Chapter: 902
One hundred and fifty years.
My mind went blank for a moment at the overwhelming number.
One hundred and fifty years…? Not just a few months?
“…What kind of nonsense is that?”
It’s only been a few months since Noya disappeared from my body. How can that possibly be over a hundred years?
I couldn’t believe it, so I asked again, but Noya’s expression was serious.
“There are actually more days that I didn’t necessarily count. It’s probably a little more than this.”
“What….”
“At first, this place was a wasteland. There was nothing here. There wasn’t any living creature, so I planted a tree.”
At the mention of planting a tree, I shifted my gaze. I saw a tree so huge it seemed to block out the sky.
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. It’s grown a lot, hasn’t it?”
“It’s just ridiculously big.”
Even considering the time, the tree seemed quite strange. Even if Noya was right and one hundred and fifty years had passed, it was still odd for it to grow that much.
“Well… I don’t really understand, so I’m saying this. So…”
“It’s okay. You’ve been stupid for more than a day or two.”
“Can you just listen without poking fun at me for a bit…?”
“Oh, it’s a habit that I don’t even realize sometimes.”
I’m genuinely annoyed, but I held back and added,
“It’s been one hundred and fifty years since Noya came here… and during that time, he created the Volcano Sect. Where I was, it’s only been a few months at most?”
“Oh, you’ve got it exactly.”
“No. I don’t understand at all.”
The time is different.
Even if over a hundred years have passed here, only a few months have gone by in the Central Plains?
If that’s the case…
“…Why didn’t you come back sooner?”
If you were going to say you’d be back in a few months, you should have been back ages ago! What were you doing all that time?
Noya responded with a somewhat awkward expression.
“Well, that’s because I couldn’t go back.”
“You said you couldn’t go back?!”
I frowned upon hearing that.
“You mentioned there would be a way.”
“That was based on trusting what he said. But did I know this would happen to me?”
Noya added while frowning, “And truth be told, this mess happened because I was trying to help you out—so why are you acting like this?”
“…”
That was so true that I found myself speechless.
“…I’m sorry.”
When I offered a sincere apology, Noya looked at me with a strange expression.
“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d be messy until the end.”
“I’m not that bad, am I?”
“No…?”
“…”
I really didn’t like that definite tone of his. Have I been that trashy?
‘Still, one hundred and fifty years… that’s just crazy.’
How could anyone endure such a long stretch of time? That was the most puzzling part.
Could Noya possibly be lying?
‘Not possible.’
No way. I was sure Noya wasn’t that kind of person. I was certain of it.
So he really spent one hundred and fifty years stuck in a place like this, creating the Volcano Sect to his liking…
As I thought about that, I suddenly grasped the most significant issue.
“…But Noya.”
“Speak.”
“…How are you still alive?”
“…Are you cursing me?”
“I’m asking sincerely.”
Let’s say it’s one hundred and fifty years. That tree is one thing, but I’m willing to accept that for now.
However, the fundamental issue hasn’t been resolved.
“…You’ve been alive for way too long.”
“So. Are you really cursing me?”
“No. That’s not it…”
No matter how I asked, it felt odd. But this was the truth.
‘You’ve lived for another one hundred and fifty years in Noya’s body?’
I thought he was already over eighty.
They say, being a martial artist, he’s young and lives a long time for his age… but to endure like that for one hundred and fifty years?
Furthermore,
‘He hasn’t changed at all from what I saw in the imaginary space.’
Noya looks just like he did the first time I encountered him.
How in the world did that happen?
“You have a physical form. You haven’t aged, and you’re still here. How did that occur?”
As I explained, Noya silently gazed at me.
“Hm.”
Maybe he found it difficult to answer? He tilted his head for a moment.
“When I first came here, he said something.”
He continued as if explaining something.
“He said he could lend me his body for a little while.”
“…You were lent it?”
“Yeah.”
“Who is he?”
“You know, that thing that growls inside you daily.”
“Kkureungi…?”
“Oh. Right, that’s a good name. Suits you very well.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
“…”
From behind, it seemed like Cheonma was looking at me with strange eyes, but I ignored him and spoke to Noya.
