The Sea of Thunder (1)
The Demon Realm.
The Mugeuk Sect.
Deep beneath the sect headquarters, Mugeukkyejeon, every high-ranking official of the Mugeuk Sect had gathered. They sat with grave expressions.
“So… you’re saying that the Void-Shattering Eun-hyun, who descended his consciousness to the lower realm to build up the Gangnyeong Axis, suddenly split apart and vomited blood?”
“Yes. And since then, he has been in a catatonic state.”
Whoosh!
Ssssss…
Seated on the head of the dais, Eun-hyun remained unconscious, his eyes closed. Occasionally, he would cough up boiling blood from his seven openings.
Jeon Myeong-hoon, who had been with him, shot Hong Beom a dumbfounded look. Hong Beom nodded, then handed over the recorded materials from the scene.
“First, look here.”
After examining the historical footage through Hong Beom’s illusion, Jeon Myeong-hoon’s expression grew even more solemn as he asked.
“What in the world is this?”
“Based on what I can see…”
At that moment.
While viewing the records, Yeon Wi declared with a grave face.
“This… this can’t be…!”
“Huh? Senior… do you know something?”
“Yes. Fortunately, it matches exactly what I know.”
With a darkened face, she observed Eun-hyun’s condition.
“Sudden catatonia and vomiting of boiling blood. Extremely high probability of contracting the Deep Sea Curse—**Simhaejuu**—from the ancient sea monsters of the Goryeok Realm!”
“**Simhaejuu**…?”
“Yes. Some ancient sea monsters of the Goryeok Realm inflict truly bizarre curses. Those who fall victim to them fall into this catatonic state and develop strange symptoms. In the past, when I was chased by the young dragon princess in the Goryeok Realm, she suffered from a weak **Simhaejuu**. She would slip in and out of catatonia and suffer from high fevers.”
Upon hearing this, Buk Hyang-hwa tilted her head in confusion.
“Um… but I heard that victims develop petal-like scales on their bodies…”
“Nonsense! I arrived in the Goryeok Realm forty thousand years ago and have absorbed every scrap of information and knowledge. What you know is only a portion of the characteristics of **Simhaejuu**!”
With that, Buk Hyang-hwa nodded and stepped back.
‘Senior Yeon Wi has clearly lived for an incredibly long time, so she must know far more than I do.’
Ignoring Buk Hyang-hwa’s doubts, Yeon Wi continued in a grave tone toward Kim Young-hoon.
“Listen, Heart Tribe disciple. Examine his body for wounds.”
“I understand.”
Boom!
Golden light flashed. A small wound appeared on Eun-hyun’s cheek and blood trickled out.
Yeon Wi caught a drop of the blood and lifted it into the air with her telekinesis.
Whoosh!
The blood floated in the air, then boiled vigorously like living fluid and began to emit thick white mist.
“Look at that. Only the **Seonsu Jin-hyeol** reaction produces this kind of response. Yet this fellow is not a **Seonsu** lineage but a pure human. The fact that such a phenomenon occurred means the historical power within the body of an ancient sea monster is boiling it to the surface.”
Yeon Wi examined the blood seriously.
Crash!
The droplet burst in the air, releasing a pitch-black, gloomy aura.
“There it is—the wicked, bizarre aura! This matches the unpredictable temperament seen only in ancient sea monsters! Eun-hyun was unquestionably afflicted with **Simhaejuu** by some ancient sea monster!”
Hong Beom, however, offered a puzzled expression.
“Um… Military Advisor Yeon. Still, the aura I sense resembles the ‘**Sinja**’ of the Terminating Ones from the Myeonggwi Realm…”
“Wha…?”
“From my perspective, the Venerable did not fall victim to **Simhaejuu**. Instead, while descending his consciousness to the lower realm, he likely encountered one of the Terminating Ones and stared directly into its eyes…”
“Enough! This fellow! Whose eyes have seen more of the countless years—mine or yours, who has barely reached five hundred?”
At Yeon Wi’s words, Hong Beom scratched his head and retreated.
She crossed her arms and clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.
“Anyway. The young dragon princess who fell victim to **Simhaejuu** suffered only high fevers and occasional catatonia. But Eun-hyun’s condition—boiling blood without any sign of waking—suggests he suffered an even stronger curse than hers.”
“Um… are there any antidotes?”
Kim Yeon asked anxiously.
Yeon Wi hummed and nodded.
“Of course! **Simhaejuu** may be terrifying, but it is treatable. It can be cured with **Goseok**.”
“**Goseok**…?”
