The Earth I had lived on was a chaotic place.
All around the world, passages known as “Gates” had opened. They were portals that connected to another dimension, and monsters called “beasts” poured out from them.
At first, it was manageable. The early beasts that appeared could be easily killed with modern weapons.
However, as time went by, all sorts of modern weapons gradually became useless.
Before long, there were monsters completely unaffected by bullets, and eventually, it reached a point where we needed missiles just to take down a single one.
Mana. It was an energy that transcended the laws of modern physics.
Monsters imbued with that energy began to come through.
The early beasts also possessed mana, but theirs was so weak that physical force could still affect them.
However, the more powerful beasts that appeared later… they emerged with a level of strength that modern firearms could not touch.
Some people thought that if we used enough physical force to destroy an entire city, we could still deal with them. But it obviously made no sense to destroy an entire city just to kill one monster.
Though the number of beasts completely immune to modern firepower was small, their mere existence was deadly to humanity.
And it was around that time—
—that a lifeline descended upon humanity.
Awakeners.
People who, like the beasts, were imbued with mana and gained powers that defied the laws of physics.
Their abilities worked even against those mighty beasts, and humanity slowly began to reclaim its territory.
Moreover, the material that came off the beasts, commonly called a “magic stone,” was a revolutionary new material for humanity.
It was a stone containing mana. An energy that transcended physical laws.
With that energy, humanity made unprecedented progress and finally managed to develop weapons that used mana.
But where there was light, there was also shadow.
Some Awakeners abused their unearned powers, and casualties continued to arise from the beasts pouring out of the Gates.
And then there was the emergence of a new disease.
Mana Maladaptation.
It was an illness that occurred in those who could not adapt to the mana that flowed into the world through the Gates.
About 30% of the global population had either died slowly from Mana Maladaptation or were still suffering from it.
My parents were among those people.
Ironically, even though I was born to two Mana Maladaptation sufferers, I myself was an Awakener, so I did not share their fate.
Awakener, who can hold mana and control it and have special abilities… are called the new human race of the world.
How ironic that a child born to Mana Maladaptation sufferers turned out to be an Awakener.
Even as they slowly died due to mana, they expressed only concern for me.
“Yujin… never let others see your thoughts or feelings.”
“Always hide yourself. Grow up and be an adult.”
They had always been honest and straightforward with others. In personal relationships, many people appreciated such directness, but in society at large, it was not so favorable.
Because of their honesty, they often suffered losses, and they must not have wanted me to inherit that trait.
So, following their dying wish, I always hid my real self.
I always met others with a smiling face, and even if I was talking to a child, I insisted on using polite speech.
I constantly squinted so that no one could read my thoughts through my eyes.
People avoided me because they couldn’t tell what I was thinking, but I didn’t mind.
Since I was an Awakener in my own way, it wasn’t difficult for me to earn a living, and I still had a few people with whom I could converse, at least to some extent.
“Hey, Yujin!”
“Ah, Squad Leader. What brings you here?”
When Gates spread throughout the world, guilds and militant groups centered on Awakeners were formed.
Only guild masters licensed by a new state institution called the Awakener Association could establish a guild, and I belonged to one such guild that was about the size of a small-to-medium enterprise.
Despite that classification, the benefits were pretty good, so I had no complaints.
“Squad Leader, my foot. Just call me ‘Hyung’. You’ve been in our guild for a while now, why are you still doing this?”
“Haha, it just doesn’t roll off my tongue. I’ll try.”
“Don’t just try; actually do it. Go on, say ‘hyung’.”
“Haha, yes… hyung.”
The man in front of me, who looked to be in his early thirties, was the leader of our guild’s First Squad as well as the vice-guild master. He was the guild master’s brother.
In other words, he was like the boss’s younger brother and also the vice president, but he never pulled rank or acted like a tyrant, and he got along well with everyone in the guild.
He was essentially a good-hearted person. That was probably why he paid attention to someone like me.
“By the way, remember that game I recommended to you?”
At that moment, the Squad Leader spoke. If it was the game he had mentioned…
“Ah, yes. You mean Labyrinth Academy?”
Labyrinth Academy.
It was a mobile RPG set in a school built around a labyrinth where all sorts of monsters and treasures lay dormant.
He kept recommending it, and I had nothing else to kill time with, so I started playing it.
“Right, that one. How far have you gotten in the labyrinth? The tenth level is already pretty deep.”
“Hmm… I’m currently on a floor labeled [???].”
“…What? A question-mark floor?”
“Yes. It doesn’t show which level it is.”
“…What’s going on? Can you show me?”
“Haha, of course.”
I casually turned on my phone, opened the game, and showed him my progress. I had left it alone on the [???] floor yesterday because I wasn’t sure what to do there.
“…It really says question marks. And the room’s name is… what?! [Tiamat’s Tomb]?!”
“Is something wrong? Did I make a mistake somewhere?”
When I asked the Squad Leader, who sounded horrified, he grabbed my shoulders and shook me as he spoke.
“Hey, hey! How in the world did you get in there, huh?”
“Squad Leader, could you please let go? You’re rattling my head.”
