160 — The First Boundary

By the following morning, the coastline had become a controlled zone.

The change was visible from several kilometers away. Temporary barriers had been erected along the main roads leading toward the affected region, emergency shelters had been established for displaced residents, and teams of Awakeners were stationed at regular intervals along the coast. Helicopters moved between the settlements while monitoring drones circled above the newly formed crystalline structures. The Association had also deployed communication units to ensure that information from the local teams reached the central command without delay.

Yet despite the scale of the response, there was surprisingly little panic among the civilians who remained nearby. The previous day's events had been frightening, but there had been no mass attack, no destruction of the settlements, and no sudden appearance of an army of monsters. Most of the creatures that had emerged from the expanding territory had simply migrated toward the coast.

That made the situation more difficult to explain.

People understood enemies.

They understood dungeons.

They understood monsters that attacked cities.

What they did not understand was a territory that appeared to be developing beside them without immediately trying to destroy them.

Subin stood inside the temporary command center overlooking the coastline while Director Kang's holographic display showed the latest reports. The international team had gathered around the table, along with Diego, several local Association officials, and representatives from the regional government.

"The expansion has slowed considerably," Kang said. "The network has established thirty-two confirmed structures along the coast and another eleven underwater. No new structure has appeared within the last six hours."

Ara checked her tablet. "The formations are still active. Their internal energy hasn't decreased."

"Any monsters?"

"Several A and A+ creatures have moved into the newly established territory. Most are remaining near the water."

Kang looked at Subin. "And the Abyssal Tide Serpent?"

"Still offshore."

"Hostile?"

"No."

The director leaned back.

"Then we have a problem."

Min-seok raised an eyebrow. "Because it's not attacking?"

"Exactly."

A few people smiled, but Kang remained serious.

"If the creatures were attacking settlements, the response would be straightforward. We would establish combat zones, evacuate civilians, and eliminate the threat. Instead, we're dealing with something that may become a permanent ecological territory. That means every decision we make now could affect the region for years."

Rafael folded his arms.

"Which means the guilds will want access."

Several representatives around the table became visibly uncomfortable.

Rafael continued before anyone could interrupt him. "We already have three major guilds requesting permission to investigate the formations. Two of them have offered to finance the monitoring operation themselves."

"Of course they have," Jae-hyun muttered.

Rafael glanced at him. "They're not doing it out of charity."

"At least you're honest."

"They've seen the reports. New territory means new monsters, new materials, new resources, and possibly new dungeon routes. Every major guild understands that."

Subin remained silent for a moment.

He had expected this.

The valley dispute had been the first warning. Back then, several guilds had wanted exclusive access to a developing ecosystem. The argument had been contained because the territory was relatively small.

This was different.

The coastline stretched for hundreds of kilometers.

If the new territory continued expanding, the potential resources would be enormous.

And so would the competition.

Kang changed the display.

A map of the coastal region appeared.

"We have decided to establish three zones."

The first area was highlighted around the settlements.

"Zone One will be civilian territory. No monster hunting or dungeon operations will be permitted here without direct authorization."

The second area extended along the newly formed crystalline structures.

"Zone Two will be the observation region. Association teams, researchers, and authorized Awakeners may operate here."

The final area covered the offshore formations.

"Zone Three will remain restricted."

Min-seok nodded.

"That seems reasonable."

Rafael wasn't convinced.

"What about the guilds?"

"They can operate in Zone Two after receiving authorization," Kang said.

"Under whose supervision?"

"The Association."

Rafael gave a small smile. "That's going to cause arguments."

"It already has."

The room became quiet.

Kang changed the display again.

Several requests from guilds appeared on the screen.

One demanded exclusive rights to harvest materials.

Another requested permission to establish a permanent base near the crystalline formations.

A third wanted the Association to allow controlled hunting of A-rank monsters.

The requests were not illegal. Under ordinary dungeon regulations, guilds were allowed to compete for dungeon access, resources, and hunting rights.

But this was not an ordinary dungeon.

There was no established rule for a territory that was still forming.

Subin looked at the proposals.

"Don't approve any permanent claims."

Kang looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because we don't know what the territory will become."

Rafael nodded.

"Agreed."

Several people looked at him in surprise.

He continued, "If the formations move again, any permanent claim becomes meaningless. If the ecosystem expands inland, the boundaries will have to change. If the ocean territory becomes connected to another dungeon, the situation could change completely."

Subin looked at him.

"You've learned."

Rafael laughed.

"Your lectures are difficult to ignore."

The meeting continued for another hour, eventually producing a temporary agreement. No guild would receive exclusive ownership of the new territory. Resource collection would require authorization, and any A+ creature could only be engaged under Association supervision unless it directly threatened civilians.

The arrangement was imperfect.

Everyone knew that.

But it was enough to prevent the first conflict from becoming a fight between humans.

