Chapter 233: 25. Sinking

It felt like my body was being pressed down as-is. Even though, in reality, nothing was physically crushing me.

But it wasn’t a sensation I’d never felt before.

The pressure that naturally forms because of the gap in magical power. Goosebumps rose all over my body and my breathing sped up. I wanted to undo the button that was fastened up near my throat to relieve this dizzying suffocation, but my body wouldn’t move.

I rolled my eyes around to grasp the situation, but everything my gaze touched was opaque. Like I’d been swept up and dragged under by something.

‘Did I get swept up by the Dungeon?’

The last thing I saw was something like a massive black wave covering my body. Not sure you could even call it a wave, though.

‘I have to get out.’

It was instinct. I was certain that if I didn’t get out of here, I’d die. No—maybe I was already a step away from dying.

That enormous magical power was pressing down on my whole body, to the point it was hard even to breathe. With every second that passed, the certainty that my breathing would cut off grew stronger.

‘Right now....’

Yeah. Right now. I need to get out right now....

But how?

‘Think.’

Either way, my current magical power wasn’t all that different from borrowing a portion of the fiend’s magical power. And for now, even the maximum magical power I could put out was just pulling in that bastard’s power inside my body.

I grabbed the brace I’d been wearing to suppress my magical power.

Depending on your level of awakening, your physical Rank changes naturally too. Even if it was stats boosted by the fiend’s magical power, for me to live as a fiend’s host, my overall stats had risen across the board. Even if my magical power hadn’t stabilized, so I had to feel the sensation of that thing going berserk inside me.

But that “unstable” state......

Sometimes, it ends up being an advantage.

I quickly took off the brace and shoved it into my pocket. Maybe because I’d been hit by that enormous magical power, the magical power inside me started boiling up irregularly. My heart pounded violently, and I felt a tingling numbness at the tips of my hands and feet.

Unstable magical power that wouldn’t be properly suppressed surged up on its own.

‘Even so, what a B-rank fiend can do in an S-rank Gate is limited.’

Just the fact that a mere B-rank is breathing inside an S-rank Gate is impressive. I gritted my teeth and concentrated the magical power flowing through my body into a single point as much as I could.

Yeah—if I can just get a gap to breathe....

There was no time to hesitate. The very next moment, I fired my magical power into empty air, to pry open a gap in this enormous magical power wrapped around my body.

KWAANG—!

It felt like I’d been struck by something huge and ricocheted off. More than pain, it was pure impact.

‘Ugh....’

Gritting my teeth, I broke out to somewhere I didn’t even know. Panting, I twisted my body to disperse the shock as much as possible.

Maybe because of what just happened, my breathing wouldn’t go back to normal.

I couldn’t even tell whether I’d succeeded, or completely failed.

Of course, it wasn’t like I had the strength to try again.

Like someone who’d been swimming in the sea and finally hauled themselves up onto a pier, I crawled, bracing myself against the ground. Because I was half-leaning as I lay there, a smooth, skin-crawling cold sensation pressed against my cheek.

I stared at the still-confused, dark void for a while, then closed my eyes.

There was no change in my vision.

How much time passed?

I couldn’t guess whether a lot had passed or I’d just dozed off for a moment, but I slowly opened my eyes.

“Ah.”

Like vocal cords that had been closed for a long time being forced open over time, my mouth parted slowly.

“Kh.”

I cleared my throat and carefully pushed myself up.

‘Where the fuck am I.’

It was so dark I couldn’t figure out where I was at all. Well, either way, the fact that I was inside the Dungeon didn’t change.

Then, beyond that, I felt a shape of magical power. Not just magical power wriggling—some kind of huge current.

I instinctively knew it was dangerous, but I moved my feet toward it naturally. The entire place was covered in enormous magical power anyway. So if I wanted to find a path, I had to take a gamble at this level.

After crossing a distance so long I couldn’t even tell how long I’d walked again, I finally reached that massive magical power.

‘Yeah.’

It was ambiguous from far away, but up close there was something I could tell for sure.

Name: Im Haekyung

Age: 33

Rank: S

Title: -

Main Skills: Brainwashing (S), Mental Suppression (S), Mental Domination (S), Dispel (B)

With magical power this strong, it had to be this side.

When I stepped closer, Im Haekyung was standing there. Everything around was dim, but the moment I recognized Im Haekyung standing there, the floor naturally came into focus.

But I couldn’t get any closer. Like something was blocking me.

“.......”

I stared at Im Haekyung for a moment, then took a step back.

The situation registered... very slowly.

‘Ah.’

I felt like I got the gist of how this space worked. It wasn’t much different from the place where they’d gathered a bunch of A-rank Hunters earlier and showed each of them their fear. If I had to pick a difference, it was that the magical power right in front of me now was overwhelmingly stronger than the magical power the Dungeon Boss had shown, and......

That I couldn’t see it up close.

So when I got knocked out by that magical power earlier, it looked like I’d really crossed over through some kind of gap.

Then was Im Haekyung looking at something they were afraid of right now?

