The Plateau of Delusion
“Hmm.”
As the man finished speaking, the already chilly air around us seemed to grow even colder. I exhaled quietly, intrigued by his words.
I lowered the crystal orb I had been holding close and extended it forward so everyone could hear. The clan members, especially the younger ones, followed the orb with bated breath.
(Please, listen to me. I hope by now you’ve turned around and are heading back. But judging by the atmosphere, it seems they’ll find me soon. So, I’ll continue my story. To introduce myself, I’m Jung Sung-woong, a fourth-year user of the Yeoulgan Clan.)
The man’s voice carried a sense of urgency, as if death was drawing near.
He began recounting his experiences.
(It all started after we entered the Canyon of Illusions.)
I listened intently as he detailed the events in the canyon. Initially, there was nothing unusual. They entered the canyon and found the ruins within two days. Confidently, the expedition team ventured inside…
(The moment we stepped into the ruins, we were faced with piles of corpses. The sight of half-decayed bodies scattered everywhere made us realize something was terribly wrong. We should have turned back then, but we were blinded by the allure of the ruins…)
‘Hmm? Something feels off.’
As I listened, a vague sense of unease crept in. Up to the point where he mentioned discovering the canyon city, nothing seemed amiss. But the overall narrative felt slightly skewed. His initially coherent story began to unravel, becoming increasingly disjointed.
(The place was like a city frozen in time. Despite the years, it appeared remarkably intact. As we entered, we were shocked to find dozens of people waiting for us, weapons drawn. They were vagrants.)
The man paused to cough, each spasm bringing up blood, yet miraculously sparing the crystal orb. A quick check of the orb’s magic revealed it was nearly depleted, signaling the end of its transmission.
As death loomed closer, the man struggled to continue, his voice barely a whisper.
(I don’t have much time left. I’m sorry for the disjointed story; I’m in a hurry. You might remember the Golden Lion Clan’s plan to eradicate the vagrants. Most fled west, but some took other routes. I believe they hid in the Canyon of Illusions…)
‘Vagrants? They were alive, not just corpses?’
I frowned at his words.
(We couldn’t fight them. Our only option was to flee. Most of my comrades were caught. I was at the rear and, shamefully, ran without looking back, barely escaping. Or so I thought. But perhaps I’m being punished for abandoning them, ending up like this.)
He let out a self-deprecating laugh, followed by a long sigh, and continued in a strained voice.
(Though my life is nearly over, I’d rather end it myself than be captured by vagrants. But before I die, I wanted to leave a trace. Please, whoever sees this orb, inform the city’s main clan. I wish you safe return. Good luck.)
With that, the orb flickered and went dark.
I sighed deeply and turned away from the now dim crystal orb. The faces of the clan members were shadowed with concern.
“Vagrants… This isn’t something to take lightly. Su-hyun, what do you plan to do?”
As I quietly tucked the orb away, Go Yeon-ju tilted her head and spoke to me.
The clan members remained silent, but their glances at each other suggested a desire to turn back. Sensing my determination to press on, Go Yeon-ju spoke earnestly.
“With so many vagrants, isn’t it risky? The orb is proof enough. Shouldn’t we head back?”
“User Go Yeon-ju, may I ask something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Can you find any traces of the expedition team nearby?”
Though surprised, Go Yeon-ju calmly surveyed the area and nodded.
“Yes, there are clear signs of entry and exit, though they’re mixed with others.”
“Can you tell if this user was under a mental spell?”
“What? No, I can’t determine that.”
“I see.”
I bent down to examine the flowers scattered around. Soon, I found a familiar one and held it up for all to see.
“This is a Hyde Flower. In small amounts, it masks scent; in large amounts, it can obscure presence. Why is it here?”
“Perhaps to protect the orb from wandering monsters? It’s a common method for leaving dying messages, though not frequently used.”
“True. But doesn’t it seem odd?”
“What seems odd?”
The man’s story seemed plausible at first glance. But for someone facing death, he was too calm and composed. While some users are naturally like that, the way he narrated his story was peculiar.
In essence, his story felt more like an explanation than a plea for help.
In my memory, the vagrants were found as corpses in the ruins. Yet he claimed they were alive.
He said he barely escaped. But would the vagrants have let him go so easily? And if he ran without looking back, how did he know his comrades were caught?
He was pursued and gravely injured. In such a state, he found Hyde Flowers and left the orb to protect his body.
Wouldn’t the vagrants have found his body? Wouldn’t they have searched him?
And what was the initial call for help about?
After all…
‘The Plateau of Delusion, the Canyon of Illusions isn’t a place you can move freely. And it’s hard to believe he was overpowered by just a few dozen vagrants. Even I wouldn’t be confident without Hwa-jeong…’
Questions piled upon questions, thoughts tangled in complexity.
“I intend to proceed as planned. The mercenaries will enter the Canyon of Illusions.”
I shared my doubts with the group, explaining as much as I could. Finally, I confirmed the existence of the ruins and suggested we delve deeper to resolve these mysteries.
Fortunately, a few nodded in agreement, though the somber mood persisted. Seeing this, I sighed and decided to use my last resort.
“It seems many are reluctant. Let’s do this: as I mentioned, I propose we continue exploring. If the majority wishes to turn back, we will. Please share your thoughts, starting with User Go Yeon-ju.”
“I’d prefer to return. Even if there are dozens of vagrants, with Su-hyun and me, I don’t think we’d lose. But if they have someone like us, it’s different. I’m sorry, but I think the orb is sufficient evidence.”
Go Yeon-ju responded immediately. As I looked around, other clan members began voicing their opinions.
