Time flew like an arrow, and before I knew it, the last night before departure had arrived.
The clan house was quiet. Just a couple of days ago, it had been bustling with talk about swapping out gear and double-checking preparations, but today, it was truly silent. I figured everyone was spending this final night before the journey in their own way.
Just like me.
“Mar, ah.”
“Ah~.”
Mar blinked her bright eyes and parted her small lips softly as she sat on the desk. I popped one of the essences we’d brought from the warehouse into her mouth. Her chubby cheeks puffed out as she slowly savored the essence. Munch, munch. She was really enjoying it.
After swallowing, Mar’s eyes sparkled as she pointed at the remaining essences.
“Wow… Daddy, what is this?”
“Why? Do you like it?”
“Yeah! It tastes amazing. It’s like tasting the stars shining in the night sky.”
“Ha ha. The stars, huh.”
I chuckled lightly at her words, but inside, I was a little impressed. I’d noticed before that Mar’s way of describing things was remarkably accurate. Not just accurate—almost unnervingly so.
The essence I’d just given her was called Beatrice Stella, one of the treasures from the mountain range where dragons slumber. It was a rare essence found in the pistils of seven flowers that bloom after a hundred years of aging on land blessed by the stars.
Its effect was to slightly boost latent potential when consumed, but only for potential that had yet to be developed. In other words, if all latent potential had already been unlocked, it wouldn’t have any effect.
That’s why I gave it to Mar. She was growing at a terrifying pace, like a storm.
A moment later, Mar, licking her lips, reached for another essence. I was about to stop her—Beatrice Stella’s effects don’t stack.
But just as I was about to intervene, I froze.
In an instant, Mar stretched out her arm toward me. Through her small, egg-shaped fingers, streams of light as bright as starlight flowed out.
…Is she asking me to take it?
“Daddy, you too. Ah~.”
“Mar, I can’t take this. It wouldn’t do much for me.”
“Effect? Hmm~. But ahh~.”
“……”
Mar’s eyes widened, but then she shook her head and perked up her small, pointed ears, looking at me with hopeful eyes.
For a moment, I hesitated. Should I take it or not?
Glancing at the desk, I saw five essences left.
At that moment, as inner conflict raged, my heart spoke to me.
I silently rejoiced.
‘Kill…’
‘…….’
The voice in my heart was filled with a fierce determination to kill. That reminded me of a time when my face almost burned up, so I calmed myself down. It was the night before we left for the Steel Mountains—I couldn’t die so foolishly now.
‘Huh? What? What did you just say?’
‘…A reason for her actions?’
Hwa-jeong snapped at me. I didn’t quite understand why she was angry or what she meant, but I was able to make up my mind.
Right. It’s just personal gain anyway. Or you could just call it selfishness. Like Hwa-jeong said, I wasn’t in a position to be picky.
With that thought, I finally accepted the essence Mar offered.
[Consuming Beatrice Stella.]
“Oh.”
I lightly touched my lips. The moment the essence touched my tongue, a sudden bright sensation filled my mouth, along with a tingling, popping feeling. So that’s why Mar said it tasted like stars.
“Wow. Wow.”
Was I really that happy to have taken it? Mar giggled and stretched out her arms, asking to be held.
I slipped my hands under her arms and lifted her up, feeling the weight was noticeably heavier than before. Oh dear. Has she grown again already?
A little while later.
After gently patting her back for a while, I heard a soft yawn. Looking down, I saw Mar rubbing her eyes, looking a little sleepy. Come to think of it, it was well past her bedtime.
“Mar, shall we sleep now?”
“Ugh-uh. I don’t want to sleep yet.”
“But you look sleepy. Come on, let’s sleep in Daddy’s bed. Look, Yumi and Dodo are already sleeping over there.”
“Nooo. I want to stay right here next to you tonight.”
I pointed to the two little creatures curled up on the bed, but Mar kept shaking her head vigorously, yawning all the while. She even clutched my collar tightly with her tiny hands, as if to say she would never let go.
