Chapter 248: Side Income
Chapter 248: Side Income
As we exited the eastern gate, the Resident guards gave us a sharp salute. The sight once again brought the difference between Monica and Mule to the forefront of my mind. Even the armor the guards wore was a far cry from the shabby state of Mule's, but it was the scenery that unfolded as soon as we left the gate that truly made me nod in approval.
Well-paved roads cut through the vast, sprawling green land, branching out neatly alongside a towering signpost in the distance. Looking around, I could see numerous Users gathered in small groups under the city walls or the large, shady trees, even though we were clearly outside the city.
“Wahahaha! I’m telling you, the effect was no joke! I took Flower back to the Love House today, and she was completely worn out! She was just clinging to my arm…”
“Fuck, I’m so jealous. But where’d you get the money to buy a virility potion? That stuff’s pretty expensive.”
“Kekek. Your bro here scored big on the last expedition. We got lucky and found a goblin settlement in the forest. I snagged some gold coins and accessories there.”
“A goblin settlement? There are still some left? Wow, you basically got it for free.”
Compared to Mule, which was practically a wasteland, this place felt like a park. It was enough to make me wonder if these people were just out for a walk or a picnic.
Still, unless it was a huge jackpot, it’d be hard to get more than two or three hundred gold from a settlement.
I tilted my head in confusion for a moment, but I understood the situation when I saw the back of one of the men who was talking. Judging by the clan emblem, they were fairly skilled combat Users. If they were good enough to join a clan, they could handle common goblins with ease. It seemed they were just talking about earning some easy money. In any case, it had nothing to do with me, so I decided to stop paying attention.
I immediately pulled out a map, got a rough sense of our direction, and led the expedition down the second road from the far left. For today, at least, the chance of encountering any danger was virtually zero no matter how far we walked, so I planned to cover as much ground as possible, even if it meant a forced march.
“We will now begin a forced march. Everyone, make sure you don’t fall behind.”
After turning back to give the order to pick up the pace, I gradually quickened my leisurely stride. In proportion to my speed, I could feel the rhythm of footsteps on the ground quickening as well.
For a while, we focused on the march, barely exchanging a word. Because I was setting the pace based on my own stats instead of adjusting for the others, we were able to advance at an incredible rate, incomparable to before. At that fast walk—no, at what was almost a light jog—we walked on and on.
About six hours passed. Perhaps because we had maintained a forced march without a single break, the sound of ragged breathing from behind me began to increase, one by one.
I paused to catch my breath and looked up at the sky. The sun, which had been hidden in the clouds when we set out this morning, had now fully emerged, beating down with its scorching rays. Just as the scent of the clan members’ sweat began to mix with the fresh air filling my nostrils, I decided that was enough and began to slow my pace.
It was two hours later that I finally stopped the march and declared a break. We had stopped at the entrance to a forest, where the ground sloped upward into scattered hills. As I climbed one of them, a dense gathering of tall trees blocked my view.
While I stood at the top scouting the area, I saw the clan members, their sweat-soaked hair swaying, make their way up one by one. Suddenly, I heard a splashing sound from below. I looked down to see Ko Yeonju dipping her feet in a wide, concave patch of ground where water had pooled, kicking playfully. Sensing my gaze, she looked up at me, smiled brightly, and waved both hands.
“Hah, hah.”
“Haah, haah.”
“Hah… Hey. What’s with your panting? It sounds like you’re… gasping for air, hah.”
“Haah, shut up. I’m dead tired. Why, does it turn you on? Haah.”
Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung bickered as they reached the top of the hill. I’d wondered if they could keep up since we were running with purpose, but as they were both melee classes, it seemed their training hadn’t been in vain.
Just as the two of them began to take slow, deep breaths, Ahn Sol, Baek Hangyul, and Kim Hanbyul appeared in succession, having rested a bit longer below. They seemed to have caught their breath, as their breathing was stable, but all three belonged to low-stamina classes, and their faces were pale.
Ahn Hyun took several deep breaths in and out. Once he had recovered, he asked me in a calmer voice.
“Hyung. This marching pace is no joke.”
“I know. But we’re going to maintain this speed for the time being.”
“What? W-well, I’m sure Yoojung and I will be fine, but… will the other clan members be able to keep up?”
“The other clan members?”
At Ahn Hyun’s words, I glanced at the other three. They shook their heads with determined expressions. It was a silent signal that they were fine and could follow. When I shrugged my shoulders as if to say, See?, Ahn Hyun just blinked with a blank expression.
If this were a dangerous or unexplored region, I would have marched while carefully managing our stamina. We would have needed to conserve energy for a battle that could break out at any moment. But as I said before, Monica is a very well-stabilized region. For now, I simply wanted to get out of the safe zone as quickly as possible.
The clan members probably assumed I was rushing because I was focused on rescuing the users who went in ahead. But I already had an idea of what had become of their fate in the Canyon of Illusions.
I told the clan members we would leave in ten minutes (I thought I heard someone’s silent scream) and leaped down from the hill.
Thud!
As I landed on the scattered leaves and straightened my bent knees, I saw Ko Yeonju, still dipping her feet in the water, smiling languidly.
“Did you find anything?”
“Yes. We’ve been on the right track so far, at least. It’s really amazing. To think you can follow the trail at this speed without a single error.”
“I just made a rough guess. I’m no match for the Queen of Shadows.”
“Hoho.”
At my light praise, Ko Yeonju pursed her lips into a circle and let out a charming laugh. Then she pulled her feet out, put on her shoes, and leaped up, doing a somersault in the air. She landed in a spot where blades of grass grew sparsely, all pointing in one direction, albeit very slightly.
