Free Web Novel“Then I’ll go first.”
With that order, Lee Hyunmook leapt down inside. As the distance widened, the chain connecting him to Yohan stretched taut. The very instant he dropped, monsters that until now had ignored them roared and began crawling up the spiraled pit. Raw malice and hostility surged as they swarmed like ants—except each “ant” was a colossal monster. Yohan’s heart pounded wildly, but the others only looked slightly tense, their faces calm.
Immediately, a massive bolt of lightning struck down upon the monsters. With an ear-splitting roar, dozens were reduced to ashes. Yet compared to their total numbers, it was negligible. From the far depths of that endless chasm, monsters that had multiplied, evolved, and divided over countless years now clambered upward like fiends.
“Hoyoung, cast buffs and enter.”
Hyunmook gave the order as more lightning crashed down. Joo Hoyoung stretched out his hand to cast his enhancement buff. But the target was not Hyunmook—it was Yohan.
In truth, it had been this way ever since Hoyoung had joined them. No matter the situation, he always buffed Yohan. Hyunmook and the others already wielded overwhelming force—enough that in the Abyss there were no monsters capable of withstanding them. Strategically, the most efficient course was to strengthen Yohan, the purifier.
As Hoyoung’s power seeped in, Yohan’s purification swelled inside him, ready to overflow. When he imbued the weapon Seo Yakrin had crafted for him, the black-and-white Eternal Stone blazed brilliantly. Yohan wrapped the team in spheres of light, and together they leapt into the very heart of the Abyss.
And then he faltered, stunned.
‘The air... it’s heavy...!’
No, more than stunned—he was shocked. All manner of malice, delusions, and despair seeped into his lungs. For civilians, lingering in a rift for more than two weeks brought mild contamination. But here, even an hour—or ten minutes—seemed enough to cause severe corruption.
“Yohan, are you all right?”
At Seo Yakrin’s question, Yohan drew a deep breath and nodded. He was the purifier—he couldn’t back down over something like this.
“Yes, I’m fine!”
The moment he answered, Hyunmook and the other damage dealers unleashed a storm. Lightning burned, toxins melted, and powerful telekinesis crushed and hurled back the monsters. Ice arrows rained down like a storm. They carved a path, advancing toward the direction of the core.
But that was all. From every side, the monsters swarmed endlessly, like a pack of hounds. Next to him, Joo Hoyoung began to gasp for breath.
It wasn’t because their powers were failing. The more energy they used, the faster the madness set in. Unlike on Earth, when their strength ran low here, contamination seeped in through the emptiness it left. And in this core, the very air was thick, sticky, saturated with foul density.
Yohan steadied himself and strained to send as much light as he could into his comrades. His warm, gentle radiance pushed back the stifling air and soothed them. Yet they hadn’t even crossed a quarter of the pit when Yoon Seungryong was the first to show signs of breakdown.
“Hiik, hiiik...”
A leaking hiss, and then he burst out in giggles. Classic contamination. Horrified, Yohan rushed to him, laid a hand on his body—and felt a dead man’s cold.
“Seungryong-hyung! Get a hold of yourself!”
“Yes, Yohan... I’m perfectly fine. I’ve never felt this good in my life!”
Snickering, Seungryong exhaled thick toxic fumes. The monsters approaching melted away in droves. Seo Yakrin flung the dissolving mess aside and smashed Seungryong’s head with a crack that made «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Yohan flinch.
“You bastard, snap out of it or I’ll beat you to death!”
“Oh really? You want to die? Then why don’t we see if you can do it right here?”
“Bullshit, you dirt-eating worm—you think you could kill me?”
The grin vanished as Seungryong’s gaze turned cold and murderous. Yakrin’s was no different. Watching the killing intent flare between them, sweat trickled down Yohan’s back. Hoyoung, drenched in sweat himself, kept glancing behind them, desperate to flee.
Yohan realized at once—if this kept up, they’d self-destruct before the monsters did.
