“Ah!”
As soon as Ha Seung-woo finished speaking, someone let out a startled exclamation. An-sol was staring at him with a surprised expression.
“I-I know it. The Path Barrier.”
“Oh? You do?”
Ha Seung-woo replied with a tone of mild surprise. An-sol nodded frantically and then looked back at me. (In the middle of this, I heard Jegal Hae-sol grumble, “Why are you using honorifics with her but talking casually to me?”)
“Well, it was a while ago… um, where was it again?”
An-sol, who had been acting like she was about to reveal something impressive, suddenly tilted her head as if she’d forgotten.
“Ah! The Pitch-Black Forest!”
Just then, as if by coincidence, Lee Yoo-jung suddenly shouted, remembering the reason, and An-sol’s face lit up.
“That’s right! It was the Pitch-Black Forest!”
“Yeah, yeah! I saw it there once!”
The two women clapped their hands together in delight, and Ha Seung-woo watched them with interest.
“Impressive. That’s definitely not a barrier you can just casually observe. So, how was it?”
“Well, my older brother told me to be very careful, that even one wrong step could be disastrous, so I had to follow closely.”
“Oh? And then?”
“So, I focused on walking carefully, and before I knew it, the world…”
An-sol groaned as if forcing herself to recall the memory. But Ha Seung-woo smiled knowingly, as if that was enough.
“I see. Of course, it varies depending on the degree, but the Path Barrier I know is similar. One single step can change the world. A user I know once said that.”
A user he knows. Users who can handle barriers are quite rare. Could he be talking about Jung Chang-min from Istantel Row? But as far as I know, we have no connection.
“Simply put, it’s a terrifying barrier that can range from creating illusions using terrain to twisting space itself. It’s a miracle no one got lost. Ha ha.”
Ha Seung-woo laughed heartily, then suddenly stopped and looked at me.
“But here’s the problem. As far as I know, the Path Barrier is extremely difficult to break. But the Clan Lord…”
He glanced at An-sol. Though he trailed off, his meaning was clear. He was already convinced there was a Path Barrier—and that I could solve it.
“Indeed… I never imagined there would be a barrier.”
I laid the groundwork first.
Then, activating my Third Eye, I slowly scanned the surroundings. I had already scoped out the location. The Shrine Song wasn’t far. We’d wasted enough time; we couldn’t afford to dawdle any longer.
I moved along the ice bridge I’d created earlier and stopped halfway. Then I lifted the corner of my mouth in a slight smile. I smiled on purpose.
“Ha Seung-woo was right. Let’s move. From now on, we’ll proceed in a straight line formation.”
The three of us moved first. Ha Seung-woo grabbed my back, followed by An-sol and then Lee Yoo-jung. The remaining eleven stared blankly at us.
“As I said before, the Path Barrier depends on the steps. When I take a step, user An-sol must step exactly where I did. We have to walk like this, so a straight line formation is best. Especially with the person who has the largest feet in front. Also, when stepping, it’s best to leave deep footprints.”
Before I could finish, Ha Seung-woo explained in detail. Seeing this, I was sure he was competent. He’s earned his experience. His occasional combat intuition is sharp and seasoned. No wonder he led that crazy group for so long. It’s a shame. If he weren’t a vagrant, I’d trust him as much as Shin Jae-ryong.
Our companions seemed to understand and began moving. Soon, we lined up like a conga line. I thought about making train sounds for a moment but decided against it. Every step from here on was crucial. We had to focus.
“From now on, strange things may happen. Keep your eyes fixed on the ground. Don’t be startled—just focus on walking.”
I warned in a low voice, and the atmosphere immediately grew tense. No one spoke, but their faces showed it clearly. The tension was rising.
After scanning each person, I slowly stepped forward with my right foot. Waiting a moment, I carefully moved my left. Suddenly, an alien sensation filled the air. It wasn’t unpleasant—quite the opposite. It meant we’d entered properly.
Click!
“W-what? The sea…!”
“Quiet!”
Someone gasped but was quickly silenced. Without the Third Eye, it would look like I was walking on water.
Before moving on, I glanced up at the sky briefly. But it was late, so it was pointless. The sky was already half twilight, half darkness.
“Phew…”
I exhaled deeply and began walking slowly but steadily.
The Path Barrier was just beginning.
The once pure white snow path gradually took on a bluish hue as time passed.
One step, two steps, three steps, four steps…
After passing a hundred steps, I stopped counting. I kept my gaze fixed firmly downward, focusing solely on the path. Since the path was made of seawater, even a brief glance away could cause the path to twist sharply.
Moreover, the deeper we went, the stronger the strange sensation became—so much so that it affected breathing. This was at least several levels more difficult than the barrier I’d encountered in the Pitch-Black Forest.
Of course, I could have gone faster alone. I felt a bit stifled, but with thirteen companions, I had to maintain a reasonable pace.
