Halla Mountain's Seongpanak Course

At the moment when about 20 students from Class 0 of the 3rd year out of the 300 who had chosen the course deserted, and the device stopped receiving satellite information, ominous signs of volcanic eruption appeared.

Amidst the signs of volcanic activity, a corrupted darkness began to approach.

There were no students with eyes like Cheon Dong-ha’s in this area, and no one immediately recognized that this was the corrupted darkness recorded in the myth of the Great River, but instinctively, everyone knew they had to avoid it.

The volcano suddenly becoming active was already shocking enough, and with communication cut off and an unknown force descending upon them, panic spread as students began to show fear.

"I’m not the only one thinking of Christmas Eve, right?"

"If we hadn't had Teacher Yong blocking it with spatial magic back then, we would've probably gotten hit by some strange snow!"

The students of Eun-gwang High School couldn't help but view the volcanic eruption as more than just a natural phenomenon.

Like the corrupted snow that blanketed the school on Christmas Eve, they began to believe that both the eruption and the ominous darkness were part of someone’s plot, increasing the confusion.

They speculated that the massacre that failed last time might have been the work of someone determined to succeed this time. The students who had taken the Gwan-eumsa course, headed for the summit more quickly, were likely in even more danger. The area below the trail was darker, and the Class 0 students who had begun descending first were probably attacked, and so on.

Negative assumptions spread quickly, especially since many of the students in this group were less confident in their physical abilities compared to those who had chosen the Gwan-eumsa course. It wasn’t long before they were on the brink of panic.

“If someone’s trying to force the volcano to erupt, Jun-yeol would stop them. If it were Dong-ha, he’d probably be able to find a way through the darkness. And with Teacher Je-gal Jae-geol here, do you think the Class 0 kids would just fall so easily?”

With his ability, Gwak Kyung-gu calmed the students using his unique abilities in a loud voice.

As trusted names began to appear, the students’ anxiety began to subside.

Meanwhile, the teaching staff and Heo Chae-ah finished organizing the teams and projected the holograms.

“The darkness is blocking the trail leading downward. Straying from the path is dangerous, but pushing through the darkness to descend is even more dangerous. Let’s go off the path and find a way down. To prevent isolation and abandonment, I’ve assigned students with Insight abilities to each team.”

The head of the self-government organization was familiar with the students' abilities to some extent, so the preparation was quick.

The students hurriedly memorized the names of the members in their teams.

With around 300—no, around 280—students moving off the trail at full speed, it became hard for the head of the self-government or the teachers to keep track of each individual.

Now, instead of relying on one person, it was time for each student to take action and watch out for one another.

As they displayed a map of Halla Mountain and briefed the students on their search for an exit route, one student asked a question.

“How about just going up? If Jun-yeol can stop the volcanic eruption, the summit might be safer.”

The head of the newspaper department, a 3rd-year student, opposed the idea of going up.

Currently, the newspaper department students were spread out to gather efficient reports. Among them, the department head was on the Seongpanak course, the vice head on the Gwan-eumsa course, and one of the general members was at the lodging. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The newspaper students had thoroughly studied the geography of Jeju Island for their reporting, making them reliable in this situation.

The department head, considering the current number of people and their abilities, anticipated that if they encountered the corrupted darkness above, it would be difficult to deviate from the path and escape easily, and they would soon face a bottleneck.

“That’s true. We’re numerous, but we’re not particularly mobile, so we need to be cautious. Teachers with Insight abilities will be in charge of the front and rear, so everyone, save your energy. And absolutely, don’t try to examine the darkness too closely with your abilities.”

While Heo Chae-ah and the newspaper head were persuading the students, the leaders of each team received item cards from Gwak Kyung-gu.

In addition to the backup weapon item cards for students who had forgotten to bring their own, there were consumable item cards that could assist with combat and survival.

“Wow, you had this many consumables?”

“Jin-seung packed a lot too, but Kyung-gu isn’t slacking off either.”

Instead of responding, Gwak Kyung-gu silently distributed the cards.

Even amid their anxiety, some students regained a sense of calm by following the example of Gwak Kyung-gu, who was the most accomplished player in their group, remaining composed.

Gwak Kyung-gu’s ability to stay calm wasn’t only due to his naturally composed personality, but also thanks to the friends who weren’t present in this situation.

‘Those two must have known something like this would happen. They must have planned for it.’

Before the field trip, Yeom Jun-yeol and Cheon Dong-ha seemed to have deep thoughts, and though Gwak Kyung-gu never got to hear them out, he was advised to keep more item cards stocked than usual.

It was clear that his two friends had anticipated a situation where they would have to fight.

Thanks to that foresight, he was able to provide item cards to students who hadn’t brought any.

“Let’s go. The darkness is spreading along the path. We’ll find an area with a lower concentration and push through, then head down.”

Though some students hesitated, unwilling to step onto land without a clear path, when the darkness visibly approached, they began to follow the instructions.

Before they set out, one of Gwak Kyung-gu’s instructions was for everyone to be ready to materialize their weapon items at any time.

In this situation, even if the volcanic eruption caused damage or they were ambushed by enemies immune to the darkness, the likelihood of casualties would increase, even if they had the numerical advantage.

‘Thankfully, the darkness isn’t spreading too quickly. It’s at a ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) speed where we could run away if needed. And it’s not enough to cover the entire Halla Mountain.’

