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EP.52 Hero of Hwasan (2)

“Junior?”

Yeongpung called out to me again.

However, I was not in a position to answer Yeongpung’s question.

‘What just happened…?’

I must have misheard, right?

It had to be an auditory hallucination.

Otherwise, I might just want to bite my tongue and die right here.

‘I must have misheard, I just woke up!’

Yeah, it must have been because I woke up suddenly from my dream.

After making a desperate effort to gather my thoughts, I had to quickly respond to Yeongpung.

“…It’s nothing.”

[Oh, what’s this! Can the little brat hear me?]

“W-Whoa, what the hell!”

I jumped in shock at the second voice that echoed in my ears.

Perhaps because of that, Yeongpung in front of me seemed even more surprised, his eyes wide open.

Ignoring Yeongpung’s reaction, I quickly hid behind him.

Yeongpung shouted in panic.

“J-Junior! What are you doing!”

“D-Did you not hear that sound just now!?”

“What sound…? Are you talking about how you just cursed?”

“N-No… not that! I’m talking about the voice of an old man that seems a bit grumpy and cantankerous!”

“What on earth are you talking about…”

[You little brat! Who are you calling cantankerous!]

“Seriously…!! Can’t you hear that!?”

I pressed Yeongpung urgently, but he seemed to have a strange expression as if he was looking at a weirdo.

If someone approached only to suddenly turn around and hide while grabbing onto their clothes, it made sense that they would react that way.

No way, is this not audible? How can a voice this loud not be heard?

An auditory hallucination? No, it felt distinctly different from that.

It was like something was striking directly at my brain…

[You little brat! Back when I was alive, just making eye contact with me would have made you wet yourself, and now you’re hearing my voice!? You should just die!]

‘When you were alive? So you really are a ghost…!?’

[Shut up, you brat! What are you panicking about, having a little thing hanging down there!?]

…Where on earth am I?

I haven’t even passed by any graveyards or abandoned houses, how did I end up in this hell?

[What do you mean where? You willingly wrapped yourself around me, you little brat.]

Upon hearing the ghost’s words.

[Ghost!? A-AAAAAAH, a ghost!?]

…..I froze at the ghost’s words.

What do you mean I wrapped myself around you?

[You were happily munching away and now you’re trying to play innocent, you little brat! Don’t you feel any shame!?]

“N-No! What do you mean I ate something!”

“J-Junior…?”

Ignoring Yeongpung, who now looked scared at me, was essential.

I was in a hurry, and this was not the time to care about face.

The ghost spoke, sounding incredulous.

[Are you for real? You didn’t know? After eating until your stomach burst!]

What on earth am I supposed to make of that?

What are you saying I’ve eaten!?

[You can’t even remember properly? How can you not know who got you to break through that wall?]

A wall?

The ghost’s words made a thought flash through my mind.

The day I raised the Technique of the Flame Wheel to the fourth level.

The thick scent of plum blossoms I felt the night before.

And the peculiar dimming of the treasure’s glow the next morning.

It was a chilling thought.

Could it be that…?

[Heh heh heh! Fortunately, you’re not completely dumb.]

…Oh, dear heavens.

[After I helped you effortlessly get over a wall that would have taken you ages, you’re treating me like a ghost… Your gall has really grown, brat.]

What is this, does Hwasan’s treasure naturally have such a function?

No, is it treating something possessed by a ghost as a treasure? What sort of treasure(貴物) is this? It’s a ghostly item(鬼物)!

[To come all this way and still flap your gums like that… Truly impressive in a different sense.]

‘Who are you?’

Is there really a ghost possessed by a treasure…?

[Ghost? Don’t compare me to something so lowly.]

As the ghost spoke, my chest tingled.

Is that heat? It felt cool and calm, though.

My inner strength was moving of its own accord.

This inner strength, moving without my will, is an incredibly uncomfortable sensation.

It felt as if hundreds of worms were crawling up my skin.

‘Ugh…!’

Even though it felt calm, it was painful as it twisted around my whole body.

I gritted my teeth to endure, but that was no easy task either.

Even in the midst of that, the ghost’s words did not cease.

[I am the Eighth Sect Leader of the Great Hwasan Sect.]

At the ghost’s words, my chest roiled uncontrollably.

The heavy energy resting on my shoulders shackled my entire body and penetrated all the way to my lower dantian…

Yeongpung appeared flustered as he tried to support me, but my fading consciousness continued to distance itself, showing no signs of returning.

Everything before my eyes began to fade to white.

Eventually.

