Chapter 12: Even Beyond the Apostle Passage, There Was a Goblin

Beyond the apostle's passage, another goblin waited. It was leaning against the wall, dozing off. Unlike before, this one was alone.

Now's my chance.

He crept forward, holding his breath. His body tilted to muffle his footsteps, and the tip of the utility knife trembled in his grip. Three meters. Two meters. One meter. The goblin's ear twitched.

Had it noticed? No time to think.

Shunk!——!

The knife plunged into the space between its shoulder and neck. The beast let out a piercing screech, its claws raking across his forearm, but he gritted his teeth and twisted the blade deeper. Slice, slice. Its body went limp. Number four.

He slumped against the wall, exhaling heavily. His vision was narrowing, the corners of the passage blurring into darkness—was it the shadows, or his eyes failing? He wrapped his bleeding forearm with another bandage. Supplies were running critically low, but he squeezed out what little remained.

"...How many left?"

No one answered. He was alone from the start.

He pressed on down the passage. His steps faltered; without bracing against the wall, he'd collapse. Yet Kim Woo-jin pushed forward. The torchlight's reach was widening—the end was near.

Another open space emerged. Three goblins sat on the floor.

Fuck...

He swallowed the curse, but his legs nearly buckled. Taking down the last pair had left him battered and bruised—now three?

Stopping here changed nothing.

A-rin. Big bro's coming.

Biting his lip unleashed a metallic tang that snapped him alert. Same plan: pick one off first, endure the rest. He approached silently. Luck was on his side—he nearly got spotted, but closed in on the left one. Aiming for the back of its skull.

Thud!——!

The knife sank into its head, sending it crumpling. The other two leaped up, baring their fangs.

Screeeeech!——!!

They charged. This time, the knife pulled free easily. He tumbled to the ground. Claws grazed his back, shredding his tracksuit and stinging the flesh beneath.

"You little—!"

His free hand swung a fist. It connected with the goblin's waist, but the impact felt unnaturally sticky. As it staggered, the second lunged—he slashed wildly.

"Stay back, you monster fuck—!!"

Whoosh, whoosh!——!

A tense standoff. This wouldn't be easy. But he'd come too far to quit. To anchor his fading mind, Kim Woo-jin slapped his own cheek. Then he charged at the goblins.

Screeeeech!——!

"Come on! Come get some, you bastards—!!"

Thwack!——!!

"Guh...!"

Claws tore into Kim Woo-jin's body. He didn't stop. He shoved the goblin down and mounted it.

Stab, stab.

Same humanoid shape, same vitals. He jammed the knife into its throat like a madman until the other shoved him off.

"Grrr...!"

"Yeah, mad 'cause it's your buddy, huh?!"

"Graaaah—!!"

The brutal exchange dragged on. Was this even a fight? Pure savagery—trading blows, spraying blood. And the victor was Kim Woo-jin.

"Hah, haaah...!"

The knife plunged haphazardly into the goblin's gut.

Scree... screee...

Its eyes lost focus. It slumped to the floor, lifeless.

Seven. A total of seven.

Kim Woo-jin's knees gave out. He rolled onto the ground, gasping.

"Hoo... hoo...!"

His lungs wouldn't cooperate. Adrenaline surged thickly, vertigo crashing back.

"Fuck..."

His body was drenched in blood. Could he even make it back like this?

Staring blankly at the cave ceiling, something glowed. A magic circle. Blue light spread across the floor, etching a circular pattern—just like the forum posts described. Clear the floor, and it appears.

"...Is it... over?"

Crawling, he mounted the circle. Light erupted from below, enveloping him. Vision bleached white, the ground vanished beneath. Then, translocation.

Outside. At the tower's entrance. He'd been dumped inside the barricade, at the heart of the blockade.

"Halt! Don't move!"

A shout, flashlight beams stabbing his eyes. Soldiers approached, rifles trained.

Kim Woo-jin raised his hands weakly. The knife was lodged in a goblin corpse inside—no weapons on him. Just a blood-soaked body.

"Armed?"

"...No."

"ID check. Name."

