Strange Phenomena (1)
Abyss Castle. Aria paced restlessly around the room. One step. Another step. She bit her nails anxiously. Normally, there should have been contact by now. But yesterday, and even today, there was no word.
"Why hasn't there been any contact? Erisa was summoned separately... What the hell is going on?"
Frustrated, Aria roughly tousled her hair. Right. Last time, too, Master's soul had wavered unstably. So there was no doubt—something had happened to Master this time as well. Even if the soul's fluctuations seemed fine, there was something she didn't know about.
Reaching that conclusion on her own, Aria clenched her fists with a hardened expression.
"That's right! There must be a problem with Master. Right now...!"
"Please stop, Lady Aria. We mustn't bother Master."
Bella, entering the room with a cup of warm tea, cut her off firmly.
"But...!"
"Please maintain your dignity. As a floor guardian, you must set an example."
"I miss Master..."
Seeing Aria's sulky face, Bella finally pressed a hand to her forehead.
"I understand your longing. But thrashing about like this won't solve anything."
"Thrashing? When have I ever...?"
"You've been circling the room nonstop for two hours."
Aria's body flinched. She couldn't argue. Her anxiety had her pacing ever since earlier.
Bella quietly set the tea down on the table. Faint steam rose from the cup.
"Yeah, it's all Erisa's fault. Things have been like this ever since she got summoned by Master."
"That's not the case."
Bella calmly interjected. If she left it any longer, Aria would surely spiral into more delusions.
"Blaming Erisa won't change anything. Master chose to summon her in the first place, so the decision is Master's."
"..."
Aria ground her teeth. She knew it in her head. But that didn't stop it from grating on her. The fact that she, not Aria, had stolen Master's first summons. Just thinking about it drove her madder. And now, the daily contact from Master had suddenly stopped.
She couldn't take it anymore. Even one day without hearing Master's voice felt like thorns sprouting all over her body. This was truly the limit. Aria's eyes shook with unease.
"Bella! It's already been two days since contact was cut off!"
"It's only been two days."
At that moment.
Pah!
A red-and-black light spread through the air. A single butterfly. Bella's gaze snapped upward. Aria swallowed and halted her words.
The small butterfly fluttered before Aria's eyes, then scattered a familiar mana wavelength.
"Can you hear me, Lady Aria?"
"Erisa?"
"Hehe... You seemed troubled, so I came."
Aria's face twisted sharply.
"Here to mock me?"
"As if. Quite the opposite. What you want is just one thing, Lady Aria."
To help Master. And to be summoned by Master again.
Aria's eyebrow twitched.
"...You know, so why ask."
"That's why I prepared something."
Aria's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Prepared?"
A small box emerged from among the butterflies. On black silk lay a ring faintly glowing red. Aria's gaze changed in an instant upon seeing it.
"This is..."
"A ring I made. An item that boosts the wearer's mana."
Erisa's soft, gentle voice lingered in the air.
"Try gifting it to Master. He'll surely be delighted."
Aria stared piercingly at the ring in the box, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Why tell me to give you-made junk? What's your angle?"
"Angle? How hurtful. I just want to help you, Lady Aria. You want to see Master, don't you?"
The words struck home, making Aria's shoulders twitch.
"Don't you need an excuse to talk to Master right now? Use this ring as a pretext to approach him."
Aria's wavering eyes widened clearly. Excuse. Pretext. The words flashed intensely through her mind.
Right, if it's under the guise of a gift, I can naturally see Master.
Aria snatched the floating box from the air. The nail-biting anxiety from moments ago was gone.
"Hehe, I hope it goes well."
With Erisa's laughter, the red butterfly dissolved into motes of light and scattered.
"Bella! I'm going to wash up right now!!"
"Haa... Lady Aria."
Aria bolted out without looking back. In the now-empty room, only Bella remained, letting out a deep sigh.
B-rank Gate, Eroded Cave.
The atmosphere felt off the moment they crossed the entrance. There should have been monster roars by now. But everywhere was eerily silent.
"This is strange..."
