Chapter 38: Inrush
The first day at the base camp passed, and finally, the next morning arrived.
Yoo Soha and all the team members, clad in protective suits and fully armed, gathered in front of the base camp.
“You’ve all reviewed what we discussed yesterday, right?”
“Yes!”
“Conserve your mana as much as possible and avoid unnecessary combat. Right now, reconnaissance of North Hwanghae takes priority over subjugating beasts.”
“Yes!”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll recklessly avoid unavoidable battles, like sudden ambushes.”
“Understood!”
“And Eclipse, Shin Sungmin.”
Both nodded silently at Yoo Soha’s call.
“If the team is in danger… I’m counting on you.”
“Got it.”
“Understood.”
“Then, let’s move out.”
Hwanryeong Team 2, dressed in protective suits, immediately began marching from the base camp toward Tosan County in North Hwanghae.
Vehicles were not an option. Much of North Korea had long since turned into dense forests, and the terrain was too treacherous for military vehicles. Without knowing the conditions of North Hwanghae, bringing vehicles was too risky.
Fortunately, the awakeners’ physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary humans, allowing them to move toward Tosan County faster than any vehicle could.
With each step, the team couldn’t help but feel the environment was subtly distorted.
The trees and grass were grotesquely twisted and intertwined, and the occasional animals they spotted roamed the land in similarly warped forms.
The radiation contamination was worse than expected, and Yoo Soha clicked her tongue.
‘Tch… We can’t stay long. We’ll have to be meticulous about everything we drink or eat.’
Of course, as long as they had mana, radiation couldn’t easily harm an awakener’s body. But mana wasn’t infinite, and Yoo Soha was displeased that this would complicate their reconnaissance plans.
She continued leading the team forward. The past month’s training hadn’t been in vain; despite running for quite some time, no one showed signs of fatigue.
When Hwanryeong Team 2 finally reached the border between Cheorwon and Tosan County, Yoo Soha, at the forefront, paused and stared beyond the boundary.
“…This is.”
She hadn’t stopped to confirm something. The scene before her was so alien that she couldn’t help but halt instinctively.
The members of Hwanryeong Team 2, and even Shin Sungmin, who had purified Gangwon, were left speechless by the sight.
“A lava zone.”
Eclipse muttered, staring at the scene.
A lava zone. It was the most accurate description.
Boiling lava flowed across the ground, and traces of dried lava covered the earth.
Not a single blade of grass or tree remained—just a barren, seething wasteland scorched by lava.
The stark contrast to the dense forest behind them left the team speechless.
“…What is this?”
Cha Hyunseong asked Shin Sungmin in disbelief. Yoo Soha wouldn’t know, so he turned to Shin Sungmin, who had experience in North Korea.
“I don’t know either. When I purified Gangwon, it was more like a snowy wasteland.”
“This is…”
“It must be the aftermath of gate erosion.”
The heat radiating from the blackened earth washed over Hwanryeong Team 2’s faces.
“The heat is too intense. This might make long-term reconnaissance difficult.”
The team nodded at Yoo Soha’s words.
They had expected dense forests, but a lava zone was beyond their imagination.
Faced with a situation far beyond their expectations, Yoo Soha began to think.
They had already come a considerable distance. Turning back now would be a waste of time.
‘The silver lining is that we have water-attribute mages…’
“This is a tough situation. What’s the plan?”
At Eclipse’s question, Yoo Soha finished her thoughts and addressed the team.
“We’ll keep moving forward. Baek Sihu, Eun Hyeongwon.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“Both of you, block the surrounding heat.”
“Understood.”
“Even if the ambient heat is blocked, use your mana to shield yourselves from the heat rising from the ground.”
“Yes!”
“Let’s move in. We’ll scout the area as quickly as possible and return to the base camp.”
Hwanryeong Team 2 crossed the boundary and stepped forward.
As intense heat surged up through their feet, they enveloped their soles with mana to block the scorching ground.
It didn’t consume much mana, but with potential combat looming, they had to move swiftly.
The thirty-two members moved in perfect coordination, beginning to survey the surroundings.
One small advantage of the lava zone was the absence of dense vegetation obstructing their view.
The open vista revealed the desolate landscape of the lava zone in its entirety.
Crimson lava flowed through cracked earth, with smoke rising from it.
“…At least it’s a small mercy.”
Yoo Soha muttered, and Eclipse nodded in agreement.
“By the way, Eclipse.”
“What?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. My body is highly resistant to heat and cold. The heat from the ground feels merely warm to me.”
“…What kind of training did you do to get like that? It’s beyond human.”
Yoo Soha looked at Eclipse with a mix of awe and exasperation. His attire was still the same—tattered armor. Most people’s feet would have burned by now… How could he manage this?
She shook her head. She had long given up expecting normalcy from Eclipse.
Whether positive or negative, he was a being who defied common sense, so there was no need to marvel at every detail.
“I don’t know the specifics myself. It just became this way at some point.”
