Chapter 33
“Emergency!”
“A Hole has appeared!”
“Hole occurrence area, west sparring center.”
“The entire building has disappeared.”
Reports started pouring in. Jungwook, who had just arrived at the training center after attending a meeting outside, threw everything aside and headed towards the west sparring center as soon as he heard the reports.
“Damn it.”
Jungwook gritted his teeth as he ran at full speed.
He had known this would happen. He had just met with someone outside to discuss this issue, and it had already happened.
But it hasn’t been long since the Hole appeared.
It must have just started sparking.
Even if the Hole was active, there was a limit to the number of monsters that could pour out of the entrance, so he should be able to resolve it if he got there quickly.
He held onto a sliver of hope.
But…
“…No way.”
The west sparring center was gone.
In its place was a pitch-black darkness, like a bottomless abyss.
Sparks crackled within the darkness.
An eerie atmosphere, reminiscent of hell.
Jungwook knew better than anyone what this was.
What in the world is going on?
Holes were generally two-dimensional, thin like a sheet of paper. Like a gateway to another world.
But the Hole in front of him was like a dome, engulfing the entire area.
“Senior.”
Dohyun, who had arrived earlier and assessed the situation, approached Jungwook.
“Report.”
Jungwook asked habitually, his eyes wide as he stared at the Hole.
“The estimated time of occurrence is five minutes ago. According to a witness who was nearby, sparks suddenly appeared and swallowed the surroundings. It was already like this when we arrived.”
“Five minutes?”
Jungwook asked curtly, as if questioning why they were so late.
“The Hole opened before the Hole detection device reacted.”
Jungwook groaned at the report.
“…The emergency alarm?”
After the plan to send the trainees home was rejected, he had installed emergency alarm devices. They were sensitive to tremors, external power fluctuations, and other stimuli, and they would sound if there were any unusual changes in the air or ground. It was meant to be useful in case of a Hole occurrence.
“…That didn’t work either. We only found out after receiving a report from a witness.”
Jungwook was speechless. It was the first time he had experienced such a situation where even emergency devices malfunctioned.
“The range of the occurrence?”
Jungwook asked, suppressing his rising anger.
“Currently, only the west sparring center is confirmed to have been engulfed by the Hole. The problem is, as you can see, the Hole has completely swallowed the building. It’s an unusual case, similar to the ‘Variant Hole’ incident from a while ago.”
“Variant Hole…”
Jungwook uttered the name with a sigh.
Variant Hole.
If a regular Hole was a thin opening in the air from which monsters crawled out, a Variant Hole formed a sphere that engulfed the surrounding area.
One or more openings would appear on the sphere, and a large number of monsters would pour out at once.
“The bigger problem is that there were Guard trainees inside.”
“What?”
“According to the last witness statement, there was a sparring session going on there.”
Jungwook’s eyes widened briefly at the news that what he had feared the most had happened.
He felt his breath catch in his throat.
Jungwook, forcing himself to stay calm, asked cautiously,
“…How many?”
“Twelve. C-grades and F-grades. The F-grades’ identities have been confirmed because there’s a record of their sparring room reservation, but the C-grades haven’t been identified yet. As you know, the card readers aren’t working…”
“Gather the personnel. We’re going in.”
“Senior.”
Jungwook turned his head at Dohyun’s low voice.
“…It’s impossible.”
Dohyun continued.
“Impossible?”
“Yes.”
“So we’re just going to stand here and watch?”
“Senior, please calm down.”
“Calm down? In this situation? Would you be calm if your family was in there?”
Jungwook’s eyes gleamed dangerously. Dohyun’s face crumpled as he let out a sigh he had been holding.
“It’s impossible to enter. I checked as soon as I arrived, anticipating you would say that… It’s blocked.”
“…What?”
Jungwook’s sharp gaze turned to Dohyun.
“It’s a Variant Hole that blocks access from the outside.”
“…”
“No devices, including drones, can enter.”
Dohyun launched the drone he was holding into the air, as if to show him.
As the drone approached the Hole,
Crackle!
Boom!
The drone exploded into pieces. The instructors’ faces turned pale as they stared at the debris scattered on the floor.
Jungwook looked back and forth between the Variant Hole and the debris, speechless.
“…We don’t even know if the trainees are alive or not. If even trying to enter results in this, the inside must be a complete mess. For now, the best course of action seems to be to wait for backup and then exterminate the monsters that pour out after the Hole opens.”
Jungwook clenched his fist at Dohyun’s calm words. He was about to say something but closed his mouth when he saw Dohyun’s face.
