The Earth I lived on was a chaotic place.

All over the world, portals called "Gates" opened, connecting to other realms, and monsters known as Masu poured through them.

At first, it wasn’t a big deal. The initial Masu could easily be killed with modern weapons.

But the problem arose as time passed—modern weapons gradually became ineffective.

Soon, bullets stopped working entirely on certain monsters, and we reached the point where it took missiles to bring down a single creature.

The force that transcended the laws of physics in our world: mana.

Monsters infused with mana began to emerge.

Even the early Masu carried traces of mana, but theirs were so weak that physical attacks still worked.

However, the stronger Masu that came later carried such overwhelming power that modern firearms were no longer enough to stop them.

Sure, it was theorized that a force strong enough to destroy an entire city might work—but blowing up a city just to kill a monster wasn’t exactly feasible.

Even though the number of Masu impervious to modern weaponry was small, their mere existence was a catastrophic threat to humanity.

And then, salvation came to humanity.

The Awakened.

Humans who, like the Masu, had adapted to mana and gained powers that transcended the laws of physics.

Their strength could stand up to even the Masu, and humanity slowly began reclaiming its territory.

And from the Masu came something known as "magic stones," a byproduct that was a revolutionary material for humanity.

These stones contained mana—the force that defied the laws of physics.

Using that energy, humanity made unparalleled advancements and eventually created mana-based weapons.

But where there is light, there is also shadow.

Some Awakened, given their powers without cost, began to abuse them. The Gates continued to pour out Masu, resulting in ongoing casualties.

And then, there was a new disease: mana rejection.

It was a sickness caused by an inability to adapt to the mana that had spread into the world through the Gates.

About 30% of the global population either died from mana rejection or was still suffering from it.

My parents were among those people.

Ironically, I, born to two mana rejection sufferers, turned out to be an Awakened.

Able to harness mana, possessing a unique ability—the so-called "new humanity" of this world.

How ironic it was that a child born to mana rejection sufferers became an Awakened.

Even as mana slowly killed them, my parents’ final words to me were filled with concern:

"Yujin… never let others see what you’re thinking or feeling."
"Always hide yourself. Be an adult."

My parents were honest and straightforward people. Those traits might be strengths in personal relationships, but they often became weaknesses in society.

Because of their nature, my parents frequently suffered losses, and they didn’t want to pass those traits down to me.

So, in accordance with their last wishes, I lived my life hiding myself.

I always greeted others with a smile, and I insisted on speaking politely even to children.

Fearing that my gaze might reveal my thoughts, I kept my eyes half-closed all the time.

People found me unsettling, saying they couldn’t tell what I was thinking, but I didn’t mind.

As an Awakened, it wasn’t hard for me to make a living, and I even had a few people I could exchange words with from time to time.

“Hey, Yujin!”

“Oh, Squad Leader, what brings you here?”

With the spread of the Gates, combat-oriented guilds formed around the Awakened.

Only guild masters licensed by the Awakened Association, a newly formed government agency, could establish guilds. I belonged to a mid-tier guild—not one of the largest, but well-regarded for its treatment of members.

I was content with it.

“Squad Leader? Just call me hyung. How long have you been with our guild, and you’re still like this?”

“Haha, it just doesn’t roll off the tongue yet. I’ll try.”

“Don’t just try—do it. Come on, say it: hyung.”

“Haha, alright, hyung.”

The man in his early thirties in front of me was the leader of our guild’s first squad and also the vice-guild master. He was the guild master’s younger brother.

Technically speaking, he was like the vice president of a company, but he didn’t throw his weight around or abuse his position. He got along well with everyone in the guild.

He was the kind of person who genuinely cared, which is why he even bothered with someone like me.

“Hey, by the way, that game I recommended to you…”

At that, the Squad Leader brought up a game. If it’s the one he’s talking about…

“Oh, you mean Maze Academy?”

Maze Academy.

A mobile RPG centered on a school built around a labyrinth filled with monsters and treasures.

The Squad Leader had recommended it to me so enthusiastically, and since I didn’t have much else to do to pass the time, I gave it a try.

“Yeah, that one. How far have you gotten in the maze? If you’re around the 10th floor, that’s pretty deep.”

“Hmm… I’m currently on a floor marked with ‘???’.”

“…What? A question mark floor?”

“Yes, it doesn’t show the floor number.”

“…What the hell? Can you show me?”

“Haha, sure.”

Without much thought, I turned on my phone, opened the game, and showed him my progress. I had left it idle on the ‘???’ floor last night, unsure what to do next.

“…It really says ‘???’. And the room name is… wait, Tiamat’s Tomb!?”

