Chapter 43: Preparing for Takeoff |
The cities of Hall Plain are structured like a spiderweb. As the locations of cities differ on each continent, they all perform similar yet distinct roles. Viewed individually, they might seem to operate separately, but from a broader perspective, it wouldn't be wrong to say they function organically, each fulfilling a necessary purpose for the others.
The Northern Continent, where my party and I currently are, also has numerous cities. Centered around the metropolis of Barbara, there are four general cities located in the cardinal directions: Princika to the east, Halo to the west, Khan to the south, and Pamela to the north. Each of these general cities has two smaller cities under its jurisdiction, extending diagonally, creating a system of mutual support and reliance.
To be more specific, under the eastern city of Princika are the small cities of Eden to the northeast and Dana to the southeast. Under the western city of Halo are Dorothy to the northwest and Beth to the southwest. Under the southern city of Khan are Koran to the southeast and Monica to the southwest. And under the northern city of Pamela are Mul to the northeast and Montana to the northwest.
One metropolis. Four general cities. Eight small cities. In some cases, like the southern city of Khan, clans jointly manage a city, as seen with the Southern Free Alliance, which was founded by a coalition of mid-sized clans. However, it was generally correct to assume that a single representative clan managed each city.
As mentioned before, the clans that manage these cities have a duty to perform roles befitting their location. This would be unimaginable on the Western Continent, which champions endless freedom, but the Northern Continent's most powerful single faction, the Golden Lion Clan, made it possible.
For example, the general and small cities in the south—Khan, Koran, and Monica—were currently focused on conquering the Steel Mountains, the gateway to the Central Continent. In other words, they served as a forward base for advancing into the Central Continent.
Conversely, the northern city of Pamela and its subordinate cities, Mul and Montana, bordered an unexplored region. It was a known fact that another metropolis called Atlanta existed beyond the Northern Continent, a step further from the Central Continent. They just didn't have the strength to capture it yet. In contrast, the northern unexplored region was, quite literally, an unknown territory.
Pamela, along with Mul and Montana at the northernmost tip, was responsible for guarding the unexplored region and stabilizing the surrounding area. Originally, this role also included exploration and conquest, but I seemed to recall the instructor saying that was currently forbidden. Furthermore, though it was common knowledge, the information Han-byeol gave me that night convinced me that what I remembered was about to happen.
Initially, I had planned to go to the small northern city of Montana, but I decided to change course to Mul. There were several factors behind this change, but the biggest reason was undoubtedly An Hyeon.
"Our first destination will be Mul."
When I announced we were going to the small city of Mul, puzzled expressions appeared on everyone's faces. They seemed surprised, probably because most other users were active in metropolises or general cities, and we were heading to a small one. An Hyeon, curious about the reason, asked me with a look of intrigue.
"Hyeong. Isn't Mul a city at the northernmost tip? I heard it's the most recently pioneered city discovered so far, so the surrounding area is dangerous. Because of that, vagrants appear frequently, and it's supposed to be risky unless you've built up some skill."
There was nothing wrong with what An Hyeon said. From a conventional standpoint, at least. I wanted him to develop the ability to see and judge the flow of Hall Plain, but that was something that required the passage of time called experience. Still, I was proud that he had such thoughts, so I reached out and patted his head. Hyeon looked up with a blank expression but didn't push my hand away.
To explain the rationale for going to Mul, I first needed to describe the current movements of the Golden Lion Clan. It didn't take long to explain, as An Hyeon and Yu-jeong had already sensed some of the atmosphere and rumors. I remembered Sol, who had been quiet all this time, and turned to see her staring intently at my hand and Hyeon's head. I quickly withdrew my hand.
To advance to Atlanta, beyond the Steel Mountains, there were numerous problems that needed to be solved within the Northern Continent. While there were many factors, they could all be summed up in a single word: <stabilization>. Had all the surrounding monsters been cleared? Were there any dangerous places within their sphere of influence? Were there any unconquered areas? And finally, could they prevent interference from vagrants in advance?</stabilization>
Stabilization was a word with great significance in Hall Plain. If a continent under one's control was completely stabilized, they could regroup their forces even if an expedition failed. In other words, only after building a solid foundation could they attempt to advance toward the Central Continent. The problem was that users' opinions on stabilization varied wildly.
