ATCP 01

Chapter 01

It was December of my senior year of high school, after the college entrance exam was over and the results were coming out; it was the day of the bookshelf exhumation.

“It’s heavy…….”

My steps naturally wobbled because of the box full of books.

The garbage dump right in front of me felt like a thousand miles away.

As I moved slowly, someone ran over and took the box.

“Did you bring this all the way here yourself? I told you to wait.”

It’s tiring for Dad to be the only one going back and forth.

Dad carried the box and moved it to the trash can with ease.

A hand wearing work gloves took out a book and quickly tied it with string.

Are there more books coming down?

This is probably almost the last one. Mom said she would just bring a notebook.

I crouched down next to my dad and took out the books from the box.

“Huh? Hey! Ha Cho-eun!”

This exhumation wasn’t just my problem. A friend living in the same apartment complex waved from a distance.

I threw down the box from which I had taken out the book and waved my hand in the same way.

“Ah, what? Choi Arin, did you come out to throw away books too?”

“Yeah, I’m going to throw everything away. I even have my middle school textbooks, you know?”

“You too? Hey, me too. I have tons of notebooks, too. They filled two shopping bags.”

“Wow. I don’t really use notebooks, so I don’t have many. But are there any that you’ve finished using?”

“No. There wasn’t a single one.”

While we were giggling, Mom came down to the first floor holding a shopping bag.

I hurriedly ran over and took the shopping bag.

Choi Arin awkwardly bowed and greeted my mom.

“hello.”

“Oh, long time no see, Arin. You came out to throw away books, didn’t you?”

“yes.”

In the meantime, I was taking out handfuls of notebooks from the shopping bag.

The garbage truck wouldn’t take them away unless they were all tied up with string and put out.

And through that unrestrained touch, something terrible eventually came into the world… … .

“Wow, that’s crazy. Isn’t a landscape photo notebook a total relic?”

I bought this when I entered middle school, and it’s still here. It’s practically brand new.

It appeared among designs that evoke memories.

“omg.”

A pitch-black cover.

And the white lines drawn across it caught our eyes.

Do not look.

My Own Notebook

Only I can see it

Absolutely, absolutely do not open it XXX

They were writings that instantly turned an ordinary notebook into an ominous mess.

I should have retreated quickly the moment I saw that…

However, I ended up displaying senseless courage, like the first victim in a foreign horror movie.

“What kind of notebook was this?”

“Look. It might be a notebook that’s too good to throw away.”

Choi Arin approached me as I crouched down. And just like that, that rough notebook was opened.

“Aaaah!”

The pitch-black notebook used a mental attack.

The effect was tremendous.

I immediately screamed and pulled the notebook into my bosom.

“Ah! Ack!! Aaaah! Aaaah!”

As I suddenly collapsed and screamed, the eyes of passersby gathered around me.

“Mom, look, there’s a prairie dog.”

“Shh. It’s not like that. I’m a repeat student.”

Fortunately, people showed infinite consideration toward the student who published a book during this period.

In that consideration, I glared at Choi Arin.

Depending on the situation, I was prepared to turn my friend into the heroine of a morning drama.

It was a decision to be forgotten.

Did you see it?

“huh?”

“Did you see that?”

I grabbed Choi Arin’s shoulder and started shaking her.

“Ah, did you see that?!!!”

Choi Arin gave a soulless thumbs-up with an ominous smile.

“Yeah, Chloris!”

Back when I was in elementary and middle school, there were cartoons that were very popular.

And I ended up becoming extremely, deeply, and excessively immersed in them.

Enough to imagine myself in such a world.

It was shocking to hear the name of the fairy born from that coming out of my friend’s mouth.

I had no choice but to steel myself.

Come here. Put your head down.

I turned my head around to find the best rock.

Unfortunately, there were no rocks in the well-maintained landfill.

Instead, there was a frying pan that someone had thrown away.

“Just you wait. Let’s just erase that memory.”

“Ack! Chloris is bullying me. This is school bullying, Chloris! You said you were a good fairy in the flower garden!”

