193 - Beyond Eastwatch

By sunrise, Eastwatch had returned to something resembling normal.

The eastern districts remained closed while workers inspected the foundations, but the evacuation had ended without casualties. The temporary channels Subin had created during the night continued carrying excess mana away from the city, giving the engineers enough time to reinforce the damaged sections of the underground network.

The Subterranean Crown Beast had disappeared before dawn.

It had followed the eastern migration route into the mountains, leaving behind a trail of enormous footprints that gradually became difficult to distinguish from the surrounding terrain.

Seraphine stood on the eastern wall with Subin and the expedition as the first light reached the plain.

"You were right," she said.

Subin looked toward the mountains.

"About what?"

"The creatures weren't attacking Eastwatch. They were trying to get away from the unstable network."

Ara joined them carrying her equipment.

"We've confirmed it. The mana pressure beneath the eastern territories is increasing continuously. Whatever is happening farther east is affecting the entire network."

Seraphine looked at her.

"How far?"

"We don't know."

"Can you estimate?"

Ara hesitated.

"At least several hundred kilometers."

That answer changed the atmosphere immediately.

The eastern route was no longer a local problem.

It was becoming a regional one.

Seraphine turned toward Subin.

"My scouts have never gone farther than the eastern boundary. The route beyond that becomes difficult to travel because the underground network doesn't match the surface terrain."

"Meaning?"

"The surface road continues east, but the mana route moves underground in a different direction. After approximately two hundred kilometers, the two separate completely."

Subin considered that.

"Then we follow the mana route."

Seraphine nodded.

"I can provide guides."

Subin shook his head.

"Not necessary."

"You don't know the territory."

"We'll learn it."

Seraphine smiled faintly.

"You really don't like being told where you can't go."

"I don't mind being told."

Subin looked toward the eastern mountains.

"I just don't stop because someone says it's difficult."

Yerin laughed softly behind him.

"That's a more accurate description."

The expedition prepared for departure.

This time, Eastwatch supplied them with food, water, maps, spare equipment, and several crystal devices capable of measuring mana fluctuations. Seraphine also provided a small group of scouts to guide them through the first section of the eastern territory.

They left shortly after sunrise.

The road beyond Eastwatch remained surprisingly well maintained for several kilometers, suggesting that the city had once maintained trade with settlements much farther east. After that, however, the signs of civilization disappeared. The road narrowed, vegetation grew thicker, and the ancient stonework became increasingly damaged.

The landscape also changed.

The silver-green grass that surrounded Eastwatch gradually disappeared, replaced by tall dark vegetation with broad leaves that reflected the morning sunlight. Several streams crossed the road, carrying clear water despite the volcanic region being far behind them.

Ara frequently stopped to record the changes.

"This region is completely different from the volcanic ecosystem."

Kael looked around.

"We're probably outside its influence."

Subin disagreed.

"Not completely."

He pointed toward the ground.

Faint crystalline veins could still be seen beneath the soil.

"The mana network reaches here."

Ara checked her device.

"He's right. The volcanic energy is weak, but the underground channels are still present."

Liu Wei looked toward the horizon.

"So the network is much larger than we thought."

"It probably always was," Subin said.

They continued until midday.

Their first obstacle appeared in the form of a collapsed bridge.

A deep ravine divided the road, and the original stone bridge had fallen into the depths below. The scouts searched for another route, but the nearest crossing was more than twenty kilometers away.

Jae-hyun looked at the ravine.

"We could cross."

Rafael gave him a sideways glance.

"You say that every time there's a cliff."

"And I'm usually right."

Subin walked to the edge.

The ravine wasn't especially wide.

But the walls were unstable.

"We don't need the bridge."

He drew Simple Edge.

A controlled sword strike cut a series of footholds into the rock on the opposite side.

The expedition crossed using the newly created path while Rafael reinforced the weakest sections with mana.

Once everyone reached the other side, they continued east.

Several hours later, the scouts stopped.

One of them pointed toward the forest.

"Something is following us."

The group slowed.

Subin didn't immediately draw his sword.

He listened.

There was movement among the trees, but it wasn't aggressive.

A pair of large animals emerged from the vegetation.

They resembled deer, except for the three short horns growing from their foreheads and the crystalline plates along their backs.

They stared at the expedition briefly before continuing across the road.

Ara scanned them.

"Level 132."

Kael looked relieved.

"They're herbivores."

The creatures disappeared into the forest.

Then another group followed.

Then another.

All moving east.

The migration continued even this far from the volcanic region.

Subin watched them disappear between the trees.

"How far are we from the eastern channel?"

Ara checked the readings.

"Approximately forty kilometers."

"Then we're getting close."

The terrain became increasingly difficult after that.

The ancient road ended entirely, forcing the expedition to travel through dense forest. The underground mana route remained easy to detect, however, because the crystal veins beneath the soil became more concentrated.

