The Plateau of Delusion
“Stop.”
At Kim Soo-hyun’s command, the entire group halted. Ahn Hyun, walking beside him, instinctively stopped as well. Soo-hyun scanned the surroundings briefly before speaking in a calm, measured tone.
“A pack of venomous hyenas is approaching. There are quite a few of them—thirty-eight, to be exact. As their name suggests, their bites are poisonous, so be careful not to get bitten.”
Despite his composed demeanor, Ahn Hyun felt a lump form in his throat. He had encountered these creatures before in Monica. They were cunning and agile, twice the size of ordinary hyenas, and their bites were deadly.
Recalling a past battle where he was surrounded and bitten multiple times, leaving him unconscious for half a day, Ahn Hyun tensed up, readying himself for the fight.
After about five minutes, the dense foliage ahead began to rustle. Ahn Hyun bent slightly, channeling his magic through his body.
“They’re coming.”
With that terse announcement, Kim Soo-hyun stepped back. Almost immediately, a robust hyena burst through the underbrush.
It was just the beginning. Following the first, more hyenas poured out of the bushes, one after another. Ahn Hyun lost count after nine, realizing they were surrounded by a similar number on all sides. It was a perfect ambush.
The hyenas hesitated at first, watching for an opening. Their dark eyes glistened with a menacing intent, waiting for the right moment to strike.
”───. ───. ───. Petals of frost, shatter into dawn’s storm.”
Kim Han-byeol’s serene voice echoed through the air, having prepared her spell since Soo-hyun’s initial command. A glowing gem floated above her palm, and a gentle breeze began to swirl around the clan members.
“Spread!”
With a sharp command, she unleashed her magic. The gem dissolved into particles, merging with the swirling winds, which flattened into a disc and expanded outward.
Ahn Hyun watched the magic unfold, his eyes enhancing the view. He saw countless flickering, blade-like magical constructs within the wind, resembling a giant cogwheel.
Just as he was about to cheer internally, the hyenas reacted. Sensing the danger, they scattered swiftly. Some leaped high to avoid the approaching wind.
Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice!
“Yelp! Yelp!”
The wind, filled with magical blades, cut through the foliage and trees, and the cries of the hyenas who failed to dodge echoed intermittently. Although Han-byeol’s spell aimed to target all the hyenas, their quick response lessened its impact.
Still, the situation improved. The initial pack of nearly forty was reduced by a third, though over twenty remained.
“Yaaaargh!”
Whether from the attack or the loss of their comrades, the hyenas charged with a ferocious howl. Ahn Hyun looked up at three hyenas leaping over two meters toward him. He raised his spear, activating his latent ability.
“Spear Art: Shooting!”
In an instant, his spear split into three, each piercing the belly of a leaping hyena. Watching them fall lifelessly to the ground, Ahn Hyun refocused on the next threat. Three more hyenas charged, drooling yellow saliva from their fangs.
Unfazed, Ahn Hyun activated his special ability, Spear Mastery. Magic coursed through his spear, making it pliable like taffy. As the hyenas lunged with open jaws, he flicked the spear like a bowstring.
Thwack!
“Yelp! Yelp!”
The spear struck all three hyenas at once, sending them flying with blood spraying. Despite dispatching six hyenas in two moves, Ahn Hyun remained vigilant. He remembered a past mistake of charging recklessly after initial success, only to be surrounded and bitten. His armor had saved him from deep wounds, but exposed areas could have spelled disaster.
With a brief lull, Ahn Hyun glanced back. On the left, Lee Yoo-jung was fending off five or six hyenas alone. A translucent barrier surrounded her, a protective spell cast by An Sol, considering Yoo-jung’s lighter armor.
Yoo-jung skillfully reduced their numbers with her daggers, but more hyenas kept coming. Go Yeon-ju held the right flank, and Kim Soo-hyun guarded the rear, leaving the left as the weakest point. An Sol supported with binding spells, but the initial barrier was already tattered.
As An Sol switched to casting a new barrier, the hyenas, sensing the opportunity, became more aggressive.
Just as Ahn Hyun prepared to assist with his spear, he caught Han-byeol’s eye. She looked alarmed and shouted urgently.
“Oppa! Behind you!”
“Huh?”
“Chain Lightning!”
“What the—?”
Crackle! Crackle!
Han-byeol redirected her spell toward Ahn Hyun. Before he could react, a shadow lunged at his exposed neck. But a bolt of yellow lightning struck the hyena’s open mouth.
“Grrr!”
The venomous hyena convulsed and collapsed, smoke rising from its mouth. Ahn Hyun exhaled in relief, his heart still racing. Meanwhile, the right and rear flanks were stabilizing, with Soo-hyun and Yeon-ju nearly clearing their areas. Then, a scream pierced the air from the left.
“Ahhh!”
