…What is this? Such an impeccably polite and courteous knock?
For a moment, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Had I misseen it?
Knock knock.
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, but reality hadn’t changed. That huge shadowy fist wasn’t pounding the barrier with all its might—instead, it was knocking gently, almost politely.
“Open up.”
‘Huh?’
“It’s fine, so open up. It wants to come in. Take a look around.”
‘It wants to come in?’
Even Hwa-jeong muttered something strange.
As I glanced around, my eyes instinctively narrowed. The silhouettes that had once filled the barren field had stopped advancing. More precisely, they were now forming a circle around the protective barrier I’d raised—keeping a respectful distance. It felt less like a siege and more like they were patiently waiting. Was I imagining it?
Then, while I was still uncertain, Go Yeon-ju suddenly moved. With a trance-like expression, she began walking forward slowly.
“Go Yeon-ju!”
I reached out to stop her, but she stepped right out beyond the barrier.
And the moment she left, something astonishing happened.
In my mind, the Shadow Zone was a notoriously brutal area to conquer. Of course, no zone guarding the Zero Code was easy, but the Shadow Zone was especially merciless. Not only did the shadowy figures pose a threat, but the very ground beneath your feet demanded constant vigilance. One wrong step, and your ankle could snap silently in the shifting shadows.
“Good, good. That’s right.”
But what on earth was this scene before me?
As Go Yeon-ju gently stroked the shadowy hands, they twisted side to side as if tickled. It was like watching a cat wag its tail happily when its owner pets it. Knowing how ruthless those shadows usually were, I was utterly dumbfounded.
…Wait a minute. Shadows?
“Go Yeon-ju, are you okay?”
“Yes? Yes. Actually, it’s kind of cute.”
No, don’t say it like that—as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. You’re way too calm for this.
Maybe sensing my anxious thoughts, Go Yeon-ju added quickly.
“Ah… I guess you could say it feels familiar?”
“Familiar?”
“Yes. I feel strangely drawn to it. Very strongly. Anyway, Su-hyun, why don’t you come out too? They don’t seem dangerous.”
“……”
At that moment, the red protective barrier began to fade. Not because I lowered it, but because my magic had run out, forcing it to dissipate.
Even with the fortress gone, the shadows gathered nearby didn’t move an inch. In fact, they seemed utterly uninterested in us—only swirling and dancing around Go Yeon-ju.
“They’re happy.”
Han So-young, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke. It was a strange thing to say.
“I can feel joy, gladness, welcome, delight—all positive emotions—focused on the Shadow Queen.”
But when she continued, I had to revise my thoughts. She sounded like she was reporting objective information sensed through extrasensory perception. And since she emphasized the Shadow Queen, I suspected she, like me, was drawing a similar conclusion. I recalled the inscription Vivian had interpreted on the monument:
“Only those who are worthy shall receive the promised welcome.”
“The infinite power awaits the four and the one.”
“Those who dwell hidden in the shadows.”
“The path to that place shall open naturally.”
Could it be…?
Maybe Go Yeon-ju is the worthy user the monument refers to? It might be wishful thinking, but they share the commonality of shadows. Besides, Go Yeon-ju died long before the first attempt to conquer the Temple of Promise. So, it’s unfair to compare past and present directly. I can’t be certain yet, but the circumstances make it a strong possibility.
And it’s not just her. Nam Da-eun and Han So-young—the Queen of Blades and the Iron-Blooded Queen—also have mysterious ties to the third zone. Neither of them ever set foot in the Temple of Promise. Nam Da-eun vanished without a trace at some point, and Han So-young…
No, better not think about that. I don’t want to stir up old traumas.
The only one that puzzles me is Mar. The fourth zone is called the Sacred Zone.
Suddenly, the woman once called the Sacred Queen flashed through my mind. If my guess is right, one of the worthy users here might be Yoo Hyun-ah… but she’s gone now, isn’t she? I was the one who personally cut her down.
Just then, as I was sorting through these tangled thoughts, I felt something heavy settle comfortably beneath me. Then, in an instant, a sharp tug at my navel startled me. Before I could even turn my head, the scene I was watching suddenly shot upward like a bullet.
Moments later, as my body jolted to a stop, I realized my legs were kicking wildly in midair. My viewpoint was far higher than usual. Looking down, I saw a shadow giant towering over ten meters tall rising from the ground.
I wasn’t the only one in this situation. Nam Da-eun, Han So-young, and Mar were each perched on the shoulders of their own shadow giants, all shouting in surprise. And Go Yeon-ju was sitting atop the head of an even larger shadow giant, laughing gleefully.
