“Oppa?”
“Clan Lord?”
Suddenly coming to a halt, I felt the clan members trailing behind me hesitate. Then, the atmosphere behind us instantly grew chaotic—sounds of swords being drawn, spells being chanted. They must have thought some kind of monster had appeared.
“What’s going on?”
Amid the sudden tension, someone quietly approached and asked. It was Shin Jaeryong’s voice.
I said nothing, simply pointed ahead with my finger. Slowly, deliberately, I raised my index finger toward the sky.
All I could see was thick smoke swirling and a sky painted with hazy clouds.
But then—
“The sky? I don’t see anything… huh?”
“Wait, didn’t something just sparkle? Like in midair?”
There was definitely something else there.
“It looks like something’s spread out… like a transparent veil…”
Chaso-rim’s guess was the closest to the truth.
Though we were still quite a distance away and the view was faint, at least to my eyes it was clear. No, I could feel it. Stretching endlessly left and right, an immense, transparent curtain that defied any attempt to gauge its limits.
In other words—
We had finally arrived.
The moment I thought that, I found myself signaling to resume the march. As I quickened my pace, a realization dawned on me: the mercenary expedition had, at some point, left the valley region behind. And now…
Shortly after,
Not long passed before we neared our target area and halted. To be precise, it was no longer possible to advance any further.
The expedition erupted into chaos. The closer we got, the more the faintly glowing particles in the air became distinct, until eventually we hit an invisible wall that blocked any further progress. No matter how much we pushed or kicked, the intangible barrier was as solid as thick iron.
After the commotion died down, the clan members clustered together, pressing close to peer inside the veil.
“Wow… this is amazing…”
Ansol was practically pressing his face against it, gently rubbing it.
“Hey, if we could just scrape some of this off and use it for pantomime acts, we could make a fortune.”
Jin Suhyun placed both hands on the veil, making various gestures and chuckling to himself.
“……”
I stared blankly ahead, lost in thought.
How to describe it? At first glance, it looked like nothing was wrong—just a misty haze. But on closer inspection, something was off.
It was like looking into a broken mirror, or seeing the world reflected in water. Beyond the boundary that seemed just within reach, the world was subtly out of sync with ours. From afar, it was unnoticeable, but up close, the imbalance was striking. Just as I had seen before.
Bang!
Suddenly, a small explosion sounded nearby. Glancing over, I saw Kim Hanbyul stepping back with a grimace.
“This can’t be. We used top-grade gems, and it didn’t even scratch…”
She brushed her hands off and looked at me.
“Oppa, what are you going to do now? Breaking it seems impossible… Shouldn’t we try going around it?”
Her words snapped me back to reality.
Right. We’d only just reached the outskirts. This wasn’t the time to stand around dazed.
To clear my head, I slapped my own cheek and shook my head hard. Taking a deep breath, I noticed Kim Hanbyul watching me with a reluctant expression. I slowly lifted my foot, still watching the clan members who were still staring in a daze.
Thud.
I lightly stomped the ground, and everyone jumped, turning to look at me.
“We will halt the march here.”
When I declared the end of the advance, their eyes widened in surprise. But there was no room for debate, so I continued.
“Shin Jaeryong.”
“Yes?”
“We will build a fortress in this area.”
“Here? You mean right here?”
“The Shin Koran Alliance should be managing the materials and construction supplies. Order them to build as large a fortress as possible—enough to house at least ten thousand people.”
“Understood.”
Perhaps the order was too sudden. Shin Jaeryong tilted his head in confusion but didn’t argue and turned away.
“Go Yeonju.”
“Yes?”
“Summon the archers and assassins. We’ll need to maintain an ironclad perimeter while the fortress is under construction.”
“Um… but the fog is so thick…”
She hesitated slightly but didn’t refuse. Soon, Go Yeonju took Seon Yuun and dashed off somewhere.
“Geunwon.”
“……”
“Do me one more favor.”
“Accept.”
Geunwon pulled his purple pointed hat down low, glanced around, and began walking. Having activated the warp gate several times already, he seemed to know how to find a wide enough space.
“Jung Hayeon.”
“Should I relay the situation to central and rear command?”
Jung Hayeon was already pulling out a communication orb. That was correct, but there was one more thing to do.
“Yes. And once Geunwon activates the warp gate, send communications to Istantel Row, the Northern Alliance, and the Hamil Clan.”
“What? Oh! Right…”
“As soon as we end the march, the main forces from each expedition will cross over. It’s already been arranged, so just give them a brief update.”
“Got it. I think I heard something about that but forgot.”
Fortress construction, perimeter defense, warp gate activation, and communication—all tasks underway.
By the time Jung Hayeon nodded in understanding, the remaining clan members seemed to be coming back to their senses. They had been momentarily distracted by the strange phenomenon, but now it was time to focus.
Our mission wasn’t just to conquer the territory before us.
Nor was it only to deal with the occasional monsters that appeared.
The greatest enemy still remained.
Though no demons were visible now, the thick fog made it impossible to be certain. They could arrive here in a few days, or be on the opposite side right now. Perhaps they had already arrived ahead of us, hiding and waiting for the perfect moment.
Not a moment of carelessness could be allowed.
Moments later, as the clan members dispersed and the noise behind me grew, I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Then I fixed my gaze forward once more.
The territory.
We had arrived more smoothly than expected.
But discovery was not the end.
In fact, it was only the beginning.
When we stopped marching, the sun hung high in the sky. Now, time had passed, and it was dipping low toward the west.
