00259 Canyon of Hallucination, a city where time has stopped —————————————- ——————————–=
“It’s hard to see because it’s covered in rocks, but I’m sure there’s something underneath. Soohyun is truly amazing.”
“… “Isn’t good something good?”
“Yes. It’s like a frog that was hit by a stone that was carelessly thrown and died. “Carr.”
“I don’t think I’m dead yet… . “It would be better to go down and check for yourself.”
I felt embarrassed by Go Yeon-ju’s playful tone. It was just a wave sent out without much thought, but the cracked stone crushed the body of the monster that was resting well below. It was literally a lightning bolt in a dry sky, or should I say it was a stone thunderbolt.
After turning my head towards the kids who were still staring at us with a puzzled expression on their faces, I fixed my gaze on Kim Han-byeol and Baek Han-gyeol.
“Kim Han-byeol, Baek Han-gyeol. “Now let’s get ready.”
“yes. all right.”
“yes yes!”
“Don’t be nervous. “Hanbyeol will take care of everything else, so you just have to worry about maintaining the manifestation.”
Unlike Kim Han-byeol, who answered calmly, Baek Han-gyeol slightly moved his neck as if he was nervous. Baek Han-gyeol has good user information and is talented. He was a passionate user who wanted to do it above all else. Even though it was his first expedition, you could tell just by looking at him that he had followed along without making a fuss.
However, if you had to pick just one problem, even jade has its flaws… .
‘Strangely enough, I’m not as good at actual combat as practice.’
“Hangyeol. Let’s get started right now. “Others, please gather around us.”
“Whew. Phew.”
Kim Han-byeol picked out a few of the jewels he was holding in his handful and asked Baek Han-gyeol to manifest reflection. Soon, as the clan members, including me, gathered around and formed a formation, Baek Han-gyeol took a deep breath once or twice and simultaneously raised his right hand in front.
Flash!
A brilliant light appeared from Baek Han-gyeol’s raised hand. And looking at the whitish film that gently wrapped his right hand, Kim Han-byeol immediately began to recite the spell.
“───. ───. ───.”
Hanbyeol Kim’s unique ability is gem amplification. At first glance, it may not seem like a very great ability, but its value rises rapidly in that it is not limited to oneself but can amplify the magic of others. And, beyond simple amplification, it is said that other abilities can be mixed as long as the skill allows, so in a way, Kim Han-byeol is no different from a fortune. Of course, it would still be more appropriate to call it a jewel-eating hippopotamus rather than a piece of luck.
“Targeted Glance Back. Gemstone used: Azurite White.”
As Kim Han-byeol’s order continued, bright light could be seen coming out between the cracks of her clenched fists. And the moment she gently lifted her finger, the jewel floated off her and flew around her curves with Baek Han-gyeol’s right hand.
Finally, the moment Azurite White gently landed in his hand, Kim Han-byeol opened his lips for his last order.
“Jewel Amplification.”
Ugh.
Gem amplification started. It was like a quiet flow. As I became curious and read the flow of magical power, I felt that the jewel that entered the area of reflection exploded with its inner magical power.
Ugh! Ugh!
The exploded magical energy blended seamlessly into Baek Hangyeol’s magical wave. Then, I could see the light emitting brightly once again and the reflection that had been limited to my right hand gradually widening.
“oh. “Isn’t this interesting?”
“Hmph~”
“It’s amazing~.”
“… … .”
‘Shintongbangtong? ‘Isn’t it a novelty?’
Ahn Hyeon, Lee Yu-jeong, and An Sol expressed their thoughts one by one. Until now, most of them had reacted indifferently to everything Kim Hanbyeol did, but this sight seemed quite refreshing. However, Ansol’s last words seemed a little funny, and Kim Hanbyeol gave a weak, bitter smile.
The reflection gradually and slowly expanded its scope. Starting with Ansol, who is around him, the scope expands to Lee Yoo-jeong and Ko Yeon-ju, and soon a circular curtain pushes in towards me, who is at the forefront. And the clan members who entered the area of reflection each let out a strange exclamation.
