Infinite System Inheritor Return From The Abyss

Minseok looked around the cave, his eyes distant as if trying to make sense of something. "This is Earth?" he muttered, more to himself than to the others.

The group nodded desperately, still on their knees, afraid to move or even breathe too loudly. They had been answering his questions for a while now, each word trembling from their lips. He seemed deep in thought, paying them little attention.

The porter, Jin-Hyu, nudged Minseok's side, signaling for him to do something. Minseok hesitated, unsure of what to do, then nudged Hannah, the healer beside him. She shot him a panicked look, her eyes wide with fear.

"Wait, why me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. Minseok and Jin-Hyu both looked at her, pleading with their eyes. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she spoke up, her voice quivering.

"M-Master, may we ask something?" she stuttered, her words coming out in a rush.

The man turned his gaze toward her, his eyes cold and unreadable. He didn't speak, just stared at her, waiting. His silence hung heavy in the air, making the tension feel almost unbearable.

Hannah swallowed hard before continuing, her voice still trembling. "What is your name? And how come you don't know about this, M-Master?"

They waited, hearts pounding in their chests. This man—whoever he was—held their lives in his hands.

The man stared at them with those intense, unreadable eyes, sending a chill down their spines. Instinctively, they lowered their heads, too afraid to meet his gaze.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, his voice calm but curious. "The boss is dead… so why are you still scared?"

Minseok and the others exchanged nervous glances, unsure of how to respond. Was he really asking that? Didn't he realize how overwhelming his aura was? The energy he had shown earlier had been suffocating. Who wouldn't be terrified?

Jin-Hyu tried to speak, his voice trembling. "N-not because of that, Master…"

The man didn't press further. "Lead the way to the dungeon exit," he ordered.

The group exchanged another round of uncertain looks, but they had no choice but to obey. They started walking, the man following closely behind, his eyes scanning the surroundings as if everything was new to him.

"Just who is he?" Minseok muttered under his breath, still uneasy.

As they continued walking, the tension between them started to ease slightly. The man, despite his intimidating presence, seemed more curious than threatening now. Finally, Minseok broke the silence again. "If it weren't for you two, I'd probably be dead by now, before that man appeared."

Hannah, who had been quiet for a while, spoke up, her voice still shaky but with a hint of humor. "You two were so dramatic earlier."

Minseok pouted, feeling a bit defensive. "Hey! We thought we were gonna die earlier, okay?"

Hannah chuckled softly, and even the man seemed to relax a little. Thinking back on it, Minseok couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "You'd be saying the same if you were in our shoes!" Jin-Hyu chimed in, irritation clear in his voice.

"Chill, I'm just trying to lighten the mood," Hannah laughed. "By the way, I'm Hannah. What about you two?" She extended her hand.

"I'm Min-Seok," he replied, shaking her hand. They both turned to Jin-Hyu, waiting for him to introduce himself.

"Jin-Hyu," he said, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'm just glad we're alive. You don't know how scared I was—I really thought we were done for."

They all laughed, the tension slowly melting away. But just as the laughter died down, Minseok remembered something important. "Hey! Where's my sister's photo? Give it to me. Trying to steal my cute little sister's photo, huh?"

Jin-Hyu's eyes widened as he quickly shoved the photo into Minseok's face. "There! You Siscon! Tsk. I'm not interested in her, hmp."

"Oh, really?" Minseok smirked, turning to Hannah. "Look at this, Hannah! Do you see how cute my sister is? She definitely got that from me!"

Hannah raised an eyebrow, looking at the photo with a puzzled expression. "Eh?"

Jin-Hyu suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Minseok demanded, slightly annoyed.

Jin-Hyu wiped a tear from his eye, trying to calm down. "It's just… nothing. Pffft."

Before Minseok could say anything, Hannah joined in the laughter. But her laughter slowly turned into quiet sobs. She looked at them, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I was so scared," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I really thought we were going to die back there."

Without hesitating, Jin-Hyu and Minseok pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly as she cried. "It's okay," Jin-Hyu murmured, his voice shaky but comforting. "We're safe now, I guess."

As they held onto each other, Minseok's emotions started to overflow. His voice cracked as he blurted out, "I can still buy my sister her strawberry cake… I thought I'd never get the chance again."

Tears streamed down his face, and beside him, Jin-Hyu sniffled. "Yeah… trying to make me cry, huh? You two should come with me. I'll make the best seaweed soup you've ever tasted."

Hannah lifted her tear-streaked face from their embrace, looking at Minseok softly. "Are you okay now? Do you feel any pain?"

Minseok wiped his tears and managed a small smile. "Yeah… I'm fine. That was the scariest experience I've ever had."

Still sniffling, Hannah asked, "Am I really invited?"

Jin-Hyu, his eyes still watery, replied with a warm smile. "Of course. It's also Min-Seok's sister's birthday."

Seojun stood a short distance away, watching the scene. He raised an eyebrow in mild confusion. The trio had been laughing just moments ago, and now they were crying and hugging as if the world were ending.

"What a weird group," he muttered under his breath. Laughing one minute, crying the next—had they escaped from a mental hospital or something? Was this really Earth? He still couldn't believe it.

Shaking his head, Seojun debated whether to approach or keep his distance. Watching them huddle together, crying and comforting one another, his impatience grew. Clearing his throat, he finally spoke. "Are you done?"

The three immediately jolted, hastily wiping away their tears. "We're done, M-Master," Min-Seok stammered. "We're sorry, we just got a bit emotional." Jin-Hyu and Hannah nodded in agreement, quickly composing themselves.

As they resumed walking, Seojun's thoughts drifted back to something that had been nagging at him. He recalled the status of the dungeon boss they had just faced—the Minotaur.

Dungeon Boss: Minotaur A-Rank

Level: 800

Status: Angry

He frowned slightly, the memory bothering him. "Isn't that a low level?" he muttered, almost to himself.