Baek Tae-beom didn’t say anything more and simply held me close as he leapt high into the air. The hem of my clothes narrowly brushed against the fingertip of the giant’s swinging hand. Landing in a single bound atop the wall, Baek Tae-beom carefully set me down. Though the ledge was narrow, it was still manageable to stand on.
“Where’s Lee Myung-won?”
“He’s being chased over there.”
Baek Tae-beom pointed to one side. Just as he said, we could see Lee Myung-won being pursued by giants. It looked like he had also tried to destroy the wall, but he seemed flustered by how quickly it restored itself and started running again.
[CH.#32fas91/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: What are you standing around for?! Hurry up and save him!]
[CH.#32fas91/Free Wind: Apollo~ Watching your contractor panic is hilarious~]
[CH.#32fas91/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Funny?! You think this is funny, you bastard?! My son, get over there and save him!]
[CH.#32fas91/One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: Who’s Apollo’s son?]
Baek Tae-beom clicked his tongue in annoyance and spoke to me.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Then, using the wall as a springboard, he practically flew toward Lee Myung-won. Just as he was being cornered by the giants, Baek Tae-beom snatched him up by the scruff of his neck and hoisted him up with agile precision. Slinging him over his shoulder, he sprinted back toward us.
Listening to them talk was downright ridiculous.
“Baek Tae-beom, have you no sense of propriety? Carrying someone like this—ugh—pressing into my solar plexus, like some kind of cargo…”
“The very act of having to carry you is pissing me off, so shut your mouth.”
“If you press here like this, I feel like I’m going to throw up everything I ate! And could you pick one way of speaking—either informal or polite?!”
“Don’t say that right into my ear!”
“Then where else would I say it? You have ears, so of course I speak into them!”
“Stop yelling, you son of a bitch!”
“I’m yelling so you can hear me properly, Baek Tae-beom!”
Baek Tae-beom all but flung Lee Myung-won down. Gracefully enough, Lee Myung-won managed to land and balance on the narrow ledge.
The giants pounded the ground beneath us, trying to leap up, but the wall was just a little too high. So, we started running again—toward the palace.
Here and there, statues carved into the columns came to life and flew at us through the air, attempting to attack, but were quickly shot down by a barrage of arrows. With no need to find a path through a maze, progressing forward was relatively easy.
Golden branches extended in all directions, and statues reaching toward the sky wept. The sky was an impossibly vivid blue. A massive, undulating, snow-white wall shimmered ahead. We moved toward what lay beyond it.
[CH.#32fas91/One More Dazzling Than the Sun: This is….]
[CH.#32fas91/Horseback Herald: Intriguing.]
[CH.#32fas91/Horseback Herald: They only stole the outer appearance.]
It was exactly as he said. Though we had entered the palace, what we found was nothing but a vast, barren expanse. A pure white desert of sand.
[CH.#32fas91/Horseback Herald: But… why go through such trouble?]
[CH.#32fas91/One Who Will Burn the World: Isn’t it obvious?]
Surtr growled as he spoke.
[CH.#32fas91/One Who Will Burn the World: It’s to expose that Odin’s authority is nothing but a sham.]
[CH.#32fas91/Goddess of Beauty and War: Who the hell gave this thing speaking rights? Someone tell it to shut up!]
[CH.#32fas91/One Who Will Burn the World: I’ll kindly twist your neck and scatter you into the river.]
[CH.#32fas91/Goddess of Beauty and War: I’ll rip your limbs off and feed them to my horses if you don’t shut your mouth.]
Each step we took into the desert made our feet sink deep, leaving clear tracks in the white sand. It felt like walking across a snowy field.
Still, there were no landmarks, no sense of direction. We stood in a vast expanse with no bearings, unsure where to go.
“Don’t we have something like a compass?”
“Even if we did, it wouldn’t help if we don’t know which direction to head in.”
“What do you think, Lee Myung-won? Any idea where we should go?”
“I think Choi Ga-hyeon would know better than I would.”
“…Sorry?”
Lee Myung-won cautiously placed a hand on my shoulder. Baek Tae-beom scowled at the sight, but didn’t say anything.
“As you mentioned earlier, didn’t you say you could sense something? Then it would be smartest to go in the direction that feels right to you, Choi Ga-hyeon.”
“You’re okay leaving it all up to my gut?”