“Yes. You simply transfer the curse onto **Goseok**. I once heard that treating the young dragon princess who suffered **Simhaejuu** forty thousand years ago required a hundred thousand pieces of **Goseok**. Eun-hyun’s symptoms appear six to seven times worse than that… so perhaps ten million pieces?”
Buk Hyang-hwa, Seo Ran, and the countless others present widened their eyes in shock.
“Ten million pieces…?”
“Ten million pieces is already ten years’ budget for a single marine kingdom…!”
Yeon Wi observed their reactions.
“Still, since we can cure it with **Goseok**, that’s fortunate. We have already secured four marine kingdoms. Even the **Goseok** we can harvest immediately should amount to several million pieces, right?”
Seo Ran exclaimed in bewilderment.
“First… the **Goseok** we can harvest right now from the four kingdoms is roughly four million pieces. **Goseok**… its value is enormous. One piece trades at a 100:1 ratio with **Yeongseok**.”
“Um… so we’ll need another six million.”
Yeon Wi clutched her head in seriousness. Watching her, Hong Beom sighed while looking at Eun-hyun.
“…It doesn’t seem right… that the Venerable would suffer a curse…?”
“Huh? What did you say, Hong Beom?”
“…Nothing.”
“Good. Then everyone, let’s gather the remaining six million **Goseok** we lack!”
With that, Yeon Wi, Hong Beom excluded, plunged into the search for **Goseok** to save Eun-hyun.
* * *
It was hot.
No, perhaps I should say warm?
It felt as if I were nestled inside my mother’s womb—cozy and gentle.
“Wait… what?”
“Huff!”
Splash!
The moment I regained consciousness, I realized I was submerged in water.
“Water…?”
I realized that my body was half-submerged in a steaming hot spring, shrouded in mist.
“Here…?”
A moment ago, I had been fighting Jang Ik, pursued by a **Gaeyeol** Venerable.
Then where was this place?
I reached out with my consciousness to scan the surroundings.
But then I realized my consciousness would not extend.
“What is this? Does the water block the expansion of consciousness? No… this space itself blocks consciousness.”
I cautiously rose from the hot spring.
Yet a sense of unease struck me as I looked down at the floor up to my knees.
“Wha…!”
The floor… was missing.
Splash!
As I realized there was no ‘floor,’ the thing I had been stepping on vanished entirely, and I plunged straight down into the hot spring.
Splash, splash!
When I finally surfaced again, I gathered my qi and attempted to cast a Heavenly Venerable technique.
But then I sensed something strange once more.
“Qi…?!”
Indeed.
For some bizarre reason, this hot spring contained no qi.
No, I could not even release the qi stored inside my body.
“This space itself is twisted.”
It was undoubtedly not an ordinary space but one bound by some array or prohibition.
Crash!
I felt the flow of steam and air against my skin and, instead of trying to control my physical body, cast **Void Step** and rose into the sky.
‘I need to explore.’
After rising into the air for a while in search of answers.
“What?”
Even though I had ascended to ‘the sky,’ I suddenly found the hot spring I had stepped on beneath me.
Splash!
I was sucked back down into the hot spring I had escaped.
“This… what the hell is this?”
Irritated, I felt the space itself was distorted or my sense of direction was broken.
I opened my eyes and decided to descend further.
Holding my breath, I swam downward.
Splash!
“…!”
I surfaced once more onto the surface of the same hot spring I had seen earlier.
‘Stay calm.’
Though bewildered by this bizarre situation, I did not panic. I took a deep breath with composure.
“If there is no qi, what moves this space? If qi and consciousness cannot move it either…”
As I pondered, I recalled casting **Void Step** and rising into the air.
“**Yin Li**—attraction.”
That was it.
Qi and consciousness could not be used here, nor did they function inside this space.
Yet **Yin Li** undeniably existed.
Even if the space had been twisted, it was still ‘present.’
‘If **Yin Li** exists, then **Ming**—fate—must also exist.’
I closed my eyes and recalled.
The **Chongcheon-geom**—the All-Heaven Sword—crossed the boundaries of fate.
In a space governed solely by **Yin Li**, **Ming** must exist.
And the mere fact that ‘I exist here’ meant ‘my sword exists.’
The **Chongcheon-geom** was me, after all.
That meant—
Sssssh!
Qi erupted throughout my body. The hot spring water around me began to slice apart.
Chaaaak!
Every droplet in the vicinity burst into steam.
In an instant, the water surrounding me turned entirely into vapor.
Whoosh!
‘Ah… so this is it…’
I felt the **Chongcheon-geom** fully transformed by **Yin Li** and smiled.
Thanks to the space’s nature, the **Chongcheon-geom** had ascended to the realm of **Ming**—fate!
Crunch!
Using the **Chongcheon-geom**, I sliced through the space and the **Yin Li** that governed this place!
