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EP.38 The Way Back. (1)

A strange ceiling loomed above me.

Ah, what a cliché and boring thought to have.

Who would have thought I’d come to think such things?

My head throbbed.

Dizziness swept over me, and nausea churned in my stomach.

Especially the area around my lower dantian ached.

I managed to awkwardly rise my creaky body.

…Where in the world am I?

‘…I clearly collapsed at Biwaegun.’

The Demonic Absorption Technique had activated on its own, sucking energy from the orb expelled by the snake.

I must have fainted from the overwhelming energy.

Suddenly feeling uneasy, I checked my inner strength.

It was overflowing. What if my lower dantian had been damaged? That would be a huge problem.

Whoosh—!

“What the….”

I was startled as heat escaped my body.

It was hotter and faster than before.

I thought I had spun my inner strength normally.

But the amount of inner strength that had spilled out was far more than I expected.

Third Star.

The Technique of the Flame Wheel, which was barely at the beginning of the Second Star, had jumped to the Third Star.

And it wasn’t just an ordinary Third Star; it was nearly at the end.

The quantity of inner power within my body was truly staggering.

It was the amount that could only be gained from training one’s spirit consistently for thirty years.

‘It felt lacking compared to the energy I absorbed…’

Thinking of the energy that flowed in, I felt the quantity could be considered modest.

But the inner power was extremely pure.

Could there be another energy so soft yet so full of power?

Even after absorbing so much energy, not a trace of demon energy was felt.

So could it mean that it wasn’t a Demon Stone? I thought the Technique of the Flame Wheel had absorbed demon energy, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

The energy from my lower dantian felt remarkably strong.

The reason I hadn’t reached the Fourth Star was that my body couldn’t support it.

If I continued with consistent physical training, reaching the Fourth Star would come quickly.

I pondered about what level I could face now.

‘That Nangong brat is too much for me… but Gu Jeolyub should be easy.’

Objectively speaking, based on the criteria of not using techniques, I believed I could place myself at a level equal to or greater than Gu Jeolyub.

The Thunder Dragon was out of the question.

Even with my familiarity with Nangong’s sword dance, if it were a real martial arts spar, I still wouldn’t win.

‘But, wait, where am I?’

I looked around, confirming that there was nothing wrong with my body.

There were furniture pieces that looked a bit shabby, and I could faintly smell the bitterness of medicinal herbs.

“Young Master!”

“Ugh!”

As I stumbled, something hopped onto me.

It was Wi Seol-Ah.

“Are you okay now, Young Master?”

“…First, move aside.”

Why would she trample all over me asking if I was okay?

I hurriedly pushed Wi Seol-Ah away.

Fortunately, she seemed uninjured with all that vigor.

Thus, I asked what I needed to know.

“What about the snake? What happened at Biwaegun?”

“The snake?”

Wi Seol-Ah tilted her head as if unsure what I meant.

What? It was such a big snake; why this reaction?

I felt something was off and asked Wi Seol-Ah again.

“That giant snake we saw at Biwaegun.”

“Uh…?”

“…You don’t remember?”

“No!”

“How long have you not remembered… no, where do you even begin to remember?”

This was bizarre, so I tried asking differently.

Wi Seol-Ah rolled her eyes.

Her large eyes were quite noticeable as they moved around.

“Since I followed you out, Young Master!”

“…What?”

So she remembers all of that…?

Was everything, even Biwaegun and that giant snake, merely a hallucination?

‘No, that can’t be.’

If that were true, then the increased inner power and my improved martial arts would be inexplicable.

So was Wi Seol-Ah’s lack of memory somehow the snake’s doing?

‘Why would it go to such lengths…?’

It was all mysterious.

“Do you really not remember anything?”

“Yes… I woke up sleeping with you on the mountain!”

“What kind of nonsense…”

Creak.

A door on the left side opened, and an elder entered.

His hair was white, and his back was hunched.

“What the hell? Why’s it so hot in here?”

The elder scolded upon entering. The reason for the heat was probably due to my inner strength circulating.

Looking at us, the elder said, “You’re awake.”

“…Who are you?”

“You slept two whole days and finally came to your senses.”

Two days…?

“Did I sleep for two days?!”

Considering that I found Biwaegun in just one day, that meant I had spent the entire intended time passed out.

