Chapter: 549
Four days have passed.
Before I knew it, I had left Guangdong Province and arrived in Hunan.
Swish.
I could hear the sound of waves in my ears.
As night was approaching, I was sitting casually in a valley.
It felt like I had been walking for quite a while, yet I was still in the forest.
“Hmm.”
Though there was a hint of leisurely movement, it was still okay.
‘Things have worked out pretty easily.’
Because I had gained a bit of time to spare.
The reason I wanted to move in a bit of a hurry from Guangdong was threefold.
The first reason was.
‘Eternal iron.’
A note about the accumulation of eternal iron in the Guangdong region.
That was what I was after.
Finding it wasn’t particularly difficult.
I knew the information in greater detail than I had anticipated.
‘There were a few problems along the way, though.’
I had friction with the nobleman Gukwonjeokma during the process, and we ended up fighting.
However, I managed to leverage that to solve the next problem.
‘I killed Wi Seok.’
The second purpose for my trip to Guangdong was to kill Wi Seok, who was the branch leader of the Moorim Alliance in Guangdong.
This seemed too shallow to be labeled as revenge, however.
‘It was more of a two-birds-with-one-stone situation.’
Let’s just handle it while I’m here; that was the goal.
‘And while I’m at it, I should spread the word, too.’
That shouldn’t be an issue since I made the martial artist Seodong aware of it.
‘There’s a chance he won’t say anything, though.’
While I had instructed him to report, there was certainly a possibility that he wouldn’t.
Even so, that didn’t matter.
What was important was that I had killed Wi Seok.
Perhaps because of this, the Guangdong branch would take about a month to stabilize.
There would only be one casualty, the branch manager.
‘It’s no different from turning everything upside down.’
It’s as if some unidentified individual obliterated the branch out of the blue.
If the report goes up as it is, there would likely be various changes on that side, too.
‘One to two months, I reckon.’
Time to send a new branch manager and sort out the remaining situation.
That’s about how long it would take.
It’s not an overly long period, but it would be too late to deal with any monster-related incidents in that time.
Then, there would likely be casualties.
So.
“Just keep an eye on that part.”
I whispered these words softly in the middle of the night.
[Your command will be carried out.]
A voice responded from the darkness.
I didn’t bother turning around.
[We will assign personnel by region.]
That meant while the storm was raging, I wanted to take reasonable care to avoid casualties in the Guangdong area.
Ah.
“Also, while you’re at it, let’s spread some rumors.”
[I will comply.]
Just when I thought I had said everything I needed to.
[And… ]
A sound came as if continuing to speak.
[The Lord has a message for you.]
“Is it the Dark King?”
As I widened my eyes in confusion, the voice continued.
[‘The child is ready. It’s time to send him back.’ That was the order to convey.]
“…”
I exhaled softly upon hearing that.
Because I knew who those words referred to.
‘I guess I’ll see him soon.’
The last time I laid eyes on him was two years ago.
It had been a while since I left with the Dark King for some necessary training.
I nodded slightly and responded.
“Understood.”
As I finished speaking, the presence behind me disappeared.
Only after sensing that did I rise from the rock.
I took a step.
I moved away from where I was and walked in the direction from which I could hear the waves.
As I approached a bit closer.
Swoosh!
The moonlit river was shimmering, influenced by the waves.
And then I saw someone sitting near the river.
Splish! Splish!
Someone was crouched down, washing something in the water.
Their pale skin was clearly visible, as if they had taken off their upper garments.
Seeing that, I asked.
“What are you doing?”
“…!”
The person diligently washing their clothes in the river jumped at my call.
Then they turned their creaking head and looked at me in surprise.
The first thing that caught my attention was the tired yellow of their eyes.
The identity of the young man was.
In his previous life, he was a Sword Demon and a Thousand-Year Saint.
There.
A former leader of Kunlun. A person suspected to be a disciple of the Cheonghae Ilgeom.
It was Seongyul.
“What are you doing now?”
“…”
In response to my question, Seongyul briefly showed me the clothes he was holding.
“…I was… washing some clothes.”
“At this hour?”
“…Yes… Because the timing wasn’t right.”
“Hm.”
There wasn’t really any pressing reason to wash clothes or anything.
But still,
‘He’s not in his right mind either.’
In such a situation, he was busy washing his clothes.
In the midst of this, his upper body was visible since he had taken off his top.
Despite being a martial artist of high caliber, his muscles were lacking.
He had big bones, likely due to his lean physique.
Especially noticeable were the scars covering his chest and the rest of his body.
‘That’s…’
Those were not scars inflicted by others.
