184 - The Road of Black Stone

The western road gradually changed as the expedition left the Crossroads behind. The green grasslands became thinner, patches of dark stone appeared beneath their feet, and the air grew warmer despite the considerable distance still separating them from the volcanic mountains. By midday, the road had become a broad strip of black rock bordered by dry red soil, with occasional cracks releasing faint streams of warm air.

Ara checked the instruments attached to her wrist.

"The mana density is increasing."

Subin looked toward the horizon.

The volcanic range was still far away, but several peaks had already become visible. Unlike ordinary mountains, their upper slopes were surrounded by reddish clouds, and faint orange light occasionally appeared between the peaks.

Yerin studied the landscape.

"How far?"

"According to the Crossroads map, another two hundred kilometers."

Jae-hyun looked at the road beneath them.

"Two hundred kilometers through this?"

Ara smiled.

"It could be worse."

A low tremor passed through the ground.

Dust slid from a nearby ridge.

Jae-hyun glanced at her.

"Don't say things like that."

The expedition continued.

The road had clearly been built for large numbers of travelers. Stone platforms appeared at regular intervals, some containing water reservoirs while others provided shelter from the increasingly hot environment. Several had been damaged, but most remained functional.

They encountered their first volcanic-region travelers in the afternoon.

A caravan of six armored wagons was moving toward the Crossroads. The creatures pulling them resembled large lizards with thick black scales and broad feet adapted to the rocky terrain.

The caravan leader stopped when he noticed Serena.

After a short conversation, he introduced himself as Garen, a trader from a settlement called Ashfall.

"You are heading toward the volcanic region?" he asked through Serena's translation.

Subin nodded.

Garen looked at their equipment.

"First time?"

"Yes."

"Then don't leave the main road unless you have a reason."

"Why?"

Garen pointed toward the dark plains beside the road.

"The ground is unstable. Some areas look solid until you step on them."

Ara immediately recorded the warning.

Garen continued.

"More importantly, the creatures become territorial closer to the mountains."

Subin thanked him.

Before the caravan left, Garen added another warning.

"If you see the sky turn completely red, find shelter."

Yerin raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"The mountains are breathing."

Jae-hyun looked confused.

Garen laughed.

"Volcanic gas."

Ara translated the meaning more precisely.

The phrase was simply a local expression for the release of volcanic gases and ash.

The expedition continued.

By evening, the temperature had risen enough that even the armored members of the team noticed it. They established camp beside one of the old stone shelters and rested for several hours.

Subin sat outside, looking toward the mountains.

The sky above them remained dark, but the distant peaks occasionally flashed orange.

Yerin joined him.

"You're thinking about the route."

"Yes."

"Still considering the Floating Region?"

"Eventually."

Subin looked toward the west.

"We came here to understand this world. We shouldn't rush toward every new discovery."

Yerin nodded.

"We've already learned that."

Their conversation was interrupted by Ara.

"Subin."

She was standing beside the shelter entrance.

"There is a problem."

The expedition immediately gathered.

Ara pointed toward the road.

"The mana flow has changed."

Subin closed his eyes.

He felt it.

The underground current beneath the road had shifted.

Not dramatically, but enough to alter the direction of the ambient mana.

"How far ahead?"

"About twenty kilometers."

Subin stood.

"Let's move."

They traveled through the night.

The road remained intact, but the air became increasingly hot. Eventually, the team reached a wide valley where the black road disappeared beneath a layer of fractured stone.

Several enormous cracks crossed the valley.

Red light could be seen far below.

A bridge had collapsed.

The old road continued on the opposite side, but a section nearly two hundred meters wide had broken away.

Rafael examined the gap.

"This isn't recent."

Ara shook her head.

"No. But something happened recently."

She pointed toward the bottom of the valley.

Several large boulders had shifted.

"Those weren't part of the original collapse."

Subin looked at the surrounding cliffs.

Then he heard a deep rumble.

The ground beneath them moved.

A section of the valley floor rose several meters before breaking apart.

Something emerged.

A massive creature climbed out of the fractured earth.

Its body resembled a heavily armored lizard, but its back was covered with glowing volcanic plates. Four thick legs supported its enormous frame, and streams of molten rock flowed between the plates along its spine.

The system identified it immediately.

Volcanic Stoneback

Level 212

Rank: A+

The creature opened its mouth.

Heat surged across the valley.

Rafael raised his shield.

"Move!"

The team scattered as a wave of superheated air blasted across the broken road.

Subin drew Simple Edge.

The Stoneback charged.

Its speed was far greater than its size suggested. Each step shattered the ground, sending fragments of black stone into the air.

Subin moved forward instead of retreating.

He waited until the creature was close enough for its head to become visible beneath the armored plates.

Then he stepped aside and cut.

The blade struck the side of its neck.

The impact redirected its head but did not penetrate deeply.

The Stoneback turned immediately.

Its tail swept across the valley.

Subin jumped over it while Yerin thrust her spear into one of the exposed joints beneath its rear armor.

The spear penetrated.

The creature roared and slammed its body against the ground.

A shockwave threw several members of the expedition backward.

Jae-hyun recovered first and attacked from the side, his sword striking between two volcanic plates.

The Stoneback reacted instantly.

A burst of heat exploded from the wound.

Jae-hyun withdrew before the flames reached him.

"This thing uses its wounds as weapons!"

Ara shouted from behind cover.

"Don't strike the glowing plates directly! They're circulating heat!"

Subin understood.

The armor wasn't merely defensive.

It was part of the creature's mana circulation.

