I ran down the corridor like a madman.
I passed right by Ahn Hyun without stopping.
I kept running, and finally, from afar, I barely spotted Shin Jae-ryong.
For the first time, I stopped in my tracks.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The moment I saw Shin Jae-ryong, it happened. The ceiling, which had barely held up until now, gave way and started collapsing. I had found him, yes—but the thought that it was already too late flashed through my mind.
Shin Jae-ryong lay collapsed on the floor. The ceiling was about to cave in at any second.
At this rate, he’d be crushed within eight seconds. I hadn’t stopped for no reason. No matter what I tried now, I knew I couldn’t reach him in time.
What should I do here?
The cup had already tipped over, water spilling out. There was nothing I could do in this situation. I had no connection to the earth’s energy, and even if I did, I doubted I could handle something on this scale. If it were just falling rocks, maybe—but the entire ceiling was collapsing.
…So should I just stay still? Watch death unfold?
If only I could move at the speed of light, or find a way to stretch time…
Five seconds.
Wait.
Light. Time.
…Maybe.
Four seconds.
I summoned Victoria’s Glory. Drawing on all my strength, I began charging the wave. Not just a simple burst, but a wave that would leave a lasting form, continuously affecting the surroundings.
Three seconds.
In a flash, circuits throughout my body spun fiercely. Starting from my feet, through my thighs, abdomen, chest, heart, and head, I gathered mana in a swirling vortex. Compressing the intensified energy into a tight sphere, I funneled it all through my right arm into Victoria’s Glory.
Two seconds.
Whirrrrr!
Victoria’s Glory flared brightly, roaring with fierce black light. At the tip of the blade, a round orb formed. I felt as if my entire mana was being sucked out, but I couldn’t stop now. Preserving the momentum like a tidal wave, I forcefully pushed the orb forward.
And then, I fired.
One second.
Boom!
At that moment, I felt my breath catch for a tenth of a second, my whole body stiffening from the recoil. A shock unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Even considering I hadn’t held back and focused solely on completion, with my stamina at 100 points, this was no ordinary occurrence.
But the effect was undeniable.
Zero seconds.
At the razor’s edge, light and darkness collided.
The wave, which I thought could never reach the distance within ten seconds, flashed across in an instant.
Whoosh!
In a blink, the darkness filling the corridor flipped into blinding white light.
It was a dazzling spectacle of light, but I could clearly see it.
The wave sliced smoothly from the blade’s tip to the corridor’s end, piercing and erasing everything in its path.
The continuous wave formed a barrier. It succeeded in momentarily holding back the collapsing ceiling above Shin Jae-ryong.
Yes. It worked.
I had created a chance to save Shin Jae-ryong—a final opportunity that might never come again.
Whirrrrrrr!
Grasping Victoria’s Glory, as if urged to hurry, my body was already moving. Running, jumping, using Gungshin Tanyeong, Ihyun Hwanwi… I used every technique I could to dash through the gap the wave had created.
As a result, in exactly eleven seconds, I closed the distance enough to reach Shin Jae-ryong.
I quickly reached out.
“User Shin Jae-ryong!”
And finally, I grabbed him.
Ssshhh…
Rumble rumble, rumble rumble!
Then it happened. The light filling the corridor dimmed, sending a shiver down my spine. There was no time to hesitate. I tightened my grip on his hand, leaned my body diagonally, and slammed my foot into the ground with all my might.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
For a moment, my vision flickered as if with static. Something hard scraped against me, and something else struck the crown of my head. It felt like being tossed around by a crashing tidal wave.
But there was only one thing I had to focus on: holding onto the heavy weight in my left hand. The moment my foot touched down, I used Gungshin Tanyeong in reverse, and when my body tried to stop, I used it again. Like a person possessed, as if I’d die if I stopped running, I poured every ounce of strength into retreating through the corridor.
Crash!
Suddenly, my foot twisted, and I tumbled violently across the ground. Reflexively, I looked up and saw the ceiling above was relatively intact. So…
Had I finally escaped the danger zone?
“Huff… huff…”
I hadn’t even noticed, but my breath was ragged, barely holding on. After all, I’d been pushing my body to its limits since the fight with Father, occasionally using Hwajeong as well. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t exhausted.
I decided to take a moment to catch my breath and check Shin Jae-ryong’s condition.
I knew it would be better to keep running rather than stay still like this. But that only worked if Shin Jae-ryong could hold on.
I had succeeded in rescuing him, but it wasn’t a complete rescue. Just looking at him, he seemed on the verge of death.
Using my third eye to check, his condition was indeed critical. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’d die within seconds. If I’d hesitated even a little when I met Ahn Hyun, the outcome would have been irreversible.
Still, it was okay. I had a way to save him. Ever since that incident, I always carried at least one elixir whenever I went out.
“…!”
Just as I reached to pull the elixir from my pocket, I paused. The reason was a nagging unease that had plagued me since I first decided to save them.
A feeling that something about this wasn’t quite right… something uncharacteristic of myself.
Slowly, I lowered my gaze to Shin Jae-ryong. Seeing his cold, fading face and faint smile…
“I…”
For some reason, the unease vanished instantly.
Snap!
I broke the seal and tore off the cap. The refreshing scent of the golden liquid filled my nostrils.
Feeling lighter, I spoke aloud.
“…I hope Shin Jae-ryong lives.”
