Chapter 19: The Abyssal Awakening

‘It looks a bit narrow….’

A large crevice, as if carved by an axe, was set into the dark wall. Reaching an arm inside, Han Dokyeom found it surprisingly deep. It was a recess large enough to conceal two people if they squeezed themselves in as tightly as possible.

‘Inventory.’

Han Dokyeom retrieved a white rope from his inventory and secured it to the rough stone crevice, ensuring it would be clearly visible from a distance.

“If everyone is ready, we’ll move again.”

Just then, Ju Uiryeong led the way forward once more. The others, trying to stifle their anxious breaths, clutched their equipment close as they hesitantly followed.

Only the faint sounds of their hushed footsteps echoed. Passing through the cave’s narrow passage and descending into a wide cavern filled with pools of water felt like an eternity. Though less than an hour had passed since they entered, everyone felt as if ten times that amount of time had elapsed.

And when they finally stepped into a place that resembled a paradise, teeming with reefs and blue holes, they were confronted with utter despair.

“Why… why are the Dagon….”

“Their heads… they’re gone!”

Around the jagged reefs lay scattered corpses. Dozens of headless bodies were strewn around the numerous blue holes that pooled like ponds.

These grotesque creatures, adorned with scales of various colors, webbed hands and feet, and sharp fins on their backs, were all Dagon.

The steady drip of water echoed from somewhere. With eyes wide in terror, the people warily scanned the ceiling.

Indeed, it had been far too quiet. The very idea that creatures which normally sprang out and attacked at the slightest sound of footsteps would remain silent while their habitat was invaded was preposterous.

“Everyone, calm down! There must be a reason for this! We haven’t even properly identified the boss yet! What good will it do to panic now?”

Ju Uiryeong’s sharp cry resonated, but the workers, having already drawn their conclusions from the sight of the corpses, merely darted their eyes around frantically. They looked ready to flee without a backward glance at any moment.

The more experienced workers and the foreman, however, remained somewhat apart from the commotion, examining the bodies. The foreman, after lifting a Dagon’s neck to inspect the cross-section, flicked away the dark blue blood and spoke.

“At this scale, it looks like they were either ripped apart by hand in one go, or torn by teeth. And judging by their state, it didn’t happen long ago. Dammit, this is infuriating.”

“Foreman! This one still has some warmth left.”

“This one too! No matter how strong the Dagon are, it would be impossible for them to tear through such tough hide in a single go. These bastards, despite how they look, their scales are like iron plates, always giving us trouble when we work on them. But to have them ripped apart in one go means….”

*Gulp—*

At his words, everyone swallowed hard.

This suggested either the presence of something other than Dagon, or that one of the Dagon had undergone a sudden, monstrous mutation—a creature ferocious enough to rip off a Dagon’s head in a single bite.

“Th-then….”

“We need to find this ‘boss’ first and determine if it’s something we can even fight. This entire situation is stacked against us. If not… then getting out of here as quickly as possible might be our only way to survive.”

With a grim expression, the foreman stood up and let out a heavy sigh. The workers’ gazes gradually shifted to Ju Uiryeong, who was still staring at the corpses. Ju Uiryeong’s eyes, filled with confusion, swept over the dense clusters of bodies.

Too numerous to count, they formed mountains in Ju Uiryeong’s vision.

“Why are there so many… so many dead…. This… normally… it wouldn’t be this many.”

Ju Uiryeong slowly made their way toward a blue hole. Its depths were so utterly black that no reflection could be seen on the water’s surface.

An abyssal darkness lurked within the blue hole, stirring something chilling and dormant inside them.

Han Dokyeom didn’t know how thoroughly or how far Ju Uiryeong had read the novel ‘The Supporting Role’s Predicament’. However, remembering the early parts in such detail surely meant they had at least read diligently through the beginning.

The reason for this certainty was—

“I… I need to get out of here…!”

Because Ju Uiryeong already understood, to their very core, that this situation was terribly wrong.

At Ju Uiryeong’s cry, people instinctively recoiled, a faint murmur filling the space they hastily vacated.

As always, disaster struck without warning. Its onset was a tremor so violent it felt as if the very ground was turning over.

“Everyone, get down!”

At the foreman’s shout, everyone clutched their heads and crouched low. Han Dokyeom also lowered his stance, sharply scanning his surroundings.

*Thump-thump-thump-thump!*

An abnormal earthquake repeatedly struck the interior, as if a monster were rampaging within the dome. Water collected on the ceiling rained down everywhere, and the surfaces of the many surrounding blue holes began to splash and churn like breaking waves. It felt as if someone was shaking the entire cave.

