Chapter: 898
I flew for quite a while.
Bursting with flames, I exerted all my strength to keep flying and flying for a long time.
After about an hour had passed like that.
“Hoo… ha…”
Feeling my breath getting rough and the cold sweat starting to flow, I finally stopped moving.
“Phew.”
As soon as I stopped, my breath came out raggedly.
Perhaps it was because I flew like a madman at top speed, but there was a slight recoil.
‘Is it worse than when I was flying from Sacheon to Hanam?’
Back then, I managed just fine even after flying for two days without resting, but now I was exhausted after just one hour of flight.
Honestly, I thought I could keep moving like this for another day or so.
‘But two days? No way.’
Perhaps it was the buoyancy I felt from the energy in the air that made my body feel light.
The increase in the force I used and the failure to control it were to blame.
‘But thanks to that…’
I looked back.
‘It seems I was flying at double my usual speed.’
Just how far have I flown?
I can’t even gauge the distance. Even for my own standards, I was going at a considerable speed.
‘Is this okay?’
One hour north.
This is the place I flew to after hearing Kkureungi’s words.
“…”
I’m still unsure whether this choice was the right one.
It was indeed a choice made purely on instinct.
‘Was it right to run away, leaving my mother behind?’
Choosing Kkureungi over my mother there—was that really the right thing to do?
I kept pondering it as I made my way here.
‘What should I do now?’
The deed is already done.
If I’ve done something, instead of dwelling on the past, I need to figure out what to do from here on out.
I glanced to the side.
Next to me stood the Heavenly Demon. When I realized I was holding her wrist, I immediately let go.
“Ah.”
The Heavenly Demon reacted to my action. She didn’t seem particularly tired at all.
‘You ran this distance and you’re not tired? What kind of nonsense is that?’
I was worn out, so why does she seem perfectly fine?
‘…Is the gap in our abilities really that significant?’
Though it felt a bit strange, now wasn’t the time to worry about it, so I decided to let it slide for now.
First, I heightened my senses.
Hoooosh—!!!
Quickly spreading out, I scanned my surroundings. Fortunately, I didn’t pick up on anything.
The issue was.
‘I can’t feel anything at all.’
It was strangely devoid of any signs of life. Normally, I’d sense bugs in the bushes or the presence of wild animals nearby.
Nothing came to my senses.
The eerie silence of nothingness felt almost jarring and alien.
‘What the heck is going on?’
The more I look, the less I understand.
What on earth is this place?
I know it’s not the Central Plains, and it’s clear that it’s not that world to begin with.
But then.
‘I’m asking where this is.’
Where on earth am I?
That was the crucial question for me.
As I caught my breath, I recalled what had happened.
Specifically, the scene when Kkureungi and my mother were fighting.
I have no idea why they were fighting, but the important thing was that my mother had appeared here.
‘Mother said she was also the master of the world.’
Muah had said that.
The name of that world is certain.
‘Man-gye.’
A world mentioned by both the blood demon and Muah.
I don’t know what it’s like, but I suspect it may be similar to certain places in the Central Plains.
This implies.
‘The world beyond the Magic Gate.’
This is said to be the world that lies beyond the Magic Gate.
‘…Is this what it originally felt like?’
It feels far too peaceful to consider that.
By comparison, the world where Muah was felt impossibly different.
In that place, even a single blade of grass would find it hard to grow, while this place overflowed with bushes, flowers, and vibrant life.
‘Of course, I don’t feel any other living things.’
That aspect is rather odd, but I’ll let that slide for now.
‘This is Mother’s world.’
To be precise, this is a world where my mother is the master.
“…”
What should I do then?
Suddenly, I felt my thoughts abruptly cease.
“Damn it.”
My mind isn’t functioning as it should.
It probably had to do with everything that happened before.
“… Mother.”
The sight of my mother pressing down on Kkureungi wouldn’t leave my mind.
With animal ears, not human ones.
That form from back then, with a white tail held high in the air.
It was an aura and appearance that could never be called human.
‘That alien energy I felt back then was the same.’
The reason I chose to leave after hearing Kkureungi’s words.
I recognized her as my mother without a doubt, but for some reason, just looking at her made me think it was dangerous.
Being near her felt perilous.
I had to escape.
My instincts screamed at me to get away.
“Sigh.”
What on earth happened?
I thought about it but came up with nothing.
“Are you okay?”
The Heavenly Demon asked, looking at me.
I sighed without meeting her gaze.
“Don’t mind me.”
“But…”
“I’m just a bit annoyed.”
I turned and stared north again.
‘What am I going to do from here?’
I came here as I was told to head north.
‘But if I can’t catch anything in my senses, what’s the plan?’
What reason did they have for sending me north?
I arrived only to find an endless wasteland stretching before me.
‘Or should I go further?’
Should I venture a bit more to see if anything comes up?
