Beyond the Eternity

The ceiling of the subway station suddenly trembled.

Lee Suhye raised her head at the trembling ceiling and narrowed her eyes. Were they fighting still?

There was still some time before the 4th Fable came to an end. Normally, anyone who has obtained the required points would choose to maintain quiet and observe the situation. After all, It was only a few hours before the end of the 4th Fable. So it didn't make sense.

...Why would anyone choose to fight at this time? Don't tell there are still people that haven't obtained the required points? In that case, I guess that's understandable. But why choose to fight now? Wouldn't all that commotion attract unnecessary attention? If I remembered correctly, there was a huge monster roaming about?

She sighed and thought those people was foolish.

Although she only caught a glimpse of the creature resembling a Lovecraftian Monster that has been roaming about, she instinctively knew that nobody in Seoul would be able to defeat that thing. Perhaps even that 'person' would be powerless infront of such a creature.

...Speaking of the Devil, It seems she's about done here.

Lee Suhye turned her head towards a certain direction and saw a woman in a white coat cleaning her sword.

Soo Jinyoung.

Of course, one would immediately assume she was very young despite being 27 years old. But she was rather older than she appeared on the surface. If Lee Suhye learned the true age of Soo Jinyoung, she would be completely shocked. No, if she really learned her true age, she would not see tomorrow.

Lee Suhye looked around the subway station that was littered with blood and the bodies of fallen players.

She thought it was strange. The more she stayed with this woman, the more that strange feeling intensified.

...I don't understand. How could anyone be this strong? This is the Fourth Group she had eliminated but she doesn't look tired at all. And all these people were not even able to put up much of a fight. It was a complete massacre. Was she cheating somehow?

I don't think I would be able to defeat all that people on my own.

It was natural for her to think like this. She was a long ranged fighter. As such, she would in a complete disadvantage if she was surrounded by enemies.

But the same logic did not apply to Soo Jinyoung. It almost felt as though she was the one jumping them instead.

She sighed.

What was the point of her being here if she was not going to do anything? Maybe she should have gone back to the warehouse.

In the next moment, after she was done cleaning all the blood on her sword, Soo Jinyoung finally opened her mouth.

"As I thought, Song Jaewon is not here. Tch! Did that person send me on a wild goose chase?"

She clicked her tongue in irritation.

Lee Suhye cautiously approached Soo Jinyoung. The woman wearing a white coat seemed deep in thought as she kept mumbling something about 'Song Jaewon' under her breath. With a single glance, It was clear she held great resentment against that person. As such, It was only natural for one to wonder about her story.

Lee Suhye debated for a moment whether to speak up. After all, Soo Jinyoung's mood seemed far from pleasant, and she wasn't one to enjoy getting caught up in someone else's frustration.

But before she could decide, Soo Jinyoung's calculating eyes snapped up.

"You're still here?"

Lee Suhye froze for a second before forcing a casual shrug.

"Where else would I be? Besides, aren't you the one that said I could come? It's not like I could go anywhere especially with that thing moving around."

"..."

Her words were true. Maybe because of the recent battles that's happening on the outside, that 'thing' would probably be moving above their current location.

Therefore, going outside was no different from committing suicide.

"Tch. Tch."

Soo Jinyoung grunted and sheathed her sword. She stood up and looked around the blood strained Yangjae Subway Station.

...Song Jaewon is not here so why did he tell me to go South? That bastard, why did he choose to waste my time like this? But why would he do that? He doesn't look like the type that would do things unnecessary. Is there something here that I'm missing here? Wait, could it be?

She remembered the words of the Representative of the Yangjae Subway which coincidentally happened to be an Apostle of the Revelations or so he called himself.

Of course, she tortured him using flames to extract information about Song Jaewon but he told her something more interesting instead.

The hidden pieces known as the Four Holy Relics of the Four Gods; Seiryuu, Suzaku, Byakko and Genbu.

Those hidden relics were scattered throughout Seoul according to their cardinal directions. Those were his words before Soo Jinyoung killed him but she couldn't help but remember those words at the moment.

...Was this Kim Jakga's real goal from the get-go? To send me to the South to obtain one of the Four Sacred Treasures? I see. So he used Song Jaewon as bait to send me, was that it?

Soo Jinyoung's eyes narrowed as she slowly pieced the puzzle together.

That manipulative bastard. Of course, he would dangle Song Jaewon in front of her like a carrot on a stick, knowing full well she would jump to take the bait. It was as if he was already knew about their story. He said he was a prophet when they first met but how much does he really know about her? How much can he see with those eyes of his?

... As I thought, he knows more than he's letting on. He knew the contents of the 3rd Fable and also used the fact I was unconscious to take over the group for the 4th Fable. Is he an advanced version of the Priest known as the Diviner, who can see into the past as well as the future? Tch! This is why people like that are so troublesome to deal with.

But this is not necessary a bad thing though.

Her irritation from earlier started to fade as she thought about the implications.