“Right, you didn’t appear to have any issues, but I thought you were dead with how long you kept sleeping.”

“…May I ask where this is?”

“Don’t you see? I’m a physician. So this must be the medical room.”

What about him looks like a physician…?

His clothing was shabby, far from any physician’s attire, and he had a hunched back.

I guess the subtle scent of medicinal herbs could be considered evidence.

“Are you feeling alright?”

The elder asked.

“Yes… I’m fine.”

From what the elder said, this was a medical room at the foot of the mountain, but how did we get here?

According to Wi Seol-Ah, when she opened her eyes, she was lying in the middle of the mountain with trees, not at Biwaegun.

Then did the elder find us and bring us here?

The elder quietly boiled some herbs.

“Why were you sleeping on a cliff so dangerously?”

A cliff…

Didn’t the terrain transform to a flat area with a maple tree standing tall?

What do you mean it turned back into a cliff? The situation was entirely incomprehensible.

First, I thanked the elder.

“…Noya, thank you. Did you save us?”

“Saved? Nonsense, you should thank that girl beside you. Look at her delicate face and the strength she possesses; she carried you all the way down from there to here.”

When I glanced at the elder’s words, Wi Seol-Ah had her hand confidently on her hip, striking a proud pose.

She carried me down from that high mountain?

“T-Thank you.”

“Yes!”

With the stamina she showed when chasing me at the Tang Clan, maybe this is what they mean by innate martial talent.

I tease her every day for being chubby, but considering it, Wi Seol-Ah isn’t particularly chubby.

She just always has something in her mouth, making her appear rounder than she is.

What strength could come from those thin arms…?

The elder poked my arm, which was still in shock, and said,

“You seem to be doing alright, so it’s cramped in here. I can’t keep you for too long.”

“…Thank you, Noya. Thanks to you, I woke up safely from a dangerous situation.”

“Ha ha, a young lad like you has quite the overwhelming speech….”

Even if he looks young, it’s not easy to take care of someone for two whole days.

On the side, Wi Seol-Ah seemed to be munching on something for no reason. Perhaps it was also something the elder had given her?

“…What are you eating?”

“Uh? Grandpa Cheon gave me a snack!”

Grandpa Cheon?

It seemed Wi Seol-Ah had already introduced herself to the elder.

The elder answered my question instead.

“Nothing special; just gave her a few roots of ginseng that have no medicinal value. In a rural physician’s office, that’s all I could give.”

…Ginseng roots? How could ginseng lack medicinal value?

I was more surprised that he gave her those; Wi Seol-Ah munching on them without a care was even odder.

I thought she only liked sweet things. Turns out she must be an omnivore.

“I’m sorry….”

“It’s fine; stop apologizing and hurry home. Your parents must be worried.”

Parents worried?

Thinking of my father, I quickly dismissed that thought.

He wouldn’t be the type to worry.

Most likely, it would be no one else but Muyeon waiting anxiously.

I rummaged in my pockets and said to the elder, “I came out in a hurry, so I don’t have much….”

“Eh? What would a kid have of value? This old man just did it out of boredom, so don’t worry too much about it…”

After rummaging, I finally pulled out a few silver coins.

Fortunately, it seemed I had packed that much.

Clink, clink!

As I hastily took out the silver coins, they fell to the ground, causing the elder to remain silent.

It looked like a couple of coins worth about two nyang.

“This is all I have… I’m sorry to offer this…”

Before I could finish speaking, the elder grabbed my hand.

His gaze became serious.

What was he about to say?

After a brief silence, the elder spoke.

“….Junior, if you wish, you can stay a bit longer. Oh dear, I didn’t even serve a single herbal tea to my precious guest…! Wait a moment, I’m quite good at brewing herbal tea!”

“….”

I was relieved to see he seemed to genuinely enjoy it.

I declined the elder’s offer of herbal tea, forcing myself out the door.

He kept trying to give me something, which left me quite flustered.

Fortunately, it appeared to be daylight, so I should be able to depart right away.

Perhaps due to the increase in my inner strength, my body felt lighter than before.

If I leaped while circulating my inner strength, I might reach the village I had written about in my letter immediately.

“…That’s a bit ambitious, right?”

If I hopped a little by little, it seemed possible, but I should probably restrain myself, especially considering Wi Seol-Ah was following me.

‘Or is it possible Wi Seol-Ah would keep up with me?’

