"Ryung, our side has been cleared..."
Inho approached, eyes glued to the map projected by his system interface. His voice was steady but faltered slightly when he noticed how close the two were standing. Cheon Areum, catching the shift, quietly let go and placed Kim Ryung's hand back at his side without a word.
"As I was saying, the left side's been cleared too. Not that there were many over there to begin with."
Kim Ryung leaned in to inspect the map himself, scanning the data with sharp eyes before offering a simple nod of approval. The rest of the team emerged from the scorched forest and lingering smoke, stopping behind Inho.
"We're regrouping now. It's time to locate the boss. Let's head over and see how the other side is faring."
The distance between the left and right sections of the island was considerable, but finding the other two members wasn't difficult. Their side of the battlefield was unmistakable—every tree had been sliced clean at knee level, the trunks toppled in chaotic piles, crisscrossing over each other like a shattered wooden graveyard. Aera stood atop one of the fallen tree trunks, surveying the wreckage. With effortless grace, she leapt down, landing beside Jia, who was standing near the edge of the water—just as Cheon Areum had earlier, keeping a safe distance.
Jia was the first to spot them approaching. She pointed over her shoulder and said something to Aera, who turned to look. Neither of them bore a single scratch—they hadn't needed any healers, it seemed. Cheon Areum's pace quickened as he made his way toward Jia. He enjoyed the company of another healer.
"Some refined work you've done here," Kim Ryung remarked, his tone dry but amused as he glanced around at the toppled forest. Aera brushed a loose strand of hair back into her braids and shot him a sharp glare.
"They kept clinging to the trees. Since you took the map, I had no choice. And if you were going to blow up half the island anyway, why bring Inho along at all?"
"My bad, my bad," Kim Ryung said with a chuckle, entirely unapologetic. "But you handled it just fine, didn't you?"
Aera scoffed dramatically and walked over to Inho. They began discussing where the boss could be hiding. Cheon Areum stood by Jia's side, but her eyes were fixed on Aera.
"Do you like her?" he asked suddenly, catching her off guard.
She turned to him, lips curling into a shy smile. A soft blush bloomed on her cheeks, the warmth of it spreading all the way to her ears. Cheon Areum stared at her, dumbfounded. He didn't need her to say anything—her reaction was more than enough.
That's when it happened.
So sudden, so silent, no one noticed at first—not until it was too late. A long, translucent, whip-like limb shot out of the water, coiling tightly around Jia's ankle. In an instant, she was yanked off her feet and dragged into the depths with a sharp splash, her body vanishing before anyone could even react.
Cheon Areum was the closest—his instincts kicked in before thought could catch up. He lunged forward, grabbing hold of Jia's hand and forearm just as she was being pulled under. Only her arm remained above the surface, slick with water and trembling in his grip.
He pulled with everything he had, muscles straining, teeth clenched tight. But he wasn't strong enough—his feet slid across the wet sand, dragged inch by inch toward the water as the unseen force tugged harder. Still, he refused to let go.
The others sprinted toward him the moment they realized what was happening.
"Hajoon—use the wind! Pull her up! And don't lose the monster—it has to be the boss!"
Kim Ryung rushed in beside Cheon Areum, grabbing hold of Jia's arm to help. Even while pulling her back, his eyes were already scanning the water, mind working rapidly as he instructed the others.
Shin Jia was a B-Class—tougher than most, with a resilience that came with her rank. But she was still a healer, and healers were notoriously defenseless. They could mend the wounds of others with ease, but when it came to themselves, their abilities were useless and offered no protection. They always had to depend on others for protection. That vulnerability made her grip feel all the more fragile in Cheon Areum's hands.
Hwan moved fast, boosting Hajoon with a surge of power as he manipulated the air. A violent gust whipped through the air, and the ocean trembled. It was as if an entire wall of water was being torn upward from within.