The people crawled towards each other, gathering in one spot. They gripped their weapons, wary of their surroundings, bracing themselves for the calm before the storm. Ju Uiryeong huddled in the center, their eyes filled with utter confusion.

The group, huddled in a circle, numbered barely nineteen. Among them, Ju Uiryeong was the only A-rank Hunter; the rest were all C-rank or below.

Some took deep, ragged breaths, while others gnashed their teeth, shoulders trembling. With wide, desperate eyes, they stood firm against the tremors, preparing for the impending battle. They had to survive. They *had* to survive.

However, their resolve proved futile as the vibrations and sounds that had shaken the cave suddenly ceased, as if washed away. A breathtaking silence followed.

It was an unbelievable stillness, and the oppressive weight of that silence was terrifying in itself. Just as the suppressed quiet reached its peak, the strange phenomenon returned as an explosive burst, as if something had ripped open.

*Kwakwakwakwakwa—!!*

Without warning, a waterspout erupted from a pitch-black blue hole. Amidst the surging water, hundreds—no, thousands—of shadowy figures emerged, sending shivers down their spines.

They were Dagon. Living Dagon, surging out in droves, stepping onto dry land. Towering over two meters tall, with glistening scales and bulging, grotesque eyes, they looked like deep-sea creatures brought up from the ocean’s abyss.

Yet, it wasn’t just Dagon that emerged onto the land. Swept up with them was a colossal figure. Unlike the other Dagon, this creature, likely four meters tall, sat hunched over, its monstrous muscles grotesquely exposed, gnawing audibly on something it held in its grasp.

The sickening, horrific sounds of bones crushing and flesh tearing made everyone hold their breath.

*Kie-ek—! Chwi-ik! Kii-ik!!*

Hundreds of Dagon, with claws extended, lunged at the monstrous creature. They attacked indiscriminately, tearing at its flesh and ripping at its body, exerting all their strength to kill it. However, the monster simply grabbed any Dagon within reach and crunched them down.

It was likely a Dagon itself, tragically mutated by some external influence.

The colossal, four-meter-tall monster continued to devour its own kind, steadily growing in size. Its bulging flesh transformed, resembling grotesque, protruding fat cells.

It was then that someone, unable to bear the gruesome sight, screamed.

“Aargh…! Uwaaagh!”

“Shut up!!”

Following the foreman’s shout, the gazes of the Dagon positioned around them instantly fixed on the workers. Hunched over, their mouths agape to reveal sharp teeth, the Dagon’s eyes gleamed menacingly.

“Wh-what… what do we do… if you scream there….”

A trembling voice escaped Ju Uiryeong’s lips. Their numbers were simply too overwhelming. If, by any chance, that mutated creature noticed the commotion and turned its attention to them, it would be the end. Only now, facing them, did they realize it was impossible to fight.

Ju Uiryeong’s mind raced. Perhaps this was an impossible situation from the start. Their stubbornness had been futile. Yes, this was an unchangeable fate, after all. It wasn’t because they were incompetent; it was simply predetermined.

Ju Uiryeong offered themselves a useless comfort as they cautiously backed away. Some of the Dagon mixed in the horde caught their scent, turned with splashing steps, and bared their teeth.

As those sharp teeth spread open like a savage dog’s maw, Ju Uiryeong pushed aside their fear and moved.

“Someone, please hold off the Dagon! I’ll go up and cast Teleport, so just buy me some time until then! At least a few of us have to survive!”

It was a futile plea. The moment they saw the Dagon, people turned tail and ran frantically back the way they came. Dozens of Dagon broke from the horde, chasing madly after them.

The Dagon, scrambling on all fours across the ceiling and walls, moved with the speed of savage dogs pursuing prey. Unable to bear the sight, the foreman swung the axe in his hand, blocking the front of the fleeing group.

“Go on ahead!”

“Foreman…!”

“Just go when I tell you to! What are you arguing with an elder for?! Do you think I’m doing this to save you? I’m just trying to save my own damn skin!”

[‘Orias,’ the demon of ‘Lemegeton,’ vents their frustration, asking why the plot suddenly veered into an apocalypse scenario!]

Even with such words, it was no use. Han Dokyeom himself could only manage to maintain his distance and run.

The foreman swung his axe, shimmering with a blue light, towards a Dagon lunging with open jaws. As if slicing through a radish, the axe cleaved through the Dagon’s steel-like hide, severing its limbs.