After the Incheon dungeon, word of a faintly glowing E‑rank gate in Busan's abandoned subway tunnels reached the Association.
On paper, another "low-rank" dungeon. On paper, nothing remarkable.
But Gaia had other plans.
I arrived with a small Valhalla team: Seo‑yeon, Hae‑rin, and Min‑jae.
The gate shimmered between cracked platforms, the air around it thick with stale electricity and dust.
> [Executor Quest: Hidden Dungeon Detected]
[Anomaly: Mythic Reward Present]
[Suggested Team Size: 3–5]
The moment I stepped closer, Gaia whispered in my mind, colder and sharper than before.
> [Executor, the dungeon will reveal truth, not just treasure.]
[Skill Reward: "Sight Beyond" available.]
[Warning: Reality layers unstable; emotional resonance may overwhelm unprepared minds.]
---
Entering the Dungeon
The tunnel beyond the gate was dark, lined with flickering fluorescent lights.
A faint, pulsing glow emanated from the walls, like veins of raw mana.
Each step was heavier, the air thick with unspoken memories.
Hae‑rin gripped her blades. "Feels… wrong."
Seo‑yeon frowned, scanning the walls. "Standard monsters shouldn't make the whole subway feel like this."
I smiled faintly. "This dungeon isn't standard."
The first creatures—ragged spectral shadows—swirled around the walls. They weren't alive in the traditional sense. They were echoes… traces of emotional energy. Pain, anger, betrayal.
> [Observation: Emotional Residue Detected]
[Gaia Hint: Your mind will filter; resist full immersion until skill unlock.]
---
The Hidden Floor
The pulse grew stronger as we reached a collapsed platform.
Through the dust, a faint doorway appeared—almost invisible, etched with runes of eyes.
I stepped forward. The air around me thickened. I could feel… everything.
> [Executor, descend?]
[Yes / No]
"Yes," I whispered.
The floor dissolved beneath us, and the dungeon welcomed us into its inner sanctum.
---
The Skill Reward
In the center of the hidden chamber hovered a pale, translucent orb.
It radiated calm, then suddenly… pain. Memories surged through my mind: despair, vengeance, loss—strangers' feelings, sharp as daggers.
I instinctively staggered back, hands to my head.
> [Gaia: Stabilize. Skill Essence available.]
I stretched out my hand. The orb pulsed into my palm, warm, alive.
It imprinted itself into my senses.
> [Skill Acquired: Sight Beyond]
[Function: Observe truth, emotions, memories, hidden intent, and past experiences of any being or object.]
[Restriction: Overuse may cause sensory overload. Mental fortitude required.]
I felt the dungeon shrink around me.
The echoes, the shadows, the pain—all fell into alignment.
I could see it. Every hidden secret, every sorrow buried beneath the world's surface.
Seo‑yeon and the others looked at me, awe and confusion in their eyes.
> "Jin-ho… what did you—?"
"Nothing," I said, slipping the skill into my consciousness like a weapon.
"At least, nothing you'll understand… yet."
---
The dungeon rumbled again.
This time, I wasn't afraid.
Mistilteinn in one hand, Sight Beyond in my mind, and Gaia's whispers guiding me—I was ready.
Seven years until Ragnarok.
And now, I could see everything that tried to hide from me.
The chamber rippled like a living heartbeat.
Walls of obsidian twisted and warped, faces emerging from the stone—eyes, mouths, half-formed screams.
The temperature dropped until our breath became mist.
> [Warning: Manifested Entities Detected]
[Type: Echo-Fiends – constructs born from emotional residue.]
[Threat Level: Unstable.]
Seo-yeon's scanner flickered wildly. "This isn't possible! No physical mana signature—"
"Because they aren't alive," I muttered, drawing Mistilteinn. The blade hummed, its bark-like surface pulsing faint green. "They're memories given shape."
The first Echo-Fiend lunged.
It looked human—until its jaw split open like shattered glass, revealing an endless void beneath. Its scream shattered the torches, plunging us into blackness.
Only the mana glow of Mistilteinn lit the room.
"Shield up!" I shouted.
Min-jae slammed his barrier down just as three fiends struck. The impact echoed like thunder, fracturing the stone beneath him.
