The body of the “Source of Magic” went limp. The storm of battle had paused—though whether it was truly over, no one could say. For now, the situation had settled into a brief lull.
Soon, Kim Su-hyun folded his wings and Han So-young reverted to her original form, both landing simultaneously on the ground.
“Huff… huff…”
“Phew… phew…”
They both gasped for breath, as if on cue.
It was inevitable. Such overwhelming power always came with a heavy toll.
Kim Su-hyun had pushed himself beyond his limits despite his depleted stamina, and Han So-young’s transformation demanded a significant drain of energy as well. Especially for Kim Su-hyun, the toll was severe. Not only had he exhausted his physical strength, but he had also poured a tremendous amount of magical energy into blocking the Source’s “Breath of the White Dragon.” True, it was this very effort that had driven the Source into a groggy state…
Suddenly, a memory flashed through Kim Su-hyun’s mind—when he had received the “Gehenna’s Protective Fortress.” At that time, Gehenna had handed over the orb with one strict warning: always calculate and monitor your remaining magical energy before using it.
Now, Kim Su-hyun felt that warning deeply. According to user data, his magical power wasn’t exactly low, but in actual combat, it was no joke.
“So… what happens now?”
Was it really going to be this difficult? Struggling to steady his breath, Kim Su-hyun lifted his head. Thanks to Han So-young’s efforts, the “Animate Mist” had vanished, leaving only the Source alone. Though Han So-young’s transformation had ended, causing the “Lance of Longinus” to disappear, the gaping hole in the Source’s abdomen remained.
After a moment, the scattered comrades began to slowly gather.
And then—
“……”
Lee Yoo-jung stood alone at the very back, staring blankly as if at a loss for words.
Her head remained motionless, but her eyes scanned the approaching group. None of them looked unscathed; every one of them was clearly exhausted. In contrast, Lee Yoo-jung showed no signs of fatigue and appeared clean and untouched. It was proof she hadn’t participated in the battle.
Indeed, in a magic-dominated battlefield like this, there was little room for close-combat fighters. Kim Su-hyun had anticipated this and brought fewer melee specialists.
But strictly speaking, Lee Yoo-jung’s situation was different. Nam Da-eun and Heo Jun-young, though not particularly outstanding, had at least taken necessary actions. Before Han So-young stepped in, they were the first to keep watch when the mist rolled in, and they had shielded the mages when the barrier nearly broke.
And Lee Yoo-jung?
“I… did nothing.”
Unconsciously, she clenched her fists. She was painfully aware of this fact. Though she had no means to engage the airborne enemy, she had simply stood there, staring blankly at the dazzling battlefield of magic. It wasn’t that she had thought about what she could do like Han So-young—she just hadn’t stepped forward. That was the whole truth.
“This is pathetic…!”
She hadn’t come here just to be a burden. She had joined under the strict condition of being a mere pack mule, but deep down, she wanted to prove her worth. She wanted to find her exact place in this team. But now…
“I am…”
This battle had cruelly confirmed the harsh truth. Even if she couldn’t lead or open the fight like Kim Su-hyun or Han So-young, she had wanted to play some role, to lend a hand in any way. At the very least, she didn’t want to be dead weight.
But on this battlefield, Lee Yoo-jung was undeniably a burden. Someone who could be left out without consequence, even a nuisance.
“Ah…!”
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through her abdomen—the same pain she’d felt since walking here. It was like a knife twisting into the branded wound. She had hoped it would fade with time, but it only grew worse.
“It hurts…”
Biting her lip, Lee Yoo-jung gently touched her stomach. But what hurt more than the pain was that no one blamed her.
Seeing her isolated like this, away from the group, a strange sense of alienation crept over her. It was as if everyone, including Kim Su-hyun, silently agreed she shouldn’t interfere. Though standing in the same space, she felt utterly alone.
A bitter, self-mocking laugh escaped her lips. Maybe even thinking this way was ridiculous. Kim Su-hyun had assigned roles before leaving the city, and Lee Yoo-jung’s was to be the pack mule. During the battle, everyone had acted on their own accord.
In the end, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. If anyone was to blame, it was herself.
Rechecking… Current damage rate: 73%.
Operating rate confirmed below 30%.
At that moment, a voice echoed through the air, snapping Lee Yoo-jung’s head up. The Source, still suspended in midair, creaked and groaned like an unlubricated machine as it struggled to rise. Its dark red eyes had lost their color but still radiated a void of thoughtlessness. Kim Su-hyun spat and gripped his sword tightly.
Reconstructing battlefield data based on newly acquired information.
