The Race of Earth (5)
My head ached unbearably.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Heaven and earth seemed to be flipping over.
My brain felt like it was being pulverized.
I could not endure it.
Strange, echoing voices rang from every direction, my vision blurring completely.
My sanity slipped away.
Yet even madness was forbidden.
[Enough.]
At that exact moment, my consciousness was forcibly seized.pGT>While I was about to tumble toward the ceiling, someone suddenly grabbed my hair and yanked me upward.pGT>The sudden jolt sent a tearing pain through my neck.pGT>With my soul feeling as if it were being ripped apart, I was forcibly dragged out of the chaos.
pGT>“Hic…! Ugh…!”
pGT>[I sought you out for three reasons. Answer these three questions and I will leave.]
pGT>My mind was locked tight, yet fighting back remained impossible.pGT>‘Hold on… hold on…!’pGT>But I had to hold on.pGT>If I failed, even regression would only mean wasting countless lifetimes in insanity across thousands or millions of years.pGT>I had to hold on!
pGT>“C…kwaaaa!”
pGT>CRACK!pGT>I raised my arm, forced my mouth open, and bit down on my own wrist.pGT>Red blood flooded my mouth along with the searing agony.pGT>As pain surged in, it washed away the confusion, and a fragment of my mind returned.pGT>‘I must regain control.’
pGT>“May I speak?”pGT>My voice trembled as I addressed the figure before me.pGT>The figure smiled with obvious satisfaction.
pGT>[Impressive spiritual strength. Even as a Terminator One, you are little more than an insect at the story’s beginning, yet you’ve already regained your senses so quickly.]
pGT>“…”
pGT>[Good. Since you seem composed again, let’s begin with the questions. First: What fate has been bestowed upon you?]
pGT>“!?”pGT>Revealing it was impossible!pGT>I gritted my teeth.pGT>Yet a hazy thought slipped through my chaotic mind.pGT>‘Can’t reveal it… but I don’t even know what it is?’pGT>What should I answer?pGT>As I stood frozen, Bongmyeong spoke.
pGT>[Hmph. You still don’t know?]
pGT>“…”
pGT>[Fascinating. How does a Terminator One who has endured the darkness of the Gongmyeong Pillar for ten years in front of me regain his senses so quickly without even knowing his own fate?]
pGT>Bongmyeong murmured in apparent surprise, then continued.
pGT>[Second question: Do you know where the one who brought you here resides?]
pGT>“?”pGT>What on earth did that mean?pGT>The one who brought me?pGT>Did someone snatch us from this world rather than it simply dropping us?pGT>It was then that I felt truly bewildered.
pGT>[You truly don’t know. Well, it’s to be expected. A Terminator One who hasn’t even awakened his fate can hardly be relied upon. The story will progress further, and perhaps the memory will return later.]
pGT>“…”pGT>What exactly was he talking about?As I listened, bewildered, he posed the final question.
pGT>[Third: Have you ever met a Supreme Emperor or a Heavenly Venerable? Even if not directly, has anyone ever told you of such an existence?]
“Eh…?”
At that instant.
CRACK—!“Kwaaaaaaaa!”My head felt like it was about to explode as I screamed.Bongmyeong’s voice pierced my brain.The first two questions elicited no reaction, yet the third sent my mind reeling.
“Huaaak! Kwaaak! Aaaah!”If my head exploded right now, it might actually be easier…Was I unconsciously trying to remember something I was never supposed to remember?Back then, in that village, I had definitely…
[Calm yourself.]
Tock—“?”‘What was that?’It felt as if something terrifying had just happened.Bongmyeong was watching me.
[I see. You’ve already made two contacts. That’s more than enough for an answer. Thank you for responding.]
“???”I still had no idea what was going on.I kept my mouth shut, yet this being seemed to glean information from silence alone.As I remained puzzled, Bongmyeong spoke again.
[Since I’ve fulfilled my mandate, you may now speak. Six seconds have already passed, so you must answer everything within four seconds.]
“Four seconds…?”I was momentarily bewildered, but then remembered that time meant nothing before this being.If it wouldn’t offend him, I asked.
“If it is not presumptuous, could you tell me why you altered ten seconds into ten days?”I steadied my trembling voice and asked.
[I am a fragment. The Gongmyeong Pillar that influences me is because of a discarded heritage. Therefore, the degree of distortion is naturally minimal.]
“Jinseon can distort time… no…”I quickly brushed aside the useless question.This was the perfect opportunity to ask something far more important than Jinseon abilities.
“What exactly is a Terminator One? Are there others like us?”
[Only the Terminators themselves truly understand what we are. That is why I asked whether your fate had awakened. Terminators have existed since long before I did.]
“Yang Su-jin… is the predecessor of the Terminators…? Did he also reach Jinseon?”
[Correct. Even he was weak in the story’s beginning, yet he succeeded in reaching the limit of Jinseon by the conclusion.]
“What is a story?”
[Fate.]
