Chapter 88

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Two loud thuds echoed.**

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Kim Young-hoon’s eyes snapped wide open, teeth clenching hard.

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Yet a moment later.

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Thump, thump!

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Inner energy surged from his dantian, slamming straight into his heart like a hammer.

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His face twisted with the pain of having his very organ prodded, but he ground his teeth and held on.

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“Haha… it tingles.”

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Kim Young-hoon forced a laugh, eyes shining with manic delight.

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“Eun-hyun-ah, you’re incredible. How the hell are you holding up? Hahaha!”

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I couldn’t speak. I just stared, heart heavy.

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While his heart kept being brutally stimulated, Kim Young-hoon refused to surrender to mere agony.

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I watched his eyes.

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They were lost in a trance I knew all too well.

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‘Those eyes…’

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That flow of intent.

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I had seen it before—when he dueled me, when he created new arts.

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Thump, thump, thump…

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His qi and internal energy began to shift. The dantian at the lower abdomen and the heart at the middle connected, forging something new.

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Thump, thump, thump!

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The unstable heartbeat, pushed by inner energy, gradually steadied.

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I let out a soft chuckle.

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‘Talent that overcomes even its own lifespan… so this is it.’

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The qi flowing from his dantian finally merged completely with the heart.

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The heart beat with blood. The dantian sent qi to stimulate.

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Thump, thump!

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His life and martial arts felt one.

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Now he possessed two hearts—

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One that pumped blood.

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One that drove qi.

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Thump thump thump…

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Eventually, Kim Young-hoon’s heartbeat settled into perfect rhythm.

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‘Phew…’

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He opened his eyes and forced a smile.

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“I kept my heart beating even in unconsciousness. No need to worry about cardiac arrest anymore. But still… it hurts.”

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Of course it did. He was forcing his heart to race every single second with inner energy.

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Whoosh!

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Yet his face remained torn with agony as he plunged back into concentration.

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A new martial art was being born.

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Whoosh…

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He exhaled slowly, spreading the pain through every inch of his body, then pulling it back into his consciousness.

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He was controlling the agony through his breath.

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“If I hold my breath, the pain will return. But as long as I keep breathing, this suffering will be… hah, how is it?”

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He tore through his own limits with the new art, then flashed a grin at me.

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But I couldn’t smile back.

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‘Cold sweat everywhere.’

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Kim Young-hoon was drenched, as if caught in a storm.

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His face was turning pale, blood draining from his cheeks.

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That brief moment had squeezed out a lifetime of willpower under unimaginable pressure.

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To survive!

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Yet here he was, laughing and joking like it was nothing.

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“Hyung…”

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“Don’t stare like that.”

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Kim Young-hoon steadied his breath and rose.

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“You’ve always been like this. Send that look to yourself instead. Me too…”

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He closed his eyes, hand resting on the sword hilt.

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Concentrating.

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“I’ll make time to push myself even harder than I already am…!”

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Whoong!

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His laughter echoed, and golden light began to engulf his eyes.

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Crack crack crack!

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His entire body seemed to burn in a sea of golden sparks.

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Golden light converged on his blade.

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His inner energy carved veins and meridians, linking with his life force like never before.

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The glowing energy began to transform into another dantian.

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Kim Young-hoon’s dantian was already connected to his heart.

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His glowing energy was now joined to the dantian.

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At this moment, martial power was his very life.

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With his lifetime of concentration locked in, he squeezed the hilt until it creaked.

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Cardiac arrest. Pain. All overcome by talent.

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Now only the heavenly tribulation remained.

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Heavenly lightning.

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Crackle crackle—

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Time passed. Dark clouds gathered in the sky.

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My own lifespan had always been night, yet the storm had appeared at dawn.

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Kim Young-hoon’s had been daytime, so the clouds gathered now.

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Thunder rumbled.

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Blue lightning flickered inside the dark clouds.

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He was coming.

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Kim Young-hoon’s intent roared out.

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Simultaneously, a blue flash struck from the sky.

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Whoosh!

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And at the same instant,

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Kim Young-hoon swung the blade he had been holding with all his concentration.

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No special fatal move. No ultimate technique.

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Just an upward slash using the glowing energy.

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The simple upward strike he had practiced for years.

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‘Pure Luminance… just like that.’

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But the speed.

