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“…I don’t accept that.”
As soon as I passed through the door, I found myself in a space roughly the same size as the room I had just left. It resembled a hollow cavity. The walls and ceiling were made of earth rather than stone, and directly opposite was another iron door identical to the one I’d just come through.
However, flanking that door on both sides were massive stone lion statues, each over four meters tall. The clan members, seemingly driven by some obsessive compulsion, immediately rushed over and smashed the statues to pieces—pulverizing them until nothing but dust remained. I wanted to tell them these were just decorative, immobile sculptures, but I just laughed it off.
After thoroughly searching the room, I declared I was exhausted. Having just expended a large amount of magic in a short time, I was too tired to continue. So, I ordered us to camp here for the night.
The clan members didn’t object. On the contrary, they were thrilled to finally rest and quickly set up camp. There were no other traps in the room, and although there were holes punctured here and there in the corners and ceiling, we’d seen hundreds of similar ones on the way here, so nothing felt particularly unusual.
We finished our meal quickly with the food we’d brought, and everyone except the guards slipped into their sleeping bags for a deep rest. I took the first watch with Kim Hanbyul, Geunwon, and Lee Yujeong. There wasn’t a single tree or even a branch nearby, but we lit a campfire with the firewood we’d prepared in advance.
The crackling of the fire and the occasional snore were the only sounds in the stillness. I stared into the flickering flames, replaying today’s exploration in my mind.
The clan members probably thought I was wandering aimlessly, but that wasn’t the case. After descending to the second floor, I entered through the leftmost door and gradually moved rightward. That path led to a space filled with magical traps, and the room beyond that was our true first objective. Because this was the place where we could hope for a stroke of luck.
Of course, it involved some risk. Actually, I wasn’t even sure if it would work. Luck, by definition, is unpredictable. But judging by the rustling sounds we’d heard and the holes scattered around, I thought the chances were decent.
“Ugh… I’m so sleepy I could die. Do we really have to keep watch?”
Lost in thought, I suddenly heard a yawn and some murmuring. Across from me, Kim Hanbyul covered her mouth with her hand as she inhaled deeply. When our eyes met, she quickly shook her head in embarrassment. It seemed she wasn’t the culprit. To my right, Lee Yujeong was clicking her tongue. I’d heard yawns were contagious, and it seemed true.
“Why do you think that?” I asked.
“Hm? Well, there haven’t been any monsters around here on this floor, not even a glimpse.”
“You can’t be sure, though.”
“Yeah. Actually, I heard some strange noises a few times, but I never saw anything or sensed any presence. I wonder what kind of creatures they could be.”
Lee Yujeong nodded as if admitting the point, then suddenly asked with curiosity.
“Well, it reminds me of when we were clearing the Steel Mountain Range area.”
Kim Hanbyul answered.
“Oh, that could be it.”
“They were worse back then. No sound, no presence, and they could even transform into human forms.”
“Too bad. I wish I’d met one that took your form back then.”
“Me too. Wait, do you think you got eaten then? If so…”
Kim Hanbyul responded boldly but suddenly started tossing a jewel back and forth in her hand. Lee Yujeong wasn’t about to be outdone. “Caught you. So, what are you going to do?” she said, then began twirling a dagger with some flair.
Watching the two of them laugh lightly together felt strange. Just last year, they’d been snarling and ignoring each other, but now their relationship had improved so much. If before they were like cats baring sharp claws and scratching with all their might, now they were like playful kittens gently batting at each other. Yeah, this was much nicer to see.
“…Maybe this area has already been taken over.”
Amid the pleasant scene, someone whispered softly.
“Taken over? By whom?”
“I don’t know.”
In response to Lee Yujeong’s question, Geunwon, who had been quietly sitting nearby, spoke sharply. His eyes were fixed blankly on the campfire, then slowly lifted his head.
“They’re probably quite intelligent, and their senses are likely very sharp.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Every time I tried to analyze the battlefield, they immediately noticed and moved out of range.”
“Hmm. So, does that mean they’re the owners of this trap-filled place?”
“It’s too soon to say for sure, but it’s very likely. I analyzed and compiled the shapes and locations of the burrows we saw along the way, and concluded they resemble insect nests. So…”
“……?”
Geunwon trailed off briefly, then began drawing lines in the dirt with his stubby index finger. It wasn’t just playing in the dirt—it looked like he was sketching something. Lee Yujeong peeked over curiously, then suddenly burst out laughing.
“Pfft! What is that? Geunwon, you really can’t draw! Hahaha!”
Startled, Geunwon shivered.
“Let me try.”
I stood up quickly, but Geunwon swiftly covered his drawing with his hands. His small hands blocked the view so well that I couldn’t see a thing. I tilted my head left and right, but it was no use. Every time I shifted, his hand moved just enough to block my view, as if calculating the angle to keep it hidden. Heh, so that’s how it is.
I pretended to look left, then right, then suddenly tilted my head back left again. Still, Geunwon managed to defend his drawing and suddenly looked up, staring at me intently. His emotionless eyes made me feel like I’d done something wrong. Geunwon parted his lips.
“…I’m angry.”
Wait, why was he giving me such a resentful look? It was Lee Yujeong who laughed.
“Aw, oppa, it’s your fault~”
“Oppa, you’re really mean.”
Of course, they were perfectly in sync at moments like this.
I cleared my throat and sat back down, pulling out a record from my pocket. It was a document related to the “Abyss of Annihilation.”
“There’s something really interesting written in this record.”
“Wow, changing the subject, huh? …Okay, sorry, oppa. Go on.”
“…Those who’ve read it will know, but this is a serious record. A diary written by a general who captured the enemy’s capital.”
