CHAPTER FOURTY-EIGHT!
────restart player 1 (1).

❝BEFORE I KNEW IT. MY WORST FEAR HAD HAPPENED.❞

JIN-WOO SUDDENLY WAKES UP, his grey-steel eyes shooting open in panic.

he sits up on the bed he was laying on as sweat covered his body. he clutches shirt as he heaved through his mouth, clearly scared, hearing his heart beat in his ears.

it felt like as if he woke up from a long coma but the experiences he felt was all too real to be considered a dream.

then, he looks up at the white ceiling, feeling it to be familiar. there's was also the smell of disinfectant invading his senses and iv line was attached to his left wrist which only confirmed that he was in a hospital.

he looks to right, seeing the setting sun out the window. he couldn't really appreciate it, seeing how everything looked completely colorless to him now.

he clutches his shirt feeling his the stinging ghost pain of being stabbed through the heart.

'was it truly a dream?' he questions furrowing eyebrows. 'or is it something else?'

"HAVE YOU COME TO YOUR SENSES?"

jin-woo looks to the door after hearing the very  familiar voice.the door to his room slid open, revealing jin-chul with
another hunter's association employee.

"chairman woo jin-chul?" he mutters in disbelief, blinking in shock. "chairman, what happened to those monarchs... no, those monsters? how am i still alive? and where's [y/n]? is she okay?"

the ginger haired gave the player a confused look before he sighing, "there are four things i should tell you."

jin-chul stood next to jin-woo's bed and looked at him
seriously, "firstly, i am not the chairman, but the chief
inspector of the surveillance team. secondly, i would like to
ask you about the moving statues. thirdly, how do you
know who i am? and lastly..."

his next question sends a tidal wave of fear within jin-woo. as he desperately wonders what was really going on.

"WHO IS [Y/N]?"

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AFTER CALMING THINGS down with jin-woo, jin-chul begins to ask the important questions.

"wait a second." the players states, clearly confused. "what do you mean by moving statues?"

"when we arrived on the site with the white tiger guild after receiving the report, it was already...."

"no, that's not what i'm asking."

jin-woo holds his head, as it ached a bit. 'don't tell me... it's physically impossible.'

'i knew this hospital looked familiar to me.' he thinks, rubbing his temples. 'that's because i spent two weeks here in the past.'

"but hunter sung jin-woo, you look a bit different from your photo." jin-chip points out absentmindedly.

hearing his choice of words, the player covers the lower part of his face with his hand.

'i can be for sure now...' he concludes, furrowing his eyebrows. 'i've returned to the past.'

after getting not a single response from him, jin-chul became a bit worried for jin-woo.

"are you alright?" he asks him, genuinely concerned for the hunter.

running a through his dark hair as he tiredly sighs, "i think i need some time to rearrange my thoughts."

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AFTER BEING LEFT alone to collect his thoughts. jin-woo changes into some more comfortable clothes that he had stored in his inventory.

as he puts on his hoodie, he takes notice the smell of a very calming vanilla. his heart ached knowing exactly who the smell belonged to.

everything remained the same, his stats, his skills and even kamish's wrath was accounted for. but nothing was said about there being a player two nor the skill, language of the players was present.

but there's was the peculiar item of a delicately designed golden key, embedded with small [e/c] jewels. as it being the only colors he can identify at the moment.

he admires it, knowing exactly what this key could lead him to. and without hesitation, jin-woo put the key around his neck with the thin golden chain that was attached to it.

he brings the key to his lips, delicately kissing it. though she wasn't with him at this moment the traces of her presence will lingering with him.

"oppa, what are you doing right after waking up?" a familiar voices calls to him. "don't tell me you've hit your head as well?"

the player turned around to see his cute baby sister, jin-ah. his heart couldn't help but melt at seeing her laid back and happy demeanor. one that he and his lover couldn't get to see more often after the dungeon break at her high school.

"huh? did i get the wrong room? w-who are you?!" jin-ah
freaks out as she looking around. causing jin-woo to almost burst into laughter.

"can you really not recognize your oppa?" he questions with a raised eyebrow.

