How to get on the protagonist’s flower path

I know what kind of atmosphere arises during chaotic moments.

It’s a mix of confusion and fear, an atmosphere that emerges when unexpected events occur.

“Are you all okay, kids?”

Choi Garam burst through the door, urgency etched on her face as she quickly explained the situation.

“The outer areas of the danger zone have suddenly expanded rapidly.”

Her serious expression revealed the gravity of the situation.

“The gate has extended into the illegal inhabitant zone beyond the fortress. It’s an unprecedented speed.”

“So, is that the sound of battle?”

Choi Garam nodded at my question.

“Yeah. We’re in a state of war right now. Everyone, be cautious. Don’t step outside the fortress.”

She gestured for us to follow her.

We walked after Choi Garam as people hurriedly passed by, carrying magical stones and cannons.

The place Choi Garam led us to was an internal shelter, where Dumdum had already arrived. His face looked unusually tense.

“This is the internal shelter. Stay here.”

“Understood.”

“Just hold on a little longer. Once the barrier activates, the situation will calm down.”

After explaining how to use the shelter, Choi Garam quickly disappeared into the distance, clearly in a hurry.

I patted Min Jae-yoon, who was burrowing into me. I also pulled in Shin Baran, who was anxiously looking around.

“It’ll be okay. Everyone’s a veteran.”

So it’s different from the nightmares that once plagued me.

I could see that my words were slowly calming them down.

The problem was…

“Park Si-woo.”

Dumdum gazed at the faintly glowing blue twilight as if entranced.

He seemed lost in thought, still staring blankly at his sword without acknowledging my words.

“Park Si-woo!”

Only after I shouted did Dumdum turn his attention toward me.

“Come over here too.”

At my words, Dumdum nodded obediently, sheathing his sword and approaching me. Somehow, I felt a sense of relief.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“I’m good.”

Despite saying that, Dumdum’s face looked somewhat pale, which made me worry nonetheless.

Just as I was about to say something, a brilliant light enveloped the fortress. We heard someone’s voice filled with joy.

“It’s done! The barrier has been activated!”

The cheers of the people made my ears ring. From the internal shelter, we couldn’t see outside, so we had to rely on sounds to grasp the situation.

“Is it all over?”

“Seems like it…!”

As the cheers began to die down, Choi Garam returned to fetch us. We moved back to the room.

Even on the way back, Dumdum kept catching my eye.

And when we arrived at the room,

“The situation is not good.”

Shin Baran uttered words that were different from the good news we had hoped for.

“The fortress’s barrier isolates the outside from the inside. In other words, it means we are cut off.”

Min Jae-yoon trembled while Shin Baran asked in confusion,

“C-Cut off?”

“But we can still communicate with the headquarters, right? We can request support—”

At that, Shin Baran shook his head vigorously.

“The headquarters probably doesn’t have the capacity right now. Plus, this Bupyeong Gyeongin Fortress is relatively less important. Support will be… difficult.”

Everyone’s faces darkened at his words. Shin Baran continued with a calm demeanor.

“Don’t worry, students. I will protect you no matter what happens.”

I quietly listened to Shin Baran’s words before speaking up.

“So, does that mean we’ll be confined to the room or the internal shelter?”

“Exactly. When the situation stabilizes, you’ll be allowed to move around briefly, but otherwise, it’s prohibited.”

In the end, we’d have to rely on the hunters.

As I pondered whether to leave everything to the veteran hunters, Shin Baran raised his hand high.

“Hey!”

“What is it?”