Chapter 9

With the stone figures inching toward the Altar, dread settles over the six remaining survivors. Sung Jinwoo pieces together the central trick of the trap: the statues only creep forward whenever a person stops watching them. He warns everyone to keep their gaze fixed and never look away. He also spots two concentric rings of fire around the platform, an outer ring of blue flames that gutter out at one per minute like a countdown, and an inner ring of red flames whose number reflects how many hunters still stand on the Altar.

Ra Hyeyoung loses her nerve and bolts for the outer door, slipping through to safety as the doors narrow only slightly behind her, which startles the rest of the group. Kang Jeongho copies her escape moments later, ashamed even as he flees. Jinwoo pleads with Lee Joohee, Kim Sangshik, and Song Chi-Yul to hold their ground, since losing more watchers would let the statues converge for good. Kim presses Jinwoo on whether the doors might seal permanently once the timer runs out, and Jinwoo, unable to promise otherwise, stays silent.

Kim openly confesses that he badly misjudged Jinwoo and that the survivors owe him their lives, yet his fear wins out. Citing his own family, he too rushes through the doors. Left with only Song and Lee, Jinwoo feels deep disappointment, convinced the three of them no longer have the numbers to survive the dungeon. The chapter belongs to the D-Rank Dungeon Arc and corresponds to the second episode of the anime adaptation.