A sudden explosion rocked the facility, followed by the blaring of emergency sirens.
The research wing’s underground lab was drenched in red light, the atmosphere tense and chaotic.
Researchers scrambled to assess the situation, security personnel rushed in, and cadets calmly drew weapons, preparing for battle.
Amid the frantic activity, everyone froze.
Their gazes converged on a single spot.
Inside the containment area, where monsters were held, a gaping hole in the ceiling revealed a white horse descending gracefully.
Even amidst the crimson chaos, the creature’s immaculate white presence captivated all eyes.
Its enormous frame made even adult men look small, and atop its forehead was a majestic, spiraling horn that exuded grandeur.
“A... unicorn?”
Professor Alida murmured, her glasses slipping down her nose as she stared in stunned disbelief.
She had seen the reports. As a researcher here, she knew the status of all monsters bred at the facility, including the unicorns.
The unicorns at Siyoram were a special case.
Not long after the academy’s founding, the headmaster had personally secured unicorns and established a sanctuary for them on the campus grounds.
The sanctuary was a paradise—a haven of flourishing greenery blessed with vitality, a pristine lake untouched by impurities, and an environment wholly suited for the unicorns.
Unlike other lower-tier monsters kept in isolation for research or experimentation, the unicorns were treated with utmost care.
And for good reason: unicorns were rare and revered, classified as high-grade mythical creatures.
Even in high-level dungeons or labyrinths, they were seldom seen.
“Why is a unicorn here...?”
Her confusion was warranted.
The unicorns had their own restricted sanctuary, off-limits to both cadets and staff without explicit permission. Only a select few personnel, tasked with sample collection or data recording, were ever allowed access.
Unicorns lived peacefully within their sanctuary, far removed from outside interference.
Yet one had appeared here—bursting through the ceiling and landing elegantly before Lee Hayul.
Before Lee Hayul?
The gazes of everyone present alternated between the unicorn and Hayul.
In the scarlet-tinged room, the area surrounding the two figures stood out in stark white.
Sunlight streamed through the hole in the ceiling, illuminating the unicorn and Hayul’s equally radiant presence.
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The unicorn’s coat was immaculate white, its mane flowing like silken threads. Similarly, Hayul’s hair was a pure, snow-like white, and the aura of mana rippling around him glowed like a mane.
Even their energy felt similar—pristine, untainted.
“Wow...”
One cadet whispered in awe, unable to contain their admiration. Despite the sirens and flashing alarms, the beauty of the scene was utterly arresting.
A snow-white child, ethereal and delicate, and a regal unicorn towering protectively over him.
The scene was like a painting, a moment straight out of a fairy tale.
Everyone was transfixed, frozen in place by the surreal spectacle.
Even Hong Yeonhwa, who had been about to smash through the glass wall to reach Hayul, stopped in her tracks.
Normally, she wouldn’t hesitate to attack any monster approaching Hayul, unicorn or not.
But the atmosphere between Hayul and the unicorn was so otherworldly that even she paused to observe.
Finally, the two figures at the center of attention moved.
The unicorn stepped forward, its long legs carrying it toward Hayul with slow, deliberate strides.
Hayul extended a cautious hand toward the approaching creature.
It was like watching a storybook unfold before their eyes, a moment brimming with anticipation and awe.
And then...
Snort.
[“Huh?”]
The unicorn suddenly clamped its teeth around the back of Hayul’s neck.
Hayul froze, his outstretched hand falling limp. The radiant mana surrounding him dispersed like mist.
His body shuddered briefly before going completely slack.
The unicorn lifted Hayul gently, as if handling something precious, its careful movements reminiscent of a mother cat carrying her kitten.
Then, without hesitation, the unicorn turned its gaze to the onlookers.
Its once-innocent eyes grew cold and indifferent as it glanced at them briefly.
Without a second thought, it leaped back through the hole in the ceiling.
Gone was the fairy tale-like grace. Now, the unicorn’s attitude seemed to say it had no more business here.
The audience, who had been immersed in the magical scene, blinked in stunned silence.
“What the hell is that crazy horned bastard?”
Hong Yeonhwa’s voice cut through the daze. Her face twisted in fury as realization dawned—her companion had just been taken.
She clenched her fists, her mana surging violently as flames erupted around her.
Drawing her arm back, she focused her power. A crimson streak of fire shot forward, colliding with the reinforced glass wall.
BOOM!
The wall, specially designed to contain monsters, shattered under the explosive force, sending shards flying.
Without wasting a second, Hong Yeonhwa leaped through the newly created opening, chasing after the unicorn through the hole in the ceiling.
Emerging outside, she found herself on a green field, the research building visible just ahead.
She turned her head, following the faint trace of the unicorn’s mana.
It was hard to see at first, but enhancing her vision with mana revealed a white dot disappearing on the horizon.
Fwoosh!
Hong Yeonhwa’s flames surged, her mana igniting as her physical capabilities amplified.
She slammed her foot into the ground, propelling herself forward with explosive force.
Her lips curled in frustration as the distance only seemed to grow. The unicorn was fast—absurdly so.
Unicorns, as mythical creatures, were in a league of their own. Their speed and physical prowess were unmatched.
The distance was significant, but it was within her Guhwa Flame’s range. If she launched her flames recklessly, she could definitely hit the unicorn.
But Hayul was in its grasp.
Even though she prided herself on her control, she couldn’t guarantee Hayul wouldn’t be harmed in the process.
‘Enhanced ability.’
Whoosh.
The roaring flames around her receded, condensing and pulling inward.
‘Evolution—Internal Combustion.’
Flicker.
The flames disappeared from her body’s surface, instead igniting within her. The Guhwa Flame burned explosively inside her, amplifying her strength further.
