On the seventh day, the dungeon opened like a sulking toddler finally letting go of its favorite toy. The thick mist that usually hung around the entrance had thinned, and the eerie energy that once warned passersby to stay away now whispered, "Fine. Take them back. I'm tired too."
From within the dungeon's maw, six figures stumbled out. Clothes tattered. Faces smudged. Hair wild enough to cause static electricity problems. And behind them, walking with the calmness of a man who had definitely not been eaten alive by a shadow panther on day three, was Kim Byeol Ha.
Baek Ryeo Woon, who had been perched in a tree for the past week like a particularly stubborn squirrel, narrowed his eyes. "They're alive," he muttered to himself, shifting slightly. He was wrapped in an inconspicuous cloak, munching on dried jerky that tasted like depression and preservatives.
He watched them, brows knitting.
"That guy…" Baek muttered. "He has no guild tags, but walks out of an S-Class dungeon like it's his backyard... And none of them died? Not even the kids?"
He squinted harder.
"Definitely a returnee. SS-grade at minimum. Probably ate a dragon for breakfast."
And with that, he pulled out a notepad and scribbled 'Track mysterious man. Possibly illegal returnee.
---
Kim Byeol ha yawned and glanced in the direction of the tree it's not that he didn't notice that potato head over there but out of the guild he is a level lower then that potato head in fighting powers.
Anyway, He is not going against that potato head in short term of time.
Kim Bitna looked at the sky with complicated eyes, She never thought she will feel safe walking in the streets of District 8.
As she walked she looked at the tall back of her brother who was silent as if he doesn't care what happens next, but is always looking out for them.
She was thankful that he came back alive.
She has heard how so many people were caught in space distortion event 10 years ago but till today only 9 made back.
On the other hand, Kim Eo-ra had a slight smile on her always stiff face, she seemed to have been revived.
Her lost confidence was back in her smile.
After what felt like a ten-year walk home—mostly because Seo-jin dramatically paused every five steps to cry about his knees—they finally reached the familiar slums of District 8.
The house looked exactly as they'd left it: crooked, half-roofed, and deeply offended by the concept of architecture.
Byeol-ha opened the door and froze.
There were… people in the house. Not his people. New people.
Kim Eora popped up from behind Byeol-ha. "Seems like you have decided."
She gestured behind her. "We have guests."
Byeol-ha looked over the mismatched pile of humans gathered around their tiny dining table. Four people stared back.
Eora cleared her throat. "This is Jae-hyun and Min-ji—they're a couple. That's Jae-hyun's younger brother Min-ho, and the girl there is his little sister Jiwon."
Jae-hyun stood and offered a respectful bow. "We've heard a lot about you, Kim-nim. Eora has told us everything. Thank you for taking care of her."
Byeol-ha blinked. "Kim-nim?"
Min-ji smacked her husband's arm. "Just call him Byeol-ha. He looks like someone who rolls his eyes at formality."
Correct.
Byeol-ha nodded. "You're Eora's old team?"
Eora stepped closer, smiling warmly. "We worked together about seven years ago. Before the first major space crack. Before my contract broke. We used to raid low-level dungeons together for money and rations. They were good—really good. But their powers… didn't last."
"Flickering star contracts," Min-ho muttered. "Not uncommon. Especially back then."
"But even without power, we've survived," Min-ji added quickly. "We've done manual work, ran odd jobs, protected each other. We didn't quit."
"And now you want in?" Byeol-ha asked.
Min-ji looked at her siblings. Jiwon stood shyly behind her, clutching a worn-out backpack. Min-ho looked down at his hands, clearly embarrassed.
Jae-hyun answered. "We don't want handouts. But if Eora's serious about this guild, and if you're really building something that can protect people… we want to help. Even if we're just running errands or cleaning gear."
Byeol-ha studied them.
They weren't strong—not anymore. They didn't have flashy auras or awakening glows. But they had one thing most didn't:
They stayed.
When the power left, they didn't abandon each other. They didn't collapse. They didn't become desperate or monstrous. They just… lived.
And people who can live like that, in a world like this?
They're valuable.
