# Chapter 140
When things go wrong, they truly go wrong for all sorts of reasons. That’s why it’s usually difficult to pinpoint exactly where and how the situation started to deteriorate.
But sadly, Lee Hwan could clearly identify the beginning. It was the point when his life, which had somehow been flowing well despite everything, started to limp.
‘Research Wing D’s basement.’
A place he’d recalled so many times that it felt like he’d visited it just yesterday.
At first, he’d vaguely guessed that the strange sensation was related to regression. He’d even speculated that Jade’s unplanned survival might be the issue—perhaps someone who should have died within four years getting a longer future had caused something to go awry.
‘But…’
According to the recent hallucination, saving Jade had been the right choice. Even the causal fragment had emerged from that condition.
If that was the case, the “hunch” Lee Hwan was feeling wasn’t a warning from the game or system, but rather originated entirely from within himself.
‘That’s even more troublesome.’
Not understanding its meaning was the bigger issue.
When Lee Hwan’s face visibly crumpled, Taesung added an explanation as if to calm him. It was an uncharacteristically warm gesture.
“He didn’t go directly to lure them. There won’t be any chase.”
“Then…”
“He said he’d leave some traces in a different direction. He claimed to be an expert in that.”
The last words sounded dubious, suggesting there must have been some disagreement before he left. Still, since it didn’t seem like Jade had recklessly gone out to sacrifice himself, Lee Hwan felt somewhat relieved.
“…I’m sorry. Because I suddenly ended up like that.”
Lee Hwan finished wiping his face and apologized. If he had remained conscious, Jade wouldn’t have needed to do separate work. He would have naturally blurred their tracks while fleeing far away.
‘The reason they couldn’t escape with me is obvious.’
Lee Hwan had been held in Taesung’s arms for quite some time until he woke up. And he was apparently leaning on him, sitting upright unlike someone who had collapsed.
That was probably because of the bleeding that could restart at any moment. They couldn’t lay him down for fear that blood flowing from his nose or mouth might flow back.
From Taesung’s perspective, not knowing the whole story, it must have been quite embarrassing and terrifying.
Based on past interactions, Lee Hwan expected Taesung to say something like “If you knew that, you should move briskly” or “Even if you’re unregistered, can’t an Awakened person take care of their own body?”
However, the voice that tickled his ears was unexpectedly quite affectionate.
“Don’t worry about that. Are you feeling a bit better?”
“…”
“Tell me right away if you’re uncomfortable anywhere.”
“I won’t be a hindrance.”
“I’m worried about you.”
He couldn’t find words to respond and momentarily stammered. Then, strangely, his tear ducts suddenly loosened. Lee Hwan bit his lip hard, trying to control his furrowing brow that kept twitching on its own.
Until just now, Lee Hwan couldn’t really believe he had gathered all the causal fragments. He had just felt breathless and dazed all along.
But the moment he heard those words from Taesung, emotions began to surge belatedly. It was as if the gentle person from the past was gradually overlapping with him.
“…I’m fine. It’s just…”
In truth, he still heard ringing in his ears intermittently. His heart rate wouldn’t drop below a certain point, and though he was trying not to show it, his hands were trembling slightly.
Despite this, with the thought that not much time remained until Taesung’s return, he didn’t feel the hardship. At some point, it felt like his body was floating and his energy was slightly rising.
Yes, after months that felt both long and short, running and tumbling and struggling, finally all the causal fragments had been collected. In the process, Lee Hwan had saved Jade from near death and somehow made Taesung, who had once rejected him, into something resembling a friend.
“Just… don’t avoid me even if it’s embarrassing.”
With that thought, Lee Hwan blurted out words that were half-joke, half-serious.
This guy would probably want to die from embarrassment when his memories returned and he looked back on his serious demeanor. Taesung made a strange expression, apparently finding it quite odd that Lee Hwan was raising the corners of his mouth while saying incomprehensible things.
Come to think of it, he seemed to have maintained that expression ever since saying he was worried.
[Causality is being restored.]
[□h 1□m 4□s]
Lee Hwan watched the time gradually decreasing in the corner of his vision and picked up the bag stained dark brown. The vivid bloodstain on the stiff fabric pressed heavily on his heart.
The figure collapsing with the gunshot was still vivid before his eyes. It wasn’t just a signal that things had gone wrong, but also the loss of someone who had shown him goodwill.
Of course, it was the death of a stranger he had met exactly twice as of today. Lee Hwan still didn’t even know his name. Yet, he felt that it would have been good to save him too.
‘But…’
Even as a regressor, Lee Hwan was not a prophet; he was someone driven to this point because he didn’t know what would happen in the future.
There was no point in dwelling on things beyond his control; it would only bring mental illness. It was right to leave the water bird’s death as a regret and move on.
The lost are somehow forgotten. That was the secret to maintaining sanity even while wandering through fields of hunters’ corpses torn apart by monsters.
