00434 Anger. ————————————————– ———————-=
The beginning was trivial.
A clan based in a western city went on an expedition to the unexplored west and never returned. There could be many reasons. You may have lost your life in a battle with a monster, you may have been attacked by a vagabond, or you may have fallen into a trap.
Anyway, it’s trivial. It may have been a big, life-threatening event for each individual, but it was not a rare occurrence in the world of Hall Plain.
however.
This minor incident gradually began to grow in size as time passed.
The victim clan, convinced of the disappearance, requested help from the city’s representative clan. The representative clan accepted their request and formed the first rescue team and dispatched it to an unexplored area.
But they didn’t come back either.
Afterwards, the representative clan further increased its size, formed a second rescue team, and dispatched it again. However, after they entered the mountain range, contact was lost at some point. It was natural that they also could not return.
At this point, the representative clan finally recognized the seriousness of the problem. Users also began to pay attention to trivial incidents one by one.
no. It was no longer a minor incident. It was not an ordinary caravan, and all rescue teams formed by regular clans had lost contact.
In the end, the representative clan decided that it would be difficult to solve this case on their own, and ended up making the case public throughout the Northern Continent. This caught the attention of users and encouraged voluntary help.
The response from users was enthusiastic. They were users from the northern continent who had not even seen the ruins, let alone the ruins, in nearly two years. This is because a clan located in the southern city of Monica excavated and swept away all remaining ruins. As such, the unexplored area with a strange aura that has emerged for the first time in a long time is more than enough to arouse the interest of users.
Since then, the northern continent has experienced a craze for ruins for the first time in a long time. Users who were familiar with archaic words suddenly began to receive preferential treatment. Of course, it was only a temporary interest, but they were keen to find and investigate information about the area where the incident occurred.
And not long after, records containing myths related to the area were uncovered. The record was literally a record of a myth, recording a legend from a distant era even in the ancient Hall Plain.
Great war.
The dragons that once ruled the entire continent and the residents who revered and respected them. And the residents rebelled against the dragons’ rule and started a war of independence.
This area was the area where the last battle took place between the dragon and its inhabitants, and it was the place where Magna Carta, the dragon of the end, met his end.
The residents who later found control of the world called it ‘the mountain range where the dragon sleeps.’
As records containing plausible myths emerged, users became even more excited. In light of what was written in the records, I began to think that it was an ‘area where there was a high possibility that ruins exist’ in ‘an area that was suspicious of something’. Accordingly, all users began to keep an eye on the ‘Mountains where the dragon sleeps’.
Users who feared for their lives remained silent, but users who dreamed of making a fortune quickly organized expeditions and caravans. They hurriedly set out on an expedition to find out who would excavate the ruins first.
Calmer users kept an eye on what was going on. He quietly researched and collected data on the area and saved his strength. And now, the moment I was convinced that it was possible, I went on an expedition.
Time passed. And then came a terrible reality that no one expected.
Survival rate 10.2%.
It was a figure showing the statistics of users who took on the challenge of ‘The Mountains Where the Dragon Sleeps’ and returned alive. In other words, 89.8% of users who left to explore failed to return.
The 10.2% who returned alive were users who left to gather information about the entrance to the mountain range, not to explore ruins. In other words, the survival rate for users who went deep inside was 0%.
Despite the announcement of this extreme survival rate, users’ interest in ‘The Mountains Where the Dragon Sleeps’ did not seem to cool down. Although there was no longer a need to go on expeditions without knowing what to do like in the beginning, users who could not give up the dream of making a fortune at once continued to go to the mountains.
And now, several months have passed since the craze began.
‘The Mountains where the Dragon Sleeps’ still remained unexplored.
*
“I never thought I would fail at mercantile. “I guess the mountain range where the dragon sleeps is definitely difficult.”
“well. Wouldn’t it be too early to conclude that the mercantile business has failed? I heard that someone went there at the request of the caravan? “I didn’t go there to explore, but for protection.”
Sujeong, who was just coming down the stairs, stopped without realizing it. As I glanced downstairs, I saw a man and a woman sitting at a table by the window chatting strangely. Sujeong quietly increased his hearing.
“is it? If you look at the records that come out these days, almost half of them deal with stories about the Mercenary Clan. Request failure, Qigong lancer disappearance, etc. “The placenta has a negative record.”
“That’s because it’s a successful clan. To be honest, there were a lot of users who didn’t look at it kindly ever since Mercenary swept away the ruins, right? My stomach hurts. “And then this time, we caught one case.”
“lol. Actually, I do too. “Good things should be shared, but seeing them only share them between themselves and their allied clans made me sick to my stomach.”
