190 - The Eastern Channel

It was incomplete, but it was enough to change the expedition's understanding of the Volcanic Region.

The next morning, Ara spread the newly collected information across a large projection inside Ember Basin's route office. The map displayed the Cinder Crown at the center, with the five channels extending through the surrounding volcanic territory. The southern channel supplied Ember Basin, the eastern channel connected toward Crossroads, the western channel disappeared into unmapped territory, the northern channel descended deeper into the Cinder Crown, and the sealed deep channel remained beneath the central structure.

"The important part is this," Ara said, enlarging the eastern section. "The eastern channel isn't simply carrying mana toward Crossroads. It appears to be part of a larger distribution network."

Kael folded his arms.

"How far does it extend?"

"We don't know."

"Can we determine the next regulator?"

"Probably."

Subin studied the map.

"Then that's where we're going."

Yerin looked at him.

"We just came back from Cinder Crown."

"We're not going back."

Subin pointed toward the eastern route.

"The Cinder Crown is stable for now. The southern flow is stable. The eastern channel is the only major route we haven't physically followed."

Kael nodded slowly.

"There are old Veyra records about something east of the volcanic mountains. We never found it."

"How old?"

"Older than Veyra's current settlement."

Ara looked up.

"Do the records mention a structure?"

"Only a name."

"What name?"

Kael hesitated.

"Blackstone Gate."

Jae-hyun frowned.

"Gate?"

"That's what the old records call it."

Subin looked toward the eastern mountains.

"Then we'll find out what it actually is."

The expedition departed Ember Basin before noon.

Only a smaller group went this time.

Subin, Yerin, Jae-hyun, Liu Wei, Rafael, Ara, and Kael.

The rest remained behind to assist with the damaged regulators and coordinate with Director Kang.

The eastern route began as a broad volcanic valley, but the terrain gradually changed. The black soil became harder and darker, while the mountains on either side grew lower and farther apart.

The absence of monsters was more noticeable than their presence.

Normally, an area this rich in mana would contain numerous territorial creatures.

Instead, the expedition encountered almost nothing.

"That's strange," Rafael said.

Kael nodded.

"This region used to have several A-rank species."

"Where did they go?"

"East."

Subin glanced at him.

"All of them?"

"Most."

That confirmed what they had already seen.

The migration wasn't limited to the mountains.

It was spreading through the entire eastern territory.

After several hours, they found the first signs of an old road.

Unlike the maintained road near Ember Basin, this one was almost completely buried beneath volcanic soil. Large stone slabs emerged from the ground at irregular intervals, forming a path that disappeared toward the eastern mountains.

Ara crouched beside one of the slabs.

"There are markings."

Subin approached.

The markings were worn almost beyond recognition, but several repeated symbols remained visible.

Kael looked at them.

"This is from the old route records."

"Blackstone Gate?"

Kael nodded.

The expedition followed the buried road.

As evening approached, the valley narrowed.

The road descended between two cliffs and eventually entered a natural canyon.

At the far end stood a massive black structure.

It was not a gate.

At least, not in the way the word suggested.

Two enormous stone pillars had been built into the canyon walls, connected by a thick horizontal structure. Beneath it was an open passage wide enough for several large creatures to cross simultaneously.

There was no door.

No magical barrier.

No portal.

It was simply an ancient passage.

Kael stared at it.

"The Blackstone Gate."

Ara immediately began scanning the structure.

"There's a mana regulator built into the foundation."

Subin stepped closer.

The structure looked partially ruined, but the crystalline lines running through the stone were still glowing.

"Is it active?"

"Yes."

"Then why isn't the eastern channel visible?"

Ara looked toward the ground.

"Because it's underneath us."

Subin understood.

The ancient road had been built above the underground mana route.

The so-called Blackstone Gate was not a portal at all.

It was an old infrastructure junction.

A physical passage built where an important underground route crossed the surface.

Jae-hyun laughed.

"So all that old history about the Blackstone Gate was basically a fancy name for a road."

Kael gave him a look.

"To the people who built it, it was probably important."

"Fair enough."

Ara moved toward the foundation.

"Wait."

Everyone stopped.

"What?"

She pointed toward a damaged section beneath the eastern pillar.

"The regulator is losing pressure."

Subin examined it.

A narrow crack ran through the crystalline structure.

Mana leaked from it in irregular pulses.

Not enough to cause immediate collapse.

But enough to reduce the flow.

"Can it be repaired?"

Ara shook her head.

"Not completely. We don't have the necessary material."

Subin looked around.

"What happens if we leave it?"

"The eastern channel will continue losing efficiency."

"How long?"

"Hard to say. Weeks. Months. Maybe longer."

Kael looked relieved.

