…Enemies of overwhelming strength appeared on every path, and we had to suffer heavy losses on nine of them.
After barely regrouping at the second cavern, Han Soyoung—the Supreme Commander at the time—ordered all personnel to consolidate. Without a word, she began the march toward the five paths that had appeared second—no, toward the trap-filled routes.
Looking back, Han Soyoung, the clan lord, seemed a bit off then. She didn’t show it outwardly, but I remember sensing some anger simmering beneath the surface.
Honestly, I was worried about her rapid advance at the time. But ironically, in hindsight, it was the most brilliant move. From that moment, it felt like our coordination started to click.
Yes. From then on, something within the expedition began to change. And if I may be so bold, that change was likely one of the driving forces—or the very foundation—that allowed us to succeed in conquering the Steel Mountain Range.
—Excerpt from “Conquest of the Steel Mountain Range: A Retrospective,” Ancient Library of the New Continent Atlanta.
Moments later, a group emerged from the dark passage ahead. Without needing to look closely, I recognized them as users who had participated in the pit assault. But unlike us, their condition was grim. The dim light hanging over the entrance revealed their gear smeared thick with blood.
“…Are you alright?”
It was Ansol’s voice. The man walking at the front was Musa Lord Go Ohwan.
“Damn it, can’t you tell? We got hit hard by an ambush.”
Go Ohwan shook his head violently as he stepped inside, then groaned, pulling an arrow lodged in his chest out with effort. A spray of blood splattered, and the wound quickly turned a deep red. Ansol was about to cast a healing spell, but Go Ohwan shook his head again and pointed to the users following behind him. They were in similar or worse shape. Most tellingly, no one else came in after the ninth user.
“Two of us went down. We got hit just like those bastards in the valley.”
“Were they many in number?”
“More than us, yes. Still, I thought we could win without casualties… Damn it! Swords, bows, magic, even healing! How the hell are they using user skills?!”
“…Let’s get you healed first.”
I spoke quietly, hoping to calm him down. Go Ohwan, who had been raging moments before, suddenly stopped and scanned me and the clan members.
“…But you weren’t ambushed? You look pretty fine.”
“We weren’t.”
“We?”
I said nothing, instead pointing to the center of the floor. Go Ohwan’s eyes widened in shock, and he let out a startled “Ugh.” Voices filled with panic asked what was going on, but I had no time to answer. From the cave just to the left of the entrance we’d come through, new footsteps echoed.
That was the tunnel Han Soyoung had entered. Swallowing my rising unease, I stared calmly into the darkness.
Soon, exactly eleven people arrived at the second cavern. Fortunately, Han Soyoung’s group appeared unharmed, seemingly untouched by any ambush.
“Mercenary Lord.”
Han Soyoung had entered calmly at first, but stopped abruptly when she saw the injured users and the scarecrow-like corpses.
Still, she remained composed.
“What happened here?”
“Musa Lord’s group was ambushed on the way.”
“I heard about that ambush en route. But these bodies?”
“They were already here when we arrived. Looks like whoever ambushed them got here first and did something.”
“Something?”
“…Look at this.”
Though uneasy, I pointed to the blood-stained writing on the floor. Han Soyoung’s face stiffened instantly. I watched her reaction a moment longer, then shifted my gaze back toward the entrance. This time, multiple sounds came simultaneously from several tunnels.
It wasn’t just Musa Lord’s group that had been ambushed. One of the remaining six groups had also been attacked. The silver lining was that five groups had arrived safely, and the ambushed group’s losses were minimal.
“It was just like the valley battle. Their numbers were small, and they ran before we could properly engage. I didn’t think it was worth reporting, so I kept radio silence.”
A man with neatly combed hair shrugged as he spoke.
I fell into thought. One group was wiped out completely, another lost two and suffered many injuries, one was barely touched, and the rest were unharmed.
From this alone, the enemy’s intent was clear. Their command knew everything about our situation and was using that knowledge to wage psychological guerrilla warfare.
In other words, they were trying to slowly chip away at our strength while shaping the battlefield to their advantage, right up to their own doorstep.
Time passed.
The wounded were nearly healed. Having finished my thoughts, I looked back at Han Soyoung.
She still seemed to be staring at the floor. Her long hair hid her face. Watching her like that stirred a faint unease in me.
This defeat was clearly Han Soyoung’s mistake. Of course, she must have considered many factors when dividing the forces.
But in the end, the enemy saw through her intentions and turned them against us. While they knew everything about us, we knew little about them or the underground city. Our lack of information had cost us dearly.
I knew more than Han Soyoung did. If I’d been at the front, we probably wouldn’t have lost thirteen people—ten percent of our total force.
But inside the pit, Han Soyoung held command. I could only advise, and without solid evidence to back me up, I had no right to speak out.
Whatever the reason, Han Soyoung had lost the first battle inside the pit. You could say it was unavoidable, but coldly put, we had been toyed with by the enemy.
At that moment—
Suddenly, Han Soyoung clenched her fist tightly.
“Everyone.”
Her voice was calm, utterly devoid of emotion.
But.
The moment she slowly lifted her head, I had to revise my thoughts.
How to describe it? Her face remained expressionless, but her eyes—black as obsidian—raged with a blizzard storm unlike anything I’d seen before. That storm fixed its gaze on the five entrances opposite us, right at the center.
Yes.
