Chapter 254: Plateau of Delusion
Chapter 254: Plateau of Delusion
I couldn't pinpoint the exact timing, of course, but I could broadly categorize it into three possibilities. Before entering the Plateau of Delusion, after entering the Plateau of Delusion, and after finishing everything and leaving the Plateau of Delusion. Of these, the second possibility was the least likely, while the first and third were about equal.
If it's the third one… things could get interesting.
The thought brought a faint, involuntary smile to my lips. Nothing was certain yet. But if my current theory was correct, and if it was indeed the third possibility, my ears would probably be burning until we left the plateau.
“Hyung! We’re ready!”
“Ah.”
As I was lost in thought, I heard Ahn Hyun’s voice call out from ahead. It seemed they had finished their preparations; everyone was standing in their positions, looking at me. The expressions on the clan members' faces were all peculiar, and I had a sudden, sinking feeling. I must have looked like a pervert, lost in my own thoughts and grinning like an idiot.
I quickly schooled my features and spoke in my usual calm voice.
“Ahem. We will now begin our entry into Mountain of Delirium.”
“Hehe.”
Seeing me smile, Ahn Sol beamed and giggled along with me, as if my happiness was her own. I watched her for a moment before turning toward Mountain of Delirium and continuing.
“Mountain of Delirium. The 'delirium' here is a medical term used in the modern world. While it has many meanings, in the Hall Plain, its field effect can be summed up in a single word.”
“You mean impaired consciousness, right?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“What’s my prize?”
Ko Yeonju answered instantly, then gave me a subtle wink. For some reason, her gaze gave me a pretty good idea of what kind of prize she had in mind.
Should I buy a virility potion or something…
Sighing internally, I slowly walked toward the front of the formation.
“Mountain of Delirium, the Plateau of Delusion, and the Canyon of Illusions. The terrifying thing about these three locations is that their field effects stack the deeper you go. In other words, you can consider them all organically connected.”
“Eh…”
As I stood next to Ahn Hyun, he glanced at Ahn Sol before his eyes shifted to Baek Hangyul and Kim Hanbyul. When he turned back to me, his face was filled with worry. I could guess what was on his mind, so I immediately continued.
“Compared to the other two locations, the field effect of Mountain of Delirium is quite weak. Some Users might exhibit behavior similar to hyperactivity, but it should be manageable for most. If anyone feels they can’t handle it, let me know. I’ll give you a Mind-Calming Pill right away.”
“Okay…!”
Seemingly reassured by my words, Ahn Hyun replied, his expression a little brighter.
With my first step forward, we signaled the start of our journey to our first destination, the Plateau of Delusion.
*
The Plateau of Delusion could be classified as an intermontane plateau—a plateau surrounded by mountain ranges. Strictly speaking, Mountain of Delirium wasn't a single peak. The reason the first mountain you see upon arriving at the plains is called Mountain of Delirium is that its sheer majesty makes it stand head and shoulders above the connecting peaks. Of course, the fact that the field effect disappeared outside the mountain range surrounding the plateau also played a part.
Mountain of Delirium didn't have a gloomy atmosphere like the Black Forest. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
With every step, a soft crunching sound came from underfoot. We had long since left the mountain's entrance. Now, giant trees stood scattered before us, their fallen leaves blanketing the soft, earth-toned ground.
After climbing a sloping dirt path for thirty minutes, we emerged from the tree-shaded area, and the wide-open sky finally came into view. Back on the plains, the blazing sun had felt a bit hot, but now, thanks to the cool mountain breeze, it didn't feel hot at all.
“Hah! Hah!”
“Haah…! Haah…!”
Perhaps because we had ascended at the fastest pace of any march we’d ever done, the clan members following behind seemed to be losing stamina more quickly than I’d expected. Even Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung, who were both melee types, were gasping for breath. I didn't even need to look to know how the others, aside from Ko Yeonju, were faring.
It occurred to me that Lee Yoojung’s grunts—or moans—were quite peculiar. Even if I could tolerate Ahn Hyun's panting, I just couldn't get used to the sounds Lee Yoojung was making. It wasn't just me, either; I could see the expressions of a few Users walking in front of her turning subtly awkward.
“Let’s take a short break.”
“Gasp, gasp. Oh, thank god.”
“Don’t sit. We’re just catching our breath before moving on. Stay alert.”
“Ah. Yes, yes!”
My words seemed to strike a chord with many of them, as most who had been about to sit down awkwardly straightened back up. I leaned against a curved rock to my left and focused on sensing our surroundings. Ko Yeonju, not forgetting the conversation we’d had before we started climbing, was also discreetly scanning the area.
The others still looked like they were holding up. They had seemed a bit nervous about the field effect when we first started, but having realized they could control it themselves, they had soon regained their usual confidence.
The problem is that the effect will be amplified by the stacking effect the moment we step onto the Plateau of Delusion.
I was just wondering at what point I should have them take the Mind-Calming Pill for maximum effect. As I tapped the surface of the rock, I sensed someone shuffling toward me from the front.
“Um… Oppa. I have a question.”
“Hm? What is it?”
I looked up to see Kim Hanbyul staring at me with a pale face. She seemed to be steadying her breathing, her stomach rising and falling once or twice before she swallowed and posed her question.
“Do monsters appear on Mountain of Delirium?”
“Of course they do. Why the sudden question?”
“It’s just that we’ve been climbing for a while and haven’t seen a single one. Could you tell us what kind of monsters appear? If I know their general characteristics, I can prepare the right magic to counter them.”