"what?! are you sure you're my oppa? i feel like you've become different... you've grown quite a bit as well." the young girl grumbles as she then compared their heights.

"you're probably just imagining it." jin-woo states before he begins walking out. "i'm a bit busy right now. i need to head to the hunter's association."

"why are you going there!?" jin-ah exclaims as she watched
him exit the room.

"to tell them that i'm giving up
being a hunter."

"really!?"

jin-woo looked back at his sister. "i know that you came over while in the middle of the class, so you should head back now."

"what?—" she mumbles confused on how her brother knew that.

"you too, han song-i. don't even think about giving up on
studying to become a hunter." he points out to the girl, hiding behind the wall.

"huh?" song-i mutters, surprised at the fact he even knew her name in the first place.

'[y/n] would be disappointed if i let
that happen to her.'

jin-woo left the girls without another word, heading straight to the hunter's association, putting up his hood.

'i have to see her.' he thinks, picking up his pace. he had half the mind to abandoned his original plan altogether and instead find a way to just look at her.

'I NEED TO FIND [Y/N].'

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AFTER BEING RE-EXAMINED again for his rank, jin-woo wasted no time in finding the chairmen.

he walked straight to the elevator, he enters it picking the floor that would led him to see the chairmen.

he leans cooly in the corner of small space, holding the key once again close to his face. he rests his head against the wall, relishing the lingering sent of vanilla he was surrounded with.

his thoughts plagued of her and only her. the image of her is ingrained into an everlasting golden memory. any piece of her existence that stayed behind, he'll make it his.

sung jin-woo's love for [y/n] [l/n] has reached to the point that one might think it's turning into an unhealthy obsession.

as if it hasn't crossed that line already.

suddenly, elevator stops at a floor. when the doors open, the person who walks in actually had jin-woo's attention.

it had to be some sort of twist of fate, a familiar figure stood in the elevator with him, whistling to a tune was none other than kang tae-shik.

he remembers how terrible the man was, killing innocent hunters on the job. especially one that truly didn't deserve it.

should he play with him a bit?

"you possess a stealth skill, and you haven't reported about that fact." jin-woo speaks, alerting him. "even though you're a high ranking hunter, you weren't on the list of names that is managed by the association."

tae-shik looks at him wide eyes, "how did you-?!"

"someone will ask you to avenge their daughter for them. and i'm not interested in what you do with criminals." he says, his eyes narrowing and glowing purple. "but if you hurt innocent hunters during that incident... you will die by my hands."

tae-shik reached into his waist, wanting to grab his knives when he felt it missing from its place. panic washes over him for only to see jin-woo casually admiring the knives between his fingers.

"you looking for this?" he teases with a slight smirk, a phrase that would be uttered by [y/n].

the purple haired man eyes widened as the player hands him his knives back.

"you only get one warning."

the elevator dinged, signaling its stopped at the designated floor where the association president's office was. while tae-shik was left speechless as jin-woo exited the elevator, wondering who the hell he was.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

UPON REACHING THE door to the office, jin-woo stops right outside.

he puts his hood down as he took a deep breath to calm himself. he needed to prepare his heart for who he was about to see.

soon enough, jin-woo enters the office. the prominent feeling of nostalgia and guilt eating him up as he looked at the association president before him.

"pleasure to meet you, chairman."

it as though he hasn't seen him forever, which is the case from the player's standpoint

"seeing how you came to look for me as soon as you got your test results back, i assume you are somewhat familiar with the procedures already." he states, hitting the nail on the coffin with a smile.

gun-hee's face turns confused when he see the bitter like expression on jin-woo's face.

"what's the matter."

"...it's nothing."

after the two men settle down to sit, they both get straight to the point to the this special meeting.

"before that, there is a deal i would like to tell you about." the dark haired player.

"a deal?" the chairmen repeats, puzzled.

jin-woo's plan was to go jeju island immediately and rebuild his army and reconnect with [y/n].

their systems are connected, so he assumes so that would mean that she regressed back with him.