“Uh, huh? what is this? wow!”
“Cough! Cough!”
I was no exception. I felt like the pressure of the field that had slightly weighed down my whole body before had disappeared at once. The user with the most violent reaction was Ansol. Perhaps because he was receiving the strongest field effects, he coughed a few times and then opened his mouth with wide eyes.
“and. “I was really tired just a moment ago, but I suddenly feel energized.”
“yes? “I feel like my head and body have become lighter.”
They must have felt better after being relieved of the pressure they had been feeling until now, and their mouths also started to come back to life. And Baek Han-gyeol, who heard Ahn Hyeon and Yu-jeong Lee’s praise, exhaled with a much relieved face.
Kim Han-byeol looked closely at the jewel floating around Baek Han-gyeol’s hand, then nodded and reported to me.
“brother. “I’m done.”
“Good work. “How is your condition?”
“It’s definitely falling faster than when I was practicing. “I think we’ll have to watch a little more to find out the maintenance time.”
“Okay, I understand. Then we’ll have to go down the canyon first… .”
It looked like the Clan members at the shallows just climbed straight down the wall. It wouldn’t be a problem for me or Go Yeonju to go down, but that wasn’t the case in our current situation. Above all, the moment you enter the Canyon of Hallucination, the triple-overlapping field effect is something that can never be ignored.
As I was contemplating what to do for a moment, I felt someone tap my shoulder next to me. As I turned my head, I could see Go Yeon-ju repeatedly poking his finger into the air to the right.
“Su-hyun. Are you really going to go down like this?”
“That will be difficult. If you take one wrong step, there is a high chance that you will end up in the realm of reflection. “But what are those fingers?”
“I think the first rescue team went in this direction? “The traces are divided again.”
“hmm. Yes, but… .”
I have been following the traces of the clan members in the shallows. There was a high possibility that they had discovered the ruins in the Canyon of Hallucinations, and they had calculated that if they just followed the traces, they would find the ruins even without having to search through their memories to find the path.
I thought about it for a while, but I eventually decided to follow Go Yeon-ju’s words. Instead, since I didn’t know how long the trail would be, I decided to memorize the terrain below the canyon.
“Then let’s go in this direction. “If you walk, you may come across a path that goes down.”
“It’s a wise choice.”
When Go Yeon-ju turned to the direction indicated, the clan members formed again accordingly. Since from now on we had to march within a curtain of reflection, we needed to think of Kim Han-byeol and Baek Han-gyeol and adjust our speed.
“Then let’s leave.”
We started marching again with the gaping canyon on our right. The sunlight was getting stronger, and the fog filling the canyon was gradually thinning. At the thought that I would be able to enter the ruins in just a little while, I slowly awakened the tension that had been dormant inside me.
I was walking while making my own preparations. Suddenly, as my thoughts turned to the creature struck by my stone lightning, briefly forgotten due to the gem amplification, a question suddenly came to mind.
‘But was there a monster that could operate without restrictions within the canyon?’
*
“I think it’s somewhere around here.”
“yes. I think you can probably get there by walking a little further. Anyway, it’s really far away. “I can’t believe I came down here.”
When I look up, I see the walls of the canyon standing extremely high, just as Go Yeon-ju said. After setting off to follow the trail, fortunately, I was able to find a relatively gently sloping terrain that I could turn around and go down. However, even though it was gentle, it meant that it was not a right angle. So, in the end, it was decided that a few of the long-distance group would come out and stick next to Go Yeon-ju. Because it had a slope that could cause you to roll down if you made a mistake.
“Ssi… .”
“… “Tch.”
After coming down the canyon, An Sol and Baek Han-gyeol were casting sharp eyes at each other. This is because the people next to me were An Sol and Baek Han-gyeol (Kim Han-byeol was next to Go Yeon-ju), and they were fighting all the way down to take up a little more of my body.
