The Giant Red Eye
Jeong Sira looked tense as she took a deep breath, then slowly twitched her fingers while muttering.
“Skill, ‘Unbreakable Topaz’.”
A yellow-orange light spread out before them like an aurora.
“Form shape. Ascend, straight. Ascend width 10, straight width 10. Repeat 30 times.”
As she issued the command for the light's shape, the vast expanse condensed and moved like a mouse cursor, soon transforming into a narrow staircase rising into the sky.
Seoya placed her foot on the lowest step and kicked it hard. Its hardness was far superior to anything she could make with her own mana.
“Then, I’m off.”
After a short greeting, Seoya bolted up the stairs toward the high sky without waiting for a reply.
With each step Seoya took, the ground grew farther away and the air grew colder. She was leaping toward the heavens.
“Ugh.”
As she drew closer to the black hole, the wind began to whirl fiercely, and Seoya tensed her legs to avoid plummeting downward. The pitch-black sky made it hard to discern her surroundings.
“This hole’s way bigger than I thought.”
Of course, since the hole couldn’t be touched, she couldn’t just close it with her hands—and besides, it was far too massive for that anyway.
The only thing I can try is mana.
Seoya’s yellow eyes flashed as blue mana seeped out from her body. Through her bright yellow vision, she could make out objects even in the utter darkness.
She spread her mana wide like tongs, moving it to the edges of the hole, and tried to narrow it using her power. But...
No good.
The hole wasn’t something that could be manipulated by mana.
How the hell do I close this thing?
In the meantime, a black lightning bolt struck once, and black energy poured from inside the hole, slamming into the ground.
What’s in there, anyway?
Suddenly, curiosity bubbled up in Seoya. Given this dungeon’s setup, the black hole was the source of the Mutants. So what exactly was at the source of the Mutants?
Unable to resist, Seoya walked up the stairs to right beneath the black hole and looked up.
“Gasp!”
The moment she locked eyes with what was inside, Seoya’s eyes squeezed shut, and the shock drained the strength from her body.
“Ah.”
And in the next instant, Seoya’s body flipped upside down as she plummeted downward—toward the stairs, toward the ground.
Seoya wrapped layer upon layer of mana around her body to brace for the impending impact, but...
Pfshk—
What caught her wasn’t the hard, rocky ground, but someone’s arms.
As her body was gently lowered to the earth, Seoya looked up to confirm the face of her rescuer.
“Haejun oppa?”
“Miss Seoya, you need to be more careful.”
“I told you to watch out up high? If you slip even a little, you could get hurt, so safety first, always.”
Lee Gayeon, standing beside Park Haejun with her weary expression, immediately unleashed a torrent of scolding.
“Gayeon!”
Jeong Sira greeted her with an excited voice. Seeing Lee Gayeon, whom she’d always thought of as the adult in the room, brought Seoya a bit of comfort too.
Lee Gayeon, who had surveyed the surroundings, spoke up.
“Dungeon won’t clear, huh? Looks like it’s not just about killing monsters.”
“Ah, uh... We have to block that black energy coming from the black hole.”
“And what’s with that hologram?”
“That’s just like a story prompt or something... Anyway, we need to close that hole. And the reason I fell from there earlier was...”
Seoya swallowed hard, recalling what she’d seen inside the black hole.
A gigantic, utterly gigantic red eye. So massive she couldn’t even guess its size. Bigger than anything Seoya had ever seen—impossible to compare to any earthly object, unbelievably enormous.
What the hell was that?
Just thinking about it made goosebumps rise again. But peering inside had given her a hint.
“...I got a close look and thought about it. To stop these holograms from spawning, it’s not about closing the hole—it’s about attacking inside it.”
“Pardon?”
Jeong Sira, the only one who grasped what Seoya meant, asked back.
“Think about it—something’s sending that black energy here from in there. There’s something inside... We need to attack it.”
“Is whatever’s in there a monster?”
“No, calling it a monster feels... kinda off...”
Monsters always had grotesque, alien shapes, but they still fell within the realm of human imagination. But whatever was in that hole—aside from the eye—Seoya couldn’t even begin to picture it.
She couldn’t bring herself to call it a monster.
“Can’t attack it barehanded.”
Yeah, whatever was inside exuded an inexplicable pressure, so it was best to avoid direct contact and use a weapon.
Seoya glanced down at the dagger at her waist.
This won’t cut it.
The dagger was too small. To damage whatever was inside... And using the dagger would force her own hand into the hole.
“Need a weapon? I don’t really use one myself.”
“Same here.”
“I don’t have one on me right now either.”
In the end, none of them had anything suitable.
Seoya opened the chat window again.
Seoya shook her head, suddenly exhausted by the chaos.
“Asked for help. So, uh, someone should show up...”
Recalling the pandemonium in the chat, she muttered in a half-hearted tone.
“Told a bunch of people, so at least one’ll get here quick.”
“Do we have to stay trapped here until then?”
Park Haejun said with a slight frown.
“Hold on.”
“What?”
Seoya paused and stared at the system window in front of her.
< Go Heejae (1 S) > has been invited to party <Temporary>.
Accept ▶ / Decline
The moment Seoya accepted the party invite, she sensed someone approaching.
“How are you already here? It’s been like a minute since I asked.”
It was a familiar presence, a familiar gait.
“I tried to get here as fast as possible, but was I too late?”
Go Heejae was walking in, having just entered the dungeon.
“How the heck did you get here in one minute?”
Seoya muttered in bewilderment.
Go Heejae replied in his usual impassive tone.
“I happened to be passing nearby.”
“To be honest, it’s a bit stalkerish and suspicious.”
Park Haejun eyed him warily, while Lee Gayeon looked ready to call 112 the second they got out. But Seoya’s face lit up.
Go Heejae always carried a massive longsword tucked into his coat at the waist.
“Lemme borrow your sword!”
Go Heejae handed it over with a flicker in his eyes as Seoya snatched it away. Lee Gayeon nodded approvingly, thinking, That’s our girl—no hesitation asking for someone else’s stuff.
“When you borrow from someone, say thanks.”
“Oh, right. Thanks for lending it.”
Of course, she didn’t forget the parenting book advice.
“Jeong Sira, make the stairs again!”
“Got it!”
The familiar staircase unfolded before Seoya once more.
Go Heejae’s sword was quite large for Seoya—reaching nearly to her chin. It was hefty too; she wondered how he managed to carry it around his waist.
“This time, I can do it.”
No matter how terrifying the thing inside the black hole was, she wouldn’t back down now.
Seoya took a deep breath before facing it again, then dashed up into the sky once more.
I’ve always been strong, so I won’t retreat.
As her body neared the black hole, Seoya leaped high, gripped the sword with both hands, and thrust it inside.
She felt the blade sink deep into something.
“Got it.”
Having poured all her strength into the midair swing, Seoya plummeted to the ground again.
But this fall was different from before.
Above the plummeting Seoya, the black hole was slowly, steadily closing.