Chapter: 674
Time passed, and seven days and nights flew by.
Hanam was still bustling with people.
Before we knew it, it was summer—specifically, the hottest time of year.
Of course, even with all these people around, I didn’t go outside much and mostly stayed in my accommodation.
Even when I did move, it was only after nightfall to the point that I couldn’t tell what had changed.
I simply focused on my training and waited for time to flow by.
Boom! Boom boom!
A heavy rebar fell to the floor with a loud crash.
My body was drenched in sweat, and my breathing was ragged.
“Hoo… hoo… .”
I calmed my breath and relaxed my body.
As the weight lifted, I felt surprisingly light.
At the same time—
Swish-!
The rebar that had fallen to the ground instantly turned into mist and vanished.
Surprisingly, the rebar was an object created by my powers.
“The duration has increased a bit.”
In the past few days, having experimented with my abilities multiple times led to significant growth.
For simple shapes like the rebar, I could maintain it for roughly half the usual duration.
However, if it had multiple colors or a complex shape, the duration would decrease exponentially.
“This alone is more than enough.”
The objects created by my powers aren’t much different from reality.
Just that aspect gave them considerable utility.
“As for the conditions of use… I know those in detail.”
I cannot create something unknown or uncertain.
And the more I know about an object, the more precisely I can shape it.
“What a great power.”
Even if I lost regeneration, I’m fortunate that at least this was salvaged.
Without this, I would’ve been genuinely annoyed.
“Hah.”
I caught my breath while wiping my body down.
It had been a while since I engaged in such intense activity and my body was overheating.
As I wiped, I waved my hand slightly.
Saahhh-!
A gentle energy spread from my fingertips, filling the room.
It was cold.
The chill that lingered from the ice was spreading through my body.
This filled the room and began to lower the temperature.
“Now it feels a bit cooler.”
It’s energy that’s hard to use for battle, but for this purpose, it was quite nice.
While cooling down my body, I shifted my gaze.
“Hoo….”
There were others there besides me, also resting and looking exhausted.
Woohyuk and Seongyul.
Seongyul looked as if he might drop dead at any moment, staggering around.
Woohyuk was also breathless but not to the point of collapsing.
Looking at them, I said,
“Shall we just call it a morning practice?”
“…Alright.”
“And if it’s morning, does that mean there’s an afternoon too?”
While Seongyul answered as if it were familiar, Woohyuk stared at me in surprise.
“So, we’re done here?”
“…You’ve increased your training amount.”
“Of course, it should be increased. My level has risen.”
“…”
I couldn’t understand why he looked so surprised.
Isn’t it natural to increase the training amount when your level rises?
“Oh, you might not know since you’re a Taoist.”
Well, I’d heard Taoists tend to obsess more over enlightenment than mere martial training.
I think it was said that once they reach a certain level, they seek formal enlightenment over physical training.
“I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
I get that everyone has their own way to pursue their goals.
Though I wasn’t sure if Woohyuk would actually do that.
“I dragged you out because I was annoyed by how cooped up you were. From tomorrow onwards, it’s up to you.”
“….”
“So whether you follow along or not, it’s your choice.”
Woohyuk didn’t respond to me and simply nodded slightly.
Would he even show up tomorrow?
I had a feeling he would.
“And….”
Just as I was about to continue speaking to Woohyuk, having something to say.
“Hmm?”
“No, let’s talk about it later.”
I held back, thinking it might not be the right moment to bring it up.
I figured I could just give him the basics before the trial started.
It had been about ten days since I returned to Hanam.
After getting back, Woohyuk rarely showed up, practically hiding away in his residence.
He hadn’t resumed his shaman duties; he just secluded himself like he was disappearing.
The reason lay with the ghost.
“To be precise, it’s more about my powers than the ghost.”
The power I had stolen from the net and passed to Woohyuk.
Regeneration.
Woohyuk was trying to use regeneration to heal the ghost.
This stemmed from something I had subtly shared with him.
Regeneration meant he could heal not only his own body but also the bodies of others.
Upon hearing this, Woohyuk immediately set off to find Goeseon and tried to treat his arm.
Of course, it seemed things weren’t going as smoothly as he hoped.
Just looking at Woohyuk’s expression told me it wasn’t an easy task.
Still, it seemed he continued to try something.
“I hope it goes well.”
This wasn’t a good-hearted wish towards the ghost’s recovery.
If Woohyuk succeeded at healing the ghost, I’d gain a lot of useful information.
“If he succeeds… that would mean powers can grow the more they’re used.”
Just like I’m becoming more adept at using ‘wind’.
If Woohyuk could grow his regeneration, it would also prove that powers strengthen the more they’re utilized.
Also,
“I need to see if there are any side effects from handing over powers.”
I made Woohyuk a mine and transferred the regeneration to him.
Since he hasn’t had any seizures from the Magical aspect, I hadn’t noticed anything odd yet.
Since it was a new method, I had to keep checking on Woohyuk’s condition.
“If it turns out there are no problems with this method.”
Maybe, like the Heavenly Horse did in the past, I could also share my powers with others.
“No, judging by Woohyuk, I’m already in a situation where I can do that.”
It’s just that I don’t currently have the powers to share.
“…So, how on earth was the Heavenly Horse able to do it?”
If the powers given to the otherworldly beings were indeed powers.
And if she granted them in a similar fashion as I have.
“The number of powers the Heavenly Horse possessed easily exceeds a hundred.”