Hae-rin leapt above him, twin blades flashing in an arc of silver. Two fiends disintegrated under her strike, their forms dissolving into mist.
But more crawled out of the walls—dozens of them, dragging broken limbs and whispering words that weren't words.
---
The Vision Begins
One of the fiends lunged at me. I parried—its claws scraped across Mistilteinn, and for an instant, I saw.
A battlefield.
A man screaming for his son.
Blood.
A memory frozen in time.
> [Skill Activation: Sight Beyond – Partial Sync 1%]
Pain seared through my mind, but clarity followed. Every monster was a memory—someone's death, their rage, their sorrow trapped when the Gate first formed.
"Jin-ho, what's happening!?" Seo-yeon shouted.
"They're not enemies," I said. "They're echoes."
"Echo or not, they're trying to kill us!"
Fair point.
---
Combat Flow
I pushed forward, cutting through the fiends in a blur of motion. Mistilteinn's light trailed like aurora through the dark. Every strike shattered both flesh and memory—the blade feeding on resentment, purifying it.
The air shimmered with each kill, memories bleeding into color: burning cities, weeping faces, fallen gods.
And through it all, Gaia's voice guided me:
> [Executor synchronization increasing.]
[Sight Beyond – 25%. Deeper layers available.]
[Caution: Mental corruption risk elevated.]
A massive fiend rose at the center of the chamber, its body formed from hundreds of faces fused together. A giant—its single eye burning red with hatred.
"Cyclops," I whispered. Not physical, but born from collective rage.
Its roar shook the dungeon.
---
The Cinematic Boss Fight
"Scatter!" I yelled.
A beam of crimson mana exploded from its eye, carving a molten path across the floor.
Min-jae's shield melted instantly. Hae-rin rolled, grabbing Seo-yeon before the blast consumed her.
I sprinted up the side of a broken pillar, Mistilteinn in hand. The Cyclops turned, following my motion.
> [Sight Beyond – 50%. Target: Cyclops Echo.]
The world slowed.
Time fractured—frames of the creature's memories flashing before me:
Chains.
A battlefield of gods.
Betrayal by its creator.
A final plea for release.
"I see you," I whispered.
The creature froze, its single eye trembling. For the first time, it hesitated.
I landed on its shoulder and drove Mistilteinn straight into the eye.
Light burst outward, flooding the chamber. The fiends screamed—not in pain, but in relief.
Then silence.
---
Aftermath
The dungeon's darkness receded, revealing the true chamber beneath—roots of a divine tree weaving through the ceiling, dripping with silver sap.
Mistilteinn absorbed it greedily, the blade's shape shifting, glowing brighter.
> [Skill Mastery Increased: Sight Beyond – 80%.]
[New Function Unlocked: Memory Trace — View the truth of any being touched by Mistilteinn.]
[Reward Complete: "The Watcher's Eye."]
I exhaled, collapsing against the wall.
The chamber rippled like a living heartbeat.
Walls of obsidian twisted and warped, faces emerging from the stone—eyes, mouths, half-formed screams.
The temperature dropped until our breath became mist.
> [Warning: Manifested Entities Detected]
[Type: Echo-Fiends – constructs born from emotional residue.]
[Threat Level: Unstable.]
Seo-yeon's scanner flickered wildly. "This isn't possible! No physical mana signature—"
"Because they aren't alive," I muttered, drawing Mistilteinn. The blade hummed, its bark-like surface pulsing faint green. "They're memories given shape."
The first Echo-Fiend lunged.
It looked human—until its jaw split open like shattered glass, revealing an endless void beneath. Its scream shattered the torches, plunging us into blackness.
Only the mana glow of Mistilteinn lit the room.
"Shield up!" I shouted.
Min-jae slammed his barrier down just as three fiends struck. The impact echoed like thunder, fracturing the stone beneath him.
Hae-rin leapt above him, twin blades flashing in an arc of silver. Two fiends disintegrated under her strike, their forms dissolving into mist.
But more crawled out of the walls—dozens of them, dragging broken limbs and whispering words that weren't words.
---
The Vision Begins
One of the fiends lunged at me. I parried—its claws scraped across Mistilteinn, and for an instant, I saw.
A battlefield.
A man screaming for his son.
Blood.
A memory frozen in time.
