Chapter: 900
The wind still had not blown in the world.
The sun was gradually rising, while the once beautiful aurora borealis and the magenta waves in the sky were gradually fading, taking their light with them.
I pondered as I gazed at the brightening sky.
‘Can we really say that it’s gone?’
Sure, the night had cleared, and the stars that had lingered had vacated their spots.
That said, this world was oddly strange, even in daylight.
The aurora and the stars hadn’t disappeared. Instead, they had seeped into the sky.
By the clock, it was around dawn transitioning to noon, yet the sky here was peculiar compared to the central plains, just as it was at night.
‘I never expected the sky to be magenta….’
At first glance, it looked somewhat like a sunset, but the color was fundamentally different.
It was the first time I had seen such a sky in this world.
I was staring at it until I lowered my gaze.
I had realized immediately upon arrival that this place was odd, and even with the sky’s peculiarity, I didn’t have the energy to concern myself with it.
That was because something much stranger lay right before my eyes.
I spoke while looking at the broad back.
“Noya.”
“Hmm?”
The figure ahead of me turned around at my call.
He was an elderly man with slightly tinted rosy eyes, sharp features, and a face lined with wrinkles.
The most revered hero of Mount Hua. Shincheol, the Divine Sword of Mount Hua.
After my regression, he had waltzed into my body without permission, incessantly nagging and scolding me.
Back then, I could only hear his voice as if he were a spirit. Now, he was fully embodied in a human form.
“…Where are we going now?”
It had already been an hour of aimless wandering.
Feeling frustrated from only watching him walk, I asked, and Shin Noya made a face like he was chewing on something foul as he replied.
“Didn’t I keep telling you to fix that hasty temper? Whining and whining over how long we’ve walked! Anyway, your temper is absolutely dreadful.”
“Well, isn’t it because you haven’t told me your destination? If it were you, you would have cursed at me by now, so why only hold back with me—”
BANG!
“Gah!”
I clasped my head in shock.
“What the hell? What the hell?”
“Gahhhh…!”
I thought my skull might crack.
BOOM!
“Ugh!”
I got hit again.
I staggered back, bracing my body as pain distorted my breathing. I glared at Shin Noya with trembling eyes.
“Why twice…!”
“Who said I was only going to hit you once? Why? If you don’t like it, want a third one?”
Damn it.
Not only had he physical form, but he could also touch me.
“Violence is bad….”
“Shit.”
Noya, who had intoned that, let out a chuckle.
“Oh, that feels refreshing.”
His voice had a surprisingly lively tone. It was annoying enough to make one’s blood boil.
“I’ve always wanted to try this. It’s hard to describe how lucky I feel that things turned out this way.”
“…Who called whose temper bad… just kidding.”
As he raised his hand again, I hastily followed with words. I didn’t know what sort of madness this old man had to immediately raise his hand.
‘If you’re going to age, at least do it gracefully.’
One could only imagine how fiery his temper must have been in his youth. I promised myself I would not grow old like that.
“Your eyes look strange?”
“They’ve always been like this.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“…What the hell?”
“What kind of brat are you?”
Damn it. I lowered my head under his glaring gaze.
It was absurd. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t help but marvel.
‘I couldn’t escape it.’
I couldn’t dodge when he swung at me. I’d seen his arm lift, but by the time I realized it, I was already bowing my head in pain.
‘…What a monstrous old man.’
It was like dealing with a calf with an eerie calmness. Likewise with the sword floating in the sky.
I genuinely began to wonder if this guy was truly human.
‘This is way different from that time.’
The vision of Yeongpung. Noya, the god of another world, within it.
When I battled him, hope was visible. I had even played tricks to win back then.
‘But this… there’s no answer to it?’
Even if I had become much stronger since that time, watching the current Shin Noya was like looking into endless darkness.
Can I reach it? That’s not the question.
I can’t reach it.
That thought crossed my mind involuntarily.
At that moment…
“Tsk tsk.”
Shin Noya clicked his tongue as he looked at me.
“It seems your face isn’t the only thing that has deteriorated since we last met, huh?”
“…!”
It felt like he had read my mind.
Embarrassment crept over me. I gritted my teeth and stood up.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Humph.”
Noya snorted, then resumed walking. As I followed, I steered the conversation elsewhere, asking again.
“So. Are you really not going to tell me?”
“Ah, that guy… didn’t I tell you? I said just follow me quietly.”
“If you won’t tell me the destination, at least offer some other words.”
