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“…I won’t accept it.”
Clack, clack… clack, clack…
The intermittent sound of something hard biting against something else echoed faintly through the cavern.
After the sudden assault of time had passed, an eerie silence settled over the campsite. Ko Yeon-ju stared at Lim Han-na and Jung Ha-yeon, who had slumped down carelessly.
No one spoke. Occasionally, the sharp, nervous grinding of teeth broke the silence, but mostly, everyone sat dazed, staring blankly into the hollowed-out pits before them.
The truth was clear and undeniable. The expedition had suffered losses because they failed to prevent the surprise attack. Two close-combat members and one mage had been lost from the team. Or rather, they had been taken.
The facts were simple, but the situation was anything but light. Kim Han-byeol’s sleeping bag was gone. Lee Yoo-jung’s sleeping bag was gone. And most importantly, Kim Soo-hyun’s sleeping bag was gone. This was the main reason the clan members remained silent.
There was no need to explain who Kim Soo-hyun was, or what kind of presence he held—especially not to the mercenary clan members.
“He’s… still alive, right?”
Suddenly, someone broke the silence. But their voice held no strength, barely a whisper of hope. It was the voice of someone unsure, someone desperately wishing to be reassured.
But no matter how long they waited, only the clacking sounds grew louder, and no answer came to meet their hopes.
Everyone imagines things. The strength and weakness of imagination is that it can leap infinitely. But when distorted judgments or false certainties creep in, imagination turns into delusion—a kind of cognitive anomaly.
As a result, people sometimes act in ways they never would otherwise, trying desperately to regain control. Like Jung Ha-yeon, biting her nails with trembling lips.
As the silence dragged on, Ko Yeon-ju’s expression slowly shifted. At first, she looked as dazed as the two women, but gradually her complexion returned to normal. She had been through something similar before, and was now quickly pulling herself together, using that experience as a guide. Standing frozen like a statue was the worst choice.
“Geun-won, you should go inside and rest. You probably won’t sleep well in this atmosphere, but at least try to recover some mana.”
All eyes turned to her at once. Confused looks were exchanged all around. Sensing their doubt, Ko Yeon-ju continued.
“Of course, we’ll rescue them… get them back. The clan lord, Han-byeol, Yoo-jung—all of them.”
She spoke cautiously, since nothing was certain yet. To be precise, she changed the wording from “rescue” to “get back.” There’s a difference between “saving someone from danger” and “retrieving them.” Though they sound similar, the meaning is clear.
“He’s alive, right? He has to be.”
Someone asked again.
“The chances are high. I mean, Lee In-geol was dragged to another dimension and still came back alive, flaunting it.”
Though she spoke hopefully, Ko Yeon-ju was the most clear-eyed about the situation. Whether they were alive or not, the remaining clan members had to move forward.
The absence of Kim Han-byeol and Lee Yoo-jung was bad enough, but Kim Soo-hyun’s loss was an even bigger blow. That’s why she ordered the forced rest. Without Kim Soo-hyun, the expedition was crippled. Geun-won was the only key left who might still break through the ruins.
“It’s my fault… it’s all my fault…”
Even as Ko Yeon-ju gathered her thoughts, Lim Han-na kept muttering to herself, blaming herself for failing to respond properly despite the heightened alert. Nam Da-eun, Jung Ha-yeon, and Jin Soo-hyun were the same. Ko Yeon-ju’s eyes narrowed to thin slits.
“Lim Han-na. Stop the nonsense and go organize the tents. We’ll be analyzing the bodies, so if you find anything strange while cleaning, report it immediately.”
“Y-yes, unni…”
“Pull yourself together.”
“……”
Her words were brief but stern. Still, Ko Yeon-ju couldn’t shake the feeling of helplessness. If the traps they’d passed before appeared again, she couldn’t guarantee their survival. Even if they somehow got through, they’d have to prepare for a fight with the monsters.
They didn’t know the monsters’ traits, how many there were, or what lay ahead. The weight on her shoulders grew heavier by the moment, and the future looked just as bleak.
Yet, even in this chaos…
“……”
Je-gal Hae-sol, standing slightly apart, was lost in deep thought, occasionally glancing at the spot where Kim Soo-hyun had been lying.
Drdrdrdr, drdrdrdr!
The grating sound of dirt scraping against something relentless pounded at my ears. I couldn’t tell which direction we were heading or how much time had passed. I could only guess we were going toward the final boss monster’s lair, and that quite some time had gone by. After all, the current situation matched perfectly with the “lucky break” I had been aiming for.
Just once, something thin and sharp pricked my neck. Judging by how it pierced my endurance, it was a very sharp needle, but it had no effect. I burned it away immediately with Hwajeong’s power. Judging by the brief stiffness, it seemed like it was trying to paralyze me. I stayed still, eyes closed, letting the monster carry me along. It probably thought I was paralyzed and sped up its movement.
It’s kind of funny, really. The monster’s long body wrapped tightly around me inside the sleeping bag, swimming through the underground. Calling it “flowing like water” would be generous—it was actually quite rough. My view kept rising and falling, and my body jolted and shook. It felt like riding a roller coaster.
And the speed! It felt like running at 70% of my strength back in my rookie days. Keeping my eyes open made me nauseous, so I closed them gently.
