…In the end, we barely managed to repel them, but it was essentially a lost battle. Just as we launched a counterattack and tried to seize the upper hand, the survivors fled in an instant, scaling the hill’s barrier.
We suffered heavy losses during the ambush at Shadow Hill and the valley skirmish, but the situation at the time left no room to pause.
The expedition force, upon discovering the pit beneath the hill, immediately threw every available person into the assault.
…Looking back now, committing so many people at once probably wasn’t the best choice. Had we not done that, fewer of us would have been caught and killed.
Anyway, we managed to safely settle into the pit.
After about twenty minutes of walking through the passage, we finally reached the first plaza of the underground city—the “Dead End,” or rather, the “Evil Path.” And there, we found…
—Excerpt from the “Steel Mountain Campaign Memoirs,” Ancient Library of the New Continent Atlanta.
“Aaah!”
A sharp scream pierced the air, followed by the sound of someone falling. Yoo Ji-tae, the “Death Knight” standing across from us, quickly rushed toward the source of the scream.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, sorry.”
Fortunately, the woman responded immediately. Yoo Ji-tae let out a short sigh and calmly extended his hand.
“You should be more careful. Anyway, get up quickly.”
“Y-yes. I was just watching my surroundings and didn’t notice my footing… Wait a moment.”
The woman grasped his hand but, still on the ground, fumbled along the dirt floor and shuddered. After a brief groan, she pushed herself up, frowning as she extended her hand forward. Clutched in her palm was something long and white.
“…A bone?”
Someone quietly muttered.
Indeed, it was a bone—not an animal’s, but a human bone, smeared with fresh, red flesh. Just then, someone began chanting a light spell, and I lowered my gaze toward where the woman stood. Moments later, a bright white glow illuminated the area.
“……”
Silence. Everyone who looked down fell silent. The floor was piled high with skulls and bones, and the bloodstains had thinned.
Yes. It wasn’t splattered—it was drained. Though the blood was smeared unevenly, it clearly formed a message. And one we could read.
‘Hello?’
‘Welcome.’
The words were provocatively casual, but they also meant the enemy had known we would come.
“The host is quite polite, isn’t he? Welcoming us like this.”
“I’m not so sure I like this kind of welcome. It’s pretty low-class.”
The woman grumbled as she tossed the bone aside, and Yoo Ji-tae chuckled lightly. Maybe that eased the tension, because one by one, the users began to regain their composure and get to work. Some formed a circle, keeping watch in all directions; others pulled out communication crystals to report their safe arrival.
I, too, took up a position facing one direction, quietly watching the darkened passage. Except for the faint sounds of communication, silence settled over us like a mouse’s breath.
About five minutes later, as the reports came through, dozens of users began descending from the air. Now that safety was secured, Helena seemed unbothered.
The second group to arrive numbered forty—twice the first. The third and final group, including Han Soyoung, brought the total to forty-two.
In all, 102 people had safely landed inside the pit within fifteen minutes… or so I thought.
The forty-two who came down third weren’t the last. After them, two more descended from the air. Curious, I looked closer and saw Sasha and Helena, both grinning broadly.
Sasha and Helena landed lightly on the ground. Watching the two residents smile so cheerfully, I quietly spoke.
“Helena, I get. But Sasha, why did you come?”
“Um, well…”
Sasha suddenly stopped mid-sentence, looking a bit reluctant.
“Why don’t you cut me some slack? You let Helena slide.”
“Helena will be needed when we go back up.”
“…Anyway, it’s discrimination. Since we have the commander’s permission, if Helena stays quiet, I won’t say another word.”
“……”
Commander’s permission? Just as I was about to look away in confusion, I sensed Han Soyoung approaching.
“Mercenary Lord, I gave permission. Because…”
“I see. Understood.”
“Sasha… huh?”
“Since they’re joining anyway, Sasha and Helena will also participate on the mercenary side.”
Han Soyoung’s voice wavered with surprise at the end, but I shook my head quietly. Sasha and Helena could contribute well enough, and now that we were inside the pit, I didn’t want any more fuss. Every little argument could undermine Han Soyoung’s command. (I still regret losing my temper at the last meeting.) Above all, I just wanted to focus on the mission.
Han Soyoung seemed to sense my intent and nodded silently, ending the discussion.
That brought our total from 102 to 104. After taking a headcount and organizing the group, Han Soyoung ordered us to move out immediately. With only one passage, our steps naturally turned eastward.
As expected of an underground setting, there was no light to be found. Along the way, some users chatted while looking at the dirt-covered walls or glanced up at the ceiling.
The passage was quite wide—about twelve meters across and roughly eight meters high.
But there were a few odd things: the walls were unnervingly smooth and polished, covered with traces of human touch. And the ceiling was swollen with large, bulging veins, like thick blood vessels protruding grotesquely.
I could guess the walls’ origin, but the ceiling’s strange growths were a mystery. I hadn’t participated in the first campaign, so I only knew from records. Even the reports only mentioned their existence, never their true nature.
