183 - The Crossroads

The expedition traveled south from Veyra for most of the day, following a broad stone road that gradually left the mountains behind. The landscape changed with every few kilometers. The steep cliffs and narrow valleys surrounding Veyra gave way to rolling grasslands, scattered forests, and long stretches of exposed stone where countless travelers had worn paths into the ground over generations. Serena remained with the group, while Captain Darius and four Veyran guards accompanied them until the southern checkpoint.

Subin spent much of the journey studying the terrain rather than talking. From the elevated sections of the road, he could see several distant routes crossing the plains, some clearly maintained and others little more than trails through the grass. The scale of the region was larger than anything their Earth maps had prepared them for. There were no artificial borders separating one territory from another, yet the differences between regions were obvious in their vegetation, monster populations, and mana density.

Ara occasionally stopped to record landmarks. Her maps had become increasingly valuable since entering the World Dungeon, but even she admitted that the geography changed enough that a conventional map could become outdated within weeks.

"This place doesn't behave like a normal continent," she said while comparing two maps. "The routes aren't simply fixed roads. Some of them seem to become more important when creatures begin using them."

Serena nodded. "The Great Passage has always been like that."

Ara smiled slightly. "You mean the World Dungeon."

"The name your people use for it," Serena replied. "Yes."

Subin looked at the distant landscape.

The difference was mostly one of perspective. Earth had encountered this enormous interconnected world only recently, while the civilizations inside it had spent generations living within it. What humans considered a dungeon with unusual regions was, to Serena and the people of Valeria, simply their world.

By late afternoon, they reached the southern checkpoint.

A large stone arch marked the boundary between Veyra's maintained road and the territory leading toward the central crossroads. Several guards waited beside a fortified building, and beyond them the road divided into three routes. The eastern path followed a river, the western path crossed a forest, and the central road continued across an open plateau.

Darius stopped there.

"Our territory ends here."

Subin shook his hand.

"Thank you for the escort."

Darius glanced toward the northern mountains before answering.

"If you discover anything about the migration, send word to Veyra."

"We will."

The captain hesitated before adding, "And if you see creatures fleeing north rather than south, don't assume they are harmless."

Subin understood the warning.

Migration could make even normally peaceful creatures unpredictable.

Darius and his patrol turned back toward Veyra while the expedition continued south.

The central road remained quiet for several hours. There were occasional groups of travelers, small merchant caravans, and hunters carrying monster materials, but no major settlements appeared. The absence of civilization made the enormous scale of the region more apparent.

Near sunset, they encountered the first sign that they were approaching the crossroads.

A line of stone pillars rose from the grassland.

Each pillar was several meters tall and covered in carved symbols. They formed a wide corridor around the road, with smaller paths branching between them.

Ara examined one of the inscriptions.

"This isn't a language I've seen in Valeria."

Serena studied it.

"It is older than Valeria."

"How old?"

"We don't know."

Subin ran his fingers lightly across the nearest pillar.

The stone was ordinary, but the carving was extremely precise. Whoever had made it had understood the surrounding terrain well enough to place the pillars along a natural mana current.

Yerin noticed his expression.

"What do you think?"

"It's not just a road marker."

Subin pointed toward the ground.

"Mana is flowing beneath them."

Ara immediately activated her equipment.

A faint pattern appeared beneath the grass.

The pillars were connected.

Not mechanically, but through a natural underground flow.

The network extended toward the horizon.

Jae-hyun looked toward the distant plateau.

"So this is part of the crossroads?"

"Probably," Ara said. "We need to see the center before we can confirm it."

They continued.

As darkness approached, the land began to rise.

The plateau ahead was surrounded by several low mountain ranges, creating a vast natural basin. Roads entered the basin from every direction. Some came from forests, others from rivers, mountains, and open plains.

At the center stood a massive stone structure.

It was not a city.

It was a junction.

Five enormous roads converged around a circular plaza nearly two kilometers across. Stone bridges crossed several channels of flowing water, while elevated paths connected the surrounding slopes. Large crystal formations grew beside the roads, providing enough light to make the entire area visible from a considerable distance.

