There she was.
Crossing the Steel Mountains and finding the way to Atlanta isn’t all that difficult. Even if my memories are a bit dated, this is a region I’ve traversed dozens, maybe hundreds of times—from the initial assault to the subsequent stabilization efforts.
At this point, the path starts to reveal itself. You get a sense of which direction to take, or where monsters are likely to appear.
In other words, you don’t even need to verify the facts; it’s like your eyes just naturally pick up on these things. Any veteran user who’s been through countless expeditions would probably understand what I mean.
Sniff!
So, I led the southern expeditionary force on a brisk march. But I can’t say the route I’m taking now is the fastest way to Atlanta. It’s roughly the same, but slightly off from the path I originally intended.
Sniff sniff!
That’s because, four days ago, after leaving the eastern fortress, I added two new clan members to help gauge direction and set the course. One was Ko Yeon-ju, scanning the area ahead on the right with sharp eyes. The other was…
Sniff sniff sniff!
…Sasha Felix, who was vigorously sniffing the air ahead on the left, snorting loudly.
I sighed inwardly and stared at the back of Sasha’s head as she swaggered along.
That snorting—it’s really annoying. I could tolerate it for a day or two, but after four days straight, it’s enough to make my ears bleed.
Still, as I listened to the incessant snuffling, I silently repeated the word “patience.” Honestly, I wanted to give her a good smack and tell her to cut it out, but from Sasha’s perspective, she was just diligently following my orders, so it felt awkward to reprimand her.
Anyway.
The order I gave was, of course, to search for survivors.
According to Sasha, a vampire’s nose isn’t like a dog’s. (She emphasized this point a lot.) What was it again? That vampires have a unique sense of smell, granted only to their bloodline, allowing them to perceive the history and life of their target?
Whatever the case, if that’s true, then searching for survivors isn’t impossible. Sasha said the Steel Mountains reeked of death.
So, all we had to do was find the scent associated with survival—hope, or the desire for rescue, something like that.
How much time had passed?
By the time the sun, high in the sky, began to wane, the vanguard had entered a densely forested area. So thickly overgrown that it was hard to tell north from south, east from west. Honestly, since no users had been here yet, the scenery was probably the same no matter where you went.
It was like this during the first expedition too. No matter how far you went, the landscape never changed, making you doubt if you were even on the right path. But you can’t let those doubts shake you.
One of the marching rules in the Steel Mountains is never to panic. Once you set a direction, you have to push forward no matter what. If you start zigzagging, you’ll almost certainly get eaten by the mountains.
In other words, it’s not just the monsters you have to watch out for. To conquer this region means treating the Steel Mountains themselves as the enemy. And that’s the truth.
Lost in these thoughts, I suddenly felt the ground beneath me rising little by little. Looking up, I spotted a massive peak piercing the sky in the distance.
I paused and called the clan leaders in the vanguard. The vanguard numbered about one-sixth of the total combat force—roughly 600 people—made up of seven clans, including mercenaries.
Most of the clan leaders quickly gathered. After confirming the arrival of the last samurai lord, an elder among them, I pointed toward the distant peak.
“Today, we’ll be crossing that mountain.”
“What? That mountain?”
A voice, tinged with dread, spoke up. Turning, I saw a man in a gray robe, sweat beading on his forehead.
Was he from the Light Clan? I recall the vanguard having the most mages and priests, many of whom have lower stamina, which probably explains his reaction.
“That’s right. The ground is gradually rising. I expect the slope will be steep, so please keep your formations tight.”
“Mercenary Lord, could we slow the march a bit?”
No problem. I had planned to reduce speed while climbing anyway. I nodded lightly.
“Consider it done. You won’t have much trouble keeping up during the ascent.”
“Phew. That’s a relief.”
“But be extra vigilant. As you can see, the forest is so dense that your vision is limited not just left and right, but front and back as well. We haven’t encountered anything yet, but march as if monsters could appear at any moment.”
“Yes, understood. I’ll instruct my clan to activate detection magic.”
The Light Lord smiled faintly, clearly pleased at the prospect of slowing down. After confirming all the clan leaders had dispersed, I lowered my voice.
“Sasha.”
“You called?”
She answered immediately, poking her face over her shoulder. I pushed her away gently and spoke quietly.
“How’s the situation?”
“A bit strange.”
“Strange?”
“Yes. Until this morning, I could smell something unusual, but it started fading at some point.”
“Could it be because we’re moving away from the source?”
“Sometimes it seems that way, but then the scent suddenly returns. It’s been fading and reappearing repeatedly. I don’t know why.”
Sasha’s tone was calm. Ko Yeon-ju showed no particular reaction either, just shrugged and shook her head.
It was suspicious, but I decided it was best to stick to the set course. Searching was secondary; the march was primary.
As we resumed, I tried to ignore Sasha’s snuffling and kept walking toward the mountain.
Though it looked close to the naked eye, the actual distance was much greater than it seemed.
Still, without any sign of trouble, as twilight began to settle, we finally stood before the towering, sheer mountain range.
The feeling was different up close. It rose so steeply it felt like facing a cliff.
“Sasha. Ko Yeon-ju. Halt for a moment.”
