* * *
Shortly after, other hunters joined the effort.
A fairly stable formation was established, and the disruptions subsided.
With more hands on deck, the physical burden lessened, and their pace quickened slightly compared to when it was just the two of them.
The chaotic civilians who had been pouring out earlier were now being evacuated in an orderly manner, following directions to escape Seoul.
By now, in the pitch-black night, most Seoul residents seemed to have either moved to ground shelters or fled the city altogether.
Although the rift had widened and occasional monsters emerged, hunters gathered from across the country were responding effectively.
The situation was much better than when they had first encountered the rift.
“If it keeps going like this, we should be able to close it without any issues, right?”
“Wow, honestly, I was worried about how things would turn out just a while ago…”
“Save those words for after we’re done.”
Oh Mingyu threw cold water on the eager chatter of the A-rank hunters who had joined them.
Frankly, I was relieved he said it, because if he hadn’t, Baek Gunho probably would have.
“R-right. Let’s not jinx it unnecessarily…”
“Uh, but what’s that?”
One of the quiet A-rank hunters spoke up.
His words, ominous like a flag being raised, sent a chill down everyone’s spine.
“Hey, don’t say weird things.”
“No, seriously… look at that.”
The hunter pointed toward the rift.
“It’s not moving. The eyelid.”
I stared at the rift.
Sure enough, the eyelid that had been blinking sluggishly moments ago was now frozen in place.
“It’s probably just a coincidence.”
“…Yeah, probably.”
The hunter nodded reluctantly, though his face betrayed unease.
That unease spread like an infection to the rest of the group.
As everyone stole glances at the rift, the eyelid moved again—this time not to close, but to open wider.
So wide that the veins in the sclera became visible.
“What the…?”
“This is unsettling…”
It felt like it was watching us, observing us intently.
The dark pupil shifted ever so slightly.
“I’m not the only one creeped out by this, right?”
“No, I’m creeped out too.”
“Haha, it’s not like it’s going to shoot lasers from its eyes, right?”
The joke didn’t land. Given the unknown nature of the entity, no one could rule out the possibility.
The hunter who made the quip shut his mouth, sensing the sour mood.
“Stop spouting nonsense and focus on closing the rift!”
Oh Mingyu barked at the hunter, and for once, I agreed with him.
The once slightly buoyant atmosphere grew tense.
Something within the rift was behaving differently, its movements erratic—sometimes staring unblinkingly, sometimes fluttering its eyelids rapidly.
Everyone was visibly drained from the prolonged effort, though no one voiced it.
I could feel Baek Gunho’s occasional glances at me.
He wasn’t subtle, and I wished he’d stop staring so blatantly.
Despite the unease, we were making visible progress.
If things continued at this pace, we might resolve the issue without major problems.
Or so I thought, but my chest had been pounding uneasily for a while now.
I couldn’t tell if it was just anxiety or some kind of premonition.
— It will surely help. The power you’ve overcome.
A voice I had heard in a vision brushed past my ears.
It was from the end of a nightmare, where I had glimpsed the worst moments of my past.
“Heewon, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing, just…”
I was about to brush it off when a surge of unease flared up like oil poured onto a fire.
Instinctively, I grabbed the people around me and yanked them back.
A massive object swept through the space where they had just been standing.
“What the…?”
Something emerged from the now enormous rift, which had widened to several meters.
It was long and rod-like, its upper surface covered in a hard shell.
It moved erratically, thick enough to barely squeeze through the rift, thrashing about as if probing the new opening it had found.
“What are you doing? Keep closing it!”
One of the hunters snapped back to reality and resumed closing the rift.
The rod-like appendage was slowly pushed to the side.
But relief came too soon.
The thing retreated into the rift briefly, only to start clawing at its edges, as if trying to tear it open further.
“Is that… a finger?”
Someone muttered, and upon closer inspection, they weren’t wrong.
It resembled a fingertip—short nails, pale flesh.
The clawing stopped momentarily, but then, with a sudden rush, dozens of fingers surged out.
The first one we had seen was the smallest.
As they spread outward, the fingers grew larger, then smaller again, defying any comprehensible structure.
The real problem was that the clawing accelerated the rift’s expansion.
“Gasp…”
One hunter inhaled sharply in shock.
Another, holding a mana stone, looked visibly panicked.
Even more fingers emerged, moving eerily through the air.
Their light movements belied their enormous size, making them impossible to ignore.
They resembled human fingers, yet their structure was alien.
They flexed and twisted freely, as though boneless, like strands of taffy.
One of the fingers grazed a high-rise building.
Crash!
Despite the seemingly gentle motion, the building crumbled as if deliberately demolished.
The sheer power was terrifying—taking a direct hit would be fatal.
The first to react was Baek Gunho.
His sword slashed through one of the fingers, severing it cleanly.
Surprisingly, it was much easier to cut than the building it had destroyed.
The exposed cross-section was white, like a squid’s flesh.
Before we could celebrate, the severed end bubbled and regenerated almost instantly.
“Hit it again.”
I urged Baek Gunho, who swung his sword once more.
This time, I used my skill to grab the severed piece and tear it apart further.
The nail cracked, and a chunk of the finger tore away.
A chilling screech echoed from within the rift, like nails on a chalkboard.
Perhaps it was the monster’s cry of pain.
At least it was effective.
But just as I was about to rip away more, the severed ends regenerated at an alarming speed.
“Damn it.”
Baek Gunho cursed under his breath.
Monsters with regenerative abilities weren’t uncommon, but they were always a headache.
Typically, you’d target a weak spot or core, but with this creature, the main body was still inside the rift.
In other words, defeating it conventionally wasn’t an option.
The only solution was to keep closing the rift.
“You focus on closing the rift!”
I shouted at Baek Gunho and used my skill to push away the flailing hand with force.
The hand, which had been wavering to strike me, was blocked before it could reach its target.
“Unbelievable, what kind of things keep coming out…”
Oh Mingyu jabbed his fingers downward, releasing a surge of electricity.
The crackling lightning flashed dramatically as it struck—but the hand, seemingly insulated, wasn’t affected much.
“Why don’t you close the rift on your side too?”
I snapped at Oh Mingyu, who once tried to exact petty revenge on me, and handed a magic stone I had to the nearby A-rank Hunter.
“Use this for now. I have something else to do.”
“Huh? Oh, yes! Got it!”
Leaving the flustered Hunter behind, I moved to a spot a bit further from the group.
Among those here, the only one capable of restraining that hand was Kwon Sahyeok, who could manipulate objects with shadows.
It would’ve been helpful if there were other A-ranks with similar skills, but none could match the power of an S-rank.
So, for now, it had to be me.
I wasn’t confident, especially after witnessing the hand’s destructive power that had leveled buildings with just a brush.
But I couldn’t back down.
I thought of Seo Heewon, who once sought to destroy the world.
Lee Jaehee had said the rift before us was the result of that attempt.
I felt responsible.
No—I wanted to take responsibility.
I focused my mind sharply.
* * *
is this the end? the cliffhanger is killing me
Thanks