Chapter 56

Chapter 56

 

Lee Ha-kyung was staring into empty air where there was nothing.

It looked extremely strange on the outside, but he had pierced through the essence of it.

Because he had pinpointed his opponent’s location exactly.

Perhaps it had been quite startled.

The hidden presence vanished in an instant.

Lee Ha-kyung shook his head sharply.

‘This isn’t the time for this.’

He immediately sprinted, stepping across the cascading earth and sand.

Whether the ground was flowing downward or not.

Wall-Walking Steps could step on and run across anything.

Lee Ha-kyung checked his team members’ locations.

‘If I don’t save them quickly, they’ll all be buried.’

Even if there was a space down below, it would be dangerous all the same.

Whirrr!

Dozens of gray-white lines shot out from Lee Ha-kyung’s hand.

He intended to pull his team members up with Refinement Rope.

The first person he caught was screaming in a way that did not suit his size.

“Kyaaaak! Fucking save me!”

“You must be producing a lot of estrogen these days. Very girlish.”

“What the hell are you talking about, bro? John is a manly man!”

“Stop talking nonsense and grab the old man next to you, your boyfriend!”

At Lee Ha-kyung’s shout, John turned his head to the left.

There, Ma Do-hyuk was flailing as he was swept away by the earth.

John looked at Lee Ha-kyung with eyes like Puss in Boots.

“Can’t we just let that bastard die?”

“Do you think that would be okay?”

“Fffucking shiiit!”

He said that, but John moved diligently.

He threw Refinement Rope to his companions.

Thanks to that, Lee Ha-kyung was able to grab everyone quickly.

‘Done. Now I just have to pull them up.’

Dadadadadat!

Lee Ha-kyung moved his feet like mad.

Perhaps because he had been using Wall-Walking Steps for so long.

His head spun.

Because more and more Mana and Abyss Energy were being consumed.

Of course, he could not stop here.

If he did, they would end up exploring the underground world as a group.

Or perhaps they might see the live-burial ending.

Tap, tap, tap! Step!

Lee Ha-kyung finally set foot on solid ground.

Then he practically lay his body flat against the ground.

Because if he did not, he felt as though he would be dragged in.

Before he knew it, a groan was slipping from his mouth.

“Nghhhh!”

But something was a little strange.

There were nine of them, but should they really be this heavy?

With Lee Ha-kyung’s abilities, it should have been normal for him to pull them up easily.

However, no matter how hard he strained, he remained in place.

In the end, he had no choice but to take special measures.

‘This won’t work. I need to find another way.’

Lee Ha-kyung first divided the Refinement Rope between both hands.

He pulled only one strand out separately and yanked it hard.

Then it felt as though he had become a fisherman.

Because something enormous suddenly shot upward.

As though he had pulled a huge catch out of the water.

SPLAAASH―! CRASH!

“Uheok! Holy cow! I really almost died.”

“Ugh! If you have time to talk nonsense, help me with this!”

“Can’t I rest for just a moment? This damn dirt is killing me.”

“John Nager!”

“No, why are you calling me by my full name like my wife does when she’s angry? That’s creepy. Fine. I’m coming. I’m coming.”

John grumbled endlessly, yet still approached Lee Ha-kyung.

Then he began taking the Refinement Rope one strand at a time and pulling.

Thanks to that, the rescue work proceeded smoothly.

Because as time passed, their manpower continued to increase.

In that way, Lee Ha-kyung was able to save every team member.

He was so exhausted that he was on the verge of fainting, but he could not rest immediately.

In case the ground collapsed again, they had to move somewhere safe.

Lee Ha-kyung sprawled out flat on top of a large boulder.

‘So that sticky soil was what increased the weight so much. I nearly suffered Mana Exhaustion.’

With only a little exaggeration, it felt as though each person had weighed about a ton.

In any case, they had made it through the crisis.

But there was a sensation that made Lee Ha-kyung’s whole body tingle.

‘Ah, right. What was that bastard earlier?’

The red glow that Lee Ha-kyung had detected the moment the ground collapsed.

He could not help wondering what its identity was.

