Chapter 448: The Last Fortress.
Chapter 448: The Last Fortress.
Morning came.
“Hello! Good morning, everyone! Hope you’re all feeling strong!”
The clan members, just waking up, stared at Yoojung with bewildered expressions as she greeted them with a bright and energetic voice. It was understandable. The person who had been moping around for the past few days, constantly radiating a gloomy aura, had done a complete 180 overnight.
“Wow, Jaeryong. You’re looking especially handsome today.”
“…E-Excuse me? Th-Thank you.”
“Heehee. So how do I look? Am I pretty today?”
“Ah… Well, Miss Yoojung, you’re always beautiful. Hahaha.”
Shin Jaeryong was a surprisingly good liar. Then, his brow furrowed as he stared at the beaming Yoojung, and his voice filled with concern.
“Um… Miss Yoojung? Are you feeling alright? Your eyes look a bit hollow and your face seems flushed…”
“Hm? Oh~. I’m fine~. It’s just because I couldn’t sleep last night.”
Yoojung waved her hand dismissively as if it were nothing, but Shin Jaeryong’s eyes widened in shock.
“What? You couldn’t sleep?”
“Yup. Not a single wink.”
“But why….”
“Oh my. How could I possibly sleep? I thought I was going to die from excitement.”
“Excuse me…?”
“Now, now. Let’s put the trivial stuff aside and look around. Look! The world is so beautiful!”
Yoojung gestured toward the gloomy forest, then spread her arms wide and spun around in a circle.
Shin Jaeryong’s jaw dropped. He stood there dumbfounded with a look of utter confusion before whipping his head around to stare at me. I quickly averted my gaze. Come to think of it, that man is surprisingly sharp.
However, I immediately regretted looking to my right.
Where my gaze landed, Daeun and Hanna were clinging to each other, watching me. The moment our eyes met, they started slapping each other’s arms frantically.
“They did it~.”
“They totally did it~.”
“Wow~! What do we do, what do we do~.”
“Ooh~! What do you mean, what do we do~. What do we do~.”
?
For a moment, I could only blink, speechless. But then, a sudden and baseless indignation flared up in me, and I snapped.
“Wh-What are you two whispering about over there?”
They abruptly stopped moving. Then, they brought a hand to their mouths, mimicking the pose of gossiping old ladies, and nodded sagely as they spoke.
“Whisper, whisper?”
“My heart’s a-thumpin’.”
“Then we’re a perfect match.”
“Hehe. Steamed with passion.”
…….
What… what did they just say?
I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t speak. It was so absurd I could almost see a vision of my sanity packing its bags and running away from home.
Seeing my state, the two of them stopped again. Then, with perfectly straight faces, they began to whisper conspiratorially.
“Ah, talking about rice cakes is making me crave some. Right, Hanna?”
“Yeah. Now that you mention it, I’m craving some too.”
As Daeun spoke, Hanna chimed in. Daeun glanced at me once, then continued with a bright smile.
“Right? Should we get some rice cakes when we go back?”
“Hmm? How? There are no rice cakes here.”
“If there aren’t any, we can just pound some and make them.”
“Pound them and make them?”
“Of course~. That’s how you make them, by pounding them in a mortar. When we get back, let’s take turns pounding some cake.”
“Pounding cake…?”
Hanna seemed to ponder this for a moment. But soon her eyes widened, as if she’d grasped the hidden meaning. She clapped her hands together with a sharp smack and said with a gentle smile:
“Hehe. Sounds good. But I’m first. I’ve been hungry for it lately, so I’m going to eat my fill when we get back.”
“Ahaha. I can let you have that much. I’m a patient woman, after all. But be careful. If you pound it wrong and eat it, you might find yourself full for a whole year.”
…I finally understood. Their smiles weren’t really smiles. Their lips were curved into arcs, but their eyes were wide and gleaming fiercely. It was the look of a predator eyeing its prey.
“…Clan Lord. We’ve finished preparations for departure.”
Just then, a voice came from my side, saving me. I hastily looked over and saw Seon Yuun flinch and take a step back. Why in the world was he backing away?
I took a slow, deep breath. After calming my pounding heart, I addressed the clan members who had somehow surrounded me on all sides.
“Everyone, to your positions! We’re departing immediately.”
“Yes, Oppa~. I’m coming right now~.”
That was definitely Yoojung’s voice. But it wasn’t her usual high and sharp tone; it was fresh and tinged with a shyness, like a young girl in love.