There wasn’t an open argument, but the part they grabbed was definitely a part of my body. As such, I could tell without looking that a battle was secretly taking place in the hands of those holding my waist.
“Now that I think about it, you are the guy. I guess I’m a little better at maintaining it now? “In the past, you were so focused that you couldn’t even talk, but you’ve now become more relaxed, right?”
“Oh, is that so?”
“huh. I heard you continued to practice while exploring? I heard it from my brother. “You work hard~.”
“Hehehe. thank you.”
As I slowly turned my head, I saw Baek Han-gyeol smiling shyly after receiving praise from Ahn Hyeon and Lee Yu-jeong. The two burst out laughing at the same time, thinking that Baek Han-gyeol was cute. Just as the friendly atmosphere was taking over inside, I felt a cold chill coming from somewhere. Of course, Ansol was standing at the epicenter of the chill. Her expression was distorted.
I was looking forward intently while listening to the guys’ jokes. As I moved forward a little further, I immediately noticed several rocks lying 20 meters ahead. Judging by the fact that it did not match the surrounding terrain, it was clearly the rocks I had dropped.
“I found it.”
After blurting out a word, I started to walk briskly, then returned to my original pace. The clan members who had been talking loudly about my words suddenly fell silent. If you heard Go Yeon-ju’s conversation with me earlier when you were up there, you would have known that there was something under the stone.
Charrr. Charrr.
To our left, a stream of water was flowing leisurely through a wide river. And on the land spanning the river, two white paws were sticking out from under a stone. Two legs in front and one weak white tail fur in back. I stopped in front of the stone and looked at it in a daze.
‘White legs, white tail… . no way?’
“Bro, what is that?”
“Hey, the tail is wagging…” . I guess he’s still alive… .”
I swallowed my saliva and walked a little further forward. Accordingly, the curtain moves, and soon the stone comes into the range of reflection. I quickly walked forward and grabbed a rock. Then, although it was little by little, a trembling vibration was transmitted through my hand. I immediately lifted the stone up and threw it, confirming the identity of the monster beneath it.
with a splash!
“Kyu…” .”
“oh!”
“omg.”
“uh?”
As soon as the stone fell into the river, the monster underneath was revealed. No, it couldn’t be considered a monster.
Is it about the size of a small pony? White fur covers the entire body and a horn that emits a soft light rises above the head. Its identity was none other than a unicorn. It’s also a baby unicorn, not a fully grown adult.
“Oh my! Nonsense. “Isn’t this a unicorn?”
“you’re right. Ansol! “Come here quickly!”
As the stone was lifted, the unicorn raised its head with a helpless expression. There was more blood flowing on the ground than expected. Fortunately, he was not killed, but his body and legs were badly mangled. He looked up at me with wide eyes and then started trying to get away from me by crawling on his front legs.
“Boo, I feel sorry for you… .”
“Take out three or four healing potions from the bag and start casting the healing spell right away. “You won’t be able to do it once or twice, so keep memorizing it until I tell you to stop.”
“Kyuuu… .”
“okay. Don’t run away. It’s right, it’s good. It won’t hurt you. “I will treat you right away.”
‘I almost got into big trouble.’
I took the potion handed to me by Ansol, feeling like I had been taking it for ten years. When I picked up the unicorn that was crawling on the ground, it struggled helplessly and tried to escape. Perhaps because he was sick and scared of people he was seeing for the first time, he let out a pitiful cry and shed pearl-like tears.
Eventually, I laid him down on the flat ground and quickly turned the cap on the healing potion.
*
I was worried that it was too late, but thankfully my quick action was effective and I was able to completely cure the unicorn. Four advanced healing potions were consumed, but I didn’t feel like any of it was a waste.
“Kyuuu, kyuuu!”
“Ho Ho. Look at this guy. “He’s being cute.”
“Ah, it tickles. Don’t… .”
“Ahaha! Look at him rubbing his face against Ansol. “It’s really cute, cute.”
