Chapter 274: A Special Event on the Return Journey
Chapter 274: A Special Event on the Return Journey
The ancient artifacts from the 2nd and 3rd floors were absolutely spectacular. However, our other achievements were by no means negligible. While the unicorn's horn and corpse were set aside for now, just the Ordo of Order and the Tears of the Elf Queen were items of immense value. They were so precious that the luxurious ornaments Kim Hanbyul had scraped together from the 1st floor seemed trivial in comparison.
I was dying to examine each and every item right then and there. But I, along with the rest of the clan, needed to return to Monica as quickly as possible. I’d been enduring it, but the strain on my body from using Eternal Flame still lingered. Prioritizing our return to the city was the right decision, if only to satisfy my body's cry for rest.
After sharing a kiss with Kim Hanbyul on the 1st-floor stairs, we immediately moved to the center of the hall. Just as Ahn Sol had said, the number of conscious Users had increased to four. We handed over the equipment that originally belonged to the rescued Users. With the help of those who were awake, we identified the gear of the still-unconscious Users and dressed them ourselves.
Perhaps because they were decent people, they expressed considerable gratitude for my decision to return their equipment without any conditions. Furthermore, when I told the first man who woke up to also take the equipment used by the woman named Mi-hee as a memento, he looked like he was on the verge of tears and bowed repeatedly. Maybe that was why they showed no complaints, even when we packed up the significant amount of remaining gear for ourselves.
Two of the awakened Users were so drained of stamina that they needed to be supported. The clan members with spare capacity decided to carry those who hadn't yet regained consciousness on their backs. After organizing our formation and, as a final act, prying the jewel from the mage statue standing in the passage we’d seen on our way in, we were finally able to leave the castle.
The expedition wasn't over yet. The final button still needed to be fastened: a safe return to Monica. And…
*
Gurgle. Gurgle.
“Wow, wow! Orabeoni! Look at that!”
“Hm?”
“The river that was frozen in place is flowing again…!”
“Ah, you're right.”
Ahn Sol was right. The river, which had been still when we first arrived, was now flowing smoothly, making a clear, gentle sound as if it had never stopped. As I was watching it without much thought, I heard a quiet voice call me from behind. I turned to see Kim Hanbyul supporting a female User.
“Um… Oppa. There's something I'm curious about.”
“Oh? What is it, Hanbyul?”
“I've been counting since we came down the stairs. Hasn't it been about 30 or 40 minutes since we came down?”
“That sounds about right.”
“But I don't see the entrance you made earlier… and the barrier is also….”
Kim Hanbyul glanced at Baek Hangyul before fixing her gaze back on me. I immediately realized what she was worried about. Shifting my grip on the unicorn's corpse, I answered in a reassuring tone.
“Ah. We probably won't need the barrier in the Canyon of Illusions anymore. Seeing the river flow again, it looks like the seal has already been broken.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Since the stopped river is flowing again, it's safe to assume so. The boundary itself has probably been dispelled, too. That's why the entrance isn't appearing.”
“Ah… I see. So, are you planning to just head straight up?”
At Kim Hanbyul's question, I looked down at the unicorn in my arms. This was something I needed to think about. If we walked from here, we could reach the top of the canyon in about 50 minutes. Honestly, I thought they would have found us on their own during the 40 minutes we'd been walking, but they hadn't shown hide nor hair.
Should I take the unicorn's corpse with me, or should I return it to the baby unicorn? My original plan was the latter. But no matter how high the possibility, it was still just a guess. I couldn't just wait around forever for a unicorn that might not even show up based on a single assumption.
Hearing my conversation with Kim Hanbyul, the slight commotion that had started by the river quickly died down. I could feel the gazes of the injured, who wanted to return to the city as soon as possible, but I paid them no mind. I'd already given them their equipment; if they had a problem with my decision, they were free to head back on their own.
“Hmm….”