“Ah. Crows?”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, no. That was a slip of the tongue.”
At my mistake, I heard Ko Yeonju burst out laughing. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my cheek and began to explain.
Avian monsters appeared here. Unusually, these creatures made the mountain their home, and their proper name was the Black-Headed Eagle. Their characteristics included sharp talons, high intelligence, and a tendency to snatch prey or attack by dive-bombing. As a side note, ‘crows’ was just a casual term some Users used for them.
I wondered if she would understand a verbal explanation, but the quick-witted Kim Hanbyul nodded at once. Seeing her fall into deep thought, I decided to wait another five minutes before we set off again.
After that sweet, short rest, we began to move once more. The higher we climbed, the steeper the mountain became, and we often had to use the surrounding terrain to pull ourselves up. But I didn't change our path. This was the fastest route to the Plateau of Delusion, and more importantly, it was littered with tracks from the expedition that had gone ahead of us. With any luck, we might even find something they left behind.
My five senses were now on high alert. I focused my magic particularly on my hearing, and as we rounded a bend, I suddenly caught the sound of a flowing stream. Following the sound up the steep path, I felt the slope gradually begin to level out again. We had advanced another two hundred meters when it happened.
“Halt.”
We had entered a much flatter area compared to the terrain we had just crossed. I raised my hand, bringing the clan members to a stop.
“Soohyun. What’s wrong?”
“Ko Yeonju. Come here for a moment.”
At my call, she rushed over and let out a low hum as she looked in the direction I was pointing. Where my finger indicated, a set of tracks split into two separate paths.
“Hmm… They split up.”
“One path went straight up, and the other detoured.”
“This is a bit tricky. How about we just go straight up? At this rate, we should reach the Plateau of Delusion in an hour or two anyway.”
“Hm. Just a moment.”
As Ko Yeonju said, it didn't matter which path we took. But just in case, I turned my head toward Ahn Sol. As if she were already used to these situations, she wore a slightly contemplative expression at my gaze, then looked to the right. I immediately turned in the direction she was looking.
“Let’s take the detour.”
*
After deciding on the detour, we marched along a semicircular mountain path. But the farther we went, the stranger the feeling that crept over me became. The air, which had been so fresh and cool just moments ago, was gradually becoming damp and sticky.
The once-vibrant trees and bushes grew sparse, and the soft earth underfoot hardened. But the tracks continued.
It was then that I, who had been focused on examining the tracks, came to a dead stop at the sight of something ahead that was completely out of place with the surrounding scenery.
“Huh. What’s that?”
“It looks like… flowers.”
I signaled for Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung, who were whispering to each other, to be quiet, and I examined the spot more closely. It was definitely strange. About seventy meters ahead lay a large pile of flowers. The problem wasn't that they were blooming, but that they were cut flowers with broken stems, heaped in a pile. It was as if someone had intentionally gathered them in that spot.
There must be a reason Ahn Sol wanted us to come this way… Was it Direction Detection, or Anxiety Detection?
After my signal, a dead silence fell over the group. I curved my hand forward slightly, signaling them to advance. The sound of weapons being drawn as quietly as possible came from behind me, and we slowly began to move forward.
I couldn't sense any killing intent nearby. But what was this strange current flowing through this place?
I advanced not with the quick pace we had used to climb, but with cautious steps, remaining on high alert. However, even when we reached the pile of flowers, nothing happened. Just in case, I scanned the area with my naked eye, then nodded and spoke.
“Let’s clear away the flowers.”
“Yes.”
Ahn Hyun stepped forward at my command and began to gently push the flowers aside with his spear. After a few sweeps, he suddenly narrowed his brow, peered closely at what was inside, and then quickly backed away with a gasp.
“H-Hyung. Inside…”
“Soohyun. Wait a moment.”
The instant Ko Yeonju finished speaking, several dark shadows swept across the ground in front of us, scattering the remaining pile of flowers. And then, as what lay beneath was finally revealed, I heard the sharp, collective intake of breath from the clan members.
But before we could get a good look, something hidden within the pile shot up a brilliant, clear light. I instinctively raised my magic to resist it and was soon able to identify the shining object.
It was a crystal ball. Not a communication crystal, but a recording crystal. And we could see a completely decomposed corpse, clutching that crystal ball protectively to its chest.
“One body found. Ugh. I was hoping to examine the traces, but the corpse is badly decomposed.”
“I don’t know. For now…”
In response to Ko Yeonju, I bent down, picked up the crystal ball, and straightened my back to finish my sentence.
“Shouldn’t we watch this first?”
I immediately infused the crystal ball with magic. The image flickered for a moment before stabilizing, and soon, the face of a middle-aged man appeared, his deep voice flowing out.
(I don’t know if this crystal ball will ever be found. But, if someone does find this, I would like to shamelessly ask a favor of you, a stranger. Please, take this crystal ball to the southern city of Monica.)
“……”
(Ah, and I'm only saying this to be cautious, but I recommend you take a look at your surroundings. If the place you found this crystal is still in the middle of this gloomy Mountain of Delirium… well, I suppose that’s highly likely. Haha. Ah. Are you a rescue team? Whether you’re a rescue team or a User out on an expedition, it doesn’t matter. For now…)
I brought the crystal ball closer. On the screen, a man wearing what was clearly thick armor was slumped against a tree. Analyzing the small bit of terrain visible behind him, I realized it was a place very similar to where we were now.
One thing to note was that the man on the screen was bleeding from his mouth. He coughed three times before continuing with great difficulty.
(Get down from this damn mountain. Right now, without looking back. Hurry!)