It’s impossible to say when it was born.
Or where it came into existence.
The first thing it saw upon awakening was nothing but an all-encompassing darkness. In that darkness, all it could do was curl up endlessly and try to understand who it was and why it was there.
Countless moments passed, and as it gradually grasped its identity and established a sense of self, it experienced something new for the first time: an inner emotion called feeling.
The very first feeling it recognized was loneliness.
In a way, it was only natural. After spending an uncountable amount of time utterly alone, with nothing to do but drift through its own consciousness, loneliness was inevitable.
Then one day, while struggling silently against that solitude and quietly gathering strength, something suddenly dropped in front of it.
A strange creature, unlike anything it had ever seen since its birth. A round little thing, with a pair of long, slender limbs flailing up and down.
Intrigued, it immediately began to study this odd being. Before long, it uncovered an astonishing truth: the concept of species reproduction. And that reproduction required the ability to conceive.
It thought to itself:
Unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to conceive.
It was never a gift it had been given.
But there was no need to worry.
If there were creatures with the ability to conceive, that would be enough to put this new concept into practice.
It conducted research after research. And when it finally felt ready, it began reproducing its kind.
But variables always arise.
An unexpected problem emerged: the creatures that served as the mothers were too weak, making them unusable for long periods.
It needed more—and stronger—mothers.
With that in mind, it desperately sought ways to gather mothers. It even raised those who had already successfully reproduced to use them. The results weren’t negligible. It managed to capture creatures that resembled the first strange being it had encountered.
Still, in the long run, its dilemma remained unsolved. Finding creatures with the ability to conceive was difficult, and even those it caught were mostly mediocre mothers. Some looked similar but lacked the ability entirely.
Occasionally, it found a strong mother it had longed for, but none could endure the endless cycle of reproduction; they eventually broke down.
More. Stronger mothers.
Years passed since it began reproducing, yet it remained lonely.
And so it yearned all the more.
For a “mother” who could be a partner to the “father,” someone who could stay with it and its children forever.
The next day.
At dawn, the southern expedition team immediately began investigating the pit. In truth, the investigation was nothing elaborate—just measuring the depth and examining the geological layers inside.
Their methods were primitive. For example, to measure the depth, they tied knots at intervals along a long rope, attached a heavy stone to the end, and then lowered it down. A user with keen senses would feel when the stone touched the bottom and estimate the distance accordingly.
“All right, we’ll begin now!”
Watching the man grasp the tangled rope and prepare himself, I let out a quiet sigh. Inside, I wanted to say it was pointless, but what could I do? I had no proof to back up my doubts. Better to stay silent and watch until they realized it themselves.
Just then, the man swung the rope toward the pit. It unspooled smoothly, disappearing quickly into the darkness below. The skill with which he controlled the rope drew small gasps from the onlookers, but I stared at the pit with a dull feeling—I already knew the outcome.
Time passed.
The rope, tied in long segments, kept flowing down for several minutes, but the end was finally in sight. The man, sensing the end was near, slowed the rope’s descent from a brisk pace to a crawl.
When the last knot had passed, the man flailed his hands in midair, startled, his face blank.
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. The rope’s all the way down, but I don’t feel anything.”
“That can’t be. It’s over 500 meters long. Did you make a mistake?”
A suspicious voice asked. Understandable—after all, the residents had brought the rope and tied all sorts of things to extend its length.
“No, I was paying full attention. There’s really nothing.”
The man protested with a look of frustration, then shrugged.
A brief debate broke out among the users, but they decided to pull the rope back up. The man tilted his head but began reeling it in.
“Impressive.”
Suddenly, Goh Yeon-ju, who had been watching beside me, leaned in softly.
“Suhyun, how deep do you think this hole is?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think anyone could actually go down there…?”
“It’s not impossible. We just have to make a path.”
I answered casually, wrapping an arm around her. Just as I was about to gently stroke her hair—
“Hey!”
Suddenly, a strong impact hit my shoulder and side. Goh Yeon-ju and I were forced apart as someone pushed between us. Looking up, I saw Vivian stomping through the grass.
“Oh?”
Goh Yeon-ju frowned in disbelief, but I remained indifferent. It was probably because of what happened yesterday.
“Vivian?”
“What!”
When I called her name, Vivian snapped irritably and spun around. I had to fight hard to suppress a laugh.
Her eyes were red and swollen from crying all night, her lips pouted like a chick’s beak. Her huffing breaths almost looked cute.
Her face was full of a silent plea: “I’m miserable, so please comfort me.”
But I betrayed that expectation easily.
“No. Did you sleep well?”
“Mind your own business!”
“Is that so? Fine. Just move out of the way.”
“What did you say?”
“I can’t see the pit. We’re having a quiet moment here, and you’re in the way.”
“Ugh, ugh!”
Vivian shouted something incomprehensible again, grinding her teeth and glaring at me. Then, with teary eyes, she turned and started walking away, wiping her eyes with clenched fists. She was probably crying again.
I wondered if I’d been too harsh and considered comforting her, but Goh Yeon-ju clung to me again. Moments later, I felt her tug gently.
“Suhyun, look over there.”
“…?”
She pointed toward the pit. Had they already pulled the rope all the way up?