“…”Destiny, then…
“Perhaps the [something] that seeks out Terminators is you…”
[Shh.]
Thud!My mouth suddenly vanished.It was literal.[Mouth] had vanished!
[From the way you speak, it seems you have received the words left by the previous generation of Terminators. However, be careful with your mouth. Be careful with your thoughts. Be careful with what you recall. The reason I met you is because I prepared the Gongmyeong Pillar and laid countless histories beneath it with anticipation and attraction. But the method the previous generation passed to you is an absurd miracle of probability. My method is not as safe as the miracles of Terminators.]
It felt as if, if this being in human form were real, he was now placing a finger to his lips in a “shush” gesture.Of course, since I could not directly observe him, I had no way of confirming it, but the feeling was unmistakable.
[If you attempt to peer into something, that something will also peer closely into you. Do not think. Do not recall. Do not casually speak it aloud. I left this darkness in the lower realms only to keep you from speaking carelessly and inviting calamity while you converse safely with a Terminator.]
“…”At some point my mouth had returned.
“…I have always refrained from speaking carelessly in the outside world.”
[Good. Always remain vigilant. The [Light] of the Ten Thousand Phenomena is the thread of that [thing]. Wherever the Light shines, keep your mouth shut.]
Light?
“You mean… to keep my mouth shut forever…”
[At the story’s beginning, that might even be preferable.]
I was stunned.Light?Be careful of the Light?The tone suggested that even living beings could be Light.All those moments I had peacefully bathed in sunlight, moonlight, and starlight suddenly felt terrifying.
‘Then… there is no [Light] in this space?’
“Great One… why do you help me?”
[Terminators exist to create miracles.]
“…”A vague answer.But I sensed from his tone that he would no longer permit further questions.No, rather than permit, he had demonstrated it.
“If you truly intend to help, why not do so directly?”
[For example?]
“Granting a wish or…”
[Jinseon cannot directly grant any such thing to a Terminator except calamity. However, I can foretell any evil in advance as much as I wish.]
“…”
[This level of information transmission is already the limit. And even that is running out of time.]
Bongmyeong told me.
[Choose your final question and answer it.]
“Can you know all the abilities of every Terminator?”
[Not impossible.]
“!”I was momentarily startled.
Suddenly my vision warped.At the same time, I realized my body was dissolving.‘Ah… I see.’The only reason I could converse with this being was because he had permitted it.In theory, even a fragment should have vanished upon first meeting.The moment our encounter ended and he turned his attention elsewhere, my body and soul began to collapse.And as my vision melted away,
[I shall return you to the original time.]
Bongmyeong’s voice echoed as I lost consciousness.
*****
It was cold.
“!!!”I snapped awake and looked around.
“Hic… ha…”As soon as I opened my mouth, life force poured out.I glanced at my forearm.The character for “hundred” was written there.Although still cold, I somehow felt warm.Though drenched in deathly darkness and chill, it somehow felt bright and warm.Why?
‘Perhaps because I had already seen an even deeper and vaster darkness.’I recalled the being I had just met.
‘Wait… who exactly was that?’I could not remember his [name].All the events of our meeting were etched in memory.Yet the image of who he was had been erased from my mind.Chills… chills ran down my spine.It was terrifying.Perhaps forgetting his name was actually fortunate.
‘If I peer into something, that something will also peer into me.’If I continued remembering his name and kept recalling him,He would keep peering into me.Perhaps he had shown mercy because he was an outlier being looking upon a mortal like me.It was then that I calmed my racing heart.
Blink!From above, familiar golden light spread.
“The Trial Blood Fusion has ended. I will grant the Trial Bloodline to the remaining one hundred participants!”It was Gyu-ryeon.As soon as I saw her, I realized I had truly returned to reality.And I called out to her urgently.
“Uh… how long has it been? How much time has passed since we were trapped here?”
“Hmm? Exactly four months and four days more have passed. Time sense seems dulled when locked in darkness.”
“…Four months…”Gyu-ryeon was not lying.If so, I had experienced ten years of time within the span of four months.The Changryeong Seonggwang Ochae Daebop I had evolved over ten years flowed clearly through my meridians.And although I did not know it was a favor, only four months’ worth of life force from the Mansang Inyeondo I had consumed was gone, as if the ten years had barely touched it.He could not directly give me anything, but such indirect gifts were apparently possible.
‘Jinseon are truly terrifying beings.’I trembled as I recalled the terrifying ten years spent in darkness with not a single ray of light.[That being] had said he prepared ten seconds because I had endured ten years.That meant if I had held on even longer, he could have distorted time into a hundred years, a thousand years.
‘No more thinking about it.’Even if I could not recall his name, if I kept thinking about him,He might keep peering into me.That being had been friendly, yet the mere possibility that such an existence could peer into me was terrifying.
‘Stop thinking. Think of nothing. Right now… just be grateful to be alive.’I exhaled in relief and followed Gyu-ryeon’s guidance out of the lowest layer of the Bongmyeong-ju.
