The Light at the End of the Tunnel

After realizing that the leader was not yet dead, Joseph felt anxiety creeping into his heart like a thread of black smoke, slowly wrapping around his soul.

He rushed into the depths of the cave, diving deeper and deeper, as if searching for an answer amidst the endless darkness.

He followed branching paths, advancing without pause, until he lost all sense of time.

He spent days—or so it seemed to him—wandering through the narrow passages and dark corridors, each step weighed down by exhaustion and fear.

In a moment of exhaustion, he wondered to himself:

"How much time has passed since I entered this place?"

His heart was gripped by another worry, a worry for his sister, whom he had left behind in the outside world. His mind was consumed by a single thought, one that dominated him with great force:

To return to her safe and sound.

He decided to stop for a moment. He sat down on the cold cave floor, resting his head against the weathered stone wall. He allowed his eyelids to drop, sinking into a light and restless sleep.

When he woke up, he didn't hesitate; he immediately got up and continued his journey forward, despite the exhaustion still weighing down on his body.

But strangely, throughout his path, he didn't encounter a single monster to fight.

He walked without a clear purpose, just advancing, not knowing where this path would lead or if there was truly a leader waiting for him at the end.

Doubt began to creep into his soul:

Was all of this just another trick from that mysterious entity?

With every new step, the question dug deeper into his heart.

Joseph continued moving relentlessly, stepping steadily through the pitch-black darkness until he reached a place unlike the rest of the cave.

He immediately noticed that the ground had changed; it was no longer rocky as he had grown accustomed to, but now it was covered in soft sand.

He wondered to himself what caused this strange change, but his intuition alerted him that something was about to happen, and he needed to stay on guard.

He continued walking cautiously, stepping lightly over the shifting sand. Suddenly, he felt the ground tremble lightly beneath his feet, barely noticeable.

Then, without warning, the sand began to sink beneath him like a hungry whirlpool, and he almost got pulled into the depths.

With astonishing speed, he jumped backward, distancing himself a bit, panting with a troubled chest.

From the spot he had stood, a massive worm surged up from beneath the sand, its sharp fangs glistening in the dark.

It let out a deafening roar that shattered the stillness of the cave, then dove back into the ground, leaving swirling mists of scattered sand behind.

Joseph immediately realized that he was in imminent danger.

He sprinted as fast as he could, trying to escape from the treacherous place.

But while running, the worm emerged suddenly from the sand in front of him, rushing toward him like an arrow, attempting to pounce on him.

Joseph skillfully dodged, swerving to the side as the beast dove back beneath the earth.

It didn't give him a chance to catch his breath, as it emerged again from behind him!

Joseph quickly turned, his eyes widening in awe as he saw the massive creature charging toward him.

For a few seconds, time froze for him, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

Then the gigantic worm lunged at him.

He barely avoided it, but this time he lost his balance and fell to the ground, rolling over the sand that partially covered him.

He slowly got up, brushing the sand off his body, his eyes fixed and alert.

He stood still, silent, focusing all his senses. He thought to himself as he tried to sense the next strike before that damned worm ambushed him again. It's too fast.

Joseph calmly drew his daggers, gripping them tightly, then planted his feet in the sand and remained motionless, like a rock in the midst of a storm.

He was waiting for the right moment, the moment when the worm would appear again.

His wait was not long; suddenly, it emerged from the left side, cutting through the sand with astonishing speed.

In the blink of an eye, Joseph leaped backward, retreating to the side of the cave.

Then, before the worm could dive back under the sand, Joseph jumped, using the stone wall to launch himself onto the massive creature's back.

With skill and precision, he drove his daggers into the worm's tough body,

then jumped away from it before it shook violently and vanished beneath the sand once again.

He knew that staying exposed in the sand could be his end.

Therefore, he made a rule for himself: never stray far from the cave's edges, where he could use the rocks for maneuvering and attacking.

Moments of tense anticipation passed.

Then, the worm suddenly appeared before him, this time clearly enraged.

It charged at him furiously, attempting to strike faster than before.

But its anger made it less cautious; it crashed violently into the stone cave wall while trying to devour him.

It got stuck for a moment, wriggling and trying to escape.

Joseph didn't waste the opportunity.

He charged toward it and began stabbing its belly with a series of rapid thrusts, focusing all his strength into each strike.

He kept stabbing, and soon he noticed that the worm's body was starting to loosen little by little.

When he was certain it had died, he took two steps back, panting from exhaustion, his eyes still watching it cautiously.

Joseph felt exhaustion creeping into his body after the fierce battle with the giant worm, but he refused to succumb to fatigue.

He didn't have the luxury of time to waste here—his sister was waiting, and danger was still looming.

He approached the lifeless worm's body, extracted its magical core, then clenched it in his fist and carefully hid it.

Afterward, without looking back, he resumed his journey, advancing through the dark cave.

He kept walking for a long time, the distance feeling endless, as if the cave had suddenly stretched out many times over.

When he felt his body could no longer take it, he stopped for a moment, sitting on a protruding rock, taking a brief rest.

He didn't allow himself to relax for too long; as soon as he regained a bit of strength, he stood up and continued on his way.

As time passed, Joseph noticed a strange change in the surrounding environment.