The fall of a clan once called the strongest on the entire continent. The Golden Lion Clan had made a decision that was far too hasty. With newly pioneered cities like Mul, it was difficult to say the Northern Continent was stable, even as a pleasantry. Nevertheless, they were preparing for an expedition as if something was chasing them.
Recalling my first playthrough, I inwardly clicked my tongue as I remembered that their inadequate stabilization policy was one of the reasons for their failure. The only significant policy they had implemented was winning a battle in the western general city of Halo before the expedition (a large-scale battle between the Golden Lion Clan and the SSUN Clan (Halo's representative clan) against vagrants).
But they were too complacent. Vagrants were called that because they were users scattered in small cells, wandering from place to place. They had the vitality of cockroaches, so a single victory was not enough to let one's guard down. Despite this, they popped the champagne early and marched straight into the Steel Mountains. And that complacency brought about a disastrous result.
Recalling the timeline, the first expedition to the Steel Mountains would likely be about six months after I entered Hall Plain. Considering the 13 weeks that had passed at the User Academy, there were about three months left until the expedition. Even adding the time for the expeditionary force to return and for the various clans to gauge the situation, we had about 100 days. During that time, I needed to establish a foothold and build up my strength as much as possible.
In that sense, the northern small cities of Mul and Montana were perfect for my plan. In fact, as part of the preparations for the expedition, there were already signs of them starting to clean up the vagrants. Users with keen senses would be able to tell that the clouds of war were slowly gathering over the Northern Continent.
I figured the vagrants would also be hiding deeper in the shadows, moving stealthily. They would likely be gathering little by little before they could be picked off one by one, waiting for the right moment to make their move on the Western Continent. Assuming all my predictions were correct, the coming storm would erupt in the west and south. With the balance of power shifting in that direction, the east and north could be considered relatively safe from their threat.
"There's nothing left for us to gain around the already famous cities. It's hard to say they're completely conquered, but they've been developed to a certain extent. And because of that, there are many users, so competition is fierce. With established clans already there, we'd face a lot of difficulties in our activities."
"But I heard, and as you said, hyeong, a large-scale expedition might happen soon."
I immediately shook my head at An Hyeon's words. Right now, we lacked any qualification to participate in the expedition. Rather than getting caught in the crossfire of giants, it was far more beneficial to start from the bottom, taking one steady, sure step at a time.
"Who can guarantee the expedition will succeed? Just look at the metropolis of Barbara where we are now. It took four years of preparation and countless sacrifices to pioneer. It's obvious that crossing the Steel Mountains, which is harder than conquering Barbara, will be difficult even with the same four years of preparation."
"Hmm... Is that really so? For some reason, since you're the one saying it, I feel like it might be true."
"Oppa. Does that mean there's still a lot to gain in Mul?"
Even after my explanation, it seemed the kids couldn't quite let go of their lingering attachment. I understood they were brimming with confidence after graduating from the User Academy at the top of their class, but this was something I absolutely could not allow. I added more force to my voice and continued.
"Don't worry about the vagrants. Right now, both the existing users and the vagrants are mostly focused on the upcoming expedition. And I've heard that development in Mul is quite stagnant because users have been leaving abruptly. The fact that they gave up and left means there are more opportunities for us."
Of course, I couldn't tell them everything, so my words were inevitably mixed with conjectures like "it will probably be like this." Since I knew the future, I could explain with confidence, but whether the kids would accept it remained to be seen. I looked at their faces with a serious expression.
An Hyeon was mulling over my words with a grave face. Yu-jeong also looked like she was deep in thought. However, An Sol, who had been silent for a while... what was this? Why was she pouting and looking at me? Did she have some kind of complaint? I licked my lips and averted my gaze from Sol. At that moment, Yu-jeong lifted her head and spoke in an uncharacteristically serious voice.
"Oppa."
"Yeah."
"I have a question. So... can I ask?"
"Of course. Go ahead."
I thought my explanation was detailed enough to leave no room for questions, but it seemed I had missed something. In any case, it was a hundred times better for them to be curious or voice their own thoughts like Hyeon than to just do as they were told, so I nodded readily.