“I read part of that too. That general had a bit of a strange personality, didn’t he?”
Kim Hanbyul spoke up, and I nodded in agreement.
“Right. In the end, he gave up the pursuit, but it wasn’t really giving up. He gathered all the monsters nearby and forced them inside.”
Suddenly, Kim Hanbyul frowned. She was probably thinking about the Death Knights we’d encountered on the first basement floor, and her suspicion flared up again. Well, it was a reasonable suspicion.
Lee Yujeong spoke.
“He had quite a fiery personality. So, he expected those monsters to kill off the ones hiding inside the shelter?”
“Most likely. But he didn’t just throw in any random monsters. He selected only those who could survive a harsh place like this for a long time. For example, the undead we saw on the first basement floor…”
“…Undead?”
“Well, I don’t know about the rest. The record ends there.”
I shrugged as I closed the record. Lee Yujeong looked at me incredulously, and Kim Hanbyul seemed disappointed. They had hoped to learn the monsters’ identities, but I couldn’t tell them. Even if I knew, sharing information not in the record might raise suspicion.
“Anyway, this place might no longer be a ruin but a den of monsters. The main point is to never let your guard down.”
That was the real message I wanted to convey.
Suddenly, silence fell. Everyone was quiet, except Geunwon, who nodded slightly from time to time. He must have found parts that matched his calculations.
“What are you guys talking about that’s so interesting?”
A sleepy voice came from behind. Turning around, I saw Nam Daeun smiling sweetly down at us. We’d been talking so long I hadn’t noticed the time.
“Is it already time for the shift change?”
I got up slowly, and behind me, Im Hanna approached, followed by Jeon Suhyun shaking Jung Hayeon to wake her. I relaxed my eyes and deliberately rubbed them. Nam Daeun smiled brightly.
“You look really sleepy.”
“Just… a little tired.”
“You should get some rest first…”
“That’s the plan. I took the first watch on purpose so I wouldn’t be tired from waking up in the middle.”
“Oh my, isn’t that an abuse of authority?”
“Suhyun, you can abuse authority. You worked the hardest today.”
Im Hanna suddenly sidled up to Nam Daeun and chimed in.
“Is that so? Well, if it weren’t for oppa, we wouldn’t have made it this far.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The two women laughed together. I watched quietly, then turned and walked away without a word. Their laughter stopped abruptly, and I heard murmurs like “Huh?” and “Did I say something wrong…?” but I quietly slipped into my sleeping bag.
After a while, the whispering ceased, and silence returned. I closed my eyes gently and pressed my ear to the ground. Pretending to be deeply asleep, I breathed evenly but focused all my senses on listening.
And then,
“……”
How much time had passed?
Rustle…
“……!”
I almost opened my eyes wide but managed to keep them half-closed, glancing at the ground.
Crunch, crunch…!
Crunch, crunch…!
It was faint—almost imperceptible—but definitely there. The sound of something scraping against the dark, damp earth.
…It’s coming.
After the first watch shift had gone out, the second group settled around the campfire. Thirty minutes had already passed since the changeover. Jin Su-hyun was nodding off, her head drooping; Jung Ha-yeon was busy setting up magical wards, scanning the ceiling and the shadowy corners for any openings; Nam Da-eun and Im Han-na were whispering quietly, glancing toward the sleeping bags.
“Han-na, did you see Su-hyun’s expression earlier?”
“I did… but her face didn’t look that strange. It was her behavior that was off.”
“Did I mess up somehow…?”
“Who knows. Maybe she was just tired and wanted to sleep. But Da-eun, why do you call Su-hyun ‘oppa’? Aren’t you the same age? And you talk down to me.”
Han-na’s light complaint made Da-eun chuckle.
“Well…”
Right then—
Thud!
Suddenly, with a sharp crack, dirt exploded in all directions. Dust scattered, hitting their faces, and the two women scrambled up almost simultaneously.
But before a second passed, a long shape burst through the soil, shooting straight up toward the ceiling. It must have been at least four or five meters long. Its entire body was covered in glossy, pitch-black armor, and along its sides were countless thin appendages—whether fur or tentacles, it was hard to tell. Its legs were short but so numerous it resembled a giant centipede.
It all happened in a blink.
Of the creatures that shot up to the ceiling, two crashed down like a waterfall, engulfing the area around the campfire. The remaining three swarmed near the tents, each wrapping itself around a sleeping bag.
“Monsters…!”
Nam Da-eun shouted, dodging to the side. As the creature brushed past her, she swung her sword, which flashed with an icy light.
Shing!
There was definitely the sensation of something being cut. But Da-eun’s eyes widened in shock. About two meters of the creature’s body had been cleanly severed and fell to the ground, writhing—but the upper part, including its head, slipped past her strike, burrowing into the earth and disappearing just as it had when it first appeared.
Jin Su-hyun was the same. Somehow awake now, she was kneeling on her left knee, sword drawn. Dirt stained her clothes—she must have rolled on the ground reflexively. Around her, new holes and severed tails marked the scene.
All of this had unfolded in just six seconds.
“What’s going on?!”
As the others scrambled to their feet, Jung Ha-yeon hurried over, abandoning her carefully drawn magical circles. But it was already too late. Her eyes grew as wide as saucers as she followed Im Han-na’s gaze, who was staring blankly ahead. The staff slipped from her hand and clattered uselessly to the ground.
Because—
“Oh my god…”
Six new holes had been torn around the tents—ones they hadn’t noticed before. And three sleeping bags were gone.
“Su…hyun…?”
Among them was Kim Su-hyun’s sleeping bag.