Chapter 35: To the Hall Plain!
Chapter 35: To the Hall Plain!
Broadly speaking, the Hall Plain could be divided into four major continents. The currently pioneered regions were the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Continents, each under the jurisdiction of Users and Residents (the original Residents of the Hall Plain).
However, the reality of the Hall Plain was that the unexplored territories far outnumbered the developed ones. If one were to travel for even a single day through the uncharted lands surrounding them, no one but the traveler themselves would know what dangers lurked there.
Ultimately, the only way to resolve the anxiety of these unexplored regions was to form an expedition and conquer them. Even if passages were created to connect the continents and cities, being hemmed in by uncharted territory on all sides meant they would always live in a state of unease.
Ahn Hyun’s party had been assigned the Northern Continent as their starting point in the Hall Plain. Users who proved their qualifications in the Rite of Passage were first summoned to a place called the Inn of Beginnings in one of the major cities on their assigned continent. There were five Inns of Beginnings in total, which meant five separate Rite of Passage spaces had been tested simultaneously.
Thanks to the angels' consideration, Ahn Hyun's group was the first to arrive. Following their instructions, they had woken up in the inn and made their way down to the first floor. They sat in the chairs around a nearby table and waited for the other Users.
There was nothing particularly remarkable about the inn. It seemed designed simply as a place to sleep and wait. It had doors and windows leading outside, but after looking through one of the windows, Ahn Hyun gave up on leaving. The world beyond was completely washed in blue. A bluish barrier enclosed the inn in a dome, making it impossible to see even a short distance ahead. It almost felt as though the inside and outside of the inn had been separated into different spaces.
A quiet silence filled the inn, as if no one else had arrived yet. Ahn Hyun paced near the window for a moment before carefully sitting down. His eyes fell on familiar faces: Ahn Sol, Lee Yoojung, Kim Hanbyul… He hadn't exchanged a single word with them since they met. No, he couldn't.
A quick glance at his sister revealed she was in a terrible state, trembling so hard her teeth were chattering. Ahn Hyun knew she was tormented by guilt. He, too, felt his own body tremble with an inexplicable anxiety that filled him from within. The source of that anxiety was the fact that Kim Soohyun was no longer with them. It meant that man could no longer be their shield, that the pillar they had leaned on was gone.
Suddenly, Soohyun-hyung’s face rose in his mind. His calm air, composed manner, and quiet voice had somehow filled them with confidence whenever they saw or heard him. They had known him for less than a week, yet in that short time he had lodged himself deep in the hearts of the entire group.
Run! You idiots! Get to the Warp Gate!
Soohyun-hyung, lying crushed after being struck by the monster’s tail, had smiled and waved toward them. Only now did Ahn Hyun fully realize how insignificant he was. He had been able to step forward only because Soohyun-hyung had always stood solidly behind him. And without realizing it, Ahn Hyun himself had relied far too heavily on him.
Every time he remembered that Soohyun had sacrificed himself to save his sister, Ahn Hyun couldn't bring himself to look at Lee Yoojung and Kim Hanbyul. But he mustered his courage and lifted his somber face. He wanted to see how the others were doing.
Yoojung had practically collapsed over the table. She had folded forward the moment she came downstairs and had not risen since. The occasional faint trembling of her shoulders made it clear she was not asleep. She likely just did not want the others to see her weakness.
Ahn Sol went without saying. She was no longer wailing as she had before, but tears still clung beneath her delicate brows as she stared only at the floor. Apparently, she had more tears left to shed. Even the angel had needed to coax her gently while completing her basic settings. Only Kim Hanbyul maintained her original cold expression. Ahn Hyun could not tell what she was thinking, but a faint chill seemed to hang around her.
A heavy silence flowed through the inn, with no one daring to speak. Only the occasional, anonymous sob broke the stillness. But as time passed, the inn gradually grew noisier.
To be precise, the sound of multiple people talking at once could be heard from the second floor. They heard the doors of the rooms they had just left opening, and the voices of strangers. Ahn Hyun knew instinctively that these were the other survivors from the Rite of Passage. And in that instant, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Soohyun-hyung might be here. He might have escaped. If so…
Ahn Hyun shot to his feet. The sudden movement drew everyone’s attention. Yoojung slowly raised her swollen eyes and looked up at him. Ahn Hyun spoke in an excited voice.
“Soohyun-hyung might be here. He might have made it.”
“…What are you talking about?”
When Yoojung asked in a hoarse voice, Ahn Hyun immediately pointed toward the stairs leading to the second floor. At the top was the door through which the survivors emerged.
