Chapter 55: Dungeon Of Alchemist (2) |
Despite a considerable amount of time passing, we were able to travel without any interruptions. The deeper we ventured into the Obsidian Forest, the more the dark blue-green hue of the leaves and undergrowth began to fade. It was a sign that we were passing through the middle section of the forest. Having significantly increased our marching speed from yesterday, it seemed we would cross the midpoint faster than expected.
“Strange. I’m sure I dreamt we ran into a ton of monsters today.”
“Pant, pant. They say dreams are the opposite of reality, Oppa. I’m sorry, but can we rest for a bit? It feels like half a day has passed, and we haven’t taken a single break.”
An Hyeon tilted his head in confusion. Yu-jeong gasped for breath. An Sol, though silent, was pale, her lips marked with several bite marks. They had followed without complaint, but it seemed they had been holding it in. Feeling the need for a long rest at this point, I nodded, paused, and looked around. As soon as my permission was given, I heard the sound of bottoms plopping onto the ground.
The caravan's tracks were definitely still here. The near absence of monsters suggested that the distance between us and the caravan was shrinking. It was possible the caravan that went ahead had already dealt with the monsters. However, this raised two questions.
If they had information about the alchemist's dungeon, was there a need to clear out all the surrounding monsters? And second, if they did clear the monsters, why were there no corpses? Of course, these questions were based entirely on my own perspective, so I could speculate on a number of open-ended answers.
After pondering for a while, I licked my lips and cleared my head. Worrying about it now wouldn't yield any answers. The conclusion was to follow the caravan's tracks and reach the alchemist's dungeon as quickly as possible. In the worst-case scenario, they might have simply entered the dungeon without clearing it, but considering my memories and the circumstances, the probability of success was higher than failure. Besides, we had little to lose. If we thought of it as simply gaining combat experience, then we had nothing to lose at all.
Just as I finished organizing my complicated thoughts and was about to rest, I heard a small commotion from the others who were already seated. Wondering what was going on, I turned my head to see An Sol looking at me with an awkward expression, her eyes pleading for help.
“Why are you curious about such useless things? Just worry about yourself.”
“I’ve heard ‘knowledge is power,’ sure. But it doesn’t suit you when you say it. For you, it’s probably better that ignorance is bliss.”
“What did you say?”
An Hyeon and Yu-jeong were in the middle of a heated argument. Looking at the situation, it was about the current hot topic: the Golden Lion Clan and the Steel Mountains expedition. In reality, I agreed with An Hyeon, but I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to explain it to them at least once.
“You idiot. Do you really think we’re skilled enough for an expedition? We’d just be ignored and left to twiddle our thumbs while watching.”
“Who said anything about that? I’m just curious why they’re so desperate to go on an expedition or a march. Why do you have to say things like that?”
“I told you. It’s because you’re curious about useless things. Did you not hear what Su-hyeon said? Let’s focus on our own situation. Huh? Or are you just feeling inferior to Kim Han-byeol?”
“What? I’ve been letting it slide, but you son of a...”
As the atmosphere grew tense, I casually stepped in and sat down with a thud. Yu-jeong, who was about to unleash a torrent of curses, saw me and quickly shut her mouth with a guilty look. An Hyeon also scratched his cheek and avoided my gaze. I looked at them both for a moment before speaking in a calm voice.
“There’s nothing wrong with being curious. In Hall Plain, information is as good as life itself. Of course, if you’re asking out of simple curiosity or a desire to join the expedition, that would be a problem.”
Hearing my words, Yu-jeong’s face brightened. It seemed she was happy I had taken her side. An Hyeon pouted and his face immediately fell. Yu-jeong, with a triumphant look, flashed a smug smile for a moment before turning to me and speaking.
“Oppa. What exactly are the Steel Mountains that everyone’s making such a fuss about? At the inn, every User I saw was talking about nothing else.”
At Yu-jeong’s question, I gathered my thoughts for a moment before answering.
“Currently, Hall Plain is confined to the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Continents. We need to advance to the Central Continent. To cross over to the Central Continent, we must conquer the Steel Mountains.”
“Then why don’t they just conquer it?”
“That idiot.”
An Hyeon said what I wanted to say. I gave a bitter smile at Yu-jeong’s words and continued.
“If it could be conquered that easily, it would have been done already. They say that inside the mountain range live monsters of a degree that cannot be compared to, or even imagined, from the ones we’ve encountered so far.”
“So, if we just cross the Steel Mountains, we can advance to the Central Continent? And what exactly is on the Central Continent?”
I couldn't help but hesitate at Yu-jeong's endless stream of questions. However, since An Hyeon and An Sol were also feigning indifference while wearing curious expressions, I felt the need to be careful with my words. But since we were resting anyway, and this much information was harmless, I slowly began to speak.
