Episode 216
At the mysterious man who suddenly appeared, we quietly gathered our eyes and stared at him.
“You… … It looks like it came from outside.”
“That’s right. How long have you been here?”
The man turned his back without saying a word. And it was just moving somewhere.
“Follow me.”
There was nothing we could do anyway, so we followed the man from a certain distance.
The place they arrived at was a cave somewhere on the mountainside that seemed to have been artificially made.
‘… Indeed, is this the starting point?’
Just as in the Black Forest, there were ruins where the survivors were gathered, at the beginning of the maze, there is a specific point that can be a focal point for each.
And this place could be the base for attacking the blind mountain, the de facto base camp.
“… Wait a minute. I will come and talk.”
The man left a single word and then disappeared, and we started exchanging opinions with each other.
“Ugh. It’s hard to believe it, but it certainly felt like he was observing us on purpose even when dealing with snakes.”
“I think it’s a situation where they have a lot of vigilance, or they don’t have that much room.”
At the same time, Shin Noeul, who was operating the detection technique again, delivered information to everyone.
“Fortunately, it looks like you can tell the difference as usual here. Inside the cave, I can feel the presence of many people.”
“Many, if you say?”
“Nearly a hundred, maybe more than that.”
It was quite disconcerting news.
We haven’t figured out much yet, but at first glance, this place has a more difficult environment for humans to live in than the Black Forest.
But how many people are still living?
“Ugh. Is there that much space inside that cave in the first place?”
“It would be quicker to see this in person. Rather than a cave inside that… … .”
What Shin Noeul meant by the words of the man who came out of the cave again could be understood.
“Follow me. I will guide you through the village.”
The scenery of the space that followed the man was amazing.
In the deepest part of the cave, there was a completely different passageway, and a vast meadow was spread out behind it.
‘… What is this?’
A place too peaceful to be inside the maze of eternity.
Even unlike the outside, all natural features were full of color, and the villagers seemed to be practicing agriculture.
Towards us who were busy shifting our gaze, the man who finally took off the hood introduced himself.
“nice to meet. My name is Halo. I am working to help the mayor of this village.”
“This is Han Kang-yoon. Could you please explain this place, if possible?”
“There is nothing special. Because people like you who came in in distress are just living together. It is the same with those who built the first village long ago.”
In a word, those who had been sucked into the maze for many years gathered one by one to build a village, and it was said that they continued to take shape.
“Brother, this is… … .”
“Certainly a little surprising.”
It’s not just the feeling of being locked up in this place.
They have settled here and are leading their own lives.
You could tell just by looking at the faces of the children running around.
‘About six years old, anyway, still too young.’
What that meant was simple.
“Are you, by any chance, living here for generations?”
“Most of them are. Even those children were born here. Of course, we don’t even know what the outside world looks like.”
If you think about the other maze sections, it’s hard to believe.
However, as it was unfolding in front of my eyes, I couldn’t help but be convinced.
“Follow me first. I will let you meet the mayor.”
Following Halo’s guidance, we moved to a small house, where an old man who had been corrected was waiting for us.
“Nice to meet you. I am the mayor of this town, Jang Il-se. I have been living here ever since I was young.”
“Nice to meet you.”
The mayor was very kind.
Due to the nature of the place, it is likely to be closed, but there was no sign of reluctance to us as outsiders.
The reason for this was soon revealed by the explanation that followed.
“There is a guardian water here.”
“… You mean the guardian?”
“Occasionally, I will punish the beasts who approach into the village or those who try to attack anyone. Because of that, no one seldom causes trouble.”
It was a very convenient story. The village chief said that it was because this village was literally a space with minimal consideration.
‘It’s not something I don’t understand at all, but… … .’
I felt something uncomfortable. More than that, this space itself felt only very unpleasant to me.
‘Is this really a peaceful resting place as the saying goes?’
It was like that if I just listened to the explanation, but when I think about the significance of the existence of this eternal maze, I doubt it.
After thinking about it for a while, Halo came back and started to guide us where we were staying.
“Call me if you need anything or have any questions. There is a guardian water, but the villagers may be surprised, so I want you to be careful about contacting them.”
Those of us who were left in that way began to discuss our future actions with a number of questions in mind.
“First of all, it is fortunate that there is a place to rest and relax, but in the end, you will have no choice but to leave this place to attack the maze.”
