Chapter 15 : The City Beneath the Roots

It had already been 30 years since the Abyss opened.

There was a reason humanity had only managed to explore up to the 18th layer so far.

Simply surviving on the surface was a struggle.

Though they succeeded in harvesting Nectar and producing energy bars, it took additional time before these could be reliably distributed to all of humanity.

Naturally, many still starved, and civilization regressed several steps during that period.

It was only after humanity could take care of itself that the exploration of the Abyss truly began.

Layers 1 to 3 were safe zones.

While there were plants and insects, no dangerous monsters roamed. The 1st and 2nd layers were filled with factories dedicated to Nectar supply, and the 3rd layer housed various facilities.

[Arrived at Layer 3.]

And as Yuseong descended to the 3rd layer, a bustling city appeared, no different from those on the surface.

“Where are you headed? Need a taxi?”

“No, I’m fine.”

There were even taxi drivers soliciting customers near the gate.

While weapons weren’t allowed, personal combustion engines and other safety equipment were permitted this far in.

“Special Exploration Autonomous City.”

This was the smallest metropolitan administrative district in Korea.

What set this place apart most from cities on the surface was that it had no sky.

Instead, the sky was covered by enormous roots resembling those of a colossal tree.

Between the gaps in those roots, a pale light shone, illuminating the city.

“A sky I’ve missed.”

The roots that covered the sky sprouted from the ground.

Those roots, which looked like a giant tree, stretched from the surface all the way up to the ceiling of the 3rd layer.

Those roots extended down to the 1st layer.

An upside-down World Tree.

Humans harvested Nectar from the roots of that World Tree.

The World Tree planted its roots in the upper layers of the Abyss, and its trunk was at the very bottom.

That colossal upside-down tree served as a compass for direction anywhere in the Abyss.

“That way, huh.”

This Special Exploration Autonomous City was where Yuseong had spent even more time than on the surface.

The terrain was familiar, and the path to the destination was obvious.

Among the countless roots, the thickest one was where he was headed.

“Better change clothes first.”

***

Before heading to the destination, Yuseong stopped by Cheonghwa’s Support Office.

Several surface companies had expanded into the Special Exploration Autonomous City, and there was a branch that supported Cheonghwa-affiliated explorers.

“Since you’ve registered as an affiliated explorer, you may now freely use our support office.”

“Is this my private room, then?”

“Yes. The President has given special orders to add and renovate facilities here.”

The Cheonghwa employee’s excitement was unmistakable.

Though Cheonghwa sponsored explorers, there were ranks even among those sponsored.

Explorers with lower achievements had limited support.

But recently, the President himself had made a direct call.

He ordered special support for the new rookie Baek Yuseong.

“Well, the personal storage will be completely remodeled with perfect Vacuum Freezing Preservation. The bakery… we’ll build that just as you want. Please tell me separately about the utensils to be placed in the bakery.”

“Oh, that sounds great. I’ll tell you now.”

“Ah, yes.”

Yuseong began to rapidly list his requests.

“Make sure the ventilation system is good. Large-capacity ovens and brushes, pots for one person, four, and ten, three frying pans, one thick cast-iron pan, a fruit dehydrator, yogurt maker, large refrigerator, kimchi refrigerator, fryer, two cutting boards…”

The employee gave up trying to take notes by hand and turned on a recording device.

Truthfully, he had a hard time fully understanding all the equipment Yuseong requested.

“Does the President have some hidden craftsmanship…?”

Otherwise, there was no way the President would order all of Yuseong’s conveniences to be arranged, especially since many requests seemed unrelated to exploration.

“Well, let’s stop here for now. We can discuss the rest later.”

“Yes, yes.”

The employee visibly relaxed at the prospect of postponing the remaining demands. It seemed they would have to request additional budget from headquarters.

Moreover, most of the equipment would have to be specially manufactured later at Cheonghwa’s Lab.

“Then, I wish you a successful exploration.”

“Thanks.”

After receiving the employee’s farewell, Yuseong stepped outside.

He was already suited up in his exploration suit for entering the Abyss.

“Not bad at all.”

Before receiving the suit, Yuseong had secretly worried that it might be the deep blue color of Cheonghwa’s logo.

But the suit was much more sophisticated than he expected.

Its colors were a simple blend of charcoal gray and black, and the Cheonghwa logo on the shoulder identified his affiliation.

“Heat resistance, cold protection, automatic hemostasis when injured, some degree of defense against sharp objects, and strength assistance.”

The purpose of wearing the suit was simple.

It was to increase the survival rate of explorers who had to enter the Abyss bare-handed.

Since they couldn’t wear heavy medieval-style armor, modern technology had been used to create a suit that acted as armor.

“This kind of suit is more than enough for a Grade 0 explorer.”

Such advanced suits were not available to just anyone.

Low-grade explorers usually wore outdated armor they made themselves, much less a proper suit.

Unless you belonged to a decent guild or had sponsorship, few explorers even had a Grade 0 suit.

Moreover, the weapons he carried and the preservation backpack on his back were also top-quality.

Passersby were already casting glances at Yuseong’s appearance.

“I’ve been noticed for being shabby before.”

In his previous life, he had lived like a sickly beggar.

He was mostly met with contempt and ridicule.

This time, however, he was receiving an entirely different kind of attention.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Yuseong quickened his pace.

He finally arrived at the heart of the 3rd layer—the place with the largest World Tree root.

Though called a root, it was as thick as a sizable building.

Countless smaller roots sprouted around it, obscuring the ground.

