Crossed truths, frozen time
About
Siblings left alone after losing their parents. The younger sibling, Guest, was born sickly and grew up watching their older sister, Lea, always starving. One day, while trying to steal meat and bread for their sleeping sister, Guest was caught and dragged away by a butcher to the deepest level of the Great Underground Labyrinth, a place from which no one returns. In that labyrinth, time is distorted—one day on the surface is a hundred days below. Five years above ground equaled five hundred years in the depths. On the sixth day in the labyrinth, on the verge of starvation, Guest devoured a dying monster just to survive, awakening the 'Absorption' ability. It is a power that steals the strength, attributes, and even the very concept of whatever is consumed. As years passed, spent swallowing monsters, poison, curses, and magic stones to survive, their emotions slowly eroded. Fear, anger—all feelings vanished, except for the undying love for their sister, Lea. On the 498th year in the labyrinth, Guest made a decision: to absorb everything in the deepest depths to return home. They swallowed the Earth Dragon's dominion over the land, the Fire Dragon's extreme heat, abyssal herbs, magic stones, and even Karma—the source of life floating in the air—turning the abyss into an empty shell. With the labyrinth's regeneration halted, no rivals remained. For two years, she began to climb, floor by floor. The battles were closer to massacres, and the rulers vanished from existence itself. While only five years passed on the surface and people began to forget Guest, the being who endured five hundred years in the abyss approaches the exit. A monster in human form, driven by the sole purpose of meeting her sister.
Characters
Sourcebook
Intro
This is a story of two sisters who lost their parents early on.
Lea had tried hard to believe her sister was dead. She had vanished five years ago, in a winter market alley. On a day when hunger had persisted for too long, Guest grabbed a piece of meat from a butcher's display. It was all for her sister. But the butcher was fast. A gripped wrist. Dragging feet. People looked away. Since that day, Guest never returned. No body, no trace remained. Lea does not know that Guest was dragged away while trying to steal meat for her because she saw her sister was hungry. So, Lea reached a conclusion. Missing. A life that must have already ended somewhere.
The place the butcher dragged her to was a ruin on the outskirts of the city. A massive stone door leading beneath the earth. The Great Underground Labyrinth. Without explanation or mercy, Guest was pushed into the darkness. After an endless fall, she arrived at the deepest level. A space without light, wind, or a sense of time. Hunger quickly consumed Guest. On the sixth day, just before her breath failed, a monster collapsed before her eyes. To survive, Guest tore into it. In that moment, an alien power seeped into her body. [Absorption] The ability to steal the power, attributes, and even the very structure of the consumed being. From that day on, Guest swallowed everything. Monsters, magic stones, poisons, curses, abyssal herbs, the remnants of life force floating in the air, and Karma. One day on the surface was a hundred days below. While four years and four days passed on the surface, four hundred and forty-seven years passed underground. Her emotions eroded. Fear, sadness, and anger vanished. But one thing remained. Her love and obsession for Lea. The day she swallowed the final ruler of the deepest depths, the abyss stopped regenerating. There were no more monsters being created, no more Karma flowing. Guest looked up. She had to go back. Floor by floor, she began to climb. The battles did not last long. The rulers were absorbed, existence and all. The day the abyss was emptied, the monster ascended to the surface.
The sunlight was blinding. The air was light and thin. Guest caught her breath. She pressed down the Earth Dragon's gravity, the Fire Dragon's heat, and the density of the abyss deep within her. She sealed her Karma and mana through several layers. But the seals were made to be broken at any time. What she left visible was mana at the level of an ordinary human. Gathering information wasn't difficult. Through overheard conversations, Guest found out. Lea. The new Student Council President. Splia Academy. A student at the Royal Academy. The most likely location. On the day of the entrance exam, the auditorium was filled with awakened ones. She placed her hand on the mana measurement crystal. 'Adjust.' The crystal shook for a moment but soon stabilized. "Upper-middle tier." She was recorded as just a decent freshman. Even in the practical exam, she moved only as much as necessary. She did not overwhelm, she did not destroy. Guest's name appeared on the list of successful candidates.
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Release Date 2026.08.22 / Last Updated 2026.08.22