When an A-rank melee-type Awakener grabbed and shook me, I, who was a magic-type Awakener, had no choice but to be shaken helplessly.
“Ah… sorry about that. But seriously, how did you end up there?”
“I wasn’t sure myself. I was exploring the labyrinth, stumbled into a trap room by mistake, fell through… and ended up here.”
“Really? This is my first time seeing something like this…”
“Is there something strange about it?”
“Strange? It’s beyond strange; it’s crazy. You’ve heard of Tiamat, haven’t you?”
“I know it as a dragon from Mesopotamian mythology. I remember that it was also referred to as the goddess of chaos and the sea…”
“No, no. Not that. I’m talking about the ‘Tiamat’ that appears in the setting of Labyrinth Academy! Sure, it’s similar to the one from Mesopotamian mythology, but…”
“I’m not too familiar. What is it?”
“…Are you aware of the basic setting of Labyrinth City?”
Labyrinth City’s basic setting… For a moment, I recalled the text I saw when I first started the game.
“Hmm… There was a Great War in ancient times, fought among the transcendent factions of gods, demons, dragons, and giants. The surviving gods sealed the defeated demons, dragons, and giants, as well as the remnants of other transcendent beings that perished in the Great War, inside a place called the Grand Labyrinth… I remember that being the fundamental premise.”
“That’s right. And Tiamat is the leader of those dragons!”
“Oh, wow, that’s impressive.”
“…That’s it?”
Seeing my reaction, the Squad Leader’s face fell as if he were disappointed. I simply smiled slightly and shrugged.
“…Ugh, fine. I don’t know what I expected from you. Anyway, the place you’re in is Tiamat’s Tomb. Got it?”
“Understood.”
“…Hey, by now you should get how big of a deal this is. It’s the tomb of the former leader of the dragons. Don’t you think there’d be some incredible treasure in there?”
“I suppose so.”
“…That’s the only reaction I get?”
“Haha, it’s just a game, after all.”
“…Ugh, right. Of course.”
The Squad Leader sighed as if there was no helping it. He then shook his head in disbelief.
“Hey, in any case, I’m getting excited here, so hurry up and look for the treasure.”
“Hmm… should I?”
I, too, felt a bit curious after seeing the Squad Leader’s reaction. Maybe there really was something.
“Hey! It’s about time we headed out! You haven’t forgotten the new Gate that just appeared, right?”
Just then, we heard the Guild Master calling for us. I quickly put my phone away.
“Well, it can’t be helped. I’ll look for it after we get back.”
“Gah, my brother always calls at times like this.”
Grumbling, the Squad Leader headed off toward where his brother’s voice was coming from, and I followed.
…I never imagined it would become the turning point of my life.
***
“This is the information on the new Gate that opened at Ansan Station. Has everyone gone over it?”
“Yes!”
The guild members answered as they stood before the Guild Master, who was briefing them. Behind them, a large black hole gaped like a tiger’s jaws.
“Clearing the Gate is important, but the first priority is safety, and the second priority is also safety. Everyone, make it back in one piece!”
“Yes!”
With that, the Guild Master patted his younger brother, the Squad Leader, on the shoulder.
“Alright, I’m counting on you.”
“Understood, hyung.”
With those words, the Squad Leader stepped forward.
Then all the members of the First Squad followed behind him.
“Alright, let’s start the Gate raid!”
“Yes!”
With the guild members’ spirited replies, we entered the Gate.
***
The significance of clearing a Gate was mainly to prevent the beasts from spilling outside.
When a Gate first appeared, the beasts did not emerge immediately. Usually, they appeared inside the Gate after about three days.
Hence, the main goal of a Gate raid was to clear its interior before the beasts came out.
“This time it’s a cave, huh.”
“Tsk, it’s dark. Magic-type Awakeners, secure our view!”
At those words, I and the other magic-type Awakeners conjured orbs of light and sent them flying to illuminate various parts of the cave.
In what had been a vast, pitch-black cavern, sources of light appeared.
Then our squad began to advance, slowly but steadily.
***
Ten minutes had passed since we started the Gate raid.
So far, there were no signs of any beasts.
“What the…? There’s not a single trace of them.”
“They must be hiding deeper inside.”
“But to not leave any traces at all?”
The Squad Leader seemed to have started sensing something strange around that time. I looked around.
There isn’t anything significantly different from a normal cave… The problem is that there literally weren’t any living creatures at all.
There weren’t even bats or insects that you would expect to find in a cave like this, let alone any beasts.
Surprisingly, the inside of a Gate typically contained not only beasts suited to the environment but also ordinary plants and animals. That made this situation all the more bizarre.
“…Let’s move on a bit further.”
With that, the Squad Leader resumed the search.
***
One hour and thirty minutes after the start of the Gate raid.
“Captain, this is definitely strange.”
“……”
No matter how far we went, we didn’t see even a single ant, let alone a beast. The Squad Leader also felt that something was off.
“Should we head back now…?”
“…Tsk, there was no information about anything like this in the Gate briefing… Let’s just go for ten more minutes. If we still find nothing, we’ll return and report.”
“Understood.”
Hearing those words, the guild members nodded reluctantly and followed the Squad Leader’s instructions.