“Anyhow, are you saying that guy lent his body to Noya?”
“Yep. Thanks to that, I’m not getting older and making good use of it.”
“…”
I’m completely lost.
How on earth did that big guy Kkureungi lend his body to Noya?
‘…That giant was Kkureungi.’
The massive creature that roared when facing my mother.
That thing, just as big as the tree now, was definitely Kkureungi.
Then,
‘What the heck is he?’
What on earth is Kkureungi?
What did he gain from lending his body to Noya and staying inside mine?
Moreover,
‘Mother said she had stuck him to me. Why were they fighting?’
What was the purpose of the battle when Mother suddenly appeared?
I had more questions than one.
Just then…
“Master!”
A voice suddenly came from the distance.
“Hmm.”
Noya nodded at the speaker. A small boy had appeared.
This wasn’t the usual small humans I had seen; he genuinely looked young.
The problem was,
‘… He’s not a human either.’
His ears were animal-like, and he had a tail.
Just like my mother.
“You’re back!”
“Yeah. How have you been?”
“Yes!”
The boy replied brightly with an utterly innocent face.
Now, the boy was looking this way.
When our eyes met, the boy slightly nodded his head.
“Who are you? Another new disciple?”
“No, this one is too dull to teach, so he’s not useful.”
“Aha, I see.”
“…What kind of ridiculous thing are you saying to my face?”
“You’re not human, are you, little one?”
“Your words are rather harsh?”
This time I was genuinely hurt.
I despised the little one’s nonchalant demeanor even more.
“Well then, I’ll see you next time. Dull big brother, see you later.”
“Dull…”
“Work hard.”
“Yes!”
He waved goodbye and dashed off.
I stared blankly at his retreating figure.
“Pff.”
I turned to look at the sudden laughter I heard.
There stood Cheonma with a blank expression.
“…Did you just laugh?”
“No.”
“You laughed.”
“No, I didn’t.”
He shook his head firmly, but something felt off.
It really seemed like he had laughed, didn’t it?
“Tsk tsk… Stop the nonsense and come back; we need to finish discussing what we were talking about.”
With that, Noya walked away, leaving me behind. I scowled and said,
“Look at that! He beat me up with his hands and words, then just skips out. Isn’t he a little hoodlum? How is that one a master? Just a neighborhood thug!”
“Try to keep the insults to yourself…”
“Why should I keep it to myself when that’s exactly what I want to say?”
“…”
Noya swiftly turned his head back as if he might hit me, but…
“I know it’s not just me; you’re also quite the troublemaker. Can’t you just keep your mouth shut even after being punched around like that?”
“If I don’t say what’s bothering me, how can I feel better?”
“That’s true.”
Noya nodded as if he agreed.
I hope that doesn’t get me hit.
Just then, my head dropped.
I felt a sudden jolt to the top of my head.
“Still, if you’re going to hit me, it should at least be justified.”
“…Damn.”
I cursed while rubbing the top of my head. Even though I had expected it, I couldn’t dodge it.
“Ugh.”
I looked around, massaging the sore spot.
The kid who had run off earlier had joined a different group and was now holding a sword.
Though each of their appearances was distinct, they wielded their swords uniformly.
Observing these non-human figures, I asked the question that had been on my mind.
“About what we were discussing earlier…”
“Hmm?”
“That kid almost became a monster, you said. What does that mean?”
I pointed toward the unknown entities with my finger.
“Are they also of the same kind?”
“…”
Noya fell silent for a moment at my question.
Fortunately, the pause didn’t last long.
“Correct.”
“But how come they haven’t turned into monsters and are gathered here?”
The little old men and the children mixed with beasts didn’t, at least in my eyes, look like monsters.
“Was their world not destroyed?”
I asked if they hadn’t become monsters because their worlds hadn’t fallen.
“No, they all perished.”
Noya’s response was firm.
“…Then how come they haven’t transformed into monsters?”
“…”
At my question, Noya stroked his long beard.
