Declaration Of Extra Strike

 

“What… is this?”

 

It felt like my brain had short-circuited. I couldn’t process the words in front of me—experiment, death, dungeon, survival. None of it made sense next to names I knew so well. No, I was refusing to understand.

 

“…What the hell did they do?”

 

I flipped through the pages frantically. Drug injections, mana stone synthesis, mind manipulation. Endless experiments, dozens of dungeon incursions. All to produce stronger Awakened individuals. 

 

Those I once called friends were nothing more than experimental subjects in these files. The children were thrown into this hell over and over until only a handful of Awakened survived—and the rest perished.

 

Even the names that haunted my dreams, the ones I begged to save, were listed here. Friends who had been dragged to this place because of their connection to me, only to die, exploited for my awakening. Their causes of death were no different from the others—marked with the cold phrase

“Died during experimentation.”

There was no misunderstanding what that meant.

 

“Tae Jae-heon, you bastard!”

 

I gritted my teeth so hard it felt like they’d crack. How many times had I begged him, crying, to save my friends? How many times did I say I’d work harder? 

 

All the while, those prayers fell on deaf ears. The so-called orphanage annex had been a farce from the start. My fingers crushed the paper in a trembling grip.

 

My cold gaze fell to the photos of children from Beta Room spread out in the file. Just one more page, just one more, and I’d reach Alpha Room. But my hand wouldn’t move.

 

“Damn it…”

 

Even though I already knew the truth, I was paralyzed with fear. No doubt the survival rate would be just as grim. Still, there was a glimmer of desperate hope.

 

I bit down on my lower lip, hard enough to taste blood. Only then did I summon the courage to open the first page of Alpha Room’s section.

 

And all I saw was red.

 FAIL, FAIL, FAIL, FAIL, FAIL, FAIL. 

Every single child in Alpha Room bore the same crimson stamp. Not one had survived.

 

“What? Damn it, why…?”

 

Staring blankly at the unexpected, horrific outcome, I struggled to exhale. What brought me back to my senses, ironically, was the stamp on

Sa-na’s

face. My trembling fingers brushed over his photo.

 

Sa-na— But Seong San-ha is alive though?

 

I barely managed to steady my mind and turned to the next page. 

 

Infuriatingly, it was even more concise than the reports for the other rooms.

 [Alpha Room Test Results]  

Cheonji Abyss Dungeon. All participants from Alpha Room perished during the first experiment. Cause unknown. Dungeon sealed.

 

Kim Sun-jae: Deceased during the first experiment.

Shin Ha-neul: Deceased during the first experiment.

 

Jung Jae-jun: Deceased during the first experiment.

 

Jung Su-jin: Deceased during the first experiment.

 

Lim Ji-won: Deceased during the first experiment.

 

San Ha: Deceased during the first experiment.

 

Yang Tae-oh: Deceased during the first experiment.

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

Something was off. I wasn’t foolish enough to suddenly hope that everyone had survived. But still… What exactly happened to Alpha Room? What atrocities did Nox commit?

 

And the only person who could tell me that was Seong San-ha.

 

I closed the file and slid it back into its original place, then stood staring at the row of files spanning from the first to the twenty-third iterations. A tangle of emotions churned in my chest as I muttered to myself,

 

“Cheonji Abyss Dungeon…”

 

When I returned to the room, the secretary and guards were still sprawled unconscious where they had fallen. I approached the pot of potion I had used earlier to knock them out, now cooled, and took a sip. Then, with a sigh, I collapsed onto the bed.

 

If I wanted this incident to look like a mere potion mishap, I needed to be found sleeping when they woke up. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, sleep wouldn’t come. My mind was too restless. Even as I lay there with my eyes closed, my body burned with anger, and my eyes stung with unshed tears.

 

Damn them. Those absolute bastards… just, damn it…

 

***

 

“Eui-jin nim! Eui-jin nim! Please wake up!”

 

A vigorous shaking jolted me out of my fragmented sleep. I blinked, trying to focus on the face of the frantic secretary hovering above me.

 

“What… what is it? What’s going on?”

 

“You have to get up! We need to evacuate immediately! This is an order from the Guild Master!”

 

The atmosphere was nothing like what I had expected when I staged the potion incident. The urgency sobered me instantly. I shot upright, scanning the room, and it was then that I noticed something was off. 

 

The secretary hurriedly packed belongings while screams and explosions echoed from outside the window. The building trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck.

 

“What’s going on? What happened?”

 

“Dungeon Break! We need to leave before it reaches here. Is there anything you need to take with you?”

 

“A Dungeon Break? Wait! Cheong! I have to bring Cheong!”

 

“Hunter Lim Cheong was transferred to Nox headquarters a few days ago. Is there anything else you absolutely must bring?”

 

“My phone!”

 

“Your phone? Where could—”

 

Feigning desperation, I shouted at the top of my lungs, deliberately trying to confuse him further. Startled, the secretary scrambled to search but then paused, visibly collecting himself, and shook his head firmly.

 

“No, we can’t! The Guild Master strictly prohibited the retrieval of personal items!”

 

“Tch.”

 

“There’s no time to waste. We have to leave now. Please, to the car!”

 

I dashed outside with the secretary and guards. We piled into the car waiting in front of the building, but the mass of panicked employees and vehicles attempting to escape created a bottleneck, slowing our progress. 

 

Taking advantage of the delay, I peered out the window. Explosions and bursts of skill effects lit up the area near the mountains, where the commotion was most intense. Through the chaos, I glimpsed the hulking forms of monsters, confirming the reality of the dungeon break.

