Book 2: Chapter 382
Cloud Pavilion, which was built at the top of Flower Mountain, was the residence of Flower Mountain’s Senior Disciple. No one else stayed there. This wasn’t because it was impossible to enter, but because the disciples of Flower Mountain would only enter if they had special business. It was a so-called unwritten rule that even the elders of Flower Mountain adhered to.
Fortunately, Kwak Do-san, who was now setting foot in Cloud Pavilion, had a special reason.
“…”
He thoroughly prostrated himself.
Kwak Do-san bowed so low that his face was practically touching the ground.
It was not a rare sight to see disciples prostrating themselves in this place, regardless of who it was that was reporting to the Senior Disciple.
His forehead was damp. But this was the only sign that Kwak Do-san was nervous.
The Flower Mountain’s Senior Disciple.
The Everlasting Plum Sword, Yang In-hyun, had his back turned as he watched the beautiful mountain scenery.
His years could be felt in his white hair, but his straight waist and unblemished white robes displayed indescribable purity and uprightness.
Suddenly, Yang In-hyun stretched forth a finger and a b.u.t.terfly, which had been flying in the sky, came to rest on it.
“You brought them here.”
The voice was overflowing with kindness. But Kwak Do-san gulped heavily as if the tip of a sword was pressed to his throat.
“Th-, that’s right.”
“And now?”
“I entrusted So-han to guide them. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be able to deal with them in the time it takes to have two meals*.”(*: 식경- the time it takes to eat a meal. Roughly 30 minutes.)
“…”
“They are formidable, but not to the extent that the main mountain would need to go all out to defeat them. As long as we get the help of the Elders, Senior Brother wouldn’t even need to…”
“Why?”
Kwak Do-san was interrupted by Yang In-hyun’s soft mutter. He never asked a stupid question. Kwak Do-san felt suffocated, he thought that he might really die if he opened his mouth without thinking.
After a short pause, Yang In-hyun continued to speak in a relaxed tone.
“I sent five great disciples including you. And yet you didn’t even have the strength to cut off a single one of your enemy’s limbs?”
“I’m sorry for disappointing you. However, it was impossible with our strength…”
“Impossible if you fought normally. But it would have been possible if you detonated your true ki. Am I wrong?”
“…”
Kwak Do-san inhaled sharply. Telling him to detonate his true ki was no different from telling him to die.
Nevertheless, Kwak Do-san simply bowed deeper as his complexion paled.
“…I’m sorry.”
“However, the decisive blunder is what you did after that. Leading them to the prison was the worst possible choice.”
“Huh?”
The b.u.t.terfly that rested on his finger flew away again.
At the same time, Yang In-hyun turned around.
“It would be fine if they accepted your suggestion. Because the prison has the Five Stage Plum Illusion Formation. So as long as they put the witch into one of the cells, a potential threat would disappear.”
“…”
“But you did not consider the opposite.”
“…the opposite?”
“What if they let all of the criminals in the prison out?”
“…!”
Kwak Do-san gulped when he heard those words. Yang In-hyun’s calm gaze swept over to him and he realised at that moment.
‘If I don’t give a proper excuse here, I-’
Before he could even finish his thought, he opened his mouth.
“Th-, the criminals trapped in the prison are all people with twisted minds that cannot be understood. Even if they tried to negotiate a jailbreak, they wouldn’t accept it. After all, they might just turn on them after they were set free…”
“You tend to think too positively. The probability of that happening might be small. But when it comes to possibility, it’s always better to a.s.sume the worst. That way, you will be less shocked.”
Tuktuk, Yang In-hyun, who had been rubbing his temples gently, picked his sword up from the table. It was a plain sword with no other special features apart from a gem the size of a thumb that was embedded in the hilt. But the moment Yang In-hyun collected the sword, its aura changed.
In the blink of an eye, the plain sword transformed into a treasured sword.
The Senior Disciple had taken his sword.
Kwak Do-san immediately understood what this action meant.
“D-, does Senior Brother intend to go there personally?”
“I’ve already sent the elders, but I don’t think they will be able to handle it.”
When did he send them?
Kwak Do-san felt a chill down his spine. Since he’d entered the Cloud Pavilion, it hadn’t even been enough time to have one meal. And in that time, no one had entered this place apart from Kwak Do-san and Yang In-hyun.
“The timing is good. It’s the perfect time to warm up.”
“Ye-, yes.”
“But why are you asking me that? Is there a reason why I shouldn’t go down?”
“N-, no.”
Warm up.
He didn’t think that was the only reason.
Suddenly, Yang In-hyun smiled for the first time.
“In any case, it’s clear that they are from the underground. Since they came to the main mountain on their own, it would be better to deal with them as efficiently as possible. Without too many losses.”
“…I will accompany you.”
“You don’t have to.”
Yang In-hyun gently refused. Then he opened his mouth.
“Do-san.”
“Yes.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Yes?”
