The Steel Mountains lay shrouded in pitch-black darkness. Deep within the forest so dense it blocked even the moonlight, I knelt on one knee and slowly brushed my hand over the ground.
‘This is strange.’
You can tell by the traces. The spot where we’re camping now was where the Northern Expedition camped just yesterday. They literally set up camp here and left in the morning. Aside from that, there are no other notable signs.
But something feels off. Looking at the traces alone, nothing seems unusual. Camping and moving on is only natural.
Still, the problem is that there are almost no special signs at all.
‘It’s not just here.’
This was a question that had been nagging me repeatedly as we followed the Northern Expedition’s path. What kind of place is the third region of the Steel Mountains? Isn’t it supposed to be a monster’s paradise?
If so, we should have found at least some evidence of clashes with monsters by now. But so far, not a single corpse or even a drop of blood has been found. And once we entered the giants’ territory, all we’ve seen are signs of their march.
‘Same goes for us.’
It wasn’t just me—my clanmates were also starting to feel uneasy. Because we, too, hadn’t encountered a single monster on the way here. Some even joked that the Steel Mountains had suddenly gone quiet.
Others laughed along, but having been through the first expedition, I couldn’t accept that so easily.
I stood up and slowly scanned the surroundings. All I could see was the impenetrable darkness and thick forest. And an eerie silence.
But something was different. The more I looked around, the stranger I felt.
No, it was more than a feeling—it was a certainty. The Steel Mountains hadn’t calmed down; they were holding their breath. Every living thing seemed to be crouched low, trembling.
Yes. This feeling was like…
‘The calm before the storm.’
Rustle!
At that moment, just as I recalled the tension before the war with the allied forces, I heard the sound of dry leaves crunching behind me. Instinctively, I activated my magic detection—it wasn’t a monster.
“Ugh…”
The dark figure approaching the camp was none other than Ansol. Rubbing one eye, he looked half-asleep, clearly just waking up.
“Ansol?”
“…?”
When I quietly called his name, a question mark flickered above his head. That always amazed me no matter how many times I saw it.
“Onii-chan…?”
Ansol shuffled over with a strange expression, then slowly spread his arms as if ready to run toward me. Of course, the question mark turned into an exclamation point.
“No.”
I said firmly, trying to stop him. Ansol froze and even pouted. Despite still looking groggy, seeing him act like that was a little scary.
‘Does he just reflexively do that whenever he sees me now…?’
“What’s going on here all of a sudden?”
“Shh…”
“Shh?”
“Sol… I need to pee…”
Ansol mumbled faintly, then squatted down and lowered his head.
‘What? Is he planning to pee right here?’
I was debating whether to help him pull down his pants when—
“…Are you just going to watch this happen?”
A suddenly hushed voice whispered in my ear. Ansol still had his head bowed.
“Huh? But your pants…”
“Go quickly.”
“…”
“Quickly, quickly.”
‘Seriously. The same guy who couldn’t even pee alone during the rite and needed me to hold his hand.’
Is this normal behavior?
“Alright, alright.”
I shrugged and started walking toward the camp.
Just as I was about to pass Ansol—
“If you wait any longer…”
Suddenly, Ansol’s voice came again.
“The whole point of coming out might be lost…”
The moment I heard that, I stopped instinctively.
For a brief instant, the campfire’s flickering light ahead danced wildly. A chilling sensation swept over me, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Ansol…?”
I slowly, very slowly, turned to look at him.
And I saw him.
Just like me, he was rising to his feet at a sluggish pace.
‘If we wait any longer, the whole point will be lost?’
When Ansol finally faced me fully, his eyes were cold and grim—completely different from before. The moment our eyes met, I instinctively knew.
‘We’re in deep trouble.’
Though I’d seen him uneasy before, this was the first time in a long while he looked this certain. Honestly, I’d felt something was off too, but hearing it from Ansol made it 100% clear. His instincts had never been wrong.
Without hesitation, I spoke.
“Wake the clan members. Now.”
“That’s the best idea.”
Ansol answered immediately and dashed past me toward the camp. As his footsteps faded, I tilted my head back and stared up at the night sky.
The silence was deafening.
‘…Brother.’
A sudden, inexplicable unease crept up inside me.
‘What on earth is going on right now…?’
The sky was clear and cloudless on a quiet morning. The camp was wrapped in a calm stillness. A few users wandered here and there, but there was no sign of disorder.
At the southern edge of the camp stood Kushan and Kim Yuhyun.
(Well, I’ll be off then.)
(…Yeah.)
Kushan’s voice was bright, but Kim Yuhyun’s was heavy and dark. Though he forced a smile, the shadows of anxiety were clear on his face. Or rather, he made no effort to hide them.
Still, Kushan felt a twinge of unease watching Kim Yuhyun. From the perspective of humans—or rather, the weak—he understood why Yuhyun reacted that way.
(Still very worried?)
(Ha, ha. Caught me, huh?)
(Don’t worry too much. If we do as I said… the brothers won’t dare harm the humans. They might even come back right away. After all, the New World is precious to them.)
(Do you really think so?)
Kim Yuhyun asked skeptically.
(You don’t trust me? You said I’m your friend.)
Kushan tapped his shoulder playfully. Yuhyun’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
(Ah, no. I do trust you. I will.)
(Good. I trust you too.)
(Yeah. But…)
(Really, don’t worry so much. If anything happens, I’ll come running immediately. That’s why this too…)
Trailing off, Kushan glanced at his own shadow. Only then did Kim Yuhyun nod firmly.
(That’s right. Then… I’m counting on you.)
(Leave it to me. But you haven’t forgotten our promise, right?)
(Of course. I’ll do my best to move Kushan Thor’s heart.)