“If it’s your intuition, Choi Ga-hyeon, I welcome it anytime.”
And so, we began walking again. The glaringly white sand beneath our feet made the whole scene feel like a dream. Sand kept slipping into my shoes, which was annoying, but it was better than making a scene trying to shake it all out.
I wondered how the others were doing. We had made sure to bring supplies, so it wasn’t likely they’d run into trouble—but I couldn’t help worrying. Even without Fenrir, the sheer number of dungeons here was insane. There had to be some ranked A or higher among them.
The thought of someone else dying, of failing to save someone again, brought on a crushing sense of guilt. Even if it was out of my hands. Even if it was arrogance on my part.
“Walking like this….”
Baek Tae-beom suddenly spoke.
“When I first met you, that memory just came back to me.”
“Me?”
Baek Tae-beom looked down at me with a faint smile. His smile seemed to stretch beneath the dazzling sun above.
“In the elevator. Remember?”
“Of course I remember.”
“It was when all this first started happening. I was completely overwhelmed, and you helped me.”
Lee Myung-won, who had been quietly listening, spoke up in surprise.
“Choi Ga-hyeon, you helped Baek Tae-beom?”
“It just sort of happened that way. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Not a big deal? You basically saved my life.”
Baek Tae-beom said lazily, blinking his golden eyes that reflected the white desert. The shadows under his lashes gave his expression a strangely somber look.
“Maybe… I fell for you at first sight that day.”
“What the hell are you saying?!”
I slapped Baek Tae-beom’s back. Completely dumbfounded—but my neck and ears flushed red in an instant. Scowling, I glared at him just to hide my embarrassment.
“Don’t go spouting weird crap like that in front of Lee Myung-won.”
“Haha, I don’t think it’s weird. I actually liked hearing it.”
“Lee Myung-won.”
“When I first saw you, Choi Ga-hyeon, I thought you were… fascinating.”
I blinked at that and turned to look at Lee Myung-won. His tone was calm and steady.
“It felt like you came from another world.”
“……”
“Didn’t you feel the same way, Baek Tae-beom?”
“Maybe I did.”
“There’s something… something that words can’t quite capture. And even now, I still get that feeling sometimes.”
“Me?”
I waved my hand dismissively like someone hearing a boring story, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.
“You must be mistaken.”
“Maybe so… but that’s how I feel. Look over there—something’s coming into view.”
Following his gaze, I lifted my head and looked toward the far side of the desert. Just as he said, there was something there. A sand dune, rising out of the flat white expanse.
“Looks like just a hill.”
“Shall we take a closer look?”
“I’ll go. You both stay here.”
Baek Tae-beom left us behind and headed toward the sand dune. A sudden unease came over me. An ominous sense swept through my body—a gut feeling.
“Wait, Tae-beom!”
The moment I called out and Baek Tae-beom turned around—
The dune exploded upward. A cascade of white sand tumbled down as a massive wolf’s maw opened wide from within. Without a second’s hesitation, I drew and released an arrow.
[The final chamber of the dungeon has opened.]
[A new quest has been updated.]
[Dungeon <Predator in the Sand>]
[Die to Fenrir and bring about the world’s destruction.
Reward: ???]
CRACK—a piercing sound split the air. The arrow tore into the wolf’s gaping maw, splitting it with a sickening rip. Baek Tae-beom spun around and plunged his sword upward into the roof of Fenrir’s mouth.
CLANG!—a harsh metallic clang rang out as though he had struck stone. Baek Tae-beom’s cloak caught on Fenrir’s teeth. I fired again.
But the arrow only grazed the corner of Fenrir’s eye.
“Fall back, quickly!” Lee Myung-won shouted.
He was right. The ground trembled harder and harder. It became difficult to stand. The entire area—we realized now—was Fenrir’s body.
Fenrir, the one who devoured the sun.
His blood-red eyes blazed. Baek Tae-beom, narrowly escaping the jaws, yanked his sword free and climbed atop Fenrir’s head. The wolf let out an earth-shaking howl and went berserk.
“Tae-beom!”
Baek Tae-beom couldn’t hold on long. He lost his footing and slipped off, his shoes scraping the sand as he managed to land in a controlled slide. The three of us stood there, staring up at a massive shape that could only be called a mountain.
A mountain.
Fenrir.
He growled and addressed us directly.
“Foolish mortals have come crawling in!”
