A Brief Parting
“Thanks a lot. My throat was parched, and now you’re treating me to a beer. I don’t know how to repay you. What’s your name again…? Huh? Kim Soo-hyun? No way, from the small town of Mule? I’ve heard of you! The tales from the Cave of Wails are legendary… Hehe. Meeting someone so famous and getting a beer from them, I can’t just sit here and do nothing. Let me tell you a story. Want to hear it?”
“What? You don’t need to? Hold on. Just listen for a bit, you might find it interesting. There’s a rumor that even the Soul Commander, who’s making waves in the big city, got their start from the Rite of Passage. Yeah, that soul commander. Everyone in Hall Plain has gone through the Rite of Passage, right? Come on, have a seat. The angels have meddled a lot in places like the Rite of Passage.”
“There’s quite a backstory there. Think about it. Who would wander around a monster-infested place for seven days when survival is already tough? But there were some crazy folks who did. They gleefully scoured the entire map for seven days. Naturally, this increased their chances of encountering the Rite of Passage’s boss monster. Huh? What do I mean? Haven’t you met it? You must have been pretty diligent, Kim Soo-hyun. What I mean is… Could I get another beer first? Hehe… Thanks!”
“Remember, you must recall the yellow and blue roofs, right? Yeah, yellow is the rest room, blue is the save point. The first thing you see inside is a warning sign, right? You can’t stay in the rest room for more than a day, and the save point for more than two days. If you do, the boss monster appears with a 100% chance. Ugh~. Even now, it gives me chills. It looks like an alien and devours people as if they were delicious snacks…”
“Yeah, I’ve met it. What did I do? I ran for my life. The funny thing is, besides the starting, rest, and save points, there’s another one. Never heard of it? Of course not. Where is it, you ask?”
“If you head through the forest on the outskirts of the map, you’ll find a large road. I still remember that bumpy path. But you can’t go downwards; it’s swarming with wraiths. So, if you go up, you’ll find a city. But honestly, who would go that far? People don’t even want to enter the forest. And even if they enter the city, few come out alive. That’s what we call a trap point. Literally, a trap point.”
“The trap point city has all modern facilities and plenty of food. It reminds you of Earth, making you not want to leave. It cleverly plays on human psychology.”
“A warning sign? There is one, but it’s different from the other points. It’s written so simply that you might think it’s nothing. Anyway, the city plays on human psychology, making you not want to leave. So, many who discover it end up staying. They think they can survive there for seven days. But the moment they settle, it’s over.”
“After two days, on the third day… You can guess what happens, right? Haha. Huh? How do I know this? Well… I think I’ll just drink some more.”
As the afternoon wore on, the sky grew darker. It was an awkward time to call it early evening. The forest seemed darker than usual, and the clouds were ominously dark, making me wonder if it might rain.
Walking along the bumpy path, I grew anxious, hoping to see the village soon. It seemed I needed to pick up the pace. With a simple twist of magic through my legs, my speed increased. As I quickened my steps, I recalled the past events through my third eye.
It was a brief moment, just a second, but from what I saw, I could guess what had happened to my companions. The scene I witnessed was this: Ahn Hyun, having discarded his sword and shield, was running with Ahn Sol on his back. His face was one of urgency.
Behind him, Lee Yoo-jung wore a conflicted expression, unsure whether she was worried or angry, as she chased after Ahn Hyun. Only Kim Han-byeol remained calm, picking up the discarded sword and shield, following them.
Clearly, something had threatened the group, and something had happened to Ahn Sol. So, I decided to follow the direction Ahn Hyun’s group had taken. Since it was a path trodden by people, I figured it would eventually lead to a village, where I might reunite with them.
What had attacked them so fiercely? What had happened to make them run with such urgency? My curiosity was piqued, but pondering it now wouldn’t yield answers. I decided to hear the story later and quickened my pace again.
As I walked, a cold drop suddenly landed on my cheek. I paused and looked up to see raindrops falling towards my face.
Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop.
Watching the sporadic raindrops, I instinctively wiped the water from my cheek. I hoped the village would appear before the rain turned into a downpour. Fortunately, my prayers seemed to be answered as I spotted a cluster of buildings in the distance, visible even with my enhanced vision.
The group must have entered that village. However, I worried about whether they had entered safely, as some villages also had monsters. I regretted not dealing with things in one go and wasting time.
Meanwhile, the raindrops on the ground were increasing. I didn’t want to walk through muddy puddles, so I slowed down and trudged towards the village, instinctively spreading my magic senses. As I carefully sensed the village, I noticed something strange and stopped in my tracks.
“What… what is this?”
I stammered without realizing it. I calmed myself and sensed more precisely, but the result was the same. Alarmed, I quickly gathered my magic and rushed into the village. At the entrance, I was taken aback by the sight of modern buildings.
“Buildings from Earth in the Rite of Passage? And so many of them?”
As expected, my companions were in this village, or rather, this city. I could sense the presence of all four of them, which was a relief. But I was confused for two reasons. First, there was no sign of any monsters in the city. Second, the city was filled with modern buildings.
Cities in Hall Plain don’t have modern buildings. They have structures you’d find in the Middle Ages. Adapting to that was a challenge during my first Rite of Passage. But now, right before my eyes, were buildings I frequently saw on Earth.
The unfamiliar situation made my head spin, but I decided to calm down and assess the situation rationally. The first task for newcomers to Hall Plain is to adapt to life there.
Compared to the highly advanced Earth, life in Hall Plain isn’t exactly convenient. To help users adapt, the Rite of Passage usually features buildings similar to those in Hall Plain. But this was unheard of.
Unless the angels had collectively lost their minds, they wouldn’t place such buildings in the Rite of Passage. Yet, no matter how much I blinked, the city’s landscape remained unchanged. This meant the angels had some ulterior motive. At that moment, I recalled a story I had heard from a swordsman at a tavern.
“The trap point city has all modern facilities and plenty of food. It reminds you of Earth, making you not want to leave. It cleverly plays on human psychology.”
Thinking of the trap point, the city before me started to make sense. Before explaining the trap point, I should mention the boss monster. Simply put, you can’t defeat the boss monster in Hall Plain. Many have seen it, and they all say the same thing: it’s impossible to defeat. You must run.
The boss monster appears under certain conditions. If you stay in a rest room for more than a day or a save point for more than two days, it will appear without fail. This is essentially a warning from the angels not to settle in one place but to keep moving.
I felt a chill run down my spine. I understood why the city was empty and quiet when I first saw it. And considering the high level of my companions, except for Ahn Sol, and their absence from Hall Plain, I could deduce one possibility. No matter how skilled they were, they couldn’t face the boss monster.
I sighed deeply and fully entered the city. Seeing the buildings after ten years did stir some nostalgia, but finding my companions was the priority.
As I entered the city, I was greeted by buildings all painted in shades of gray. It was as if they were welcoming me to this dark place, their gloomy aura seeping into every corner, unsettling me deeply.
There was a thick scent of death in the air, something only someone with experience could detect. How many people had met their end in these buildings?
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=