> [Skill Activation: Sight Beyond – Partial Sync 1%]
Pain seared through my mind, but clarity followed. Every monster was a memory—someone's death, their rage, their sorrow trapped when the Gate first formed.
"Jin-ho, what's happening!?" Seo-yeon shouted.
"They're not enemies," I said. "They're echoes."
"Echo or not, they're trying to kill us!"
Fair point.
---
Combat Flow
I pushed forward, cutting through the fiends in a blur of motion. Mistilteinn's light trailed like aurora through the dark. Every strike shattered both flesh and memory—the blade feeding on resentment, purifying it.
The air shimmered with each kill, memories bleeding into color: burning cities, weeping faces, fallen gods.
And through it all, Gaia's voice guided me:
> [Executor synchronization increasing.]
[Sight Beyond – 25%. Deeper layers available.]
[Caution: Mental corruption risk elevated.]
A massive fiend rose at the center of the chamber, its body formed from hundreds of faces fused together. A giant—its single eye burning red with hatred.
"Cyclops," I whispered. Not physical, but born from collective rage.
Its roar shook the dungeon.
---
The Cinematic Boss Fight
"Scatter!" I yelled.
A beam of crimson mana exploded from its eye, carving a molten path across the floor.
Min-jae's shield melted instantly. Hae-rin rolled, grabbing Seo-yeon before the blast consumed her.
I sprinted up the side of a broken pillar, Mistilteinn in hand. The Cyclops turned, following my motion.
> [Sight Beyond – 50%. Target: Cyclops Echo.]
The world slowed.
Time fractured—frames of the creature's memories flashing before me:
Chains.
A battlefield of gods.
Betrayal by its creator.
A final plea for release.
"I see you," I whispered.
The creature froze, its single eye trembling. For the first time, it hesitated.
I landed on its shoulder and drove Mistilteinn straight into the eye.
Light burst outward, flooding the chamber. The fiends screamed—not in pain, but in relief.
Then silence.
---
Aftermath
The dungeon's darkness receded, revealing the true chamber beneath—roots of a divine tree weaving through the ceiling, dripping with silver sap.
Mistilteinn absorbed it greedily, the blade's shape shifting, glowing brighter.
> [Skill Mastery Increased: Sight Beyond – 80%.]
[New Function Unlocked: Memory Trace — View the truth of any being touched by Mistilteinn.]
[Reward Complete: "The Watcher's Eye."]
I exhaled, collapsing against the wall.
The world settled into silence. Only the hiss of the collapsing gate remained, like rain fading into distance.
For a long moment, none of us spoke.
Steam drifted from the crater where the portal had been. Mana residue shimmered in the air—soft, pale, and almost beautiful. The warehouse walls groaned, straining under the aftershock.
Seo-yeon was first to move. She wiped dust from her face and turned toward me, her voice steady but laced with disbelief.
"Jin-ho… the readings spiked to S-rank levels. What happened down there?"
I met her eyes, still half-lost in the echoes of what I'd seen. The faint tracers of emotion clung to everything—the fear that lingered in her shoulders, the stubborn resolve that shone through it.
It was strange, seeing people not just as they were, but as the sum of every moment they'd survived.
"…A guardian," I said quietly. "Something ancient. It's gone now."
Seo-yeon frowned, glancing at her tablet. "An E-rank dungeon doesn't produce anything above a C-class boss. The system data's corrupted."
She looked back up, suspicion mixing with worry. "You didn't go in alone, did you?"
Hae-rin coughed and waved a hand. "He definitely went in alone," she said, half-smiling, half-terrified. "And came back holding a tree branch like he just went gardening."
I looked down at Mistilteinn. The branch was smooth, its veins faintly aglow, silver light pulsing like a heartbeat. When I turned it in my hand, it sang—a note only I seemed to hear.
Min-jae limped closer, his shield cracked along the edge. "Whatever that thing was," he murmured, "it nearly tore the gate apart. If you hadn't…"
He trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence.
"I didn't do it alone," I said.
It wasn't a lie. Gaia's voice still lingered like an echo inside me.
> [Executor status: stable.]
[Observation protocol initiated.]
[New parameter unlocked – Sight Beyond.]
The words appeared faintly before my eyes, then dissolved. In their place, I felt a pulse—like the rhythm of the planet itself, distant and ancient.