If someone were targeting the students in Halla Mountain, covering the whole mountain with that ominous darkness would be the most certain and easiest way. Therefore, using such a complex strategy indicated that the total amount of darkness was limited.

Moreover, there were targets like Yeom Jun-yeol and Cheon Dong-ha on the Gwan-eumsa course.

Since the amount of darkness assigned to this side was limited, there was a chance to escape if they took the risk and blazed a rough path.

However, the further they got from the trail, the more difficult it became to run, with weeds and rocks obstructing their path. The volcanic eruption also caused rain, and the heat and smoke made movement increasingly difficult.

Students lacking in energy or martial arts abilities were in a dire situation, unable even to make a sound as they panted with faces wet despite wearing raincoats.

“Think of it as if we’re tackling another dimension. We’ve carved through more dangerous paths before. It’s okay, we can make it down safely.”

Heo Chae-ah, encouraging the students, used her abilities to buff those on the verge of falling behind, helping them rejoin their teams.

While Heo Chae-ah focused on the lagging students, Gwak Kyung-gu quietly cleared any obstacles in the front and kept the path open, ensuring that every step was a little safer.

‘We’re descending in elevation. We’re getting closer to the ground.’

Despite the difficulty, Gwak Kyung-gu and the students sensed that they were gradually getting closer to the base.

Every time they had to bypass the darkness, moving in a straight line was impossible, but since not the entire region was covered in darkness, there was a way through.

The students of Eun-gwang High School were moving as planned, but Gwak Kyung-gu couldn’t relax.

‘I expected we’d stray from the trail, but we’ve gone too far.’

The teacher, running right beside Gwak Kyung-gu, was recording their location on the hologram as they moved.

By increasing the brightness of the hologram to the maximum and lifting it high, the teacher made it easier for the students to spot them and keep track of their own location.

It was like the teacher was manually creating and updating a mini-map for the students in real time.

Gwak Kyung-gu glanced at the hologram, retracing their route in his mind.

‘We might be being led somewhere.’

Gwak Kyung-gu couldn’t bring himself to speak that possibility aloud.

Perhaps, some others, like him, also thought the same, but without proper evidence, saying such things could cause unnecessary panic and put them in real danger.

‘Even if we’re being led, we can hold our ground with this strength. It’s safest to head toward a lower elevation where help can reach us more easily.’

Considering the potential for an ambush, Gwak Kyung-gu moved cautiously.

Along with the other students, he anticipated that the ambush might come from enemy legions, mercenary players with ulterior motives, or higher beings or races in opposition to humanity.

Some might dismiss these possibilities as exaggerations, claiming no one would use such force against the students.

But the malice of the shadowy figures was more twisted and sinister than they expected.

Because of Jo Yi-shin’s maneuvering, the malice had grown even more powerful, turning the corrupted darkness into a tool for the dark forces.

Now, that malice was about to swallow the students.

‘The rain’s getting heavier. My vision’s getting worse, maybe because of the heat from the ground.’

As the rain thickened and he concentrated on his abilities to clear his vision, Gwak Kyung-gu felt an odd sensation.

He had thought it was just the clouds making the area darker, but a faint darkness was enveloping them.

Though the concentration wasn’t strong enough to trigger a physical or magical reaction, Gwak Kyung-gu sensed something was wrong.

“Hey, do you smell something strange? Like medicine?”

“I don’t really smell anything... just the rain and dust.”

Some of the students, sensitive to their surroundings, detected something.

And when the strange medicinal smell grew stronger, an unusual event happened to all the players present.

At first, it felt like the onset of a cold, with their bodies growing hot, and a sensation of heat spreading through them.

The sensation of blood rushing through their bodies quickly spread into their abilities.

It was a prelude to rampaging.

As they moved along the path they thought was an escape, they had been unknowingly inhaling a substance mixed with the corrupted darkness through their respirators.

When the shadowy figures led them to this spot, the concentration was suddenly increased, trapping them in the sense of unease and making escape impossible.

“Hold your breath! Anyone with a dimensional invasion mask, use it!”

Gwak Kyung-gu, who hadn’t realized the existence of the rampage-inducing substance, still sensed the unease and gave a warning.

But it was too late.

By then, hundreds of students had begun emitting various energy signatures.

In a split second, only Gwak Kyung-gu and those with compatible abilities or who were fortunate enough to avoid the rampage were left unaffected.

Compared to the number of students maintaining their normal state, those who were about to rampage were overwhelming.

Despair clouded Gwak Kyung-gu’s eyes.

Meanwhile, someone was watching this scene from afar.

‘What should I do! They’re about to rampage!’

After barely escaping the darkness near Halla Mountain by mobilizing all the wool, Yang Zok, who had been looking for a way out, spotted the students about to rampage in a place not far from the boundary between the two factions.

He had been looking for a mountain goat, but it seemed the goat was on the other side of the darkness, and now, he was about to see something he didn’t want to see.

Despite his hesitation to leave the barrier, Yang Zok was torn as he saw so many students in danger.

‘They must be excited and their abilities are rampaging because of the danger, right? They’re still young, and they haven’t fully mastered their abilities. Should I help? If I put them to sleep, their abilities will fall asleep too.’

Yang Zok, who was cautious but simple-minded, didn’t consider that someone might have intentionally led the students to rampage in order to draw him out. He just thought of it as a nightmare-level plot.

After brief contemplation, Yang Zok decided to step outside the barrier.

And the moment he stepped outside, the shadowy figures targeting him activated their plans.