The abyss didn't go quiet.
Not completely.
A faint sound still echoed from below.
Slow. Heavy.
Like something breathing.
Jin lay on the cold concrete.
His body refused to respond.
No strength. No control. Just weight.
His fingers twitched.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Move.
Just—
move.
Pain spread through his chest. Tight. Suffocating.
Like something inside him was collapsing inward.
Is this… it?
His vision blurred.
A ripple moved in the darkness of the shaft.
Then—
something climbed out.
A monster.
Smaller than the boss. Thinner. Faster.
Its claws scraped against the edge as it pulled itself up.
Then another shape followed.
And another.
Min Ji exhaled slowly.
"…Of course."
But her eyes had sharpened.
No hesitation this time.
The first one lunged.
William moved.
One step.
His fist came down—
BOOM.
The monster's head collapsed instantly.
No resistance. No effort.
Another rushed in.
Min Ji stepped forward instead of back.
The claw cut through the air—
She shifted.
Barely.
Her dagger flashed.
SLASH.
Clean. Precise.
The monster dropped.
She didn't stop.
Turn.
Step.
Strike.
Each movement controlled. Minimal. Lethal.
Her breath steady.
"…Okay," she muttered under it.
"…this I remember."
But her grip tightened slightly.
On the ground—
Jin forced his body.
Move.
Not here…
A shadow fell over him.
Too close.
A monster stood above him.
Its claws rose slowly—
Like it knew he couldn't move.
His chest tightened again.
Harder.
Something inside him pulsed.
Dark. Violent.
Unfamiliar.
Jin's hand moved.
One motion.
No hesitation.
He grabbed the sword—
—and drove it straight into the monster's throat.
The body collapsed beside him.
Warm blood spread across his arm.
Jin exhaled.
One breath.
Shallow.
Unstable.
His fingers trembled slightly.
Why… does it feel… wrong…?
More monsters climbed out.
But slower now.
Fewer.
Weaker.
The ground trembled slightly beneath their feet.
The abyss below began to close.
The black mist began pulling inward.
Shrinking.
Collapsing.
It twisted—
then folded in on itself.
The pressure vanished.
The sound—
faded.
But the monsters remained.
Headlights cut through the darkness.
One.
Then several.
Black cars surrounded the warehouse.
Doors opened in sync.
Men stepped out.
Black suits. Clean lines.
No panic. No urgency.
Like this—
was routine.
William exhaled quietly.
"They're here."
Min Ji frowned.
"…Who?"
But something in her tone had changed.
Less confusion.
More caution.
The men entered without a word.
Some moved immediately—
engaging the remaining monsters with precise, efficient force.
Others simply observed.
Watching.
Measuring.
One of them approached.
Calm. Controlled.
His eyes moved across the scene—
The bodies.
The broken ground.
The blood.
Then—
William.
"…Unexpected outcome."
William crossed his arms.
"Your 'medium' abyss broke open."
The man nodded once.
"The boss-class entity was not predicted."
No apology.
No emotion.
Just fact.
"The gate exceeded its time threshold."
Min Ji stepped forward slightly.
"…What does that mean?"
The man didn't look at her.
"If an abyss is not cleared in time…"
His gaze lifted—toward the ceiling.
"…it destabilizes."
A pause.
"And opens."
Silence.
Min Ji stared at him.
"…You're serious?"
No answer.
Behind him, the others were already moving.
Bodies being collected.
Equipment deployed.
The shaft being examined.
Everything—
efficient.
Cold.
Like they were cleaning something insignificant.
"We'll handle the rest," the man said.
William nodded.
"Do that."
The man turned—
Then stopped.
For just a second.
"…Next time," he said calmly,
"you should leave before it reaches that stage."
A pause.
"Most don't survive it."
Min Ji felt it.
That sentence.
Not a warning.
A statement.
"A new gate will be arranged," he continued.
"Compensation will be provided."
William didn't react.
"Make sure it doesn't happen again."
The man walked away.
No response.
Min Ji watched everything.
The cars.
The suits.
The silence.
The way they treated monsters—
like trash.
Her expression shifted.
Confusion.
Discomfort.
Then—
a quiet, dry laugh.
"…Right."
"…Of course."
She leaned slightly toward William.
Lower voice.
"…Who the hell are they?"
William glanced at her.
"Who are you again?"
She froze.
Just for a second.
Then looked away.
Silent.
William bent down and lifted Jin carefully.
His body was burning.
Unstable.
Min Ji moved quickly to support him.
"…He's hot," she said quietly.
"…Not normal."
William's grip tightened slightly.
"Yeah."
As they moved—
something behind them shifted.
The boss's corpse.
It began to break apart.
Slowly.
Its massive body dissolved into dark red particles.
Energy.
At the center—
something formed.
A core.
Dense.
Black.
Min Ji's eyes followed it—
But then—
shifted.
To the ground.
The blood.
Black.
Too black.
Then—
to Jin.
His arm.
For a moment—
his veins surfaced.
Dark.
Almost black.
Something moved inside them.
Flowing.
Alive.
She froze.
"…What the…"
Then—
it vanished.
Normal.
"Let's go," William called.
She hesitated—
Then picked up the core.
And followed.
Cold air hit them outside.
Sharp. Real.
Behind them—
the warehouse stood silent.
Like nothing had ever happened.
The car door opened.
They placed Jin inside.
Min Ji paused.
Then got in beside him.
"…We're not going to a normal hospital, right?"
William started the engine.
"No."
The car sped into the night.