The moment he stepped through the dim violet veil of light, Long's entire world was overturned.
His stomach clenched violently, as if an invisible hand were wringing it dry.
"Urgh!"
He vomited uncontrollably, bitter gastric fluid splattering across the rough, gray stone floor. But that was not all. A horrifying itch erupted deep within his bones, spreading through every pore of his skin, as if millions of fire ants were gnawing at him at once.
Long collapsed, his thin hands clawing desperately at his pale flesh. He twisted, writhed, and rolled helplessly in his own vomit.
"Aaagh… itchy… it's so damn itchy!!"
His scream broke apart into ragged, gasping breaths. After nearly five minutes of agony, the itch finally subsided, leaving his body utterly drained.
Long lay sprawled on the ground, and only then did his senses begin to be assaulted by his new reality.
The stench of damp decay, like tombs forgotten for centuries, forced its way into his nostrils. It reeked of sulfur, dried blood, and moss. Every breath felt heavy, as though he were inhaling fistfuls of ancient dust.
"What the hell… what kind of godforsaken place is this?" Long muttered, his voice trembling.
His reason tried to deny it, but his instincts whispered a mad truth.
This was not a hidden room.
This was another world.
A world his grandfather had hidden all these years.
"Grandpa… how could you have something like this?"
Fear suddenly crushed his heart. Long turned his head, staring at the massive stone gate behind him, ancient runes flickering faintly within the narrow passage.
A horrifying thought flashed through his mind.
What if I get trapped here?
Like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline, Long lunged back toward the violet light, his hands scrambling desperately against the cold stone surface.
Shrrk!
The world twisted once more.
Long crashed onto the wooden floor of the basement beneath his house. The nausea and itching surged back like a cursed refrain, but his stomach was already empty, leaving only dry, painful retching.
He lay there, staring at the dark ceiling, his breathing slowly steadying.
He wasn't dreaming.
The gate was real.
And it had accepted him.
"God damn it… I feel like absolute shit."
Long sprawled on the floor, his hollow gaze fixed on the old wooden beams above. His breathing calmed, but his mind was a battlefield.
So it was real.
Beneath his house lay a gate leading to some monstrous place.
And more importantly, it belonged to his grandfather.
"I can't ignore this anymore…"
He let out a long sigh, shedding his last hesitation. Long sat up, eyes drawn to the mesmerizing violet glow. Without a second thought, he stripped off his vomit-soaked jacket and tossed it aside.
Gripping the flashlight tightly, he plunged into the light once more. The writhing, worm-like sensation returned, though slightly more tolerable this time.
"There's no way anyone could ever get used to this," he muttered.
Click.
The flashlight flicked on, its beam piercing the darkness ahead, revealing a narrow corridor of stone walls. The entire passage was barely wide enough for an adult's outstretched arms.
His small figure advanced deeper inside. With every step, the cold clung tighter to his body, nothing like the summer heat of the world beyond the gate.
"I already regret throwing that jacket away," he grumbled.
Thump… thump…
That was the only sound he could hear in this suffocating silence.
"How long have I been walking? Where does this even lead?"
His footsteps continued forward. Long had been walking for quite some time, yet the scenery repeated endlessly, gray stone walls, icy air, no sign of life.
Monotony dulled vigilance.
His flashlight drooped toward the ground as his arm grew tired.
And at the exact moment his focus slipped, a warm, damp breath brushed across his face.
A rancid, putrid stench flooded his nose.
And right beside his ear came a sound.
"Khh… khh…"
Long jolted violently. The beam of light jerked upward, trembling.
Under the dim yellow glow, a greenish face emerged.
A long, sharp nose like a beak. Jagged, uneven teeth. Beast-like golden eyes that locked onto him.
Long's entire body froze.
It had appeared from a side passage he hadn't even noticed.
They stood so close that Long could feel the heat of its rotting breath.
His mind went blank.
The creature twisted its body and swung.
By instinct, Long raised his arm to block.
Slash!
Blood sprayed. The flashlight flew from his hand as several muscle fibers in his right forearm were severed.
Fortunately, the blade was old and dull, unable to cut too deep.
Sensing mortal danger, Long stumbled backward, but the green-skinned humanoid gave him no respite.
It lunged again and again, slashing wildly in the darkness, the only light coming from the fallen flashlight on the ground.
Driven by pure survival instinct, Long retreated frantically until he lost his footing and fell.
The monster brought its blade down.
Long kicked wildly, and by sheer luck, his foot struck the weapon's handle, knocking the knife into the darkness.
The creature was cunning. Its eyes immediately searched for the weapon.
Long saw the intent.
Summoning every ounce of strength, he kicked straight at its ankles, sending the creature crashing down onto him.
…
"Long? Where are you?"
The crimson glow of sunset bathed the towering figure of an old man with silver hair. Though well past seventy, few would ever believe it. He aged beautifully, so much so that even young men might envy him.
Time and age meant nothing to him.
There was only one thing that truly mattered.
His beloved grandson.
"I bought the cake already, my little bird. Come out and eat so you can grow strong."
Mr. Nam looked around.
"Hm? Where did he go? Don't tell me something happened…"
His ears twitched slightly.
"Huh? Crying… from the chicken coop?"
He rushed toward the sound.
"LONG!! ARE YOU OKAY?!"
The sight before him left the old man shaken.
His ten-year-old grandson, small and frail for his age, was kneeling on the ground, sobbing beside the twisted corpse of a large dog.
"Hic… hic… I killed Lulu… I didn't mean to…"
Long cried.
"It kept chasing the chickens… I grabbed it, and then… then it was like that, Grandpa…"
…
Back in the present, the monster collapsed on top of Long.
He felt its warmth, its rough, rubber-like skin. The stench was unbearable, but he no longer cared.
Long wrapped his limbs tightly around it, desperate to keep it away from the knife.
But the result exceeded his intent.
His grip was so strong that its bones began to shatter.
The creature screamed in agony, thrashing wildly. By instinct, it bit into Long's shoulder.
Long tightened his hold even further.
Crack!
The spine. The neck. Countless smaller bones snapped.
Another existence left this world.
Long gasped for breath, his heart pounding as if it might explode.
Only now did the pain fully strike, surging through his body.
He shoved the corpse aside and quickly bandaged his arm with strips torn from his clothing.
Then he picked up the flashlight and shone it on the creature.
"It really does look exactly like a goblin from those stories."
Killing a humanoid being filled him with guilt, but he had grown up on a farm. Slaughtering livestock was nothing new to him.
"Huh?!"
A golden glint reflected from the goblin's loincloth.
Long rummaged through it and pulled out a metallic golden orb.
"My grandson…"