Chapter 50: Alchemist’s Dungeon
Chapter 50: Alchemist’s Dungeon
“Did you hear the rumor? They say another dungeon was discovered in Mule.”
“The Black Forest. Ancient Alchemist Vivian’s Dungeon. Maybe I should return to Mule myself. Who knows? There may still be something left.”
“You already discovered the Cave of Screams. Don't get greedy. But there's something strange about it. It seems like some Users found it before.”
“Apparently, they stumbled upon it by chance, failed, and all died. Well, saying they died is a bit... Hmm? There were three of them. Or should I say one? What I mean is….”
*
My party and I quickly packed and left the inn. It was early, so Ko Yeonju was nowhere in sight. Ahn Hyun repeatedly glanced back, apparently reluctant to leave The Demure Lady.
Mule's North Gate was quite shabby compared to Barbara's. A couple of guards were controlling the gate, but even a glance was enough to see how run-down it was. Even for a frontier city, this sight made it hard to believe that the lord of the clan ruling Mule was very competent.
“Thank you for your hard work. We pray for your safe return. May the blessings of the angels be with you, Users.”
“Thank you.”
After acknowledging the saluting guards, we finally passed through the North Gate. Hyun had apparently never heard Residents speak before, because he asked me with open curiosity.
“Hyung. What exactly are Residents?”
“Residents are the people native to the Hall Plain. In the same sense, you could call yourself a Resident of Earth, Hyun.”
“Hmm. Is there any difference between them and us? I heard other Users say that Users are nobles and Residents are commoners.”
Nobles and commoners. The Residents were weak. So weak that without Users, they couldn't survive the dangers scattered across the Hall Plain. Of course, things change a little once you cross over to Atlanta and then to Terra, but at least up to Barbara, being protected by Users was the current reality for the Residents.
You could say the Residents of the cities that had been discovered and developed were somewhat safe from danger. But for the cities yet to be pioneered, no one knew what the future held. In fact, there had been cases of cities on the Southern Continent being discovered already in ruins. And naturally, there wasn't a single Resident left inside. It could only be assumed they were massacred by the hordes that had invaded the city.
Residents regarded the Users who protected them from such threats as divine apostles. They believed gods existed in the Hall Plain, and some Residents had indeed received orders from descended angels. To them, Users were apostles sent down under divine command and protected by angels to bring them salvation.
In reality, we were just abducted by angels and were using powers based on the system's settings, but the Residents thought of our power as a divine blessing. That's why the gazes of the Residents toward Users were fundamentally filled with goodwill and reverence.
The “nobles and commoners” relationship Hyun mentioned was the way Users viewed it. It could also be described as a relationship between those with power and those without it. On the Western Continent, celebrated as the land of limitless freedom, the imbalance was especially severe and Residents were treated almost like slaves. The Northern Continent was not as extreme, but Users still clearly looked down on Residents as their inferiors. At first, I had sometimes felt saddened that people—humans—treated one another this way.
Looking at the cities, dungeons, and research labs being discovered now, there were clearly traces of a time when the Hall Plain had flourished. All I knew was that for some reason, they had lost all the prosperity they once enjoyed and all their power had vanished. And eventually, the current Residents were reduced to living in constant fear of monster attacks.
I summarized these points for Hyun. The others must have been curious as well, because they all nodded along. I concluded by saying that there was no need to pity Residents, but treating them excessively harshly was still unpleasant to witness.
I would have expected to see at least a few other Users, but strangely, there wasn't a single one in sight. I could feel the tangible impact of the Golden Lion Clan's movements. With the northern city this empty, the southern, western, and central cities like Barbara must be overflowing with Users right now. For a moment, I felt the urge to join them immediately.
I felt sentimental for a moment, but the feeling gradually faded as we walked on. The further we went north from Mule, the more the surrounding landscape changed. The road grew rough and bumpy, and the traces of human traffic became faint. But it wasn't a bad feeling.