"please change the regulation so that even summoned creatures can be counted as raid members by the association." he demands intently, "if you do that, then i will kill all the ants in jeju island myself."

gun-hee's glowing eyes widened in shock, "please don't say something so ridiculous! are you not aware of just how many times we've failed on our jeju island raid already!?"

the old man's words falter as he feels the dangerous and void like pressure invade his body. making him, a powerful hunter back down.

jin-woo's illuminated purple eyes showed a certain type determination and desperation. that it shook the chairmen to his very core

"it's something only i can do. please leave it to me." the player states. "i assure you that i can take care of the ants on jeju island."

gun-hee had no reason to refuse his offer. what kind of one and million chance does a person an encounter. if this man had this much confidence into finally putting the world at peace in taking over jeju island.

THEN HE HAD NO REASON TO NOT BESTOY THAT TRUST TO HIM.

"...there's one more thing i ask of you, chairmen." jin-woo continues, eagerly.

the chairmen could only wonder what more this powerful hunter would want? was it money, fame, or power?

"GET ME A TICKET TO [YOUR CITY], IMMEDIATELY."

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

SUCH A SIMPLE request was granted swiftly. soon, jin-woo was on a one way trip to [your city].

he couldn't waste anymore time. he needed to see her, rebuilding his loyal shadow army could wait. he needed to know if she was safe, if she was breathing, if she was alive.

so, jin-woo sits in the private jet, all alone. his hood was up, letting himself once again be surrounded by the smell of vanilla.

to pass the time, he scrolls through his phone. wondering if he could find a picture of [y/n] but, much to his dismay, there was no such thing.

it was as if the [y/n] [l/n] he knew only existed in his memory. all her traces were left behind in physical objects but anything else was gone.

'everything will be fine once i see her.' jin-woo thinks, closing his eyes to ease his growing stress.

he rests his head back on the seat as his mind could not stop thinking about her.

images of her smile, her laugh, her warm presence and her shimmering eyes that looked at him with an emotion that couldn't just be called love anymore.

he couldn't take this pain in his chest. how did he live for so long when she was not by his side? he could not fathom surviving this world without her, how did he do it?

but that didn't matter at the moment. for this time, he'll keep her right at his side from the very get-go.

HE'LL TELL HER THIS TIME.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

AFTER WHO KNOWS how long, jin-woo found himself walking down the bustling streets of [your city].

it was vibrate city full of life and emotion. there were cheers and laughter at every corner he turned to. music filling his ears and the smell of delicious food filling his senses.

but he didn't have time to admire, sadly. what was the point? he could see no color, he could not tell the difference of what vibrant and what was not.

he keeps his presence hidden from others, maneuvering his way around the crowds of people.

he tries to find an inch of her trace. anything
that will lead him to her.

'c'mon, where is she...' he thinks, looking around swiftly. he feels his heart beat in his ears, sweat beading down his face as the sun shines down on him.

it was almost mocking him.

he quickens his pace, finding whatever he could think that would lead him to her. just anything, anything at all.

"OOF!"

it was as if the world went quiet for jin-woo. when he notices the smallest of figures had bumped and tripped into him at full speed.

without thinking, the player didn't hesitate to catch the person with his strong arm before they fell face flat to the concrete.

the world seemingly turned loud again, as he steadies the person he caught back upright. they let out an exasperated sigh, as if they just went on a terrifying rollercoaster.

"i think saw my life flash before my eyes!" they suddenly joke, laughing.

jin-woo knew that laugh.

his head whipped to who exactly he caught from falling. his cool grey eyes widened and his words get caught his throat.

he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

before he knew it, colors rapidly returned to his vision. no longer was he living in monochrome world where everything was dull and boring.

HE WAS FULL OF LIFE AGAIN.

jin-woo had found the very person he was so desperately looking for. his person of happiness, his sunshine and the only person who could make his world this colorful.

it was too the point that he could feel the incoming tears well up as they meet eyes for what felt like for the very first time.

"THANKS FOR CATCHING ME!"

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

[for aesthetics purposes only.]

