Chapter 256: Plateau of Delusion
Chapter 256: Plateau of Delusion
“Hmm.”
As the man finished speaking, the already cool air grew even colder. I let out a quiet breath. The man’s words had certainly piqued my interest.
I lowered the crystal ball I had been holding close and held it out so everyone could hear. The clan members, especially the younger ones, followed the crystal with their eyes, holding their breath.
(Please, I hope you heard my words and are already turning back to descend. But… judging by the somber mood, it seems they’ll find me soon. So I’ll get straight to the point. First, to identify myself, I am Jeong Seong-ung, a fourth-year User from the Rapids’ Edge Clan.)
As death drew nearer, his voice became strained with exhaustion.
Soon, he began to recount what he had experienced.
(It all started after we entered the Canyon of Illusions.)
I listened calmly to the man’s words. His story detailed the events in the Canyon of Illusions. The beginning was unremarkable. They entered the canyon and found the ruins within two days. Then, the expedition party, full of confidence, stepped inside…
(The moment we set foot in the ruins, the sight that greeted our gleeful party was countless heaps of corpses. Seeing the half-rotten bodies strewn about everywhere, I instinctively felt that something was terribly wrong. We should have turned back then. But blinded by the ruins…)
Hm? Something’s a little off.
I continued to listen to the man’s account. I felt a strange sense of dissonance, though I couldn’t yet place it. The part about discovering a canyon city wasn’t wrong, but the overall narrative felt subtly out of focus. His words, which had seemed so logical and coherent despite his severe injuries at first, were starting to contradict themselves.
(The place was large enough to be called a city. But the strange thing was that, despite the long time that must have passed, it looked like a perfectly normal city. It was as if time itself had stopped… And when we entered, we were shocked. Dozens of people were waiting for us inside the city, each with their weapons drawn. I’ll tell you right now. They were Vagabonds.)
The man broke off, coughing again. Each time he coughed, a mouthful of blood burst from his lips, though miraculously, none of it splattered on the crystal ball. I gently squeezed it, sensing the magic within, and realized very little residual power remained. The playback was almost over.
As death approached with every passing second, his struggle intensified. After a moment of agony, he barely managed to speak in a dying voice.
(It seems I don’t have much time left. I apologize for being disorganized. I’m in a hurry. Anyway, you’ll remember that the Golden Lion Clan once led the Vagabond Extermination Plan. Most of them were said to have fled west, but it seems some took a different route. In my opinion, they were hiding in the Canyon of Illusions, a place relatively untouched by Users…)
Vagabonds? He didn't find their bodies—they were alive?
I couldn’t help but frown at his words.
(We didn’t even dare to fight. Our only option was to run. In the process, most of my comrades were taken down. I was at the very back… It’s shameful, but I was able to escape only because I ran without ever looking back. No, I thought I had escaped. Haha… But I suppose this is my punishment for abandoning my comrades, ending up in this state.)
The man let out a self-deprecating laugh, followed by a long sigh. Then, as if squeezing out his last words, he continued.
(I may not have long to live… but rather than be captured by the Vagabonds and face a miserable death, I intend to take my own life. But before I die, I wanted to leave behind as much of a trace as possible. To whoever is watching this crystal ball, please report this to the representative clans of the city immediately. I pray you make it back from here alive. Good luck.)
Those seemed to be his final words, as the image in the crystal ball vanished with a soft pop.
I let out a long sigh and turned my gaze from the crystal, which had returned to its original shimmering light. When I did, I saw the shadowed faces of my clan members.
“Vagabonds… This doesn’t seem like a simple matter. Soohyun. What are you going to do?”
As I quietly tucked the crystal ball away and remained silent, Ko Yeonju tilted her head and spoke to me.
The other clan members said nothing, but as they heard my name, they glanced at each other, their eyes clearly showing their desire to turn back. Ko Yeonju, perhaps sensing that I wanted to press on, began to persuade me in a pleading tone.
“A gathering of Vagabonds… it’s a little unsettling, isn’t it? That crystal ball should be enough proof. So, what do you say we head back now?”
“User Ko Yeonju. Let me ask you one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Can you find any continuous tracks of the expedition party nearby?”
It was a sudden question, but Ko Yeonju calmly surveyed our surroundings before nodding in response.
