The Volcano's Secret

"Jeju Island."

"Ahem. That's all we know."

"Bro, why are you lowering your voice like that?"

"...Just stay quiet."

When the elf woman who introduced herself as Kim Yuseong got teased, the whole group burst into laughter. It was a rare sight in these harsh times. Or maybe it was just mockery. At least among the women, the latter seemed far more common.

I'd assumed that since a government official was introducing her, she'd be a proper Awakened. I hadn't expected someone who dragged students around with her. It would've been better if it were someone with real authority, but... anyway, as long as she could answer the two most important questions, that would be enough.

"Then what was the most common type of monster on this island?"

"Ah, that would be... just animal-based monsters."

"Reptiles? Mammals?"

"Um, mammals."

There were many mammal-type youkai. Yet fish-type creatures approaching the island were rare. It was strange. And my suspicion was gradually turning into certainty.

"Then here's the most important question. Do you all know much about the game's setting?"

"Pardon? The setting? Not the main story, but the setting?"

She tilted her head at my final question, clearly puzzled. I'd hoped otherwise, but the rest of her party also said they didn't know. This might be a little serious. No... it might be very serious.

"To put it simply, monsters generally tend to settle in places with strong ley lines—in other words, auspicious land. For example, this Halla Mountain has a good environment and even lava, so it's a very desirable spot."

"Ah, yes. I see."

The kid responded without much interest. I wasn't sure if it was because she was young or just dense, but I had to explain anyway.

"So normally, monsters and factions from outside would try to claim Halla Mountain as their territory. But Jeju Island only has mid-tier monsters at best. Do you know what that means?"

A few people in the group began to stiffen at my explanation.

"...No way?"

"It means there's already a faction that has claimed this place."

"T-then what do we do!?"

"What else? First we need to figure out what's inside. If it's a docile one, we can leave it alone or postpone dealing with it... but if it's something accumulating power in the volcano, we have to take care of it. In the absolute worst case, we might end up with steel golems popping up both above and below ground."

It really would be the worst-case scenario.

At my call, the scientists crept up cautiously, and the rest of the group emerged from the hot spring to gather their clothes.

"Sorry for interrupting your rest, but this is necessary work. It's not something you need to get involved in, and it should only take a day."

"..."

Dissatisfaction rose on their faces, but they couldn't bring themselves to voice it since it was important adult business.

"It can't be helped. If it's a youkai capable of affecting the entire island of Jeju, it's at least on the level of a mountain lord. We can't ask you children to fight something like that. At the very least, the adults haven't fallen so far as to do that."

"...Understood."

"The rest of the island will continue operating normally, so go enjoy yourselves over there... For now, this is just a simple 'inspection,' so there's nothing strange about it. You understand what I mean, right?"

Everyone packed their things with disappointed expressions and headed down. I felt a little sorry for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the kids who'd worked hard, but it couldn't be avoided.

But exceptions exist everywhere. The green-haired, golden-eyed elf woman who'd answered my earlier question was one such exception. She told her group she wanted to stay behind and ask a few more things.

"Hmm, do you have something to ask?"

"Yes. Are you perhaps someone who professionally hunts monsters outside?"

"Hmm, that's right."

"Then could you tell me more about monsters? Most of what we hear comes from people who visit Jeju Island on private boats."

The game had been popular and accessible, so there were many players. Combined with naturally awakened individuals, there were plenty of Awakened overall. That meant plenty of on-site testimonies, but they were usually censored by the government.

However, to understand youkai, knowledge of the game was essential. Most casual players only followed the main story and stopped there. In other words, they played lightly. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Even so, the game's content was incredibly diverse. From there, players maxed out skills, stacked stats through sub-quests, farmed equipment and accessories, and tackled increasingly difficult crafting.

That alone was enough to enjoy the game fully. But naturally, there were people who dug deep into the story, and for them, detailed setting information existed.

And the government wasn't fond of information about youkai leaking out. Why? Because the situation on the front lines wasn't good, and in this precarious state, such information could be used for terrorism.

Moreover, the world had aligned itself like misaligned gears clicking into place. Korea, being an Eastern country, followed the East server environment. European and other Western cultural nations followed the West server. Everything else was determined by proximity or cultural sphere.

