Flood (1)
When I stared down at my smartphone, Tilia looked flustered, then tried hard to hide that fluster.
“I’ll take a look. Just hold it steady.”
“Is it okay to look at it?”
“Nothing says you can’t.”
Tilia’s hand swept through empty air, and strange symbols or diagrams shimmered into existence, aiming themselves at the phone. I wasn’t exactly afraid they’d fire some kind of beam, but the sight was still ominous.
Even so, I ignored the glowing text on the screen and checked the stored files instead. Photos—perfectly fine. Videos—same. Diary… reading it now, in the clear light of a sane morning, felt strangely awkward, so I didn’t linger, but most of it looked intact. Music was fine too.
Relieved, I glanced up at Tilia. She was moving her hands with a dead-serious expression. Ha Eunha asked,
“…Master, is something wrong?”
“It’s not wrong, but it could be wrong.”
“What does that even mean?”
This time Mare asked. My daughter stood with her arms crossed, wearing an expression that practically screamed, ‘You didn’t turn Father’s short sword into a longsword? How blasphemous.’ The scientist ignored it and answered.
“Depends on who did it. The odds are high that it was already like this before I touched it.”
Her tone was strange. It carried the quiet certainty that no one short of her own caliber could have pulled it off. I wasn’t the only one who noticed; Mare tilted an eyebrow.
“Is it that difficult?”
“Yes. Extremely. If it’s at the level of tampering with reality, you’d need at least an ultimate-rank spatial spell, a deception spell, or a linguistic spell crafted to look that way.”
Not many mages could manage something like that, she said. I wondered if this really warranted that level of concern. The printed content certainly seemed significant, but I had no way of knowing if it was true. If it was, though, it was a pretty big deal.
Tilia continued, “At minimum, you’d need an archmage.”
With a grave face, she twisted the floating symbols in the air and moved them around. I honestly couldn’t tell what any of it meant, but it didn’t look like things were going well. She spoke with conviction.
“Tower Master Blair, the Elf Queen, Abella of the Magic Bullet… there are many archmages, but none of them could pull off this kind of manipulation. Except me.”
“Then… could it be a god?”
It was a casual remark, but Tilia’s eyes sparkled.
“There’s a possibility. If it’s the God of Magic, it’s possible.”
“Huh? What about darkness or something?”
Considering that it favored me, the possibility seemed more than enough. Tilia looked skeptical. To be precise—
“I don’t know.”
“Well, yeah, I guess.”
“That’s not what I mean. I mean I don’t know what darkness is capable of.”
Had I cut her off too soon? When I looked at Tilia, she dismissed the magic floating in the air and made a sour face.
“Light could do it too. But if it was darkness, that would be worse. We don’t know what darkness can do or what it can’t.”
That was unexpected.
“What do you mean?”
“It means we know none of its exact limits, primary domains, purposes, objectives, or policies. Father.”
“Don’t we? Adversity, chaos, fear, and the labyrinth—”
“Those are only the things confirmed to be under darkness’s rule. No one knows its exact limits.”
This time Tilia answered. She looked somewhat exhausted as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her white coat.
“No one knows how far the blessings of darkness can go. A truly vast number of things are possible. Countless living beings can merge into one, fuse with labyrinth technology, or even let the dead move with a single blessing. And I’m not even a lich.”
Even though I couldn’t easily understand it all, I at least grasped what she was trying to say.
“So I can’t give you a definite answer. But it would be better if that sly bitch Light was behind it instead. Because if it’s darkness, disaster is guaranteed. So try not to use it, and until we’re certain—”
At least if it was something darkness had done, that would be fortunate. I stared at the smartphone, then reflexively tapped the glowing text on the screen.
“Why won’t it listen?”
Tilia frowned slightly, but I barely heard her.
[!FLOOD ALERT!]
“…Something like this popped up. It’s not broken, right?”
Anyone could see it was serious. I flipped the screen toward Tilia. She froze for a second, then her eyes widened. The dumbfounded expression she’d been wearing vanished in an instant.
“A flood…?! What—where—!”