[It is Shin Cheol, the Hwasan Sword God.]

With the ghost’s last words, I lost consciousness.

The Blood Demon War.

This refers to the war that the Blood Demon started centuries ago.

It is said to be the greatest calamity in the history of the martial world before the Heavenly Demon’s emergence.

Strangely enough, not much has been passed down about the Blood Demon.

It is merely told that it was a cruel and brutal event, and that the heroes of the time faced a bloodbath in the Central Plains at the hands of the Blood Demon.

Why was that? Perhaps it was because I never took an interest in history. I don’t know whether there are simply no records or whether someone deliberately chose not to pass them down.

Nonetheless, it is a fact that the accounts regarding the Blood Demon are surprisingly sparse.

Gwon Cheolgeum, King of Iron Fist.

Cheol-Yeong, the Resplendent Buddha.

Shin Cheol, the Hwasan Sword God.

Nangong Ming, the Thunderous Sword of Heaven.

Tang Je-mun, the Poison Heavenly River.

The five absolute masters who could stop the Blood Calamity will be remembered in the history of the Central Plains martial world, no matter how many centuries pass.

In the process, Gwon Cheolgeum died, and the Geumcheon Clan, once ruling as the First Clan, vanished without a trace.

Tang Je-mun from the Tang Clan also perished, shaking the clan greatly.

However, in the end, they managed to overcome the Blood Calamity and succeeded in slaying the Blood Demon, which was fortunate.

Thanks to their existence, the Central Plains as we know it exists today; I heard it so much that my ears nearly bled.

Later, when the Heavenly Demon extended his influence over the Central Plains, Wi Seol-Ah and several other heroes managed to stop him, so it must have been in the same context.

That’s why I couldn’t believe it even more.

Cradling my throbbing head, I asked.

“…Who are you?”

[I am Shin Cheol, you little brat.]

“…So, you are the Hwasan Sword God…”

[Do you know how many times I’ve been asked this?]

“Yes, it feels like I’ve asked it more than ten times.”

When I regained my senses and opened my eyes again, I found myself not outside but inside a carriage.

The voice I had been hearing made me wonder if it was a dream, but my hopes were dashed as I opened my eyes to the still-gruff voice ringing in my ears.

[Who do you think you are, brat! Your attitude hasn’t changed a bit!]

His voice dripped with disdain. But… the Hwasan Sword God?

If one grows up as a member of a martial clan, it would be impossible not to know the moniker of the Hwasan Sword God.

If you were to ask any martial artist from Hwasan who the most respected person is, aside from the current sect leader, the first name that comes to mind would undoubtedly be that of the Hwasan Sword God.

His warm character and reputation spread beyond Hwasan to the entire Central Plains.

[Seriously, these young ones these days… tsk tsk. Back in my day, when a senior spoke, one simply believed it and observed.]

The elevated realms that the Hwasan Sword God attained were said to bloom plum blossoms on dry old trees as he walked.

[Your bratty attitude while I’m talking is just astonishing.]

“….”

…But are you asking me to believe this?

His warmth has faded, and I can feel a twisted nature that seems to have suffered greatly over the years. Reputation?

Blooming plum blossoms on old trees? If the plum blossoms were in bloom, they would have all withered away long ago!

‘It’s better to call you a ghost instead.’

It actually does seem closer to that.

That’s right, it has to be a ghost.

I was clearly possessed by a ghost without even realizing it.

‘…Damn it, should I really perform an exorcism?’

[How dare you! In front of a master, exorcism!?]

I rubbed my forehead, which was throbbing again.

How on earth am I supposed to find Hwasan’s Taoist Qi through that shabby manner of speech?

No matter how I looked at it, it was simply unbelievable that the Hero of Hwasan would turn into a ghost, why should I have faith in such a thing?

[You were happy to munch down when it suited you, but now you’re making excuses?]

“Why do you keep saying I ate something?”

[You’re just pretending to be innocent, aren’t you? I really want to ask you, how could a nobody like you have taken in inner strength without being a descendant of Hwasan?]

The ghost’s words left me speechless.

Having come this far without a memory was strange enough.

The thick scent of plum blossoms I felt in the dark and the voice were not dreams but a clear reality.

It suddenly clicked that the reason I had jumped to the fourth level that morning was indeed due to the influence of the Demonic Absorption Technique.

‘What could this all mean…?’

That only leads to more questions. If it was indeed the Demonic Absorption Technique causing this…

Then the Demonic Power, which can only be used upon physical contact, was somehow absorbing the treasure’s energy without me realizing it.

