Kang-suho stood facing the dinosaur, its massive body radiating a strange cosmic glow that pulsed like a heartbeat. The air around it shimmered, distorting the space between them as if reality itself was bending under its presence. He tightened his grip, trying to steady his breathing despite the pressure weighing down on him. Even then, he didn't step back, because turning his back meant death. So instead, he raised his hand, letting the familiar warmth of light magic gather within his palm.
"Take this!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the tension as he forced his body forward. He leaped into the air, ignoring the strain in his legs and the fatigue already settling deep in his muscles. His palm opened wide, and radiant light burst outward, gathering into a concentrated glow that flickered with unstable energy.
The attack wasn't just power—it was chaos shaped into form. "Light Reflection," he muttered as he released it without hesitation.
The blast struck the dinosaur head-on, erupting into a blinding explosion of light that tore into its body. But just as quickly, the attack scattered into countless smaller rays, each one bouncing wildly in every direction. Kang-suho's eyes widened as he realized the danger wasn't over—it had only begun. The reflected light turned the battlefield into a deadly maze, forcing him to twist and move midair. Even then, he couldn't avoid them all, and several rays cut into his body before he even hit the ground.
When everything settled, the dinosaur collapsed with a heavy, echoing thud, its glow fading into nothing.
Kang-suho dropped to one knee, his body trembling as blood slowly seeped from multiple wounds. The pain didn't come all at once—it crept in, spreading through him like fire under his skin. His breathing grew uneven, each inhale sharper than the last. "Dammit…" he muttered, clutching his side as he tried to stay conscious.
Then he heard it.
At first, it was just a single roar in the distance, low and almost unnoticeable. But then another followed, and another, until the sound multiplied into something overwhelming. Kang-suho froze, his body going still as his instincts screamed at him to turn around. When he finally did, his eyes widened in disbelief. There were dozens of them—no, more than fifty—each one staring at him with those same glowing, cosmic eyes.
For a brief moment, his mind drifted, recalling how everything had started back in 2002. That was the year the portals first appeared, scattered across the world without warning or explanation. Some called it a cosmic phenomenon, others believed it was something divine, like a gift or a test. No one truly understood them, but people kept entering anyway.
Because there was always that chance, no matter how small, that you would come out different.
Over time, scientists began to notice patterns within these portals, especially the crystals found inside them. Each crystal had a color, and each color represented a level of danger waiting beyond the entrance. Clear meant low-tier, something even beginners could attempt without much risk. Blue was considered normal, while red indicated a much harsher challenge. Orange marked mid-tier difficulty, and black… black was something only the strongest dared to face.
Kang-suho forced himself back to reality, staring at the pack of dinosaurs in front of him. His legs shook as he stood, weakened from both blood loss and exhaustion, but he didn't let himself fall. Slowly, he reached for his sword and pulled it from its sheath, the metal catching faint light as it came free.
A strange laugh escaped him, quiet at first, then growing louder. It wasn't confidence—it was the kind of laughter that came when there was nothing left to lose.
Without waiting any longer, he charged.
The dinosaurs responded instantly, roaring as they rushed toward him in a chaotic wave of massive bodies. The ground trembled beneath their weight, and their movements were anything but organized as they bumped into each other in their frenzy.
Kang-suho met them head-on, his sword clashing against sharp teeth with a harsh, grating sound. Each impact sent shockwaves through his arms, but he held on, refusing to let go.
The fight became a blur of motion and pain.
He swung his blade again and again, cutting through scales while barely dodging incoming attacks. Teeth grazed his skin, leaving deep bite marks that burned with every movement he made. His body grew heavier, slower, as exhaustion began to take over completely. But somehow, he kept moving, driven by nothing more than pure instinct and stubborn will.
Eventually, the number began to drop.
One by one, the dinosaurs fell, their glowing bodies collapsing around him as the battlefield turned into a graveyard. When it was over, only silence remained, broken only by his uneven breathing. Kang-suho let out a weak chuckle, his knees finally giving out as he collapsed onto the strange ground. "He… he…" he laughed softly, though there was no real joy in it.
Then something moved.
A shadow rushed toward him faster than he could react, cutting through the silence like a blade.
Kang-suho barely had time to lift his head before a massive dinosaur appeared in front of him. Its jaws opened wide, revealing rows of teeth as it lunged without hesitation. He couldn't move, couldn't even think, as the distance between them vanished instantly.
And then it bit down.
Darkness followed, swallowing everything in an instant, as if the world itself had been shut off. For a brief second, there was nothing—no pain, no sound, no thought. Just emptiness that stretched endlessly in every direction. It felt final, like there was no coming back from it. Like this was truly the end.
Kang-suho jolted awake.
His eyes snapped open as he gasped for air, his chest rising and falling rapidly as if he had just been drowning. Sweat clung to his skin, and his hands trembled as he instinctively reached for his body. He checked his chest, his arms, his sides—everywhere the pain should have been. But there was nothing, not even a single wound.
"What…?" he muttered under his breath, his voice shaky and uncertain.
He looked around slowly, his mind struggling to catch up with what his eyes were seeing. The familiar walls of his room surrounded him, calm and unchanged, as if nothing had happened at all. There was no distorted sky, no glowing creatures, no battlefield covered in blood. Just silence, normal and almost suffocating in its simplicity.
And yet, his body still remembered everything.
Kang-suho stood up from his bed, his movements slow as if his body wasn't fully his yet. The memory of what just happened still clung to him, sharp and vivid, refusing to fade like a normal dream. He pressed a hand against his chest, half-expecting to feel wounds that were no longer there. His breathing had steadied, but his thoughts hadn't.
"Regression…" he whispered under his breath, unsure if saying it out loud would make it more real.
He walked out of his familiar room, each step feeling strangely heavy despite the normal surroundings. The hallway looked exactly the same as he remembered, unchanged and quiet. He stopped in front of his door, staring at it longer than necessary, like something on the other side might be different. This door had always led to the same place—his home, his normal life. But now, even something this simple felt uncertain.
He reached out and pushed the door slowly, stopping halfway as hesitation crept in. A quiet breath escaped him, almost shaky, as if he was bracing himself for something he couldn't explain. "He… hehe…" he chuckled awkwardly, the sound lacking any real humor. "Maybe it's just a dream," he reminded himself, trying to force that idea into his mind. But even as he said it, it didn't feel convincing.