“Huh, this place is…”
As I took a couple of steps down, I heard my brother’s voice filled with awe. Soon, I felt solid ground beneath my feet, and a roughly 20-pyeong (about 66 square meters) square room came into view.
The space was dark, with no windows or openings for light to enter. Raising my spiritual awareness sharpened my vision. Aside from the entrance, there were three bookshelves—one on each wall—and an old, worn table sat in the center.
My brother wandered inside, eyes darting around in amazement.
“So this is the secret library?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm, it’s smaller than I imagined. Feels more like an old study room.”
“Well, it is a library to begin with. What did you expect?”
“True. Still, I never thought a place like this would be hidden away.”
“Usually, the darkest place is right under the lamp.”
He chuckled lightly and moved toward the bookshelf on the left wall.
There were two reasons I came here today. One was to find records needed for our upcoming expedition, and the other was to ask my brother a favor. After all, I’d already taken the Awakening Secret Class, so I had to keep my promise to Gabriel.
But first, the records. Let’s see… where are the records about the Divine Maiden Valley?
“So, the records here point to the location of Atlanta’s achievements?”
“Exactly. These aren’t just some vague, rambling notes. They’re historically verified documents based on facts.”
As I sifted through the scattered records, my brother kept marveling and peering around.
“So you want these records to be made public? For the users of the Northern Continent?”
“Yeah. But not all of them. Leave the middle bookshelf alone.”
“The middle one? Why?”
“That’s for me, you, and the Istanbul Low Road. We’ll share, but we need to keep some for ourselves.”
He smirked and suddenly gave my shoulder a couple of light pats. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt like he was proud of me. Embarrassed, I focused harder on finding the records. But my brother didn’t seem to share my urgency.
“You’ve grown a lot, Suhyun.”
His calm voice tickled my ear. Ugh, that was so cheesy.
“Yeah, yeah. It’s a good plan. Honestly, I was thinking it’d be better to share a little rather than hog everything.”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah. And thanks for telling me first. I’m kind of proud of you.”
“…Uh, thanks.”
Stop it, please. My arms are getting goosebumps.
I debated whether to confess silently, ‘I’m only sharing because I have to,’ when my hand suddenly grabbed a thin stack of records. Pulling out about half and scanning them, I caught the words ‘Divine Maiden Valley’ and ‘Dancer.’ Finally, I found it.
“I feel bad, though. You must be busy handling the strange bird problem too…”
“No, not at all. That’s going well, so don’t worry. And this, we can handle for sure.”
I dusted off my hands, shaking them to get rid of the dirt. My brother smiled confidently.
“Do you have a plan in mind?”
“There are plenty of ways.”
“Like what?”
“No, no. Since we’ve decided to make it public, the method isn’t the issue. The important thing is proving that with these records, we can achieve results. Right?”
He winked at me.
“It’ll just take some time. It’s not that hard. We just need to create the right circumstances. Anyway, you can look forward to it.”
He was absolutely right—I nodded without thinking. I was the one asking for help, so I couldn’t be picky. Besides, I knew my brother’s skills. Whether I should really expect much, I wasn’t sure.
Anyway, now that I’d found the records, maybe it was time to head back.
“Oh, right, Suhyun.”
My brother stopped me. He wasn’t looking at me but pacing near the bookshelves, acting awkward. Hmm… it was like he was trying to act casual before an important negotiation.
“Um… Hey, there’s someone in your clan named Im Hanna, right?”
“Ah, Hanna?”
“Yeah. She seems nice. Every time I see her, she’s all warm and friendly, calling me ‘brother-in-law’… She seems like a really good woman.”
“Well, she’s kind and considerate. But why Hanna?”
My brother’s pace quickened slightly. He paced back and forth along the right bookshelf, then awkwardly glanced around while leaning on a corner of the table. I didn’t get it. Why was he suddenly praising Im Hanna? Did he have some interest in her?
No, that seemed unlikely. Because as long as I was around, my brother…
“Ah, well, it’s like this.”
Thunk.
Roll roll roll…
Just as he opened his mouth, something round and smooth slipped from his sleeve. A small orb rolled across the floor, glowing faintly blue. That was… a recording orb?
“Whoa.”
My brother gasped and hurriedly picked it up. His behavior was so strange, it was hard to believe it was him.
“What’s that?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
He smiled brightly and hurried up the stairs. Watching him rush off, I tilted my head.
Why is he acting so weird all of a sudden?
Under the dark sky, the Mercenary Castle towered over the southern city, bustling with activity.
Well, actually, it wasn’t bustling at all. As the clan representing the city, many people came and went, but the users living inside the castle were quietly watching and waiting. The atmosphere was calm, like the eerie stillness before a storm, as if something was about to happen at any moment.
There was a reason the Mercenary Clan was like this. After Kim Suhyun entrusted the secret library record release, he immediately returned to the castle and announced a new expedition plan.
The expedition itself wasn’t surprising. But the suddenness—and the way the plan was announced—raised many questions among the clan members.
Since the Mercenary Clan had settled in, Kim Suhyun rarely took the lead. Actually, it was more accurate to say he didn’t need to. Although countless requests came in daily, the Mercenary Clan wasn’t just any clan, and most issues could be handled by the members themselves. Almost all of them, in fact. Kim Suhyun only provided direction and didn’t interfere with the details.
