Fallen Lightbringers' Return

Lee Dojin stood up again. He stared at his fist. His brows furrowed. "Fuck, it really is hard to play the good guys, huh?" The boy turned around, his sight filled with the pale-faced survivors.

What was he supposed to say here? His mind blanked for any excuse. Maybe because he did not really want to excuse himself. This was the world he lived in the past decade. The world of the Mirage. Kill, and be prepared to get killed. The strong created the rules; justice is defined by the victors. 

No, even before the Mirage began, he had lived this way.

Still, this was hardly an excuse for what he did. Sure, in reality, he didn't have to explain himself, and no one here was strong enough to question his choices so he had naught to care about it, but that was not a world he wished to live in.

His mother had brought him back to defeat the Mirage and create an entirely new world. At the very least, he did not wish for society to crumble like the old Earth. In the end, for humanity to survive, he had to get along with people, even if it may inconvenience him. Though it may be mildly annoying, the need for collectivism outweighed whatever he could gain from walking alone. In the past life, he had learned that far too late.

".. .Man, this is awkward," Lee Dojin spat out and scratched his head.

The other members of the Lightning group looked at each other, unsure what to do. Won Jaemin was one of the guys that brought them together after all. Even without his accomplishments in the dungeon, his name was well-known throughout the streets here.

However, whenever their gaze fell upon Lee Dojin, they did not dare move a single inch. It was as if they were stuck in a cage with a savage lion. The guys feared that a single move might leave them beaten in a pulp like Jaemin. Also, Park Wonho.. . was also someone not to be underestimated.

Kim Jyejin carefully approached Lee Dojin. "What were you thinking," she said, her voice slightly angry, yet also worried. She grabbed his hand. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm not. This isn't my blood," Lee Dojin replied. He then shook his hand, to get rid of the red.

"Hey, watch out where you are flinging that stuff," Jyejin shouted and stepped back. A few droplets still ended up on her shirt.

"Ah, sorry."

"Whatever." Her eyes wandered down to Won Jaemin. She quivered. "You know, was that really necessary? He may be scum on earth, but he was also human. You said you hated people that that needlessly harmed others, but aren't you the same right now?"

"Jyejin, as right as you may be, you might want to keep your moral values to yourself within a dungeon." Lee Dojin sighed. He grabbed the bruised Won Jaemin by his neck and threw him to the Lightning group. "Take him and get out of my sight."

Won Jaemins goon quickly stepped forward and carefully helped him up, putting each of his arms on another person's shoulder. They scrambled for anything they had lost, feeling humiliation to their bones. A single boy had scared them away. What a joke. But this was the dungeon world. They learned a valuable lesson today: it didn't matter if you were a woman or a kid anymore. With the right Affinities, even a god could be slain. 

Won Jaemin had to find out the hard way.

One of the guys turned around, eyeing Lee Dojin with a frosted expression. He didn't seem mad or scared. "You guys win this encounter. But mark my words, the Lightning group will not forget this." The people walked away, leaving no further words.

As long as they had their leader, all was well.

"If you want to we can fight i— ah well, nevermind." Lee Dojin swallowed his words. His hotheadedness almost got to him again. He breathed out, not chasing after the Lightning group, leaving only the survivors of the cafe and the brainwashed lot (plus the blood splatter of Won Jaemin).

"You have caused quite the ruckus. Enough for everyone to be scared of you." Kim Jyejin shook her head.

"You do not seem particularly fazed," Lee Dojin rebutted. "And after everything we've been through, everyone should be hardened enough, right?" His gaze fell upon the shuddering onlookers. "Maybe not."

Park Wonho started speaking, his mouth quivering a little. "You, do you know what you have just done? That was Won Jaemin. I know, to you, he may just be another weakling, but his strength doesn't come from fist you know?" He paused, randomly staring at the Hansoo. "Seoul is full of gangs, because, unlike the Yakuza or Triads, we don't have any grand organized-syndicates. But that's why they are much more rash and aggressive as they have nothing to lose. Jaemin, he's the leader of one with around 150 members, discounting his connections with the actual mafia."

The bartender, In-Su, gulped, hearing what Wonho said. Even Zheng Yunhe's brows furrowed. he wasn't on the field anymore, he had a wife to protect. If what that big guy said was true, then 

Lee Dojin's brows raised during that long exposition. "There seems to be a greater crime problem here than I thought." He laughed.

"Oi. This isn't a joking matter!"

