The arrow sliced through the air with a crisp whistle and struck its target without fail.
The moment the arrowhead gently pierced the woman’s neck, the already quiet hillside fell into an even deeper silence. A brief stillness settled over the scene, freezing everyone’s movements.
But the silence didn’t last long.
“Who are you?”
“What is the meaning of this?”
The woman, clutching her neck, collapsed to the ground. Harsh screams and shouts erupted around us. All eyes naturally shifted upward to the hill where we stood. Most faces showed confusion, while some already wore expressions of suspicion and hostility.
Well, if that woman was one of their comrades—or at least perceived as such—their reaction made sense.
“Mercenary Lord! What do you think you’re doing?”
A man drew his sword aggressively, his voice sharp with anger. Nearby users began raising their weapons, aiming at us one by one.
The tension was palpable, ready to snap at any moment. I shook my head slowly, trying to calm the situation. Just as I was about to speak, someone suddenly dashed forward and pointed a sword downward at me. It was Jin Suhyun.
“What the hell! You wanna try that now?”
…Hey, man.
“What? Are you out of your mind?!”
Jin Suhyun shouted back, sword still raised. The man looked stunned, his voice thick with frustration and disbelief.
Go Yeonju quickly stepped forward.
“You ungrateful wretch, not even realizing you were saved… Ack!”
Before Jin Suhyun could shout again, Go Yeonju struck him hard on the head, dragging him away until he disappeared from sight. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief and turned my attention back to the woman lying on the ground.
Despite the pain etched on her face as she received treatment, her eyes darted restlessly.
I spoke softly.
“Seon Yuun. One more shot. This time, aim for the head, not the neck.”
“Understood.”
With a sharp click and twang, the crossbow was reloaded, and an arrow flew without hesitation.
But this time, the woman didn’t stay still. She grabbed the priest who was healing her, using him as a shield, then sprang to her feet, bending her limbs.
The arrow grazed the priest’s earlobe and embedded itself in the ground. The woman seemed intent on fleeing into the sinkhole, pushing off the earth to leap forward.
Ping!
But at that moment, another arrow shot out, striking her squarely in the head. Her body shook violently, collapsing—but no, she twisted and staggered, barely managing to stay upright.
“…Heeseon?”
“Is she… okay?”
The users’ faces were filled with shock and disbelief. It was understandable. Unless you were a close-combat expert like me or Gong Chanho, seeing a priest hit with magic-infused arrows to the head and neck still moving like that was extraordinary.
“Grrrr! Kieee!”
The woman revealed her true nature, letting out a grotesque scream as she thrashed wildly. The users instinctively stepped back, creating a gap that opened a path to the sinkhole. The woman, not missing the chance, howled loudly and sprinted desperately toward it. I clicked my tongue in frustration.
“Clan Lord.”
With the crossbow reloading, Seon Yuun’s voice took on a slightly urgent tone. The woman was now just steps from the sinkhole.
I calmly measured the distance and gripped my sword. Just as she was about to leap inside, I didn’t hesitate—I drew my sword.
Then it happened.
The woman’s waist suddenly bent in half, propelling her upward instead of down. From the sinkhole, someone burst out unexpectedly. Reflexively, I stopped my throw.
Curious about what was going on and who this newcomer was, I watched closely—and then I heard Go Yeonju click her tongue in disapproval.
It didn’t take long to understand why. The figure emerging from the sinkhole was none other than Princess Yeon Hyerim of the Executioners.
Carrying the woman over her shoulder, Yeon Hyerim scanned the surroundings. Her icy gaze met mine. Then, with a light tap of her foot, she sprang up like a coiled spring, landing swiftly at the top. Her pale blue hair shimmered as she approached me.
“Why’s the mood suddenly so tense? And what’s with this one trying to kill herself?”
“You…”
“Did something happen, Kim Suhyun?”
“……”
Yeon Hyerim’s voice was sharp and cool. I wanted to ask what she was doing down in the sinkhole, but for now, I just pointed to the woman over her shoulder.
Or rather, could I still call her a woman? The creature had already opened its mouth wide, aiming for Yeon Hyerim’s head.
“……?”
Sensing danger, Yeon Hyerim quickly turned her head.
“Ugh. It’s a monster.”
Without hesitation, she raised her left hand and swept it across the creature’s head.
Moments later, five eerie slashes appeared across the monster’s face, and it shattered into pieces. Yeon Hyerim tossed the faceless corpse aside and brushed her hands off. Drops of blood splattered into the air.
“So, what happened? Why the sudden monster?”
“You’re still as reckless in battle as ever.”
The reply wasn’t to me but to Go Yeonju. Yeon Hyerim glanced coldly at her, a clear glint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes.
As expected. She’d been holding it in for a while, but now it was about to blow.
Yeon Hyerim stopped brushing her hands and smirked.
“Reckless?”
“Just talking to myself, don’t mind me~.”
“You’ve been missing for a while. Feeling itchy down there?”
“Oh, look at you talking. So crude.”
“Then should I summon the Executioner’s greatsword for you? Just say the word—I’ll stab you as many times as you want.”
“Don’t you miss the days when you were gasping, surrounded by the shadows of the abyss? You liked that, didn’t you?”
Go Yeonju covered her mouth with one hand and let out a mocking laugh.
Their banter was thick with sarcasm and barely concealed hostility.
But this wasn’t the time for their quarrel. I quietly pointed at Go Yeonju, signaling her to stop. Though her lips pouted, she fell silent.
I turned back to Yeon Hyerim.
“This isn’t the time to fight. There’s a monster inside.”
“You started this… Fine. I know that. But why is she here?”
“She’s a kind of spy.”
“A spy?”
