“There’s a city!”
It was just two words, shouted out loud.
“Huh?”
“Whaaat?”
But the news that Seon Yuun brought was truly astonishing. It seemed he had used the long break to scout far and wide. We’d suspected something might be nearby, but for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was almost too good to be true. Was it just luck?
Wait a minute. If there’s a city so close, why haven’t we seen a single user from the Eastern Continent?
A sudden, ominous feeling flickered through me, but I pushed it aside. Maybe they were all holed up inside the city. Best to hurry and check it out.
By the time I finished that thought, the clan members—no, the entire force—were already gathering their gear and standing up. Had I already relayed the news? Each one was a veteran, so they caught on quickly. The mood shifted instantly; the dull, dying looks in their eyes sharpened with a fierce gleam.
Moments later, once I confirmed everyone was ready to march, I gave the order to move out. We set off at a steady pace toward the direction Seon Yuun had pointed.
For about twenty minutes, all we saw was the horizon where the sky met the dry earth. Only blunt rocks occasionally crunched underfoot—nothing else in this vast wasteland.
But as we pressed on, a faint glimmer appeared in the distance, barely a speck at first. The longer we walked, the larger it grew. Just as Seon Yuun said, it was a city. A real city, standing in the middle of this abandoned, harsh plain.
As we drew closer, the view sharpened. The city was smaller than expected. The walls looked ancient, neglected—no sign of repairs—and sandstorms had left streaks of dust everywhere. The color was a dull yellowish-brown, almost like a sandcastle, if I were to exaggerate.
“Wow, this is worse than Mule,” An Hyun muttered bitterly. Kim Hanbyul coughed lightly and tilted her head.
“Cough, cough. Maybe it’s a newly founded city?”
Could be. But that didn’t really matter. The real issue was something else.
The closer we got, the more the tension in me rose—yet the city remained eerily silent. No users came out to greet us. It was as if the place was dead quiet, like a mouse had been silenced. So quiet, in fact, that it felt like time itself had stopped there in the middle of this vast wilderness.
But that was all.
“Clan Lord, it’s Haneul.”
When we were within a hundred meters, Seon Yuun’s voice snapped me back. I glanced up and saw a bird circling in the sky, its feathers gleaming in the sunlight. I recognized it immediately—Jjorongi, the spirit companion my brother always carried.
Jjorongi stopped flapping as soon as it saw me, then slowly resumed flight. First, it swooped diagonally from left to right and down; then it climbed right and crossed down left, tracing a golden X in the sky with its shimmering trail.
“An X?”
“That seems to mean there’s no one in the city, or nothing visible,” Cha Sorim said calmly. I agreed. Now that we’d confirmed it, there was no reason to hesitate. We quickened our pace and entered the city through the gate.
Passing through the tunnel-like entrance, dust falling in clumps, the city’s interior slowly came into view.
“Excuse me…”
A cautious voice whispered as we entered. It was An Sol. The timing was odd, but no one laughed—because there really was no one here.
Come to think of it, the city had felt strange from the start. The walls were old but showed no signs of battle damage.
Inside was the same. Not even a single mouse stirred. There wasn’t a single broken structure in sight. Everything stood intact.
“Is anyone here?”
I shouted with all my might, but only echoes answered. That’s when the suspicion I’d tried to ignore began to feel real.
Shortly after—
“Suhyun, the Reverse Clan is requesting communication.”
“Clan Lord, the Magic Tower Clan as well…”
It wasn’t just me feeling uneasy. Communications from several clans started flooding in. My chest tightened.
I stopped moving.
The relief force of 5,500 people, made up of ten clans, was divided into vanguard, main, and rear units.
After entering the city, I gave a brief situation report and issued new orders. Just in case, I told the rear guard to watch the perimeter while the vanguard and main forces searched inside.
I didn’t stay idle either. The first thing I did was look for the warp gate. It wasn’t hard to find, but it yielded no useful results.
There were only two things I could confirm. First, the warp gate itself was intact. But the Memoria Stone, essential for activating it, was missing. No matter how thoroughly we searched, it was nowhere to be found.
Next, I tried to establish communication with the Northern Continent, hoping to connect with the angels and get a clearer picture.
But that plan went in a completely unexpected direction.
To cut to the chase, the connection wasn’t impossible. Video feeds from nearby clans came through fine. But when trying to reach the Northern Continent, the signal was overwhelmed by heavy interference, as if something was deliberately jamming it.