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

it was the same smile he came to love so much. those same jewel like eyes that shimmer in the sunlight.

she was right in front of him. shining just like she always has been, but there was something that wrong with this picture.

she wasn't the [y/n] [l/n] that knew
the existence of sung jin-woo.

there wasn't the mature and strong woman that world knew of. instead, she was small and fragile but adorable all the same.

jin-woo noticed how there were bags under her eyelids and her face was bony and sullen. as if she wasn't getting the nutrition she really needed. she wore worn out clothes, they had holes and dirt marks on them.

there wasn't a time where he thought about the [y/n] before he met her. he knew of the struggles she endured and the things she'd experienced.

but seeing her before him and knowing
what happens. he wanted to sob.

"hey, are you alright?" [y/n] questions with a tilt of her head. causing the player to return to reality.

jin-woo looks down at her and his heart aches. she was so innocent, so naive and yet so charming all at once.

so much, that he couldn't help himself but fall in love with her all over again. as if it was the first time around.

"i— i'm fine..." he manages to say in [your language] of all things.

there's was only person he could learn it from.

his accent was thick and rough, but this [y/n] found that extremely attractive.

she found everything about him attractive. to how he towers over like a tree, almost as if he wanted to protect her or to the way his cool grey eyes soften at her very presence.

a stranger might think he's fallen in love at first sight.

she looks away for a moment before smiling again, heat creeping up her neck. "well, um, thank you again, for catching me!"

jin-woo didn't say anything, he just kept admiring her cuteness. she was so small to him, so fragile, so delicate and yet so precious.

the urge to grab her and take her into his arms was so great of a temptation, that he can't help himself but to inch his hand closer to her.

the small girl could only look up at him. her heart suddenly racing and blush rushing to her cheeks.

something about this man had her pulling towards him.

'she's so cute and small.' jin-woo thinks, grinning fondly as the wind around them picks up. 'it looks like she'll break at any moment.'

his hand unconsciously tugs a strand of her [h/c] hair behind her ear. [y/n] physical froze, not used to such gentleness, especially not from a stranger.

"[N/N]! THERE YOU ARE!"

a voice brings the two out of their trance as they look to see where the voice exactly came from.

this [y/n] couldn't help but smile happily seeing the familiar person. running towards them with a skip to her cute little step.

jin-woo on the other hand was mortified.

he could only watch as the love of his life jump into the arms of kim min-hyuk. he hugs her, spinning her around like she was his to begin with.

'what?! what is he doing here?!' he thinks, not really remembering anything about the man.

the player was seething, he couldn't stand that bastard touching her, especially not after what happens and what he will do in the future.

sudden, they begin to walk away. slowly making the distance between them grow bigger with each passing second.

not letting her walk away from his life, jin-woo runs after her. trying to make his way through the crowd. trying to so desperately catch up.

'no, i can't— i can't let her go!' he frantically thinks, gritting his teeth. as her figure slowly disappears from his sight.

strands of her soft hair flow in the wind. he reaches out to her, his fingers grazing her hair.

and before jin-woo knew it. his
worst fear had happened in an instant.

he could only stand there, yelling at himself to move, to walk, to run, to look for her.

but she was gone.

just like that, she disappeared from his sight. she slipped through his fingers like flowing water. her traces left behind but never really there in the first place.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

JIN-WOO THOUGHT LONG and hard about what he should do next.

should he warn her or leave the situation be?

but if jin-woo warns this [y/n] about what happens, the possibility she doesn't believe him was too high. and if he leaves without telling her, it would be the same as if he told her.

he was at a crossroad.

so, the next best thing jin-woo could come up with was to enter the temple himself. without letting her enter it at all.

he'll spare her the pain of going through the double dungeon all by herself and be the one to relieve her from being violated in the most horrific of ways.