After curing the unicorn, I decided to rest here for a while. Anyway, the ruins are less than an hour away from here. Since I needed to replenish my stamina before going in, I thought it would be better to take a break here in the first place.
The unicorn, which became lively after receiving all treatment, dominated the cuteness of female users. Perhaps because he realized that we had treated him, he appeared more proactive than his initial fearful appearance.
Of course, that was limited to female users. Unicorns have a strong tendency to follow women rather than men due to their habits. Among them, there is a ranking, which is generally understood to be in that order: virgin women, non-virgin women, and then men. As an aside, it is safe to say that there is almost no opportunity to become friends with men.
Ahn Hyeon tried to touch the unicorn for the first time, but when he was rejected, his lips were sticking out, as if he had grown horns.
“brother. “I have a question.”
“huh? What?”
“Are you going to take that guy? You said it was a unicorn. “I don’t know the details, but just by looking at it, it looks like it’s going to be very rare.”
“It’s rare. In particular, I know that horns and blood have many uses. But I can’t take you with me.”
“why?”
“In some ways, a unicorn is an animal that is no different from a divine beast, right? I don’t know if they follow me on their own, but I can’t force Shinsu. They say that even if forced, retaliation will come back in some form. Do you remember the Blue Mountains? “In some ways, you can think of him as being worse than a banshee.”
Although I did this without knowing, in Hol Plain there is a setting where if you kill a unicorn, you will receive a curse that has a wider range and is stronger than that of a banshee. Banshee’s curse is set to cause ‘unconditional’ death within a month, but if a curse stronger than that had struck, it would have been quite a headache.
“Heh, what a shame.”
“It might be that they choose us out of their own will, or that they collect the bodies of those who died naturally. Anyway, it’s probably best to leave it like this. Still, Shinsoo has the characteristic of repaying favors when he clears a debt, so if you let him go like this, he may return the favor someday. So, just give up your regrets.”
‘Honestly, I don’t have any debt.’
Ahn Hyun nodded, as if his doubts had been resolved, and continued to look with regret. Currently, around the unicorn were Ansol, Lee Yu-jeong, and Go Yeon-ju, while Kim Han-byeol and Baek Han-gyeol were watching from a little distance away. However, judging from the fact that she does not reject the occasional touch she offers, it seems to be true that unicorns prefer women over men… .
uh?
It was around the time when Baek Han-gyeol became confused about his true s*xual identity.
“Oh, Uni! Where are you going~?”
“Kkyukkyun~.”
The unicorn turned its head to answer Ansol’s call, and then began toddling towards me. Anhyeon looked at the place with eyes full of envy, and when he saw the unicorn coming towards him, he quickly became excited.
“Oh oh! It’s coming, it’s coming! brother! “It’s coming for us!”
“That’s strange… .”
“What’s strange? Hehehe. “I can finally touch it.”
“Oh, no.”
Eventually, the unicorn approached where Anhyun and I were and stopped right at my feet. And he looked up at me with bright eyes. I faced him silently without avoiding his gaze, but I did not reach out my hand carelessly. Because I knew that she hated it when men touched her carelessly.
It was then. As I was wondering whether I should just stare at it like this, the baby unicorn smiled brightly and cried happily.
“Kyuu~.”
Then, he put his head down on my legs that were sitting on my rock and began to gently rub his face.
Non-violent, non-violent.
“oh! how how! Look at me rubbing my face on your leg. “So cute~.”
“oh? That’s surprising. As far as I know, unicorns don’t obey men in most cases… . huh?”
Go Yeon-ju stopped talking and turned his head towards Baek Han-gyeol. Soon, she tilted her head, so it was clear that she was probably having the same question as me.
‘Are you doing this because I took the lead in treating you?’
I was a little taken aback because I didn’t know if he would show affection towards me. That was when I was just quietly watching the guy rubbing his face against my leg. Ahn Hyun, who was watching it from the side, seemed envious and held out her hands with a dark laugh.