I felt the stares of those around me intensify, and the murmuring grew louder. I quietly covered my face with my hands.
Please, stop.
*
Despite the minor incident in the morning, we… no, I managed to depart safely.
As we marched, I noticed something: the atmosphere among the clan members was drastically different from yesterday.
We had started this journey on the wrong foot, tense from the very beginning. On top of that, there was the gloomy mountain range and the continuous battles. After passing through the Land of Hatred, everyone had been on the verge of exploding (in fact, some already had), but all of that had vanished overnight.
There were no more dark or irritated faces. Every single person was wearing a warm, pleased smile… Dammit, let’s not think about it. In any case, they were much more stable than yesterday.
Reaching the top of a hill, I calmly surveyed our surroundings. The terrain was slightly different from the mountains we had passed through so far, but it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. The characteristic dark scenery and dense forests remained, but the ground was now steeply sloped. I could see at least a dozen hills from where I stood. In short, it was a hilly region, a collection of mounds and slopes.
We descended one hill, only to climb another that appeared right after.
We’re almost there.
Searching through my memories of the first playthrough, I sensed we were nearing the location of the ruins. I remembered crossing hill after hill just like this, finally discovering the ruins only after climbing the last one.
“How is Hangyul doing?”
“He’s fine. He seems to be pushing himself a little, but his expression is bright today… However…”
“However?”
“The first thing he said when he woke up this morning was, ‘This isn’t a dream, is it?’ It seems he hasn’t completely shaken off the memory of that time.”
Shin Jaeryong clicked his tongue, his face full of pity.
This isn’t a dream, is it?
Just as Shin Jaeryong said, Hangyul’s complexion looked brighter, but that didn’t mean he was fully healed. He had been pushed to the brink of having his body stolen by one of the Dead, and the shock of that wouldn’t disappear so easily. As such, once we returned to the Clan House, he would need to rest his mind and body and undergo high-level psychological treatment.
As we were chatting idly while climbing the hill, I sensed a presence approaching me through the thick fog. I glanced over and saw Heo Junyoung, his face as expressionless as ever.
“Kim Soohyun. I have something to say.”
At his words, Shin Jaeryong looked back and forth between me and Heo Junyoung. A moment later, he bowed his head and stepped back, likely to give us space and return to his original position.
Once we were alone at the head of the column, I looked steadily at Heo Junyoung, indicating he should speak. Uncharacteristically, he cleared his throat once or twice before speaking in a low voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“…Huh?”
It was an apology out of the blue. I stared at him, puzzled, having no idea what he was apologizing for. He continued quietly.
“I misunderstood you. Because of what happened three days ago… I didn’t show it, but it kept bothering me.”
“Ah.”
He must have been talking about the incident where I treated Yoojung harshly.
The reason I considered Heo Junyoung a decent person was because I knew he didn’t lie. Whether he said it immediately or waited for a later opportunity, if he felt something was even slightly off, he would say it without reservation.
I shrugged to show it was fine. Heo Junyoung just looked at me for a moment before shaking his head.
“As a User, I would have understood, but as a Clan Lord, I was a little disappointed. But today, I realized I was wrong.”
“Hmm. There’s no need to apologize. That was my fault. It was an undeniable, clear mistake.”
“No. Thinking about it, before you are a User or a Clan Lord, you are also a man. I overlooked that fact.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
He kept speaking in such vague terms that I couldn’t grasp what he was trying to say. Sensing my confusion, Heo Junyoung turned his head halfway and glanced to one side.
Taking it as a signal to look, I turned my gaze and saw Hanbyul, who for some reason was pouting.
At the same time, I caught sight of Yoojung, who flinched and whipped her head away. She must have been watching my back and got startled when I turned around.
…….
What Yoojung did next was incredibly cute. She would sneak a peek at me, then look away. Sneak another peek, then look away again. Then, as if something was just so wonderful, she started staring off at a distant mountain, giggling to herself.
And now, I finally understood Heo Junyoung’s intention. As I slowly turned my gaze back to him, the first thing I saw was the slight upward curl of his lips. I let out a long sigh.
“I have no idea what you want me to see.”
“Is that so? To my eyes, I can see a pink atmosphere so thick it fills the air.”
“…Hey.”
“I never thought you’d capture a woman’s heart like that… It’s a joke, a joke. I just wanted to try saying something like that, so stop staring at me like that.”
