Chapter: 319
On the night the moon rose.
A young man, looking a bit undernourished, stood in the middle of the plain with his eyes closed.
Even though the winter wind was howling fiercely.
The young man remained completely still, his eyes closed as he exhaled gently.
He was reminiscing about the past.
Iron line.
No, it was when Jegal Jinseon was just over ten years old that he realized his own singularity.
From one day onwards.
Jegal Jinseon’s fingertips began to tremble.
Every time he moved his arms, a strange sensation tickled his entire body, an unshakable feeling of discomfort.
The unknown discomfort robbed him of sleep for months.
He started skipping meals because of the goosebumps rising to his neck, and his body gradually weakened.
What on earth happened to me?
Jegal Jinseon contemplated this for a long time.
He couldn’t figure out why.
By the time about half a year had passed like that, things were about to blow up.
Jegal Jinseon could no longer withstand the uncomfortable and foreign sensation.
Finally, he couldn’t hold back and tore through it.
From the moment he realized he could seize this.
He understood that something dangerous would unfold when he did so.
Up until then, Jegal Jinseon had been patient, but
he reached his limit. In the end, he acted.
Jegal Jinseon’s hands were sensitive.
If he waved his hands in the air.
An uncomfortable, unfamiliar sensation would brush against him.
That was it.
Jegal Jinseon was able to tear that spot apart.
But how does one grab hold of empty air?
Jegal Jinseon made it possible.
He simply had to seize it and tear it.
Despite not knowing why it worked, Jegal Jinseon was able to do it.
If only it had ended there, just something he could manage.
Then.
-Oh, no!
Jegal Jinseon could not avoid the disaster.
-Father!
In the roaring flames.
Places were being devoured by something.
Watching that torturous process unfold.
Jegal Jinseon had to scream while holding his sister tight.
The place that was slowly being consumed was where he used to live.
For inside it was his father.
A past he wished to forget.
Yet somehow, he had to linger on the memories.
So he could continually recall his sins.
The moment he could no longer bear the alien sensation and tore through the air with his hands.
The ripped space surged and expanded tremendously in an instant.
What was once a small gap.
Enlarging rapidly.
Before long, it began to devour its surroundings, morphing into a monster.
The ‘magical gate’ that people spoke of in the world.
The space evolved into a demonic gateway.
Was that all?
Being a magical gate, it also produced demons.
Just as it had consumed Jegal Jinseon’s land and his father.
The magic gate itself transformed into a monster and engulfed the entire area.
How could humans produce what’s called a natural disaster, a magic gate?
I have no idea.
This was the truth that Jegal Jinseon continued to ponder, a reality he wished to escape.
After he had killed his father with his own hands.
His mother stopped paying attention to Jegal Jinseon.
His sister watched their father die while hugging her screaming younger brother.
She had said while cradling him.
-Jinseon, you must never use your power.
After crying for several days, Jegal Jinseon nodded.
But contrary to his sister’s earnest wish.
There were many days when Jegal Jinseon could not hold back.
He tried to endure the discomfort and alien sensation.
But at times, there were days he simply couldn’t stand it.
If you counted it.
About once a year.
A period when he absolutely could not endure without using his strength.
At such times, Jegal Jinseon sought out desolate mountains or specific places to unleash his power and then disappear.
Even if no one was around, creating a magic gate and vanishing afterwards.
It was something that filled him with guilt.
However, he couldn’t do it while his sister was around.
He desired to protect her, even at the cost of his life.
His own power was perilous.
No matter how familiar he was with the magic gates, and even though casualties had diminished in this era.
His own powers remained as dangerous as ever.
Not to mention.
Even though the magic gate didn’t produce demons, it would suck in the surroundings, engulfing them into a demonic realm.
It was a level from which even the most elite warriors could hardly escape.
So he lived hiding all the more diligently.
Just as he hid his surname.
The moment anyone learned that he possessed this power as a descendant of the Jegal clan.