“We can't be the only ones who survived. The other survivors must be getting transported here too. Maybe Soohyun-hyung is among them…”
The instant she heard Ahn Hyun, Yoojung sprang up and ran toward the stairs. Ahn Sol apparently thought it might be possible as well; she lifted her bowed head, rose, and followed Yoojung. Only Kim Hanbyul remained behind with a reluctant expression, as though she had never allowed herself to hope in the first place.
Humans were truly sad creatures. Self-rationalization had begun once more. They had all clearly seen Kim Soohyun fall before that monstrous beast. They all remembered shedding tears as they watched his final farewell. But now, the thought of "what if" dominated their minds.
“If it’s Soohyun-hyung, he must have escaped somehow. Right? He has to be alive.”
“O-of course. Soohyun-oppa is exactly the kind of person who would survive somewhere just to prove us wrong. He’ll throw the door open and come down, just like he did in that city. Of course. He will.”
Ahn Hyun and Yoojung looked at each other and nodded, their voices trembling. Just as they reached the stairs and were about to go up, the latch clicked. Their bodies froze as if by magic, and every gaze turned upward. Heart-pounding tension seemed to fill them.
At last, the door opened and several people appeared… but unfortunately, none of them was Kim Soohyun. They were people Ahn Hyun’s group had met before, however. Four descended in total, and the man leading them showed a flicker of recognition when he saw Ahn Hyun’s party below.
“Oh. You were here first. Anyway, it's good to see you alive.”
“Huh? Woo Jungmin, who the hell are they…? Ah, those brats from before? Weren't they all dead? Didn't they say they were going to the Warp Gate?”
“…Cheon Seunghyeon. Be quiet.”
Woo Jungmin, Cheon Seunghyeon, and Seon Yuun descended into the first-floor lobby while exchanging words. Won Hyesoo, the woman who had lost her younger sister, followed silently. The grief covering her face made what had happened afterward easy to infer.
Ahn Hyun’s group had no attention to spare for any of that. What mattered most was seeing with their own eyes whether Soohyun was alive. Disappointment quickly settled over their faces the moment Woo Jungmin’s group appeared. Sensing the strange atmosphere, Seon Yuun led Won Hyesoo to a chair by one of the tables. Only Cheon Seunghyeon continued grumbling with a dissatisfied expression.
“Tch. No need to look so openly depressed. We're all in the same boat, you're making this really awkward. Fine. Hey. Sorry about throwing that dagger back then.”
“…Yeah.”
“I said I'm really sorry. I've reflected a lot since then.”
“…It doesn't matter.”
“Oh, really? I see. That's a relief, then. Haha… ha…”
Yoojung’s reply made Cheon Seunghyeon look even more uncomfortable. He tilted his head as though thinking that this was not like her at all. Woo Jungmin also sensed the strange atmosphere, calmly surveyed the room, and spoke.
“Come to think of it, one of you is missing. Where is the young man who was holding the crossbow?”
The group responded to Woo Jungmin's question with silence. Woo Jungmin, being quick-witted, seemed to piece together the general situation. Not being here meant he had died during the Rite of Passage.
“Don't tell me… he was killed? I told you not to go to the Warp Gate, but it seems you didn't listen. Then how did you all…”
“He's not dead!”
“He's not dead!”
Before Jungmin could finish, Yoojung and Ahn Sol shouted at the top of their lungs. Seeing Yoojung react that way, Cheon Seunghyeon nodded as though something had been confirmed. Jungmin looked awkward for a moment, then calmly turned toward Ahn Hyun.
“Did you encounter that monster? The one that looked like an alien.”
Ahn Hyun answered only with a slight nod, then turned away again as though unwilling to say more. Woo Jungmin could understand how he felt, so he gave a bitter smile and quietly joined Seon Yuun and Won Hyesoo at their table. Cheon Seunghyeon followed, dropped into a nearby chair, and stretched with all his might.
“Ughhh. After being on that cold stone floor, sitting in a chair feels like heaven. So, did those guys meet that monster too?”
“Seunghyeon. Keep your voice down. Their situation is similar to what happened when we lost Jintae.”
“Then he’s definitely dead. What a shame. Now that I’ve got these new settings, I wanted to give him a good one the next time we met. Anyway, Hyesoo…”
Cheon Seunghyeon was about to continue when Seon Yuun’s sharp look made him shut his mouth. Won Hyesoo seemed to have heard her name, however. She briefly raised her head and spoke in a weary voice.
“Whether he's dead or not has nothing to do with me. Honestly, it's a bit of a shame. I wanted him to experience the same pain I did. But it looks like he became the victim himself, huh?”
Just as Lee Yoojung was about to explode at her callous words, Jungmin fixed her with a cold stare and rebuked her in a heavy voice.
“Don't you dare speak of someone like that.”
“I said it has nothing to do with me. Did I say something wrong?”
