Chapter 89

Chapter 89
## Chapter 89: The Eternal Cycle

Watching the desperate souls hurl themselves into the roaring radiance of the Paradox Flame within the massive cauldron triggered a whirlwind of complex thoughts.

“It feels like a scene straight out of scripture.”

Han Sang-ah had been observing the spectacle with a distant look before dropping a joke that actually managed to pull a dry laugh out of me.

“Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

“Doesn’t it look like a mass baptism by fire? That’s an image that crops up constantly in the New Testament.”

“I didn’t peg you for the religious type.”

Han Sang-ah shrugged at my observation.

“I’m not, personally. But my grandfather was a man of intense, albeit specific, faith.”

“That old fox?”

She nodded in confirmation.

“He frequented a particular cathedral—one where the pews were usually packed with high-ranking ministers and industry titans.”

“Right, so it was less about salvation and more about the guest list.”

It figured. Prayer and piousness weren’t his goals; he was there to broaden his network. The man always had an eye for the long game.

“It’s a world worth visiting if you have the spare time. The church my grandfather belongs to expects a ‘voluntary’ tithe for an elder position ranging between 200 and 300 million won.”

Good grief, that’s a ransom. In the old days, even the most prestigious institutions didn’t ask for more than three million for a titled position. Regardless, the business of the heavens isn’t my concern.

“Many high-ranking hunters lean on some form of religion.”

Whether they are truly devout or just maintaining a wholesome public image is anyone’s guess. It’s irrelevant to the task at hand.

“I actually have a pretty spicy bit of gossip regarding that,” Jeong Oh-hoon interjected, cracking into a bag of peanuts he’d found somewhere.

“A rumor?”

He flashed a mischievous, knowing smirk.

“We can save it for the campfire. It’s nothing world-shaking, just a good story to tell over drinks.”

I decided we needed to focus on the immediate crisis. The night had grown heavy, and we were scheduled to resume our search at the break of dawn. If luck was on our side, we’d locate the Jaun Valley Erosion Core by tomorrow.

After a quick meal and a rudimentary wash, we fell into a heavy sleep. When the first rays of light began to crest the horizon, we checked our gear and moved back toward the ruins of Changchun City.

“Nothing has changed.”

The oppressive, violet haze draped over the Changchun City region remained motionless, a suffocating shroud that swallowed every landmark.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

Headhunter, initiating navigational assistance from this point forward.

The primary targets for our three-man scouting party were the myriad lakes and reservoirs scattered throughout the Changchun City interior. Based on the final transmissions from the hunters who vanished before the signals died, the fog appeared to be hemorrhaging from these specific bodies of water.

“This is getting intense.”

Guided by the remote operators, we arrived at a lake on the city’s periphery. A cluster of about five similar lakes sat in close proximity.

“What is this, the threshold of the underworld?”

Massive plumes of thick, purple vapor erupted from the churning, boiling surface of the lake.

If you took 600,000 people and had them exhale clouds from electronic cigarettes simultaneously, it might mimic this sight. The density was staggering.

It wasn’t even hyperbole—the fog felt substantial enough that you could reach out, grab a handful, and mold it like clay.

“It’s no wonder standard respirators and elemental resistances are failing.”

We had been briefed on these lakes via maps and operator data, but the fog functioned like heavy blackout drapes, making precise navigation a nightmare.

“Let’s move in.”

The moment we stepped into the mist, a chorus of coughing broke out among us, as if we’d practiced the timing. Jeong Oh-hoon, looking clearly rattled, gestured toward the Paradox Flame swirling around his head.

“Hey, this thing is actually going to protect us in this soup, right?”

Rather than wasting breath on an answer, I intensified the output of the Paradox Flame. The roaring heat vaporized the toxins lurking within the encroaching mist.

“It’s just the heavy moisture making you cough.”

There was no active poison yet. It was like the steam therapy at an apothecary that tickles the throat, or the heavy air of a wet sauna.

“We’re perfectly fine for now.”

“Can’t you just incinerate the whole area? You’re already stripping the fog of its lethal traits. If the toxins in the entire vicinity lost their potency, would there be a downside?”

I shook my head at Han Sang-ah’s inquiry.

“Even if something appears useless, forcing it to vanish entirely creates a vacuum. Since we’re in China, I’ll give you a local history lesson: The Great Leap Forward.”

Most people remember it as the “sparrow eradication campaign.”

Sparrows were labeled as pests.

And everyone knows the ecological disaster that followed, right?

“Think about mercury, acid, radiation, or industrial coolant… what happens to the world if they suddenly lose their defining properties?”

I have to restrict my influence to what I can maintain. I won’t risk triggering a chain reaction I can’t stop.

“Let’s begin the sweep.”

It seemed the local spectral entities—those translucent, Casper-like ghosts—had been waiting for us.

Spirits darted out of the violet gloom, emitting shrill, discordant cries as they circled our group. However, they lacked the power to actually harm us physically.

Instead, roughly 33% of them attempted to possess my body, only to be incinerated into nothingness the moment they touched my aura. Every so often, a poltergeist would attempt a physical strike…

But such petty attacks couldn’t draw blood. Their primary weapon is psychological warfare, and once their mental intrusion fails, they are effectively neutralized. It’s basic logic.

“Nothing of note here.”

Having finished our inspection, we prepared to exit the lakeside.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

Incorrect heading.