But that didn’t mean he never stepped in directly. When absolutely necessary, he did. For example, the ‘Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range’ expedition was a perfect case. That process went from incident to situation, meeting, and then expedition.
This time, however, there was no incident, no meeting—just the expedition plan announced out of the blue. Almost the entire process was skipped. It was a completely unexpected expedition.
Still, the clan members watched Kim Suhyun’s actions closely. From long experience, they knew the Mercenary Lord never acted without purpose. And none of the expeditions he led had ever been easy.
Curious as they were, they had no choice but to wait. Going on an expedition wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, not only Kim Suhyun but also clan members ranked B or higher had the authority to organize caravans and submit expedition reports themselves. (Of course, Kim Suhyun oversaw approvals.)
Whether they cared about the expedition or wanted to build their records, each member had their own interests. But the skilled ones hoped for a call from the clan lord regarding this expedition.
Even Lee Yoo-jung, who had just finished a day mission and was about to enter the dining hall, was no exception.
“Ugh, I’m starving…”
Just as Yoo-jung rubbed her hungry stomach and headed toward the kitchen—
Bang!
The dining hall doors burst open, and a swarm of women flooded in. They were maids, elegant and refined, all dressed uniformly.
The clan members, gathered for dinner, exchanged puzzled looks. It was rare to see the maids move so swiftly and in such unison.
One maid scanned the room carefully, then hurried between tables until she reached the one where Nam Da-eun was seated. Bowing her head, she pulled a record from her bosom and handed it over. Da-eun, who had just lifted her spoon, frowned slightly.
“What is this?”
“The clan lord sent it.”
Her frown vanished instantly.
“The clan lord?”
“Yes. And he requested an answer by tonight.”
Da-eun immediately set down her spoon and accepted the message.
The contents were simple, but as she read, her eyes narrowed and her expression grew serious. Curious clan members nearby quietly gathered.
“Geomhu, a sudden message? What’s it about?”
“It’s about an expedition.”
“An expedition? You mean the one announced recently…?”
“Yeah. And it’s a three-month expedition.”
Murmurs spread.
“Three months?”
“Where’s the destination?”
The dining hall quickly grew noisy. Meanwhile, the maids began delivering records to other users who usually handled such messages. Since this was a group expedition, Nam Da-eun wasn’t the only one involved.
“The destination is… east?”
Woo Jung-min sounded a bit surprised.
“The expected number of participants is 11 or 12,” Cha So-rim said calmly.
“Hey, me too? Am I getting it too? Did you call me, hyung-nim?”
Jin Suhyun was all flustered.
“Hmm, the departure’s in three days. A three-month expedition—that’s going to be pretty tight.”
Heo Junyoung accepted the message calmly.
“Eek! Oh no! I need to ask my brother something!”
Watching Ahn Sol dash out of the restaurant in a hurry, Lee Yujeong bit her lip in disappointment. The others left behind looked just as downcast. Ever since the expedition was announced, they’d secretly been building up hope, but now that they hadn’t been chosen, that hope was crushed. Still, the selection of members was the sole prerogative of the user overseeing the expedition, so all they could do was swallow their disappointment.
‘Well, it can’t be helped. I’m still only an E-rank, after all.’
Sighing inwardly, Lee Yujeong started walking slowly.
Thud!
That was when—
“…!”
Something sharp brushed past the tip of Yujeong’s nose and embedded itself in the wall. A thin, stiff sheet of parchment, brimming with magical energy, quivered where it was stuck. Startled, Yujeong turned her head and saw Go Yeonju standing there with a sly smile.
“Looks like our Yujeong’s got some luck, huh? Going in instead of me.”
“Huh? What?”
“Seems Suhyun made a little mistake. I’m heading into the User Academy soon, so I came to deliver a correction. Anyway, just read this first.”
Instead of asking what she meant, Yujeong quietly took the parchment from Go Yeonju’s hand and began to read.
“Ah…!”
Moments later, Yujeong’s eyes filled with a stunned, almost desperate light.
Meanwhile, at the same time—
In an office on the fourth floor, Kim Suhyun sat in his desk chair, smiling softly. On the desk, a blue orb glowed with a clear light, reflecting someone’s face. It was a communication orb.
(Is this okay?)
The voice flowing from the orb was pure and beautiful, like jade beads rolling on a silver tray. The faint image showed a beautiful woman with a pale, slender jaw and neatly flowing hair. Who exactly was Kim Suhyun talking to?
(So, three days from now, right?)
“Yes. I’m counting on you.”
(Understood.)
“Alright then.”
With Kim Suhyun’s final words, the orb’s light faded.
After ending the communication, Kim Suhyun exhaled deeply and gazed out beyond the terrace, lost in thought.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
I once tried to create a map of the whole Plain but gave up halfway. I used Paint, but after some work, it just looked like a collection of circles, triangles, and squares. It wasn’t presentable, so I deleted it. There are currently no plans to make a new map.
As for the user profiles I mentioned before—including each character’s main weapon—I’m working on preparing those now. Since there are so many characters, it’s taking quite a bit of time. Once it’s done, I’ll let you know in a future note. I plan to keep it clean and easy on the eyes for readers. I’m even considering uploading a version and updating it regularly as the story progresses. But I’m still debating where to host it, especially considering mobile accessibility. For now, I’ll focus on finishing it.
Wishing all my readers a wonderful day. (__)