The expedition stopped on the ridge overlooking it.

Ara stared at the structure.

"This is the Crossroads."

Serena nodded.

"Yes."

Subin studied it carefully.

The location immediately explained why so many civilizations considered the area important.

Five major routes converged here.

The first disappeared into a dense western forest.

The second crossed a dark volcanic mountain range.

The third descended toward a distant coastline.

The fourth led north toward the Golden Valley and the mountain territories.

The fifth continued east toward an enormous region hidden beyond the horizon.

There were smaller roads as well, but these five were clearly the major routes.

People moved along all of them.

Merchants, hunters, guards, travelers, and creatures of different species shared the roads without any obvious central authority controlling the entire junction.

The sight was unlike anything they had encountered since entering the World Dungeon.

The Crossroads was not abandoned ancient infrastructure.

It was alive.

"How many civilizations use this place?" Rafael asked.

Serena shrugged.

"Nobody knows."

"Who controls it?"

"No one."

Jae-hyun looked surprised.

"Nobody?"

Serena smiled.

"That is why it works."

The Crossroads belonged to everyone who could reach it. Individual cities controlled sections of the roads leading toward their territories, but the central junction itself was treated as neutral ground.

There were rules.

No fighting inside the central plaza.

No blocking major routes.

No attacking travelers without cause.

No claiming the entire junction for a single civilization.

Those rules were enforced by the Crossroads Wardens, an independent group composed of warriors from several civilizations.

The expedition entered the plaza shortly after nightfall.

The sheer variety of people and creatures immediately attracted attention.

Some looked almost human, while others had horns, scales, feathers, tails, or entirely different body structures. Several travelers carried weapons infused with unfamiliar forms of mana.

Yet the reaction toward the Earth expedition was not hostile.

Mostly, it was curiosity.

A tall woman with pale blue skin walked past them carrying a bundle of weapons. A small reptilian merchant argued with a heavily armored dwarf-like traveler over the price of crystals. Farther away, several winged creatures rested on a stone platform while their companions exchanged goods.

Earth's expedition had entered a world far larger than humanity had previously imagined.

Ara quietly recorded everything.

Subin, however, focused on the central structure.

At the center of the plaza stood five enormous stone platforms.

Each represented one of the major routes.

Above them floated crystalline formations that displayed changing symbols.

Ara approached one.

"This appears to be a route registry."

She examined the markings.

"It records destinations, travel conditions, and access restrictions."

Subin looked at the western platform.

"Can it tell us which regions are currently accessible?"

"Yes."

Ara adjusted her equipment.

"But some entries are outdated."

Serena pointed toward one of the crystals.

"The Crossroads changes faster than the registry."

That was useful.

It meant the expedition couldn't simply rely on existing maps. They would have to verify routes themselves.

A group of armored travelers approached.

Their leader was a muscular man wearing a dark red cloak and carrying a broad axe across his back. Two curved horns emerged from his forehead.

He stopped several meters away.

"Earth?"

Serena translated the word.

Subin nodded.

The man grinned.

"So the rumors are true."

Yerin stepped slightly closer to Subin, but the man raised both hands.

"No fight."

He pointed toward the entrance they had used.

"Newcomers always attract attention."

Subin relaxed.

"Who are you?"

"Orven. Merchant and expedition leader."

He pointed toward a caravan waiting near the eastern road.

"We heard the Earth gates had connected distant regions. Didn't expect travelers to reach the Crossroads so quickly."

Subin didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he asked, "How long have you known about Earth?"

Orven shrugged.

"Not long. Maybe a few months."

That matched Serena's explanation.

The civilizations inside the Great Passage had only recently begun encountering travelers from Earth.

"Have you seen other humans?" Yerin asked.

"Not many. A few groups came through other routes."

Ara immediately looked at him.

"Other Earth expeditions?"

"Probably."

"Where did they go?"

Orven pointed toward the eastern road.

"Some continued east. Others went toward the coast."

That information changed their plans.

Until now, they had assumed their expedition was among the first organized groups to reach the interior.

