It happened in an instant.
The memory of the past they were viewing, the space itself, shattered and tore apart.
Through the gaps, a sight that defied comprehension was revealed.
[Found you.]
At the sound of a voice that made her skin crawl, her head instinctively turned toward the sky, and she saw it.
A single giant eye that contained all the gloom of the world.
【Hope of Liphyue.】
From that place, the voice echoed, making the space tremble and her head ring.
There was no time to understand what those words meant.
It was a sense of helplessness she had never felt before in her life.
Her own existence felt so insignificant before a being she could not resist.
[Your schemes are trivial, and your struggles are equally trivial.]
Her mind went blank, and her entire body, drained of strength, began to tremble uncontrollably.
She was going to die.
She would surely die.
Between the shards of the dungeon space falling away, from within the deep, deep darkness, it reached out its hand.
Claire felt it.
Since any struggle would be meaningless anyway, she might as well just die.
Without any resistance, she should just surrender her body to the reaching Abyssal Depths and die.
It was hard to believe, but Claire certainly thought that.
Even though she had only seen that strange eye and heard a few words from that eerie voice, her very will to resist had vanished.
But Claire was not the only one there.
[Jijoncheonma.]
Jijoncheonma.
Another name referring to Hio.
It was certainly an alias Claire knew as well.
When they left Delphyr Village, Hio had said that if she told Sirbert that name, he would know.
She still didn’t know what it meant.
However, she knew that everyone who knew that alias was an extraordinary person.
She also remembered the reaction of Sirbert, who had stiffened in shock the first time he heard it.
[Hio Pavlenko.]
What did it mean, and what kind of existence did it point to, that even that strange being would call Hio by that name?
【The last hope of Liphyue.】
‘And what exactly was Rie’s hope?’
Liphyue referred to the Goddess of Hope…
No, before that, how was she even able to think like this?
Until just a moment ago, she had been pitifully trembling, thinking only of death, but suddenly those thoughts were gone, and she had fallen into a different train of thought.
If there was a reason… was it thanks to Hio, who was radiating an enchanting light right in front of her?
The touch of the Golden Goddess pouring down from the far-off high sky blocked the encroaching darkness.
Lightning crackled from his body, and the Blue Sun stayed with Hio above his head.
Having seen that, thoughts of death no longer came to mind.
She tried to force herself to stand to add even a tiny bit of strength.
But.
【The light will sink and the darkness will rise.】
Still, words of unknown meaning echoed through the space and shook her head.
b
“……!”
As if being repelled and blown away, the strange eye and the darkness receded into the distance and vanished in an instant.
She had only closed and opened her eyes, but she was suddenly in a completely different space.
“Wh-Where is…….”
A wide cavern.
It was a flower field full of yellow canola flowers.
“……It’s a common space that appears once you break through every dungeon. It’s okay now……..”
As soon as she heard Hio’s words, her body wobbled.
Her legs, drained of strength, would not listen to her.
“Are you okay?”
If Hio hadn’t quickly supported her, she would have tumbled ungracefully into the flower field.
“……I’m sorry, I was just a little surprised.”
Something warm flowed in from where she touched Hio.
A certain energy that made her heart feel cozy and calm.
Her slightly trembling hands and feet gradually settled, and strength began to return to her body.
‘Wasn’t Saint of Black Wings also one of Hio’s many aliases?’
Holy Power was flowing into her.
“Thank you.”
At Claire’s words, Hio replied with a faint smile and looked around.
A wide cavern.
The surroundings were filled with yellow flowers.
Along the walls, passages were set at regular intervals, and most of them were open.
If Hio and Claire had broken through the dungeon normally, they would have entered this common space through one of those passages.
Claire, who was looking around with Hio, pointed to the only entrance among the passages that had collapsed and spoke.
“That must be the path we came through.”
A collapsed entrance.
Based on what she heard during the preliminary explanation, a collapsed passage meant that all dungeons had been broken through.
An open passage meant that the breakthrough was still in progress.
“Then those closed passages over there…….”
A closed passage meant that the breakthrough had failed.
A failure in the breakthrough meant the total annihilation of the party.
“They must have been…… unlucky.”
They were probably terribly unlucky.
Perhaps they formed a two-person party like Hio and Claire, or an unexpectedly strong monster appeared.
“……It’s a floor with many variables.”
Hio’s gaze as he said this was fixed on the closed passages.
“It couldn’t be…… helped. Again.”
His eyes were filled with rage.
It was unfamiliar to Claire to see him speaking while suppressing his anger like this.
‘What was he so angry about that he had to hold it back?’
“Variables, damn variables.”
If she had to guess, perhaps it was anger directed at Hio himself.
Because that anger seemed larger than she expected, Claire quickly changed the subject to something else.
“More importantly, Hio. ……Can you tell me? What on earth were those things?”
The beings that appeared while destroying the dungeon.