I hadn’t been walking blindly without questions.
Where exactly is this place? How did you come to be like this? What about that calf I fought just now? How does that guy know Noya?
And so on.
I asked everything that was bothering me, yet Noya’s answer remained unchanged.
“I’ll tell you when we get there.”
He kept saying he’d explain everything upon reaching our destination.
Sighing at the repetition, I muttered.
“This isn’t some game of teasing….”
“It can’t be helped.”
Noya replied tiredly.
“If you’re not careful, you might hear it. Eyes and ears are everywhere in this place.”
“What does that mean?”
“If it’s that bothersome, you’re free to leave. I won’t stop you.”
“Excuse me?”
So you wouldn’t even stop me if I left? My eyes widened at Noya’s words.
“If I leave now, where should I go?”
“I don’t know. You’re not a little kid, am I obliged to worry about that?”
This essentially meant: If you’re annoyed, just shut up and come along.
“What should I do?”
Noya turned back slightly and asked.
“…”
As hard as it was to admit, I had only one answer to convey.
After that, we walked for quite a while. Neither of us uttered more than a word.
I couldn’t extract any answers, rendering me speechless; neither of us was the type to chat about our well-being.
How long had we walked?
“We’re almost there.”
Shin Noya said.
My eyes widened as I stared ahead at those words.
“…What do you mean almost there?”
There was nothing in front of me. Just a vast plain, the same as before.
What could possibly be here? The thought crossed my mind just as I began pondering it.
“Was it around this time?”
Noya scanned the surroundings. What’s this about…?
‘What could possibly be here?’
I focused my gaze on him as he acted like he spotted something.
I still couldn’t see anything. Yet, he seemed determined to search for something.
‘Hm?’
I barely caught a glimpse of something very, very faint.
I couldn’t tell what it was, but it definitely existed.
‘Could this be it?’
I took a step forward, hand outstretched, not fully grasping if I sought what he had indicated.
Whoosh-!
As I expected, a sensation flickered at my fingertips.
“Noya, is this it?”
“Hmm?”
Noya stared at the tip of my finger. Then, he frowned.
It seemed as though I had guessed correctly.
“Hmm…? How did I…?”
“I just saw it.”
“…You saw it? You shouldn’t have been able to see it! How can you, a kid, possibly see this?”
“Hmm.”
He asked, genuinely intrigued. His eyes were quite serious. As if something that shouldn’t have been visible were being unveiled.
Thus, I decided to tell him.
“I’ll explain when we get there.”
“…Hmph.”
When I countered with his earlier statement, Shin Noya exhaled loudly.
Was that cutting it close? At this point, I’d be okay with being hit once or twice.
I readied myself for it, but instead…
“You little brat.”
Shin Noya simply chuckled at my expense instead of hitting me.
Then, he lifted his slender hand and reached into space. As he did, plum leaves flowed from his fingers.
Swish.
The leaves floated gently, as if dancing through the air, and when they hit the strange sensation I felt…
Drip.
The sound of water drops echoed from somewhere, instigating a ripple through the space.
Whoosh.
“…What the hell?”
I cursed at the spectacle unfolding before me.
Suddenly, the space began to ripple, tearing open with fractures.
The entrance was just right for Shin Noya to come and go.
A hole that appeared out of nowhere hovered there, appearing rather dulled.
“Let’s go inside.”
Shin Noya said, unperturbed. He stepped inside.
I hesitated for a moment. The Cheonma, having followed me without a word, entered the space before I did.
Seeing that, I resolved to follow him into the space.
Swish!
As soon as I stepped through, the entrance that was visible vanished.
“This is….”
The moment I surveyed the interior.
“What is this?”
I was taken aback by the world unfolding before me. This was another realm. Just a moment ago, I had been staring at an empty field punctuated by weeds, but here I was in a forest.
The first place I had arrived at was also a forest, yet it felt different.
It felt significantly more familiar.
The sky was blue, and even the air felt familiar.
The issue was…
‘It feels heavy.’
As soon as the space shifted, my body grew heavier.
Shall I say it returned to how it once was?
‘The outside was just too light.’
Floating energies in the air made my body feel light and good, whereas this place felt akin to the Central Plains.
Tweet! Tweet! Chirp!
The sounds of birds and insects, previously unheard, tickled my ears.
If the location I had just left was overwhelmingly foreign, then this place felt instinctively natural.
“Noya… where are we?”
“Fortunately, everything appears to be alright.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hmm.”
Noya took a deep breath, seeming relieved, then looked at me and asked.