In those misty plum-colored eyes of his, a vague emotion lingered.
It was undoubtedly sympathy.
“Little one.”
“Yes.”
As we walked, I saw a place ahead.
It was the smallest and most ordinary-looking house among the ones I had seen thus far.
Could that be Noya’s place?
“You asked earlier what this place really is.”
“Yes.”
Noya spoke as he walked toward the place.
“Someone named this world ‘consideration’.”
“…Consideration?”
“Yeah, consideration. From the living beings who had vanished when their masters disappeared, only a few could come here. They live without turning into monsters and establish themselves in another world.”
Hearing that, my eyes widened.
That statement…
“Existences from all kinds of realms that have never been seen gather here every day. Thus, this land is called ‘Mangye’ (萬界).”
Mangye (萬界).
It meant countless worlds are combined into one.
“It’s a place where those who should have perished found a stroke of luck to arrive. That’s why some refer to this as the world’s ‘consideration’, and also…”
Noya paused for a moment and looked at me before uttering,
“It is also called ‘Paradise’.”
That word felt oddly familiar.
“Ha ha. Isn’t that just amusing?”
Paradise (樂園).
It was a term akin to the creed of the Blood Demon.
In a tranquil space, a woman sat languidly, her eyes half-open.
Her violet eyes, resembling the sky and stars of this land, along with the long tails lined up behind her, showcased her presence.
The woman, who repeatedly took languid breaths, appeared to be bothered by something, often furrowing her brow.
Her slender fingers brushed against her furrowed brow repeatedly.
‘This is strange.’
It feels uncomfortable and stuffy.
With her beautiful brow scrunched up, the woman continued to feel uneasy.
‘Why is that?’
What could be making her feel this way?
The reason for her discomfort was linked to a face she had seen not long ago.
‘Why does he keep coming to mind?’
Could it be because it had been a long time since she had seen a member of that tribe?
Was it particularly memorable because it was something she thought had been erased long ago?
She pondered this, but it increasingly felt like there was more to it.
‘I can’t wrap my head around this.’
That was undoubtedly a dragon (龍).
A tribe that had already committed crimes and broken taboos, leading to their extinction. Moreover, they had been banished even from Mangye as a consequence of their punishment.
Yet…
‘They’ve resurfaced.’
How could such a tribe show up in this land?
It made no sense.
‘The Dragon Lord must still be paying for their sins, right?’
That arrogant and loathsome being had vanished from sight long ago.
How did such a thing occur in this time?
In addition,
“…It’s vexing.”
Among the two hatchlings, one face kept resurfacing, continuously irritating the woman.
It had blue eyes.
A dragon possessing black fur and fierce eyes.
‘Why is that?’
She didn’t know why, but the face of that dragon was intricately weaving through her thoughts.
What was driving this? Just as the woman dwelled in contemplation, a voice echoed.
[My Lady.]
A man appeared in the space and knelt before the woman.
[The Chief has returned.]
“…”
Upon hearing that, the woman slightly lifted her body.
Does this mean he succeeded in his mission?
Did he kill the dragon?
This thought made her heart jump lightly.
[However, due to unexpected interference, he couldn’t fulfill your wish.]
“…I see.”
The corners of the woman’s eyes twitched.
“Failure? I thought he would be able to do it.”
[A stranger intervened and caused trouble.]
“Hm…”
A stranger.
The mention of that word made the woman’s expression tighten slightly.
It was a slightly annoying presence she had encountered recently.
“He had shown kindness… Why would he make such a choice?”
It was puzzling.
Even though they had fulfilled each other’s wishes, why did he choose this path?
Did he even succeed?
He shouldn’t be breaking their pact. What sort of trick was he using?
As the woman fell deeper into her queries,
[What shall we do?]
The man asked her.
“Well…”
The woman gave a rare vague reply.
[…]
The man’s response seemed to carry a noticeable weight.
It was an unexpected answer for him.
“I need to think it over a bit.”
[…Understood.]
Though questions lingered, she refrained from speaking further.
The Master’s words were always correct, and this time would be no different.
The man was convinced of that.
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