"...Kim Woo-jin."

"Age."

"Twenty-five."

A soldier inspected his wounds; rifles lowered slightly. Not a threat—a casualty.

After brief questions, the soldier shouted.

"Medic! Over here!"

A combat medic rushed over. While disinfecting his arm and rebandaging, Kim Woo-jin stood still.

"Why'd you go in?"

One soldier asked. Hard to make out the rank insignia, but probably platoon leader.

"...My sister's sick."

"What?"

"She's... in the hospital. No cure."

His words trailed off. No energy left to explain.

The soldier eyed him— not the first civilian risking death for family.

"...We'll get you an ambulance. Go to the hospital. And don't enter again."

"...Yes, sir."

Illegal entry, but no arrest in this chaos. No clear penalties yet.

Kim Woo-jin loaded into the ambulance. The paramedic checked blood pressure, wounds, bleeding.

"Sir, where to? ER—"

"—University Hospital. Pediatric ward."

"Pediatrics? You need treatment first—"

"I'm fine. Take me there."

The paramedic fell silent. Kim Woo-jin's glare was fierce.

Sirens wailed as Seoul's nightscape blurred past. Eyes closed, goblin shrieks echoed. The feel of slicing flesh lingered in his palms. His body throbbed, but he was alive. Undeniably.

Cleared it.

Forum intel: Clear floor 1, unlock the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shop. Buy an elixir there.

I can buy it. I can do this. Save my sister.

The ambulance halted at the hospital.

"Sir, ER first—"

"I'll get off here."

Kim Woo-jin ignored the paramedic and exited at the pediatric ward entrance. Fluorescent lights, quiet halls. Nighttime emptiness. Nurses at the desk gaped at his bloodied form, but he shuffled past, step by step. Blood seeped through his hasty bandages—no time to care.

Room 605, 606, 607. 608.

Kim A-rin's room. Faint light leaked through the door crack. He reached for the handle, then froze. Like this? She'd freak. What would his blood-drenched brother say? Might make her cry. Call him stupid, an idiot.

His legs buckled. He slid down the wall to the floor.

"...I'm okay."

Words for no one. For himself. Dried blood tightened his skin. Fresh red soaked the left arm's bandage.

He'd checked the shop en route. A translucent list scrolled; somewhere at the bottom, Elixir. Price? No recall—too rushed. But one thing was clear: Floor 1 rewards wouldn't cut it. He needed higher—floor 2, 3, beyond. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠After barely scraping by on one floor?

"...It's okay. I can do it. Climb again tomorrow."

Vision blurred. Fatigue? Blood loss? Something else?

A cough from inside. Cough, cough. Small, fragile—his sister's image flickered before him.

Kim Woo-jin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clenched his fist.

I have to save her. Whatever it takes.

And the world stopped.

Fluorescents burned steady. A nurse mid-stride hung frozen mid-air down the hall. Even the coughs silenced.

In the halted world, blue text materialized.

"...?"

Constellation—like the messages at the tower. But different. Those vanished without reply. This one approached unprompted. To him, bloodied and slumped before his sister's room.

Others flickered intermittently around it.

Spectators. No better than the ones too stingy for an elixir promise.

But Observer of the 0th Dimension...

Kim Woo-jin's mind raced.

Can you save my sister?

"...!"

Read his mind? Or watched everything?

Didn't matter. His sister's cough echoed in memory.

A beat of silence.

"I'll do it. Contract."

Keywords flashed by.

The spin slowed. Slower. And stopped.

"...What?"

Magical Girl? What the hell?

Before doubt could settle—

Keywords spun faster, shorter.

Stopped.

Magical Girl. And Military.

Kim Woo-jin read it twice, three times. Still didn't compute.

"...?"

The frozen world thawed slowly. Lights flickered anew, the nurse's foot touched down, coughs resumed from the room.

Magical Girl or Military—didn't matter now. One thing did: the constellation had nodded. He could save his sister.

Kim Woo-jin gripped the wall with bloodied hands and stood. Legs shook, but held. He seized the door handle.

This time, no hesitation.

"...How the hell do I explain this?"