Chapter 259: Canyon of Illusions, the City Where Time Stopped
Chapter 259: Canyon of Illusions, the City Where Time Stopped
“I can’t see it clearly because of the rocks, but something’s definitely pinned underneath. You’re really amazing, Soohyun.”
“…Well, all’s well that ends well, I suppose.”
“Exactly. It’s like a frog getting killed by a randomly thrown stone. Hee hee.”
“I don’t think it’s dead yet… We should probably go down and check for ourselves.”
Ko Yeonju’s playful tone made me feel strangely embarrassed. I’d just sent out a pulse of energy without much thought, and the resulting rockslide had crushed a monster that was just minding its own business below. It was a true bolt from the blue—or rather, a boulder from the blue.
I turned to the others, who were still staring at us with bewildered expressions, then fixed my gaze on Kim Hanbyul and Baek Hangyul.
“Kim Hanbyul, Baek Hangyul. Let’s get ready.”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Don’t be nervous. Hanbyul will take care of the rest, so you just need to focus on maintaining the manifestation.”
Unlike Kim Hanbyul, who answered calmly, Baek Hangyul seemed quite nervous, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. Baek Hangyul had a decent User profile and was talented. More importantly, he was a User with a passion to succeed. The fact that he’d followed us on his first expedition without a single complaint was proof enough.
But if I had to point out one flaw in an otherwise fine gem…
For some reason, he can’t perform in a real battle the way he does in practice.
“Hangyul. Let’s start now. Everyone else, please gather around us.”
“Hoo. Hoo.”
Kim Hanbyul selected a few jewels from the handful she was holding and asked Baek Hangyul to manifest his ability. Soon, the rest of the clan members, myself included, gathered around and took our positions. Baek Hangyul took a deep breath or two and raised his right hand.
Flash!
A brilliant light erupted from his raised hand. Seeing the hazy film that gently enveloped his right hand, Kim Hanbyul immediately began her incantation.
“───. ───. ───.”
Kim Hanbyul’s unique ability was Jewel Amplification. At first glance, it didn’t seem like a particularly amazing ability, but its value skyrocketed because it could amplify not only her own magic but also that of others. Beyond simple amplification, she could even mix in other abilities as her skill allowed, making her a walking treasure trove in her own right. Of course, for now, the term “jewel-eating hippo” was probably more fitting than “treasure trove.”
“Target designated: Reflection. Jewel used: Azurite White.”
As Kim Hanbyul’s chant continued, I could see bright streams of light pouring through the gaps between her clenched fingers. The moment she gently opened her hand, the jewel floated up and flew in a graceful arc toward Baek Hangyul’s right hand.
The instant the Azurite White settled softly into his hand, Kim Hanbyul’s lips parted for the final incantation.
“Jewel Amplification.”
Voom.
The Jewel Amplification began. It was like a single, quiet current. My curiosity piqued, I read the flow of magic and could feel the jewel, now inside the domain of Reflection, exploding with its internal magic power.
Voom! Voooom!
The explosive magic power blended seamlessly with Baek Hangyul’s own magical wavelength. Then, with another brilliant flash of light, I watched as Reflection, which had been confined to his right hand, began to slowly expand.
“Oh. This is pretty neat.”
“Hmph~.”
“How wondrous~.”
“……”
Wondrous? Not something like “amazing”?
Ahn Hyun, Lee Yoojung, and Ahn Sol each offered their impressions. They had been mostly indifferent to Kim Hanbyul’s work until now, but this sight seemed to be quite a novelty for them. Ahn Sol’s last comment must have been a little funny, because Kim Hanbyul showed a faint, wry smile.
Reflection expanded its range slowly, bit by bit. Starting with Ahn Sol, who was standing nearby, it spread to Lee Yoojung and Ko Yeonju, and soon the round barrier pushed forward to reach me at the very front. As the clan members entered the domain of Reflection, they each let out strange gasps of surprise.
“Huh? Wh-what is this? Whoa!”
“Cough! Cough!”
I was no exception. The oppressive weight of the field that had been faintly pressing down on my entire body vanished in an instant. The User with the most dramatic reaction was Ahn Sol. Perhaps because she’d been the most affected by the field effect, she coughed a few times before her eyes widened and her mouth fell open.