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The speed he had prepared for.

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Faster than anything I had ever witnessed.

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When I cut through the heavenly lightning, I would predict the strike’s position and swing my invisible sword in advance.

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But Kim Young-hoon simply swung his blade in pure speed, meeting the lightning head-on.

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Golden light burned through the blue thunder and tore open the sky!

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“Ah…”

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Kim Young-hoon laughed brightly.

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Through the split clouds, countless starlights fell.

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He bathed in the starlight and wept.

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His blade was melted away by the overwhelming force, yet he still smiled.

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“See? I didn’t cross it!”

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Whoosh!

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Something hot surged in my chest too.

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I laughed with him.

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“You really are my hyung.”

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If we can live together tomorrow,

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300 years won’t be lonely.

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***

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The next day arrived.

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I looked at Kim Young-hoon.

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His hair had turned snow-white overnight.

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Deep wrinkles carved his face.

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“…Kim… hyung…?”

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“Ugh…”

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Kim Young-hoon glanced at his reflection in the droplet of water released by my water law spell.

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“This… this is…”

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…

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After reaching Five Qi Consorting with the Origin and completing his body reconstruction,

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Aging had stopped.

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His vitality had always been overflowing.

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I had forgotten.

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The inevitable fate of life.

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Aging.

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Our time hadn’t stopped.

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We had simply lived as vividly as possible within the time heaven allowed.

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Now heaven would allow no more.

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Even life itself was fleeing quickly.

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I stared in horror at Kim Young-hoon. He stared at his own face for a long moment.

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But eventually he smiled faintly.

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“It’s fine. I never expected much from this path in the first place…”

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He smiled through the wrinkles.

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“Actually, I’m happy right ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now. I feel like I’ve grasped the thread of a new realm after cutting through the heavenly lightning. A new possibility has opened in martial arts. Why despair?”

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Kim Young-hoon gripped his blade.

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“Whether I die tomorrow or vanish from this world without ever seeing my family again, I’ll do everything I can right now. I’ll carve one more mark in the history of martial arts before I leave!”

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After speaking, he returned to his training, blade still in hand.

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Surrounded by golden light, he created new arts, refined old ones, awakened, and harvested insights day and night.

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Seven full days passed.

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Kim Young-hoon’s face grew more withered each day.

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His hair turned snow-white, wrinkles deepened.

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Though his body remained muscular from training, his strength visibly faded.

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Yet he never let go of his blade.

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While running toward death, he never stopped cultivating.

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And on the seventh day,

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He spoke to me.

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“Eun-hyun-ah. Do you remember the place we first landed? Deungsunhyang.”

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“Yes. The forest called Deungsunhyang.”

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“Deungsunhyang… Could we go there?”

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“Deungsunhyang…?”

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Kim Young-hoon nodded.

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“I know there’s an Ascension Gate there. And maybe that’s how we ended up in this world. Even if we can’t return to our families… if we must head toward death, I want to see the Ascension Gate with my own eyes before I go.”

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“Kim hyung…”

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I couldn’t speak.

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But I had to tell him the bitter truth.

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“The Ascension Gate opens only once every thousand years. The one we passed through… was already closed seventy years ago, the day we fell into this world.”

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“Is that so…”

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Kim Young-hoon thought for a moment, then nodded.

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“Still, it’s fine. I just want to see the place we first arrived. Can we reach Deungsunhyang?”

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“…As far as I know—”

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I explained everything I knew about Deungsunhyang.

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“The inner creatures can easily leave, but outsiders must either be a Five Qi Consorting with the Origin cultivator who can break the barrier or be caught in a spatial rift by chance.”

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“Hmm, so where is the barrier located?”

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I pointed to the center of the Dabcheon Desert, hidden above the Heavenly Void Gate that protected Deungsunhyang.

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“Hmph…”

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Kim Young-hoon smiled faintly.

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“Still, it’s okay. If I can’t enter, I’ll meet my end right beside it…”

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“Understood.”

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So one by one we were leaving.

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I boarded the Seopmyeong Ship to accompany him on his final journey.

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The ghost ship that had been dormant for seventeen years rose once more.

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Carried by black wind, the massive black hull lifted into the sky.

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“Let’s go.”

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Kim Young-hoon stepped onto the air and leaped aboard. I took the rudder, beginning our final voyage.