“Follow me.”
He began walking again. Given the similarity to before, I walked side by side with him.
“What was I asking first…? Ah, right. It was about that guy from earlier.”
“…!”
Breaking the long silence, Noya suddenly began to explain to me.
Had he actually planned this out since the moment we arrived?
It was rather abrupt, yet I focused on listening.
“That guy is a leader. As you noticed, he’s ignorant and violent.”
“…Yes.”
That had clearly been my first impression upon seeing him. He was ignorant and rough.
It was completely in line with his demeanor.
‘He truly was a strange character.’
I was so shocked that he could even speak. I was absentmindedly ruminating on the thoughts surrounding him.
“Nimrod.”
Shin Noya addressed me.
“Yes, Noya.”
“I’m going to ask you. What did he appear to be?”
“What do you mean, what did he appear to be? That’s obvious.”
A monster.
I shut my mouth unconsciously, rehearsed to respond how such thoughts formed on the fly.
A monster.
Can that thing be labeled a monster? Various doubts flitted through my mind.
Noticing my inner turmoil, Shin Noya turned his head and continued speaking, his steps never faltering.
“It’s not incorrect of you to say that. For someone like you. And for someone like me, referring to them as monsters won’t differ much either.”
“Are you implying… it’s not a monster?”
“Oh.”
At my words, Noya expressed mild surprise.
“It seems like you’ve learned to think for yourself a bit since last I saw you.”
“…”
You should just berate me instead!
I couldn’t voice that out loud, so I silently grilled my teeth in frustration.
“If you refute, it could indeed appear that way. However, that answer remains insufficient.”
“…I don’t really grasp your point.”
If it’s right, it’s right. Saying it could be interpreted that way felt too ambiguous to consider.
“Hmm, oh, right. I see how I could clarify that.”
Listening to the explanation prompted me to frown noticeably.
I could spot something ahead.
“Those who almost became monsters. Indeed, that’s how to refer to them.”
“Almost?”
“Yes, those beings who almost did transform. The leader happens to be particularly strong among them, so much so that he caught her attention and even received power.”
I halted.
Upon hearing Noya’s statement, the word ‘power’ seemed to slice through the air.
“Power…?”
“Yes, he possesses something they label as power. While he claims to be immortal… I wouldn’t consider it as grand. Merely a tad bothersome, I’d say.”
“…”
“In any case. This isn’t the crux of the matter. Looking into your eyes, it seems you’re more eager to learn other things. Is that correct?”
“…Indeed.”
Where am I now, alongside Cheonma?
What sort of place did I just drop into? As Noya suggested, it was the most pertinent information amongst my many inquiries.
I found myself anticipating a future explanation.
“Listen closely, as it will require clarification.”
Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.
“I mentioned earlier, the leader is a being who might have turned into a monster.”
“…Yes.”
“So, dear one, what is it that you consider a monster?”
“Hmm?”
What kind of question was that? I stared at Noya, confused.
He turned to face me directly, seriousness etched in his gaze.
It didn’t appear to be banter, so I delivered my reply immediately.
“The monsters that emerge through the magic gate. That’s what I reckon.”
“Correct.”
“…”
Should I be glad it matched? Or more so, feel slightly unsettled?
‘Why bother with such an obvious question…?’
I frowned while staring at Noya, and he directly followed up with another query.
“If that’s the case, where precisely do those monsters emerge from?”
“…Of course. Beyond the Demonic Gate, isn’t it?”
“That’s accurate. However, if we delve deeper, wouldn’t the narrative shift?”
“Shift?”
“What does the Demonic Gate signify initially? What exists within that allows it to birth monsters? We’re discussing that point.”
“…”
I narrowed my eyes, struck with a sense of intrigue.
The Demonic Gates and the monsters.
It was a topic I had never explored thoroughly. The Demonic Gates had existed since I was born. Hunting the monsters emerging from them was common sense.
Yet how does it relate to this?
‘Well.’
I was at a loss. Like I said, I’d never thought too deeply about it.
At that very moment, I was merely considering it.
“It refers to the monsters.”
Noya stated.
“They are entities from a world that has already perished.”
“…!”
“They are beings that lost their masters and disappeared at the hands of a new master. They are the monsters.”
“That’s…”
“A world that loses its master embraces a new master, erasing all life it once sheltered. So then, where do those erased life forms go?”
I met his gaze.
“That’s the correct answer.”
As Noya spit those words, his eyes were chilling and bitter.
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