Park Wonhos' unexpected shout quietened everyone once more. "You're right," Lee Dojin said, after a quick pause. "With how everything's going, we pretty much have a big target on our back for no reason. The things Won Jaemin said.. . he probably wasn't bluffing. Today, though they had already been more numerous than us, seemed to have been only a scouting group. Who knows how many people really are here." He sighed. "Including the danger of this dungeon, also fighting the Lightning group might be an unnecessary danger, pushing us past the tipping point."

The survivors turned paler with every more second recounted by him. Dong Jowoon—oh, he was still alive—stepped forward. "Then what the hell do you want us to do? I already know that you are strong, and you probably don't need to worry about this mindless stuff, but what about us? Are you really just throwing us under the bus, because you can?" He grit his teeth, particularly frustrated this time. "Sure, you don't owe us anything, and some people will call me nosy, but still.. ."

Lee Dojin let his PE teacher, Dong Jowoon, speak. Even though that man appeared to be terrified, he still voiced his thoughts, evidently passionate about this subject. It wasn't hard for Dojin to deduce that this was a sore spot for that teacher.

"I apologize," he said. And, out of the blue, placed his head down, in genuine reflection. None of the survivors expected this kind of scenario and were at first bewildered by what he said, then flustered.

"Wait, you don't really have to get down," Wonho said and waved his hands. He was struck speechless by that boy's actions. Honestly, he was venting just to let off some steam and complain about the whole situation. He hadn't thought about the long-term effects (he thought he'd get hit); never in his wildest dreams did he expect that Lee Dojin actually apologized.

For a second, Park Wonho even thought the guy may had reverted to him before the New Year—but of course, that was impossible.

"I suppose in your eyes, I am the villain," Lee Dojin spoke calmly. "I understand that." He walked towards the brainwashed people who had been petrified in fear the whole time. Lee Dojin ignored him and walked straight to the fresh corpse.

It was an older man, with short hair and stubbles on his chin. His face still had the shocked expression, though it was now a lot paler. He wore a leather jacket and some worn-out jeans. The wallet in his pocket stuck out like a sore thumb. Inside, there was some cash, a few credit and coupon cards, and a photo of that man with a woman and a young boy, all smiling happily. It had a few creases but was unmistakenly well-cherished.

The survivors winced a little, seeing that image.

"But then I hope you too can understand, one day, it may be you or me laying on this floor." he closed the eyes of the dead man. "I don't know about you, but I'd hope that if such a thing were to occur, someone else was willing to fight for me and correct what is unmistakingly wrong. Even if I were no longer of this world."

Without a doubt, everyone here had a story, benign or not. For one to die like this, so unnaturally, was unbecoming to witness as the Inheritor of the Universe, Xh'Endradas protigee.

"I can't stop the dungeon from claiming lives, but that someone like Won Jaemin, an eyesore, is quick to remove. And one day, even the whole concept of the Mirage will stand underneath me." Lee Dojin clenched his fist. "So I apologize, for without a doubt, it is inevitable as long as I am around, the splatters of my blood will land on your clothes."

The survivors shuddered at these words. They did not say anything. The fear and anger that was within them slowly washed away. For some reason, even though Lee Dojin's idealistic dream should be no more than mindless babble, it resonated with him.

"That is fine with me," someone said. Unexpectedly, it was Park Hansoo. He clicked his tongue. "But I will be the one stand a top, not you. In the first place, if you hadn't butted in, I'd have gotten that fucker first."

Kang Soomin sighed with a wry smile. "What a drag. I am just an office lady, and this isn't a highschool drama." She rubbed her eyes. "But okay, show me what you are made of. I'll be in your care."

In-Su nodded. Lin Daeshim shrugged.

Zheng Yunhe laughed. "Youngsters these days. Did you prepare that speech? Whatever. Seeing the way these crates had been laid before us, strife was bound to happen sooner or later."

Kim Jyejin looked at her shirt. "Blood splatters, huh?" She shook her head. "Well, will the path you show us relieve the endless boredom? No looking at you, the answer is obvious."

"It seems everyone has a similar opinion." Hwa Endo looked around. "Then, for a short while, shall we all work together?"

The young child held Lee Dojin's hand, while dragging Park Wonho along. The guy that saved Kim Jyejin peeked over their shoulders.

—In the future, the survivors would talk once more, referring to this moment, for it was the first time this random collection of people would work together, birthing the idea of a collective group. And what that meant for the world and the Mirage, no one, not even The Prophet Hassan, could have predicted.