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Chapter: Encounter with the Unknown

I sensed a presence.

Immediately, I moved toward the source.

A barren rocky mountain.

It was almost amusing to realize there wasn’t a single living being around when, all of a sudden, countless presences flooded my perception.

How could they be so hidden before?

I wanted to confirm this, so I moved along with the Heavenly Demon.

Before long, I found a space.

A spot overflowing with rocks like many others, but there was just enough of a gap for a person to slip through.

Beyond that—

“Something’s there.”

I could see it.

In front of a space resembling a door, someone was standing guard.

However.

“……Not human.”

It wasn’t a person.

Then again, I hadn’t actually seen a human since entering Mankye, but this didn’t even resemble one.

If the Moon Night Clan could be considered somewhat human with their beast ears and tails, then—

“That’s definitely not it.”

What was before my eyes could hardly be called human.

A complete beast.

It resembled the beasts that the Moon Night Clan turned into under the moonlight.

Standing on two legs, but looking nothing like a human. It was truly a beast.

“Looks kinda like… a dog?”

A dog standing on two legs. If I had to classify it, it resembled a wild dog.

The wild dog was standing upright, one hand holding a spear.

“What the hell is that?”

At this point, I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve seen walking lizards and short old men; what’s there to shock me now?

The important thing was—

“It’s definitely a living being.”

Despite having sensed nothing before, countless presences now crowded my perception.

The source was surely beyond this point.

“Hmm.”

It was a place entirely covered in rocks. And even that door was within a cave, so I had to go straight forward to break through?

I took a slight step back. I didn’t want to create unnecessary friction.

Was there another way? I stepped back and leaped.

Flying high up, I looked down at Mount Tai.

“Let’s see.”

From above, it still appeared as an ordinary rocky mountain. There was no space in sight that would lead to the cave I just saw.

Does this mean I really have to break through?

“Tsk.”

I felt a sense of reluctance as it seemed I would have to exert some force.

“Wait?”

While watching from above, something strange caught my eye.

Thump.

A sensation that nudged my heart. As soon as I felt it, I focused my gaze.

As my Heart Eye opened, I inspected the rocky mountain once more.

And then.

“Got it.”

I confirmed a similar yet different landscape while a smile crept on my face.

Thud-!

I landed lightly from my high vantage point. It wasn’t the same spot I just visited, but rather a higher hill.

As I landed, the Heavenly Demon quickly flew over, seeming to have waited for me.

Ignoring him, I concentrated on my Heart Eye.

And then, threads started to extend all around me. My vision filled with a barrier made of golden threads.

This could mean only one thing.

“Sorcery.”

Sorcery was cast upon Spirit Mountain.

Moreover, it was quite dense.

“Should I call this fortunate?”

It felt odd to think of it that way, but a sense of relief surged within me. The fact that there was sorcery surrounding me implied—

“I don’t necessarily have to go through the cave.”

The sight was blocked by sorcery elsewhere. This also suggested that there were multiple entrances.

“Let’s see…”

I examined what kind of technique this was with a calm mind.

“I’ve never seen a composition like this before.”

It was somewhat different from what the turtle had shown me or what I had encountered until now. So that’s how it can be used.

As I inspected here and there, I suddenly let out a chuckle.

“Am I crazy?”

Just moments ago, I had a frown over the complicated situation, and now, learning of the sorcery calmed me down.

It was truly ridiculous.

Silently, I moved my hand to tamper with the sorcery. Since I wasn’t trying to grab it, my hand simply glided through the threads.

“Is it okay to touch this?”

I assessed the angle.

Whether to pull it or to break through the entrance forcefully.

Those thoughts flickered briefly, but I had already decided.

I altered the motion of my hand passing through the threads.

Whoa—!!!

My heart reacted. The Heart’s Ring of Sorcery, which had been coiled, slightly rotated.

At that moment.

Buzzing-!!

I seized several of the threads spreading around. I held my breath. All my senses focused on the threads.

Understanding where they spread from, how they were composed.

What lay at the other end of what I held.

My mind raced to grasp everything.