And so, after moving forward for another ten minutes…
“…There’s something up ahead!”
Someone shouted. The Squad Leader raised an arm, signaling everyone to stop.
“Everyone, stop! Let’s check out what’s in front first!”
The Squad Leader slowly approached the front, gripping his shield and sword tightly.
Following the Squad Leader as they moved forward cautiously, they soon…
“…A door?”
They discovered a large door, made entirely of a black material reminiscent of obsidian.
The guild members began murmuring among themselves.
“What is this?”
“A door? Has anything like this ever been found inside a Gate before?”
“Is it even possible for a Gate to have so few beasts?”
“Even considering that, this is bizarre. We reach the end of a cave, and there’s a door?”
“Everyone, quiet!”
The Squad Leader silenced them. Then he spoke.
“First, we need to check. There’s something written here… How do we read this?”
He muttered to himself as he looked at the strange, alien-like script on the door. Soon after, as if deciding he couldn’t make sense of it, he turned around and spoke.
“Magic-type Awakeners! Can any of you read this?”
When magic-type Awakeners awakened, they sometimes received mysterious knowledge. Among that knowledge were languages entirely different from any on Earth.
Knowing this, the Squad Leader called out, and I, along with the other magic-type Awakeners, stepped forward.
“…Hmm…”
“Any idea what this says?”
“Well, I can’t figure it out…”
“Ugh…”
While the magic-type users shook their heads in confusion, I felt a certain sense of déjà vu.
‘This script… I’ve seen it somewhere before…’
In fact, I had seen it before.
Where was it?
…Ah, right.
It was in that game the Squad Leader had introduced me to, Labyrinth Academy.
Before entering the room called Tiamat’s Tomb, there was a trap room you had to pass through.
I’d seen the exact same inscription there.
And the translation of that inscription was…
“…The greatest mother lies in slumber here.”
“What?”
The moment I muttered those words…
Rumble… Rumble… Rumble…!
The door, made of a material no one could identify, began to open.
Inside the door lay nothing but pitch-black darkness, where nothing could be seen.
The Squad Leader who saw that approached me and asked,
“Hey, hey. Yujin, how did you open this? Huh?”
“…Well, I’m not sure myself.”
I spoke that way on purpose to hide my surprise. I couldn’t exactly say that I had recited a phrase from a video game.
“Uh… yeah, I see.”
The Squad Leader seemed uncertain about pressing further and instead drew me back.
Then, after confirming that the darkness inside the door could not be illuminated by light magic, he paused for a moment and spoke,
“For now, I suspect there’s something in here. Just so everyone knows, I plan to keep going if only to report what we find. Are we all on the same page?”
“Yes!”
All the guild members, who had come this far with no results, replied in unison. The squad leader nodded his head and said,
“Great. Then let’s go!”
With that, we all headed into the darkness beyond the door…
***
And then, the raid party emerged outside the Gate.
“…Huh?”
Starting with the Squad Leader, every member of the party looked at one another in confusion.
“…What in the world happened?”
The Squad Leader glanced around at his team, baffled.
Behind them stood the very Gate they had entered, and their current location was Ansan Station.
“What is this…”
They were sure they had stepped through that door, yet somehow they were bounced outside before they knew it. What in the world had happened?
“…Wait a minute, and where’s Yujin? Where did he go?”
That was when he realized one of his party members was missing.
Typically, he had such a suspicious air and demeanor about him that people rarely approached him, but if he were simply standing around, anyone would at least give him a second glance; he stood out that much. It was impossible not to notice if he disappeared.
Yet he was gone from the party.
***
I walked through the darkness and kept walking and walking.
Around me, there was nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to feel.
Even so, I kept walking.
There was no way to go back; the only path left was straight ahead.
Believing there would be light at the end of this path, I continued onward. And then—
Bzing!
A single flash of light pierced my heart.
And after feeling as though I was coughing up blood,
My consciousness went completely dark.
***
“……!”
When I opened my eyes, a grayish ceiling greeted me.
I sprang to my feet and looked around.
“…Where is this…?”
And then I saw a huge hollow space.
Several stone coffins stood upright like tombs, and at the far end were numerous huge arch-shaped pillars.
…No, they weren’t pillars.
Looking closely, they were…
“…Bones?”
They were not thick long arch-shaped pillars, but rather the rib bones of some colossal creature, so large I couldn’t even begin to measure its size.
I stared blankly at them for a moment, then stood up and surveyed my surroundings.
Come to think of it, I felt a strange sense of familiarity as if I had seen this place before…
And then, I remembered where I had seen this landscape.
“…Labyrinth Academy.”
Labyrinth Academy.
The great labyrinth it contained.
One of its rooms, on a floor whose number was unknown.
“…Tiamat’s Tomb.”
I realized that this space was exactly the same as that place, and I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“This is…”
I had always thought I was good at hiding my emotions, but maybe not as much as I believed. Then again, with no one else around, I supposed it didn’t matter.
“…Am I inside the game world?”
Either way, it was still a situation that made it impossible to stifle a hollow laugh.
Yes.
I had ended up in a space that existed inside the game.
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