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“Depart!”

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Crackle!

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The black hull shot toward the Dabcheon Desert faster than any flight magic.

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***

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We reached the Dabcheon Desert in less than half a day.

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I guided the Seopmyeong Ship precisely above the place where Deungsunhyang lay hidden.

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Crackle!

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The ship settled in the heart of the sand dunes.

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“Hmph, that’s where Deungsunhyang is?”

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“Yes.”

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From below, nothing could be seen.

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Only the clear desert sky.

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But I knew a massive illusory barrier floated above.

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“Then shall we?”

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Kim Young-hoon stepped into the air and rose. I followed with Void Step.

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After a short flight, I felt an invisible wall.

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“Here it is. Let’s see—”

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Whoosh!

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Kim Young-hoon swung his glowing blade.

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Flash!

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Golden light scorched the air.

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Boom!

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The invisible barrier blocked the strike.

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I swung my invisible sword too, but the barrier stood untouched.

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“Haha, I see. Good.”

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Kim Young-hoon returned to the ship.

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“That’s where Deungsunhyang is… the place we fell from.”

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He looked up at the sky, smiled faintly, then laughed brightly.

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“We probably came through there. Thank you, Eun-hyun-ah. At least I’ll die in the closest place to home.”

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His hair was snow-white, his face full of wrinkles, but the smile still belonged to Kim Young-hoon.

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From that day on, he kept his blade raised and trained relentlessly.

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He never changed.

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***

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Each day, Kim Young-hoon aged further.

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His eyes lost their light, hair began to fall.

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Yet his martial arts remained unchanged.

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A body that had grown old, yet the martial skills he had built over his lifetime were untouched.

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No—perhaps even more profound as he aged.

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The martial arts of a man facing death grew increasingly mysterious.

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‘What on earth…?’

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Could it be that after entering the Woldoipcheon realm twenty-seven years ago, he had reached yet another new realm?

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‘No way.’

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How many centuries had it taken to surpass Deungbongjogeuk?

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Again?

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No matter how talented Kim Young-hoon was, that seemed impossible.

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I watched him prepare for death and studied his martial arts at the same time.

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And on the forty-eighth day after he cut through the heavenly lightning,

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I knew he would die tomorrow.

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Thump… thump thump…

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He had become a complete old man.

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The hand holding the blade trembled constantly.

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His martial arts trembled too.

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‘He can’t hold out another day… he’s leaving.’

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Death’s shadow had grown huge around him.

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‘Hyung.’

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You’ll return tomorrow.

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You won’t be able to live anymore.

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But then… why…

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‘You’re smiling.’

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He was smiling.

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Kim Young-hoon gripped his blade and trained, smiling.

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Thwack thwack!

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When he swung, the blade cut through the air without a sound.

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His martial arts had reached the end.

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“Tomorrow… will you go?”

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I asked the man whose death aura was at its peak.

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Kim Young-hoon simply held his blade and perfected every martial art he had ever learned.

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“I will engrave your deathbed in my heart.”

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I prepared his final forty-nine days in my mind.

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***

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The last night was exceptionally bright with stars.

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I stood on deck all night, watching him murmur insights from countless martial arts with closed eyes.

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“I’ll prepare tomorrow’s congee for you.”

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I had brought rice to the Dabcheon Desert. I went down to fetch it.

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After reaching Foundation Establishment, I only ate a little once every few months. But Kim Young-hoon, who possessed a dantian, needed food at least once every few days.

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Now he had no teeth left, so he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could only eat gruel or congee.

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Still, on his last day, he deserved at least something good.

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When I returned to the deck with the rice,

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“Hyung, you still haven’t slept tonight…”

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…and Kim Young-hun was gone.

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“Eh?”

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I set the bowl down and looked around frantically.

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The Dabcheon Desert was empty.

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‘If he moved quickly, there should have been sonic booms…’

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He simply vanished without a sound.

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‘Did he use Wansuigungmurok?’

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Panicked, I compressed my consciousness with Eonsiksul and scanned the surroundings.

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Still nothing.

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“What…?”

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Only when I turned on my spatial perception and read the remaining qi flows did I find them.

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“Ah…”

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The nearby yin-yang flows were split in half.

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Like something had been sliced.

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That cut continued straight into the sky—toward Deungsunhyang.