“Hyung, I also think we should go back. I understand your point, but with the orb, we’ve achieved our goal. Sorry for opposing.”
“Hmm.”
Ahn Hyun also expressed his opposition. It seemed many took the orb’s story at face value, favoring caution.
‘There’s so much potential here…’
I was about to resign myself to retreat when I noticed Kim Han-byeol, who had been deep in thought, quietly open her eyes.
“I’ll support going forward.”
“Huh?”
“I hope we can continue this expedition. Listening to the man’s words… I don’t know, something felt off. It’s hard to explain, but I think it’s worth exploring a bit more, just like you said.”
“Alright, so it’s two against two?”
I glanced at Kim Hanbyul, surprised, but then felt a wave of relief wash over me. Beside her, Lee Yujeong hesitated, biting her lip as she watched my reaction. Then, she spoke up.
“I’ll agree with you too, brother.”
“That’s three in favor.”
“You too? Ugh… I don’t know. I’ll just go along with what you say. Honestly, I don’t really understand what’s going on, but following your lead hasn’t let us down so far. If we’re just checking things out a bit more, I think it’s fine.”
“That’s four in favor.”
With Ahn Sol’s agreement, Lee Yujeong quickly added her support, making it four in favor and two against. The decision was practically made. However, one person still hadn’t voiced their opinion, so I turned to the remaining clan member.
“Even though the decision’s made, we should still hear from you. Hanbyul, what do you think?”
“Me? I… I’m not sure.”
“Abstaining, then?”
“Yes, I’ll abstain. I still don’t have a good grasp of the exploration.”
Baek Hanbyul abstained. That wasn’t bad. I looked at the two who opposed. Go Yeonju seemed to think my point was valid, looking indifferent whether we went or not. But Ahn Hyun had his head down, sneaking glances at me, clearly troubled by opposing me for the first time.
‘Once we return, we need to establish the clan properly. Set some rules… I’ve been leading alone for too long.’
I kicked some flowers over the man’s body, covering it partially. Once it was sufficiently hidden, I spoke decisively.
“Four in favor, two against, one abstention. Based on the vote, we’ll continue the exploration. I understand your concerns. I have no intention of pushing us too hard. If we encounter something beyond our control, we’ll retreat without hesitation.”
Reassuring them that safety was the priority seemed to lighten their heavy expressions a bit.
I then started walking in the direction where traces remained. The clan members quickly formed a defensive formation behind me. Even though no monsters had appeared yet, most were ready for battle. Since the incident at the crystal cave, everyone seemed on edge.
Watching them, I signaled for us to move out.
I deliberately increased our pace. I wanted to ease the tense atmosphere, and to do that, we needed to leave this unsettling place quickly.
The further we moved from the site of the body, the more the oppressive, sticky feeling faded. However, the discomfort didn’t completely disappear. The strange air that replaced it was hard to describe.
“Suhyeon, hold on a moment.”
As we marched, Go Yeonju called for a halt. It was the first time someone other than me had stopped the group since I started leading the mercenaries. Turning around, I saw Ahn Sol’s face, pale as a sheet.
“Ahn Sol, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Ha… ha… I’m sorry.”
“Are you exhausted?”
“No, it’s not that… I’ve just been feeling this strange pressure since earlier. But I’m okay. I can handle it.”
‘We must be close.’
I considered giving her a calming pill but decided against it when she insisted she was fine. Instead, I sent Ahn Hyun to walk beside her, so he could alert us if anything changed. We resumed our trek, moving from gentle slopes to steeper terrain.
About thirty minutes later, a strange, metaphysical pressure seemed to weigh down on us, only to suddenly lift.
『Potential Ability: Insight (Rank: A Plus) activated.』
『Potential Ability: Blessing of the Battlefield (Rank: EX) activated.』
I quickly raised my hand to signal a stop and scanned the surroundings. I was at the front, which meant we had crossed into a zone with a stronger field effect.
At that moment, I sensed someone collapse behind me.
“Hyung, Ahn Sol…!”
“Alright, Hanbyul, give me the bag.”
Though her face was buried in the ground, I could tell she was struggling. The effects of the Mountain of Delusion, Plateau of Illusion, and Canyon of Hallucination were like poison to someone with Ahn Sol’s trauma.
I quickly took the bag from Baek Hanbyul and retrieved a box containing a calming pill. I laid Ahn Sol down, forcing her mouth open as Ahn Hyun’s worried voice reached me.
“Hyung, what’s happening?”
“Don’t go any further. We’re almost there. Ahn Sol must be more sensitive, so she felt it earlier.”
“What do you mean?”
“Once we cross this point…”
I placed the golden pill in Ahn Sol’s mouth, watching it dissolve on her tongue.
As her trembling subsided, I stood up and continued.
“…we’ll reach the Plateau of Illusion.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yujin.
I barely made it in time. Some fellow authors say that once you take a break from writing, it’s hard to get back into it. After celebrating the end of exams with friends, I started writing late, and my body kept asking for rest. Haha. Luckily, the Red Bull I drank earlier kept me going.
Yes! Exams are over, and the Plateau of Illusion part is finished. The next part will include the Canyon of Hallucination. Haha. (The main entry to the Plateau of Illusion starts in the next chapter, but as mentioned, the Canyon of Hallucination is a day’s journey away. Both will appear in the next chapter, and we might enter them quickly.)
No one has guessed the future plot exactly, but some have come close. Haha. I’ll leave it here for today. I’m happy the exams are over and looking forward to a good night’s sleep.
PS. Reader comments will return next time! Hooray!