The wind whipped against Argo's face as they fell, her hair and cloak billowing in the air.
The brief moment of weightlessness tightened her chest.
She had thought Ren would pull her up. But no…
He chose to jump down instead.
What the hell is this idiot thinking?!
Below them, nothing but an endless abyss awaited, no foothold, no salvation. If they kept falling like this…
But just then, Ren suddenly yanked her sideways.
Argo felt her body pulled off the trajectory of free fall. The space around her spun for a fleeting moment, and then...
Thud!
They landed on a steep surface, tumbling down jagged rocks. Pain shot through every joint as Argo rolled uncontrollably. A cloud of dust kicked up, obscuring her vision.
It took her a few seconds to stop, her breath ragged. It hurt. But at least… she was alive.
Argo staggered as she lifted her head.
What she thought was a bottomless pit turned out to be a sloping rock path leading further underground.
Cracks and crevices in the rock faintly reflected light from some distant source.
Ren sat not far from her, one hand pressed against the ground for balance, gripping a sturdy rope that had been set up beforehand.
He had thought it would be strong enough to let them descend further… but it seemed it was on the verge of snapping.
Silently, he exhaled and sent a word of thanks to the merchant from earlier.
Ren tightened his grip, feeling the weight of the rope in his palm.
For a fleeting moment, he recalled his conversation with the general store owner earlier that afternoon.
—
"Hey, kid. Hold up."
Ren was about to leave after purchasing tracking powder when the shopkeeper called out to him. The man leaned on the counter, eyeing him thoughtfully.
"You're heading to the sunken rock zone, aren't you?"
Ren hesitated for a fraction of a second. He said nothing, but that pause was enough for the shopkeeper to be certain.
"…Then take this with you."
Before Ren could react, the man tossed him a coil of sturdy rope and a small pouch containing a few smoke bombs.
Ren caught them instinctively, blinking in confusion. "I didn't buy these."
"They're a gift." The shopkeeper crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "I've sold supplies to plenty of fools trying to head there, so I know what's useful. Trust me...once you're in the sunken rock zone, you'll realize bringing a rope is a necessity."
Ren didn't ask further. He simply stowed the items away, then gave a silent nod of thanks before leaving.
—
And now, deep within the darkness of this cavern, Ren finally understood what the man had meant.
He let out a quiet breath and clenched the rope tighter.
If he hadn't taken that gift… they'd probably be at the bottom of the abyss by now.
He frowned slightly, but his expression remained calm, composed, as if they hadn't just escaped a near-death fall.
Six glowing eyes pierced through the darkness. Their light shifted to a menacing red, deep within their gaze.
The monster hadn't given up. It had found them again. And this time, there was no way to escape.
Argo swallowed dryly, her grip tightening around her dagger as a cold shiver ran down her spine. The six glowing eyes stared down at them from above, like a god passing judgment upon mortals who had trespassed into its domain.
She sneaked a glance to the side. The boy beside her was still unsteady, his breath ragged.
Sweat trickled down his temple, and in his dark eyes, the eerie blue glow of the monster reflected ominously.
"You…" Argo gritted her teeth, torn between leaving him behind or dragging him along. "Do you have a plan?"
The boy bit his lip, clearly deep in thought.
No immediate response. No confident declaration. No reckless scheme. Just a heavy silence between them, punctuated by their uneven breathing.
Argo lowered her stance, gripping her dagger tightly. If they couldn't run, they had to fight.
She forced herself to stand despite the lingering tremors in her legs from the fall.
Her breathing was heavy, but the sharp pain in her body was quickly replaced by something else, vigilance.
She scanned her surroundings. The steep rock slope stretched downward into an abyss with no visible end.
The cracks in the walls emitted a faint, ghostly light, but it wasn't enough to tell where they truly were.
If it jumps down here… the rock will collapse. Ren kept his composure, watching the six glowing eyes fixate on them.
Argo realized it too. She bit her lip, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hilt of her dagger.
But even with a weapon in her hand, there was nothing she could do against this monster.
No way to fight. No way to run.
If it leaped down, this fragile rock would crumble completely, burying both her and Ren under the rubble.
The darkness pressed in, suffocatingly silent.
The monster's deep, guttural breathing echoed through the narrow cavern, as if it were assessing its prey.
Six burning eyes glowed in the void, reflecting the images of two small, helpless figures.
Argo clenched her fists. She hated this feeling.
Hated being cornered.
Hated being powerless.
Her eyes flickered toward Ren. The boy was watching the monster intently, tense but unwavering. What surprised her, though… was that he didn't look panicked.
Afraid? Yes. But panicked? No.
