Han Jinhyuk found it strange.
The monsters beyond the gate were far stronger than they should have been, yet despite fighting continuously for what felt like hours, he rarely felt exhausted.
Every time he reached the point where he thought he had finally depleted his mana, a warm surge of energy would suddenly flow through his body, restoring his strength as though someone was quietly supporting him from somewhere beyond the battlefield.
Did we bring a buffer?
Or perhaps a healer capable of casting long-range support magic without revealing themselves?
He couldn't recall anyone in their party possessing such an ability.
Lost in thought, his gaze swept across the battlefield, searching for any trace of the mysterious supporter. At that exact moment, his instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, he twisted his body to the side.
A large net shot past him, barely missing his shoulder before floating away behind him.
It wasn't an ordinary net.
It was a Restriction Net, a specialized artifact designed to seal mana the instant it made contact. Once trapped inside, even high-ranking hunters would find themselves unable to circulate their mana, making escape nearly impossible.
"Even without the experience you've accumulated over countless lifetimes, you're still remarkably gifted," the creature said, its voice carrying an almost amused admiration. "For a human, you may very well be the strongest individual I've encountered."
Han Jinhyuk frowned.
What is this thing talking about?
More importantly...
Why can I understand its language?
"...You're talking nonsense," Jinhyuk replied coldly as he tightened his grip around his sword.
He lunged forward without another word.
The Outsider didn't move.
Instead, the creatures surrounding him exchanged knowing glances before quietly uttering a string of incomprehensible words.
The System responded.
Countless translucent chains materialized beneath Jinhyuk's feet, wrapping around his limbs before he could react. The restraints weren't physical. They were constructs born directly from the System itself, each link strengthened through an equivalent exchange.
Jinhyuk's eyes widened as his body froze in place.
"What.." he tried to escape but the chains tightly held him, unable to cast any of his skills nor could he used his strength to escape.
The other hunters were too preoccupied with their own battle to notice the situation. Everyone present were fighting for their lives after all, even Minwoo himself.
The only one who truly noticed was Seo Elena. Every few minutes her eyes would unconsciously follow where Jinhyuk was, and in the middle of her decoding, she found him restrained.
"No! Hyuk-ah!" She yelled, unconsciously using the system to fly towards the group of high ranking Aquacorls and Pyrekins that surrounded Han Jinhyuk.
"Let go of him." She stated firmly, her clenched fists trembling. She was afraid that the slightest move would trigger them to kill him.
"A life for a life. Don't you think you have lived enough?"
Seo Elena let out a scoff. "And you think your kind hasn't?"
"We are at the top of the food chain. We have the freedom to do as we please. But lesser beings like you don't have that luxury."
The creature paused before delivering its final ultimatum.
"So I'll say it again. If you want your mate to live, then you must die."
Jinhyuk struggled to make sense of their exchange.
She was the same woman he'd lock eyes with earlier, standing alone while every creature in the vicinity kept its distance. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, because he had more pressing matters to worry about.
But now, seeing her close, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Who was she? Why were they calling him his mate? Was this some kind of illusion magic?
But his biggest concern wasn't exactly who the woman was but how she made him feel. Just looking at her made his chest tighten every time.
He tried to recollect any memories he could possibly have with this stranger, but there was nothing. And the more he tried to think about her, the more his head hurt.
"I understand," Elena finally replied after a long silence.
Jinhyuk's eyes widened slightly.
Was she really going to do it?
The strange sensation in his chest grew stronger with every passing second. His heart was beating so loudly that he could practically hear it. What was happening to him?
The longer he watched Elena, the more restless he became. He didn't understand what was going on, and he hated it.
Unable to bear it any longer, he snapped at her.
"Who do you think you are? You're just a weak hunter. Get out of here!"
She gave me a sad smile, stirring an emotion deep within me. One that I hated.
No, this wasn't unfamiliar at all.
I knew this feeling all too well. It was the same emotion I'd felt when I watched my parents die during a dungeon break.
I still remembered it clearly. The monsters had torn them apart right before my eyes, creatures unlike anything I'd ever seen before. I was powerless to save them.
