“Wha—what the hell?”

“What in the world is that?”

Each person let out an exclamation colored by their own personality. In Go Byeonggap’s case, his face twisted so hard his eyebrows slanted in opposite directions.

At that moment, the emotions Go Byeonggap felt differed slightly from those of the other three. Jeong Seongyeong, Han Changhun, and Sim Seungseop—they felt a ‘pure, blank confusion.’ Go Byeonggap, on the other hand, felt a ‘faint sense of bewilderment.’

The incident begins a short while earlier, when time rewinds a bit.

Jeong Seongyeong and her companions had hit the road briskly since early dawn.

Go Byeonggap had decided he ought to lend them a hand. If they were complete strangers, maybe he’d turn a blind eye—but they were former teammates who’d once fought alongside him. He couldn’t just let them be.

And so they walked diligently, ran, and from time to time killed monsters, heading toward their destination: Sinpo.

But at some point, the portable GPS device Han Changhun had been carrying began to malfunction. It was right around the time they were nearing Sinpo.

Luckily—or perhaps unluckily—the group didn’t end up losing their way. Because from afar, something so bizarre was happening that it was impossible to miss or ignore.

An area the size of ten soccer fields combined was encased in a brilliant white light. The light formed a hemispherical shell, its height easily rivaling that of the 63 Building.

The group approached the mysterious white space. They stopped about fifty meters away and stood there, staring blankly at it for a full five minutes.

Back to the present.

Go Byeonggap couldn’t shake a particular thought.

‘It’s like the mist of Somnium. But what the hell are those blue pillars?’

He lifted his head. The apex of the hemisphere was connected to a cylindrical pillar of blue. The pillar stretched up into the sky, its end impossible to guess.

‘It feels like it’s wrapping whatever’s inside, just like the fog of Asvillam…’

“Are there people inside there?”

“Who knows. But is it just me? I can’t feel any sign of life from over there at all.”

“Same here. But something’s off. It’s not that I can’t sense anything because there’s nothing there… it’s more like…”

“Like it’s been cut off clean.”

“Exactly!”

At Go Byeonggap’s answer, Jeong Seongyeong snapped her fingers in agreement.

That was it. The ground they stood on and that white domain were fundamentally different. It wasn’t a perfect analogy, but it felt like someone had brought a slice of the deep sea up to the surface.

‘I’ve got to touch it.’

He stepped toward the white zone. Sim Seungseop quickly spoke up.

“What are you planning to do?”

Go Byeonggap turned to look at him as he answered.

“Just want to get a closer look.”

“It could be dangerous. We don’t even know what that thing is.”

“Can’t exactly just stand here and gawk either, can we?”

“Mm…”

“I’m thinking the people who lost comms suddenly are connected to that thing. What do you all think?”

Go Byeonggap asked the three of them.

“Of course they’re connected. The equipment going dark was around here too.”

“I reckon it’s fishy as well, aye. But Mr. Seungseop’s got a point, don’t he? If we rush in and somethin’ happens, what then?”

Both arguments had merit.

After a long moment of deliberation, Sim Seungseop spoke.

“Let’s try contacting HQ first.”

Sim Seungseop and Han Changhun grabbed the radios and headed back the way they came. They’d need to get at least ten kilometers away for the comms to work.

Go Byeonggap and Jeong Seongyeong smoked together while waiting for the two to return.

About forty minutes passed, maybe? The two who’d left with the radios came back looking like they’d just chewed on dog shit.

“What’s with the faces on both of you?”

Jeong Seongyeong asked straight away. Han Changhun spoke, his voice sounding like he was still swallowing his anger.

“Those shit-sucking bastards! Damn military pricks, locked up tight from front to back.”

“Why? What’d they say?”

“They told us not to touch that thing and just search the area. If we still don’t find the subjugation team, then they’ll just bomb the hell out of it, they said.”

“What? Leave this thing alone?”

Jeong Seongyeong furrowed her brow as if she couldn’t understand.

This time Sim Seungseop answered.

“They probably don’t want to take the risk. No one knows what’s inside there.”

“No! There might be people in there!”

