FLIA 161

* * *

Before a week had passed, Park Seung-min sent over nearly 400 million won. It fell far short of the amount Yohan had demanded.

According to what Lee Chanha heard, he’d tried to scrape together the money by selling off everything he owned and begging everyone he knew. Naturally, no one would lend him money except loan sharks. And in this day and age, loan sharks boasted interest rates that were truly vicious. Of course, that was none of Yohan’s concern.

I’ll get the rest together really soon and send it, so please just wait a little longer.

When this text arrived, Yohan blocked him without hesitation. He intended to receive no further contact from him. Above all, there was another important issue now.

“The government says they finished the search operation this morning.”

Given the urgency, the team gathered at Lee Hyunmook’s house. While searching sewers nationwide for clues about hundreds of missing persons, the government belatedly discovered an unknown underground tunnel system. This complex network, resembling an ant hill or maze, connected to the newly constructed deep-level stormwater retention and drainage tunnel in Gangnam.

“Just entering this rainwater tunnel is said to be a major challenge. Corruption levels are rising, making entry impossible without at least a mid-level purifier.”

The awakeners with exploration abilities also reported a massive cavern at the end of the rainwater tunnel, one that hadn’t been there before. Hearing this, the team members’ expressions darkened. They were all thinking the same thing. It was the assault on the core of the Abyss.

“Forget government cooperation, we need to go there immediately.”

Lee Hyunmook stated. For those who had returned to Earth and were living happily and joyfully, the traces of the Flood, especially structures reminiscent of the Abyss Core, made their nerves jangle.

They finished preparing immediately and headed for Gangnam. An evacuation order had already been issued for Gangnam, but it wasn’t fully complete yet. However, they couldn’t just wait for people to evacuate. A member of the Special Unit at the scene said.

“The evacuation isn’t fully complete yet, but we’ve decided to proceed with the entry immediately.”

Their concern was the cocoon that had been waiting inside the building during the Gwacheon incident. If they thought something like that existed in the underground cavern again, they couldn’t just wait for it to hatch. When confronting monsters, the most dangerous moments were when they emerged from eggs or cocoons, or when they shed their exoskeletons.

Jeong Siyoung had just been purified and was already back in Busan. High-risks monsters kept appearing there, and she was needed to subdue them. Because of this, experts considered the possibility of a Great Rift opening in Busan to be high.

“Understood. We’ll proceed with the entry immediately.”

As Lee Hyunmook agreed, they were guided to the entry point prepared in advance by the Special Unit. Descending through a tunnel barely wide enough for one person, a dimly lit underground passage appeared. In the gloomy, eerie atmosphere, Yohan quickly scattered light.

“Lucky it’s not monsoon season. If heavy rain had fallen, we wouldn’t have been able to approach.”

Seo Yakrin muttered as they headed toward the deep-water drainage tunnel. The reflective strips installed by the government caught the light. The tunnel was so quiet that the sound of their footsteps echoed with a dull rumble. The corruption level definitely increased the further they went into the tunnel. However, it wasn’t as bad as the team members had feared.

“The corruption level is still much lower than the Abyss.”

It wasn’t the core of the Abyss, nor was it even as low as the surface of the Abyss. To be precise, it was slightly higher than a typical rift but lower than the Abyss itself. Even so, thanks to Yohan scattering light carefully, the party’s corruption levels didn’t rise. Lee Hyunmook said to Yohan.

“But we always have to be careful.”

“Yes! I’ll be careful.”

Yohan answered brightly. After walking along the underground road for several minutes, the main feep rainwater tunnel soon appeared. Built to prepare for massive torrential rains, this rainwater tunnel was approximately 3.7km long, wide and large enough for large trucks to pass through easily. And it was filled with an ominous darkness commensurate with its size.

“The corruption level has risen further.”

Lee Chanha muttered, his nerves on edge. Descending into the deep-level stormwater tunnel, his corruption level had now risen to just shy of abyssal levels. Chanha wasn’t the only one on edge. Everyone was openly showing their discomfort.

“I’ll expand the purification range!”

This level of corruption wasn’t something to use the purification field for. But to boost the morale of the anxious team members, Yohan scattered light even more intensely. In the darkness, Yohan and the weapon he held glowed brightly. Everyone quietly gathered closer to Yohan. Lee Hyunmook, who had been staring intently at the seemingly endless tunnel ahead within the cluster of light, thought.