Ever since that day, I'd shut away my emotions and devoted myself to closing gates, determined to prevent another dungeon break from ever happening.
So why?
Why was I feeling this way toward someone I'd never even met before?
"No!"
"Do not do it, Ophelly!"
"Child, stop this at once!"
The three constellations who had descended for the sake of a single human abandoned their ongoing battle and rushed toward Seo Elena.
But Elena had already made up her mind.
She was determined to put an end to everything.
"Do you want to know something?" Seo Elena said out of nowhere.
Her eyes were calm, but there was an unmistakable confidence in them.
What was she so confident about?
"When humans are pushed to their limits, you have no idea what they're capable of. Desperation can bring out more potential than anything else."
The Outsiders seemed puzzled by her words, but none of them interrupted her.
After all, these were her final words. They could afford to indulge her.
"You'd be surprised by how much I've uncovered in the short time you spent using Jinhyuk against me."
"And what, exactly, have you uncovered?"
They didn't sound particularly curious. Yet something about the way Elena spoke made the question feel strangely necessary, as if some instinct deep within them was warning them not to dismiss her words.
Seo Elena smiled.
"One system can erase another."
"This can't be...!"
The codes flickered violently, shifting as the Outsiders immediately redirected their attacks toward Seo Elena.
They had to stop her, no matter the cost.
If what she said was true, then she'd found a way to use her own system to erase theirs entirely.
But how?
How had she figured it out? How could a mere human uncover something so fundamental in such a short amount of time?
When humans are pushed to their limits, you have no idea what they're capable of. Desperation can bring out more potential than anything else.
Somehow, her words echoed in their minds.
"What have you done?!"
Seo Elena, the constellations, and the surviving hunters could only watch as the Outsiders began to disappear.
The blue color drained from their skin, leaving their bodies increasingly translucent, as though they were turning into ghosts. Their fingertips dissolved first, followed by their hands and arms. One by one, their bodies began to crumble into nothingness.
"I'll kill you!"
"I can't believe this!"
"We have to do something!"
They desperately reached for Elena, attempting to stop her by any means necessary.
But their hands passed right through her.
Their bodies continued to vanish, leaving them powerless to do anything but watch in horror as their legs disappeared beneath them. Their furious cries soon gave way to panicked screams, then desperate pleas.
It was all in vain.
Within a minute, the Outsiders were gone.
Every last one of them.
Not a single trace remained, as if they had never existed in the first place.
And it wasn't just the Outsiders standing before them who had vanished.
Every Outsider, no matter where they were in the world, would meet the same fate.
Their entire race would cease to exist.
After all, the Outsiders had relied on the system to preserve their youth, maintain their vitality, and prevent their own extinction. Without it, they were quite literally... nothing.
"My child, y-you did it!"
One of the constellations rushed forward to embrace her, only for her arms to pass straight through Elena's body, as though she were reaching for a fading reflection.
Her expression froze.
"Ophelly?"
All three constellations stared at her in horror.
Right before their eyes, the human they treasured most was slowly disappearing.
And yet, even as her body faded away, Elena continued to smile.
"When I'm gone, the system will find a new owner. It won't cease to exist, so you don't have to worry." She paused, her voice growing weaker. "I've also made it possible for constellations to descend into the world, as long as their contracted humans have enough mana."
"What are you saying?" Her voice trembled with disbelief. "I won't allow this. Child, you will stay here. You will remain by my side, just as you always have..."
Elena smiled at her.
"I'll be happy as long as I'm remembered."
Her arms had already disappeared. Half of her body was gone, and the rest was fading fast.
Before she vanished completely, Seo Elena turned around one last time.
Her eyes met Han Jinhyuk's.
For a brief moment, they simply looked at each other in silence.
He didn't remember her.
And she didn't want him to.
There was no point in telling him now. It would only leave him with questions he could never find the answers to, and a grief he wouldn't even understand.
She would rather he forget her than suffer because of her.
A second later, Seo Elena disappeared.
Just like the Outsiders, she left nothing behind.