Wretched Seeker of the Absolute

The twin castles of Castellum Munientibus, which took its name from two castles built by each continent, were the first foothold of civilization before they advanced through the eastern parts of the northern continent after the great devastation. The location was a few hundred kilometers north of Galenar. Gaining a foothold wasn't easy, let alone keeping it. Thousands lost their lives during the landing and the years of skirmishes against the local savage orcs and crazed remnants of pre-devastation civilization.

The main reason the land was difficult to tame was the crystal field that stretched for a few kilometers, starting from the shore towards the inland. This purplish crystal was so strong that one could cut oneself just by pressing their hand onto it. The expeditions fought their way through ambushes, traps, and even terrain itself just to establish outposts right beside the end of the crystal field, the small opening before the mountains that are kilometers long and block further north from the region.

The empire's outpost was built on the west, while the dukedom's outpost was built on the east. They gradually became forts, then castles. These grand structures were expanded each passing year towards their respective directions and recently started establishing mountain outlooks to scout ahead north of the region. Civilization first settled in this region due to blind navigation, as they started sailing from the western continent. Settling on the eastern part of the northern continent would have been easier if they had known the eastern parts stretched southwards.

What secrets were lying north of the region remained a big mystery, especially after the discovery of Lumenans. The dukedom and empire supported each other until the competition between them turned into a full-scale war because of the fertility of the Tarala region. At the moment, they were just not interfering with each other in the region, so one could say that the region is neutral.

People were armed to the teeth everywhere- patrolling, marching, and training with purpose, giving the place a bustling atmosphere, not due to prosperity but military discipline.

Soon, he learned the reason. Voyages to the south cost 600 gold per person because of the risks and requirements. Even though civilization had Lumenan technology, it was still almost impossible to cross the ocean with a single ship. It required the top quality of everything and everyone: an Elisyson-class frigate along with several hundred Lumena rank 3 or above mercenaries to accompany just a few dozen people to the south in a journey that would last six months if uninterrupted. Balendon was amazed again, considering how people could reach here and establish a foothold around 40 years ago.

Balendon made the arrangements for the voyage that would set out in a month to the south. During his one-month stay in Castellum, his first stop was the Great Pioneer Monument, which was in the middle of Elisyson Castle. It depicted one woman and one man holding each other, where the woman was holding a torch upwards, and the man was holding a sword downwards- the torch symbolizing daring exploration and the sword braving the dangers that came with it.

The statues of the two were on top of various creatures and humanoid beasts Balendon had never seen or could only hear or read about somewhere. As he investigated the statue, he came across an info plate where it said:

"In honor of Karl and Mina Uasle, for they pioneered these lands for civilization, dispersed the darkness to give a brighter future for generations to come."

Balendon felt a terribly sad and longing shudder in his whole body as he read the names and looked at the statue. He could not give it meaning but felt as if he was going to cry. He left the scenery to see other landmarks, which were mostly battlements and defensive corners where hundreds died but made a heroic last stand or something. There were still veterans of that day lurking around those sites, devastated due to their past, longing for something. Balendon even caught a few meaningful glimpses from them, yet he could not understand why.

After a few days of boredom, he decided to make friends with some adventurers and scout teams at the guild, where he also attended some idle scouting missions and got himself acquainted with the region to focus on the moment, not the past.

Part of him wanted to return and torture Shou more, but that was not a life one should live. It was a peaceful few weeks, but that sense of peace had an ominous feeling. During his scout and patrol missions, he often touched the crystal to try to understand its contents. It was sharp and durable enough to cut even his skin, yet it did not feel that sturdy. Usually, sturdy and strong materials had a dense order of the small particles that Balendon could feel, yet these crystals had an unnatural way of forming, as if they were created not by nature but by someone with less knowledge compared to nature itself. They were indeed deadly as they were the cause of deaths of thousands already

The day finally came, and the expedition started gathering at the southern gate at dawn. There were at least 400 people- from mercenaries to passengers, sailors to chefs, or entertainers.

"Ah yes, 600 gold," Balendon thought.

As people were gathering and preparing themselves, the sun was rising. The captain of the voyage climbed some stairs to make himself visible to the folk. He was a tall guy with a big beard and medium belly. He was strong-looking, but the flaws in his look gave a sense of sympathy. This guy was no weakling for sure.

With a proud voice, the captain said, "Welcome, everyone! I am your captain, Morderath, but you can call me Mo. I like people to sound like cows while trying to call me."

Some chuckles could be heard among the crowd while Morderath continued, "Our journey to the south will be perilous, and the toughest part will start when we are trying to pass through the crystal field. Now, I assume most of you know that wildlings aim for bigger groups for their supplies instead of scouting parties. But for the newcomers, I will instruct the leaders of your groups during briefings. Do not let the lack of movement in recent days fool you. We will be attacked from every direction possible. Try not to break formation nor touch the crystal, or you will lose your limbs, if not your life."

The humorous start of the conversation turned into a grim one as the captain of the voyage, along with his lieutenants, explained the tactics and plans.

"So that's why!" Balendon thought. He was frustrated that he could not encounter a wildling and practice against them, but now it made sense. Unknown dangers are always the worst when one has to face them unprepared.

The expedition packed their things and moved towards the southern entrance. Balendon saw the statue of the two pioneers one last time and again felt a sad feeling. What could be the source of this feeling? Connection?

They left the castle gates for the field. It was quiet and safe for the first few minutes after they entered the field. Their team lead said, "Be vigilant! They just wait for us to go deeper into the field!"

As nothing happened by the time they reached near the end of the crystal field, people started to feel relieved and question the team lead's skepticism. Despite the slight distrustful glances of his customers, the leader broke not his vigilance, as if he was thinking of what to say to gain his integrity back.

After half of the group walked out of the field, a scream came from the field- from the other half of the group that didn't leave yet. Balendon was among the ones who were walking behind the group and witnessed things firsthand.

First, a hole appeared on the ground, then a dwarf-like wildling leapt out of it, snapping the rank 2 mercenary's neck mid-air and falling into another hole on the other side. What was more surprising was that everything happened so fast that both holes on the ground disappeared before the mercenary could drop dead.

Balendon tried to sense the world force around and under him. "Yes, this is an ambush," he said to the shocked other mercenaries around him. Their lead shouted in anger, "SHIELDS UP! FORM A CIRCLE!"

There were at least 15 wildlings underground, ready to jump like frogs and instill terror. Balendon drew his shortsword and shield and took a stance. His stance looked powerful but amateurish in the eyes of the other mercenaries. True, Balendon never took training and always fought instinctively. He was like a wildling himself.