The Molten Frontier
Deployment. The first day at the base camp had passed, and finally the next morning arrived. Every member of the team, including Yusoha, donned protective suits and gathered fully armed in front of the base camp.
“I trust you’ve all committed yesterday’s instructions to memory.”
“Yes!”
“Conserve your mana as much as possible and avoid unnecessary combat. Right now, reconnaissance of Hwanghaebuk-do takes priority over hunting monsters.”
“Yes!”
“That said, we won’t go out of our way to dodge fights we can’t escape—especially in the event of an unexpected ambush.”
“Understood!”
“And Eclipse, Shin Seongmin.”
The two men silently nodded at Yusoha’s call.
“If any team member falls into danger… I’m counting on you.”
“Understood.”
“Understood.”
“Then let’s move out.”
The protective-suited Hwanryeong Team 2 immediately marched from the base camp toward Tosan County in Hwanghaebuk-do. Vehicles were unusable. Most of North Korea had long since become dense forest. Even military vehicles would struggle on the terrain, and without knowing the exact conditions of Hwanghaebuk-do, bringing vehicles along would have been reckless.
Fortunately, the Awakened’s physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary humans, allowing them to advance toward Tosan County faster than most vehicles could manage. With every step, the team members couldn’t help but notice how strangely warped the surrounding environment had become. Trees and grass twisted together in grotesque shapes, and the occasional animals they spotted moved across the land in equally distorted forms. The radiation contamination was worse than expected, and Yusoha clicked her tongue.
Tsk… We can’t stay long. We’ll have to be careful with everything we drink and eat.
Of course, as long as they had mana, radiation wouldn’t easily harm an Awakened’s body, but mana wasn’t infinite. Yusoha disliked the complications this posed for their reconnaissance plans. She continued leading the team forward. The past month of training hadn’t been in vain—despite running for quite some time, no one showed signs of fatigue.
Eventually, when Hwanryeong Team 2 reached the border between Cheorwon and Tosan County, Yusoha, who had been at the front, paused and stared beyond the line.
“……This is……”
She hadn’t stopped to confirm anything. The sight before her was simply so alien that she couldn’t help but halt. The rest of the team, even Shin Seongmin—who had purified Gangwon-do—were left speechless by the scene.
“A volcanic wasteland,” Eclipse muttered as he gazed at the view.
Volcanic wasteland. The most accurate description. Molten lava flowed across the ground, and dried traces of it covered the earth. There was no vegetation to speak of—only a barren land boiling with lava. The stark contrast to the dense forest behind them left Hwanryeong Team 2 unable to speak.
“……What is this?” Cha Hyeonseong asked Shin Seongmin in disbelief. Since Yusoha wouldn’t know, he turned to the one who had experience entering North Korea.
“I don’t know either. Gangwon-do right before purification was a snowy field instead.”
“This is……”
“It seems to be the aftermath of Gate erosion.”
Heat rising from the blackened earth washed over the team’s faces.
“The heat is too intense. At this rate…… prolonged reconnaissance might be difficult.”
The team nodded at Yusoha’s words. They had expected dense forest, yet a volcanic wasteland had appeared instead. Faced with a situation far beyond their expectations, Yusoha began to think. They had already come quite far. Turning back now would only waste time.
At least we have water-attribute mages……
“This is troublesome. What will you do?” Eclipse asked.
Yusoha finished her thoughts and looked at her team.
“We’ll keep moving forward for now. Baek Sihoo, Eun Hyeongwon.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“Block the surrounding heat for us.”
“Understood.”
“Even if the ambient heat is blocked, handle the heat rising from the ground with your own mana.”
“Yes!”
“Let’s move in. We’ll check the area as quickly as possible and return to the base camp.”
Hwanryeong Team 2 immediately crossed the border and stepped forward. The moment a massive wave of heat surged up through their feet, they wrapped mana around their soles to block it. It didn’t consume much mana, but since combat could erupt at any moment, they had no choice but to move swiftly. The thirty-two members moved in perfect coordination and began searching the surroundings.
One small mercy of the volcanic wasteland was the lack of dense vegetation blocking their view. With the open sightlines, the desolate landscape of the lava fields spread out before them at a glance. Crimson lava flowed from cracked earth, smoke rising from within it.
“……Well, that’s one small blessing,” Yusoha murmured, and Eclipse nodded in agreement.
“By the way, Eclipse.”
“What is it?”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. My body has strong resistance to both cold and heat. The heat flowing through my soles feels merely lukewarm.”
“……Just how did you train to reach this point? It’s beyond human limits.”
Yusoha looked at Eclipse with a slightly exasperated expression. And then there was his attire—still wearing that old armor. Normally, his feet would have burned by now…… She shook her head. She had long since given up expecting common sense from Eclipse. Whether for better or worse, he existed beyond common sense, so there was no point in being surprised by every little thing.
“I don’t know the details either. It simply became this way at some point.”
“Right. I suppose so……”
Yusoha stopped the idle talk and focused on the landscape ahead. There might be living creatures out there. And those creatures would, with high probability, be the monsters that primarily inhabited this land.
