← # The Last Survivor of the S-Rank Gate
I don't know how much time has passed.
In the endless darkness, I had lost all sense of time. Days blended into nights, and nights stretched into what felt like eternities. The only thing I could be certain of was the cold stone beneath me and the weight of despair pressing down on my chest.
My name is Kang Tae-oh. I'm a hunter—or at least, I was.
Three months ago, an S-rank gate appeared in Seoul. The hunters' association mobilized all available S-rank hunters to clear it. I was among them, confident in my abilities. We were the strongest. We were invincible.
We were fools.
The gate was different from anything we'd encountered before. The monsters inside were beyond our comprehension. One by one, my comrades fell. I watched them die—watched their bodies crumble to dust as the creatures tore through our ranks like we were nothing.
In the end, only I remained.
I don't remember how I survived. Perhaps it was luck. Perhaps it was cowardice—I had hidden while the others fought. The guilt of that possibility gnawed at me more than any monster's claws ever could.
Now I was trapped in this darkness, in what I assumed was the deepest part of the gate. The monsters didn't come anymore. Maybe they had forgotten about me. Maybe they were waiting for me to die on my own.
I was dying. Slowly, but surely.
My supplies had run out days ago. My mana was depleted. My body was covered in wounds that wouldn't heal. Every breath felt like drawing glass into my lungs.
This was how it would end. Not in glorious battle, but alone in the dark, forgotten by the world above.
I closed my eyes and waited for death to take me.
Then, something changed.
A sound echoed through the darkness—a sound like shattering glass. My eyes snapped open. Light. There was light.
A crack appeared in the stone wall before me, and through it poured a brilliance so intense it burned my eyes. I shielded my face with my arm, squinting against the glare.
"Is anyone there?"
A voice. A human voice.
I tried to respond, but my throat was too dry. Only a hoarse croak emerged.
"There! I see someone!"
Footsteps. Multiple people. Hunters, judging by the aura of mana I could sense.
"My God," one of them breathed. "How long has he been down here?"
Hands reached for me—gentle hands, careful not to aggravate my injuries. I was lifted, cradled like a child. The light grew brighter, and I felt warmth on my skin for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Stay with us," a woman's voice said. "You're going to be okay. You're safe now."
Safe. The word seemed foreign, almost meaningless. But as consciousness began to slip away, I held onto it like a lifeline.
I was alive.
Against all odds, I had survived.
And as darkness claimed me once more—a different kind of darkness, the merciful darkness of sleep—I wondered what awaited me in the world above.
The world that had left me behind.# Before the Abyss
In the car on the way to the gate entrance, Junhyuk's hands wouldn't stop moving. He picked up his pen and put it down. He put the pen in his mouth and took it out. He opened his notebook and closed it. Over and over.
"Calm down, Junhyuk."
Choi Minjun's voice came from beside him. He was sitting next to Junhyuk, watching Seoul's night scenery flow past the window, but he didn't miss the trembling of Junhyuk's hands.
"I can't calm down."
Junhyuk's voice was already hoarse. He'd been trembling continuously for three days.
"You won't be able to calm down even after entering the Abyss, so what will you do inside the gate if you can't calm down now?"
Choi Minjun laughed. His laughter was light and natural. It was the kind of tone he'd use if they were going fishing or to a movie together. That made it feel even more terrifying.
Junhyuk looked at Choi Minjun. An A-rank Hunter. An ability user of the reinforcement type. Someone who could blow off a B-rank monster's head with a single punch. Wouldn't he be trembling too?
"Aren't you scared?"
"I am scared."
Choi Minjun answered immediately. It wasn't the answer Junhyuk had expected.
"Then why?"
"Because we still have to go. Seryeon chose us. You're the strange one."
Choi Minjun tapped Junhyuk's shoulder. When his fingers touched Junhyuk's shirt, Junhyuk felt the warmth of his hand. It was warm. It wasn't trembling.
"What's strange about me?"
"An E-rank going to an S-rank gate. That's really strange. You should be dead but you're alive, you should be weak but you got picked as a recorder."
Choi Minjun now looked directly at Junhyuk. Every time the car's streetlight passed over Choi Minjun's face, his eyes brightened and darkened in turn.
"But Seryeon said you're different somehow."
"Different how...?"
