It was difficult to fully grasp the meaning.
They understood why the Transcendents were hostile, but harming even humans?
Liana and Sharen looked at Nameless with puzzled expressions.
In contrast, for Isaac, it was the moment the strange sense of discomfort he had been harboring turned into certainty.
"The reason these people are called sinners is—"
"Ahem, there are too many people passing by here."
Isaac's words were cut off.
Peddlers were coming down the long road toward the village in the distance.
They were quiet, and their steps were heavy.
The atmosphere they gave off resembled pilgrims more than merchants.
Their hunched backs, burdened by the weight of some great task, made that especially clear.
"There's a place where we can speak more quietly. Let's go there."
The livestock barn came to mind immediately.
Northern soldiers were probably waiting there, and it made sense for everyone to hear about the village together.
"Nureumdol, stay and wait here."
"…Can I leave now?"
"Want to taste of sorcery?!"
"Eek! I-I'm sorry!"
Sharen waved her finger like a wand through the air.
Nureumdol cowered in fear. At a glance, he looked like an ordinary rock.
"You need to stay at the entrance. What if something happens? We'll need you to call us!"
"Understood!"
Oddly enough, their coordination was perfect.
It made sense for Nureumdol, given his rock-like head, but Sharen…?
'Are they alike?'
Helmut had a head as hard as a rock too. Maybe they really were similar.
On the way to the barn, silence lingered for a while.
Isaac glanced around, then carefully brought up a question.
"Are merchants in this world usually like that? They didn't seem like they were trying to sell anything."
"Hmm, let me explain. This place is called the 'Abyss world' (Narak-gye). It's the homeland of the Transcendents, and they call their own land the 'Abyss.'"
[TL Note: The term "Narak-gye (나락계)" comes from Sanskrit Naraka (hell) and Korean gye (realm/world). It literally means "Hell Realm" or "Abyss World." I've translated it as Abyss World to better match the tone and context.]
"They call the place they live… the Abyss?"
"That way, your world looks more radiant. By defiling and degrading their own land, they come to covet yours all the more."
Indeed, living in a place like this, it was no wonder the human world would seem like paradise.
To deliberately call their world the Abyss just to heighten their desire for the human realm…
The intense hatred behind such a deliberate naming confirmed what Isaac knew of the Transcendents' feelings.
"And those merchants… they're not usually like that. But it's likely due to this place's peculiarity. This is a 'passing path.' People only rest here briefly and aren't active in trade."
"A passing path…"
They couldn't continue the conversation further, as they had arrived at the barn.
The northern soldiers who had been waiting inside all stood up.
Just one proper meal and a good night's rest had improved their complexions, and Isaac felt relieved as well.
"Isaac!"
In particular, Silverna had been waiting and quickly approached after pacing near the entrance.
Seeing Nameless beside him, she asked with a bewildered look,
"Who is this person?"
Isaac did his best to explain in the most diplomatic way possible, but he couldn't hide the fact that she was an enemy and a Transcendent assassin.
As a result, the soldiers formed a defensive perimeter around Nameless.
She twitched an eyebrow and looked at Isaac.
"Did you plan for this and bring me here?"
"I wasn't confident I could stop you if you suddenly turned hostile."
"Clever. It's annoying, but I'll admit you got me."
Despite her words, she smiled faintly as if amused—like a master caught off guard by a surprise from their disciples.
"Then, about the village—"
"No, there's something I want to know first."
Isaac naturally took the lead in the conversation. Uldren, Silverna, and Liana silently observed.
"Is there a way for us to return?"
That was, in truth, the most important question. Whatever secrets Belheim village might hold, they needed a way back, first and foremost.
At Isaac's question, everyone turned to Nameless with tense expressions. She received their attention with a serene smile, as if savoring their stares.
"You can return. We occasionally cross into your world, after all."
Nameless intentionally dragged out the end of her sentence, almost teasingly, clearly enjoying the attention.
"But it won't be easy. Even the Transcendents can't cross over just because they want to."
"Could you explain more specifically?" Isaac asked.
"How did you come here? It was because of sorcery. Then all you have to do is go to the center of it."
"The center…?"
"The land where the Primordial Transcendents dwell. A city with a tower that touches the sky. The place where the Silver Clock stopped. If there's any place where a return is possible, it's there."
The Primordial Transcendents.
The land they live in.
Just hearing about it was enough to sense how perilous it must be. But it was clear they had to go.
They couldn't live like refugees in the Abyss realm forever. Pretending to be Transcendents would eventually be exposed.
"At least you won't need a guide," Nameless said. "I already told you, didn't I? The merchants are just passing through. Follow them, and you'll find the way."