I sheathed the branch across my back. "Let's head back. The zone's unstable. Report says the gate's cleared; we'll mark it as a closed anomaly."
Seo-yeon hesitated, then nodded. "Copy that. Squad 17, retrieval route A. Move."
---
Outside, the sea wind returned, sharp with salt.
The sun had risen higher, breaking through the industrial haze. Waves crashed against rusted containers, scattering flecks of light across the wet ground.
Every glimmer carried a story now.
With Sight Beyond active, I could feel traces of emotion in the world around me—the faint sorrow of the collapsed cranes, the long-forgotten exhaustion of workers who once lived here. It was overwhelming, yet oddly grounding.
The world wasn't silent anymore; it was alive.
"Hey," Hae-rin called, jogging beside me. "Next time, try not to trigger a dungeon collapse on your first field test, yeah?"
I glanced at her, half-smiling. "No promises."
She smirked back, then slowed as Min-jae steadied her with one arm. They were alive, unbroken. That was enough.
Seo-yeon walked ahead, already sending a report through the guild link. "Valhalla HQ, this is Squad 17. Dungeon ICN-0412 cleared. No casualties. Awaiting extraction."
Static answered, then a voice. "Copy that, Squad 17. Good work."
Good work.
The words felt small against what I'd seen below.
---
Later, as we waited for pickup, I found a moment alone by the shore.
The water was calm again, dark and deep. Mistilteinn's reflection shimmered faintly in the tide, the silver veins glinting like moonlight.
I tightened my grip on the branch. "You killed a god once," I murmured. "What do you want with me now?"
There was no answer—but the air itself seemed to breathe in response.
A familiar voice drifted through my mind, clear as a whisper carried by wind.
> [Executor… balance tilts once more.]
[Fragments of Yggdrasil stir across the world.]
[Your next path awaits—Seoul District 13. Follow the resonance.]
"Seoul, huh?" I breathed. "So it begins."
> [And remember, Jin-ho—every sight carries a burden. What you see cannot be unseen.]
The connection faded, leaving only the gulls and the crash of the tide.
For a while, I watched the horizon, the sun reflecting in the silver wood.
Sight Beyond still flickered at the edge of my vision—threads of emotion weaving through the world, a constant reminder that I was seeing too much.
Still, somewhere deep inside, I felt the faint pulse of anticipation.
The first dungeon was only a test.
The war for Gaia's fragments… had finally begun.
Two days later, Busan's sky was pale and cold.
Rain drizzled against the hospital windows, tracing faint rivers down the glass.
Machines beeped softly in rhythm with a life that—by all rights—shouldn't have been here anymore.
I stood in the doorway, Mistilteinn sealed within its case at my back, staring at the bed.
The woman lying there looked peaceful, her hair silver against the white pillow.
She wasn't supposed to be alive.
Not in this timeline.
> "Mother…"
My voice cracked, barely audible.
After my regression, I'd promised myself I wouldn't look for her—too many memories, too much pain.
But Gaia's guidance had led me here anyway.
> [Executor emotional fluctuation detected.]
[Warning: Sight Beyond may auto-activate under high stress.]
I closed my eyes, but it was too late.
The world shimmered, and the room changed.
Suddenly I was seeing her memories—young, laughing, holding my hand at a park bathed in sunlight.
The smell of roasted chestnuts. The sound of my childish laughter.
Then, the hospital again—her hands trembling as she read the news of my death.
Tears on the same white sheets.
The visions shattered. I staggered back, breath caught in my throat.
She stirred faintly, whispering in her sleep.
> "Jin-ho… be safe…"
My knees almost buckled.
In the previous timeline, she'd died in the Seoul outbreak.
This time, she was alive—because the chain of events hadn't reached her yet.
I reached out, barely touching her hand.
Warm. Real.
> [Executor, your interference may alter causality.]
[Do you wish to maintain this branch?]
Gaia's voice was soft now, almost sympathetic.
"Yes," I whispered. "Even if the world burns, she lives."
> [Acknowledged. Branch secured.]
The room brightened for an instant, like a pulse through reality, then stilled.
I stayed there a while—listening to the monitors, memorizing every breath.
When I finally stood, the rain had stopped.