I tilted my head, feeling a subtle, strange emotion. Mar had never once gone against me before. To be precise, she’d never said no.
But just now, for the first time since she was born, she clearly refused.
Curious, I stared at her quietly. Mar slowly lifted her head and met my gaze. Her eyelids were half-closed, unable to fight off the sleepiness, but her eyes still looked straight at me.
Then, her adorable little ears drooped as she pouted.
“Daddy.”
“Yeah?”
“Tomorrow… you’re going again?”
“……”
I fell silent for a moment. I had suspected it, and sure enough, Mar knew.
Of course she would. Since returning to Monica, almost every clan member had been busy preparing. I hadn’t noticed because she hadn’t shown it, but she must have heard about it the day before.
This wasn’t the first time I’d be gone for so long.
But for some reason, the word “again” stuck in my mind.
“I wish Daddy wouldn’t go…”
Mar muttered softly, almost to herself, but I heard it clearly.
An awkward silence followed.
I spoke quietly.
“I’m sorry.”
“…No. I’m sorry for whining, Daddy.”
Maybe she understood it was unavoidable, because Mar apologized right away.
Feeling a little strange, I kept stroking her back. Not long after, her head drooped and her breathing evened out.
After confirming she was asleep, I sighed deeply and turned my gaze out the window.
The night had grown completely dark.
The next day.
Morning dawned. As if to celebrate the southern expedition’s departure to the Steel Mountains, the sky was clear without a single cloud.
Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz.
The southern gate of Monica was already packed with users gathered from all over. Those participating in the raid, those who came to cheer on their clanmates, and others who simply came to watch the departure.
“The Mercenary Clan! The Mercenary Clan has arrived!”
“Oh? Where, where?”
The Mercenary Clan, just stepping out of the southern gate, was no different.
“Please see us off only up to here. From this point on, only participating clans may enter.”
“Yes. Then, Clan Lord, we’ll watch you off from here.”
“Understood. Please take good care of the clan while I’m gone. User Jo Seung-woo.”
“Ha ha ha. Don’t worry about that. Just come back alive, Clan Lord. All of you. Well, since it’s the Steel Mountains, I’ll understand if you get a few minor injuries.”
Jo Seung-woo smiled warmly and joked, and Kim Soo-hyun gave a dry laugh. Behind Jo Seung-woo stood nearly thirty clan members, each with their own expressions.
The most striking was Cha Hee-young. With reddened eyes, she kept staring at Ahn Hyun. Feeling her gaze, Ahn Hyun scratched his cheek and cleared his throat. I wonder what had happened between them?
“Take care of yourselves. That’s all I can say.”
Iman-sung coughed weakly and responded to Jo Seung-woo’s words. Kim Soo-hyun glanced back briefly and nodded calmly.
“I won’t say a formal goodbye. We talked enough this morning, and anyway, everyone will come back. It’s just like any other time.”
“Let’s hope so.”
“Well, it looks like everyone’s gathered. We should hurry. It would be a disgrace if the vanguard unit is late.”
“……”
Iman-sung closed his eyes without a word.
With that, Kim Soo-hyun turned and headed toward the southern expedition’s assembly point. Thirty clan members quietly followed behind.
No one spoke. Those leaving left, and those staying behind just watched.
The southern expedition’s assembly point was right in front of the castle gate. Users not participating were not allowed beyond the gate. There were so many participants that this was to prevent unauthorized entry and to keep an accurate headcount.
The Mercenary Clan was a bit late, but thousands of users had already gathered at the assembly point.
But the gathering point was not as chaotic as expected. Just as recorded during the previous summons, each participating clan had already taken their assigned spots. It was a clear sign of Han So-young’s command authority.
Soon, the Mercenary Clan, led by Kim Soo-hyun, entered the assembly area, and a woman quickly stepped forward to greet them. Judging by the emblem on her chest, she was a member of the Istantel Row Clan.
“Mercenary Clan reporting. Total of 31 members.”
