Yggdrasil (3-48)
Min Hayeon muttered softly as she crawled out of the hole.
"We shouldn't use these holes any more than necessary. Just like safe zones—only when we need them."
"Got it."
Son Hye-eun nodded at Min Hayeon's words and stepped out, scanning their surroundings.
The two had run into each other while searching for the rest of the party.
Once reunited, they immediately set off to find the others and soon discovered a hole. Curious about its function, they climbed inside to investigate.
"Unlike the safe zones, these connect to multiple places. That's pretty handy."
"That monster... it's probably still wandering around, right?"
"…."
Min Hayeon couldn't answer easily.
No—her instincts were screaming at her not to say it.
The moment the words left her mouth, her mind flooded with visions of it actually happening.
As a top archer, Min Hayeon had lived her life heeding every proverb and superstition.
That ingrained fear—that speaking it would make it real—had taken deep root within her.
She deflected Son Hye-eun's question and began surveying the massive tunnels.
"Let's find the rest of the party first."
"…Okay."
Son Hye-eun nodded, trembling with fear, and started looking around.
"There's another hole over there. With so many holes, it doesn't seem that hard…."
"No."
"…?"
Son Hye-eun tilted her head in confusion at the sight of the holes, silently waiting for an explanation.
Min Hayeon explained right away.
"It's not just about the number of holes. You have to consider all the tunnels connected to them as one system."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. The alert called it a 'collapse.'"
"Yeah, that's what it said… Oh! Then—!"
"When we enter one hole, the countdown starts for all connected tunnels, and they all collapse at once."
Son Hye-eun, who had been complacently thinking they could just wander the tunnels to buy time, bowed her head in despair.
Safe zones were straightforward—you could see and trust them at a glance. But a bunch of holes didn't guarantee safety.
What if they dove into one in an emergency, only to find someone else had already used it, leaving less than 10 seconds?
True despair would hit like a brick wall.
After finishing her explanation, Min Hayeon suddenly noticed a new alert pop up.
Death's Ear activated. Death will now detect you not only by sight and smell, but also by sound.
Min Hayeon let out a deep sigh the moment she saw the holographic alert.
"Haa…."
Strange alerts about unknown things activating had been popping up, but the two had a rough idea what they meant.
The Defense's final moments—the massive gem that had transformed into a monster.
A beast with three heads that could have been dogs or wolves, dwarfing buildings in size.
Min Hayeon figured "Death" in the alert referred to that monster.
As Min Hayeon stared grimly at the hologram, Son Hye-eun muttered while gazing into empty space.
"So... we'll have to face that monster after all?"
"…."
Min Hayeon couldn't answer easily this time either.
"Let's hurry and find the others."
She led the way instead of replying, trying to guide Son Hye-eun along.
That's when it happened.
"Huh?"
Far across from them, Han Bom was emerging from a hole.
About 50 meters away, Han Bom climbed out.
Min Hayeon's sharp eyesight made Han Bom look as clear as if she were standing right in front of her.
"Bom!"
"Unni? Unni!"
Han Bom whipped around at Min Hayeon's shout, spotted her, and started to run over.
Thud… Thud-thud… Thud-thud-thud-thud!
It wasn't an earthquake—rapid footsteps were closing in.
"S-something's coming!"
"Unni!"
"Bom! Don't come here! Hide!"
Min Hayeon was certain.
Whatever was kicking up this seismic racket would arrive far faster than she and Han Bom could meet….
"Quick! Hide now!"
"O-okay!"
At Min Hayeon's shout—like a command—Han Bom snapped to and ducked back into the hole.
"Bom! Don't wait for me—run somewhere else, anywhere! Hurry!"
(Got it!)
Min Hayeon felt a wave of relief at Han Bom's voice.
But the relief didn't last.
Son Hye-eun grabbed Min Hayeon's arm, who was still yelling at Han Bom, and yanked.
"H-Hayeon! We need to hide too!"
"Oh crap!"
Min Hayeon was dragged into a hole by Son Hye-eun in a scramble.
That's when—
"Wha… Hngh!"
Thud! Thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud! THUD-THUD-THUD!
She saw something she shouldn't have.
A colossal beast the size of a building, its entire body wreathed in green flames.
Charging toward her, threatening to collapse the massive cavern.
The incomplete form she'd glimpsed before parting from Seong Su-ho had been terrifying enough. But this perfected monster chased her like a mere insect.
Without Son Hye-eun, her legs would have given out right there—torn apart by those three dog heads, her body split into thirds.
But thanks to Son Hye-eun, disaster was averted.
"W-we're in! Hayeon! Deeper! Wh-what the hell is that?!"
"Hngh… Haa… Th-this can't be real…."
Seconds after they hid, massive animal paws began clawing madly at the hole's entrance.
Crash! Scraaape! Kraaah! Grrooowl!
Even as it scratched to break through the wall, Min Hayeon and Son Hye-eun couldn't even think of running.
"Wh-what… Wh-what the hell is that thing…."
Son Hye-eun collapsed to the ground, legs limp, after dragging Min Hayeon in and seeing the frenzy at the entrance.
"R-run… Run, run… We have to run…."
