After holding the departure ceremony in Monica, the Southern Expeditionary Force managed to reach the Steel Mountain Range in just 21 days. More precisely, they arrived at the forward base right before the mountains. The journey usually took about four weeks, so cutting it down to three was quite fast. Maybe that’s why, by the time they entered the fortress, night had already fallen deep.
Returning to the fortress after eight weeks, my first impression was… honestly, a bit disappointing.
What is a fortress, after all? Isn’t it supposed to be a sturdy defensive structure built at a strategically important point?
But the forward base in front of us looked more like a camp than a fortress. It was good that the site was vast enough to accommodate thousands, but the defenses were nothing more than makeshift guard posts and watchtowers. Besides a circular fence and countless tents, there was little else.
Granted, construction had only been underway for eight weeks, so what could we expect? Still, the fact remained that if monsters suddenly appeared right now, the entire place would be wiped out in an instant.
Anyway.
After the Southern Expeditionary Force entered the fortress, Han So-Young ordered everyone to rest in their tents, as they were scheduled to enter the Steel Mountain Range early the next morning.
But I was an exception. The commanders of each unit had to gather separately for a meeting. I heard that the Eastern Expeditionary Force, which had entered two weeks earlier, had currently halted their advance. We needed to receive information about their route and any unusual developments to refine our future strategy.
Of course, there was a designated user responsible for relaying that information.
“Welcome, So-Young. And Mercenary Road, good to see you too. And… Koran Road? Is that what I should call you?”
As we stepped into the large central tent, Lee Hyo-eul waved at us.
“Ha ha. No, just call me Hwanhee. Koran Road sounds a bit embarrassing,” Park Hwanhee replied with a smile. Lee Hyo-eul nodded, “Alright then, Hwanhee,” and led us to our seats.
The inside of the tent was nothing special. In fact, it was almost bare. A large table sat in the center with a big map spread across it. A few light stones provided dim illumination, and a single bed was tucked into a corner. There wasn’t even a chair in sight.
“The fortress is a bit… underwhelming, isn’t it? But please understand. It’s so far from any city that getting materials is tough, and no matter how much gold we offer, many workers are reluctant to come. There’s a lot to do, but the circumstances make it a real catch-22.”
Once we gathered around the table, Lee Hyo-eul spoke apologetically, almost like a gentle lady. I chuckled quietly, staring at her. Is she acting like this just because So-Young and Hwanhee are here? I wish she’d talk to me like this too.
So-Young calmly shook her head.
“I understand. I had a lot of trouble recruiting workers as well. Honestly, gathering 450 people was a miracle.”
“Oh my, 450? The Eastern Force that passed through two weeks ago didn’t even have 300. So-Young, your skills are truly impressive.”
“Not at all.”
“Hehe, really. Well then, everyone, thanks for coming. Let’s get down to business. First, I’ll talk about the Eastern Force’s advance route…”
Just as Lee Hyo-eul was about to point at the map and begin her explanation, she suddenly stopped. So-Young, sitting across from her, slowly raised her hand—and then pointed at me.
“It’d be better to discuss the advance route with Mercenary Road. He’s our guide for the Southern Expeditionary Force.”
“Huh? But isn’t Istantel Low Road the overall commander of the Southern Expeditionary Force?”
“Of course, and I’ll be listening in. But I’ve delegated full authority to Mercenary Road by entrusting him with the vanguard unit. So in this matter, I’m a subordinate, not the lead.”
“…Is that so?”
Lee Hyo-eul blinked a couple of times, then gave me a surprised look. I tried to keep a straight face, but inside I smiled quietly.
This is one of So-Young’s many strengths—she never flaunts authority unnecessarily and knows how to delegate appropriately. Since I’m better at navigation, she’s entrusted me completely with this responsibility.
From her perspective, it meant she trusted and believed in me. I couldn’t have felt better.
“Alright then,” Lee Hyo-eul cleared her throat and moved the map to make it easier for me to see. So-Young leaned in close beside me, and I had to swallow hard. The scent of a mature woman… Damn it. Focus.