“More than that, I don’t really like this place for some reason.”
Sophia shook her head and lay on the floor, shaking her feet.
Yeonja’s reaction was not very different from that of him.
“What can I say, it’s a peaceful place, but it’s not a happy place.”
Indeed, that statement was correct.
I was immersed in thought again, and slowly organized the facts I had seen so far in my head.
‘There was nothing unusual about the appearance of the villagers, but… … .’
I feel uncomfortable with this space itself. I thought about it a few times, but it was still full of elements that did not serve the purpose of the maze.
And in order to delve into it, I had no choice but to ask questions to those who have lived here for a long time.
“Yes, I have a question for you.”
“Yes. Could you hang out with me for a while?”
When I found Halo, who was building a fence for livestock nearby, I threw out the questions I had put together in my head one by one.
“Have you ever thought of leaving this place?”
“… Of course, I, too, tried to find a way at first.”
However, Halo immediately shook his head as if resigning and handed me someone’s journal.
“It is a record of the people who first settled here long ago. They’re a great group, breaking through different sections and succeeding in making their way through a significant portion of the maze.”
“… … .”
“But it was there. There is no way to get past it no matter what you do. If you check the contents of the journal, you will understand.”
In the end, it seems that they gave up on the maze and returned to the starting point and built a village here.
I put it in my arms, and asked Halo again.
“So, is there no one who has tried to escape recently?”
“It is not. Very rarely, new survivors arrive, and some of them leave to attack the maze. Someone just left like that not too long ago.”
“He… … .”
“She was a terribly strong woman. He used some bizarre magic tricks.”
Needless to say, it was Xiao Chen.
When I heard the news of her from an unexpected place, I was deeply troubled with a serious face.
Because if that was true, she might still be alive and wandering somewhere in this maze.
“You may want to check the journal with your party. You are free to choose whatever you choose, but I hope the people of this town don’t have anything to do with it.”
Although it was expected based on the atmosphere, Halo seemed to have decided to live here for the rest of his life, giving up on escaping.
I went back to my living quarters as it was, and started checking the contents of the journal with my party.
[The first section, halfway up the mountain, was full of invisible and imperceptible predators. The species identified so far are snakes, wolves, and eagles. It was not difficult to deal with once confirming its existence, but as time passed, the consumption of mental power became severe.]
“It doesn’t seem that different from what we experienced. The credibility is quite high.”
At the same time as Noeul Shin said, I slowly turned the page and checked the following contents.
The second zone, the third zone, and up to the fourth zone.
The owner of the journal seemed to have devoted a considerable amount of time to attack the maze, and the knowledge he found out was recorded in the log.
“The reason the villagers knew about this place in many ways was probably because they read this journal, right?”
It was just as she said.
Unlike the survivors of the Black Forest, who could not even grasp the identity of this space at all, they were already aware of the approximate information.
It was a different starting point in many ways.
[Finally, we have reached the end of the fourth section. If the guess is that the next is the last hurdle, hope is really starting to show now.]
The record was filled with an indescribable joy, which seemed to be the case with his companions as well.
But what followed was literally despair.
[Wrong. We couldn’t get past this place in the end. At first, the results were clearly defined. There is no passage leading to the last area. This was a false space from the beginning.]
The boldly engraved handwriting, as if it had given strength to the hand, made it possible to vividly feel the anger and despair of that time.
“Brother, this is… … .”
“I can understand why the villagers gave up.”
I could tell even though I had only read the fragmentary part. That the party in the record was an exorcist with exceptional skills.
However, even they were desperate and had to come back here again, completely discouraged.
It was also true that the future became vague for those with lesser skills.
“What are you going to do? I think the road is blocked.”
Yeon-jae has been asking me questions in an indifferent attitude.
If the experiences of the characters in the journal were true, there was virtually no way to attack this maze.
Of course, there may be something they’re missing, but in reality, that seems unlikely.
“Ugh. According to the contents of the journal, it is difficult… … Could this be a pretty dangerous situation?”
Everyone here had a place to return to. So, you have to get out of here at any cost.
However, even in such an urgent situation, my expression was not dark at all.
Hey, because I already found the answer in the situations and journals I’ve been through.
“Did you notice something odd?”
“I mean, is there something I’m missing?”
“Yes. That’s right. Rather, the answer was decided from the beginning.”
While everyone’s eyes were focused, I opened my mouth softly.