Chapter 258: Canyon of Illusions, the City Where Time Stopped
Chapter 258: Canyon of Illusions, the City Where Time Stopped
I was dying to ask about her circumstances, but the atmosphere wasn't right for forcing the issue with someone who clearly didn't want to talk. Besides, we were in the middle of an expedition; we had no time to waste on such matters. So, after patting Ahn Sol’s slumped shoulders a few times, I announced that the march would resume.
The sun slowly began to set, and the day gradually darkened with it.
By the time the twilight after sunset had completely colored the plateau, the surrounding scenery had taken on a vastly different atmosphere from when we first saw it.
Every time the wind swept across the plateau, the rustling of leaves and blades of grass echoed with unusual loudness. The occasional, unidentifiable cries that filtered through the air and the pitch-black landscape, visible even to the naked eye, amplified the eerie mood.
As we marched, I occasionally felt the gazes of my companions on my back, pleading for a rest or a chance to make camp. But I silently endured their stares and insisted on continuing the march. The best way to cross the Plateau of Delusion was, after all, to simply walk without thinking.
Of course, the field effect directly draws out one’s inner self, so it was safe to say that almost no User could actually accomplish that. My plan, then, was to manage their minds with high-quality pills and use the forced march to suppress any lingering anxiety. While it had the drawback of continuously draining our stamina, the more exhausted we became, the more we would have to focus all our attention on taking one step after another.
“Hah, hah.”
“Huff, huff.”
How much time had passed? It felt like several hours had gone by since I’d declared the night march. In modern time, it would be between 3 and 4 AM. With the exception of myself and Ko Yeonju, most of the group was panting heavily. A few of them even seemed to be breathing loudly on purpose, as if to make sure I heard them. Forcing down a smile, I slowed our pace just a little.
“O-Oppa.”
“Yeah.”
“C-Can’t we rest for just a little while?”
“…Hmm. A break would be nice, but… I think it’s better to keep moving for now.”
As I stated my thoughts, I glanced back to see Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung drenched in sweat. If the melee classes were in this state, the ranged classes were in even worse shape. Still, I didn't stop walking. I just turned my gaze forward again, following the tracks, and spoke in a low voice.
“…Some of you probably thought the Plateau of Delusion would be easy. Just like Ahn Hyun did earlier, since we haven’t encountered many monsters since the Mountain of Delirium. It’s just an endless march, so it’s understandable you might find it a bit boring.”
“N-No… It’s not that I thought that, it’s just…”
“N-No, Hyung.”
“I’m not trying to scold you. It’s not entirely wrong, after all.”
When I partially conceded their point, the two of them fell silent as if on cue.
I didn’t continue right away. For a moment, I lifted my head to look at the moon, which was casting a brilliant light, and then at the countless twinkling stars scattered around it. It was a beautiful sight I hadn’t seen in a long time, and I wanted to gaze at it a little longer, but I was afraid of losing the trail, so I eventually tore my eyes away.
Finally, turning my head back to its original position, I stopped hesitating.
“This might be a bit random, but listen up, I’ll tell you an interesting story. Among the training exercises the Republic of Korea’s Marine Corps does, there’s one called rope walking, you know?”
“……”
“But before they start, they make each person do a ton of push-ups. Until both their arms are trembling. They have to rely solely on their hands to grip the rope and cross, so why would they do that right before the training?”
“Um… Is it to keep them from slacking off and make them stay tense?”
That was the correct answer. As I nodded, I heard Yoojung’s sheepish laugh. “Hehet.” She sure gets happy over the smallest things, I thought, letting out a soft chuckle through my nose.
“That’s right. It keeps them from looking anywhere else. All their focus is concentrated on just holding the rope. And they say that training them this way actually reduces accidents… I think marching through the Plateau of Delusion is similar to that.”
“……”
“I’ve said this time and time again, but resting is good, and breaks are important. But the Plateau of Delusion is an exception. If we rest here, one or two people are bound to let their guard down, creating an opening. And the field effect will undoubtedly target that opening. If we’re lucky and something insignificant appears, that’s one thing. But if, by some chance, something unmanageable shows up…”
“Ohh. I see.”