Using my mind training, I fixed my gaze on the area Lee Hyo-eul indicated.
Her finger pointed to the entrance of the Steel Mountain Range—specifically, the forward base.
“The Eastern Expedition’s initial advance was very successful. According to yesterday’s report, they haven’t been attacked even once up to this point. It could be luck, but since they found traces of creatures—presumably monsters—fleeing along the way, we can assume the fire plan was more effective than expected.”
“So the monsters were scared off by the large-scale fire?”
“That’s likely. Anyway, Mercenary Road, to start from the beginning: the Eastern Force arrived at the forward base two weeks ago and entered the Steel Mountain Range the next day. Then…”
“And?”
Lee Hyo-eul paused briefly, sliding her finger along the map. It traced a straight line at first, then curved slightly left before stopping abruptly at a certain point.
I focused on that detour, not the stopping point.
“They halted their advance here just yesterday.”
“They didn’t push further?”
“Nope. I think they’re planning to build a fortress at this spot. They’re settling in while executing the fire plan.”
“Settling in, huh? I think they could have gone a bit further.”
“That’s true, but I agreed with the decision. It’s better to secure a safe zone than risk casualties by pushing too far.”
“No matter what, the distance they’ve covered is too short. At most, a week? No, even if you stretch it, it’s only about ten days. Was there some kind of problem?”
Indeed, the point where Lee Hyo-eul’s finger stopped didn’t look like a two-week advance, no matter how I measured it.
But she shook her head.
“No problem exactly. As you know, the Eastern Force benefited from the initial entry. They set fires for three days straight, so the area affected by the fire was quickly cleared. But after that, their progress slowed significantly. The Eastern Force’s commander, Jo Sung-ho, chose a slower but safer approach.”
That made sense, but I still felt uneasy.
I pointed to the detour on the map.
“Then one more thing. Why did they suddenly change direction here after moving straight ahead?”
At that moment, a flicker of hesitation crossed Lee Hyo-eul’s eyes. It was a brief moment, but I caught it.
“Ah… that? Hmm.”
“User Lee Hyo-eul, didn’t all expeditionary forces agree to share all information?”
I said, slightly threatening. She widened her eyes and waved her hands.
“No! You’re misunderstanding. That part isn’t very important, and there’s nothing suspicious about it, so I didn’t mention it. I can’t give you wrong information, can I?”
“Suspicious?”
“Yeah. The Eastern Force apparently found a monster tribe there. But no monsters appeared—just traces of them fleeing, like I said.”
“That makes it even stranger. If that’s all, there’s no reason to detour.”
“I agree. That’s why I said it’s suspicious. But the command is with Jo Sung-ho, so I can’t interfere. He didn’t mention it as important either. If you’re really curious, you should ask him directly.”
“……”
Lee Hyo-eul shrugged as if to defend herself. Watching her, my eyes narrowed. It didn’t feel like she was complaining out of frustration, but more like she’d anticipated this question and prepared her answer in advance.
I stared at her for a while, then calmed myself. In cooperative operations like this, distrust and conflict are the biggest dangers. We must avoid any friction from the start.
At least one thing became clear from this meeting.
There must be a reason why the Eastern Expeditionary Force stopped advancing.
What exactly is Jo Sung-ho hiding? What kind of trouble has he run into?
I turned my gaze back to the map, lost in thought.
“I don’t like this.”
Yoo Jung stormed into the tent, roughly tossing her bag aside with a grunt. Sasha, who was busily organizing her sleeping bag in the corner, quietly glanced over.
“What’s got you so upset, little she-cat?”
“Everything! I hate this shabby fortress, I hate that damn prick who’s always butting in, and I hate the so-called Supreme Commander! Damn it. Who does he think he is, bossing my brother around like that? And speaking to him like he’s nothing!”
As Yujeong vented her frustration harshly, Sasha paused, letting go of her work for a moment, lost in thought. It didn’t take long for her to realize that the “damn prick” Yujeong mentioned was none other than Go Oh-hwan.
But more than that, Sasha found herself drawn to Yujeong’s last words.
