Chapter 25: Fragment (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 25: Fragment (1)
I picked up the Dongbaek Sword as soon as I woke up.
[Jung Hae-in]: I don’t think I can make it to practice today.
[Yu Hana]: Why? Are you sick?
[Jung Hae-in]: Something came up and I have to go somewhere.
[Yu Hana]: Oh… okay.
Thanks to that, I skipped my morning workout today as well.
I feel like I’m making a habit of skipping out…
Still, it’s all for you guys, so I hope you’ll understand.
“Ugh, damn, it’s heavy.”
Maybe because I hadn’t broken it in yet, it felt incredibly heavy.
I set the sword down on the floor and got ready to leave again.
Today’s destination: Baekdusan.
*
When I arrived at the terminal, it was packed with people, just as I’d expected for a weekend.
There were people heading to their family homes and students looking to enjoy a day trip or an overnight stay.
The air was filled with the unique hustle and bustle of a terminal.
Though no one would be going to Baekdusan for a day trip or an overnight stay.
Of course, I wasn’t on an overnight trip either.
To be precise, it was an overnight trip, but I would end up back home before the day was over.
As long as there were no major problems.
Baekdusan was officially designated as a Hazardous Area by the Association.
There was no direct portal, of course, and entry was permitted only with the Association’s approval.
That meant I first had to take a portal to Seoul.
A blurry light veiled my vision before it cleared again.
The terminal in Seoul was far more crowded than Gaon’s.
I headed not for the regular portals, but for the Special Portal Terminal managed by the Association.
The Special Portal Terminal was much quieter than the public area, but the air was tense.
An attendant with a somewhat weary expression stood at the entrance.
I approached and asked him.
“I’m heading to Baekdusan.”
The attendant glanced at me and answered with an air of annoyance.
“You need to have either applied in advance or have the proper authorization to use the special portal.”
I hesitated for a moment before pulling my Gaon student ID from my pocket and holding it out.
“Will this work?”
It was a long shot.
But Gaon was a first-rate academy, and the title of elite Hero candidate often opened doors.
The attendant took the ID and stared at it for a long moment before shaking his head.
“Ah… Gaon students are usually approved for almost anything… but Baekdusan is an exception. It’s just too dangerous of a place…”
So it was a no-go.
Sighing inwardly, I was about to take out the ID card issued by the Association.
It was the Hero ID I had been issued under my new alias, Mukgui, after the incident at Iano’s Tomb.
“Then this…”
But just then, I heard footsteps behind me.
“What’s a student doing trying to go to Baekdusan?”
An unfamiliar voice.
I turned to see a group in combat gear approaching me.
The armor of the man who appeared to be their leader was engraved with a lotus-shaped crest.
The Lotus Guild?
They were the only guild that used a lotus as their symbol.
The man walking at the front sneered at me and said, “What’s with the bluff at your age… This isn’t a place to play games, kid. Step aside.”
I glanced at him once, then ignored him and continued speaking to the attendant.
“Then with this…”
I presented my Hero ID.
This should be more than enough to prove my eligibility…
Thwack.
“Did you not hear me?”
Suddenly, a strong hand gripped my wrist.
The low, rough voice from behind me made even the attendant flinch and take a step back.
So it’s him.
Woo Jang-hun, the vanguard of the Lotus Guild’s 2nd Team.
He was famous for his thuggish personality.
He was a skilled A-Class Hero, but his name was always followed by unsavory rumors.
Woo Jang-hun glanced at my ID and scoffed.
“Where do you think you’re going with a fake ID like this…”
He squeezed my wrist harder, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I’ve never seen a punk like you in my life, kid. Don’t you know impersonating a Hero is a serious crime?”
I fell into a brief moment of deliberation.
I wasn’t the type to start a fight, but I wasn’t the type to back down from one either.
Can I win?
It was ambiguous.
I felt like I’d only know if I tried.
Then, the second question.
Will the aftermath be easy to handle?
This one was clearly a yes.
I was completely in the right, with both justification and reason on my side.
Alright, let’s do it.
I decided it would be cleaner to just get it over with.
It was then.
“Is there a problem?”
A clear, calm voice cut through the air.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
Kang A-rin was standing there.
She walked over with a confident stride, a relaxed smile unique to her on her face.
“He is here to explore Baekdusan with me today.”
Kang A-rin looked at Woo Jang-hun and spoke nonchalantly.
“Of course, I understand that Lotus is in a hurry because of the recent wavelength phenomenon…”
She took another step forward, stopping in front of him.
Her gaze dropped to his arm for a moment, and her eyes turned cold.
“A guild of Lotus’s stature should be well aware of the rules and procedures, shouldn’t you?”
Woo Jang-hun’s expression hardened.
“And you must also be aware that our subordinate guild, Glory, has priority clearance over Lotus.”
At her words, the corner of Woo Jang-hun’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
“Ah… Ms. A-rin.”
He forced a smile and hastily changed his attitude.
But the panic in his eyes was unmistakable.
“I didn’t realize he was with you. My apologies…”
Before he could finish, Kang A-rin cut him off, swatting his arm away.
“Then, let go.”
Her words were short and clear.
She turned back to the attendant and said calmly, “Please process it as Jung Hae-in and I having the Association’s permission.”
The attendant, who had been nervously glancing between Woo Jang-hun and Kang A-rin, quickly began to process the request.
Woo Jang-hun couldn’t say another word and retreated.
As things proceeded smoothly, Kang A-rin turned to me with a smile.
“Shall we go?” she asked softly.
I wasn’t that dense.
It was obvious she was trying to help me.
But what’s with the formal speech?