“They said this tunnel is 3.7km long. Walking would take too long, so we should break through as quickly as possible. Yakrin.“

”Yes, Team Leader! Ready to fly~!”

Seo Yakrin answered promptly. Yohan’s purification power wasn’t an infinite resource, so it was best to conserve it as much as possible. Yoon Seungryong rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a sturdy boat. Once everyone was aboard, Seo Yakrin levitated the boat with telekinesis. Soon, the boat shot forward like an arrow. 

Yohan couldn’t help but marvel. A distance that would take about 30 minutes even at a brisk pace was covered in an instant. He’d braced for monster encounters along the way, but the corruption level only rose slowly; it was eerily quiet and still. The silence only heightened the tension.

Finally reaching the tunnel’s end, Yohan swallowed. Where the wall should have been finished with concrete, it had collapsed, revealing a dim cavern. Seo Yakrin’s boat shot straight into the cavern. Like entering a jar’s mouth, the cavern gradually widened until it became a vast chamber.

“…!”

An ominous mass sat right in the center of the cavern. It was the cocoon formed by the Flood’s aftermath. Beneath it, blinded and gagged missing persons writhed like worms, digging frantically at the cavern floor until exhaustion left them collapsed. Their hands and feet had developed grotesquely broad, flat surfaces, perfectly suited for digging earth. Some had already died from overwork while digging.

“Team Leader, should we protect the people first?”

Lee Chanha asked Lee Hyunmook while staring at the cocoon. Shaking his head at Seo Yakrin, whose telekinesis glowed golden and ready to attack the cocoon at any moment, Lee Hyunmook replied.

“No, there’s no need for that.”

Just as he had done during the Gwacheon incident, Lee Hyunmook hurled his spear at the cocoon. He hadn’t thrown it with much force, yet the cocoon ripped open with a hollow sound. The remaining disgusting fluid oozed out through the tear. The cocoon was already completely empty inside. Viewed from below, it wasn’t apparent, but the top of the cocoon had already split open.

“…We’ve already arrived far too late.”

Lee Hyunmook was right. Whatever had been inside the cocoon had hatched long ago and vanished somewhere.

With things having turned out this way, rescuing the people was the priority. Once Yohan purified the ominous cocoon, the corruption level slowly began to drop. Only then did the radio transmission work properly.

The Taeyang Guild gathered the people together and purified them while waiting for the Special Unit’s arrival. Even after purification, the people were still disoriented. They hadn’t eaten or drunk properly for a long time, only digging the ground. For the time being, they were given a few sips of the ion drinks they had on hand.

“Where did they crawl off to?”

While waiting for the Special Unit’s arrival, Seo Yakrin muttered as she scanned the area. Yoon Seungryong glanced around, then pointed somewhere and said.

“There are traces of digging over there. See how the mounds of dirt have been pushed aside? There’s also a spot where something with long legs must have stomped down hard. And traces of mucus.“

Honestly, to Yohan, it all looked pretty much the same. The reason Yoon Seungryong recognized it immediately was probably because he’d lived as a centipede for quite a while…? It was such an offensive thought that Yohan quickly changed the subject.

”Where on earth could it have gone?”

“I just hope it’s not something that flies.”

Ju Hoyoung muttered in a worried voice. But Lee Hyunmook’s next words made the mood even darker.

“More than that, we have to hope this cocoon is the last one.”

It was just as Lee Hyunmook said. If there were two, there could be three or four. Moreover, if all the cocoons were made around the same time, the emergence would likely be similar. Yoon Seungryong, who was unnervingly knowledgeable about insect ecology, analyzed that the cocoons seemed to have hatched just a few days ago.

“That means they emerged around the same time as the Gwacheon incident.”

It was an ominous conjecture. With heavy feelings, they handed the cleanup to the Special Unit that had arrived and stepped outside. However, instead of heading home, they all headed to the guild. It was Lee Hyunmook’s instruction.

“It’s best to stay on standby. I have a feeling something is about to happen soon.”

And indeed, his words proved true. That evening, reports of missing persons began pouring in from all directions.