Ren shifted slightly, pulling the rope taut, as if calculating something.
"Can you climb up?" he asked, voice low and urgent.
Argo narrowed her eyes.
"How?"
Ren didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at the monster once more before murmuring:
"If I distract it… can you find a way out?"
He didn't wait for her reply.
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two small dark gray smoke bombs, specially made ones with a pungent odor strong enough to drive creatures with keen senses of smell insane.
They were part of the gift package.
'Maybe I should keep these things on me… more often…'
His fingers tightened around them. Then, without hesitation, Ren threw them high, right toward where the creature was watching them.
Click!
A soft sound rang out, followed immediately by a thick cloud of smoke erupting, spreading rapidly through the cramped space.
The Alpha beast's roar echoed like a warning bell. Its six eyes burned with fury, claws scraping violently against the stone floor, leaving deep gouges behind.
The smoke, filled with irritating essential oils, seeped into its nose, causing it pain.
Grrrr...
The Alpha staggered back a step, snarling wildly.
And then, as if it had lost all patience.
It leaped straight down.
The ground beneath Ren and Argo trembled violently. A crack spread out, and large chunks of rock began to crumble into the abyss.
No time to think, Ren grabbed Argo's wrist.
"Hold onto the rope!" he shouted.
At that moment, both were pulled down along with the collapsing debris, plunging into the formless darkness below.
The instant the Alpha landed, the stone platform couldn't withstand its massive weight.
Crack!
A piercing sound of breaking rock filled the air.
The small cracks spread wider, and in just a heartbeat.
Snap!
The entire stone floor shattered.
Ren and Argo had no time to react. Both were sucked into the void along with the falling debris, while the Alpha beast let out a furious roar as the ground crumbled beneath it.
Huge chunks of stone plunged downward, dragging the massive shadow straight into the depths.
The thick smoke still hadn't dispersed, only the sound of rocks crashing, the wind howling, and the darkness swallowing everything remained.
Ren tried to cling onto the rope, but the fall was too fast, too forceful.
The rope stretched to its limit, trembling violently, and then..
It snapped.
Both of them were swallowed by the endless night.
...
"Pheww… That was close…"
A hoarse, breathless voice shattered the silence of the abyss.
'I've never… felt this grateful for my previous job before… Cleaning rooftops without proper safety equipment… What kind of idiot would do that? Oh, right—me…'
Ren clung to the rock face, slowly climbing upward.
He let his body relax for a moment, cold sweat beading on his forehead as sharp rock edges dug into his palms…
"Next time… I'm leaving a five-star review for that shop."
Without that rope, without those free smoke bombs… there was no way he'd still be breathing right now.
Ren climbed a little farther before pausing to rest, he wasn't climbing alone. Argo was on his back.
"What about you?"
He turned to Argo, who had been silent all this time.
The thick darkness obscured most of her face, but from her ragged breathing and the rustling sounds as she shifted slightly, it was clear she was still shaken by their near-fall.
She stirred slightly, but her strength was drained, she could do nothing but weakly cling to his shoulder.
She panted, her golden eyes gliding over Ren's sweat-drenched face.
"...You're seriously asking me that?" Her voice was raspy, barely more than a whisper. "You're carrying me, and you still have the energy to talk?"
Ren gave a weary smirk. "If I don't talk, you'll doze off."
Argo was quiet for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle. A light sound amidst the cold, perilous darkness.
"There's no way I'm sleeping…" she murmured, still out of breath. "You think I'd risk falling again?"
"Then hold on tight." Ren tightened his grip on the rocky ledge, feeling the weight on his back. "Because I'm not climbing this twice."
A cold wind swept past, carrying the damp scent of the earth. In the distance, pale light flickered through the cracks in the rock.
They weren't out of this yet.
And the road ahead… was still long.
"...It's been a while since I climbed like this, but… damn, you're heavy…" Ren muttered.
"What did you say?" Argo twitched.
Ren smirked, though he barely had the energy left to do so.
"You misheard me."
Argo huffed, about to argue, but fell silent. The truth was, she was too exhausted to pick a fight with this kid right now.
Ren sighed, adjusting his grip to keep climbing. His hands burned from scraping against sharp rock edges, his legs strained to the point of cramping.
But at least...
He was still alive.
And so was Argo.
Below them, bits of shattered rock continued to tumble into the abyss, accompanied by the faint cracking sounds of the collapsing ground. The hole the beast had created hadn't fully caved in yet, but it wouldn't hold much longer.
"Just a little more…" Ren mumbled to himself, forcing his numb fingers to grip a crack in the rock. "Just a little further…"