IRTPTA 02

IRTPTA

Posted by Mona, Released on August 30, 2025

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Episode 2

It took Saebyeok a few seconds to grasp the situation, but then she was overwhelmed with emotion.

“Saijin…!”

She hugged her younger brother tightly.

But Han Saijin freaked out.

“W-Why are you doing this?! Are you crazy?!”

He tried to push her away in confusion. But the sister, who had always been so easy to shove around until yesterday, didn’t budge at all.

“I’m sorry, Saijin…”

Her muffled voice made his expression twist in discomfort.

He wriggled and finally managed to slip out of her arms.

“Why are you acting so creepy? Did you mess something up? Need money?”

“Saijin.”

“Stop calling me like that! Gives me goosebumps!”

Han Saijin looked at her seriously.

“How big of a mess did you make for you to act like this?”

No matter how much he pressed her, Saebyeok just stared silently at him, making his eyes narrow suspiciously.

“Ah, I told you not to mess around like this. Not funny!”

Thinking she was just teasing him, he snapped in annoyance.

“Damn, that scared me.”

Scratching his goosebump-covered arms, he went back to the table.

When his body shivered again before picking up his chopsticks, Saebyeok realized how much her behavior had shocked him.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

His bleached yellow hair, the piercing that didn’t suit him, and the scar above his eyebrow from falling off the monkey bars when he was little – all still there.

Saebyeok lowered her head to look at her own hands.

The rough, scarred hands she remembered were gone. Now they were soft and smooth.

‘I really came back.’

As if to confirm her disbelief, her phone buzzed.

It was the same phone she had crushed with her bare hands right after awakening – ten years ago.

“March 27th”
“18:21”

At that moment, system notifications filled her vision.

!! ALERT !!
<Skill: Time of Protection (EX)> has finished.
<Skill: Time of Protection (EX)> is now inactive.

!! ALERT !!
Due to insufficient authority, forced retrieval caused multiple issues. (▼Expand)

The messages proved this wasn’t a dream.

‘So the highest administrator level was referring to the day I awakened.’

As usual, Saebyeok opened her status window.

[Status Window]

Name: Han Saebyeok
Rank: n/a
Server: Earth (S3-EH)
Affiliation: None
Title: Spear of Dawn (S), Server Administrator (EX)

The first thing she noticed was “Affiliation.”

‘… It’s gone.’

It used to say <Korean Awakeners Association>, but now it was blank.

A sharp pain seemed to slash through her heart.

‘Makes sense, I guess.’

After all, the country and everything else had been destroyed. It was strange it hadn’t been erased sooner.

Seeing that text always made her think of her fallen comrades, which hurt… but at least it felt like their connection hadn’t been broken.

Now that bittersweet reminder was gone, making her feel oddly empty. It really hit her – she had returned.

She pushed away the tangled emotions and focused on the new parts of her status window.

Next to the familiar title <Spear of Dawn> was a new one – <Server Administrator>.

‘So I reawakened.’

When hunters first awaken, their rank is set.

Some appear to get stronger over time, but that’s only because their skills improve, not their rank.

Occasionally, rare titles can evolve, but they still have a limit.

Only those who break that limit experience a true rank change.

That’s called “Reawakening.”

Their original title is joined by a new one, signifying their rise.

‘And this one’s EX-grade.’

It was her first EX-grade title, just like her skill.

Probably the first and only one in the world.

‘Rank says N/A… Well, the Association will measure it properly later.’

She didn’t worry much. The rank never appeared until it was officially measured anyway.

Even though this was her first reawakening, she assumed it wouldn’t be much different.

She’d have to register as a hunter again, so it would be handled then.

‘What’s important now is this.’

Saebyeok turned to the notification that had been floating around.

!! ALERT !!
Due to insufficient authority, forced retrieval caused multiple issues. (▼Expand)

Clearly wanting to be opened, she tapped it carefully.

!! ALERT !!
Due to insufficient authority, forced retrieval caused multiple issues. (△Collapse)

Temporary compression of abilities for authority stabilization (▶Details)
Untransferred unique authority detected (▶Details)
Hardware damage worsening (▶Details)
?? ??? ? (▶Details)

The warnings she saw before collapsing were neatly listed.

‘Never seen a system this broken before…’

She checked the last item first, but its details were unreadable.

4. ?? ??? ? (▽Details)
└ ??—?—???. ??—?—?.

She frowned at the strange phenomenon.

That’s when—

“Not eating?”

Han Saijin, who had already finished his bowl of rice, interrupted her focus.

“If you’re not eating, I’ll take your share.”

“No! Do you know how long I’ve waited for your kimchi stew?!”

When he reached for her bowl, she hurried to the table.

“Waited? We’ve been eating the same thing for a week.”

He scoffed and started to scoop more rice.

Then—

Wee-ooong! Wee-ooong!

Both their phones went off at the same time.

Emergency alert.

“Jeez! Scared me. What is it?”

Han Saijin glanced at his phone.

“Ah, another one. Why are these happening so often lately?”

He clicked his tongue and picked up his spoon again.

“Black Dragon Zone, huh? Surprising, since Glory Guild usually… Hey? Hey, where are you going!!”

He gawked as his sister threw down her spoon and bolted out the door.

“She’s seriously acting weird today…”

She disappeared so fast that he just stared blankly at the closed door.

Outside, Saebyeok leapt onto a rooftop.

“Ugh, why does my body feel like this?”

She landed but wobbled slightly.

‘Side effect of returning?’

Her body had reverted to ten years ago, so it made sense.

“Damn. This is annoying.”

She clicked her tongue and began channeling mana into her muscles and wrapping it around her skin.

Not recommended, but it temporarily boosted her strength and physical defense – a trick she often used before.

But suddenly her mana drained away.

“What? What’s going on now?”

Panicking, she reopened the notifications she hadn’t fully checked earlier.

1. Temporary compression of abilities for authority stabilization (▽Details)

System changes have delayed stabilization of <Server Administrator> authority.
Some mana has been forcibly allocated to title updates, compressing other abilities temporarily.

“This is insane.”

Her mana was cut in half. No time limit given.

She scowled, ready to check the other problems—when—

BOOM!

A huge explosion erupted in the direction of Seoul Station.

‘No time for this!’

She closed the system window and dashed across rooftops toward the center of the incident.

She hadn’t even fully checked her condition, yet she ran toward the gate break.

“A Gate (D) Break has occurred near Seoul Station.
Residents indoors, stay inside.
Those outside, evacuate to a safe zone under Association guidance.”

The emergency alert from moments ago.

‘I must save them…!’

March 27, 2025 – Seoul Station Break.

The day she awakened was also the day Kang Suho, her last comrade, lost his only sibling.