“What’s wrong? Is something off?”

When I asked, noticing his shock, the Squad Leader grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

“Hey, hey! How did you even get there? Huh?”

“Squad Leader, could you please stop shaking me? My head’s spinning.”

When an A-rank melee Awakened grabs and shakes you, as a magic-user, you’re helpless.

“…Sorry. But seriously, how did you end up there?”

“I’m not entirely sure. I was navigating the maze and fell into a trap room, and when I landed, I was there.”

“Really? I’ve never seen this happen before…”

“Is it unusual?”

“Unusual? It’s insane! Don’t you know who Tiamat is?”

“I know Tiamat from Mesopotamian mythology—she’s a dragon, a goddess of chaos and the sea.”

“No, not that one! I mean the Tiamat in Maze Academy! Sure, the concept is similar, but…”

“I’m not familiar. What about her?”

“…Do you at least know the basic setting of the maze city?”

The basic setting… I thought back to the game’s introduction.

“Hmm… something about a great war between gods, demons, dragons, and giants, and how the surviving gods sealed the remnants of their defeated foes and dead transcendents in the labyrinth… I think that’s the gist of it.”

“Yeah, that’s it! And Tiamat was the leader of the dragons!”

“Oh, interesting.”

“…That’s all you’ve got to say?”

The Squad Leader’s face fell as if he’d been deflated. I just gave a small shrug and smiled.

“…Ugh, whatever. Anyway, you’re in Tiamat’s Tomb. Got it?”

“Understood.”

“…Come on, it’s the tomb of the leader of the dragons! Don’t you think there’s going to be some amazing treasure there?”

“Probably.”

“…And that’s your reaction?”

“Haha, it’s just a game, after all.”

“…Ugh, fine. Whatever.”

The Squad Leader sighed in resignation and shook his head.

“Anyway, I’m curious now. Go find the treasure already!”

“Hmm… I suppose I should.”

His reaction did pique my curiosity. Could there really be something interesting there?

“Hey! Time to move out! You didn’t forget about the new Gate, did you?”

At that moment, the guild master’s voice called out to us. I quickly put my phone away.

“Looks like I’ll have to check it out later.”

“Damn it, hyung always calls at the worst times.”

Grumbling, the Squad Leader headed toward the voice, and I followed after him.

…Little did I know this would be the turning point of my life.

*

"Here’s the intel on the new Gate at Ansan Station. Has everyone reviewed it?"

"Yes!"

The guild members responded in unison, standing before the guild master as he conducted the briefing. Behind them, a massive black void, like the maw of a tiger, gaped open ominously.

"Clearing the Gate is important, but safety comes first, second, and always. Everyone, make sure to return safely!"

"Yes!"

The guild master patted the squad leader, his younger brother, on the shoulder.

"I’m leaving this in your hands."

"Understood, hyung."

With that, the squad leader stepped forward, leading the charge.

The rest of the first squad followed behind him.

"Alright, let’s begin the Gate raid!"

"Yes!"

With the enthusiastic responses of the guild members, we advanced into the Gate.

***

The purpose of a Gate raid is, above all else, to ensure that Masu don’t escape into the outside world.

Typically, Masu don’t emerge from a Gate immediately after it forms. There’s a roughly three-day window before they start appearing.

That’s why the primary objective of a raid is to clear the inside of the Gate before Masu can escape.

"Looks like a cave this time."

"Tsk, it’s dark. Magic casters, light up the area!"

At the command, the magic casters, including myself, conjured orbs of light, sending them into various parts of the cave.

What was once a pitch-black cavern was now illuminated by scattered light sources.

With visibility improved, the squad began advancing deeper into the cave.

***

10 minutes into the raid.

So far, no Masu were in sight.

"What the...? There’s not a single trace of them."

"They must be hiding deeper inside."

"Still, not a single trace at all? That’s odd."

The squad leader seemed to sense that something was amiss. I looked around the surroundings.

‘It’s just a regular cave, nothing particularly strange… except there’s literally no sign of life.’

No Masu. No bats or insects that one might expect to find in a cave.

Interestingly, Gates often have normal flora and fauna along with Masu. This complete absence of life was clearly abnormal.

"...Let’s keep moving."

And so, the squad leader resumed the search.

***

1 hour and 30 minutes into the raid.

"Squad Leader, something’s definitely wrong here."

"......"

No matter how far we went, not a single Masu—not even an ant—appeared. The squad leader also began to feel the strangeness of the situation.

"Maybe we should head back..."

