The scene was quickly brought under control.
“Move the casualties first.”
An unfamiliar voice cut through the sirens.
People in black coats entered from beyond the control line. Three characters were embroidered on their sleeves in silver thread.
Cheonyul Institute.
The Investigator leading the group looked at the stretcher before looking at Kanghyun. The Shield Executor was still maintaining the white barrier in front of the civilians.
“How many casualties can be transported?”
“One. A penetrating wound to the side.”
Before the paramedic had even finished answering, two people took hold of either side of the stretcher. The Lead Executor never took his eyes off his colleague heading toward the ambulance. His bloodied hand hung limp at his side.
The Investigator extended a hand toward him.
“I’ll take over field command.”
The Lead Executor paused for a moment, then unclipped the record panel from his waist and handed it over.
At that moment, the white claw sigil on the back of his hand glimmered faintly. Kanghyun’s right wrist throbbed in the same rhythm.
The Investigator’s gaze stopped on Kanghyun’s wrist.
“Were you designated by the Hunter of Victory?”
“As prey.”
One of the agents following behind tried to move toward Kanghyun. The Investigator raised a hand to stop him.
“Hold. The hunt designation is confirmed.”
The Investigator accepted the record panel and immediately looked back toward the station entrance.
“Cheonyul Institute’s judgment is still pending. Let’s transfer the Gate boundary first.”
Two agents in black coats approached the hairline rift in the air.
“Don’t break contact between the hand and the boundary.”
Two low containment panels were placed on either side of the hairline rift.
A transparent membrane spread between the panels. Every time claws scraped at the space inside the rift, the membrane rippled like water.
The hairline rift did not widen.
The translucent hand remained against the boundary for some time.
When the containment panels held even against the second impact, one translucent finger slowly straightened. Then another finger pulled away from the hairline rift.
Kanghyun watched without saying a word.
Even after the last fingertip had pulled away from the hairline rift, the transparent membrane only trembled. It did not collapse.
The translucent hand turned back toward Kanghyun. Its fingertips lingered near his right wrist for a moment.
Then its manifestation scattered into stone dust and faint light. A lukewarm warmth continued from inside the red hairline rift.
Only then did Kanghyun let out the breath he had been holding.
When he took a step back, the bandaged thigh pulled tight. Kanghyun slowly shifted his weight off his injured leg.
After confirming that the boundary was closed, the Investigator called to the Lead Executor.
“Did you refuse the Hunter of Victory’s command?”
“I prioritized the injured at the scene.”
“Just answer whether you refused.”
The Lead Executor turned only after watching the ambulance doors close all the way.
“I refused.”
The Investigator touched the record panel he had received. The command insignia lit on the panel went gray and dark.
“I’m reclaiming field command until the headquarters audit is complete.”
“Understood.”
The Lead Executor offered no excuse.
The Investigator pulled up the next record.
“Who ordered the containment of the unregistered divinity?”
“I did.”
The ambulance slowly left the scene. The Lead Executor’s gaze followed it for a moment.
“What happened after the containment?”
“The divinity-boundary link was severed.”
He looked down at the black blood left on the floor.
“The monster came out.”
The Investigator’s finger stopped.
“Who performed the resealing?”
“Lee Kanghyun and the unregistered divinity.”
It was a report with neither praise nor apology. The Investigator did not close the record panel.
“And the rescuer inside the station?”
The Captain stepped forward.
“Lee Kanghyun.”
The Investigator looked up at the temporary display board in front of the station.
[12 survivors] [On-site rescuer: Unable to verify]
“Why does it remain listed as unable to verify?”
The agent responsible for the scene records quickly flipped through the screens.
“The contract terminated during the rescue. The divine blessing record and rescue record were cut off midway.”
The Investigator looked at the Captain.
“Did that person rescue all twelve?”
“Ten of them came out with Kanghyun through the path opened by him and that hand.”
The Captain glanced back at the child and the injured woman behind the barrier.
“And Lee Kanghyun was the one who went back in for those two.”
“Did you see it yourself?”
“I was the one who shouted at him to withdraw.”
The Captain’s voice lowered.
“And that kid was the one who turned back without listening.”
The Investigator’s gaze shifted to Kanghyun. Kanghyun did not deny it.
The Investigator pressed the blank in the rescuer record.
