The weather was clear. The bright sunlight, unseen within the forest, warmly shone down upon our heads. It wasn't a bad feeling, but if there was one issue, it was the silence among us as we walked.
It seemed about six hours had passed since we left the cabin. During that time, aside from necessary communication, we had barely spoken a word. The atmosphere between me and Kim Hanbyul was frosty, but that alone didn't fully explain the quiet. Looking deeper, it was something else altogether.
Anyway, we had been walking a long time without a single break, yet no one seemed exhausted.
How long had we been walking like that? Eventually, a warp gate came into view — huge and looming even though we could only see half of it from a distance. The closer we got, the more it felt like we had silently agreed not to speak. The only sound was our steady, controlled breathing. We were all inwardly excited at the thought of the end being near.
It was good that we still had energy, but we couldn't afford to let our guards down. Just as I expected, we hadn't encountered a single monster on the way to the warp gate. Maybe that was why everyone had unknowingly loosened up a little.
I was uneasy. Once a boss monster appeared, there would be no time for preparation or discussion. It would sense our presence like a ghost and rush at us immediately. We'd be lucky if people didn't scatter in panic. Even with me here, if I didn't reveal my true strength, someone could easily die.
The warp gate was right in front of us. Just a little more and we'd complete the rite of passage. But abandoning our concept and plan now, with so little distance remaining, felt wasteful.
Judging roughly, we had about 600 meters left. Woo Jungmin had said his group was ambushed by the boss monster with 300 meters left, so we'd likely meet it in just half that distance. I wanted to slow down and think things through, but contrary to my hopes, everyone's pace was only getting faster. Maybe Ahn Hyun sensed this too — he broke the long silence and spoke to Ahn Sol in an excited tone.
"Sol, let's push just a little further. Once we reach that big oval building ahead, we'll finally be free of this place. Just hang on until then."
"Okay!"
Encouraged by Ahn Hyun's gentle words, Ahn Sol nodded energetically with a bright face. She even smiled a few times — she must have been really happy. I was about to suggest we take a short break, but I had to shut my mouth. No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't come up with a better plan. In the end, I had no choice but to match their pace. The warp gate was getting closer by the second.
Maybe I was just being paranoid. Entering the warp gate safely was undoubtedly the best outcome — no one would be hurt, and everyone would be happy. But the ominous feeling wouldn't leave me. Something felt off in the depths of my heart. I had been deploying the most extensive and precise magic detection spell since entering the rite of passage, but I couldn't sense even a trace of the boss monster.
Now, we were 500 meters away. The warp gate was starting to fully reveal its majestic form. A solid altar supported the massive oval building, its size rivaling that of an entire building. A large donut-shaped hole in the center floated a soft bluish sphere that sometimes emitted faint blue electric sparks. It was clearly the magic core powering the gate.
It was so beautiful that everyone's eyes were instantly drawn to it. Ahn Sol looked at it in pure awe, and Kim Hanbyul also seemed quietly impressed. Lee Yoojung, in particular, stared dazedly at the orb's radiant glow.
"It's so pretty... I want to break it into pieces and make earrings out of it. They'd look gorgeous."
"Unnie, I just want to leave it as it is and look at it. It's really beautiful."
As Yoojung and Ahn Sol chatted, Ahn Hyun appeared to fall into thought, likely imagining Yoojung wearing those earrings. Eventually, he shook his head and spoke.
"Horrifying."
"Oh? Hyunie, what do you mean by that…?"
"It's just funny that you said you wanted earrings. I think it'd suit Sol better."
"What the—?"
Yoojung smacked Hyun's waist in mock anger while he teased her. Ahn Sol's smile widened at the compliment, clearly pleased. She wore a shy smile on her lips. For a guy with all the makings of a harem king, being a siscon might just be his greatest misfortune. That absurd thought made me chuckle.
We had 400 meters left. Looking around, the terrain resembled the open field where we had first started — patches of grass and mostly dirt. However, there were some areas with unusually dark soil that felt hard underfoot, unlike the others. Had blood soaked in and hardened the earth?
If so, then they were probably the remains of previous candidates who had fallen before the warp gate. I was likely the only one who noticed. I kept silent and continued walking.
300 meters left. We were almost running now. Everyone's face was filled with joy — we were alive, we had made it. Even Ahn Hyun and Yoojung, who had just been bickering, smiled at each other. Ahn Sol beamed openly. Hanbyul, though still calm, seemed quietly relieved.
Still no sign of the boss monster. Maybe Jungmin's group had just been unlucky. After all, we had Ahn Sol and her supposed 100 luck stat — maybe that was it. I checked one last time with my detection spell, and still found nothing. Just as I let my guard down and began to relax my mana—
I didn't know then that we had popped the champagne too early.
Pachut! Patchuchut!