“Wow. I was so exhausted a second ago, but now I feel like I’m bursting with energy.”
“Right? I feel like my head and body have gotten lighter, too.”
Freed from the oppressive pressure that had been tormenting them, their spirits lifted, and their mouths started running again. Hearing the praise from Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung, Baek Hangyul let out a sigh of relief.
Kim Hanbyul was carefully observing the jewel floating around Baek Hangyul’s hand. She nodded and reported to me.
“Oppa. It’s done.”
“Good work. What’s its status?”
“It’s definitely draining faster than in practice. I’ll have to watch it a little longer to know the duration.”
“Alright, I understand. Well then, we need to head down the canyon…”
The Rapids’ Edge Clan members looked like they had just scaled the wall directly. It wouldn’t be a problem for me or Ko Yeonju to get down, but our current situation was different. More importantly, the moment we entered the Canyon of Illusions, the triple-stacked field effect would be something we absolutely could not ignore.
As I was briefly wondering what to do, I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned my head to see Ko Yeonju repeatedly jabbing her finger at the empty air to our right.
“Soohyun. You’re not planning on going down this way, are you?”
“That would be difficult. One wrong step and we’d likely fall out of the Reflection field we worked so hard to set up. But what’s with the finger?”
“It looks like the first rescue team went this way. The tracks split off again.”
“Hmm. That’s true, but…”
Until now, I had been following the tracks of the Rapids’ Edge Clan members. There was a high probability that they had discovered the ruins within the Canyon of Illusions, so my calculation was that if we just followed their tracks, we would find the ruins without me having to search my memory for the path.
I hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to follow Ko Yeonju’s suggestion. In case the trail went on for a long time, I decided to memorize the terrain below the canyon.
“Then let’s head this way. We might find a path leading down as we walk.”
“A wise choice.”
As I turned in the direction Ko Yeonju had pointed, the clan members rearranged their formation accordingly. From now on, we had to march within the Reflection barrier, so we needed to adjust our speed with Kim Hanbyul and Baek Hangyul in mind.
“Alright, let’s move out.”
With the gaping canyon to our right, we began to march once more. The sunlight grew stronger, and the fog that had filled the canyon was slowly thinning. The thought that we would soon be able to enter the ruins made me slowly awaken the tension that lay dormant within me.
I was walking along, making my own preparations, when a thought occurred to me. The creature that had been hit by my rockslide, which I had briefly forgotten about thanks to the Jewel Amplification, suddenly raised a question in my mind.
But was there a monster that could move freely inside this canyon without being affected by the restrictions?
*
“I think it’s somewhere around here.”
“Yes. It should appear if we walk a little further. By the way, it’s really dizzying. I can’t believe we came down from here.”
Looking up, I could see the canyon walls standing dizzyingly high, just as Ko Yeonju had said. Fortunately, after we set off following the tracks, we had found a relatively gentle slope that wound its way down. However, “gentle” was only relative to a sheer cliff. In the end, a few of the ranged-class members decided to stick close to me and Ko Yeonju on the way down. The slope was steep enough that one wrong step could send you tumbling.
“Hmph…”
“…Tch.”
After descending into the canyon, Ahn Sol and Baek Hangyul were shooting daggers at each other. That was because the two of them had been the ones clinging to me (Kim Hanbyul had stuck by Ko Yeonju), and they had spent the entire descent bickering over who could hold onto me more.
They hadn’t argued out loud, but the parts they were holding onto were undeniably parts of my body. As such, I didn’t need to see it to know that a silent battle had been waged between their hands on my waist.
“By the way, you punk. You seem to be getting better at maintaining this. Before, you were so focused I couldn’t even talk to you, but now you’ve got some leeway, huh?”
“Ah, r-really?”
“Yeah. I heard you kept practicing during the expedition. Oppa told me. You’re working hard~.”
“Heh, hehe. Thank you.”
Glancing over, I saw Baek Hangyul give an embarrassed smile at the praise from Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung. The two of them burst out laughing, finding him cute. Just as a warm atmosphere began to fill the barrier, I felt a sudden, icy chill. The source of the chill was, of course, Ahn Sol. Her expression was horribly contorted.