“Yes. There are clear signs of entry and exit. They’re a bit jumbled, though.”
“Then can you tell if this User was affected by any mind-related magic?”
“What? Why all of a sudden… I can’t tell something like that.”
“I see.”
I bent down and closely observed the flowers blooming in profusion around us. Soon, I found a familiar one. I picked one up and held it for everyone to see.
“This is called a Hide Flower. Carrying a small amount conceals your scent, and a large quantity can even reduce your presence to some extent. It has a mysterious effect. Why would it be here?”
“Well, maybe it was to protect the crystal ball from any wandering monsters? It’s one of the ways missing Users leave dying messages, so I don’t think it’s particularly strange. It’s not a common method, but still.”
“Right. But don’t you find it strange?”
“What’s strange about it?”
At first glance, the man’s story seemed plausible enough. However, he was far too calm and composed for a User on the verge of death. Of course, some Users had such personalities, but the problem was the way he constructed his story.
Simply put, his narrative had a strong undertone of trying to force an explanation, rather than a plea to be “saved” or “helped.”
In my memory, the Vagabonds were found as corpses in the ruins. But this man claimed they were still alive.
He said he barely escaped. But would the Vagabonds have let him go so easily? And he claimed he ran without looking back, so how could he have known that his other comrades were captured or killed?
He was pursued while fleeing and sustained life-threatening injuries. In such a condition, he went around looking for Hide Flowers and left a crystal ball to protect his body.
Would the Vagabonds really have failed to find his body? Would they not have searched his pockets even once?
And what about the initial communication that sounded like a plea for help?
In the first place…
‘The Plateau of Delusion and the Canyon of Illusions aren’t places you can move through so freely. And it’s hard to believe he would be taken down by a mere few dozen Vagabonds. Even I wouldn’t be confident without Eternal Flame…’
One question led to another, and my thoughts became a tangled mess.
“I intend to proceed as originally planned. Mercenary will enter the Canyon of Illusions.”
I explained the parts of my suspicions I could share with the group in as much detail as possible. Finally, I confirmed the existence of the ruins and steered the conversation toward venturing a little deeper to resolve these questions.
Fortunately, a few of them nodded in agreement with my opinion, but the dark mood didn’t lift. I sighed at their reaction and decided to play my final card.
“It seems many of you are reluctant. Then let’s do this. As I said before, my opinion is to continue the exploration. I’ll hear everyone’s opinion now, and if the majority wants to turn back, we will. Please state your opinions, starting with User Ko Yeonju.”
“I think we should go back. Honestly, even with dozens of Vagabonds, I don’t think we’d lose with you and me here, Soohyun. But if they have someone on our level, that’s a different story. I’m sorry, but I think the crystal ball is sufficient for securing simple evidence.”
Ko Yeonju answered immediately. As I looked around, the other clan members, who had been hesitating, began to voice their opinions one by one.
“Hyung. I also think we should go back. I understand what you’re saying, but since we have the crystal ball, haven’t we already achieved our initial objective? I’m sorry for disagreeing.”
“Mm.”
Ahn Hyun also voted against it. It seemed more people than I expected had taken the crystal ball’s story as truth, and the general sentiment was not to push our luck.
There’s some really good stuff in here, though…
Just as a bitter feeling began to well up inside me at the thought of having to turn back, I saw Kim Hanbyul, who had been wearing an expression of deep thought, slowly open her eyes.
“I’m in favor.”
“Huh?”
“I think we should continue the expedition. I listened carefully to the man’s words… and, how should I put it? It felt a little strange. It’s hard to explain in detail, but anyway, I agree with Oppa that it’s worth exploring a little more.”
“Alright. So it’s two against two?”
I gave Kim Hanbyul a surprised look for a moment before replying with a relieved expression. Beside her, Lee Yoojung hesitated for a moment as she watched my reaction, then bit her lip firmly. Just then.
“I agree with Orabeoni’s opinion, toooo.”
“Three in favor.”
“You, you too? Ugh… I don’t know. I’ll just follow what Oppa says. Honestly, I don’t really get what’s what, but I’ve never lost anything by listening to you. We’re not going all the way in, just checking for more tracks, so I guess that should be fine.”
“Four in favor.”
