* * *
Thud—
The ground shook violently once again.
So much that it was hard to stay standing on both feet.
Dust clouded the air, blurring visibility, and several lights shattered, making the place even darker.
But this time, it wasn’t something rising from below the ground.
It was something massive—falling from above.
And immediately after, the scent of blood, thick and spreading through the dust.
“U-uh… Uaaah, AAAAH!”
Though the visibility hadn’t cleared, there was no one here who didn’t understand what had just happened.
From the darkness, something enormous stirred.
Despite being caked in dirt, its scales glistened.
Three heads, each flicking a narrow red tongue between razor-sharp fangs.
A red gemstone embedded in the center of the middle head—a ‘dungeon core.’
A tail like sharpened metal, dripping with a strange, dark fluid.
A colossal, serpentine body so large it made the space feel cramped.
And beneath that body—
People had been crushed.
Just moments ago, they had been alive.
They had existed, vibrant, full of life.
Now, they were reduced to scattered blood and shredded flesh.
They hadn’t even had time to scream.
To cry out in pain.
Their deaths had been abrupt, meaningless, and brutally easy.
“No, no. N-no—Get away, get away…!”
And yet, despite how much blood had already been spilled, the tragedy wasn’t over.
It was still happening.
While everyone else was frozen in shock, the beast turned toward the only man still screaming—and slowly opened its massive maw.
It was already moving at a lethargic pace, as if sure that the man was prey.
He could’ve tried to run, but fear had locked his body in place.
All he could do was scream—pointless, empty screams.
‘No.’
A surge of heat filled my body.
My heart pounded so hard I could feel the blood rushing through me.
I couldn’t just stand there, doing nothing, when I could already see the horrifying outcome about to unfold.
I tried to move—just a few steps—but was grabbed before I could go any further.
“…Snap out of it! Get over… Run, damn it!”
A loud, rough voice exploded nearby, making my head throb.
It was Cha Taeyang.
He was yelling something at me, but I couldn’t make it out.
Red blurred my vision.
Then everything shook violently as Cha Taeyang slung me over his shoulder and started running.
I couldn’t focus my eyes.
Even then, I reached out instinctively.
I tried to tear down one of the red threads tangled in my vision.
CRACK!
“…Ah.”
But it was too late.
The beast succeeded in its hunt before my hand could even reach the thread.
The scream that had echoed through the clearing stopped—suddenly and unnaturally.
The scene was so cruel, so grotesque, it barely felt real.
It took time to fully grasp what had happened.
And once I did, it was hard to breathe.
It felt like my lungs were being crushed by stone.
My heart pounded as if it would explode.
The weight of it all nearly caved in my chest.
I bit down on my lip.
Forced my eyes to look away.
The dizziness lingered, but desperation kept me focused.
Thankfully, maybe driven by survival instinct, everyone else had fled the beast’s proximity.
Only once I confirmed that did I finally speak.
“Mr. Cha Taeyang, please put me down.”
My voice came out surprisingly calm between clenched lips.
My head, too, had already gone cold.
“If we run away, then what? There’s no one left who can handle that thing.”
“Are you insane? So what, we don’t run? You got a death wish or something?”
“So we let the unarmed distract it while we run away and hope we’re the last to get eaten?”
“What— What kind of crap logic is that?!”
“This dungeon is basically that thing’s backyard. We can’t outrun it. We’ll just exhaust ourselves and make for easier prey.”
There seemed to be multiple paths, but who’s to say any of them led to an exit?
What if they were all dead ends?
That monster’s body was almost the same size as the corridor itself.
It hadn’t just appeared here.
No—this was a tunnel it had dug.
Even the layout was familiar, not much different from the first path we’d taken.
The only difference was whether it was newly formed—or if other monsters had already settled in.
In other words, this dungeon, Wind Hole, was its domain.
Its home.
A hidden boss.
Rare, but not unheard of.
