The Flag in the Cave
The ship gleamed like a factory-fresh vessel, repainted down to the last detail.
"Who's that?"
Taejeong felt a twinge of curiosity, but he shook it off and began moving slowly forward.
The weather on Jeju Island was abysmal. Torrential rain poured down in sheets, under a sky choked black with clouds. At least there were no lightning strikes.
"This place got totally wrecked too."
Like all the other unreclaimed zones, Jeju Island lay in ruins. Abandoned for over a century, it was no surprise. Yet amid the devastation, some structures still stood defiantly—stone-walled houses with faded roofs, straight out of a classic rural village, rare sights these days.
A bit farther on, what must have been the city center came into view. Weeds and nameless trees sprouted wildly through cracked roads. Once a bustling urban hub, it had surrendered to nature's embrace.
"Whereabouts are we now?"
-This is Yeondong. The old site of Jeju City Hall.
"City Hall—like Seoul's Management Bureau?"
-Broadly speaking, yes. Do you see that flock of Kamura swarming in the sky to the right?
"Those bird-like things over there?"
-Right below them was the airport. It was Korea's most popular hub right up through the mid-5th Industrial Revolution.
"Yeah? Come to think of it, I vaguely remember learning that. Closed down starting in the late 5th era because flying vehicles went commercial."
-Correct. Military versions commercialized in the 5th, civilian in the early 6th. From that point, modern physical sciences advanced beyond recognition. Interstellar travel became possible when spaceflight had been limited to the solar system. Humans called it the technological breakthrough point.
"Breakthrough point, huh... So why did it all vanish? They say everything disappeared overnight, and the world changed. Is that even possible?"
-I'm sorry, but I can't answer that.
"Figured as much. So what era are we in now? Early 5th?"
-It's not precisely defined, but think late 4th Industrial Revolution.
"Late 4th. Basically the Stone Age now. Makes sense—over eleven hundred years..."
Chatting idly with Gerard as they pressed on, Taejeong soon caught sight of Hallasan's majestic peak in the distance.
He aimed straight for the summit, but then—
Whoooosh—!
A ferocious gust whipped up, battering his form wildly.
"What the hell is this wind...?"
He cranked the output for an escape, but the gale was too fierce. He swayed helplessly left and right, unable to control his flight. In the end, he cut the thrusters and dropped to the ground.
There, a familiar sign caught his eye.
[Hallasan National Park Management Office]
(970m)
"970 meters. Not bad."
The inscription on the stone slab suggested he was about halfway up. Baekrokdam crater sat at 1,950 meters, so he'd covered half the climb.
Swapping his Blaster for exoskeleton legs, Taejeong started scaling the mountain.
* * *
Baekrokdam, the heart of Hallasan.
A group of about thirty gathered by the crater lake, its half-filled waters shrouded in mystic allure.
Each hunter was decked out in flashy gear, radiating the aura of seasoned pros.
Mana stone hunters. Foreigners—Japanese nationals.
This elite party was legendary even in the island chain, infamous for tackling the riskiest spots: Okinawa 3, Senkaku 1, Marado 1, Tsushima 2. They'd sunk three ships in the process but miraculously returned without a single casualty. The world dubbed them invincible.
Their leader, Ikuzo—a level 720 Brawler—addressed the assembled team.
"Everyone set?"
Four hunters who looked like mages nodded.
"We're good. Burial squad?"
"We can start right now."
With the team on standby, Ikuzo uncrossed his arms and eyed the cave mouth ahead.
He'd discovered it three summers ago, while scouting Jeju for expeditions. This underground cavern beneath Baekrokdam.
His first probe found nothing special—just a dungeon with tougher monsters.
But on the third hunt, he detected a sealing barrier.
After extensive research, he cracked it, encountering brand-new monsters never logged in any codex.
They nicknamed them Okane—pure gold, with 100% mana stone drop rates per kill.
The catch? Each one rivaled a hunter in strength. They'd danced with death multiple times.
Then came the idea: burial. Collapse the whole cave at once.
Brilliant.
Baekrokdam's caves numbered five total. They'd just rigged auxiliary magic circles in four; only the main one remained.
"Let's go in."
At Ikuzo's word, the hunters filed into the cave.
About 100 meters in—
"Burial 1, commencing."
The burial squad leader's order sent his team hammering mana stones into the ceiling. Explosion arrays followed, sealed with area spells.
The extra magic? Simple—pure collapse meant no targeting, no loot or EXP.
Progress was smooth. They'd drilled this back home, and no real threats until the main chamber.
Circles went in every 100 meters, uniform. Fifteen more arrays and stones later, they reached the deepest hub: the main plaza.
A vast space opened up, with a massive entrance ahead.
"Confirm the barrier. Rally up."
Two vanguard hunters approached the pitch-black maw. They probed the air, then waved.
"It's sealed!"
"Good. Fetch the external loop from the other tunnel."
A rear hunter brought a nameplate-like device—a remote trigger, mana-activated.
First, Ikuzo called the team's number two, Massage-ma, for barrier duty.
"How long?"
"More sealing pillars than the others, so it'll take a bit—but 30 minutes tops. Why leave the exit clear? We had stones left."
"Can't control the dispel. They'll all blow at once—monsters won't even crawl out before it's buried. Gotta pack the passage tight and send 'em off."
"Ha. Ace of the team, as always. Inspiring sometimes."
"Brat, you know it and still yap. Anyway, detonator hidden well?"
"Don't worry. Hung it in plain sight."
"What? If someone tampers—"
"Who? Koreans? They've ditched this place ages ago. Seen any in three years?"
"True, but still, for safety..."
Ikuzo's paranoia was justified—one bad break, and they'd be trapped forever.
Massage-ma slapped his arm with a smirk, knowing it.
"I'm no idiot. Just buried it."
"How?"
"Rigged it proper. Hung the Rising Sun flag right on it."
"Nice. Classic Massage-ma—thorough. They won't touch the Imperial flag."
"Damn straight. Mess with Great Japan's flag? Instant disaster. Plus, I got Korean buddies— they hate collateral. See a clear trigger? No sane one's touching it. Especially these types—they treat others' stuff like trash even if it's cash."
"Hoh. Reading their psyche too? You're one cunning bastard, Massage-ma. Chills sometimes."
"Heh, this ain't much."
* * *
Hallasan summit.
"Whoa. View's killer—dungeons got nothing on this."
Blasting a path upward, Taejeong finally drank in Baekrokdam's ethereal vista. The vivid crater dwarfed photos, thick fog blanketing the slopes below. Legends of sages partying here felt real amid the spectacle.
"No wonder they call it a painting come alive."
After soaking it in, duty called. He descended to the crater floor, scanning intently for clues.
"Deep in Baekrokdam, it said. The lake?"
The quest was vague—just "deep within." Lake first, obviously.
"Handy skill works here too."
At the water's edge, he summoned the navigator and dove in.
Unlike appearances, it was shallow—barely half the rumored 100 meters. Search over in seconds.
"Nothing here. So somewhere in this massive crater."
Vast compared to the lake. Manual sweep would take ages.
But sitting idle helped no one. Boosters firing, he tore through the thick grass.
Ten minutes later—opposite the lake, a suspicious cave in the outer wall.
"This it?"
Too random. Especially dipping downward—like an invitation.
He pondered, then summoned the night-vision scope for a peek.
One cautious step in—and something overhead pinged his senses.
Head snapping up—
A flag, absurdly, stabbed into the rock.
White field, red sun dead center.
Japan's national flag, plain as day.
"A flag?"
His hand stretched toward it.