 

‘A sudden dungeon break? But there’s no dungeon around here…’

 

Spontaneous dungeon breaks, where gates inexplicably opened in the middle of nowhere, were rare. For a brief moment, I wondered if this was divine retribution finally catching up to Nox.

 

As the car finally picked up some speed, my attention was drawn to a familiar, bewildered face outside the window. Amid the guild members charging towards the monsters, Han Chang-sik was wandering aimlessly, clutching a box and accompanied by a scruffy dog. His wide eyes and lost expression made it clear he had no idea where to go.

 

“Han Chang-sik!”

 

I rolled down the window and shouted. He turned toward me, his face lighting up in recognition. He raised a hand to wave, but my relief was short-lived. Behind him, in the distance, a flying monster hurtled toward his direction.

 

“Eui-jin ah!”

 

Is this really the time to be happy to see me?

I groaned in frustration, massaging my temples.

 

“Stop the car for a moment!”

 

Grabbing the driver’s shoulder, I yelled urgently. The secretary, however, shook his head firmly, his expression resolute as he also noticed the incoming monster.

 

“No, Eui-jin nim. The Guild Master ordered us to prioritize getting you to Nox safely above all else.”

 

“It’ll only take a second! Stop the car, I said!”

 

“Drive!”

 

The hesitant driver glanced between us but ultimately obeyed the secretary’s order, stepping on the accelerator.

 

With no other choice, I yanked the door open and threw myself out of the moving car.

 

“Eui-jin nim!!”

 

“Ah, ah! Ow, ow! Damn it—this freaking hurts!”

 

I groaned as I hit the ground, pain radiating through my body from the rough landing.

 

I had planned to jump before the car picked up speed, but I hadn’t expected the driver to accelerate so quickly. Clutching my aching shoulder, I scrambled to my feet, just as Han Chang-sik came rushing toward me, panic written all over his face.

 

“Hey, Kang Eui-jin! Are you okay? You scared me half to death!”

 

“I’m fine. Just get in the car already.”

 

“What? No, I mean… Jin-dol here… He doesn’t do well with cars. But you first, get up at least.”

 

“Woof! Woof-woof!”

 

Jin-dol, his scruffy dog, barked furiously at the sky. The monster was now looming directly above us. The car had looped back, and the secretary and guards were climbing out. I jerked my chin at the vehicle.

 

“Are you getting in or what?”

 

“But…”

 

“But nothing! I’m an Awakener, for crying out loud! Take the mutt and get in already! I’ll follow right after!”

 

Torn between me and Jin-dol, Chang-sik finally clutched the dog tightly and sprinted toward the car.

 

One of the guards helped me to my feet just as a massive shadow passed overhead. The monster had fixed its sights on Chang-sik, diving straight for him. I glanced around desperately until I spotted a handgun holstered at the guard’s waist. I snatched it and fired at the monster without hesitation.

 

“Ahhhhhh!”

 

The deafening sound made Han Chang-sik yelp in terror and collapse to the ground, covering his head. Although the bullets couldn’t harm the monster, the noise successfully diverted its attention. With a furious screech, the creature turned its focus on me instead.

 

The guards didn’t miss their chance, launching coordinated attacks on the beast. Meanwhile, Han Chang-sik managed to reach the car safely, Jin-dol still tucked in his arms.

 

The secretary, now helping me stand, muttered a low reprimand under his breath.

 

“Eui-jin nim, this recklessness is unacceptable.”

 

“You were reckless. There was no need to intervene.”

 

“He’s a civilian.”

 

“But you’re a producer, Eui-jin nim. And now, you’re injured.”

 

“Sometimes, you just find courage you didn’t know you had when there’s a civilian watching.”

 

“…The Guild Master will be furious about this.”

 

“It’s fine. That guy’s always mad anyway. If he’s not, that’s when you really need to worry.”

 

The secretary sighed deeply, shaking his head in resignation as we finally climbed into the car and got moving again.

 

“Where’s Tae Jae-heon? Does he know about the dungeon break here?”

 

“The Guild Master is on his way back. You’ll be fully briefed once we arrive at Nox headquarters.”

 

It was clear that in the chaos of this unexpected disaster, demanding answers wouldn’t yield much. I nodded, turning my gaze out the window instead. My thoughts were already preoccupied with how I’d manage to meet Zero at the headquarters.

 

But the situation was worse than I’d initially realized. Even before we left the complex grounds, driving through the forest and heading toward the city, we encountered two more dungeon breaks.

 

I was starting to suspect something bigger was at play. Then, as the canopy of trees gave way to an open sky, the sight that greeted us left everyone in the car gasping in shock.

 

The sky was fractured—massive, swirling portals shimmered ominously above, spilling monsters into the world below. A wave of dread settled over the car.

 

This wasn’t just one or two dungeon breaks. It was a coordinated collapse. Something had gone terribly, catastrophically wrong.

 

“…What the hell is that?”

 

In the distant sky, a black column connected the heavens and the earth, pulsating ominously. It resembled a wormhole, or perhaps an impossibly tall tower. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the sight, which was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

 

As we drew closer, I noticed something strange circling the top of the column. What I initially thought were clouds turned out to be

numbers

.

 <73:15:59> 

The last digits ticked down steadily, second by second. One of the guards, staring at it as if in a trance, muttered under his breath. 

 

“It… looks like a countdown.”

 

“A countdown? That’s ridiculous. Who would…?”

 

A sudden, chilling sensation crept down my spine, cutting my words short. Acting on a hunch, I opened my quest window.

 {Emergency Quest} Prevent the destruction of the Zodiac System by winning the Constellation War.  Reward:

Main Quest #5.5, Activation of Constellation Map

 

“…Shit.”

 

The damned countdown on that bizarre column matched the time left on my quest

exactly

.

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