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Chapter 135

The defining characteristic of Mongolia is, without a doubt, its vast, sprawling steppes. The open landscape seems to sharpen your vision, making you feel like you could inhale the endless blue of the sky itself.

“It’s wide, really wide.”

It was incredibly vast. The white sea was also impressively wide, but the flatness of the steppe made its expanse feel so much more tangible.

I wondered how one would even find two people out here, but surprisingly, clues were scattered everywhere. Just like scattered raindrops, the soil was tainted by magic.

And the footprints, showing urgency and desperation, were clearly left by a hunter who had lured the Demon Cultists as bait. They were heading diligently in the opposite direction of Cheonju City.

“This isn’t the time to dawdle.”

Given the doubt of whether they were even alive, there was a chance—however slim—that they might be. If a hunter who had taken their time ended up dead, it would be a disaster.

“Then, Shar, I’ll leave it to you.”

[Hmm, leave it to me!]

Yeon-woo gently stroked the thick neck of a wolf the size of an ox, which was, of course, Shar.

A balanced combination of size and power, it was the perfect form—Shar the Balanced Form. Pretty cool.

“It’s nice to see my dad being carried by his daughter as he ages…”

[Get down, Dad. This is our home from today onwards.]

“Where did you learn such a naughty joke, you little rascal?”

[Kyiiing.]

I lightly tapped its head, and Shar shrank back. It wasn’t even painful. If it were another parent, it would have been a big deal for you, little one.

[But imagining other parents besides Dad and Mom is simply absurd.]

“Yeah, yeah, let’s just get moving.”

As Yeon-woo reached out to scratch Shar’s chin, the pleased Shar stomped the ground.

The scenery was being sucked into Yeon-woo’s back. Among the scattered scenery, all that was visible was a murky smoke, like thick oil wafting through the air. If we followed those footprints, we would soon find the Demon Cultists.

“Stay alive, Ja-won.”

At this point, he must be around twenty years old. He was someone I had gotten somewhat close with back in the Namgung family.

There was a time when Yeon-woo and Shar had discussed whether it would be good to learn the Namgung sword.

In response, Yeon-woo had mentioned that he had seen a human wielding the Namgung sword.

‘Was this situation the reason a member of the Namgung family became a martial artist?’

The reason I had never heard such stories before my regression was probably due to some kind of unspoken contract to keep the emergence of the Demon Cult a secret.

Reflecting on such a past, it felt almost certain that Ja-won was alive. However, the situation now was different.

I didn’t know who had gone to save Ja-won before my regression, but the rescue team now was Yeon-woo, which made all the difference.

No, it would be more accurate to say that the future had already been twisted since he returned.

‘Who knows how much has changed?’

Yeon-woo was silently scanning the area ahead, searching for any trace of Ja-won.

Ja-won ran.

At first, he was filled with aura, and when that ran out, he just ran with sheer will.

It was the sacrifice he had chosen. Even if he complained about his misfortune, there was no one to listen or sympathize. He understood the solitude he had to bear alone.

Demon Cultists were chasing him. Like a well-wound toy slowly pursuing, they were maintaining a steady distance. He felt fear, yet he was grateful that he was still breathing.

Like a mirage in the desert, the approaching Demon Cultists flickered like ghosts from a horror movie, embodying the very essence of death.

‘But how much longer can I run?’

His aura was completely depleted. The thirst, burning his throat, climbed up to his brain, and with each step, excruciating pain wrapped around his dried-up lungs.

The breath that filled his throat proved that even a superhuman had a limit, dispersing into the air with snorts.

His steps were slowing, and the sound of dried grass crunching approached from behind.

*

[Dad, over there!!]

After running for a few minutes, following the droplets of magic residue, Shar shouted, and Yeon-woo turned to where Shar’s will pointed.

In the distance, a scruffy-looking man with dried rags and a tall man wrapped in violet rags were staring at each other.

They were close enough to reach each other’s hands if they stretched out.

Perhaps due to the fear of the Demon Cultists following behind, Ja-won’s hair had turned white instead of the black color the party members had claimed.

“I’ll go first.”

With a firm expression, Yeon-woo leaped from behind Shar.

Silver mana enveloped his body, shattering the air barrier and rushing forward with a punch surrounded by a Doppleganger, landing a blow to the dumbfounded Demon Cultist’s cheek.

Boom!

The Demon Cultist rolled on the ground like a tumbleweed, leaving Yeon-woo to hurriedly look back at Ja-won.

“Are you alright!?”

“Huugh, huugh….”

With Yeon-woo’s interference, Ja-won’s tension seemed to ease, and his body leaned back, landing on his rear.

Fortunately, there seemed to be no visible wounds, but they dealt with magic. We couldn’t make hasty conclusions.

