What Was Taken, What Was Remembered

“What the hell happened, exactly.”

With a confused expression, Ju Noeul raked a hand through his hair.

The child cautiously approached his side.

Tugging lightly at the hem of his clothes, the child spoke.

“Um….”

“What.”

“Th-the rift….”

“The rift, what about it?”

Ju Noeul answered in clipped bursts, but despite his rough tone, he bent down to the child’s height.

When the child mentioned the rift, everyone’s gaze turned toward them.

With all eyes on them, the child spoke, looking like they were about to cry.

“I-I… the rift… I….”

“You can take your time.”
“It’s okay.”

Jeong Iheon said gently.

The child took a small, deep breath and spoke again.

“I can… open rifts….”

The child kept their head bowed.

They probably couldn’t see the expressions on the men’s faces.

I could.

Every single one of them had gone cold.

The child didn’t seem to understand what it meant to say they could open a rift.

I tapped Won-gyeong’s shoulder lightly to draw his attention away from his frozen expression.

“Let’s hear them out first.”

“Standing around like this won’t get us any answers.”

“…Alright.”

At that, the others eased their expressions slightly.

Ju Noeul spoke to the child.

“What do you mean, you can open rifts.”

“If it’s a place where a rift already opened before… I think I can open it again….”

“There’s a trace left here… so I think I can open one….”

“There’s a trace of a rift here?”

“Yes, but… it’s really small….”

The child mumbled their reply.

“Then we have to go in.”

“There’s no other way.”

“Doya, you agree too, right?”

“…I have to go in as well?”

Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to leave it alone and walk away.

But that didn’t seem likely.

In the end, I let out a long sigh and nodded.

To be precise, the child didn’t seem able to open rifts at will.

Rifts appeared regardless of the child’s intention.

Still suspicious, but the others’ expressions softened a little.

If they framed it as an ability, it was apparently something they could accept.

When the child approached the place where the rift’s trace supposedly remained, they tried to take my hand.

Won-gyeong shut it down immediately.

Absolutely not.

Seeing his gentle face harden so coldly, I understood why the child had let go of my hand when Won-gyeong approached earlier.

Won-gyeong’s jealousy did not discriminate by age.

“I can’t see anything.”

Hyeon Jaeyul tilted his head and muttered.

“Maybe that’s exactly why.”

“It’s just a trace.”

“You might only be able to see them before they form.”

“…I guess.”

At my response, Hyeon Jaeyul only tilted his head with a blank look.

With that build and that face, looking that soft-headed was almost impressive.

‘Ugh. That’s why I end up caring.’

While I was distracted by Hyeon Jaeyul’s guileless expression, the child tightly grabbed Ju Noeul’s hand and reached out with the other.

As the child extended their hand, the rest of the group followed suit, placing hands on shoulders in a chain.

So we’d fall into the rift together.

The moment we reached into what looked like empty air to us, the world flipped.

It was a sensation I’d grown disturbingly familiar with.

In just a few days, I’d already entered a rift three times.

Considering I’d never been caught in one before, this was clearly these men’s fault.

A scenario I had no desire to progress was advancing on its own.

[Main Scenario ‘2 – Companions’]

[Scenario completed. Progress has slightly increased.]

[A new main scenario has been unlocked.]

[Main Scenario ‘3 – Pursuit’]

See?

Even now.

The moment the world turned upside down, the system shoved a new main scenario at us.

I shook my head.

[Main Scenario ‘3 – Pursuit’]

“Hunter Go Doya has awakened!”

Cradled in Won-gyeong’s arms, I felt the sensation around me change the instant the world flipped.

It wasn’t someone’s arms anymore.

I was lying on bedding.

And there was commotion.

When I opened my eyes, I saw several women in white coats and men in suits.

‘What… where am I right now.’

I blinked blankly as people hurried around.

When I moved my arm, the many cords attached to me swayed along with it.

“A hospital…?”

“This isn’t a hospital.”

“It’s the Hunter Association.”

“Hunter Go Doya, do you remember anything?”

“What… memory…?”

The sound of machines measuring my vitals, the murmurs of people checking my condition, and a man I’d never seen before speaking to me.

I didn’t recognize any of them.

So why did they all know my name?

“Hunter Go Doya.”

“Sorry, but… could you not use my surname?”

“Haha, of course.”

“You don’t like being called by your surname, do you, Hunter Doya.”

I didn’t know where I was, but I sat up and corrected him.

