Chapter 55: Alchemist’s Dungeon (2)
Chapter 55: Alchemist’s Dungeon (2)
A considerable amount of time had passed, yet we continued without encountering any interference. As we ventured deeper into the Black Forest, the dark blue-green hue of the leaves and undergrowth gradually faded. It was proof that we were passing through the forest’s middle section. Since we had drastically increased our marching pace from the day before, it seemed we would cross that section sooner than expected.
“That’s strange. I’m sure I met a ton of monsters in my dream today.”
“Huff, huff. They say dreams mean the opposite of reality, Oppa. Sorry, but can we rest for a bit? It feels like half the day has passed, and we haven’t stopped once.”
Ahn Hyun tilted his head in confusion. Yoojung gasped for breath. Ahn Sol said nothing, but her face was deathly pale, her lips marked by several bites. They had all followed without a word of complaint, but it seemed they had been holding it in. Feeling the need for a long rest, I nodded, stopped walking, and looked around. The moment I gave my permission, I heard the thud of them collapsing onto the ground.
The caravan's tracks were definitely still here. The near absence of monsters could mean that the distance between us and the caravan was shrinking. It was possible the caravan that went ahead had already taken care of them. But that raised two questions.
If they had information about the Alchemist’s Dungeon, was there really a need to clear out every monster along the way? And second, if they did clear them out, why weren't there any corpses? Of course, these questions were based on my own perspective, so I could speculate on plenty of possible answers.
After mulling it over for a while, I clicked my tongue and cleared my head. Worrying about it now wouldn't give me an answer. The bottom line was to follow the caravan's tracks and reach the Alchemist’s Dungeon as quickly as possible. In the worst-case scenario, they might not have cleared the dungeon but simply entered it. Still, considering my memories and the circumstances, the probability of success was higher than failure. Besides, what did we have to lose? If we just thought of it as gaining combat experience, we had nothing to lose anyway.
Just as I finished organizing my complex thoughts and was about to rest myself, I heard a small commotion from the others who were already sitting. Wondering what was going on, I turned my head to see Ahn Sol looking at me with an awkward expression, her eyes pleading for help.
“Why are you curious about something so useless? Just worry about yourself.”
“You’re crazy. Haven’t you heard that knowledge is power? You ignorant fool.”
“I’ve heard that knowledge is power. But it just doesn’t sound right coming from you. For you, it seems ignorance would be bliss.”
“What did you say?”
Ahn Hyun and Yoojung were in the middle of a heated argument. After listening for a moment, I realized they were discussing the hottest current topic: the Golden Lion Clan’s Steel Mountains expedition. Given our present circumstances, I agreed with Ahn Hyun, but I also thought it wouldn’t hurt to explain it to them once.
“You idiot. Do you really think we’re skilled enough to go on an expedition? We’d just get ignored and end up sitting on the sidelines, sucking our thumbs.”
“Who said we were going? I’m just curious why they’re making such a big deal about expeditions and marches. Why do you have to talk like that?”
“I told you. It’s because you’re curious about useless things. Didn’t you hear what Soohyun-hyung said? Let’s focus on our own situation. Huh? Or is this because you have an inferiority complex about Kim Hanbyul?”
“What? I’ve been letting it slide, but you… shit…”
As the atmosphere grew tense, I casually stepped in and plopped down. Yoojung, who was about to unleash a string of curses, saw me and looked startled, quickly shutting her mouth. Ahn Hyun also scratched his cheek, avoiding my gaze. I looked at them both intently for a moment before speaking in a calm voice.
“There’s nothing wrong with being curious. In the Hall Plain, information is as good as life itself. Of course, if you’re asking out of simple curiosity or a desire to join the expedition, then it’s a problem.”
At my words, Yoojung’s face brightened. It seemed she was happy I was taking her side. Ahn Hyun pouted with a ‘tch’ and his face immediately fell. Yoojung flashed a triumphant, smug smile for a moment before turning to me.
“Oppa, what exactly is the Steel Mountains that’s causing such a fuss? When I was at the inn, it’s all I ever heard the users talk about.”
