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EP.14 Nightmare (1)

The surroundings are dark.

It’s strange for night and contradictory to not be night. I checked to see if the moon was up, but—

I can’t see anything.

There should definitely be clouds and a sky.

Not a single one of them exists.

Where am I?

All the trees around me were burning, and where the pavilion was supposed to be, only ashes remain.

Gradually, my body moves. It’s not by my own will. I try to fight for control, but it won’t listen.

As I attempt to take a step, I feel someone grip my ankle. Turning around, I see a blood-soaked man.

He wears white clothing adorned with plum blossom patterns. A martial robe from the sect well-known throughout the Central Plains.

Hwasan Sect.

Right, this must be Hwasan.

The once-brilliant flowers have all burned away, losing their original form, yet this prestigious sect has stood firm for centuries.

All that history has now vanished.

Only then did I realize.

This is a dream.

A terrible nightmare.

[How could this happen…!]

The man spoke to me, his face full of resentment and grievance.

He was using the left arm he had left to feebly grip my ankle, the other arm having been severed.

His eyes, bloodshot, looked as if they were crying tears of blood.

[What did we do wrong…!! How could you do this to us!!]

His voice screamed out as if his veins would burst. Around us lay corpses dressed like his, all lifeless.

Children and elderly alike, they had all stopped breathing.

They lay around as if they had been savaged by beasts.

[Are you truly human…?! How can you wear the skin of a human and act like this?]

The silence of my body broke. I couldn’t even stop it with my will.

[The sound that had been incessantly ringing has stopped.]

[What…?]

[It means your revered Maehwa Seon was killed by the cult leader.]

[Nonsense! The sect leader was slain by such a vile monster…!]

[Despite your beloved Hwasan being reduced to ashes, you still do not understand.]

Please, just shut up… just shut up!

[You are powerless, too pathetic to call yourselves a prestigious sect.]

I slowly bent my knees to gaze into the man’s eyes. There was another emotion reflected there.

It was certainly fear.

[Look, the disciples you cherished have died by my hand, and those brothers who cared for you also perished at my hands.]

I caressed the man’s cheek with my bloodied hand. The blood of his brothers stained my palm.

Crack.

I heard something breaking from the man’s mouth. He must have bitten down so hard he was shattering his teeth.

[The burning of Hwasan and your own fate—it’s all because of your weakness and ineptitude. Hwasan, you, and Maehwa Seon.]

[Shut your mouth, demon…! You who betray the righteous faction, the name that comes from your lips will…!]

As if I had no more words to exchange, I grabbed the man’s neck and snapped it.

Thus, the last disciple of Hwasan met his end.

Splash.

In the midst of the wide pool of blood, I felt a presence approaching. I knelt and prepared myself.

I couldn’t dare look up.

There was a distortion in space that suggested his presence.

Hwasan, which once stood tall like Mount Tai, lost its dignity just with him standing there.

Every sense screamed danger as I drew closer to him.

He called himself the Heavenly Demon.

[Not bad.]

Though I heard a voice, I couldn’t comprehend it properly.

Was it a male voice? Or perhaps feminine?

It rang deep yet delicate like a woman’s.

The Heavenly Demon suddenly threw something in front of me.

It was the severed head of an old man, a gruesome sight.

This was none other than the head of Maehwa Seon, dubbed the absolute master of Hwasan.

[I might not be pleased, but I did gain some shallow amusement.]

Even if he wasn’t one of the Three Eminent Beings of the Central Plains, a master regarded as equal to them died so easily.

The Heavenly Demon, appearing with an eerily calm demeanor, surveyed the area before approaching me.

[It’s like a beast has run wild.]

He came close enough that I could feel my breath catch.

I couldn’t move at all.

[In a situation like this, I shouldn’t even have to think about what name to give you.]

I want to wake up. I want to flee from this dream as quickly as possible. Why am I being shown this?

[You are….]

I heard the Heavenly Demon speak, but I couldn’t catch the end.

“Young Master…!”

[…]

“Do you hear me, Young Master!”

I jolted awake at Wi Seol-Ah’s voice.

I was returning to the Gu Clan after the gathering of the Nine Dragons.

“Uagh!”

As soon as I woke from the dream, I urgently stopped the carriage and bolted out.

I couldn’t hold back the bubbling inside me. I collapsed to the ground and retched.

There was nothing in my stomach, yet it felt like everything from my insides was pouring out endlessly.