Reflexively, she tapped the screen. The words Flood Warning flickered briefly, then a map of Seoul appeared.
From Nowon District through Jungnang, Dongdaemun, Seongdong, all the way to Yongsan. Every single point that could be called a subway station was blinking and glowing. Seeing the simultaneous bursts of light, I understood even though I hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Seongdong District, near Wangsimni Station.
The five adventurers moved in perfect harmony. They matched each other’s breathing, covered one another’s gaps, and maximized every member’s strengths. Easy to say, but incredibly difficult to actually do. Even with the Adventurers Guild’s training and matchmaking programs, synchronizing that well took years.
These people had reached that level. They didn’t just faithfully perform their roles—they elevated one another through perfect synergy. It was only possible after years of adventures, mutual understanding, and deep bonds.
They wielded that advantage without reservation.
“Hup!”
The middle-aged man stepped forward. He twisted his waist powerfully and swung his axe-spear, smashing a hobgoblin’s head. As the creature convulsed, he blocked the weapon swinging in from behind with a single fluid motion.
Clang!
The hobgoblin’s club bounced off the spear shaft instead of reaching him. In that opening, a thick crossbow bolt screamed through the air.
Crunch!
The headless body toppled with a heavy thud. The dwarf holding the crossbow almost as big as himself let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha! One more down!”
Beside him stood the cat beastkin. She nocked an arrow, drew, and released. The shot curved beautifully and took out the heads of two labyrinth hounds that had been trying to flank the warrior. She immediately drew her longsword and sliced apart the bat flying at her.
“Not yet?!”
At her sharp cry, the mage who had been protected at the rear raised his staff high while muttering an incantation.
Thud!
The staff slammed down, radiating fierce light.
“It’s ready! Now!”
The magic formed from that light was an advanced time spell. A wide-area selective freeze—proof of a skilled mage. Group Halt.
The charging monsters froze solid. Even so, there were far too many. Normally they wouldn’t have been able to finish them all before the spell expired, but this party was different.
The woman at the center of the group, who had been clenching her fist, burst forward. Her skin was crimson, and the scales on her face gleamed pure white. Her white hair whipped behind her as she charged, her mouth burning bright red with searing heat.
The signature technique that came to mind first when one thought of dragons. Dragon’s Breath.
As a mystic of the dragon, she unleashed it from her lips.
Kwaaaaaaaaah—!
Flames roared out in a torrent. The monsters, unable to even blink, were mercilessly engulfed. They screamed in unison, writhing and burning, reduced to ashes in seconds.
Perfect coordination. Having slaughtered countless monsters without a single scratch, the dragon mystic rolled her neck.
“How about it? Any more?”
At her words, the cat beastkin Enica, whose cheek bore a scar, shook her head.
“None. It’s clean.”
“Good. We can finally rest. We’ve been moving all night, so let’s take a break.”
“Finally. I’m about to drop dead from exhaustion.”
“Stop whining. Where are we camping?”
“Let’s set up just ahead.”
Before moving any farther, the adventurers decided to rest. Their muscles were still tingling from combat, they hadn’t caught their breath properly, and they hadn’t even eaten a proper meal.
They headed toward the entrance of the underground labyrinth clearly marked Wangsimni Station. It was a reasonable choice. In Seongdong District, monsters usually didn’t appear inside underground labyrinths. Even if something did show up, it would be easier to respond from the stairs.
Coming out meant going in, going in meant coming out. It was a decent campsite that allowed them to react in either direction. A bit cold, but they figured it wasn’t a problem.
Instead of lighting a fire where they gathered, they each found comfortable spots—leaning against the wall, spreading something to sit on, and so on. Only the dragon mystic, the party leader, remained standing.
“Don’t you think the monsters have been unusually ferocious lately?”
The sudden remark made the cat beastkin Enica’s ears twitch.
“Ah, definitely. I heard new species are appearing too. Maybe that’s why.”
“New species?”
“Yeah, apparently based on trolls. The guild is still investigating.”
While listening to the dwarf and the middle-aged human warrior, she saw the mage open his mouth.
“The Magic Tower thinks there may be mutated specimens as well.”
