Chapter : 53
Kakrita Valley (3)
Su-hyeon shook his head, thinking about how much effort it had taken to discover this weakness.
“It’s eerie. Can it really be this quiet?”
“If it’s quiet, that’s good. Don’t complain unnecessarily.”
He could hear the two squad members talking. But despite having just arrived, there was no ambient noise at all in the surroundings. It was as if there was no life there whatsoever.
‘First, we need to locate the ruins.’
The method to conquer Kakrita Valley was simple. Even if he went back now and told the others about the enemies’ weakness, the job would proceed easily. Yet Su-hyeon didn’t do that. There was a second reason he had chosen this place.
The ruins.
Deep inside Kakrita Valley, there were ruins built by ancient other-races. While they had historical and cultural value, Su-hyeon wasn’t the type to toil for such things.
Inside the ruins, there was an artifact.
An artifact—a tool embedded with supernatural abilities. These items were so rare that if they appeared on the market, they would sell for hundreds of millions to even billions. The grimoire Su-hyeon had acquired could also be considered an artifact. Its power was on a completely different level than ordinary artifacts.
Usually, an artifact had only one supernatural ability, and Su-hyeon had never even heard of one with multiple powers.
Even if the method of traversing Kakrita Valley became widely known later, he needed to secure the artifact first. Currently, he had the priority for whatever was discovered here.
‘It must have been there… the Lightning Axe, wasn’t it?’
“Aaah!”
“!?”
Lost in thought, Su-hyeon was startled by a scream from behind.
“Th-there! What’s that?”
On a slightly elevated terrain stood a person. One figure, staring down at them with a blank, pale expression. He didn’t seem especially dangerous, yet the members of Uncle Joe Company were genuinely shocked. And why wouldn’t they be? A person standing in a danger zone completely devoid of sound was unnerving.
“Who is that?!”
“Don’t raise your voice.”
“!”
“That’s someone possessed.”
“Po-possessed?”
“If you die at the hands of a monster wandering around here, this is what happens.”
“…!”
Su-hyeon began explaining the characteristics of the monsters in this area. The squad members’ faces went pale, like the corpse above, at the chilling traits he described.
“You mean, if you die, it turns out like that…?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve set up all the precautions.”
“What precautions?”
“Salt.”
“?!?!”
Only then did the members notice the salt sprinkled around. Could that really be a countermeasure?
“Most monsters will hesitate to approach just because of that. If some still come near, shoot them. The rock-salt bullets will make them retreat.”
“And if they don’t run?”
“Then you fight. How long do you think you can get by without doing anything?”
It had become normal for everyone that Su-hyeon knew things they didn’t. No one questioned how he knew anymore—they just followed his lead.
‘How the hell does that guy know all this?’
“So, what do we do about that one?”
“Leave it. You can shoot it if it comes close, but there’s no need to target the one already there.”
Feeling an even eerier chill, the squad followed Su-hyeon further into the valley.
Deep inside the valley, the salt alone wasn’t enough to completely avoid the monsters. Gradually, some monsters started approaching.
“They’re different from the ones before.”
“The ones here are stronger than those we encountered earlier…”
Su-hyeon aimed first and fired. The monsters that had run at just the sight of salt were weak, their outlines vague. But now, they couldn’t proceed so comfortably. Evading even this far was already an achievement. Other teams would have had to expend resources fighting through hordes of monsters just to reach this point.
“Ugh… these things are seriously creepy-looking…”
Most of the ghost-type monsters resembled real creatures. The one that appeared now looked like a spectral horse. With Su-hyeon’s attack, the squad opened fire with shotguns. Each hit caused the monster to stagger before it ran off the cliff in an instant.
“This place is actually better than the Calcutta Jungle, isn’t it?”
“If you use salt properly, absolutely.”
After facing monsters in the Calcutta Jungle that only fell after heavy firepower, it was refreshing to see some flee with a single shot.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you think the missing people just disappeared without reason?”
Seeing the squad get relaxed, Su-hyeon sharply corrected them. They were performing well only because of the knowledge he provided. If anything unexpected happened, they’d collapse immediately. They needed to stay alert.
“Team leader,”
Lee So-hee whispered.
“?”
“If what you said earlier is true, is it possible that some of the missing teams are still alive?”
“That’s… possible. Why do you ask?”
If someone underestimated the ghost monsters and acted recklessly, they could be surrounded instantly. But if they retreated at the right moment, they could survive to some extent. There were also plenty of hiding spots in the valley.
“I thought maybe we could try to rescue them if possible.”
Su-hyeon showed a surprised expression. He hadn’t considered rescuing failed teams. He had assumed anyone who failed had died somewhere.
“Rescue them?”