“Maybe. But they could already be dead. Or there could be an incredibly strong monster in there with them.”

“So they’d rather burn the whole box than open Pandora’s box,” Go Byeonggap summarized.

Sim Seungseop nodded.

‘Well, shit.’

Go Byeonggap felt a surge of absurdity. He nearly let out a hollow laugh.

It wasn’t because of the military’s ruthlessness. Their response was actually quite rational. But there was one thing they’d overlooked.

‘Do they really think they can break that thing by pouring missiles on it?’

If that white zone was anything like the mist of Somnium, brute force could never destroy it. That thing wasn’t just some simple cage.

“What do you reckon we do, sir?”

Han Changhun asked. No one answered.

Go Byeonggap moved without a word. He leaped forward, closing in on the white zone.

This time even Sim Seungseop didn’t try to stop him. He just watched, wondering what he was up to.

Sriiiing.

Go Byeonggap drew the sword from his belt without a word. He gathered his internal energy. The muttering ki quickly took shape. He swung the blade hard, and a crescent-shaped sword aura shot forward.

The aura raced ahead, passing straight through the white region without colliding. Everyone watching was stunned. Even Go Byeonggap himself.

‘What? It has no substance?’

It felt like cutting air. Naturally, the white region took no damage. If it lacked substance, it was definitely a different breed from Asvillam’s mist.

Go Byeonggap stepped right up to confirm. He extended his sword cautiously. The blade slipped into the white region with zero resistance.

‘Didn’t see that coming.’

He retrieved his sword and sank into thought. By then, his party had gathered around.

“That’s strange, innit? Looks like we can come and go as we please.”

“Then let’s just go in.”

Jeong Seongyeong looked ready to dive in right now. If Sim Seungseop hadn’t grabbed her arm, she’d already be inside that white zone.

She shot him a look that plainly asked, Why are you stopping me?

“If they could come and go freely, the subjugation team would’ve gotten out by now.”

“Didn’t you just see? It lets things through like Swiss cheese.”

“What I mean is… hah…”

Sim Seungseop let out a heavy sigh. It seemed he couldn’t find the words.

Jeong Seongyeong yanked her arm free and shook off his hand.

He forced the words out anyway.

“We still don’t know what’s in there.”

“Enough. It’s useless to argue. I’m going in alone if I have to.”

Her stance was ironclad. Han Changhun backed her up.

“Mr. Seungseop, wouldn’t it be fine to take a peek? If anything goes wrong, we can just skedaddle right out.”

“…….”

“What do you think, Mr. Byeonggap?”

“Well, I was planning to go in anyway.”

In his case, personal curiosity outweighed any mission to check on survivors.

With the majority leaning toward entry, Sim Seungseop relented.

“Alright, then.”

Once he agreed, they gathered before the white region. The air turned grim.

‘With three S-ranks beside me, I probably won’t die a stupid death.’

Jeong Seongyeong stepped in first. Han Changhun followed. Go Byeonggap went third.

Sim Seungseop slipped in last. It took less than five seconds for all four to enter.

It took less than one second for all their hearts to drop.

“Damn!”

The moment they crossed into the interior, the passage back was sealed completely.

* * *

Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed. Jeong Seongyeong had slammed her double-bladed axe down with murderous intent.

But the target of her assault—the Wall—didn’t even flinch. Not a scratch marred its surface.

“Goddammit!”

“Maybe you should quit, Ms. Seongyeong. Doesn’t look like it’s gonna work.”

“No, just a little more and I think I’ll get it! Hey, throw some buffs my way!”

“Already did……”

“Aagh, shit!”

Jeong Seongyeong swung again, slamming the double-bladed axe into the wall. The result was the same as the dozens of strikes before it.

Go Byeonggap clicked his tongue and turned away. Then he took in the surreal scene sprawled before him.

‘This looks like Asvillam.’

He knew it on sight now.

A grassland stretched out before him. Modest peaks rose at a comfortable density, and ankle-high grass carpeted the earth. There was no stench of blood here—only the clean, sweet scent of vegetation.

Even in this absurd situation, that smell lifted his mood.

Boom!

Another thunderous crash. Byeonggap clicked his tongue briefly and spoke.