The monster rose with it—at first, just a dark, shifting mass cloaked in liquid. Then the water crashed back down, revealing its true form. Towering and monstrous, its body was the size of a cruise ship, slick and pulsating, covered in hundreds of whip-like tentacles that writhed like living vines.
One of those tentacles still had Jia, clutched tightly by the ankle—until Hajoon's wind gently lifted her out of its grip and deposited her safely onto the sand.
Aera didn't wait. With a flash of silver, she unsheathed her dagger and sliced clean through the tentacle that still trailed behind Jia, severing it in a single, fluid motion.
Jia coughed violently, clutching at her throat, her breaths ragged and shallow. Cheon Areum's eyes widened as he noticed the dark red blood seeping through her trembling fingers. Her ankle, where the monster had latched on, was mangled—deep, crescent-shaped bite marks bled freely, evidence that the tentacles weren't just for grabbing. They had teeth—rows of them, hidden beneath that deceptively smooth surface.
It wasn't just her leg. A closer look revealed bruising and torn skin around her neck, as if another tentacle had tried to strangle her before she was pulled free.
Without hesitation, Cheon Areum dropped to his knees beside her, the sand clinging to his legs. He gently placed his hands over hers, trying to steady them as he focused. He had to stop the bleeding first of all.
"You think you can heal her, Areum?"
Kim Ryung's voice cut through the noise, laced with urgency.
"I'm already doing it."
Cheon Areum answered, not looking up. He closed his eyes, tuning out everything else—the crashing waves, the shrieking of the monster, even the sound of Jia's labored breaths. His hands shook slightly as he focused, trying to pinpoint the worst of the damage beneath her skin.
Without holding back, he poured all the energy he had into the wounds. Black fog began to form under his palms. His breathing grew heavy, his shoulders rising and falling with strain, but he didn't stop. He couldn't. Not until the bleeding slowed.
"Hwan, can you give me another boost?"
Kim Ryung stood, eyes locked on the towering beast as it loomed over the shoreline.
"I can't," Hwan replied, shaking his head. "I gave my strongest one to Inho."
"It's fine, Hajoon—get it in the air. Hold it there."
Hajoon glanced at the monster, then nodded, already gathering wind around him in a powerful vortex.
From the side, Aera pressed her hand gently on Jia's shoulder, crouched beside her with a furrowed brow.
"What are you planning?" she asked, her voice edged with disbelief. "Can you really blow that thing up?"
Kim Ryung's eyes blazed a brilliant red, intensity radiating from his expression as his gaze locked onto the monstrous beast. He slowly raised his hand, fingers outstretched and steady, aiming directly at its writhing core.
"I can."
"Shit."
Inho dropped beside them, yanking Gunwoo down with him just as a shimmering, translucent shield formed around them—like a fragile soap bubble stretched over steel, glinting faintly.
The explosion came a heartbeat later.
A deafening blast ripped through the air, turning the sky black with smoke. The shockwave hit like a freight train—wind howled, wild and punishing, and the ground beneath them shook violently, as if the island itself had roared in pain.
Engulfed by thick, churning smoke, the world around them seemed to pause in eerie silence. When the dark clouds began to lift, rain followed—slow, heavy drops of inky black water splattering softly against the bubble shielding them.
Cheon Areum remained motionless, his body slack with exhaustion. He had given everything. Every ounce of energy, drained. His eyes fluttered open, glassy with fatigue, as he let out a shallow breath. Jia slowly lowered her hands from her throat. The bleeding had stopped entirely—her skin now bore only faint, ghost-like marks.
"Jia, your ankle… it's healed too," Aera said, eyes narrowing with disbelief as she overlooked the wound.
Unknowingly, Cheon Areum had healed far more than he intended—more than anyone thought he could.
"Aren't you an F-Class healer? Is this even possible?" Inho muttered, genuine shock in his voice as he looked from Jia to Areum.
But Cheon Areum didn't answer. His heartbeat had dropped to a whisper, the world spinning around him. Then, without a word, he collapsed onto the damp sand, overcome by dizziness.