At the 200-meter mark, a noise like the air itself being torn ripped through my ears. The atmosphere shifted, and the air distorted. It was the signature of immense mana on the move. The others stopped, sensing something was wrong. I quickly activated my third eye.
Sure enough, a sudden magical disturbance had erupted around the clearing. At first glance, it looked random, but it was actually flowing in a specific direction. I tried to calm myself and analyze the pattern — but before I could—
A thunderous sound vibrated through the air as a giant magic circle formed midair where we had just passed. The moment I saw its pattern, my heart sank. It was a high-level summoning circle. I tried to send out a wave of mana to disrupt it—
But I was too late. The now fully formed circle glowed with pure light and began to activate.
So this is how the boss monster was summoned — through a summoning circle. One by one, we stared blankly at the glowing sigil in the air. Everyone could see it. But no one spoke. The circle pulsed with pure malice and ominous energy.
Wuuuuuuuung! Wuuuuuuung!
The summoning began. The first parts to appear were the boss monster's face and fingers. Its face was grotesque — elongated with no eyes, just a mouth slit wide open filled with sharp teeth. Its fingers gleamed like scythes. Armor-like plating of pitch-black steel covered its body. A long tail snapped out.
The fully summoned boss monster stood over five meters tall. It was here.
Crunch, crunch, crunch, gulp!
Its mouth was smeared with fresh blood, perhaps from its last prey. Yet it still licked its lips at us.
I checked the others' faces. While they hadn't run off in panic — something to be commended — Yoojung, Hanbyul, and Sol were frozen in panic. They looked like statues, unable to move from the sheer pressure of its killing intent.
Only Ahn Hyun barely managed to speak with disbelief in his eyes.
"This… this can't be real… What is that…?"
KIEEEEEEHHHH!
Before he could finish, the boss monster's deafening roar hit us like a shockwave. The sonic blast was laced with bloodlust — our whole bodies went numb. Some of us began to twitch again, but only barely. There was no time to waste. I spoke in a low but clear voice.
"Everyone, don't lose your mind. Don't panic. Stay calm and respond."
"Hyung… we can't. This time it's impossible. We have to run!"
Maybe misunderstanding my actions as I readied my crossbow, Ahn Hyun responded with a trembling voice. Everyone had lost the will to fight. Yelling or scolding now would only cause more chaos. I had no intention of fighting this thing with them anyway. I enveloped my voice with calming mana and addressed them gently.
"I'm not saying we fight. Facing that thing is suicide. We're running — just like you said. But we can't run anywhere. We'll just be hunted one by one. So we run toward the warp gate."
"Y-Yeah… Let's… go…"
Yoojung nodded, but she still looked lost. I sighed internally. Still, Hyun and Hanbyul were slowly recovering, a faint glimmer of survival instinct returning. Seeing me, the one they trusted, remaining composed gave them a sliver of hope.
"Drop everything — gear, weapons. Make yourselves light and run for the warp gate at full speed."
"W-What…?"
The boss monster roared again. Time was up. I looked at Sol, still confused and dazed, and approached her. I forcibly took off the bag she was wearing.
"Hyun! What are you doing? Drop the sword and shield! You think you can run with that?"
"R-Right!"
Hyun, Yoojung, and Hanbyul all discarded their equipment. The boss monster, now running on all fours, pounded toward us. Every step shook the ground like a series of earthquakes.
And with the first tremor as our signal, I grabbed Sol's hand and started running. At the same time, the entire party sprinted toward the warp gate.
We ran. And ran. And ran. Even though we were going full speed, the pounding steps behind us came faster and faster. Yoojung tried to glance back, but I cut her off immediately.
"Don't look back. Just focus on running forward!"
The boss had spawned 300 meters from the gate. We had 200 meters left. A 100-meter gap — but it would catch up. My goal was to survive that one catch-up moment. If I could force it to stop just once, its momentum would reset, and it would have to chase us from scratch.
Then, while it regained speed, we'd reach the gate. I gripped the crossbow on my left wrist.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
180 meters remaining.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
160 meters.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
140 meters. The rhythm shortened. It was nearing full speed. If we just kept running, we'd never lose it. Now was the time.
While the others were focused on running, I quietly imbued a bolt with mana. A normal bolt couldn't pierce its armor. As the mana transmission finished, my left arm radiated a sharp aura — sharper than ever before.
I was ready. If I hesitated now, there'd be no going back. I stopped running and let go of Sol's hand.
She shouted in shock as she passed me. Everyone seemed to feel something was wrong. Before they could turn, I shouted with all the force I could muster.
"Don't look back — just run!"
They all flinched at the tone they had never heard from me. But their heads turned forward again. Confirming that, I turned around.
The boss monster had already chosen me as its first target and was charging in. I raised my left arm without hesitation.