Chapter 50: Dungeon of the Alchemist |
"Have you heard the rumor? They say another dungeon was discovered in Mul." "The Obsidian Forest. Dungeon of the Ancient Alchemist Vivian. Maybe I should head back to Mul. Who knows? There might be something left." "You already discovered the Cave of Screams. Don't get greedy. But there's something strange. It seems like some Users found it before." "They probably stumbled upon it, failed, and all died. No, saying they died is a bit off. Hmm? Three people in total. Or should I say one? What I mean is..."
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My party and I quickly packed our things and left the inn. It was early, so Go Yeon-ju was nowhere to be seen. An Hyeon seemed reluctant to leave The Modest Lady Inn, constantly glancing back.
Mul's north gate was quite shabby compared to Barbara's. A couple of guards were controlling the gate, but even a glance gave a run-down impression. No matter how much of a pioneer city it was, seeing this made it hard to believe the lord of the representative clan governing Mul was very capable.
"Thank you for your hard work. Please be careful on your journey. May the blessings of the angels be with you, Users."
"Thank you."
After returning the guards' salute, we finally passed through the north gate. Hyeon, looking full of curiosity as if seeing residents speak for the first time, asked me.
"Hyeong. What exactly are the residents?"
"Residents? The people who originally live in Hall Plain. You could say you were a resident of Earth, Hyeon."
Nobles and commoners. The residents are weak. So weak that without Users, they cannot survive the dangers scattered throughout Hall Plain. Of course, things change a little once you get to Atlanta and then Terra, but at least up to Barbara, the residents' current reality was living under the protection of Users.
The residents of the currently discovered and developed cities could be seen as somewhat safe from danger. However, in the case of undeveloped cities, no one knew what the future held. In fact, there were cases on the southern continent where cities that had already turned into ruins were discovered. And naturally, there wasn't a single resident in those cities. One could only surmise they were massacred by the hordes that invaded the city.
The residents consider the Users who protect them from such hordes to be apostles of God. They believe there is a god in Hall Plain, and indeed, some residents have received commands from descended angels. And the Users are a kind of divine apostle, sent down with God's command and the angels' blessing to save them.
In reality, they were abducted by angels and wielded power based on the 'settings,' but the residents thought of the Users' power as a divine blessing. That's why the residents' gazes towards Users are fundamentally filled with goodwill and reverence.
The 'nobles' and 'commoners' Hyeon mentioned was the relationship from the Users' perspective. The people called by those two words could also be seen as the dominant and the subordinate. The western continent, known as the epitome of infinite freedom, is particularly severe in this regard, where residents are treated almost like slaves. The northern continent wasn't quite that bad, but there was still a clear tendency to look down on residents and see them as beneath Users. At first, I sometimes felt a bit sad, wondering if it had to be this way when we were all fellow humans.
Looking at the cities, dungeons, and laboratories being discovered now, it was clear that Hall Plain had traces of a prosperous era. All I knew was that for some reason, they had lost all the prosperity they once enjoyed and all their power had vanished. And eventually, the current residents were reduced to a state of living in constant fear of daily monster attacks.
I briefly summarized these points and explained them to Hyeon. Not just Hyeon, but the others seemed curious too, as I could see them all nodding. I concluded the talk about residents by saying that while there was no need to pity them, treating them too harshly wasn't a good look.
I expected to see at least a few, but strangely, there wasn't a single User in sight. I could once again feel the influence of the Golden Lion Clan's movements. With the northern city empty, the southern, western, and central city of Barbara must be overflowing with Users right now. Suddenly, I felt the urge to join them right this moment.
I felt sentimental for a moment, but that feeling gradually faded as we walked on. The further we went north of Mul, the more the surrounding scenery changed. The path grew rougher and more uneven, and the traces of people coming and going became fainter. But it wasn't a bad feeling.
Because it meant we could appreciate the scenery in its natural, untouched state. Having lived where nature was nowhere to be found, seeing such living nature was not a common experience on Earth. As a gentle breeze blew, the kids also looked refreshed and occasionally glanced around. Soon, when I felt the thickets were getting denser, I paused and took out the map I was holding.
