00643 Gehenna.
At last, we succeeded in passing through and escaping the Steel Mountains. There was no need to bother looking at the surrounding scenery anymore—the message floating in midair was the clearest proof.
That message wasn’t just for me; it must have appeared for every user in the expedition.
“One, two, three…”
I counted silently in my head.
The moment I reached exactly three seconds—
Waaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!
A thunderous cheer erupted, shaking my ears. The users’ chorus reverberated through the ground and spread far beyond the horizon. At least for this moment, it felt like everyone—north, south, east, and west—had become one, shouting in unison. The fact that we had passed through the Steel Mountains was a joy that united us all.
“Mercenary Road! Message from the Supreme Commander!”
As the cheers showed no sign of dying down, Han So-young finally sent a messenger. It was lunchtime, and the message instructed us to find a suitable place to rest.
I gladly accepted the request. I knew a good spot nearby, and the users in the rear would surely want to see the new continent’s scenery as soon as possible.
Raising my hand, I called out loudly, “Everyone, fall in! We’re moving out!”
The resumed march finally came to a halt about thirty minutes later at a spot where a clear stream flowed.
The entire expedition was still buzzing with excitement. Han So-young must have judged that normal marching was impossible in this atmosphere and sent the messenger to find a suitable place quickly. The idea was to use mealtime to calm everyone down a bit.
‘Well, the expedition isn’t over until we discover a city.’
Admiring Han So-young’s cool-headedness even in this situation, I leisurely looked around. By now, the clan members had already started preparing their meals.
Kim Han-byul wandered off, looking around as if to take in the scenery. Baek Han-gyeol wiped tears from his eyes with a clenched fist, and Jung Ha-yeon was busy comforting him.
Ahn Hyun, Lee Yoo-jung, Jin Soo-hyun, and Sasha were shouting “Hooray!” and dancing in a circle, while Pyo Hye-mi—or rather, Jegal Hae-sol—held Cha So-rim’s hand and spun around with an awkward smile.
Go Yeon-ju, who was preparing the meal, tasted the stew and muttered with a disappointed look, “It’d be great if we had some milk…”
Passing by, Won Hye-su suddenly blushed, covered her chest with her arms, and ran off. When Go Yeon-ju tilted her head in confusion, Im Han-na, who was helping with the meal, gave a bitter smile.
Kim Dong-seok and Park Da-som were giggling over something, while Nam Da-eun and Vivian sat close together, engaged in a heated discussion. Park Hyun-woo clenched his fist alone, staring southward and letting out a fierce yell, “Ughhh!”
Seon Yoo-woon, Woo Jung-min, and Heo Jun-young sat back-to-back in silence. Nearby, Shin Jae-ryong laid out a sleeping bag and carefully placed An Sol down, only for Gu Ye-ji to sneak up and poke An Sol’s cheeks repeatedly.
As for me, I pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled smoke while gazing south. Puffy clouds drifted across the sky, casting shadows over a long stretch of grassy meadow. It was a peaceful, picturesque scene, but for me, it was also a place tinged with painful memories.
‘The Fourth Region.’
This area had been named the Fourth Region during the first round—the site of the Atlanta recapture battle. Back then, we had almost pushed through to victory, but at the last moment, the enemy unleashed a hellish aerial beast summoned by a witch, causing devastating losses and forcing us to retreat. After that, we couldn’t even approach Atlanta until the hellish beast was banished.
Recalling those memories made me a little gloomy, but I quickly shook it off and took a deep breath. Like the others, I decided to enjoy this moment. Cha Hee-young, the witch, was now in my grasp, and the first round was just that—the first round. This was the second.
Yes, there was no trace of the hellish aerial beast anywhere now.
“Alright! I’m first!”
“What are you talking about? I’m first!”
Just as I thought that, a sudden noise from nearby caught my attention. The four who had been dancing in a circle were now all dunking their heads into the stream. After gulping down the water, Ahn Hyun raised his head with a “Kya!” and wiped his mouth.
“The water tastes incredible! It feels like freshness is seeping through my whole body!”
“Yeah! It’s got this subtle tingly kick, like it’s energizing me from the inside!”
Lee Yoo-jung nodded in agreement. Watching Jin Soo-hyun prepare to test the water’s effects on himself, I chuckled inwardly. What could they possibly expect from just stream water?
Still, I understood their hope that something special might happen now that we’d entered a new continent.
The four agreed that the water might have healing properties and tried to dip An Sol in the stream, but Shin Jae-ryong sternly warned them not to mess around with someone who was sick, and the attempt was called off.
The users watching all chuckled, and I moved off to find a quieter spot. Those four fools kept insisting the stream had special powers, and I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
‘The stream must feel pretty wronged.’
Thinking this silly thought, I sat down in a suitable place. Feeling the breeze, I closed my eyes slowly. Memories from the past three years flashed through my mind one by one.
‘We’ve finally arrived in Atlanta.’
And in just three years. If there were any other first-round users, they’d probably call it a lie.
