Memorize

"Thank you so much! My throat was a bit dry, but here you are treating me to a beer. I don't even know how to express my gratitude. What's your name...? What? Kim Su-Hyeon? No way, the one from Small Town Mule? I've heard of you! The story about the Cave of Screams is famous.... Haha. Meeting such a celebrity and being treated to beer, I can't just sit here doing nothing. Alright, let me tell you a story. Want to hear it?

What? You don't need to? Wait a moment. Just listen for a bit, okay? You'll definitely find it interesting. Rumor has it that even the Phantasm Swordsman, who's making waves in the big city right now, gained something from this rite of passage. Yeah, that Phantasm Swordsman. After all, everyone here in the Hall Plain went through a rite of passage to enter, right? Come on, have a seat. One of the places where the angels have played many tricks is this rite of passage."

"There's quite a bit of backstory to that as well. Think about it. Back then, everyone was just trying to survive—who in their right mind would wander around for seven days in a place filled with monsters? But guess what? Some crazy folks did exactly that. They happily scoured the entire map for seven days. Naturally, the chances of encountering the rite of passage's boss monster went way up. Huh? What do I mean by that? You haven't run into one? Wow, you must have been pretty diligent, Kim Su-Hyeon. What I mean is... before I explain, could you get me one more beer? Haha... Thanks!

Think back. You must remember the yellow and blue roofs, right? Yeah, yellow is the rest room, and blue is the safe point. The first thing you see when you enter is the warning sign, right? You can't stay in the rest room for more than a day, and you can't stay at the safe point for more than two days. If you do, the boss monster will appear with 100% certainty. Ugh~ Even now, it gives me the chills. It looks like some kind of alien, chomping people down like they're delicious snacks..."

"Yeah, I've encountered it before. What did I do? I ran for my life, of course. The funny thing is, besides the starting point, rest point, and safe point, there's actually one more place. Haven't heard of it before? That makes sense. Where is it, you ask?

If you head out in the direction that cuts through the forest in the outer regions of the map, you'll come across a large road. I still remember that bumpy path. But you can't go downwards from there because it's crawling with Wraits. So, you're left with no choice but to go upwards, where you'll find a city. But, honestly, who would go that far? People don't even want to enter the forest. And even if you do manage to enter the city, few come back out alive. That place is called a 'Trap Point.' Just like the name suggests, it's a trap.

The city at the Trap Point is full of modern facilities, with plenty of food. It reminds you of Earth, stirring up feelings of nostalgia. It's so well designed that you don't want to leave—it messes with your mind like that.

A warning sign? Yeah, there's one, but it's different from the others. It's written in such a casual way that you'd hardly think it was a big deal. Anyway, that city messes with your psychology so much that you won't want to leave. Most people who find it end up staying. They settle down, thinking they can survive there for seven days. But the moment they do that, it's over.

After two days passed, on the third day... Well, I'm sure you can guess what happens, right? Haha. What? How do I know all this? Haha... Well, I think I'll just have another drink instead."

*

As the afternoon wore on, I could see the day gradually darkening. It was an ambiguous time—too early to call it evening, but the light was fading. The forest seemed darker than usual, and with the clouds casting their gloomy hue, I couldn't help but wonder if it might start raining.

Walking along the uneven path, I grew anxious, eager for the village to come into view. It felt like I needed to pick up the pace. Channeling magic through my legs, I quickened my speed. As I moved swiftly, I recalled the moment when I used my third eye to reflect on past events.

It was only a brief moment, barely a second long, but what I saw gave me a clue about what had happened to the group. This was the scene I saw: An Hyun, having abandoned his longsword and shield, was running with An Sol on his back. His face looked urgent, as if he were in a desperate hurry.

Behind them was Yun Jung, wearing an expression that was hard to read. Whether she was worried or angry, I couldn't tell, but she was chasing after An Hyun. Only Kim Han-Byeul, with a calm expression, followed at the rear, collecting the sword and shield that An Hyun had discarded as they ran.

In the end, whether it was an ambush or something else, it was clear that the group had encountered some kind of danger, and something had definitely happened to An Sol during the chaos. So, I decided to follow the direction An Hyun's group had run off in. Since the path had been worn down by human use, I felt certain that if I kept going, I would eventually reach the village. And when I got there, the chances of reuniting with An Hyun's group would be high.