The space filled with darkness.
That bizarre eye floating in the sky.
Just thinking about it made fear rise again from deep within her heart.
If Hio hadn’t calmed her with Holy Power, she wouldn’t have been able to speak about it so calmly.
It wasn’t a dream.
‘Then what exactly was it?’
At Claire’s question, Hio remained silent for a while before bending his knees and sitting down among the yellow flowers.
“Do you want to sit for a moment?”
Claire also sat carefully beside him.
A brief silence followed even then.
Eventually, Hio’s mouth opened.
“That thing is an invader that seeks to take this world.”
What he spat out was the truth of the distant past.
The true Abyssal Depths that only Hio knew in this current era.
The greatest enemy and the culprit behind this entire situation.
“Abyss, Abyssal Depths, or Strange Entities. There are many names it’s called by.”
He hadn’t told anyone hastily.
Not to Sylvia, nor to Vitalianus.
Because he knew better than anyone the immense weight and anxiety they would shoulder the moment he spoke.
He hadn’t told Daphne or Sirbert either.
It was because he still didn’t fully trust them.
The reason was, after all, Logout.
They were people who cherished their hometown more than this world.
‘Weren’t they beings who had tried to use this world as a testing ground for their hometown?’
They were Bingija, who could Logout at any time if things went wrong, making them incredibly unstable.
This was the first time he was opening up about the truth.
A war that had continued from a thousand years ago—or perhaps much longer—but was recorded nowhere.
What the Abyssal Depths were and how long they had been fighting.
Why the gods no longer spoke and why magic had to disappear into the shadows of history.
Even how the Abyss Monster we are facing was born and that there is no way to turn it back.
After hearing the whole story, Claire couldn’t say anything.
She hadn’t even dared to imagine it.
No, who could have imagined it?
‘Who would have expected that he was fighting such a heavy truth and such vast Abyssal Depths all by himself?’
With what words could she comfort his sacrifice, and with what words could she praise his efforts?
She didn’t know for sure, but any words she said now would offer no comfort or solace.
“It’s one of my goals. To wipe out that bizarre thing we saw earlier.”
She hadn’t even dared to think of resisting and only had death in her mind, yet Hio spoke of its annihilation beyond just resistance.
That was why she couldn’t say anything.
Because she felt so ashamed and small.
“Claire. You have to get stronger.”
Hio’s voice could be heard low as he gazed into the distance.
“Train enough so your mind won’t be shaken by it. Develop your intent enough to be able to deal a blow to it.”
These weren’t just words he was conveying to Claire.
It was like a vow Hio was repeating to himself.
And just then.
Thump!
A heavy noise echoed from a distance.
The kind of sound where something heavy was being closed.
If you followed the sound, one of the newly closed passage entrances came into view.
Once again, another party had failed to break through.
They had been wiped out and died just like that.
Hio spoke as if muttering, his eyes fixed on it.
“It has to be that way.”
With eyes that seemed both sad and as if he were holding back rage.
A silence followed after those words for a while.
The yellow canola flowers in full bloom brushed against her cheeks and swayed.
Since the scent of the flowers, which somehow made her heart feel at ease, caressed the bridge of her nose.
“I’ll get stronger.”
Claire mustered the courage to speak.
“I won’t just sit down powerlessly like this again, and I’ll get strong enough to land a big blow on those Abyssal Depths.”
It’s strange.
She shouldn’t feel this way, but she strangely felt good.
“Because you’re my goal. Your goal is my goal.”
When she turned her head to look at Hio, he was also looking at her.
Not with sad or angry eyes, but with clear black eyes that seemed a little surprised.
“I’ll work harder too. I’ll work and work so I can stand proudly by your side again.”
Strangely, the words flowed out smoothly.
She shouldn’t feel good, but she did.
A wide flower field with just the two of them.
A beautiful flower field smiling brightly even though it was inside the Abyss floor.
Inside it, the words Hio told her were truths shared only with her.
‘Had Hio’s heavy burden been lightened even slightly?’
‘Had she been even a little bit of help?’
‘Is that why a joyful feeling was flickering?’
“When that time comes, when I become strong enough to be of help to you…….”
‘Or was it because the yellow flowers swaying in bloom were so beautiful?’
‘Was it because the scent was so good that her heart had become excited?’
“I…….”
Perhaps all of those things were the reason.
The reason she was trying to speak out loud the words she had only imagined, the words she had imagined like a dream before falling asleep.
It was because of the flowers blooming so beautifully despite being the Abyss and the fresh atmosphere like a spring day.
“You……..”
‘But perhaps the conversation they were sharing was too long?’
Kwooooong!
Once again, a heavy noise was heard from behind them.
A different sound than before—not of closing, but of collapsing.
Swallowing the words that couldn’t quite come out, she looked back.
She could see the collapsing passage and the people walking out from in front of it.
Familiar faces.
