Gwak Kyung-goo had two concerns as he climbed Hallasan.

One was the Class 0 students who would be accompanying him on the Seongpanak course, and the other was the weather.

Both were similar in that they could be considered natural disasters. The first, he knew, would be handled by Je-Gal Jae-Gul somehow, but the second was beyond anyone’s control, so he had to remain cautious.

The morning's short-term forecast from the meteorological agency had predicted clear skies over Jeju, but given the poor forecast accuracy due to otherworldly creatures, tribes, and higher beings, Gwak Kyung-goo wasn’t expecting much.

‘Jeju Island is the region with the highest annual rainfall in South Korea—it's a major dowji. And on top of that, the wind blows a lot.’

The thought of hiking Hallasan in the rain, getting drenched, or wrapping his body with energy to protect himself while consuming his mental energy was a dreadful one.

His friend Yeom Jun-yeol was also a bit worried, but even if a heavy downpour started right now, he thought it wouldn’t be a problem with Cheon Dong-ha and the bodyguards with them.

So Gwak Kyung-goo decided to focus on his own worries.

He didn’t show it, but he had already planned that if even a drop of rain fell, he would use the weather and safety as an excuse to head down the mountain.

Unfortunately, the weather remained perfect, without a single fault.

‘Ah, if I weren’t the student body president, I’d just stay at the accommodation and rest.’

Gwak Kyung-goo wandered along the trail, attempting to escape reality.

On the outside, he looked like a serious and contemplative figure, so others probably thought he was hiking with focus, as if on a pilgrimage.

But inside, he was already looking for an excuse to descend the mountain.

‘No wind, the weather was nice last night at sunset, no halo around the moon, and now there aren’t any clouds either.’

Gwak Kyung-goo recalled the Jeju proverbs about rain that he had read on signs placed around the tourist areas.

‘When the first wind blows, it will rain.’

The proverb said that when the east wind (saeboreum) blows, rain is expected, but there was no wind now.

‘When the sun sets and the colors of twilight mix with clouds, it will rain.’

This proverb indicated that if the sky turns hazy at sunset, it’s a sign of rain. However, nothing unusual had happened the previous night.

‘When the moon forms a halo, it will rain within three days.’

This proverb meant that if the moon has a halo, rain will come. But there was no moon halo last night.

‘When the neck of Hallasan is cut, it will rain.’

This proverb suggested that when clouds stretch across the sky like the cut neck of Hallasan, it will rain, but right now, there were no clouds in sight.

“We’re still far from the summit, but it feels like it’s right next to us. Right?”

Huh Chae-ah’s words made Gwak Kyung-goo turn his head.

As members of the self-government organization, the two were walking ahead of the rest.

Following Huh Chae-ah’s gaze, Gwak Kyung-goo could see the contours of Hallasan clearly, making it appear closer than it actually was.

Hearing her words, a Jeju proverb came to mind.

‘When the mountain seems close and the sea’s waves sound differently, it’s a sign of rain.’

‘Even if the sky is clear, if the sound of the ocean’s waves is different from usual and the mountain appears closer, it’s a sign of rain.’

While the mountain appearing clearly might seem to contradict the other proverbs, there was a scientific explanation for it.

Before the weather changes, the waves in the sea change in frequency, signaling a shift in weather patterns. Additionally, when a low-pressure system approaches, it becomes difficult for fog to form, and due to the humid air, dust doesn’t scatter, making distant objects more visible.

The coexistence of various proverbs about rain was possible because so many factors contribute to rainfall.

Just then, Gwak Kyung-goo’s device rang.

[Geum Chan-sol] "Garam has a stomach ache, so he's heading down. Je-Gal teacher will go with him. See you."

It was a half-hearted message.

It was clear that Je-Gal Jae-Gul had forced Geum Chan-sol to send it, as it felt like a message sent out of obligation rather than concern.

Although Gwak Kyung-goo wanted to ask for more details about why Garam was sick, he knew that even if he sent a message, it would probably be ignored, and no one would answer a call.

He just thought the Class 0 students must have picked up something strange while excited at the travel site, or that it was some sort of show to catch Je-Gal Jae-Gul’s attention.

Having dealt with the Class 0 students for several years, Gwak Kyung-goo was accustomed to such situations and simply scowled as he turned off the hologram.

“Gyeong-goo, what’s wrong?”

“Class 0 is heading down.”

Gwak Kyung-goo briefly explained the message’s contents.

He and Huh Chae-ah were on the same Seongpanak course as Class 0, but since they were walking at the front, they couldn’t see what was happening at the back.

Having witnessed Class 0’s antics since day one, Huh Chae-ah awkwardly smiled and suggested she had a guess.

“Yesterday, they were playing a game of luck to celebrate finishing their room's interior. They must be feeling a bit off.”

Hearing that, Gwak Kyung-goo had a somewhat foolish thought.

After immediately falling asleep after his patrol yesterday, Gwak Kyung-goo knew Class 0 had done something crazy the previous night but didn’t know the details.

‘Maybe I should’ve joined them for a bite yesterday? Then I would’ve been heading down now. If so, I could’ve called Myeong-su hyung during the rainy time and asked him to treat me to a meal...’

As Gwak Kyung-goo imagined himself eating black pig meat, Huh Chae-ah checked the back of the line with her Insight skill.

Since they still had a long way to go, she didn’t want to waste her energy, so she used the skill just to quickly glance at the situation without going into too much detail.