“Name.”
“Lee Kanghyun.”
A short input tone sounded. The final line on the display board vanished one character at a time.
Unable to verify
New letters filled the blank.
[On-site rescuer: Lee Kanghyun]
For seven years, the Hunter of Victory had always appeared before Kanghyun’s name.
In extermination records. On rescue rosters.
When the contract was severed, Kanghyun’s name had been erased along with the god’s name. Now, there was no Patron Deity before the name that had returned to the display board.
Lee Kanghyun. That was all.
The sirens continued to wail. Paramedics moved equipment, while Cheonyul Institute agents guarded the closed boundary.
And yet that name remained motionless on the screen for some time.
The child beyond the barrier looked up at the display board. The child’s gaze soon dropped to Kanghyun’s left wrist.
Kanghyun looked down at the paper wristband too.
Lee Kanghyun.
Crooked handwriting had held the same name before the display board ever did. The end of the wristband had lifted slightly, damp with sweat.
Kanghyun pressed the loose end down again. When he raised his head, his eyes met the child’s.
The child said nothing. The child simply pulled one hand out from under the blanket and repeated the exact motion of pressing down the wristband.
Kanghyun smiled faintly.
The injured woman wrapped an arm around the child’s shoulders and looked up at the display board.
The Captain let out a long breath in Kanghyun’s place.
The name on the display board did not disappear.
The child’s hand remained outside the blanket, still shaped as though pressing down the wristband.
Kanghyun’s fingers also stayed motionless at the end of the wristband.
The Investigator did not hurry them either. Only after a moment did the record panel light up again.
“Now we’ll verify your current contract.”
Kanghyun held out his right arm. It was a procedure he had undergone countless times over the past seven years.
The Investigator brought the record panel over the black scar. The red hairline rift and white claw mark lit up at the same time.
“Your contract with the Hunter of Victory has terminated.”
“I know.”
At the station entrance, the trembling of the containment panels subsided. One agent checked the status light and nodded to the Investigator.
The Investigator advanced the record by one entry.
“The divinity currently connected to you is not registered.”
The Investigator’s gaze moved to the white claw mark.
“This is a hunt designation.”
“I know that too.”
After confirming that the paramedics had taken charge of the child and the injured woman, the Shield Executor withdrew the white barrier.
The child and the injured woman moved beyond the control line under the paramedics’ guidance.
“It’s a Patron Deity’s designation, not Cheonyul Institute’s judgment.”
Kanghyun looked at the Investigator.
“So that’s why you haven’t restrained me yet?”
“Are you planning to run?”
“With my leg like this, I can’t get far.”
Kanghyun pointed to his bandaged thigh.
The Investigator did not smile. Instead, he opened the final entry on the record panel.
“Has the god currently connected to you chosen you?”
“No.”
“Then who chose the relationship first?”
“I did.”
The Investigator’s finger stopped. The report written by the Lead Executor appeared on one side of the record panel.
[Lee Kanghyun chose a god.]
The Investigator did not repeat the question. He pressed the blank entry several times, but no applicable options appeared.
In the end, only one short sentence remained.
[Relationship classification: Unable to determine]
The Investigator lowered the record panel.
“Your credit as the on-site rescuer has been confirmed.”
Kanghyun’s name was still displayed on the board.
“But this relationship cannot be processed here. You’ll need to undergo an emergency judgment at headquarters.”
“Am I the only one going?”
Kanghyun looked at the Lead Executor.
“That Executor will undergo a separate audit after checking on his colleague’s condition at the hospital.”
The Lead Executor gave a short nod from behind his mask.
The Investigator held out the blank relationship record to Kanghyun.
“Finally, write down the divine name.”
“I don’t know.”
The red hairline rift on his right wrist grew lukewarm. A very small voice reached Kanghyun alone.
【I don’t know either.】
The Investigator’s hand stopped over the blank.
“A nameless god cannot be registered at the scene.”
The side door of a Cheonyul Institute vehicle opened.
“That’s why you need a headquarters judgment.”
The blank relationship record had room only for the god’s name. The warmth in Kanghyun’s right wrist did not fade.
Kanghyun smiled faintly.
“Then I guess I’ll have to find it.”
Holding the record, Kanghyun limped into the vehicle.