Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

To be honest, it was a tempting offer.

Ha-kyung had spent four and a half years wandering through countless gates. Even so, he had only managed to obtain two Ultimate Abyss Fragments. Yet, the moment he stepped into an Abyss dungeon, he had found another fragment almost immediately.

Ha-kyung organized his thoughts.

'I must have failed to find them before because they were hidden in places that are difficult to access.'

There was only one decision for him to make. Ha-kyung looked at Yoon Chang-ho and spoke.

"Fine. I will do it."

"Of course, you would like the conditions to be the same as they were for the Abyss of Collapse, right?"

"Is that possible?"

"Certainly. It is always better when both parties are clear about what they need from each other."

"Thank you."

"Since we have signed a contract for you to be a guest member, I would like to treat you to a meal, but I have been quite busy lately."

"Ah, that is quite all right."

In fact, that was exactly what he preferred. Ha-kyung did not want to establish a relationship that was too deep. Of course, he might need Black Water’s help later on. Once he found the Ultimate Abyss, he would need highly skilled individuals.

However, the guild master's recruitment drive was so strong that it felt a bit burdensome. After finishing the contract, the two men left the reception room. Yoon Chang-ho went to organize the raid team, and Ha-kyung prepared to head home.

But a commotion broke out in the hallway.

"Why are we handing over artifacts on such generous terms? We were the ones who led the raid in the first place!"

"Team Leader! This is completely irrational!"

Several Awakened people were protesting loudly. A man in a suit was sweating profusely as he tried to calm them down. He appeared to be the head of Black Water’s general affairs team.

"The Master is currently negotiating, so please, compose yourselves for a moment."

"Did you not say the decision has already been made? Does that not mean our distribution shares have already been lowered?"

"We do not know the exact details yet."

Ha-kyung scanned the crowd and saw quite a few familiar faces. They were the Black Water guild members he had encountered in the Abyss of Collapse—specifically, the ones who had been expelled from the boss's nest mid-fight, not the four he had personally saved.

Yoon Chang-ho’s expression hardened. Just as he was about to say something, someone else stepped in.

"Are you really asking for more money now, after you all jumped off because you were afraid of being hit by an ultimate skill?"

It was Seo Jun-hyuk, the rising star healer of Black Water who had been trying to build rapport with Ha-kyung. His sharp remark hit home. The protesting Awakened turned their anger toward him instead.

"What do you know about this, you brat?"

"Hey, what is wrong with you all of a sudden? We are in the same guild; you should be protesting with us! Are you abandoning your team?"

Guild members usually shared a deep bond because they lived and died together in the hellish Abyss. Because of that, they sometimes succumbed to irrational groupthink, easily sympathizing with any perceived unfairness within their ranks.

Having lived the guild life himself, Ha-kyung understood this all too well. However, Seo Jun-hyuk did not seem intent on backing down.

"If it were not for Lee Ha-kyung, that raid would never have succeeded. We shouldn't have had ownership of those rewards in the first place."

"This kid just keeps going, doesn't he?"

The situation looked like it might escalate into a fistfight. Yoon Chang-ho stepped in at the perfect moment.

"What do you all think you are doing here!"

His voice carried an uncharacteristic fury. The protesting Awakened immediately shut their mouths. Unlike the general affairs team leader, the Guild Master was not someone they could openly defy.

Soon, Yoon Chang-ho turned to Ha-kyung with an apologetic look.

"I apologize for showing you such an unsightly scene. They are young prospects, so they still lack maturity."

"It is fine. That can happen."

In truth, Ha-kyung was also at an age where he would be considered a prospect. But his experience was on a different level. He was a veteran warrior who had explored the deepest parts of the Abyss alone, almost every single day for four and a half years.

At Yoon Chang-ho’s rebuke, the protesters scattered. They simply didn't have the mettle for anything more. Ha-kyung offered a parting greeting to Yoon Chang-ho.

"I will be on my way now."

"Yes. Get home safely. I will see you on the day of the raid."

Ha-kyung intended to leave the Black Water headquarters immediately. However, he locked eyes with Seo Jun-hyuk in the hallway.

"……."

They shared an awkward nod. Ha-kyung felt a bit of gratitude toward him for speaking up on his behalf. Still, he felt this level of distance was best for both of them. Ha-kyung quickly returned home.

***

A few days later.

Ha-kyung joined the Black Water raid team. The looks he received were still far from friendly. They felt as though he had stolen the boss's rewards from them. The reality of the situation didn't matter to them; they just needed someone to blame.

Ha-kyung ignored the subtle glares and moved forward.

'Let them think whatever they want. I only care about getting the Ultimate Abyss Fragment.'

Soon, Yoon Chang-ho inserted a golden key into the center of a stone gate.

Rumble! Thud!

[You have entered the dungeon ‘Abyss of Loathing’.]

[This is a special space where curses stack over time.]

[Navigate the maze and defeat the Pain Bringer.]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Restriction: 60 People]

[Reward: Unknown Artifact]

A system message appeared before his eyes. It was an Unknown grade, just like the Abyss of Collapse, but the player limit was sixty people—twice as many. That meant the difficulty was significantly higher.

At any rate, it was a dungeon with a unique name. As Ha-kyung read the description, he celebrated inwardly.

'An unknown artifact? That might just be an Ultimate Abyss Fragment.'

The possibility couldn't be ruled out. An inexplicable sense of anticipation began to swell within him. However, progress on the raid was sluggish. They had been wandering in the same area for two hours already. The scale of the maze was much larger than expected, and it was incredibly complex.

"Wow! I cannot even get a sense of this place."

Even the veteran scouts of Black Water were shaking their heads. Ha-kyung was also skilled at pathfinding, but he didn't bother stepping forward.

