“What about the contaminated morphing weapon?”

While the crowd burst into cheers, I glanced back and forth between the weapon and my senior. The electric cage had disappeared at some point.

They did not seem like the type to just let us go—so why remove the barrier?

That question barely echoed in my mind.

I trembled as I watched my senior approach slowly.

“Is it... expensive?”

He stopped beside me and looked down at the tainted sword.

Ricardo had one hand tucked into his pocket, his eyes fixed on the blade, unmoving.

“Mm~?”

“T-the morphing weapon... Is it very expensive? But if I report it as destroyed in the line of duty, the company will replace it, right?”

“This isn’t the company’s. It’s mine.”

I was doomed.

A chill ran through my stomach. If it had been company property, at least there would’ve been some leeway.

I had never once seen Ricardo remove that ring-shaped weapon from his finger. Of course not—back in my previous world, I also never separated my sword from my body.

But I had damaged a weapon he was personally attached to. The most terrifying part was not knowing how much it was worth.

Estimating the amount in my bank account, I muttered,

“Th-then... I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Hm?”

Ricardo blinked and turned his head toward me.

I swallowed hard, staring into his unreadable green eyes.

“If you just tell me where you bought it, I’ll get a proper replacement, sir.”

“This thing?”

Ricardo chuckled softly, still not taking his hand out of his pocket.

Cheers and heat continued to reverberate through the arena. The host sounded thrilled as he announced the betting results, but I could not hear a thing.

I nodded solemnly.

“Yes.”

“Do you have any idea how much this costs~?”

That was the scariest part.

I swallowed again, looking at the faint smile on my senior’s lips.

“Thirty million won?”

“Over a hundred million.” 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The world swayed.

Cold sweat ran down my back. One hundred million... Even if the currency had depreciated since my days with Colton on Earth, a hundred million was still a huge sum.

At least for me, it was enormous.

So this is how you become a debtor overnight.

Still, at least it wasn’t completely impossible to repay. I’d just have to work hard.

I forced myself to refocus.

“I’ll... find a way to buy you a new one no matter what.”

“Oh... You’ve got some money, huh?”

“I have some savings.”

“Really~? How much~?”

I had bought a scooter and some games from Hesh, but since I’d been receiving steady paychecks, my expenses were minimal.

Recalling the last time I’d checked my account, I mumbled,

“About thirty million won...”

“Hahahahaha!”

Ricardo burst out laughing.

It was the first time I had ever seen him laugh so freely.

I just stared blankly at my senior, head thrown back in laughter.

His neck was still red and swollen though no longer bleeding. Colored paper drifted down onto his black hair. The air reeked of the blood from the Creature’s corpse.

I stared, dazed.

Why was he laughing like that...?

After laughing for a while, my senior turned back to me.

“I’m joking.”

...What?

“It really does cost over a hundred million, but you don’t need to buy me another. It’s not completely unusable.”

“Sir?”

“I’ll have to bring it to the Science Division, though...”

He took out a lighter from his pocket.

He brought the small flame close to the sword still embedded in the corpse.

I watched speechlessly as the red veins covering the blade burned black. The crimson glow faded away, consumed by a strange smell.

The weapon, now scorched, was covered in burn marks.

Finishing the purification, Ricardo pocketed the lighter.

The silver sword had melted into a pool of mixed silver and black.

“Fortunately, it’s not in terrible shape.”

Still watching the weapon twitch oddly, he spoke again.

“Let’s get out of here first. Though I doubt they’ll just let us walk away.”

“Yes, sir.”

Thank goodness it wasn’t completely ruined.

Judging from his expression, I could already tell Bobby and Asil weren’t badly hurt either, but what truly relieved me was that the morphing weapon hadn’t been destroyed.

Maybe that relief showed on my face, because Ricardo smirked again.

“You really are a strange bastard.”

“Me?”

Wasn’t this the normal reaction?

Anyone who broke their senior’s personal weapon would probably act like me.

I stared at him, but he didn’t retract his comment.

Instead, turning toward the waiting area, he added,

“As I said, when we get back, I’ll work you like a dog~.”

“Wait—”

Don’t say that so seriously.

When you handed me your sword earlier, wasn’t that supposed to be just a passing remark? I followed him, still incredulous, watching as he rolled the silvery liquid—tinged with black swirls—along the floor.

It moved at his pace, rolling toward the waiting area.

It didn’t flow like water but twitched and jerked strangely as it moved.

Still, seeing it obey Ricardo’s intent, I felt some relief.

Until a familiar voice reached my ears.

“Prometheus.”

A bright, girlish voice.

“You did well.”

Marie.

I turned my head and saw her.

She was standing at the passage where the Creatures had come out.

She smiled in the darkness like a statue of Buddha.

The servant of the dead Elder.

His final struggle.

The fear coiling around my body doubled when I saw the switch in her hand.

“Ricardo!”

I turned and shouted.

“I’m just trying to fulfill the order I was given, same as you.”

