Chapter 348

Just as Belluna had confidently claimed, we made it to the south pole in under ten minutes.

"Urgh, my stomach…."

"Blegh…."

The moment we touched down, most of the group pitched forward and started retching, but Belluna — completely unfazed — took in the surroundings with bright eyes and drew a big breath.

"Wow!"

She was carefully patting and stroking Ivan's back — he was slumped on the ground beside her, complaining of dizziness.

Once he'd settled a bit, she cupped her other hand to her eye like a telescope and swept her gaze across the surroundings again and again.

"There really is nothing here. And this drop in strength… seems even worse than before."

If it weren't for Ivan, I'd probably be down to a mid-tier spirit's power at best.

Muttering that to herself, she turned her head.

"So — what are you planning to do now? Wait?"

"Ugh… just a second."

My stomach was still churning, and it took a few deep breaths before I finally got my head straight again.

Several warning windows I hadn't seen in a while had come up in front of me.

System

You have entered a land steeped in strange power and long-nursed grudges.

A barrier fully integrated with nature has been detected! This barrier cannot be interfered with or unraveled by any means other than destroying its core!

All stats drop sharply.

All skill, technique, and talent effects are halved.

The mana cost of using any skill, technique, or talent is doubled.

Due to the hidden characteristic 'Stranger,' the barrier's effect on you is halved!

Due to the characteristic 'Seven Calamity Slayer,' you can sense the direction where the barrier's core lies!

The moment I saw the notifications, I understood exactly what was happening.

I didn't know the details, but… no — the Smith of Yado had been Ahriman's subordinate to begin with, so there was no doubt he'd worked something into the seal.

And over three hundred years of being sealed, Juno's presence had gradually leaked out and spread across the south pole; given how specialized the Smith of Yado's powers were for barriers, there was no question a powerful one had been laid over this whole land.

Belluna hadn't been lying when she said you couldn't use a spirit's power here.

It wasn't just spirits — everyone was cut off from the strength they should have had.

[Never in this Minerva's days has there been a barrier this strong.]

Minerva marveled again and again as she spoke.

I hadn't had many encounters with barriers myself, so I quietly asked her:

That serious?

[Of every barrier this Minerva has ever seen or come across, this one is, without question, so overwhelmingly powerful that no comparison is possible.]

She kept murmuring in a voice full of admiration.

[So this is what three hundred years and obsession, mixed together, make of a thing… it seems the Juno of now may well differ in many ways from the Juno you and this Minerva remember. Best to keep your guard up.]

Yeah, I will.

She wasn't the sort to say something without reason, or to worry needlessly, at a moment like this.

Just as I was thinking I'd better not let my guard down for a second, someone smacked me across the back.

"Um, Yu Ji-hyeok? I said, what are you doing now?"

Belluna was looking my way, sulky.

I nodded as if to say I was fine now, and turned to Sharisna.

She, too, seemed to be feeling poorly, keeping a hand over her mouth.

"First off, we were supposed to meet another one of Ji-na's companions when we got here. And you said he'd finished getting some things ready — right, Miss Sharisna?"

"…Yes, that's right. The one who watched Juno's seal and passed on information was a hobgoblin named Shu Rikerishu."

Sharisna answered, hand still over her mouth.

A hobgoblin, though.

[Did your little sister hate humans or something?]

Sbeungali muttered as if he couldn't quite believe it.

[A young half-ogre, a garuda who can take on a perfectly human form, a huge troll mage, a gargoyle a good few hundred years old, and now a hobgoblin who can get himself all the way down to the south pole and work sorcery… a lineup this out-of-left-field is a first even for me. I have to wonder why there's no orc or slime rounding it out.]

At his words, Minerva let out a sigh, as if he was hopeless.

[Even if there were, they'd all be dead by now. It's been a good century. And these ones are far more trustworthy than a shifty piece of work like you, Sbeungali. Are they not folk who waited over a hundred years?]

[…By that logic, this body of mine waited three hundred years too, you know.]

At his rebuttal, Minerva shot back as if it were nothing at all:

[Hmph — what's three hundred years, to speak of… this Minerva also waited three hundred years. And unlike you, being free the whole while, this Minerva did so sealed away.]

[Ha. By that measure, this body of mine wasn't alone either! And do you honestly not know that the outside world is the more dangerous place?]

For reasons I couldn't fathom, the two of them had suddenly launched into a spectacularly childish quarrel.

Cutting in to break it up would be awkward, so I just let them go at it, and Sharisna next to me quietly murmured:

"He's here."

The moment she finished speaking, several buildings suddenly rose up out of what had been nothing but empty ground.

Their shape was rough as if hewn from stone, but in a situation like this, even that was more than welcome.

A little later, out of one of the buildings walked a single hobgoblin, in a sharp suit under a thick coat.

"You're late, Sharisna. I nearly grew old — or froze to death — waiting."