I listened to their banter while diligently scanning the area ahead. As we advanced a little further, a few boulders lying haphazardly about twenty meters ahead came into view. They didn’t match the surrounding terrain, so I was certain they were the ones I had knocked loose.
“Found it.”
I muttered a single word and was about to quicken my pace, but I adjusted back to my original speed. At my words, the chattering clan members instantly fell silent. If they had heard my conversation with Ko Yeonju up top, they would have guessed that there was something under the rocks.
Rustle. Rustle.
To our left, a wide river flowed peacefully. And on the land bordering the river, two white forelegs were sticking out from under the rocks. Two legs in the front, and behind them, a single white, furry tail swaying limply. I stopped in front of the rocks and stared at it, feeling dazed.
White legs, a white tail… Don’t tell me?
“Hyung, what is that?”
“Heeey, its tail is wagging… I think it’s still alive…”
I swallowed hard and walked a little closer. The barrier moved with me, and soon the rocks were within the range of Reflection. I hurried forward and grabbed a boulder. A faint but steady vibration traveled up my hands. I immediately lifted the rock, tossed it aside, and confirmed the identity of the creature beneath.
Splash!
“Kkyu…”
“Oh my!”
“Gasp.”
“Huh?”
As the rock fell into the river, the creature pinned beneath was revealed. No, it couldn’t be called a monster.
It was about the size of a small foal. White fur covered its entire body, and a horn that emitted a soft glow protruded from its head. Its identity was none other than a unicorn. And not a fully grown adult, but a baby unicorn.
“Oh my goodness! No way. Isn’t this a unicorn?”
“It is. Ahn Sol! Get over here, quickly!”
Once the rock was gone, the unicorn weakly lifted its head. A surprising amount of blood stained the ground. It had been a glancing blow, so thankfully it wasn’t dead, but its body and legs were crushed to a gruesome degree. The creature looked up at me with teary eyes, then began to struggle, trying to crawl away on its forelegs.
“P-Poor thing…”
“Get three or four healing potions from your bag and start casting healing spells immediately. Once or twice won’t be enough, so keep chanting until I tell you to stop.”
“Kkyuuu…”
“That’s right. Don’t run away. Good. We won’t hurt you. We’ll heal you right now.”
That was a close call.
Feeling like I’d just dodged a bullet, I took the potions Ahn Sol handed me. When I picked up the unicorn that was crawling on the ground, it struggled weakly, trying to get away. It was probably scared of the humans it had never seen before, especially while in pain, and it let out a sorrowful cry as pearl-like tears dripped from its eyes.
After laying it down on a flat patch of ground, I quickly twisted the cap off a healing potion.
*
I was worried we might have been too late, but thankfully, our swift response was effective, and we were able to fully heal the unicorn. It cost us four high-grade healing potions, but I didn’t feel it was a waste at all.
“Kkyuu, kkyuu!”
“Ho ho. Look at this little one. It’s being so affectionate.”
“Aww, that tickles. Stop it…”
“Ahaha! Look at it rubbing its face on Ahn Sol. It’s so cute, so adorable.”
After the unicorn was fully healed, I decided we would take an extended break here. The ruins were less than an hour away anyway. We needed to replenish our stamina before going in, so I figured it was better to take a long rest here.
The unicorn, now full of life after its treatment, monopolized the affection of the female Users. It seemed to realize that we had healed it, as it approached us more actively, its initial fear gone.
Of course, that was limited to the female Users. Unicorns, by nature, have a strong tendency to follow women rather than men. There was even a hierarchy among them; I knew that they generally followed virgin women, then non-virgin women, and finally men. As an aside, it was safe to say there was almost no chance of a man befriending one.
Ahn Hyun, who had been rebuffed when he first tried to touch the unicorn, was now pouting with his lips jutting out.
“Hyung. I have a question.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Are you going to take that thing with us? You said it’s a unicorn. I don’t know the details, but just looking at it, it seems incredibly rare.”
“It is rare. I know its horn and blood, in particular, have many uses. But we can’t take it with us.”
“Why not?”
“In a way, a unicorn is a divine beast, you see. It’s one thing if it follows us on its own, but you can’t force a divine beast. Even if you did, they say retribution will come back to you in some form. Remember the Blue Mountain Range? You can think of this as something even worse than Banshee.”
