Chapter 43: Wraith (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 43: Wraith (3)
After being swallowed by the blood-red world, I lost control of my physical body.
My consciousness was gradually eroding, drifting into a hazy stupor.
But the moment a simultaneous shock struck my Spirit Command Point and my Brain Sea Point, cracks formed in that blood-red world.
At the same time, voices echoed in my head.
-Un-hwi! Wake up!
-Hey. Are you really going to lose to a mere wraith after coming back from the dead?
A "mere" wraith?
The resentment fueling this thing was far too powerful for such a description. Did they think it was easy to overcome the madness of the Blood Demon, the progenitor of the Blood Cult?
-I can hear him!
-Un-hwi!
In an instant, my mind snapped back to alertness.
Their voices became clear, and my consciousness surged back to life.
It was a strange sensation.
As my awareness returned, I felt my body moving not by my own will, but by another powerful Mental Focus.
This vicious Mental Focus was even manipulating my body at its own whim—drawing out power far beyond what I was normally capable of.
This power, which I had never experienced before, was entirely different from internal energy or Innate True Qi.
-Hurry and take back your body.
The Lesser Conversation Sword urged me, sounding anxious.
How could I reclaim my body?
The wraith that had seized me was controlling my physical form through sheer, toxic resentment alone.
If that was the case, did it all come down to a battle of wills?
Let’s try it.
If this damn wraith could do it, there was no reason I couldn't.
I concentrated all my senses on the interference of the Blood Demon’s Mental Focus. If I could understand and manipulate this powerful focus, I should be able to interfere with it in the same way.
Ah!
I think I see it.
Thanks to the shock to my Spirit Command Point and Brain Sea Point, I could see the flow.
If I followed this flow and obstructed his actions...
-This is my body, wraith.
‘You...!’
Success.
I had interfered with his movements.
Flustered, he tried to suppress me with his Mental Focus.
It’s useless.
Thanks to you, I’ve come to understand this power called Mental Focus.
Mental Focus is different from the Innate True Qi of the Middle Dantian or the internal energy of the Lower Dantian; it is a power closer to thought and will.
That intense Mental Focus had become a Spirit Fragment.
‘Your body and soul belong to me!’
-I told you, it’s my body.
Just then, a completely different voice echoed in my mind.
[Even Mental Focus can be controlled if one understands its principles. Heavenly Authority has opened.]
Ah!
I heard that familiar voice.
But unlike before, a complex Mental Focus delved into my mind.
Though abstract, it was teaching me what Heavenly Authority was and what Mental Focus entailed.
Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Heaven.
Mental Focus is the power of the Upper Dantian.
The moment I realized this, I could see it clearly: the massive, lingering Mental Focus of the Blood Demon, consumed by madness, resentment, and blood.
-Get lost. This is my body!
“Aaaaaagh!”
As I unleashed my Mental Focus, blue flames enveloped the Blood Demon’s resentment.
The entity shrieked in agony.
Then, something bizarre happened.
The entity’s resentment, trapped in the blue flames, began to gradually assimilate into them.
Soon, the blue flames began to swirl, and this time, they surged toward my own Mental Focus.
-Gasp!
The blue flames wrapped around me.
Everything began to pour into my mind.
These were the memories and the very Mental Focus of the Blood Demon.
“Uaaaaaaaah!”
In that moment, I snapped awake as if jolting out of a dream.
The world dyed in blood vanished. Before my eyes, I saw my master, Haeakcheon, and the Northern Warrior Bukyeong Doseong Gwak Hyeong-jik, watching me with tense faces while holding their Qi Control Stances.
‘Ah...!’
I had reclaimed the body I lost to that thing.
I had nearly died while being toyed with by the Blood Demon’s wraith.
Is my body okay?
‘Wait?’
Instinctively, I circulated my Innate True Qi to check my condition, and I couldn't hide my bewilderment.
I had assumed my body would be strained since that thing had forcibly drawn out power beyond my capacity, but that wasn't the case at all.
On the contrary, my physical condition was better than before.
My body felt light, as if I had undergone Bone Forging and Marrow Cleansing.
‘How can this be...?’
Even the Innate True Qi in my Middle Dantian had increased by more than thirty percent.
I was utterly stunned.
-I am free! Kahahahaha!
A haughty, arrogant laugh echoed in my head.