It would spell trouble, not just for him, but also for his sister.
Still, he craved strength.
Concealing himself, hiding his abilities, and enduring them.
It was all the same when he humorously asked Cheolhwan-oh to come to Shinryongwan.
To protect, strength was essential.
‘But I lack talent.’
Jegal Jinseon knew he lacked the martial talent to unleash his power on his own.
So he needed a different kind of strength.
His mother tried to talk him out of it as if she wanted to kill him.
Even with his sister’s desperate pleas to refrain due to the danger.
That’s why Jegal Jinseon went forth using the name Cheoljiseon.
‘This Shinryonggwan is the best of all time.’
A comet generation where countless geniuses emerged.
And right now was when the most of these comet-like generations gathered.
The pillars of the four major sects held together.
All the clans were gathering there.
With bloodlines said to have noble origins.
Descendants of prestigious families.
Moreover.
Now leading the posthumous index.
Most of the Six Dragons and Three Peaks, who were expected to lead the Central Plains in the future, had also assembled.
Indeed, the future of the Central Plains was there.
‘I must go.’
To protect himself and his sister.
To reclaim their clan name, which was their father’s dream.
To rectify and retrieve the tainted history.
That was the path forward.
Rather than leaving his weak sister behind.
Even if it was perilous, it would be more righteous for him, who could still look after himself, to go.
There was still time before he would go berserk.
The moment calculated would be when
the coffins were momentarily closed, and the students returned to their families.
At that time, he could unleash the strength he accumulated.
The calculation starting point was like that.
The problem was.
Calculations often didn’t align with expectations.
Even though Jegal Jinseon understood this, he didn’t truly consider it.
One fact Jegal Jinseon had overlooked was.
It’s not easy to build connections by entering Shinryongwan.
Even before he stepped inside, their own relationships had already formed.
To penetrate and secure a position in there.
The worth of someone named Jegal Jinseon wasn’t exceptional.
The issue was he had no martial skill that transcended that value.
Despite admitting he had a remarkable mind.
There simply weren’t enough opportunities to express it.
They were ultimately warriors.
Because they lived in an age where visible martial prowess was key.
Can you even open a magical gate by hand?
On the surface, it seemed like a ridiculous feat.
Yet not only was it hard to control, it was also a power fraught with peril.
From the political side’s viewpoint, it would be fortunate if they were not marked for extermination.
Especially if it was revealed his surname was Jegal…
It wouldn’t be surprising if he found his head severed.
‘… Am I in a tremendously dangerous situation?’
What I realized about the truth was.
It came during the initial examination when reality doused my passion.
With desperate futility.
When I recognized I couldn’t squeeze into the elite family arena.
That was when Jegal Jinseon understood how dire his straits were.
There was no answer.
He had jumped headlong into the enemy fortress filled with blades.
None of his methods worked.
Clenching his teeth, he fought back.
He somehow managed to pass the secondary exam,
But the third exam was the real dilemma.
Either snatch the opponent’s belt.
Or find a belt belonging to the demonic entity.
Absurd as it may sound, that was the test.
Jegal Jinseon was convinced.
He wouldn’t pass this examination for real.
‘…’
What a hopeless reality!
Feeling so feeble.
It dawned on him all too late that he hadn’t confronted peers his age.
‘…I’m in deep trouble.’
The only person his age was his sister.
It wasn’t easy to hold a decent conversation with others.
In a situation where his martial skills were also unimpressive.
What kind of connections could he forge?
The harsh reality clawed madly at Jegal Jinseon’s heart.
‘…I can’t give up.’
Still, he could not let go.
He had to grit his teeth.
Simultaneously, Jegal Jinseon racked his brain.
He had to pass the third exam.
‘If I can’t use my strength, should I set traps?’
He ruled out the option of hunting down other participants.
It would probably be better to utilize the terrain to dig traps and catch the monsters.