It was because we could appreciate the scenery in its natural state. Seeing such living nature was not a common experience on Earth, where you'd be hard-pressed to find any nature at all. When a gentle breeze blew, the others also looked around with refreshed expressions. Soon, when I felt the undergrowth was getting thicker, I stopped for a moment and took out the map I was holding.
To the left was the forest. To the right, a plain. The way to the Black Forest was through the forest, not the plain. I checked just in case, but as expected, it was no different from my memory. I folded the map neatly and put it back in my pocket. Several faint paths branched out ahead, but I turned without hesitation onto the path leading northwest.
We walked on, treading through the vast, green-dyed forest. The fields stretching out from Mule's North Gate still radiated a fresh light. But as we got closer to the Black Forest, that fresh color seemed to gradually fade.
Following the continuous path, we soon saw dark, bluish-black trees appearing one by one. The sticky-looking trees, soaring as if they didn't know the sky's limit, exuded a massive presence. We had entered the outskirts of the Black Forest. Looking at the others who had been trailing behind me, I spoke in a low voice.
“This should be the entrance to the Black Forest. Everyone, stay sharp and brace yourselves.”
The deeper we went, the thicker the gloomy air became. To be honest, it was a bit of a stretch to call this place a forest. The highlands and lowlands were clearly distinct, and the area was far too vast to be considered a forest. It felt wrong to even compare it to the forest from the Rite of Passage.
Since it was still the early part of the forest and morning, faint sunlight occasionally shone through, but a little deeper in, even that would be gone. If it was like this in the morning, I thought, it would be pitch-black at night, and I knew I had to secure a safe zone for today. Still, for now, I could at least distinguish what was in front of me, so I planned to slowly look around. I glanced at the others and saw them all gripping their weapons tightly, looking a bit tense. At that moment.
“Hold on.”
As I turned my head to look at the others, I spotted a strange mark. It was a purely accidental discovery. If I hadn't turned my head, I might have just passed by it, but my heightened senses didn't miss the fleeting moment and caught the trace.
The others, who had been warily scanning the surroundings, looked at me with startled faces. I first moved to where I found the mark and then crouched down to get a better look. Seeing my expression turn blank, the others exchanged glances before hesitantly gathering around me.
This… was a human footprint. And not just one or two. I was sure I hadn't seen a single person on our way out the North Gate. They could have come from another direction. Of course, it would be stranger if there were no Users at all, but something smelled fishy, and I couldn't just accept it that easily. Because these tracks didn't seem very old.
“Oppa. Why are you suddenly looking at the ground?”
“…….”
I briefly scanned the ground and then activated Third Eye to get more detailed information. As I stared at the ground without moving, I heard Yoojung cautiously say something, but I didn't feel like answering right now.
“Oppa? Oppa!”
“Unni. Oppa is using Trace right now, so just a moment….”
“Trace…? Ah. Isn't tracking something that archers or assassins do?”
“That's true, but I've heard it's possible to some extent if you have a lot of experience or learn it. Still, you probably can't know as much detail as Users with specialized classes.”
“No way. Are you saying Oppa learned how to do that?”
While I was filtering and analyzing the countless pieces of information flooding in, I could hear Yoojung and Sol muttering. Archers had the ability to guide, but they also had the ability to read tracks left on the ground. However, since Third Eye's effect was so wide-ranging, gathering information about tracks was a piece of cake. And, sorry to say it to Sol, but it was obvious that my unique ability was far superior to theirs.
Finally, after analyzing all the information, I stood up again. What I had just done was, as Sol said, simple tracking. I opened my mouth and spoke in a heavy voice to the others, who were just staring blankly at my face.
“It looks as though a caravan of five—perhaps six—passed through here two or three days ago. They do not seem to have come from Mule’s North Gate. They may have been exploring from elsewhere. I cannot tell whether they wandered here after becoming lost or came deliberately, but there are no signs of aimless movement, so their Ranger was not incompetent. In any case, all the tracks continue in the same direction.”
Of course, I didn't know what had happened to them now. To see what happened back then, I would have to actually view the past, like during the Rite of Passage, but there was no reason to do so now. It wasn't an urgent situation like back then. Gathering the remaining traces and making an inference was more than enough.