I wondered how much time had passed. It felt like at least twenty minutes. Staring at the ground the whole time was suffocating. Anyone watching would probably find it hilarious—fourteen people all with heads down, moving slowly like a conga line.
“…?”
Then, suddenly, the breathing difficulty that had plagued me since entering eased, and my body relaxed. Taking a deep breath, I felt fresh air fill my lungs. The surroundings were utterly silent. The path visible through the Third Eye no longer shifted.
I instinctively looked up—and saw something enormous.
“Clan Lord? Are we done?”
Ha Seung-woo tugged on my cloak and asked, his voice trembling slightly as if holding back discomfort. I realized then that if I felt this alien sensation, my companions must have been struggling even more.
“Yes. I think it’s over.”
I hurried inside and led the group, turning to count everyone. Each time I saw a face, I exhaled deeply as if releasing held breath. Finally, with Ha Seung-yoon last, everyone had passed through the Path Barrier without losing a single person.
“Impressive. Is the Path Barrier really this easy to get through?”
Ha Seung-woo panted as he asked casually. I wanted to say the Third Eye was a ridiculous advantage, but I had no intention of sharing that. I smiled faintly, and Ha Seung-woo shrugged with a breathy “hmm.”
After catching their breath, the group finally looked around—and all gasped. Then, with stunned faces, they stared at the center.
“This place is…”
Indeed. We had been exploring the middle of the sea, but now we stood on a vast snowy glacier. I hadn’t participated in the first expedition, only heard about it, so this was my first time seeing it in person.
“…”
It was hard to describe. The glacier was enormous, surrounding us like a rounded ridge. Below, a gentle curve led down to the spot where we stood—a basin-like snowfield.
But that was just the scenery. The most important thing was the massive snowy mountain with a cave at its center, about fifty meters ahead. It was made of snow, but instead of pure white, it shimmered with a soft blue glow, giving off an inexplicable mystical aura.
“Wow, this is incredible.”
“I can’t believe it. Weren’t we just in the sea a moment ago?”
“It really feels like another world… Ah, could it be like the last expedition, where we entered some strange dimension?”
“No, it’s not.”
Amid the chorus of amazement, Ha Seung-woo smiled and shook his head.
“This place is simply a twisted space within space—a new space created by warping the original. It’s a space inside a space.”
An-sol’s face showed complete confusion. Ha Seung-woo gave a bitter smile.
“The dimension hasn’t changed. This means the space we’re standing in definitely exists somewhere. It’s just invisible and hard to access.”
“Huh?”
“So…”
“Huh?”
While Ha Seung-woo was pouring his energy into explaining the impossible, I finally finished my observations and felt a sense of relief.
I couldn’t be certain, but I had a tentative conclusion. What lay before us was definitely the Shrine Song. And the fact it remained so pristine meant the seal hadn’t been broken yet. If that ancient evil god had awakened, it would have been destroyed—or at least left some trace. But there was nothing.
—Hmm.
‘Hwajeong?’
‘Of course.’
‘…?’
Hwa-jeong’s sigh lingered in my mind, but I drew my sword without hesitation. Then, with a voice charged with magic, I spoke.
“Everyone, prepare for battle. Form a defensive formation.”
I sensed startled reactions all around, but I said nothing and swiftly headed toward the cave. I couldn’t help the urgency. Though the intention was to keep our secret and avoid suspicion, we’d already wasted too much time getting here.
Sure, it seemed safe at first glance, but the exact situation was still unknown. I needed to see it with my own eyes and handle it myself to feel at ease. I absolutely didn’t want to risk a moment’s complacency that could let the seal break and the evil god awaken.
The tunnel inside the cave was surprisingly narrow—less than two meters wide. But it was easy enough to walk through, so I pressed on without hesitation. The path gradually widened, and in under five minutes, a relatively spacious chamber appeared before us. I paused.
It looked like a small room, roughly twenty meters across, square in shape. Considering the massive snowy mountain outside, it felt small. The walls were made of thick snow, and except for the tunnel we came through, a massive ice door stood directly ahead.
Stopping in front of the door, I focused my spiritual energy and peered closely, but the details remained blurry. Everything was hazy. When I looked away and turned back, everyone was quietly watching me. Some looked puzzled, but the tension hadn’t eased. In truth, we’d been in a combat situation since entering the cave.
I raised my index finger to my lips, then silently pointed at the ice door. The others took a few steps back and readied their weapons.
That signal should be enough.
A moment later.
“…Entering.”
In a low voice, I said this as I pushed hard against the ice door.
Crrrkk… crrrkkk…
The door began to open slowly, the sound of ice scraping like it was about to shatter filling the air.
And then—
“…Huh?”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
I was so tired while writing this that I nodded off for a bit. When I woke up, it was four in the morning. Sorry about that. ㅜ.ㅠ