Frowning, I looked toward the source of the sound—it was the Blood Demon Sword in my hand.
‘...So you’re the Blood Demon Sword.’
-Oh? What’s this? Human, can you hear my voice?
I could finally hear its voice.
But it was more arrogant than I expected, referring to itself so grandly.
-What? Arrogant? How dare a mere human like you say such things to me. Shall I make your blood vessels go berserk and kill you on the spot?
‘Ha!’
-However, I shall let it slide since today is a joyous day, human.
‘Since what?’
-Because you, a mere human, allowed me to escape those hellish days of living in the same body as that foul resentment.
Judging by its words, living with the Blood Demon’s Spirit Fragment must have been difficult. Its voice sounded genuinely excited.
-But you are truly strange.
‘In what way?’
-Even that resentment couldn't hear my voice, yet a common human like you can.
‘Because I can hear the voice of the sword.’
-Ho. That is quite a fascinating ability. Fine.
‘Fine what?’
-I owe you a debt, and humans like you are hard to come by, so I shall accept you as my subordinate.
‘...Stop talking nonsense.’
Every sword had its own personality.
But this one was arrogant and insolent beyond measure.
-Hey. Who do you think you are, deciding whether to take Un-hwi as a subordinate or not? You should be honored to serve him as your master.
The Lesser Conversation Sword, seemingly annoyed, snapped at it.
But the newcomer was just as stubborn.
-What? Are you a dagger? Where does a little shrimp like you get off interrupting when an elder is speaking?
-What did you say?!
My head throbbed from the sound of them bickering.
Strangely, after awakening to Mental Focus, I found I could control the voices echoing in my head as I pleased.
It wasn't that I couldn't hear them, but rather that I could push them into the back of my mind.
“Is it the wraith? Or is it Un-hwi?”
At Haeakcheon’s voice, I looked at him.
His fists were clenched, and his eyes were tense, ready to strike at any moment.
I spoke to him.
“Master. It’s me.”
“Phew.”
Haeakcheon let out a sigh of relief as his tension dissipated.
Gwak Hyeong-jik was the same. He even slumped down onto the ground.
“You succeeded.”
It was quite a coincidence.
To bring me back to my senses, two masters—a Venerable One of the Blood Cult and a titan of the Orthodox Faction—had joined forces.
“You brat! If you’ve come to your senses, you should have said so immediately!”
Haeakcheon snapped at me irritably.
Despite his gruff words, I had seen him risk his life for me. His battered, bloodied fists were proof of that.
‘Ha...’
My heart felt full. To think that crazy old man would go this far for me.
I performed a fist-and-palm salute and bowed my head in gratitude.
“Thank you. Thanks to you and Great Hero Gwak, I was able to return to normal.”
“Hmph! As if that’s anything to be thankful for.”
Haeakcheon snorted.
Gwak Hyeong-jik merely offered a bitter smile.
“Hey!”
I heard a familiar voice.
Looking over, I saw Song Jwa-baek.
He pointed toward Sama Yeong, who was leaning against a tree, unconscious.
“You’re the one who did that, you jerk!”
“.......”
It wasn't technically me, but I felt responsible and couldn't find the words to answer.
Thinking about how Sama Yeong had nearly died trying to save me weighed heavily on my mind.
-Throb!
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head.
Looking at the back of my hand, I saw the fourth dot of the Big Dipper—Heavenly Authority—turning from red to blue, its color shifting.
-Are you okay?
‘I’m fine.’
I knew why this was happening. It was because Heavenly Authority was maintaining the Blood Demon’s Mental Focus that I had absorbed.
If I kept it up, I might lose consciousness from extreme exhaustion of my Mental Focus.
Shhh.
As I concentrated, the dot for Heavenly Authority turned completely blue.
Song Jwa-baek’s eyes widened.
“Your... your hair?”
“What?”
I didn't understand what he was talking about.
Haeakcheon was also staring at me with a strange light in his eyes.
-Un-hwi, your hair color has returned to its original black.
The Namcheon Iron Sword explained the reason.
-He’s right! Even those blood-red eyes have gone back to normal.
The Lesser Conversation Sword added.
Had I really changed that much when I was possessed by the Blood Demon’s resentment?
I must have looked like Baek Hye-hyang.
‘Ha!’
As far as I knew, such a phenomenon occurred when one mastered the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art to at least the fifth star.