His thoughts grew more and more complicated.

‘There were plenty of chances. Then why didn’t it attack?’

It was clear that it had malice.

But he could not understand why it was only watching.

Moreover, there was something even stranger.

The sensation he had felt through Soul Brand.

The Traces of a Fragment had disappeared.

There were roughly two likely guesses.

Lee Ha-kyung stared at the collapsed ground.

‘Either it got swept in there, or that bastard from earlier took it and ran.’

For some reason, he felt as though the latter was the correct answer.

After resting briefly.

Lee Ha-kyung rose with difficulty.

“I do not think we can rest here for long. Let us move.”

“I agree.”

Great Sage also nodded with a sickened expression.

It seemed even that person had never seen such a tremendous natural trap before.

Well, a pit two kilometers in diameter had formed.

How could they not be surprised?

Even Lee Ha-kyung, who had experienced all sorts of hardships, had felt a sense of danger.

Soon, the Raid Team roamed around and explored various parts of The Void.

Then Lee Ha-kyung’s steps suddenly stopped again.

‘This is.......’

[‘Soul Brand’ detects Traces of a Fragment]

Lee Ha-kyung could be certain.

This was not a new Ultimate Abyss Fragment.

It felt exactly the same as it had in the Hollow Mire Field.

At that very moment, Lee Ha-kyung realized it.

‘It’s luring me.’

However, a question still remained.

Who in the world.

And for what purpose were they trying to lure Lee Ha-kyung in?

He immediately called Great Sage.

Because there was no better choice than this person when seeking wisdom.

“Some sort of Signal keeps circling inside your head?”

“Yes, as if it is calling me.”

“If it were something you could simply ignore, you would not have asked me for advice.”

“That is correct.”

“This is troublesome.”

Great Sage fell into deep thought.

Then their eyes soon began to sparkle excessively.

To the point that it felt burdensome for the person watching.

Soon, Great Sage smiled meaningfully and said, “What if we lure it in instead?”

“Pardon?”

“In any case, what the other side wants is you, Ha-kyung, is it not?”

“That seems likely.”

“Then we set out the finest bait. Somewhere very visible.”

Lee Ha-kyung tilted his head.

Because he did not understand it immediately.

Then, the moment he belatedly realized what Great Sage meant.

John and Ma Do-hyuk were already holding him.

“Bro. Apparently, that is how it is.”

“This is what we call a counter-trap.”

Lee Ha-kyung spoke with an absurd expression.

“Do you really think this will work?”

However, his companions paid no attention to his words.

They were merely excited that something entertaining had happened.

Lee Ha-kyung shook his head from side to side.

‘Did all of them get infected by John’s idiot virus?’

***

In the middle of the desolate Void.

Lee Ha-kyung was tied to a metal pillar bare-handed, wearing a hollow expression.

‘As if that bastard would fall for this......’

How much time had passed?

Suddenly, someone appeared before him.

A large figure, roughly two meters tall.

A slender body.

Membranous wings spread wide behind its back.

Its appearance was reminiscent of a Core Guardian.

Except for the head that resembled a canine animal.

The bastard raised the corners of its mouth and said, ―They say humans are more cruel than the creatures of the Abyss, and what a ridiculous state you have ended up in.

Lee Ha-kyung recognized his opponent’s identity immediately.

The red glow that had stared at him from within the darkness.

Because it was the bastard who had carried out the luring operation with the Ultimate Abyss Fragment.

However, Lee Ha-kyung wore an absurd expression.

“Wow....... This actually worked?”

―What does that mean?

“You saw my companions tying me here, did you not?”

―Of course.

“Did you not think that was strange?”

―That is why I watched for quite a long time. I monitored their movements as well. They left without the slightest attachment.

“How far did you follow them?”

―Beyond that mountain.

“That should be roughly five kilometers. But let me ask one thing.”

―Speak.

“What if one of my companions has the ability to open a Wormhole and move through it?”

―......”

Instead of answering, his opponent glanced around.

Then it began sneering with even greater ease.

―If it were a power great enough to open a hole in dimensions, it could not escape my senses. Cease your bluffing.

