The Crystal-Blue mining site in Kan Rano that Jin Muhae had visited was a clearing cut through a dense forest.Only that spot lacked trees, and sunlight poured down. The open space, as if at the center of a stage, was garishly bright, smeared unnaturally with blood-red splashes.Amid the torn body fragments, looking up at the sky—an instant first impression that felt as though you’d descended from above.‘Come to think of it, I did speak back then.’“Human,” I had said?That awkward smile caught at the corner of those red lips etched itself into my mind. Since then, Joo-o always grinned, but no smile ever mimicked the strangeness of that day.“Let’s board.”“Phew. I’m nervous.”‘Nervous, my ass.’At the airstrip, after switching to the small craft, Joo-o’s gaze once more fumbled at empty air. The plane slowly climbed, rising high into the sky. I pulled down the control pad above my head and estimated the time to our destination.‘Coordinates set correctly…’Burkta is so rich in crystals that for a radius of a thousand kilometers there’s neither Comfort Zone nor any shelter. Naturally, almost no trace of human construction remains intact. After disembarking, we’d switch to a ground vehicle only as far as the broken road allowed, then explore the wild on foot. Input the local time now—once we land, the plane will automatically fly to and park at the pre-set coordinates.“Jin Muhae.”“…”“How long will it take?”“If nothing happens, four hours.”“And if something does?”“If the weather’s fucked, maybe over six.”At times like that, I’d be more bored than scared, but with Joo-o here I figured I could endure it. After enough years on the job, I’d done most contracts solo. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had such trivial banter on the way to work.“Do you need to keep your hood on there?”“Whatever you want.”No sooner had I given permission to pull it off # Nоvеlight # than Joo-o flipped his hood back with a chuckle. His fine, straight hair, though slightly tousled, wasn’t as wild as I’d pictured—but it was tempting to press down with my hand. Though he’d surely showered with the same shampoo as me, Joo-o’s hair felt unusually silky. From head to toe it gleamed as on that first day we met.“Let me see your hand.”I frowned. His nails were immaculate, not a scratch. When I pressed, his palm was soft and smooth—no calluses anywhere.“Ha ha, hee hee hee.”Joo-o squeezed my hand and laughed weirdly, so I yanked my arm back. His fingers clung tenaciously, delicate enough to tickle my grasp.“If you’re bored, take a nap.”“I’m not sleepy.”His eyes asked whether I’d thought that through too. I rubbed my nose and turned away. Outside the window, Goryeo City shrank to a dot.Tiresome, infuriating, always hostile to him… his comfortable hometown.After stepping off the small craft, I switched to the supplied bike and rode on for some time. Each time the two-wheeled vehicle jolted on cracked, crumbling asphalt, Joo-o behind me wrapped his arms tight around my waist.“I think yours looks cooler.”I’d noticed before that Joo-o’s subjects were vague: the house, the bowl, the table, the sofa, the bike—all summed up as “yours,” yet somehow always sounding like “you.” It embarrassed me—I pretended not to hear and sped up. Soon we’d be near the first mining field.“Nearby,” mind you, meant a forty-minute hike from where we’d dismount. Still, from watching him closely these past few days, Joo-o seemed incredibly fit—he looked like he could walk or run four hundred minutes without breaking a sweat.Vroooom—.Unlike some possessions, the bike’s engine died silently. I shook off the hand clinging to my waist, reached into my bag, and pulled out a two-span-long case. I nodded, and Joo-o caught it and opened the box. Inside lay a row of narrow, cylindrical rounds.“The first three are smoke; the last two are stun. If it gets dangerous, break the top off, press, throw, then run back.”“Are they mine?”“Use them only if you need to. They cost more than your food budget.”As Joo-o peered excitedly at the case, I drew him over and unzipped his jacket. Inside were several pockets with straps.“Spread your arms. I’ll load them.”Joo-o nodded and held his arms out. I slid each round into the inner pockets of his hooded jacket and secured them. Not a safe route, but at least we’d be prepared. On the way to Cheolma Valley, after several fights, I’d watched Joo-o closely—he moved with almost no sign, and even standing unarmed in a flawed stance never drew the Twilight Beast’s aggro. Setting aside the Thorn Wolf incident, perhaps Joo-o had abilities beyond brute strength.“Let’s move out.”“Okay. Moving.”I strode ahead, and Joo-o’s eager footsteps scampered after me.The first mining field lay beyond a low mountain path. Though prospectors passed regularly, grass and trees grew thick with each step. Wild plants, influenced by Blue Energy, were unnaturally large and sturdy. Snap a branch and instead of breaking, the whole tree shuddered with a creak.Click, Beep—.I checked my radar to confirm no life signs nearby, then followed the planned route. Wherever our feet touched, the insect chorus fell silent. If I paused, Joo-o would tilt his head and slip alongside me. Each time, I’d spot coarse bark fibers clinging to his clothes or hoof prints impressed in the ground.“Deer, right?” Joo-o asked. I frowned without replying. Burkta hosted several wild beasts, but thanks to the Company’s route planning, no dangerous animals lived nearby. Weaker beasts smelled strangers and kept their distance. In short, deer tracks shouldn’t appear so frequently here. I reactivated my radar—still no notable signals. A coincidence? I carefully logged the beast traces.“I smell sea air.”Though we were quite far from the shore, Joo-o seemed to detect it unnervingly well. He murmured again, and soon my radar beeped.Beep—Beep—Beep!Two red blips moved in the distance toward our destination. I stopped and peered ahead. Could be deer. Could be two slightly more dangerous beasts. But the tingle through my nerves told me this wasn’t calm. I calmly secured my gear and gauged the distance: over a kilometer remained, so unless we made noise, we wouldn’t be attacked.“You smelled something, but can you hear it?”“Hmm?”“That is—sound?”I knew it was absurd to ask, yet I did—half hoping. Unexpectedly, Joo-o’s expression grew serious. He narrowed his eyes and spun his head. It was exactly the direction of our target.Whoosh—the wind up there shook the treetops. As the strangers’ movements ceased, the insect chorus tentatively resumed in the distance. Still, no monstrous roar or footsteps that could carry a kilometer’s distance.Dry mouth, I wondered what delusion I’d had—when suddenly:Press. A pale hand gripped my arm.“I hear it.”His red eyes locked onto mine, as steady as the radar’s blips.“It’s faint, but I hear it.”“…”“Grrrk, tsrrrrk, ts… tsrrrk…”Goosebumps.“Graaaaargh…!”As if recorded, a voice disturbingly like the real thing slithered from Joo-o’s soft lips. The eerie air stiffened the nape of my neck. A chill raced down my spine; the strangling sensation clamped my shoulders.Just as the alarm bell rang in my mind—“See? Helpful, right?”With that whisper, Joo-o’s once-blank face blossomed into a proud smile. At the sight of that flawless grin, fresh air flooded into my lungs. I swallowed the surge of breath and nodded.For a moment I’d felt a peculiar fear—after countless battles, I’m numb to most beasts or anomalies, yet just now my palms had grown slick with sweat.“This is it.”“Yeah. Smell… I can’t tell. The sea air’s too strong.”“That’s fine.”In a calm voice I stopped him. Joo-o, as if he’d never forgotten every warning I’d drilled into him, obediently followed my instruction.

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