Near sunset, Ara suddenly stopped.

"We're above it."

The group gathered around her.

She pointed toward the ground.

"The eastern channel is directly beneath us."

Subin looked around.

There was nothing unusual.

Only trees, moss-covered stones, and a shallow stream.

"How deep?"

"About thirty meters."

Kael examined the surroundings.

"There should be a regulator nearby."

They searched for nearly an hour before finding an old stone structure buried beneath vegetation.

Unlike the Blackstone Gate, this one was not a large surface structure.

It was almost completely underground.

The entrance had collapsed, but the crystalline markings along the stone were still visible.

Subin cleared the debris while Jae-hyun and Liu Wei helped move the larger rocks.

They eventually exposed a narrow stairway.

The expedition descended.

The passage below was remarkably intact.

Small crystals illuminated the walls, creating a faint blue light. The air was cool and dry, and the sound of flowing water echoed somewhere ahead.

They followed the passage for nearly a kilometer before reaching a chamber.

At its center stood a circular platform surrounded by twelve pillars.

Ara's eyes widened.

"This is another regulator."

Subin approached.

Unlike the damaged regulators near Ember Basin, this one was functioning perfectly.

The eastern mana channel passed directly through its center.

But there was something strange.

A second channel branched away from it.

Ara followed the flow.

"This shouldn't be here."

"What is it?"

"An auxiliary route."

"Where does it go?"

She looked at the readings.

"Down."

Subin glanced toward the floor.

The auxiliary channel descended vertically beneath the regulator.

It wasn't part of the normal eastward flow.

It was drawing a small amount of mana downward.

"How much?"

"Not much."

"Enough to matter?"

Ara studied the readings.

"Normally, no."

She looked toward the eastern flow.

"But the amount has been increasing."

Subin crouched beside the channel.

The crystals were warm.

The mana was moving downward in a steady stream.

Something below was consuming it.

Jae-hyun frowned.

"Another settlement?"

"No," Ara said. "If it were supplying a settlement, we'd see a secondary distribution pattern."

"Then what?"

Ara shook her head.

"We need to go lower."

Subin looked toward the vertical channel.

The opening was barely wide enough for one person.

Yerin stepped beside him.

"You're going."

"Yes."

"I'm coming."

Jae-hyun sighed.

"So much for reconnaissance."

Subin ignored him.

The group secured ropes and equipment before beginning the descent.

The passage continued deeper than expected.

Ten meters.

Thirty.

Fifty.

The air became colder.

At eighty meters, the crystalline walls disappeared.

At one hundred meters, they reached natural rock.

The artificial channel continued downward through it.

Then they heard something.

Water.

Not flowing.

Dripping.

Slow.

Heavy.

Subin reached the bottom first.

The passage opened into a natural cavern.

A dark underground lake stretched across the chamber.

Its surface was perfectly still.

But beneath it, faint golden light moved through the depths.

Ara arrived behind him and immediately scanned the lake.

Her expression changed.

"That's not ordinary mana."

Subin looked at the water.

"What is it?"

"I don't know."

A ripple crossed the surface.

Everyone froze.

The ripple wasn't caused by them.

Something had moved beneath the lake.

A second ripple followed, much larger than the first.

The golden light beneath the surface brightened.

Then a massive shape passed beneath them.

It was too large to identify.

Yerin tightened her grip on her spear.

"That's not a normal creature."

Subin drew Simple Edge.

The surface of the lake suddenly erupted.

A colossal serpentine head emerged, covered in pale stone-like scales. Two enormous golden eyes opened in the darkness, illuminating the cavern.

Ara's scanner struggled to identify it.

The system finally produced a result.

Abyssal River Dragon

Level 251

Rank: A+

The creature did not attack.

It simply stared at Subin.

Then its gaze shifted toward the mana channel behind them.

The dragon lowered its head toward the underground flow.

Subin understood.

It wasn't guarding the lake.

It was using the same mana.

The eastern network wasn't ending here.

It was feeding something beneath the surface.

The dragon suddenly turned its head toward the far side of the cavern.

A deep rumble echoed through the underground chamber.

The golden light beneath the lake began moving faster.

Ara looked at her instruments.

"Subin..."

"What?"

"The mana consumption just increased."

"How much?"

Her face tightened.

"Ten times."

The entire lake began to glow.

The Abyssal River Dragon rose higher from the water.

For the first time, the creature looked alarmed.

Then the cavern shook.

A crack opened across the far wall.

The dragon roared and struck the water with its tail, sending a massive wave across the cavern.

Subin planted his feet and held his sword low.

Whatever was beneath the lake was not simply consuming the eastern channel anymore.

It was waking up.

And the first thing it had done was begin pulling mana from the entire network.