182 - Veyra's Mountain Road

The road narrowed as the expedition approached the southern mountains. The broad trail maintained by Valeria gradually disappeared between rocky slopes, eventually becoming a winding path carved into the side of the mountain. Stone markers stood at regular intervals along the route, each bearing the same symbol that Serena had shown them on Valeria's map.

Veyra.

Serena explained that the markers served two purposes. They identified the maintained road and warned travelers when they were approaching territory monitored by Veyra's patrols. Beyond the next ridge, Valerian authority ended.

Subin looked at the mountains ahead.

The migration had become more obvious.

Tracks covered the lower slopes. Some belonged to creatures the expedition had already seen, while others were completely unfamiliar. Deep claw marks ran across several rocks, and broken trees showed that something much larger than the Mountain Hornback had passed through recently.

Ara examined the ground as they walked.

"These tracks are heading south."

Serena nodded.

"Most of them are."

"How long has this been happening?"

"Several weeks."

Ara looked surprised. "Weeks?"

Serena nodded again.

"The migration began slowly. A few herds left their usual territory. Then predators followed them. After that, larger creatures began moving."

Subin glanced toward the mountains.

"Has Veyra identified the cause?"

"Not yet."

The answer was frustrating, but it was also consistent with what they had observed. The creatures weren't behaving as if a single monster were chasing them. Different species were moving in the same general direction despite having no obvious relationship with one another.

Something had changed farther north.

But whatever it was, the expedition had no reason to assume it was connected to the Earth gates.

They needed evidence before making that conclusion.

The road curved around a cliff.

Three figures appeared ahead.

They stood beside a stone barrier overlooking the valley. Their armor was heavier than the Valerian guards', with dark metal plates covering their chests and shoulders. Each carried a long weapon with a crystalline blade.

Serena raised her hand.

The three guards immediately recognized her.

One stepped forward and spoke.

Serena replied.

After a short exchange, the guard looked toward Subin and the others.

Ara's translation device picked up enough of the conversation to provide the basic meaning.

"Veyra patrol," she said. "They've been expecting us."

Jae-hyun raised an eyebrow.

"Expecting us?"

Serena explained.

"The message from Valeria arrived earlier."

"So they know we're from Earth?"

"Yes."

The Veyran guard approached.

He was a broad-shouldered man with short black hair and a scar running from his left eyebrow to his cheek. Unlike Serena, he kept one hand resting near his weapon.

He looked directly at Subin.

Then at Simple Edge.

Finally, he spoke.

Ara translated.

"Captain Darius. Veyra Mountain Patrol."

Subin nodded.

"Subin Vans."

Darius studied him for several seconds.

Then he looked toward Serena.

The two exchanged a few words.

Ara listened.

"Darius wants to know whether you're traveling through Veyra's territory or requesting permission to enter the city."

"What's the difference?"

Serena answered before Ara could.

"Travelers can use the road. Visitors requesting access to the city require an escort."

Darius nodded.

Subin considered it.

"We want information about the regions beyond Veyra. If possible, we'd like to speak with whoever manages the route."

Darius looked at Serena.

Then at Subin.

"You'll be taken to the city."

It wasn't phrased as a question.

Subin nodded.

"Thank you."

The patrol joined the expedition.

The journey continued for another hour before they reached the first major Veyran structure.

A fortress had been built directly into the mountain.

Its walls extended across the entire valley, with towers positioned at the highest points. Bridges connected sections of the fortress, while large gates allowed creatures and travelers to pass through designated areas.

It wasn't simply a defensive structure.

It was a checkpoint.

People moved through it constantly.

Merchants brought wagons loaded with materials. Hunters carried monster parts. Groups of travelers rested near the walls while patrols inspected their equipment.

The expedition slowed as they entered.

Subin noticed something immediately.

Veyra was busy.

Very busy.

Unlike Valeria, where the city seemed focused on agriculture, hunting, and ordinary life, Veyra was built around movement. The mountain road was its lifeline.

Every person passing through represented trade, information, or resources.

The city had grown around that reality.

Darius led them through a separate entrance.

Inside, the streets became narrower.

Large buildings had been carved directly into the mountain, while bridges crossed open spaces between them. Mana crystals illuminated the roads, and large metal platforms moved materials between different levels.

Jae-hyun looked around.

"Not bad."

Rafael nodded.

"It's practical."

Subin agreed.

The city had no unnecessary grandeur.

Everything served a purpose.

Darius brought them to a large administrative building near the center of the fortress.

A woman waited inside.

She was older than Serena, perhaps in her fifties, with silver hair tied behind her head and a long dark coat covering her armor. A curved sword rested at her side.

She looked at the expedition without surprise.

"Welcome to Veyra."

Ara translated automatically.

The woman continued.

"My name is Mara Veyr. I oversee the southern mountain routes."

Serena exchanged greetings with her.

Mara then looked toward Subin.

"I have heard about the travelers from Earth."

Subin nodded.

"We appreciate you allowing us into the city."

Mara smiled faintly.

"You are using a road we maintain. You don't need permission to walk on it."

She gestured toward a table.

"Sit."

The expedition gathered around.

A large map was placed on the table.

It showed far more territory than the map in Valeria.

Mara pointed toward the northern mountains.

"This is where the migration began."

Ara leaned forward.

"Do you know what caused it?"

"No."

Mara's answer was immediate.

"But we know when it started."

She placed a marker on the map.

"Approximately six weeks ago."