Dohyun’s face was crumpled in anguish.
As if witnessing this was more horrifying to him than anyone else.
Dohyun was always softhearted. That’s why he had applied to be an instructor at the training center, despite his remarkable abilities.
He had given up honor and wealth because he couldn’t bear to see the faces of those who had lost their comrades or loved ones.
And now, people younger than him were about to die right in front of him.
At this moment, Dohyun must be in hell.
“…So the only way is for them to escape on their own?”
Jungwook wanted to cover his ears even as he spoke.
They were just C-grades and F-grades.
There was no way they could escape from there with their abilities alone.
The other instructors, who knew this better than anyone, couldn’t answer Jungwook’s question.
Sehyun looked at the chaotic scene.
The C-grades were fighting fiercely among themselves.
Over a single flashlight.
Officially, it was to break their spirits, but she had another reason.
To confirm their skills.
During the group spar, she hadn’t been able to properly identify the C-grades’ skills because of the F-grades’ unified attack. Their strategy had been to overwhelm them before they could use their skills.
A powerful blow, short-range teleportation, fissure, silence, and so on…
Thanks to their infighting, Sehyun had identified some useful skills.
She planned to use their skills if necessary.
It would have been nice to acquire them, but she couldn’t because she hadn’t directly participated in the fight. More importantly, to acquire a skill, she needed to experience it for a long time to increase her sensitivity, and she didn’t have time for that now.
Her plans would be ruined if she got injured.
“Let’s stop now.”
Sehyun’s words were meaningless. The C-grades were already in shambles. As if proving the saying that people driven by fear and panic become violent, they were a mess.
Some were lying on the floor, gasping for breath, and only two were still standing, but even they were stumbling.
“What are you going to do now?”
Dongwoo asked cautiously.
He seemed to be asking what she was going to do with them now that they were all sprawled on the floor.
“They won’t be thinking about anything else in this state. They’ll fight for their lives when the monsters appear.”
“…In that state?”
“That’s why they’ll fight even harder to survive.”
Dongwoo stared at Sehyun with a bewildered expression.
It was understandable. Her behavior didn’t seem like that of a 25-year-old. The way she naturally took charge and acted like the leader, the way she toyed with the C-grades…
She’s truly amazing… Huh?
Dongwoo’s eyes widened as he casually looked down.
Sehyun’s hands, faintly illuminated by someone else’s flashlight, caught his eye.
Clenching and unclenching.
Sehyun was repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fists.
As if she was anxious and nervous, unable to control herself…
Dongwoo looked up at Sehyun again.
But Sehyun’s face was calm, as if she had expected this situation.
Ah, you were afraid too. But you were holding on because you knew you couldn’t afford to break down.
He should have been impressed by her composure, but he felt sorry for her instead.
“Sehyun.”
Dongwoo sighed and quietly approached Sehyun.
“Yes?”
“Leave this to me, and you go to the back.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll go to the front and assess the situation…”
“No.”
Sehyun sighed softly.
Actually, it would have been better for Dongwoo to be the leader of this group. He was more suitable, considering his social experience, age, large build, and powerful one-hit skill.
But she couldn’t entrust it to him. For someone who had worked hard in society, Dongwoo was too naive, righteous, and responsible.
“Mister, you said you have two daughters, right?”
Sehyun said, staring straight ahead.
“So?”
“Then you should focus on getting out of here alive.”
“…”
“You said you promised to buy them presents. Bling Bling Mirrors, was it?”
“Bling Bling Miracles.”
“Ah, yes. Anyway.”
“…”
“So you can’t be the vanguard. Try to stay safe and escape when you get the chance.”
“But…”
“Go to your daughters. They must be waiting for you.”
“…”
“Very much so.”
Dongwoo flinched at the sadness in Sehyun’s voice and looked at her.
Sehyun took a step forward, as if refusing to continue the conversation.
She looked at one of the C-grades who was glaring at her.
“Give me the flashlight.”
The only C-grade who was still standing held out his hand.
“I’ll give it to you, but don’t go out recklessly. And don’t turn on the flashlight unless absolutely necessary.”
“Just give it to me!”
“And…”
Sehyun was about to add one more thing when,
The C-grade snatched the flashlight from her hand, his face brightening instantly.
“Finally…! Finally…!”
“Listen to me first.”
“Shut up!”
“Sigh.”
Sehyun frowned and sighed.
“I’m telling you again, don’t go out recklessly just because I gave you this. You must have noticed by now, but outside…”
As Sehyun was speaking,
“Shut up! You can play hero here. I’m leaving!”