180 - The People of the Golden Valley

The figures gathering along the distant city walls did not advance immediately.

From the cliff, Subin could see them becoming more numerous with every passing minute. Some carried long spears, while others held bows or weapons that resembled curved blades. A few stood on the backs of large winged creatures circling above the city, giving the impression that the valley possessed a well-organized defensive force rather than a simple settlement of survivors.

Nobody on the expedition raised a weapon.

The Golden Horned Beast remained between the two groups, standing beneath the cliff as though it had no interest in the growing tension around it. Smaller creatures continued appearing from the surrounding forest, but none approached the expedition aggressively.

Yerin lowered her spear slightly.

"They're preparing for us."

"Naturally," Subin replied. "We entered their territory without warning."

Jae-hyun looked toward the city. "Should we retreat?"

Subin considered the question.

They could return through the golden route and reach the frozen forest within a few hours. That would remove the immediate possibility of conflict, but it would also leave them knowing almost nothing about the region. More importantly, the people below had already seen them. Retreating without communication could be interpreted as hesitation, hostility, or preparation for another approach.

"We don't advance," Subin said. "But we also don't run."

Ara nodded and began preparing the communication device they had used with Earth. After several attempts, she shook her head.

"No connection."

"Expected," Rafael said.

"Not completely. The equipment is functioning, but there's no external signal. The entire valley seems isolated from the network we used in the Frozen Region."

Subin looked at the city.

"Then we'll communicate the old-fashioned way."

Jae-hyun smiled. "Meaning?"

"We wait for them to come to us."

They did not have to wait long.

A group of roughly twenty figures left the city and began crossing the valley. They were accompanied by several large quadrupedal creatures with golden fur and dark horns. Their armor was light but well maintained, consisting mostly of leather and metal plates. The people themselves appeared human at first glance, but as they drew closer, the differences became clear.

Their ears were slightly pointed, their eyes reflected the golden light of the valley unusually strongly, and faint patterns resembling mana veins could be seen along the skin of several individuals.

At their center walked a tall woman carrying a long curved sword.

She appeared to be in her early thirties and wore a dark coat reinforced with golden metal around the shoulders and forearms. Unlike the others, she did not keep her weapon raised.

She stopped approximately fifty meters from the expedition.

Her gaze moved from one person to another before settling on Subin.

She spoke in a language none of them understood.

Ara immediately tried several translation systems.

Nothing worked.

The woman spoke again.

This time Subin slowly raised his empty left hand and pointed toward himself.

"Subin."

The woman watched him.

He repeated it.

"Subin."

Understanding appeared in her expression.

She placed one hand against her chest.

"Serena."

Ara immediately recorded the word.

"Serena," Subin repeated.

The woman nodded.

She then pointed toward the city.

"Valeria."

Subin looked toward the distant buildings.

"Valeria?"

Another nod.

Jae-hyun whispered, "That's probably the city's name."

Serena then pointed toward the expedition.

"Earth?"

Ara froze.

Subin's expression changed slightly.

Serena repeated the word.

"Earth."

This time there was no uncertainty.

The woman knew where they came from.

Subin nodded.

"Earth."

Serena looked toward the others.

Then she pointed toward the golden route behind the expedition.

Her next words were longer, but the meaning remained unclear.

Ara quickly displayed a rough communication interface.

"We can probably establish basic translation if we have enough repeated vocabulary," she said.

Subin nodded.

He pointed toward the route.

"Frozen Region."

Serena looked at the route and replied with a word that Ara repeated several times.

"Frostfall."

The expedition exchanged glances.

Apparently, the region had a local name.

Subin pointed toward himself and then toward the route.

"Frostfall."

Serena nodded.

He pointed toward the city.

"Valeria."

This time Serena smiled slightly.

"Yes."

The basic exchange continued for several minutes.

The expedition learned that the valley was indeed called the Golden Valley, while the city was Valeria. Serena was one of the city's senior guardians, responsible for the outer territory. The creatures roaming the valley were not domesticated in the conventional sense; some were bonded to humans while others simply tolerated the city's presence.

More importantly, the people of Valeria were not surprised by the existence of visitors from other regions.

They had seen travelers before.

They simply had never seen travelers from Earth.

Ara eventually managed to construct a crude translation bridge by combining repeated words, environmental references, and the language data gathered from Serena's speech. It was far from perfect, but it was enough to prevent basic misunderstandings.

Serena pointed toward the expedition.

"World?"

Ara translated the word.

Subin nodded.

"World Dungeon."

Serena's expression became more serious.

She spoke rapidly.

Ara struggled to translate the sentence.

"She says... the World Dungeon is not what you call it here."

"What do they call it?" Yerin asked.

Ara listened to the translation.

"The Great Passage."

Subin repeated the phrase.

"The Great Passage."

Serena nodded.

She pointed toward the golden valley.

Then toward the distant mountains.

Then toward the sky.

Her explanation was fragmented, but the basic meaning became clear.

Valeria was not the only civilization in this world.

The Golden Valley was part of a much larger landmass containing multiple territories and civilizations. Some were friendly. Some competed over resources. Some were separated by dangerous environments. Others had disappeared over time.

The expedition listened carefully.

Nobody interrupted.

Their discovery was changing the scale of the dungeon.

This was no longer simply a collection of combat zones.

There were civilizations here that had developed independently, with their own territories, resources, relationships, and history.

Serena eventually looked toward Subin's sword.

Her attention remained there for several seconds.

She pointed toward Simple Edge.

Subin drew it slightly from its sheath.

The blade reflected the golden light.

Serena's expression changed.

