Free Web Novel“The first thing I will say is, yes, it’s true. My teammates and I fell into the Abyss, and we survived and returned from it.”
At once, the crowd erupted into murmurs. Until now, all reports had depended solely on Go Jaewon’s testimony, so countless theories and speculations had circulated about the Sunrise Team’s disappearance. The most widely accepted theory was that they had encountered a horrific monster inside a rift and been dragged into the Abyss while fighting it. Others included exile abroad, self-destruction due to internal conflict, or a feigned retirement followed by seclusion.
After Hyunmook’s return, even the accepted belief that they had come back from the Abyss was met with suspicion. After all, no one had ever returned alive from the Abyss before. The press corps quickly bombarded him with questions.
“What kind of place is the Abyss?!”
“Were there other missing people inside the Abyss?!”
“Is it true that Go Jaewon betrayed the team?!”
“Who was the other civilian who came back with you?!”
“Is your hair proof of contamination?!”
Hyunmook did not answer a single question. Instead, he simply raised one hand. He always waited in silence at press conferences until the reporters calmed down, and those who remembered this quickly quieted. Once the room stilled, Hyunmook spoke gently, with a smile.
“We will have a Q&A session after the announcement. Please save your questions until then. For now, let me continue.”
The murmur of voices died down. With a single gesture, Hyunmook had silenced the press, and then he dropped his next bombshell.
“The Abyss flows faster in time than the outside world. It is vast beyond imagination, and its contamination density is far greater than that of rifts. Sadly, aside from the one survivor who escaped with us, all other missing persons were already deceased. We encountered no other survivors.”
From among the journalists, someone let out a loud sob and began to cry. Likely, their family member had been among the missing. Hyunmook continued his statement with composure.
“Second, as of today, I, Lee Hyunmook, along with Lee Chanha, Seo Yakrin, Yoon Seungryong, and Joo Hoyoung, will be disbanding the Sunrise Team and withdrawing from the guild.”
The declaration sent the reporters into an even greater frenzy than before. The Abyss had been a vague, almost unbelievable concept—but this, the end of the Sunrise Team, was immediate and real. Live broadcast chat feeds went wild. As speculation of retirement or exile abroad surged, Hyunmook drove the nail in.
“This is not a retirement announcement. It is to declare that we are forming a new guild and will continue under a new team name.”
Up to this point, Yohan, who had already heard some rumors, only nodded. But the next words made his eyes widen.
“The name of the new guild and team is ‘The Sun.’”
The Sun! Simple, but strong-sounding. °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Considering their old name, Sunrise, the choice carried symbolism. Did it mean they had finally moved beyond dawn into a new sun? As the announcement was made, the banner above unfurled.
[The Sun]
“...Huh?”
Reporters broke into applause but then stopped, tilting their heads. Because of the Chinese characters, it took a few seconds before someone blurted out:
“That’s not the sun—it’s a sheep.”
Yohan realized it instantly. Wait. That’s not The Sun but The Great Sheep? Did I really see that right? As he doubted his eyes, Yang Hwapyeong, arms crossed, muttered skeptically.
“Sheep? A sheep? A giant sheep?”
“Could it be a printing error?”
Even Kim Yeju tilted her head in confusion. The reporters were baffled, but Yohan’s eyes went wide. No way... That ‘sheep’ couldn’t be referring to Yangyang, could it? Yet the more he thought about it, the more certain he felt. Cold sweat broke out on his back. No one had told him this. Everyone had kept it from him on purpose! Betrayal burned in his chest, and he clenched his fist.
“Third, my white hair is not proof of contamination. It is a physical change that occurred when I Reawakened inside the Abyss.”
Reporters grew even more frantic. Reawakening? Such a thing had never been heard of before. Yohan tore his gaze away from the screen for a moment and checked real-time trends—everywhere, the top searches were flooded with Hyunmook’s announcement:
‘Lee Hyunmook,’ ‘Sunrise Team,’ ‘The Sun,’ ‘Abyss,’ ‘Missing Persons,’ ‘Reawakening’.... With the dangers of rifts constantly weighing on society, anything related to contamination and survival instantly exploded across the internet.
“But words alone mean nothing. So I will demonstrate the proof of Reawakening.”
Hyunmook lifted his hand and released his power. Above his palm, sparks condensed into a sphere of electricity. But unlike before, it was not a bright, dazzling orb of lightning. This was lightning of dark radiance, devouring the very light around it. Flashes went off wildly. Streaming platforms saw their viewer counts skyrocket. Hyunmook held the orb of black lightning long enough for reporters to record and photograph it before dispelling it.
“Whether my Reawakening was due to facing countless brushes with death, or because I was already a high-tier Awakener—I cannot say for sure. It is something that requires further study. But what is certain is that my power has grown stronger since Reawakening. I believe with this power, I will be able to save many more lives.”
