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Chapter 502 – Just Give It to Me Once!

I gulped as I met the gaze of the dark red eyes staring at me.

A solid physique and a much larger body than mine.

The man, with his sharp features and the fierce eyes unique to the Gu Clan, stood before me.

The current head of the Gu Clan. The person I struggled the most with was right in front of me.

The protector of Mount Shan.

Ho-hyeop Gu Cheolun. My father.

‘Why is Father here?’

I was bewildered. Why was this man here?

Why was someone who should be at Mount Shan in Sichuan?

‘Did he come for a trip…?’

Even though I knew that was unlikely, the thought crossed my mind.

Father’s appearance was that unfamiliar and strange.

With an expressionless face, he looked down at me.

Looking at his face, I managed to ask hesitantly.

“… W-why are you here?”

“…”

At my question, Father slightly furrowed his brows and began to examine me closely.

I felt the intensity of his gaze was quite strong.

After studying me for a while, Father soon broke the silence and spoke.

“… I saw the letter. I heard there was an incident in the Tang Clan. Is that true?”

“…!”

I widened my eyes at Father’s words.

I was shocked that he mentioned seeing the letter about the incident I experienced.

‘… It already arrived?’

A few days ago, Nahi had told me that the Tang Clan sent a letter.

While it made sense that the letter would arrive swiftly given that they were using a demon beast, it was still surprising.

If the letter had the direct seal of the Tang Clan, only the head officer or my father could have seen it.

Even if the head officer saw it, he would have to relay it to Father, meaning he eventually would see it too.

But…

‘Then… how did Father end up here?’

No matter how quickly the letter traveled, it didn’t mean that he would show up here.

‘… It means he got from Mount Shan to Sichuan in just a few days.’

It was a distance that would usually take several months by horse carriage.

Did he say he arrived in just a few days?

What… Did he fly here?

‘No, flying would be a problem too.’

If I were to use my previous life as a standard. I wouldn’t have considered that an issue.

As long as I had enough inner strength, utilizing the heat I emitted to lift myself wasn’t difficult.

Imagining that method to travel from Mount Shan to Sichuan.

‘It wouldn’t be possible.’

Even considering my previous inner strength, it would take several weeks at the very least.

Even if I had fully expended my energy on the journey.

In present times, it would likely take a fortnight. Sure, I might have a higher speed through compression and rotation compared to then.

Yet, due to technique limitations and my inner strength constraints, it would still take that long.

But, Father being here meant.

‘… He must have covered that distance in record time. That’s what it means.’

Does that even make sense? Even with proof right in front of me, I couldn’t understand the situation.

“Uh… you mean you came right after seeing the letter?”

“…”

I asked, genuinely curious, but Father had no particular answer.

Watching my father, I noticed his rough hand suddenly grasp my cheek.

“What…?”

His hand was so large that he could easily hold my face with just one hand.

He squeezed and pulled my cheeks like a toy, and I couldn’t even muster the strength to resist.

While he played with my face for some time, he lowered his already deep voice and asked me.

“Who did this?”

Ah.

I realized why he was acting this way—it was because of my face.

‘… Oh no, I had completely forgotten about that.’

I had a very good recovery rate, so I thought it would fade in a few days.

I didn’t intend to bring it up.

I never expected to see my father like this.

At that moment.

“Third.”

“Y-yes…?”

“I asked who did this. Was it those from the Tang Clan?”

“Uh… No…? It was nothing serious, you don’t need to worry about it….”

“Speak.”

Squeeze.

‘Gaaah!’

His fingers pressed down harder on my cheeks.

For some reason, Father looked slightly angry. Given his expression, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to escape this, no matter how ridiculous the reason was…

In the end, I had to speak up.

After pondering for a moment, I just decided to say it.

“… It was Pejon…”

“…”

Father’s eyebrows twitched at my answer.

Pejon was the one who had hit me like this.

As I said that, his grip on my cheeks weakened, and he withdrew his hand.

Watching the scene unfold, I thought to myself.

Given the state of our bloodline, Father must have considered handling it in a manner befitting the clan’s dignity.

However, if it was Pejon… I doubted Father would hold a grudge.

After all, Pejon had become my teacher with Father’s consent, so it wasn’t unusual for a teacher to discipline their student.

Thinking that, I looked at my father just as he maintained an expression of contemplation for several seconds in silence.

“I need to send a letter.”

He spat out a brief sentence.

“W-what? A letter?”

“I think we’ll need at least two more days.”

“… What do you mean all of a sudden?”

After saying something I couldn’t comprehend, he turned around and began to walk away.

Perplexed, I stared at my father’s back, wondering if he had suddenly arrived only to leave.

“I’ll return by midnight, so be prepared.”

Father’s voice echoed behind me.

“What do you mean by ‘be prepared’…?”

Feeling a need for an explanation, I asked him, but he just slightly turned his head, glancing back at me.

As I met his blazing red eyes, I felt my body tense up entirely.

“Prepare to tell me what isn’t written in the letter. Do that.”

“…!”

As soon as I heard his words, I swallowed hard.

“Tell me what that body is. What your intentions are here. Explain it to me.”

“…”

Father, having said his piece, turned his head again and walked away.

Pop!

In an instant, he transformed into a burst of flames and vanished from my sight.

As the heat that surrounded me dissipated and the subtle pressure eased, I finally realized.

‘Ah, so that was Father’s influence…’

Now it made sense why the temperature had been unusually high around me.

Moreover, I understood the reason behind my body feeling so rigid.

‘… Was he angry?’

It seemed Father was indeed furious.

If it was that obvious, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume he was quite upset.