“Look. I knew it. And why should good things be shared? It’s definitely their ability, but there’s nothing to say about it. “Anyway, people in our country can’t see others doing well.”
When the woman scolded him in a clear voice, the man laughed and scratched his head shyly. After talking for a while, the two men and women soon linked arms like sweet lovers and headed toward the door.
rattle.
Soon, the sound of the door opening was heard, and Sujeong’s frozen head barely came to its senses. The table by the window where the lover was sitting was completely empty.
“under… .”
Suddenly, Sujeong let out a long sigh. Then, I took my steady steps and forced myself to go down the stairs. It was then.
Tinkle, tinkle!
“uh. sister? Sujeong-i, unnie!”
With the sound of the door opening loudly again, a familiar voice struck Sujeong’s ears.
Sujeong looked towards the door in a puzzled mood. And the moment she saw the eyes looking at her with concern, a slight spark of vitality appeared in her dazed eyes.
“Heeseon… ?”
“sister!”
When Sujeong softly called her name, the woman called Heeseon quickly approached. And she hugged the crystal tightly and whispered in a tearful voice.
“sister… . sorry… . I heard the news… . sorry… .”
“Why are you sorry… . It’s all my fault… .”
“But I asked for a useless favor… . All of her older sister’s colleagues… .”
“are you okay. It’s okay, so let’s sit down for now. Don’t cry. huh?”
Still, the tears did not stop, so Sujeong gently comforted Heesun and pulled her to sit at the table by the window.
Eventually, Sujeong sat down in the remaining seat and stared at Heeseon, who was still sobbing.
Song Hee-seon. This was a second-year user who had experience working as an actor in Hyundai. She was also a colleague who had completed the rite of passage with Sujeong, and they got along well and became her older sister and younger sister.
The two promised to be together even after entering Hall Plain, but their paths diverged at the User Academy.
Strictly speaking, Sujeong and Heeseon’s academy grades were below average. Although he is not a non-combat user, he does not have outstanding user information that the clan is drooling over.
However, after completing the User Academy, Sujeong did not receive an offer from any clan, while Heesun received an offer from a large clan called the ‘Southern Freedom Alliance (a large-scale union created by several mid-sized clans).’ At first glance, I heard there was a rumor that there was a user on the union side who was an actor and that he got into the network.
Although the two took different paths, they maintained constant contact.
Soo-jeong regarded Hee-seon almost as her benefactor. When I first came to Hall Plain, I had a difficult time ahead, but I was able to receive a lot of help through Hee-seon’s dedicated sacrifice. When he didn’t have money, he sent what money he had, and even provided basic weapons and armor. From time to time, he would sneak in simple hunting information, leading Sujeong and his colleagues to achieve certain results.
“I thought it was okay to sneak in and out at the beginning… . Still, just in case, I asked the Mercenary Clan to serve as a guard… . It’s all my fault… . Black… .”
“I said no. How much have you helped us so far? “I and my colleagues will never blame you.”
“but… . When I think of how good everyone was to me during my rite of passage… . It hurts so much… .”
“Heeseon… .”
In the end, Sujeong quietly closed her eyes as she saw Heeseon bursting into tears again.
In fact, the starting point of Sujeong’s loss of the caravan this time was a request. Two months ago, Soo-jeong met with Hee-seon and made a difficult request, saying that she was short on funds for caravan activities. Hee-seon was lost in thought for a moment and suddenly said something.
‘sister. There is no problem with giving funds. By the way, how long will you be operating as a caravan?’
‘Yes? well. I want to join the clan too.’
‘How about taking this opportunity to quit your caravan life and join our clan? Honestly, caravan life is very dangerous.’
‘In your clan? Uh, how?’
As Soo-jung showed great interest, Hee-sun revealed that the Southern Freedom Alliance, to which she belonged, was soon planning to explore the ‘Mountains where the Dragon Sleeps’. So now we need various data and information about the mountain range, and we have asked the Crystal Caravan to investigate the mountain range directly. Then, he said that he would use this achievement as an excuse to ask the Clan Lord for a favor.
It was a difficult request for Sujeong, who had always dreamed of living in a clan, to refuse. That wasn’t all. Not only because Heesun had been devotedly helping us so far, but also because she said it was okay to just go into the beginning of the mountain range and get general information. Moreover, since the clan lord knew Heeseon from Hyundai, the possibility of joining was also considered high.
Of course, as the danger of the ‘Mountains Where the Dragon Sleeps’ was known, there were not voices of opposition from within the caravan.
However, when Hee-seon took out a large amount of gold coins and suggested an alternative, ‘Then why not ask the Mercenary Clan to provide an escort?’, the voices of opposition immediately died down.