The one consolation was that people themselves hadn't been dragged in and reassigned. Or perhaps that was a misfortune. The West had more players, but the East had stronger stats, and right now Korea was dealing with East server youkai. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stronger the players' specs, the stronger the youkai became. And since the things they could use also grew more powerful, the means available to those with ill intentions became more dangerous.

That was why Eastern countries were at a disadvantage, worrying about terrorism on top of everything, and since most Awakened were former game players, there weren't many who could truly fight properly.

And among them, I was one of the few who could fight properly.

"You want to know?"

"Ah, yes. Noona."

Calling me noona... Her name had already given it away, but she'd been a man. At least it was advantageous not to show that to complete strangers.

"You asked if I've hunted youkai? Yeah, that's what I do."

"Whoa... That's amazing!"

It wasn't amazing. It was horrific. No matter what question she asked, I had to steel my heart. Shattering innocence was a truly painful thing.

"Then... do you happen to know someone named Binggwa?"

"Huh?"

I froze solid at the completely unexpected question. That... was me.

"Why that person?"

"I'm a fan! That overwhelming ice sorcery! The slightly dark brown hair! Those cold eyes! And that incredible body... M-magnificent? Huh? Uhh...?"

Yuseong pulled out a photo of me and rattled off my features, then seemed to notice something was off. After a moment, she looked at me and began to stammer.

It looked like she'd figured it out.

"Yes, I'm that Binggwa. But a fan... I really didn't expect that."

I truly hadn't expected it. The battles I fought were dangerous, and the youkai were more dangerous than anywhere else. Or rather, it was more accurate to say I went to dangerous places. Naturally, there were few people around and almost no chances to be photographed.

"How do you know me?"

"You fought that face golem in Hwaseong so spectacularly—how could I not know?"

"Ah, so that's what it was."

Of course there were exceptions. It must have been when I fought the Hundred-Faced Stone Demon that appeared in Hwaseong. The battle had been captured from inside the city. Truthfully, calling it a fight was generous. Considering the potential damage, I'd poured everything I had into freezing and shattering the whole thing at once.

"Then... would you like to take a photo together?"

Unfortunately, the only autographs I knew how to give were payment signatures, and that wasn't what she wanted. The best I could do was appear in a photo with her.

"Yay! Thank you so much!"

Yuseong thanked me enthusiastically and pulled out her phone to activate the camera. These days it was basically just a communication-disrupted camera and clock, but in terms of taking pictures, it worked just fine.

-Click!

It was a good shot, even if I said so myself. And seeing Yuseong's satisfied, pleased expression, my own heart seemed to ease a little. At least I felt relieved that this child probably wouldn't choose a path drenched in blood.

"Well then, I have work to do soon, so go down and enjoy yourself with your friends."

"Yes! Goodbye!"

Yuseong seemed so happy about taking the photo with me that she waved energetically and walked away.

"Ha, I wonder how things are outside?"

As Yuseong descended Halla Mountain, she looked up at the sky and imagined the outside world. There would surely be stronger monsters out there than on Jeju Island, but at the same time, it was full of opportunities. She imagined it—fighting youkai like Binggwa and saving people. Of course, that didn't mean other Awakened were just sitting around. But single-handedly defeating such major threats was, by anyone's standards, a great achievement.

"The hot spring trip is ruined anyway... Should I go beg my friends to let me play on their game console?"

Given the current situation, the internet wasn't what it used to be, but console games worked fine without it.

"...Or maybe I should ask to join the subjugation?"

Whatever was in that volcano was at least regional boss level. But who was up there? It was that Binggwa. Of course it would be great if she could do something big right away, but the chances of that were low. In a game where you powered up through equipment, having no gear was fatal. Especially having nothing but a plain sword for a weapon—that was absolutely lethal.

"Going home... I'll think about that later."

Kim Yuseong had come to hate the word "home." Because her parents' eyes had changed when they looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at her. It wasn't the proud, expectant gaze they gave their own children. It was the look one gave to a strange intruder, something vaguely human but not quite.

"Well... I suppose it's only natural."

Kim Yuseong simply felt bitter toward her parents. With a sigh, she let go of her lingering attachment.