The world tore itself apart around us.
One moment we stood in that clearing of black trees and weeping statues, the next the earth screamed beneath our feet. The ground split like rotten fruit, fissures spiderwebbing outward as the shrine collapsed inward. The blood waterfall reversed its flow, crimson droplets rising into the air like some perverse rain.
"IT'S REJECTING US!" Alden's voice cut through the chaos, his hands pressed to his temples like he could physically hold his [Ghost Chess] mind together.
We ran.
Branches lashed at us like living whips. The sky cracked open, revealing a swirling void where the sun should be. My lungs burned as I vaulted over a collapsing root system, the others close behind—
—then daylight.
Real, golden, ordinary daylight.
We spilled onto the mossy forest floor of Odaesan, gasping. Behind us, the cave entrance shuddered once before sealing completely, vines snaking across the stone like nature's stitches.
Leon with his phone already in hand. "No signal. No—" His head snapped up. "It's 4:37 PM."
Silence.
We'd entered at dawn.
Alden's fingers twitched through rapid calculations only he could see. "Fascinating. The temporal displacement suggests the dungeon exists in a non-linear subspace where relativistic time dilation interacts with System-altered quantum—"
Evelyn grabbed his shoulders and shook. "English, nerd!"
Isla kicked a rock. "He means time moved faster inside."
"More precisely," Alden adjusted his missing glasses, "one hour inside equaled approximately twelve minutes in real-time. We experienced roughly five subjective hours, hence the twelve-hour external discrepancy."
Ryuu's tanto flashed as he cleaned beetle guts from the blade. "So the dungeon stretched time."
"Or," Alden's voice dropped, "we were somewhere time isn't."
A chill ran through us all
The forest held its breath.
No birdsong. No rustling leaves. Just the oppressive silence of a predator's approach.
Then—boots.
Not the careless crunch of hikers, but the methodical thud-thud-thud of professionals sweeping terrain.
Ryuu's hand snapped up—halt.
We melted into the foliage like shadows, our bodies pressed low against the damp earth. The smell of pine sap and wet soil filled my nose as I held my breath.
"Energy signatures confirm dungeon activation," a voice barked—too close. "Someone breached containment."
Through the ferns, I saw them:
Five figures in matte-black Dungeon Corp armor, their visors glowing faintly blue with augmented reality displays. Their movements were synchronized, practiced—each step placed with military precision. The leader's shoulder insignia marked him as a Sector Commander.
Shit.
Top-tier cleaners. The kind sent to erase problems before they hit the newsfeeds.
A subordinate knelt where we'd emerged, his scanner humming. "Sir—biomarkers. Fresh. Multiple subjects."
The commander's visor tilted toward our hiding spot. "Spread out. Non-lethal takedowns authorized."
My pulse hammered in my throat.
Evelyn's fingers twitched toward a rock—I caught her wrist, shaking my head. Not yet.
The nearest agent's scanner suddenly shrieked. He froze, staring right at our position.
"Contact. Sector 4-B."
The team moved as one, their gauntlets powering up with the telltale whine of stun rounds loading.
Alden mouthed a single word: Run.
But Ryuu's hand stayed firm—hold. His marked eye pulsed as he pointed to the agent's scanner.
The readout was glitching violently, numbers scrambling as if—
As if it couldn't process us properly.
The lead agent smacked his device. "System malfunction. Proceed visually."
They advanced in perfect formation, boots crushing the ferns where we'd stood moments before. One paused just inches from Isla's hiding place—his boot nearly brushing her leg.
Then his comm crackled:
"Commander—we've got blood traces leading northeast."
A beat.
"Pursue."
The team vanished into the trees, their footsteps fading.
We didn't move for a full minute after.
Evelyn finally exhaled. "What the hell was—"
Ryuu's hand clamped over her mouth as another figure emerged from the treeline.
Taller. No armor. Just a sleek black bodysuit and a featureless white mask—except for the brand seared into its forehead: A jagged 'X' surrounded by a circle.
Bandit mark.
More figures materialized from the shadows—men and women in ragged gear, their faces covered with scarves or crude masks. But every single one bore that same brand somewhere visible.
The leader—the one in the bodysuit—tilted its head, listening. Then it sniffed the air—long and deep.
A woman with a branded cheek stepped forward, her voice a rasp. "Dungeon's awake. That means loot."
A man with the mark on his neck grinned, hefting a homemade shotgun. "And fresh meat."
The leader's masked face turned slowly toward our hiding spot.
It knew.
The bandit leader's masked face snapped toward our hiding spot.
"There!"
Boots pounded against the earth as the branded scavengers charged, weapons glinting in the fading light. The one with the neck brand raised his shotgun—
Evelyn moved first.
Her hand closed around a fist-sized stone. The moment her fingers touched it, the Xene mark in her eye erupted in crimson light, veins of red pulsing across her skin like circuitry.
"Oh shit—" Sylas barely had time to duck before Evelyn's arm blurred.
The stone left her fingers with a CRACK that split the air like a gunshot. A visible shockwave rippled behind it as it broke the sound barrier—
—and tore clean through the lead bandit's thigh.
"AGH—FUCK!" The man collapsed, his leg nearly severed, blood jetting onto the forest floor. His scream sent birds exploding from the treeline.
Silence.
Then chaos.
The bandits scrambled for cover as Dungeon Corp agents spun toward the sound, weapons charging.
Evelyn stared at her hand, the red veins fading. "...Did I just—"
"MOVE!" Ryuu yanked her down as return fire shredded the foliage above us.
The forest erupted into chaos the moment Evelyn's stone left her fingers.
Gunfire. Plasma. Fire.