"I don't know. That's what makes it good. Seryeon didn't explain it clearly either, you're trembling right now, and I don't know either, but we're going anyway. Isn't that kind of fun?"
Junhyuk couldn't answer. The feeling of fun was far away. There was only anxiety and responsibility there.
"Choi Minjun."
"Yeah?"
"Why did you bring me? The Abyss is a gate of death. Why an E-rank...?"
"Because you're my friend."
Choi Minjun's answer was quick. As if it had been prepared long ago.
"You take a friend to a gate of death?"
"Yeah. Because you're my friend."
Choi Minjun looked out the window again. Seoul's night scenery continued to flow past.
"When did we first meet?"
"Middle school."
"Back then, you carried my bag for me. It was really heavy, but you carried it anyway. Why did you do that?"
Junhyuk remembered. Choi Minjun's bag had been heavy. For the small Junhyuk, it was especially heavy.
"...Just because."
"Just because. For no reason. Because you're my friend. Isn't that what friends are?"
Choi Minjun looked at Junhyuk again.
"It's the same now. You might not even be necessary for me. Technically, Jaeho and Jieun are better. But when I enter the Abyss, you need to be by my side. Because you're my friend."
"That's... not logical."
"It doesn't need to be logical. Gates aren't logical places."
The car slowly began to decelerate. The gate came into view. The S-rank gate, the 'Abyss'. It hung in the night sky like the heavens themselves had been torn open.
Junhyuk's hands trembled faster.
"Are you scared now?"
"Very."
"Good."
Choi Minjun took Junhyuk's hand. He wrapped his trembling hand in his own.
"Being scared is normal. If you're not scared, you die. You're scared right now, so you'll survive."
"What does that even...?"
"The illogical words of a gater. Accept it."
Choi Minjun gripped Junhyuk's hand tightly. With enough force to break his fingers.
"And remember. You're a recorder. No matter what we do, no matter where we die, you have to see it. And you have to write it. Because that's what saves the next team."
Junhyuk's eyes grew blurry.
"And the most important thing is..."
Choi Minjun cupped Junhyuk's face in both hands. It was an act so honest it seemed impossible to do in a car.
"You can't die. You have to record me. Where I die, what I say, what expression I have when I die. You have to see it. And then you have to tell the next person. Is that enough?"
"Yeah."
Junhyuk answered. His throat was tight.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Good. Then let's go."
Choi Minjun let go of his hands. Junhyuk's hands still trembled, but now it seemed like the trembling wasn't just fear anymore.
When they stepped out of the car, the power of the Abyss felt even stronger. The curse energy flowing from the surface of the black gate irritated their skin.
Park Seryeon was already prepared. Kim Jaeho and Oh Jieun too.
Choi Minjun stood in front of Junhyuk.
"From now on, just follow behind me. Got it?"
"Yeah."
"And no matter what happens, keep writing. Until you die. No, even after you die, keep writing. Got it?"
"Got it."
Choi Minjun laughed. That laughter was still light and natural.
"Then the Abyss. Let's go in."
They walked into the black gate. Junhyuk gripped his pen tightly.
# The Abyss
The moment he passed through the black wall, the world flipped upside down.
Junhyuk took one step, and as he was about to take the next, gravity shifted. Up and down wavered. No, it wasn't that they wavered—it felt like his senses had betrayed his body. There was a moment when he couldn't tell which way was up or down.
Then the ground appeared.
Junhyuk fell to his knees. His palms touched the floor. It was cold. Damp. Some kind of viscous liquid clung to his skin. Blood, water, or something else—he couldn't tell.
"You okay?"
Choi Minjun offered his hand. Junhyuk took it and stood up.
The interior of the abyss was darkness. Not absolute darkness, but the kind of darkness where there was only faint light against a dark night sky. It took Junhyuk's eyes a few seconds to adjust.
A cave. No, this wasn't a cave.
Junhyuk's breath stopped.
There was no ceiling. Looking up, there was no end. Dark gray rock walls rose vertically, and above them was something—but it was too high to see properly. The surface of the rock walls was covered with something that glowed like moss, emitting a faint light.
"S-rank gates are different."
Park Seoyeon's voice came. She was already scanning the surroundings. Her fingers traced through the air, and blue light followed her movements. A hunter's ability. Watching it, Junhyuk moved his pen.