But the expression I could glimpse looked too calm for that. Like they knew it was something that would never happen.

Im Haekyung stared up into empty air and stayed still without a word for a while, then opened their mouth slowly.

“Mm, something like this? I’m... scared of something like this?”

What the hell are they looking at?

Then Im Haekyung’s Status Window flashed.

And I saw one more familiar Status Window.

Mental Domination (S) has been activated.

Why the hell would they use that here?

A Mental Domination Skill that stretched out with no target—trying to dodge it was pointless. It would reach me in an instant.

“What the fu—”

That familiar sensation of Mental Domination spread through my head fast. For a very brief moment, it felt like my lungs were being crushed by that enormous magical power, then it became unbelievably comfortable just as quickly. Like the rejection had never existed in the first place.

And, unbelievably, in an instant, the dim darkness of my vision changed.

Im Haekyung was sitting alone, gaze fixed out the window. Their expression looked about the same as usual—like they didn’t care at all. No, they even looked a little annoyed. Or maybe....

I narrowed my eyes slightly and turned my gaze outside.

Beyond the wide window, the outside was a disaster. The streets were burning, buildings were collapsing, Gates were opening all over the place, and the wounded were rolling around on the ground.

‘This is....’

It was a shockingly similar moment of ruin.

Then did that mean Im Haekyung feared “ruin”?

‘Doesn’t feel like it.’

I had no basis, but I was sure.

The corner of Im Haekyung’s mouth, which had been lifting very slightly until just now, sank lower and lower.

Then a voice came from behind Im Haekyung.

“Aren’t you going out?”

I turned my head reflexively, but all I could feel was that someone was standing there—no face. Maybe because they weren’t someone who strongly affected Im Haekyung’s fear, so they’d been blurred out.

Im Haekyung answered in a calm voice without turning around.

“Even if I go out... I don’t think anything will change.”

“.......”

“It’s already reached a level that can’t be undone. Even if I put in a little more strength, how many do you think I’ll save.  And even if they survive, it’d only be extending their lifespan for a little while.”

“How can you be sure?”

Im Haekyung muttered softly, like talking to themselves.

“Sure?”

“.......”

“Even if it’s not me, everyone’s sure. Still, I think it’s fine to have hope. If you at least have that when you die, it’s a bit better.”

“Are you afraid?”

“Of what?”

Only then did Im Haekyung turn around, blinking like they really didn’t understand. They didn’t actually fail to understand—their way of speaking was the kind that made the other person restate it once more.

Sure enough, the thing hesitated for a moment, then added slowly.

“Of the world ending....”

“No. I predicted it, at least a little.... Out of what I predicted, this is the worst result, though.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

At that question, Im Haekyung stared at the desk as if thinking carefully. The answer came a moment later.

“I don’t know. That all of this... didn’t really mean anything?”

“.......”

“It’s a pretty weird thing, isn’t it. In an instant the world changes violently, people change, it gets close to ruin.... I thought it meant something. Or that there was a purpose. But there isn’t really anything like that. Or maybe... I die without ever knowing.”

“.......”

“Either way, it’s not great.”

Without realizing it, I covered my mouth with my hand at Im Haekyung’s words.

‘Ah.... I shouldn’t laugh.’

So this was it?

Maybe because I was peeking at someone else’s fear more easily than I expected, I almost laughed. What Im Haekyung was afraid of...... was just “meaninglessness”?

‘Huh.’

Since they’re goal-oriented, I guess it makes sense.

Honestly, it probably wasn’t a doubt or fear only Im Haekyung had.

But other people would be more likely to fear something a bit more primal than this. The fact that Im Haekyung could fear something like this was proof that they were overwhelmingly strong compared to most things.

Not death, not the world ending—being afraid that there was no reason for why this shit happened.

I felt like I could understand it, and like I couldn’t.

And the very next moment, the building Im Haekyung was in—presumably Haeseong’s building—collapsed. Even while watching the building in front of them crumble, Im Haekyung’s expression didn’t really change.

Maybe because they’d already gone through the fear once.

‘Ah.... Who would’ve thought.’

I lowered my hand slowly and thought.

Peeking at Im Haekyung’s fear was more profitable than I expected. First, it was good that I could intuitively know what they feared....

And second—

‘Even if it’s blocked, Skills... still work.’

Yeah. That.

Without hesitation, I created ice and pierced straight °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° through this blurry barrier.

JJEONG—!

I didn’t think it was made of anything physical, but the barrier pierced by ice had a hole open in an instant. Then the whole barrier shattered and fell apart with a crash.

“Ha ha....”

In that moment, my eyes met Im Haekyung’s. Were they looking at me? Or like that other bastard in the fear I saw earlier, maybe they were looking at something with a blurred form.

Either way, it didn’t matter.

This time too, I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed Im Haekyung’s hand tightly and yanked them toward me.

“Wh—”

“.......”

“...Jehyun?”

And then, I drove my fist clean into the side of their jaw.

PPEOK! The sound rang out bright and crisp.