Forest on the left. Plains on the right. The way to the Obsidian Forest was through the forest, not the plains. I checked just in case, but as expected, it was no different from my memory. I carefully folded the map again and put it in my pocket. Several faint paths lay ahead, but I unhesitatingly turned my body to follow the one leading northwest.
We walked on, treading through the vast, green-dyed forest. The fields that stretched out after leaving Mul's north gate still radiated a fresh light. However, as the distance to the Obsidian Forest shortened, that fresh color seemed to gradually fade.
Following the continuous path, dark blue trees soon began to appear one after another. The sticky-looking trees, soaring to unknowable heights, exuded a massive presence just by looking at them. We had entered the outskirts of the Obsidian Forest. Looking at the kids who had been trailing behind me, I spoke in a low voice.
"This should be the entrance to the Obsidian Forest. Everyone, stay alert and brace yourselves."
The deeper we went, the more I felt the gloomy atmosphere thicken. Honestly, it felt a bit awkward to call this place a forest. The highlands and lowlands were clearly distinct, and the area was far too vast to be considered a forest. It felt apologetic to even compare it to the forest from the Rite of Passage.
It was still the early part and morning, so faint sunlight occasionally shone through, but a little deeper in, even that would disappear. If it was like this in the morning, it would be pitch black at night. I decided I absolutely had to secure a safe zone today. Still, it was bright enough to see what was in front of me, so I planned to look around for now. Glancing at the kids as we walked, I saw them all gripping their weapons tightly, looking a bit tense. At that moment.
"Wait."
I had turned my head to look at the kids when I discovered a strange track. It was a literal chance discovery. If I hadn't turned my head, I might have just passed by it, but my heightened senses didn't miss the fleeting moment and caught the trace.
The kids, who had been warily scanning the surroundings, looked at me with startled faces. I first moved to where I found the track and crouched down to get a better look. Seeing my expression turn blank, the kids exchanged glances before hesitantly gathering around me.
This... is a human track. And not just one or two. I definitely didn't see anyone when we came out the north gate. They might have come from a different direction. Of course, it was stranger for there to be no Users at all, but something smelled fishy, making it hard to accept that simple explanation. Because these tracks didn't seem very old.
"Oppa. Why are you suddenly looking at the ground?"
"..."
I briefly scanned the ground, then activated The Third Eye to get more detailed information. As I stared at the ground without moving, I heard Yu-jeong cautiously say something, but I had no desire to respond right now.
"Oppa? Oppa!"
"Eonni. Oppa is Tracking right now, so just a moment..."
"Tracking...? Ah. Isn't tracking something archers or assassins do?"
"That's true, but I heard it's somewhat possible if you have a lot of experience or learn it. Still, you probably can't know as much detail as Users with specialized classes."
"No way. Are you saying Oppa learned how to do that?"
While filtering and analyzing the countless streams of information, I could hear Yu-jeong and Sol muttering. Archers had the ability to guide, but they also possessed the skill to read tracks left on the ground. However, The Third Eye's effects were so wide-ranging that gathering information from tracks was a simple matter. And, sorry to say this to Sol, but it was self-evident that my unique ability was far superior to theirs.
After analyzing all the information, I stood up again. What I had just done was, as Sol said, simple tracking. To the kids staring blankly at my face, I spoke in a heavy voice.
"It seems a caravan of about five... or maybe six people passed through here about two or three days ago. They don't seem to have come from the north gate. It looks like they were exploring from somewhere else... I don't know if they got lost and ended up here or came on purpose. Still, there are no signs of them wandering, so their archer probably wasn't unskilled. In any case, all their tracks are headed in one direction."
Of course, I don't know what happened to them now. To see what happened back then, I'd have to actually view the past, like during the Rite of Passage, but there was no reason to do so now. It wasn't an urgent situation like that time. Gathering the remaining traces and making inferences was more than enough.
Hearing my words, Hyeon and Yu-jeong were speechless. Sol, too, widened her eyes, apparently not expecting me to say this much. I answered their gazes with a shrug. Yu-jeong tilted her head, then spoke to me with a curious expression.