Accept. Analysis complete.
Unable to accurately measure user Kim Su-hyun’s combat effectiveness. Continuing the fight in current state reduces victory probability to near zero.
Therefore, from this point forward, user Kim Su-hyun is excluded as a “target.” Accordingly, 299,411 of the 299,412 possible scenarios are discarded, and the remaining single method will be executed.
As the calm voice finished, the Source’s body suddenly convulsed violently, as if possessed by a spirit, thrashing before going limp again. Everyone watching felt an eerie chill.
It felt like something had ended—but not really ended.
A strange, subtle sensation of both apocalypse and beginning at once.
“Ahhh!”
Then, An Sol, who had been quiet until now, suddenly screamed. All eyes turned to her, but she paid no attention and collapsed to the ground. Her eyes were wild with terror, as if seeing something unimaginable.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Another scream pierced the air, making everyone flinch. The tension was already high, and An Sol’s state only made it worse. Those who knew her abilities understood even more.
“An Sol!”
Kim Su-hyun rushed over as An Sol convulsed, struggling to breathe, barely able to lean on him. She was seeing something invisible to others, like when the “Saint’s Prophecy” unpredictably activated in the dragon-sleeping mountain range.
Right now, An Sol was faced with two choices.
Yes. Only two options remained: either hurry to finish off the Source, or leave it be and run away. Normally, the outcome would differ depending on the choice.
But this time, it was different. No matter what they chose, the result was the same. Perhaps this had been predetermined the moment they stepped into this space.
“It’s… the end! The end…!”
“Snap out of it, An Sol!”
“The world, the world…!”
“…What?”
Kim Su-hyun’s voice dropped as he shook An Sol’s shoulders.
Awaited, but no enemy attack detected. Forcibly converting remaining operating rate of 27% to 0%.
Converted operating rate triggers remaining plan. Expected time to completion drastically reduced.
The voice continued, and Kim Su-hyun’s head instinctively turned.
“Waited? Forcibly reduced to zero?”
This expedition had never felt right from the start. Not only because Kim Su-hyun hadn’t participated directly and lacked full knowledge, but because past expeditions to this place had ended strangely. After decoding the stone tablet and entering the Barbarian King’s tomb, the expedition team vanished along with the space itself, cutting off all contact with the city. Stabilization was achieved, but a complete conquest was far from certain.
Opinions varied on what had happened, but when Kim Su-hyun checked Pluton’s response, he sensed something off. The reaction was too casual, even gesturing for him to hurry up and die. In other words, some kind of insurance was in place. And if that insurance was connected to the past outcome…
Completed. Final scenario execution approved.
Self-destruct mode “Mirror of Destruction” activated.
By the time he realized this, it was already too late. Or rather, it had been sealed the moment they set foot in this space.
Suddenly, the Source’s body began to glow faintly, emitting streams of light. When the warm beams touched a certain point in the space—
Zzzzzzzzt!
“Ugh!”
“Ahhh!”
The piercing noise made some cover their ears and squeeze their eyes shut. But those who kept their eyes open saw clearly: cracks spread out like shattered glass across the floor where the light had touched.
Crack… crack…
The fractures slowly widened.
“Mirror of Destruction.”
The phrase flashed through everyone’s minds like a chilling omen.
The beams of light didn’t stop at creating the first fracture. Like reflections bouncing off a mirror, they shot off in the opposite direction, and with a deafening crack, tore open another rift in the void. One became two, two became four, four became eight, eight became sixteen…
The fractures multiplied exponentially by the second, and with them, the light accelerated, rapidly closing in, shrinking the space around them.
“This can’t be…”
Someone let out a short, sharp breath. Before they knew it, all the users—including Kim Suhyun—had instinctively taken a step back, pressing their backs against one another. Everyone silently understood the truth.
The beams of light, reflected and scattered from the stalemate point, darting in every direction.
The shattered, mirror-like cracks tearing through the empty air in response.
Yes.
The world was collapsing.
Fifteen stood at the very heart of a dimension on the brink of annihilation.
A catastrophic end so dire that no miracle could save them now loomed just ahead.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Ah, just to clarify—Han Soyoung isn’t a soldier in the modern world. She was actually a successful young CEO. Why did I set it up that way? Because after returning, she plans to take care of Kim Suhyun, support him, and keep him fed… Huh? Haha, just kidding. :)
Anyway, if things go really fast, this story will end in the next chapter… but at the latest, within two more.
Ro Yujin: Go! Yujeong-chu!
Lee Yujeong: Yujeong, Yujeong!