Jin stepped off the edge.
Darkness swallowed everything.
No ground.
No sky.
No sound.
The violent wind from the first fall was gone. The deeper he fell, the quieter the world became, as if the Abyss itself was devouring every sound.
Jin continued falling.
For several seconds, nothing existed.
Then—
A faint light appeared below.
Small.
Distant.
Jin narrowed his eyes.
The light slowly grew larger.
Wider.
Brighter.
At first he thought it was the ground.
But something felt wrong.
The shape wasn't solid.
It looked like space.
It was the sky.
Blue sky.
White clouds.
Sunlight.
The outside world.
As he got closer to the light, several dark shapes suddenly appeared beneath him.
Bodies.
Students.
The Abyss was ejecting them.
Jin's body accelerated.
The light swallowed him.
The world exploded back into sound.
Wind roared past his ears.
A distant shout came.
"Grab them!"
"Careful!"
Bright daylight stabbed his eyes.
Students were being launched out of it one after another.
Each impact sent dust and grass flying.
One boy slammed into the ground and slid dangerously close to the edge.
Three others lunged forward and grabbed his legs.
"Hold him!"
For a moment his entire body hung over the void.
Then they dragged him back.
Another student dangled halfway over the edge while clutching someone's arm.
"Pull him up!"
With a final effort they dragged him onto the grass.
Then—
Jin burst out of the Abyss.
The force hurled him into the sky.
For a brief moment it looked like he would slide straight back toward the Abyss.
A hand slammed into the ground.
Professor Cole.
The professor had emerged right behind him.
Cole's palm slammed into the dirt, stopping his body against the powerful momentum.
His other hand shot forward and grabbed Jin's arm.
The force dragged both of them several meters across the grass.
Jin rolled across the ground before coming to a stop.
Dust scattered in the air.
Behind them, the massive black hole.
Professor Cole brushed dirt from his coat.
"You seem to enjoy dangerous situations."
Jin slowly sat up.
"I prefer the word unlucky."
Cole studied him for a moment before turning away.
Around them, the tension slowly faded.
Some students laughed nervously.
Others sat silently on the grass, staring at the sky.
Their first Abyss descent was over.
Later — Near the Bus
Minutes later the students gradually regrouped near the vehicle.
Water bottles were passed around.
Excited voices filled the air as everyone talked about how amazing the experience was.
Jin leaned against the side of the bus.
Footsteps approached.
Mira stopped beside him.
Her short dark hair moved slightly in the wind.
She studied him calmly.
"Will you sit in the same seat on the bus?"
Jin nodded.
"Yes, if you want."
"You almost died from that monster."
Jin shrugged.
"Death happens."
Her eyebrows lifted slightly.
"That's a depressing philosophy."
Jin didn't answer.
Mira watched him for a few seconds before asking,
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
"The ride back to the university will be long."
On the Bus
The atmosphere inside it had completely changed.
Everyone was loudly discussing the Abyss and the monsters.
Jin sat near the middle.
Mira took the seat beside him.
She opened her phone.
"Chess.com?"
Jin opened the app. They exchanged usernames.
A second later Mira froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…2779 Elo?"
She slowly turned toward him.
"That's your rating?"
Jin leaned back casually.
"Yes."
Her own rating was already extremely high.
"…That's almost professional level," she said.
"Are you some kind of chess prodigy?"
Jin looked out the window.
"You're 2460 Elo. That's also very good, you will probably beat me, I stopped playing a year ago."
She frowned slightly.
"You're wasting a chance to become a professional."
Jin didn't respond.
He barely had time to live, let alone a career.
The game began.
Pieces moved quickly across the board.
Move after move.
Position after position.
Mira's expression slowly became serious.
He was strong.
Very strong.
Several times she gained a slight advantage.
Each time the position slowly drifted back toward equality.
Again.
And again.
Draw.
She frowned slightly.
He was clearly guiding the game toward a draw.
But she couldn't prove it.
The bus slowly entered the university campus.
The game ended.
Draw.
Jin closed the app.
"That was fun."
Mira nodded.
"Yes, I agree."
Students began leaving the bus.
Jin stood up.
Before stepping down he glanced at her.