I mulled it over as I walked and finally came to a decision. If I played my cards right, this could be an opportunity to form a bond with the unicorns. I tapped the unicorn's belly a few times with my finger, then spoke in a low but firm voice.
“We will not be heading up immediately.”
“……”
“The Mercenary Clan members will have seen the baby unicorn once before we entered the city. We will first move to that location and wait there for about 30 minutes. If the unicorns looking for the body do not appear after 30 minutes, we will depart for the city immediately.”
Experienced Users would know this well. The distance from here to Monica was a minimum of 10 days. Moreover, since we were escorting the injured, it might take even longer. In that situation, departing just 30 minutes later wouldn't make much of a difference in the long run. It was six of one, half a dozen of the other.
To signal that they could speak up if they had any objections, I stopped walking and turned around. As expected, a dark shadow fell over a few of their faces. But it was only for a moment. Not just my clan members, but the other Users as well, gave a slight nod, indicating their agreement.
After confirming their reactions, I tried to soften my voice and spoke again.
“The spot should be visible after about a 20 or 30-minute walk. Let's head that way.”
After speaking with an air of finality, I turned forward again. I resumed the march, retracing in my mind the spot where I had met the baby unicorn, the place where I had dropped the rock.
*
As expected, after walking straight for about 20 minutes, we reached the place where we had met the unicorn. I had thrown the rock that pinned the baby unicorn into the water, but the other rocks remained.
I ordered a 30-minute rest here. The awakened Users might have been conscious, but their bodies were far from fully recovered. Thanks to that, Ahn Sol became incredibly busy, but she chanted her spells and healed them diligently without a single sign of complaint.
I also placed the unicorn's corpse in a clearly visible spot and sat on a nearby rock to rest my body. We had to march for at least 10 days. In the past, this would have been nothing more than a post-meal workout, but now, it was enough of a burden that I could feel my own limits. I just didn't show it, for the sake of my position as Clan Lord.
“Mercenary Lord-nim.”
“Hoo…?”
Just as I was thinking how delicious a cigarette tastes during a break, a deep male voice reached my ears. I turned my head to the side and saw the male User who had been the first to awaken in the castle looking at me. He wore a gentle smile, but his face was tinged with an overall sadness.
As I watched him silently, the man bowed his head deeply and extended his hand to me.
“I wasn't in my right mind earlier, so I couldn't greet you properly. My name is Shin Jaeryong, a Year 4 User. Thank you again for saving me.”
“Don't mention it. It was all part of a commission. Anyway, I'm Kim Soohyun, a Year 0 User.”
Player Status.
Player Status
1. Name: Shin Jaeryong (Year 4 User)
2. Class: Priest (Normal, Priest, Expert)
3. Nation: Barbara
4. Clan: Rapids’ Edge Clan (Rank: C Plus)
5. True Name · Nationality: Indomitable Effort, Unbending Will · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (42)
7. Height · Weight: 176.2cm · 73.8kg
8. Alignment: Good · Passion
[Strength 78] [Durability 82] [Agility 74] [Stamina 90] [Magic Power 84] [Luck 68]
Stat Comparison
1. Kim Soohyun: 544 / 600
(12 stat points remaining.)
[Strength 96(+2)] [Durability 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 72] [Magic Power 96] [Luck 90(+2)]
2. Shin Jaeryong: 486 / 600
(No stat points remaining.)
[Strength 78] [Durability 82] [Agility 74] [Stamina 90] [Magic Power 84] [Luck 68]
I shook Shin Jaeryong's hand while examining his Player Status. I was surprised once by his age, and then again by his class. No, perhaps 'intrigued' would be a more accurate word than 'surprised'.
His stats were decent, but what I couldn't understand was his choice of the Priest class. Of course, his Magic Power was at a respectable level, and class selection was a matter of personal freedom, but… if he had chosen a melee class, he would probably be quite famous by now.
At least if he were a Combat Priest (Monk), but….