*****
“Thus, the promising young dragons of the Jinryong-maeng have proven they can perfectly inherit the Trial bloodline. Therefore, the Grand Council of the Jinryong-maeng will… present the Trial Bloodline to the talented individuals who participated in this Trial Blood Fusion…”
After the Trial Blood Fusion.I, one of the one hundred survivors, sat silently on the second floor of the Bongmyeong-ju, recovering my vitality while listening to Gyu-ryeon’s speech.But honestly, I felt nothing.
‘Perhaps I went mad in the cold and darkness, and what I am seeing now is all a dream.’It was difficult to accept the existence of [that being] with a clear mind.
‘Jeon Myeong-hoon going mad makes sense now.’Such an entity had not simply shown kindness but had deliberately scattered malice and unleashed heavenly punishment.One such being was more than enough to drive someone insane.As soon as I thought about [his] existence, the goal of stealing the Heavenly Thunder Banner felt terrifying.
‘What if I stole the Heavenly Thunder Banner and then accidentally faced that existence?’Would I truly remain unbroken?Was pursuing the goal even right?
‘Would I… even see a Jinseon and…’It was then.
Tap!Seo Hyoel grabbed my shoulder.He smiled gently and praised me.
“Congratulations. Now that you have truly received the Trial bloodline, you will become a member of our land race.”His smile was still unpleasant.
“Once you choose and receive the Trial bloodline, I will not bestow the higher-grade version of the last one I gave you—the Call the Wind Sacred Blood Variation. If you master the Call the Wind Sacred Blood Variation, you will quickly evolve the Trial bloodline within your body and raise your realm.”
“…”“Haha, thank you for the favor.”I forced a smile.The Call the Wind Sacred Blood Variation.Just hearing the name made it obvious that Seo Hyoel had already prepared a backhanded strike.And the way he suggested it to me was filled with every kind of dirty scheme.
“Your companion Oh Hye-seo is currently performing the Call the Wind Sacred Blood Variation that I have mastered quite well. If you learn the same technique, you will grow rapidly.”
‘Ah…’I understood.
“…”“I will always be grateful for such a favor.”I could see it now.Oh Hye-seo was clearly not in her normal state, and learning the Call the Wind Sacred Blood Variation would mark the beginning of my slave life under Seo Hyoel’s control.
‘…I see.’
“Participant Seo Eun-hyun, please come forward!”Gyu-ryeon called my name among the survivors.On the platform where the surviving participants were lined up, a drop of Trial bloodline waited for each person.I simply stepped up and chose one.I looked back at Seo Hyoel, who was grinning with narrowed eyes, and smiled.
“…”“I am truly grateful, Seo Hyoel-nim.”
“Haha, not at all. It was all thanks to your efforts…”I swallowed Seo Hyoel’s false words as he prattled on.But at this moment, my gratitude toward him was sincere.
‘Thank you, Seo Hyoel.’I had almost forgotten my purpose while being chased by the terrifying existence of a Jinseon.But the moment I saw his dirty schemes, I regained my senses.Disgust had overcome fear.
‘I will definitely steal the Heavenly Thunder Banner.’I had no deep affection for Jeon Myeong-hoon.But the image of Jeon Myeong-hoon, who had always thought the world belonged to him, losing everything and weeping pitifully, brought back the memory of my past self.Allowing myself to suffer in this way was something only Goe-gun or Seo Hyoel would do.Now that I had someone like me, it was more than enough.And if Jeon Myeong-hoon went mad, countless mortal beings and even demon beings would be massacred by the lightning disaster Jeon Myeong-hoon.I could stop the tragedy beginning with Jeon Myeong-hoon.
‘I will steal the Heavenly Thunder Banner…’I decided to slip it into Seo Hyoel’s pocket where he was busy with his disgusting schemes.The memory of my conversation with [that being] was terrifyingly horrifying.Should I be the only one to enjoy such a good experience?I would make sure Seo Hyoel learned of it too.
‘Thank you, Seo Hyoel.’You gave me the strength to steady myself.I stepped onto the platform behind him and stood before Gyu-ryeon.
“As a survivor of the Trial Blood Fusion, you may choose one Trial bloodline from the seven available. Which one will you select?”Above us, a single drop of blood from each participant floated.Each one was the Trial Black Dragon.Trial Taibo.Trial Cheong-bong.Trial Yuligongjak.Trial Eum-gwi-hyeonmu.Trial Pasan-ma-won.Trial Baek-ik-cheonma.
“…”As I spoke, spirit energy gathered in the blood drops, and the forms of the participants began to shimmer above each drop.A dragon with black scales, the form of a great tiger, a blue crane,A seven-colored peacock, a hyeongmu with ghosts in its grasp, a monkey with mountains growing all over its body, a horse with white wings—all of them brushed against the blood drops.
“I will choose this one.”I pointed at one of the Trial bloodlines.