If Kim Jakga really knew that much, then he must have predicted the discovery of the Four Holy Relics. That meant she was on the right path. Even though she loathed being manipulated, It was something that would benefit her as well. And if there was something she could take from this situation, it was power—power that could turn the tables in her favor.

One of the Four Sacred Treasures... Suzaku, the Red Phoenix of the South.

Something ignited in Soo Jinyoung's eyes. Coincidentally, It was something that perfectly fitted somebody like her who could reincarnate into a new world.

If the relic is really somewhere in the South, then it has to be hidden somewhere important. I've already checked four stations but I didn't find anything peculiar or out of place. Unless it was hidden somewhere my eyes cannot reach. Underground? Is there a secret passage closeby?

K A B O O M!!

A loud deafening explosion rang out suddenly rang out.

"...!"

The very earth trembled as if there was an earthquake were as Soo Jinyoung and Lee Suhye struggled to maintain their footing.

What the hell was that?

Both of them were relatively thinking about the same thing. The explosion itself seemed far away but the force was felt all the way here.

Lee Suhye blinked. "What the hell was that?"

"It seems the situation above is getting serious. We should get serious as well."

"Huh? What do you mean? We already have enough points so is there any need to join the fight?"

"I'm not talking about now. Once the 4th Nightmare reaches its conclusion, a new Trial of Fate will be generated. When that happens, all the King candidates will be forced to fight whether they want to or not. As such, I would like to be prepared before that happens. It seems Kim Jakga was also preparing for that scenario as well."

"So he sent us here on purpose?"

Instead of answering, Soo Jinyoung only nodded and started scanning the Yangjae Station.

As expected, this station was the same as the other other stations they had checked prior. Nothing was out of place except for the dead bodies scattered around the station like a pile of trash and the unpleasant smell of blood lingering in the air.

Soo Jinyoung activated a skill and her eyes immediately glowed.

[You have activated the skill 'Demon Dragon Eyes']

The Demon Dragon Eyes, which could see all hidden truth, scanned the entirety of the Subway Station without leaving any spot untouched.

Infront of those eyes, everything lost its colour.

The world was composed entirely of black lines in a white room.

Every object existed as a mere outline stretched in black. If an object possessed an intricate inner structure, it would be revealed in meticulous detail on a smaller scale.

It resembled a rough croquis on a white canvas to be precise, almost like an X-ray image.

The eyes that observed this peculiar world erased the surface appearance and revealed both form and substance.

It seemed to reflect the 'real' image that all objects originally had before its distortion. The lines that formed the basis of all things.

Soo Jinyoung referred to those lines as <Errors>

At first, Soo Jinyoung was overwhelmed by the world revealed by the Demon Dragon Eyes. But after multiple experimentation, she began to adapt to the world behind the 'Ilusions'.

How it worked was simple.

For instance, If a boulder was hit by a small knife, the knife wouldn't be able to cut the boulder in a normal scenario. But once the knife hit the black lines displayed on the boulder, the boulder would cut in half as if it was made of tofu.

The [Demon Dragon Eyes] also had a hidden effect but Soo Jinyoung becomes severely drained when she uses it so she can only use it once per day.

But she found it strange that the Demon Dragon Eyes which was an SSS-Class Skill did not work on Kim Jakga. In any case, she discarded that thought at the back of her head.

... Would you look at this? So there was something here after all.

Soo Jinyoung smiled as she noticed a wall filled with black lines. For an ordinary wall, didn't it posseses a great number of errors?

She unsheathed her sword and swung at the wall with great force.

The result?

Kwang!

The wall crumbled with an unnatural ease, as if it were nothing more than paper being sliced apart and dust filled the air. The dust settled down to reveal a hidden passageway that led somewhere underground.

Soo Jinyoung's eyes lit up as she saw the hidden passageway.

"This must be it."

It was a voice filled with certainty. The Demon Dragon Eyes pulsed and scanned deeper into the passageway. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed several black lines leading towards a certain direction like a trail.

Would I find that item if I follow that line? She thought.

Lee Suhye stepped forward hesitantly and peered down the dark corridor. The darkness seemed to be wriggling around like the jaws of a beast. Uncertainty settled into Lee Suhye's heart.

"Are you sure we should go down there?"

"Naturally. Is there anywhere else you want to go? Wait, don't tell me you're scared?"

"What? Of course not. How ridiculous. I'm just wondering why you feel the need to go down there?"

Soo Jinyoung did not answer. She simply stared at Lee Suhye clueless face.

Of course, somebody like Lee Suhye wouldn't know about the hidden pieces. If she did, Soo Jinyoung would have been concerned. In fact, she felt rather relieved that she did not know. After all, clueless people were much easier to manipulate than knowledgeable ones.

Soo Jinyoung shrugged. "As I said before, things will become more difficult after now. So I rather be prepared than to be caught off guard. There's something down there that I need to obtain."

"You're sure what you're looking for is down there?"

"Certainly."

"Well, if you say so."

Lee Suhye loaded her firearm with several rounds and followed after Soo Jinyoung who marched into the darkness without hesitation.

Without question, something was waiting for them at the end of the secret passage.