Silver Lining

World Tree

The office was an odd blend of efficiency and disarray, a direct reflection of the times they lived in.

Gray walls, lined with shelves of survival gear and emergency supplies, gave off a sense of foreboding.

Monitors flickered constantly with mission updates, reports of monster movements, and city status.

Desks, once meant for paperwork, now housed an array of high-tech devices for tracking monsters, gathering intel, and coordinating attack plans.

Natural light spilled through large windows, casting soft shadows over the desks.

Maps and mission briefings covered the walls, while computer monitors blinked with data—weather patterns, radiation levels, and monster activity reports.

The fluorescent lights buzzed softly above in one corner, a group of four people stood huddled, their voices low but animated.

The group was clearly split into two distinct teams: the Attacking Team and the Healer Team.

They stood in contrast, not just in their attire but in the very auras they projected.

The Attacking Team members exuded a sharp, almost dangerous energy, while the Healer Team's aura was one of calm efficiency, their presence offering a quiet reassurance.

Kim Min Ah, a woman with a neat ponytail that swept her black hair away from her sharp, focused features, stood with arms crossed.

Her attire mirrored her no-nonsense attitude: a black tactical suit, pristine and unyielding, with holsters strapped to her thighs and a combat knife resting at her hip.

Her aura was one of authority, earned through years of commanding respect as the Assistant Leader of the Attacking Team.

Every movement was purposeful, and her eyes, dark and calculating, missed nothing.

Next to her, Jung So Hoon, the youngest in the group, was almost her opposite in demeanor.

Though he wore the same tactical gear as Kim Min Ah, there was a softness to his features that set him apart from the hardened warriors of the Attacking Team.

His messy brown hair fell into his eyes, giving him a boyish look despite the lethal skill set he possessed.

He was a rare mix—an agent with healing abilities, but his talent for assault was so great that he'd been placed in the Attacking Team rather than the Healer Team.

He often visited the Healer Team, though, seeking to hone his skills further, as if caught between two worlds.

Across from them, the Healer Team members stood in stark contrast.

Han Jae Hyun, a man with a scar that ran down his left cheek, wore a lab coat over a simple shirt and tactical pants.

As a lab technician with the unique ability to shield against radiation, his presence was invaluable during missions in highly contaminated areas.

His calm, almost meditative demeanor contrasted sharply with the fierce energy of the Attacking Team members, though his eyes betrayed the hard-earned wisdom of someone who had seen more than his fair share of horror.

Next to him was Yoo Ji Hye, a Wound Specialist, who was poised yet warm, her long hair tied in a loose braid that hung over her shoulder.

Yoo Ji Hye, a toxic purification ability user, looked ethereal in comparison.

Her white coat was spotless, and her soft features seemed almost untouched.

There was a serenity to her, a calm that radiated from her even in tense moments.