185 - Ember Basin

Ashfall was already awake when the expedition left the settlement the following morning. The streets were crowded with workers preparing caravans, hunters repairing equipment, and local guides checking the condition of the western road. Thin clouds of ash drifted across the sky, but the settlement had been built to withstand the environment, and nobody seemed particularly concerned by the distant volcanic glow.

Garen met them near the western gate.

"The road to Ember Basin is open," he said. "For now."

Jae-hyun glanced at the mountains. "You make that sound temporary."

"It is."

Garen pointed toward the largest peak visible from the settlement.

"When the mountain releases ash, the western road becomes dangerous. When it releases fire, nobody travels."

Ara looked at the peak.

"How often does that happen?"

"Depends on the mountain."

"That's not very scientific."

Garen laughed. "We learned to live here before anyone had words for scientific."

Subin smiled faintly.

The conversation ended when a deep vibration passed through the ground.

The settlement barely reacted.

People continued working, though several looked toward the mountains before returning to their tasks.

Subin noticed the difference.

The people here had learned to distinguish between ordinary tremors and dangerous ones.

They continued along the western road.

The landscape became increasingly severe as they climbed. Vegetation disappeared almost completely, replaced by black stone, red earth, and scattered pools of mineral-rich water. Heat rose from cracks in the ground, and several small creatures moved between the rocks, feeding on crystals exposed by the volcanic activity.

The road itself was surprisingly well maintained.

Large stone slabs formed the main route, while channels had been constructed alongside it to carry away molten material during minor eruptions.

Ara examined one of the channels.

"This infrastructure is old."

Serena nodded.

"Some parts are older than Valeria."

"Who built it?"

"We don't know."

Subin glanced at the channel.

"Does Veyra maintain it?"

"No. The people of Ember Basin maintain most of this road."

That interested him.

The regions of the Great Passage weren't simply connected by natural geography. Civilizations had modified their surroundings for survival, creating infrastructure that had become part of the environment itself.

They continued climbing.

Around midday, they reached a high ridge.

Beyond it lay an enormous basin surrounded by volcanic mountains.

A river of glowing orange material flowed through its center.

Buildings had been constructed around the river at various elevations, connected by bridges and stone platforms.

Ember Basin.

The settlement was much larger than Ashfall.

Its walls were built from dark volcanic stone, and enormous crystal towers rose from several districts. Instead of resisting the heat completely, the city seemed to have been designed around it.

Channels carried geothermal energy beneath the buildings.

Large workshops operated near the edges of the basin.

The smell of metal and minerals filled the air.

Jae-hyun stared.

"Now this is a city."

Rafael nodded.

"It looks like an industrial center."

Serena explained that Ember Basin was famous for its metalworkers, crystal refiners, and weapon craftsmen.

That immediately attracted Ethan's attention.

"What kind of weapons?"

"Volcanic alloys. Heat-resistant crystal. Weapons designed for creatures from the deeper mountains."

Subin looked toward the workshops.

He had no intention of replacing Simple Edge, but the idea of seeing how another civilization treated weapons interested him.

They entered through the southern gate.

Unlike Veyra, Ember Basin did not maintain a strict central checkpoint. Traders and travelers moved freely through the streets, though heavily armed guards were positioned around important facilities.

The city was noisy.

Hammers struck metal.

Steam escaped from pipes.

Workers carried glowing crystals between workshops.

Large reptilian creatures pulled carts loaded with black ore.

The environment reminded Subin of an enormous forge.

They were led toward the central district by Serena.

A tall man wearing a heat-resistant cloak approached them.

He had dark skin, short silver hair, and a thick metal bracelet around his left arm.

"Serena."

She greeted him.

"This is Kael Ardan, one of Ember Basin's route wardens."

Kael looked toward Subin.

"So you're the Sword God."

Subin wasn't surprised that his reputation had reached here.

"That's what people call me."

Kael smiled.

"I've heard several stories already. Most of them disagree with each other."

"That's normal."

Kael laughed.

"I like that answer."

He invited them into a large building overlooking the central forge district.

Inside, the temperature was considerably cooler.

A map of the volcanic region covered one wall.

Kael pointed toward the mountains.

"Your route from the Crossroads ends here. Beyond Ember Basin, the terrain becomes significantly more dangerous."

Ara studied the map.

"Where is the Ember Basin core?"

Kael pointed toward a massive crater in the northern mountains.

"That's not the basin itself."

He moved his finger farther north.

"That's the Cinder Crown."

The map showed several concentric mountain ranges surrounding a massive central region.

"Ember Basin is the inhabited outer region. Cinder Crown is where the volcanic activity becomes extreme."

Yerin asked, "Do people live there?"

"No."

"Monsters?"

"Plenty."

Kael paused.

"And something else."

Subin looked at him.

"What?"

Kael pointed toward several marked locations.

"Old structures."

Ara immediately became interested.

"Ancient structures?"

"Yes. They were built before Ember Basin existed."

"Do you know what they were used for?"

"No."

Subin remembered the damaged regulation structure beneath the road.

"Are they connected to the volcanic mana flow?"

Kael's expression changed slightly.

"You've already seen one."

Subin nodded.

"Under the western road."

Kael stared at him.

"Then the reports were correct."

"What reports?"

Kael moved toward the map.

"For the past few months, several old structures have begun malfunctioning."

Ara immediately began taking notes.

"How many?"

"At least seven."

"Any pattern?"

"Not that we've found."

Kael pointed toward the northern mountains.

"Some stopped regulating mana. Others became unstable. One collapsed completely."

Subin thought about the migration.

"Have the creatures been moving because of this?"

"Possibly."

Kael didn't pretend to know more than he did.

