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Chapter 314: The Helping Horns

As expected, Moon Gi’s horns played a significant role in advancing through the barrier.

Just like that knife in some novel that shines when enemies are near, it guided Yeon-woo back to the right path whenever he stumbled or misread the flow.

After several days of carrying Nea, who wasn’t feeling well, along with her bed, they had encountered various ups and downs, but they managed to arrive at the sea without any major issues.

Even after using the land route and the Gate to reach Geumomun, there was a simple reason for heading out to sea.

No matter how one travels through the Gate, crossing the West Sea is much faster than taking the land route.

The only problem? Well, the sea route is considerably more dangerous.

“It’s been a while! How have you been?”

[How can ghosts live well, Captain? Well, if we’re being picky, I’ve been doing just fine! The locals are taking good care of me!]

A laugh erupted that was so lively it could hardly be attributed to a ghost.

Nothing had changed. What filled the inside remained the dead energy that should not exist in this realm. Yet, the vitality was overwhelming, a truly contradictory situation.

“How well are they treating you, huh? Sorry for pulling you out in the middle of a busy time.”

[Nothing to apologize for! If the sister-in-law is sick, I should come running! Yes!]

In that sense, although it might sound somewhat absurd, the ghost ship could be described as an excellent means of transport.

Being a spirit, it was virtually unaffected by physical forces, and the sea monsters feared the dead energy and didn’t dare approach.

It could traverse the sky and the earth if needed, making it a veritable moving fortress.

If there were any drawbacks, it might be that the peculiar dead energy might affect Nea. And also, no sane person would want to board a ghost ship while sober.

The people of the East Sea welcomed them warmly since they had fought together, but because of that, Yeon-woo didn’t dare think of using them as a means of transport.

In an era where even orcs, goblins, and even lizardmen of different lineages rubbed shoulders, some might argue that there shouldn’t be such a narrow view, but life and death is a matter well beyond lineage.

“Kids, stay at home with Mom, alright?”

“What about Dad? Why isn’t Dad going with us?”

“If we’re going, wouldn’t it be better to go together?”

Yeon-woo’s words left the children perplexed. It was a perfectly natural reaction. After all, they could just go home by boat, so why would he want to skip out?

“I have some work to do. If I don’t do it now, I might be late. So you all go ahead and wait.”

“Uh-huh, but….”

“I think it’s better to listen to the uncle, Sister Shar.”

Dawn cut off Shar, who was about to throw a tantrum. After all, having lived with Riley, he was well aware of the internal circumstances.

He knew exactly what Yeon-woo was afraid of and what he was waiting for in this situation, motivating him to lend strength to Yeon-woo.

“Dawn, weren’t you on my side!? You traitor!”

“If that uncle is saying something so serious that he’d make that odd-faced man act like this, it must be really important. We should understand. Instead, let’s have so much fun that we regret not going with him.”

Dawn’s persuasion seemed to catch Shar and Tae-oh’s interest. Kids understand other kids’ hearts, it seems. Completely overshadowing Yeon-woo’s attempt to soothe them, Shar changed her attitude.

“If you take too long, we’ll have fun without you! You have to come back quickly?!”

“Alright, I promise. I’ll be there in no time. Now, it’s a promise.”

“Let’s pinky swear, and press our thumbs together. It’s a promise!”

The boat carrying the children and Nea moved away only after Shar and Yeon-woo made their promise. Watching the ghost ship sail smoothly into the horizon, Yeon-woo turned his body.

Shar was not merely throwing a tantrum; she was anxious. Didn’t she know that Nea was sick?

If Yeon-woo left his place in these circumstances, he would be worried about what to do in case something happened.

Of course, Yeon-woo wasn’t oblivious to that anxiety, which is why he sent Riley, Yuri, and Kim Hyun-soo back to the Academy.

At such times, having trusted adults in the current situation didn’t feel all that bad.

‘I need to return without delay.’

The destination was Beijing. Not aiming for the bustling center, but the desolate land located to the north, so parched it hardly felt like it was near the capital.

There was a Gate leading to the martial arts realm located there. Today, the martial artists of the Martial Arts Alliance would likely be guarding that spot.

*

“Hu-huh, cha.”

The performance of the newly crafted leg was exceedingly satisfactory. Though I had left the Great Kingdom without testing it, it was undeniable that I hadn’t had a proper chance to do so with Nea around.

I recalled the leg that delivered a fierce kick to a monster. Its lifeless body fell to the ground, neck completely twisted.

The senses were undoubtedly intact, and more importantly, it was sturdy. Janky blades couldn’t even leave a scratch on it, not even a mere aura weapon level’s.

And since it was magically anchored, I wouldn’t have to worry about it falling off awkwardly again, unlike the previous time.

‘With this, could I embed some blades in it?’

A prosthetic leg with blades springing forth from the heel—a bit of a fantasy, but of course, there were no masters skilled enough to modify the World Tree, and I would have to live with just one leg again while making modifications, making it a needlessly complicated task.

If I were to modify it, it might be better to cause a momentary alteration that meshes well with magic instead.

It seemed like Chloe had set up a restoration spell to recover its original form when magical interference occurred.

“Beijing is just around the corner.”

There were plenty of concerns occupying my mind, but I decided to intentionally ignore everything except Nea.

It was essential to check on the prosthetic leg since it was required for entering a gate that was among the most dangerous in the world.

The martial arts realm was a particularly perilous place. The areas near where Sword Saints had slain existed relative to a safety zone, but straying beyond that made risks skyrocket.