“Understood. You’re aware of your deployment unit, right?”
As the woman scanned the group and spoke briskly, Kim Soo-hyun gave a slight nod.
“You’ll be moving straight ahead from the central unit.”
After saying this, the woman glanced around the gathering point and cast a voice amplification spell.
— Mercenary Clan, 31 members. Participation confirmed. Entering now.
At that moment, the users gathered in the center parted to the left and right like the parting of the Red Sea, clearing a path for the Mercenary Clan.
Kim Soo-hyun walked slowly through the opening and soon spotted a woman standing calmly in the center. Clad in jet-black armor with a crimson cape, she was none other than Han So-young, the “Commander of the Battlefield.”
Han So-young faced Kim Soo-hyun with her usual expressionless face. He paused for a moment.
“Running a bit late. We’re from the same city, so I feel a bit embarrassed.”
“No, not at all. You actually arrived ten minutes early. It’s the other clans who gathered unusually early.”
“Everyone’s already here? Then, shall we depart…?”
“We’re just waiting on one more clan. Once they arrive, we’ll leave immediately.”
Just then—
— Koran Union, 215 members. Participation confirmed. Entering now.
The woman’s voice echoed again, and a slight commotion stirred at the rear. The Koran Union, responsible for the rear guard, had arrived, prompting a redeployment.
With that, all clans participating in the Southern Expeditionary Force had assembled.
Kim Soo-hyun and Han So-young exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously.
Han So-young cast a spell and then spoke.
— Ten minutes to departure. Everyone, complete your deployment quickly.
Her voice rang out, and all users began double-checking their positions. Thinking it would be a nuisance to stand idly in the center, Kim Soo-hyun led his clan to the very front, forming their formation. It was a layered formation: melee fighters, archers, mages, and priests in that order.
Once the deployment was complete and everyone was in position—
— Total clans: 36. Combatants: 3,847. Residents and non-combatants: 454. Second Steel Mountain Southern Expeditionary Force. Total personnel: 4,301. All participants confirmed.
— Southern Expeditionary Force, advance toward Steel Mountain.
With the participation report complete, Han So-young raised her hand and gave the order to move out. Her deep voice resonated beautifully through the air.
Waaaaaaaah!
The onlookers erupted into a unified roar of cheers. At this moment, everyone was praying for the successful conquest of Steel Mountain.
Amidst the cheers, support, and prayers, the Mercenary Clan, led by Kim Soo-hyun, took the first step at the very front. Following that, the users of the Southern Expeditionary Force began to march forward silently.
At last, the second campaign to conquer Steel Mountain in the Northern Continent had begun…
No, more precisely, this was Kim Soo-hyun’s second attempt at conquering Steel Mountain.
And three weeks later—
The Southern Expeditionary Force, marching at top speed, arrived safely at the Steel Mountain forward base without incident.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
This marks the true beginning of Steel Mountain. Personally, I’m quite excited.
As I mentioned in the previous conversation with Satan, Steel Mountain can be divided into four major regions. The first region is almost completely breached already, so you could say it’s nearly conquered. But the remaining three regions each hold significant events, intertwined with various related incidents.
When I first conceived Steel Mountain, the inspiration came from e-sports. I’ve always been a big fan of StarCraft 1. I even had a pro gamer I cheered for. (By the way, he mainly played Terran. Haha.)
A long time ago—when I was young—I remember watching either the finals or the semifinals of a StarCraft tournament. It was probably a best-of-five series. One of the players was Park Jung-seok, if I recall correctly. From the very first match, the game was incredibly intense—almost an hour long, maybe even more. (The details are a bit fuzzy.)
But what stuck with me was the commentator’s remark:
“This is only the first match. The very first game. How can it be this fierce already? What kind of matches will these two players show us in the remaining games if they start off like this?”
That’s roughly how I remember it.
That moment sparked the idea for Steel Mountain. What I hope to convey in the Steel Mountain arc is a similar feeling—intense, gripping, and full of anticipation. :)