“I don’t know the details either. We’ll only know once we go whether the Central Continent appears right after crossing the Steel Mountains, or if there’s another preparatory continent. However, what has been revealed so far is that an ancient document confirmed the existence of a great city called Atlanta in front of the Northern Continent. Although it’s just an ancient document, the mention of a new great city has Users rushing in with fire in their eyes.”
“Atlanta... What’s so good about taking over a great city? Can we go home if we conquer it?”
“No. Nobody knows that. But... let me ask you something first. Yu-jeong, what do you think is the most important thing for an individual to survive in Hall Plain?”
Yu-jeong closed her eyes in thought at my question, twirling a strand of hair with her finger as she answered.
“Strength. Abilities. Stats.”
“That’s right. In other words, an individual’s abilities are the most important. Having strength doesn’t guarantee survival, but it’s true that it increases the chances of survival.”
“Uh-huh. So, can the Users who get Atlanta gain strength?”
Watching Yu-jeong nod, I continued.
“Something like that. The Northern Continent is currently becoming saturated. A single continent doesn’t have an infinite number of dungeons. Most of the major expeditions have already been completed. Of course, Mul was discovered not long ago, but due to various reasons like the Steel Mountains and small cities, it’s receiving relatively little attention. Once Mul and other cities are stabilized, there will literally be nothing left to do. We'll have no choice but to hunt the occasional monster that appears. The same goes for the other continents. Then, the Users of the Northern Continent, having reached a state of complete development and saturation, will no longer be able to increase their strength and abilities. No one knows what will happen without strength when it's unclear if we can even return home. Moreover, we won't be able to train new Users who have the potential to become valuable assets.”
I had spoken at length, but it still felt insufficient. I cleared my throat once and, looking at the kids who were hanging on my every word with frightening intensity, continued speaking.
“So, if we cross the Steel Mountains and pioneer Atlanta, we will secure a new foundation for growth. New monsters, new expeditions, new dungeons, new equipment, and so on. Most importantly, while our stats may be relatively easy to raise now because they’re low, I hear that once you reach a limit, it becomes incredibly difficult to raise them. I heard that when the great city of Barbara was pioneered a few years ago, all participating Users had their stats increased to some extent as an achievement reward. And they monopolized all the lucrative expeditions as well. That’s why they’re so desperate to cross the Steel Mountains.”
Of course, there was another mountain to climb after conquering Atlanta. Then, we would truly have to compete with Users from other continents. The great city of Terra on the Central Continent, surrounded by new lands called Atlanta, Ragnarok, and others. The memory of the sacrifices made to obtain the Zero Code within Terra sent a shiver down my spine.
When I finished speaking, the kids all stared at me with dumbfounded expressions. Their jaws were hanging open; they seemed quite surprised. An Hyeon, who had been blinking his eyes, was the first to come to his senses and spoke in a slightly urgent tone.
“Hy-Hyeong. Then wouldn’t it have been better for us to stay in the great city? Ah, of course, I’m not doubting your choice. But hearing you say all that, the benefits are truly enormous. If we had built up our skills in Barbara and participated in the expedition, even at the lowest ranks...”
“Exactly! Can you imagine how arrogant that Kim Han-byeol must be, thinking about us right now? Ugh. It makes me mad just thinking about it.”
So it was about Kim Han-byeol after all. An Hyeon and Yu-jeong showed signs of being swayed, but only An Sol looked at me with unwavering eyes. Her gaze was full of trust, as if she had decided to believe in me unconditionally after what happened this morning. I worried that she might become what they call a zealot, but at the same time, I felt a strange sense of anticipation.
I let out a small cough to quiet them down.
“Ahem. As I’ve said before... ah, if you listen to the instructors at the User Academy who aren't from the Golden Lion Clan, they think that going on the expedition now, and even participating in it, is a foolish thing to do. At least, that’s my opinion. Of course, I can’t be certain, but I feel I can trust their words more.”
My words seemed to bring some relief to their faces, but the signs of wavering hadn’t completely disappeared. Honestly, I felt a bit frustrated. If only I could tell them how that expedition gets utterly annihilated, and how the Golden Lion Clan falls into ruin and gets cursed afterward, I would have told them right away. I sighed inwardly, but I knew I needed a plausible reason to make them understand, so I had no choice but to continue explaining. Still, I needed to set up a minimal smokescreen first.
“Sigh. Listen carefully. But this is just my opinion, so don’t take it too seriously. The Golden Lion Clan seems to think that the Northern Continent has reached a certain level of stability, so they’re rushing to prepare for the expedition. But in my view, it’s far from it.”
“Oppa. But is it really only possible to go on an expedition after it’s stabilized? Even if it’s a bit of a stretch, if they succeed, it’s a huge jackpot, right?”
“That’s true. The problem is that the collateral for that gamble is the lives of the Users.”
As I brought up the word ‘lives,’ Yu-jeong immediately fell silent. The atmosphere seemed to have become considerably heavier than before.