Although I had done it by accident, there was a rule in the Hall Plain that killing a unicorn would result in a curse that was wider in scope and more powerful than Banshee’s. Banshee’s curse was that you would die ‘unconditionally’ within a month; if a stronger curse had befallen us, it would have been quite a headache.
“Heh, what a shame.”
“It might be different if it chose to follow us of its own will, or if we collected the corpse of one that died of natural causes. Anyway, letting it go is the best option. Still, divine beasts have a trait of repaying their debts, so if we let it go, it might repay us someday. So give up on the idea.”
Though honestly, it’s not like it owes us a debt.
Ahn Hyun’s question seemed to be resolved, as he nodded while casting lingering, regretful glances. Currently, Ahn Sol, Lee Yoojung, and Ko Yeonju were gathered around the unicorn, while Kim Hanbyul and Baek Hangyul watched from a short distance, maintaining the barrier. However, seeing that the unicorn didn’t reject Baek Hangyul’s occasional attempts to pet it, it seemed the saying that unicorns prefer women over men was true…
Huh?
It was around then that I started to feel confused about Baek Hangyul’s true gender identity.
“Oh, Uni! Where are you going~?”
“Kkyu kkyu~.”
At Ahn Sol’s call, the unicorn turned its head in response, then began to toddle over in my direction. Ahn Hyun, who had been watching with eyes full of envy, started to get excited as he saw the unicorn approaching.
“Ooh! It’s coming, it’s coming! Hyung! It’s coming to us!”
“That’s strange…”
“What’s so strange? Hehe. I can finally touch it.”
“N-No.”
The unicorn approached where Ahn Hyun and I were and stopped at my feet. It then looked up at me with sparkling eyes. I met its gaze without looking away, but I didn’t dare reach out my hand. I knew that they hated being touched carelessly by men.
It was then. As I was wondering if I should just keep staring, the baby unicorn smiled brightly and cried out in a pleasant tone.
“Kkyuu~.”
Then it pressed its head against my leg, where I was sitting on a rock, and began to gently rub its face.
Nuzzle, nuzzle.
“Oh my! Oh my gosh! Look at it rubbing its face on Oppa’s leg. It’s so cute~.”
“Oh? That’s unexpected. I thought unicorns rarely follow men… huh?”
Ko Yeonju stopped mid-sentence and turned her head toward Baek Hangyul. Seeing her tilt her head in confusion, it was clear she was harboring the same question as me.
Is it doing this because I took the lead in healing it?
I never expected it to show me affection, so I was a little flustered. I was just sitting there, watching it rub its face against my leg, when Ahn Hyun, who had been watching from the side, grew jealous. He let out a sinister laugh and reached out with both hands.
“Hehe. You little rascal! Let me hold you too.”
“Kkyu kkyu?!”
“Oh. It’s as soft as I thought… Ack!”
“Kkyu! Kkyu kkyu!”
As Ahn Hyun tried to lift it and roughly pull it into his arms, the baby unicorn quickly swung its tail. A sharp smack echoed from Ahn Hyun’s cheek, followed by a faint scream. Caught off guard by the baby unicorn’s sudden attack, Ahn Hyun dropped it and clutched his cheek, which now bore a red mark, as he yelled loudly.
The unicorn scurried away and quickly hid between my legs.
“Y-You little brat!”
“Kkyu kkyu!”
“Ahaha! That’s hilarious! It hit him and then hid between Oppa’s legs!”
“This is really strange… Why does it follow Baek Hangyul and Soohyun, but not him…”
Ahn Hyun angrily tried to go around and catch it, but each time, the unicorn ran in circles around the rock to escape. A chase ensued for a while, but the unicorn proved to be surprisingly nimble.
I sighed, got off the rock, and scooped up the unicorn as it ran in front of me. It looked back at me with a startled expression, but unlike before, it let out a happy cry and snuggled into my arms.
“Pant, pant! What the hell! Why is it okay with you but not me!”
“Kkyu kkyu!”