“Hehe. this guy! “Let’s give it a hug too.”
“Kkyun?!”
“oh. As expected, soft… . evil!”
“Kyu! “Kyu-kyu!”
When Ahn Hyun picked him up and roughly held him in his arms, the baby unicorn quickly swung his tail. Soon, a crashing sound was heard from Ahn Hyun’s cheek and a weak scream came out. Due to the baby unicorn’s sudden attack, Ahn Hyeon lost sight of it, and soon screamed loudly while clutching his red-marked cheek.
The unicorn ran away and quickly hid between my legs.
“Hey, you idiot!”
“Kkyun!”
“Hahaha! It’s so funny! “I hit him and hid between my brother’s legs!”
“This is really strange… . Why is Baek Han-gyeol and Su-hyeon following him but not him? .”
Anhyeon got angry and tried to go back and catch him, but every time he did that, the unicorn ran around the rock and ran away. The chase took place for a while, but the unicorn showed surprisingly quick movements.
I sighed, got off the rock, and picked up the unicorn that had just run in front of me. He looked back at me with a surprised expression, and, unlike before, made a pleasant noise and jumped into my arms.
“Huh, huh! what! Why can my brother do it and I can’t!”
“Kkyun!”
At Anhyun’s shout, the unicorn lifted its head once and rubbed its face in my arms again. The female clan members seemed to want to hug the unicorn one more time, so they all slowly approached me and focused their attention on my arms. But the guy in my arms wasn’t even paying attention to other people. He was just lying in my arms, crying happily and waving his legs around.
After Kim Hanbyeol confirmed that we had gathered, he slightly narrowed the scope that had been slightly expanded due to the break. Then she looked at the unicorn with a face full of questions and opened her mouth.
“But it’s strange. “How could a unicorn be here?”
“Unicorn blood has strong magic resistance. “You can barely even touch magic that is harmful to you.”
After briefly answering Kim Han-byeol’s question, I lifted him up.
“But why were you here?”
“Kkyun?”
“Did you come alone? “Do you have a father or a mother unicorn?”
“Kyu. Kyu-kyuk, kyu-kyuk. “Kyu, kyu, kyu, kyu.”
I don’t know what you’re talking about. On the contrary, he seems to understand… . I sighed and hugged him gently.
It was impossible to play here forever. I rested enough, and the gems are not infinite. And as I said before, a unicorn was an animal that could not be taken by force. It’s nice to see the amazing beast, but it’s a picture cake that you can’t eat anyway. Fortunately, he was still young, so he didn’t seem to realize that I had hurt him, so I thought the right thing to do was to let him go and go his separate ways.
“Everyone, pay attention. “We’re leaving again in 10 minutes.”
“Brother, can’t you take him with you?”
“no. The unicorn will be released again. “If you take him away, you’ll be in big trouble.”
“Brother~.”
Ignoring Lee Yu-jeong and Ansol’s whining, I gently patted their back again.
“Baby. Listen carefully. If you’re interested in following us, you’re welcome to do so. However, if there are other unicorns nearby who came out to play for a while, you can leave now. “He’s probably worried a lot because you’re gone by now.”
“What?”
The baby unicorn tilted her head to the side at my words, then nodded and shook her head. After checking the answer, I calmly lowered him to the ground. Then the baby unicorn slowly turned around and started walking in the direction we had come from.
“Oh, brother. Are you really going to leave it like this? Are you really not going to take me with you?”
“Ahem. Lee Yu-jeong, calm down. This body explains why. listen. Unicorns are divine beasts. “I have no choice but to send it.”
‘… ‘You speak very comprehensively.’
Ahn Hyeon must have wanted to pretend that he knew what he had heard from me, so he started explaining while spitting at the disappointed clan members. But few users listened to him. Their eyes were focused solely on the unicorn walking away with its tail wagging.
“Goodbye Yuni~! “We’ll see you again~.”
