Hyun-Jae stepped through the portal, expecting to a familiar pull, yet when his feet touched solid ground, only silence greeted him. The portal behind him shimmered for a brief moment before collapsing into nothingness. The room was the same one they'd stood in before their departure.
Luckily he stood near the door, the only distinct feature in the void. With cautious steps, It automatically slid open.
The corridor beyond greeted him with dim, humming lights and a faint metallic scent. As he stepped out, He looked around, brow furrowed. Nothing looked familiar.
"Am I in the right place..." he thought to himself as he wandered through the vast metallic corridors of the facility, his steps echoing faintly against the polished floor. The air hummed with energy, and the sharp scent of Etherea lingered around him. Though he is familiar with combat and survival now, navigating this maze of reinforced halls left him feeling oddly out of place.
After several turns, he finally spotted an attendant standing near a console, dressed in a sleek uniform. Relieved, Hyun-Jae approached.
The attendant looked up, eyes narrowing slightly. "You're not supposed to be here," he said, his tone clipped and formal. "This area is restricted to S-rank combatants and authorized personnel only."
Hyun-Jae paused, scratching the back of his neck. "Ah, my mistake. I got turned around," he said calmly. "Could you guide me to the training facility instead?"
The attendant's expression softened slightly, though suspicion still lingered in his gaze. "What happened to your keycard?" he asked. "And... what rank are you exactly?"
Hyun-Jae's lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile. "It's... E."
The attendant's expression shifted the moment Hyun-Jae mentioned his rank. The professional edge in his tone faded, replaced by a hint of condescension.
"E-rank?" he repeated, his brow lifting as though the very idea amused him. "And you somehow wandered into an S-rank wing?"
Hyun-Jae offered a faint, almost sheepish smile. "Guess so. My keycard must've been broken or something."
The attendant crossed his arms. "Broken? How does that happen to something that's integrated with your body and Etherea?"
Hyun-Jae only shrugged. "I'm just an E-rank. What am I supposed to know about that kind of stuff?"
For a moment, the attendant simply stared at him, then sighed, the kind of exhale that said he'd already given up trying to make sense of the situation. "Fine. Follow me. I'll take you to get that fixed before security mistakes you for an intruder."
Hyun-Jae followed quietly, his eyes drifting across the facility as they walked. The once-bustling corridors seemed thinner now, fewer warriors. Even the air felt heavier, quieter. The massive screens that welcomed the competitors now displayed rankings and tournament updates.
His gaze lingered on one of the displays as they passed. The realization gnawed at him.
"Everything's changed..."
He clenched his fist slightly, a faint chill running through him.
"Just how long... did I spend inside the Ethereal Abyss?"
He walked beside the attendant, keeping his expression calm despite the unease stirring inside him. The silence stretched between them until he spoke, his tone light, almost casual.
"So... how long has it been since the tournament started?" he asked, feigning mild curiosity.
The attendant glanced at him briefly. "About a year now, give or take," he said, tapping at his wrist console to unlock a door ahead.
"A year?" Hyun-Jae echoed, keeping his face composed even as his mind churned. Only a year? It felt like decades had passed in the Abyss.
He forced a small smile. "So, are we winning?"
The attendant gave him a puzzled look. "We? You should know whether your realm is winning or not."
Hyun-Jae let out a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm an E-rank, remember? I'm just trying to survive long enough to not get stepped on."
The attendant exhaled sharply through his nose, shaking his head. "Are all E-ranks this oblivious? The tournament hasn't even really started yet. The culling phase is still ongoing, where the weakest are filtered out." His gaze flicked over Hyun-Jae with a faint smirk. "You know, the ones like you."
Hyun-Jae raised a brow but said nothing.
"Anyway," the attendant continued, "which faction are you under?
"Faction?" Hyun-Jae repeated, his tone even. The term didn't ring any bells. He could feel questions pressing against his tongue, but instinct told him to hold them back, at least until he understood more.
Before he could reply, the attendant stopped before a strange machine built into the wall. It glowed with soft blue light, panels shifting as if alive.
"Here we are," the attendant said, gesturing toward it. "Just insert your hand and it'll recalibrate your keycard integration."
The machine looked oddly familiar, like a hybrid between an ATM and a scanner, pulsing faintly with the same kind of energy Hyun-Jae used to feel inside the Abyss.
He stepped closer, watching the light ripple across the surface. Something about it made his instincts stir.
Hyun-Jae placed his hand against the machine's glowing surface. A faint hum filled the air, followed by a few flickering lights, then a sharp beep.
[ERROR: Invalid Keycard]
Both men stared at the message.
The attendant blinked, clearly taken aback. "That's… new. That's never happened before." He frowned, his tone growing more serious. "Stand still."
Before Hyun-Jae could respond, the attendant lifted a hand, channeling a stream of Etherea, a soft, golden current that shimmered like liquid light. The energy coiled through the air before pressing against Hyun-Jae's chest, and he felt a sharp tug deep inside him. For a brief moment, pain flared through his body, like a needle dragging across his veins.
Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
The attendant's expression relaxed as he withdrew his hand. Resting in his palm was a small, crystal-like card, faintly transparent and etched with runic data. But as he turned it over, his brow furrowed.