Damaging the plates released stored thermal energy.

The Stoneback charged again.

Subin waited.

Its front leg came down.

He shifted to the side, letting the enormous claw crash into the ground beside him. Instead of immediately attacking, he watched the creature's movement.

The Stoneback's weight shifted toward its left side every time it turned.

Its right rear leg was slower.

Subin moved toward it.

The creature attempted to swing its tail.

Subin cut the ground beneath the tail's path, using the strike to alter his own movement rather than trying to overpower the limb.

He slipped underneath the sweeping tail and reached the damaged rear joint.

Simple Edge struck.

This time, the blade entered deeply.

The Stoneback staggered.

Yerin immediately followed with a spear thrust that widened the wound.

The creature roared and released a massive wave of heat.

Rafael planted his shield.

A barrier formed around the group.

The heat rolled over them like a furnace.

Subin remained outside the barrier.

He could see the creature's mana circulation becoming unstable.

The battle had already damaged several of its internal channels.

Another direct strike might kill it.

But there was another option.

Subin looked at the broken valley.

The creature had not attacked until the road collapsed.

It had emerged because something underground had disturbed its territory.

The fight was not the cause.

The disturbance was.

He lowered his sword slightly.

"Everyone stop attacking."

Jae-hyun looked at him.

"What?"

"The creature is defending its territory."

The Stoneback continued advancing.

Subin pointed toward the exposed earth beneath the broken road.

"Something underground caused the collapse."

Ara immediately understood.

"You're saying it came out because the mana flow changed?"

"Yes."

She checked her equipment.

"There is a massive concentration beneath the valley."

Subin looked at the Stoneback.

"We need to move it away from the road."

Yerin understood his intention.

"Can we?"

"We can try."

The Stoneback charged again.

Subin didn't attack.

He moved directly toward the creature and waited until the last moment before shifting to the side. The Stoneback followed.

Yerin and Jae-hyun did the same from opposite directions.

Instead of surrounding the creature, they gradually redirected its movement toward the northern side of the valley.

Rafael blocked its escape toward the road.

The creature became increasingly agitated, but it followed the pressure.

Subin eventually reached the edge of a massive crack.

He struck the rock beside it.

A narrow section collapsed.

The sound echoed through the valley.

The Stoneback stopped.

Subin cut again.

The opening widened.

Heat escaped from beneath the ground.

The creature immediately turned toward the opening.

Its body relaxed slightly.

It had been reacting to the pressure beneath its territory.

Subin stepped away.

The Stoneback approached the opening, lowered its head, and released a deep rumbling sound.

Then it turned toward the expedition.

For several seconds, neither side moved.

Finally, the creature returned underground.

The ground closed partially behind it.

The expedition remained silent.

Jae-hyun lowered his sword.

"That was a fight we didn't need to finish."

Subin nodded.

"It was dangerous."

"Very."

Yerin looked toward the collapsed road.

"What caused the disturbance?"

Ara was already examining the exposed chamber.

"I don't know yet."

She crouched beside the opening.

"There is a structure beneath us."

Subin approached.

The chamber below was enormous.

Black stone pillars surrounded a circular platform buried beneath the valley. Several channels carried glowing red mana toward the center, where a large crystalline formation was slowly rotating.

It wasn't a natural formation.

It had been constructed.

Ara stared at it.

"This isn't part of the road."

Subin studied the structure.

"What is it?"

"I don't know."

The system gave only a partial reading.

Regional Mana Regulation Structure

Status: Damaged

Function: Unknown

The structure wasn't a weapon.

It appeared to regulate the flow of mana through the volcanic region.

Several channels were blocked by fallen stone.

That explained the shifting mana flow.

The expedition had not discovered another mysterious entity.

They had discovered infrastructure.

Old infrastructure that was still functioning despite being partially damaged.

Subin looked at the damaged channels.

"Can we repair it?"

Ara shook her head.

"Not safely. We don't understand the complete system."

"Then don't touch it."

Subin looked toward the broken road.

"Record its location."

Ara nodded.

"This could explain some of the instability along the route."

"Maybe."

Subin sheathed Simple Edge.

"But we need more evidence."

The expedition moved away from the chamber before dawn.

By morning, they had reached a temporary settlement built around the volcanic road.

Ashfall.

Unlike Veyra, the settlement was smaller and rougher. Buildings were constructed from dark stone, with thick walls and narrow windows designed to protect against heat and ash.

Garen's caravan had arrived before them.

When he saw the expedition enter, he laughed.

"You survived."

Jae-hyun replied, "Barely."

Garen looked at the damaged equipment and understood.

"Stoneback?"

Subin nodded.

"Near the collapsed road."

Garen's expression became serious.

"So it finally came out."

"Finally?"

"It usually stays underground."

Garen looked toward the mountains.

"The road has been unstable for months. The creatures have noticed it before we did."

Subin remembered the migration.

Creatures were moving south.

Roads were changing.

Mana currents were shifting.

And ancient structures beneath the regions were showing signs of damage.

There was still no single explanation connecting everything.

But there was a pattern worth investigating.

The expedition had reached the volcanic region.

Before they could continue deeper, they needed to understand how the region itself worked.

Subin looked beyond Ashfall toward the enormous mountains.

Several peaks were glowing now.

A thin column of ash rose into the sky.

The volcanic region had more than monsters and dangerous terrain.

It had an ecosystem built around heat, mana, and ancient infrastructure.

And somewhere beyond the first mountain range, the main volcanic route continued toward a region marked on the Crossroads map as Ember Basin.

That would be their next destination.