"So there's no immediate danger."

A deep rumble interrupted him.

The ground moved beneath their feet.

Dust fell from the canyon walls.

Ara immediately checked her instruments.

"The pressure just increased."

Subin drew Simple Edge.

A section of ground beneath the road split open.

Something enormous emerged.

Stone exploded across the canyon.

A creature covered in dark volcanic armor climbed out of the underground channel.

Its body was broad and heavily muscled, with six powerful legs and a massive horn extending from its forehead.

Its armor glowed from within.

Blackstone Hornback

Level 226

Rank: A+

The creature roared.

The sound shook the canyon.

Kael raised his weapon.

"That's one of the species that disappeared."

The Hornback charged.

Rafael moved first.

His shield struck the creature's horn with tremendous force, stopping the initial impact but sending him sliding several meters backward.

Yerin attacked from the side, her spear striking the exposed joint beneath its front armor.

The creature twisted instantly.

Its tail slammed into the ground.

The shockwave threw dust and broken stone through the canyon.

Jae-hyun pulled Ara away from the collapsing road.

"Don't stay near the pillars!"

Subin watched the creature carefully.

It wasn't attacking randomly.

Its movements were directed toward the regulator.

Every time it was pushed away from the foundation, it returned.

"It wants the structure."

Liu Wei understood immediately.

"Or the mana."

The Hornback charged again.

This time Subin stepped forward.

Simple Edge met the creature's horn.

The impact shook his arm.

He shifted his stance rather than contesting the full force directly, guiding the horn past his body while cutting across the creature's shoulder.

The blade opened a narrow wound.

The Hornback recoiled.

Subin didn't chase.

He watched.

The creature wasn't behaving like the Ravager.

It wasn't trying to destroy them.

It was desperate to reach the damaged regulator.

"Everyone, stop attacking its body."

Yerin lowered her spear slightly.

"What?"

"It's reacting to the regulator."

The Hornback charged again.

Subin moved toward the foundation instead of the creature.

He placed his hand against the damaged crystalline structure.

The vibration was stronger than before.

Mana was escaping from the crack.

The Hornback was responding to that instability.

"It thinks the structure is causing the imbalance."

Ara understood.

"If we stabilize it, maybe the creature will stop."

"Can we?"

"Not completely."

"Enough."

Ara began directing the others.

Rafael held the creature away from the foundation.

Yerin and Jae-hyun controlled its movement without trying to kill it.

Liu Wei cut loose several unstable sections of stone that were threatening to collapse onto the regulator.

Subin focused on the crystalline lines.

His sword intent entered the structure.

The damaged flow resisted.

He didn't force it.

Instead, he followed the direction of the mana and identified where the pressure was escaping.

Then he cut.

One precise strike separated a fractured section from the main channel.

The pressure changed.

The leaking mana stopped.

The regulator's glow became steady.

The Blackstone Hornback froze.

Its head turned toward the foundation.

For several seconds, it remained completely still.

Then it slowly lowered its horn.

The creature backed away.

Subin sheathed his sword.

The Hornback turned and disappeared through the canyon.

Nobody pursued it.

Kael released a breath.

"So it wasn't attacking us."

"It was reacting to the damaged structure," Subin said.

Ara checked her readings.

"The eastern channel has stabilized."

"How much?"

"Enough to restore most of the lost flow."

Subin looked at the old road.

The Blackstone Gate had survived.

Barely.

But the discovery gave them something more valuable than another monster battle.

The ancient network wasn't merely moving mana between distant regions.

The creatures living around it had adapted to those flows.

When the network changed, their behavior changed with it.

That explained the migration.

And it meant every damaged regulator could potentially create a chain reaction through the surrounding ecosystem.

Kael looked east.

"There should be another structure beyond this canyon."

"How far?"

"According to the old records, roughly eighty kilometers."

Ara checked the map.

"That's consistent with the mana flow."

Subin looked at the road disappearing into the eastern horizon.

"Then we continue."

They left the Blackstone Gate behind and followed the ancient route.

The sun disappeared behind the mountains.

Ahead, beyond the canyon, a faint orange glow appeared against the dark horizon.

Ara stopped.

"That's not volcanic fire."

Subin looked at it.

The glow was too steady.

Too broad.

A city, perhaps.

Or another settlement.

Kael slowly unfolded an old map.

His expression changed.

"What?"

He pointed toward the glow.

"There shouldn't be a settlement there."

Subin looked at the distant lights.

"Then we'll find out what is."

The expedition continued east.

Behind them, the Blackstone Gate remained stable.

Ahead waited a region absent from every modern map of the World Dungeon.

And for the first time since entering the Volcanic Region, the expedition was moving toward a place that no human—or civilization from Earth—had documented before.