I gathered my thoughts for a moment before answering Yoojung’s question.
“At present, Hall Plain is limited to the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Continents. We need to advance into the Central Continent, and to reach it, we first have to conquer the Steel Mountains.”
“Then just conquer it, right?”
“That idiot.”
Ahn Hyun said what I was thinking. I gave Yoojung a bitter smile and continued.
“If it were that easy, it would have been done already. They say that monsters of a degree we’ve never encountered—monsters we can’t even imagine—live within that mountain range.”
“So if we cross the Steel Mountains, we can advance to the Central Continent? And what’s on the Central Continent, anyway?”
I faltered for a moment at Yoojung’s endless questions. However, Ahn Hyun and Ahn Sol were also feigning indifference while wearing curious expressions, so I felt I needed to be careful with my words. But since we were resting anyway, and this much information wouldn't hurt, I slowly began to speak.
“I don’t know the details either. We won’t know whether the Central Continent lies directly beyond the Steel Mountains or whether there’s another staging continent until we go there. What we do know from ancient records is that there’s a major city called Atlanta beyond the Northern Continent. They’re only old records, but the prospect of a new major city has Users desperate to reach it.”
“Atlanta… What’s so good about taking a major city? If we conquer it, can we go home?”
“No. Nobody knows that. But… let me ask you something first, Yoojung-ah. What do you think is most important for an individual trying to survive in Hall Plain?”
Yoojung closed her eyes in thought, then answered while twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
“Strength. Abilities. Stats.”
“Right. An individual’s ability is the most important. Having strength doesn’t guarantee survival, but it’s true that it increases your chances.”
“Uh-huh. So, do the users who get Atlanta gain strength?”
Seeing Yoojung nod, I continued.
“Something like that. The Northern Continent is gradually becoming saturated. A continent doesn’t have an infinite number of dungeons, and most major expeditions have already been completed. Mule was discovered recently, but the Steel Mountains and its status as a small city have kept interest relatively low. Once Mule and the other cities are stabilized, there’ll literally be nothing left to do except hunt the occasional monster. It’s the same on the other continents. Users on a fully developed, saturated Northern Continent won’t have any further way to increase their strength or abilities. Nobody knows what’ll happen if we’re powerless when even returning home is uncertain. We also won’t be able to train newly arrived Users who might become valuable forces.”
I felt my explanation was a bit long, but still lacking. I cleared my throat once and looked at the kids, who were hanging on my every word, before continuing.
“So if we cross the Steel Mountains and pioneer Atlanta, we’ll secure a new base with room to develop: new monsters, expeditions, dungeons, equipment, and more. Our Stats may be relatively easy to raise now because they’re low, but once we approach our limits, they’ll become excruciatingly difficult to increase. I heard that when Barbara was pioneered several years ago, every participating User received an Achievement reward that raised their Stats to some degree. They also monopolized all the lucrative expeditions that followed. That’s why everyone is so desperate to cross the Steel Mountains.”
Of course, conquering Atlanta would only reveal another mountain to climb. At that point, we would truly have to compete with Users from the other continents. A chill ran down my spine as I remembered Terra, the great city of the Central Continent surrounded by the so-called New Continents of Atlanta and Ragnarok, and the sacrifices we had made to obtain the Zero Code there.
When I finished, they all stared at me with dumbfounded expressions. Their mouths were hanging open; they seemed quite shocked. Ahn Hyun, who had been blinking blankly, came to his senses and spoke in a slightly urgent tone.
“H-Hyung. Then wouldn’t it have been better for us to stay in the major city? Ah, of course, I’m not doubting your choice, Hyung. But hearing you explain it, the benefits really are enormous. If we had built up our skills a bit in Barbara and joined the expedition, even at the lowest ranks….”
“Exactly. Can you imagine how arrogantly that Kim Hanbyul is thinking of us right now? Ugh. Just thinking about it pisses me off.”