‘Damn it…. Damn!’

My body trembled. Why did I suddenly have such a dream?

It was something I had tirelessly tried to forget. If I could, I would want to rip that memory away completely.

I felt a hand on my back. I spun around and grabbed it.

With trembling hands, I found it was Wi Seol-Ah.

She looked at me wide-eyed, her pupils shaking wildly, reminiscent of the fear the man in my dream had shown.

What does my expression look like now?

Even without seeing it, I felt I knew. It must look a mess.

I struggled to keep my expression in check.

I slowly relaxed my grip on her hand. Wi Seol-Ah hid her frightened expression and soothingly patted my back again.

Muyeon, who was guarding the carriage, hastily rushed over.

“Young Master! Are you alright…? We need a physician right away!”

“I’m fine, calm down… How could we find a physician out here?”

We were still deep in the mountains on our way back to the clan. There wouldn’t be a physician nearby.

I was breathing heavily, but calming down was proving difficult.

The memory of the day Hwasan Sect was exterminated by the Demonic Sect lingered, as did the day Gu Paibang’s defenses crumbled within just a day.

It was something I wished to forget, and yet, just facing it in a dream led me to this state.

‘…It didn’t happen, it won’t happen again.’

This was a phrase I repeated hundreds of times a day. Whenever I walked, while eating, even while breathing.

“….Damn.”

It is said that humans are creatures that forget.

Why is it that I still cannot forget the sins even after dying once?

As time dragged on, I couldn’t clear my mind, so I wrapped my inner strength around myself to force myself to calm down.

It wasn’t the most efficient action, but I had no other choice if I wanted to leave quickly.

As I turned the 구염화륜공 and felt my body warming up.

My inner strength, already negligible, was being drained to calm my still trembling body after a nightmare.

I couldn’t explain how I felt.

“It really feels crappy…”

Just when I thought I was somewhat calm again, I stood up. Wi Seol-Ah offered to help me, but I gently pushed her away, insisting I was okay.

Why did I have such a dream?

Is it due to my anxiety that things will end up like that even if I return to the past?

‘Don’t think about it, it’s just a nightmare.’

After expelling a handful of bile, I felt my mind clear a bit.

The churning in my stomach could be handled later, whether by practicing my martial arts or simply resting.

At that moment, my heightened senses, developed through my betting experiences, detected something. A sensation like a prickling at the back of my neck made me chuckle nervously.

‘What bad luck.’

With my dreams all over the place, why was this bad omen happening?

I turned around to approach Muyeon, who was anxiously fidgeting.

“Muyeon.”

“Yes, Young Master…! Should we seek a physician?”

“Stop with the nonsense and check the state of the magic talisman!”

Upon hearing my words, Muyeon quickly pulled a talisman from his robe.

The magic talisman, developed long ago in Wudang, allows a signal to appear when a Demonic Gate nearby is opened, infused with betting energy.

The talisman he pulled out showed no signs at all; it remained perfectly intact.

Muyeon exhaled deeply as he gazed at the unremarkable talisman.

“Phew…. Young Master, you startled me with such a serious statement. Thankfully, nothing’s…”

In the middle of his sentence, the talisman began to glow red before burning away into nothing.

Without hesitation, Muyeon shouted to the guards surrounding us.

“Demonic Gate has appeared! Everyone prepare for battle!”

As soon as Muyeon shouted, the guards quickly drew their swords. The previously chaotic atmosphere turned tense.

Inopportunely, something happened on our way back. The rapid combustion of the talisman indicated the Demonic Gate was very close.

If we had been just a bit further away, we could’ve fled.

It was my fault for stopping the carriage midway.

Muyeon desperately grabbed my shoulder.

“Young Master, for your safety, you must get inside the carriage immediately.”

At Muyeon’s words, I promptly pushed Wi Seol-Ah and the other attendants inside the carriage.

Then I closed the door and stood next to Muyeon.

“You need to get inside as well. This situation is truly dangerous…”

On a typical day, I would have just stayed in the carriage and waited for it to pass, but since it had become like this because of me, I couldn’t.

If I hadn’t caused the trouble, it might have been different, but I decided to take responsibility for the mess I made in this life.

That way, I could avoid a repeat of past events.

“Young Master…!”

“Muyeon, save your lectures for later. Keep your eyes forward. It’s coming.”

Upon my warning, Muyeon fixed his gaze ahead, and just as predicted, the air distorted.