Mercenary Clan. As this was a clan that had never failed in any of its missions, their reputation was known to all users of the Northern Continent. In fact, when the participation of ‘Qigong Spear Master’ and ‘Shield of God’ was confirmed, even the colleagues who were opposed turned to agree one by one.
‘But I didn’t know it would turn out like this.’
Sujeong laughed bitterly. And when she looked in front of her, she saw Hee-seon wiping her eyes.
“sister… . “Have you heard from the Mercantile Clan?”
“huh. “It’s been a week since I last visited, and I still haven’t heard from you.”
“is it so? That’s strange… . Why are you so quiet over there? sister. “We made sure to include a clause that would ensure safety until your return, right?”
“ah… . huh. I guess I need some time to prepare. “You promised me, so news will come soon.”
“no. I can’t do it. We can’t just wait like this. “I’ll go and talk about it.”
“do not do that. You have to think about your position. I’m just a regular user, but you’re not. “I’ll just go again today.”
Soo-jeong stopped Hee-seon, who was furiously getting up. This is because I was worried that Heeseon’s excessive attitude might cause a problem and cause discord between the two clans. Also, I didn’t want to cause any more harm to Hee-seon after what had happened.
In the end, after stopping her several more times from crawling away, Sujeong was barely able to send Heesun away.
After a while, Sujeong let out a deep sigh after confirming that Heesun entered the warp gate.
My mind was still complicated. It occurred to her that maybe, even if she thought to herself, she was giving up half the time.
‘Let’s go one more time.’
Sujeong calmed down her distraught thoughts and forced herself to turn around. Her destination was the Mercenary Clan House.
*
The fix was able to arrive at the Mercantile House in no time. At first, I had a hard time finding the headquarters because there were so many branches nearby, but now that I’ve been there a few times, I’m already familiar with the route.
“excuse me… .”
Sujeong carefully opened the front door. And the moment I entered, I instinctively stopped walking.
quiet. There are no sentries that were always visible, and the garden, which was full of life every time I visited, is extremely quiet today. When I visited recently, I was impressed by the scale of the buildings and gardens, but I also didn’t understand how it was possible to be so active when a fellow clan member went missing.
However, today is strangely different. There was great silence and tension throughout the Mercantile House.
Sujeong took one step at a time even though she felt intimidated for no reason. And when I reached the entrance of the building, I gently grabbed the doorknob and swallowed. She suddenly felt like her throat was burning.
Soon, Sujeong quietly opened her mouth and opened the door.
“excuse me.”
And the moment she entered, Sujeong was startled once again. This is because as soon as I took a step, dozens of gazes fell on me at once.
“… “Who is that user?”
“madam. “I was surprised because I thought you were here now.”
In the lobby on the first floor, dozens of users were standing in rows and rows. They all had flashy equipment and exuded unusual prayers, as if they were waiting for someone.
“Well, that. I am… .”
Sujeong muttered in a hushed voice and reflexively looked at the counter. Her first order of business was to talk to the counter.
Soon, when she made eye contact with the employee sitting at the counter, Sujeong could see her sighing softly. Her sigh was one of annoyance, as if she was saying, “Here we go again.”
Sujeong bit her lip as a feeling of indignation welled up in the moment. And after remembering in his heart that he was only a client, he walked between the users standing on his left and right.
And, it was that moment.
bang!
With the sound of the door being roughly pushed open, all the users in the lobby turned their heads toward the door.
The employee’s gaze was also no longer directed at Sujeong. It wasn’t ignored. Instead, he suddenly stood up with a surprised expression on his face.
So Sujeong quickly looked back and soon saw about ten users quickly walking towards the entrance. He was breathing excessively hard and his clothes were covered in dust, so it looked like he was running in a hurry.
Soon, the man in the lead looked around and softly opened his mouth.
“… “Everyone is here.”
It was a low, cold tone.
The man’s gaze, which was quickly scanning the surroundings, soon stopped when it reached the crystal standing in the distance.
Sujeong reflexively closed her eyes, then carefully opened them again and stared at the man.
“This user… .”
And the moment I met those sunken eyes, I suddenly felt an unreasonable goosebump all over my body.
—————————= Review of the work ——————– ——-=
The prologue is over. From now on, the chain structure begins in earnest. Honestly, I’m a little worried. I have to put together a lot of incidents later, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to organize them well. haha. Still, I will try my best.
If I had to ask the readers one thing, I would like them to pay a little more attention to the characters that appear from now on. For example, in the case of this meeting, it would be ‘Song Hee-seon.’ This part is not just about saving Ahn Hyun and Han Gyeol, but is also connected to subsequent events.