I thought it was a technique only absorbing the power of the Demon Stone, but now it seems to include the treasure…? Even when I had not even touched it?

‘…This is getting complicated.’

From the looks of the treasure, I had no apparent signs of a significant change, so I couldn’t be entirely sure.

But having come this far, it felt like I was running out of escape options.

[Your body certainly seems to be housing another inner strength… how on earth is this possible…?]

“…Before that, if you really are Shin Cheol, why are you speaking to me in such a state?”

[As I said earlier, it’s because of you carelessly sucking that stone’s energy.]

“Does that mean you were stuck inside the treasure all this time?”

It’s said that the treasure appeared hundreds of years ago, so does that mean you were inside that stone for such a long time?

Is that even possible…?

[That’s not the case. I’ve only just opened my eyes.]

“How recently…?”

What on earth does that mean?

[Just when you picked up the Plum Blossom Stone for the first time, that’s when I regained my consciousness.]

When Elder Lee handed me the treasure? So it really wasn’t that long ago.

If that’s true, then just how…?

Is this perhaps a side effect from all the energy I absorbed from the treasure, creating this auditory hallucination…?

I was so desperate that I even considered such a thing.

Even if he really was the Hwasan Sword God, or if some random ghost was just pretending to be him, it wouldn’t matter; either way, I was put in a troublesome situation.

[How amusing, thinking you could climb over the wall without understanding your own abilities, and I just helped to make sure you didn’t lose your life!]

The ghost spoke.

By saying that, this must be an opportunity.

Thanks to the Demonic Power, the Blood Qi that couldn’t bridge over due to its roughness was smoothly traversable because of the treasure’s energy.

The issue was that despite trying to ignore it, I found certainty in the ghost’s words.

The energy blending within my body.

No matter how much I tried to hide it, the faint scent of plum blossoms kept escaping.

I found myself stepping into the renowned Plum Blossom Strike that the Hwasan disciples could attain only after severe training, and yet it had no relation to me.

“…What should I do?”

‘Hehe! I consumed the energy of the treasure. I’m sorry!’ It wouldn’t end on such a light note.

Possessing a Demonic Power as someone who had not gained Hwasan’s acknowledgment is problematic.

But the biggest issue remained that I could not explain how I came to possess this inner strength.

As I pondered, the ghost chuckled.

[Who told you to consume indiscriminately?]

“Who do you think wanted to eat it…?”

[At night, you were devouring energy like a thirsty beast, and now you have so much to say.]

So, how much did I eat for it to be this obvious?

The fact that it wasn’t by choice made it all the more frustrating and annoying.

This irritating Demonic Power… It was ruining my efforts to live this life.

Holding back the urge to rise with irritation, I asked.

“…Let me ask something. Why were you in that treasure?”

If you are truly the Hwasan Sword God, I need to know why you were stuck in such a manner within the treasure.

If he isn’t the Hwasan Sword God, I needed to know his true identity.

The ghost was silent for a moment at my question.

[…Hmm.]

Was it something difficult to speak of, or were they choosing their words carefully?

After a brief moment, I heard the ghost’s voice, which was much smaller than before.

[…I don’t know either. Why was I here?]

With a deep sigh, I opened the carriage door.

In the end, it was an answer of complete ignorance.

Perhaps he was just pretending not to remember.

If so, it meant he didn’t want to tell me, which didn’t benefit me in either case.

Forget the Hwasan Sword God; he really was just a ghost.

I needed to stop this unhelpful conversation and get outside quickly.

I had to check the situation out there after the events leading to my fainting spell.

[You little brat…! I’m telling you that’s not true!]

“No, how is it not true…”

“Hey! Junior!”

At that lively voice, both the ghost and I fell silent.

It was Yeongpung’s voice calling from far away.

However, the situation seemed a bit strange.

Yeongpung looked quite disheveled compared to earlier’s pristine appearance.

With his limbs tightly bound by ropes, he was kneeling and being threatened with a sword by Muyeon.

And behind him…

“Hwasan Sect…?”

There were martial artists dressed in the same white attire as Yeongpung, facing off against our side.

With the atmosphere not appearing friendly, I opened my eyes wide in surprise and looked towards Yeongpung.

Yeongpung smiled widely at me.

“Ha ha! Junior! Can you help us out here!?”

“….What?”

His overly cheerful voice in contrast with the situation made me blurt out a dazed response.

[…What on earth is he doing now?]

It felt like something bizarre was unfolding once again.

 

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