THE ROAD OF ECHOES
The Endless Road was silent once more.
Only the rhythmic sound of the Ashen Draft Horse’s hooves echoed across the ancient black stone.
Clop…
Clop…
Clop…
Kael glanced back one final time.
The gray mist of the Whispering Mire had completely swallowed the collapsed bridge.
There was no sign of the Root Mother, no movement within the swamp, and no trace of the countless root creatures that had nearly ended his journey.
It was as though the entire region had never existed.
“The road erases its own scars…”
Kael muttered.
He climbed back onto the driver’s bench and gently stroked the horse’s neck.
“You earned a rest.”
The loyal beast released a tired snort.
Its breathing was noticeably heavier than before.
The frantic escape across the collapsing bridge had exhausted it.
Kael opened the beast’s status.
Ashen Draft Horse
Rank: Common
Level: 1
Health: Healthy
Stamina: 41%
Loyalty: 11
Mood: Tired
Suggestion: Allow the Road Beast to rest within the next three hours.
“So even beasts have limits.”
Kael searched through his inventory.
Most of his food consisted of dried meat and hard bread.
Among the newly acquired rewards, however, he noticed something unfamiliar.
Road Clover
Grade: Common
Description:
A plant that naturally grows beside the Endless Road.
Road Beasts recover stamina faster after consuming it.
Kael removed the small bundle of glowing green leaves and offered them to the horse.
The animal eagerly accepted.
As soon as it swallowed the final leaf, a soft green light surrounded its body.
Road Beast Stamina Restored
+20%
The horse shook its mane happily before continuing forward with noticeably lighter steps.
“Looks like we’ll survive another day.”
For nearly an hour, the landscape remained peaceful.
The marshes slowly disappeared behind him.
Rolling hills replaced the wetlands.
Color gradually returned to the world.
Golden grass swayed beneath the breeze.
Strange crystal flowers sparkled beneath the sunlight.
Small rabbit-like creatures with blue ears watched Kael from a distance before disappearing into their burrows whenever the wagon approached.
They didn’t appear hostile.
Kael smiled.
Finally…
Something that wasn’t trying to kill him.
His smile disappeared moments later.
The road ahead split into three different paths.
Kael immediately pulled on the reins.
The horse stopped.
Three roads.
Each looked identical.
Each stretched toward a different horizon.
Above them floated ancient stone pillars engraved with glowing symbols.
The first road shimmered with pale blue light.
The second radiated soft golden light.
The third was surrounded by faint crimson mist.
A system notification appeared.
ROAD CROSSING DISCOVERED
Every traveler must choose their own path.
Your decision cannot be reversed.
Choose wisely.
Kael frowned.
“No clues?”
He examined each path carefully.
The blue road looked calm.
The golden road appeared brighter than the others.
The crimson road felt…
Dangerous.
Then another notification appeared beneath the first.
Road Forge Passive Skill Activated
Material Resonance Detected.
Analyzing…
The mark above Kael’s heart became warm.
Thin golden threads appeared before his eyes, stretching across the crossroads.
Only he could see them.
The threads connected the three roads to distant images.
The blue road led toward endless ruins.
The golden road passed through fertile plains.
The crimson road vanished beneath mountains covered in black storms.
Interesting.
Not predictions.
Possibilities.
The Road Forge wasn’t showing the future.
It was revealing the nature of each path.
Kael stepped down from the wagon.
He crouched beside the golden road.
The black stone felt warmer.
Healthier.
Almost alive.
His fingers brushed against its smooth surface.
Immediately, another notification appeared.
Road Analysis Complete
Golden Route
Difficulty: Moderate
Resource Density: High
Monster Activity: Medium
Suitable for Beginner Travelers.
Kael smiled.
“Now that’s useful.”
Without hesitation, he guided the wagon onto the golden road.
The moment the rear wheel crossed the invisible boundary, the other two roads slowly faded into mist before disappearing entirely.
“There really is no turning back.”
The Endless Road demanded commitment.