Because of the land made of those small roots, as many people as the number of roots had gathered here.

This was the entrance to the lower layers.

Many were going down and coming up from below.

“Move aside! Patient here!”

Some injured explorers had returned, and medical staff escorted them through.

Outside, this might have drawn attention, but most people passed by indifferently.

This was a place where life and death intertwined in a palpable way.

Yuseong pushed through the crowd and approached the root.

Before entering the 4th layer, there was something every explorer had to do.

Several people with intentions similar to Yuseong’s were already standing around the root.

Yuseong placed his palm on the World Tree root.

He felt magical energy flowing out from his palm.

[Register Achievement Monument?]

Yuseong silently nodded.

[First registration.]

[An achievement monument already exists. Would you like to view it?]

When he nodded again, words appeared on the surface of the root he was facing.

[Baek Yuseong]

ㅡ Mythic Hidden Achievement ‘Predator of Time’ (Private)

ㅡ Legendary Achievement ‘Double Gift’

As expected, achievements he had attained before his return disappeared, except for ‘Predator of Time’.

However, from the moment the achievement monument was registered, one hidden mythic and two legendary achievements were recorded.

Since one was a Hidden Achievement, it was kept private, but the second—‘Double Gift’—was open for anyone to view.

“Double Gift will be set to private as well.”

[Achievement ‘Double Gift’ has been set to private.]

But Yuseong had no intention of revealing these two achievements to others.

‘Predator of Time’ was obvious, and ‘Double Gift’ wouldn’t benefit him to be known.

“If I make it public, chaos will break loose.”

Explorers who neither had sponsors nor belonged to a guild had various ways to raise their market value.

One of the most legitimate methods was to erect an achievement monument to decorate their accomplishments.

An achievement monument, viewable by all, was essentially a transparent resume.

When an achievement was obtained, various benefits were granted.

Though rare, some like ‘Two Hearts’ doubled all resistances.

At minimum, ability scores would be guaranteed to rise.

In other words, the flashier the achievement monument, the more proven the explorer’s strength.

[Achievement Monument registration complete.]

Drrrrr.

As Yuseong registered his achievement monument, a small root sprouted from the ground.

Each of the small roots people stepped on here was someone’s achievement monument.

“Uh…”

But the newly created monument for Yuseong stood out remarkably.

Most other monuments were about the size of a person’s forearm, but his was as thick as a grown man’s torso.

It emitted a subtle glow and seemed to compete with the other monuments like a snake.

Its path wasn’t normal either, stretching endlessly.

Naturally, all the explorers’ gazes landed on Yuseong and his monument.

“What’s that…”

“Is he famous? Don’t know.”

“Well, famous or not, that’s definitely a first monument.”

“Yeah… true.”

A new achievement monument appearing meant someone had registered an achievement monument for the first time.

Usually, most started without any achievements.

At best, they had a few low-level achievements.

But Yuseong’s monument was extraordinary from the start. Just by looking, it was clear he had accomplished many great feats.

“So… is this what happens when you start with one legend and one mythic achievement?”

His monument was clearly not inferior to those of established explorers.

He was fortunate to have quickly set those achievements to private.

Yuseong turned away from the staring crowd and headed toward the gate to the 4th layer.

Still, it seemed no one yet recognized his name.

“Hey, aren’t you Baek Yuseong?”

He thought so, but apparently not.

Yuseong glanced back with a faint smile.

A group of about five men stood there.

They didn’t wear proper suits, but all had matching equipment.

Their shoulders bore the Red Eye guild badge.

The man who called Yuseong had a scar running across one side of his face, giving him a rough appearance.

Yuseong gathered all the information with a short glance and answered softly.

“No.”

“Huh? But you really look like him… Hey, what’s this?”

Still, Yuseong ignored him coolly and strode toward the gate.

“Hey, he ignored me after I called him?”

The man who recognized Yuseong was flustered, but Yuseong didn’t even look back.

At that moment, Yuseong’s stomach growled loudly. Hunger was unstoppable.

In the end, the Red Eye guild members could only watch from a distance as Yuseong entered the gate.

“Ha, what a guy…”

The man who tried to act friendly to Yuseong was in a foul mood and slammed his club down.

His comrades snickered at him.

“Don’t split up, you idiots.”

“Heh heh, Byeong Jae, why embarrass yourself like that?”

“No, I just greeted him, but he acts like some celebrity or something? No manners.”

His name was Go Byeong Jae, a member of the Red Eye guild.

Red Eye was a somewhat dirty guild from the start, with a notorious reputation.

Go Byeong Jae and his comrades were basically rough thugs.

“Just wait till I see him again, I’ll…”

“But you caught Jeong Rae. How are you supposed to handle this alone?”

“Shut up, you really believe that?”

“Whatever, let’s hurry to see Jangnim. We have a raid to prepare.”

Go Byeong Jae fell silent at that and started moving toward the meeting place with the others.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

“Wait, did that guy go down alone?”

He was too annoyed at being ignored to pay attention.

But Yuseong had definitely gone down the gate alone. No companions in sight.

Though it wasn’t impossible, explorers who descended into the Abyss alone were rare.

Even if he was a Cheonghwa-sponsored hopeful… no, precisely because he was a hopeful, he should have brought comrades or at least an Operator.

A colleague who heard Go Byeong Jae’s muttering handed him a cigarette.

“Someone else’s probably waiting down there.”

“Yeah, probably.”

No one in their right mind would think Yuseong was exploring alone.

Such fools were rare in this world.