Chapter 122

Chapter 122
## Chapter 122: The Deeper Abyss

The present version of Baal possessed a terrifying magnitude of power that far eclipsed his previous state.

“Is… is the bird actually coming out on top?”

“It looks that way, doesn’t it?”

“If that horned horror is truly Baal, then maybe we have a chance to walk away from this?”

*Goooooo!*

As the dark solar radiance bled into the earth, Baal’s guttural cries intensified. His very flesh began to strip away as he thrashed in a frenzy of pain. To any observer, the black raven was utterly dominating the demon. A loss seemed mathematically impossible.

Then, the world shifted.

“Ah…!” “What is that?!”

The crowd let out a collective gasp of horror.

*Crack!*

Without warning, Baal’s skull split down the center.

*—Slice!*

In the span of a heartbeat, a hidden entity erupted from the rupture, devouring the raven’s head in a single, savage motion.

*Thud!*

*Kuuuung!*

The decapitated avian staggered briefly before crashing heavily into the dirt. It was over in a flash—a catastrophe that defied all logic and foresight.

“…What just happened?”

“Did they both just die?”

Confusion reigned. The speed of the event had rendered it invisible to the naked eye. It simply appeared as though the raven had been decapitated by a ghost before collapsing.

‘This can’t be…’

Gracia shared the bewilderment. It wasn’t just the raven—the Five Forces had been neutralized. Even Baal lay there, appearing deceased. However, unlike the motionless bird, Baal’s frame continued to pulse with a sickening rhythm.

**《’The One Who Is the Abyss Itself’ initiates evolution into ‘The Deeper Abyss’.》**

Reading the hovering notification, Gracia’s expression soured.

“This is insane…”

A curse escaped her lips. Another evolution? If the combined strength of humanity couldn’t even dent that monstrous Five Forces entity, how were they supposed to survive this new nightmare?

‘It’s over.’

The finality of the situation crushed her spirit. There was no other word for it: the end.

—

**《You have perished due to the ‘Fragment of Ruin’.》**

**《Game Over》**

I surveyed my surroundings. Two stark lines of text hovered in the void. Death and Game Over. They were familiar sights from my history as a gamer. I had seen these screens countless times after falling in battle.

But I had been winning. I had Baal pinned down. So, how did this happen?

‘Don’t tell me, not again…’

Had I triggered another system error, just like when I defeated the Demon King? But there was a crucial difference: this wasn’t a simulation. This was the tangible reality I was now inhabiting.

“…What a pathetic excuse for a game.”

I never expected to utter that grievance again, especially now that it wasn’t a game. In this world, death was supposed to be permanent.

The Fragment of Ruin. It likely functioned similarly to the phenomenon that occurred upon the Demon King’s demise. That was the curse of this realm—it was riddled with hidden traps designed to slit your throat the moment you felt secure. Even while channeling the peerless Throne of Light, I hadn’t been safe.

Is this what lies beyond?

As I pondered this, I looked back at the interface.

**《Game Ove》**

The text began to shift. A single character vanished. I blinked, assuming my mind was playing tricks on me.

**《Game Ov》**

**《Game O》**

It was the start of a total erasure. The death notification and the failure screen began to dissolve into nothingness. In their place, fresh script began to materialize.

**《Utilizing the ‘Flame of Life’.》**

**《Hidden characteristic ‘Eternal Randolph’ is triggering!》**

*Hwarrrrrk!*

A sudden inferno erupted within my chest, surging through my veins in a split second.

‘This fire…’

Something felt off about the heat consuming me. I recognized its origin; it was the concentrated essence of spirits harvested by the Reapers—the dreaded ‘Sinner’s Flame.’ Yet, the system was identifying this necrotic energy as a ‘Flame of Life.’

A flame meant for the damned shouldn’t be able to sustain life. Its fundamental properties had been inverted.

‘Could Hel have processed it?’

The only logical explanation was Hel’s intervention. After being consumed and expelled by Hel, the other entities must have found the flame repulsive. It wasn’t merely a matter of being “unclean” or “tainted.” Its core nature had shifted into something they were incapable of digesting.

By absorbing this transfigured essence, the dormant power of ‘Eternal Randolph’ had awakened.

‘It nullified the supernatural protections and forced the Iron-Blooded Lord’s Heart to transcend into the Eternal Lord’s Heart.’

I had assumed those two benefits were the extent of Eternal Randolph’s utility. Truly, the ability to bypass the mysteries of any monster and ignore dungeon restrictions was already god-like. I never suspected a third function existed—one that required my own death to trigger.

Now the name ‘Eternal Randolph’ finally made sense. As the Life Flame reduced my physical form to cinders, I vanished into ash.

Then, motion.

The black residue began to stir and reshape itself.

**【’Heavenly’ ascends.】**

**【’Mutation’ awakens.】**

**【’Great Sage’ observes.】**

**【’Void’ detects.】**

**【’Beast Lord’ tracks.】**

**【’Glutton’ hungers.】**

**【’High Druid of Great Nature’ chants.】**

**【’Dexterity’ manifests.】**

**【’Weapon Master’ seizes the core.】**

**【’Eternal Lord’s Heart’ thumps with vigor.】**

**【’Giant’s Magic Resistance’ amplifies.】**

**【’All Master’ accelerates.】**

**【’Golden Grace’ stabilizes the soul.】**

**【’Eternal Randolph’ enters the state of eternity.】**

—

A massive, obsidian dome now encased Jeju Island. Outside, a host of powerful warriors stood watch over the perimeter that had swallowed the region whole. Among them was Park Tae-woo, the commander of the Hero Union, standing on the deck of a capital ship.