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“Ah…”

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I immediately stepped into the air and rushed toward Deungsunhyang.

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When I reached the location of the barrier,

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An uncontrollable laugh escaped me.

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“You crazy—”

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The barrier was cleanly sliced open by something sharp.

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Crackle!

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Qi from Deungsunhyang flowed out, slowly healing the gap.

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One or two days would be enough for full recovery.

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“Haha… hahaha…”

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The realization that he had been an old man on the verge of death and that his death had plunged me into depression was overwritten by shock, panic, and exhilaration.

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“What… what did he do…”

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I laughed wildly and entered Deungsunhyang.

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With spatial perception active, I saw the qi flows still split.

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The broken flows pointed toward the center of Deungsunhyang.

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“Crazy, crazy…”

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Too ridiculous, too awe-inspiring for words to form.

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Whoosh!

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I accelerated my perception tenfold and raced toward the center like a madman.

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Half a day later,

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As night turned to dawn,

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I finally reached the center, following the traces left by his insane dash.

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“Ha… ha…”

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Space cracks everywhere.

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Thunder rumbling from the sky.

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A stone floating while absorbing lightning beneath the storm.

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And…

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Kim Young-hoon’s ‘traces’ remained.

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I ignored the dangers of the cracks and approached his footprints.

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“This is…”

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Footprints.

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Kim Young-hoon’s footprints.

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I recognized the technique from the surrounding qi flows.

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‘Qi-step technique?’

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I stepped into his footprints and adopted his stance.

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It was the Qi-step of Danak Sword Art.

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I followed his martial arts flow and replicated the footprints exactly.

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‘No, it’s not simply Danak Sword Art.’

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It wasn’t just the blade.

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The martial arts he had created, refined, and evolved all revolved around the blade.

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I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couldn’t replicate every single one, so I followed only the flow of the Danak Sword Art and the footprints.

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Then I noticed something strange.

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‘The depth of the footprints keeps increasing.’

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That wasn’t unusual.

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The deepening was a characteristic of the final stance of Danak Sword Art and the Qi-step.

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Just like U-gong moving mountains.

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What confused me was the method.

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‘U-gong moving mountains is a stance that requires an opponent.’

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Even a wall would do.

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But Kim Young-hoon had performed it in empty air.

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‘What is this…?’

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U-gong moving mountains was a self-destruction technique.

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You could practice it without inner energy, but once you used it, it became a fatal stance.

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The Mountain Beyond Mountain stance allowed you to fight until you died, but U-gong moving mountains guaranteed death the instant you swung.

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It was designed for certain death against an opponent stronger than yourself.

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‘But how did he perform a stance that requires an opponent’s strength with no opponent present?’

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I followed the stance anyway, bewildered.

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In the absence of any opponent, the qi simply flowed through the air.

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‘This is just the Mountain Beyond Mountain stance.’

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U-gong moving mountains was based on that stance, so it required the stance itself and only gave the unique effect of endless energy when no opponent existed.

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Yet Kim Young-hoon had clearly executed the full stance.

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The footprints and qi-step proved it.

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‘What is this…?’

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I continued his stance along the footprints.

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His phantom appeared beside me, performing martial arts in perfect sync.

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His phantom moved at the speed of light.

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At some point, I could no longer understand the principle behind the martial arts.

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My phantom flickered and stumbled.

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I adjusted my stance and kept following ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the footprints, but I couldn’t keep up with the phantom.

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When my foot finally twisted and I nearly fell,

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Thud.

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“Ah…”

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I realized the last footprint ended here.

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It was the deepest yet.

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The ground around it was completely overturned, as if a bomb had detonated.

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I gripped my blade, assuming it was the qi-step, and swung an upward slash diagonally.

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And…

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…

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In the place where Kim Young-hoon’s blade had passed, a clean spatial crack appeared.

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This was the location where the Ascension Gate would open.

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“…Kim… hyung…?”

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My voice trembled as I asked the crack.

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It wasn’t the Ascension Gate.

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In my past life, I had seen the real Ascension Gate once.

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The divine, bizarre feeling I remembered wasn’t present.

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This felt more like the spatial rifts used by Goe-gun or Seo Hyoel to send us far away.

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Yet Kim Young-hoon had clearly created this crack and stepped through.

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Had he been transported somewhere?