Several kilometers later…
The terrain began changing again.
Large stone pillars emerged beside the road.
Each pillar was carved with unfamiliar symbols.
Unlike ordinary monuments, these stones emitted faint musical notes whenever the wind blew.
Kael slowed the wagon.
The melodies were beautiful.
Almost hypnotic.
As he passed the first pillar, another note echoed.
Then another.
Soon dozens of pillars were singing together.
The harmony spread across the valley.
The horse relaxed.
Even Kael felt the tension leaving his shoulders.
His eyelids suddenly became heavy.
Very heavy.
He blinked several times.
The road ahead became blurry.
“…No…”
His head lowered involuntarily.
Sleep.
The music was making him sleepy.
Kael bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood.
Pain exploded through his mouth.
His vision cleared slightly.
“Not…
today…”
He reached into the wagon and grabbed the iron hammer.
With all his strength, he slammed it against the side of the wooden wagon.
CLANG!
The sharp metallic sound shattered the peaceful melody surrounding him.
The horse jumped in surprise.
Kael struck again.
CLANG!
Again.
CLANG!
The strange music weakened.
His mind gradually became clear once more.
A notification appeared.
Mental Enchantment Resisted
Wisdom +1
He laughed bitterly.
“Even the scenery wants me dead.”
The singing pillars eventually disappeared behind him.
Kael allowed himself a long breath of relief.
Then…
He noticed something unusual lying beside the road.
A wagon.
Unlike the abandoned caravans he had seen before, this one remained almost perfectly intact.
It was larger than his own.
Its wooden walls were reinforced with bronze plates.
A crossbow remained mounted near the driver’s seat.
The horse attached to it was nowhere to be found.
Neither was the owner.
Kael approached cautiously.
There were no signs of battle.
No blood.
No broken wheels.
No claw marks.
It looked as though its owner had simply…
Vanished.
As he stepped closer, something caught his eye.
A leather-bound journal rested on the driver’s bench.
Its cover was worn by age.
Across the front, someone had carved three words.
Traveler’s Road Log.
Kael slowly opened it.
The first several pages described ordinary survival.
Food.
Monsters.
Weather.
Resource gathering.
Then the handwriting became increasingly frantic.
One particular entry immediately drew his attention.
Day 18
I finally reached the Red Toll Gate.
Don’t trust the gatekeeper.
The toll isn’t money.
It’s something far worse.
If anyone finds this journal…
Never answer when he asks…
The sentence ended abruptly.
The remainder of the page had been torn away.
Kael’s expression darkened.
The Red Toll Gate again.
The mysterious merchant had warned everyone about it.
Now another traveler had left the same warning.
Whatever waited there…
It was far more dangerous than ordinary monsters.
Kael carefully stored the journal inside his inventory.
Information had value.
Perhaps…
It would save his life one day.
Just as he climbed back onto the wagon, the Road Forge mark above his heart suddenly pulsed.
A soft golden light spread through the wagon floor.
Another hidden notification appeared.
Road Forge Detected Special Material
Traveler’s Legacy Journal
Compatible with Archive Function.
New Feature Unlocked:
Road Archive
Every recovered journal, map, blueprint, or ancient record may be preserved permanently.
Knowledge itself can strengthen the Road Forge.
Kael smiled.
“So even information becomes power.”
The wagon rolled forward once more.
Far ahead, beyond the shimmering heat of the road, something enormous slowly emerged against the horizon.
At first it looked like a mountain.
Then it moved.
Its long neck rose hundreds of meters into the sky.
A colossal creature calmly crossed the Endless Road several kilometers ahead, each footstep shaking the earth beneath Kael’s wagon.
Kael instinctively pulled on the reins.
His heart raced.
That wasn’t a monster he could fight.
It wasn’t even a creature he could comprehend.
The Endless Road had just shown him another truth.
The Bloodfang Wolves…
The Whispering Root Mother…
Even the Iron Scythe Mantis…
They were only the beginning.
END OF CHAPTER 6