A green light burst forth, and the fabric of space tore open, revealing a rift.

“Green….”

Muyeon whispered softly.

Green signifies the lowest danger level of Demonic Gates.

– Grrrr…

A low growl erupted.

What appeared through the Demonic Gate was a massive wild dog. To be precise, a demon beast that looked like a wild dog.

It had the form of a wild dog, with a horn emerging from its forehead—a peculiar sight.

“How particularly bothersome.”

Green-Horned Hound.

A demon beast with quick reflexes and fangs capable of crushing rocks, it’s one that the Martial Alliance had attempted to tame but ultimately failed.

‘It looks to number a little over ten.’

Calculating the number of demon beasts emerging from the gate, it was an average number.

Demon beasts possess no intelligence. This means there’s no hesitation.

The Green-Horned Hound spotted us and lunged forward.

Muyeon followed suit and leaped at the beast. His sword deftly dodged its claws and severed its horn.

A single strike.

The flashing energy from his sword proved he was an elite martial artist.

The horned Green-Horned Hound fell limp. Its horn was its weak point.

The other guards began engaging the demon beasts as well.

While they fought off the beasts surrounding the carriage, I picked up some dirt from the ground.

– Grrrrr…

As Muyeon faced another demon beast, one started closing in on me.

It drooled, as if it had spotted prey. It looked younger and weaker than the rest.

It was the perfect target.

– Aaargh!

The Green-Horned Hound wailed and charged. I quickly spun my inner strength, enhancing my body with the 구염화륜공.

I could feel the heat surging within me.

Thanks to that, I dodged the beast’s claws by a hair’s breadth.

Then I threw the dirt I had clutched at the beast’s face.

– Aaargh!

Blinded, the beast whipped around, thrashing aimlessly in the air.

Given its size, even without vision, it remained formidable.

I quickly grabbed a rock lying on the ground and threw it near the creature. With a thud!, it reacted instinctively.

I channeled the spinning energy of 구염화륜공 into my arm.

‘Hesitate, and you die.’

Seizing the moment when the beast was distracted by the stone, I leapt a short distance and thrust my arm into its side.

– Thud!

The horn was its weakness, yet another common weakness of demon beasts existed.

The magical stone within their bodies.

For those creatures without hearts, the magical stone served as their heart.

Since I couldn’t shatter the horn with my current strength, I plunged my reinforced arm into its body and seized the magical stone.

A slightly resisting texture met my fingers, but the energy surrounding my arm made it easy to grasp the stone.

– Splurt!

As my arm pulled out, blue blood burst forth, confirming its demon nature.

– Grrrr…!

Just like when its horn was severed, the Green-Horned Hound collapsed.

As I held the magical stone, I turned around to find another Green-Horned Hound charging at me.

– Aaargh!

“Oh, this is a bit…!”

I hurriedly tried to redirect the energy pooling in my arm back to my whole body, but I was running out of time.

At the moment when its sharp teeth were about to sink into me, a flash passed right by it—Muyeon’s sword.

“Are you alright, Young Master…?”

Muyeon glimpsed the fallen Green-Horned Hound beside me and fell silent.

“Thanks, I almost got myself killed.”

“Yes… thankfully.”

I felt a peculiar gaze on me. It was the same perception I had felt on the first day of my return.

What kind of gaze could it be…?

As the time spent hunting the demon beasts passed, it seemed clear that those guarding my direct line were not ones who would be troubled by the lowest-ranking Demonic Gate.

It was common for us to encounter Demonic Gates even while on official business for our clan.

In a world where Demonic Gates were a familiar existence, such events would be nothing but unfortunate accidents.

Once all the demon beasts were vanquished, the Demonic Gate vanished into thin air, leaving only the corpses behind.

“Now, the remaining task is to send a letter from the Gu Clan….”

I was about to speak to Muyeon, but I promptly shut my mouth.

A prickling sensation in my palm grabbed my attention.

This was a familiar energy I had grown weary of in my previous life. There was no mistaking it.

“Young Master, what’s wrong?”

I looked at the hand holding the magical stone.

The green-tinted color of the magical stone began to fade, turning transparent.

At the same time, I felt a gradual buildup of inner strength in my body, bit by bit.

My lips trembled. I had endured this phenomenon time and time again in my previous life.

Absorbing the power of the magical stone into my body through my martial arts.

“Damn, what the hell is this bullshit…!”

This was undoubtedly the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts.

 

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