“Right, figures…”
Yoo Soha stopped the small talk and focused on the landscape ahead. There might be living creatures, and they were likely to be the beasts native to this land.
The first beasts Hwanryeong Team 2 encountered were a pack of wolves.
Eclipse spotted them from a distance and alerted Yoo Soha.
“Wait, Soha. There’s a pack of wolves ahead. But… they’re unusual.”
“…Unusual?”
“Yes. It’s as if… they’re covered in flames instead of fur. They must be beasts.”
“Stop! Beasts ahead!”
Upon hearing Eclipse’s warning, Yoo Soha closely examined the front and, sensing something flickering, quickly alerted the team.
After a short time, when the wolf pack drew close enough to be seen clearly, Yoo Soha and Hwanryeong Team 2 could finally observe the new beasts.
As Eclipse had said, these were no ordinary wolves. Instead of fur, blazing flames covered their bodies.
Though still some distance away, the wolves seemed to have noticed Hwanryeong Team 2, approaching warily with a prowling gait.
“A new type of beast. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“…Should we open fire?”
“Yes. Fire without infusing mana and observe their reaction.”
At Yoo Soha’s command, the awakeners drew their guns.
The gunners, who used firearms as their primary weapons, eagerly pulled out massive beast-hunting guns.
Sensing danger as the humans suddenly drew weapons, the wolves growled more fiercely and advanced.
“Fire!”
As the wolves entered the guns’ range, Yoo Soha swiftly gave the order to shoot.
With the acrid smell of gunpowder, bullets roared from the massive barrels.
The beast-hunting guns, far larger and more vicious than those used in human wars, thundered as they pierced the wary wolf pack.
Even without mana infusion, reducing their power, the wolves fell, bleeding onto the glowing earth without resistance.
Soon, the fiery glow in their eyes faded.
“…They’re weaker than expected. Maybe because we’re still at the outskirts.”
“Seems so. These flame wolves don’t seem to have any ability to defend against firearms.”
“One thing’s clear: firearms are more effective than expected. Let’s keep using them as our primary weapons until we encounter beasts immune to them.”
“Yes!”
“Let’s move forward. There are likely more unknown beasts here than familiar ones.”
With Yoo Soha’s words, Hwanryeong Team 2 pressed on.
How long had they walked? After exploring the lava zone for quite some time, Hwanryeong Team 2 encountered several more beasts.
“One clear commonality: the beasts here are generally cloaked in flames.”
“Yes.”
“And so far, every beast we’ve met has been vulnerable to firearms.”
The tension had somewhat eased. Since every beast they encountered couldn’t resist bullets, this was easier than most gates.
Yoo Soha wasn’t unaware of this, but she knew that excessive tension in a new territory could lead to fatigue, so she didn’t reprimand her team.
“It’s good not to be overly tense, but maintain a reasonable level of alertness. If a beast immune to firearms appears, you’ll need to draw your main weapons immediately.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s keep moving.”
As they advanced, Shin Sungmin spoke to Eclipse.
“This might end without us needing to step in.”
“Maybe. But you never know. Danger always strikes when you least expect it.”
“…True.”
Though Shin Sungmin had relaxed slightly, he nodded at Eclipse’s words and began scanning the surroundings more closely.
They continued for a while.
Yoo Soha started to feel wary as things went too smoothly.
‘This is too easy. The environment is harsh, but the beasts are too weak. At best, they’re the weakest of C-rank gates. This is suspicious…’
Based on her knowledge, beasts in gate-eroded areas grew stronger over time.
Moreover, North Korea had been abandoned for decades. That was why experts were skeptical of her expedition.
No one knew how strong the beasts had become.
So, the current situation was odd. It was too easy.
Even in C-rank gates, some beasts were immune to firearms, yet every beast they’d encountered here was vulnerable.
This meant their hides were weak, but whether that was due to their flame-cloaked nature or simply because only weak beasts had appeared, she couldn’t be sure.
She began to ponder as they advanced.
‘Let’s call it a day here and return to the base camp. Fatigue might be building up unnoticed. If a strong beast appears now, it could be dangerous.’
Yoo Soha made her decision.
As she suddenly stopped, the team looked at her curiously.
“Team Leader? Did you spot something?”
“Let’s head back.”
“…What?”
“We’ll end today’s exploration here. Something feels off. It’s too easy, isn’t it?”
“It has been pretty easy.”
“Right. Aside from the harsh environment, it’s less challenging than a C-rank gate.”
“Then shouldn’t we keep going?”
“No. We’ll stop here for today. If stronger beasts appear while we’re pushing further, it could be hard to respond quickly in our current state.”
“Yes!”
Given they were exploring an unknown region, caution couldn’t hurt.
Finding Yoo Soha’s reasoning sound, Hwanryeong Team 2 turned back as per her decision.
Before turning, she planted a flag in the ground to mark how far they’d come.
North Hwanghae Expedition, Day 1: Concluded.