“Then why would you wish for that young man to experience the pain you did? We lost Jintae, and you lost your sister. If you know the feeling of losing someone precious, shouldn't you at least offer comfort instead of being so damn disrespectful?”
“That's…”
As Won Hyesoo hesitated, Jungmin snorted and continued.
“If you have nothing to say, keep your mouth shut. I’ll say it again: that young man’s death has nothing to do with Hyeyeon’s.”
“Jungmin. Hyesoo. Both of you, stop.”
Jungmin and Hyesoo glared at each other. Hyesoo in particular bit down on her lip as though something had deeply wronged her. The atmosphere turned frigid in an instant, and although Seon Yuun hurried to intervene, neither of them looked away.
Except for Yoojung, Ahn Hyun’s group had no interest in whatever the others were arguing about. They continued staring longingly toward the top of the stairs. After some time, the second floor grew even noisier, apparently because the survivors were finally beginning to arrive in earnest.
A complex mix of voices could be heard—voices of joy, voices of sorrow, voices of chatter. And then, the other survivors, in groups, began to open the second-floor door and descend one by one. The door opened, and two figures stepped out.
The next person to appear was also someone Ahn Hyun's group knew.
It was Park Donggeol.
*
The sensation of mana spreading through every corner of my body was indescribably refreshing. Thanks to Eternal Flame, even the minute energy channels at the tips of my fingers and toes had opened, making the pleasure even more intense. As I calmly observed my inner self, I confirmed that both the quantity and quality of my mana had risen further. And that was not all.
All the impurities and blockages in my body had been cleared, and my body itself had transformed into one suitable for generating magic power. This meant that even if I swung my sword with the same power as another User with the same stats, I would have a much higher chance of gaining the upper hand.
Fully wielding Eternal Flame was still a distant goal, however. My Stamina score of 70 was an enormous obstacle. Seraph had said that 90 Stamina was the minimum needed to draw on Eternal Flame properly, while using it in full required at least 101. To be honest, that had stunned me. The difference between 99 and 100 was vast, and the gap between 100 and 101 was just as extraordinary.
With my current 70 points, there was a high probability that my body wouldn't be able to withstand it if I went all out. I calculated all the points I could definitively earn in the early stages, and the total came out to 14 points.
Two points from the boss monster, two from the Stamina-Boosting Elixir, six from Angel’s Tear, and four from the mission reward for graduating from the initial User Academy. I knew every point I had earned and would earn needed to go into Stamina, but part of me still grew greedy.
In the Hall Plain, an average stat of 60 was enough to be considered competent on any continent. As such, a User's value increased as their stats climbed to 70, 80, and 90. In particular, once a stat surpassed 90 points, each additional point became even more precious.
That only made the temptation stronger. My current stats were:
[Strength 94] [Durability 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 70] [Magic Power 96] [Luck 88]
First, I had to set aside the 2 points for Stamina. That left 12 points.
If I invested 4 points into Strength, 3 into Agility, and 5 into Magic Power, I could raise two stats to 101 points and have 98 points in Strength. It was the kind of thought that would probably make Seraph foam at the mouth if she knew what I was thinking.
Stamina serves as the pillar for all other stats. If the pillar isn't sturdy, no matter how high the other stats are, it would be difficult to draw out their full efficiency. Logically, I knew I shouldn't do it, but a part of me kept thinking, "But still…"
For now, I decided to clear my head. My plan was to enter the Hall Plain, enroll in the User Academy, and spend the next three months training my Stamina like a madman. There was a high chance I wouldn't even gain a single point, but I wanted to grasp at straws. If I steadily raised my Stamina now, I could save that many stat points later.
After carefully gathering the mana spread throughout my body, I quietly opened my eyes. I did not know exactly how much time had passed, but it had certainly been more than a day. When I looked around, the portal to the Hall Plain was already open. Feeling foolish, I addressed Seraph, who was watching me in silence.
“Has the transfer already begun?”
“Yes. Most have already completed their transfer. Only User Kim Soohyun remains.”
“You should have told me.”
“It looked as though you had fallen into deep thought rather than meditation, so I could not wake you carelessly. There is no need to worry. We still have time.”
The kids must be worried. I had wanted to enter early, talk with them, and clear up any misunderstandings, so this was irritating. Even so, I obediently rose and walked toward the portal leading into the Hall Plain.
I didn't say a separate farewell to Seraph. We would be seeing a lot of each other in the future, so there was no need. But it seemed she thought differently. Her words caught me by the scruff of the neck just as I was about to enter.
“User Kim Soohyun.”
“What.”
I answered without turning back. One of my feet was already over the portal's threshold.
“Please take care of yourself. If I need to call you, I will send a revelation through the Temple.”
I simply gave a nonchalant nod and threw myself into the shimmering blue portal.