Anyway, we will do our best to achieve good results. I hope you enjoy reading it. 😀
P.S. You have to go down to the big house on January 11th (Saturday) and January 12th (Sunday). We have moved up our schedule to go to Lunar New Year. I tried to ask my father if I could go, but he said no. Last year during Chuseok, I understood it because of my studies and novels, but now that I said there was no reason not to go, I had nothing to say. Anyway, we’ll talk one more day, and we’ll announce more details in the next episode.
1. Name: Sasha Felix
2. Class: Blood Monarch (Secret, Blood Monarch, Master)
3. Nation: Free mercenary
4. Organization (Clan): Mercenary (Clan Rank: AA – Double A)
5. True Name • Nationality: Blood Lord • Felix
6. s*x: Male (129)
7. Height • Weight: 183.3cm • 65.4kg
8. Alignment: Chaos • Idiot
[Strength 53] [Durability 67] [Dexterity 78] [Stamina 84] [Magic Power 95] [Luck 51]
< Achievements (2) >
< Unique Ability (1/1) >
1. In the name of Felix (Rank: S Zero)
< Special Ability (1/1) >
1. Vampire’s Temptation (Rank: A Minus)
< Potential (3/3) >
1. Blood Contract Magic (Rank: A Plus Plus Plus)
2. Fog (Rank: S Zero)
3. Vampirism (Rank: B Plus)
(Before change) [Strength 53] [Durability 67] [Dexterity 78] [Stamina 84] [Magic Power 93] [Luck 51]
(After changes) [Strength 53] [Durability 67] [Dexterity 78] [Stamina 84] [Magic Power 95] [Luck 51]
『Power: Blood Man』
*
< User Information (Player Status) >
1. Name: Hyesoo Won (3rd year)
2. Class: Normal, Magician, Expert
3. Nation: Free mercenary
4. Organization (Clan): Mercenary (Clan Rank: AA – Double A)
5. Jinmyeong • Nationality: A woman crazy about revenge • South Korea
6. s*x: Female (28)
7. Height • Weight: 165.6cm • 53.9kg
8. Alignment: Chaos • Lunatic
[Strength 44] [Durability 38] [Dexterity 47] [Stamina 43] [Magic Power 91] [Luck 56]
< Achievements (2) >
< Special Ability (1/1) >
1. Blood-Soaked Heart (2) (Rank: S Plus)
< Potential (3/4) >
1. Authentic Magic (Rank: A Minus)
2. Building a magic camp (Rank: A Minus)
3. Magic circuit application (Rank: B Plus)
4. –
*
< User Information (Player Status) >
1. Name: Kim Dong-seok (5 years)
2. Class: Normal, Warrior, Master
3. Nation: Free mercenary
4. Organization (Clan): Mercenary (Clan Rank: AA – Double A)
5. Jinmyeong • Nationality: Hungry Roly Poly • Republic of Korea
6. s*x: Male (43)
7. Height • Weight: 175.6cm • 87.3kg
8. Tendency: Cheerful • Cruelty
[Strength 91] [Durability 94] [Dexterity 73] [Stamina 83] [Magic Power 71] [Luck 47]
< Achievements (2) >
< Special Ability (1/1) >
1. Bull (Rank: A Plus Plus)
< Potential (4/4) >
1. One-hit kill (Rank: A Zero)
2. Destruction of the Earth (Rank: B Minus)
3. Wild dance (Rank: S Zero)
4. Spilling (Rank: C Plus)
* I am a one-armed user who worked with Kim Soo-hyun in Mule. Although he lost an arm in an attack by vagabonds, he was driven by a desire for revenge against the vagabonds and devoted himself even further to training, achieving a high level of user information.
*
< User Information (Player Status) >
1. Name: Dasom Park (4th year)
2. Class: Normal, Priest, Master
3. Nation: Free mercenary
4. Organization (Clan): Mercenary (Clan Rank: AA – Double A)
5. Jinmyeong • Nationality: Gumilbokgeom (口蜜腹劒) • Republic of Korea
6. s*x: Female (25)
7. Height • Weight: 161.4cm • 54.2kg
8. Tendency: Calm • Complex Abnormality (Douceness • Crazy)
* It is an opposite property.
[Strength 26] [Durability 43] [Dexterity 35] [Stamina 51] [Magic Power 90] [Luck 83]
< Achievements (2) >
< Special Ability (1/1) >
1. Prayer of Salvation (Rank: B Zero)
< Potential (4/4) >
1. Divine Healing Spell (Rank: A Plus Plus Plus)
2. Holy Blessing (Rank: A Zero)
3. Feedback (Rank: C Plus)
4. Gwanghwa (Rank: A Minus)
* This is a user who was saved by Kim Soo-hyun from being attacked by a tramp in Mule.
fantasy,