HE'LL SAVE HER. EVEN IF IT MEANS
HE'S ALONE, FOREVER.

he'll be her eternal shadow that hides right under her sunlight. protecting and watching her from afar from the very depths of his own darkness.

loving her silently.

sung jin-woo has decided to become both a being that could not be revealed to [y/n] [l/n] and a man who yearned for every inch of her.

because, if sung jin-woo decides to take away the pain she experiences for the rest of her beautiful life. fate would not lead them to meet.

he'll stay alone in his own void of shadows as he protects this world, his home from the dangers that will come in the future.

he will stay as a stranger to [y/n] [l/n]. their chance encounter only fleeting.

as of now, he is nothing but a mere shadow under her brilliant sunlight. for in this life, her radiance was not his to covet. she wasn't his to take, to long for, to hug, to kiss and to love.

AND HE'S MADE PEACE WITH IT.

───── ⋆⋅ ☽ ⋅⋆ ─────

JIN-WOO RETURNS TO korea but as an almost lifeless being.

he stands inside the cave of jeju island, his grey eyes red and puffy from silently crying on the way back.

then, he takes a long look at the corpses of ants that laid all around him. the one's he killed all by himself,.

"i can't let you have all the fun!"

she calls somewhere from his memory but, he barely acknowledges it. and continues to just look around at the mess he's made.

below his feet was where the ant king's corpse rested quietly. just like before, he radiated tremendous power, the tainted evil that resided in it.

"oh god! he smells so gross! haha!"

he could hear her angelic laughter echoing inside his head, but ignores it once more. then, he lifts his hand above the ant king. as his eyes barely glow with power, it's life almost dimming out.

"arise..." jin-woo commands, his voice barely above a whisper. then, wisps of black rose from the corpses forming shadow soldiers from the ants.

his number doubled as he took all the summons for himself to make his army. and beru was, of course, among them as well.

the dark haired player takes in the sight of the thousand ants kneeling to him. bowing to their one true king.

"hey no fair! let me have some of them woo!"

jin-woo tries shakes it, trying to rid of her voice ringing in his head. to maybe, at least, somewhat move on.

but all he hears is her. her voice echos in his head. the image of her seared into his mind like a golden memory.

he couldn't take this anymore.

what a foolish lie he's told himself. peace? he hadn't made peace with it. how could he? he couldn't live without her.

[y/n] was the very sun he revolves around. to know her very existence was not with him was like knowing nothing at all.

the very fabric of fate lead their souls to find each other. she is the thing he was missing in his life. how can a person who molds so perfectly into his body can not be his?

a world without her by his side was absolutely and utterly meaningless. there was no color, no life, no sunlight.

there would be nothing without her.

he grits his teeth angrily, knowing that someone was watching him. watching him suffer this unbearable pain with gazing eyes.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" jin-woo roars, fury consuming every fiber of his being." I KNOW NOW THAT THIS IS ALL AN ILLUSION!"

his voice echos throughout the cave as he receives no answer and only screams out in frustration. "STOP THIS CHARDE AND REVEAL YOURSELF! FOR HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO LOOK DOWN ON ME WHILE I CONTINUE TO SUFFER!"

it was then, an abyssal black shadow spread out from jin- woo's feet. covering everything with it, including his shadow soldiers and the land.

jim-woo's entire world became submerged in utter darkness and was eerily quiet.

coincidentally, the only light that illuminated his surroundings was the golden key that he wore around his neck, it gave off a soft glow.

then, the sound of the system's notifications alerted him. invading his ears repeatedly and quickly, all with the same message.

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESTART THE WORLD?]

[ACEEPT] [DECLINE]

"whatever you have in stored for me. i don't want it." jin-woo says, his eyes narrowing as he swipes away the notifications.

he looks up at to whoever might be watching, a glare forming on his face. "GIVE HER BACK TO ME! THAT IS ALL I ASK OF YOU!"

once again, he received no answer. it almost felt humiliatingly childish.

to be begging to some unfamiliar higher being to have his simple desire to be granted to him, even if only for second.

then, the sound of footsteps comes his way. right behind him, he looks over his shoulder to meet the eyes of a figure unknown to him.

fully turning to face the figure, jin-woo gives them an expression that can't not be described but he was puzzled nonetheless.

"WHO ARE YOU?"

CHAPTER FOURTY-EIGHT! END!
────restart player 1 (1).