‘And… he figured everything out.’

Even the body I had concealed using the Body Transformation Technique.

The fact that I was planning something within the Tang Clan… Father had caught onto it all.

I recalled the meaning behind what Father had just spoken.

The implication was simple.

You need to prepare yourself for when I come back tonight to chew you out.

It was undoubtedly that sort of meaning.

‘Hmm….’

Thinking about it, I nodded.

‘I’m really in deep trouble.’

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed I was indeed in quite a mess.

Should I just run away now? Perhaps that would be better.

[… Running away from a scolding by your father is quite pitiful, you know?]

Shin Noya chimed in, sounding incredulous.

But from my perspective, nothing could be more frightening than this.

‘Why don’t you go ahead and try to play the role of your father, Noya? Let’s see you not freak out.’

How on earth did he manage to arrive here?

I couldn’t comprehend how he made it here in just a few days.

[It’s not really that strange.]

‘Is it not strange…?’

Coming from a place that would take several months by horse carriage in just a few days isn’t strange?

As I made a bewildered expression at such an absurdity, Noya quietly elaborated.

[Back in my time, it used to be like that. Even someone like Jeomun, who was physically inferior, could reach the level of Chilli in just about that time.]

‘…’

Did you just say you could travel from Sichuan to Mount Shan in the time it took to make that journey? Sometimes Noya would share stories from his era, but I found it hard to believe every time.

Describing it as a time of despair when the Demonic Gate first appeared and when the Blood Demon appeared during the Blood Demon War.

People referred to that period as a time of despair.

[Yes, it’s only natural to find it hard to believe.]

Maybe it was because he was disappointed that I couldn’t believe him.

Noya’s voice carried a heavy tinge of bitterness.

‘No… It’s not that I can’t believe it.’

[Not being able to believe it is entirely reasonable. This world has been made that way. Or more accurately, it’s a world designed to ensure that’s the case.]

‘Huh?’

Upon hearing Noya’s words, I frowned with confusion.

A world that has been made to be that way… What on earth did that mean?

Just saying they were awesome back then wasn’t just a casual bragging right; it had a deeper, unsettling atmosphere.

What was it? Why was Noya giving off such a strange vibe?

Was it the source of the subtle discomfort I had been feeling in recent days regarding him?

As I pondered and awaited his explanation, Noya continued.

[I’ve always found it odd.]

Noya finally continued speaking.

[Unlike our time, the quality of martial artists living in this era has significantly declined. That’s the mystery I pondered.]

‘… Declined in quality?’

[The power of the late-stage talents is certainly much greater than in my time.]

The generation of Yuseong.

It referred to the late-stage talents born and active in the present time.

An era where countless geniuses were born, also called the generation of hope.

Yet.

[However, the level of martial artists in their prime is woefully low.]

When referring to martial artists in their prime, it meant those in their peak physical years, usually those around 30 who learned martial arts from a young age and had surpassed their prime.

If a talent reached their limit and remained in the top tier, their enlightenment would have begun to integrate into their bodies.

Once they surpassed their peak, the inner strength they had started to emit would begin to blossom.

‘Are you saying their level is low?’

I couldn’t believe Noya’s words.

The martial masters I had encountered thus far were undeniably exceptional.

Right off the bat, I think of Gwaeseon, and how could I forget about the Three Eminent Beings?

As I contemplated that, Noya reiterated.

[Low.]

Even amid the uncertainty, Noya spoke resolutely.

[It’s not a statement about the realm of martial arts. The real issue is that their power seems far too lacking compared to the realm they’ve built.]

‘… Lacking?’

[Exactly. Those called kings, and even those addressed as lords, seem pitifully weak compared to their titles.]

As Noya stated that, his voice was filled with a palpable sense of sadness that couldn’t be hidden.

[At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. With them forgetting the essence of martial arts and the loss of their harshness, they might have responded that way. However, even if that were the case, wouldn’t it still be a strange thing? The decline in the quality of martial artists as a whole, not just one or two.]

As Noya continued to speak, I felt a sense of unease creeping down my spine.

I felt nauseous, and swallowing became difficult.

The issue that plagued Noya, who had come after the era of despair and moved into this so-called peaceful era, was the reason for his bitterness.

More thoughts crossed my mind, but I dismissed them for now.

If it turned out to be true, it wouldn’t be just one or two problems but a multitude of major ones.

So, I hoped Noya would tell me that it wasn’t the case.

With a sense of anxiety, I called out to Shin Noya.

‘Noya, what do you mean by that…’

[You little brat.]

‘Yes.’

[Do you remember what Yeon Ilcheon said in Biwaekun?]

‘… Biwaekun?’

When Noya mentioned Biwaekun, he was most likely referring to the time we met at Shinryong Temple.

‘What did Yeon Ilcheon say to me that day?’

Back then, Yeon Ilcheon, who had treated me like a calamity, said something.

I couldn’t quite recall it clearly, so I kept mulling over it, but Shin Noya provided me the answer.

[The world does not make the same mistake twice.]

That’s right.

Yeon Ilcheon definitely said that.

So, I am searching through multiple worlds to find the damn answer… The Blood Demon had also said something similar.

‘Huh?’

Just then, a thought flashed through my mind like lightning.

A thought that felt as despicable as it could be.

‘Noya, you’re not implying…’

My eyes widened as I called out to Noya.

I desperately hoped I was wrong.

[Jeomun mentioned it to me.]

But.

[Right after we sealed the Blood Demon… the first action taken by this world’s ‘humans’ was….]

As always.

[To curse this world was what they chose to do.]

Throughout my life, nothing ever went the way I hoped.

 

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