After the pit began to collapse and Kim Su-hyun had left the plaza, the users finally started their full-scale escape.
『Field Maestro’s power activated: Destruction • Charge. Users’ speed, destructive power, and momentum increase dramatically.』
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
As the power kicked in, the users’ running speed surged even further.
In the retreat formation, Han So-young didn’t take the lead. Instead, she stayed at the very rear, chasing after the users and urging them on, making sure no one slipped away unnoticed.
The escape was proceeding faster than expected, but Yeon Hye-rim, running beside Han So-young, couldn’t help but look puzzled from time to time. With so much at stake, why was Han So-young constantly glancing back instead of focusing straight ahead?
Yeon Hye-rim was about to tell her to concentrate on the escape, but then she caught a shadow of deep worry flickering across Han So-young’s face—and she fell silent.
‘She means to save her clan members herself. Don’t you get it?’
Suddenly, the words she’d heard earlier in the plaza flashed through Yeon Hye-rim’s mind. And when she recalled the fierce, murderous glare Han So-young had shot at Yoo Ji-tae, a chill ran down her spine.
What Kim Su-hyun’s eyes were saying was clear:
Step aside. Don’t get in my way.
Her throat tightened involuntarily.
‘Mercenary Lord… was he really that kind of man?’
As Yeon Hye-rim kept running, her thoughts raced. Without realizing it, she turned her head to look back along the path the users had taken.
No one was there. Well, it made sense—Han So-young was running at the very back, after all.
Still, something about the lingering feeling made Yeon Hye-rim keep glancing back, until suddenly she felt a sharp gaze on her.
“…?”
“…”
Han So-young was quietly watching her.
The two women exchanged looks, then almost simultaneously turned their eyes forward again. They hurried their pace, keeping an eye on the fleeing users.
Meanwhile—
Crack! Crack!
Creak! Creak!
Sounds of walls cracking and crumbling echoed from all around. The plaza still held its shape for now, but it was obvious it wouldn’t last much longer.
Time was running out.
Thunk!
A chunk of earth the size of a boulder fell from the ceiling, hitting a pale, translucent barrier and sliding down to the ground. Inside the barrier stood a lone woman holding a staff that glowed with pure white light.
No—she wasn’t just inside the barrier. An Sol was the only user left in the entire plaza.
Kim Su-hyun had said he would leave a user behind to back up his rescue efforts, and he had specifically mentioned An Sol. So the other clan members and users had no choice but to watch as the pit collapsed and they escaped.
Given the situation and her personality, it would be natural for An Sol to feel fear—but there was none of that in her expression.
Instead, her face was etched with guilt and inner conflict, as if she was debating whether or not to say something right now.
“Gi—!”
At that moment, the word ‘gi’ slipped from An Sol’s lips, and the staff she held shot up toward the sky.
Whoooosh!
The staff was suddenly engulfed in a dazzling, radiant light that bathed the plaza in brightness. It was the prelude to a Miracle being cast.
But then—
“J-… I…”
That was as far as she got.
The final syllable of the word ‘miracle’ never came. An Sol’s lips moved as if she wanted to say more, but she couldn’t bring herself to finish.
As a result, the brilliant light that had filled the space gradually faded.
An Sol’s condition was clearly abnormal. Her sky-blue eyes flickered wildly, and her lips trembled pitifully, as if weighed down by unbearable guilt.
In truth, An Sol had sensed unease ever since An Hyun and Shin Jae-ryong disappeared earlier.
If she used the Miracle as Kim Su-hyun had ordered—
There was no guarantee of survival, but it would at least open a path to breathe.
Yet, she hesitated because the Saintess’s prophecy had been triggered.
The prophecy connected to a dream An Sol had had before, which she had interpreted.
The dream where Kim Su-hyun appeared.
Where he defeated one thing after another, and finally vanished into a black hole.
And the last message of the prophecy was…
『A small blessing for when it’s needed most!』
The moment she confirmed that, the staff she had raised high slowly slipped from her grasp.
The message was vague, but An Sol’s intuition screamed a warning:
Now is not the time to use the Miracle.
If she used it here…
Kim Su-hyun would die later.
“Ugh!”
Unable to bear the dilemma any longer, tears welled up and spilled from An Sol’s eyes.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Her sorrowful, apologetic sobs echoed faintly through the crumbling plaza.
And still, she stood alone.
At the same time—
Kim Su-hyun was sprinting with all his might up a slightly sloped, dark corridor.
His movements were unstoppable. The fierce gusts he stirred up as he ran made his speed nothing short of extraordinary.
Several times the path forked, but Kim Su-hyun never stopped. He ignored the falling debris and kept his eyes fixed ahead, as if he knew exactly where Shin Jae-ryong’s group had gone, following a single corridor with unwavering focus.
This was possible thanks to his vast magical detection range and the activation of his Third Eye.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
Suddenly, the sound of hard metal rails being stepped on echoed. Kim Su-hyun’s eyes scanned sharply.
