The elevator inside the Lotte Tower.
Heading to the top floor, it carried two women.
One was dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, while the other wore a figure-hugging dress.
Though their styles were different, they shared striking similarities—both were young, stunningly attractive, and radiated charm.
The woman in the dress had her hands clasped together, eyes closed, murmuring something under her breath.
The suited woman glanced at her and spoke.
"Na-ri."
"Y-yes?"
"There’s no need to be so nervous. We’re on our way to hear the words of the Lord."
"...Yes."
"You’re very fortunate. Not many are granted the privilege of a private audience with Him."
"I know," Bae Na-ri replied, her voice trembling with awe.
She was overwhelmed with gratitude.
The being she was about to meet was no ordinary man but a god descended upon the mortal realm.
In this monstrous world consumed by judgment, where survival seemed impossible, she believed she had endured because of her unwavering faith in Him.
The god who had descended from the heavens to save humanity had summoned her.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous.
Ding—♪
"We’ve arrived."
The elevator doors opened slowly.
"This way."
As they walked through a luxurious marble corridor, a door appeared at the end.
When they stepped inside, they entered a lavish living room.
The floor, like the hallway, was covered in pristine white marble, and the carefully placed furniture exuded comfort and opulence.
The suited woman confidently walked across the room, opening the door to the master bedroom and stepping aside.
"Please, go in."
"You’re not coming with me, Eun-hye?"
"This time is reserved entirely for you, Na-ri."
"Ah...!"
Bae Na-ri, moved to tears, bowed her head to Park Eun-hye.
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me."
Exchanging warm smiles, Bae Na-ri stepped inside the room.
"Blessings be with you."
Click.
The door shut behind her as she ventured deeper into the room.
Sitting on the bed, surrounded by the soft glow of pastel-toned lighting, was Jeong Hyun-soo, the savior of humanity.
Seated with his eyes closed, his very presence exuded an otherworldly aura.
Tentatively, Bae Na-ri spoke.
"Excuse me... I apologize for the intrusion."
Jeong Hyun-soo slowly opened his eyes and gazed at her.
"I’m Bae Na-ri. You summoned me, so I came—"
"I know," Jeong Hyun-soo interrupted, rising from the bed.
As the blanket covering him slipped off, Bae Na-ri was momentarily startled.
He was completely unclothed.
Before she could process her shock, she felt his hand gently caress her cheek.
"Uh, uh..."
"You must’ve been through so much."
At that moment, Bae Na-ri’s eyes widened.
The man in front of her—he looked exactly like her late husband, the one she had loved more than anything.
"My love?"
That day, her husband had been mercilessly killed by a monster right before her eyes.
Yet here he was, alive and well, smiling at her apologetically.
"You’ve suffered so much, haven’t you?"
"My love!"
Without hesitation, Bae Na-ri threw herself into his arms and kissed him.
And in that moment...
Visit ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.
"Hm?"
Jeong Hyun-soo, or rather, the man wearing the face of her husband, frowned.
Snap!
With a flick of his fingers, Bae Na-ri collapsed unconscious onto the bed.
"Tsk."
Jeong Hyun-soo clicked his tongue in annoyance, glaring at her limp body.
"What is it now?" he muttered irritably.
From his shadow, a man’s face emerged, pale and devoid of emotion.
Just like Bae Na-ri moments ago, the man’s eyes were blank as he reported in a monotone voice.
"The Shadow Wraith has been killed."
Jeong Hyun-soo looked down at the figure in his shadow, his expression darkening.
"What?"
"The Shadow Wraith has been killed."
When the man repeated himself, Jeong Hyun-soo’s patience snapped.
Thwack!
His foot connected with the man’s face.
"I told you—"
Thud!
"Not to—"
Smack!
"Disturb me—"
Thud!
"During this time—"
Whack!
"Didn’t I?!"
Crack!
The man remained stoic, taking the beating without flinching. Jeong Hyun-soo finally placed his foot on the man’s head, pinning him down as he caught his breath.
"Haa... Now, report what happened."
"When we attempted to kill Choi Sang-hyun, strange individuals appeared. Six men and women riding enormous black birds. One of them threw a spear that killed the Wraith."
Jeong Hyun-soo furrowed his brows in disbelief.
"Killed it in one blow? The Shadow Wraith?"
"Yes."
"Hmph..."
It wasn’t impossible for the Shadow Wraith to be defeated. It was strong, but there were far stronger beings out there.
However, for it to be killed in a single blow was a different story.
The number of individuals capable of such a feat could be counted on one hand.
As far as Jeong Hyun-soo knew, there were only six people in Seoul capable of such overwhelming power.
He began to piece things together.
"Black birds and a spear, huh."
If they commanded black birds, it was likely Cha Hyun-seung of Yongsan. If they wielded a spear with that level of destructive power, it could only be Yang Ha-young of Bucheon.
"Was it a woman who threw the spear?" he asked.
"I couldn’t confirm."
"Tsk. Useless fool."
Jeong Hyun-soo casually kicked the man in the temple before moving toward the window.
He picked up a thick cigarette from the table, cut the end, and lit it.
Ssshh... Haaah...
He took a deep drag, exhaling slowly as his thoughts raced.
