Chapter 434: Rage.
Chapter 434: Rage.
It started small.
A clan from a western city set out to explore the uncharted western territories and never returned. There could have been many reasons. They might have lost their lives fighting monsters, been attacked by Vagabonds, or fallen into a trap.
In any case, it was a minor incident. While it may have been a life-or-death matter for the individuals involved, it was not an uncommon occurrence in the world of the Hall Plain.
However.
As time passed, this trivial incident began to grow in scale.
Convinced their members were missing, the affected clan requested help from the city's representative clan. Accepting their request, the representative clan formed a primary rescue team and dispatched them to the uncharted region.
But they didn't return either.
The representative clan then increased the scale, forming a second rescue team and sending them out again. But they too, after entering the mountain range, lost contact at a certain point. Naturally, they also failed to return.
At this point, the representative clan finally recognized the gravity of the situation. One by one, Users began to pay attention to this not-so-trivial incident.
No. It was no longer a trivial incident. This wasn't some ordinary caravan; rescue teams formed by a proper clan had all vanished without a trace.
Ultimately, the representative clan judged that they could not resolve the matter on their own and decided to publicize the incident throughout the Northern Continent. Their goal was to attract the attention of Users and encourage them to offer their help voluntarily.
The response from the Users was fervent. For nearly two years, the Users of the Northern Continent hadn't seen so much as a hint of a ruin. This was because a certain clan based in the southern city of Monica had excavated and swept up every last remaining ruin. As such, the emergence of an uncharted area shrouded in a mysterious aura after so long was more than enough to pique their interest.
A ruin-hunting craze, the first in a long time, swept through the Northern Continent. Users who had studied ancient languages were suddenly in high demand. Although the attention was fleeting, they frantically searched for and investigated any records related to the region where the incident occurred.
Before long, a record detailing a myth tied to the area was discovered. It was a text that chronicled a legend from a distant, ancient era of the Hall Plain—a literal myth.
The Great War.
It told of the dragons who once ruled the entire continent and the Residents who revered and served them. And of the Residents who rebelled against the dragons' rule, sparking a war for independence.
The region in question was the domain where the dragons and the Residents fought their final battle, the place where the Dragon of the End, Magna Carta, met his demise.
The Residents, who later seized control of the world, came to call that place the "Sleeping Dragon Mountains."
The discovery of a record containing such a plausible myth excited the Users even more. Based on the contents of the text, they began to think of it not just as a 'suspicious area' but as a 'region with a high probability of containing a ruin.' Consequently, all eyes turned to the "Sleeping Dragon Mountains."
Users who valued their lives remained silent, but those who dreamed of striking it rich quickly organized expedition teams and caravans. They hastily set off on their explorations, each racing to be the first to unearth the ruin.
More cautious Users watched the situation unfold. They quietly investigated and gathered data on the region, biding their time and building their strength. And the moment they felt confident it was possible, they too departed on their own expeditions.
Time passed. And a grim reality that no one had anticipated arrived.
A survival rate of 10.2%.
This was the statistic representing the Users who had challenged the "Sleeping Dragon Mountains" and returned alive. In other words, 89.8% of the Users who had set out on the expedition had not come back.
Even that 10.2% was composed of Users who had gone merely to gather information about the entrance to the mountain range, not to explore the ruin itself. This meant the survival rate for Users who ventured deep inside was 0%.
Despite the announcement of this abysmal survival rate, the Users' interest in the "Sleeping Dragon Mountains" showed no signs of waning. Although the days of recklessly embarking on expeditions were over, the flow of people heading to the mountains never ceased, driven by those who could not abandon their dreams of a windfall.
And now, several months after the craze began.
The "Sleeping Dragon Mountains" remained, to this day, unconquered.
*
“I can't believe even the Mercenary Clan failed. The Sleeping Dragon Mountains must be really tough.”
“I don't know. Isn't it too early to say the Mercenary Clan failed? I heard they took a request from some ragtag caravan, right? They went for protection, not to explore.”
Sujeong, who was just coming down the stairs, stopped in her tracks without realizing it. Glancing down, she saw a man and a woman sitting at a table by the window, chatting quietly. Sujeong silently enhanced her hearing.
“You think so? Almost half the reports coming out these days are about the Mercenary Clan. Failed commissions, the Aura Spearman going missing, and so on. Most of it is negative.”
