OL Ch 20

Chapter 20

The labyrinth opened.

The labyrinth opened silently, but every living being outside it sensed its presence. Hunters who had been standing nearby gasped audibly and stared at the gate along with all other survivors present.

Experienced hunters screamed at everyone to look away, yet even they found themselves helplessly gazing upon the labyrinth, unable to close their eyes despite trying desperately to do so.

One hunter caught by a monster was on the brink of death when he looked up at the labyrinth. His eyes instantly turned blood red as tears of blood streamed down his face.

Something pitch-black poured out from within the open gateway. It wasn’t smoke, water, or flesh, yet whatever it was extended itself beyond the entrance. An aurora-like glow surrounded the creature’s body, striking terror into those who beheld it.

Everyone felt different kinds of fears: latent fear, familiar fear, fear of death, fear of life itself. Some tried to run away from their terror; others faced it head-on; some froze and were unable to do anything; still others chose suicide over enduring any more fright.

It was like they had been thrust into hell on earth, with screams never ceasing. Amidst all this chaos, the cries not to look at the monster emerging from the labyrinth sounded especially pitiful.

The one fortunate thing was that the creature hadn’t fully emerged yet. Its enormous body filled up most of the gate, but how much remained inside was unknown. It also hadn’t touched down on Earth just yet. This could be considered an opportunity for survival.

Of course, there were no living creatures around to witness this tragedy.

Amidst the chaos, asphalt from the road shot up toward the sky amidst powerful gusts of wind. Electrical wires formed eerie patterns like musical notations as cars and buildings were lifted, twisted, and shattered repeatedly. Amid this energy storm stood a boy with his head bowed.

The monster emerging from the labyrinth observed him. Whether it sensed danger or simply felt annoyed by Jinwoo’s presence, it extended its hand toward him. The aurora surrounding the beast shone brighter. Suddenly, the heavy rain ceased, and a faint sound reverberated through the air—a strange noise that burrowed deep inside one’s mind, impossible to shake off.

Did the sound reach the boy standing at the center of the storm? He finally raised his head, swallowing hard as if trying to suppress his tears. His throat bobbed violently, and his chest heaved.

The monster began moving closer toward him. As though attempting to swallow the boy whole, it reached out with its amorphous body, engulfing him within the swirling vortex. The storm tore away parts of the creature’s form while merging some pieces into itself. These merged fragments swirled around before starting to whisper to the boy.

The monster began infiltrating both the boy’s mind and body. It forced its way through the fragile flesh, murmuring words from another realm:

[What is your greatest fear?]

As their eyes met, the boy grimaced. What he feared most was…

Baek Mookyeong decided to take a calculated risk to break free from this situation. He chose to unleash his power instinctively without controlling it. Like opening the dam gates that held back a massive river, immense strength surged out of him forcefully but not entirely unleashed. Instead, the torrential force attacked the gates, gradually releasing more and more energy. Despite losing touch with reality, Mookyeong himself was terrified by the sheer magnitude of power pouring forth. However, as he succumbed further to his instincts, even fear faded away.

Instinctively, Baek Mookyeong confronted Kim Deukcheol’s group, who were seasoned espers working together systematically against him. Yet despite their organized efforts, they crumbled under Mookyeong’s relentless onslaught, unable to withstand his overwhelming power.

The group of over ten members dwindled to seven as their comrades fell one by one. The survivors maintained a safe distance from Mookyeong while continuing their attacks. They could’ve fled but chose not to, realizing that if they didn’t fight back, capture or death would be inevitable.

This infuriated Mookyeong. Instinctively, he devised a plan to swiftly deal with these pesky insects.

During a massive explosion, Mookyeong intentionally feigned vulnerability, making himself appear weakened. As skilled espers, they seized this opportunity without hesitation.

Three of them simultaneously rushed at Mookyeong, scattering his feet while the remaining two attacked from the air. If Mookyeong responded aggressively, he might attack his own side but they didn’t care. Of course, their plan couldn’t actually pierce Mookyeong. Their weapons ended up stabbing themselves instead. In an instant, Mookyeong eliminated two of them before being overwhelmed by the force of the five remaining bugs charging towards him. With his head slammed against the ground, Mookyeong took a moment to catch his breath. At that time, he saw Kim Deukcheol approaching.

The sight of Kim Deukcheol’s face instantly snapped Mookyeong back to reality.

‘I have to kill that bastard.’

Despite struggling between his berserk and lucid states, Mookyeong set a clear objective: He must tear Kim Deukcheol apart with his bare hands.

‘Just a little closer, just a bit more.’

Kim Deukcheol had several protective devices on his body. His hand was cut and ribs were broken, but his head or heart hadn’t been damaged. Moreover, now there were no wounds at all. Who treated him? Mookyeong keenly detected his surroundings. He spotted someone standing far away, perhaps to avoid any harm.

“…..”

Meanwhile, Kim Deukcheol approached quickly and kicked Mookyeong’s head. With the pain, Mookyeong inadvertently unleashed his superpower. It ended up tearing off the head of one person pressing down on him, but it wasn’t something he could control.

‘Stop being surprised.’

Mookyeong felt his mind turning red. Maintaining rationality was becoming difficult. Sleepiness overwhelmed him, causing his thoughts and vision to intermittently fade. However, it wasn’t over yet. He needed to endure just a little longer.

Kim Deukcheol lifted Mookyeong’s head and sneered at him. ‘Let’s see how long you can keep smiling.’ With these words, he grabbed Mookyeong’s head with both hands.