Yeon Hyerim tilted her head in confusion. I did the same. Was she really that clueless?
“Think about the monster’s evolution and the recent disappearances.”
“Oh.”
Only then did Yeon Hyerim let out a sharp gasp, her face suddenly clouding over.
“Wait a minute. That means there could be more?”
“…Yeah.”
That was true. More could be lurking. With that thought, I glanced at Sasha.
She stared blankly for a moment, then shook her head calmly. Did that mean there were no others? Or that she didn’t know?
News of the monster’s infiltration spread through the entire camp in no time. It confirmed that the recent incident wasn’t a desertion and dealt a heavy blow to the Southern Expeditionary Force.
A monster had slipped in, pretending to be one of their own, waiting for the right moment to strike? This was no small matter. It had even led to mutual distrust among the troops.
Upon hearing this, Han Soyoung decided to delay the sinkhole entry by a day. It was an unavoidable choice. No matter how much it delayed the march, it was less important than the Southern Expeditionary Force itself. Soon after, Han Soyoung came to me, asking how we had found the spy. I answered by lending her Sasha.
That day, Sasha spent the entire time sniffing around. For some reason, she returned utterly exhausted, vowing never to smell anything again, tears welling in her eyes.
…What on earth had she smelled to break down like that?
Anyway.
After confirming there were no more hidden monsters, the next day, the elite squad began their descent into the sinkhole.
The initial method for descending was rather crude.
First, twenty people were selected to go down. Once they landed safely, they would secure the area and send signals back to the surface.
That part was fine.
The problem was the descent method itself.
Each user was given two pieces of wood to attach to their bodies. Then, cloth was wrapped around the wood and their bodies to create a sort of parachute… or so they said.
But calling it a parachute was generous. The wood and cloth looked more like a flimsy parasol with two sticks. In simple terms, it was a death trap for anyone with weak durability.
I thought about better options and recalled how we rescued An Hyun in the mountain range where the dragon slept.
Back then, when we found the clearing where An Hyun was, the soul of the woman traveling with us used a levitation spell to safely lower us to the ground.
I immediately went to Helena and asked if she could use a similar spell, and she showed a hint of wounded pride before satisfying my request.
Only after going through that whole process could the Southern Expedition finally attempt a proper assault on the pit.
The sun hung high in the sky.
At the foot of the hill stood the 102 people about to enter, along with Han So-young and Helena. Everyone else was gathered at the hilltop, watching us descend.
We were almost ready to go. Except for me, the first group of 19 all stared down silently, not a word spoken. They simply waited quietly for Han So-young’s orders in front of the pit.
I suppose even though these were elite users handpicked for the mission, nerves were inevitable. After all, they were about to walk into a space crawling with monsters.
“Begin.”
At last, Han So-young gave the command. Helena immediately looked at me. I gave a slight nod, and she quietly murmured the incantation, reaching out her hand toward us.
“Levitation.”
Helena’s hand glowed with a soft light. The ground rumbled deeply as a brilliant white light burst forth, and I felt my body gently lift into the air.
I wasn’t the only one. Ko Yeon-ju, Nam Da-eun, Baek Han-gyeol, Vivian, Seon Yu-woon — all twenty of us rose into the air together.
Then, we began to slowly descend into the pit. The true final assault on the second zone was finally underway.
Gradually, the sunlit world above was pushed back by the darkness inside the pit.
Before my vision was fully swallowed by the shadows, the last thing I saw was Han So-young glancing at me, then quietly averting her eyes.
With that strange feeling lingering, the descent began.
The speed was moderate—slightly faster than an elevator, maybe two or three meters per second.
According to the first attempt’s record, the pit’s depth was between 500 and 600 meters. That gave me a rough idea of how long it would take.
About two and a half minutes in, I focused my senses downward. Amid the pitch-black surroundings, the ground below began to look like soil. No other unusual signs appeared.
I quickly shifted my gaze to find Han-gyeol. He was already preparing to activate his ability.
“Han-gyeol.”
“Yes, hyung.”
Without needing words, he nodded and calmly clasped his hands together, speaking in a quiet voice.
“Aegis System.”
A hexagonal shield appeared, enveloping us in a pale, misty glow.
Three minutes in, the ground became clearer. I drew my sword and shouted,
“Everyone, ready your—”
But I stopped mid-shout. Everyone had already drawn their weapons and was preparing in their own way.
At exactly three minutes and fifteen seconds, I finally felt something brush against my feet.
And then, at that moment—
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
『Off The Record.』
(Three men, still with white headbands tied tightly around their heads, shout loudly.)
Mavolo de Ailite: Nerf Hwajeong! Nerf her!
Simon: No! Nerf Kim Soo-hyun! Nerf him!
Nergal: Just nerf them all! Nerf everything!
(A huge shadow approaches the three men.)
Huge Shadow: Wooooooo….
(Mavolo de Ailite pauses his protest.)
Mavolo de Ailite: Huh? Wha—what is this monster?!
Huge Shadow: (Sobs mournfully.) Wooooooo….
(At first startled, the three men soon realize what’s going on after hearing the cries.)
Mavolo de Ailite: Could it be…
(The huge shadow raises a tentacle and wipes its face, still crying sadly.)
Mavolo de Ailite: …I see. Don’t cry. I won’t ask about anything else. Tell me, did you make a grand entrance only to get utterly crushed by Kim Soo-hyun?
(Nergal butts in like a pesky bird.)
Nergal: Or maybe you couldn’t even squeak and just exploded?
(Simon joins in.)
Simon: Or perhaps you were torn limb from limb and died miserably?
(Silence falls.)
(A moment later, the huge shadow finally speaks.)
Huge Shadow: Damn it….