Looking at the details of the third exam,
it seemed to evaluate how well one could hunt monsters, too.
He felt somewhat assured about that aspect.
‘…Alright.’
Just then, as he prepared to set the traps.
He scouted for suitable terrain.
“Huh?”
In Jegal Jinseon’s line of sight, someone appeared as he brushed aside the grass.
‘A person…?’
Tension shot up his spine.
What rotten luck; he never imagined he’d run into someone like this.
Should he enter battle mode? Could he win?
The chances of victory seemed slim.
The only fortunate thing was…
‘…They’re lying down?’
In a testing situation, his opponent lay sprawled on the ground.
Breathing slowly, eyes closed.
He appeared to be in slumber.
You’re telling me you can sleep in this situation?
‘What kind of person are you?’
He must not be in his right mind.
‘…Could this be an opportunity?’
Was it the sudden discovery?
Jegal Jinseon, who had intended to set traps to catch monsters, might have seen this as sheer luck.
He approached the person.
Coincidentally, they carried the exact belt he had yearned for.
Suppressing his movements cautiously, Jegal Jinseon crept up to the opponent’s nose and reached out his hand.
At that moment, there was something that Jegal Jinseon, driven by excitement, completely failed to consider.
In this blood-soaked testing ground.
A person with the audacity to openly lie down on the floor and snooze.
Could they actually be weak?
Crack!
Just before his fingertips brushed against his adversary.
Jegal Jinseon’s vision flipped in a heartbeat.
Before he could even register it, a hand seized Jegal Jinseon’s neck.
-What are you?
A voice sounding rough, as if a young voice had just broken.
In the icy emotion contained therein.
Jegal Jinseon trembled unknowingly.
The gaze was akin to.
‘M-monsters…’
Startlingly reminiscent of the very demons he’d encountered.
-What are you talking about?
-Okay, I-I was wrong…
Overwhelmed by fear, he couldn’t even articulate properly.
He invaded the wrong space.
With a slight adjustment, he might meet his end.
I didn’t know human eyes could be this terrifying…
Ah, maybe it was a human masquerading as a demon?
He recognized it was a ludicrous thought.
But it was that terrifying.
This was Jegal Jinseon’s first impression of Gu Yangcheon.
As if conducting an interrogation, Gu Yangcheon questioned Jegal Jinseon.
Having extracted all the information he sought.
He flashed a momentary satisfied expression and declared to Jegal Jinseon.
Let’s be friends now!
In the midst of the sudden shift.
Jegal Jinseon couldn’t even manage a proper response.
The very person who had been glaring daggers at him until a moment ago.
Suddenly asking to be friends left him in disbelief.
Ironically though.
This man’s true identity was that of the youngest apex warrior in recent history.
He was known as Jinryong, the highest among the Six Dragons and Three Peaks.
He had even upheld his promise and guided Jegal Jinseon through the third exam successfully.
By that time, Jegal Jinseon had thought.
Gu Yangcheon intended to treat him like a slave under the guise of friendship.
Since you could not enter Shinryongwan with a servant, he must clearly be planning to use him like one.
No one could be as malicious as he had heard.
Thus, he judged.
However, in confronting the Gu Yangcheon beside him, Jegal Jinseon found a person that differed slightly from what he had envisioned.
While he had a fierce demeanor in speech and gaze.
He didn’t harass him for no reason… Although some did.
If he viewed Jegal Jinseon as his own, he’d show an inclination to look after him.
From time to time, he’d check on what his followers were doing.
Yet when he overheard someone slandering Jegal Jinseon, his troubled expression would twist into a grimace of wrath.
The moment he noted someone disparaging his group.
He turned into a figure reminiscent of the reemergence of a devil.
It wasn’t rare for him to crush his opponents as a result.
Far tenderer than the rumors suggested… though, not nearly affectionate.
He appeared to be a decent individual.
Nevertheless.
Jegal Jinseon learned one more thing from observing Gu Yangcheon.