A strange energy started to invade Mookyeong’s mind. He resisted the incoming energy, but despite continuously pushing it away, various memories kept surfacing and disappearing from his thoughts. Memories from early childhood, memories from just yesterday, training memories, school memories, dining table memories…

His father, Baek Jinha, cooking eggs, and his mother, Seo Iju, preparing multigrain rice. Hayun searching for white rice amidst the meal, while secretly, he ate the mixed grains Hayun disliked. The familiar scent brushed against his nose.

Suddenly, anger surged within him. His expression twisted as he prepared to attack, but instead, he struck at the opponent aiming for his neck.

Mookyeong couldn’t bear it anymore. He immediately reached out towards Kim Deukcheol. However, just as Mookyeong was about to grab his neck, someone yanked Kim Deukcheol backwards and threw him away. Witnessing this, Mookyeong burst into laughter, spewing blood.

Mookyeong looked at his hands after seeing the blood he had vomited. There was no sign of Kim Deukcheol; his hands were empty.

“Fuck.”

The sacrifice felt meaningless now. Cursing, Mookyeong bent over. Unable to withstand the surging power, akin to retching violently, he started uncontrollably releasing energy. His body swelled, veins bulged visibly.

The force emanating from Mookyeong swept across the area, tearing apart both Kim Deukcheol and Mookyeong himself amidst the chaos.

At that moment, the labyrinth opened. Mookyeong became aware of its presence.

A dangerous situation was unfolding. Mookyeong searched for Kim Hayun.

‘Where is Hayun? Hayun. I need to find Hayun and go with him.’

Together. With Kim Hayun. Together.

Despite being tossed around by his own power, Mookyeong continually looked for Hayun. As he witnessed people dying at the hands of the monster, he scanned them, hoping one might be Hayun. None were him, but every time Mookyeong blinked, they all appeared as Hayun.

Gazing upon Hayun’s gruesome body, Mookyeong gasped weakly. He couldn’t comprehend how this could have happened to Hayun, yet the overwhelming sorrow was unbearable.

While silently sobbing, Mookyeong’s gaze kept involuntarily lifting towards the sky. Despite resisting for some time, eventually, Mookyeong raised his head and came face-to-face with the monstrous creature.

Their eyes met, and at that moment, the monster greedily asked:

[What is your greatest fear?]

Mookyeong shouldn’t answer. If revealed, this greedy creature would surely take it away.

‘Hide.’

[Hide what?]

Kim Hayun. Yun. Ha. The name fragmented. Mookyeong suddenly recalled their childhood when they cried uncontrollably after Hayun disappeared. Memories of the empty bed flashed before his eyes, followed by the image of Hayun screaming as someone grabbed his arm.

The sound of Hayun’s screams made Mookyeong shudder as if struck by lightning. Then, in one of the oldest memories, Mookyeong locked eyes with Hayun.

‘My missing piece.’

Suddenly, Mookyeong realized he couldn’t clearly see Hayun’s face. He also couldn’t properly recall his name. Like a corrupted file, Hayun’s existence was fragmented.

Mookyeong panicked. Despite his frenzied state, his mind went blank. It felt suffocating. Why couldn’t he remember? Mookyeong desperately tried to bring up images of Hayun. The fractured pieces of Hayun smiled at him before turning and starting to run away.

[What is your greatest fear?] 

The greedy monster asked again.

Mookyeong weakly grinned.

□□ leaving me behind.

As Mookyeong responded, the monstrous entity, which had been infiltrating the storm created by Mookyeong, swelled dramatically as if about to swallow him whole.

‘It is being taken away.’

Suddenly, clear ringing sounds echoed throughout the area. The pouring darkness and fear were blocked, and the monster’s body, still trapped within the labyrinth, began to crumble.

Clinkclinkclinkclink!

The clinking intensified before transforming into breaking noises. The sound of shattering grated on Mookyeong’s nerves. Finally, amidst a loud crack, the gate of the labyrinth started closing unbelievably fast.

In a panic, the monster hastily tried to squeeze its body through the gate. However, part of its form got caught as the gate continued shutting. With screams and struggles, the monster was unable to free itself.

Mookyeong turned towards the sound. However, his vision was fading away. The excessive outpouring of his power seemed to be stimulated by something, causing it to explode. At that moment, someone ran towards Baek Mookyeong.

“Baek Mookyeong!”

The boy sprinted with all his might towards Mookyeong. Despite appearing desperate, his speed was terrible. Whether this was his original state or due to exhaustion, he stumbled repeatedly, falling and getting back up again. Yet, each time, he continued running towards Mookyeong.

Finally, the force within Mookyeong erupted explosively. Simultaneously, an invisible barrier surrounded him. Within this protective shield, the boy persisted.

The boy continued advancing towards Baek Mookyeong amidst the explosion. Mookyeong’s power couldn’t inflict any harm on him. Finally, when the boy reached Baek Mookyeong, he embraced him like a bottle being corked again after spilling water.

A massive explosion occurred but was confined within a certain range. There were no shockwaves emitted. After the light from the blast subsided, the rain resumed pouring down.

Three hours later, esper agents and soldiers dispatched by the government arrived at the scene. They began eliminating the remaining monsters and rescuing survivors. Unusually, a colossal labyrinth had opened in the heart of Seoul, yet without any intervention, it closed itself.

As everyone puzzled over what had occurred, the rescue team discovered two boys embracing each other deep within the crater left by the explosion. They were quickly extracted after confirming their identities as underage espers via dog tags around their necks.

The area was swiftly cleared, but no experts on labyrinths could provide a clear explanation for this phenomenon. Their priority shifted to treating the surviving hunters and civilians while searching for clues about the incident.

However, nobody suspected that the two boys who survived the blast might be connected to it.

Four days later, one of them, Kim Hayun, regained consciousness. Strangely, he found himself devoid of his abilities following the ordeal.

As for the other one…