Once she had my permission, Yu-jeong sidled up next to me and gently took my hand. She didn't ask the question she was supposed to, just fiddled around. As I watched her silently, she brought my hand to her mouth. Soon, her lips parted, revealing her white, even teeth. And then....
"Chomp."
Yu-jeong bit my hand, her eyes flashing provocatively.
"..."
"..."
"..."
My expression, along with An Hyeon's and An Sol's, instantly froze.
"Yoo towd me to athk. Tho I athked."
I looked down with a dumbfounded expression at Yu-jeong, who was smiling brightly while mumbling with my hand in her mouth. A moment later, she burst into laughter and gently released my hand. An Hyeon looked at her as if she were pathetic, and An Sol, looking embarrassed, glanced around.
I, too, was putting on a calm facade, but I was a little annoyed. We were in the middle of an important discussion about our future journey, and her pulling a stunt like this made me wonder if she was crazy. In the past, if another user (say, Lee Ji-young) had done this, I would have scowled immediately. But this was Lee Yu-jeong.
Having observed her all this time, I knew that due to her personality, she had a tendency to pathologically dislike people she hated. Park Dong-geol was the best example. By the same token, I knew she showed this kind of affection (?) to people she liked, so I managed to swallow the anger rising in my throat. However, I felt the need to teach her to distinguish between time and place from now on. As if sensing my mood, An Hyeon spoke up in a rebuking tone before I could.
"Hey. Hyeong is talking about something important. What do you think you're doing?"
"Sorry. Really sorry. Ah, oppa, I'm so sorry. But your face was so serious, I just couldn't help myself."
"Well, of course I'm serious when our lives are on the line."
When An Hyeon retorted with a sullen face, Yu-jeong shot him a glare and continued. For some reason, she seemed to be in a good mood.
"At the training center, whenever we asked, you would just repeat that you were thinking. I had no idea you were thinking about all this. To be honest, I couldn't even dare to think about such things... but we decided to follow you from the start, right? Anyway, I'm all for it."
An Hyeon let out a hum of agreement at Yu-jeong's words and nodded. He then muttered to himself, "Well, it's not like you would have ever thought of something like this," only to get a swift kick to the shin from Yu-jeong. An Hyeon glared at her with simmering eyes. But when Yu-jeong glared back, he clicked his tongue, looked away, and turned his gaze back to me.
"Hearing you out, hyeong, I also think going to Mul is a good idea. So, how do you plan to get there? Since it's at the northernmost tip, it seems like walking would take a long time."
I felt a sense of relief. An Hyeon's normal question seemed to have brought our slightly unraveled atmosphere back to its original state. I sighed inwardly and answered in a calm voice.
"It's best to go as quickly as possible. There are bound to be other users who think like us. The fewer competitors, the better. Users with slightly lower skills might give up on expeditions or battles and come to the unexplored regions. So, let's use the Warp Gate."
Every city has a Warp Gate. The fee is calculated based on the distance, so the closer it is, the cheaper. Since Mul is at the northernmost tip, the normal price would probably be around 2 gold per person (1 gold = 100 silver = 10,000 bronze).
At my words, An Hyeon spoke with a burdened expression.
"I heard the Warp Gate fees are expensive...."
I was about to instinctively say, "You got your weekly wages," but I paused to collect my thoughts before continuing.
"I heard that pioneer cities offer a discount on Warp Gate fees as part of a policy to attract more users. There are rumors that it will end soon because of the current situation, but it should still be in effect. You've all saved up some of your wages, right?"
At my question, the three of them looked at each other's faces in unison. Don't tell me they spent it all. No, there wouldn't have been anything to spend it on. While I, with my 1,000 gold, was worrying about such trivial things, the kids looked at each other and laughed simultaneously. For a moment, I wondered if they had all gone crazy, but then I saw Yu-jeong holding out her hand toward me. In her hand was a bundle of pouches.
As I took the pouches in a daze, Yu-jeong said in a cheerful voice.
"This is all the money Hyeon, Sol, and I saved up from our wages. It should be about 7 gold and 80 silver, I think?"
"...Why am I managing this? It's your money."
"Not 'your,' 'our'."
Yu-jeong immediately corrected me. An Hyeon, standing next to her, looked awkward for a moment before chiming in.
"We thought it would be better for you to manage it, hyeong, rather than us keeping it individually."