The hobgoblin — deep, dignified voice despite his small frame — swept off his hat and gave me a polite bow.

"Name's Shu Rikerishu. You'd be Miss Ji-na's older brother, I take it."

"I'm Yu Ji-hyeok."

When I bowed my head back, he smiled and slowly nodded.

"Exactly as Miss Ji-na described. It's a pleasure."

"Shu Rikerishu, what's the situation?"

"There isn't much to tell, but wouldn't the details be better saved for inside, Sharisna?"

The hobgoblin held out a hand toward the group, as if to say take a look.

Turning to check, I could see that magic and other blessings really were weakened — everyone looked unusually tired.

"Resupplying and regrouping before a big fight is basic sense. There's warm tea inside, and a bite to eat. Let's discuss the rest indoors."

He gestured toward the rough-looking buildings and added:

"They may not look it, but they're quite cozy inside."

"Here, drawing on any kind of power gets difficult. Magic, sorcery, blessings — even natural physical ability. All of it weakens."

Shu Rikerishu, deftly setting out warm tea and simple food, laid out in detail everything he'd found.

"Which is why I couldn't get close to them. The further you press toward the middle of the barrier, where the seal is, the weaker you get. Keeping watch from a distance was the only option. So I couldn't get a proper look at the seal itself, either — could only take the measure of it from far off."

It came back to Yu Ji-hyeok just then that hobgoblins were originally the name of the fairies said to help with household chores — and right on cue, a cup of coffee was set down in front of him.

Seeing sugar had been set out beside it too, he was slightly taken aback, and the hobgoblin grinned.

"Miss Ji-na told me so many times, I remember. You like your coffee sweet, don't you?"

Yu Ji-hyeok gave a small smile and lowered his head at the kindness.

Shu Rikerishu, watching him with the same warm look, went on.

"Let me continue. Juno's seal could give way at any moment now — nothing strange in that at all. To put it more bluntly, it could show up right in front of us this very moment. The signs began appearing a week ago…. I'd been keeping watch from closer than usual, so I could report the collapse the second it happened."

That was when he'd spotted Ahriman and the Smith of Yado.

He murmured it quietly.

"I've met the Smith of Yado several times, so there was no way I'd mistake him. Ahriman… I'd never met, but I'd heard about it from Miss Ji-na, so I was certain the moment I saw it."

"What were the two of them doing?"

"Nothing at all. Just speaking with each other in front of Juno's seal. I couldn't tell what they were saying. Going any closer would have risked being noticed."

"And?"

"Ahriman vanished right after. The Smith of Yado seemed to stay where he was… and then, without warning, huge shards of ice began jutting up like thorns around the seal."

So he'd had no choice but to pull well back, Shu Rikerishu said, tipping his teacup elegantly.

"Those ice spikes have kept growing. Enough that I couldn't check the state of the seal any longer, and in the end I had to withdraw much further still. I decided it would be more useful to set up a base and wait, for my companions' sake."

"Smart."

Belluna, crunching on some cookies, nodded.

Once his account ended, Shu Rikerishu stepped aside, and every eye in the room naturally turned to Yu Ji-hyeok.

"For starters…"

He took a sip of coffee out of nerves and quietly began.

"We need to draw Juno as far out of the barrier as we can. There's no reason to fight it on ground that favors it. And we can't forget we're at the south pole right now."

He looked at Lee Ye-eun, then at Reto, Kritolki, and Kwakal.

"Same for everyone else, but noona and I especially will have a hard time using the World Tree in a place like this. And Reto and Mr. Kritolki, given their races, have trouble moving in the cold, and, uh… it was Mr. Kwakal, wasn't it?"

The gargoyle nodded.

Then he opened his mouth and answered in a quiet voice.

"I too, if I move too long in weather like this, freeze up and shatter."

"But honestly, isn't this bad for everyone here except me? Magic and blessings are hard to draw on, so on top of that they'll have to fight the cold here too."

Yu Ji-hyeok nodded at Belluna's words.

"Right. About the only ones who can move without any real restriction are me and you, Miss Belluna."

Having said that, he hesitated a moment and looked around.

It didn't take him long to decide that since most of the people in the room already knew he'd time-traveled, saying more wouldn't hurt, and he gave a nod.

"On top of which, that thing is probably going to come for me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the one who sealed it three hundred years ago."

At that, Belluna stared at him as if she were watching some wriggling worm.

And Jin Ye-seul, sitting beside Yu Ji-hyeok, narrowed her eyes and asked:

"…So Ji-hyeok, you're saying you'll play the bait?"

"That's right."

"It's dangerous."

"I know what you're worried about, Ye-seul. Still — you have to put out the tastiest bait if you want it to bite, right?"

Jin Ye-seul briefly clamped her mouth shut, working her lips.

"Then how about I change my appearance to yours instead, Ji-hyeok? I can copy the properties of your mana and everything too…"

"Then you'd be the one in danger, Ye-seul."

