Chapter 283. City of the Abandoned (3)

“Let’s go! Stock Expedition Squad!” Swear-Master shouted.

Eun-Ho shot back. “What?”

“Aren’t we heading out to find that stock certificate thing?”

At the loud declaration from the Swear-Master, Eun-Ho found himself frowning.

What kind of name is Stock Expedition Squad? Whatever.

“Let me come too, Hyungnim!” Jae-Hyuk said eagerly.

Yeo-Jin threw her hand into the air as if she refused to lose. “Me too! Pick me!”

Yoon Sol-Ah immediately dragged her friend backward by the back of the neck. “And why are you going? I’ll go instead.”

Min Yeo-Jin, a full head shorter than Sol-Ah, flailed wildly against the grip. “Hey! Let go!”

However, Sol-Ah remained unmoved. “You need to prepare for the inauguration ceremony. You were complaining the whole way here about how much work you had left. So, where do you think you’re going?”

“Are you stupid? I’m going because there’s too much work! Besides, Leira Unnie said she’d cover for me for a few days!”

“No. It’s dangerous.”

“Oh, so I’m the only one in danger? You’re in danger too, you know?”

Every team member gathered here had volunteered.

“Hey, buddy,” Eun-Ho called the Crow.

“Cah?”

“You definitely said only three, right?”

“That is correct!”

They were simply going to recover the stock certificate, not to tear apart an arena or anything of the sort.

Yul would be the perfect one for this, though, Eun-Ho thought.

However, since Yul was still a child, bringing her along on a trial that could take days felt too risky. Besides, even the slightest mistake in unfamiliar enemy territory could prove fatal.

I need to think strategically.

“They’re used to handling slave gladiators, so they specialize in restraint and binding techniques. I even saw one who could summon monsters freely.”

According to the Crow, the arena managers’ primary role was keeping the slave gladiators under control. If that management involved not only physical restraint but mental domination as well, Ji-Eun was absolutely essential.

“Ji-Eun.”

“Yes!”

As for the remaining criteria, Jae-Hyuk, with his powerful regeneration ability, would be a dependable choice too.

“Jae-Hyuk, you repaired your armor, right?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Yes, sir! All fixed!”

While the security guard’s barrier skills were useful, their three-man infiltration made offensive power the priority.

Somehow, it ended up being the same members who started this whole thing together.

After a brief moment of thought, Eun-Ho made his decision. “We’ll be off, then.”

The cleaning lady and the security guard immediately appeared concerned.

“Are three people really enough?”

“She’s right, Young Man! Wouldn’t it be better to use that capsule thing from earlier and all go together?”

Their concern was understandable. Even if the trial was only to retrieve some stupid certificate, there was no telling what would happen in an unfamiliar place.

“It’ll be fine,” Eun-Ho assured them. “I’ve got some others I’m bringing along.”

“Bringing along? Ah! You mean those Skeletons?”

Eun-Ho smiled faintly at the cleaning lady. “There’s one more thing I need to ask of all of you.”

“Hmm?”

Everyone leaned in as Eun-Ho delivered a short briefing.

“There is a reason why I gathered everyone here. For now, please make sure there aren’t any gaps in operations at your respective posts.”

“We will!”

After that, the whole group exited the building and headed to the empty lot behind the Personnel Bureau.

Once they reached the deserted clearing where no one could see them, Eun-Ho set the Crow down and immediately gave the order. “Let’s go.”

“Right now?!”

“If we’re going anyway, we might as well go and come back quickly.”

The Crow burst into laughter. “Kahahaha! Just what I’d expect from a true man among men!”

Pitch-black wings, nearly identical to the ones attached to Eun-Ho’s back, spread wide. A brilliant burst of light erupted as the bird soared into the air.

Fwoosh—!

The raven-dark feathers began turning white, only to become so drenched in light that their silhouette was barely visible. The glowing mass rapidly expanded from the size of Yul, to a car, and finally to that of a house.

Ji-Eun signaled, “All right! Climb aboard, everyone!”

Eun-Ho and Jae-Hyuk floated upward. They landed safely amid the massive black feathers.

Thunk!

Eun-Ho grabbed the rope he had tied around the Crow’s neck beforehand. The lightest among them, Ji-Eun, settled in behind him. While the heaviest, Jae-Hyuk, took the rear.