“So you really are a Year 0 User. To think a Year 0 User would create a clan and have the famous Shadow Queen as a member. I was truly astonished.”
“Oh, you knew?”
“Yes. The cute little lady who healed us told me. She was a bit all over the place, but I found her words quite comforting. Hahaha.”
“Haha…. I see.”
I wanted to grab Ahn Sol by the collar right then and there and shake her, demanding to know what on earth she'd said, but I managed to suppress the urge by taking a deep breath. Soon after, Shin Jaeryong politely asked if he could sit next to me and talk for a while. I gave him a nod of assent.
The ensuing conversation with Shin Jaeryong was quite pleasant. I tend to have a favorable view of people who know their place. If he had asked for the rest of the equipment back or insisted that we return immediately, I would have been quite displeased. But he didn't bring up anything of the sort.
The conversation mainly consisted of his gratitude for the rescue and a brief explanation of what happened from the time his clan, the Rapids’ Edge Clan, set out on their expedition until their capture. During our talk, I also heard about the woman named Mi-hee. He said she was a female User he had met after entering the Hall Plain, and they had fallen for each other and started a family. His attitude of swallowing his grief and trying to make sound judgments despite losing someone so precious seemed quite admirable.
“So, of the seven, three were from the Rapids’ Edge Clan and four were from the first rescue team… The blow to your clan must be quite severe.”
“It's not just a big blow; we're practically disbanded. We're a small clan with fewer than twenty members in total. Still, we've scraped by with the pride of knowing we've worked hard until now… But in a single expedition, I lost my friends, my love. It feels like one wrong choice made everything I've built over four years come crashing down. I'm trying to take solace in the fact that I survived, unlike my other comrades, but….”
Shin Jaeryong took a drag from the cigarette I'd given him and smiled bitterly. No one knew what the future held, but his stats were still useful. As long as he had the will to start over, he wouldn't starve, no matter where he went.
“Still, since you're under the Istantel Low Clan, I doubt they'll just stand by and watch. The situation might not be as bad as you think. Their welfare for Users is good enough to be compared to Barbara's.”
“I'm just grateful to hear you say that. But it'll probably be tough for a while. I'm not a strong person by nature, so it'll take time to bury what happened today. Haha. Ha….”
Leaving Shin Jaeryong to his sigh, I looked up at the sky. We had been talking about this and that, and 30 minutes had already flown by. And the unicorns hadn't appeared. I felt a little disappointed, but I figured it was best to get going.
“For now, returning to the city is the priority. I think it's best we depart now.”
“Oh, but you said you were waiting for the unicorns….”
Shin Jaeryong's voice followed as I got up from my seat. I shook my head and stretched lightly.
“The 30 minutes I mentioned earlier have passed.”
“Ah. If it's because of us, it's fine. We don't mind waiting longer. Of course, we want to return to the city, but resting here and recovering our stamina isn't a bad idea either. If you're doing this on our account, I'm acquainted with the members of the first rescue team. I'm confident I can make them understand.”
Shin Jaeryong stood up to follow me, his voice full of apology. He certainly had a point, but the faces I'd seen earlier were clearly eager to return to the city. And it wasn't just because of that; if the unicorns, with their strong sense of kinship, hadn't appeared in over an hour, they had likely already left the canyon. In other words, waiting any longer would probably be a waste of time.
Seeing the two of us who had been talking for a while stand up, the eyes of the clan members and other Users gathered on us. Looking at them, I decided to end the break.
“In five minutes….”
Patter, patter.
It was then. Just as I was about to finish my sentence with “…we will depart,” I felt a presence brush against the edge of my Sensing range. A flicker of hope on my face, I looked in that direction. Seeing me stop mid-sentence and stare to my right, the others followed my gaze. And in that moment…
“Kkyu….”
The sound of a four-legged animal treading on the ground. And though it was faint, a familiar cry clearly reached my ears.