I was someone he referred to as a friend, but remained as such.
‘I am not one of his own.’
This clarified that I wasn’t part of Gu Yangcheon’s group.
That was the feeling.
That was the gaze.
Where did he realize this?
Was it when the divine essence found him?
Or after that?
No.
To be precise, from the very beginning.
Gu Yangcheon’s gaze had held this from the outset.
When they first met.
This was the context behind the resemblance to the gaze of a creature.
The gaze of a monster that had eyed its prey for an extended time.
Even though one could slay them at will.
It was how they examined how to seize and devour it.
The way Gu Yangcheon regarded him mirrored the very eyes he had encountered beyond the torn gate.
And so, he spat out.
‘You intend to kill me.’
In a dialogue with Gu Yangcheon, jesting hopes turned into certainty.
It was spoken almost nonchalantly.
And.
During that exchange as he beheld the gaze of Gu Yangcheon looking back at him.
Jegal Jinseon was convinced.
Of interest.
The emotions contained in Gu Yangcheon’s gaze at that moment.
‘…It’s certain.’
At that time, Jegal Jinseon became fully aware that Gu Yangcheon intended to kill him.
Why?
If you mean to kill, then why?
What had he done?
Did Gu Yangcheon know he bore the last name Jegal?
If he intended to kill, how exactly would he go about it?
Surely that couldn’t occur within the academy.
But were the assassination intentions genuinely present?
Am I merely being delusional?
Or was I truly correct heading toward the divine?
As a variety of thoughts swirled through his mind.
Jegal Jinseon answered Gu Yangcheon.
-I can… open the magic gate.
It was almost like confessing.
He couldn’t read the atmosphere at all.
Whatever energy radiated from Gu Yangcheon.
It was a desperate confession born from a primal instinct to live.
Upon reflection, Gu Yangcheon might decide to kill him.
He understood it wasn’t simple.
Perhaps if that situation arose again.
It seemed like Jegal Jinseon would find himself making the same choice anew.
Gu Yangcheon was distinctly different.
There was something of a different caliber from others present.
This must be why, the likes of dormant dragons, black dragons, and snow peaks were beside Gu Yangcheon.
“It’s confusing…”
His head spun.
Was this the right course of action?
He leapt into action, yet felt utterly lacking in confidence.
The reason Jegal Jinseon felt overwhelmed was.
The fact that Gu Yangcheon’s reaction was unreadable.
Lecturing about his abilities as he wore a smile could mess with anyone’s perception.
-So… From now on, rather than the divine.
-No. Don’t worry about that.
He refused the divine’s offer.
In choosing to go after Gu Yangcheon, the latter flashed a bright smile and shook his head.
-…huh?
To the statement that he could open the magic gate.
Unquestioning of the aspirations,
without inquiring if he truly possessed such power.
With the prior knowledge that it was a fact.
Gu Yangcheon stated to Jegal Jinseon, or rather Cheoljiseon.
-Keep doing what you were doing.
-…What?
-Just do what the guy calls for, beside the bridegroom.
-What do you mean… I…
-Right, I see you wish to get over to my side. I won’t save you… No, I’ll hear you out.
Gu Yangcheon’s smile was chilling.
He felt he could faintly sense the underlying meaning in that grin.
-Do what that guy tells you to do, that’s your task.
Directed at the puzzled Cheoljiseon.
Gu Yangcheon had firmly ordered.
‘Why?’
Yet, Jegal Jinseon still couldn’t grasp the meaning of that.
Follow orders?
Partake in the divine’s intention to eliminate Gu Yangcheon?
That’s what you call my duty?
‘What in the world are you saying?’
Unbeknownst to a deep shiver.
Cheoljiseon clenched his fists.
Had it truly been wise to speak to Gu Yangcheon?
The self-doubt lingered still.
Yet, since the words were already out,
there would be no choice but to follow through.
At that moment.
Rustle.
A presence brushed through the grass beyond.
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