“Ready?”

“I’m good,” Ji-Eun replied.

“Let’s do this, Hyungnim!” Jae-Hyuk said.

Jae-Hyuk’s response was the starting gun.

“Let us fly!”

The Crow’s wings beat powerfully.

“Travel safely!”

“If anything happens, send a mess—”

The ground fell away and the voices of their companions waving goodbye grew fainter and fainter.

Just then, Eun-Ho lurched backward. “Eek!”

The Crow shot upward like a rocket.

[Warning!]

[You are leaving the Work Sector.]

[System permissions may be restricted.]

The flight had begun.

“E-Eun-Ho? What does that mean?!” Ji-Eun asked.

“Ah. The bulletin board doesn’t work outside the company.”

“I’m going to overtake that flock of birds ahead! Hold on tight, everyone!” said the Crow.

“H-huh?!”

“Kuhahaha! A true man among men must embark on noisy, thrilling adventures like this!”

“M-Mister Crow, you seem strangely excited—”

“Here we go!”

“Aaaah!”

Thus began a deeply concerning flight accompanied by two cowards and one mad bird.

***

Time passed as swiftly as the excited Crow’s beating wings.

“Kyaa! This wind is insane! Mr. Il-Dong, are you alright?” Ji-Eun asked.

“Haha! What a kind-hearted young lady! I am perfectly fine!”

One hour passed.

“Caw!”

“If you’re tired, slow down a little,” said Eun-Ho.

“Ahem! How could I possibly grow tired while traveling with my dear friends?!”

Then, more than half a day had passed.

“F-Friend...”

“Here. Have a snack.”

“But this alone won’t—”

“Here. Cigarette.”

By the time the Crow had chewed through twelve stamina-recovery snacks and two cigarettes, another half day had passed.

“Eun-Ho! I can see a red planet over there!” Ji-Eun shouted.

“We’re here. That’s the place, right?”

The Crow, now visibly drooping like wilted seaweed, noticeably slowed down. “It sure is! That’s the one!”

Reddish clouds and red land approached gradually, like a plane nearing its runway.

“We’re about to pass through the magnetic field. The winds will be strong, so hold tight!”

“Yes! Understood!”

Eun-Ho tightened his grip on the reins and braced his aching thighs against the Crow’s back. The same muscles that carried him this far let him endure the storming gusts.

“Kyaaaak!” Ji-Eun let out something alarmingly close to a Crow’s shriek. She lost her balance, floated upward, and instinctively wrapped herself around Eun-Ho’s waist. “I-I’m sorry!”

The life-or-death moment passed, and the air calmed once more.

Whoosh—

The wind brushing past them no longer stung. Instead, it felt cool and refreshing.

The tension finally drained from Eun-Ho’s stiffened limbs after enduring their near-light-speed flight. “We got here faster than I expected.”

The Crow laughed boisterously, wobbling and shaking them. “Kuhahaha! Well? What do you think of my flying skills?!”

Eun-Ho patted him a few times in an attempt to calm him down, but the bird apparently took it as praise and only grew more insufferably smug. “Who do you think I am? I am a master of flight who chooses only shortcuts, even on unfamiliar routes! Since that is the case, naturally I can find a path I’ve traveled before even with my eyes closed!”

Since the Crow really had worked hard, Eun-Ho humored him. “Right. Naturally.”

Meanwhile, the bird weaved deftly through the acrid clouds, leaving trails in the sky behind him.

“You said there weren’t any landmarks here besides the arena, right?” Ji-Eun asked.

“Ah, yes. That’s right,” Eun-Ho replied.

“Um, then how are we supposed to find the way?”

This time, their pilot and aircraft answered instead of Eun-Ho, “Do not worry! I visited just a few days ago. I remember everything perfectly!”

Maybe a bird was still a bird after all. The Crow held its head high with absolute confidence.

“Huh? But didn’t we pass by this place earlier?”

“There’s no way!” replied the Crow.

“That house over there! I mentioned earlier that its roof had been ripped off!”

“Hmm?”

Something felt off. The Crow had found the red planet just fine, yet the moment they entered, it started wandering around like a drunkard lost in an alley. More puzzling was how an intact arena could be so hard to spot amid the ruins.