“That's just because they're a successful clan. Honestly, a lot of Users have looked down on them ever since they swept up all those ruins, right? They're just jealous. And now they've found something to latch onto.”
“Hehe. To be honest, I feel that way too. They should share the good stuff, but it made me sick to my stomach seeing them share it only among themselves and their allied clans.”
“See? I knew it. And why should they have to share? It's their own ability, so there's nothing to criticize. Anyway, people in our country just can't stand to see others succeed.”
As the woman chided him with a sharp tone, the man just laughed and scratched his head awkwardly. The two continued to talk for a while before linking arms like an affectionate couple and heading for the door.
Jingle.
The sound of the door opening finally jolted Sujeong's frozen mind back to reality. The table by the window where the couple had been sitting was now starkly empty.
“Haah...”
Sujeong let out a long sigh. She forced her leaden feet to move, making her way down the stairs. Just then.
Jingle, jingle!
“Oh. Unni? Sujeong-unni!”
The door opened noisily again, and a familiar voice struck Sujeong's ears.
Puzzled, Sujeong turned toward the door. The moment she saw the concerned eyes looking at her, a faint spark of life returned to her vacant gaze.
“Heeseon...?”
“Unni!”
As Sujeong softly called her name, the woman called Heeseon rushed over. She threw her arms around Sujeong and whispered in a tearful voice.
“Unni... I'm so sorry... I heard the news... I'm so sorry...”
“Why are you apologizing...? It's all my fault...”
“But it's because I made that pointless request... All of your companions...”
“It's okay. It's okay, so let's sit down first. Don't cry. Okay?”
But the tears wouldn't stop, so Sujeong gently soothed Heeseon and led her to the table by the window.
Sujeong sat down across from her and watched Heeseon, who was still sniffling.
Song Heeseon. A Year 2 User who had been an actress back in the modern world. She was also a companion with whom Sujeong had completed the Rite of Passage, and they had gotten along so well that they became like sisters.
The two had promised to stick together even after entering the Hall Plain, but their paths had diverged at the User Academy.
Strictly speaking, both Sujeong's and Heeseon's academic performances were below average. While not non-combat Users, their Player Status wasn't impressive enough to make clans drool over them.
However, after graduating from the User Academy, while Sujeong received no offers from any class, Heeseon received an offer from a renowned major clan called the 'Southern Free Alliance' (a large-scale alliance formed by several mid-sized clans). Rumor had it that there was another User from an acting background in the alliance, and she had gotten in through connections.
Thus, the two walked different paths, but they consistently kept in touch.
Sujeong considered Heeseon almost a savior. When she first came to the Hall Plain, the future had seemed bleak, but she had received considerable help thanks to Heeseon's devoted sacrifices. When she had no money, Heeseon would send her what she had, and she even provided basic weapons and armor. Occasionally, she would discreetly pass along simple hunting information, helping Sujeong and her companions achieve some small successes.
“I thought it would be fine just to go in a little bit at the entrance and come back out... But just in case, I commissioned the Mercenary Clan to act as escorts... It's all my fault... Sob...”
“I told you, it's not. How much have you helped us all this time? Neither I nor my companions will ever blame you.”
“But... when I think about how kind everyone was to me during the Rite of Passage... my heart hurts so much...”
“Heeseon...”
Seeing Heeseon burst into tears again, Sujeong gently closed her eyes.
The truth was the loss of her caravan had started with a request. Two months ago, Sujeong had met with Heeseon and had difficulty asking for funds for her caravan's operations. Heeseon had paused in thought for a moment before bringing up a sudden topic.
‘Unni. Giving you the funds isn't a problem. But how long are you going to keep working as a caravan?’
‘Uh, huh? Well. I want to join a clan, but...’
‘Why don't you take this opportunity to leave the caravan life behind and join our clan? Honestly, caravan life is really dangerous, isn't it?’
‘Your clan? H-how?’
When Sujeong showed immense interest, Heeseon confessed that her Southern Free Alliance was planning to explore the "Sleeping Dragon Mountains." They needed various data and information about the mountains, so she asked if Sujeong's caravan could investigate it for them. If they did, she would use this achievement as leverage to ask the Clan Lord.
For Sujeong, who had always dreamed of clan life, it was a difficult request to refuse. That wasn't all. Not only had Heeseon been so devotedly helpful, but she had also said it would be fine to just go a little way into the mountain entrance and gather some general information. Furthermore, since the Clan Lord apparently knew Heeseon from the modern world, she felt the possibility of joining was high.