Team Leader Kang Min-seok of Special Forces Team 3, at the front, muttered. Five agents behind him scanned the passage tensely.
"Any reactions?"
"No life signs. Or rather... nothing's registering."
The rear detection specialist frowned and tapped his device.
"Equipment glitch?"
"No. But it's too clean. Doesn't make sense for a B-rank gate."
It was exactly that. Reports of odd signs had poured in recently from this gate. Missing persons in a B-rank gate. The Association sent a search team first to check. But contact with that team cut off entirely. With the situation escalating, they deployed an A-rank Special Forces unit directly.
Yet it was weird. The silence was oppressive. That stillness bred a sickening unease.
Splash.
Something squelched underfoot. Kang Min-seok glanced down. Bloodstains. Fresh red trails stretched deep into the cave.
"All units, heighten alert."
Kang Min-seok raised his hand in signal. The agents gripped their weapons. Frontline shields locked up; rear ranged units spread out.
After a few more steps.
"Team leader."
Someone pointed ahead with a trembling voice. Something hung between stalagmites. A person. Or what used to be one. Combat suit shredded, upper body half-gone beyond recognition. Eyes wide and unfocused, impaled on the pillar.
"Fuck..."
Someone cursed under their breath. Kang Min-seok's face hardened instantly. This wasn't a normal attack. It was blatant, one-sided slaughter.
Irregular? No, impossible. A monster that strong would've pinged abnormal mana on radar already. But nothing had.
"Record it. Report to HQ immediately!!!"
Before his order finished.
Drop.
A droplet fell somewhere. Drop. Not water. A lukewarm liquid trickled down Kang Min-seok's cheek. Blood.
He looked up. A black mass dangled from the ceiling. Bat-like, upside-down, humanoid but shredded into thin threads. Featureless face with empty sockets. It stared at him silently.
"All units!!!!"
As Kang Min-seok shouted.
Krunch!
The frontline shieldbearer's head exploded.
"Enemy!!"
Screams erupted. Magic blasted everywhere. Flames roared, ice spears shot up, stalagmites crumbled. But the thing was invisible. Too fast.
"Left side!"
As one agent yelled, his neck snapped off. Blood fountained.
"Behind, behind!!! Kyaaak!!"
A rear support mage floated into the air. Seized by invisible hands, flailing, then smashed into the ceiling. Bones shattered, echoing.
Kang Min-seok gritted his teeth and swung his sword. Clang! He felt it connect. Definitely sliced. But the severed black flesh writhed like liquid and reattached instantly.
"Regeneration...?"
Before he finished, its arm pierced his gut.
"Kuhuk!"
Blood filled his mouth. Knees buckled. Vision blurring, he fumbled for the comms with shaking hands.
Static, static.
"This is... Special Forces Team 3."
Heavy noise, but he pressed on, teeth clenched.
"Anomalous phenomenon occurring. Repeat. This isn't a B-rank gate—kraaak...!"
Krunch.
His words cut to screams. The black shape devoured his head whole.
Hot steam brushed his face. Eugene stirred the broth with a spoon, then slowly took a sip. Rich beef bone flavor spread in his mouth. Gukbap after labor was pure nectar.
"Feels like I'm alive..."
After circling Crimson Fang Canyon, gukbap was the first thing on his mind. No matter the superhuman strength, he was still human—hunger didn't care. Equality in hunger felt refreshingly fair.
Bent over his bowl, Eugene eyed his status window while polishing off the gukbap.
Skills: Gravity (S)
B-rank gates definitely sped up leveling. The gains were visible. And wielding shadows like weapons had clicked faster than expected.
At first, it felt awkward. He could shape a sword, but gripping it felt off. But repetition brought the feel—slash timing, thrust angles, power flow.
More options than just crushing with gravity or leaving it to summons. Good sign. More ways to handle surprises.
As Eugene mixed rice into his gukbap for a big spoonful.
Urgent breaking news blared from the restaurant's wall TV.
• Special Forces comms blackout
• Possible mutant gate
• Nearby area access banned
• Unconfirmed entity—different from Irregular