When the meeting ended, Subin stepped outside.

The morning air carried the smell of salt from the ocean. Beyond the temporary barriers, the crystalline structures stood among the rocks like enormous natural monuments. Their surfaces reflected the sunlight, but the interior light remained faintly visible.

Yerin joined him a few minutes later.

"You survived another meeting."

"Barely."

She smiled. "You looked more uncomfortable there than you did fighting the A+ predator."

"At least monsters don't argue over property rights."

Yerin laughed.

For a moment, they simply stood together and watched the sea.

Then Yerin's expression became more serious.

"Are you worried?"

"About the territory?"

"About what comes next."

Subin considered the question.

"Yes."

She looked at him.

"You're usually not worried."

"I am when I don't understand something."

Yerin nodded.

The difference was subtle but important. Subin had faced powerful monsters before. He could fight something stronger than himself, adapt to its movements, and eventually find a way to overcome it.

But a territory was different.

There was nothing to defeat.

Nothing to cut.

The problem was understanding how to coexist with something that would continue changing regardless of human decisions.

Before they could continue, a communication alert sounded.

Diego's voice came through.

"Subin, you need to come to the eastern observation station."

"What happened?"

"We found something."

Subin and Yerin immediately headed toward the station.

The eastern sector was several kilometers from the command center and bordered a rocky stretch of coastline. A group of Awakeners had gathered around one of the crystalline formations, but none of them had approached it.

Diego pointed toward the ground.

"Look."

At first, Subin saw nothing unusual.

Then he noticed the tracks.

They crossed the soil from the direction of the ocean and continued toward the crystalline formation.

The footprints belonged to a creature with six limbs.

Each print was nearly a meter wide.

"How recent?"

"Less than an hour."

Subin followed the tracks.

They ended at the base of the crystal.

There was no sign of the creature leaving.

Camila checked the surrounding area.

"It didn't go back toward the ocean."

"Could it have entered the formation?" Ara asked.

Diego shook his head.

"We checked the structure. There's no opening."

Subin crouched beside the tracks.

The soil around them was wet.

He touched it lightly.

Cold.

Much colder than seawater.

He looked toward the ocean.

Something had come out.

But it hadn't stayed on the surface.

Subin followed the trail around the crystal.

It disappeared.

He moved several meters farther.

Nothing.

Then he noticed a thin line in the ground.

A crack.

It was barely visible beneath the grass.

He touched it with the tip of his sword.

The ground opened.

A narrow passage appeared beneath the soil.

Everyone stepped back.

Subin stared into the opening.

A faint blue glow came from below.

Diego immediately shook his head.

"No."

Subin looked at him.

"We don't know where that goes."

"Exactly."

Rafael arrived at the station and looked into the opening.

"Yesterday we went underground because the passage already existed. This one just appeared."

Subin nodded.

"Which means something created it."

The group became silent.

A low vibration came from beneath the ground.

It was not loud enough to be called a roar.

It was closer to the sound of something enormous moving through a confined space.

The vibration passed beneath their feet and continued inland.

Ara's equipment suddenly activated.

Her eyes widened.

"The underground network just expanded."

"Where?"

She looked at the map.

"North."

Then she zoomed out.

The new route continued inland for almost forty kilometers before splitting into three separate branches.

One moved toward a mountain range.

Another followed an underground river.

The third moved toward a major city.

Everyone understood the significance immediately.

Subin's expression hardened.

"How far from the city?"

Ara checked again.

"Thirty-eight kilometers."

Rafael looked at the map.

"That's too close."

Subin nodded.

The coastal territory had changed the situation.

Until now, its expansion had followed the coastline, where the Association could establish controlled boundaries and evacuate settlements if necessary.

Now it had begun moving inland.

And one of its branches was heading directly toward a major population center.

Kang's voice came through the communication network.

"Subin, we need a response team."

Subin looked toward the underground passage.

"How large?"

"Large enough to protect the city, small enough not to provoke the territory."

Subin thought for a moment.

Then he looked at Yerin.

She immediately understood.

"I'll come."

Jae-hyun stepped forward. "Me too."

Min-seok joined them.

"If we're going underground again, you're not taking all the fun."

Ethan, Liu Wei, Ara, Rafael, and the others followed.

Subin looked at the group.

"Then we'll move together."

He turned toward the passage.

But before entering, he looked back at the crystalline formation.

The structure had been silent until now.

Then its inner light changed.

A second glow appeared beside the first.

Then a third.

The lights formed a path leading from the coastline toward the inland mountains.

Subin stared at them.

The territory was not merely expanding.

It was choosing routes.

And this time, one of those routes was leading toward human civilization.

He tightened his grip around Simple Edge and stepped into the passage with the others following behind.

The immediate objective was no longer to discover what the territory wanted.

It was to reach the city before the new frontier did.