“Aren’t you cold?”

“A little. But it’s fine, I’ll be home soon.”

“Aw, come on~”

The winter dawn air was colder than expected. Seeing Nari blow a white breath into the air with a “ho”, Ihyeon smiled and spread his palm.

[Trait :: ‘Unquenchable Flame’ is activated!]

“Here. Take this.”

Whoosh, a golden sacred flame was burning in his hand. Warmth instantly spread around. He extended his hand to Nari. Take it? The fire?

“Can, can I touch it with my bare hands?”

“Of course. It’ll just be warm. It has no attack power if there’s no hostility.”

He held out his hand to Nari as if it was fine. Hesitating slightly, Nari lightly touched the sacred flame in his hand. It was warm.

The golden glowing flame flickered a little. Seeing Nari’s stiff appearance, Ihyeon laughed softly and spoke again.

“Put your hands together like this, clap.”

“Uh, okay……”

Clap, as the two palms met, the sacred flame flared up with a whoosh between Nari’s two hands. Along with the feeling of his holy power seeping in, warmth welled up.

[Priest-exclusive high-level skill :: Temperature Maintenance]

“I didn’t know this was possible.”

“Well, the main class is Priest after all! You’ll be warm at least until tomorrow morning. You should be able to sleep comfortably.”

“……Thank you.”

Nari blinked, looking at her faintly glowing hands.

Today was really full of strange events for Nari. Nari clutched her crossbody bag tightly and walked one step at a time. Ihyeon followed behind.

At the deserted dawn crosswalk, they stood there for a while as the light was red. After a moment of silence, Nari opened her mouth.

“As you probably already know, I went to see my dad.”

“Yes……”

Would she tell the whole story? Kang Ihyeon glanced sideways at Nari. Nari was pressing her reddened eyes with her sleeve. When Ihyeon offered a handkerchief, she hesitated slightly before snatching it away.

Like a hedgehog? The thought made him smile for some reason. Nari spoke again.

“After mom passed away like that, dad immediately started dating another woman and moved in with her as soon as I started working……”

“Yes.”

“I just thought they were living happily…… But one day, information about mom that only dad and I knew started circulating online, so I realized dad must be selling information to reporters because he had no money.”

Sniff, Nari sniffled once and wiped her nose with the handkerchief. Though she seemed to be trying to act fine, her voice was trembling slightly. Kang Ihyeon looked at Nari with surprised eyes.

“So when I told him to stop, he said what else could he do when he had no money….. From then on, he’d contact me whenever he ran out of money. Saying he’d sell mom’s information if I didn’t give him money.”

“If that’s true, isn’t that just a crime? Shouldn’t you report it……”

“I made a scene. It probably won’t happen again now. You don’t have to help either. It hurts my pride.”

Saying she even summoned black scissors and held them to dad’s neck, Nari was silent for a moment, then sighed and raised her head to look straight at Kang Ihyeon.

“I’m not telling you to spread this around, or to feel sorry for me. It’s just….. You heard that phone conversation, and I don’t want strange rumors spreading. I don’t want my information posted online.”

“I understand. I absolutely won’t tell anyone. Um….. It must have been difficult, thank you for trusting me and telling me.”

“……It’s not really, particularly difficult to say.”

Nari averted her gaze again, then turned her head completely the other way, seeming a bit embarrassed. The traffic light was still red. It looked like it would change to green soon. Looking at Nari standing blankly, Ihyeon said.

“I’ll walk you home. It’s late now……”

“It’s fine. I have to prepare for work tomorrow, so I’ll open a warp gate where there are no CCTVs and go.”

“Work? You have a job too?”

“Convenience store in front of my house.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. It’s not easy working two jobs……”

Ding dong, soon the light changed to green. As Nari took a step, Kang Ihyeon matched her pace and followed. Nari whirled around and said.

“Ah, why are you following me!”

“Well, I’m worried. I just wanted to see you take the warp gate at least……”

“Just go! I don’t need it!”

Whoosh, Nari took something out of her inventory and threw it at Kang Ihyeon. Ihyeon caught it reflexively. It was a BS25 convenience store bag. Inside were a lunchbox and a cold beer that seemed freshly taken from the refrigerator.

“……Because you came out like this tonight because of me. It’s repayment. I don’t owe debts.”

Nari clenched her fist once, then opened it. She’d regret this tomorrow, she’d really regret this tomorrow. But Nari was weak to good people. Her conscience was pricking her.

Maybe it was because of her mother. Glancing sideways, she saw Kang Ihyeon beaming with a bright smile.

“Thank you, Nari!”

“It’s nothing, it’s just all I can do right now……”

“The thought is what counts. This is the first time you’ve given me anything! Except for scissors.”

“You’re being silly. Of course it’s the first time. We just met today.”

Nari turned around on the spot. As if it was a final goodbye, Kang Ihyeon’s voice was heard from behind.

“Nari, see you again next time. I’ll definitely contact you. If you have any troubles, tell me anytime. Really!”

“……”

The pricking conscience now stabbed deeply. Nari finally stopped at the crosswalk she was about to cross. She turned around abruptly and strode towards Kang Ihyeon. She saw his kindly smiling eyes widen.

Until now, her life had been full of nothing but bastards. There wasn’t a single person in the world she could trust. That’s why she insisted on being alone.