No one knew what kinds of things the others would experience in the Hall Plain from now on. But I was confident of one thing: as they gained more experience and continued their expeditions, a situation even more difficult than this would one day arise.
What if they had experienced this level of fatigue from a simple march while also being frequently attacked by monsters? Honestly, they had managed to keep up so far because it had been mostly marching since the Mountain of Delirium, but if the situation had been as I described, several of them would have already collapsed.
When such a situation arises in the future, the greatest help will come from the skills born of one’s own experience. Even if it feels difficult right now, each and every one of these experiences can become a precious guidepost when a similar situation occurs later. For example… when I’m not around…
Endure. Bear it and overcome it, no matter what.
In the end, this was all I could say to them. Hoping they would one day understand my feelings, I returned the marching pace to its normal speed. For now, the best course of action was to enter the Canyon of Illusions as quickly as possible.
*
The blades of grass must have been coated in the morning dew, as I could feel a slight dampness on my legs. Time had flown by, and the eastern sky was already beginning to glow with the faint light of dawn. A whitish fog was spread thickly around us. But the slowly rising sun cast a warm light that pierced through the fog, gently embracing the entire plateau.
The light of dawn seeped subtly into the fields across the plateau, as if to drive away the last vestiges of the night’s darkness. Looking at the morning on the plateau, now shining so brilliantly it was almost blinding, I took a deep breath. The sharp scent of water, mixed with the fresh morning air, pierced my nose.
Savoring the scent, I briefly stopped walking. I was just about to raise my hand to signal a halt.
“Ack!”
“Oh my!”
At the faint screams, I turned my head to see a few of my companions holding their faces, not knowing what to do. It seemed they had dozed off while walking and collided without looking ahead. Watching them, Ko Yeonju clicked her tongue a few times and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.
“Everyone, wake up. I think we’re almost there.”
“Yes…”
There was no strength in the clan members’ voices. It was hard to attribute this solely to the effects of the march. I, too, was feeling the field effect, a faint but heavy pressure on my entire body. If it was like this for me, the burden on the other Users must be several times greater. I had singled out those who were having a hard time during the night and had them take another pill, but a sense of unease still remained.
“Soohyun. Don’t you hear the sound of water? The air feels damp, too.”
“I can hear it and smell it. It seems we’ll be arriving at the Canyon of Illusions soon.”
When I finally stepped in to support Ko Yeonju’s words, a bit of life began to return to the others’ drooping eyes. Soon after, Ahn Hyun sniffed the air around him, tilted his head, and spoke.
“That’s weird. I can’t hear any water at all. I just smell something fishy.”
“Isn’t the smell of water a little fishy sometimes?”
When Lee Yoojung retorted reflexively, Ahn Hyun shook his head. Then, with a deliberately serious expression, he started sniffing around her. Lee Yoojung shot him a look of displeasure, her eyes blazing, but didn’t say anything else. However, Ahn Hyun ignored her goodwill and scowled deeply.
“No. This isn’t the smell of water, it’s more like blood. Hey, are you on your period or something? Seriously, you should hold back at times like these…”
“What? Y-You crazy bastard!”
Lee Yoojung aimed a rough kick at Ahn Hyun’s leg. Watching him hop around like he was dying, I couldn’t help but think how pathetic he was. I wasn’t the only one; all the female Users were glaring at Ahn Hyun as if he were some kind of beast.
In any case, thanks to Ahn Hyun’s unintentional sacrifice, the mood was lifted for a moment. We then resumed our march, following the tracks once more.
How much farther did we go? This time, not even twenty minutes had passed before I was forced to signal a halt again.
As I stopped after such a short interval, the clan members began to come forward one by one, looking around. Morning had arrived, but the fog still lingered. It was gradually thinning out elsewhere, but a thick bank of fog was gathered right in front of us.