“Class 0 has started heading down. With Je-Gal Jae-Gul teacher there, they should be fine...”

“I’m not sure about the circumstances, but you should stop using your skill for now!”

At that moment, a third-year student, fully equipped like a professional mountaineer, interrupted Huh Chae-ah’s words.

This student, belonging to a hiking club, was somewhat familiar with Huh Chae-ah, the president of the club, and seemed to be overly excited during the hike.

“Geologically speaking, Hallasan is an active volcano. If it has volcanic activity within the last 10,000 years, it’s classified as active.”

“I know that. But what does that have to do with using skills?”

“Exactly. Volcanic activity is related to the ley lines. And energy manipulation can stimulate those ley lines. So, it’s better not to use any skill unless absolutely necessary.”

Although only Eun-kwang High students were using this trail today, since it was still a public space, it seemed like the student was advising them to refrain from using energy manipulation, but there seemed to be a deeper reason behind it.

Huh Chae-ah, deep in thought, was pondering the words when another student who was walking nearby rebutted.

“Even so, humans can’t control ley energy, right? Without the help of higher beings or tribes, we wouldn’t even be able to respond to the ley energy by causing a disturbance with our skills, right?”

“Exactly, whether we use Gwanglim or any other skills at Eun-kwang High, there won’t be any real issues.”

The students walking in the group each added their opinions.

Since the third-year students were preparing for exams and interviews, they were knowledgeable about current affairs.

Naturally, the topic of discussion shifted to ‘the efforts humanity has made to handle ley energy.’

“So now, all the corporations with otherworldly industries are trying to join the ley energy terminal business.”

“Exactly. To handle ley lines and use ley energy, capital and technology have to be poured in.”

“If the ley energy terminal business goes through, we might even solve the issues with the 1GG commercialization that’s not going well right now.”

Although the students weren’t really holding a debate, the conversation topic shifted rapidly, but it seemed the conclusion was forming.

Since it’s nearly impossible for humans to control ley energy on their own, using skills during the hike wouldn’t cause a problem.

Even Gwak Kyung-goo, who was just listening, inwardly agreed with the conclusion, but the opinion from the student in the hiking club was slightly different.

“Yeah, we may not be able to control ley lines, but we can stimulate them. For example, wild animals can’t use devices, but they can destroy them.”

“From the perspective of tribes or higher beings who can handle ley lines, are we considered wild animals?”

“No, why twist my words like that! But I guess the comparison is somewhat correct. If you can’t handle ley energy, you’re like wild animals.”

The student, who was upset at being compared to a wild animal, grumbled, but no one paid much attention.

What the student from the hiking club said was interesting and dangerous at the same time.

“Anyway, even though we lack an understanding of ley energy, in unstable areas like active volcanoes, energy manipulation can easily stimulate the ley lines. So, it’s best to avoid using any skills while hiking active volcanoes.”

“Why not just hike in a non-active volcano?”

“You’ll think differently once you see Baengnokdam! No, you’ll understand even if you just look at the azalea fields.”

The conversation topic shifted again.

The students, who had been listening to the discussion, continued hiking while trying to avoid leaking their energy.

But a few students, who had been paying close attention, realized something.

The theoretical idea that a player’s skills could stimulate ley lines, potentially triggering volcanic eruptions, was a dangerously useful piece of knowledge.

‘There are always people who blame players for natural disasters.’

The power of a strong player was, in itself, a disaster or a miracle.

There were even players who could trigger earthquakes or tsunamis through their Gwanglim connected to higher beings.

Such players were rare, and the public was well aware of this.

But if it became widely known that even players without such immense power could trigger disasters with their skills, people would start to blame players for every incident.

‘If a volcanic eruption starts right now, could Eun-kwang High students be blamed as the cause?’

Gwak Kyung-goo’s mind began to race as he thought he just wanted to get to the accommodation quickly.

He tried to tell himself that he was just imagining the worst-case scenario, but this was actually something that could happen.

At Plumago, after Yeom Jun-yeol’s death, Yeom Jun-yeol and the Eun-kwang High students were blamed for causing the volcanic eruption.

Beeeeep!

At that moment, an alarm went off from the students' devices.

It was the alarm from the association, notifying them of an otherworldly event.

“What? If an otherworldly event happens on the island, shouldn’t we evacuate?”

“Jeju Island is three times the size of Seoul. Just because an otherworldly event happens in Seoul doesn’t mean all the citizens evacuate. Depending on the location and rarity, it might just be a standby order.”

“The distance... it’s quite far. We’re far from it.”

The rarity was rated R, and it was far from ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) their current location.

Since the rarity was low, it seemed there hadn’t been any signs of the event beforehand.

No evacuation orders were given for the area they were in, and no requests for support from the Eun-kwang High students had been received.

It was essentially an alert for a small fire in a distant building.

‘There’s no strong reason to stop the schedule now. But why does it feel so ominous?’

As Gwak Kyung-goo was lost in thought, it seemed like there wasn’t just one low-rarity event. The device alarms kept ringing multiple times.

Huh Chae-ah used her Insight skill to check if there was any chance of an otherworldly event occurring nearby.

Suddenly, Huh Chae-ah stared out toward the distant sea.

“I feel like the sound of the waves has gotten louder...”

At that moment, the satellite alarms that had been intermittently ringing among the students suddenly stopped.

It wasn’t because the otherworldly events had been resolved or that no more were happening.

The students realized that their devices could no longer receive satellite information.