After a while, the passage began to narrow. Because the path wasn’t straight but diagonal, it grew tighter the further we went. The users merged their lines to adjust formation, but soon even the new formation couldn’t fit.
“Hey, won’t we have to go single file soon?” An Hyun whispered as he approached.
But before long, his worry proved unfounded. Han Soyoung, leading the way, stopped and signaled us to halt.
Ahead, as I remembered, was a large entrance about two meters wide, opening into a massive chamber. Across from it were nine tunnels of similar size, standing empty.
We stepped inside an eighty-meter-diameter cavern. Like before, nothing else stirred. Han Soyoung glanced around briefly, then strode to the nine tunnels and stopped, staring intently—probably trying to decide what to do next.
I slowly looked around at the users. Spotting An Sol staring blankly at the tunnels, I quietly sidled up and poked her side.
“Piya!”
An Sol twisted away with a squeal. Curious eyes turned toward us, so I quickly looked away, pretending not to notice. When the attention died down, I glanced back to see An Sol pouting, shooting me a resentful “You’re mean, big brother” look.
“An Sol, I have a question.”
“Hmph.”
“An Sol?”
“Hmph!”
“…Want me to pet your head?”
“Really? Hehe… Ah, no. Hngh, hngh!”
Nope, not falling for it. She’s grown enough that shaking candy won’t get her to follow anymore. This big brother is truly delighted.
After coaxing her with peekaboo and gentle fussing, I finally managed to speak.
“So, do you sense anything from these tunnels? Like which way we should go?”
“Hmm. Just a moment. Actually, I’ve been trying for a while…”
Squinting, An Sol stared at the tunnels for a long time, then shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Don’t know? I was about to look for Sasha, but gave up. If An Sol can’t tell, Sasha probably can’t either.
Anyway, with An Sol’s luck stat at 102 points, her uncertainty meant only a few possibilities. Actually, three.
One: her ability simply didn’t activate. The other two…
“I think we should split up.”
Just then, Han Soyoung, having gathered her thoughts, looked around and said,
“There are nine entrances, but we don’t know which path to take. So, for now…”
Han So-young’s words came calmly and clearly. What she meant was that since there were nine entrances, the team would split into nine groups and enter simultaneously.
I fell into thought. The only thing I knew for sure was that all these entrances eventually connected into one passage.
But considering we could communicate through the crystal nodes, it wasn’t a bad plan at all. Sure, our power would be divided by nine, which weakened us, but everyone here was no ordinary user. Besides, thinking about fighting in narrow tunnels, it was better to avoid crowding and instead keep the groups small to maximize space.
With that in mind, I nodded in agreement. Judging by the silence, it seemed many shared my view—no one voiced any objections.
After gauging the users’ reactions, Han So-young immediately began dividing the teams. She didn’t just split them randomly; she matched classes as evenly as possible, optimizing for synergy and efficiency.
The Mercenary clan didn’t need to be split or merged.
In close combat, there was me, a swordsmanship expert; Nam Da-eun, a swordmaster; An Hyun, a qi spear specialist; and Heo Jun-young, the Silent Executor.
For support combat, we had Ko Yeon-ju, the Shadow Queen, and Sasha, the Blood Lord.
At range, there was Sun Yoo-woon, a regular archer; Vivian, a chimera summoner; and Helena, a standard mage.
The priest class included Shin Jae-ryong, a general priest, and An Sol, the Radiant Priest.
And finally, Baek Han-gyeol, the Divine Shield, represented the special class.
With just these twelve participants, the class ratios and numbers fit perfectly. While not the absolute best Mercenary lineup, it was still a luxurious composition compared to other teams.
Because of that, we were assigned the central entrance—the largest and most ominous of the nine.
After about twenty minutes of reorganization, nine teams, ranging from eleven to fourteen members each, moved toward their respective entrances. Han So-young’s team took the entrance immediately to the right of ours.
“Don’t push yourselves too hard. Your priority is to find the path. If it gets too difficult, contact us immediately and retreat,” Han So-young said, looking steadily at me. Though her words seemed meant for everyone, why did she keep locking eyes with me?
Suddenly feeling embarrassed, I scratched my cheek and turned my gaze inside the entrance.
“All right, move out. Good luck to all teams.”
“Mercenary clan, entering.”
After wishing Han So-young good luck, I spoke quietly and took a calm step forward.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
We’re slowly wrapping up the Steel Mountain Range Part 2. While writing this section, there were two parts I really wanted to include—just like last time with Shin Sang-yong’s chapter, “When Winter Ends, Spring Comes.”
Those two parts are this one, “The Iron-Blooded Queen’s Fury, Kim Soo-hyun’s Joy,” and the final part, “Once More, Back to Those Shining Days ~ Farewell with a Smile.”
If I’m honest, I’m even more eager to write the last part than this one. Haha. Anyway, as these parts approach, ideas have been flooding in. Writing has become so much fun. :D Hehehe.
Are you enjoying it too? ☞☜
P.S. If conditions allow, I’ll introduce a BGM track in the next chapter!