“Ahem. Now, why is this happening?” asked the Crow.

If this is simply the Crow making a mistake, that’s fine. But if that’s not the case, it’s a different story.

“Jae-Hyuk.”

“Yes?”

“That roofless house over there. Wasn’t it beside a cliff earlier?” Eun-Ho asked.

“Oh? You’re right, Hyungnim!” Jae-Hyuk replied.

If the terrain here had changed and was still changing, that was another story.

“Something’s up with this place,” Eun-Ho muttered.

“Huh?”

“Crow! Anything you know?!” Eun-Ho asked.

“N-no! I swear it was easy to find last time!”

A chill suddenly ran down Eun-Ho’s spine.

There has to be something here. Something catastrophic enough to scatter entire buildings and reshape the landscape itself.

“Go up again! We’re not landing until we figure this out. Get us away from the ground!” Eun-Ho shouted, pulling out his compass.

Rumble— Craaaack!

Just then, with a thunderous roar, the earth rose. Then, the once-blue sky turned red.

[War...ng!]

[W...ning!]

[Warni...]

Broken message windows flashed one after another.

[The Eternal Sandstorm is...]

[Please... immediately!]

“Kyaaaaaak!”

“Kyaaaak!”

“Noonim! Hyuuuungnim!”

The world was swallowed whole.

***

“Huh?”

Eun-Ho's head throbbed like it was about to split open. A crushing weight pressed down on him, as though he had been buried underground. He barely managed to regain consciousness through the haze.

At least we landed.

Eun-Ho’s forehead and the bridge of his nose felt cool, but everything else was heavy, rough, and burning hot. He didn’t even have to open his eyes to know that he was buried in sand.

“Holy shit, where’d this blessing come from?” Someone’s voice suddenly echoed through Eun-Ho’s ears. He didn’t recognize the voice. It was a deep, solid bass that reverberated as though spoken inside a cave. “Meat just dropped straight from the sky!”

Eun-Ho heard the crackle of fire nearby, along with a faint wash of heat. It was close, but not quite beside him. After making that judgment, Eun-Ho carefully opened his eyes. All he could see at first was red earth.

A campfire burned between two low hills, behind the wall of a half-collapsed single-story house. Tied above it using wooden poles as supports was the Crow.

Is it dead?! Eun-Ho thought.

The Crow drooped there limply like soaked seaweed.

“Hmm, maybe I should slice it up for sashimi... No, wait. It looks filthy enough already, so roasting it would be better.”

At that moment, the Crow’s crest twitched. Apparently, it had reacted to the “looks filthy” part. It was probably just playing dead. That was a relief, but with its neck and wings bent at painful-looking angles, it definitely didn’t seem unharmed.

“Hehehe.”

More importantly, Eun-Ho still couldn’t see the source of that deeply unpleasant laughter. The Crow was the only living thing near the campfire. Other than that, all that was there was a giant boulder sitting atop something that looked like a chair.

“At last! I finally get to eat Crow meat!”

Just then, the boulder moved.

Rumble—

“Now then, let’s put some grease in this belly.”

More accurately, the “boulder” was a figure in a soot-blackened sleeveless shirt and shorts, stretching out its arm. It had a head, a stubby neck, and thick limbs.

Wait a second, Eun-Ho thought.

Not only was it several times larger than an ordinary human, it appeared to be carved straight from solid rock, with nothing but hollow openings for eyes, nose, and mouth.

He had definitely seen something like this before. He had even fought alongside Skeletons against them. Besides, a certain someone even summoned one to drag around as a companion.

Eun-Ho carefully moved his tongue, avoiding the sand trying to flood into his mouth. “Third Eye.”

Fwoosh—!

The world drained into black and white. Then, in that colorless realm where sky and earth blurred together, the lone, hulking rock giant turned its head.

Rumble—

“Huh?” Its hollow eyes, nose, and mouth faced directly toward him. “There’s another one?”

At that exact moment, a series of messages rang out.

[Defeat the Abandoned Ridge!]

Right. Defeat the Abandoned Ridge... Wait!

[The Third Eye has been activated!]

[Abandoned Ridge]

Wait, what?!