[Would you like to view your journal?]Yes[Day 266]I don’t know what I’m doing.It’s been almost a year and the Tutorial still isn’t over.When does La Vida Blue’s story actually begin?When does Jin Muhae show up? Do I have to go find him?Like this?[Day 412]Every day is the same.Sunrise or sunset, if I’m sleepy I sleep.Otherwise I just zone out.Then my unconscious hunts and feeds me.Kirrung-.I wander as before, making those strange cries.When I come to, I write in my journal.At first I was amazed the entries came purely from my thoughts, but…now I feel nothing.[Day 537]So where should I look for Jin Muhae?What do I have to do?How much longer must I wait?[Day 813]The system window is like the game’s.It would’ve been more fun without it.Would it have been fun? Maybe searching item by item would’ve been entertaining.At first its intuitiveness made it easy to use, but now it’s boring.Tiresome.[Day 1227]Where is Jin Muhae?Jin Muhae?Jin Muhae?[Day 1256]Jin MuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuhaeJinMuHa…“You only opened the locked door halfway?”“Uh… I thought it might be dangerous, so I was… helping.”“How does that help? Didn’t I warn you never to leave the car?”After dealing with the anomaly, the tense atmosphere inside the vehicle froze even more.Muhae’s cold expression felt as if the temperature had dropped two degrees.The client had tried to bolt out during the fight—despite knowing the armored car was safest.His reckless action infuriated Muhae, who was already on edge.One uncontrolled person was enough—Joo-o.“I—I did bring a gun. I thought if things got dire, I could at least land one shot…!”“Proper equipment? You’re spending 300 dil on this journey—where do you think that leaves your budget?”“…”“Do you know the cost of the ammunition I use? Unfortunately, we’re not here to kill humans.”His cutting rebuke hit home. The client fell silent, though his lower lip quivered as if he had more to say.“If you’d jumped out back there, you’d be dead or badly hurt. And being maimed is worse than dying.”“I’d rather get hurt than never reach the rest area!”“Is that so.”“You—stay out of it.”“Besides, all we have to do is reach the rest stop…”The man’s anger ebbed under Muhae’s glare; his stiff face wilted.He wasn’t an easy mark, but the threat had landed.“I don’t care about your reasons. You follow orders or we turn back.”The pale man’s face darkened further. He nodded and muttered an apology, pulling his blanket tighter and remaining motionless.Siiiiing-.Danger had passed, but the tension remained. They still faced a long journey to the destination, and sitting still felt unbearable.Time passed in silence until Joo-o rustled, unbuckling his seatbelt. He turned, kneeling on his seat to look back.“Why is it okay to get hurt?”In the hush, his question landed. The client, lying wrapped in a blanket, blinked and raised his head halfway, as if he couldn’t believe Joo-o spoke to him.“Is it okay if your arm gets torn off? You don’t plan on using it much anymore?”Though it sounded confrontational, Joo-o’s tone was oddly neutral—more curious than scolding.“…Well, sort of.”Though he’d never exchanged more than stilted words with the client, the man answered calmly. He remained silent for a long moment, then sat up and spoke.“I went to the hospital… before placing this commission. So…”His voice trailed off, exhaustion heavy in his tone. Anyone with a brain could guess what came next.Damn. The air turned solemn.Muhae, tuning his weapons, shot Joo-o a sharp look.“How many months did they say?”Naturally, Joo-o ignored the unspoken command to stay quiet.His innocent expression clashed with the rudeness, and the client, caught off guard, opened his mouth then, defeated, quietly answered.“Um, about three months…? They said with more treatment I might last longer, but I can’t afford it.”In other words, this mission was the dying man’s final wish. Even if he lost limbs, he would achieve it.Muhae ground his brows, sighing. Too much unneeded information poured out unbidden.“There’s something you left there. A long time ago. It’s of little monetary value, but now you need it.”Once he’d begun speaking, the client couldn’t stop. His eyes, dull before, glinted with desire—not the look of a dying old man, but one seized by hope.“It might’ve disappeared after so long, but I remember its location…”“I can find it.”“Thanks… even for saying that.”The client’s shoulders relaxed slightly. The oppressive atmosphere loosened, bit by bit.‘Pointless fuss.’Muhae slung his weapons across his back. Leaning back into his seat, the bulk felt reassuring—like part of his body.“Jin Muhae.”“Yes?”“How much further?”“I’m not telling you.”Hmph. Joo-o snorted, pleased, glancing at Muhae.“When we arrive it’ll be pitch dark. Then you move exactly as I say.”“Understood.”Joo-o always answered well, even when he listened to no one else.“Grab something to eat from your bag. No whining about hunger.”“I can take more pills.”“Saying that with drool on your lips doesn’t help your case.”“I can’t help it.”He said it with a silly grin, but he couldn’t help it.Muhae clicked his tongue and forced himself to look forward again.Ding!―The vehicle has arrived at its destination.They reached Cheolma Valley as expected—deep into the night.Muhae scanned the perimeter one last time, then signaled they could disembark.“Oh, I hear water.”“Don’t touch it. It’s contaminated.”In the city, Blue-powered purification hid how rare clean water was outside. Muhae always carried purification tablets. He avoided drinking wild water unless absolutely necessary.“Reach in, plug in the power cell, push the inner latch—that opens the door. As you know.”After about a hundred meters’ walk, a rectangular structure appeared. No windows, its rusted, dented metal shell looked less like a building and more like inexplicable art.At its entrance, a hole just wide enough for an adult fist lay in the wall—a mechanism only a human arm could reach.With a low rumble, the door swung open. Muhae stayed on alert, leading the client and Joo-o inside.“Cough, whew… the air…”“Filthy, right? Give it a moment—I just reactivated the power.”Rattle—lights flickered on, revealing the rest area’s interior: a large sixty-pyeong space. Surprisingly tidy, though countless traces of use remained. Bent frames of bedding hinted someone had slept roughly here.It had once served prospecting mercs when anomalies first appeared—a temporary shelter built by the wasteful pre-Comfort Zone generation. Though abandoned when the domes went up, any shelter with power drew wayfarers treating it as public property.The road through Cheolma Valley once led safely north to Seogyeong City’s Comfort Zone—an occasional route for ordinary citizens on business. But a decade ago, shifting beast habitats changed that. Now only military or mercs used this path.“We’ll stay until dawn. So gather what you came for in advance—if it’s still here.”Muhae warned as a courtesy. With so many visitors over the years, any valuable item would’ve vanished long ago.He’d visited years ago but found nothing worth taking. What gave his client the confidence to seek a decade-old keepsake?

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