It was the evidence left behind from hurting himself.
“Hey.”
“Yes…?”
“Give me those clothes.”
“…?”
Seongyul looked puzzled, yet he willingly handed over the clothes.
I snatched away the damp garment as if it were nothing and breathed onto it.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a blast of warm air shot out, instantly drying the wet clothes.
Immediately after, I threw the drier clothes haphazardly to Seongyul.
He caught the clothes with a blank expression.
I couldn’t stand looking at the scars.
As I observed him, I asked.
“How come you didn’t run away?”
“…Ah.”
It hadn’t been that long since I disappeared, yet there was enough time to escape.
In the few days since we began our journey together.
There had been similar situations amidst our travels, yet Seongyul had never attempted to flee.
In response to my question, Seongyul answered without any alteration in his expression.
“Even if I ran away, there’s nowhere to go.”
“Why? Just go home. Your house is in Cheonghae.”
When I brought up the Kunlun sect, Seongyul’s expression darkened slightly.
“That place… is not a place I can return to anymore.”
Every time he spoke of Kunlun, his expression was perpetually like that.
If there was one thing I learned about Seongyul over these days.
‘I guess he’s not that old.’
He mentioned he was now twenty-five.
‘He seems indeed to belong to Kunlun.’
He is either presently affiliated or ‘was’ a member.
From my perspective, it could be one of those two.
There.
‘It’s also true that he is related to the Cheonghae Ilgeom.’
Though he never directly mentioned it, it was unmistakably the case.
A person like him.
‘Why is he doing that here?’
It wouldn’t be surprising if he, as a Thousand-Year Saint, had become a murderer.
However, if he was a martial artist associated with the Kunlun sect, some complications would arise.
‘One is supposed to kill a Thousand-Year Castle upon discovery.’
This is among the rules established by the alliance.
A Thousand-Year Saint must be reported to the alliance immediately upon their discovery.
This is close to a mandate that must be adhered to by any sect.
‘For the Cheonghae Ilgeom, who knows this, to act oblivious…’
If it was true that he raised him under his wing.
‘What could their intentions have been?’
I didn’t know about that. The important thing was.
‘It became a bit of a bothersome situation.’
In the past, he would have simply been a crazed killer.
What about the swordsman now?
At least as far as I could tell, he appeared to be a fairly sane individual, albeit a little on edge.
‘But that doesn’t mean he’s entirely fine.’
If he is indeed a Thousand-Year Saint, judging by the appearance he had when we first met.
That guy was no different from the sword-wielding lunatic I had seen in my past life.
But.
‘He hasn’t completely succumbed to the Thousand-Year Saint just yet.’
It felt as if my previous life had devoured that aspect of him.
Yet, it seems that is not wholly the case now.
To phrase it differently.
‘Eventually, he will be devoured.’
He will ultimately be bested by the Thousand-Year Castle and consumed.
Thinking of that gave rise to a thought.
‘It would be right to follow the original course of action.’
Turn him into a demon and utilize him later.
That was the purpose for bringing him here. I had been stuck, unable to follow through.
Tsk.
A few days ago, memories of that sad-looking guy who pleaded with me to kill him surfaced.
Thinking back on it made me feel a wave of irritation.
‘Ah, damn it, I had to see something pointless.’
It was frustrating.
Had I not seen that, I would have simply discarded him.
The moment I beheld those damn eyes, hesitation had seized me.
Tch.
While I clicked my tongue in response to my rising feelings, Seongyul had finished putting on his clothes and asked me a question.
“Um…”
“What.”
“May I ask what you’re looking for from me…?”
“What?”
It was a careful question posed by Seongyul.
“…Why would someone like you want to use me for something and insist on me accompanying you?”
Someone like you.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
“Do you even know who I am?”
“I don’t know. But I can tell you’re not an ordinary person.”
He appeared to be under some misunderstanding.
I wasn’t that remarkable of a person.
‘In fact, I’m not even human at this point.’
I swallowed the words I didn’t want to say.
“So, you don’t know who I am or what I might do. Why follow me?”
“…Because you told me to.”
He simply followed because I told him to do so.
Seongyul stated this plainly.
“So you didn’t run away?”
“Even if I were to run away, I had nowhere to go…”
Seongyul spoke to me with calm eyes.
“I determined that I was not capable of running.”
“Hm.”
His reasoning for not fleeing was that he concluded he wouldn’t be able to escape me regardless.
‘He’s more perceptive than I expected.’
That was correct. I had no intention of letting him go easily.
‘If I’m going to kill him, I will.’