Ko Yeonju lightly swept her hand over the ground, then nodded and spoke.
“Rapids’ Edge Clan had ten people. And the first rescue team had fourteen. Idiots.”
“Are there any other tracks?”
“There are. But the direction is all twisted. Considering the timing we heard about from Istantel Low Clan, the tracks I’m seeing must be the right ones.”
“Then we’ll follow this direction out of the forest and search for the tracks again.”
I turned my gaze to the east. According to the map, it should take about a day to get through the forest from here, but if we could maintain our current speed, it seemed possible in even half a day. And once we were out of this forest, we would reach the Plains of Wailing, a so-called less-stabilized zone.
As I was making these calculations in my head, I sensed the clan members on the hill slowly making their way down. I had told them to rest below. If they were just going to come down anyway, why did they follow me up? I sighed and had the clan members line up as they descended.
“Ahn Hyun, take the lead. Ahn Sol and Baek Hangyul in the center. Kim Hanbyul right behind them. Lee Yoojung, take the rear. Ko Yeonju? You’re the keeper.”
The moment the formation was set, I immediately resumed the forced march with a shout to move out.
*
Before long, the sun had set, and in its place, a mirror-like moon had risen. The dusky twilight seemed to be locked in a fierce battle with the moonlight for control of the land. Thanks to spending the better part of a full day on a forced march, we were able to leave the dense forest and enter the Plains of Wailing.
Honestly, I considered a night march, but we had already covered enough distance for one day. I also thought it would be better to stop here for the sake of Baek Hangyul, who was still just a fledgling.
Baek Hangyul. There was definitely something about that kid. Given how new he was to this, he could have easily fallen behind once or twice, but instead, he gritted his teeth and followed without a single complaint. That part impressed me, if only a little.
We didn’t waste much time choosing a campsite. We were in the middle of a plain, so one spot was as good as any other. After setting up camp by placing expedition magic stones in all directions, we had dinner, thanks to Ko Yeonju, who showed off her cooking skills for the first time in a while.
After eating, Ahn Sol and Baek Hangyul were overcome with drowsiness, their heads drooping in unison. If there were a competition for who had the lowest stamina, the two of them would be vying for first and second place, so I decided to show them some consideration and put them on the last watch.
Crack, crackle.
Fearing a potential fire, we had cleared the grass and dug a shallow pit. A gentle light flickered from between the branches inside. Ahn Sol and Baek Hangyul had long since slipped into their sleeping bags, breathing softly. Ko Yeonju and Lee Yoojung had the next watch, so they had just gone to bed.
In the dead of night, only Ahn Hyun, Kim Hanbyul, and I sat in a circle, silently watching the campfire.
A little time passed. Ahn Hyun, who had been staring blankly at the campfire, looked up.
“Hyung. I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Well. At the meeting, you said that in the Canyon of Illusions…”
Aaaaaaaaaah….
Just then, the sound of someone wailing drifted to my ears on the plains’ wind. Ahn Hyun, who was about to continue, and Hanbyul, who was hugging her knees with only her eyes peeking out, both heard it. They flinched as they looked around. I briefly glanced up to check the shape of the moon, then spoke in a calm voice.
“Go on.”
“Ah, no. I definitely heard a wailing sound just now…”
“I told you earlier. We’re on the Plains of Wailing. It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”
“Ugh. Is it a ghost? I hate ghosts.”
I was about to tell her not to be ridiculous, but when I saw her swallow hard, I just let out a small laugh. Ahn Hyun, however, didn’t seem to be faking it; he wet his lips and kept glancing around nervously.
“Ah, damn. It’s really getting on my nerves.”
“I told you, it’s nothing. This place is just like that. The Plains of Wailing is a huge area. Ah. In a way, you could say this place has a very interesting characteristic.”
“What kind of characteristic?”
“Very rarely, a baseless wail echoes across the entire plain. Haha. Don’t be so scared. This place is still considered to be pretty well-stabilized. It’ll probably be quiet for at least a few hours after it wails once.”
“Oh, really? Well then…”
Aaaaaaaaaah….
But, as if to mock my words, another wail faintly echoed around the campsite.
Huh. Twice?
“……”
“……”
Ahn Hyun’s and Kim Hanbyul’s eyes were fixed on me. Just as I was wondering if I had misheard, I sensed someone stirring and sitting up, someone I thought was sound asleep. It was Ko Yeonju. She looked annoyed, as if she’d been woken up just as she was about to fall asleep, and her brow was deeply furrowed as she looked around.
“Soohyun. Did you hear that?”
“I did.”
“How many times?”
“Twice.”
Ko Yeonju’s voice was a little hoarse. But the moment I answered “twice,” she shot up as if spring-loaded and began to scan her surroundings with sharp eyes. Remaining in that state, she spoke again.
“The occasional single wail is nothing to worry about. But the second one… Ah, what was it again?”
“It’s a signal that something bad has happened somewhere on the Plains of Wailing. A danger warning.”
I wet my lips and rose from my spot. Ahn Hyun and Kim Hanbyul looked back and forth between me and each other, their faces filled with confusion. I signaled for them to get up as well. The moment I reached for the Sun and Moon Divine Sword at my waist—
Aaaaaaaaaaargh!
A wail, clearer than any before, was heard distinctly. And I wasn’t the only one who heard it. The complexions of everyone awake were rapidly hardening.
“That’s the third one. This means…”
Now fully awake, Ko Yeonju’s voice had returned to normal. I let out a deep sigh and finished her sentence.
“It means that where that bad thing happened… someone has died. Ahn Hyun, Kim Hanbyul. Wake everyone who’s sleeping. Now.”