‘If.’

The word ‘if’ denoted those unexpected instances that may or may not happen. In dictionaries, it was used often in suppositions and assumptions, and humans attached ‘only’ at the end in order to express their hope or regret.

There could be one in a ten thousand chance that such a future would come true. Arriving before it’s not too late…. No, at least, arriving just before something terrible happened to the captives – the members of the rescue party would’ve been dreaming of such a future.

However, there was no meaning in saying such things when the crap had hit the fan already.

Paradise was the reality. It was neither a cartoon, a web novel, nor a movie. It was definitely not a computer game where you could save your progress at the click of a mouse as you sit on your comfy chair. Once something happened, it couldn’t be undone.

When things had come this far, stuff like ‘if only’ or ‘one in ten thousand’ were all useless suppositions. The final stop the winds called ‘Just in case’ or ‘Maybe’ would take you to was self-denial, that was all.

The ‘rescue’ as spoken by Ayase Kazuki didn’t simply mean the physical rescue of the captives. No, it was much closer to ‘saving’ them. Seol Jihu didn’t necessarily think of that as bad. Instead, having such a determination to unhesitatingly find the best possible answer to any given situation was befitting of a pragmatic, realistic Earthling.

Even then…

Seol Jihu couldn’t throw away the wickers of hope burning in his heart; even though he felt as if his body was sinking deeper into an inescapable quagmire the lower he went down the stairs, he was still searching for that ray of light buried somewhere within the murky depth. Even if it was just one ray, one small piece – as long as he could rescue another one.

But then, they arrived at the bottom of the stairs and the flames of a candle burning faintly in his heart quaked violently from the spectacle laid out before eyes.

“Oh, my god….”

Mary Rhine hurriedly covered her mouth.

“….”

Even Ayase Kazuki was rendered utterly speechless.

A true hell on earth!

Crimson light illuminated this space as if it was a red-light district; spectacles of truly horrendous nature ran rampant everywhere, and they could hardly keep their eyes open. Even the so-called cities of depravity, Sodom and Gomorrah, wouldn’t have been this heinous. The advent of living hell on humanity would somewhat resemble this place.

“First time seeing such an unsightly hatchery in my damn life.”

Kazuki murmured to himself in a hushed voice before pulling out the paper with directions written on it....