By then, my mind was a mess. We’d relied solely on the warp gate for days, only to arrive at an empty city with a nonfunctional gate. I held onto a sliver of hope for the city investigation, but even Ko Yeonju hadn’t returned yet…
Damn it. What the hell happened here?
“Alright, calm down and think this through,” I told myself. The only solid fact was that we’d arrived at a city northwest of the Eastern Continent.
What mattered most was the whereabouts of the Southern Continent and the demons. I’d assumed they’d target the nearest southwestern city first, but that guess was wrong.
There was only one plausible scenario left—one I dreaded the most.
That the Eastern Continent had already been conquered.
Sure, the northwest and southwest cities were far apart, but measuring distance between cities on the continent was meaningless. Why? Because of the warp gates.
In war, warp gates are double-edged swords. Just look at when the Western Continent’s bandit alliance invaded. The Northern Continent secured the warp gates first and cut off all connections.
I didn’t want to believe it, but if the Eastern Continent had lost control of its warp gates…
“Suhyun.”
Just as I covered my face in frustration, Ko Yeonju’s voice came through. When I looked up, my heart sank. Her expression was grim. If she’d found something, she wouldn’t look like that.
“How is it?”
“…I’m sorry.”
I asked anyway, but the answer was no. I didn’t blame her—she looked as lost and self-reproachful as I felt.
It was like sinking into an endless swamp, but I forced myself to stay composed. As the commander, I couldn’t afford to falter.
There were so many things that didn’t add up. No users, no traces, disrupted long-distance communication, missing Memoria Stone.
All tangled together, but there had to be a reason. Some complicated truth we didn’t yet understand.
Right. For now, finish the investigation. If we find anything, great. If not, we have no choice but to move on quickly, trying to communicate with the Northern Continent along the way.
“The Shadow Queen too… hmm. Then there’s only one option left.”
Just as I reached that conclusion, a low voice pierced my ear. I glanced over to see Heo Junyoung slowly stroking his chin.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Nearby, Lee Yujeong nodded with a serious expression.
One option? What could that be?
Lee Yujeong, who had been sneaking along quietly, stopped in front of none other than An Sol. More precisely, An Sol was staring blankly ahead, turned away from us.
After a moment, Lee Yujeong tapped An Sol on the shoulder.
“An Sol. Listen carefully.”
“…?”
“You’re the only one we can trust now. So you have to do something.”
“…”
“Come on, show us what you’ve got! Go, An Solchu!”
“…Sigh.”
Watching her say that with such a serious face, I couldn’t help but sigh. I’d hoped she had some secret method I didn’t know about, but this was just a joke. At this point, it wasn’t just ridiculous—it was infuriating.
“You guys are really…”
Just then, I was about to say, “Are you kidding me in a situation like this?” but I stopped myself. Because the moment Lee Yujeong finished speaking—
“An Sol, An Sol…”
An Sol actually started moving.
“Uh, huh?”
Even Lee Yujeong looked surprised, reaching out awkwardly.
“An—no!”
“Shut up.”
In an instant, Heo Junyoung dashed over and clamped his hand over Lee Yujeong’s mouth.
“Mm, mmmph!”
“Quiet. You really look like you’re riding a razor’s edge right now.”
Heo Jun-young whispered quietly and nodded subtly. Yeo Jeong, who had been glaring sideways, stopped her outburst and gradually calmed down. It wasn’t without reason—An Sol had been fixated on one spot for a while now, suddenly slowing her pace.
But was it just me, or did her walking posture seem somehow off?
“Kim Soo-hyun.”
Heo Jun-young spoke in a low voice and turned to look at me. I nodded immediately in response. There was no reason to refuse. Honestly, I was desperate enough to grasp at any straw. Besides, with a luck stat of 105 points, maybe it was worth a shot.
So, amid the bustling investigation all around us, we quietly followed An Sol’s retreating figure.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Phew, safe! I barely made it. Finished writing at 11:58 PM.
Today’s writing session was honestly brutal. I think I regretted it dozens of times—wondering why I left that comment, why I made that promise in it, and so on.
Readers probably have no idea what kind of state I was in while writing this. I must’ve checked the clock over a hundred times, haha. My heart was pounding like crazy. Ugh. I don’t think I’ll ever do this again.
Still, it feels great to update past midnight after such a long time. :D Now, if you want to give me some praise, how about giving my head a little pat? (Feeling proud)