As for Do Yehyun, fine, but even though Ryu Taejun was a guy who’d fainted once, he walked over surprisingly fine.
‘No, maybe not fine.'
The blank look on his face and the way he walked made him look like so zombie bastard from a movie.
I tapped my watch to let Im Haekyung know I couldn’t talk anymore.
—All right.
“.......”
—We’ll be seeing each other soon anyway; let’s finish then.
With that, I couldn’t hear his voice anymore.
‘“Soon,” huh.’
I mulled over his words, then walked up to Do Yehyun and put an arm around his shoulders.
“...Hyung.”
“Mm.”
He called reflexively, but the title didn’t seem to sit right on his tongue; he only blinked quietly. I casually flicked the ring on his finger and asked:
“Anything happen?”
“No. ...Nothing.”
I’d ant whether there’d been anything worth contacting about, and thankfully he understood in one go.
I nodded and jerked my chin toward Ryu Taejun, asking:
“What’s with him?”
“After you went out... others ca in and treated him.”
“Hm.”
So they’ve got a manual for the guys who go down, huh? Well, it figures; if they call it a blessing and push people past their thresholds, it’s not like there’d only be one or two.
While I was talking with Do Yehyun, at so point Gyeon Taeri was waiting for us at the entrance.
Only then did I turn my gaze to the door.
From behind the massive wooden door, I could feel mana flowing out. Even without a status window, no one would fail to notice there was sothing off behind this.
‘The Gate’s rank is high, too.’
I don’t know when exactly Im Haekyung plans to co, but I hope he won’t overestimate my ability.
Tilting my head, I looked at Gyeon Taeri and asked:
“This is the ‘entrance’?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“.......”
“This place....”
I thought she’d imdiately start explaining the entrance and the Gate, but she abruptly said sothing else.
“...Lord Haedo doesn’t usually send guests who ca the sa day in here.”
With that, her gaze dropped to .
‘What?’
She didn’t say anything more.
‘Well... is that supposed to an I did well? Or did I do sothing wrong?’
I waited a mont to see if she’d continue, but without further comnt she began her explanation about the Gate.
“This is a space managed by Lord Haedo. Other believers are also staying inside.”
“.......”
“A space arranged as a maze can easily cause you to lose your way if you’re careless. But if you think deeply, there’s always a path, so there’s no need to worry excessively. We maintain this place, continually organize our thoughts here, hold stronger faith, and solidify our unity.”
“.......”
Nothing surprising. I’d already guessed that believers were inside.
‘A maze, huh.... Good thing I didn’t bring Joo Seowon.’
She slowly lifted her hand to stroke the door and continued.
“The believers who co out of here have all awakened their abilities. So have beco several tis stronger; so have surpassed their limits.”
At those words, life returned to the eyes of Ryu Taejun, who’d been standing there like a zombie.
“This place is....”
Even in what seed like a half-stupefied state, he muttered to himself; looks like this was already known among the believers.
“I can’t believe I ca here....”
Ignoring his nonsense, Gyeon Taeri spoke in a calm voice.
“I hope this will be a good opportunity for you, Believer.”
With that, the door opened.
Creak—
With a squeaking sound, the massive door pushed inward and the interior slowly revealed itself.
No—does revealed even apply here?
The first thing visible was pitch-black darkness. As if all light was being swallowed, nothing had a shape; I couldn’t even gauge distance. Only the movent of air told this was a “space.”
‘Do we just go in?’
It was my first ti entering a dungeon like this, but whatever. There’s a risk of dying in any dungeon; it’s all the sa.
I stared for a mont at the space beyond the darkness, then stepped forward at once.
I didn’t know what the structure was like, but it must have been pretty spacious; every step echoed.
My sense of direction was already dulled because I couldn’t see ahead; if the path split without my noticing, I was definitely screwed.
“Co here.”
I groped for Do Yehyun’s shoulder as he walked slightly apart, grabbed him, and pulled him a bit closer to my side. He flinched unconsciously, then obediently ca right up next to .
“...I really can’t ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ see a thing.”
“Should I hold your hand?”
I wasn’t really asking for an answer, so I imdiately let go of his shoulder and gripped his hand tightly.
“.......”