[And that concludes today’s match!]

A booming announcement drowned out her whisper.

[Please exit through the rear gate! Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for the next match on your way out!]

“He left me one last order.”

I’m not dying alone.

The voice of the dead Elder—torn in half—echoed through my mind.

Everything happened almost simultaneously.

Me shouting to protect the seniors still lying down.

Ricardo snapping his head around and silently forming a barrier over them with his morphing weapon.

The host cheerfully announcing the next match.

Marie pressing the switch.

I dashed toward Ricardo, who had frozen mid-motion to assess the situation.

BOOOOM!

I should have expected it.

I shouldn’t have brushed off the Elder’s last words. Even chained and shackled behind bars, I should’ve remembered what he was—a former Elder.

As explosions erupted, I grabbed Ricardo and sprinted toward the passage where Marie stood.

Idiot.

You missed it again. The warning that was right in front of you.

If only I’d paid a little more attention, maybe I could’ve avoided this.

Once again, I failed—struggling helplessly against reality, dragging others into it with me.

Once again...

KWOOM!

Screams and the roar of collapsing structures.

The moment I jumped into the corridor where Marie had been standing, the entrance caved in—and my consciousness was cut off.

***

A scraping sound.

The noise of something heavy being pushed aside. The faint sound grew clearer, dragging me back to awareness.

I opened my eyes lazily when the chill of air hit my upper body.

I’d been through this before.

Last time, someone had been cutting through debris with a blade.

Either way, it seemed I’d survived again.

Lying on my side, I thought blankly. Twice now I’d lived through a collapsing building. Even enhanced bodies could die from that. We had only been given the ability to avoid aging—not immortality.

That was why everyone treated explosives with care.

As I lay there thinking, sensation returned to my limbs. I slowly turned my head.

And met those green eyes.

“Ricardo.”

My senior was staring down at me with a hard expression.

“Are you all right?”

I remembered shielding him before I lost consciousness.

I felt uneasy, not knowing what had happened after. The fact that # Nоvеlight # he now had a civilian-like body only made that worry worse. What if I’d crushed him when I fell unconscious?

He didn’t answer.

Watching his silence, I propped myself up on my elbows.

Darkness pressed down over everything. With almost no light source, it was hard to see.

Only the outlines of broken concrete and Ricardo’s figure were faintly visible. He was kneeling beside me, one knee on the ground.

He stayed still, buried in the shadows, but I could tell instantly—he wasn’t himself.

What’s with that face...?

Bracing on my elbows, I lifted my upper body.

“Are you hurt?”

“Don’t move.”

The reply was firm.

I blinked.

When I turned my upper body, my field of view widened. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, more came into focus.

We were trapped in a narrow passage blocked by debris. It wasn’t very spacious, but I guess rushing into the corridor had been the right call.

The sides had caved in, and ceiling tiles had fallen, but the structure itself hadn’t collapsed.

It made sense—the corridor Creatures emerged from would be built sturdier.

At least we didn’t have to worry about it falling any time soon. Once I confirmed Ricardo had no visible injuries, I finally relaxed a bit.

His expression still looked terrible.

I studied his tense face.

“Are you in pain?”

“Don’t move, I said.”

“I’m sitting still. Just tell me where it hurts.”

Maybe internal injuries?

When I leaned closer to check, Ricardo gripped my shoulder hard.

If I hadn’t been enhanced, that strength would’ve shattered bone.

“Don’t you see your lower body?”

His voice was sharp, his brows furrowed.

“Stay still.”

“My... lower body?”

Why—

I looked down and saw my shin pinned under debris.

A thick concrete slab the size of a dining table was pressing on my left foot. Among all the rubble, it stood out for its sheer size, crushing down on my leg.

It was probably swollen.

But it wasn’t pierced or broken—just something that needed to be lifted. Walking would be tough for a while, but since I could feel my leg, it wasn’t serious.

A normal person couldn’t lift it, but I could.

Was he overreacting because of the Green Dream drug?

But at this point?

I silently watched him remove the pieces of debris covering my body.

Then I noticed—his hands were trembling.

Both of them. Slight, but constant.

I grabbed his left wrist.

“Ric.”

He jerked his head toward me, but I ignored it, staring at his hand.

“Did you get hit by the debris?”

“Let go.”

I ignored his strained voice.

I kept inspecting him—his trembling hands, the cold sweat beading on his palm, the faint shiver running through his whole body.

And his unsteady breathing.

Ah.

This was hyperventilation.

“Sir.”

I leaned closer toward him, lowering my voice.

“Sir, cup your hands and breathe into them.”

Ricardo didn’t look up.

He stayed kneeling, drawing uneven breaths, his right hand covering his mouth to no avail. The irregular breathing continued, his body faintly shaking.

I told him quietly, over and over, to inhale slowly, exhale slowly.

Ignoring all the other worries clawing at the edge of my mind.

Because I knew these symptoms too well.

Post-traumatic stress disorder.

He was having a PTSD episode.