“I was curious, so I read the records of when the great city of Barbara was conquered. The first emotion I felt after reading it was utter desperation. If Barbara was that bad, would Atlanta be any easier? I don’t think so. To succeed in the Steel Mountains expedition, they must bring the continent they control to a state of saturation. Only after perfectly saturating it, drawing out the maximum possible military power they can muster, and securing a certain number of new Users can they even think about an expedition. The Northern Continent is in the process of becoming saturated, but it’s not saturated yet. Just looking at Mul, where we are, you can see that an expedition is still premature. There will be many who think so. It seems the Golden Lion Clan still hasn’t learned its lesson, even after seeing what happened to the previous lord... tsk.”
“Huh? The previous lord?”
I realized in that moment that I had misspoken. Fortunately, I had already laid the smokescreen of having read the records, so I could come up with an excuse, but the thought that I needed to be more careful with my words from now on flashed through my mind. I composed my startled self and, with a calm expression, looked at An Hyeon and nodded.
“They say he was the person who made the most distinguished contribution to the conquest of the great city of Barbara. You’ve probably heard of him a few times at the User Academy. It’s amazing, isn’t it? To have founded the Golden Lion Clan, which is now called the best clan, with just a Normal Sword User class and to have achieved such feats.”
Seeing the kids nod at my words, I was finally able to feel relieved.
“Originally, before conquering Barbara, Hall Plain was based in the western normal city of Halo and the small cities of Beth and Dorothy. After stabilizing the eastern cities to some extent, they set out to conquer the great city of Barbara, but I heard he died because he couldn't recover from the wounds he sustained then.”
“I heard that if he were still alive, they would have already entered Atlanta by now.”
Bullshit. I barely managed to hold back the word that almost escaped my lips. In reality, entry into Atlanta was only barely achieved after the Golden Lion Clan was dismantled and several civil wars had ended. I acknowledge that he pioneered Barbara, but there was no guarantee that he could have conquered the Steel Mountains even if he were alive.
In any case, to survive in Hall Plain, individual strength was important, but so was having a wide range of knowledge in various fields. Although we had taken a long break, I thought it was a beneficial time for the kids. I dusted myself off and stood up.
“Anyway, that’s the general situation, so just keep it in mind. We have neither the qualification nor the reason to participate in the expedition right now, so just forget about it completely. For now, we just need to do what we can.”
This time, An Hyeon looked at Yu-jeong with a triumphant expression. Yu-jeong pouted, nodded, and got up to follow me. The time to use the Third Eye was drawing near. If my prediction was correct, we would likely find the alchemist’s dungeon within one or two days.
============================ Author's Note ============================
Hello, this is Royujin.
Well, that wraps up the Obsidian Forest part.
From the next chapter, the true story of the alchemist's dungeon will continue.
What will be the fate of the protagonist's party, and what kind of incidents will unfold?
I ask for your continued support and interest.
1. CrossDie: Hahaha. Congratulations on getting first place. :)
2. Energi: I will always strive for diligent serialization. Thank you.
3. Seryuin: I hope this chapter has cleared up some of your questions. The reason for Hall Plain's existence or its goal, if revealed now, would be like knowing a crucial part of the ending, so I am not mentioning it. For now, please focus on <survival>. Please look forward to the upcoming developments. :)</survival>
4. GradeRown: Of course, that is a possibility. And... necrophilia... hmm. That’s a bit horrifying. If many people want it, I could try writing it, but honestly, I'm personally not inclined to.
5. 幻影 (Phantom): Hehe. Your theory, 幻影, can be considered generally correct. However, there is some foreshadowing embedded in the backstory of Sol's personality. Please look forward to the future developments. :)
6. Toranoanal: Your comments, Toranoanal, always make my heart flutter. Thank you for pointing out the typo. It has been corrected.
7. Katamunenai: You will probably be quite surprised by Su-hyeon's stamina when the first H-scene comes out. Playboy Su-hyeon(?!) If he also solves his stamina problem, he'll become an unstoppable, overpowered character. I plan to supplement this in between. Please wait a little longer. :)
8. hohokoya1: Hehe. Please just wait until they leave Mul. When that time comes, his actions will become so unrestrained that it will be truly refreshing for the readers. Of course, he is already revealing his true colors to some extent even now. Hehehe.
9. SaramInsaeng (HumanLife): Oh dear. You caught a cold... T.T I pray for your speedy recovery! By the way, SaramInsaeng's plan is... hehehe.(?!)
10. Repil: Hahaha. I have gratefully received the message you sent. Thank you so much for your high praise of my work. But I am also a reader, so I always enjoy the works that make it to the top rankings. I should plan a mass release sometime.
I always read all the comments repeatedly. I hope you won't be too disappointed if you don't see a reply. If you have any questions you're really curious about, please send me a message and I'll answer! (Please give me lots of comments! And recommendations too... ☞☜)
Well then, I will take my leave for today.
I hope you can always read the story with a comfortable heart.
Favorites, recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.