“You crazy bastard, I said stop it!”

I ran toward Choi Arin, who was fleeing with a hateful scream.

Both sets of parents shook their heads in disbelief at our antics.

Since it wasn’t a one- or two-day affair, it seemed like they didn’t even have the will to stop it.

The high school senior’s meager stamina didn’t last long before hitting rock bottom.

We couldn’t even get out of the junkyard and gasped for breath while clinging to each other.

“Don’t go tell anyone, seriously.”

“Ah, but I really didn’t see it clearly. I only saw the name and the picture.”

It was a relief, at least.

The only thing that was discovered was just one thing, and even that was only the name and the drawing.

Even if it’s just one, it’s pretty much the same in terms of embarrassment.

Choi Arin was grinning, as if she still had a playful streak left in her.

I dragged Choi Arin back into the pile of books.

I wanted to burn this treacherous thing right away and scatter the ashes to the sea, but reality was different from what I wanted.

“I’m going to shove it between other notebooks and throw it away. Don’t touch it. Seriously.”

It was the moment I warned Choi Arin, who was constantly on the lookout for the moment to put down her notebook.

thud-

The ground shook briefly once.

Rumble—

And then, the apartment shook for a long time.

A sense of foreboding brushed past us.

The possibility of earthquakes, fires, sinkholes, and all kinds of natural disasters crossed my mind.

And finally, there was only one natural disaster that took up everyone’s minds.

Dungeon.

A natural disaster that suddenly appeared more than a decade ago, causing and continuing to cause numerous casualties and property damage.

“Evacuate! Let’s evacuate quickly.”

Dad, who was the first to regain consciousness, hurriedly gestured.

But it was already too late.

Kwaaaah.

The sound of a huge vortex rushing past my ears.

It was a sound that sucked in all kinds of noise, wind, and people.

“Oh, Mom! Dad!”

“Aaaah!”

And it was a blackout where the situation could not be known.

* * *

Splash. Splash… … .

Your face is cold.

“Ugh, ugh.”

He groaned softly and raised his hand to wipe his cheek.

Instead, ice-cold water covered my cheeks.

My eyes snapped open by the chill.

A familiar face suddenly cut in with wide-open eyes.

“I woke up! Ha Cho-eun, hey, are you okay?!”

“Uh, uh-uh.”

I barely managed to answer and sat up.

Choi Arin breathed a sigh of relief and came right up close to me.

“Here, where is this place?”

The surroundings were a wide cavity. However, it did not look like a cave.

It was because of the vast and bright underwater environment spread out above my head.

It felt like I had entered an underwater dome.

Even though there was no glass, the water could not flood this cavity as if it were blocked by something.

And the numerous paths extending from this common area were not swallowed by the water either.

It was a bizarre sight that defied understanding.

“I don’t know. I think it’s a dungeon.”

Choi Arin sniffled as she answered like that. It didn’t seem like a meaningless action; it looked as if she was swallowing her tears.

Looking around, I saw that there were many people besides us. It seemed as though it had swallowed up everyone remaining in the apartment complex.

The children were crying, and the adults were so busy trying to sort out the situation that they were actually quite flustered.

What about my parents?

They’re all over there.

And among those trying to resolve the situation were my parents and Choi Arin’s parents.

I’m not sure if it’s a misfortune or a blessing that my parents are here too.

“They say it’ll probably be okay, but I’m not really sure. It seems like no one has a clue what’s going on. There aren’t any Hunters around, either.”

Choi Arin sniffled as if she were about to cry again at the mention of the gloomy story.

I also felt inexplicably down, so I hugged the notebook in my bosom tightly.

And I regretted it.

“Ah, crazy. Why did this notebook come along? Am I cursed?”

I don’t know why it’s here when it’s not even a doll.

Suddenly, all tension and fear swept away, and only a sense of absurdity toward the notebook surged.

At my reaction, Choi Arin scolded me as if I were dumbfounded.

“Hey, is the notebook important right now?”

It’s important.

Unfortunately, it is more important to me than anything else.