A faint smile appeared on the man’s face.

Smiling lightly, he spoke.

“The others have already woken up and are waiting.”

“Do you feel any discomfort moving?”

“I think… I’m okay.”

“Then let’s move.”

At his gesture, a woman in a coat removed the devices attached to my arms.

I followed the man out of the room.

The hallway was wide and spotless.

‘Where on earth is this…?’

My head throbbed.

It felt like I’d forgotten something important, but I couldn’t tell what.

As we passed multiple rooms, I noticed the names on the doors.

Ju Noeul.

Hyeon Jaeyul.

Won-gyeong.

Jeong Iheon.

My name was on the door I’d come out of.

Everyone I’d traveled with, except the child, had woken up in the same place.

I followed the man while glancing around, then hurried when I saw him open a door and wait.

“Oh, Doya, you’re awake.”

“You’re late.”

Inside what looked like a conference room, I saw men sitting neatly dressed in suits.

Unlike me, still wearing something like a wrinkled hospital gown.

My confusion deepened.

‘What is going on…?’

I sat in the chair Jeong Iheon pulled out beside him and looked toward the man who seemed about to explain everything.

“Still haven’t gotten your memories back?”

“What memories…?”

Beside me, Jeong Iheon asked quietly.

I frowned at him, and he just shrugged and fell silent.

“Since Hunter Doya hasn’t recovered her memories yet, I’ll explain from the beginning.”

I focused on the man’s words, hoping for answers.

“Centered around Hunter Doya’s ability, we conducted the ‘Eighth Apocalypse Simulation.’”

…Apocalypse simulation?

“You really don’t remember anything, do you.”

“I don’t understand any of this.”

“What do you mean, an apocalypse simulation?”

“The dimension we live in experiences periodic apocalypses.”

“At very short intervals.”

“This apocalypse is literal.”

“More precisely, the extinction of humanity.”

I still didn’t understand, but I listened without interrupting.

Seeing that, the man continued.

“It’s a future that must be avoided.”
“But there’s no way to stop it from arriving.”

“So the apocalypse will happen.”

“Yes.”

“There’s no way to prevent it.”

The man smiled faintly.

“We can’t stop it.”

“But we can experience that future in another dimension.”

Experience…?

“Hunter Doya and the others experienced the apocalypse in a different dimension and returned.”

Experiencing the apocalypse elsewhere.

How did that help prevent it here?

As if answering my unspoken question, the man continued.

“When an apocalypse occurs, the cycle resets.”

“It doesn’t matter which dimension it happens in.”

“As long as the location matches.”

“So you’re saying…”

“That we experienced the apocalypse in another dimension?”

“That’s right.”

“…How is that even possible?”

“Jeong Iheon’s ability allows him to cross dimensions through dreams.”

“Of course, that alone isn’t enough to trigger an apocalypse.”

“We needed Ju Noeul’s, Won-gyeong’s, and Hyeon Jaeyul’s abilities as well.”

“But the most important factor was Hunter Doya’s ability.”

“My ability?”

“What is it?”

I frowned.

Everything seemed to be moving without me.

“Memory manipulation.”

Jeong Iheon answered casually from beside me.

“That’s your ability, Doya.”

“Memory manipulation.”

As he spoke, he fiddled with my hand resting on the table.

The sensation was strange.

It wasn’t the feel of a prosthetic.

It was a real hand.

Startled, I looked down.

Both of my hands bore unfamiliar markings.

They weren’t prosthetics.

Seeing my reaction, Jeong Iheon’s eyes curved into a smile.

Won-gyeong, who had been quietly watching, spoke.

“There are two conditions to triggering an apocalypse in another dimension.”

“First, the people.”

“The apocalypse follows the people living in a given dimension.”

“In this case, that condition was fulfilled by the five of us.”

Won-gyeong’s finger traced a circle around those seated.

“The second is memory.”

“Everyone who crosses dimensions must believe that place is ‘reality.’”

“And this time, we failed.”

“Is that my fault?”

“It seems so.”

“Jeong Iheon recovered his memories midway.”

When Won-gyeong stopped, the man muttered while looking at Jeong Iheon.

A long sigh escaped him.

“It was already a failed plan, so we recalled you immediately to our dimension.”

“Does that make a bit more sense now?”

My memories were still stuck in the world where I’d experienced the apocalypse.

I stayed silent.

‘…I don’t understand at all.’