Another marker followed.

"Three weeks later, the first large predators moved south."

A third.

"Then the larger territorial creatures."

Subin studied the pattern.

"What happened six weeks ago?"

Mara looked at him.

"That is the problem."

She moved another marker.

"Nothing."

Subin frowned.

"Nothing?"

"No battle. No new monster. No environmental disaster. No known gate opening."

She paused.

"At least, nothing that we could detect."

Ara exchanged a glance with Subin.

The timing was interesting, but there was not enough information to connect it to Earth.

Mara continued.

"Veyra has sent three expeditions north."

"What happened?"

"Two returned."

"And the third?"

Mara's expression hardened.

"They reached the northern basin. After that, communication stopped."

Jae-hyun leaned back.

"How long ago?"

"Nine days."

The room became quiet.

Subin looked at the map.

"Are you asking us to investigate?"

Mara shook her head.

"Not yet."

That answer surprised him.

Mara pointed toward a separate route.

"You came here to reach the central crossroads."

Subin nodded.

"Yes."

"Then I recommend that you go there first."

She marked the route.

The path passed through Veyra's southern territory before reaching a wide plateau.

"The crossroads connects five major regions. If you want to understand the Great Passage, that is where you should go."

Subin remembered Serena's explanation.

The Great Passage was the name the civilizations of this world used for the enormous interconnected environment that humans on Earth had begun calling the World Dungeon.

It wasn't another realm hidden beyond the dungeon.

It was the dungeon itself, viewed from the perspective of those who had lived inside it for generations.

The regions they had already explored were all parts of the same vast world.

Mara continued.

"From the crossroads, you can travel toward the desert, the volcanic mountains, the western forest, or the southern ocean."

She paused.

"Or you can travel north."

Subin looked at the route.

"Toward the basin?"

"Yes."

Yerin asked, "Would Veyra object if we investigated it?"

Mara shook her head.

"If you can reach it, we would welcome the information."

Darius frowned.

"Commander, the northern route is dangerous."

"I know."

"There are creatures moving south."

"I know."

"And the expedition that disappeared—"

"I know."

Mara looked at him.

Her voice remained calm.

"That's why I'm not sending another Veyran patrol."

The room fell silent.

Subin understood the implication.

Veyra didn't need more soldiers to disappear.

They needed information.

The expedition had arrived at exactly the right time.

Subin looked toward Yerin.

She gave him a small nod.

"We can investigate after reaching the crossroads."

Mara looked at him.

"Why not go directly north?"

"Because our main objective hasn't changed."

Subin pointed toward the map.

"We're trying to understand the Great Passage and the routes connecting its regions. The crossroads gives us more information than following one unexplained disturbance."

Mara studied him for several seconds.

Then she nodded.

"Good."

Jae-hyun looked at her.

"Good?"

"You understand the difference between investigating a problem and chasing it."

Subin didn't respond.

Mara turned the map toward them.

"There is one more thing."

She pointed toward a marked area between Veyra and the crossroads.

"Something has appeared here."

Ara examined the symbol.

"What?"

Mara answered.

"A new road."

Everyone became attentive.

"It wasn't there before?"

"No."

"When did it appear?"

Mara's expression became thoughtful.

"Three days ago."

Subin leaned closer.

The road had been drawn as a thin golden line across the map.

It began near the southern mountains and extended toward the central crossroads.

But there was something strange about it.

The line didn't follow the existing terrain.

It crossed directly through a region marked as inaccessible.

"Who built it?" Rafael asked.

"No one."

Mara looked at him.

"It simply appeared."

Ara checked the translation.

"Could it be a natural formation?"

"Possibly."

Mara pointed toward several smaller roads.

"We've had unusual paths appear before. Most disappear within days. Some become permanent."

Subin remembered the golden route that had led the expedition from the Frozen Region into the Golden Valley.

His expression became serious.

"Does Veyra know where this road leads?"

"No."

"Has anyone used it?"

Mara shook her head.

"Not yet."

Subin looked at the map.

The golden road connected two territories that had previously been separated.

It might be completely natural.

It might be a result of the World Dungeon's shifting geography.

Or it might be related to the unusual changes occurring across the regions.

There was still not enough evidence.

"We'll inspect it when we reach the crossroads," Subin said.

Mara nodded.

"Then Veyra will provide guides until the southern checkpoint."

She looked toward Darius.

"Prepare the route."

Darius bowed and left.

The meeting was over.

As the expedition left the administrative building, Subin looked through an open window toward the northern mountains.

The city was still busy below them.

Merchants moved through the streets.

Patrols changed shifts.

Travelers prepared for journeys.

Veyra was functioning normally despite the growing migration.

But beyond the mountains, something had changed.

A road had appeared where none existed.

Creatures were abandoning their territories.

An expedition had disappeared.

And somewhere farther north, the World Dungeon continued connecting regions in ways nobody fully understood.

Subin didn't intend to chase every unexplained event.

For now, there was a clear route ahead.

Reach the central crossroads.

Study the Great Passage.

Learn how the regions connected.

Then decide where to go next.

The expedition left Veyra the following morning.

The road descended from the mountain fortress and opened into a wide plateau leading south.

Behind them, Veyra's walls gradually disappeared from view.

Ahead, the mountains parted.

Beyond them stretched a vast landscape filled with golden grass, dark forests, and distant rivers.

At the center of it all stood the crossroads.

And somewhere along the road ahead, a new golden path waited.