It felt as though I’d already come a ridiculous distance to reach here.
“Damn it.”
I frowned. I should have found some clues to understand the situation.
Without any leads or understanding, I felt nothing but aggravation rising.
‘Should I just turn back now?’
Should I head back to where my mother is?
Maybe it would be better that way if I knew nothing. That thought crossed my mind.
“Damn it.”
No matter how much I thought, the answers didn’t come. Frustration made me shake my head.
What should I do now?
How do I get out of this godforsaken situation?
Just as I was thinking that.
Shoosh—
“…Hmm?”
I sensed something strange.
I immediately looked up at the sky.
At that moment.
Krreeeeeek!
“Huh, what the hell?”
Suddenly, the sky ripped open, and a magenta Magic Gate appeared. Not just one, either.
Dozens of them.
Dozens of Magic Gates began to fill the air.
“What now?”
What kind of absurd situation is this? I squinted my eyes and heightened my guard.
[Found it.]
A deep voice echoed in my ear.
[Discovered the filthy little dragon. Commencing hunt.]
“What?”
A dragon? Hunt?
At that moment, my face twisted in confusion.
[Kuooooo—!!]|
Something started pouring out of the Magic Gate with an unsettling roar.
Thud—! Thud thud thud thud—!!
[Kuooooo—!!!]
‘A monster?’
What came pouring down toward the ground I stood upon were, surprisingly, monsters.
Monsters filled the ground in an instant.
I narrowed my eyes at the sight.
They were all types of monsters I had never seen before.
And on top of that.
‘They’re all different colors.’
The monsters varied in color.
Unlike the ones I knew, sorted into greens, blues, reds, and whites, these had their own unique hues.
One had gray fur, while another bore orange fur.
The colors were vastly different from my understanding.
‘I’ve never even seen creatures like this before.’
Most of them had the head of a beast and the body of a human.
While I had often come across beast-shaped monsters, this was a first for me.
‘What in the world?’
What kind of monsters are those? Just as I was caught off guard by the sheer novelty.
[The master’s words were correct.]
Rumble—!!!
From the largest magenta Magic Gate, a massive being descended.
The powerful impact sent dust flying everywhere.
[This truly is a dragon.]
I narrowed my eyes against the strong gusts as I stared straight ahead.
[I will ask you, you arrogant and wretched thing.]
My body instinctively reacted to the genuine hostility.
Fwoooosh—!! Flames swirled around me as I raised my fighting spirit, enveloping myself in power.
[You bunch, who should have gone extinct along with the dragons, how did you appear here?]
As the winds calmed, the owner of the voice came into view.
At first glance, it was massive.
Comparing to Iljangro, who is already considered massive among humans, this creature was nearly twice as large.
It dwarfed the other monsters nearby by at least two or more heads.
It was a muscular being cloaked in black fur, possessing a head resembling that of a cow.
In its hand, a colossal axe—an axe larger than I was.
What’s more astonishing is this.
‘It can talk?’
The fact that the monster was speaking human language was quite surprising.
Looking back, the net I saw in the North Sea and the imp were both capable of speech.
‘…Moreover, feeling its presence is something else entirely.’
The overwhelming pressure it radiated quickly reminded me that it was no weakling.
In terms of martial artists, it felt at least comparable to those at the Warrior stage.
In terms of monsters, it felt similar to those ranked at a hundred.
“What are you?”
When I spoke, a huff of air burst from its nostrils.
Whoosh!
It was a cow spitting fire from its nose.
[You have no obligation to respond to the vulgar question. Just answer the inquiry.]
“…Who do you think you are, talking nonsense like that?”
[If you choose not to reply, it makes no difference.]
Thud—!
It pointed its axe directly at me.
[The outcome would be the same either way.]
“Hah.”
I pondered over that statement.
Whether it decided to speak or not, the outcome would remain the same. In other words—
‘You were planning to kill me from the start.’
I loosened my stance slightly, simultaneously surveying my surroundings.
There were a lot of them. At least close to a hundred.
This implied they hadn’t brought me out here without purpose.
“Well, this works out perfectly.”
Seeing their numbers made me smirk.
“I was having a headache due to the lack of anyone to ask questions.”
Thud! I clenched my fist tightly.
“You, you’re good at talking, right? I have a lot on my mind, but if you stall later, you’ll be a dead one.”
[…]
With my words echoing, the calf snorted once more.
[Indeed.]
Kuuuu—!!! Its massive muscles rippled as veins popped up.
[Dragons are presumptuous.]
“I hear that often.”
With that, I raised my energies to their peak.
Fwoosh—!!!
A fierce blue flame erupted from my entire body, spraying wildly in all directions.
Whoosh!!!
[Kuaarrrruuu—!!]
[Krugggguuuu—!!]
Monsters engulfed in flames screamed in anguish. The ones surrounding me turned to ash without a trace.