His user information combined with Han So-young’s power created a terrifying synergy.
Moments later, Kim Su-hyun vanished beyond the darkness at a speed like a streak of light.
How much time had passed?
Not much, really. But for An Hyun, time seemed to stretch endlessly. His desperate desire to escape clashed with his body’s refusal to cooperate.
His exhausted body demanded oxygen, and his injured leg kept faltering.
But he couldn’t stop now. They had won the battle, finally found a way out—and if he died here, everything they’d fought for in this pit would be for nothing.
In this situation, there was only one thing An Hyun could trust and hope for:
Rescue.
In other words, the belief that the Clan Lord wouldn’t abandon him.
‘If the Clan Lord knows what’s happening, he must have left a way out.’
‘We have to believe that.’
An Hyun thought of Shin Jae-ryong’s words.
Yeah. He’s not the kind to abandon his clan members.
He saved me when I went missing in the dragon’s mountain range.
So he’ll definitely come to save us this time, too.
So An Hyun kept walking.
“Huff, huff…”
His breath was ragged, his mouth dry and bitter, but he kept moving.
Creak! Creak!
The constant sounds of the ceiling cracking grated on his nerves, but still he pressed on.
His unwavering faith in Kim Su-hyun forced his reluctant legs to keep moving.
As he walked and walked, he finally gathered the strength to lift the silent, cold Helena onto his back.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, huge chunks of earth and rock rained down right in front of him.
An Hyun’s steps froze reflexively. The collapse that had been chasing him since he left the tunnel had finally caught up. And now that it had, it would overtake him in an instant.
He bit his lip quietly. He’d been lucky to dodge this time, but if a rock had hit his head directly, it would have been over.
He was about to maneuver around the obstacle when—
“…Hyung.”
He glanced to the side and froze, stunned.
Shin Jae-ryong and Go Oh-hwan lay collapsed on the ground.
“Hyung! Hyung!”
Scattered debris surrounded them. The scene was clear without needing to see more. An Hyun quickly set Helena down and ran to Shin Jae-ryong.
“Ugh…”
Painful groans escaped from between Shin Jae-ryong’s clenched teeth.
“Hyung! Jae-ryong hyung! Are you okay?”
An Hyun helped him up anxiously. Shin Jae-ryong barely nodded, but it was a mere formality—he looked far from okay.
In truth, it was a miracle they’d made it this far with Shin Jae-ryong supporting Go Oh-hwan.
The situation was now beyond bad—it was racing toward the end.
Helena had already gone cold.
Go Hwan groaned softly from time to time, showing some reaction, but he still had no intention of getting up.
On top of that, Shin Jae-ryong was barely holding himself together.
At this point, the only user who was even remotely okay was Ahn Hyun.
After a moment, Shin Jae-ryong, struggling to open his eyes, spoke quietly.
“Hyun… I’m sorry…”
“S-sorry for what, hyung?”
Hearing Jae-ryong say he was sorry, Ahn Hyun suddenly felt like tears were about to spill. He tried to push the feeling away, but deep down, he understood why Jae-ryong was apologizing.
As if confirming Ahn Hyun’s suspicion, Jae-ryong continued.
“I don’t think… I can keep going like this anymore…”
“N-no, hyung! You said we’d do whatever we could!”
“That’s not it…”
“Damn it, no! I will never, ever abandon you!”
But before Jae-ryong could finish his sentence, Ahn Hyun shook his head fiercely and shouted desperately, as if he already knew what Jae-ryong was about to say—and refused to hear it.
He even covered Jae-ryong’s mouth with his hand, then used his other arm to forcefully pull him up from under the armpits.
Jae-ryong let out a low chuckle.
“Haha… You’ve got to hear a person out till the end, kid.”
“…Huh?”
Puffing and panting, Ahn Hyun helped Jae-ryong to his feet, then suddenly widened his eyes. Despite the dirt clumps still falling around them, Jae-ryong was smiling faintly as he pointed to one side of the wall.
“I was talking about using that.”
Following the direction Jae-ryong indicated, Ahn Hyun turned his head—and the moment he saw what was propped against the wall, it felt like he’d been struck by lightning.
‘I’m not exactly sure, but… that looks like a mining cart.’
‘Yeah. I think it was used on this railway… It’s big enough to hold two or three people…’
A mining cart.
In front of those whose hope for survival was fading, a single straw had fallen.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
One more round of stormy writing for me~
Refusing to give in to the harsh slump~ (refusing to give in~)
Sat down at my computer chair at 6 PM.
Kept erasing and rewriting until 9 PM.
Only after 9 did the first sentence finally come together.
And at 3:52 AM, after resisting the temptation to take a break dozens of times, I finished it with sheer grit.
It was definitely one of those days when nothing wanted to be written… but still, dear readers,
I won.
I fought against the slump that was pressing down on me—and I won. Sob. ㅜ.ㅠ
Please send me some gentle pats and strength so I can keep fighting and winning tomorrow too!