She said something quietly.

Ara attempted to translate it.

"She says your sword is unusual."

Subin glanced at Simple Edge.

"How?"

Ara listened again.

"She says it doesn't belong to this world."

Subin didn't answer immediately.

Simple Edge had already reacted to ancient Sword Intent in the Frozen Region. Now, for the first time, someone from another civilization had recognized something unusual about it without being told anything about the weapon.

Serena extended her hand.

Not toward the sword.

Toward the ground between them.

She drew a simple symbol with the tip of her own blade.

It resembled a circle divided by a single line.

Subin recognized the concept immediately.

A sword path.

Serena looked at him and then pointed toward the city.

Subin understood the invitation.

"She wants us to enter."

Yerin looked at Subin.

"Do you trust her?"

"No."

Yerin raised an eyebrow.

Subin smiled faintly.

"Trust isn't necessary yet."

He looked toward Serena.

"We can cooperate."

That was different.

Serena appeared to understand his hesitation. She nodded and stepped backward, allowing the expedition to decide.

Subin looked at the city once more.

The walls were enormous, but they were not designed purely for defense. Buildings rose behind them in different shapes, some resembling towers, others large domes or fortified halls. Bridges connected elevated sections, and creatures moved through designated roads alongside people.

This was a functioning city.

Entering it without preparation could create unnecessary problems.

"We'll go," Subin said. "But we stay together."

The group descended from the cliff.

The Golden Horned Beast moved aside as they passed, watching Subin briefly before returning to the valley.

The closer they came to Valeria, the more details became visible.

The city was far more advanced than the expedition initially expected.

Mana crystals were integrated into lamps, transport platforms, water systems, and defensive structures. People moved through the streets carrying goods, speaking to one another, training with weapons, and tending to creatures.

There were children.

Merchants.

Craftsmen.

Guards.

The sight affected the expedition more than any monster they had encountered.

These people weren't dungeon inhabitants waiting for adventurers.

They lived here.

They had ordinary lives.

The city gate opened.

Serena led them through.

Several hundred residents gathered along the nearby streets, keeping a cautious distance while watching the visitors. Some appeared curious. Others were clearly suspicious. A few looked at the expedition's equipment with open fascination.

Jae-hyun leaned slightly toward Subin.

"We're attracting attention."

"You expected otherwise?"

"No."

A young boy standing beside a merchant suddenly stepped into the street.

He was staring directly at Subin's sword.

The boy said something to Serena.

She replied briefly.

Then the boy pointed at Subin.

Serena looked toward him and translated through Ara's developing system.

"He wants to know if you're a Sword Master."

Subin considered the question.

"I'm a swordsman."

The translation reached Serena.

She repeated his answer to the boy.

The boy looked disappointed.

Then Serena said something else.

The boy's expression immediately changed.

He looked at Subin with obvious excitement.

Ara translated.

"She told him you're an S-rank swordsman from another world."

The boy's eyes widened.

Subin couldn't help smiling.

"So that's how information spreads here."

Jae-hyun laughed.

"Give it an hour and the whole city will know."

They continued through the city.

Eventually, Serena brought them to a large building overlooking the central square.

Its entrance was guarded by two armored warriors.

Inside was a wide circular hall containing a large map carved into the floor.

Subin immediately recognized the geography.

Not all of it, but enough.

The Golden Valley occupied only one section.

Several neighboring regions surrounded it.

Some were marked with symbols.

Others had been crossed out.

Ara approached the map.

"This is bigger than our Citadel map."

Serena nodded.

She pointed toward several marked regions.

The first symbol represented the Golden Valley.

The second represented a massive forest.

The third was a desert.

The fourth showed mountains surrounded by flames.

The fifth appeared to represent an ocean.

Then she pointed farther north.

A blank section covered nearly one-third of the map.

Serena's expression became serious.

She said something.

Ara listened carefully.

"The northern territory is unknown even to them."

Subin studied the map.

He wasn't interested in discovering every region immediately.

Their original mission remained unchanged.

They needed to understand the World Dungeon and find safe routes between its regions and Earth.

But Valeria had just given them something they had lacked.

Information from people who had lived inside this world for generations.

Subin looked at Serena.

"Can you show us the routes connected to Earth?"

The translation took several seconds.

Serena understood.

Her expression became cautious.

She pointed toward the western mountains.

Then toward the underground river.

Then toward the Frozen Region.

Finally, she pointed toward the Golden Valley.

Her response was translated slowly.

"There is a route."

Everyone became attentive.

Serena continued.

"It is not controlled by Valeria."

Subin waited.

"Another city controls it."

"Which city?"

Serena pointed toward the southern edge of the map.

A symbol resembling a black tower was carved into the stone.

The translation system struggled with the next word.

Ara tried several interpretations.

Finally, one emerged.

"Veyra."

Serena nodded.

Subin looked at the map.

A new destination had appeared.

Not a dungeon.

Not a monster territory.

A civilization.

And it controlled one of the routes connecting the regions they needed to understand.

Serena placed her hand over the map between Valeria and Veyra.

Then she looked directly at Subin.

The meaning was clear even before Ara translated her final words.

"Before you travel there, you should understand who controls the road."

Subin nodded slowly.

"Then that's what we'll learn."

Outside the hall, the city continued its ordinary life.

The expedition had entered Valeria expecting to find another environment.

Instead, they had found people.

People with their own territory, history, resources, rivalries, and routes through the World Dungeon.

And for the first time since entering the Great Passage, Subin understood that exploring this world would not be only about surviving its monsters.

They would have to understand the civilizations that had survived them.