Yoo-jung, overwhelmed by the increasing number of hyenas, had been retreating. But sensing An Sol and Baek Han-gyeol behind her, she stopped. Determined not to endanger the center, she held her ground, but it was too much.
As her barrier shattered, ten hyenas pounced. An Sol quickly cast a new barrier, but one hyena slipped through, sinking its fangs into Yoo-jung’s thigh.
With Yoo-jung down, chaos erupted on the left. Hyenas howled, and users shouted in panic. In that moment, Kim Soo-hyun, who had been focused on the rear, turned and dashed to the left. He swiftly dispatched the hyena biting Yoo-jung and spun his sword, the Ilwol Shingeom, toward the surrounding enemies.
Each time the eerie glow of the Ilwon Divine Sword sliced through the air, a venomous jackal was sent flying helplessly into the sky. He watched the pack of jackals charging at him from four directions, then swiftly dispatched them one by one with lightning-fast precision.
The jackals leaped first, but before any of their attacks could reach Kim Su-hyeon, they were already crashing to the ground, one after another.
Having just fended off another jackal, Ahn Hyun stared at Kim Su-hyeon with a dazed expression.
Kim Su-hyeon’s movements were calm, yet the surroundings were anything but. The jackals were swept away like leaves in a storm.
Finally, with a decisive thrust into the last jackal writhing beneath his feet, the battle with the venomous jackals came to an end.
“Hey, aren’t you going to turn around?”
“Ugh. I came because I was worried. Fine, I won’t look. What’s so great about seeing your bare thigh anyway?”
Ahn Hyun peeked over at Yu-jeong, who had taken off her pants, only to be scolded and turn away. Watching him grumble as he cleared away the fallen jackals, I let out a short sigh.
“What did you think?”
“Sorry?”
“The battle just now. Didn’t it sit well with you?”
“Well, there were a lot of them. It’s fine.”
I shook my head at Go Yeon-ju’s question. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts other than evaluating the recent battle. As I sorted through them, I turned my gaze back to Go Yeon-ju. She had been watching me intently since she first spoke.
“Finally looking at me. Go on, don’t keep it to yourself.”
“Did you notice anything strange about the battle just now?”
“Well, Yu-jeong getting hurt was unexpected. They usually run off once they take some damage, but they were unusually persistent this time.”
“I felt the same. It’s understandable they targeted Yu-jeong, given their nature, but not fleeing at the end was unusual.”
I paused, lost in thought. Our expedition was now on its eighth day. We had left the Plains of Lamentation, traversed the Wind-Cutting Ravine, and were now in the dense forest leading to the Plateau of Delusion.
“Was that the eleventh battle so far?”
Encountering monsters in the dense forest wasn’t particularly strange. However, having most of the eleven battles occur in the relatively stable regions of the Plains of Lamentation and the Wind-Cutting Ravine was certainly puzzling.
Of course, in a place like Hall Plain, where all variables must be considered, monster movement is possible. Yet, the strange behavior of the monsters, starting with the Rhinoceros, was lending weight to one of the many theories I had been considering.
I looked around. The surroundings were quiet after the battle. An Sol was busy treating Yu-jeong, and Baek Han-gyeol was diligently cleaning up the battlefield with a frozen expression. When I turned to Ahn Hyun, he was scratching the ground alone, then noticed Kim Han-byeol and muttered a word of thanks.
“Hey, Kim Han-byeol. Thanks for earlier. You saved me.”
“No problem. I’m just glad I noticed.”
“But that… Chain Lightning, wasn’t that supposed to support Yu-jeong?”
”…Yes.”
“Damn. So it’s partly my fault too. I’ve got a long way to go…”
The clan members, except for Go Yeon-ju, were each absorbed in their own thoughts. Listening to Ahn Hyun’s self-reproach, I spoke in a hushed voice.
“User Go Yeon-ju.”
“Yes.”
“I think… we might be…”
”…….”
Even before I finished speaking, I could see Go Yeon-ju’s face tense slightly. Perhaps she had sensed something too. Yet, she hadn’t spoken up, likely due to the uncertainty of not having concrete evidence as the “Shadow Queen.” I felt the same.
After a brief pause, I continued.
“I think we’re being herded. Or rather, we are being herded.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yujin.
As I mentioned before, the level of expeditions and surrounding users has increased significantly since the general city. From now on, when we enter ruins, it won’t be as easy as it was with Vivian or Horens. But the rewards will be all the more substantial.
PS. I’ve been told my speech is quite feminine, so I’ve changed it. From now on, I’ll try to show my rough and wild side. If you keep teasing me, I might just write a bed scene with Kim Su-hyeon + Ahn Hyun or Kim Su-hyeon + Shin Sang-yong or Kim Su-hyeon + Baek Han-gyeol or Kim Su-hyeon + Do Yeong-rok or Kim Su-hyeon + Park Dong-geol. Just saying.