"Tsk, there was nothing about this in the Gate intel... Alright, let’s push forward for 10 more minutes. If we still don’t find anything, we’ll turn back and report."

"Understood."

Reluctantly, the guild members nodded in agreement with the squad leader’s decision.

And then, 10 minutes later...

"There’s something up ahead!"

Someone shouted. The squad leader raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"Hold position! Let’s check what’s ahead first!"

The squad leader cautiously advanced, his shield and sword held firmly in his hands.

Following his lead, we all moved forward carefully, until...

"...A door?"

Before us stood a massive door, entirely black, seemingly made of obsidian.

The guild members began murmuring among themselves.

"What is this?"
"A door? Has there ever been something like this found in a Gate before?"
"And a Gate with no Masu at all? Does that even make sense?"
"It’s weird, but a door at the end of a cave? That’s just bizarre."

"Quiet, everyone!"

The squad leader silenced the chatter and spoke.

"First, let’s investigate. There’s something written here... What does it say?"

He examined the strange, otherworldly script on the door but quickly realized he couldn’t understand it. Turning back, he called out.

"Magic casters! Can any of you read this?"

Magic casters sometimes gain knowledge of unfamiliar languages upon awakening. Knowing this, the squad leader asked for assistance, and we stepped forward to examine the text.

"...Hmm."

"Can you make sense of it?"

"I can’t, no..."

"Ugh..."

As one caster after another shook their heads in confusion, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.

‘I’ve seen this before...’

Because I had.

‘Where did I see it?’

And then it clicked.

‘Oh, right.’

The game the squad leader had recommended to me, Maze Academy.

It was the same text I had encountered in the trap room before entering Tiamat’s Tomb.

The translation of the script was...

"...‘Here lies the Great Mother.’"

"What?"

The moment I muttered those words,

Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!

The massive door, made of an unidentifiable material, began to open.

Inside was pitch-black darkness, an abyss so deep that even light magic couldn’t penetrate it.

The squad leader approached me, his expression urgent.

"Hey, Yujin! How did you open this?!"

"...I don’t know. I just read the text aloud."

Feigning ignorance, I responded calmly. There was no way I could tell him it came from a game.

"Uh... Alright."

The squad leader, seemingly at a loss for further questioning, backed away. After confirming that light magic didn’t work on the darkness within, he deliberated for a moment before speaking.

"There’s clearly something in there. For the sake of reporting, I’m going in. Are you all with me?"

"Yes!"

Having come this far, none of the guild members wanted to leave empty-handed. They all responded affirmatively.

Nodding, the squad leader took the lead.

"Alright. Let’s move!"

And so, we all stepped into the darkness beyond the door...

***

The squad exited the Gate.

"...Huh?"

Starting with the squad leader, everyone looked around in confusion.

"...What’s going on?"

The squad leader glanced at the guild members. Behind them was the Gate they had entered. Their current location was Ansan Station.

"What the...?"

They had undoubtedly entered the door, yet somehow, they had been ejected back outside.

"...Wait, where’s Yujin?"

It was then the squad leader realized one of his team members was missing.

Despite his usual suspicious demeanor and aloof attitude, Yujin was someone whose striking appearance made him impossible to overlook.

Yet now, he was nowhere to be seen.

***

Walking.

I kept walking through the darkness.

There was nothing to see, hear, or feel around me.

Even so, I continued moving forward.

The way back was no longer visible. All that remained was to keep going forward.

Believing there would be light at the end, I pressed on. And then—

Ping!

A streak of light pierced through my chest.

Feeling as though I was coughing up blood, my consciousness faded to black.

***

"...!"

When I opened my eyes, a gray ceiling greeted me.

I sat up abruptly, scanning my surroundings.

"...Where is this...?"

What lay before me was a massive chamber.

Numerous stone sarcophagi were arranged like graves, and at the far end stood several towering arch-like structures.

No, they weren’t arches.

Upon closer inspection, I realized...

"...Bones?"

They weren’t arches but the ribcage of a colossal creature, too massive to comprehend.

For a moment, I stared at it blankly before standing up and looking around.

A strange sense of familiarity washed over me. It felt as if I had seen this place before...

And then it hit me.

"...Maze Academy."

Maze Academy.

The great labyrinth within the game.

And this room, specifically, was one of the unknown floors.

"...Tiamat’s Tomb."

I realized that this place was identical to that.

And I couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle.

"Well, this is something."

Though I prided myself on hiding my emotions, it seemed I wasn’t entirely successful this time. Not that it mattered—there was no one else around.

"...Am I in the game?"

Either way, I couldn’t stop laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

Because it was true.

I was now inside a location that existed in the game.