MTLNOVEL Chapter 18 - Into the Abyss!
The mist churned like rolling blood, forming a towering wall that cut across heaven and earth, obscuring everything beyond it. No one could see what lay behind the crimson fog.
But Yuuki could see clearly—endless hordes of ghouls emerging from the mist, like lost travelers gradually coming into focus.
“Keep running! Don’t stop!”
Li Dan was at the front, aiming his grappling hook at the city wall. With one hand gripping the rope and the other holding his gun, he slid toward safety.
It was a redundant warning—whether they trusted Yuuki or not, no one dared to stop.
Hands swarmed over the rooftops, clawing and grasping—ravenous ghouls were scaling the walls in a frenzy. Without hesitation, everyone grabbed onto the ropes and fled without looking back, including Thomas.
Yuuki was the last to leap, feeling the sticky sensation on his palms as he surveyed his surroundings.
Behind him, hundreds of ghouls had already swarmed onto the rooftop. Like a cafeteria rush at mealtime, they sprinted with arms swinging wildly, their speed nearly matching that of a full-grown adult.
Below, the tide of corpses surged toward the city wall. However they managed to navigate, one thing was clear—they were all converging here.
A vision of hell. And yet, Yuuki felt not the slightest trace of fear anymore. Either he made this jump and lived, or he fell and died. Either way, there was no need to be afraid.
Tap.
His feet landed firmly on the city wall. He didn’t fall too fast, nor did he need to roll to absorb the impact.
Looking up, he met the gazes of the others—all staring at him with an unspoken message written plainly in their eyes:
If we get trapped, you’re the first to die.
How realistic. But at this point, there was nothing left to say.
Backed into a corner, he no longer needed to pretend to be scared. Instead, a strange exhilaration surged through him. He was so caught up in the moment that he even forgot about ‘social hierarchies’.
“We’re heading for the tower. Thomas, block the entrance.”
“Don’t order me around!” Thomas shot him a glare but still swung his massive blade as he turned to move.
Staying on the city wall would only get them pincered from both sides. Retreating into the tower was the safer bet—though, in their current situation, ‘safe’ was a relative term.
VROOOOM—
The chainsaw’s piercing roar echoed as Thomas’s blade tore through the swarm, sending a spray of blood into the air. Standing at the staircase landing, he didn’t bother with technique—anything that met the saw’s jagged teeth was reduced to shredded meat.
Bang! Bang!
Gunfire rang out. The city wall was barely a few meters wide, but Li Dan’s shots never missed—ghouls collapsed like falling wheat, one after another.
With the advantage of terrain, they could hold out for a while.
Yuuki stole a glance outside and finally felt a sliver of relief. He raised his wrist and checked his shattered watch.
“It’s already 7:55.”
“And what about it?” Hayasaka Ai tightened her grip on her hatchet—she hadn’t let go of it once this entire time.
She scanned their surroundings, but the sheer horror of the sight made her stomach churn. Nothing but ghouls, as far as the eye could see.
Inside the wall, they swarmed up the stone staircases, pouring into the arrow tower from both sides. Even though Thomas had already destroyed the staircase, the ghouls simply trampled over each other, clawing their way up.
Outside, the awakened ghouls didn’t need to find a way in anymore. They piled onto each other, forming a grotesque mountain of bodies. The ones at the top had already reached the wall, their clawed hands slamming against the arrow tower, making it sway ominously.
Everyone gripped whatever they could for support, terrified of falling. One wrong step, and they’d be devoured in an instant.
Yuuki also grabbed onto something that resembled a flagpole and absentmindedly muttered, “Early risers, early souls—live to be the elite next year.”
“You’re joking right now?!” Sakurajima Mai stared at him like he was insane. This guy’s mental fortitude is insane.
“I’m not joking. There are many ways to define ‘morning,’ after all.” Yuuki spoke to himself, then suddenly turned his head. “Brother Li, grab your grappling gun and shoot!”
“Shoot? Shoot where???”
Li Dan hesitated, seeming to realize something but unable to fully grasp it in the midst of battle.
“Anywhere! Just fire into the mist—aim high!”
If the angle was too low, the harpoon would land in the horde below, basically serving up a free meal.
Li Dan seemed to get it, holstering his gun.
“Thomas, hold them off for a second.”
“Hold your damn self!”
A furious shout echoed from the tower, accompanied by a manic chainsaw’s roar and the sickening squelch of torn flesh. But no one had time to care about his mood.
Thwip!
The harpoon shot out, trailing a long cable behind it. Yuuki didn’t even blink, watching the rope stretch and curve through the air. He counted in his head.
One second. Two. Three.
At around five seconds, the rope snapped taut. Yuuki quickly did the math in his head—multiplying time by the harpoon’s speed.
180 meters. Give or take 15 meters difference.
His breathing grew heavier. According to Li Dan, this grappling gun had a maximum range of 200 meters. Which meant… it had latched onto something.
No need for speculation. He checked his watch—the minute hand had hit 12. Ever since entering this game, he had noticed that everyone’s time was synchronized with the grand clock in the first hall.
A minor detail, easy to overlook. But Li Dan, seeing Yuuki’s reaction, caught on instantly.
“Time… right, it’s time! Check your clocks, all of you!”
At his command, some checked their phones, others their wristwatches. They came from all over the world. When Yuuki entered the game, he had just gotten out of bed.
“Eight o’clock.”
“Eight sharp.”
The responses came in unison. Li Dan took a deep breath. “Survive until the third day under the red moon… the word ‘day’ has many definitions.”
“If it’s a ‘day,’ then there must be a distinction between morning and night. By common definition, eight o’clock should be morning.” Yuuki stated plainly.
“Meaningless! What does that prove?” One of the survivors, Rich Guy, jabbed a finger at the crimson moon above, veins bulging on his forehead. “That damn thing is still up there! We’re still in the night!”
“Yeah, just like an eternal night. But that’s exactly what I’m betting on—because eternal night only exists in one specific region.”
Yuuki stepped onto the edge of the wall, the night wind whipping through his black hair, bathing him in the eerie glow of the red moon.
Below, a sea of ghouls stretched their jaws and outstretched claws, just over a meter away from his feet. In front of him, Thomas had all but lost his mind, wildly swinging his chainsaw. The sheer force of it, while slicing through countless ghouls, also made the arrow tower tremble dangerously.
“So, what the hell do you plan to do?!” Li Dan shouted.
But Yuuki didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed the cable—and pulled Sakurajima Mai and Hayasaka Ai onto the ledge with him.
“Wait, what are you doing?!” Mai’s voice went sharp with panic, her gaze unwilling to stray downward.
She was standing right on the line between life and death. Before her mind could process it, she felt a warm hand grasp her wrist, firmly placing it on the cable.
A terrible premonition struck her. Before she could speak—
A hard kick sent her flying.
“AAAAAHHHHHH—!!!”
A scream tore through the night as Yuuki jumped after her, followed closely by a lip-biting, pale-faced Hayasaka Ai.
THEY’RE INSANE?!
Even Li Dan stood frozen in shock as he watched the three figures slide down the cable—plunging straight into the abyss of ghouls.
The wind howled against his ears. Yuuki ignored the monstrous faces and outstretched hands beneath him. He only had eyes for the thickening red mist ahead.
His expression was calm, his voice unwavering as he shouted:
“INTO THE ABYSS!!”