Chaaaak!
I swung my sword straight toward the sky.
And the next instant, the world of the hot spring that had enveloped me vanished into mist.
‘I am…?’
Chaaaak!
Hot water.
Steam surrounding me.
Another hot spring.
However.
[Hey, how long has it been since you woke up and shed your bubbles?]
[Mad, right?]
[Hardly appetizing for dinner tonight.]
Crunch!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Huge voices echoed from all around, shaking the heavens and earth.
Whoosh!
Splash!
The moment I heard those voices, I felt my seven openings bursting and my internal organs churning.
Fortunately, however…
Whoosh!
‘Qi… qi can be used!’
In this other hot spring, I could draw upon qi and consciousness. I hastily circulated qi to heal my body.
Unlike the previous hot spring, this one had visible rocks and reefs, and a clear ‘floor.’ I climbed onto the nearest rock and surveyed the surroundings.
Crrrunch!
‘Wh-what is that…!’
Yet as I reached out with my consciousness, I hurriedly concealed it and lowered my gaze.
Beyond the mist of the hot spring, giant, giant-like shadows flickered and glistened.
The instant I heard their voices, I recalled the churning of my internal organs and guessed their identities.
Swallowing hard, I bowed politely toward the shadows visible beyond the mist on the reef.
“Forgive me… this lowly human disciple Seo… greets the Venerables.”
As I bowed, a laugh echoed from beyond the mist.
Whoosh!
Splash!
It sounded as if the entire space was resonating.
Even though it was merely a laugh, it delivered a shock to my entire body like a full-power strike from a **Gaeyeol** Venerable.
[Aah, he’s dying.]
[Thinking about it, we’ve been talking normally. Hee hee…]
[Understood. Living in the Star Realm for so long, I’ve often had to speak to those beyond the limitless space. I’ve grown accustomed to speaking a bit louder.]
“Thank you for your consideration.”
‘So speaking louder was necessary.’
Though somewhat bewildered, I continued to bow my head.
Then.
[By the way, you look soft and delicate for a human. Mind if I nibble on just one arm—or half a leg?]
Startled!
One of the Venerables licked his lips and asked in a husky voice from beyond the mist.
I looked up at them with wary eyes.
Malice.
There was indeed a desire to ‘taste’ me, but the Venerable seemed to harbor a grudge against humans. He was clearly emitting ill will.
Yet what could I answer here?
As I remained silent, the shadow beyond the mist clicked its tongue irritably.
[Since you didn’t answer, I’ll have to tear off one of your legs as punishment.]
Crunch, crunch!
And my leg began to be torn away.
“…!!!”
The cosmic-level **Yin Li** gnawed at my leg like a worm!
Yet I gritted my teeth, applied the **Chongcheon-geom** to my leg, and switched to the **Integration** realm to escape its influence.
The shadow said with an amused yet unpleasant tone.
[Impressive. Even the Venerable can’t escape my grasp? Let’s see how long you can hold on…]
The next instant.
Crrrunch!
My entire body began to be compressed.
The Venerable’s **Yin Li** focused on me.
‘W-what is this…!’
It was power enough to compress an entire continent into a fist-sized orb.
I realized I was no longer even one second away from becoming flattened Eun-hyun paste and gritted my teeth to endure.
Whoosh!
Behind my head, the halo of the **Triple Taiji** appeared, pushing back the Venerable’s power.
Yet the Venerable only smirked and intensified his grip.
‘Am I… going to die…’
And when I thought I could no longer endure—
Chaaak!
The hot spring water nearby split, and something green rose into the air.
It was Jang Ik, the Heaven-Sinking Venerable.
He wiped the water from his hair, shook himself, and looked at me.
“Hah, you’ve already regained consciousness? Impressive. That said… what are you doing here?”
He shot a glare at the voice side.
The voice flinched at the sight of Jang Ik, then laughed.
[The food you brought looked so delicious I had to try a bite first. If you share a little, I’ll give you a suitable reward.]
At those words, Jang Ik stepped onto the nearby reef with a stern face.
“Release him immediately. He is my disciple.”
[Oh? A disciple? My apologies.]
“…Why didn’t you release him even though you knew?”
Yet even though Jang Ik claimed me as his disciple, the Venerable on the opposite side only laughed.
[If he’s your disciple, I’ll test him like one. After all, if you want to survive here, you need some skill, don’t you?]
“I’ve already been tested. And I escaped using my own strength from the bubble too. That should be enough. Release me.”
[Hmm. Well, that’s fine, but your tone is displeasing. You’re in the Venerable’s grasp…]
The next instant.
Jang Ik vanished from the spot.
