Beyond the Eternity

Soo Jinyoung slowly awakened from her headache and felt the presence of a slight headache.

Where am I? Am I still at the University?

Her mind began to wonder and slowly pieced together the events that had transpired one by one.

She found the entrance to the library dungeon using the Yellow Dragon Eyes and entered inside to challenge the dungeon. Her goal was the artifacts inside which artifacts contained the powers of the constellations.

She would have gone to the National museum located in Yongsan-gu but it would be troublesome if she had to travel all the way to that distance and return back so she used the Yellow Dragon Eyes to find an alternative. As a result, she found the location of the hidden dungeon.

It was a strange place but she passed all the trials on each floor without much difficulty. The problem was when she reached the top floor where the dungeon master resided.

She couldn't actually remember what happened but she was defeated by a strange attack that she could not sense or see.

Was that even possible? An enemy that can defeat any opponents with his words alone? Why did Fate allowed such an existence to exist? More importantly, what happened afterwards? I remember speaking with someone before I passed out but who was that person? I can't remember.

Her memory was blurry and there was still the lingering sensation of an headache. It felt like someone that taken a full swing at her head with a baseball bat.

She slowly carried herself up from where she has been lying this entire time and massaged her temple. It seems she has been sleeping for a long time since her body was stiff in certain places.

Abruptly, she noticed the presence of someone and turned her head with a sense of urgency. But all she found was someone looking at her face.

It was a woman with a striking appearance. Her hair was messy with some strands falling across one side of her face. It was unusual to see someone with such a style, but it seemed she was aiming for a more edgy, masculine appearance.

She wore a brown leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. The jacket was left open to reveal her slender figure with a chiseled torso and a scar, which like as the aftereffect of a stab wound. She also wore black leggings that seemed tight fitted with seveal utility pouches around her waist and boots with black arm guards on both forearms.

From a glance, she looked like the serious type that was always prepared. Perhaps she could even be called an 'Yeoseong Jeontu' but for some reason, her cheeks were gentle as she wore a worried expression.

Who was this woman? I think I know her from somewhere but how? And why was she looking at me with such an expression?

Soo Jinyoung's thoughts flew towards that direction. Maybe she received a strong mental attack during the fight with the dungeon owner and became unable to remember the identity of this person.

After a few moments, there was a 'click' sound inside Soo Jinyoung's head and she immediately remembered the identity of this woman.

This woman's name was Lee Suhye. She was one of those she rescued while scouting for a suitable base for the 3rd and 4th trial. Initially, she didn't appear particularly remarkable, but over time, it became evident that she had a natural talent for using any ranged weapon and was supported by a strong constellation as well.

Was it the Queen of the Wilderness?

Yes, the true name of her guardian constellation was Artemis, the Queen of the Wilderness.

Compared to the constellations and stars that were born on the regular basis, Artemis was considered a very big constellation even in the Greek Mythology as she was a myth-grade constellation and a member of the Twelve Gods. But in the face of Poseidon and Zeus, she was somewhat lacking.

Soo Jinyoung wondered why such a big constellation would choose a Nightmare Walker from a small world like Earth.

"Soo Jinyoung-nim, are you okay? Did you get a good sleep?"

Finally, after staring at her face for ita long time, Lee Suhye opened her mouth. As a result, Soo Jinyoung opened her mouth as well.

"I'm fine. I just have a slight headache. Why are you here and not at the warehouse?"

"Ah, that." Lee Suhye looked away and stratched her cheek, "Well, Kim Jakga-ssi said I should stay here."

"Kim Jakga?"

"Yes, you didn't wake after we cleared the dungeon so he asked me to stay here and look after you."

"Wait, you mean to say that you guys cleared the dungeon by yourself?"

"Hmm, not actually. It was Kim Jakga that defeated the dungeon boss and cleared the dungeon. We were really lucky. If it wasn't for him, we would have really died."

Lee Suhye explained everything to Soo Jinyoung and she slowly pierced together the missing fragments of her memory.

She remembered the conservation she had with that person before she passed out. She also remembered that she activated a skill in the last moment.

I see. I understand now. If I activated that skill in such a critical condition, then It's obvious that I would have passed out as a result.

Soo Jinyoung possessed a nuclear ability that could be considered a 'demonic strike' but there was a terrible cost for using said ability. She had made a mental note to only use it in critical situation but If she did not use it during that time, all of them would have killed by the hands of the terrible dungeon master.

"Ah, one more thing." Lee Suhye suddenly remembered something and said, "Kim Jakga also said I should pass a message to you."

"He did?"

"That's right. He said something about someone called Song Jaewon working with a group called the Apostles."

"What?"

"Ah."

Lee Suhye subconsciously backed away. It was because Soo Jinyoung's entire demeanour changed in an instant and released a heavy aura.

Was it something she said? Sung Jaewon or Apostles, which one between the two was the trigger for such resentment?

"Um, Soo Jinyoung-nim?"