The terror was on another level from the zombies earlier. The two stared, reason shattered, at Cerberus's paws digging relentlessly.
That was the moment.
[Snap out of it!]
"Huh!?"
Min Hayeon jolted awake at Seong Su-ho's sudden shout and called out to him.
"Suho? Suho?!"
[Get it together and run! Now!]
"O-oh! R-right, got it!"
Min Hayeon grabbed the arm of Son Hye-eun, who sat dazed on the floor nearby, and pulled.
"Run!"
"B-but… Th-there… The m-monster!"
"That's why we run! Hurry!"
"Ah… Ah! Okay!"
Son Hye-eun snapped to at Min Hayeon's barked order and followed her into the dark hole.
***
[Evacuated for now. You're safe.]
Good work!
I sighed inwardly in relief at Armonia's words.
Having heard Min Hayeon and Son Hye-eun's desperate situation, I'd asked Armonia to relay my voice via comms.
Thankfully, she approved—judging that using every available resource was best—and transmitted it immediately.
[Best to play dumb later.]
Don't worry. I'm a pro at acting.
Min Hayeon's safety was secured for now.
By sheer luck, the hole she was in still had time left.
If it had been down to the wire, I'd have warped in without hesitation.
Whether Armonia would allow that was another question….
This is only getting tougher.
The thing had started slow, just ambling along. Then smell kicked in, picking up speed. Now with hearing, it pinpointed locations at insane velocities.
[Smell phase focused on recent paths, but hearing lets it detect rough positions now. Stay sharp.]
Worried what comes next if it's this bad already….
Only 40 minutes had passed.
Changes every 20 minutes meant more abilities unlocking later.
Need to regroup fast.
Unlike the shock bees, this boss fight favored larger groups.
The 0th floor forest had obvious safe zones but capped party sizes, forcing abandonment of allies.
Here, holes accommodated any number.
The later we regrouped….
> Skyrockets our death odds.
Holes would collapse uselessly, safe havens vanishing.
This setup wouldn't provide excess holes.
Our party had the best passive for this: perfect intel.
[Can't map hole junctions precisely, but left turn crosses Han Bom's path.]
Perfect!
I told Park Jin-hee and Park Seon-hee tailing me.
"Left."
"Yes."
They followed my lead without question or unease—just nodded.
Spotting a lit hole, we decided to exit.
Simple reason.
"Good thing. Only 3 minutes left. Out and back to main tunnels."
"I-is that safe?"
"Check other holes right away once out."
Blind hole-hopping was a last resort; ignoring them and dying was straight-up failure.
We found one at a distance immediately after exiting.
"Minimize hole use."
"Yes… You're amazing, though."
"Huh?"
Her out-of-left-field comment made me turn. Park Seon-hee walked beside me, speaking up.
"Everyone's terrified—not just us. But you don't show it at all."
"Haha… No way. I'm scared too."
"Not shaking like us. Without you, we'd have sat there like idiots and died."
"First times are always rough."
I accepted Park Seon-hee's praise with a smile.
Wondered why now, but there was a reason.
"Sorry."
"Huh? For what?"
Thought I'd messed up, but it wasn't about now.
Her apology was for the past.
"When we first met… I was so cold."
True—not just her, but Son Hye-eun and Park Jin-hee too.
Even through regressions, first meetings stayed the same.
No big intersection in the final loop, but they'd shown zero interest.
Pure indifference.
"First meetings. Caution's natural."
"…Still feels too rude now."
The trio ignored me at first, then closed in after seeing my skills on 1F.
I stayed put; they approached on their own.
No grudge there.
You can't know someone from a brief encounter—relationships evolve.
"Don't sweat it. I've been there. Kept distance from someone I thought unimportant."
"You? Can't picture it."
"You seem like you'd accept anyone."
I laughed off their praise and continued.
"Not always. But here's the key."
"…?"
"Some became closer after that distance."
"Aha!"
Instant closeness without info? Riskiest bond.
The trio knew from experience.
Han Yeoreum.
She proved blind trust could lead to ruin.
Not everyone, but distance first, approach slow—that's key with people.
Park Seon-hee smiled wryly.
"Makes me regret not warming up sooner."
"Yeah… Hayeon's so lucky."
"Haha…."
The trio had probably guessed my ties with Min Hayeon and Han Yeoreum.
Impossible to miss.
To them, my bond with Hayeon looked odd—sudden shift.
Couldn't explain regression, so they'd chalk it to a fling sparking love.
We'd been walking awhile when—
Armonia, where are Hayeon and Bom?
[Not far from Han Bom. But Min Hayeon's on the opposite route.]
...Meet Bom first, lure to us.
Cerberus's speed meant distance wasn't safe, but groups were easier to bait.
Heading to Hayeon risked complications.
Armonia. Worst case, can I ask a favor?
[…Warp limited to twice total. Memory wipe possible with Enel—but costly. Remember that.]
Thanks.
Armonia's roundabout way of saying yes.
I'd avoid Min Hayeon or Han Bom dying at all costs.
Warp everyone out, kill time, return? Ideal, but couldn't reveal my position to the girls.
They'd see it as easy street—leading to the worst path.
That very moment—
Death's Whisper activated. Death's footsteps will now delude you.