Navigating the wall of fog, I stopped mid-stride at the operator’s warning. Impossible. I hadn’t lost my bearings.

“Chan-seok, are you sure you didn’t take a wrong turn?”

Noticing my grim expression, Jeong Oh-hoon spoke up. My reply was sharp and short.

“Jeong, I don’t make mistakes on something as fundamental as direction.”

I had spent countless hours drilling the importance of spatial awareness into both him and Han Sang-ah. Me losing my way?

I had navigated a gargantuan labyrinth filled with thousands of mirrors without once losing my sense of north.

“I’m with Yoo Chan-seok on this. There’s no way he just walked the wrong way.”

Something was meddling with us. After staring intensely at the terrain for a moment, I clicked my tongue in frustration.

“Dammit, I finally see you.”

I had detected the microscopic threads of mana woven through the earth like invisible silk. The combination of the heavy fog and the swarming ghosts had masked it, especially since the energy was spread so incredibly thin.

“It’s a spatial loop.”

A massive magic array designed to funnel travelers back to their starting point. The “low mana” reading was only because of how wide the distribution was—the total energy required to maintain this was astronomical.

The active diameter of this circle was at least 5km in every direction.

It was like gold-leafing the entire landscape with mana. No wonder it remained hidden. The craftsmanship was disturbingly precise.

It felt like looking at a masterpiece carved into the tip of a lead pencil.

“There is definitely a high-level monster shell guarding the Erosion Core.”

But this discovery gave me leverage. I immediately pressed my comms button.

“I believe I can triangulate the Erosion Core’s exact coordinates. Order the other hunting parties to retreat to Harbin.”

If I backtracked the flow of the circle, I’d find the source. No common ghost could deploy a trap this sophisticated and stealthy.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

Understood. Disseminating tactical update.

After thirty minutes of intense mental labor trying to reverse-engineer the circle’s path, the operator’s voice returned, sounding uncharacteristically shaken.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

All active hunter units are confirmed disoriented. They are looping in their respective sectors.

“Hell.”

I had a bad feeling about that. It wasn’t just a localized 5km trap after all.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

Panic is spreading among the ranks. Even with protective gear, the exposure limits are approaching.

The hunters were trapped in a labyrinth of fog with a countdown hanging over their heads. They were all too aware of what happens when the fog finally breaches their defenses.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

Casualty rates have increased by 5%. More hunters have succumbed to mental interference. Other squads are… neutralizing the possessed, but morale is collapsing.

The array primarily utilized auditory and visual hallucinations to break their will. Fortunately, the operators were still tracking them via GPS, trying to steer them true.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

Proceed directly left from your current mark.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

Shift fifty meters to the right.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

Advance northwest at thirty-five degrees.

I froze the moment those instructions hit my ears.

“You bastard.”

The headset was screaming multiple, conflicting sets of directions. I had heard three distinct voices. That meant two were fabrications, and only one was legitimate.

“It’s interfering with the comms.”

This wasn’t electronic jamming—it was the array mimicking the operators’ voices through localized hallucinations to sabotage our exit.

“Can you distinguish between them?”

“I can.”

A hallucination doesn’t sound exactly like a real voice. More specifically, a hallucination is a construct of mana, leaving behind a faint, detectable residue. The problem? Most people can’t sense or isolate that frequency.

I’m the exception. Because I manipulate ambient mana directly, my sensitivity to its presence far outstrips any other hunter. That’s my edge.

“Breaking out on our own doesn’t solve the bigger problem.”

We had 250 reserves waiting in Harbin… but there were over 600 hunters currently caught in this snare. If the spirits possessed the lot of them, they would become an army turned against us.

I kept my gaze fixed on the mana pulsing through the dirt. I might not be able to construct an array this complex, but dismantling one? That was well within my wheelhouse.

After analyzing the structure of the loop, I spat on the ground in disgust.

“To shatter this thing, I have to find and neutralize twenty-four anchor points.”

“There are eight other teams in Jaun Valley besides us. Instead of trying to break the whole system, shouldn’t we just link up and guide them out? It seems more direct.”

Han Sang-ah offered her perspective immediately.

“We could just get caught in a secondary loop while trying to gather everyone.”

Jeong Oh-hoon countered, and his logic was sound. Furthermore…

“Both of you are still vulnerable to the hallucinations.”

They might believe they are following my lead, only to realize too late that they’ve walked off into the void alone.

“I’m the only one who knows what’s real.”

With the situation deteriorating, we had to move fast.

“Give me an estimate. How long can the other hunters last?”

My question was met with a chaotic blend of real reports and phantom voices screaming through my ear-piece. You think you’re clever, you pathetic circle?

I instantly filtered for the genuine operator and listened intently, then let out a sharp whistle.

“Three hours? That’s tighter than I thought.”

Damn, that’s a “sprint through the fire” timeline.

“Why so short? The sulfur bug gear is rated for fifteen hours, and the resistance specialists should have even more time.”

Frustrated, I relayed the operator’s grim reality to my companions.

“Some of these idiots are following the phantom voices instead of the real ones.”

And there was one more looming disaster.

“Where are those fake voices leading them? Right into the centers of the lakes nearest to their positions.”

Jeong Oh-hoon hissed a curse under his breath.

“So, what’s the move?”

“Do you know the simplest way to ignore a hallucination of the eyes or ears?”