“I mean the time. How long has it been?”
“…I’m not sure, but perhaps, hundreds of years.”
Yang In-hyun smiled again.
“And how long has it been since I came here?”
“…”
Kwak Do-san was silent for a while before he finally managed to force the words out.
“About half a year.”
“Right. That’s right.”
Half a year. Since he’d come to the Flower Mountain.
Only half a year.
And within that half year, Yang In-hyun had risen to the position of Flower Mountain’s Senior Disciple.
The smile on his face grew wider.
He recalled the time when he killed the previous Senior Disciple. It hadn’t been that difficult.
“Do you hate me?”
“T-, that’s impossible.”
Kwak Do-san denied it immediately, but Yang In-hyun didn’t stop smiling.
It felt like he had all of his emotions in his hand.
Hate might be there, but fear was much more abundant. Yang In-hyun liked that kind of primitive feeling. He really wanted to thank fate again for allowing him to come to this world.
“Change has begun. Not just in this world, but the entire Three Thousand Worlds. Did you know, Do-san? There are two ways to deal with a storm. The first is to grab a tree and hold on. And the other is to just let the wind take your body where it pleases.”
It was impossible to know where you would be sent by the fierce winds. So it was a gamble that was close to an adventure.
Yang In-hyun didn’t mind that.
A colourless world. A world that had stopped, a world that existed but didn’t exist, was now being born for the first time.
It was becoming coloured and was moving wildly.
Was this the era of war?
That would be fine too. But it may not be suitable for him to stay a member of the Murim.
Unable to hold it any longer, Yang In-hyun left the Cloud Pavilion with a burst of laughter.
* * *
Each jail cell had an entrance, but naturally, they were locked.
Purple energy which swayed like a mist was formed into thick, hard chains. Naturally, it couldn’t be magic.
Even Lukas wasn’t able to grasp the principle or effect of this energy.
‘Should I force it open?’
Just as he had this ignorant thought…
“Let me do it!”
Pale struck the chain with her blade-like fingertips.
With a crack, the purple energy dissipated, and the chain snapped like a cookie. It was an unbelievable display of power.
“…thanks.”
“It was nothing.”
Lukas stepped into the prison and looked down at the man there.
Lee Jong-hak.
This man, who was called the Human Dragon, had been so thoroughly broken that there were almost no traces of his past self.
Untrimmed hair and beard, and skin so stained with dirt that it had become the colour of a honey cookie.
But the really serious thing was the condition of his body itself.
‘…all of his tendons have been cut.’
They had been cut intentionally.
It was only then that he understood why a Swordsman like Lee Jong-hak had no choice but to remain locked in this prison.
“Are you alright?”
Lee Jong-hak nodded.
His body was in the condition mentioned earlier, but his eyes were still alive.
“Are you having trouble speaking?”
“…”
When he heard those words, Lee Jong-hak’s expression changed slightly.
He seemed hesitant at first but slowly opened his mouth as if he’d made up his mind.
“…!”
Lukas’ expression hardened.
Something was missing from the opened mouth.
Lee Jong-hak didn’t have a tongue.
“Did they cut it out or pull it out?”
Pale asked in a relaxed voice.
But Lukas couldn’t be so relaxed.
“Can you heal him?”
It was a question for Pale.
With the smile still on her face, Pale replied firmly.
“No.”
“…”
“I helped you a lot because I like you. When some people continue to receive favour, they think it’s their right. You’re not that kind of person, are you Uncle?”
This was a hint of coldness in her last words.
“This place is about give and take, right?”
Michael had told him something similar. That was probably the basic iron rule of this world, regardless of where you went.
Pale suddenly began to imitate a weak and ill old man. She bent her back and began to cough.
For a long while actually,
Then, she violently pointed to Lukas.
“So if you want more, you have to give me something equivalent!”
At this point, she’d long surpa.s.sed the stage of ‘unpredictable’.
For Lukas, Pale was ‘unknown’.
Her ident.i.ty was unknown, her goal was unknown, and her personality was also unknown.
Everything about her was unknown.
“I’ll be your friend.”
“What was that?”
“I’ll be your secret friend.”
Lee Jong-hak’s eyes shook slightly at the strange word.
But Lukas pretended not to see it as he continued.
“I will do the treasure hunt with you in the desert, so please help me.” (TL: Didn’t he already promise this?)
“Hmmm.”
When she heard those words, the corners of Pales mouth rose once again.
“Ay, I’ll be generous again!”
Then she took out a piece of jerky.
This one was also different from the jerkies he’d seen before.
It was small and grey, but it looked very hard. If he had seen it from a distance, he would have probably mistaken it for a stone.
“It looks difficult to eat.”
“You’re welcome. This is a special product! He can eat it even if he doesn’t have a tongue or his teeth aren’t strong.”
“Really? Thanks.”