Perhaps unable to overcome his disappointment, Ansol waved his hand in a voice full of regret. UNI. I was just about to think that the feeling of naming was really bad.
The baby unicorn, who was walking briskly, turned her head once and then immediately raised her front right foot and said, “Kkeu.” and cried. The female clan members were once again shocked by that sight.
Eventually, as the unicorn disappeared across the canyon, one or two of the clan members expressed regret.
“Oh, I really don’t know about the hole plane. I’ve only seen a tame unicorn once. I never thought I could see it here. it’s a shame.”
“… … .”
“Su-hyun? Su-hyun! “Why are you so dazed?”
“yes? “Oh, no.”
When Go Yeon-ju laughed and poked my side, I responded by shaking my head. After seeing the unicorn’s actions just now, I also couldn’t take my eyes off the direction it disappeared into. The unicorn clearly raised its front right paw before parting ways. I have seen a record of a user who tamed a unicorn in the first round. According to the record, the meaning of the baby unicorn’s actions just now was clear.
‘What was it? See you again… Was it? It’s not… . There was another meaning… .’
At the time, I thought the animal called unicorn had nothing to do with me, so I didn’t read it with much interest. I narrowed my eyes for a while and tried to remember the exact details, but it was only vague and I couldn’t remember anything more. I eventually gave up thinking and let out a long sigh.
‘Well, if you wait slowly, you’ll understand.’
Anyway, thanks to the unexpected appearance of the unicorn, I was able to relax in a rather pleasant atmosphere. Everyone would have recovered some of their stamina during the break, so it was time to get back to work.
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
hello. This is Ro Yujin.
phew. sorry. Originally, I was supposed to discover and enter the ruins in the latter half of this episode, but the unicorn story got too long. _(__)_ Oh, just in case you don’t know, I’ll tell you about the settings for the curse of the unicorn and banshee.
1. When the unicorn (banshee) suffers damage other than death: The ‘subject’ of the curse is the unicorn (banshee). In this case, it can be seen as an act of retaliation or a retaliatory curse rather than a strong curse.
2. When a unicorn (banshee) is forcibly killed: In this case, a strong curse is forcibly placed on the person who caused the unicorn’s death due to the activation of the setting. Even if there is a case where the target is not known, here the condition of ‘unconditional’ is applied.
3. In the case above, there is a way to defend against the curse in advance or to deal with it even if received.
『Reripple』
1. Oriental medicine mode: Huh? Didn’t you win first place last time too? I’m shaking. ha ha ha. Congratulations on first place. Please enjoy this episode as well.
2. Human life + KKKranuse: =ㅁ=… . You’ll need a machine gun.
3. Lancelot du Lac: Yes. It’s unlikable. Everything is my fault. ㅜ.ㅠ
4. Yauro: Yes. That’s right bro. Not my sister.
5. hohokoya1: I put in a lot of it today. haha. To be honest, I didn’t expect that the unicorn rice cake would last this long. -_-a Thank you for your congratulations!
6. Morph: Yes. The GP given by the boss monster in the beginning and Soohyun collected so much, it’s true that GP is usually difficult to collect. Seraph will be released some time after the expedition.
7. Erhasia: Ah. I remember. Some people probably left at that time. lol. What they said back then… . Oh, I remember you said you couldn’t see harems other than the main character. ㅜ.ㅠ
8. Repil: Oh my. okay. However, Ansol enters the ruins and is forced to… . Oh, no. I almost gave a spoiler without knowing. LOL!
9. podytop: For now, you can hold on until it fades away. But if it continues, I also have an idea. I can’t have a mental breakdown alone, right? Hehehe. -_-+
10. OfficeTurup19: Well, I feel a little sorry for the author of that work. Originally, the work had to have comments about its content… . Am I being too sensitive? ?blanket?
Thank you for always reading. Your recommendations and comments are of great help.
I hope you can always read my writing with a comfortable mind.
Selection, recommendations, comments, criticism, and questions are always welcome.
fantasy,