If we were going to walk pressed together anyway, holding hands would be more efficient than slinging an arm. He wriggled his caught hand a bit, then tightened his grip to hold mine firmly.
“Then, what about Ryu Taejun... that person?”
“Should I hold his hand too?”
At his words, I turned my head toward the other set of footsteps. Honestly, the one I was more worried about keeping up was him rather than Do Yehyun.
‘Or not? Now that he’s made it this far, he’s a guy who’s outlived his usefulness.’
He was soone I’d found just to approach Jinsando, so even if he disappeared now, it didn’t feel like it would derail the plan.
It might even be more comfortable for Ryu Taeyoung if Ryu Taejun died around here.
I thought seriously for a mont about ditching him, then called out to him.
“Taejun.”
The footsteps that had been a little off-beat stopped.
“Huh?”
“Co closer. You’re too far.”
“.......”
At that, his steps drew nearer. I wasn’t actually planning to hold his hand, but Do Yehyun’s grip on mine tightened. It seed like his way of saying sothing, so I roughly rubbed my thumb along the back of his hand.
Confirming he’d stopped nearby, I started walking forward again.
‘Forward, anyway?’
It’d help if I could see. I clicked my tongue inwardly and listened hard.
‘Not much noise.’
It’s stranger for a dungeon to make structural sense, but every ti I’m in a place like this it really hits that where I’ve co is detached from reality. Well, strictly speaking, this side is “closer” to reality.
Then, out of nowhere, I heard Ryu Taejun’s voice.
“You’re soone Lord Haedo trusts.”
What kind of bullshit? Of all the things to say after coming to, his first long sentence was that?
When I didn’t answer, he must have gained so confidence and started spooling out more nonsense.
“...I heard it takes quite a while to reach the maze. No one knows if it’s a week or a month.... But you got here in less than an hour.”
“.......”
“Believer Gyeon said you spoke with Lord Haedo.... I guess it’s because your original ability is outstanding? You rose from F-rank... to B-rank.”
“Ah.”
Right, that’s how Joo Seowon approached him. It had been deleted from mory, so for a second I almost snapped, “what the hell are you talking about,” but held back.
“Well... yeah.”
I tossed out a half-answer, and he went silent again for a while.
“...What if my aptitude really is only about that much?”
“.......”
“Even if Lord Haedo gives a blessing and I’m still like this... what should I do? It’s not that my faith is broken. I an, I made it into the maze. I—I might be a little different if I grow here....”
“Then tough luck. Find a different fit.”
“.......”
Judging by how he talked, he seed to know sothing about this place—which would an so of the dungeon’s internal info had leaked to a degree.
“Taejun. Do you happen to know how long we have to walk?”
“I don’t know exactly. I heard the length of darkness is different for each person... that’s what they said.”
“Right.... Thanks for the uncertain intel?”
So people have been sharing experiences.
With spatial sense dulled, my sense of ti naturally dulled too.
How long did we walk? Ten minutes—no... twenty. Or longer?
We walked for a long ti in pitch-black darkness while I thought: whoever designed this darkness, I don’t know who it is, but they set it up to sap your motivation nicely.
‘Not that that’s necessarily bad.’
Once the instinctive aversion to the darkness thinned out, a kind of calm settled in instead.
After walking for a long ti like that, I finally saw a faint light ahead.
“Hyung.”
I squeezed Do Yehyun’s hand tight, stroked the back of it lightly, then let go.
“Ah... finally.”
What kind of dungeon did Jin Haedo hide that he ca all the way to an island to erect a building over it? Does it have enough utility value to send believers out there indiscriminately to guard it?
My curiosity grew, but I wasn’t displeased. I just wanted to see its shape, fast.
The closer we moved forward, the stronger the light beca.
And the place we arrived at was....
“A wall?”
“No way.”
The entrance to a gigantic maze—concrete walls wrapped in a tangle of vines, climbing all the way up.
‘Mm, it looks like the kind of place you absolutely shouldn’t go into.’
From deeper within the maze ca faint sounds that might’ve been wind—or human screams.
Before either of them could hesitate, I took the lead.
“Shall we go in?”
“.......”
I had no intention of balking after coming all this way.
Without hesitation, I stepped into the maze.
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