* * *
Do Soohyuk and “joke” didn’t belong in the same sentence.
I mean, seriously, they weren’t even in the same genre.
My brain short-circuited, pupils shaking, but I played dumb and kept eating my sandwich.
Time passed quietly like that.
Chirpy, having eaten his fill, sprawled out on the table with a blissful expression.
Full and warm, he started melting like slime, dozing off little by little.
Chiiiirp…
The heater was a bit too efficient—it wasn’t just warm in the cabin, it was almost boiling.
We had everything we needed.
There wasn’t a more perfect place than this.
Even a sense of ease, which was unthinkable in an EX-dungeon, had managed to settle in.
Getting here wasn’t easy, but it had definitely been worth it.
“We might actually clear this more easily than expected.”
And maybe that was the problem—actually saying that out loud.
KWOOM—!
Just as I emptied my glass of milk, a thunderous boom shook the ground beneath us.
It wasn’t the sound of ice cracking—it was like the whole district of Songpa was about to collapse.
“Wh-What the hell?!”
Startled, I instinctively grabbed Chirpy and dashed to the window.
As soon as I looked outside, my jaw dropped.
There was no need to trace the source—something stark white was barreling toward us from the distance, emitting a heavy, thunderous sound.
Its appearance wasn’t much different from a yeti, but its eyes were a deep, blood-red, like dried blood.
Most alarming of all, it was nearly half the height of the Lotte Tower.
It was easily larger than any monster we’d faced so far.
“What… is that?”
“The final boss.”
Do Soohyuk, who had also been looking out the window, furrowed his brows.
We had suspected there’d be a final boss, just as we expected yesterday, but we definitely hadn’t thought it would be that massive.
“The final boss… is showing up now?”
By rough estimation, it had only been 24 hours since we entered the dungeon.
It felt far too early for the final boss to appear.
“It means things are progressing faster than we anticipated. How long did it take to clear the last EX dungeon?”
“…Two days.”
No, the sun had already set by the time we cleared it, so it hadn’t even been a full two days.
More like a day and a half.
I didn’t think much of it back then, but maybe rapid progression was just a feature of EX dungeons.
BOOM! THUD!
Even now, the boss monster was approaching the yacht at terrifying speed.
We’d only been talking for a moment, and it was already stepping into the Han River.
Ice cracked underfoot in an instant, and the water barely reached its shin.
Realizing the situation, I sucked in a breath and turned toward the bed.
Since going outside was now unavoidable, I at least needed to take the yeti’s fur pelt.
But before I could take a step, Do Soohyuk grabbed my arm tightly.
“What the—!”
Screeeech—
At the same time, the yacht suddenly tilted sharply.
With each step the boss monster took, the ice cracked, and the resulting shockwaves reached all the way to the boat.
Everything on board—our table, the furniture—began sliding helplessly toward the back.
The bed with the yeti fur was among them.
“No!”
“It’s too late. Leave it and jump.”
Do Soohyuk pulled me along as I hesitated and led me toward the exit.
Getting off the yacht before the boss came any closer was the right move, but my feet felt like they were stuck in place.
Damn it!
In the end, the door slammed shut just as the bed was crushed into a corner.
A cold wind whipped through, reminding me of the biting chill I’d momentarily forgotten.
And to make matters worse—it started snowing.
The situation had gone from bad to utterly hopeless in the blink of an eye.
The peaceful meal we’d had just minutes ago already felt like a distant dream.
“Hurry.”
Do Soohyuk tugged at me again, dragging me toward the ladder.
My mind was so numb from the cold, I didn’t even know how I was still moving.
Every breath felt like it was freezing in my lungs.
“Watch your step. Just keep your eyes on my back.”
Once we were both off the yacht, Do Soohyuk grabbed my hand and leapt across the cracked ice without hesitation.
Ugh.
I followed after him, gritting my teeth.
I guess yesterday’s events had left more of a mark on me than I’d thought—I was definitely scared.
But to my surprise, the further we went, the easier it became to move across the Han River.
I didn’t know how he made decisions so fast, but thanks to Do Soohyuk’s eye for narrow ice gaps, it wasn’t too hard to keep up.
