10:10 PM – The Weight of Silence
The relic had chosen him.
Kyung-min could still feel it—coiling within his chest, an alien force burning into his very existence. It wasn't just inside him.
It was becoming him.
But the others didn't see it that way.
They saw something else.
A mistake.
Seok-hoon's voice was sharp. "What did you do?"
Kyung-min staggered, trying to catch his breath. "I… I didn't—"
Tae-sik exhaled sharply, running a hand through his sweat-drenched hair. "Forget it. We can figure it out later. Let's get out of here before something else shows up."
For once, nobody argued.
They were exhausted.
Drained.
And for the first time since entering the dungeon—they had won.
But it didn't feel like victory.
10:15 PM – Leaving the Ruins
The group made their way through the broken stone corridors, their footsteps echoing in the eerie silence left behind by the Lich's death.
Kyung-min followed at the very back.
He wasn't injured.
Wasn't struggling.
But nobody waited for him.
Nobody asked if he was alright.
It was a small thing.
But it settled in his bones like a sickness.
The air grew colder as they approached the dungeon's exit.
The moment they stepped outside, a chill wind swept through the ruined landscape, carrying the scent of damp earth and lingering blood.
Above them, the sky was no longer red.
The dungeon's influence was fading.
And yet—Kyung-min felt something unsettling in his chest.
Like something was watching.
10:30 PM – The Path Back to Camp
They walked.
No one spoke.
The only sounds were the crunch of gravel under their boots and the distant howling of monsters in the ruins beyond.
Kyung-min kept his head down, watching his own shadow stretch across the cracked pavement.
They had been a party once.
They had fought together.
Survived together.
But now?
He was just following them.
Not as an ally.
Not as a friend.
But as something else.
Something they hadn't decided what to do with yet.
11:00 PM – Setting Camp
They reached a half-collapsed overpass, the remains of an old highway that overlooked what had once been a bustling district of Seoul.
The city beyond was silent.
Burning, but silent.
The only movement was the occasional flicker of shadowy figures—monsters roaming the ruins, waiting.
Their safe zone for the night was a small, cleared-out section beneath the overpass, shielded from view.
Tae-sik set down his pack with a grunt. "I'm done. We're staying here until morning."
No one argued.
They were too tired.
Even the Silver-Haired Woman, who had pushed them to keep going, remained silent.
But Kyung-min noticed something.
They had all begun gathering without him.
11:15 PM – Exclusion
He wasn't far.
Maybe five steps away.
But the conversation felt like a wall had been placed between them.
They sat in a loose circle, rationing food, whispering in low voices.
But Kyung-min?
Nobody called him over.
Nobody looked at him.
As if he were somewhere else entirely.
Min-jun adjusted his glasses. "We need to make a decision."
Kyung-min froze.
The words had been quiet.
But he had heard them.
And he knew—
They weren't talking about their next move.
They weren't talking about the dungeon.
They were talking about him.
11:30 PM – The Weight of the Relic
Kyung-min lowered his gaze to his hands.
The relic had vanished inside him, but he could still feel it.
Like a second heartbeat.
Like something waiting.
And they knew it too.
That was why they weren't including him.
That was why they weren't talking to him.
Because he was no longer one of them.
And he had the feeling—
That soon, they were going to make sure of it.