"So, does that mean there are other people besides us in this forest right now?"
"Well. Maybe... maybe not."
Yu-jeong was showing a sharp side in an unexpected way. I deliberately spoke vaguely, not wanting to state the fact, but I saw Yu-jeong's eyes narrow. I sighed and finally added.
"It's just as I said. There are footprints leading into the forest, but no signs of them coming back out. It's possible they left in another direction, but they could also still be wandering the forest. If not that... they might all be dead."
At my words, the kids all looked uneasy and glanced at each other. I watched them with an indifferent face before turning away again. In the city, I let them fool around and cause a ruckus, but now that we were in a real combat situation, I had no intention of being as lenient as I was in the city.
As my expression hardened and I said nothing, I felt the footsteps of the kids following me grow quieter. The way they were subconsciously muffling their steps showed just how tense they were. The deeper we went into the forest, the more the dense trees stretched straight up, seeming to cover the sky. The faint sunlight that had shone through at the entrance was now gone without a trace.
We walked for a while, and then walked some more. By the time we felt we had just left the entrance area, darkness had completely settled around us. It wasn't pitch-black to the point where we couldn't see ahead. But if it was this dark even though it was still morning, the kids could probably guess what it would be like when the sun set. It was indeed a forest worthy of the name Obsidian Forest.
Without me even telling them, the kids were already using their detection skills. Thanks to my activated Third Eye and the detection skills I had taught the kids, we were able to maintain our pace without slowing down. Now, no one spoke a word. With every step, only the sound of rustling grass and panting breaths occasionally tickled my ears. It was then.
Growl. Shshshshk!
A growl caught my ear. At the same time, a sound of something cutting through the undergrowth broke the silence. Seeing it approach at high speed, it seemed to have sensed our presence and was coming to attack.
When I stopped walking again, the kids also looked like they were holding their breath. They scanned their surroundings with anxious faces, but it seemed they didn't yet know a monster was approaching. Since they all had their detection active, they would know once it came within a certain range, but I warned them in advance.
"It's an ambush. Monsters are coming from both directions. Everyone, prepare for battle. Sol, get in the center. Hyeon and Yu-jeong, back-to-back, form a defensive line."
"Ye... Yes?"
"Don't make me repeat myself from now on. Focus and form a defensive line with Sol at the center."
At the word "ambush," the kids' faces became confused. Yu-jeong asked back, but when I barked at her in a cold voice, she shivered and gripped daggers in both hands. Hyeon also raised his spear at an angle, and Sol quickly began to chant a spell. Watching the kids form a formation in an instant, I moved to Sol's side. I planned to be the Priest Keeper. As I drew the sword from my waist, a cold, ringing sound echoed through the forest.
[Special Ability. Sword and Mind as One
has been activated.] [Latent Ability. Close Quarters Combat
has been activated.] [Latent Ability. Mind's Eye (Tranquil)
has been activated.]
Shhhhhhh! Piiing!
Soon, as we held our positions and watched our fronts, we heard the rustling of grass nearby, and at the same time, a rough sound of something tearing through the air. The moment I felt it enter my detection range, a tail flashing with a sharp light shot out swiftly from the forest's darkness. The targets were Hyeon and Yu-jeong, who were guarding both directions.
"Don't dodge! Parry it!"
I shouted as soon as I saw the kids assume evasive stances, but by then, An Hyeon and Yu-jeong had already moved. It seemed they dodged the monster's attack path using their detection. An Hyeon, who was sidestepping to the side, had a momentarily puzzled look on his face at my words. However, upon seeing the tail extending straight out, his expression changed to one of realization, and he hastily swung his spear. And with a dull thud, I saw him strike its midsection.
Yu-jeong also showed agile movement by ducking in an instant, but she failed to follow my command to parry the tail. She succeeded in dodging, but that didn't mean the attack was over. The tail passed right through where Yu-jeong had been, then slightly changed direction and aimed for Sol, who was behind her.
Sol, who was in the middle of chanting, saw the stinger coming for her and her face went blank with shock.