Abyss (2)
Catching monsters and extracting their essences. That was the basic framework of the Exploration Trial.
The Graveyard's guardian, Arepton, and the other entities in secret spaces were no different. They possessed intelligence, yet dropped essences like monsters. And not just that—special rewards appeared too. He figured the being who called herself Setiel would be the same.
But…
Something's off here.
The moment he arrived in Heaven, she had shed her hostility toward Yun-seok. And if there was some kind of misunderstanding, she even offered compensation. It was as if they had their own society and rules separate from everything else.
Yun-seok made a snap judgment.
Time to bail.
The reward was tempting. He had no idea what it was, but it seemed like something impressive. Plus, she'd grown inexplicably friendly after he entered unscathed. Still, he couldn't trust that attitude alone. Stepping willingly into their midst would be no different from handing over his life and death to them.
He was just about to slip back into the darkness when—
Like thunder crashing down, a voice echoed through the entire space.
And then…
“……?”
His body wouldn't move.
A binding skill? Then why hadn't Heart of Freedom activated? Pushing aside the flood of questions, Yun-seok scanned his surroundings.
“Mother!”
The horde of angels charging toward him froze, all staring in one direction. Even Guardian Angel Setiel was no exception. Yun-seok turned to follow their gazes.
Nothing was visible. But an immense presence was undeniably there.
“Yes.”
The thunderous voice rang out again. For some reason, Yun-seok's vision blurred. When he came to and opened his eyes, he was standing somewhere entirely different.
“…….”
The interior of that fortress from before? Probably. Through the window, he could see angels scattering in all directions at some command.
Dragging him here out of nowhere and telling him not to be tense? It was absurd, but somehow those words eased the tension from his body, filling him with calm. Thanks to that, he could assess the situation more coolly.
Challenger…?
Yun-seok latched onto that keyword first. Normally, beings created or recreated by the Tower didn't know about Challengers. They just thought they were living in their original world. Like Namgoong Cheol in the Duel or Kanna and El in the Mission.
“Who are you?”
Yun-seok addressed the invisible presence he could only sense.
No answer came. Somehow, it felt like it was smiling.
Yun-seok asked again.
“Did you create the Tower?”
The Tower created it? What did that even mean? Did it know it was a recreated being? Even without voicing it, a response came.
He'd half-expected it, but it really called itself a god. The existence of gods was shocking enough, but what was the Tower doing, replicating one? Yun-seok suddenly felt like a speck of dust, but he shook it off and pressed on.
“Why did you bring me here?”
“…….”
Nothing from him? He couldn't verify if that was true. But it seemed unlikely such a vast being would lie to him.
“Then what is this place?”
“The afterlife?”
“…….”
It was as it said. What this space originally was didn't matter. It was fake anyway. A space created by the Tower to issue trials. That sparked a question in Yun-seok.
What was the Tower's purpose in making it like this?
It didn't seem designed for fighting and winning. Even if false, this self-proclaimed god seemed to wield near-omnipotent power.
“……?”
“…Then can I receive a reward too?”
Heaven Exploration Completed.
The darkness blanketing the skies of the Abyss had been the secret space itself. Breaking through to Heaven was the clear condition. A bit anticlimactic, but that was it.
A box materialized in the empty space.
He approached cautiously and opened it. Inside lay a silver bracelet, neatly stored.
◈ When the wearer's karma reaches a certain level, abilities unlock, determined by their disposition.
◈ Grants +3 Luck upon equipping.
In short, good deeds unlocked related powers, while evil ones unlocked the opposite…
Midway through reading, Yun-seok furrowed his brow.
Luck…?
There was no such stat in the Challenger info window. What was this?
“How does increased luck affect things?”
“…I see.”
Still, +Luck couldn't be bad. Yun-seok slipped the bracelet onto his wrist. The white bead attached to it turned gray.
Not the words of someone presiding over hell, tormenting sinners eternally… Yun-seok simply nodded. With the reward given, did that mean no more conversation?
