“Yonghoon?”
Seeing Sunhee suddenly disappear, Grace called out to Yonghoon in confusion.
At her words, Yonghoon snapped back to his senses. He turned his gaze to search for Sunhee.
Sunhee was nowhere to be seen.
But Yonghoon had long experience dealing with Sunhee’s invisibility ability.
Yonghoon’s gaze shifted toward the beasts. Soon, he could sense Sunhee’s presence charging straight toward the Dimensional Beast ahead.
Yonghoon wanted to run to Sunhee, grab her, and ask.
If it was really her, and what on earth had happened.
But they were still in the middle of a battle. And it was a rare opportunity.
When Yonghoon sensed Sunhee climbing up the Dimensional Beast’s body, he placed a hand on Grace’s shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
Yonghoon and Grace appeared in front of the Dimensional Beast that had been following them from behind. Behind Yonghoon, the first Dimensional Beast let out a roar.
It seemed that Sunhee had begun the process of locating the Dimensional Core.
Upon hearing that sound, orbs of Dimensional Power began forming again before Yonghoon’s eyes.
This time, Yonghoon drew his sword.
He wasn’t aiming to defeat the Dimensional Beast but to keep it in check.
Holding it back was still very much possible. He swung his sword through the air. His blade shot through the space and struck the Dimensional Beast’s two eyes.
Blood spurted out. All the orbs of Dimensional Power the Dimensional Beast had been forming were canceled, and its roar echoed out.
But the Dimensional Beast’s two eyes immediately began to heal.
The spurting blood stopped at once, and the wounded eyes were instantly restored. Then, a translucent film descended over the Dimensional Beast’s eyes. It seemed to be a type of eyelid.
Now even its eyes were protected. But Yonghoon wasn’t alone here.
Grace charged forward. Her shield began to emit light.
Grace clung to the Dimensional Beast’s side and slammed her shield with all her might.
Boom!
A tremendous sound reverberated.
Ripples spread across the Dimensional Beast’s hard shell, and its enormous bulk was shoved sideways.
The Dimensional Beast stiffened for a moment.
It was Grace’s defensive innate ability. It was a power usually used by multiple people together to blow away monsters, but it could also be used alone.
However, using it alone caused extreme consumption of Dimensional Power. Grace let out a groan and dropped to one knee.
But thanks to her, they had gained time.
“Kuoohhh!”
A roar from a Dimensional Beast came from behind Yonghoon.
Sunhee had succeeded in contaminating the Dimensional Beast.
Yonghoon turned around.
Sunhee was falling from the body of the beast that was raising its body and howling.
The space was stable. Yonghoon placed a hand on Grace’s shoulder, who was kneeling on one knee, and teleported.
Yonghoon appeared beside the Dimensional Beast and caught Sunhee’s falling body.
In Yonghoon’s arms, Sunhee tightly embraced him back.
The spatial movement had caused the Dimensional Power to become unstable.
Holding Sunhee with one arm and Grace at his side with the other, Yonghoon started to run.
The Dimensional Beast, which had been howling at the sky, began searching for the human who had contaminated its Dimensional Core. Soon, it spotted Yonghoon fleeing.
The Dimensional Beast’s eyes locked onto Sunhee, who was being held by Yonghoon. It began to move toward them.
Its speed was tremendous.
Compared to now, its previous speed had seemed like child’s play. Carrying two women, Yonghoon seemed like he would soon be caught.
But at that moment, a massive explosion erupted on the Dimensional Beast’s back.
Without the protection of Dimensional Power, the Dimensional Beast’s shell exploded, and its steps faltered. Another Dimensional Beast was charging at it from behind.
Yonghoon, who had been thrown by the blast, turned around in shock. He saw two Dimensional Beasts fighting each other.
It was the contaminated Dimensional Beast and the one from behind battling.
The two giant larva-like creatures began biting and tearing at each other.
Holding onto the two women, Yonghoon attempted spatial movement again. Thanks to the explosion, they had escaped the unstable area.
Yonghoon and the two women appeared atop a high-rise apartment several kilometers away from the fighting Dimensional Beasts.
Even from here, they could see the beasts battling.
The sight of monsters over tens of meters tall fighting was spectacular. Paving stones exploded, and the train depot building where Yonghoon had been was crushed under a Dimensional Beast and collapsed.
Their battle turned the surroundings into a wasteland, but the fight itself was one-sided.
The contaminated Dimensional Beast, no longer protected by Dimensional Power, was being thoroughly beaten by the other.
Blood spurted from the wounds inflicted by the initial orbs of Dimensional Power, and fragments of shell torn by the beast’s teeth scattered everywhere.
The battered Dimensional Beast fought back but only managed to tear off a few pieces of the other’s shell.
It seemed the battle would soon end.
“Wow, this is my first time seeing this. I guess when a Dimensional Beast gets contaminated, the others see it as an enemy.”
Grace, having recovered a bit, said in a surprised voice as she watched.
But no one answered her.
When Grace turned her head, she saw a man and a woman staring intently at each other.
Yonghoon, who had been staring holes into Sunhee, opened his mouth.
“Is it really you, Sunhee?”
At his words, the expressionless Sunhee gently touched Yonghoon’s face.
“Both she and I are Sunhee. But if you mean the Sunhee you know, then yes, I am her. The owner of this body fell asleep due to Dimensional Power exhaustion.”
A storm of emotions swirled inside Yonghoon. He stepped toward Sunhee to hug her but abruptly stopped.
The expression on his face as he looked at Sunhee darkened.
Sunhee reached out and hugged him instead.