The moment the fog flowing from ahead wrapped around our feet, the air we had smelled and the water we had heard felt a little more distinct.
“Everyone, back.”
“Soohyun?”
Ko Yeonju questioned me, but I just shook my head silently and drew the Sun and Moon Divine Sword. A reddish energy began to rise from its blade as it trembled in the sunlight.
I took three more steps forward with the sword hanging low. I didn’t take any grand stance. In fact, you could say this was my basic stance. In any case, my purpose for drawing the sword wasn’t to fight anyone, so I immediately raised it over my left shoulder and then swung it down in a powerful slash.
Shwiiing!
The harsh sound of the blade cutting through the air shot forth, and the resulting wave of energy violently tore through the gathered fog, surging downward. And then.
Kuuung! Psssssh! Splash-splash! Thud-thud!
“W-What was that?”
“Did the wave just disappear inside?”
A series of sounds followed—something being hit, shattering, and falling. The pressure from the wave I’d unleashed was quite powerful, clearing away a significant portion of the fog that had been blocking our view. As light shone through the newly opened hole, the magnificent scenery hidden within finally revealed itself.
Before us was a deep valley where both walls were sheer, precipitous cliffs forming a steep gorge. Enhancing my vision, I slowly scanned the area and could see the depth of the canyon, so profound it made me dizzy just looking down. I moved a little closer and peered below. At the bottom, I could faintly make out the sight of a transparent river flowing leisurely like a single unbroken ribbon. Below the canyon, a mystical energy filled the air, blending breathtakingly with the various landforms visible through the mist.
Turning my gaze forward again, I saw the massive hole and the cracked walls where my wave had struck. The dislodged rocks must have fallen partly onto the ground and partly into the river below.
For a while, all of us, myself included, stared down in silence. Finally coming to my senses, I spoke to Kim Hanbyul, who was timidly peeking over the edge, clearly afraid of heights.
“Kim Hanbyul. How many jewels did you say you brought in total?”
“Eek! Y-Yes? Ah, please wait a moment.”
Letting out an uncharacteristically cute scream, she hastily rummaged through her bag. Soon, she pulled out a handful of jewels emitting a clear light and showed them to me.
“There aren’t as many as I thought. Their efficiency isn’t that great either… Last time, when I tested the smallest jewel, it lasted for about two hours.”
“Two hours? If it’s two hours without any external effects, then here…”
“It might not even last… an hour.”
“So it’s a race against time. The others seem to be reaching their limits, too.”
Though I said that, I calmly counted the number of jewels Kim Hanbyul was holding. And I was able to make an optimistic prediction.
This should be enough. If we’re efficient, we might even have some left over.
It was just my guess, but it seemed the other party had come with fairly reliable information. If we could descend into the canyon from our current position, it wouldn’t take long to reach the ruins. Then again, they must have had at least that much confidence to even consider tackling the Canyon of Illusions.
I stretched my arms wide and looked back and forth between Kim Hanbyul and Baek Hangyul. The dreary atmosphere from just moments ago was partially revitalized by the discovery of the canyon. The few clan members I had been worried about had held up quite well. Ahn Sol had been on the verge a couple of times, but thankfully, she had endured. All that was left was to enter the ruins.
“Alright then, Kim Hanbyul, Baek Hangyul…”
“Soohyun. Wait a moment. Come over here.”
Just as I was about to call the two, Ko Yeonju beat me to it. I turned to her with a questioning look, and she simply pointed down without a word. The direction she was pointing to was where several large rocks had fallen. They must have been the ones dislodged by my attack.
“What about them?”
“Could you try enhancing your vision? Hehe.”
A strange feeling came over me at her laugh. I immediately drew up my magic and enhanced my sight, hearing, and smell with all my might. My vision expanded dramatically, and the scene at the bottom of the canyon came into view as if it were within arm’s reach.
And then. The moment I looked closely at the area near the fallen rocks, my eyes shot wide open.
“Kkyu…”
Something… something’s pinned underneath?