What could they have been attacked by? What had happened to make them run with such urgency? My curiosity kept spiraling, one question leading to another. But no matter how much I racked my brain, there were no answers. I decided to leave the questions for later and increased my pace again.

As I walked, a cold droplet suddenly fell, lightly touching my cheek. I paused for a moment and looked up at the sky, seeing raindrops falling towards my face.

"Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip."

I instinctively wiped the wet spot on my cheek, watching the intermittent raindrops fall. I hoped the village would appear soon, before a heavy downpour started. And fortunately, it seemed my prayers were answered. In the distance, just within the range of my vision, I could see buildings clustered together, confirming it was the village.

It was clear that the group had entered that village. However, I was worried whether they had made it safely, as some villages also had monsters lurking around. If I had known things would turn out like this, I would've dealt with everything at once instead of wasting time.

Meanwhile, the number of raindrops falling on the ground steadily increased. I wasn't keen on running through a muddy, rain-soaked path, so I slowed my pace, walking lazily while closing the distance to the village. Instinctively, I began to use magic to sense my surroundings. As I slowly scanned the village, something strange caught my attention, causing me to stop in my tracks.

"What... what is this?"

I stammered without even realizing it. Trying to calm my nerves, I focused my magic even more precisely, but the results were the same. Alarmed, I quickly gathered my magic energy and dashed into the village. As I reached the entrance, I was left speechless at the sight of the modern buildings in front of me.

"How are there Earth-like buildings here, in a rite of passage? And so many of them?"

As expected, my group was in this village—or rather, this city, because it was too large to call a village. I could sense the presence of all four of them, which was a relief. But despite that, I was confused for two reasons. First, I couldn't sense any trace of monsters in the city. Second, the sight in front of me was of a city filled with modern buildings.

Cities in the Hall Plain don't have modern structures. They're built in the style of medieval architecture. In fact, adjusting to this was one of the challenges during my first rite of passage. But now, right before my eyes, there were buildings I was used to seeing back on Earth.

Though I felt overwhelmed by this unfamiliar situation, I quickly calmed myself and focused on observing carefully. One of the main tasks for humans entering the Hall Plain for the first time is adapting to life there.

Compared to Earth, where science has advanced so much, life in the Hall Plain isn't exactly convenient. To help with this, the buildings in the rite of passage are deliberately constructed in the same style as those in the Hall Plain, making it easier for users to adapt. But this... I had never seen or heard of anything like this.

There's no way the angels would have placed such buildings in the rite of passage unless they had collectively lost their minds. Yet, no matter how much I blinked and rubbed my eyes, the view of the city didn't change. This could only mean one thing—the angels had an ulterior motive. And at that moment, I suddenly remembered a story a swordsman had told me in a tavern long ago.

'The Trap Point city has all the modern facilities, with plenty of food. It reminds you of Earth, stirring up feelings of nostalgia. It's designed so cleverly that you don't want to leave.'

As soon as I recalled the Trap Point, the city before me started to make sense. But before explaining Trap Points, I need to talk about boss monsters. Simply put, you can't defeat a boss monster in the Hall Plain. Many people have seen them, but when you ask, they all say the same thing. You absolutely cannot defeat them. You must run away.

Boss monsters appear under certain conditions. Specifically, if you stay in a rest room for more than a day or in a safe point for more than two days, they will inevitably appear. In other words, it's the angels' warning not to get too comfortable in a safe place. Keep moving, or you'll face certain danger.

A chill ran down my spine, and I finally understood why the city had been so empty and quiet when I first saw it. It also made sense now why, despite the high abilities of the group, everyone except An Sol had been missing from the Hall Plain. When I connected these clues with the city in front of me, I could only infer one possibility: no matter how skilled they were, they couldn't have faced a boss monster and survived.

Letting out a deep sigh, I finally entered the city. Seeing these buildings again for the first time in 10 years stirred some nostalgia in me, but meeting up with my group was the priority.

As I stepped further into the city, I was greeted by a landscape of ashen-gray buildings. It felt as if the dark, dimly-lit structures were welcoming me to this gloomy city, though the oppressive atmosphere was unsettling.

Only someone with experience could sense the thick stench of death that hung in the air. How many people must have died in these buildings for it to feel like this?

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