"And I'm a big impulse buyer."
I stared blankly at Yu-jeong, who stuck out her tongue slightly as she interjected like a garnish, and at the others. The moment our eyes met, I felt a fresh, unfamiliar emotion welling up inside me. It felt like a strange feeling was swirling within me. I forcibly suppressed the emotion, then tossed the pouch into the air once before catching it again. It was a meaningless action.
However, the weight of the gold coins in my grasp felt heavier than usual.
============================ Author's Note ============================
* I bet there are some readers who exclaimed "What the?" while reading today's chapter. Hmm. There are two reasons I included the scene with Yu-jeong. First, it was to regulate the pacing and break up the overly serious mood. Second, when I looked at the early comments, there were some... cursing Yu-jeong. Haha. Please don't hate Yu-jeong too much! She's a witch to those she dislikes, but to Su-hyeon, she's just a little kitten.
* I've decided on a name for the main party's clan, but... looking at the names of the other city clans now, a lot of them are so cringey. If you have any good clan name ideas, please recommend them.
* Please read this chapter a little more carefully. It contains a lot of information about the basic flow and background of Hall Plain.
『Reply-Reply』
1. To Ailiria: Congratulations on first place. You've now achieved a 2-peat. Huhu. Ah, I just saw your comment on Modern Magician. That one is currently on hiatus... I can only apologize. I am thinking of it for my next work. Thank you for pointing out the typo!
2. To Blami: Form is emptiness, emptiness is form... (?) That's right. The first comment and the last comment are the same. Hehehe. The only difference is that the first comment always gets a reply-reply....
3. To HumanLife: The types of points are endless. There are stat points, special/potential ability points, and GP points. You can just keep these three main types in mind.
4. To GradeRown: Hmm. It might be easier to think of it as a concept of stages rather than job changes. For example, look at Sword Master. It goes Sword Beginner -> Sword Expert -> Sword Master -> ???. Also, even if you get a normal job, there are cases where it can evolve into a secret or rare job later if you have the affinity. As a side note, it's possible to have multiple jobs, but few users do so. It might be different if your stats can keep up, but you might end up with strange special or potential abilities.
5. To LikeYuun: Ah... more chapters... hmm.... More applause! Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap! (runs away)
6. To Criasen: Honestly, Su-hyeon is an overpowered character. Setting aside his own abilities, he already knows the future, so he can make choices that others would see as gambles without hesitation. If it were his first playthrough, he would have joined the Golden Lion Clan without a second thought. Of course, he didn't even get an offer (in the 1st playthrough).
7. To Toranoanal: I also think the authors who post every single day are truly amazing. In the past, I had a stockpile, so I could post multiple chapters, but now that it's all gone, no matter how much I struggle.... So now, I'm posting with the mindset of doing my best within my ability, even if it's just one chapter a day.
8. To Kyuubi: The protagonist is a very realistic guy. For example, he's not the type of person who sees an enemy and says, "Hmm. You seem to have potential. Come back when you're stronger. Let's fight again," like in a manga. He'll cut the enemy's throat before they can even get up. He left Woo Jeong-min's group alone because there were many eyes watching, and he wanted to observe them a little longer. It's still a long way off before they make a name for themselves as the Red Fang Clan. Hahaha. It will probably be resolved naturally as the story progresses a bit more. Please wait a little longer. :)
9. To SolsolBombaram: Your ID is so pretty. I really like it. "Umukhan nun" (우묵한 눈) is defined in the English dictionary as "hollow eyes." You can think of it as having a similar meaning to "deep eyes."
10. To YeoOkaNolja: Ahaha. Not at all. In fact, thank you for asking the question. Of course, more companions will join. Please look forward to what kind of companions will join in the future. And thank you so much for recommending a clan name. Hahaha. :)
If I had my way, I'd reply-reply to each and every one of you, but there are more people than I thought asking me to shorten the afterword. I've shortened the reply-reply comments a bit more, and I've replied to everyone who sent me a message about the afterword. Please check.
I always read all the comments repeatedly. I hope you won't be too disappointed if you're not in the reply-reply. If you're really curious about something, please send me a message, and I'll answer!
Well then, I shall take my leave for today.
I hope you can always read with a comfortable heart.
Favorites, recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.