Hyun and Yoojung clicked their tongues in amazement. Sol’s eyes also widened, apparently not expecting me to deduce so much. I answered their stares with a shrug. Yoojung tilted her head and addressed me curiously.
“So, does that mean there are other people besides us in this forest right now?”
“Well. Maybe… maybe not.”
Yoojung was sharp in unexpected ways. I didn't want to say it, so I spoke vaguely on purpose, but I could see her eyes narrowing. I sighed and finally added more.
“It's just as I said. There are footprints going into the forest, but no signs of them coming back out. It's possible they left in another direction, but they could also still be wandering in the forest. If not that… they could all be dead.”
At my words, the others all looked anxious and then at each other. I watched them with an indifferent face before turning away again. In the city, I could turn a blind eye to them fooling around, but now that we were in a real combat situation, I had no intention of being as lenient as I was in the city.
As my expression hardened and I said nothing more, I could feel the footsteps of the others following me grow quieter. It seemed they were so tense that they were subconsciously muffling their steps. The deeper we went into the forest, the more the dense trees stretched up, blocking out the sky. The faint sunlight that had shone at the entrance was now completely gone.
We walked for a long time. By the time we seemed to have just left the entrance area, darkness had completely settled around us. It wasn't so dark that we couldn't see in front of us. But if it was this dark even though it was still morning, the others could probably guess what it would be like when the sun went down. It was truly a forest worthy of the name Black Forest.
Without being told, the kids had already activated Sensing. Thanks to Third Eye and the Sensing I had taught them, we could maintain our pace without slowing. No one spoke any longer; with every step, only grass brushing against us and occasional quiet breathing reached my ears. Then it happened.
Grrr. Shhhhk!
A growl caught my ear. At the same time, a sound of something parting the bushes broke the silence. Seeing it approach at high speed, it seemed to have noticed our presence and was coming to attack.
As I stopped walking again, the others seemed to hold their breath. They scanned the surroundings with anxious faces, but they didn't seem to know that a monster was approaching yet. Since they all had Sensing active, they would know once it entered a certain range, but I gave them a warning in advance.
“Ambush. Monsters are approaching from both sides. Prepare for battle. Sol, move to the center. Hyun and Yoojung, stand back-to-back and form the defensive formation.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Do not make me repeat myself next time. Focus and form the defensive formation around Sol.”
The word ambush left the kids confused. Yoojung questioned me, but when I snapped at her coldly, she shuddered and gripped a dagger in each hand. Hyun raised his spear at an angle, while Sol quickly began chanting. As they formed up in an instant, I moved beside Sol, taking the keeper position beside our Priestess. When I drew the sword at my waist, a cold metallic shing rang through the forest.
『Special Ability. Unity of Sword and Self has been activated.』
『Latent Ability. Close-Quarters Combat has been activated.』
『Latent Ability. Mind’s Eye (Stillness) has been activated.』
Sssssssss! Whoosh!
Once we had taken our positions and begun watching our respective fronts, we heard grass rustle nearby and a harsh sound tear through the air. The instant the attackers entered Sensing range, tails flashing with a sharp gleam shot from the forest darkness. They targeted Hyun and Yoojung, who were guarding opposite directions.
“Don't dodge! Parry it!”
I shouted as soon as I saw them getting into an evasive stance, but Ahn Hyun and Yoojung had already moved. It seemed they had used Sensing to avoid the monster's attack path. Ahn Hyun, who had sidestepped to the side, looked at me with a momentarily puzzled expression. But then he saw the tail shooting straight out and, with a look of sudden realization, he hastily swung his spear. A dull thud followed as he managed to strike its midsection.
Yoojung also showed agile movement, ducking in an instant, but she failed to follow my order to parry the tail. She succeeded in dodging, but that didn't mean the attack was over. The tail shot past where Yoojung had been, then slightly changed direction and came flying toward Sol, who was behind her.
Sol, who was in the middle of chanting a spell, looked on in a daze as she saw the stinger coming for her.