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath her as she launched forward with blinding speed, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.
“That damn horse... it’s dead.”
Hong Yeonhwa’s fury boiled over.
Unicorns might be rare and valuable, but she didn’t care. No price or rarity justified it taking Hayul away.
Her emotions surged, fueling her flames with even greater ferocity.
Sensing her approach, the unicorn glanced back. The distance, which had been steadily growing, suddenly began closing rapidly.
Though the flames around her had subsided, the sheer intensity of her pursuit was overwhelming.
The unicorn panicked, kicking off the ground in a desperate bid to escape.
Just narrowly, she missed.
“Damn it! That damn horse!”
Hong Yeonhwa let out a scream of frustration, clutching at her hair.
It had been so close. She had closed the distance in seconds, her enhanced body covering vast ground until she was right behind the unicorn.
She had reached out, ready to grab the horse and stop its escape, planning to beat it down and retrieve Lee Hayul.
But at that moment, the space ahead of the unicorn split open—a radiant white rift tore through reality, spreading wide. The unicorn leapt into the gleaming void.
Her hand grazed its tail before the strands of its mane dissipated into nothingness, and the rift sealed shut.
Right in front of her face.
“ARGH!”
Her frustration boiled over, the unresolved emotions churning like fire in her chest. She wanted to destroy something, anything, just to vent.
“Well... someone’s really mad, huh?”
Baek Arin arrived shortly after, observing the growling, near-feral state of Hong Yeonhwa with a wary expression.
Hong Yeonhwa turned her glare toward her friend, her eyes blazing with unreleased rage.
“Calm down... you're way too worked up.”
“How the hell am I not supposed to be? That damned horned bastard just ran off with my child!”
“Your... child?” Baek Arin blinked, taken aback. “Uh, anyway, think about it. Hayul isn’t someone who’d be helpless against a single unicorn, right?”
Baek Arin cautiously continued, trying to soothe her.
“Sure, his physical abilities might’ve weakened, but he still has his magic. He could unleash his spirits and turn the area into a wasteland. Heck, he could even channel your Guhwa Flames and burn the unicorn—and everything else—to ash if he wanted.”
“...I know that!”
Hong Yeonhwa growled, but the reminder didn’t ease her irritation.
As much as she trusted Hayul’s strength, she couldn’t ignore what she’d witnessed—him going limp in the unicorn’s jaws.
“And yet, why did Hayul collapse so easily?”
She clenched her fists. She’d seen it happen—the moment the unicorn bit Hayul’s neck, his body had gone slack, like he couldn’t respond.
“Even if that’s the case, if he were in real danger, wouldn’t his spirits have burst out to protect him? Maybe... it’s like what happens with kittens?”
“Kittens?”
Hong Yeonhwa’s face twisted in disbelief.
She knew what Baek Arin meant. If you grab a kitten by the scruff of its neck, it would instinctively calm down or freeze.
And Hayul? The moment the unicorn bit his neck, his body had shuddered before going completely limp.
It was... cute.
‘...It does seem similar, now that I think about it.’
The observation could prove useful in the future, she mused, filing the thought away before clearing her throat.
Hong Yeonhwa summoned a hologram from her smartwatch, displaying a map with a blinking red dot in the corner.
“What’s that?” Baek Arin leaned over, curious.
“Hayul’s location,” Hong Yeonhwa replied nonchalantly, inspecting the map.
Baek Arin blinked in surprise.
“...Did you put a tracker on him?”
“I installed a location-sharing app on his smartwatch.”
“And... he agreed to this, right?”
“If I asked, he’d let me.”
“So you didn’t ask...”
“He’d agree if I did!”
Hong Yeonhwa’s bold response left Baek Arin sighing, but she followed as Hong Yeonhwa began moving in the direction of the red dot.
Lately, I’ve been thinking my life is full of ups and downs.
I’ve gone through all sorts of experiences—most of them, admittedly, because I stuck my head where it didn’t belong. But occasionally, incidents have come crashing into my life, uninvited.
Honestly, I wonder if I’m cursed with bad luck.
My childhood wasn’t exactly smooth sailing, and even after coming to this world, I’ve faced one hardship after another.
Sure, there’ve been moments of incredible fortune—luck so absurd it felt like divine intervention—but the bad outweighs the good.
And now, I reflected on my current situation.
Was this another case of bad luck?
Snort?
[“It tickles.”]
...Hard to say.
I sighed, reaching up to scratch the head of the unicorn nuzzling me.
Despite being just a horse, it acted like it was smiling, twitching its eyes and pushing its head closer for more pets.
Occasionally, the tip of its horn would poke me in the side, but it wasn’t painful.
I stared at the creature with a bemused expression, idly patting its horn.
This wasn’t the unicorn that had carried me off.
This one had a smaller, almost cute horn, no larger than my fist—a baby unicorn.
Its skin was softer, too, almost ticklish.
I activated my observation ability, scanning the unicorns around me.
They had gathered in a nest-like area made of leaves and grass, a makeshift bed atop which I now sat with the baby unicorn.
All eyes were on me, their gazes sparkling with curiosity, goodwill, and inexplicable friendliness.
In front of me was a pile of fruit, offerings from the unicorns.
‘What a strange turn of events.’
I’d been carried off by a unicorn and brought to what appeared to be its nest.
Sighing, I tapped on my hologram, sending a quick message to my companions: Don’t worry, I’m fine.
After that, I picked up a piece of fruit and took a bite.
Nom nom...
It wasn’t bad. Crisp, juicy, and oddly refreshing.
The unicorns watched me eat, their expressions somehow radiating satisfaction.
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