‘Shar, Tae-oh, I’ll leave this one to you.’

[Got it.]

“Yikes?!”

With a leap, Shar landed next to him. As Ja-won gasped in surprise, a cloud of dust flew up, but Yeon-woo didn’t take his eyes off the Demon Cultist.

The Demon Cultist, who had been scratching the ground, sluggishly rose. It was then that the Demon Cultist’s gaze finally turned towards Yeon-woo.

“Hehehe. Hehehehe, hihihihi!”

Seeing the Demon Cultist clutching his belly and laughing, Yeon-woo gripped the Doppleganger like a sword. With a Doppleganger weapon, there would be no way for a magic user to digest it raw, but if they got too close, it could become a hassle.

Zing! The sensation screamed at him. Yeon-woo spun around like lightning and lunged with his sword. The Demon Cultist, who had suddenly appeared behind him without any sign or preparation, widened his eyes and staggered backward.

With a tiny sensation of slicing something, black blood spurted from the Demon Cultist’s body.

“…Ugh, huh?”

The hiss of blood hitting the dirt rang as a hole appeared in the ground. They had heard that Demon Cultists, who had been exposed to magic for too long, had their blood chemically transform, resembling magic itself; it seemed that was true.

[Uncle Ja-won… there’s an injury, but it seems like we need to focus on getting you some strength first.]

‘Really? Then come join me, Tae-oh.’

Tae-oh could consume the magic taint. That meant purification was possible.

Of course, it couldn’t convert magic into power like in Baek In-hwa’s gate. The curse that formed the basis was too distinctive.

Nevertheless, having Tae-oh around meant that he wouldn’t have to worry about dying from magic contamination, unless it was magic wielded directly by the Heavenly Demon.

The Demon Cultist looking at Yeon-woo with a glare loosened the tension in his whole body. Such was the nature of the Demon Cultist—being able to utilize magic without issue, even in that state, was a testament to the nature of the dark energy.

In the blink of an eye, the Demon Cultist charged forward. Though the movements were zombie-like, as long as the magic was supporting it, the entirety of the Demon Cultist was just a weapon. He stabbed his sword into the trajectory of the wildly swinging arms.

Clang!!

The collision of the steel-like magic covering his body and the Doppleganger rang out. Yeon-woo suppressed the overwhelming impact with strength, swiftly shaking the sword.

Before his regression, Yeon-woo had seldom entangled himself with the Demon Cult. However, he hadn’t been neglectful in gathering knowledge about them.

Especially since all the fighters against the Demon Cult had perished, the information about them was still abundant. Those who had participated in the righteous magic wars were still very much alive.

They had shared valuable information, worrying about the day the Demon Cult would cross over to Earth.

One key point was about the five factions under the Heavenly Demon: the Poison King, Sword King, Lust Demon, Spirit Sorcerer, and True Demon—everything about their characteristics had been well documented.

‘It seems like this guy belongs to the Poison King faction. The way he wields magic mirrors that of the Tang family. It seems the traitors of the Tang family have already begun to move.’

Yeon-woo clicked his tongue softly. However, sending a message to the Tang family about a traitor would yield no change. It was better to collect evidence.

‘Shar, Ja-won must have a camera. It’s for capturing evidence, so take a video with that.’

[Got it! I’ll capture it beautifully!]

In any case, the targets Yeon-woo had to persuade weren’t other martial artists. Starting with the Tang family, he needed to convince their leaders.

That made things easier. Right in front of him was a magic user utilizing the techniques of the Tang family; how could its master not notice?

“It’s fortunate that it’s a Demon Cult. The magic is clearly visible even to the common eyes.”

With that, Yeon-woo gripped his sword tightly with both hands. You could think of it as a signal, and it didn’t matter how it was perceived.

“After all, the Heavenly Demon is a demon king if classified, right? Well caught, little minion of a demon king.”

With a dark, pleasure-seeking look, the Demon Cultist shuddered slightly.

In that instant, Yeon-woo was already swinging his sword toward the Demon Cultist. There was no way he, of all people, would miss the chance to strike at the gap of a minion to a demon king.

With a flash, the swing of the sword met the Demon Cultist’s outstretched neck.

Yeon-woo twisted the trajectory of the blade, aware of emotional fixation. However, when it became pleasure, it transformed into this.

It did not matter whether to kill or leave evidence for the Tang family; Yeon-woo had to pull back the chance to kill without hesitation.

As a result, the Demon Cultist began to chuckle. Meanwhile, Yeon-woo furrowed his brows.

‘Is this what the kids meant when they said betting with their lives? I did something I shouldn’t have.’

The battle began between the Demon Cultist, who was supposed to die, and Choi Yeon-woo, who needed to extract information alive.

(TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT PART)

 

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