Declaration Of Extra Strike

 

I ignored the doctor’s talk about collarbones and ligaments as he disinfected my wounds. He kept insisting that I’d need to let my bones and ligaments “heal naturally” and wrapped me up in bandages, claiming it was necessary until that miraculous natural healing kicked in.

 

‘Natural healing? What’s the point of that?’

 

Why bother with such inefficient treatment when potions—literally a gift from the gods to awakened individuals—exist? And I, of all people, was the

Potion Master

Kang Eui-jin!

 

“…I can’t breathe.”

 

Though I managed to stop them from putting me in a full arm cast, which would have made moving unbearable, the tight bandages around my shoulder and chest were still frustrating. 

 

Not as frustrating, though, as Tae Jae-heon himself. I wasn’t mentally prepared to deal with his presence, let alone act like I was fine with it.

 

Every attempt to adjust—shifting this way or that—just made me feel worse. I flailed my arms and legs, venting my irritation, only for Tae Jae-heon to issue a low warning from the sofa, where he was seated while listening to the secretary’s report.

 

“Do I need to tie you down to make you behave?”

 

“…I’m hurting and bored.”

 

‘And I feel like shit being under your watchful eye, you bastard.’

 

I kept my mouth shut, worried that pushing my luck might actually get me locked up. Even so, I couldn’t fully hide my annoyance. Tae Jae-heon, apparently picking up on it, closed the tablet he was holding and turned to face me fully.

 

“

Tch.

You’ve gotten clingier in the meantime. I don’t have time to humor you, so sit still.”

 

“This isn’t clinginess, you—! Why are you even working in

my

room?”

 

“Your room? That’s funny. What here belongs to you?”

 

“I used to stay on the top floor! Why’d I get moved here?”

 

“That floor’s been sealed off. Don’t even think about going back there.”

 

Tae Jae-heon turned his back to me as if to signal the conversation was over.

 

Fuming, I swung a punch at the air in his direction. The secretary sitting across from me, however, widened his eyes in shock, catching my little act of rebellion.

 

‘If it were the top floor, there might have been more places to escape to.’

 

Resigned, I lay back down, mentally retracing the routes I’d seen earlier in the day. 

 

Threre are eight emergency exits, six staircases, and the elevators required a key card…

 

***

 

While Tae Jae-heon was away th next day, I busily explored the headquarters. 

 

I checked every emergency exit and staircase from the 60th to the 70th floor, which were the only areas I was permitted to access. Unfortunately, anything beyond these areas was locked, and the guards tailing me made it even more troublesome.

 

Feeling frustrated, I confirmed that the 70th floor was also off-limits. Letting out a sharp sigh, I made my way to the sky park connected to the 70th floor and leaned against the railing to look down below.

 

Though Wolgye Naru wasn’t visible, the black pillar standing tall on Namsan was clear as day. Helicopters circled the pillar, scouting the area, while faint flashes of skill effects hinted at ongoing activity. 

 

The countdown timer, now drastically reduced after a day had passed, remained the only noticeable change; the pillar itself was just as it had been when it first appeared.

 

Yet, this felt like the calm before the storm. Knowing what had happened since the planets appeared, I couldn’t shake my unease. The looming threat of failing the quest gnawed at me.

 

‘Should I take the risk and steal a phone to make contact?’

 

As I tapped the railing with my fingers, the sound of hurried, panting breaths grew closer from behind.

 

“Huff, huff… Just how long are you planning to wander around? I… huff… Get away from the railing! It’s dangerous!”

 

The voice belonged to a guild member assigned to me after Tae Jae-heon’s assistant left. 

 

His name was Do-young, I think. It had taken him this long to catch up after I shook him off on the 65th floor. Not the sharpest tool in the shed. 

 

Still, thanks to him, I was able to finish my internal reconnaissance in peace, though it yielded little since all the passageways were blocked.

 

“Stop following me. I’ll go back to my room when Tae Jae-heon gets here.”

 

“I can’t allow that! You’ve wandered around enough. Let’s go back to your room now.”

 

Ignoring him, I turned my head away, pretending not to hear. Do-young sighed in frustration before stepping closer and grabbing my arm.

 

“I can’t let you roam freely through the guild’s interior. Strictly speaking, you’re not even a member of Nox right now.”

 

I stared down at the hand gripping my arm. I had an emergency sleeping incense stashed in my inventory. Should I just use it and knock him out? Maybe give him a good thrashing while he’s down?

 

But considering that potion crafting was already off-limits to me, using the incense would raise questions about where I got it. That would undoubtedly lead to an inventory inspection. With the S-rank items

Lailaps’ Collar

and

Griffon’s Egg

currently in my possession, avoiding such a search was non-negotiable.

 

Just as I resigned myself to heading back, a group of people entered the sky park. Startled, Do-young ran toward them.

 

“Hey! This section of the sky park is off-limits!”

 

“We’ll only be a moment. Just one smoke break.”

 

“Didn’t you read the guild announcement? The 60th to 70th floors are off-limits to regular guild members for the time

being!”

 

“Alright, alright, I get it—but seriously, we’re from the 71st floor. You’re telling us to go all the way up to the 80th just to smoke a cigarette? Come on, we’ll only be here for five minutes. It’s not like there’s construction or anything going on.”