When he picked up the jerky, Lukas realised the truth in her words. Unlike its appearance, the jerky had a very soft texture. It felt like if he were to squeeze it hard, it would pop like a fruit.
“…”
Lee Jong-hak stared at the strange jerky with a bewildered expression on his face.
No. Instead of bewilderment, it was more like immense surprise.
Next, he turned to look at Pale’s face. Did they know each other? That didn’t seem to be the case. After all, Lee Jong-hak had only shown that surprised expression after seeing the jerky.
Then the reason he’d turned to look at Pale was probably because he wanted to see who could take out an item like that.
Lukas turned to look at Pale as well, but she had the same unflappable smile as always.
“I’m a little hungry too, so I’ll also munch on something.”
Then she rummaged through her pockets.
Lukas turned to Lee Jong-hak and handed the jerky to him.
“Can you eat this?”
“…”
Lee Jong-hak nodded before putting the jerky in his mouth.
Instead of chewing, it looked like it melted in his mouth and flowed down his throat.
“I don’t think you’ll recover right away.”
“…”
“…I don’t know what happened to you. But it’s nice to see you again.”
“…”
When he heard those words, Lee Jong-hak’s gaze became strange. The reason for that was easy to guess.
The Lukas he knew was not the type to say something like that.
That was natural.
The Lukas Trowman that Lee Jong-hak remembered was the Absolute Lukas.
While it was true that he sometimes showed his human side, he was essentially an existence that was close to perfection, without wavering or weakness.
But it was different now.
Lukas had fallen from Absolute. All his external force was lost, and he’d suffered a series of events that caused him significant mental pain.
“Mm?”
At that moment, Pale, who had been chewing on something in the corner, narrowed her eyes slightly.
“We have guests.”
As soon as she finished those words, two old men appeared in the hallway.
There was a red robed old man and a blue robed old man.
They had no presence, and their footsteps made no sound.
Lukas observed these new opponents. He looked at the swords hidden in their robes and the faint aura that emanated from their bodies. They would not be easy.
“…did that child So-han get defeated?”
“He was a talented child. They must have used a surprise attack.”
“What about Ha-wol? I thought the two of them were together.”
“Mm?”
Pale, who had tilted her head to the side at those words, raised her hand.
“Ah. I ate the other one!”
“…”
The old men’s expressions became cold.
Then they turned to look at Lukas.
“Your vigour is good. You broke into our main mountain, killed our disciple, and released a sinner from prison.
“A sinner?”
Lukas asked.
“Yes. That one behind you is a murderer who caused a terrible bloodbath on the main mountain. Ridiculous. Did you release him without knowing that?”
“That’s not what I need to know.”
He knew how important it was to understand the situation before making a decision. But Lukas already knew something more important than that.
He knew that the members of Flower Mountain had deceived him. And he knew Lee Jong-hak’s personality.
If that was so, then what would he do now?
There was only one answer.
As if reading the intent in Lukas’ eyes, the old man in blue snorted imperiously.
“Insolent! Did you grow arrogant after defeating two disciples of our Flower Mountain? Do you take us Elders of Flower Mountain as jokes?”
“Maybe he came to save Lee Jong-hak from the start. I think there is a lot of information that we will be able to obtain from him. Let’s make him like that guy.”
Make him like that.
Just as Lukas’ eyebrows began to twitch at those words, he felt someone grab the hem of his robes.
It was Lee Jong-hak. When Lukas looked down at him for a moment, their eyes met.
‘Don’t fight.’
The eyes hidden behind the dishevelled hair were warning him. He was worried. Lee Jong-hak also wouldn’t have thought he was weak.
No, it probably meant that his opponents were that strong.
Lukas nodded. But he didn’t heed the warning. Firmly but gently, he reached down to remove Lee Jong-hak’s hands, then he stepped forward.
Then he looked at the old men,
No, at the elders, and asked in a calm voice.
“Which one was it?”
“What?”
“What are you talking about?”
Instead of answering their questions, he continued to step forward.
He felt strange. His head was cold, but his chest felt like it was filled with raging flames.
Slowly exhaling a hot breath, he asked once more.
“Between the two of you, which one pulled out Lee Jong-hak’s tongue?”
“Ha.”
“Is that important?”
“Not for me, but it is for you two. I don’t have a talent for torture, so I wouldn’t make you like him.”
Lukas didn’t stop walking. Slowly but surely, the distance between them narrowed.
This was not something that someone who called themself a Wizard should do.
Both of his opponents were Swordsmen. Kwak Do-san, who he had seen before, was powerful in his own right, but he would be no match for either of these two. For enemies like this, instead of closing the distance, it would be wiser to increase it.
There was only one reason why he didn’t do so.
Lukas was now moving with emotion, not reason.
“You will probably suffer a little more.”
“…”
The elder’s expressions became distorted.
At the same time as the sound of swords being drawn resounded, flames erupted from both of Lukas’ hands.
(TL: Just shy of 3k words.)