“I don’t think anyone will see this if I leave it in the dungeon. Should I just take this opportunity to leave it there?”

“……Then, Hunter picks it up thinking it’s an item and puts it on public broadcasting.”

[trot]

A notebook was discovered in the dungeon. It contains descriptions of various creatures, including the fairy Chloris, and the Hunter Association suspects that it may be a record of magical beasts…

I absolutely won’t throw it away. I’ll cherish it and incinerate it as soon as I get out of the dungeon.

I steeled myself and hugged the notebook to my chest.

I never thought I would go through life and come to cherish and value a notebook this much.

Fortunately, the story about the notebook seemed to have relieved Choi Arin’s tension.

Choi Arin rubbed her eyes vigorously with a much more relaxed expression.

We learn all the tricks to evacuating dungeon waves, but sometimes we still end up falling into the dungeon.

As if trying to muster up strength somehow, Choi Arin spoke in a slightly cheerful voice.

I mean, I’ve heard stories about houses collapsing or fires breaking out when dungeons appear.

This is the first time I’ve seen a dungeon suck in people nearby.

I even had the preposterous thought that perhaps it formed underground like a sinkhole and people fell in on their own.

Will the hunters be here soon?

“Hey, hey. Don’t cry. If you lose your strength, you won’t be able to escape.”

I put my arm around Choi Arin’s shoulder and patted her.

I am trying to comfort him as if nothing is wrong, but the truth is, I wasn’t in a good situation either.

I felt like I would cry too if Choi Arin cried, so I just desperately tried to comfort her.

“Mom. Mom.”

Just then, the voice of a prairie dog child was heard from not far away.

The child tugged at his mother’s clothes and raised his finger high.

I needlessly lifted my head, following the child’s finger.

Above my head, a clear underwater environment still stretched out.

However, unlike before, fish I hadn’t seen before were swimming around.

“There’s an eel. An eel.”

If I had to compare the size, maybe it’s about the size of a dolphin.

One by one, fish gathered and looked down at us inside the dome.

And what the child pointed to was beyond those fish.

I saw a long figure slowly approaching, casting a huge shadow.

It was like an eel, just as the child said.

However, I could tell that it wasn’t an eel even while on the plane.

It approached in an instant and slammed its massive body down onto the dome.

BANG!!

I felt a shock that shook the entire community along with the dome.

“Aaaah!”

“P-run away! Aaaargh!”

Panicked people screamed and ran in all directions.

All sorts of dark side paths served as their escape routes.

We were no different. Pale with fear, we looked for our parents like children.

“Mom, Dad!”

“Dad!”

I hurriedly tried to approach my parents, but there were too many people.

Being pushed around and pushed this way and that, I was actually growing further away from my parents.

“Choeun! Honey, Choeun!”

Before I could even wave my hand at my mother’s voice heard amidst the screams, the cavity rang once more.

Boom!

Whoosh!

This time, it was accompanied by another ominous sound.

A monstrous beast of massive size shattered the barrier separating the cavity from the underwater world.

The water pouring down from above blew people away like a bomb.

“Cough! Gasp!”

Choi Arin and I were also swept away by the water and pushed to the end of the joint.

I couldn’t even see my parents anymore.

Kyaaaak!

Crunch.

Save me!! No!

Karrrrr.

Run away, go inside quickly! Quickly!

Ugh, my kid!

All kinds of sounds are mixed together, making it impossible to distinguish the surroundings.

As the water rose up to my chin in an instant, only ‘that’ beyond the curtain was clearly visible.

It resembles a snake, but has a mane.

Three claws continued to smash the dome.

Every time it broke the dome, more monsters poured out.

Choi Arin grabbed my arm and forcibly lifted me up.

“Th-let’s run down the street for now, too! Hurry!”

I don’t know where she got the strength, but Choi Arin suddenly lifted me up. I didn’t even have time to collect myself.

Kyarrr!

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Kyaaaah.

I hurriedly stepped into a dark path to escape the swarming fish-shaped monsters.

The noise coming from behind felt like a dream.

No, I hoped it was a dream.