Chapter: 316
In a pitch-black room at midnight.
A handful of small flames barely illuminated the room.
Slurp.
Two teacups sat in front of me.
The empty cup was filled with fragrant tea by the old man’s caring hands.
What kind of tea is this?
It was a scent I had never encountered before.
It smelled sweeter than the plum tea that the Plum Blossom Ship had brewed for me at the volcano.
As I inhaled the aroma of the tea with the tip of my nose, suddenly, a voice whispered in my ear.
-… This is the first time I’ve encountered something so petty in my life.
It was the voice of the sleeping dragon sitting next to me, completely stuffed with complaints.
-What?
-To the point of being shameless? Isn’t that a bit too much?
I guess this grumbling stemmed from the fact that I sold the sleeping dragon out right after I woke up.
With a guilt-free face, I simply snickered.
-If you were in that situation, you would have done the same!
-How many times have you seen me before you can say such scary things? I’m not that kind of person.
Right, I’m sure that’s true.
‘I suffered so much in my past life, but I’m not that kind of person.’
The killer secret technique.
Selling out friends is something I learned from none other than the sleeping dragon.
How many times had we been caught scheming by Mo Yong-hee?
How many times had the sleeping dragon sold me out and bolted?
How many times had Sogeomseong used me as bait when he was peeved and just run off?
That kid was indeed that kind of guy.
-It wouldn’t have worked anyway. That fellow is really narrow-minded.
-… For sure, you’re insane.
-Oh, reflection.
-…
Crunch.
The sound of the sleeping dragon grinding his teeth echoed.
Even for a sleeping dragon, it seemed he couldn’t handle my jabs and was getting riled up.
“It looks like you two have a lot to chat about.”
At the words of Cheonghae Ilgeom sitting across from us, Jamryong and I had no choice but to cease our banter.
It seemed Cheonghae Ilgeom had noticed we were going back and forth with our verbal exchanges.
Cheonghae Ilgeom sipped the tea he had poured.
Then he let out a tiny sigh.
Hah.
“This is really… I’m not sure whether I should be surprised or scolded that a government student is communicating with me through a mental channel.”
The issue is that the mental channel relies on betting and sound.
It requires delicate application skills.
This is definitively the realm of the elite.
Seeing a student utilize it as if it were no big deal and having a conversation startled me.
For me, this was no longer something that sparked any great interest.
“The tea placed before the students was brewed using yuseol leaves. The owner himself grows it.”
Curiosity piqued, but it turns out this was a personal hobby of Cheonghae Ilgeom.
“Give it a try. It should be fine.”
Slurp.
At the invitation of Cheonghae Ilgeom, I took a sip of the tea.
It was hot, but…
‘This much is nothing.’
I could ignite flames from my hands, so this wasn’t a problem at all.
The taste on my tongue was quite enjoyable.
A touch sour yet sweet.
It resembled plum tea but was even sweeter.
As I warmed my insides with the tea against the cold wind…
Thud.
Cheonghae Ilgeom set down his tea cup.
“I’ll get straight to the point.”
I thought the tension might relax a bit, but instead, I felt myself getting tightened up again.
“What were you doing there?”
“…”
Wow, talk about direct!
He skipped the pleasantries and dove straight into the main point.
As expected from one of the five great sword masters, his approach was sharp.
‘Damn.’
I didn’t expect things to unravel like this.
Had my thoughts not been so reckless, I could’ve just made an ordinary escape.
Sigh.
Feeling dizzy.
Honestly, whenever I tried to do something, it never panned out well.
What would have happened if Shin Noya hadn’t spring up and helped me in that moment?
‘It wouldn’t have ended well.’
I can’t quite gather what I was trying to do then.
The very space had been twisted apart, and that awful power I had felt…
Surely, if Noya hadn’t been there, it would’ve been a big deal.
‘At this moment, why isn’t this old guy saying anything?’
Right after Noya saved me with an inscrutable power, I was dragged in here by Cheonghae Ilgeom’s hand.
I kept calling out to Noya, who was now awake.
But Noya was silent.
Did he fall asleep again?
So he was just talking in his sleep until earlier?
‘What a mess, this Blue Sea guy.’
Tch.
What should I do? I scrutinized Cheonghae Ilgeom.
He was looking at me with his characteristic bleary-eyed stare.
It seems he didn’t intend to just let things slide.
Given the situation, how could he?
After catching my breath for a moment, I said while looking at Cheonghae Ilgeom,
“I was looking for a secret room.”
I left out any useless excuses.
No matter what I said, it probably wouldn’t work anyway.
In this situation, to lie would just be foolish.
It had come this far, so I had to face it head-on.
“Secret room?”
“Yeah.”
Cheonghae Ilgeom’s expression turned subtly.
Understandably so; I had practically announced that a secret room existed beneath Shinryonggwan, and I, a mere low-tier student, knew about it.
‘I expected this much.’