"You know… when we first met…"
Mira looked up.
"I thought you were autistic."
He jumped off the bus.
And a faint smile remained on his lips.
Mira was surprised.
She wanted to answer but he was already gone.
Then she muttered quietly,
"…You damn perverted stalker."
Evening — University Campus
Evening light covered the university grounds.
Students walked along the wide stone paths between buildings.
Jin walked alone with his hands in his pockets.
His mind calm.
Near the training building he noticed something.
Four boys surrounded a girl.
One of them held her arm tightly.
She looked uncomfortable.
Jin glanced once.
Then kept walking.
Not his problem.
But someone passed him.
Veron Walker.
He was a boy from his class.
He walked directly toward the group.
Jin stopped.
Veron spoke calmly.
"Is there a problem here?"
One boy turned with an annoyed expression.
The one holding the girl released her arm—
then casually wrapped it around her shoulders.
"No problem."
The girl remained silent.
Veron looked directly at her.
"One more time.
Is there a problem?"
The boys noticed Jin standing behind Veron.
One stepped forward.
"Leave."
"This is our class's business."
Veron smiled faintly.
"No."
"That would be boring."
Two boys rushed toward him.
And Jin entered the chaos.
Veron didn't move until the last moment.
The first punch came fast.
Veron tilted his head slightly.
The fist sliced through empty air.
His counter came instantly.
A sharp strike to the ribs.
The boy's breath exploded from his lungs as he dropped to one knee.
The second attacker swung wildly.
Veron stepped inside the arc of the punch and drove his elbow upward.
The impact snapped the boy's head back.
Behind him, the other two turned toward Jin.
One grabbed a metal baton from the ground.
"Stay out of this."
Jin sighed quietly.
"Too late."
The baton swung toward his head.
Jin leaned back just enough for it to whistle past his nose.
His hand shot forward.
He grabbed the attacker's wrist and twisted.
A sharp crack echoed as the boy dropped the weapon with a cry.
The second boy lunged.
Jin sidestepped smoothly and drove his shoulder into the attacker's chest.
The impact knocked him backward.
Before he could recover, Veron stepped beside Jin.
Their movements aligned naturally.
A kick.
A shove.
A final strike.
Within seconds all four boys were on the ground.
Silence settled over the small courtyard.
Veron brushed imaginary dust from his sleeve.
"That was disappointing."
Jin glanced at him.
"…You were enjoying that."
Veron smiled slightly.
"Maybe a little."
Night — Professor Cole's Office
Night slowly settled over Eclipse Dominion University.
Lights flickered on across the campus.
Students returned to their dormitories.
Far away, inside the faculty building—
Professor Cole sat in his office.
The only light came from the computer screen illuminating the darkness.
He opened Jin's student file.
Several sections were empty.
Birthplace: Restricted
Previous Residence: Restricted
Background: Restricted
Cole slowly leaned back in his chair.
"Interesting," he muttered.
He remembered grabbing Jin's hand earlier.
That strange unstable energy.
"That boy is hiding something."
Meanwhile — Dormitory
Emily Turner stepped out of the bathroom.
Her long white hair was still wet.
A single towel wrapped loosely around her body.
Water droplets slid from her collarbone down across the curve of her chest.
She stood in front of the mirror for a moment.
Her thoughts drifting to Jin and Mira in the bus.
"…Whatever."
She began drying her hair.
Elsewhere on Campus
In a quiet corner near the dormitories, Jin stood alone.
He opened his phone.
Contact: William Hayes.
The call connected.
"Good evening, young master," William said calmly.
Jin spoke quietly.
"I need to enter the Abyss."
Silence followed.
"Did something change your mind?"
Jin looked toward the dark horizon.
"Ethan is chasing me again."
Another pause.
William's voice suddenly turned cold.
"Did you inform your father?"
"No."
"He wouldn't care."
Jin exhaled slowly.
"I'll finish the mission."
William answered immediately.
"As you wish, young master."
The call ended.
Jin slipped the phone into his pocket.
He lit a cigarette.
The small flame illuminated his calm eyes.
Smoke slowly drifted upward into the night.
Jin looked toward the sky, then the dormitories.
Someone was watching him!