Mu Yichen groaned, spitting out blood that had been collected from the last beating.

  The taste of iron coated his tongue, but even that discomfort was secondary to the shock coursing through him.

  “Is… he insane?” Seo MinHyun muttered, struggling to push himself up. His usual smirk had vanished, replaced by a grimace of pain and disbelief. “Does he just… swing at anyone around him for fun?”

  Park Taegun groaned, brushing off rubble, rubbing his aching ribs.

  Kang Juwon’s calm demeanor did not falter. His gentle smile remained, but there was a subtle tightening around his eyes.

  Lee Aseok, iron rod in hand, ran as if the barrier itself was a finish line in some twisted, invisible race.

  His smirk widened slightly, the corners of his lips lifting with the kind of joy only someone who had endured immense suffering could truly savor.

  Mu Yichen, still reeling from the previous beating and the latest blow from Lee Aseok’s rod, stumbled to his feet.

  “Lee Aseok!” he shouted, voice raw with frustration and fear. “Don’t—don’t go in there alone!”

  But his words carried little weight. Every step he took toward Lee Aseok was slowed by the injuries he had sustained earlier.

  His legs ached, his muscles protested violently, and his chest felt like it was still being squeezed by invisible hands. He couldn’t move fast enough, not nearly fast enough.

  Panic clawed at him. His heart hammered against his ribcage as he watched Lee Aseok charge without hesitation.

  Rage flared in his eyes, a hot mix of fear, anger, and a touch of helplessness.

  Then, for a brief moment, he noticed something that eased the tight coil in his chest. The holy sword, gleaming faintly at Lee Aseok’s side, was present.

  Not wielded by him, not threatening anyone, simply there, waiting. Aseok had it, and with that, Mu Yichen knew… somehow… he could trust it.

  A fraction of his panic melted away, replaced with the resolve that had always defined him.

  No matter the danger, no matter the odds, he would follow and ensure that Lee Aseok survived.

  He might have been slowed by injury, he might have been battered and bruised, but he would not let the chosen one face the final boss alone.

  Meanwhile, Park Taegun, Seo MinHyun, and Kang Juwon had staggered to their feet, each movement agonizing as pain radiated through their bodies.

  Seo MinHyun, never one to mask his feelings, immediately began cursing. “That—That bastard! That crazy bastard just—ah! What the hell was he thinking?!”

  He staggered forward, more in instinct than strategy, shaking his fist toward the spot where Lee Aseok had vanished into the barrier.

  Despite the cursing, worry was plain on his face. The comedic exaggeration of his swearing didn’t hide the fear of seeing Lee Aseok face the final boss alone.

  Park Taegun remained silent, his usual cool composure strained under the pressure and the pain radiating from his bruised body.

  Kang Juwon, as always, maintained a measured smile, but the intensity in his eyes betrayed a deep concern.

  “Idiot,” Seo MinHyun muttered under his breath. “Absolutely idiot…”

  The air around them seemed to thicken.

  Just as they were bracing themselves to follow, a sudden flash of blinding light enveloped them. It wasn’t gradual, it was instantaneous, disorienting, and all-consuming.

  When their vision cleared, they were no longer in the cavern.

  The oppressive weight of the previous dungeon had disappeared, replaced by a different, eerie darkness.

  Shadows clung to every corner, and a strange, cold wind whispered through the space. It was another dungeon, one entirely unfamiliar, with jagged rock formations and a low, humming energy that set teeth on edge.

  The dungeon was silent except for the distant echo of shifting stone.

  Park Taegun, Seo MinHyun, and Kang Juwon stood amidst rubble and dust, their bodies sore from the earlier impact, eyes darting in confusion.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  The new dungeon had appeared without warning, a place alien in its twisted architecture and oppressive energy.

  Shadows clung to every surface, and a low hum thrummed through the air, vibrating against their teeth.

  Park Taegun’s eyes scanned the area. “What… just happened?”

  Seo MinHyun blinked rapidly, still swaying slightly. “I..I don’t know… Did the barrier… eat us? Teleport us? Somebody explain!”

  He shot a glance at Kang Juwon, who merely tilted his head, serene as ever, giving no answers except that faint, gentle smile.

  Mu Yichen, by contrast, exhaled slowly, his mind clear despite the chaos around him.

  He remembered everything, his past life, the struggles, the mistakes, and the one constant: Lee Aseok. The one he had loved, failed, and now had the chance to protect. His eyes narrowed, determination hardening like forged steel.

  “I will go to him,” Mu Yichen said quietly, but every word carried weight. “I will not let him face this alone.”

  Even in this strange, hostile dungeon, the rest of them couldn’t help but feel the same pull.

  The team leader, their unpredictable and terrifyingly skilled comrade, had entered the unknown willingly.

  And though they were battered, bruised, and thoroughly confused, none of them would stand idle.

  Seo MinHyun groaned again, muttering curses that seemed to echo off the dungeon walls. “I swear… if he dies, I’m going to..!”

  He stopped mid-sentence, realizing that the humor he usually used to mask fear had no place here. There was no time for jokes—not now.

  Park Taegun’s jaw clenched, muscles coiling. “We follow. Injured or not. There’s no question.”