Apparently, other Earth teams had already begun exploring.

Subin looked toward the five roads.

Humanity was no longer simply discovering the World Dungeon.

Other groups were already moving through it.

That meant competition would eventually become unavoidable, but it did not have to begin here.

Their immediate objective remained exploration.

Orven noticed Subin's attention on the eastern route.

"That road leads toward the Floating Region."

Ara immediately turned.

"The Floating Region?"

Orven nodded.

"At least, that is what the old maps call it."

Subin looked at Serena.

"You said there were five major routes."

"There are."

"Which one leads toward the volcanic region?"

She pointed toward the western road.

"The black mountain road."

"And the coast?"

"The southern route."

Subin studied the map again.

Three of the regions they had wanted to investigate were accessible from this location.

The World Dungeon was becoming less like a sequence of isolated environments and more like a continent with multiple civilizations and constantly changing routes.

Then Ara noticed something.

"Subin."

She pointed toward the eastern platform.

A thin golden line had appeared on the route registry.

It wasn't part of the older map.

It matched the golden route Mara had shown them in Veyra.

Subin walked closer.

The line extended from Veyra's southern territory, crossed the Crossroads, and continued east.

Ara checked her records.

"The route we saw near Veyra isn't ending here."

Serena approached.

Her expression changed when she saw the display.

"That's new."

"Have you seen this before?"

"No."

The golden line continued expanding across the registry.

It stopped at a location beyond the known eastern territories.

The system displayed a simple designation.

UNMAPPED ROUTE

No warning.

No prophecy.

No hidden message.

Just a road that had appeared where no established road existed.

Subin looked at it for a moment before stepping back.

"We don't follow it yet."

Yerin nodded.

"Our mission is still to map the established regions and understand the route network."

Subin agreed.

They had already learned that unfamiliar routes could lead somewhere completely different from what they expected. Following every new path immediately would turn exploration into aimless wandering.

They needed information first.

A Warden approached them shortly afterward.

He wore simple silver armor and carried a short sword at his waist.

"Travelers from Earth."

Ara translated.

"Yes."

"I am Warden Sel."

He looked at the expedition's equipment.

"You are permitted to remain in the Crossroads. If you intend to establish a route toward another region, register your expedition before leaving."

Subin nodded.

"We want to travel toward the Volcanic Region first."

Sel pointed toward the western platform.

"That road is currently open, but conditions are dangerous. Several caravans have turned back."

"Why?"

"Volcanic activity."

Subin considered the route.

Then he looked toward the northern road.

"What about the route toward the Golden Valley?"

"Stable."

"And the eastern route?"

Sel's expression became more cautious.

"Open, but less predictable."

"Because of the new road?"

The Warden looked at him.

"You've already seen it."

"Yes."

"Then you know why we don't recommend using it."

Subin nodded.

There was no need to force the issue.

The Crossroads had given them what they needed.

They now had a practical map of the major regions, information about other Earth expeditions, access to multiple civilizations, and a clearer understanding of how the Great Passage connected its territories.

They also had a new choice.

Volcanic Region.

Floating Region.

Or another route entirely.

Subin looked toward the western mountains where a faint red glow illuminated the horizon.

The volcanic route was dangerous, but it was also one of the major regions they had intended to investigate from the beginning.

He turned toward the others.

"We'll head west."

Yerin smiled.

"Volcanic Region?"

"Yes."

Jae-hyun adjusted his sword.

"At least it won't be cold."

Ara closed her map.

"That's not necessarily better."

Subin smiled faintly.

Behind them, the Crossroads continued its endless activity. Traders arrived from distant regions, travelers departed toward unfamiliar lands, and creatures from different civilizations crossed paths without knowing where the others had come from.

The Great Passage was not waiting for humanity.

It had existed long before Earth entered its network.

Now humans were simply another group learning how to move through it.

The expedition left the central plaza the next morning and joined the western road.

Far ahead, beyond the grasslands, dark mountains rose beneath a sky stained faintly red.

The Volcanic Region was waiting.