Without hesitation, I tilted the bottle. Whether it was the right choice or not, I didn’t know.
But as expected of an elixir, the effect was immediate. Watching Shin Jae-ryong’s breathing gradually stabilize, I finally exhaled in relief and turned my gaze back to the corridor.
By now, Ahn Hyun must have met An Sol, and Helena would be receiving priestly treatment. Maybe they’d even arrived already.
That was good. Whether Han So-young waited or not, with Helena treated, the escape of the three was almost certain.
Now, the only thing left… No, better said, there was no time to waste.
Without delay, I hoisted Shin Jae-ryong onto my back and started running through the corridor that seemed on the verge of collapse.
Have you ever seen the ground crumble? Not just once, but a pit already formed by collapse widening as it caves in again?
It’s a terror beyond imagination.
Rumble rumble rumble!
A thunderous roar swept through the area. The shock made the ground tremble as if an earthquake had struck, and the users standing on the hill staggered back in panic.
Among them, only one woman stood firm, staring intently at the pit. Han So-young.
In the end, Han So-young couldn’t wait any longer. She tried to hold out for Kim Soo-hyun, but the moment Ahn Hyun arrived was the final deadline. Even the inner walls surrounding the hole were beginning to show signs of collapse.
Almost forcibly pulled out, Han So-young immediately organized the evacuation of the injured and then focused on rescuing the remaining people. Since she was the last to leave, the only one left was Kim Soo-hyun.
But as time passed, even that became impossible. The worse the collapse got, the more the ground around the pit showed strange phenomena.
The users waiting to assist repeatedly pleaded for withdrawal. After enduring three times, Han So-young finally gave in and ordered a retreat on the fourth.
At first, they planned to fall back to the hill’s barrier, but since the pit surrounded the area, even that wasn’t safe.
Eventually, they retreated all the way to the front line of Shadow Hill. With that, all routes to rescue Kim Soo-hyun were cut off.
Of course, hope wasn’t entirely lost.
First, there was still hope to be placed in the user named Kim Soo-hyun. Judging by the movements he showed during the fight with Father, escaping on his own wasn’t entirely impossible. In fact, it might even be better than relying on the rope.
And second…
Han So-young, who had been staring intently at the pit, briefly turned her head to one side. There, at the same level as her, stood a woman also fixated on the pit—not just watching, but radiating a dazzling light from her entire body.
That woman was none other than An Sol.
Yes. An Sol was preparing to use a miracle. She had resolved not to use miracles in the pit, but this time, the target was different. Since she hadn’t used a miracle because of Kim Soo-hyun before, now that he was confirmed as the target, it was only natural that An Sol’s resolve would change.
Rumble, rumble!
At that moment, with a tremendous roar, the ground around the pit began to sink as if it were collapsing inward. It hadn’t fully caved in yet, but the depression was clearly visible.
The mercenary clan members watching from a distance all exchanged uneasy glances between An Sol and the pit. They knew well the power of miracles, but no matter how much time passed, Kim Soo-hyun still hadn’t emerged, and their anxiety grew.
And An Sol just kept watching.
“An Sol, An Sol! Isn’t it time to use it? Huh?”
Finally unable to hold back, Lee Yoo-jung rushed over, grabbed An Sol’s shoulder, and shook her. An Sol, who had been concentrating intensely, frowned and shook her head as if annoyed.
“Unni, please be quiet. I’ll handle this.”
Her voice was cool, almost cold.
But Lee Yoo-jung couldn’t wait any longer. Though she had been holding back, watching the ground crumble bit by bit made it impossible to stay calm. She didn’t know the full situation yet, but she knew enough—Kim Soo-hyun hadn’t come out. If there was a way, she wouldn’t hesitate to go down there herself.
Lee Yoo-jung gripped An Sol’s shoulder again.
“Please don’t do this, okay? Hurry…!”
“I told you to be quiet!”
Suddenly, An Sol snapped sharply. Lee Yoo-jung flinched, and a strange emptiness washed over her mind.
“W-what…?”
“Who do you think doesn’t want to use it right now?”
“……”
“You don’t know anything!”
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
Just then.
As An Sol’s voice nearly cracked with emotion, a deafening roar shook the air, vibrating in the ears of all the users. The tremors in the ground intensified beyond words. Reflexively, An Sol and Lee Yoo-jung turned their heads.
It happened suddenly—much faster than the users had expected, who had been thinking, ‘It’s still not time yet…’
Crack, crack!
The pit was collapsing.
Literally crumbling all at once. The ground that had somehow held up until now had reached its limit. The earth itself sank deeply, cracking like a shattered eggshell, slowly but completely falling apart. The sheer destruction was suffocating, yet Lee Yoo-jung shouted again.
“An Sol!”
Not just Lee Yoo-jung—other clan members shouted the same.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, An Sol no longer hesitated. Her hand naturally rose, gripping her staff.
“A little luck for when it’s needed!”
“A little luck for when it’s needed!”
“A little luck for when it’s needed!”
“A little luck for when it’s needed!”
Messages kept flashing as if someone was trying to stop her, but she ignored them and spoke.
“Mi—!”
And then, at that very moment—
Whoosh, crackle!
Suddenly, a sound of flames bursting to life echoed out of nowhere, and the still-standing ground began to melt away.
Bang!
At the same time, someone burst through the earth and soared high into the sky.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
A-and that’s it. ㅇ<-<