The unfortunate aspect was that there were not that many of them.
[Now go tear into him!]
At the calf’s command, the monsters from every direction rushed at me.
Seeing this, I immediately reached out my hand.
Guyeomtaeryun!
The blue flame spread wildly, spiraling outward. It was like before, but this time they didn’t simply succumb to the fire and barreled through it.
‘They have high resistance.’
It seems they’re distinctly different from the rest.
Then.
Clench!
I tightened my fist.
The ember sparks bursting into the air abruptly froze mid-motion.
Fwoosh!
The sparks transformed into blazing spheres.
Dozens of flaming orbs floated in the air.
I flicked my fingers lightly observing them.
Shhhhhhhh—!!!
Dozens of orbs rapidly spun, taking the form of a wheel of flames.
They whirled around, expanding their reach.
Ka-BLAM—! Ka-BLAM—!!!
Every time a monster encountered the rapidly moving flames, explosions erupted.
[RAHHHHHH—!!]
[Krreeeaaah—!!]
The monsters that had initially sustained the onslaught could no longer endure, exploding in a fiery spectacle as flames soared upwards.
The area became a sea of flames in an instant.
Even though I still had over half my power remaining, it also meant I managed to eliminate half of them in a very short time frame.
‘It’s been a while, but this feels refreshing.’
Honestly, it felt pretty invigorating.
Considering my abilities specialize in mass slaughter, I was somewhat of a pro in this regard.
I maneuvered the remaining spheres while gathering more flames in my other hand.
I reconfigured the shape I created into a spear of flame.
After maximizing the rotational force, I launched it with all my might.
The spear flew straight, piercing through the monsters as it advanced.
That’s where the calf stood.
I intended to hit it directly.
Yet.
Thud—!!
KA-BOOM—!!
“Huh?”
The calf caught the incoming spear and crushed it in its grip.
The recoil triggered an explosion.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Dumbfounded, I stared at the outrageous scene.
[Unexpected, indeed.]
To my astonishment, the calf spoke to me as though nothing had transpired.
I wondered if there had been no impact, but that was far from the truth.
The arm grasping the spear was completely blown off.
Almost the whole thing, up to the shoulder, was sent flying from the blast.
But.
Crack—!
“…!”
The monster’s hand rapidly regrew flesh and blood, returning to normal in no time.
‘What kind of regeneration is that?’
That regenerative ability was downright absurd, akin to dealing with a net creature.
[It’s rare for a hatchling dragon to wield its powers so adeptly… Quite intriguing.]
“Who’s the one marveling, exactly?”
[I fear I may have underestimated you. I apologize.]
The seemingly dormant beast began to stride forward. Suddenly, the previously roaring monsters grew silent as mice.
[I am the chief.]
“…”
[I shall slay you from this moment forth.]
It was merely an ignorant declaration. But.
RUMBLE—!!!
The imposing pressure emanating from the calf confirmed it was no empty threat.
‘Shit.’
The intensity was on an entirely different level compared to before.
I sensed that it was astronomically greater than the pressure I felt from even the teenage masters.
‘This could be troublesome.’
This meant I would have to utilize everything at my disposal.
‘Plus, it’s not just him.’
Taking on that monster and managing all the remaining strength?
That didn’t bode well.
At least if there was one crumb of luck, it’s that—
‘The Heavenly Demon is here with me.’
The fact that she was right beside me was a small comfort. I turned my head as if looking for her.
The Heavenly Demon stood behind me, staring up at the sky.
“Hey. Quit dawdling and help me with this situation.”
“I’m here.”
The heavenly blue-eyed mare narrowed her gaze.
“I’m here.”
“What do you mean, you’re here? If you have time to say such nonsense, help me already.”
“A strong one has arrived.”
“What?”
What on earth is she going on about? Ultimately, I followed her gaze and glanced into the void.
“…There actually is something up there?”
Sure enough, something hovered just beneath the moonlit sky.
What is that? I squinted to see more clearly.
Then it became a bit sharper in focus.
“Uh…?”
I had to utter something foolish as I confirmed my observation.
It was undeniably a human figure floating in mid-air.
A figure that looked down at this place with an aura of nobility, hands resting behind them.
I couldn’t see clearly from afar, but they appeared tall.
Dressed in white robes with a white beard, the individual’s elderly appearance was unmistakable.
Honestly, that didn’t matter much.
Whether I’d come across another human here felt hardly significant.
What truly mattered to me was.
‘That…’
The garments the old man wore. The emblem emblazoned on his chest.
The crisp white robes embroidered with petal motifs could only be found adorning one particular sect in the Central Plains.
As I stared at it in shock, my expression grew dazed.
“Tsk tsk.”
The old man in the sky chuckled softly.
“Ah, still so hideous, aren’t you?”
And with that remark, the scent of plum blossoms filled the air around me.
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