Even though I had asked the chief for help, who knew how things would pan out?
I had prepared contingencies for unforeseeable circumstances.
Whether they would work or not was another matter.
While I was rolling my eyes around…
Cheonghae Ilgeom asked me, “If there was a secret room, how do you know about it?”
As expected, he shot that question at me.
I carefully retrieved a card from my bosom.
“What is this…?”
Seeing the card I produced, Cheonghae Ilgeom’s eyes widened in shock.
The card Cheonghae Ilgeom was staring at was none other than the Ilgyeolpae.
It was similar to a token of the Open Ark I had received from a deity in the past.
I had even shown it to the King!
I carried it around pondering, “When should I use this?”
‘…Will it work?’
Showing this to Cheonghae Ilgeom didn’t carry any deeper meaning.
It was a simple declaration.
The information about a secret room existing beneath Shinryonggwan came from the Open Ark.
It was implicit acknowledgment.
Of course, it wasn’t literally the Open Ark’s contribution.
Even if Cheonghae Ilgeom had a means to reach out to the ship.
If he claimed it wasn’t the ship…
I heard it from a person involved with the Open Ark.
The same meaning could be transcribed.
What if this doesn’t work?
Then I’d be in serious trouble, right?
If I had even imagined the worst-case scenario from the get-go.
Wouldn’t I have rushed to find a secret room in the first place?
“…It’s the Ilgyeolpae.”
“That’s correct.”
“Did the Ark directly give this to you?”
“I can’t disclose that.”
“You do realize that whether you can speak about it or not is a matter of concern, don’t you?”
“I understand. But I can’t say anything.”
“…”
It’s like sticking a pig.
Honestly, I was terrified I might just get skinned alive, but I had no choice; if I explained any further, I’d be done for.
“Alright. However abrasive this may be, where did you get that information? Let’s skip that for now, but what did you see in the secret room you found?”
“I didn’t see anything.”
“Ha… nothing at all?”
Naturally, that was a bald-faced lie.
After all that had happened, there was no way I’d come out with nothing to recount!
I didn’t even get around to confirming what was inside, let alone gather anything.
I was boiling with anger about not being able to collect anything, but I had to keep my frustration off my face.
‘The secret room is sealed off.’
Later, I checked; the entrance Jamryong and I used was gone.
Even what I felt was a trap-like formation had vanished as if it had never existed.
‘Was that the power of thought?’
Linked to their efforts to crush the entire space, did he erase the room I had thought was there?
If that were the case…
‘There’s a chance they engineered the space for that secret room in the first place.’
The entrance was genuine, and judging by the fact that the sleeping dragon also remembered what transpired, it was not a mere illusion.
Not only did they fashion a whole space, but it felt like they twisted time and froze it in sync with the outside world.
Can we call this ‘martial arts’?
‘Shin Noya saw that and described it as the power of Yeonilcheon.’
Even when I met Hwang Abulyeong, they said everything I went through was all derived from the powers of Yeonilcheon.
If I had traversed that far, this was surely beyond the realms of human capability.
‘Moreover, how did I manage to escape?’
The sleeping dragon mentioned that shortly after I vanished, he spotted me lounging in the corridor, yawning away.
He said when I opened my eyes, I was outside, and I was already lying flat!
‘In terms of time, it couldn’t have been more than ten seconds at best.’
Considering the time I’ve spent conversing with my thoughts, that doesn’t add up.
Thus, the time differential between that spatial experience and reality was certainly distinct.
‘Unless what I went through was a mere hallucination.’
Should I be grateful?
The evidence that it wasn’t a figment of my imagination remained bound to my wrists.
Although I had concealed it beneath my sleeves to avoid Cheonghae Ilgeom’s gaze.
“You might’ve heard from Jamryong, but it was not the right time to go searching for something.”
I planned to capitalize on this.
The time difference meant I was the sole recipient of it. I could use this as an excuse.
Ultimately, whether or not to believe Jamryong’s statement lies in Cheonghae Ilgeom’s hands.
For the record, had I been in his shoes, I wouldn’t have taken it on faith.
I would have slapped him until he spilled the beans.
That’s just how my wild nature works.
“…So, you basically lost consciousness the moment you entered the room.”
“Yeah.”
That’s not something easily accepted. Who would actually believe that?
“So, does that mean that you were aware of a secret existing in the Shinryong Hall before you entered?”
“Yes.”
Having already brought up the topic of the secret room, there was nothing else I could do at this point.
Cheonghae Ilgeom fell silent, as if lost in thought.
“…Since it involves an unknown secret room, I’ll have to report this to the Alliance.”
He spoke to me with that resigned sigh.
“The handling of the Gwan-do student will also progress after we’ve concluded discussions with the Alliance.”
If I play this wrong, does that mean I’m getting kicked out?
Not only that, it could mean a trip to the fiery interrogation chambers!
‘I doubt it’ll come to that.’