“Whoa, you scared me! What’s going on all of a sudden? Are you trying to show me the sky? Or take me somewhere?”
Take me somewhere?
“!”
Before I could think further, the shadow giant carrying me began moving without warning. It didn’t stride heavily but slid smoothly, like going down a slide. The rushing air cooled my face as it picked up speed. I never thought I’d be riding a roller coaster here.
Still trying to calm my pounding heart, I looked ahead. Honestly, I still couldn’t believe it. I’d been bracing myself for some damage all along, so this sudden turn left me bewildered.
Hmm. Didn’t they say the path would open naturally?
“Ah.”
Suddenly, I realized where we were headed.
Toward the Temple of Promise.
Meanwhile, at the same time—
After Kim Su-hyun and the four women disappeared, the Northern Continent expedition erupted into chaos. The mercenaries and the Istanbul Low Clan were especially frantic. It was understandable—losing the clan lord and three renowned users was no small matter.
The hot-headed Lee Yoo-jung even tried to storm the barrier, vowing to smash it down. But despite Kim Su-hyun’s all-out attacks, the magical barrier didn’t budge. How could Lee Yoo-jung break it?
Despite the uproar, many seasoned expedition members urged patience, saying, “Let’s wait a bit,” or “We don’t know what’s happened yet.”
As the storm of commotion gradually settled, only Haemil Lord remained calm, analyzing the situation. Kim Yoo-hyun was shocked when Kim Su-hyun vanished, but having heard prior information, he kept an open mind, considering various possibilities.
‘Strange. Why did only five people disappear?’
Was something bothering him? Kim Yoo-hyun asked Vivian to read the monument’s inscription again. As he mulled over each phrase, he fell into deep thought.
“The Shadow Queen, the Queen of Blades, the Iron-Blooded Queen, and…”
Focusing on the fact that ‘five people disappeared’ brought him close to the truth. The facts he knew, the monument’s words, the sudden appearance of the pillar, and the sequential disappearance of the five users—all these were connected. Kim Su-hyun had been slow to realize this due to his attachment to first-round experiences, but Kim Yoo-hyun, viewing things more objectively, grasped the pattern faster.
“Hey? Doesn’t it seem a bit brighter around here?”
“Uh… yeah? Really? The fog’s… clearing?”
At that moment, a passing comment caught Kim Yoo-hyun’s attention. He glanced around, and his eyes flickered with surprise. Indeed, the thick fog was thinning, and the surroundings were becoming clearer.
‘Could this be related to the recent phenomenon? Looking around, this place seems like a vast plain—or more like a wasteland… Wait.’
Just then, Kim Yoo-hyun shuddered as if struck by lightning. He frantically looked left and right, then shoved his hand into his pocket. Clutched tightly was a communication orb glowing faintly blue.
“…Hah.”
But the next moment, Kim Yoo-hyun sighed involuntarily. No matter how much magic he poured in, the orb didn’t respond. It was as useless as pouring water into a bottomless pit. This meant one thing: the barrier was completely blocking any connection with Kim Su-hyun’s communication orb.
Of course, this alone didn’t prove Kim Su-hyun was dead.
But the real problem lay elsewhere.
No matter what anyone said, the mercenary clan was currently the strongest force in the Northern Continent expedition. From the campaigns in regions two, three, and four of the Steel Mountain Range a few years ago, to the recent battles on the Eastern Continent—there wasn’t a single place where the mercenaries hadn’t made their mark. And at the center of it all was Kim Suhyun.
Yet, at this very moment, in this very place,
Kim Suhyun did not exist.
Not only Kim Suhyun, but also Ko Yeonju, Nam Daeun, Mar, and Han Soyoung had all disappeared. From a strategic standpoint, it wasn’t as simple as just noting that five people were gone. Especially when one of them was Kim Suhyun.
In fact, until just a moment ago, Kim Yuhyun had been worried but secretly hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, they could skip the grueling expedition to the Temple of Promise.
But after thinking it through, it wasn’t something to celebrate. Even if things went as hoped, who could say how long it would take for Kim Suhyun to return with the Zero Code?
At that very thought, a sudden, chilling fear gripped Kim Yuhyun.
“Could it be…?”
Because Kim Suhyun was like that.
“We’re… right now…”
The enemy might arrive later than us, or they might have arrived around the same time.
“Are we in an extremely dangerous situation?”
…Or maybe, they’re already here, waiting for us.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
That wraps up Episode 2.
The next chapter will begin very soon. :)