At least the shaking seemed to be easing a bit. Occasionally, dust stung my skin, but it was much better. Surely we weren’t moving in a straight line—maybe through a pre-dug tunnel? Aside from the boredom, it was bearable.
How long had it been?
Just as I was debating whether to take a quick nap since I had no idea when we’d arrive—
“Huh?”
Suddenly, I felt my body stretch out. No, more like I was being lifted. Then, a light toss, and my vision snapped into focus.
After blinking a few times, I realized I was lying down. In front of me was soil-colored dirt.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t dark. I carefully slipped out of the sleeping bag. Taking a deep breath, I noticed the air wasn’t damp and heavy, but dry and stale.
As I slowly sat up, I was startled for two reasons.
First, because the space wasn’t the boss monster’s lair, but an endless wasteland.
And second…
W-why are you here?!
A voice other than mine rang out—desperate and urgent.
Turning my head, I saw Lee Yoo-jung not far away, collapsed on the ground, flailing her arms as if desperately trying to escape someone. Could it be that Yoo-jung had been dragged along too?
“D-don’t come! Stay away!”
“I’ll kill you! Park Dong-geol!”
“No, no… oppa! Oppaaaa!”
Aaaah, aaah, aaahhh!
Yoo-jung was putting on a show—flailing, her head whipping as if slapped, thrashing wildly, then finally trembling all over like she’d been electrocuted before collapsing.
At the same time, the voice sounded strange. It wasn’t clear, but more like it was resonating inside my head and chest. I scanned the area carefully, wondering if someone else was nearby, but all I saw was thick fog. Nothing else… what?
“…!”
Reflexively, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. Still no room, just endless wasteland. No smoke or anything. So then…
Ugh… ughhh…
Another sound suddenly whispered in my ear. It was Kim Han-byeol, curled up on the right side, crying bitterly.
She muttered something under her breath, but it was too quiet to hear clearly. Thick fog swirled around her too. I hurried toward her, but as soon as I got close, she vanished—along with the fog.
“Hmph.”
I sighed deeply.
I thought the plan was about to succeed. What the hell was going on?
Hwajeong’s voice echoed in my mind.
‘An illusion.’
I knew that. A gap in my vision meant something strange was happening to me. And as Hwajeong said, it was probably an illusion.
What surprised me was that I was able to see it at all. With my clairvoyance and third eye combined, most illusions wouldn’t even get close.
‘?’
‘Ah… that time…’
I have definitely had a similar experience before. The moment I tried to force my way through the entrance, a backlash occurred, concentrating all the power of the barrier into one spot—and as a result, I was briefly forced to witness an illusion. Was it the voices of Belphegor, Park Da-yeon, and Han So-young…? Either way, it wasn’t a pleasant memory.
“If that was caused by the rebound effect back then, this now feels more like an encroachment from high concentration, doesn’t it?”
“High concentration…? Are you talking about the smoke from earlier?”
“Exactly. The scents and smoke that have built up over time can’t be ignored. Still, it’s probably not a perfect seal. Even if it’s not completely blocking it, your ability is definitely sending out signals.”
“Hmm.”
“You’d better move quickly. Those two from before weren’t lying. If you don’t hurry, they might get to you first.”
“Not sure there’s any need to rush…”
“…What? You’re saying it’s fine if they get to them first?”
“No, that’s not it. I just mean there’s no need to go running around looking for them.”
I let out a dry chuckle and pulled out a cigarette. Tilting my head back as I lit it, the blazing sun and dusty sky came into view.
A hot, humid breeze swept past me. The plan had gone a little off course, but there was no need to panic. I exhaled a long plume of smoke and began walking slowly through the wasteland.
Step by step, various thoughts crossed my mind. The first, of course, was about my clan members. I was most curious about how they were reacting. Surely they weren’t just sitting around crying pitifully, right?
On the other hand, blindly chasing after them wouldn’t do either. I needed to stay calm. The best approach was to rest thoroughly first, then steadily break through the remaining passages. Since the source was known, traps weren’t a concern, but I couldn’t be 100% sure about everything else.
…Well, with Ko Yeon-ju around, she’d probably handle things just fine.
It was then.
While walking through the empty wasteland, I stopped and narrowed my eyes.
“…!”
Just as I thought. My instincts were right.
There was no need to go searching all over for ‘him.’ I knew he would soon appear right before my eyes.
In the distance, someone was writhing, slowly moving.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
I’m sorry. There are only two or three chapters left in this episode, but every time the end draws near, I find myself filled with so many thoughts and doubts.
I remember reading something about writing novels a while back: anyone can start a story, but not everyone can finish one.
At the time, I didn’t fully grasp what that meant. I knew finishing was hard, so I planned everything out before starting the serialization. But lately, I’m beginning to understand. It’s kind of like this: studying isn’t easy, but in our society, it’s the easiest way to make a living.
I have a plot based on the synopsis, but I keep second-guessing myself. Is this okay? Wouldn’t it be better to go this way instead? My eyes keep wandering back, my mind keeps turning, and my hands keep making changes.
No matter the novel, I truly admire authors who manage to finish their stories exactly as they first envisioned. Haha. :)