“Sounds like you’ve got a lot of complaints about the Supreme Commander. Was it that Istantel Low Lord or something?”
“Yeah. Honestly, during the march, he keeps barking orders through some voice amplification magic. Like, what does my brother have to do with him? He’s just bossing him around like crazy.”
“Hm. I don’t recall that guy giving many orders to the women, though. And when he did, it was mostly under the pretense of training, wasn’t it? I can’t say I remember anything that seemed particularly unfair. What about you?”
“Exactly. Originally, my brother was supposed to be the Supreme Commander, but then—wherever that guy came from… Anyway, it just pisses me off. Why should I listen to that user? The only person who can give me orders is my brother.”
Yujeong kept grumbling, her steps sharp and restless. Then she flopped down onto the sleeping bag Sasha had carefully laid out.
Blinking slowly, Sasha took a deep breath.
“Hmm. I think I get how you feel. But try not to show it on the surface. Excessive loyalty to one person can sometimes be poison. Remember that, female cat.”
“I don’t care about that~ And if you call me a female cat one more time, you’re gonna regret it, you male vampire.”
“Vampire. A proud lineage, mind you. By the way, I was planning to use this sleeping bag.”
“Proud lineage, huh? Don’t you know about ‘ladies first’?”
Muttering, “Is she a stray cat or what?” Sasha watched as Yujeong smiled slyly and sat up. Sasha gently pushed her back down, then slipped out of the tent as if escaping.
“What a willful young lady.”
Shaking her head with a deep sigh, Sasha soon composed herself and started walking—not toward another tent, but toward the outer edge of the fortress. The southernmost point, where the Steel Mountains could be seen most clearly.
The Steel Mountains were silent. Dark. Though the plan to capture Hwagyegwan had opened a breach, nothing was visible beyond it. Occasionally, a strange wind stirred, carrying an eerie energy that only made the surrounding stillness feel heavier.
Inside the forest, where even the moonlight seemed swallowed by darkness, only gloom filled the air. It was as if the woods were opening their jaws wide, ready to swallow the outpost whole.
As Sasha, her face set and serious, stared intently at the gaping entrance, a beautiful voice rang softly in her ear.
“You were the first to enter the tent earlier. What’s the sudden business here, dog nose?”
Following the rounded fence, a woman approached slowly—it was Helena.
“I thought I caught a whiff of something foul on the breeze. Looks like a lizard was wandering nearby.”
“Hoho. The forest nearly swallowed by darkness, and you’re quite talkative.”
Helena smiled calmly as she came closer, then turned to gaze into the forest alongside Sasha.
A moment passed in silence.
After staring quietly for a while, Sasha glanced at Helena and, curious, finally spoke.
“The lizard. What do you make of it?”
“What do I make of what?”
“The forest. It’s unusually quiet, isn’t it? What do you feel?”
“The forest is always quiet at night.”
Helena answered lightly. But Sasha slowly shook her head.
“You know that’s not what I’m asking.”
“Oh? Why? Did your dog nose catch another strange scent?”
“Not strange exactly…”
“Not strange?”
“Yes. Like you said, the forest is always quiet at night. But…”
“…?”
A sudden gust of wind swept by, and Sasha closed her eyes tightly. She flared her nostrils and took a deep breath of the breeze.
“Screams… shrieks… despair…”
“What are you talking about?”
Sasha muttered quietly, as if to herself. Helena asked again, but Sasha said nothing, only focusing intently as she inhaled the wind.
After a moment.
“This forest is so quiet, yet…”
The wind died down, and silence settled once more.
Opening her eyes at last, Sasha frowned slightly. Her eyes glowed faintly red as she whispered.
“Why… does the scent of death hang so thickly here?”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Ugh. Lately, I’m losing my mind. Has anyone tried electronic cigarettes? I’ve been coughing more than usual recently, and I think the cigarettes are the cause. I know I should cut back, but I just can’t seem to control it. It’s become almost a habit now… I really need to quit or at least reduce it, but I had no idea quitting could be this hard. ㅜ.ㅠ