"Min… Min-ho?" Ji-su called out, fear wrapping around his heart.
"Yeah, it's me alright," Min-ho said, focusing on his grip. The edge of the ground he was holding onto was weak and slowly giving out.
"Ji-su!" Dok-su called out, attempting to dash toward them.
"Don't come any closer!" Min-ho shouted, his heart racing as his grip cracked the stone more. "If you do, we're fucking dead!"
Min-ho gritted his teeth, then turned his sights to the world below. As he looked down, the smoke pouring out of the pool of acid wafted into his eyes, stinging them.
"Ah," he groaned quietly, then shook his head a bit.
"What can we do?" Sae-wee asked, but Min-ho didn't respond.
'What can they do? What can they do?' Min-ho thought, then returned his gaze to the bottom.
Below them was a pool of acid. But scattered across the pool were bits and pieces of stone. And holding up most of the upper floor were pillars with jagged outcropping edges that made up the bulk of their bodies, which stretched crookedly from the pool.
Further ahead, there was a large landmass that connected to the walls, but around them were scattered pieces of jetting stones.
The closest landmass to them made Min-ho's heart thump.
Resting on the small landmass were corpses of the same white spider-like Spectors occupying these tunnels. But more than that, in the middle, was the same Spector—around four meters tall and wide.
The sight of the creature alone made the hair on his skin rise.
His heart pounded harder as dreadful thoughts filled his mind.
'What if it's not dead?' he wondered, causing his spirit to quiver.
He shook the thought off, then brought his attention to their immediate circumstance.
'Come on, think.' Min-ho shut his eyes for a moment, then it hit him.
"Ji-su… do you still have that rope?" Min-ho asked.
Sae-wee and Dok-su watched and listened with held breaths. She began to bite her fingers as fear echoed in her heart.
Ji-su hesitated, then he nodded. A mistake. The platform cracked.
"Damn it, a simple yes or no would do!" Min-ho yelled by accident.
"Sorry," Ji-su said.
He thought about the rope. No time to feel bad about his outburst.
He ran several scenarios across his mind at that instant. For one, he could throw the rope to Dok-su and Sae-wee and have them hoist him and Ji-su up. This, unfortunately, wouldn't work, as he would only bring Dok-su and Sae-wee crashing through the floor.
'If only the rope was longer,' Min-ho thought, then wondered if they could purchase more rope. They could tie them together and head to solid ground before—
CRACK!
The integrity of the stone platform continued to weaken.
'Shit,' Min-ho cursed. They didn't have time. Whatever they were going to do, they needed to do it now.
Turning his sights in all directions, a ray of hope shone in his heart when he looked down.
Below them was a small stone jetting out of the acid. It was high enough to keep away from the acid pool and wide enough to accommodate… one person.
Min-ho gritted his teeth, searching for alternatives.
"Call it from your Inventory and tie it around your waist," he said, panting hard as the heat got to him, and squinting periodically as the smoke from the acid stung his eyes.
Up above, the others continued to watch with their breaths held.
Snapping out of her daze, Sae-wee turned to Dok-su, who was close to the broken ground, and Jang-book, who stood frozen on the walls—both he and Im-hee watching Min-ho and Ji-su.
Sae-wee knew that she and Dok-su had to hang around in case Min-ho needed them. But not Jang-book.
"Jang-book!" she called out, pulling his gaze.
"You two head to solid ground! Dok-su and I will stay here and help!" she said.
Jang-book hesitated, but he nodded and did as told.
Im-hee couldn't do anything but pray and watch.
"Done," Ji-su said.
"Are you sure it's secure?" Min-ho asked, squinting.
"Yes," Ji-su responded.
"Good," Min-ho said. "Now, I need you to hold onto my arm, so I can let my grip go. Then… then hand me the rope."
Ji-su nodded a bit, then gasped when he remembered he wasn't supposed to.
With shaky hands, Ji-su brought down the bunch from his shoulder, while feeling it out, making sure he was handing Min-ho the section of the rope closest to the part tied around his waist.
He lifted the rope above his head, letting its other end dangle to the bottom, then he held Min-ho's arm with his free hand.
"Is your grip on my hand tight?" Min-ho asked, turning his gaze to the platform. It was going to give out any second. He had to act now.
"Yes," Ji-su said, almost squealing.
Sae-wee and Dok-su stood absolutely still, their pounding hearts about to burst out of their chests.
"Okay then, I'm going to let go. Prepare yourself." Min-ho took in a deep breath, then he slowly let go of his grip on Ji-su's collar.
Once he had done so, Ji-su remained in place thanks to his own efforts. Without wasting a second, Min-ho reached out for the rope.
"I've got it," Min-ho said. "Now let go of my arm."
Ji-su hesitated.
CRACK!
"Do it!" Min-ho shouted, startling Ji-su into letting go.
Ji-su's weight pressed down on him, and the rope slid through his hands, burning his palms.
"Ah!" Ji-su held, panicking as the rope fell a bit. But Min-ho held firm in the next second, stopping Ji-su's descent.
With gritted teeth, Min-ho let the rope slide through his grasp slowly. The tension of the rope once more burning his palm.
He didn't pay the pain any mind as he watched Ji-su slowly getting lowered to safety.
Not too long after, Min-ho stopped the descent when Ji-su was just an inch away from the rock.
"Ji-su, there's a very narrow rock under you. I'm going to drop you on top of it," Min-ho squinted. "Be careful not to slip and fall, do you understand?"
Ji-su hesitated, fear becoming him.
"Okay," Min-ho exhaled sharply, then he let the rope slide once again.
After a single zip, Ji-su's feet had planted onto the rock, with a tensity that practically froze him in place.
Seeing he was fine, Min-ho sighed once again. But it was far from over.
"Untie the rope," he said.
CRACK!
SHRACK!
His stomach dropped. Sae-wee and Dok-su gasped. The cracks were spreading around the hole, and fast.
'Shit,' Min-ho cursed inwardly.
"Ji-su, untie the rope from your waist and knot the edge into a hoop for me," Min-ho said, his voice anxious—yet he did not scream, for fear of startling Ji-su into falling.
Ji-su sensed the fear in his voice, prompting him to act quick. He untied the rope from his waist and knotted it into a hoop as Min-ho ordered.
"Done," Ji-su said.
Min-ho wasted no time placing the rope around his neck and pulling on the opposite end to get the hoop closer to him.
KRACK!
It didn't take him too long to get the hoop. Upon grabbing it, he turned to the pillar closest to him, then fell his gaze on its jagged edge that outcropped the most.
With a light swing, he threw the hoop at the outcropping edge of the pillar. The rope caught on, lighting a spark of hope in his heart.
He pulled it a bit to lodge it in place, only for it to fall.
CRACK!
'No, no, no,' he thought, his heart racing.
The stone platform he held onto was now feeling brittle—like it would give out any second now.
"Damn it!" He couldn't help himself.
He placed the rope around his neck and pulled on the opposite end. Once he got the hoop, he stared at the outcrop once more. This time, taking a second too long.
'Damn it, don't miss,' he begged himself, then he threw the hoop.
As he did, the platform gave out, and he began to fall.