Mutated specimens, the cursed ones, those with names. Monsters strong enough to earn a name, blessed by darkness. Twisted, powerful creatures warped by that blessing.
Enica shuddered at the thought of such monsters.
“Our request isn’t about dealing with those things, so we should be fine, but it might be better to avoid heading toward Seongdong District for a while.”
Enica nodded in agreement. She had once been a famous high-class adventurer, but after experiencing the outer edges of the labyrinth, she had been broken. Now she was content with small jobs that could at least put food on the table.
She rummaged through her pack, pulled out some nuts and honey-glazed cookies, unwrapped them, and popped one in her mouth. She closed her eyes at the rich, satisfying flavor and twitched her ears.
—Hee hee.
Until the sudden giggle rang out.
‘Who is that?’
She rolled her eyes. Reflected in her sunset-colored pupils were only her resting companions and the leader still standing, staring into the Wangsimni Station entrance.
“Something feels off.”
The voice came when their eyes met. Enica tilted her head. Her senses were clearly as sharp as Enica’s own. All dragon mystics were like that. Overwhelming physical ability, defensive scales, draconic senses and breath, and a presence that naturally placed them at the vanguard.
Her senses might fall slightly short of Enica’s, but they were still trustworthy. And no matter what happened, she would be fine.
“Should we move the campsite?”
“Yeah, maybe we should—”
That was when it happened. The moment they relaxed and spoke.
From inside the Wangsimni Station entrance, a pitch-black mist surged upward. There was no time to react. The mist shot out, wrapped around the dragon mystic’s body, and dragged her inside. Nearly two hundred kilograms of weight and dense muscle were pulled helplessly down the stairs.
While Enica was still stunned—
“Shit, I can’t see—ack, aaaaaaaaagh!”
The sound of flesh being crushed rang out. Scales being torn off, bones ripping free from meat. Then came the roar of flames, the sounds of thrashing limbs, desperate resistance, and a scream that sounded like it was being ripped apart.
Everyone froze, listening as if they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Then came a snapping sound, a wet gurgle, and the scream cut off.
Enica’s eyes widened as she unconsciously drew a ragged breath. The black mist slowly cleared. At the same time, a song began.
It was an innocent, childish harmony. Cheerful voices rising, using one another’s voices as instruments in an endlessly repeating chorus. Despite how lively the song was, Enica couldn’t shake the chill racing down her spine.
‘There are too many.’
The song pouring from inside the station was far too numerous. She couldn’t even count how many. And that song was coming from every exit at once.
“What the—fairies? How…? This is Seongdong District!”
“Celia! Celia! What the hell is going on—everyone up! Grab your weapons!”
The fairies of the Skin Bazaar were here. That alone was strange, but it was conceivable. This was a flood. A flood would explain it. But even in a flood, could a dragon mystic really die without being able to put up any resistance?
Enica felt a deep sense of wrongness. It was soon replaced by the rising mist. When the black fog parted, someone emerged from within.
It was a naked girl. Not an adult—something else. Her bare body was smooth, shockingly clean, and beautiful. Her modest breasts and rare curves belonged to an unripe woman, and droplets of blood were scattered across that skin.
She resembled a fairy but was larger. An innocent face. Yet her mouth was drenched in thick blood and chunks of flesh. The flesh still had white scales and red skin attached.
The girl smiled brightly and began to sing.
“—♪”
A beautiful melody that made one forget to breathe. Boiling black mist. But Enica turned and ran faster than she could regain her senses. Even knowing her companions would die, she fled in instinctive terror.
Because only she had realized what that thing was.
The unexplored regions known as the domains of darkness. The barrier. The hell that always boiled with fire and lava—Yellowstone National Park. The Pacific Ocean, home to the Dragon God—or rather its remains—and all manner of monsters. Those extremely dangerous areas that only the greatest adventurers could enter. The outer edges of the labyrinth.
This was a monster from one of those places.
The land steeped in the labyrinth’s toxins where only mythic monsters survived. The nymph of Chernobyl.
Enica ran, fleeing the monster that had once driven her to despair.