Is the monster here yet?
Then, just as we barely escaped the danger zone, I glanced back—and there it was.
The boss monster had reached the yacht and was casually lifting it like it weighed nothing.
CRACK—!
It shook the yacht like a toy, then effortlessly tore it in two.
The place we’d just been moments ago was now ripped apart like a sheet of paper.
The pieces of the shattered yacht, falling like white snow, didn’t even feel real.
“Move.”
“…”
The one saving grace was that the boss monster hadn’t spotted us.
It had simply sensed the heat from the stove.
As soon as it destroyed the yacht, it turned back and began walking inland.
Where are the other monsters?
Now that I thought about it, all the yetis had vanished after the boss showed up.
Maybe they instinctively retreated to avoid being caught in its path.
Which meant—this was our best chance to run.
“Are you okay?”
“Haaah…”
After speeding across the river, we finally made it to the other side.
I was the one who’d suggested running, but I never expected it to be this brutal.
We hadn’t rested for even a second.
My lungs were completely maxed out, every breath like inhaling frost. I felt like my insides were freezing solid.
Damn it, and I still need to breathe.
Meanwhile, Do Soohyuk didn’t even sound winded.
He stood beside me with that same calm expression, quietly checking my condition.
At this point, I wasn’t even surprised.
I just raised a hand to say I was okay.
“…What do we do now?”
From here, I could see the boss monster’s figure growing smaller as it walked away, disappearing between the buildings.
It looked just like something out of a monster movie.
Its eyesight doesn’t seem that good.
That had been a known weakness of the yetis too.
Given its size, its field of vision was probably narrow.
That meant avoiding it wouldn’t be too hard—we could probably duck into any building and stay hidden.
The real problem was this damned cold.
Just moving felt like torture with how sharp the wind was.
And this was daytime.
Night would be even worse.
With yetis scattered everywhere, all able to detect body heat, hiding in a building wasn’t even an option.
If we didn’t figure something out before sunset, we were definitely going to freeze to death tonight.
I guess… there’s only one option.
I exhaled a pale breath, lost in thought, then slowly turned to look at Do Soohyuk.
I wasn’t confident, but doing nothing would get us killed.
“Do Soohyuk, didn’t you say the yetis move in packs?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then we need to get out of here. Head toward Namsan.”
“Namsan?”
“The distance is far, and they won’t be able to cross Jungnangcheon easily.”
As long as it wasn’t a yeti, I didn’t care what kind of monster we ran into.
No way they’d already taken over there, right?
Moving to a new area was the best option we had.
Do Soohyuk looked out toward Namsan.
Then, seemingly having made up his mind, he quietly took my hand and started walking ahead.
The fact that it didn’t feel strange anymore… meant I must’ve gotten used to this situation.
Whether that was a good or bad thing—I had no idea.
Time passed, and the sun continued to sink rapidly in the west.
We were prepared for this, but staying alert and moving through unfamiliar streets was no easy task.
The cold didn’t help either.
My nerves were on edge the whole time.
Constantly scanning our surroundings slowed us down, making it take even longer to reach our destination.
By the time we reached Jungnangcheon, having avoided countless monsters, the sun had dipped low behind the ridgeline.
My anxiety grew, but just my luck—the bridge had collapsed.
We’d have to cross on ice again.
Great…
Before descending, I paused to catch my breath and wiped my cheek.
But it was numb—I couldn’t feel a thing, which startled me.
My fingertips were turning blue. It looked like frostbite had already set in.
“Sigh… What time is it now?”
‘But using a potion now would be meaningless.’
Unless the situation changed, it would just be a waste of a precious potion.
It was more efficient to hold out for now and use them only when things got serious.
“5:20.”
Yet, even though I hadn’t shown any sign of discomfort, Do Soohyuk suddenly grabbed my other hand.
He tucked it into his own pocket and began rubbing it gently.
His touch was rough, but oddly tender.
It felt a little awkward… but not unpleasant.
“How did you know the time?”
Instead of answering, Soohyuk jerked his chin toward something.
I turned my head in that direction and saw a clock on a half-collapsed building, still ticking away perfectly.
5:20.
It had already been seven hours since we set out.
* * *