"Some creatures abandoned territories near the damaged structures. Others moved into places they normally avoid."

That matched what the expedition had seen in the Golden Valley.

Subin asked, "Has Ember Basin investigated the structures?"

"Several times."

"And?"

"We can repair the surface damage, but we don't understand their original design."

Ara looked at Subin.

He knew what she was thinking.

The expedition had already encountered one of these structures.

They couldn't simply ignore the others.

Kael continued.

"The nearest damaged structure is here."

He marked a location roughly eighty kilometers north of Ember Basin.

"It controls one of the primary mana channels entering the basin."

"What happens if it fails?"

Kael looked toward the window.

"Then the basin receives too much mana from the mountains."

Subin understood immediately.

The volcanic environment wasn't simply producing heat.

The mountains were releasing mana into the surrounding regions, and the ancient structures regulated how that energy moved.

If the structures failed, the region itself could become unstable.

"How close is it to failure?"

"We don't know."

Kael pointed toward the map.

"That's why we need someone to inspect it."

Yerin looked at Subin.

Subin remained silent for several seconds.

Their original objective had been to explore the Volcanic Region and understand its geography.

This investigation directly served that mission.

"We'll go."

Kael smiled.

"I thought you might."

Jae-hyun sighed.

"We came here to explore and immediately found another problem."

Rafael laughed.

"That's becoming normal."

Subin ignored the comment.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow."

Kael's expression became serious.

"But there is one condition."

Subin looked at him.

"You will not enter the structure itself unless my engineers confirm it is safe."

Ara nodded immediately.

"Agreed."

Kael looked toward the northern mountains.

"Three groups have entered the area recently."

"Local groups?"

"Two local. One came from the Crossroads."

Subin frowned.

"An Earth expedition?"

"Yes."

"Where are they now?"

Kael pointed toward the same northern region.

"They haven't returned."

The room became quiet.

"How long?"

"Four days."

Subin looked at the map.

The missing expedition had traveled toward the same structure they were about to investigate.

That made the mission more urgent.

But there was no reason to assume something mysterious had happened.

The area was dangerous.

The group could have encountered monsters, environmental hazards, or simply been delayed.

They would find out when they reached the site.

The expedition spent the rest of the day preparing.

Ara copied the available maps.

Rafael inspected the protective equipment.

Yerin checked the condition of her spear.

Jae-hyun purchased several heat-resistant supplies from a local merchant.

Subin visited one of the weapon workshops.

The blacksmith working there was an enormous woman with thick arms and burn marks across both hands.

She was shaping a sword from a glowing piece of metal.

Subin watched silently.

Her technique was different from the swordsmiths he had encountered on Earth.

She wasn't forcing the metal into shape through repeated heavy strikes.

Instead, she waited between each blow, allowing the material to cool and redistribute its internal energy.

The sword gradually took form.

The blacksmith noticed him.

"You use a sword."

"Yes."

She looked at Simple Edge.

"That one?"

"Yes."

She studied it for several seconds.

Then she shook her head.

"Plain."

Subin smiled.

"That's enough."

The woman laughed.

"Maybe."

She returned to her work.

Subin stayed for several minutes.

He wasn't interested in replacing his sword.

He was interested in the philosophy behind the craft.

The blacksmith treated the material the same way he treated swordsmanship.

She didn't force it to become something.

She understood what it already was and worked with it.

Subin quietly stored the observation in his mind.

It wasn't a new sword technique.

It wasn't an ability.

It was simply another way of seeing.

When he returned to the expedition, Yerin noticed his expression.

"Learn something?"

"Maybe."

She smiled.

"You're going to make me guess."

Subin looked toward the mountains.

"The sword isn't always improved by adding something."

Yerin understood.

"Sometimes you remove what doesn't belong."

Subin nodded.

They stood together for a moment before joining the others.

The next morning, the expedition left Ember Basin with Kael and six local engineers.

Their destination was the damaged regulation structure eighty kilometers north.

The road climbed steadily into the mountains.

The temperature increased.

Ash began falling.

By noon, the sky had turned a deep orange.

Kael stopped the group.

"From here, stay close."

Ahead, the road disappeared into a narrow canyon.

At the far end, enormous red clouds rose from behind the mountains.

A deep roar echoed through the canyon.

Ara checked her instruments.

"The mana concentration just increased."

Subin looked ahead.

Something was moving beneath the ground.

The stones around them began to tremble.

Kael tightened his grip on his weapon.

"That's not volcanic activity."

A section of the canyon floor exploded upward.

A massive creature emerged from beneath the black stone, covered in molten armor and carrying a pair of enormous horns.

The system identified it.

Cinderhorn Ravager

Level 221

Rank: A+

It turned toward the expedition.

The creature lowered its head.

Subin drew Simple Edge.

The Ravager charged through the canyon, its horns glowing bright orange as the surrounding stone melted beneath its feet.

There was no room to retreat.

Subin stepped forward.

The first clash sent a shockwave through the canyon.

Simple Edge struck one horn.

The impact diverted the creature's head but failed to stop its charge.

Subin slid backward across the stone, boots carving two long marks into the ground.

The Ravager turned immediately.

Yerin attacked from the side, her spear striking its shoulder.

The creature swung its head violently.

Rafael raised his shield to intercept the attack while Jae-hyun moved toward its exposed flank.

Subin watched the creature's movement.

It was faster than the Volcanic Stoneback.

More aggressive.

And unlike the Stoneback, it wasn't trying to defend territory.

It was attacking them deliberately.

The Ravager charged again.

Subin lowered his stance.

His grip tightened around Simple Edge.

This time, he wasn't going to redirect it.

He was going to cut through it.

The blade began to move.

And the entire canyon seemed to narrow around the line of his sword.