So it was about Kim Hanbyul in the end. Ahn Hyun and Yoojung showed signs of being swayed, but only Ahn Sol looked at me with unwavering eyes. Her gaze was so full of trust that it seemed she had decided to believe in me unconditionally after this morning’s events. I was worried she might become what people call a zealot, but on the other hand, I also felt a strange sense of anticipation.
I cleared my throat to quiet them down.
“Ahem. I’ve said this before. Instructors at the User Academy who came from clans other than Golden Lion considered both launching this expedition now and participating in it foolish. At least, that’s the conclusion I drew. I can’t be certain, but I find their words more trustworthy.”
My words seemed to reassure them a little, but their uncertainty hadn’t completely disappeared. Honestly, it was frustrating. If I could’ve told them how thoroughly the expedition would be annihilated, and how miserably the Golden Lion Clan would later collapse and be condemned, I would’ve done so immediately. I could only sigh inwardly. To make them understand, I needed a plausible argument, so I had no choice but to continue explaining. Even then, I first needed a minimal smokescreen.
“Sigh. Listen carefully. But this is just my opinion, so don’t take it too seriously. The Golden Lion Clan seems to think the Northern Continent has stabilized to some extent, which is why they’re rushing to prepare an expedition. But in my eyes, it’s a terrible idea.”
“Oppa, but do you really have to wait for stabilization before an expedition is possible? Even if it’s a bit reckless, if they succeed, it’s a huge jackpot, right?”
“That’s true. The problem is that the collateral for that gamble is the users’ lives.”
At the mention of lives, Yoojung immediately fell silent. The atmosphere had become considerably heavier than before.
“I was curious, so I read the records of Barbara’s conquest. The first thing I felt afterward was how desperate it had been. If Barbara was that brutal, would Atlanta, which stands above it, really be easy? I doubt it. To succeed in the Steel Mountains expedition, they’ll first have to saturate the continent under their control. Only after drawing out the greatest force they can field and securing enough new Users can they even consider an expedition. The Northern Continent is still moving toward saturation; it hasn’t reached it yet. Mule alone shows that the expedition is premature, and many people must think the same. The Golden Lion Clan apparently learned nothing from what happened to its previous Clan Lord… Tsk.”
“Huh? The previous Clan Lord?”
I instantly realized I had misspoken. Fortunately, I had already laid the smokescreen of having read the records, so I could think of a way to cover it up. Still, the thought that I needed to be more careful with my words from now on flashed through my mind. I calmed my startled heart and nodded at Ahn Hyun with a composed expression.
“They say he made the greatest contribution to the conquest of Barbara. You’ve probably heard about him several times at the User Academy. Impressive, isn’t it? With only a Normal Swordsman class, he founded the Golden Lion Clan—now called the strongest clan—and accumulated achievements of that scale.”
Seeing the kids nod at my words, I was finally able to feel a sense of relief.
“Before Barbara was conquered, Hall Plain was based around the western regular city of Halo and the small cities of Bess and Dorothy. After stabilizing the eastern cities to some extent, they launched their assault on Barbara, but I heard he ultimately died because the wounds he suffered there couldn’t heal.”
“They say if that man were still around, they would have already entered Atlanta and then some.”
Bullshit. I barely managed to swallow the word that almost escaped my lips. In reality, they only managed to enter Atlanta after the Golden Lion Clan was dismantled and several civil wars had ended. I acknowledge that he pioneered Barbara, but there was no guarantee that the Steel Mountains could have been conquered even if he had lived.
Anyway, to survive in the Hall Plain, individual strength was important, but so was having a wide range of knowledge in various fields. We had taken a rather long break, but thinking it was a beneficial time for the kids, I dusted myself off and stood up.
“Anyway, that’s the gist of the situation, so just keep it in mind. We don’t have the qualifications or the reason to participate in the current expedition, so just forget about it completely. For now, we just need to do what we can.”
This time, Ahn Hyun looked at Yoojung triumphantly. Yoojung pouted, nodded, and rose to follow me. It was almost time to use Third Eye. If my prediction was correct, we would find Alchemist’s Dungeon within a day or two.