I instinctively turned my gaze and saw the man standing blankly in front of the pit. The rope had been fully retrieved.
“Hey. What’s wrong? Why are you just standing there?”
Someone spoke sharply from behind the man. Slowly, he turned and extended the rope forward.
“This is…”
At once, murmurs of disbelief spread.
I stared intently at the rope’s end.
Before lowering it, a stone had been tied to the end. But now, after pulling it up, nothing was attached. Not even a knot remained.
Only a jagged, cut edge swung loosely, as if sliced by something sharp.
After the initial investigation, a meeting was held immediately.
Since little had been discovered, most of the clan lords looked puzzled. But staying idle was pointless.
The answer was clear: they had to go inside themselves. Han So-young knew this, which was why she called the meeting.
“I believe this pit is similar to a sinkhole,” said the Light Lord, who had been in charge of geological surveys, adjusting his glasses calmly as the meeting began.
“A sinkhole?”
“Yes. Simply put, a sinkhole is a hole formed by subsidence. It’s a large natural pit that can be found anywhere. Of course, it won’t be exactly the same, but I think the principle is roughly similar.”
“Are there any other characteristics? Anything we should be cautious about?”
Han So-young asked.
The Light Lord paused briefly, then spoke thoughtfully.
“I only know what I’ve heard, so I don’t have detailed knowledge. But based on modern science, sinkholes form when large amounts of underground water flow out from beneath the bedrock, causing the ground to collapse under the weight of the layers above. As you’ve seen, this pit is over 100 meters in diameter. The geological layers are severely disrupted, with long cracks running through them.”
He paused, catching his breath after the long explanation, then continued quickly.
“The issue, in short, is the fissures. The current state of the strata is extremely unstable—there’s no telling when it might collapse. Honestly, from a personal standpoint, it’s almost miraculous that it’s holding up as well as it is.”
“In that case, I have a good idea.”
The one who spoke was none other than the warrior lord, Go Oh-hwan.
“If the Light Lord says it’s like that, do we really have to go in?”
He held up the frayed end of the cut rope and waved it around as if to show everyone.
“Those bastards are probably waiting down below for us to come down. If we go down as is, we’re just walking into a trap, prime prey for them.”
“So then…”
“Then what? It’s simple. We just gather all the mages and unleash a barrage of magic inside, or better yet, use earth magic to collapse the whole pit. Think about it—if the strata caves in, what chance do those guys have? They’d just get buried and die.”
Pfft.
The moment I heard that, I had to fight hard to keep from bursting out laughing. At the same time, I felt a little envious. To be able to think so simply.
…Wait, why does everyone look like they think that sounds reasonable?
“Th-That’s absolutely impossible!”
The Light Lord’s voice rang out, shocked.
At least one sane person remained. Thank goodness.
“Why not?”
“If we do as the warrior lord suggests, it’d be like burning down a straw hut to kill a bedbug.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Right now, the ground is somehow holding together, preventing further collapse, but that pit could widen anytime, anywhere. That’s how sinkholes work.”
“No, even if it widens a bit…”
“A bit? You’re seriously underestimating sinkholes. If anything goes wrong, the very spot we’re standing on could collapse in an instant. Literally in the blink of an eye, we’d fall down below.”
The Light Lord cut off Go Oh-hwan’s words decisively, his tone firm and unwavering.
Even Go Oh-hwan, usually so confident, looked uneasy and fell silent. Not just him—all those attending the meeting went quiet. So in the end, the only option left was to go down, but since the rope was cut earlier, no one was eager to volunteer.
A heavy silence settled.
Then—
“I’ve heard both of your points.”
Just as everyone was nervously sizing each other up, Han So-young, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
“I’ve been thinking over everything as I listened…”
She calmly scanned the room and continued in a quiet voice.
“If that’s the situation, then I believe there’s only one option left.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Off the record.
Roh Yoo-jin: Hey! Vivian!
Vivian: What?
Roh Yoo-jin: Because of you, the readers scolded me yesterday! Did you tattle again?
Vivian: What nonsense! You wrote it that way yourself! You should’ve treated me better from the start!
Roh Yoo-jin: Ha. So that’s how it is? We’ll see about that.
Vivian: See about what?
Roh Yoo-jin: Just what I said. When Kim Soo-hyun is out there having a lovely romance, I’ll make sure you’re left twiddling your thumbs. Hehehe.
Vivian: That’s not fair! You little brat!
Roh Yoo-jin: Can’t hear you~ Can’t hear you~
Vivian: Readers! Look at this guy!
(Readers A, B, and C suddenly appear and drag Roh Yoo-jin away.)
(Sounds of hitting.)
(A moment later, they drag Roh Yoo-jin back and toss him down.)
Roh Yoo-jin: I’m really sorry.
Vivian: Hmph. Then behave from now on, okay?
Roh Yoo-jin: Well, about that… I’m kind of in the middle of a strategy…
Vivian: So, you can’t? Readers…!
Roh Yoo-jin: W-Wait! Hold on!
Vivian: Hmm?
Roh Yoo-jin: I’m reading Nana and Kaoru right now. So just wait a little longer…
Vivian: …What’s that supposed to mean?
PS. The next chapter may be uncomfortable for some readers. If that applies to you, I recommend skipping the latter part. (__)