The bandits moved first—a ragged, vicious pack reacting on instinct. The one with the brand on his neck swung his shotgun up, the barrel flashing orange as it roared. Buckshot shredded the air above our heads, peppering the trees with holes the size of coins. Splinters rained down around us, sharp as shrapnel.
Ryuu moved like liquid steel, his tanto flashing up in a perfect arc. Ping. A stray pellet ricocheted off the blade, the vibration singing through the metal. His [Blade Echo] thrummed in response, the weapon whispering memories of ancient battles into his muscles.
Dungeon Corp didn't scream. Didn't curse. They simply reacted, their movements synchronized like a machine clicking into place. Plasma rifles whined as they charged, the stench of ozone cutting through the acrid gunpowder.
"Non-lethals disabled," the commander said, his voice colder than the void we'd just escaped. "Burn them out."
The forest became hell.
Flames erupted as Molotovs shattered against the trees, fire licking up the dry bark like hungry tongues. Smoke coiled through the clearing, stinging our eyes, clawing at our lungs. Plasma bolts carved glowing furrows into the earth, superheating the air as they passed close enough to singe my hair.
Alden crouched beside me,
Alden's left eye—the one marked with ◉⃘—flared white. His pupils dilated as [Ghost Chess] activated, the world transforming into a living chessboard of probabilities.
Alden's Tactical Breakdown:
Terrain Analysis
Noticed the slight downhill slope behind us (2.7° gradient)
Calculated 87% chance bandits would flank east (denser cover)
Identified Dungeon Corp's weak point: their rear guard was covering a blind spot near a service road
Escape Route
"Service road. 400 meters northwest," he gasped, blood trickling from his nose. "Bandit vehicle likely parked there—86% probability keys are in ignition."
Predicted 12.3 seconds until plasma rifles overheated (visible steam from barrels)
"We move during their reload cycle—3 second window."
Distraction Plan
"Evelyn—throw left of their position. Make them think we're flanking."
"Ryuu—cut their comms when we pass. No tracking."
The Execution:
As Evelyn's second stone shattered the air, Ryuu's [Blade Echo] activated—his marked eye and forearm veins flaring emerald green. The tanto remembered a ninja's mist-step technique, making his movements blur as he sliced the lead Dungeon Corp operative's radio pack.
We ran exactly as Alden dictated:
00:00-00:03 - Rolled downhill during plasma rifle cooldown
00:04-00:07 - Used smoke from burning ferns for cover
00:08-00:11 - running for the service road (actual distance: 387m)
"Service road—387 meters northwest," he gasped, wiping blood from his nose. "Bandit truck parked at 45-degree angle facing south. 86% chance keys are in ignition."
We moved.
Ryuu's veins flared emerald as [Blade Echo] activated. His tanto remembered a shinobi's forest-running technique—his footsteps became near-silent as he cut through the smoke.
Evelyn covered our rear, her marked arm cocked back with another stone. When a Dungeon Corp operative crested the ridge, she let it fly—
CRACK!
The supersonic rock shattered his visor, sending him stumbling back into his squadmates.
We burst onto the dirt service road exactly as Alden predicted. There it was—a rusted Toyota Hilux with oversize off-road tires, parked haphazardly near the tree line. The driver's door bore a faded sticker: *"Jeonju Off-Road Club - Est. 2012."*
Isla yanked the driver's door open. "Keys!" She jammed them into the ignition as the rest of us piled into the truck bed. The diesel engine coughed to life.
That's when they came.
"THE FUCK YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
Two bandits erupted from the brush—one with a sawed-off shotgun, the other clutching a bloodied arm. Their faces were smeared with soot and rage.
BOOM!
The first shotgun blast peppered the tailgate with holes as Isla slammed the accelerator. Gravel sprayed as the Hilux fishtailed onto the unpaved road.
We fishtailed onto the unpaved Forest Service Road 56-3, gravel pinging against the undercarriage.
"Pistol!" Evelyn shouted, pulling a rusty Daewoo DP51 from under the passenger seat. The 9mm's grip was sticky with old sweat.
BRAAAAAP!
A modified Kawasaki KLR650 roared up behind us, carrying two bandits:
Driver: Bandana over branded face, white-knuckling the handlebars
Shooter: Leaning sideways with a Jericho 941, wild shots pocking the road
Ryuu's green veins had faded, but his arms were steady as Evelyn turned to him. "Hold me so I don't fall out."
He anchored her waist as she leaned out the passenger window.
Evelyn's first three shots went wide:
First shot: Missed left by 2 meters (flinched at recoil)
Second shot: Hit the road surface 5 meters behind bike
Third shot: Whizzed over shooter's shoulder
POP! POP!
Bullets whizzed past as Evelyn's first two shots went wild.
"Shit! I can't—"
PING! A return bullet sparked off the door frame.
"Idiot!" Ryuu yanked her back inside as return fire chewed the window frame.
Alden's voice cut through the chaos: "Just 200 more meters until the highway curve—we'll get separation!"
I met Evelyn's panicked eyes. That stupid action movie line he saw:
"Calm down," I said. "Aim closely. Take your time."
Evelyn took a shuddering breath.
Leaned back out. Her aiming eye becoming crimson.
And fired.
BANG!
The shooter screamed as the bullet tore through his shoulder, the Jericho clattering onto the asphalt. The motorcycle swerved violently before disappearing in our dust.
We hit Route 56 at 110 km/h.
Alden's nose dripped blood onto the dashboard as he navigated the winding Seom River valley roads.
"Next left," he croaked. "Then ditch this truck at the—"
THUNK!
The rear tire blew as we crossed the bridge. Isla wrestled the fishtailing Hilux into a controlled slide, coming to rest beside an abandoned fishing shack.
We stared at each other—bloodied and breathed.