As I glared at him, Heo Junyoung just smiled quietly and denied it. For a second, I wanted to ask him if he was the type of person who even knew how to joke, but I just shook my head instead.
“Cut it out, seriously. I’m starting to get annoyed.”
“Ahem. Sorry. Anyway, there was something else I really wanted to ask.”
“…If you spout any more nonsense, I won’t let you off.”
“Mm… I was curious about Ahn Hyun and our current destination.”
By now, we had crossed most of the hills.
My half-lidded eyes snapped fully open. Ahn Hyun and our destination. Come to think of it, I had only given a simple explanation; I’d never gone into detail about where we were going. Some of them probably just vaguely thought we were on a rescue mission.
I nodded for him to continue, and Heo Junyoung looked up at the steep hill we were currently climbing.
“Do you think Ahn Hyun is alive?”
“That’s why we’re in this mountain range. Of course, I’m not certain.”
“Let me rephrase the question. Do you really think Ahn Hyun will be in the ruins we’re looking for?”
“Probably. I think it’s the most likely possibility.”
“A possibility.”
“Yes. A possibility.”
Heo Junyoung turned to me with a look that demanded further explanation.
I began to speak calmly.
“It’s been several months since the Sleeping Dragon Mountains was discovered. And it remains unconquered, leaving Users with nothing but questions.”
“That’s true.”
“One of the biggest questions right now is the disappearance of Users. If they died during exploration, their bodies should be found somewhere, but they just vanish without a trace. That’s led to two main hypotheses: either the Users were absorbed by the Dead, or they were taken somewhere.”
“I think the former is correct. Isn’t Baek Hangyul’s case proof of that?”
It sounded plausible at first, but I shook my head firmly.
“It’s different. Definitely different. Hangyul’s case is certainly unusual, but it actually proves the first hypothesis is wrong. Hangyul was clearly turning into one of the Dead, but he wasn’t being absorbed; his body was nearly stolen. From that perspective, even if his soul became one of the Dead, his physical body should have remained. But that’s not what’s happening, is it?”
“Hmm. It’s quite complicated. So you believe the latter hypothesis is the most likely?”
“Yes. To be precise, it’s the best and only option we have left. We can’t just wander this entire mountain range looking for Ahn Hyun.”
“True… Our main goal is to rescue Ahn Hyun, but we can also explore the ruins while we’re at it. But for us, a miracle…”
“Furthermore, we also have to resolve the commission. And we have to consider his condition if we do find him… You can think of conquering the ruins as the key piece that connects all of these problems.”
“So the ruins are the common denominator. I see what you mean. Then…”
Heo Junyoung paused. He glanced at me furtively, then continued in a slightly cautious tone.
“The question I asked before rephrasing it… What do you think are the chances of Ahn Hyun being alive?”
“…I already answered that.”
Just like before, I deliberately avoided giving a clear answer. Heo Junyoung didn’t seem to want to press the issue further, either.
“Then, for now, finding the ruins is our most urgent task, just as you said.”
It was then.
Whoosh.
A cool breeze blew past. Heo Junyoung’s violet hair fluttered lightly in the wind. It scattered in the air before gently settling back into place.
Suddenly, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Was this what it was called? Heo Junyoung had never been here before, but as his hair blew in the wind, I saw someone else’s image overlap with his.
At the same time, I felt my feet suddenly find level ground. I quickly looked down and realized we had reached the summit of the hill.
Something about this felt familiar. The sense of déjà vu still enveloped me.
I calmly gazed down from the hilltop. My eyes fell upon a plain, surrounded and backed by a mountain with a high altitude.
But I couldn’t see it clearly. The basin, shrouded in a milky-white fog, only emanated a gloomy and desolate aura, holding me rooted to the spot.
“Clan Lord?”
Hearing a voice call me from behind, I quickly moved, and the clan members made space for me.
And now, I finally knew.
The place where I was standing was the very same spot where Han Soyoung had stood back then, looking down at the ruins.
“Clan Lord, why did you stop all of a sudden?”
At the question that followed, I raised my index finger and pointed down the hill.
A moment later.
Whooosh.
Another gust of wind scattered the fog, and for a brief moment, a massive defensive structure that looked like a fortress revealed itself.
“That’s…”
Yes.
We had finally arrived at the ruins of the Sleeping Dragon Mountains: ‘The Last Fortress.’