'If I stand out too much, I will just attract more resentment.'

It was then. Suddenly, a thrill surged through his entire body. His heart dropped, and a warm sensation raced up his spine.

[‘Soul Brand’ is detecting traces of a fragment.]

'It is here!'

He was glad he had joined Black Water. To think he would find another fragment in just a few days. His heart began to thrum with excitement. Ha-kyung calmed his racing heart, but a strange sensation suddenly pierced his mind.

He felt an abrupt sense of dissonance. He tilted his head in confusion.

'What is this? Why all of a sudden……'

A chilling intuition took hold. Ha-kyung reflexively took a defensive stance.

Thud!

He caught something lunging at him from the right and pivoted half a step back. A cold blade stopped right in front of his solar plexus. Ha-kyung looked at the person beside him with an incredulous expression.

A melee dealer from Black Water stood there, a chilling smile on his face.

"Die, you thieving bastard."

His eyes were filled with genuine murderous intent. Ha-kyung had no choice but to counterattack. The opponent’s skill level was too high to rely solely on defense. He slammed his elbow into the man’s jaw and nimbly stepped aside.

Crack!

"Gah!"

The strike landed cleanly, causing the man to stagger. Ha-kyung scanned his surroundings. He saw several Black Water ranged dealers preparing their own attacks. In this situation, his suspicion turned into certainty.

'Is this a trap?'

However, it didn't make sense. There was no reason for Black Water to take such a reckless risk. Soon, Ha-kyung realized the cause.

[A curse is encroaching upon your entire body.]

[It becomes difficult to distinguish friend from foe.]

A piercing tinnitus rang in his ears, and the edges of his vision blurred. Ha-kyung merely frowned slightly. Fortunately, he wasn't severely affected.

'So this is what the curse is like…….'

He had expected a simple stat reduction or damage over time. He hadn't expected it to force allies to fight each other. The structure of the human psyche was complex; he wondered how the dungeon was even capable of achieving this.

Regardless, he couldn't just stand there in shock forever. Ha-kyung quickly put distance between himself and the raid team.

'They have been split exactly along faction lines.'

The core Black Water Guild members, the members of the Chang-un Guild who provided support, and the few guest members were all present. The vast majority attacking were Black Water Awakened, while the rest were fleeing for their lives.

"Those crazy bastards betrayed us!"

"Damn it, run!"

Ha-kyung wanted to escape as well, but he couldn't because the attacks were being focused on him. It seemed they all harbored quite a lot of resentment toward him.

Swish! Swish!

A volley of arrows and magic skills flew toward him. Since they were infused with mana, every single one would be fatal. However, Ha-kyung had the perfect solution to handle this situation.

[The Abyss Challenger’s ‘Distortion’ Authority flips the space.]

Flash!

The various incoming skills vanished in an instant. A brief silence followed. The Black Water Awakened looked bewildered. It was a natural reaction; the skills that had been filling the air had simply disappeared.

Then, something happened that shocked everyone.

Vroom!

A purple disc appeared with a strange vibration. Immediately after, a barrage of ranged attacks began to pour down from the ceiling.

"Th-the attacks we fired are coming back at us!"

"Get out of the way!"

The Black Water Awakened scattered in a panic, completely overwhelmed by confusion. Taking advantage of the chaos, Ha-kyung calmly slipped away.

'This is actually better. I will take this chance to find the fragment.'

Defeating the boss hadn't been his top priority from the start. He had intended to slip away at an opportune moment anyway, and the curse had provided a natural opening. Ha-kyung began to explore the maze-like dungeon.

'The signal is getting stronger.'

He no longer felt the thrill as a shock; he had adapted to the sensations of the Soul Brand. Finally, Ha-kyung stopped walking.

"What? Why did it suddenly cut off?"

The goosebumps that had covered his body were gone. He stood before a wall marked with a small emblem—a light green drawing shaped like the letter 'C.' Ha-kyung scanned the area.

'The signal stopped as soon as I got here. There must be something nearby.'

Suddenly, the drawing began to elongate. Like an arrow, the middle part bent at a right angle. Ha-kyung could only interpret it one way.

"Is it showing me the way?"

The emblem was pointing downward. Ha-kyung stepped back, hooked his fingers into a groove in the floor, and pulled with all his might.

Grind!

To his surprise, a substantial slab of stone was lifted. An underground passage was revealed beneath it. It was a somewhat absurd sight; he would never have dreamed there was a space down here.

"Finding this would have been impossible without the Soul Brand. How else would anyone notice this?"

He shone a mana lantern into the hole. There didn't seem to be any traps. Ha-kyung cautiously climbed down.

Thud! Sizzle!

As his feet touched the floor, a mystical phenomenon began. Various clusters of light floated around him. He didn't know why this was happening, but he understood instinctively.

'This is also a type of test. A puzzle.'

Sure enough, a system message appeared immediately.

[You have reached a hidden secret room in the dungeon.]

[The secret room’s trial is ‘Avoid Poison’.]

[Success and failure depend on your choice.]

It meant he had to choose the correct one among the many clusters of light. Ha-kyung stood still, staring into the air. Hundreds of light clusters sparkled as if tempting him. Only one was the truth; the rest were traps.

Thump! Thump!

Ha-kyung’s heartbeat gradually accelerated. It was a strange phenomenon, but he quietly observed himself. Then, the clusters of light began to move in rhythm, as if synchronizing with him. A thrilling sensation flowed through his entire body.

The Soul Brand was sending a signal. Finally, one cluster of light emitted a subtle rhythm. His instinct whispered to him.

"This is it."

Just as Ha-kyung’s fingertips were about to touch the faint cluster of light, his vision suddenly went black.

Snap!