Byeol-ha pulled out a slightly crumpled notepad titled "Nexus Guild Roster: Don't Lose This, You Idiot" and wrote their names down.
"You're in," he said simply. "But everyone trains. Even the errand-runners."
Min-ho straightened. "I'll train twice as hard."
Min-ji smiled. "We've got thick skin."
Jiwon finally peeked out. "Can I still study too?"
Byeol-ha blinked. "Study?"
She nodded shyly. "I want to be a healer. Not a fighter."
Bitna, from her position half-collapsed on a floor mat, mumbled, "Trust me, we need one."
Byeol-ha tapped the notepad again. "Fine. You study. But I'm putting you on bandage duty until further notice."
Jiwon lit up like someone gave her the last cookie on Earth.
The house was noisy. The good kind of noisy.
Min-ji cooked. Eora laughed. Heechan and Hwa-jin ran around claiming to be wolf slayers. Seo-jin tried to bandage his own leg and somehow made it worse. Bitna was helping Jiwon sort herbs while simultaneously threatening to lie down and die.
And Byeol-ha?
He stepped outside for air, mug of lukewarm tea in hand, and looked up at the sky. The four moons were visible again—ominous, foreign, watching.
..
Kim Byeol-ha stood on the cracked porch of their slanted house, sipping what might have been tea but probably wasn't. He squinted up at the sky.
Above, as always, the four ominous moons loomed in perfect formation.
The Red Moon, glowing like someone microwaved Mars.
The Blue Moon, always pulsing like it had stage fright.
The Green Moon, suspiciously flickering, like a faulty LED.
And the Orange Moon, which Byeol-ha swore had judgmental energy.
He made a face.
"Four moons," he muttered, taking another sip. "Why? What is this? A discount magic show?"
From inside the house, Bitna called, "Are you talking to the sky again?"
"Yes," he yelled back. "I'm insulting our new planetary decor. It deserves it."
Eora poked her head out, wrapping a shawl around herself. "They've been there since the first calamity, remember?"
"Yes, but did anyone bother to ask—" he waved dramatically, nearly spilling his tea, "—where our old, sweet, non-glowing, polite little moon WENT?!"
Eora blinked. "…Huh."
He spun around, wide-eyed. "Exactly. When did we all just accept that it's normal to have four color-coded emotion orbs floating up there like some celestial Mario Kart selection screen?!"
"...I don't know," she admitted, slowly backing into the house.
Byeol-ha turned back to the sky. He cupped his hands like a megaphone. "MOONIE?! WHERE DID YOU GO, BABY?!"
The Red Moon pulsed slightly.
"Oh don't you look smug, Tomato Face," he grumbled.
Behind him, Seo-jin mumbled, still half-asleep and holding a mug of noodles. "Maybe our moon went on vacation. Got tired of watching this disaster."
Byeol-ha paused.
"That's… a valid theory."
He scratched his chin.
"Maybe it's been replaced. Maybe it's being held hostage. Maybe it evolved and split into four weird siblings. Maybe it turned into a magical girl. There are possibilities, people!"
He turned back to the house and pointed at Seo-jin. "You. Start writing this down. We're opening an investigation."
Seo-jin blinked. "I'm not even awake yet—"
"No excuses! I need a notebook, a telescope, and possibly a tinfoil hat."
Bitna shouted from the kitchen, "Make sure to take your meds while you're at it!"
"I'm too powerful for meds!" Byeol-ha yelled back. "The only drug I need is answers!"
The rest of the household began peeking out.
Heechan tugged on Hwajin's sleeve. "Is Uncle having one of his… um… cosmic moments again?"
"He's asking the moon where it went," Hwajin whispered.
"Oh. Okay."
Meanwhile, Byeol-ha had now pulled out a crumpled scroll titled "Celestial Investigations Division: Unpaid, Uninvited, Unhinged."
At the top, in large letters:"Operation: FIND OUR OG MOON."
Below that:
Possible theories:
Abducted by space whales
Eaten by Red Moon
Kim Eo-ra yawned and saw off the guests and saw the scroll and rolled her eyes. Her second brother was always weird one.
"Brother---Lemme Sleep."