Seeing her keep up at the Tang Clan, I thought it might be doable, but could she actually manage that without any inner power?

Having improved my own, I checked Wi Seol-Ah’s status.

But she remained the same as before.

There was not even a trace of inner strength in her lower dantian.

Then how?

Wi Seol-Ah said she had no memory, so I also couldn’t discern what had happened after I collapsed.

What was that snake?

How could everything have gone back to a cliff?

What was that bizarre formation?

And… and…

I stopped in my tracks.

I had recalled the most important thing.

“…Hey…”

“Yeees?”

“Hey, hey, Night Bright Wine!”

“Yeees…?”

I trembled.

All those Night Bright Wines… not a single one made it back with me.

Remembering that made me want to drop to the ground and pound it with my fists.

‘…No, whatever the case, since Biwaegun is gone, it’s not something I was meant to bring back, right?’

I tried to think positively about what was lost.

But then what about the orb I received…?

“…”

“Young Master?”

“…I’m fine. Just feeling a bit dizzy.”

It wasn’t originally mine… When I think of it that way, it should be fine, yet humans can be so wretched, and it felt harder to forget.

Seeing me in distress, Wi Seol-Ah chuckled.

“Young Master! Your expression has gotten ugly.”

“What a harsh thing to say….”

“But, it really has gotten ugly….”

When one is distressed, such ruthless comments…

Wi Seol-Ah had a surprisingly cruel side.

Then, Wi Seol-Ah lightly grabbed my sleeve.

I wondered what she wanted and saw she was pointing toward the restaurant we had passed earlier.

I asked her upon seeing that, “Are you hungry?”

“…I am a bit hungry, but when Young Master’s expression becomes ugly, dumplings make it better!”

“Ah, so you’re telling me to eat….”

Still, you’re hungry, huh?

Honestly, I could eat, but since I had little money left, it was a dilemma.

Given the circumstances, it seemed wise to reach my destination quickly.

What should I do? Should I really run?

With my current physical state, it seemed feasible.

Looking at Wi Seol-Ah, who was still holding onto my sleeve, I pondered.

“…I should run, but what to do with you?”

“Yeees…? I-I’m really fast….”

“Should I carry you?”

“….Huh?”

“What did you say?”

She seemed to say something just now.

When I asked again since I didn’t hear it, Wi Seol-Ah suddenly sat down.

As she firmly grabbed my sleeve, I nearly lost my balance.

“A-ow, ow!”

A strange yelp escaped my lips.

“What’s happening? Why all of a sudden?”

“m-my leg hurts! I think I hurt it!”

“What…? Then that’s a big deal! Should we hurry back to the medical room?”

“It’s urgent! I-I don’t think it’s a serious injury.”

“So, you can walk then?”

“….Well.”

“….Hmm?”

What in the world was she wanting?

This was the first time I saw Wi Seol-Ah looking so deeply troubled.

After pondering for a long while, Wi Seol-Ah spoke in a very small voice.

“C-Carry me, please.”

Her face turned red as she said that.

Seeing her like that made me surprisingly astonished.

‘…So she can feel embarrassed too?’

I thought she wouldn’t be able to…

“Haha!”

That thought made me burst into laughter.

Wi Seol-Ah made a whiny noise as she pouted.

I slowly bent down and offered my back to Wi Seol-Ah.

Her hands cautiously wrapped around my neck, her body pressing close.

With warmth spreading from her touch, I lifted her up by holding her legs.

Perhaps my mischievous nature kicked in, I teased her while carrying her.

“You’re heavy.”

With a tone of humor, Wi Seol-Ah jumped in surprise, shouting back.

“I’m not heavy!”

“Very heavy…. It feels like I’m carrying a rock.”

“That’s too much…! I-I’ll get down!”

“Now that I’ve carried you, I can’t let you down.”

When was it?

I feel like I’ve been in a similar situation once before.

Though it wasn’t exactly the same atmosphere, and Wi Seol-Ah wouldn’t remember, I will remember it alone.

And I would continue to remember it alone.

There’s no need for it to happen again.

Carrying Wi Seol-Ah on my back, I pushed against the ground.

To my surprise, I jumped faster and higher.

I thought Wi Seol-Ah would be thrilled by the rushing wind, but instead, she merely buried her face in my back.

It looked like I could dash straight to our destination like this.

 

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