"Are those two teaming up against me?"
It wasn’t impossible.
He was well aware that not just two, but all six of them despised him.
"Could all six of them have joined forces?"
The numbers aligned too perfectly for it to be a coincidence.
"Hmm..."
Jeong Hyun-soo pondered for a moment, then a faint smile spread across his wrinkled face.
"There's no way."
While it was possible that Cha Hyun-seung and Yang Ha-young might work together, the idea of all six uniting was absurd.
Some of them were already sworn enemies, and their tangled relationships made it highly unlikely for more than two—three at most—to cooperate.
The fact that there were six in total likely meant they’d brought along a few subordinates.
"Whatever their reason, this works out well for me."
This was his domain, after all.
For them to willingly step into his territory—it was almost laughable.
"Fools."
He could already guess what they were thinking.
"A small, elite force coming to take my head."
If they had launched a surprise attack, they might have had a sliver of hope.
But instead, they foolishly revealed their presence by killing the Shadow Wraith.
The moment they were discovered, the element of surprise was lost.
"I’d better prepare a proper welcome."
***
Moon Byeong-ho, maintaining his invisibility, teleported into the observation deck on the top floor of the Lotte Tower.
"It's so high."
The cityscape stretched out below him, dizzying yet mesmerizing.
With most of the city plunged into darkness, the glow from the Lotte Tower illuminated Seokchon Lake and the surrounding buildings.
Having grown up in Busan and never left it, Moon Byeong-ho was unfamiliar with this place.
"They said the top floor, right?"
Unbeknownst to him, the "top floor" that Choi Sang-hyun had mentioned was actually the 70th floor, not the observation deck.
As a result, he wandered the deck for quite a while.
"Could it be higher than this?"
While he debated, Kim Jae-hyun’s voice rang in his ear.
[They say it’s on the 70th floor.]
Feeling something was off, Kim Jae-hyun had double-checked with Choi Sang-hyun.
"I’ll head there immediately."
Swoosh—
Using his teleportation skill, Moon Byeong-ho exited the building and slid along its outer wall until he reached the 70th floor.
Swoosh!
He teleported inside through a window.
"Ugh?"
Suddenly, dizziness struck him, and he clutched his head.
"What the...?"
While nausea wasn’t unheard of during teleportation, he hadn’t experienced it in years, not since the days when his skill was weaker and less refined.
This was new, and disorienting enough that his invisibility flickered and dropped.
And then...
"Huh...?"
Moon Byeong-ho noticed something odd about his surroundings.
"Something’s not right."
The hallway stretched endlessly ahead, with doors arranged in a regular pattern on both sides.
It resembled an ordinary hotel corridor, but something about it felt off.
Kim Jae-hyun, observing through the Absolute Dweller’s Eye, noticed it too.
[Moon Byeong-ho, turn around.]
Moon Byeong-ho hesitated but slowly turned.
What he saw made his eyes widen.
"What?"
Behind him was an identical hallway, stretching endlessly in the opposite direction.
"This...?"
He should have been looking at the glass window and the cityscape beyond it.
After all, he had teleported in while facing the window.
"So why...?"
Now, he was inexplicably standing in the middle of a seemingly infinite corridor.
"Jae-hyun-nim, what’s going on here?"
[It’s all right. Take your time to explore. First, let’s confirm what floor you’re on.]
"Understood."
***
I was just as shocked as he was.
"What’s going on?"
The moment Moon Byeong-ho teleported into the building, the surrounding space seemed to change.
From the outside, the 70th floor had appeared to be a typical residential unit.
Yet somehow, he’d been transported into an endless corridor.
"Did he make a mistake?"
That seemed unlikely.
Moon Byeong-ho had never made a single error in his use of teleportation.
Which meant...
"It’s an ability."
It was almost certainly the result of the enemy’s skill.
"A trap-based ability?"
Perhaps it was an automatic defense mechanism against unauthorized intruders.
But...
"If that’s the case, why didn’t anything happen on the observation deck? Is it specific to the 70th floor, where Jeong Hyun-soo is?"
That made it even more suspicious.
A skill powerful enough to reshape space meant there were secrets here that absolutely couldn’t be exposed.
It lent even more credibility to Choi Sang-hyun’s claims.
And judging by the nature of this phenomenon...
"There must be more victims."
This was unforgivable.
To prevent further suffering, Jeong Hyun-soo had to be dealt with.
"It seems they’ve noticed us too."
A foreboding sense of danger crept in.
The man had already proven himself capable of using children as pawns and throwing people into monsters’ territories without hesitation.
How he would react to intruders in his sanctum was all too predictable.
"Jae-hyun-nim."
[Yes, go ahead.]
"This place feels... strange."
[What do you mean?]
"This hallway—it feels like it goes on forever."
The structure was indeed odd.
As Moon Byeong-ho walked, he had encountered three right turns and five left turns, all leading back into similar corridors.
There were no elevators or emergency exits in sight.
Moon Byeong-ho’s steps quickened, and soon he broke into a run.
But the hallway showed no signs of ending.
I gave him an instruction.
[Try opening a door.]
He stopped and opened the nearest door.
Click.
Beyond it was...
"Damn."
Another identical corridor, stretching endlessly ahead.