Wooong!
A portal opened beyond the box, linking back to the Abyss.
Still in disbelief, Yun-seok lingered before the portal, firing off questions, but no answers came. In the end, he stepped through.
And as he did, in his ear…
* * *
“Guweeeeh!”
Back in the Abyss. Before his eyes adjusted to the dark, hundreds of wraiths erupted from the lava, ablaze. Yun-seok ignored the essences from those bursting like moths in the Light of Purification, lost in thought.
Leave that child in my care…?
What did that final whisper mean?
Only after checking the bracelet again did Yun-seok realize.
[Trejan Cult's Three Divine Artifacts — Heaven's Treasure.]
He'd glossed over it before, but… Trejan Cult. He'd heard of them. The religion of the heretics from his Mission. El had been their shaman in life.
If that being was a god of the Trejan Cult…
Then the "child" might be El.
Not certain, though…
Even if his guess was right, there was nothing he could do. Whether the god asked or not, Yun-seok couldn't do more for El. At most, let her live freely by her own will, as she wished.
Come to think of it, why is she so good to me?
A question he'd harbored for a while. Unconditional kindness. Aside from family, she was the first.
So he'd subtly suspected El of hidden motives.
Kanna's vague about it too.
She said she knew why Yun-seok was chosen but wouldn't elaborate on El. Just take the 14th-floor Mission if he wanted answers.
…Deal with that later.
Yun-seok snapped out of it. He'd had a mystical experience dipping into Heaven, but his goal remained unmet. He'd chosen the Exploration Trial mainly because something here could be taken back to Earth.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Yun-seok spread his wings and rose into the air. Not heading back to Heaven, but flying low enough to avoid the darkness, searching for the Abyss's greater airspace.
But…
“……?”
Just 20 meters up, something caught his eye immediately. A sinkhole? Lava poured into a hole over 30 meters wide.
A clear geological anomaly. Worth investigating.
Just… too convenient.
…Did they plan this?
He'd returned via the portal from Heaven, and right next to the starting point was this. Not begging empty-handed, huh?
Maybe circumstantial, but if intentional, what he sought might be down there.
Whooooom!
Yun-seok approached the hole. Lava cascaded like a waterfall, with a seemingly endless spiral staircase at the center. Likely for other Explorers, but Yun-seok skipped it, flying straight through the gaps.
How much time passed?
Why so deep?
Even after five minutes at over 100 km/h, no end in sight.
But…
Bam!
Crash!
Sizzle!
He encountered one Challenger descending the stairs. A lizardman, gear worn but top-tier. The mark of a proper Explorer? Loaded with uniques: sword, spear, bow—three weapons. Bracelets, necklaces, earrings galore. Even ten rings on his fingers.
He battled endless monsters emerging from wall lava, pressing downward.
…So that's how it's normally done.
Yun-seok slowed, watching from afar.
Impressive. Solo-worthy? Strongest Explorer he'd met. Maybe even stronger than the Duel-spawn demon that invaded Earth.
Makes sense. Missions and Exploration don't cap rewards lower than Duels.
Clearing Unique-difficulty Mission, he'd gotten Duel-level points plus challenge items. Other trials weren't stingy; few pushed limits to grow.
This lizardman warrior proved it. Solo in the wilds, descending steadfastly. Believing hardship yielded rewards, from past experience.
Exploration or Mission—irrelevant. Such types grew strong.
Feel kinda bad now.
Yun-seok Spatial Movement-ed past without meeting him, continuing down.
Another fifteen minutes, the stairs ended. Amid flowing lava, a narrow path led to an iron door. Even wall lava parted around it.
Entering the End of the Abyss.
Whatever came out, he'd end it quick before the lizardman arrived. His only courtesy.
Arriving just late would be deflating.
Wonder if this counts as a good deed?
Yun-seok checked the bracelet. Hard to tell, but the gray seemed deeper…
Probably imagination.