But I did it. I made it. I reached Atlanta in far less time than during the first round.
In other words, the goal of returning home, which had always felt vague, was finally coming into clear view.
A gray world.
The sky was stained gray, and the desolate land was a uniform shade of ash. A barren world where no sign of life could be found, only the oppressive aura of death hanging thick. Everything was frozen, as if time itself had stopped.
Those who knew of this space called it the ‘Uninterrupted Hell.’
Uninterrupted Hell.
At first glance, it resembled the demon realm where devils roamed, but in truth, it was far more dangerous. It was the lowest level of the Eight Hells of Heat—a place where no living thing could survive. Everywhere you looked, only gray stretched out, an empty void of death.
Yet there was one thing that stood out: a towering royal tower piercing the sky, placed right at the center of the Uninterrupted Hell. Though nothing else was visible in this bleak world, the tower alone was so massive it could be seen from afar.
It was strange. The only thing visible in this gray world was the towering royal tower, but the presence emanating from it—more precisely, from beneath it—filled the entire Uninterrupted Hell and then some.
Clink, clink…
Then, somewhere in the gray world, an unpleasant metallic sound began to ring out.
The source was a skeleton walking toward the tower.
Not just any skeleton. About the size of an average adult male, clad in black armor that constantly emitted an irritating noise, and wielding a sword that gleamed with a lustrous shine—it was clearly a warrior or knight. Most strikingly, the hollow eyes beneath a spiked horned helmet revealed that this skeleton was no ordinary being.
Before long, the skeletal knight reached his destination. What followed was a strange sight.
Lowering his gaze as if unable to meet anyone’s eyes, he knelt and bowed deeply—his head almost touching the ground.
“The Denghwal sector has been occupied.”
Then came a grating voice, like metal being ground.
The skeletal knight was facing the royal tower, and beneath it sat someone—the source of the overwhelming presence that filled the Uninterrupted Hell.
But did the knight’s words go unheard? Or was the figure reading some record? Only the rustling of pages could be heard, no reply.
Still, the skeletal knight remained motionless, maintaining his bow.
“Among the invaders, we have confirmed some who reached as far as the former Choyeol sector.”
Rustle, rustle…
“Not only that, but three additional entities with similar power have been detected, along with several others on par with those previously consumed.”
Rustle, rustle…
“This scale is incomparable to the last invasion. If this continues, the Daehwan sector may be breached in one fell swoop.”
Rustle, rustle…
“Great Lord, we await your command. If you give the order to our extermination squad…”
Thud!
It was at that moment. Just as the records were fully read, a sharp sound of a book slamming shut echoed through the air.
Kraaaash!
Followed by an overwhelming aura of destruction, as if something was being burned to ashes.
The skeletal knight immediately sealed his mouth and instinctively shrank his entire body.
Then—
“Wait.”
At last, a voice emerged from the one seated atop the tower—the one called the Archduke. It was a voice imbued with an uncanny magic, utterly untouchable.
At first glance, the invasion report the skeletal knight had delivered seemed to stir no reaction in the Archduke. Though the voice was beautifully melodic, tinged with a feminine tone, its low, even cadence betrayed not the slightest hint of interest.
“Wait, and it will come to you on its own.”
When the voice spoke again, a sudden spark flashed in the hollow eye sockets.
The skeletal knight cautiously opened his mouth.
“Then….”
“Did I not say to wait?”
That was all. The moment the Archduke’s voice sharpened, the skeletal knight slowly rose and bowed deeply.
“I will carry out your command.”
With those final words, the skeletal knight turned and began to walk away slowly.
Clink, clink…
As the metallic sounds gradually faded into silence—
“Dimensional teleportation, huh… That Black Flame fellow is certainly up to something interesting.”
The Archduke, who had been sitting with his chin resting on one hand, suddenly muttered to himself. Rising from the tower, he raised both hands and slowly swept his hair back.
“Normally, such a lowly creature isn’t even worth my time…”
It was a scene like a painting. His skin was dazzlingly white, almost glowing under the soft light that caressed his hands. His slender fingers, smooth as polished jade, were irresistibly elegant.
But that wasn’t all.
His thick hair cascaded like a blazing flame, radiating a brilliant light. It was as if a molten lava waterfall was pouring down with explosive magical power.
And moments later—
“Since I’m bored, it wouldn’t be so bad to entertain myself with this.”
A faint smile curved his full, red lips.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Ding!
『Participant 2: ?? ?? (??? ??) has been confirmed!』
『Participant 2 identified as Archduke of Hell (Hell’s Terror)!』
『Han So-young, currently on Mercury, falls into chaos!』
『Jeong Ha-yeon, Go Yeon-ju, Nam Da-eun, Im Han-na, and Vivian La Classidus, currently besieging, fall into chaos!』
『Yoo Hyun-ah watches the chaos while eating popcorn!』
『Upcoming participants: 1. Kim Han-byul 2. Archduke of Hell (Hell’s Terror) 3. ?? 4. Lee Yoo-jung.』