Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

After a brief period of chaos, Kim Haru followed the group of people out of the stone forest.

Of course, the chaos wasn't on Kim Haru's side—it was on theirs.

Upon learning that Kim Haru had fallen in from outside the cliff, not only the old man but the entire group became overwhelmingly emotional.

They spoke rapidly in a dialect Kim Haru couldn't understand at all, their voices a jumble of excited chatter.

Some knelt, some wept, and others hugged each other, jumping up and down.

By the time they finally managed to calm down, every single one of them had red-rimmed eyes.

The old man then respectfully apologized to Kim Haru and invited him to stay in their village.

Their joy at Kim Haru coming "from outside the cliff" was so great that even their fear of the mutated owl lessened considerably.

Once they confirmed that the owl was Kim Haru's mount, they assured him that there was a large clearing outside the village where the owl could rest.

Along the way, they even deliberately chose paths with fewer stone pillars and wider roads to make it easier for the owl to pass through.

As Kim Haru followed the group, he opened his farm system to check on his shop and small farm.

Fortunately, everything appeared normal—there was no sign that he had lost contact with them due to being "in a different world."

Confirming that he was still in the same world, Kim Haru let out a breath of relief.

The stone forest was vast, and it took over ten minutes of walking before they finally reached its edge.

Throughout the journey, Kim Haru had been observing his surroundings.

If he hadn't personally experienced falling into the Biryong Cliff, he would never have imagined that this place—a deep, narrow cliff—could contain such an expansive space.

The ground stretched wide in all directions.

Previously, the dense stone pillars had obstructed his view, making it hard to see far.

But once they left the stone forest, he realized that this area wasn't just a single, narrow path as he had assumed.

On both sides, towering cliffs reached straight into the sky, seemingly merging with the heavens.

These must be the cliff walls.

However, from where Kim Haru stood, no matter which direction he looked, the cliffs seemed extremely distant and shrouded in a faint gray mist, resembling the farthest, lightest mountains in a traditional ink painting.

Even if the cliff floor was elongated in shape, its vast expanse was undeniable.

In his mind, Kim Haru sketched out the image of a triangular prism-like environment.

One thing that puzzled him, aside from the unexpectedly spacious terrain, was the issue of lighting.

From outside on the plains, or even during his fall, it had been clear that the cliff was a narrow crevice, a place where light should barely reach.

Yet now, standing at the bottom, it wasn't dark at all—it was surprisingly bright.

The light here carried a faint green hue, slightly different from regular sunlight.

Kim Haru couldn't figure out the reason just by observing, but the old man leading the way noticed his curiosity and took the initiative to explain.

Apparently, the light at the bottom of the cliff came from a type of moss-like plant.

This particular plant species was the most abundant in the cliff, and it emitted a glow.

When clustered together, their combined luminescence created an even stronger effect.

As these plants continued to grow, they brightened the entire cliff floor until it was as illuminated as daytime.

Interestingly, these plants didn't glow continuously—they had a cycle.

After emitting light for a period, they would enter a phase of darkness to recharge their energy before glowing again.

The cliff's inhabitants used this cycle to measure time.

Having lived here for so long, they no longer knew how long a day was in the outside world.

Instead, their concept of a "day" was simply the period when the glowing moss illuminated the cliff.

Only then did Kim Haru realize that the grainy, rock-colored patches scattered within his line of sight were actually this luminous moss.

If the old man hadn't pointed it out, he would have mistaken them for clumps of dirt or withered plants.

The village they spoke of wasn't far from the stone forest.

As soon as they left the forest, Kim Haru could already make out the general outlines of some buildings.

Though calling them "buildings" might be a bit of an overstatement—they were merely crude shelters built from stone and large leaves.

"This is the best we have in the village. Please forgive our humble conditions," the old man said respectfully as he invited Kim Haru into the sturdiest-looking house.

Kim Haru said nothing and stepped inside while holding Fuzzball in his arms.

The owl who is unable to fit through the entrance, was settled in the open space outside.

It shrank its neck, closed its eyes, and remained still, allowing the curious villagers to cautiously observe it from a safe distance.

"Please, have a seat." The old man wiped down a stone stool before gesturing to Kim Haru.

Kim Haru didn't stand on ceremony.

After taking a seat, he silently watched the old man and waiting for him to speak.

Along the way, the old man had introduced the surrounding environment, and through their conversations, his fluency in the common language had improved significantly.

Without further delay, as soon as he sat down across from Kim Haru, he addressed the most pressing issue on his mind.

"I'm very sorry, but no one in our village knows how to leave this place."

Kim Haru sighed inwardly.

He wasn't too disappointed.

When he first saw how emotional these people were, he had already guessed the answer.

Hearing it directly from the old man only confirmed his suspicions.

The old man pointed to a young man among those who had entered the house with them—the same person who had stood at the front with him earlier.