She shrugged with a sly grin, as if saying the timing was too perfect to be coincidence.
Silence fell over the room.
It might seem like fortune that everything lined up so well.
But no one in the room was unaware of the dread that came with the mention of the Primordial Transcendents.
'This is troublesome.'
Everyone was already exhausted from their encounters with the Transcendents.
No one could easily welcome the idea of another clash with them.
A heavy silence settled.
To return, they would have to risk their lives.
Isaac wondered what he should say.
Just then, his eyes met with Uldren's.
Uldren gave him a playful, childlike smile.
"Let's go."
That single phrase melted the frozen air in the room.
The greatest of warriors always stands at the front.
Uldren Caldias's words carried something reassuring.
It was how he had been able to protect the North for so long.
And it was probably also why even the arrogant Arandel had acknowledged him as an equal.
"Alright!"
"I'll follow you to the end!"
"Bastards—this time, it's our turn to strike back!"
The uplifted voices of the soldiers filled the barn.
Their shouts, as if encouraging themselves, surged like waves and reverberated through the air.
We will head to the land of Primordial Transcendents.
***
At first, it was hard to tell whether it was night or day by looking at the sky.
But one peculiarity became clear.
If there were stars in the sky, then it had to be night.
Of course, stars could sometimes be seen during the day—but considering the growing fatigue in their bodies, it seemed more reasonable to assume it was night.
A faint sky with only a few stars.
The star known as the "Silver Clock" stood out more than the rest—perhaps because it had been named by humans, like himself.
'Silver Clock.'
A figure from history.
A woman, the only human who had once extended her hand to the Transcendents.
One who carried hope and ideals.
[The woman who came to our land. The Primordial Transcendents worked together with her for the sake of the world. We followed that hope.]
[They say it wasn't like now back then. Even if you were weak and frail… it was a world where you could still survive.]
Rankellon's words brushed by on the night breeze.
Had she truly believed that she could become the bridge between Transcendents and humans?
The question lingered—until it was once again interrupted by Sharen's voice.
"Issac, Rankellon is here."
"Alright."
Following Sharen, Issac returned from the yard into the house.
Rankellon was kneeling, gauging Liana's expression carefully.
"Um, what's going on…?"
Rankellon tilted his head in confusion.
Seeing Isaac enter, Liana slowly steadied her breath.
They had deliberately synchronized Isaac's entry with the moment Rankellon arrived.
That way, if Rankellon tried to flee, he could be cut down immediately.
Standing at the entrance, Isaac naturally rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
In that instant, Rankellon's ears twitched, reacting.
As if sensing death approaching, he nervously swallowed a thick gulp of saliva.
"Rankellon, do you know the real reason we came here?"
"Huh? I thought you were just passing by—"
"No, it's because we have a dream."
At Liana's calm words, Rankellon tilted his head again.
His expression made it clear he didn't understand the conversation at all.
Liana's voice carried on, heavier than before.
"Meaningless destruction, senseless slaughter… The Transcendents now are merely those who worship emptiness (nihilism)."
"…!"
On the surface, their words sounded noble.
They claimed they had no reason to hate humans.
They said senseless slaughter and destruction were wrong.
But in reverse, it meant—
Once they found a 'meaning,' they would carry it out without hesitation.
"You're right, sinners."
According to what Nameless had told them, the reason those present were labeled 'sinners' was because—
"We must make the human world just like the Abyss world."
They were beings who desired absolute destruction.
"A world where the weak and frail cannot survive. One that weeds out those unworthy of life, and where strength alone is law. In such a world, balance would naturally be maintained—"
At that moment, Liana's expression hardened.
Having to empathize with such a twisted ideologue spewing revolting lies nearly made her sick.
"Yes, just like the Abyss world—!"
Isaac picked up the line smoothly.
"If everyone lived in the same kind of world, then there would be no more meaningless killing. We would simply coexist within nature and survive by its laws."
There had been something that bothered Isaac about Rankellon's words.
Now, he could finally pinpoint it.
[A world where even the weak and frail… can survive.]
That was it.
Most people would describe peace as a lack of conflict or war.
But Rankellon had spoken with a negative perspective.
This was the source of the unease Isaac had felt.
And the reason the Transcendents had cast them out, calling them "sinners," was—
"Yes! If we make the human realm just like ours—then the conflicts and massacres we face now would no longer be meaningless!"
Because they were deranged annihilationists.
Tears welled in Rankellon's eyes.
Was he really so overjoyed to meet a Primordial Transcendent who sympathized with their ideals?
With the expression of someone who had just found a savior, he smiled with delight.
That smile was, in truth, a horrific paradox.