Being alone was lonely, but it was okay. Because I’m strong. Problems I can’t solve are just because I’m weak. If I cut away all the weak parts, it will be fine.

Nari had thought that way for 10 years. She managed to endure somehow.

Still, there were really hard days sometimes.

In truth, she often thought it would be nice if someone would listen to her. So she wanted to believe Ihyeon’s words that ‘there are things you can’t solve alone’.

‘Maybe I can trust a little….. Just a tiny bit, like, for about a year…..’

Nari lightly grabbed Kang Ihyeon’s sleeve. And muttered with an embarrassed expression.

“Um….. Your guild. Does it really pay a lot?”

[Wait, this isn’t right, the Lord of Chaos stares at you with black eyes.]

And she made a life-changing choice that she might regret someday.

[This is the timeline separator] [Trait :: ‘Natural Lucid Dream’ is activating.] [Entering Deep World Floor 0. Lobby.]

Nari, who had fallen asleep, opened her eyes. Broken windows, furniture covered in dust, cigarette packs and broken bottles strewn on the floor as if thugs had made it their hangout. Walls covered in all sorts of curses and lewd talk written in paint.

Nari was sitting on a sofa with stuffing spilling out and faded leather. A man walked towards Nari with heavy steps. It was Rude.

“Hmm, is it thanks to that cleric? It’s cleaner here than yesterday. Don’t you think? Our Nari.”

“……Why do you look like that today?”

“I thought this would look cool too?”

Rude, no. The Lord of Chaos in Rude’s form, wearing a doctor’s gown and rimless glasses, sat next to Nari and put an arm around her shoulders.

“Now, so that our Nari doesn’t get eaten up by the scary deep world today, this big brother has specially come into your dream.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Our Nari is my pretty little sister and princess.”

Since awakening, Nari always had lucid dreams. The repertoire was always the same. In her dreams, Nari was always trapped inside a ruined house. She couldn’t get out on her own.

Until meeting the constellation, she couldn’t even sleep properly. She could only barely sleep if someone stayed by her side, and even then she would often wake up having seizures. If the Lord of Chaos hadn’t come into her dreams every day, it would probably still be similar now.

“Did you take your psychiatric medication before sleeping?”

“Yeah. It makes me extremely drowsy.”

“Still, you have to take it for our Nari to get better. Okay?”

The Lord of Chaos hugged Nari and patted her. Nari closed her eyes tightly in his arms. After patting her a few times, the Lord of Chaos stared at Nari.

“Our Nari, are you trying to enter the sacred temple?”

“……”

When there was no answer, the Lord of Chaos stroked Nari’s head once. Nari spoke in a sulky tone.

“I’m thinking about it.”

“Is it just a whim? Or are you serious?”

Glancing down through his glasses, his eyes flashed dangerously. She may have upset him. At that thought, Nari who had been silent for a moment finally spoke.

“I might….. be able to buy the house faster.”

“Well, that was our Nari’s biggest goal.”

The Lord of Chaos clapped his hands as if he understood.

The background of Nari’s dream, this already ruined place. Restoring the house where she lived with mom and dad to its original state. That was Nari’s biggest life goal.

After her mother’s death, the house was sold to some unknown rich person. And it was abandoned like this. It was a house worth at least tens of billions, built by a famous architect. Including the land value, it would be even more.

“If they’re going to buy it and abandon it like this, they should just give it to me……”

Nari looked around. An abandoned, ruined house. But she had worked as a hunter for years to obtain this ruined house. Even while knowing it was nearly impossible.

She didn’t know the exact reason for her obsession with the house. It just felt like she could regain happiness if she bought this house. In this situation where all of Nari’s family history was being fragmented and sold as content, she wanted to protect at least this.

“……I’m going to enter the sacred temple.”

“So? Are you going to buy the house?”

Nari slowly got up from the sofa. Even if she earned money by working as a hunter, buying the house was absolutely impossible on her own. Dad kept demanding money, and she could only sell low-grade items under the name Nari. In this situation, she could never buy that house even if she died and came back to life. But…..

“An opportunity has come.”

Until now, it had just been a blind, vague plan. But finally a path to achieve her goal had opened. A chance to protect her last memories had opened. Nari raised her head again.

“Good, good. Our Nari’s eyes are burning again. It’s good to have a realistic goal. Much better than being depressed and lethargic. Right?”

The Lord of Chaos smiled as if satisfied. Nari, regaining her calm expression, picked up a shard of broken mirror. Rude’s image was reflected in it.

“……I’m going to save money and buy this house within a year.”

“Hmm, a year?”

“Yeah, just wait until then.”

“Well, if my little sister has something she wants to do, how can this big brother not support her?”

The Lord of Chaos grinned and snapped his fingers. A black door appeared in front of Nari. The Lord of Chaos rubbed his hands together and smirked.

“Now, it’s time for the alarm to ring. Our Nari.”

“……Okay.”

Nari stared at the black door with unwavering eyes. Reality is beyond that door. The reality that tormented Nari so much is waiting for her outside that door.

Power struggles, intervention from above, a thin ice where even a small mistake could cost dozens of lives.

She’s officially stepping into a place where countless hunters make brief debuts and retire within a year due to the hidden pain beneath the glittering surface.

“Our Nari will do well. Whose incarnation are you after all.”

The Lord of Chaos pushed up his glasses and folded his arms. Seeing him, Nari took a deep breath.

And opened the black door.