“I feel sorry for the owner of this body, but we can at least say hello, right? I’ve waited a long time.”
Only then did Yonghoon’s hands embrace her back.
For a moment, it felt as if time had stopped.
But there is no such thing as time stopping forever.
“Um, I don’t know what’s going on, but the beast is starting to come this way.”
At Grace’s words, the two separated.
After glancing at Sunhee, Yonghoon stood up and faced the Dimensional Beast.
The contaminated Dimensional Beast was already half-destroyed and dead, while the other was advancing toward them, bleeding from multiple wounds.
The Dimensional Beast seemed very agitated. Its speed was considerable.
Seeing the bleeding Dimensional Beast, Yonghoon’s eyes gleamed. It was worth trying.
He turned his head toward Sunhee.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Yes, go safely.”
Sunhee, whose tear tracks had dried, saw him off with an expressionless face.
But feeling the warmth in her words, Yonghoon grinned and opened a dimensional tunnel. Then, he disappeared from the spot.
Grace approached Sunhee, who was sitting by the rooftop railing, watching the Dimensional Beast.
She simply couldn’t understand the situation.
“Um, Sunhee, could you explain what’s going on?”
Sunhee turned her face toward Grace. Grace found Sunhee’s expressionless face very unfamiliar.
“You’re Grace, right? I didn’t get much of Sunhee’s memories, so there might be some errors. Please understand.”
Sunhee’s voice was stiff. Grace was at a loss for how to respond to Sunhee’s sudden change. But a few words from Sunhee caught her ears.
‘Sunhee? Memories?’
Grace’s expression changed.
“Did you become a Linker?”
At Grace’s words, Sunhee nodded.
“It seems that’s what it’s called. Yes, I am Major Eun Sunhee, Team Leader of the 4th Team of the Special Defense Division on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea.”
It had been two years since she left for Jeju Island, and it seemed she had been promoted to Major. Hearing Sunhee’s words, Grace looked visibly shocked.
“Huh? But you and Yonghoon seemed really close… I mean, you looked like ex-lovers.”
“We were lovers, actually.”
At Sunhee’s words, Grace’s mouth fell open.
“Oh my god.”
But ignoring Grace’s shock, Sunhee turned her head toward Yonghoon.
A bright light entered her eyes.
Yonghoon’s spear crossed space and burst through the Dimensional Beast’s side.
The Dimensional Beast’s side had been stripped of its shell during a fight with another Dimensional Beast, exposing its flesh.
The spear that exploded from the exposed side tore through the Dimensional Beast’s insides.
The partially peeled shell only worsened the damage. The shock inflicted inside couldn’t escape due to the remaining shell, turning the interior into complete mush.
Intestines began to spill out from the beast’s side, and the Dimensional Beast froze in place, screaming in agony.
Yonghoon, who had fired the spear, gasped for breath. His head was spinning. He had already pushed his abilities to their limit.
But he couldn’t properly grasp his situation.
His mind was a complete mess right now. He felt immense joy and happiness. He was amazed and grateful.
And he felt regret and guilt.
Shaking his confused head, he focused his mind on the object before him. At the end of the hole he had created, a glowing orb was visible. It was a Dimensional Core.
Yonghoon leaped into the Dimensional Beast’s body. Cutting through the healing flesh with his sword, he ran through the beast’s insides.
Soon after, a glowing Dimensional Core appeared before his eyes. The Dimensional Core was half-buried in the flesh, pulsating.
Yonghoon poured Dimensional Power into the hand gripping his sword. His whole body began to tremble from the excessive use of his abilities.
But Yonghoon ignored everything.
He pulled his sword back and thrust it forward.
The sword shot forward at a dazzling speed, slicing the Dimensional Core in half.
Crack!
Yonghoon thought he heard the sound of the Dimensional Core splitting.
His mind cleared, and the pain vanished from his body. Dimensional Power surged through him.
He had now ascended to S-rank.
Vibrations began to ripple through the Dimensional Beast’s body surrounding Yonghoon. The beast’s recovering body was collapsing.
And from the pain of the shattered Dimensional Core and the collapsing body, the Dimensional Beast began to thrash wildly.
Yonghoon, who had closed his eyes to feel the surging Dimensional Power, opened them and poured Dimensional Power into his sword.
The sword vibrated and emitted a faint glow.
Yonghoon raised his sword and swung it in a circle from behind his back down to his feet.
No sound was heard.
Only a single line had been drawn across the flesh surrounding Yonghoon.
Crack!
But the moment the beast thrashed again, the drawn line split completely open, revealing the outside world beyond it.
The body of the beast, writhing in pain, was split in two. Divided into upper and lower halves, the beast struggled briefly before falling still.
And from between the split flesh, Yonghoon emerged, drenched in the beast’s blood.
Yonghoon looked at the scene he had created.
It was something he realized upon reaching S-rank.
Space was three-dimensional. If he could create multiple spatial swords horizontally, he could also do so in the depth direction.
Now, he could cut even into places too deep for his sword to reach before.
And his strike-type abilities had been strengthened as well.
Even though the Dimensional Beast’s shell had been weakened by the shattered Dimensional Core, slicing it in half with a single swing was remarkable. With this, he could effectively fight Dimensional Beasts even with intact Dimensional Cores.
Yonghoon put the split Dimensional Core into his pocket and used spatial movement.
Yonghoon reappeared on the rooftop of the apartment and turned to look at Sunhee.
She was sitting against the railing, watching Yonghoon.
“I’m back.”
“Good work.”
At Yonghoon’s words, Sunhee replied and immediately fell asleep.