"This… can't be right," he murmured. "Your keycard's been wiped clean." He looked up at Hyun-Jae, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "That only happens when someone dies. And you" he gestured to him, "look pretty alive to me."
Hyun-Jae's expression didn't waver. He gave a small, almost amused chuckle. "Huh. Guess something went wrong then, huh?"
The attendant eyed him for a moment longer, then sighed and shook his head. "Sure. Let's go with that."
Hyun-Jae stayed quiet, careful not to let anything slip. The truth about where he'd been, what he'd survived, wasn't something he was ready to share. Not yet. Revealing it could draw the kind of attention he wasn't prepared to deal with.
The attendant pocketed the inert keycard and gestured toward another hallway. "I'll get you a replacement issued. Try not to break this one, or die again, yeah?"
Hyun-Jae smirked faintly. "I'll do my best."
The attendant led Hyun-Jae over to a nearby console and began entering a series of commands, the faint clacking of holographic keys echoing in the quiet room.
"Alright," the attendant said, tone brisk again. "Let's get your information logged so I can make a new card."
Hyun-Jae nodded. "Name's Seo Hyun-Jae. Planet of origin, Earth."
The attendant paused briefly at the mention of Earth, his expression unreadable before he returned to his work. "And your room number?"
Hyun-Jae hesitated, his mind drawing a blank. "...I don't remember," he admitted truthfully.
The attendant sighed, long and tired. "Figures. Whatever. I'll just assign you a new one. It's not like room numbers matter much for E-ranks anyway besides there should be more rooms after that last trial."
He typed for another moment, then a small mechanical slot opened beneath the console. A translucent card slid out, pulsing faintly with pale blue Etherea. The attendant took it and handed it over.
"Room 1182-E," he said. "Don't lose it this time."
Hyun-Jae took the card, feeling a soft vibration run through his fingertips as soon as he touched it. The crystal glowed faintly before dissolving into streams of light that sank into the skin of his wrist, integrating seamlessly with his body once again.
He flexed his hand, feeling the familiar hum of connection. "It's working," he said quietly. Then, with a polite nod, "Thanks."
The attendant waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Try not to wander into restricted areas again."
Hyun-Jae nodded faintly and turned to leave, the new keycard's energy thrumming in rhythm with his own. Somewhere deep inside, though, he couldn't shake the feeling that his presence here would soon draw attention, especially if anyone tried to dig too deep into what really happened to him.
As Hyun-Jae turned to leave, the attendant gave him a once-over and scoffed."You should probably get a haircut, too," he said, tone dripping with condescension. "Even if you're just an E-rank, you could at least try to look presentable."
Hyun-Jae blinked, momentarily thrown off, then brushed a hand through his hair. He hadn't noticed until now how long it had gotten, wild strands falling past his eyes, uneven and untamed. "Guess you're right," he admitted with a faint chuckle. "It's been… a while."
He glanced back at the attendant. "Do they even have haircuts here?"
The man froze mid-step, then turned slowly, staring at Hyun-Jae as if he'd just asked whether water was real. "Have you been living under a rock?" he said, incredulous. "Of course they do. It was added pretty recently, along with other amenities. You'd know that if you ever checked the updates."
Hyun-Jae smiled awkwardly. "Wow… things have changed a lot around here, huh?"
The words slipped out before he could catch himself, but luckily the attendant only rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath about "clueless fools."
He gestured toward a circular platform nearby, the teleporter. "That'll take you straight to your room. Try not to get lost again."
Hyun-Jae stepped onto the platform, but before activating it, he glanced back. "Hey… what's your name, anyway?"
The question caught the attendant off guard. He stared at Hyun-Jae for a long moment, suspicion flickering across his face. "Why do you want to know?"
Hyun-Jae raised both hands in mock surrender, "Just being polite."
The attendant huffed. "You don't need to know. Now go."
Hyun-Jae chuckled quietly, then activated the teleporter. Light enveloped him, and the last thing he saw before vanishing was the attendant still watching him, arms crossed and brow furrowed.
The teleporter's light faded, and Hyun-Jae found himself standing before a dull metallic door marked 1182-B. It slid open with a faint hiss as he approached, revealing his new quarters.
The sight that greeted him was… underwhelming.
The room was small and dimly lit, the walls stained with faint scorch marks and age. A single bed sat against one wall, its frame creaking slightly as the air system hummed overhead. A cracked display screen flickered weakly near the desk, and the floor's synthetic tiles had long since lost their shine.
Hyun-Jae stood there for a moment, taking it all in.
"Mediocre would be generous," he muttered under his breath.
It felt even worse than the room he'd been given when he first arrived for the tournament.
He sighed quietly, the exhaustion from everything, his return, the realization that time had passed differently, finally catching up to him.
Without another word, he stepped inside and let the door slide shut behind him. The bed wasn't comfortable, stiff, uneven, and cold, but it was still a bed.
Hyun-Jae lay down, staring at the ceiling as his mind swirled with unanswered questions. How much had changed? What was this "when the tournament actually begin"? And just how long had he really been gone?
For now, though, those questions could wait.
"I'll figure it out later…" he murmured, his voice fading as sleep finally pulled him under.