Just then, Hyunmook, at the front, suddenly fell back and pulled Yohan into his arms. His voice was absolute.
“Retreat, now!”
Thankfully, they still had enough sanity left to obey their captain’s command. Hyunmook led Yohan back toward the Black Mountain’s cave entrance, and instinctively, the others followed his light. The moment they escaped the heart of the Abyss, the frenzied monsters quieted. With glassy, fishlike eyes, they writhed in silence and withdrew back into the depths.
The instant they were clear, Yohan spread a purification field vast enough to cover them all. The cave filled with light, and the panting party members drank it in.
“Hahh, hahhh...”
Drenched in sweat from endless unease, Joo Hoyoung finally calmed. Seo Yakrin and Yoon Seungryong regained themselves. The red gleam flickering in Hyunmook’s pupils slowly subsided as well. Bathed in Yohan’s light, they all slowly came back to themselves in silence.
At last, Seungryong sighed.
“The monsters are bad enough, but the real problem is how fast the contamination advances. ...Yohan, don’t misunderstand. I’m not usually that violent.”
“Yohan, me too... I only acted that way because of the contamination. You know that, right?” freewebnøvel.coɱ
The same two who moments ago had threatened to kill each other now spilled excuses to Yohan. They weren’t on good terms even normally, but Yohan nodded. For now, it was enough that they weren’t trying to murder each other.
“To keep Yohan safe while moving forward, our numbers just aren’t enough.”
Hoyoung pointed it out plainly. He was right—contamination limited their time in the core too severely. While Yohan focused on purification, he was left utterly defenseless, and with monsters swarming from every side, the others couldn’t focus purely on clearing the path.
‘If only we had a tank.’
The thought slipped through Yohan’s mind. If a tank protected him, the others could concentrate on breaking through. Then maybe they could reach the core in time. His teammates, judging by their faces, were thinking the same. Naturally, their minds turned to Sunrise Team’s sub-captain, Lee Chanha, who had once been their tank.
‘But they said Lee Chanha was dead.’
The only one they considered truly lost in this Abyss. Even after nearly a year together, his name was rarely spoken. Not because of grief or longing—but something else. Yohan had avoided mentioning him for that reason as well.
“Pushing forward like this is too great a risk. We can’t do it.”
Hyunmook made the call. After their ordeal in the core, everyone agreed. Yohan, though disappointed, accepted it. Fighting until someone was badly hurt was one thing—but the true worst case would be one of them losing to contamination, breaking, and bolting into the chasm of thousands, tens of thousands of monsters. Retrieving them then would be impossible.
Yet Hyunmook and the others didn’t seem surprised by the failure, so Yohan finally asked,
“Did you all expect us to fail?”
“Well... look at how many monsters there are. And beyond that, the contamination is just too severe.”
At Hyunmook’s explanation, everyone nodded. Yohan was the only one who had still harbored hope of success. Hoyoung, looking most dejected, sighed deeply, pulled out his game console, and muttered,
“There’s no angle to clear it. In game terms, this is a raid where the party’s attack power and resistance just aren’t enough.”
Yohan lowered his head. Meanwhile, since they rarely used up this much strength, they allowed themselves to rest fully in the cave. Everyone seemed subdued, but none more so than Hoyoung. He fiddled with his console listlessly, not even playing. The faint BGM drifting from it sounded mournful.
“Won’t this passage get blocked soon?”
“One hundred percent it will. I heard Bumram moves strategically, right? There’s no way it’ll leave this place alone. Now’s the only chance to clear it.”
Unlike when they’d nearly killed each other, Seungryong and Yakrin leaned together, whispering. Hyunmook, deep in thought for some time, finally spoke.
“What if...”
“No!”
Before he could even finish, Seungryong shouted in opposition. As Yohan blinked in confusion, Hyunmook looked at him steadily. Unlike when Yakrin had suggested something, this time Seungryong’s face had gone grim even before the words were spoken.