In the next moment, the aura coming from Soo Jinyoung subsided and Lee Suhye released a breath. She felt like she would have really died. She then subconsciously wondered what would have happened if she gave Soo Jinyoung that letter. Perhaps the entire rooftop would have exploded.

"Lee Suhye."

Soo Jinyoung's cold voice penetrated Lee Suhye's ears like sharp needles and she trembled.

"What else did he say?"

"Ah, well..." Lee Suhye struggled to regain her composure under such a cold gaze. "He also said something about going South."

"South? I see."

Soo Jinyoung stood up from the ground and headed to the exit of the rooftop without even looking back."

"Wait, Soo Jinyoung-nim. Where are you even going?"

"I'm going South. Kim Jakga must have already taken over the warehouse so it's useless going back there."

"I know. That's true but even so, are you sure you're ready to..."

"Shut up."

"...!"

Lee Suhye suddenly stopped talking under that cold gaze. Indeed, she felt she would die if she talked any further.

"Like I said, I'm going South. Are you coming or not? You're free to return to the warehouse."

"No, I won't return. Kim Jakga-ssi already has everything sorted out there."

"In that case, follow me without saying anything."

With that, Soo Jinyoung hurriedly exited the rooftop without saying another word while Lee Suhye stood still as if she was dumbfounded.

In the end, she looked at the sky and thought it was a good thing that she didn't give Soo Jinyoung that letter before exiting the rooftop.

* * *

"Hah…. Hah…."

I opened my eyes and at the same time made a rough gasp. In a situation, where I looked up at the ceiling, I realized that I had woken up. Taking a deep breath, I calmed down my chaotic heartbeat.

...What was that? That dream? What was that demonic creature? Was it related to the Black Box?

In the end, such questions erupted from my mind as I attempted to calm my chaotic heartbeat.

The Black Box was an enigma from the very start, but I hadn't grasped its full complexity. In my dream, I was consumed by a mysterious entity resembling the Dragon King—a being born from the swirling white mist that seeped from the fractures in the Giant Pillar.

At first, I thought it was merely a skill with multiple functions, but in this moment, I realized it was something far more.

How was that creature related to the Black Box? And if yes, what exactly was the Black Box?

Unfortunately, I had no answers to any of my questions. Perhaps it was just a strange dream. After all, it wasn't the first time I'd had one, so there was a chance that the mysterious creature was nothing more than a figment of my subconscious. Yes—everything was just a dream.

Laying on the bed face up, I stared at my own right hand that he had brought up to my face.

"...Huh? Somehow, it's still difficult to breathe..."

Even though I had awoken from the dream, it was still difficult to breathe properly and my hand was shaking.

The fear of encountering the unknown, the feeling of the feets sprinting through the abyss, the feeling of countless teeths digging into the flesh and the sensation of the body being ripped apart....

It was only a dream, yet everything I felt within it was disturbingly real—too real for comfort. I took deep breaths to steady myself, pushing all unnecessary thoughts to the back of my mind.

"Huh?"

Somehow, breathing was still difficult—not from the lingering fear of the nightmare, but from the two weights pressing down on me. Finding it odd, I looked down and realized it was only Angelica and Jung Yunhee.

Angelica was using me as a body pillow, while Jung Yunhee… well, she was sprawled out, her foot casually pressing down on my nose. Yet, the unmistakable weight of them both grounded me, bringing the reality of my situation back into focus.

"Ah..."

I remembered we were sleeping in the accommodation provided by the Sindaebang group's representative. Somehow, I was sleeping with two beauties but the other one couldn't be called a beauty at this moment.

I wriggled around until I finally freed myself from Angelica's tight embrace and carefully removed Jung Yunhee's foot from my face. Now that I thought about it, Jung Yunhee really did have surprisingly smelly feet.

"Hmm....hmm...hmm?"

Angelica's brow furrowed, sensing the absence of her body pillow as she wriggled around restlessly. After a moment, her expression softened, and she drifted back to sleep.

"No.. more... cookies."

She mumbled something in her sleep. Cookies? I wondered what she was dreaming about.

"Excuse me, Soo Jinyoung-nim..."

Kagura suddenly entered the tent we were staying. It would have been dangerous if I had removed my mask beforehand. Fortunately, the white mask was still worn so I still looked like Soo Jinyoung.

I put up my best act as Soo Jinyoung and opened my mouth.

"Yes?"

"It's time. Lee Dokho-nim is waiting outside."

"I see. So it's that time, huh? Very well, give me a few minutes."

"In that case, I'll be on my way now."

Kagura bowed her head like a samurai before leaving the tent after passing the message.

I smiled. That guy, Lee Dokho was pretty extreme. Why did he send his Queen to personally wake us up?

In any case, it seems it's finally time to acquire this secret weapon he talked so much about. But first...

I looked at the two women that were sleeping on the futon and folded my arms. Judging from their relaxed expressions, they really seemed like they were having a good dream.

My head tilted to the side. How exactly am I going to wake these two up in such a situation?

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