“The ‘Projection’ specialists are unable to penetrate the interior, Commander.”

“Even the ‘Piercing Mirror’ is returning nothing but static. We are blind.”

Park Tae-woo squeezed his hands into fists, his teeth grinding together. Sixteen days had passed. Since Baal transformed into ‘The One Who Is the Abyss Itself’ and the spatial distortion claimed the island, communication had been non-existent. The barrier was impenetrable.

‘Must we simply stand by and watch?’

The frustration was agonizing. They had discussed the possibility of writing off Jeju Island, but not under these circumstances. The plan had been to organize a rapid response to extract survivors. Instead, they were locked out before they could even begin.

‘This is on me.’

The guilt weighed heavily on him. He shouldn’t have suppressed the information. When the red distortion was first detected, he should have gone public and coordinated a defense.

‘If I had been transparent then…’

Thousands more might have been evacuated. But remorse was a useless currency now; it couldn’t rewrite the present.

“Any word on the investigation?” Park Tae-woo asked.

The vice commander shook his head. “No luck. Gracia’s people have severed all diplomatic and magical links with the Korean side.”

A total blackout. They were being actively shut out.

“So we don’t even know if they’re still breathing?”

“Correct. There have been no official statements from their camp.”

Park Tae-woo’s primary concern was Gracia’s status. If her primary body, which had entered the abyss alongside the cartel, was still functional, then there was hope for everyone else trapped inside.

“What about the others? Gracia wasn’t the only operative involved.”

“Of the twelve we tracked, all have been declared dead.”

“……”

The silence was heavy. Their physical bodies on Earth had expired after their consciousnesses were lost to the abyss.

The vice commander continued, “We are attempting to gather data through international channels, but…”

“It’s a dead end, I assume.”

“Mostly. However, we did receive a strange report from the journalist, Kim Hana.”

Kim Hana—the relentless reporter known for throwing herself into danger for a scoop on Dimension Warriors. She was the one who broke the Gracia interview and first brought the name ‘Randolph’ to public attention. Because of her unpredictable nature, the Union had generally kept her at arm’s length.

“Go on.”

“She claims to have proof that the ‘Hermit’ is still alive. Furthermore, she insists the people on Jeju Island have survived. she’s been frantically trying to secure a meeting.”

“Who is this ‘Hermit’ exactly?”

“She refuses to say.”

“In the middle of this crisis?”

“She claims to have made a blood oath to the Hermit. She’d sooner die than break her silence.”

An oath. It suggested a deep level of trust or perhaps a significant debt. Regardless, her testimony was currently nothing more than hearsay without a face to back it up.

“…Commander. The central government is pressuring us to stand down.”

“……This early?”

“Yes. They are shifting resources to establish a new perimeter at Wando. They’re preparing for the worst-case scenario.”

“They’ve given up on Jeju.”

The realization was bitter. Retreat and abandon. For over two weeks, Park Tae-woo had barely closed his eyes, his gaze fixed on the island. He felt the weight of every life lost.

“……Not yet. I won’t pull back until I speak with Kim Hana.”

If he could confirm the Hermit’s existence, it would be the evidence he needed to prove that people were still alive in there. He needed that confirmation.

The vice commander nodded. “Understood. I’ll bring her in under the radar.”

—

Kim Hana felt her heart racing. The area around Jeju Island was strictly off-limits to everyone but the military and high-ranking warriors. Even the press was banned. Yet, here she was, brought in secretly by the head of the Union.

“You’re certain the ‘Hermit’ survived?” Park Tae-woo asked, offering her a coffee he had just brewed.

“……Absolutely. And he isn’t alone. Many civilians are still holding on,” Kim Hana replied with conviction. They had to keep fighting; they couldn’t just walk away.

Park Tae-woo looked down at his cup. “I want to believe you. But the higher-ups have already issued the retreat order.”

Kim Hana’s eyes went wide. “The government? But how could they…”

“They’ve decided that protecting the mainland is the priority. They view Jeju as already lost.”

“……”

Kim Hana went numb. She hadn’t expected the abandonment to happen so quickly. If survivors did manage to break through that barrier, they would need immediate medical and tactical support. Leaving now was a death sentence.

“The public consensus is that the island has vanished. From a political standpoint, the government’s move is pragmatic.”

Park Tae-woo seemed to be the last man standing in the way of that pragmatism. He looked at her intently. “……If I could just see this ‘Hermit’ for myself.”

Kim Hana shook her head firmly. “That… that isn’t an option.”

“Why not? If you give me proof of their survival, I can stall the retreat. I can justify keeping the fleet here.”

In this world, if you died in Pangeniar, you died for real. If the Hermit was alive despite the abyss, their physical body would be proof of life.

“I can’t show you him, but I can give you something else.”

“……Something more valuable than that?”

Kim Hana nodded, her face set in a grim mask. She reached into her pocket and produced a handwritten journal.

“This is a record of what is happening behind the curtain. It’s the reason why we cannot leave.”

Park Tae-woo took the book. His eyes scanned the entries, which were written with the urgency of a survivor’s diary.

—

* Day 1
In the aftermath of the titans’ clash, the survivors grouped together. A few ‘Jeju spawn’ remain, hunting us in the ruins.
* Day 2
The ‘spawn’ were gone when we woke up. But the mood is bleak. Everyone saw Baal absorb the headless raven.
* Day 3
Gracia led an assault on Baal. It was useless. We couldn’t even leave a mark on its skin.
* Day 4