 

The group, grinning as they lit cigarettes, clearly weren’t taking things seriously. Do-young whose face was reddening with anger marched toward them, practically fuming.

 

“I said leave! Do I need to report this upstairs?”

 

“Oh, look at this guy. Who even are you? What department are you with?”

 

“I’m working under the guild leader’s office, summoned under a special directive. And what about you? What department are you in, blatantly ignoring guild memos and acting as you please?”

 

This was getting interesting. Crossing my arms, I leaned against a tree, content to watch the show. 

 

The back-and-forth insults flew freely, a stream of “this bastard” and “that bastard,” making the situation even more entertaining.

 

Eventually, things escalated, and Do-young ended up squaring off with what seemed to be the group’s leader. While their companions scrambled to separate the two, a woman from the group was jostled in my direction.

 

She stumbled close enough that I instinctively stepped aside to give her space. Then, with her back still to me, she asked in a low voice:

 

“Are you ready?”

 

“…Are you talking to me?”

 

“Of course. Who else but the boss? Hehe.”

 

“Zero? Don’t tell me—”

 

I froze, staring at the back of the woman now speaking in that all-too-familiar voice. Her plain build and unremarkable features struck me as odd, but I quickly realized the truth. Unable to help myself, I blurted out:

 

“Are you cross-dressing…?”

 

“One of my many talents. I’m merely borrowing this body for now, so don’t make it obvious we’re talking. Face

forward. Do you have the item?”

 

“Yeah, I have it.”

 

“Good. There was a lot of concern after that dungeon break at the research complex, but this works out. So, we’ll meet

in two days, same time, at the lounge on the 20th floor.”

 

“What about Cloud? Did you find him? Wait, two days? Can’t it be tomorrow?”

 

The countdown would have only a few minutes left by then—cutting it way too close. I stepped closer worriedly, but disguised-Zero took a step back, maintaining her distance, and firmly shook her head.

 

“Any earlier isn’t possible. The guild leader is handing the item to the mercenaries in two days. Two days from now, at this exact time.”

 

“I can’t even get down to the 20th floor!”

 

“That’s beyond what I can help with.”

 

“…Fine. Then what about Cheong? Did you check on him? He’s in headquarters, and he needs to leave with me.”

 

“Hunter Lim Cheong is part of the plan as well. No need to worry.”

 

As if a single reassurance could completely ease my concerns. But I didn’t have time to keep pressing; Do-young and the others seemed to have mostly calmed down.

 

The woman, who had now put some distance between us, glanced toward her group, checking their movements before turning back to me.

 

“One more thing. Someone asked me to pass along a message to you. They said they’re waiting for you.”

 

Waiting? Who? I tilted my head, puzzled, but the woman brushed past me and whispered:

 

“I told you to call me if you’re scared, puppy.”

 

“What? You……!”

 

“Says the message.”

 

Caught off guard by the unexpected comment, my face flushed with heat. I stared dumbfounded at the retreating figure of the woman, my mouth opening and closing in disbelief. Then, suddenly, the woman stopped in her tracks.

 

She flinched like someone waking from a dream, looked around in confusion, and locked eyes with me. Her clear gaze revealed that Zero was no longer in control.

 

Tilting her head slightly, she seemed to dismiss whatever had happened and hurried back to her group, responding to their calls.

 

Not long after, a disheveled and visibly irritated Do-young spat on the ground as he approached me.

 

“Seriously, I told you we should’ve gone back earlier. What a mess.”

 

“Yeah… let’s go back.”

 

***

 

Left alone in the dark room, I gazed at the glowing collar in my hand.

 

“Item information.”

 <Lailaps’ Collar>

A sturdy collar said to have tamed Lailaps, the fastest creature in existence.

 

Damn it. To think I had actually wore this.

 

In my mind, the concepts of

Sa-na

and

Seong San-ha

still felt as incompatible as oil and water, refusing to merge into one coherent image. Just looking at the collar that

Sa-na

had given me sent shivers down my spine, a mix of unease and an unexplainable sense of humiliation. 

 

I found myself almost longing for the days when Seong San-ha had been the reckless Guild Leader of Cheon Rang.

 

“…Damn it.”

 

At least when Seong San-ha put it on me, it was a thin, silver necklace—less burdensome. But now? It looked unmistakably like a dog collar. Even when I tried shaking it the way Seong San-ha had done before, it didn’t transform into a necklace like last time. The thick collar remained stubbornly unchanged, and I couldn’t help but sigh in frustration.’

 

‘This is just an item. A damn cool and expensive S-rank item.

 

I forced myself to think of it as nothing more than good gear, mentally searing that thought into my mind. 

 

Finally, I strapped the collar around my neck. The weight pressed down heavily at first, but almost immediately, a semi-transparent window popped up in front of me.

 「You have equipped Lailaps’ Collar.」 

Of course, there was no chime announcing that my

master

was nearby or anything ridiculous like that. For a brief moment, I worried that without Seong San-ha’s presence, the collar might not turn invisible. But my fears were short-lived. The collar gradually faded from view, and the weight around my neck vanished with it. I reached up to touch my neck, now bare once more, and rubbed it uneasily.

 

Suddenly, a knock startled me out of my thoughts. Whirling around, I saw the secretary entering the room with a bow of his head.

 

“The Guild Master has requested your presence.”

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