* * *
The first monsters Hwanryeong Team 2 encountered were a pack of wolves. Eclipse spotted them from a distance and spoke to Yusoha.
“Wait, Soha. There’s a wolf pack ahead. But…… they’re rather unusual.”
“……What? Unusual?”
“Yes. They look like wolves covered in flames instead of fur. They appear to be monsters.”
“Halt! Monsters sighted ahead!”
Upon hearing Eclipse’s words, Yusoha carefully scanned the front and, sensing something flickering approaching, quickly alerted her team. After a short while, once the wolf pack drew close enough to see clearly, Yusoha and Hwanryeong Team 2 finally got a proper look at the new monsters.
Just as Eclipse had said, they were no ordinary wolves. These were wolves with blazing flames instead of fur covering their hides. Though still some distance away, the wolves had apparently spotted the team as well and were now approaching warily, slinking forward.
“They’re a new type of monster. I’ve never seen anything like them before.”
“……Should we open fire for now?”
“Yes. Fire without infusing mana first and observe their reaction.”
At Yusoha’s command, the Awakened drew their guns. The marksmen who specialized in firearms looked almost excited as they brought out the massive anti-monster weapons. The wolves, sensing danger from the sudden appearance of weapons, growled more fiercely and advanced toward them.
“Fire!”
Once the wolves entered firing range, Yusoha gave the order without hesitation. With a sharp smell of gunpowder, bullets erupted from the massive muzzles. Far larger and more menacing than the weapons once used in human wars, the anti-monster firearms roared and pierced through the wary wolf pack. Even without mana, the bullets still tore through the wolves, who collapsed onto the glowing earth without any resistance, bleeding out. Soon, the light faded from their once-glowing eyes.
“……They’re weaker than expected. Maybe because we’re still at the outskirts.”
“Seems that way. These flame wolves don’t appear to have any ability to defend against gunfire.”
“One thing’s certain: firearms are more effective than we thought. We’ll continue using them as our primary weapons until we encounter monsters that resist bullets.”
“Yes!”
“Let’s advance. There are still far more unknown monsters here than creatures we recognize.”
With Yusoha’s words, Hwanryeong Team 2 pushed further ahead.
* * *
How long had they walked? After exploring the volcanic wasteland for quite some time, Hwanryeong Team 2 encountered several more monsters.
“One thing’s clear—they all share a common trait. The monsters here are generally wreathed in flames.”
“Yes.”
“And so far, only monsters vulnerable to gunfire have appeared.”
The tension had somewhat eased. Since every monster they encountered fell to bullets without resistance, the situation felt far easier than most Gates. Yusoha knew this as well, but she also understood that excessive tension while exploring new territory would only amplify fatigue, so she didn’t push her team.
“Not being overly tense is good, but maintain a reasonable level of alertness. If monsters immune to gunfire appear, we’ll need to switch to our primary weapons immediately.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s keep moving forward.”
As they advanced, Shin Seongmin spoke to Eclipse.
“At this rate, we might not even need to step in.”
“Who knows. Danger often strikes when least expected.”
“……True. You’re right.”
Though somewhat relaxed, Shin Seongmin nodded at Eclipse’s words and began scanning the surroundings more carefully once again.
* * *
They continued onward for some time. Yusoha, finding their progress suspiciously smooth, began to feel a growing sense of caution.
This is too easy. The environment is harsh, but the monsters are far too weak. At most, they’re on the level of the weakest monsters from a C-class Gate. At this point, it’s almost suspicious……
According to her knowledge, monsters in most regions affected by Gate erosion grew stronger over time. Moreover, North Korea had been in this state for decades. The reason experts had been skeptical about her expedition was precisely because they didn’t know how powerful the monsters had become. Yet the current situation was undeniably strange. It was far too easy. Even in a standard C-class Gate, monsters resistant to gunfire appeared regularly, but here, every monster they had encountered so far had no resistance to bullets. Their hides were weak, but whether that weakness came from their flame-wreathed nature or simply because only weak specimens had appeared, she couldn’t be sure.
She continued forward while pondering.
For today, this is far enough. Let’s return to the base camp. Fatigue may have accumulated without us realizing. If a strong monster appears now, it could be dangerous.
Yusoha made her decision. When she suddenly stopped, her team looked puzzled.
“Team Leader? Did you find something?”
“We’re heading back.”
“……Pardon?”
“We’ll end the exploration here for today. Something feels off. Isn’t this too easy?”
“It certainly was easy.”
“Right. Aside from the harsh environment, it’s below even a C-class Gate.”
“Then shouldn’t we go further?”
“No. We’ll stop here for today. If we push ahead and dangerous monsters appear, we won’t be able to respond quickly enough in our current state.”
“Yes!”
Since they were exploring unknown territory, caution was never a bad idea. Judging Yusoha’s reasoning sound, Hwanryeong Team 2 immediately turned around. Before turning back, she planted a pre-prepared flag into the ground to mark how far they had come.
Hwanghaebuk-do Expedition, Day 1. Complete.