  Kang Juwon, still calm, nodded minutely. His gaze softened, but the determination in his eyes mirrored Mu Yichen’s.

  The gentle smile remained, but it was tempered with an acknowledgment of the danger and the responsibility each of them carried.

  Mu Yichen, however, was different. Despite his injuries, his battered body, and the lingering effects of Lee Aseok’s previous beatings, he moved with clarity and purpose.

  His eyes were narrowed, focused, and radiating a determination that made even the seasoned Park Taegun pause. There was no hesitation, no fear. Only resolve.

  He downed another mana potion, the liquid burning slightly as it slid down his throat, ignoring the sharp aches in his chest and limbs.

  “Seo MinHyun,” he said, his voice firm, leaving no room for argument. “Break the walls. I’ll deal with the monsters while you do it.”

  Seo MinHyun froze, blinking rapidly, the words catching him off guard. For all his arrogance and wit, this command defied logic.

  Lee Aseok had been ordering him to break the ground ever since they entered the Hell Gate, and now Mu Yichen, with a calm authority, was telling him to break the walls instead.

  He glanced at Park Taegun, hoping for backup or at least some silent solidarity.

  Park Taegun, however, looked away, pretending not to know him, as if avoiding eye contact would absolve him of responsibility.

  Seo MinHyun exhaled, muttering under his breath. “I swear… this is insane…” He shook his head and muttered a long string of curses that somehow ended with a sigh.

  But he didn’t argue further. Finding Lee Aseok was the top priority. Whatever absurd strategy Mu Yichen was planning, they had no choice but to follow.

  He knelt slightly, hands crackling with energy, preparing for a full-force attack.

  He would complain later, once the walls were shattered and the danger was over. For now, his focus was absolute. The thought of Lee Aseok facing the final boss alone was unacceptable.

  Park Taegun, bruised and sore, gave a reluctant nod, positioning himself to support Mu Yichen.

  Kang Juwon, maintaining his calm composure, watched silently, calculating. There was no need for words; their roles were clear.

  Meanwhile, inside the barrier,

  Lee Aseok strode forward as though entering a casual courtyard rather than the ruins of a shattered world.

  The air inside the barrier was thick with dust and the scent of decay, the remnants of a world left in ruin.

  Crumbling walls leaned at impossible angles, jagged stone jutting out like broken teeth, and the distant echo of wind through shattered towers carried a hollow, almost mocking sound.

  Yet, for Lee Aseok, the scene held none of the dread that should have gripped him.

  He walked forward with deliberate calm, the iron rod resting casually on his shoulder, every step measured.

  Asmon, the final boss, stood in the center of the ruin, wings fully unfurled, twelve of them glinting like polished steel under the dim light of the broken sky.

  His skin was pale, almost luminescent, and his hair cascaded like liquid gold.

  The serpentine gleam in his eyes locked onto Lee Aseok immediately, a flicker of recognition crossing his otherwise impassive face.

  “I see you brought the holy sword with you this time,” Asmmon said, his voice smooth, resonant, and underlined with amusement. “But you haven’t formed a full bond with it yet, have you?”

  Lee Aseok’s lips quivered into the faintest smirk. “No. And I don’t intend to.”

  He tilted his head, casually scanning the ruined landscape as though this was nothing more than a mildly inconvenient backdrop for a leisurely stroll. “I’m not interested in being a hero.”

  Asmmon chuckled, a low, melodic sound that carried easily across the desolation. “Interesting, as always,” he said, his tone carrying a mixture of amusement and something sharper, something almost predatory. “It seems we both remember… the last time.”

  Lee Aseok’s smirk didn’t falter. “Yes. And you remember exactly why I lost, why everything went wrong.”

  He paused, letting the silence stretch between them, a quiet tension that was almost comical in its absurdity. “But I’m not here to repeat history.”

  The ruin around them remained silent, the world holding its breath as though it too were curious to see how this peculiar reunion would unfold.

  And then, quite casually, Lee Aseok sat on a jagged piece of broken wall, the iron rod resting against his shoulder. He crossed his legs, leaning back slightly, his expression serene.

  Asmmon regarded him from a few meters away, sitting down as well.

  His wings folded gracefully, each feather clicking softly as it adjusted its position.

  The look in his eyes was one of quiet amusement, the same expression one might wear when observing a particularly curious insect crawling along a leaf.

  “You haven’t changed your taste in weapons,” Asmmon said, his voice carrying a tone of mock judgment as he glanced at the iron rod in Lee Aseok’s hand and then to the holy sword glowing faintly nearby. “Still the same stubborn choice.”

  Lee Aseok chuckled, the sound light, almost musical against the oppressive ruins. “Why fix what isn’t broken?” he said. “Besides, it served me well last time. The iron rod and I… we have a history.”

  A pause hung between them, filled with nothing but the whisper of broken stones under the wind.

  Then Lee Aseok tilted his head slightly, his expression casual, almost bored. “By the way… why am I reborn in the past?”

  Author Note:

  Every “OH MY GOD ASEOK STOP” gives me the strength to write the next disaster.

  Mon ? Wed ? Fri

  (Yes, I too question my life choices.)

  https://www.patreon.com/c/LithutheBloom

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