“Yes. Oh, if it’s inconvenient…”
“No, no. There aren’t any other monsters around, so the rescue itself won’t be a problem. Finding them, though… That’s the challenge. By the way, I’m impressed.”
“?”
“Any team capable of getting this far must have some reputation. Rescuing them would let us easily earn a huge favor. I should have thought of this first.”
Lee So-hee had meant it purely in a humanitarian sense, but Su-hyeon interpreted it differently. If they were alive, he could take them out and earn a debt of gratitude for saving their lives. Seeing Su-hyeon nodding in admiration, Lee So-hee was embarrassed.
“Next time you have a good idea like that, speak up immediately.”
“….”
Lee So-hee gave up and lowered her head. Su-hyeon’s enthusiasm made it awkward to argue.
‘There might still be survivors. The possibility isn’t low.’
He had only thought about the ruins and artifact, but if luck was on their side, they might achieve an unexpected result. Su-hyeon began considering how to locate survivors.
“Team leader, where are we heading?”
The squad, initially panicked, seemed to have adapted to the faint monsters wandering around. They now even observed the monsters’ behavior before firing.
“First, we need to set up a campsite. There should be a suitable spot.”
“?”
Setting a campsite here wasn’t easy. Even with lots of salt sprinkled around, they couldn’t completely relax. Strong monsters ignored salt and attacked anyway. Fortunately, there was a safe area nearby. Su-hyeon crawled along the valley to the side. Seeing protruding white rocks, he knew he had found the destination.
A natural rock-salt layer. It naturally prevented monsters from approaching. There were a few such places in the valley. Su-hyeon had once used this to figure out the monsters’ weaknesses.
“We’ll stay here today, then move deeper once daylight comes.”
Further inside the valley, caves appeared. Starting from the entrance, the passages were complex. Beyond that area lay the ruins, built by the ancient other-races.
“How do we report this? Like last time?”
“If no one comes out after three months, the failure probability is high. If six months pass, it’s a confirmed failure. Looking at the number of personnel, we can shorten that period.”
The people waiting at the forward base were prepared to report and relocate after the mission. Having seen other teams fail, they were skeptical about the Uncle Joe Company squad entering the valley.
“They failed before, yet they’re still sending people in. Don’t these higher-ups think at all?”
‘We’ll clear this and be out within a week.’
While others planned for months, Su-hyeon planned for a week. They had plenty of supplies but didn’t intend to move leisurely.
He already knew the monsters and terrain, and had a mental map of how to act. There was no reason to waste time.
Of course, taking it slow wasn’t bad. It was safer than rushing. But Su-hyeon had a different thought.
‘If we want impact, we must do it decisively.’
The goal wasn’t just to solve an unsolved problem—it was to make an impact. By resolving it at record speed, the shock would turn into awe.
Two days to enter and exit, and three days inside the caves. That was sufficient. Time to search for survivors was included in the entry and exit time. Since the goal wasn’t rescue, he didn’t plan to linger.
“From here on, stay alert. If anyone jokes around like last time, I’ll personally make them pay attention.”
The squad tensed at Su-hyeon’s words. He didn’t say things like this lightly. If he said it, the cave was serious business.
“I’ll give a few precautions. Monsters inside the cave won’t run away just because of some salt. Hear a noise from the wall? Shoot. A teammate starts acting strangely? Shoot. If anything feels off, shoot.”
“You mean we can shoot each other?”
“As long as it’s not fatal, yes. Shoot the legs if someone acts suspicious. I’ll treat them. It’s better than having them get possessed and cause chaos.”
Finally, the squad recalled the possession. Just thinking about it gave them chills. Gorgan murmured and traced symbols with his fingers. The others noticed something was off.
“You okay? You’re not… already—”
“What? How could I get possessed just coming in from the campsite?”
Stopping Kim Dong-wook from aiming at Gorgan, Su-hyeon asked incredulously.
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Someone acting ‘nothing’ wouldn’t be that scared. What is it?”
“I… I’m scared of ghosts…”
“….”
The squad exchanged glances. While ghost-type monsters were scary, it was unusual for an orc like Gorgan to be so frightened.
Even during the move here, he had been acting strangely, though his usual silence made it hard to notice.
Su-hyeon didn’t offer unnecessary comfort. Gorgan wasn’t a child, and comforting him wouldn’t help. Besides, leaving him behind was more dangerous.
“Scared of ghosts?”
Gorgan nodded, humiliated.
“Then it’s simple. Kill them before they attack you.”
The squad stared at Su-hyeon, thinking he was speaking nonsense. But he was serious.
“Once you’ve killed a few properly, the idea of ghosts disappears. They’re just monsters. Slightly unique and slightly annoying, that’s all.”
Gorgan gritted his teeth with a determined expression.
“Ready to go in now?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Let’s move inside!”