On his strikingly handsome face, a smile appeared, radiating credibility. With one powerful word—Reawakening—he had swept aside suspicions of contamination that would otherwise have clung to him forever. Then he spoke again.
“Fourth... this will be today’s most astonishing announcement.”
Pausing just enough to heighten anticipation, Hyunmook glanced behind him. At the signal, Lee Chanha stepped forward, carrying a small box. He placed it carefully on the podium. Reporters murmured, eyes drawn to it. When the box was opened, what was revealed shimmered with pure white light—an Eternal Stone.
“An Eternal Stone?”
“Isn’t that an Eternal Stone?”
Most people were baffled as to why this was the most shocking revelation. But the quicker reporters had already turned red with excitement, typing furiously. Hyunmook confirmed their suspicions. fгeewebnovёl.com
“This Eternal Stone, brought from the Abyss, can cure contamination.”
Gasps broke out. Kim Yeju clapped her hands over her mouth with a strangled cry. Yang Hwapyeong’s breathing shook. The same reaction surely spread among countless viewers watching live.
“This too I will prove, right here and now. If any of the reporters present suffer from contamination, I will take up to three volunteers.”
In this world, it was common to live with mild contamination. Symptoms ranged from headaches to depression to skin diseases—enough to make life difficult. Immediately, hands shot up. Far more than expected—perhaps one or two in ten. Yohan was stunned to realize for the first time how high the ratio of contaminated people really was. Perhaps even more hadn’t raised their hands.
“Me! Please, let me do it!”
“Please, let me be chosen!”
Reporters forgot the setting entirely, crying out in desperate voices. As a purifier, Yohan instinctively felt pity. If only he could use his power openly, he could purify them all at once....
Hyunmook’s eyes swept over the volunteers and selected three himself. Soon, three journalists stood by the podium, each bearing visible contamination: one with blotches spreading from his cheek to his neck, another with nails grown grotesquely like animal claws, and a third whose cracked skin exposed raw flesh beneath.
“If it’s all right, could you introduce yourselves first?”
“I’m... Kim Seunghyun from New World Media.”
“I’m Yoo Gaeun from Seomun Daily.”
“I’m Park Jihan from Daily Star.” ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Even while giving their names, their eyes were fixed longingly on the glowing Eternal Stone. They were people who had tried everything to rid themselves of their hideous afflictions. Until now, the only method to treat contamination had been amputation of the affected body part—and even then, with low regenerative chances, it was often impossible for ordinary people struggling to survive day to day.
“Then let’s begin with Mr. Kim Seunghyun.”
Had anyone else said this, it would have seemed like fraud. But this was Lee Hyunmook, wielding a relic from the Abyss. Not one of them doubted.
All three stared hungrily at the Eternal Stone, their contaminated bodies instinctively drawn to the aura of purification it emitted. Once the cameras had zoomed close, Hyunmook lifted the stone and brought it near the journalist’s face.
The stone’s soft radiance spread over his skin. Slowly, the ugly blotches began to fade. Gasps and cries of amazement filled the room. Only Seunghyun, who couldn’t see himself, clenched his fists nervously. Soon, the blotches vanished entirely. Seeing himself in a mirror, Seunghyun wept tears of joy, remembering the painful days when he couldn’t even leave the house because of the disfigurement on his face.
One by one, the other two reporters’ symptoms disappeared as well. The press conference dissolved into chaos. Watching, Yohan gave a bitter smile.
According to Seo Yakrin’s explanations, Eternal Stones shone in different colors because they each had unique properties, much like Awakeners. Some could even store power like batteries. The one Hyunmook now used was among those.
Its purification ability was meager compared to Yohan’s own power, but to the world, it was groundbreaking—the first ever method of curing contamination. The uproar was so great that it took Hyunmook a long time to calm the room.
“The Sun Guild possesses several more of these Eternal Stones. For the stability of society, we intend to take responsibility for the contaminated, offering them protection and treatment in care facilities. This will ease the government’s burden. Furthermore, we plan to create a union of guilds that support Awakeners. We will call this the Awakener Association.”
The Awakener Association! The government, especially the Rift Management Agency, would be in uproar at such a declaration. Until now, Hyunmook had worked relatively in cooperation with the authorities. Now, after returning from the Abyss, he had shifted course. Some reporters recalled rumors whispered in financial circles—that perhaps the government itself had sought to get rid of the Sunrise Team.
“For guilds that join the Awakener Association, we are considering benefits such as low-interest loans, Eternal Stone rentals, and support in hunts. We welcome inquiries.”
Leaving the three newly cured journalists by the podium as living proof, Hyunmook concluded.
“With that, I will now take your questions.”
The press corps erupted like a swarm of bees, hurling questions all at once.