Since the very existence of a secret room in Shinryong Hall is indeed a fact.
The Murim Alliance wouldn’t really want this to explode into a major scandal.
What truly matters is what was inside?
Even if they do investigate.
If I didn’t bring anything out from the secret room…
And if they find that I didn’t even discover its existence…
Things would most likely not escalate too far.
“I plan to inform the Higher Authorities about this matter.”
‘…What?’
That could be problematic.
If my father finds out there were incidents at Shinryong Hall…
‘I’m toast.’
That wouldn’t slide easily.
Given my history of always stirring up trouble, I had a real chance of landing myself deep in hot water this time.
Getting scolded by my father is no small matter, and it would be quite the disaster.
An angry father is truly terrifying!
“…It’s late at night, so let’s each confirm this matter separately another time.”
Considering it was almost dawn, Cheonghae Ilgeom seemed to want to send us back first.
He was giving us a heads-up to avoid mentioning anything like “there was a secret room.”
So, he mentioned calling me and Jamryong back for a follow-up later, signaling that he wouldn’t just let this slide.
‘Will I get kicked out?’
That’s highly probable.
From my perspective, being kicked out would honestly be a welcome relief.
Even if this situation got resolved, the most vital matters still awaited my attention.
I would see to it that I cleared up everything regarding Jang Seon-yeon and Cheol Ji-seon before leaving.
Amid all this…
‘Something feels off about my hand.’
I sensed something strange with Cheonghae Ilgeom’s hand.
It wasn’t very visible because it was veiled by his sleeve.
Yet, something felt off, and I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
“Just go out already.”
While I was scrutinizing Cheonghae Ilgeom’s hand, I received a summons.
Expecting I’d be hounded and interrogated, I had prepared a few more words.
Yet, things moved along smoother than I had anticipated.
‘What’s going on? This doesn’t feel right.’
Cheonghae Ilgeom’s voice sounded weary.
Maybe that’s why he looked somewhat worn out.
His demeanor remained unchanged, and yet something felt distinctly different.
I stood up, leaving Cheonghae Ilgeom behind.
For now, it was better to focus on the fact that I had managed to escape this round.
After performing the customary bow together with Jamryong, I exited the building.
“You’re here.”
As I stepped outside, the first person I encountered was Geom-hu.
He must have been waiting outside for quite a while.
Jamryong looked a bit surprised to see Geom-hu.
Then he shot me a curious glare.
“I’ll take my leave first.”
Those were Jamryong’s words directed at Geom-hu.
It looks like Geom-hu had figured out I had business to take care of.
Understandably, he didn’t try to prevent Jamryong from leaving amidst these circumstances.
What is this guy trying to do if he’s caught?
Immediately after Jamryong departed, Geom-hu proceeded quietly, and I followed his lead.
Somehow, his pace seemed a tad hurried.
We arrived at the same walking path where we had met previously.
“Um…”
“We have unresolved issues, don’t we?”
“Uh, it’s early morning. Can’t we discuss this later?”
At my words, Geom-hu regarded me with a poker face.
It seemed to convey that it wasn’t negotiable.
Instead of holding Cheonghae Ilgeom, Geom-hu did ask something from me.
A request to bring a precious object called plum blossom stone for the notice.
Accordingly, I had replied, promising to present such a treasure if I ever found one.
“I previously mentioned that there was no time to pick anything from the secret room or anything.”
Plum blossom stone, my foot.
I almost bit the dust when the entire space vanished before my eyes.
“I apologize, Your Highness, but…”
“Show me your arms.”
Tsk.
I felt a flinch at the blunt command.
“Roll up your sleeves.”
‘Tch.’
I tsked inwardly at the certainty behind his words.
It appeared that I had been caught red-handed.
“Your Highness.”
“Even if you can fool Cheonghae Ilgeom, you can’t fool me. You can’t fool anyone else, especially the eyes of someone who has already witnessed the blooms.”
The rich scent of plum blossoms radiated from my arms.
It looked like Geom-hu was picking up on it.
I tried to keep it concealed.
Ah, this won’t do.
“…This isn’t a plum blossom stone.”
“Show me your arms.”
At the unwavering firmness of Geom-hu’s command, I finally sighed and rolled up my sleeves.
Then, the item ensnared on my arm revealed its identity.
“…”
As Geom-hu inspected my arm, he momentarily lost his words.
I had told him as well.
This was not a plum blossom stone.
It lacked the texture or form that could even be called a stone.
The object gleamed a light pink hue.
It coiled around my arm, reminiscent of a thin fabric.
‘I don’t recall it feeling like this at all before.’
The item I had picked up at the secret room while led by Noya was identical, but the sensation I’d felt then was that of a round jade bead that could fit firmly within a fist.
Now, upon regaining my senses, it was wrapped around my left arm like a bandage.
Why on earth is it on my left arm when I’m right-handed?
For some inexplicable reason, it left a sour taste in my mouth.
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