The ground was no longer sandy as it had been before; it had turned into green earth, covered by a thick layer of grass.

Tall trees surrounded him, rising toward the high cave ceiling.

He moved forward cautiously, his eyes darting between the sides, studying every detail with suspicion and unease.

He didn't sense any immediate threat, but the mystery surrounding the place felt heavier than any visible danger.

At first, the trees around him were ordinary pine trees, with their slender branches and green needles.

But this didn't last long.

As he moved forward, the trees gradually began to change, until the pines completely disappeared, replaced by enormous, strange-looking plants.

These plants extended with their giant leaves resembling open mouths, and from within, long, sharp fangs like needles protruded.

The leaves weren't still; they moved slowly, as if they were watching him, preparing to pounce.

Joseph continued to advance through the strange forest, feeling an unsettling sensation creeping into his heart.

Suddenly, without warning, the giant leaves surged toward him, attempting to capture him with their mouths full of sharp fangs!

They moved with an unexpected speed, as if they were living creatures thirsting for blood.

Joseph began to dodge the wild plants' attacks, bending and evading with cunning, but their number and swift movements made the task nearly impossible.

He had no choice but to fight.

He gripped his daggers tightly and lunged at the nearest plant, cutting with all the strength he had, trying to carve a path through this green hell.

Sticky fluids oozed from the plants with every strike he made, but they didn't stop their attempts to pounce on him.

Suddenly, as he was about to dodge one, another one ambushed him from the side, its mouth-like leaves lunging at his shoulder.

Its needle-like fangs sank into his flesh, and Joseph felt a sharp pain piercing through his shoulder.

He pushed it off with a swift dagger strike, but he felt a strange tingling spread through his body.

The poison had begun to flow through his veins, accompanied by a slight weakness.

However, his immunity to poison did its job, and the poison quickly faded from his body.

He soon began to feel a gradual recovery, overcoming the effects of the poison before it could take hold of him.

Nevertheless, he had to move quickly.

He continued slashing through the vicious plants with all his strength, retreating and fighting at the same time.

Despite the exhaustion that was gnawing at his body, he kept fighting stubbornly, carving a narrow path for himself through the moving forest.

Finally, after great effort, he managed to carve a way away from the plants, panting heavily, his body drenched in sweat, sand, and sticky fluids.

But he didn't stop; he continued on, walking cautiously, knowing that his journey through this cave was still far from over.

Joseph pressed forward into the dark cave, his body drained, his thirst growing with every step, his hunger gnawing at his insides.

He stumbled, internally complaining about the harshness of this place, which seemed endless.

He felt a great weakness seeping into his limbs, and finally, he was forced to stop.

He sat on the ground, lifting his head toward the cave ceiling, where natural crystals shimmered like distant stars.

He gazed at them for a long time, overwhelmed by a sense of sadness and loneliness.

He whispered to himself in a soft voice:

• "I don't know when I'll get out of here… but I hope my sister is okay…"

Meanwhile, in the outside world, Mary, Joseph's sister, stood in the hallways of the Guardians' Headquarters, overwhelmed by feelings of sorrow and despair.

Her face was pale, and her eyes were filled with tears, as she repeated the same question she had never stopped asking:

• "Is there any news about my brother?"

But the reply she received this time, as every other time, was cold and harsh:

• "We have found no trace of him…"

Mary left the building of the Headquarters, accompanied by her friend, who tried to support her silently.

Mary wiped away her tears discreetly, trying to hide her pain as much as possible.

The moment she left, another person entered through the main doors.

It was a man with a strong presence, bearing stern features that were unmistakable.

It was Jong-Soo, one of the strongest Guardians in the country.

He stood for a moment, watching Mary pass by him. He noticed her tears, but said nothing.

He turned directly to the receptionist and spoke in a calm but firm voice:

• "I would like to meet with the Head of the Guardians."

The receptionist responded with a slight bow:

• "You will need to wait a little while until his meeting ends."

Jong-Soo waited in silence, but his curiosity led him to ask after a moment:

• "Who was that girl who was crying just now?"

The receptionist sighed before answering:

• "She is a girl whose brother has been missing for three weeks."

Jong-Soo paused for a moment and then asked the employee:

• "Did he disappear in a labyrinth?"

The employee shook his head and replied:

• "There is no confirmed information about him… No one knows what happened to him."

At that moment, the Vice President of the Guardians' Organization arrived and approached him with a formal smile, saying:

• "Please, the President is waiting for you."

Jong-Soo nodded quietly and followed him down the long corridor towards the President's office.

Elsewhere…

Inside Miri's friend's house, the atmosphere was filled with sadness and gloom.

Miri sat on the bed, surrounded by heavy silence, while her friend sat beside her.

Miri was crying quietly, stifling her sobs with her trembling hands, until she exploded with words:

• "Are you going to leave me too… just like everyone else? Will you leave me alone?"

Her words were filled with a deep despair that broke the heart.

Her friend moved closer to her, gently taking her hands, and said with determination and love:

• "I'm here with you, and I'll stay with you no matter what… you won't be alone."

Miri's lips trembled slightly, and she felt that the warmth of her friend's words was the only thing stopping her from completely breaking down.