The **Yin Li** that had been crushing me disappeared, and a horrifying scream echoed from beyond the mist.
[Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!]
Flash!
Green light flashed toward the shadow’s location.
[Aaaah! Aaaah!!!]
The Venerable who had crushed me screamed in agony and thrashed wildly.
The entire space trembled with vibration.
After a while, the voices subsided, and Jang Ik reappeared beside me.
The Venerables who had been murmuring nearby had all fallen silent.
“From now on, I won’t cause any trouble for you. The Demon Realm Venerable has a grudge against humans before he ascended. He panics at the sight of humans.”
“….”
“Well… we can’t talk here. Shall we move to a better place?”
Boom!
Jang Ik swung his hand toward the sky. The sky split, and we were instantly transported somewhere else.
A boundless darkness filled the space.
Tap, tap!
In that darkness, Jang Ik lit a fire.
“You have many questions, I’m sure. You’re bewildered, so ask slowly.”
“…First, where is this place?”
“This is the outskirts leading into the **Noe-seong-hae**—Thunder Star Sea. The outskirts of the **Noe-seong-hae** are laced with countless constraints and dimensions by the Gold Holy Ones, creating countless overlapping layers.”
“If it’s the **Noe-seong-hae**….”
In any case, I had arrived at my desired destination.
“…Can you tell me where Ham-jin is?”
“That little brat who arrived as my avatar? He was dropped off near the **Noe-seong-hae** on a star where he can survive. A Foundation Establishment-level human wouldn’t die if he challenged anyone.”
“…Thank you.”
“You’re an odd one. Is he important to you?”
“Among the connections I’ve met so far, there is none I would not cherish.”
“Perfect answer.”
Jang Ik laughed loudly and sliced the air.
Golden light poured through the gap. Jang Ik reached into the golden light and pulled out something.
‘An apple?’
It was a glowing golden apple.
He tossed it into the campfire and said as it cooked.
“No more questions?”
“Will you take me as your disciple?”
“You already agreed.”
“Eh?”
Upon reflection, I remembered that during the escape from the **Gaeyeol** Venerable, I had unconsciously accepted his offer.
“You are my twenty-third disciple. Congratulations. Hah hah!”
“…That… was something I said while not quite in my right mind…”
“You accepted while your mind and body were unstable? Even so, your emotion at the time was clearly strong desire?”
“….”
“Anyway, since I have already accepted you as a disciple, you are my disciple. Accept it.”
He waved his hand as if refusing any rebuttal.
Yet I shook my head.
“There are far more brilliant geniuses than me. You should take them as disciples instead.”
“Then I’ll take both of you. What nonsense are you talking? Introduce them to me later.”
“…Understood.”
Surprisingly simple.
‘Either way, I’ve made the connection to introduce Kim Young-hoon to Jang Ik… it’s fine.’
“Do you have any more questions?”
“…Why are you so curious?”
“It’s filling.”
“Filling…?”
“I want to fill your questions as much as possible and, as much as your complicated mind allows, empty them. That way, it will be easier to cultivate you.”
“Um…”
I instinctively felt that Jang Ik’s cultivation would be extremely arduous.
But I could not refuse.
‘Since I’ve reached this point, I’ll ask everything I can.’
I started with the question I was most curious about.
“First, I heard that the reason the Venerables came to this **Noe-seong-hae** is to retrieve extremely important things from the Middle Realm. What exactly are those important things from the Middle Realm?”
“**Names**.”
“Names…?”
“Yes. Each Middle Realm possesses, in addition to Gwanghan, Jinma, Goryeok, Jageum, Myeonggwi, and Hyeol-eum, the ‘True Name.’ And the Gold Holy Ones once stole an **Okpae** filled with the power of the True Name from long ago and embedded it into their own lineage. That is why we are searching for it.”
“What will happen if we find that name…?”
“If we find the name, the dimensional curtain of the Middle Realm will become much thicker, and it will gain mystical significance and improve **Yin Li**. I don’t know the details, but there is one important point…”
I was startled by Jang Ik’s next words.
“Recovering the **Okpae** inscribed with the Middle Realm’s True Names will astronomically increase the survival probability of the Middle Realm’s living beings!”
“…!”
**Death.**
A word I had heard intermittently before.
I swallowed hard and asked cautiously.
“What exactly is **death**?”
“Names are obvious. The world perishing. This Heavenly Region—including our Star Realm and six Middle Realms connected to it, along with the associated Marine Realms. Every world will cease to exist.”
“Then….”
“At around ten thousand years from now.”
“…Eh?”
I lost my grip on my senses and stared blankly at him.
He continued without changing expression.
“Ten thousand years later, the world will perish.”