Without a word, I nodded and followed her into the portal.
*
Kang A-rin and I arrived at the foot of Baekdusan.
Since the Lotus 2nd Team had been right behind us, it was only natural we traveled together.
However, they must have had a separate route prepared, as they disappeared before long.
“Should we split up now?”
Kang A-rin spoke up.
The moment the Lotus team was gone, she dropped the formal speech she’d been using the whole time and reverted to her usual self.
Honestly, I was more comfortable with that too.
“Yeah. I’ll head out first. Thanks for your help earlier.”
“Mhm.”
I was curious why she’d helped me, but it didn’t seem like she’d tell me even if I asked.
Likewise, she didn’t ask why I had come to Baekdusan.
So, without prying into each other’s motives, we naturally went our separate ways.
Besides, it would be a problem if anyone saw how I planned to climb the mountain.
It’s high.
In the original story, Baekdusan was set as one of the most difficult areas.
And the Fragment of Harmony I was looking for possessed the most powerful attribute of the four.
Naturally, it was meant for Seong Si-woo.
The Fragment, buried deep within Cheonji.
The problem was that the process of getting to it was simply unrealistic.
The strange wavelength that had recently appeared on Baekdusan.
It was highly likely an effect caused by the energy radiating from the Fragment.
Of course, various guilds would be sending teams to investigate, and Kang A-rin and Lotus were surely among them.
It’s probably impossible for them.
There’s a reason it’s a Hazardous Area.
For any current team, breaking through the swarms of magical beasts to reach Cheonji was next to impossible.
Even in the original story, only a team with end-game specs had barely managed to clear it.
So how was I going to get there?
Before I knew it, I had reached the area where magical beasts began to appear.
A large sign stood before me, a warning written on it in red letters.
“I’ll go to the past.”
Baekdusan became such a Hazardous Area 50 years ago, in 1979.
It started right after the Fragment of Harmony was generated in Cheonji.
The high-dimensional energy radiating from the Fragment distorted the environment, and the magical beasts fed on that energy, growing ever stronger.
So my plan was to return to the past, to the time just after the Fragment was created, and retrieve it from where it lay buried in Cheonji.
This was the only way to approach the Fragment with the least amount of effort.
Of course, if I acquired the Fragment in the past, it would naturally disappear from the present.
There was a hidden mechanic to this plan.
A secret location that only the player who first succeeded in conquering Baekdusan in the original story could discover.
The Old Mountain Lodge.
It was a device set up for players who had obtained the Fragment through immense hardship on their first playthrough, allowing them easier access on subsequent runs. Kind of like a save file.
So, I had to find that lodge.
I knew its general location.
Near the altitude where magical beasts began to appear, in a relatively low-risk area.
I thought I’d be able to find it quickly.
But I was completely wrong.
“Fuck.”
That word, “general,” was the problem.
The lodge I thought I’d find in no time was still nowhere to be seen even after the sun had set.
The sun went down and it began to pour rain, but there was still no sign of the lodge.
The wind and rain whipped around me, and I was already soaked to the bone.
Before long, I was wandering through the mountains, no longer sure which way I was even heading.
Not today, I guess…
Just as I decided I’d have to try again another day.
In the distance, I saw the shape of a dilapidated, collapsing mountain lodge.
Found it.
Cheering inwardly, I ran through the storm toward the lodge.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, the scent of old wood stung my nose.
The interior was covered in dust, as if it hadn’t been touched by human hands in a long time.
But one thing was strange.
The calendar hanging on the wall.
I walked over to examine it.
Unlike the other furniture, which was caked in dust, it was the only thing that looked almost new.
Moreover.
“March 20, 2029.”
To my surprise, it was marked with today’s date.
A calendar, updated to the latest date, in a remote mountain lodge that hadn’t been touched in ages.
“This is it.”
I’d finally found it.
I slumped to the floor and turned on my Watch.
[10:20 PM]
A lot of time had passed.
Midnight. 12 AM.
At midnight, this lodge would activate.
And it would send me to the time just after the Fragment of Harmony was created.
Listening to the ticking of the old clock on the wall, I slowly waited.
I don’t know how much time passed.
I opened my eyes and checked the time.
[11:58 PM]
There wasn’t much time left.
The sound of the second hand ticking grew louder, heightening the tension.
But in that instant.
BANG!
The door flew open with a violent crash, and a blast of cold air rushed into the lodge.
“What the?!”
I whipped around to see a familiar face.
“Kang A-rin…?”
It was her.
Wringing out her soaking wet shirt, she strode confidently into the lodge.
“Hey! Hey, it’s dangerous! Get out!”
I shouted in alarm.
This lodge was a device designed to send only one person to the past.
No one knew what would happen if two or more people were inside.
“How mean. You’re telling me to go back out in this weather?”
Kang A-rin replied nonchalantly and closed the door.
Click.
And locked it.
Her wet t-shirt clung to her body, revealing every curve.
“I helped you earlier, you know. This is a little disappointing.”
“No, that’s not it… You have to get out right now…”
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
The ticking of the old clock echoed unnaturally loud in the silence of the lodge.
Cuckoo, cuckoo.
And finally, the old cuckoo clock on the wall…
…announced the stroke of midnight with an eerie chime.
“Oh, my.”
Kang A-rin tilted her head slightly and looked at me.
Her red eyes gleamed faintly as she smiled.
“It’s already twelve o’clock?”
At that moment, the very air inside the lodge began to twist.
“Ah, fuck…”
Too late.
I bit my lip and stared at her, but Kang A-rin just stood there, perfectly composed.
And soon, a brilliant light that filled the space swallowed everything.