Ssshhk, swish. With the sound of the oar slicing through the water, the thick, viscous liquid churned as if reluctantly letting go. The rowboat carrying the advance party glided slowly but steadily toward a single direction.
“Do you think monsters might jump out at us?”
Catherine voiced her concern cautiously. Though they had activated a shielding spell, it would be useless if they were attacked by monsters. From the prow of the boat, where he stood with a map in hand, Kyle answered.
“During the several months I spent researching this place, I never saw a single monster.”
“Not even once?”
“Not once.”
Catherine furrowed her brows at Kyle’s answer. Her gaze swept over the black mana swirling beneath the boat.
“It is strange, that’s for sure.”
Kyle nodded, as if he completely understood her reaction.
“What’s strange about it?”
The legion commander, who had been listening nearby, raised an eyebrow. As someone with a military background, he found it hard to follow the scholars’ conversation. The rest of the advance party seemed just as curious, turning their heads toward Kyle.
“The black mana beneath this boat is an extremely pure source of power. Normally, black mana is food for monsters, so wherever it gathers, monsters are bound to swarm around it… But look.”
Kyle gestured ahead and around them as he spoke.
As far as the eye could see, stretching beyond the horizon, there was nothing but a still, black lake—completely devoid of life. The boat was drawing closer to a massive black circle suspended in the air. It had appeared huge even from a distance, but the closer they got, the more its abyssal scale became viscerally apparent. The black circle was so unnaturally large, it looked capable of swallowing the entire world. Seen directly from below, it might look as big as a royal palace.
Just imagining it was enough to make someone shudder—the sound of a shoulder trembling involuntarily broke the silence.
“It’s so quiet… Like it’s waiting for something.”
“……”
A heavy silence descended over the boat. Only now did everyone begin to grasp what Catherine and Kyle had meant by “strange.”
“Waiting for… what?”
Gulp. Someone audibly swallowed. But no one on the boat could answer that question.
“……For now, we’re just here to investigate this phenomenon. This could be a dangerous mission, so stay alert. No one is to leave the boat’s shield until I give the order.”
The legion commander issued his command in a solemn voice, and the soldiers responded with equally serious tones.
“Yes, sir.”
From the prow, Mikhail shifted his gaze away from the black lake he’d been staring at with a grim expression.
His eyes landed on Adrian, who was seated at the stern of the boat, his face calm and unbothered. Adrian leaned casually against the boat’s edge with one arm, eyes focused on something far beyond the black mana. Perhaps sensing Mikhail’s gaze, Adrian’s eyes slid to the side.
Adrian had once said, “If it’s something human strength can’t handle, you’ll need me.” As much as he hoped that wouldn’t come true, the situation was starting to look more serious than expected.
The two locked eyes without exchanging a word. Still, it was clear that they were thinking the exact same thing.
Adrian turned his gaze back to the immense circle that drew closer by the second, his expression sharpening. While the others were distracted, he attempted to crush the black circle using his dragon power—but his energy dispersed the moment it touched it. The black circle remained unbothered, floating serenely in the sky.
…My power doesn’t work on it.
That same helplessness he’d felt at the temple swept over his entire draconic body once again.
Tch. Adrian narrowed his eyes at the enormous black circle, clearly displeased.
All things on the continent were supposed to exist beneath the dominion of dragons. But that… that thing did not fall under that shadow. Judging by the black mana it continued to emit, it likely didn’t belong to this world at all—it was something from the demon realm. In that case, it made sense that it lay outside the reach of dragon influence.
He’d boldly told Mikhail, “You’ll need me,” and followed him all the way here, only for this? Adrian curled one side of his lip into a cold, ironic smile.
And then—
KUGUGUNG—
The black lake, which until now had been shrouded in a heavy, oppressive silence, suddenly quaked with a thunderous tremor. The surge of force rocked the rowboat carrying the advance party, tossing it violently on the turbulent waves, as if it might capsize at any moment.
“Hold on tight!”
Someone shouted urgently. Most clung tightly to the boat’s edge with both hands, but one person, caught off guard, missed the timing and was nearly thrown overboard. Smack! A soldier snatched him by the arm and yanked him back inside with a fierce tug.