Monsters could appear at any moment, and it was tough even for normal humans to rest in such a land.

The frequent failures of expeditions conducted by the Martial Arts Alliance stemmed from this, as they couldn’t cleanse the land tainted by magical energy, meaning there was hardly anything substantial they could do aside from clearing the demon cultists around the gate.

This reason was also part of why Yeon-woo hurried towards the martial arts realm. If he could sever the magical energy using the Gold Dragon’s ability to tune, perhaps they could make some progress in their expeditions into the martial arts realm.

By widening the range where humans could operate, they could reduce the threat posed by demon cultists, making it advantageous to test this out.

The soft crunch of sand underfoot rang out. The gate to the martial arts realm was located in the desert.

Of course, this was only natural. As lands inhabited by people gradually became corrupted by magical energy, the remnants would end up being barren wastelands.

In the middle of that desert, amidst the sweltering heat and sandstorms, stood seemingly decent stone huts.

Because the hunters from the Martial Arts Alliance and the Hunter Guild were assigned to guard the gate, a small marketplace had begun to bloom even atop the wasteland.

It was called the “Hobak Guesthouse.” The only space to stay for those who protect the Earth from the demon cultists, allowing them to find a semblance of enjoyment.

Strong magical presences radiated from afar. A diverse range of aura users, from novice to experienced experts, seemed to suggest that this was more than just a simple defensive unit.

“It seems that means they’re quite dangerous.”

The most frightening thing about demons, regardless of the realm, is their lack of fear.

Not that every demon lacks fear, but those who have yet to be fully consumed by magic can certainly tremble when threatened by having their Mana Core crushed or their limbs torn apart.

However, demon cultists are a different breed entirely, far worse than the other demons. Didn’t they show such grotesque forms back in Cheonju City?

Demon cultists not only accept the magic power of the Demon King but also train in using demonic techniques via magical energy.

Commonly referred to as reverse cultivation. The reason is simple: it reverses the flow of heavenly principles inherent in the human body.

But doing so damages both the body and the mind. The strong magical energy taints the blood, affecting the brain as well.

These fanatics are prepared to sacrifice their lives for the Heavenly Demon. Even those skilled in martial arts grit their teeth at their existence.

Although martial arts seem to be a way to teach how to fight monsters and beasts, fundamentally they are meant for self-cultivation.

Yet it’s neither self-cultivation nor martial arts, possessing merely overwhelming strength; such beings should never be accepted among righteous paths.

‘Well, at least in my case, it’s not a problem.’

In fact, wasn’t Yeon-woo wielding martial arts with a perception not too different from theirs? Ultimately, the only difference between him and them lies in the purity of their motives.

And Yeon-woo believed that as long as his motives and results align with a good cause, there would be no issue. It’s a rather simple rule, really.

As Yeon-woo walked amongst the buildings, nearby hunters gazed at him suspiciously.

It was a natural reaction; this was certainly no place for children only a few years into their adolescence.

The temper of the hunters stationed there, facing off against the sporadic demon cultists, was rough, and not a single C-rank hunter or above was permitted entry.

‘The way they worry is so over the top.’

Even though Yeon-woo’s name would be known everywhere, the Hobak Guesthouse was different. They were far too busy keeping the demon cultists at bay to engage with outsiders.

Moreover, such an excellent infrastructure had hardly been set up. At best, there may have been rumors floating around about a Korean boy contracting with a dragon.

Yeon-woo crossed the street with an expression as if nothing were amiss. Several hunters who had realized what was at the end of the street stiffened their faces. However, that response only came from hunters at the level of aura users.

Those who could perceive opponents’ auras shrugged their shoulders as they looked at Yeon-woo.

“Hey kid. That’s not a place for a little punk like you.”

Without hesitation, someone grabbed Yeon-woo’s shoulder and stopped him right in front of the enormous building sealing off the gate to the martial arts realm.

Though it was an unnecessary interruption, it didn’t feel particularly disagreeable.

After all, such meddling arose from goodwill. Therefore, he could accept it lightly.

“Oh, but it’s actually fine for me to go in.”

As he flashed a smile, the golden-bordered hunter’s license he’d obtained from the guild shone brightly, proving that he was indeed a C-rank hunter. Gasps followed around him.

A C-rank hunter in his teenage years—no, possessing the qualifications to be promoted to a higher rank was an unbelievable feat.

From the C-rank onward, assignments of real danger began to pile up, necessitating an enormous amount of achievements.

‘That’s why my limit before the regression was C-rank.’

Above that, one would require a record of successfully completing missions of a certain danger level, which was something Yeon-woo hadn’t even dared to consider.

Looking back, it was probably the perfect rank.

“Alright? Then I’ll take my leave.”

As Yeon-woo responded with a smile, the man stood dumbfounded for a moment, shaking his head before stopping him once more.

So this man, with such a fierce face, also seemed like a person with a lot of concern.

“Y-yeah, I get that you’re qualified. But going in alone is an act of suicide. You should at least take someone who knows the area well. I can’t just leave a young kid with a bright future to die.”

Hearing that, Yeon-woo frowned as if it was bothersome, but he acknowledged it with a nod. It wouldn’t be wrong to have someone around, after all.

“Then it looks like you’ll be the one following me, uncle.”

“W-what?”

“Just come along. Nothing bad will happen.”

As he said this, without hesitation, Yeon-woo walked ahead, leaving the man gaping at his back, wondering just what courage this kid had.

“Hey, wait, hold on!!”

Meanwhile, the man raced after Yeon-woo, who had already passed the security check and stood in front of the Gate.

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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