The Spectors before them resembled something of a white spider crossbred with a scorpion.
The Spector had pincers, several red eyes on its head, a pair of mandibles and a stinger hanging over it.
There were three of them, and they pounced in the blink of an eye.
Min-ho leaped backward, narrowly evading the pincer.
But as he did so, he fell into the same area Sae-wee was. Both their weights pressed down on the ground.
CRACK!
The ground broke, then opened.
Like a house of cards, the ground fell apart under their feet, spreading far back to the others.
Though the trio bolted out of the way, they fell hard on another piece of ground which gave out under their weight.
Im-hee and Ji-su tried to run, but the ground swallowed them up too. Dok-su and Jang-book were the farthest at the back. Dok-su wanted to chase after his brother, but Jang-book held him back, an attempt to protect him.
Unfortunately, they too pushed the ground too hard, and they fell in.
The Spectors slowly walked up to the hole the group had made on the ground, then they peered in. Their demeanors sunken as though disappointed to have lost a meal.
Screams pierced the air as the group descended.
"Ji-su!" Dok-su screamed his brother's name as they fell. But not long after, they could no longer see each other, as they fell into one of many chutes in the ground.
Min-ho, Sae-wee, Im-hee and Ji-su fell into the same chute. Dok-su and Jang-book fell into another. And the trio fell into one of their own.
As they fell, Min-ho held onto Sae-wee's hand. And without being told, she did the same to Im-hee. Im-hee picked up on the idea and grabbed Ji-su.
They began to slide down the tunnel that spiraled in every direction. Up ahead, the path had split into three channels, and without thinking, Min-ho held them tight and steered them to the one on the right.
He didn't know where it would lead, but he did know that being separated was far worse than whatever rested at the end of these tunnels.
They continued to slide as though enjoying a ride in a theme park. Except this ride would most likely cause their deaths.
Several times forks came up, and each of those times Min-ho steered them into a path he wasn't sure of.
This continued for about three minutes before they finally saw the bottom. Bracing themselves, they slid at an inclined angle, so they slammed into the wall.
They had finally stopped the nausea-inducing ride, but in exchange for a sizzling pain that echoed across their bodies.
Min-ho fell to the ground with a groan, as he had been at the front, absorbing most of the impact.
He coughed several times before forcing himself onto his feet. Once he straightened himself, a sharp pain burned in his left arm, causing him to grip it.
He ignored the pain for now and walked to the chute they had fallen through. Once inside, he looked up, as he began to analyze how far they had descended, and if it was possible to get back up.
"We won't be able to get back up," Ji-su's voice rang out.
Min-ho turned to them, watching as they got onto their feet.
"It's too steep," he added.
Min-ho glanced at the chute again. Then he turned back to the others.
"Are you guys alright?" he asked, staring at each of them as they patted themselves clean.
"I'm good," Im-hee said.
"Me too," Ji-su chimed in.
"I'm okay," Sae-wee said, staring at Min-ho's arm.
He traced her gaze, then he let go of his arm.
"It's nothing," he said, then turned his gaze to their surroundings.
There were several routes to take, each one leading to some unknown region of this underground path of tunnels. Though they were several feet underground and away from the rays of the sun, visibility wasn't a problem, as the passages were lit up with crystals that protruded from the walls every few feet.
Feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of paths to take, he turned to Ji-su and opened his mouth to speak, only to pause when Im-hee spoke first.
"Can you sense the others? Are they okay?" she asked.
His eyes lit up. He hadn't even noticed the others were gone.
Now having this brought to his attention, he remained quiet while Ji-su focused.
A second later, he shook his head, his disposition sunken.
Min-ho stifled a gasp. He couldn't detect the others, which meant they had wound up in a location a hundred meters away from them.
He bit his lip, then asked.
"Can you see a way out of here?"
Ji-su paused, then did as Min-ho asked.
He shook his head.
"The passageways fork into so many routes it's confusing. It's like a maze down here," Ji-su said, doing little to make anyone feel better.
Im-hee recoiled at the news. Noticing her despair, Sae-wee placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her.
Min-ho took a moment to process what Ji-su had just said. Then he glanced at the chute they fell from once again.
"We should head westward, that's where the sunken tower is. And if the point we fell from is anything to go off of," he said, then turned to a passageway and pointed. "Then it's that way."
"We'll keep heading west, no matter how many forks we encounter. We should find a means of escape along the way," he said, his resolve flickering, yet he tried to hide it.
No one responded.
"As for the others," Min-ho said, then summoned his System. He checked his Affinity, then the sub-section with all his Subjects listed out. "Their names are still in my Subject list. Which should be a good indicator that they are alive."
Ji-su's eyes lit up.
"You really think so?" he asked.
Min-ho gave him a faint smile, then nodded.
"They're fine, trust me," he said, trying his best to believe his own words.
He then turned to the location he suggested. "Let's move, we don't have time to waste."
He led the way, while the others followed behind.
On the far end of the underground channel of rocks, Jang-book and Dok-su had tried to get out, before arriving at the same conclusion that they should head for the sunken tower.
"How the hell did I end up with you?" Jang-book said, expressing how enthused he was partnering with Dok-su.
Dok-su kept silent, as he feared for his brother's safety.
On the opposite end of the tunnels were the trio.
"Awww, why didn't I fall in the same slide as my Nightshade partner?" Seo-bi pouted as she sat cross-legged on the floor, her head resting on both her hands.
Gong Hang-wa peered at the chute they fell from.
"Hey Shin-ji, do you think you could use your Affinity to create a path upward? I'm sure we didn't fall for more than three meters," Hang-wa said, but he received no response.
"Shin-ji?" he called out, turning to Shin-ji who was lost in thought.
"Hey Shin, what's wrong with you?" Seo-bi called out, but he still didn't respond.
His mind was taken aback.
***
Min-ho had just finished explaining his Affinity, and the benefits that it would entail. Yet Shin-ji didn't buy it.
"I don't mean to be rude," Shin-ji said. "But surely your Affinity can't be all rainbows and sunshine."
Min-ho raised a brow and Shin-ji smiled.
"You were wary of us not shaking hands the night before because you were afraid we had some sort of enslavement Affinity. But what if that was just a reflection of your Affinity?"
Shin-ji's question resonated with everyone, even casting doubt in Min-ho's team.
"You make a good point," Min-ho said, then gestured to one of his friends. "She thought the exact same thing. Which is why she never accepted my Affinity. A good counterbalance in case anything like that were to ever happen."
Min-ho gestured to Shin-ji and his team.
"One of you could do the same. And if I have any such Affinity, then you will have free rein to bring me down," Min-ho said, his words equally making sense.
***
Though Shin-ji was the one who eventually decided to stay independent, he couldn't shake the feeling that Min-ho knew more than he was letting on. As though he even planned it.
"Shin-ji!" Seo-bi screamed, her voice echoing across the tunnels.
Shin-ji turned to her, an unhinged smile forming on his face.
"Min-ho will be the first person we kill," he said, surprising both Hang-wa and Seo-bi.