He was a Thousand-Year Saint.
Do I intend to let him live when I know what’s to happen to him?
In the meantime.
‘He’s what I’m hoping for.’
In the interim, here’s what I desired from him.
“Well.”
Nothing sprang to mind right now.
No, that’s not true. It’s not the time to ask him for anything specific.
“And if I ask for something, what’s the difference? You’ll do it anyway, right?”
“…I’m not sure.”
Seongyul shook his head in response.
“One… If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it.”
Hearing that made me nod.
“That’s utter nonsense. You don’t even know who I am or what I’m going to do. But you’re saying you’ll do anything you can?”
I had intended to use him as a tool because he didn’t follow orders.
Are you telling me he would do what I say?
It was just absurd.
“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
“…”
“What’s with you?”
It would be convenient if he just stated he would listen to me.
I was dying to know why.
Looking at him filled with questions.
Then Seongyul spoke to me with a tired voice.
“Don’t you know what issues I possess?”
I’m well aware.
That he is an unstable individual who craves blood and relishes the suffering of others.
“If you still require me, knowing that… I thought that would suffice.”
If being a Thousand-Year Saint didn’t dissuade me, that should be enough.
Also.
“Besides, I have nowhere else to go, so I thought it would be better to do something rather than remain here.”
“…”
His statement hinted at a degree of self-abandonment.
“Hmm…”
After hearing Seongyul’s words, certain thoughts arose.
‘It’s ambiguous.’
A swordsman who has yet to fall into madness.
It might have been easier if he had gone insane.
This blurry state is now just a burden for me.
‘A ticking time bomb.’
He might seem fine now, but if madness surfaces, he could change like he did in the inn.
Knowing this, wouldn’t it be better to turn him into a mine now and use him safely?
That was the thought I had.
‘I can’t even be bothered to think about it.’
The sight of the man who once begged for death plagued my mind. The involvement of the Cheonghae Ilgeom gnawed at me as well.
After pondering for ages, there was only one solution.
‘Unless I could find a way to suppress his Thousand-Year nature.’
Would such a thing even exist?
I didn’t know what Cheonghae Ilgeom was thinking, but as far as I was concerned, there was nothing.
Alright.
‘Let’s just take it easy.’
If I weren’t to turn him into a mine, killing him was the only option.
In that case, it would be better to convert him right from this moment.
Thinking that, I reached out towards Seongyul.
Swish!
“…!”
I swiftly turned my head upon sensing an aura behind me.
“What’s that?”
Seongyul looked bewildered at the sight of my reaction.
“Uh…?”
“Be quiet for a moment.”
“…”
In the silence, I concentrated my energy and spread it out.
WHOOOOSH!
The burst of power from my feet surrounded the area.
As it did, I became more attuned to the incoming presence.
I felt two distinct presences.
And they were rapidly approaching us.
“Great.”
The moment I sensed that presence, I couldn’t help but grimace.
It was a presence I recognized.
However, the problem was that it wasn’t a presence suitable for this location.
‘…Why can I feel that child’s presence here?’
Doubts flashed through my mind, but I didn’t have time to ponder. The moment I identified the presence, I turned my focus inward.
Boom!
A sound erupted from my bones and my body began to transform.
“…Eh…?”
Seongyul gasped in surprise as he witnessed my transformation.
Crack crack!
As the noise echoed, my body gradually shrank.
I lost height and size.
The difference was about an inch.
Phew…
After managing to reduce my size, I brushed my hair back.
Immediately afterwards, I checked my reflection in the valley.
The first thing that caught my attention was my slightly reddened pupils.
Fortunately, it appeared I had transformed well.
“…W-What…?”
Seongyul looked shocked at my sudden change.
Now wasn’t the time to explain.
In that fraction of a moment, the presence drew closer, and I could feel it approaching.
Pat.
I heard delicate footsteps.
“Uh…?”
Then a voice followed.
It was the beautiful voice of a woman.
The woman’s tone was vividly flustered.
Upon turning towards the sound, I encountered her gaze.
“…What?”
The woman, upon meeting my eyes, widened hers.
Her face seemed both familiar and awkward.
Her eyes were sharp, slightly turned downwards.
Her black hair flowed casually around her.
Adorned between her white robe were small patterns, and she wasn’t overly tall for a woman.
Moreover.
She possessed a face resembling someone I dearly missed.
The woman gazed at me, unable to mask her expression.
“Why…?”
To my surprise, the identity of that woman was none other than.
“…Why are you here, brother?”
The fourth member of the Gu clan.
It was Gu Ryunghwa.
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