

And that wounded boy looked just like the little boy within Jung Youngho's memories.

"Jung Youngho-ahjussi..." I began, wanting to ask, but decided against it.

So instead, I said, "Do you need some time?"

My question appeared to bring back some clarity to Jung Youngho's eyes as he croaked out,

"No, it's okay. Can we keep going?"

It was rare for Jung Youngho to be politely asking me this question, to the point that before I could think, I reflexively blurted out a "yeah, okay," while a plethora of unformed questions roared in my heart.

Hesitantly, I turned around and took a few short steps, before turning around to look at Jung Youngho.

He still sported the same blood-shot eyes as he carefully cradled the little boy to his chest, standing up to trail me behind.

...Nevermind, let's stay quiet for now. It seems he needs some space.

A tangle of worry made its way to my heart at seeing Jung Youngho's state, but I bit back all my words and shoved them into my heart as I re-began the journey to the south. At the very least, it wasn't too far from here now.

Proving my words, the city opened its view up to the Potomac river, and a small detached 'island' not far from the city was displayed in my vision.

Roads streaked across a section of glistening water, bridging the gap between the city and the small island. Something told me we would find the next 'guide' there.

"Well, we're here. Let's go over there." I turned to Jung Youngho, before stepping out and crossing the bridge with quick speed, but not fast enough to the point that Jung Youngho couldn't keep up.

After all, I remembered Jung Youngho was weakened by the fact that his connection with his sponsor was at an all-time low.

-tap-

My foot had made it to the other side.

We had made it across the bridge, and were now making it through the 'island' until the most southern tip.

Along the way we passed a tennis center, a memorial, a police station, and several lawns for golfing purposes. Of course, due to their untended state, the once well-maintained plains now sported weeds that scratched at the sides of our legs.

Along with the smell of decomposing matter, grass and the dampness unique to nature, another almost ignorable scent drifted to our nose.

Blood? 

I felt something sinking down in the pit of my stomach.

"I'm going on ahead!" I shouted to Jung Youngho, anxiety catching up with me.

Without waiting for Jung Youngho to catch up, I sped up, the surroundings passing me by in a blur.

[Skill, 'Dynamic Vision lv. 4' has been activated.]

[Your skill has leveled up! 'Dynamic Vision lv. 4 --> Dynamic Vision lv. 5'.]

It hadn't been my illusion. Traces of blood coated the blades of grass, tainting them with a dark red, and the scent of blood grew stronger.

I burst through a small crowd of trees, and out close to the peak, where the water converged, outlining two figures.

"Ah...ah, aghh!" The woman's hands were holding a limp body beneath, as if trying to catch the pouring blood.

She was wailing to the empty sky above, with nary a cloud in the sky.

I waded through the tall grass, my legs feeling heavy as they sank into the mud underneath. Judging by its state, it must have rained in this spot earlier.

"..uu, why?" Her hoarse voice barely contained the pain the owner was feeling.

My own voice came out weakly, my throat dry.

"Selena."

But as quiet as I thought I was, Selena Kim caught the voice, her head swinging around with wariness, tears and snot still streaking down her face. When she saw who it was that said her name, the guard in her eyes slipped, and soon a tiredness spread in her expression.

"What happened?"

At my question, Selena bit her lips and looked away, as if wishing to avoid the question.

I strode closer, stopping just behind the two.

Below Selena's hands was a creature resembling a horse, their form still beautiful in death. The closed eyes of the creature were peaceful, as if they never regretted their actions that led to their demise.

"His name is Enti." Still looking out to the river, Selena spoke to no one in particular, but I could still tell that she was looking for a listener.

So I listened.

"I'm sure you were there earlier, but Anna sent me on a mission to find a guide and learn their skills. But, you know, I," Selena laughed breathlessly, "I wasn't sure if I was the right person. Lately, I've been wondering what the meaning of my actions were. Every time I tried to achieve something, to save one more person, I failed."

"Anna told me to get the [Immortal King] title, but I failed. Therefore, even though I should have been the one to sacrifice myself, instead it was Anna who got severely injured in my place. And recently, when I tried to save people outside that gate, my own members died for my own self-righteousness. Just that day before, I had been laughing with Jerry when he told me he was about to drum up his courage to confess to Lucy..." Selena's voice trembled.