“H-Huff… Haa…” The man who’d almost plunged into the black mana gasped, exhaling ragged breaths, and muttered under his breath,
“Th-Thank you…”
“Stay sharp! The objective of this mission is solely to identify the source of the black mana. Everyone returning alive takes top priority—got it?!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Still dazed from his brush with death, the man straightened his posture, his face now set with grim determination. At the same time, Catherine, who had been checking the shield spell, shouted out,
“Shield’s intact!”
“Kyle! Shouldn’t we turn the boat around right now?!”
The legion commander barked at Kyle, who was holding the map.
“There’s… there’s no need to…”
Even in the tense moment, Kyle kept a tight grip on the map. Realizing where their boat currently was, he slowly lifted his head.
The enormous black circle they had been using as a landmark was now directly above them.
“It’s too late.”
We’ve already arrived… Kyle muttered, his body stiff with tension.
Guuuuuuung— This time, it wasn’t a brief quake. A long, deep tremor reverberated endlessly through the abyssal darkness. A crushing sense of dread weighed down on them.
Then, as suddenly as it had started, the lake of black mana stilled. The wild waves from moments ago might as well have been a lie.
“…What the hell was that tremor just now?”
Mikhail murmured, standing at the prow as he looked up at the massive black circle looming in the sky.
It felt like the boat was being drawn closer, like something wanted them to come nearer.
Even up close, the impression was the same. It was a pitch-black void, as if all light in the world had been swallowed. From its edges, thick streams of black mana were oozing downward. Normally, a surge like that nearby would’ve rocked the boat or even flipped it—but perhaps because the mana was so dense and heavy, the boat remained perfectly steady in place.
Guuuuung— The abyssal circle pulsed again, radiating an undeniable presence, as if demanding attention. Mikhail furrowed his brows at a strange sense of déjà vu.
Wait… something’s not right…
The moment that thought crossed his mind, the focus vanished from Mikhail’s crimson eyes.
KUUUUUNG—The black circle hovering above seemed to answer, its low vibration deepening.
Everyone in the expedition had their heads turned skyward, completely fixated on the void—That’s when it happened.
“…!”
Adrian, who had been silently watching Mikhail from the rear of the boat, was the first to notice the change and shot to his feet.
“Mikhail!”
At his shout, everyone snapped their heads toward the name’s owner.
Just then, Mikhail’s body, which had been gazing up at the abyss in the sky, slowly tipped sideways. Adrian crossed the distance to the prow in only a few strides and caught Mikhail’s collapsing body with a thud. His featherlight footsteps didn’t jostle the boat in the slightest.
Mikhail didn’t respond even after falling limp into Adrian’s arms. Cradling him gently, Adrian murmured,
“…Mikhail?”
He gave him a slight shake, but Mikhail remained silent, eyes closed.
“Is he unconscious?”
The legion commander, who had been nearby, checked his condition and muttered. Adrian gazed intently at the Mikhail in his arms, observing carefully. Humans often fainted from stress or sudden emotional shock.
“…”
But this didn’t seem like a typical case of that. A faint shadow, cast by his pale lashes, hovered around Mikhail’s eyes. As Adrian held him protectively, Catherine hesitantly asked,
“…Do you think we need a healing spell?”
If that were necessary, a dragon would’ve already taken action—so she tread carefully. Adrian shook his head side to side, refusing, just as Catherine muttered,
“Oh, his eyes… they’re open again.”
That quickly?
Adrian’s gaze snapped back to Mikhail.
Just as she said—his tightly shut eyes were now open.
“…!”
It was the same as that time.
Just like at the Dohenia volcano, light now glimmered in both of Mikhail’s eyes. And back then—what had he done?
Adrian silently recalled.
Mikhail had opened those glowing eyes, lifted his sword, and sliced through black mana like pudding—clean, precise, effortless.
Now, Mikhail slowly sat up from Adrian’s arms, where he’d been slumped. A sharp, indifferent light gleamed in his eyes—red as blood.