“Noona, let’s call it and head that way. No point standing around here—let’s move.”

“Alright.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Sim Seungseop and Han Changhun gathered their personal gear and walked over.

Jeong Seongyeong stared at the three of them with hollow eyes. Sweat-plastered hair clung to her face, making her look disheveled.

Her lips trembled as she barely managed to speak.

“Are… are you all really not bothered by this?”

“By what?”

“We’re trapped. …You don’t blame me? I was the one who said we should come in…”

She trailed off. Sim Seungseop just gave her a blank look.

Go Byeonggap shrugged as he answered.

“What’s done is done. And from what I can see, you could swing at that wall till the cows come home and it wouldn’t make a damn difference, so just follow us.”

“And besides, who said you were the only one who wanted to come in? We all agreed on this together. Why the hell would we blame you now? Hah.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Jeong Seongyeong wilted. She clearly thought they were trapped here because of her stubbornness.

She felt responsible for the whole mess.

“This place feels like a dungeon.”

Sim Seungseop said, looking around.

“That’s what I was thinking too. Some kind of variant dungeon, maybe?”

“Hard to say. Never seen anything like it.”

The space inside the white barrier was far larger than it had appeared from outside. Dozens of times—maybe even hundreds.

The group climbed one of the hills to survey the terrain. All they could see was the vast grassland and the towering peaks.

‘This place…’

Go Byeonggap recognized the location. No—it was lodged in his memory. When had he seen it before?

He sifted through his recollections in silence for a long moment, then suddenly cried out inwardly.

‘That’s it! The grassland where the Saraon fought the Divine Army!’

It matched the place he’d glimpsed in Trobatin’s memories when he’d taken the Soul of Trobatin long ago. A battleground where hundreds of thousands of soldiers once clashed. Strangely, not a trace of that conflict remained.

“There’s something over there.”

Sim Seungseop pointed in one direction. Judging by the sun’s position, it was north. Go Byeonggap could also sense a faint presence there.

Go Byeonggap withdrew his gaze and spoke.

“Let’s go. It’s not like we have anything better to do.”

“Yeah, let’s head out.”

The group walked steadily.

Unless they were eating or climbing a peak to scout their position, they never stopped. For good or ill, despite walking that long, they didn’t encounter so much as a single ant.

Eventually the sun set and darkness fell. They climbed a suitable peak, set up camp, and set out again at dawn the next day.

It was around the time Han Changhun started counting the remaining rations, wrestling with internal conflict. Jeong Seongyeong, who’d climbed a nearby hill, shouted down at them.

“Hey! There’s! Something! Here!”

“What? What’d you say?”

“There! Something! Is over there—hey!”

The three men below scrambled up the slope. By the time they reached the top, gasping for breath, Jeong Seongyeong was hopping in place, pointing off to one side.

“Look over there! Right there! Isn’t that some kind of tree?”

It was impossibly far. And just as she’d said, something that looked like a tree stood in that spot.

If it were just an ordinary tree, I’d have said, ‘Has this Noona lost her mind?’ and scolded her for it.

But it wasn’t any ordinary tree. For starters, its size alone defied reason.

“At this distance, that has to be… at least a hundred and some-odd meters, right?”

“A hundred-meter tree? That’s odd, isn’t it.”

“Right? Something felt suspicious about it.”

“Let’s go see it, then.”

The group pushed onward toward the great tree, forgetting even to eat. Had nearly an hour passed like that?

They climbed onto a boulder the size of a tree, crouching low as they fixed their gaze on the massive trunk before them.

Without a single exception, the party’s faces went pale.

“Holy shit…”

“Shh!”

Go Byeonggap clapped a hand over Jeong Seongyeong’s mouth—fast.

But even his own lips let out a thin groan.

‘What the hell is this…’

The tree—if it could even be called that—towered into the sky. It wasn’t a tree. It was a column, built from thousands of writhing monsters.

What he’d taken for branches were hundreds of tendrils; what he’d thought were leaves were the mangled bodies of smaller creatures.

And at the tips of those tendrils, some two hundred hunters hung like dried-up mummies, swinging gently.