There had been a couple of reported cases in Korea too—dungeons that didn’t disappear after being cleared, leading to further investigation and the discovery of hidden bosses.
This must be the same.
The only difference?
This one was leagues harder than anything we’d seen before.
That monster… looked even stronger than the ones I saw in the hospital.
Even for a boss, it wasn’t B-rank. No way.
Even Cha Taeyang, a veteran hunter, didn’t seem entirely convinced I was speaking nonsense anymore.
“You’re not scared? You just saw what happened. You could die, man!”
“Better to die fighting than running like a coward. Even if we can’t kill it, if we land a single hit—it might help the next team that comes.”
“Jesus. You’re insane. You want to die, is that it?”
“Think whatever you want. Just put me down.”
“Hey! I’m supposed to protect you! If something happens to you—”
“Put me down.”
“…”
Did he sense my unshakable resolve from the firmness of my tone?
Cha Taeyang’s steps slowed… and then—
“…Tch. Screw it. Do whatever you want.”
He let out a heavy sigh, turned into a small space we could hide in, and gently lowered me to the ground.
The moment my feet touched down, my knees buckled, but I managed to stay upright.
My legs weren’t the real issue.
‘It’s too dark…’
Even more lights had gone out.
It was like going from a festival street at night to an isolated mountain trail at midnight.
If we delayed any longer, we’d be trapped in pitch black.
Just like that gate—pure, suffocating darkness where nothing could be seen…
“…Haa.”
Cold sweat wouldn’t stop, but I tried to control my breathing.
The beast was still lingering in the same spot.
It was a horrific sight—but at least it bought us time to think.
“So what now? Just so you know, I can’t take that thing down alone. Only someone like Gray Coat could handle it solo.”
“…”
‘So even Gray Coat could…’
If only he’d been here.
If we’d been together when this happened, if he’d come with me… maybe not so many people would’ve died.
‘Focus. Wishing won’t bring him here.’
Focus on the present.
I lightly slapped my cheeks, shaking off the weakness.
“…I’m an S-rank too.”
“You can’t even use your ability properly, can you?”
“I can use it. I can see them—now.”
So many lines—it’s dizzying. They’re vivid, just as intense as the rage I feel.
“But…”
“You’re not confident you can kill that thing, are you?”
“…No.”
Cha Taeyang was right.
I had the confidence to use my ability, but not the certainty to win.
I wasn’t overflowing with courage to face it head-on.
If anything, I was afraid provoking it would make things worse.
Back at the hospital, I’d been sure.
Maybe it was just beginner’s luck, but I hadn’t been scared.
My ability flowed freely.
But now? Now I was afraid.
I couldn’t be sure what would happen
if I acted. If I were alone, I might risk it, but half the survivors were still here.
I couldn’t act recklessly.
– Thud. Thud! Boom!
Not that we had the luxury of time.
The monster was starting to lose interest in the corpse and had begun searching for new prey.
Its massive tail slammed into the floor, making the ground quake.
I had to press myself against the wall to avoid falling.
Cha Taeyang clenched his jaw, glaring at the creature.
“Goddamn it. What, does it want us to come out?”
“Mr. Cha. That’s not the issue.”
“What? Then what is?”
“The tremors—it’s just a distraction. Look at the floor.”
The lighting mostly pointed upward, so visibility wasn’t great.
But something dark was flowing down, pooling on the ground.
And it was—
– Ssssss.
Slowly, but unmistakably, dissolving the corpses on the floor.
“Shit…”
Cha Taeyang noticed too.
His face twisted, cursing under his breath.
Meanwhile, I scanned the area more carefully.
Survivors were nearby—not far.
They were doing their best to hide using small self-defense tools.
But… it wouldn’t be long before that black liquid reached them.
And if that wasn’t enough, the lights that had fallen to the floor might go out soon.
If it got any darker than this… Just imagining it made me anxious.
I tore my gaze away from the lights and looked at Cha Taeyang.
“There’s no more time. We can’t delay. Will you be alright?”
* * *