"Huh?"

He said it, looking Jin Ye-seul straight in the eye.

She stared back at him with a slightly stunned look.

"Pretend you never heard that. All right?"

"…Uh, yeah."

Jin Ye-seul slowly nodded and closed her mouth.

Choi Hyun-woo, who'd been watching quietly, raised his hand slightly.

"All right, so what should the rest of us do?"

"Prep."

"Prep?"

"Yeah. Prep to fight."

Yu Ji-hyeok let out a small sigh.

"Juno can tear pieces off its own body and turn them into copies. Unlike the copies we usually think of, those copies are pieces of the thing itself — you could call each of them Juno. So we can't afford to let a single one slip past us. And it's had three hundred years — it'll have stockpiled an insane amount of power in that time."

"……"

"Honestly, there's no way I can handle it alone. That's why I need everyone's help — yours included, Hyun-woo. If I could deal with it all by myself, do you think I'd have dragged everyone all the way out here?"

Yu Ji-hyeok said it, looking straight at Choi Hyun-woo.

Something in his words seemed to register — Choi Hyun-woo gave a sheepish, slightly awkward smile and nodded a little.

"Yeah."

That was all he said.

Yu Ji-hyeok looked around once more.

"For now, everyone — let's regroup. Just like Mr. Shu Rikerishu said, Juno could show up any minute."

The moment he finished, he began gathering his things to head out, and Lee Ye-eun, startled, looked over at him.

"Ji-hyeok — you're not going out now, are you?"

"I am. Don't worry too much. I'm just going to have a quick look around."

"Then take this before you go! It's really cold out there."

At the earmuffs Lee Yu-na had handed him, Yu Ji-hyeok let out a small laugh.

Soon after, he took a flashlight and a few other things from Shu Rikerishu and headed straight out.

He didn't forget to put on the earmuffs Yu-na had given him, either.

"…Hyun-woo."

Han Su-yeong, who hadn't spoken through the whole discussion, called quietly to Choi Hyun-woo beside her.

"What?"

"Have we ever, maybe, sat around like this on a snowy day before?"

"At home?"

"No, somewhere other than home. With people other than Master."

He shook his head.

"Nope. It's not like we ever went to a ski resort or anything. When it snowed, we came down from the mountain on purpose and stayed at Master's friend's place."

"Right, we did do that…"

Something about the way she seemed unsure made Choi Hyun-woo furrow his brow a little.

"What is it? Something wrong?"

"No…"

Han Su-yeong slowly shook her head.

She couldn't shake the déjà vu that something exactly like this had happened before.

The sensation was too vivid to write off as a trick of the mind, and she pressed her fingertips hard against the corners of her eyes, wondering all the while what on earth this feeling of off-ness was.

"It's nothing."

She murmured it quietly.

Not realizing that the book tucked in her clothes was quietly glowing.

[So — how are you planning to draw Juno out?]

Contrary to Sbeungali's expectations, I didn't have any real plan.

Clicking the flashlight on and off, I answered:

"I'll just wait."

[Just wait?]

"Yeah."

[You're saying that thing is definitely going to come for you? That's what you're thinking right now?]

"That's right."

[Well, aren't we confident. As Minerva said, this is a creature that's spent three hundred years grinding its teeth over you — it could well ambush you at any second, and yet you can be this laid-back about it?]

"I don't know…"

Even at Sbeungali's words, I just gave a shrug.

Right in front of me, a notification window had come up at a moment almost too on-the-nose to be real.

Veil of the Great Whale (???, ???)

A fragment of Venus's essence that had remained deep inside your body, on part of your soul, has been stirred by the presence of another Seven Calamity and is beginning to move!

Venus's power is beginning to settle within you!

Venus's power — the ability to move and swim without hindrance in any environment — has manifested in another form.

Her skin was tougher than anything, and she could erode and reshape the surroundings to suit herself.

It had also always kept its bearer safe from harm.

Now, it will guard you.

▸No curse or barrier can affect you.

▸Greatly increases your resistance to all magic and sorcery.

▸Upon entering combat, a mana-laden mist gradually forms around you. Inside this mist, all your stats rise, along with your chance to evade an opponent's attack.

▸Once per day, you can move within the mist without spatial constraint.

"Read this any way you like, it's telling me to quit hesitating and just fight."

Things had gone so smoothly that, if anything, it was starting to feel suspicious.

But I also knew perfectly well that, in the end, there was no way out of this situation other than fighting Juno and beating it.

[What in the world are you talking about?]

"Nothing."

I gave Sbeungali that answer and pulled something out of my clothes.

[…You.]

"I know, Minerva."

What I'd taken out was the Traveler's Guidestone.

The very thing I'd received as a reward for awakening Lee Yu-na.

"Didn't think it'd come this soon, myself."

It had clouded over into a haze.

Which meant danger was coming, and coming before long.

And right now, there was only one thing that would count as danger.