Giiiin.

Simultaneously, the ring resonated, its speed accelerating, causing my hand touching the threads to tense up.

If I mishandled it, they could snap. They were that delicate and thin.

Yet despite knowing this, my hand moved without hesitation. To others, it might have seemed like I didn’t care if the threads broke.

One.

“……Pull back here.”

Just because I was without hesitation didn’t mean I had no thoughts.

I concentrated all my perception on the threads I was touching.

It was obvious that a mistake would lead to trouble, but on the contrary, I didn’t falter.

It had always been strange like that. Since the moment I first encountered sorcery, despite being someone who worried excessively, my hesitation vanished when faced with it.

As if I instinctively knew how to act.

“Re-tie the knots I wrapped.”

My hands moved quickly. Every time my fingers danced, the air trembled slightly.

“Binding the knots I made…”

Whoa—!! Accordingly, my energy was drawn out.

I didn’t care.

“Once more, I weave.”

Focusing only on the action at hand, I continued to knot the threads in succession.

Moments flowed. When I noticed, I had pulled all the threads to bind them in a single knot. It looked complex and tangled, yet within lay a certain order.

“……Hah.”

I exhaled a weary sigh and reached out for the knot.

As my outstretched hand grasped the loop I had made atop the knot, I gently tugged.

Wooooooo—!!!

The threads that had been tied unraveled in an instant, unfurling like a flower made of golden light.

The brilliant light blossomed, filling my vision.

Beautiful. The light falling from the trembling threads was blindingly bright.

As I admired the sight unknowingly, something buzzed.

As the threads spread out, the void before me shook.

The space started to distort, as if myriad colors blended together.

“Ooo.”

Then, it completely transformed the scene before me.

The ground, which had been entirely rocky, dissipated like smoke, revealing the hidden space.

It felt as though the clouds had parted.

What emerged was another region within a gigantic circular mountain range.

“……Look at that?”

I was slightly surprised. Just moments ago, there were no trees or grass in sight, yet now, the revealed mountain range was bursting with them.

Such a lovely scene. Just looking at it brought forth admiration.

A stream trickled through the valley, dense greenery flourishing around.

The fresh scent of vitality, once unfelt, brushed past my nose.

Feeling that, I turned to the Heavenly Demon.

“Let’s go. It’ll close soon.”

I hadn’t fully released the sorcery. I was aware that it was meant to mask our eyes, and if I deactivated it completely, who knew what might happen? Thus, I only created a moment to slip inside.

Soon, whatever had covered the ceiling would rise again.

We needed to enter before that, so I descended into the interior along with the Heavenly Demon.

Thud-!

I lightly landed from a high point.

Previously, I stood on stone, but here, it was earthen ground.

Moreover.

“……It’s not fake.”

The presences I had felt outside proved to be real as I stepped into the space; presences began to emerge from all directions.

Tweet tweet-!

The sound of birds in the trees, plus the chirping of insects hidden in the grass.

Everything I had barely heard before was now loud and clear.

As I surveyed the surroundings, suddenly—

Whoa—!!

I felt a vibration in the air. It wasn’t an actual trembling but rather the sorcery activating again, beginning to conceal the ceiling.

A thick, cloud-like mist cloaked the ceiling once more.

What was fascinating was that, despite looking like it was obscuring, everything outside was visible through it.

The scarlet sky filled my sight.

What that meant was—

“It can’t be seen from the outside, but I can see outside from in here.”

How interesting.

“The Hwasan Sect was just creating a space itself.”

Was this merely a screen? I wished to explore it a bit more thoroughly.

And then, just as I was about to activate my Heart Eye to peer deeper into the sorcery—

“Excuse me.”

“……!”

I turned my head at the sudden voice from beside me. There, in front of me, was—

“What the…?”

A small white butterfly flitted about before me.

“I do not know from where you have come, but how dare a trivial thing meet a noble being.”

The voice came from the butterfly.

It sounded like a woman’s voice.

“……What is this?”

I asked, still bewildered.

“I am the spirit responsible for this place.”

The butterfly introduced herself that way.

 

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