Regardless of how she managed to fit that into her small body.
“How did she gather them all?”
And then,
“Why did she share?”
Questions about the Heavenly Horse’s actions and her identity filled my mind.
“Heavenly Horse….”
I gritted my teeth as I thought of her.
Seven days and nights ago came rushing back to me.
I hadn’t visited either Gu Hee-bi or the Heavenly Horse since then.
Sure, I’ve had my people keep an eye on the Heavenly Horse, but I hadn’t seen her in person.
From what I gathered, the Heavenly Horse had already sensed their presence.
They said she didn’t bother with them and just carried on as usual.
Apparently, she was doing regular chores and hunting for her meals.
“What the hell?”
The Heavenly Horse doing housework.
It’s ridiculous just to think about it.
“What on earth are you doing?”
What could possibly be her intention?
Why did Gu Hee-bi… No.
“Did that old man just throw away the Heavenly Horse and leave?”
Gu Hee-bi claimed that the previous head of the household entrusted the Heavenly Horse to her care.
Was that really true?
I couldn’t figure it out.
The very nobleman who was supposed to be dead was still alive.
Suddenly, someone from the Gu clan claimed to have entrusted the Heavenly Horse to her.
This was something I wanted to discuss with my father after meeting Gu Hee-bi.
“…But my father hasn’t arrived in Hanam yet.”
The people who departed with my father had all arrived first.
“Where did my father go?”
Just when I thought he might be missing, Mrs. Mi handed me a letter she said she got from my father.
A neatly folded piece of paper.
Inside was my father’s rough yet tidy handwriting.
[I’m late.]
“Hah.”
I was so taken aback the moment I saw the words.
Anyone could tell this was my father’s message.
“He told me to hurry up.”
Yet who would’ve thought that my father would be late?
I couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened to him….
“…But I’m not overly worried.”
Thinking about my father’s strength, I didn’t feel much concern.
“Hoo….”
I sighed and shook my head.
“Just when I need to focus, one more thing pops up.”
The same goes for the Heavenly Horse and my grandfather.
The pressing issue was right in front of me.
“From now on… there are only a few days left.”
The reason I came to Hanam.
The fact there are only a few days remaining before the tournament organized by the clan.
“Nahiga mentioned it before.”
We heard the construction of the venue for the tournament had been completed yesterday.
It meant it was time to start preparing.
But…
“…”
The time I’d planned for had come, yet for some reason, I felt incredibly calm.
No, it would be more accurate to say that I felt empty.
It was completely different from the intense anxiety that had built up just days earlier.
Why was I feeling this way?
“What is going on with me?”
I questioned myself but already knew the answer.
“It must be because of the Heavenly Horse.”
The Heavenly Horse I had met a few days ago.
Or perhaps, a situation was looming where she might not be the Heavenly Horse anymore.
If, just if.
If the Heavenly Horse could transform into someone like Jegal Hyuk or Namgung Bi-a…
“What reason do I have to fight?”
As the thought crashed into my mind, a wave of darkness settled.
This, probably, was the reason for my emptiness.
“Hah… I really am foolish.”
I sighed and lamented the reason I’d just recalled.
I should feel pleased that the one who caused the bloodshed vanished, but instead, I find myself feeling regretful.
“Rather than regret… it’s just an overwhelming emptiness.”
It was a sensation that was hard to articulate.
I guess having a lack of a sense of crisis triggers this feeling.
Crack-!
I immediately slapped my cheek with my hand.
Woohyuk and Seongyul jumped in surprise, but I didn’t care.
“Get a grip.”
Whatever happens, things won’t change. No, they shouldn’t be allowed to change.
“The disappearance of the Heavenly Horse doesn’t mean the end.”
I might have thought that way in the past.
Not now.
“I still have the Blood Demon lurking.”
A being known as the Dragon Emperor, presumed to be one of the pure-blooded dragons.
The very same who sparked the bloody chaos of the Blood Demon War centuries ago still remained.
I still hadn’t quite grasped whatever schemes he was plotting.
Even if the Heavenly Horse changes, my mission stays unchanged.
But.
“Even knowing that….”
Just knowing about it didn’t easily fill the void I felt.
“…Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue lightly and donned the robe I had thrown aside.
“I’ll head out first.”
I told Woohyuk and Seongyul before starting to move.
It was meal time soon.
Today, I had plans to have lunch with Namgung Bi-a and Wi Seol-ah, so I needed to get a move on.
“Dang So-yeol mentioned she had something to do.”
Though Mo Yong-hee always had her own business and didn’t join us for lunch, it was somewhat surprising that Dang So-yeol had gone missing.
I’d heard she’d been going out quite often lately.
“What could she possibly be doing alone?”
“She’ll probably be back in time for dinner. She can handle herself.”
It’s absurd to fret over a grown woman, much less a child.
Even Dang So-yeol was a martial artist of Hwa-gyeong.
Thus, I made my way toward Wi Seol-ah’s residence.
“Hmm?”
As I opened the door, I noticed a presence right before me.
“I greet you, Master.”
Peeking slightly through the training room door, I saw Nahi waiting outside.
“What is it?”
“There’s a guest looking for you, Master.”
I frowned upon hearing that.
A guest? Why now of all times?
Why do problems always arise before meal times?
“…Who is it?”
I managed to ask while holding back my irritation.
Then—
“It’s Beomdong, the leader of Biryongdaeju.”
An even more bothersome name jumped out of Nahi’s mouth.
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