(Hehe.)
After that, Kim Yuhyun muttered quietly, “I don’t want to die…” but Kushan just laughed foolishly.
(Well then, I really have to go now. I need to move quickly to be on time.)
(Yeah. Sorry for holding you back.)
(It’s okay. But don’t forget—tomorrow afternoon…)
(Yeah, yeah. The vast grasslands about half a day’s journey from here.)
Only after receiving repeated assurances that he would definitely go did Kushan turn and leave. At last, the human and the giant who had traveled together parted ways, each with their own purpose.
Moments later, as Kushan slowly disappeared into the forest, Kim Yuhyun’s expression changed completely. If moments before it had been a warm spring breeze, now it was a biting, cold north wind.
For a long while, Yuhyun stared coldly in the direction Kushan had gone, then turned and began walking back toward the camp—toward his tent.
Inside, several users sat around a table. Not just any users, but clan leaders and commanders from various clans.
“Kushan and his group just left.”
Kim Yuhyun spoke as he took the seat of honor. The silent users exchanged glances. No one spoke, but the look on their faces said plainly: ‘It’s begun.’
“So then…”
“Yes. We can say it’s started now. The rendezvous point is the grasslands half a day’s journey from here, at sunset. If we take our time after breakfast, we should make it on schedule. We need to have all preparations finished by then.”
Murmurs rose among the users. But Kim Yuhyun lightly tapped the table, quieting the noise, and continued in a low voice.
“By the way, how are the power analysis and formation status? Do we have any rough statistics?”
At Yuhyun’s question, a man sitting to his right pushed up his glasses and spoke.
“The power analysis is complete, and the initial formation is done.”
“Tell us.”
“We estimate that fifty soldiers per giant should be enough to handle them comfortably.”
“Fifty? That’s too many.”
Kim Yuhyun paused, then spoke thoughtfully.
“No matter how I look at it, fifty is too many. We don’t have much time. We need to reorganize the formation to be ready for when the giants’ strength wanes.”
“Hmm. From the start, the giants’ strength was only an estimate based on limited data, and even if it’s weakened, we can’t really gauge by how much…”
“Try reducing it to 25 per person.”
“Two… twenty-five? That’s too much—!”
The man gasped, insisting it was impossible, but Kim Yuhyun calmly shook his head.
“No, keep the initial deployment as is for now. If needed, we can always split it in half later, right?”
“Ah, ah… I see. That might actually work.”
The man, who had been reluctant, quickly changed his expression and nodded in agreement.
This time, Kim Yuhyun turned his gaze to the left.
“Alright, the formation is settled. How’s the trap preparation coming along?”
“We’re mobilizing all the archers and assassins to set them up. But there’s something else I want to mention.”
A woman sitting on the left immediately responded.
“What is it?”
“About the traps. Since we’re limited to portable ones, most of them lack power. So, I think it’d be better to set additional traps.”
“Additional traps?”
“Yes. Since the meeting spot is fixed, we could arrive early and set up traps in advance—ones more powerful than the portable traps. They might even be lethal.”
It was a reasonable suggestion, and Kim Yuhyun fell into deep thought once again.
But when he finished considering it, he shook his head again.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. That place is basically the giants’ backyard. If we’re caught setting traps, it’ll only raise suspicion. At worst, the whole plan could fall apart.”
“Hmmm.”
“As I said before, we only get one shot at this. Until I give the signal, we need to keep the giants as off-guard as possible.”
“I see. Then there’s no choice.”
The woman shrugged her shoulders and nodded in understanding.
The meeting continued with Kim Yuhyun asking questions and confirming details one by one.
Two hours later, the long meeting was finally winding down.
“…Alright. I think we should wrap up for today.”
Kim Yuhyun let out a short breath and shifted his body slightly. The faint cracking of small bones echoed softly through the quiet tent.
After stretching, he began gathering his notes, then spoke up.
“Thank you, everyone.”
“…?”
The users paused their note-taking and stared at Kim Yuhyun, surprised by the sudden gratitude.
He continued.
“I may have drawn up the plan, but everything else was prepared by all of you. Thanks to your efforts, we’ve come this far.”
“Hahaha, not at all. Honestly, I had my doubts at first… but after hearing the Thunder God’s plan, I couldn’t help but be impressed. If I’d just seen the monsters as monsters, I never would have thought of this.”
“You’re flattering me. I was just lucky.”
“Luck is skill too. So don’t downplay it. If this plan works, the real hero of the operation will be the Thunder God.”
Kim Yuhyun humbly brushed it off, but the woman on the left praised him even more.
Of course, some might still be thinking, “Will this really go as planned?”
But no one voiced those doubts. Since Kushan’s departure, the plan had been set in motion. By tomorrow night at the latest, the outcome would be clear.
For these users risking their lives, now was the time to focus only on success—and how to achieve it.
The die had already been cast.
A moment later, among the nodding users, someone clapped their hands together sharply. That sparked a ripple of applause directed at Kim Yuhyun.
Clap clap clap clap…
Amid the pouring applause, Kim Yuhyun slowly stood and gave a slight bow in thanks. As the clapping gradually died down, he spoke.
“Then, as of this moment, I hereby declare the commencement of Operation Jamyunggo, along with the simultaneous Operation Trojan Horse.”
Jamyunggo—the Self-Sounding Drum.
Trojan Horse.
With this official declaration, the meeting came to a close.
The next day.
The Northern Expeditionary Force arrived at the agreed-upon location just as the sun was setting.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Today’s update came faster than I expected. :)
I really like the tone of the comments lately. In the past, most comments were about me (……), but recently everyone’s been talking about the story itself, which makes me really happy. :D
Wishing all my readers a peaceful night.