After Ahn Sol voted yes, Lee Yoojung, who had been hesitating, quickly seconded the motion. With four in favor and two against, the matter was as good as decided. However, since one person was left, I turned my gaze to the clan member who had yet to speak.
“The conclusion’s already been reached, but I should still hear you out. Hangyul, what do you want to do?”
“M-me? I, I don’t really know.”
“Abstain, then?”
“Yes. I’ll abstain. I still don’t have a good feel for exploring yet.”
Baek Hangyul abstained. Not bad. I looked at the two who had voted against the plan. Ko Yeonju seemed to think my point had some merit, as her expression suggested she didn’t care much either way. Ahn Hyun, however, had his head bowed low, sneaking glances at me. It seemed that disagreeing with me for the first time was weighing heavily on his mind.
Once we get back, I need to get the clan properly established. Make some rules… I’ve been leading too much on my own.
I casually kicked some of the flowers over the man’s corpse. Once the body was more or less covered, I spoke in a decisive tone.
“Four in favor, two against, one abstention. Based on the vote, we will continue the exploration. I know what you’re all worried about. I have no intention of being reckless either. If we encounter a situation we can’t handle, we will retreat without hesitation.”
Once I gave them the assurance that their lives were the top priority, I could see the heavy expressions on their faces lighten, if only a little.
I then started walking in the direction of the tracks. The clan members quickly formed a defensive formation behind me. Even though no monsters had appeared yet, most of them were already prepared for battle. It seemed the crystal ball had put everyone on edge.
After watching them for a moment, I gave the signal to move out.
*
I deliberately increased our marching speed. My intention was to alleviate the anxious atmosphere, and to do that, we needed to get out of this strange, foreboding place quickly.
As we moved away from the corpse, the damp and sticky energy gradually faded. However, the unpleasant feeling didn’t disappear entirely. A different, subtly strange air flowed in to replace the energy that had dissipated.
“Soohyun. Wait a moment.”
As I was walking at the front, Ko Yeonju called for a halt from behind. This was the first time another User had stopped our march since I started leading Mercenary. Wondering what was wrong, I turned around to see Ahn Sol’s face, pale as a sheet.
“Ahn Sol. What’s wrong with you? What’s the matter?”
“Haa… haa… I’m sorryyy.”
“Are you tired?”
“N-no. It’s not that… For some reason, I’ve been feeling really suffocated. I-it’s okay. I can bear it.”
Looks like we’re almost there.
I considered giving her a Mind-Calming Pill, but since Ahn Sol said she was fine for now, I decided to resume the march. Instead, I sent Ahn Hyun, who was at the front, to her side so he could report on her condition immediately. We started climbing the mountain path again, leaving the gentle slope behind for steeper terrain.
About thirty minutes passed. A strange, metaphysical energy pressed down on my entire body before suddenly releasing its grip.
『Latent Ability, Mind’s Eye (Stillness) (Rank: A Plus), activates.』
『Latent Ability, Blessing of the Battlefield (Rank: EX), activates.』
I quickly raised my hand to signal a halt and scanned my surroundings. I was currently at the very front of the group. This meant that a much stronger field effect had been activated the moment I crossed that invisible line.
At the same time, I sensed someone collapse behind me with a thud.
“H-Hyung! Ahn Sol…!”
“Right. Hangyul, give me the bag.”
Her face was buried in the ground so I couldn’t see it clearly, but I could tell she was in great pain. The Mountain of Delirium, the Plateau of Delusion, the Canyon of Illusions—the effects of these three fields were practically poison to Ahn Sol, who carried deep trauma.
Without delay, I took the bag from Baek Hangyul and pulled out the box containing the carefully stored Mind-Calming Pill. I laid Ahn Sol, who was lying on the ground trembling, on her back and forced her mouth open. Ahn Hyun’s worried voice came from the side.
“H-Hyung, what’s going on?”
“Hey. Don’t cross over to the front. We’re almost there. It seems Ahn Sol felt it a little early because she’s so sensitive.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I mean, once we cross this area…”
I placed the golden, shimmering Mind-Calming Pill in Ahn Sol’s mouth. I could see the round pill slowly dissolving in her saliva as it touched her tongue.
After confirming that her trembling was gradually subsiding, I calmly stood up and continued.
“…it means we’ve arrived at the Plateau of Delusion.”