I stopped abruptly. Partly to give the following expedition time to regroup, but mostly because a thrilling sensation washed over me standing before this massive range.
That feeling I’d had earlier.
Something was there.
Just looking at the terrain, it was clear. A mountain range is a long chain of peaks lined up. (It’s the same everywhere.) The perfect place for monsters to ambush.
Until now, we’d been lucky or benefited from the fire plan’s strategy, but we couldn’t count on that luck anymore.
From here on, we had to be truly careful.
Taking a deep breath, I drew my sword. Just as I was about to move forward, a strange sight caught my eye.
“Hmm. Hmmm.”
“Two steps to the left. Or maybe three?”
Sasha and Ko Yeon-ju, walking slightly ahead of me, suddenly started speaking and acting oddly.
No, not oddly—their faces were serious.
Ko Yeon-ju paced back and forth at a fixed distance, watching one side intently. Sasha had stopped snuffling and stood still, staring sharply in the same direction. Both were focused on the same spot.
A sudden thought struck me, and I instinctively heightened my magic detection.
But nothing showed up.
“Sasha? Ko Yeon-ju? What’s going on?”
“The scenery looks different,” Ko Yeon-ju answered first.
“Different?”
“To the left. What do you see there?”
I turned toward where she pointed, but all I saw was the same dense forest. Then—
“This is strange. Definitely strange.”
Sasha, still staring, spoke quietly.
“The faint scent that kept disappearing… suddenly it’s stronger than ever.”
“Stronger than ever?”
“Yes. But then…”
“…?”
She took a step forward, still watching intently.
“Here, it’s vanished again. Like it was never there.”
The moment I heard that, I instinctively understood.
The scenery looked different. The scent changed drastically within a single step.
It’s a barrier.
And since it didn’t show up on magic detection, it’s likely a path-sealing barrier, not a defensive one.
I immediately activated my Third Eye.
As expected, I confirmed the presence of a path-sealing barrier nearby. A barrier that made the world look completely different just one step inside. Ko Yeon-ju and Sasha had already crossed into this external domain.
“It’s a path-sealing barrier. Seonyu-un! Send orders to the rear to stand by!”
I sensed movement—Sun Yoo-woon was shifting quickly nearby.
Using my third eye, I scanned the surroundings meticulously, searching for the entrance. I’d encountered a similar situation before when tracking down Vivian’s dungeon.
But this time, there was a difference: the path barrier wasn’t intact. It was cracked and fractured in places, like a glass window hit by pebbles, splintered here and there.
Go Yeon-ju glanced back at me.
“I thought the same. Wouldn’t it be better to just destroy the barrier altogether?”
Given the nature of path barriers, her suggestion made sense. But I shook my head quietly. Recklessly breaking it could have unpredictable consequences—monsters might suddenly swarm out, or worse.
It was safer to enter and find a way through from inside. Besides, the barrier was already half-broken. Even if it still held its shape, its functions were likely severely compromised. It probably wouldn’t take long.
With that in mind, I peered gently through the largest crack.
“From now on, a small team will enter the path barrier. Go Yeon-ju, Sasha, Shin Jae-ryong, Kim Han-byul, Woo Jung-min. Follow in single file, in that order.”
I didn’t give detailed orders, but everyone knew the barrier’s nature well enough. Soon, I felt the familiar tug on my collar from behind. I lowered my gaze, fixed it on the ground, and spoke softly.
“Go Yeon-ju, I’m going in now. I’m counting on you.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be your eyes inside.”
Her reply came clearly, and I took a step forward. Watching the path I traced, I slowly stepped inside the barrier.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Four steps.
The path twisted and turned the deeper I went. I focused intensely, stepping only on the exact safe spots.
The most important rule: never step off the precise path. Even the slightest misstep… no one knows what might happen.
I’d heard that with high-level barriers, a wrong step could teleport you somewhere else entirely. Especially in places like this, that was a risk we had to avoid at all costs.
Still, it was a relief that the barrier had been nearly broken from the start—and that I had my third eye.
Maybe because of that, I was confident I was moving quickly and correctly. The strange, alien atmosphere inside the barrier was gradually fading—that was clear proof.
Then, suddenly—
Just as I was stepping forward with full focus, an odd sensation crept over me.
At some point, my back felt empty.
The familiar tug on my collar was gone.
“…Go Yeon-ju?”
I looked up, stunned.
---------------------------= Author’s Afterword =---------------------------
I almost dozed off while writing this. Heh. Hehehe. It’s currently 3:03 a.m.—33 minutes past 3. Yes, 33. Uh-huh. (?)
Ah, tomorrow—or rather, this morning—once my appointment is over, I’ll have some free time. And you know what I’m thinking? I just want to sleep. Haha. Ha ha ha. I want to sleep deeply, deeply, deeply. Lately, I’ve been seriously sleep-deprived, so I’m really going to catch up on rest.
Oh, by the way, the League of Legends All-Star finals happened today? They won 3-0. I wanted to watch it too. Boo hoo. Sorry if this afterword is a bit rambling. I might even delete it in the morning because, well, I’m fickle like that! Kya ha ha ha!
Oh, and like last time, I’m refusing any screenshots. I don’t want to create any embarrassing history. :D