At Ahn Hyun’s roar, the unicorn lifted its head once, then rubbed its face against my chest again. The female clan members, wanting to hold the unicorn one more time, all started to creep closer, their eyes fixed on my arms. But the creature in my arms didn’t even glance at anyone else. It was content to be held by me, wriggling its four legs with happy cries.
Kim Hanbyul, seeing that we had gathered, slightly reduced the range of the barrier, which she had expanded for our break. Then, with a face full of questions, she looked at the unicorn and spoke.
“But this is strange. How could a unicorn be here?”
“A unicorn’s blood has strong magic resistance. It’s to the point where magic that’s harmful to it can barely touch it.”
After briefly answering Kim Hanbyul’s question, I lifted the creature up.
“But you, why were you here?”
“Kkyu kkyu?”
“Did you come alone? Where are your father and mother unicorns?”
“Kkyu. Kkyu kkyu, kkyu kkyu kkyu. Kkyu, kkyu kkyu, kkyu kkyu kkyu kkyu kkyu.”
I had no idea what it was saying. Though it seemed like it might understand me… I sighed and gently patted it.
We couldn’t stay here playing forever. We had rested enough, and the jewels weren’t infinite. And as I said before, a unicorn was an animal that couldn’t be taken by force. It was nice to see a rare divine beast, but it was a pie in the sky I couldn’t have. Fortunately, perhaps because it was still young, it didn’t seem to realize that I was the one who had hurt it. In that case, the right thing to do was to let it go here and for us to go our separate ways.
“Everyone, listen up. We’ll be departing again in ten minutes.”
“Oppa, can’t we take it with us?”
“No. We’re letting the unicorn go. Taking it against its will would cause big trouble.”
“Orabeoni~.”
Ignoring the whining of Lee Yoojung and Ahn Sol, I gently stroked the creature’s back again.
“Little one. Listen carefully. If you want to follow us, you’re welcome to. But if you just came out to play for a bit, or if there are other unicorns around, you should go back. They’re probably very worried about you by now.”
“Kkyu?”
The baby unicorn tilted its head at my words, then nodded up and down. After confirming its response, I calmly set it down on the ground. The baby unicorn then slowly turned and began to walk in the direction we had come from.
“O-Oppa. Are you really going to let it go like this? Are you really not taking it?”
“Ahem. Lee Yoojung, calm down. This great one shall explain the reason. Listen up. A unicorn is a divine beast. We have no choice but to let it go.”
…He’s putting it in very broad terms.
Ahn Hyun, wanting to show off what he had heard from me, started explaining with spittle flying to the disappointed clan members. However, almost no one was listening to him. Their gazes were fixed solely on the unicorn walking away, its tail swaying.
“Bye, Uni~! Let’s meet again~.”
Unable to overcome her disappointment, Ahn Sol waved her hand, her voice filled with regret. Uni. Just as I was thinking what a terrible naming sense she had…
The baby unicorn, which had been trotting away, glanced back once, then lifted its front right hoof and cried, “Kkyu.” The female clan members swooned once again at the sight.
Soon after the unicorn disappeared beyond the canyon, the clan members began to voice their regrets one by one.
“Ah, I really don’t understand the Hall Plain. I’ve only ever seen a tamed unicorn once. I never thought I’d see one here. What a shame.”
“……”
“Soohyun? Soohyun! Why are you spacing out like that?”
“Huh? Ah, it’s nothing.”
When Ko Yeonju poked me in the side with a gentle smile, I shook my head and replied. After seeing the unicorn’s action just now, I too had been unable to tear my eyes away from the direction it had disappeared. The unicorn had definitely lifted its front right hoof before leaving. I had read a record written by a User who tamed a unicorn in the first playthrough. According to that record, the baby unicorn’s gesture just now had a clear meaning.
What was it again? ‘See you again’… was that it? No… there was another meaning…
At the time, I had thought that an animal like a unicorn had no connection to me, so I hadn’t read it very carefully. I furrowed my brow for a while, trying to remember the exact details, but it was all vague; I couldn’t recall anything more. I finally gave up trying to remember and let out a long sigh.
Well, I guess I’ll find out if I wait long enough.
In any case, thanks to the unexpected appearance of the unicorn, we were able to rest in a rather pleasant atmosphere. Everyone should have recovered a good amount of stamina during the break, so it was time to get back to business.