Of course, given the known dangers of the "Sleeping Dragon Mountains," there had been voices of opposition within the caravan.
However, when Heeseon took out an enormous sum of gold coins and proposed an alternative—'Then how about we commission the Mercenary Clan to provide an escort?'—the voices of opposition immediately died down.
The Mercenary Clan. A clan that had never once failed a commission they had undertaken. Their reputation was known to every User on the Northern Continent. Indeed, once it was confirmed that the 'Aura Spearman' and the 'Aegis' would be participating, even the companions who had been against it turned to support the plan one by one.
But I never thought it would turn out like this.
Sujeong smiled bitterly. When she looked up, she saw Heeseon wiping her eyes.
“Unni... Have you heard anything from the Mercenary Clan?”
“No. It's been a week since I last visited, but still no word.”
“Really? That's strange... Why are they being so quiet? Unni, you did make sure to include the clause that they were responsible for your safe return, right?”
“Ah... yeah. I guess they need time to prepare. They made a promise to me, so I'm sure I'll hear from them soon.”
“No. This won't do. We can't just sit around and wait. I'll go talk to them myself.”
“Don't. You have to think about your position. I'm just a regular User, but you're not. I'll just go again today.”
Sujeong stopped Heeseon as she shot up from her seat. She was worried that Heeseon's overly aggressive attitude might cause problems, leading to a dispute between the two clans. Besides, what was done was done, and she didn't want to cause Heeseon any more trouble.
After several more attempts to dissuade the insistent Heeseon, Sujeong was finally able to send her on her way.
A short while later, after confirming that Heeseon had entered the Warp Gate, Sujeong let out a deep sigh.
Her mind was still a mess. A part of her thought that maybe, deep down, she had already half given up.
Let's go one more time.
Sujeong gathered her troubled thoughts and forced herself to turn around. Her destination was the Mercenary Clan house.
*
Sujeong quickly arrived at the Mercenary House. At first, she'd had trouble finding the main building because there were so many branch offices nearby, but after a few visits, she was now familiar with the way.
“Excuse me...”
Sujeong carefully opened the main gate. The moment she stepped inside, she instinctively froze.
It was quiet. The guards who were always present were gone, and the garden, which had always been bustling with energy whenever she came, was eerily silent today. On her recent visits, while marveling at the scale of the building and garden, she had also found it hard to understand how they could be so lively when their own clan members were missing.
But today, it was strangely different. A quiet silence and a palpable tension filled the entire Mercenary House.
Feeling inexplicably intimidated, Sujeong took one step after another. When she reached the building's entrance, she gently grasped the doorknob and swallowed. Her throat suddenly felt parched.
Finally, Sujeong quietly spoke as she opened the door.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
The moment she stepped inside, Sujeong flinched once more. As soon as she took a single step, dozens of gazes shot toward her all at once.
“...Who's that User?”
“Damn. For a second, I thought they were here.”
In the first-floor lobby, dozens of Users were standing in neat rows and columns. Every one of them was clad in gleaming equipment and exuded an extraordinary aura, as if they were waiting for someone.
“W-well. I'm...”
Sujeong mumbled in a voice that was barely a whisper and reflexively looked toward the counter. To take care of her business, speaking to the person at the counter was the first step.
When her eyes met the employee sitting at the counter, Sujeong saw her let out a faint sigh. It was a sigh that practically screamed, "You again?" radiating pure annoyance.
In that instant, a defiant spirit surged within Sujeong, and she bit her lip hard. Reminding herself that she was, above all, a client, she began to walk through the gap between the Users lined up on either side.
And at that very moment.
BANG!
With the sound of the door being violently thrown open, every User in the lobby whipped their heads toward the entrance.
The employee's gaze was no longer on Sujeong. It wasn't that she was ignoring her. Rather, she had shot up from her seat with a startled expression.
Sujeong also quickly turned around and saw a group of about ten Users striding through the entrance. Their breathing was ragged, and their clothes were covered in dust, looking as if they had rushed here in a great hurry.
Finally, the man at the very front scanned his surroundings and spoke in a low voice.
“...Everyone's here.”
His voice was low and cold.
The man's gaze, which had been rapidly sweeping the area, soon came to a stop on Sujeong, who was standing there blankly.
Sujeong reflexively closed her eyes, then cautiously opened them again to look at the man.
“This User is...”
The moment she met his sunken eyes, an inexplicable chill ran down her entire body.