Among them, the man in the lead was glaring at Hio with a very stiff expression.
“……Jijoncheonma.”
Again.
That name of unknown meaning was heard once more.
***
Claire and Hio were the first to enter the common space, the final meeting point, and second, the party of Antipus and Sirbert arrived after breaking through all the dungeons.
Starting with that, several parties, including Vitalianus, quickly entered the common space.
This meant the wide cavern, the common space where yellow flowers were in full bloom, was filled with many people.
“Ah, by the way, weren’t you going to say something earlier?”
“Huh? M-Me?”
“You were definitely going to do something after getting stronger…….”
“Ah, ah? That! It’s nothing! I’ll tell you next time. Ahaha…….”
Claire was strangely flustered, waving her hands dismissively.
“Is that so? I understand.”
Leaving it at that, he looked around.
Almost all the parties had arrived.
Passages were set at regular intervals along the cavern walls.
Most of the seventy-some passages had collapsed, but five passages were firmly closed.
Since the Empire and the Bingija started the raid together, the first casualties had occurred.
Now, only one passage remained open.
Just then, the last party was entering from there, limping as if they had been injured.
“The last one is coming in! Maintain the formation!”
The boss raid would begin the moment the last party entered.
Therefore, the Imperial knights and Bingija, who surrounded the common space widely, tensed up and watched the center.
This was the same for Hio and Claire.
Kugugung—
The moment the last party also entered the common space and the entrance to the passage collapsed, what popped up was a message.
A message that only the Bingija could see announced the appearance of the boss.
[All personnel who entered the Floor of Breakthrough have arrived at the common space.]
[Commencing the final breakthrough.]
At the same time, the Abyssal Curse began to spread thickly.
The yellow flowers began to lose their vitality and turn black.
The field of vision grew darker.
From within that, a form that suddenly rose from the very center of the cavern was clearly the Boss Monster of the Floor of Breakthrough.
“It appeared!”
“Don’t approach, wait!”
The knights waited with their swords pointed, and those with ranged skills immediately poured out their skills.
Kwaaaaang—!
Various skills poured down.
The blackening petals fluttered, soil scattered, and a cloud of dust rose.
However.
— Keeeeeeeeee!
Being a Boss Monster, it seemed not to have taken much damage.
Its overall appearance was that of a bipedal monster.
Like other Abyss Monsters, it was black from head to toe, but the unique parts were its head and hands.
Its head was abnormally large compared to its body, and it was a twisted form with a mysterious triangle placed on top of its head.
At the ends of its arms, a long stick about as tall as itself was fused and twisted with its hands.
— Keeeeeeeeeeek!
Such a Boss Monster shouted loudly and struck the ground with the end of the stick stuck to its hand.
Somehow…… it was a familiar sight.
“Something is coming! Prepare!”
A familiar ripple spread through the cavern.
A familiar magic pattern.
“Clad yourselves in Aura!”
“Deploy defensive skills!”
— Keeeeeeeek!
The change came immediately.
The originally yellow and fragrant flowers turned completely black, and they began to grow large as they became intertwined.
— Keeeeek! Keeeeeeeeee!
However, compared to how threateningly they grew, no attacks came in.
It only surrounded a small space, including itself, with those grown black flowers.
Even that somehow felt familiar.
“Don’t get close for now, keep attacking from a distance!”
Various attack skills were poured out centered around the Bingija, who were mostly long-range specialists, but although the protective shield of black flowers shook, it did not break.
It wasn’t that there was any other counterattack, either.
Simply.
— Keeeee! Keeeeeeeeek!
Only the shouts of the monster continued to be heard from within.
Kwaaaaang—!
Attacks poured down.
The shield shook.
— Keeeeeeeeek! Keeeeeeeeeeek!
The monster shouted.
Kwaaaaang—!
Stronger attacks struck the shield.
Then, a louder shout was heard from the inside.
— Keeeeeeeeeeek!
It wasn’t a scream.
She couldn’t even understand what it meant.
Yet, it kept shouting something without rest.
— Keeeek! Keeeeeeeeek!
‘What was it shouting so desperately?’
As if it never tired, the monster continued to shout.
As if……..
— Keeeek! Keeeeeeeeek!
Not to worry.
That I am here.
— Keeeeeek! Keeeeeeeeeeek!
To be at ease.
That Tetradia will surely return.
So please, do not let go of hope until the moment you die.
— Keeeeeeeeeeek!
Because she was reminded of an old Magician who had shouted like that until his throat burst.
“!”
Claire covered her mouth with both hands.
With her eyes wide open, she had stepped back without realizing it.
— Keeeeeek!
Unlike Claire, Hio stepped forward.
As calmly as always.
Steadily suppressing the emotions trying to burst out, enduring and enduring again.
[Hidden Trait: Violence is Forbidden! (Patience: 997/1000)]
He stepped forward like that.