The air shifted.
A strange hush fell over the street, like the wind itself had paused to make room for something larger than life.
And then they appeared.
The five elite members of the Peace Guild.
No guild master in sight—but it didn't matter. These five alone were enough to quiet a riot.
Soo-yeon nearly dropped her camera.
Her eyes widened as the full squad walked down the street like a photoshoot in motion.
Seo Nari, the Shockbolt Witch, clung to her hoodie strings with both hands, eyes darting left and right like a frightened cat in a minefield.
She had short purple hair, electric yellow eyes, and an aura that literally sparked when she got nervous—which was every five seconds.
"Why is it always me out front...?" she muttered under her breath.
Beside her walked Ryu Ha-na, known as the Golden Grace—tall, poised, glowing like a saint. Her blonde hair shimmered under the morning light, and her dark gold eyes scanned the crowd like she already knew who needed saving.
"Stay sharp," she said calmly. "We're not here for appearances."
Behind them was Baek Shi-woo, the 22-year-old necromancer with the face of someone who hadn't been emotionally surprised in a decade. White-haired, orange-eyed, and dressed like he belonged in a haunted novel. He quietly sipped bubble tea with a bone-shaped straw. No one asked why.
At the rear, Go Min-jae, the Iron Fortress himself, towered over the crowd. Muscles stacked on muscles, a beard that could win awards, and a shield strapped to his back big enough to cover a small house.
And finally—Jin Tae-woon, the Sword King of Seoul.
As he walked past, the air literally bent. The sun hit his glasses at the perfect angle, casting a divine glint that triggered a full-on chain reaction of chaos.
"OH MY GOD IT'S HIM—!"
"LOOK AT HIS GLASSES—HE'S EVEN HOTTER IN REAL LIFE!"
"TAE-WOON-SSI I LOVE YOU—WILL YOU MARRY ME?!"
Soo-yeon flinched at the sudden shrieking behind her.
What in the—
Joon-seok jumped in place like someone had fired a magic cannon behind his ear.
"Are they going to explode?"
"No," Soo-yeon coughed into her hand, trying to hide her own flustered scream.
"I mean—they're just excited. It's... uh... fan behavior."
Joon-seok stared at her like she had grown a second head.
"You just screamed."
"No I didn't."
"You did. I heard it."
"Shut up, you didn't hear anything."
She turned away quickly, muttering to herself.
"I can't believe I'm seeing them again. I should do an interview. I need to get a quote, even a one-liner, this could break my channel wide open—"
She was already halfway into a run when a hand caught her by the wrist.
She turned sharply.
"What?! Why are you holding me back?!"
Joon-seok didn't respond. His eyes weren't on her.
They were on the middle of the road.
Where the crack was forming.
It started as a shimmer—like heat waves off pavement.
Then, a sharp sound—CRACK.
The air split.
A dimensional fissure opened.
Everyone who lived in Seoul knew what that meant.
Monsters were about to pour out.
But no one screamed.
There was no panic. No stampede. No terrified rush.
Because the Peace Guild was already moving.
Ryu Ha-na raised one glowing hand, sending out a golden wave of healing energy toward the civilians.
"Evacuate calmly. You'll be protected."
Go Min-jae slammed his foot into the ground and summoned his shield in a flash—a barrier the size of a city bus dropped down in front of the crack.
Shi-woo cracked his neck, raised his hand—and skeletal hands burst from the cracks in the sidewalk, waiting for his command.
Seo Nari shrieked and accidentally discharged a thunderbolt into a light pole.
"Sorry! Sorry—I panic-zapped again!"
Tae-woon adjusted his glasses. One lens gleamed like a blade.
"Let's finish this quickly."
The people stepped back into nearby buildings, guided by Peace Guild support crews.
They weren't afraid.
Not when the elite were here.
But Joon-seok stood still.
Soo-yeon grabbed Joon-seok by the arm, panic all over her face.
"I need to protect you, kid!"
Before he could react, she yanked him back into the alley behind the food stall. Her breaths were sharp, her hand trembling in his.
But Joon-seok wasn't thinking about the monsters.
His thoughts were somewhere else.
Mother.
She was still inside the store.
He gently pulled his arm away.
"Sorry, but... I need to go back. My mother's still inside."
Soo-yeon turned to him, eyes wild.
"What are you, stupid?! The monsters are coming out right now! Just wait—the Peace Guild will handle it!"
But her voice was drowned out by the sound that followed:
Screeches. Snarls. Buzzing. Stomps.
From the widening dimensional crack in the road, they came pouring out like ants from hell—
Goblins. Orcs. Spiders the size of motorcycles. Hornet-like monsters with metal stingers. Dozens... then hundreds.
The air turned to chaos.
And everyone realized—
This wasn't a normal crack.
Ordinary dimensional cracks were bad enough. They happened when a Floor Boss wasn't defeated, triggering a reset that threw excess monsters into the real world.
But this?
This was different.
They were too many.
And worse—it wasn't just a wave. It was a flood.
This was officially the worst crack in modern history.
Cracks could form anywhere. Even inside homes. Behind schools. In the middle of dinner tables. If the tower wanted it to happen, it did.
Most of the time, only weak monsters spilled through.
This wasn't that.
Soo-yeon's legs trembled. Her whole body shook.
"This... can't be..."
Joon-seok glanced at her.
"Can't be what?"
She forced a smile, trying to keep her voice from breaking.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it, kid. Just... let's pray the Peace Guild can handle this, okay?"
He must still be traumatized, she thought. After everything the Serpent Guild did to him...
But then—
The ground quaked.
And something huge stepped out of the crack.
A giant orc, nearly four meters tall, muscles rippling, eyes glowing red, dragging a slab of metal shaped like an axe behind it.
It turned its head slowly.
And locked eyes with Joon-seok and Soo-yeon.
Soo-yeon's breath caught in her throat.
"No. No—no no no. It's over."
The orc snarled and began to stomp forward.
She backed up against the wall, helpless.
"I'm sorry, Joon-seok... I can't stop that thing..."
But Joon-seok didn't move.
Soo-yeon hit the pavement hard, her back scraping the alley wall as the orc advanced.
Its massive footfalls shook the ground. Its eyes were locked on her and Joon-seok. Its breath came out in steaming grunts. It was too close. Too big.
So this is how it ends, she thought.
Her vision blurred.
And just like that—
Her life began to flash before her eyes.
"Is this it?" she muttered aloud. "Is this the part where... my backstory shows?"