"Even Iris has saved more people than I have. She was the hero that day the undead invaded. So sometimes I wonder, am I really worthy of Anna's trust? I haven't been able to save anyone...to do anything." Selena began to stroke Enti's long mane.

"Then Enti took one look in my eyes, and I felt a safety I hadn't felt with anyone else. He saw my insecurities, and did not press me to learn his skills. Instead, he accompanied me and listened to everything I said, even giving me advice. I really needed that. It has only been a few hours since we have been together, but he feels just like family to me."

"It's my fault, it's all my fault. If only I learned his skills a little bit earlier. Then maybe I could have stayed by his side and helped him fight off the attacker."

 "Then he wouldn't have needed to sacrifice himself."

"If only I..." Selena laughed, full of self-contempt.

"Selena." I interrupted. 

She stayed silent, looking toward me, as if knowing I had something more to say.

In the past, a foreign past, like I had looked at myself through a mirror, I believed that I only had confidence as a listener. After all, if you help someone, you should see it through, or you may make things worse instead.

However, sometimes, you just need to say a few words. Perhaps, that was all the other person needed.

"You can't change the past." I narrated to Selena calmly.

"I know that, but-!" Selena cried out.

"But that also means you can change what you are doing, right now. Keep going. There are going to be highs and lows in life...still, you are the you who are currently alive at this moment. So, make sure you don't regret anything moving forward." 

Were my words pretentious? Perhaps.

Still, these were the words I really wanted to say.

"What are you going to do next?" I asked her.

Selena turned quiet. I had been half-expecting Selena to scream at me for intruding on her decisions and life, for offering an unsolicited opinion, and to deny and question me. Perhaps, that was also what I wanted her reaction to be, so I could reaffirm that my words were silly and stupid, not to be paid attention to.

But she just sat there, contemplating my words. And because of that, a heavy responsibility settled down on my shoulders, because my words were affecting someone else.

After a long time passed, Selena finally opened her mouth to respond.

"...You're right." Selena cupped the blood still flowing, despite the time passing for this long, as drops fell between the gaps of her fingers. "It was because I kept hesitating that things turned out this way."

That's not what I meant-

-Gulp-

My eyes widened as I witnessed Selena gulping down the blood, my mind attempting to process what she was doing.

"I'm going to avenge Enti." Selena drank another mouthful,

"I'm going to remember him, and everyone else." Selena swallowed, the blood that leaked out between her hands sliding down her chin and sticking to her neck.

"And with these hands, I'm going to eliminate anything that harms the people I care about."

With the last bit of blood that went down her throat, purple lightning crackled around her eyes. Feeling overwhelmed, Selena groaned, but bit down her expression of pain.

[Incarnation, 'Selena Kim' has gained the skill, 'Thunder and lightning lv. 1']

With the blood splattered on her body, and around her mouth, along with the vengeful sparks of lightning crackling across her skin, Selena Kim looked opposed to Kim Dokja's description of her. She looked like a calamity waiting to be unleashed.

Somehow, that sent shivers down my spine, but something else was more terrifying.

Now the main question is, who is possible of killing a guide? Not to mention that I learned that their sanctuary made them practically invincible, but their base stats and skills were already very high. In fact, I remembered that Immyuntar in Kronos had stats in the 70s, and skills were as high as level 9.

How did Enti die?

Just as I was pondering these questions, a delayed scenario had suddenly appeared in-front of my eyes.

[A new scenario has arrived!]

[Main Scenario: Find the Disaster]

Difficulty: A

Description: The final disaster, 'Boy summoned to Another world' has awakened from their slumber in a weakened state in the Washington DC dome. If you don't find them in the next 48 hours, they will regain their full strength.

Time limit: 48 hours

Rewards: 40 000 coins

Failure: ---

+

What?

In my stunned state, I heard the little boy's voice from Jung Youngho's arms, who had been standing nearby at some point in time.

"Mm...Ahjussi...? Who...are you? And...where am I?" The boy's eyes fluttered open.