While most of the users kept watch and scouted the area, the fortress construction began to make slow progress. So far, it was just laying foundations and roughly setting up fences, but it was a relief nonetheless. Because about an hour ago, the main forces from the other expeditions had successfully crossed over.
Our numbers had instantly swelled from four thousand five hundred to over ten thousand. With that many troops, even if the enemy attacked, we could hold out until reinforcements arrived.
With this, the first major objective—building four supply fortresses and connecting them via warp gates—was essentially achieved. The biggest risk of being ambushed while carving a path was now eliminated.
Meanwhile, the clan lords who had come upon hearing the news all confirmed the strange situation of being blocked by an invisible wall. Naturally, they were baffled by a phenomenon none had ever encountered.
They gathered in a temporary barracks and debated heatedly, but it was all just idle speculation.
“Is there any reason it won’t break? If we just keep hammering it, it’ll crack eventually.”
“That’s the problem with you, Gong Chanho. Why do you always try to solve everything with brute force? Use your head for once.”
Sunyul tapped her temple, scolding him, but this time Gong Chanho was right.
There was only one way to break the territory’s barrier: it would take time, but we had to steadily inflict damage from the outside. If there had been a more efficient way to disable that wall, we wouldn’t have suffered so much on the first run. The only hope was Hwajeong.
Just then, amid the lively discussion, a man suddenly burst in shouting, “I have a report!” He had been patrolling the perimeter of the blocked area and found something unusual.
The atmosphere, already heated, flared even more. As soon as he finished, the clan lords all stood up at once and rushed out.
Everyone except one.
“Finally, we can talk.”
My brother stretched, looking around the empty barracks. He was the first to cross over after the warp gate opened, and it seemed he wanted to speak with me.
He broke the silence.
“Hmm… I’m worried.”
“About what?”
“The demons. I thought we’d encounter them around here. It’s just… too quiet.”
“……”
“What do you think, Suhyun? What tricks do you think they’ll try?”
“I don’t know.”
I shrugged. I honestly wasn’t sure.
But I fully understood his concern.
Five months had passed since we finished our mission on the eastern continent—about a month spent on repairs and preparations—and then the journey here.
Five months in total. Time flows evenly for everyone, and that’s plenty of time for either side to make their move.
Above all, Satan was what kept nagging at me. Back then, the dark red smoke seeping from Thanatos’s body kept lingering in my mind. At the time, I was too focused on the chase to pay it much attention, but now that I think about it, that smoke looked a lot like Satan’s form. After all, Thanatos did call out to Satan.
If my guess is right, what kind of plan could Satan have been hatching over those 151 days?
Curious, I glanced at my brother. He gave a wry smile and scratched his head.
“Well, even if we don’t know, there’s nothing we can do. We’ve tried every method we could… By the way, how are you feeling?”
“Hm?”
“You made it this far. How does it feel, being so close to the end?”
“Heh heh.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant at first, but I gave a faint smile and spoke honestly.
“It’s vague. And overwhelming.”
“Vague and overwhelming?”
“Didn’t they tell you on the Eastern Continent? How miserable it is inside.”
“Suhyun? Watch your tone.”
“Sorry. Anyway, you’ll see for yourself soon enough. You’d better brace yourself.”
“…Is it really that bad?”
My brother looked a bit skeptical, but I wasn’t exaggerating—it was more than just bad.
Even if the journey here had been relatively smooth, breaking through the magical barriers was unbearably tedious. There was no HP bar to track, and you never knew when they’d finally shatter.
But the moment you step inside, no matter what you imagine, it’s always worse than that. It took ten thousand elite users eighteen attempts just to reach the Promised Temple. Does that even give you an idea? And back then, the Northern Continent’s users were far stronger than they are now.
“Well… compared to the terrain inside, the war on the Eastern Continent was child’s play.”
“What?”
“No, maybe that war was actually paradise.”
“Hah… Now you’ve got me curious. Should we check it out ourselves?”
I teased him a bit, enjoying his surprised reaction. He quickly got to his feet. I stood up too, though honestly, I wasn’t expecting much.
“Going’s fine, but it’s probably nothing special. Just a big altar and some weird inscriptions on a monument.”
“What’s written on it?”
“No idea. Something about one king and four queens…? And if you’re worthy, the path will naturally open? Whatever—it’s just pointless records.”
“Still, let’s go. The past and present aren’t the same; maybe something’s changed. Maybe we’ll find something the first wave missed.”
Ha. If only things were as simple as my brother says.
In truth, excluding the magical barriers and terrain, the Promised Temple is about five or six hours away. So, at worst, in six hours I could be the second person in Hall Plain’s history to hold the Zero Code. And with that, fifteen years of hardship would finally be over.
…Though, that’s probably never going to happen.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Ha…
Haha…
Hahaha…
Hahahaha…
I was genuinely shocked reading the comments yesterday.
How did it come to this?
I spent the day lamenting the current reality.
Sigh…
The Third Loli War.
Yes, it’s quite something.
But do you really think I want to wage war against my readers?!
Why is it that my intentions are so misunderstood?
Dear readers,
If you truly want war, I won’t back down.
But first, let’s try to resolve this peacefully through conversation.
I’ll be honest with you.
Cutting to the chase, the story is almost finished.
Before it ends, I want to shed the embarrassing labels like Royumi, Royujinmi, Ungnyeo, and so on.
I mean it. And I’m asking you.
Please, just this once, help me out. (__)
I believe in my readers.
No, I trust you’ll live up to my expectations. :)