*Gate interior is cave-shaped. Ceiling height unmeasurable. Faint illumination from luminescent moss. Air is humid and cold.*
Oh Jieun walked ahead first. An E-rank scout. Her movements were quiet and precise. Choi Minjun followed behind her. Kim Jaeho stood beside Park Seoyeon.
Junhyuk positioned himself right behind Choi Minjun.
"Stay quiet. Sound echoes here."
Park Seoyeon said.
The cave floor was uneven. Rocks and gravel were mixed together, and occasionally there were deep puddles. When Junhyuk stumbled once, Choi Minjun caught him with his arm. It was a silent touch.
About five minutes into their advance, Oh Jieun raised her hand.
A stop signal.
Everyone froze. Junhyuk's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
"What is it?"
Park Seoyeon whispered.
Oh Jieun pointed ahead. Junhyuk craned his neck to look.
It wasn't an ordinary cave. The floor was open. There was a massive chasm. Its depth was impossible to tell because of the darkness, but Junhyuk heard something flowing beneath it.
Water? Or something else?
Choi Minjun stepped forward. He picked up a stone. He dropped it down into the chasm with his fingers.
The sound of the stone falling echoed. It fell for a very long time.
Then came the sound of the stone hitting the bottom.
In that moment, there was movement.
Something below had awakened.
"Fall back."
Park Seoyeon said curtly.
They retreated. Junhyuk moved his pen. His hand trembled.
*Chasm depth: minimum 20 meters or more. Movement detected below. Identity unknown.*
Something began rising from the chasm.
What appeared first were tentacles. Tentacles with a grayish hue and a damp surface. They wrapped around the edges of the chasm. Junhyuk tried to count how many there were, but the darkness made it impossible.
"Demon squid. C-rank monster."
Park Seoyeon made her judgment. "At this depth... it could be here."
"Is it just one, or are there more?"
Choi Minjun asked.
Park Seoyeon's fingers traced through the air. Blue light spread out. Her ability scanned the interior of the gate. The shapes that light drew came into Junhyuk's view.
And Junhyuk held his breath.
It wasn't just one.
At least three. No, there could be more. It seemed like there was something beyond Park Seoyeon's scan range.
"Three or more. We go around."
Park Seoyeon commanded.
They quickly changed direction. They proceeded along the wall opposite the chasm. Choi Minjun lightly pressed Junhyuk's shoulder. A signal to keep following.
Junhyuk looked back.
The tentacles continued rising from the chasm. They swayed and groped through the air. Junhyuk recorded their movements with his pen.
*Multiple demon squids. C-rank. Tentacle length: minimum 3 meters or more. Pupils: none. Sensory organs unclear.*
When they had advanced another 20 meters, Park Seoyeon stopped again.
"Ahead."
Oh Jieun raised her hand. This time it was a different signal. Danger. Close.
Junhyuk's eyes pierced through the darkness and looked ahead.
There was something. On the ground. Something that wasn't moving.
Choi Minjun slowly moved forward. Park Seoyeon and Kim Jaeho stood on either side of him. Oh Jieun continued her reconnaissance.
It was a body.
A hunter's body.
Junhyuk could tell immediately. The clothes, the weapons, the badge. This was someone who had entered here before. A previous team.
"How long ago do you think?"
Park Seoyeon asked.
Choi Minjun approached the corpse. His face changed.
"A week? Two weeks?"
"ID?"
Oh Jieun quickly searched around the body. Watching her, Junhyuk moved his pen.
*Unidentified corpse. Presumed to be a hunter. Identity unknown. Cause of death unknown. Time of discovery cannot be calculated from corpse decomposition state.*
Choi Minjun stood up. His lips became a straight line.
"This is Mark's badge. E-rank."
"An E-rank in the abyss?"
Park Seoyeon's voice turned cold.
"Who brought an E-rank in here?"
It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
Junhyuk looked at Choi Minjun's back. Choi Minjun didn't move.
And in the darkness, there was another movement.
This time, it wasn't far away.
Junhyuk made a sound. A very small, barely audible sound. Fear tightened his throat.
Park Seoyeon's hand went to her sword hilt.
"Prepare for combat."
Choi Minjun drew his blade. The metal reflected in the faint moss light.
Junhyuk gripped his pen.
And recorded.