Han Soyoung was angry. Furious.
“Form up.”
Her voice rang out.
『User Han Soyoung’s unique ability Charisma (Rank: A Plus) activated.』
『Field Maestro’s power of command: Destruction and Charge engaged.』
『User Kim Suhyun’s speed, destructive power, and charging ability increase dramatically.』
A cool energy settled over me. As if entranced, I stepped forward toward Han Soyoung. Not just me—every user found their place, forming a single formation. Han Soyoung looked like cold, burning ice. She still stared straight ahead.
“From now on, we won’t split the forces. We’ll assault the pit through the central tunnel as fast as possible. I’ll leave the rest of the roles to you.”
“……”
“Then, let’s move out.”
“……!”
With those words, Han Soyoung dashed forward like the wind. Was it the power of her ability? Before anyone could stop her, she disappeared into the entrance.
The first to follow were the clan members of Istantel Row. I was next, pounding the ground as I ran. Only then did the murmurs behind me grow louder as others hurried to catch up.
Entering the new tunnel, darkness fell again. Suddenly, my body felt light and full of energy—my heart even pounding. Something was different now.
Han Soyoung ran straight ahead without hesitation. The darkness around me blurred past quickly. Unlike before, when we marched cautiously, progress now surged forward rapidly.
“Ch-Chief Commander! Wait, wait a moment!”
Then someone came running, barely catching up to Han Soyoung. But she didn’t even glance back; instead, she quickened her pace.
“Why are you in such a hurry? We should calm down and assess the situation first…”
“No need.”
Han Soyoung answered simply.
“I already have the information about the ambush.”
“B-But…”
“Trying to gather more info is just speculation. It only gives the enemy time.”
“B-But! At least step down from the front line! We don’t know what traps or dangers lie ahead!”
The man shouted desperately.
“Then do as you please.”
Han Soyoung cut him off again.
“Excuse me?”
“If you see traps, disarm them. If you sense danger, warn me. I said I’m leaving the rest to you, didn’t I?”
The man looked dazed even as he ran.
“Sigh, but acting on your own like that…”
“Why would that be acting on my own? If you’re an archer, isn’t that exactly what you’re supposed to do?”
“…Uh, yeah. I guess you’re right.”
“I don’t need reports without conclusions, or ones where I can’t draw a conclusion.”
Only then did a flicker of realization flash in the man’s eyes.
“Should I do it or not? Before you ask that, just do it first, then report.”
That was the moment I heard it.
“Trap detected. Heading back now. Clan Lord.”
Seonyuwoon, who had been running right beside me all this time, suddenly muttered that one line. Then, without warning, he surged forward, passing even Hansoyoung, pushing further and further ahead. After a while, he came to a sudden stop far ahead, crouched down, and began to carefully examine the ground. I had no idea what he was doing, only that his hands moved so fast and skillfully they were almost a blur.
Just as the distance between us closed to about thirty meters, Seonyuwoon abruptly pulled something, then stepped back. At that instant, the earth beneath where he stood cracked open, forming a huge pit.
Without hesitation, Hansoyoung lightly leapt over the newly formed pit.
She didn’t stop to look or ask what it was—she just jumped and kept running.
But it wasn’t over yet. Seonyuwoon brushed off his knees, turned his body, and raised his arm toward the ceiling ahead.
Ping. The sound of an arrow being released echoed. Did it hit something? The ceiling began to split open in a perfect circle. From that opening, dozens of iron spikes, each as thick as an adult’s leg, dropped all at once, embedding themselves deep into the ground, leaving only their tips visible.
Still, Hansoyoung didn’t flinch. Using the spikes embedded in the ground as a foothold, she effortlessly vaulted over them as well. Her body sliced through the air like a bird in flight, her jet-black hair whipping fiercely in the wind.
The pace was incredible. Even I, who favor pushing forward relentlessly, had never marched this fast before. If we could keep up this speed, we’d reach their stronghold in no time.
I stared blankly ahead, fixating on the back of Hansoyoung, who was leading the charge. Her swift, decisive movements felt strangely unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar at the same time.
Surely, if I just increased my speed, I could catch up and easily overtake her. So why did it feel like I was the one being chased?
Or was it that I was doing this on purpose?
Right now, Hansoyoung reminded me of the iron-willed queen of old—the one who once commanded thousands, even tens of thousands of users during her prime.
Then, a sudden thought flashed through my mind. I focused my gaze forward, gathering my resolve, and finally closed the distance to Hansoyoung’s side.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
I wish I could share the BGM I was listening to while writing this, but I can’t find it anywhere. It’s not an official track—seems like someone’s original composition, kind of an upbeat new-age vibe. I renamed the file to keep it organized, so now I have no idea where I got it from…
Here’s roughly how it sounds:
Ba-dum. (Doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak) (Waaaahhh~ Space sounds?)
Ba-dum. (Doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak) (Waaaahhh~ Space sounds?)
Ba-dum. (Doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak) (Waaaahhh~ Space sounds?)
Ba-dum. (Doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak, doo-doo-tak) (Waaaahhh~ Space sounds?)
Ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum, ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum.
Crackle.
Pa-pa-pa-ra-ra pa-pa-pa, pa-pa-pa-ra-ra pa-pa-pa, pa-pa-pa-ra-ra pa-pa-pa…
Does anyone else get a vibe from that? ㅜ.ㅠ