‘Well, in reality, it was closer to just needing Kang Taesung to survive somehow…’
After the monster wave, he was all Lee Hwan had left, so it was natural. A brief mourning for the dead passed through his heart.
Anyway, with the water bird’s demise, the plans they had been maintaining were now impossible to implement for the time being. Returning to Busan had long been unrealistic, and they had no place to stay for long until Praxis assessed the situation.
They couldn’t live like wild people in the mountains indefinitely without knowing when that would be. Lee Hwan wasn’t naive enough to think this plan wouldn’t become an extended battle or simply end in failure.
“How long has it been since Jade left?”
For now, he wished the three of them could gather in one place. With one out of sight, anxiety prevailed.
“We split up when we stopped here, so about 20 minutes.”
“Shouldn’t he be joining us soon?”
“Probably. If nothing’s wrong.”
That comment, added like a footnote, brought unnecessary tension. He had wanted to just sit quietly until Taesung’s memory returned, but it seemed like the situation wouldn’t allow that.
“It’s probably best to wait for now.”
“…Let’s do that.”
Hoping that Jade would return before long, Lee Hwan glanced at the system window from time to time. The time was gradually decreasing.
* * *
Jade didn’t return. With just about two hours left before causality was completed, Lee Hwan finally decided to leave with Taesung.
He was worried that Jade might be in a situation needing help, and they couldn’t stay in one place any longer. If too much time passed, even their location would be exposed.
“Do you know which direction?”
“There should be traces he left for the lure. Let’s find those first.”
Walking the path the trackers might have taken felt uncomfortable, but without any means of communication, there was no other immediate option.
Lee Hwan walked alongside Taesung, diligently searching for traces that might have been left in the surroundings.
Most were quite difficult to recognize. For example, on a path turning left around a large rock, one or two small branches of a small tree had been artificially broken. As if someone tall had passed through.
These were traces only a sharp-eyed person could find, but of course, the trackers would have discovered them.
‘The next one… about 80 meters back, flattened weeds on the slope…’
As if someone had staggered there, a single thread was caught on the tree bark within reach. All of it drew such a natural movement line that it was almost like seeing an imaginary fugitive right before their eyes.
Lee Hwan walked endlessly, occasionally based on the direction of remaining footprints and the locations where traces were found. Because they had to move slowly, searching for each clue, it took longer than expected.
Moreover, after searching the area thoroughly for over 40 minutes, strangely, at some point, the direction suddenly changed dramatically, and traces continued to a completely different place.
“Why did he deliberately lead them here?”
“I don’t know. Let’s follow for now.”
Following the traces left in a slightly different manner than before, they finally discovered a place that was in utter chaos.
“This…”
“…Looks like there was a battle.”
Deeply gouged earth, shattered and split rocks, trees. Even bloodstains that had turned the soil black made the viewer’s heart cold.
Both Lee Hwan and Taesung could only hope that these injury traces didn’t belong to someone they knew.
In one corner of the sloped ground, a water bottle had rolled in. One end was badly broken, and the contents had long since spilled out.
“I think I found something.”
Examining the water bottle by turning it under the light, a small device attached inside was visible through the hole.
“This…”
Taesung took the water bottle that Lee Hwan held out.
“A location tracking transmitter. It’s Jade’s.”
He had mentioned that Jade had stuck these to each weapon in the safe house. Taesung seemed to immediately recognize the object’s owner.
“This was deliberately broken.”
“Since the mouth is narrow and the inside isn’t visible, they seem to have broken it to check the contents.”
They were thorough enough to pick up a water bottle and smash it. If they had discovered the tracking device, it didn’t seem like it would have been used for anything good.
“He could have just turned in a different direction and escaped alone, since all he needed was to move away from the original location…”
“This must be why he was delayed.”
It seemed Jade had been a bit more ambitious. He probably tried to identify the location of the distanced enemies and use that to secure an advantageous position.
However, the conditions for setting a trap were quite poor, and he was probably detected and lured in reverse.
‘So that’s why the direction of the traces suddenly bent.’
If so, the enemies would have called Jade to a position favorable to them. Thinking this, Lee Hwan paused.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine and goosebumps rose on the back of his neck.
‘If the enemy suddenly moved away and he followed, there’s no need to walk leaving traces all the way here, right?’
Yet Lee Hwan and Taesung had clearly reached this point by following traces left on the ground and grass.
“Let’s… get out of here.”
“What did you find?”
“…These traces that remained in this direction, who created them?”
At the whispered question, Taesung, who had been exploring the surroundings, stopped in his tracks. Just as the two, sensing something amiss, took defensive positions and tried to leave the area.
Bang-! Pa-ba-ba-ba-bak!
Whoosh!
As Taesung’s flames rose like a protective wall around them, all kinds of attacks began to rain down from every direction.
