Thanks a lot for this. My throat was scratchy, and you even got me a beer—I'm honestly not sure how to react. What's your name... huh? Kim Soohyun? No way—from Small Town Mule? Of course I've heard of you! That story from the Cave of Screams is legendary... Hehe. Meeting a celebrity and even getting treated to beer, I can't just sit back and do nothing. Alright then. Let me tell you a story. Wanna hear it?
Hmm? You're good? Wait, wait. Just hear me out, even just a bit. I'm sure it'll catch your interest. They say even the Soul Commander—yeah, the one shaking things up in the big city—got their powers from the Rite of Passage. Right, that soul commander. Everyone in Whole Plane goes through it, right? Now sit. Let me explain. The Rite of Passage is one of the places where angels have meddled the most.
There's quite a bit of backstory there too. Think about it—everyone's just trying to survive back then. Who'd voluntarily wander around a monster-filled area for seven days? But there were some crazy folks who did. They scoured the entire map like they were having the time of their lives for a whole week. Naturally, that raises the odds of running into the boss monster from the Rite. Huh? What do I mean? You've never met it? Wow, Kim Soohyun, you must've done things by the book. What I mean is... can I get another beer first? Hehe... Thanks!
Try to remember. You definitely recall the yellow roofs and blue roofs, right? Yeah. Yellow means rest rooms, blue are save points. First thing you see inside is the warning sign, right? Rest rooms—you can't stay more than a day. Save points—not more than two days. Any longer and the boss monster will show up with 100% certainty. Ugh, still gives me chills. That alien-looking thing chomping people down like they're snacks...
*
Yeah, I met it. What did I do? Ran for my life, obviously. Funny thing is, apart from starting points, rest rooms, and save points, there's one more. Never heard of it? Figures. Where is it?
If you cross through the forest on the outskirts of the map, there's a big road. I still remember how bumpy it was. But you can't go down—it's crawling with Wraiths. So you have to go up, and eventually you reach a city. But honestly, who'd go that far? People don't even want to enter the forest. And even if you make it into the city, hardly anyone comes out alive. That's what they call a Trap Point. A literal trap.
The Trap Point city has all the modern facilities and food you could want. It reminds people of Earth. It plays on your psychology in such a clever way that you really don't want to leave.
Warning signs? Yeah, they're there—but they're different from the others. So simple, you'd think they're nothing. That's how sneaky it is. People settle in because it feels safe. They think, Hey, I can last seven days here just fine. The moment they settle in, it's over.
After the second day, on the third... you can guess what happens, right? Heh. Huh? How do I know all this? Haha... who knows. Let's just drink some more.
By afternoon, the sky was growing dark. It wasn't quite early evening, but something in between. The forest seemed darker than usual, and with those gloomy clouds hanging above, I worried it might pour.
As I walked the uneven road, I grew increasingly anxious, waiting for a village to appear. I figured I should speed up. With a simple channeling of magic through my legs, I picked up the pace. As I hurried, I recalled the moment I used my third eye to look into the past.
It was just a second-long flash, but from what I saw, I could roughly guess what had happened to my party. Ahn Hyun was running, having dropped both sword and shield, with An Sol on his back. He looked incredibly urgent.
Behind them, Lee Yoo-jung had a conflicted expression. Was she worried? Angry? It was hard to tell as she chased after Ahn Hyun. Only Kim Han-byul had a calm look as she picked up the discarded sword and shield, bringing up the rear.
Clearly, some kind of ambush or incident had struck the group, and something had happened to An Sol in particular. So, I followed the direction Ahn Hyun had run. The path seemed well-trodden, and I was sure it would lead to a village. There was a high chance I'd reunite with the group there.
What on earth could've attacked them so suddenly? What had happened to make them run like that? My curiosity was spiraling. But I knew I wouldn't find answers by guessing, so I focused on walking faster.
Suddenly, a cold drop landed on my cheek. I paused, looked up, and saw raindrops coming down toward my face.
Plip. Plop. Plip. Plop.
I reflexively wiped the water off my cheek. I really hoped to reach a village before the real downpour began. Luckily, my prayers seemed to work—off in the distance, I spotted a cluster of buildings close enough to recognize with enhanced sight.
The party definitely went into that village. But monsters sometimes lurk in villages too, so I worried whether they made it safely. Maybe I should've dealt with things right away instead of wasting time.
The drops were falling thicker now, dotting the road. I didn't want to slog through muddy terrain. Slowing down, I walked steadily toward the village, scanning with magic. As I sensed the area, I suddenly stopped.
"What... what is this?"
The words slipped out before I knew it. I steadied myself and scanned more precisely, but the result was the same. Alarmed, I surged forward with a burst of magic and quickly entered the village. When I reached the entrance, I saw modern buildings—and my jaw dropped.
"A building from Earth... in the Rite of Passage?"
Just as I thought, my party was here. I sensed all four of them in one spot. That wasn't the issue. I was confused for two reasons. First, I couldn't sense any monster presence in the city. Second, the entire city was filled with modern buildings.
Cities in Whole Plane don't have modern architecture. They look like medieval towns. I remember how hard it was to adjust to that during my first Rite. But now, right before my eyes, were buildings straight out of Earth.
I was overwhelmed, but forced myself to calm down and assess the situation. The first task for new entrants in Whole Plane is adjusting to life here.
Compared to Earth with its advanced science, life in Whole Plane wasn't convenient. That's why even the Rite of Passage mimics that lifestyle with intentionally primitive buildings—to help users adapt. But this... this was unheard of.
Unless the angels had gone collectively insane, they wouldn't put a city like this in the Rite. Yet, no matter how hard I blinked, the city didn't change. That meant the angels were clearly up to something. And then it hit me—the story I'd heard from a swordsman in a tavern came to mind.
"The Trap Point city has all the modern amenities and plenty of food. It plays on people's longing for Earth. It's so cleverly made you won't want to leave."
With that, everything made sense. But before explaining Trap Points, I should explain boss monsters. Simply put, you can't defeat boss monsters in Whole Plane. Many have seen them, but everyone agrees: they're unbeatable. You have to run.
Boss monsters spawn under one condition—stay more than one day in a rest room, or more than two in a save point, and they will appear. It's basically the angels' way of saying: don't get comfortable. Keep moving.
I felt goosebumps. I finally understood why the city was empty and quiet when I got here. I also realized why, despite the high skill level of my party, only An Sol was left on Whole Plane—they must've encountered a boss monster.
Letting out a deep sigh, I entered the city fully. These buildings I hadn't seen in ten years stirred some nostalgia, but finding the party came first.
Inside the city, gray buildings loomed all around. Their dim glow felt like a mocking welcome to the dark city.
Only someone who's been through it would sense the thick scent of death here. Just how many people had died in these buildings?