“I’m telling you, and you still can’t understand it. Anyway, we have time left, so shall I chatter a little?”

―I have nothing in particular to say to you.

“I’m curious. Why does your energy feel similar to the Core Guardian’s? Are you brothers or something?”

―Do not compare me to that shabby bastard.

It had only been a truly light provocation.

He had simply tossed out one remark in passing.

But his opponent’s reaction was quite intense.

What did that mean?

Lee Ha-kyung vaguely grasped the bastard’s identity.

‘So they must be rivals. Or maybe they really are brothers.’

Otherwise, it would not hate him that fiercely.

Since he had already started, Lee Ha-kyung threw out more questions.

“What is this Emperor, exactly? Why did he send you to me?”

―How dare you speak His name so carelessly......

“I did not say His name, though?”

―In any case, how dare you speak of Him so carelessly......

“I did not speak carelessly, though?”

―No, you rotten human bastard. Let me talk.

“Why are you getting so angry? I was just correcting what was wrong.”

―Ahem! In any case, shut your mouth for a moment. His Majesty merely took a brief interest in something as shabby and ugly as you.

If this had been the old Lee Ha-kyung, he would not have had a conversation in this manner.

Perhaps because he had spent so much time with John.

His skill at being irritating seemed to have improved.

In any case, the puzzle had now come together somewhat.

Lee Ha-kyung sorted it out step by step.

“So there is a monster called the Emperor above you and the Core Guardian. And your group is the one that caused the Gate Break?”

―That is quite distorted.

“So are you saying it is right or wrong? If there is something to correct, correct it.”

―What conversation could I possibly have with an uncultured bastard like you? It is roughly similar. Because our goal is to cross over to that world.

“What are you going to do after crossing over?”

―Hehehe! It seems you still do not know the difference between the Upper Floors and The Void. Why do you think this place looks like this?

“Huh?”

As he listened to the wolf-headed, skinny monster bastard speak.

Something flashed through Lee Ha-kyung’s mind.

The Upper Floors of the Abyss and The Void were similar but different.

Because the air in The Void was heavier and more suffocating.

Moreover, there was also a difference in the level of the monsters that lived there.

But if the difference amounted to only that much, there would be no reason to separate them.

Lee Ha-kyung absentmindedly muttered one phrase.

“Earth can become like the Upper Floors?”

―You understand quickly. However, even if you have realized it, it will be useless. Because it will not reach your own kind.

Shing.

His opponent drew a large scythe from behind its back.

Its body was so gaunt that it had no place to hide anything.

Lee Ha-kyung could not help wondering where in the world that had come from.

Soon, the bastard thrust out the eerily gleaming scythe blade.

However, Lee Ha-kyung’s expression was utterly calm.

His opponent bared its fangs and said,

―Your act of composure is laughable.

“I knew it from the moment you fell for this pathetic trap. You’re a bit less intelligent than Silent Ruin.”

―What did you say, bastard?

“The fact that you still don’t know this is a trap proves your level.”

Clack! Clack!

Lee Ha-kyung easily undid the handcuffs.

He was bare-handed with no equipment at all, but he was confident.

Because his companions would come here as planned.

Tz-fyung―!

With a strange sound, a dimensional rift formed in the air.

From there, Lee Ha-kyung’s party appeared one by one.

At that, his opponent twisted its brow fiercely and said, ―So the bluff you mentioned earlier was real? How?

“You idiot. It was psychological warfare.”

―Ha! Even so, your fate will not change.

Whoosh―!

Perhaps because its body was similar to a Core Guardian’s.

His opponent’s speed was also tremendous.

It seemed to intend to deal with the bare-handed Lee Ha-kyung first.

Then fight the remaining Raid Team afterward.

However, Lee Ha-kyung’s lips held a confident smile.

He lightly pulled out the metal pillar he had been tied to.

Then slammed it straight into the ground.

CLAAANG! Vrrrrr―!

Soon, an astonishing phenomenon occurred.

[Resonance Pillar activated]

[Absorbs all surrounding energy]