-Huh? How do you know that?
The Lesser Conversation Sword asked, curious.
But the answer came from the Blood Demon Sword, not me.
-Stupid. It’s because he absorbed the entire Spirit Fragment that was filled with that resentment.
Look at this guy.
A Demon Sword was indeed a Demon Sword. It knew I had absorbed the Blood Demon’s Spirit Fragment.
Just as it said, after absorbing the fragment, the bitter memories and martial arts knowledge contained within that Mental Focus had seeped into my mind.
-Ooh! Is that the power of Heavenly Authority?
‘No. It’s a bit different.’
-What do you mean?
The ability of the fourth dot, Heavenly Authority, is to control the Mental Focus remaining in a sword.
In a sense, it was a higher-tier ability than Heavenly Secret, which reads memories. Through Heavenly Authority, one could manifest the "sword's trajectory"—the swordsmanship—left within a blade.
-That’s incredible!
However, this was only possible while using the power of Heavenly Authority.
And it was only temporary.
Just as using Heavenly Secret for too long takes a toll, Heavenly Authority also has its limitations.
-Still, isn't it convenient? Being able to manifest swordsmanship without even learning it.
Convenient as it may be, it only goes as far as manifesting the technique. It cannot exceed my original martial prowess.
But this situation was different.
Was it because I had absorbed the entire Spirit Fragment of the Blood Demon, filled with centuries of resentment, rather than just a simple lingering thought?
‘Could it be that I can use the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art or the Blood Demon’s power through Heavenly Authority?’
I grew curious.
As I was wondering, Haeakcheon asked as if he couldn't understand.
“Are you really alright, boy?”
His gaze was fixed on the Blood Demon Sword in my hand.
He seemed confused because I showed no signs of falling into madness or any other changes despite holding the sword.
“I’m fine.”
Haeakcheon’s gaze shifted from the sword to me. His eyes held a peculiar look.
In the meantime, Gwak Hyeong-jik looked back and forth between me and Haeakcheon before speaking.
“Leave.”
“What?”
“I said leave. If you don't go now, it will be dangerous.”
At this unexpected suggestion, Haeakcheon frowned and stared at Gwak Hyeong-jik.
Gwak Hyeong-jik shook his head.
“How am I supposed to hold back the Bizarre Haeakcheon and those youngsters by myself? I am simply concerned about that sword being lost.”
Having said that, Gwak Hyeong-jik leaned down and pressed the pressure points of his disciple, Jang Myeong.
He seemed to be checking the condition he hadn't been able to examine earlier.
Gwak Hyeong-jik’s expression darkened.
‘Ah...’
As expected, the condition seemed dire.
While possessed by the Blood Demon Sword, Jang Myeong had forcibly drawn out power beyond his limits.
Furthermore, his blood vessels were likely ruptured, potentially leaving him unable to use internal energy ever again.
It was a completely different outcome from the fortuitous encounter I had experienced.
“Hmm.”
Haeakcheon was contemplating with a disinterested face.
I think I knew why.
-Why?
Why else? Although they had temporarily joined forces for my sake, they were enemies.
Even if Gwak Hyeong-jik let us go, if he reported this to the Martial Alliance, they would undoubtedly send a pursuit team.
‘And...’
Information about me would be revealed as well.
Having survived the crisis, I had run into another problem.
I wanted to part ways like this, but rationally, I knew that killing Gwak Hyeong-jik here was the wisest choice.
That was when I spoke up.
“Master. Will you leave this to me?”
“To you?”
Haeakcheon stared at me for a moment, then snorted and nodded. It was as if he wanted to see what I would do.
I approached Gwak Hyeong-jik.
“Great Hero Gwak.”
At my call, Gwak Hyeong-jik spoke.
“Go. The thing you’re worried about won't happen.”
Ah.
He was incredibly straightforward.
Before I could even attempt to negotiate, Gwak Hyeong-jik promised that the situation I feared would not occur.
Truly, was there anyone more deserving of the title "Great Hero"?
“Do you not trust me?”
“No. How could I not trust Great Hero Gwak, who saved my life?”
“Then why aren't you leaving? It will be dangerous if you dally.”
“Will you be alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“Even if you don't speak of us, won't you be in a difficult position?”
I gestured with my eyes toward the fallen Orthodox Advanced Warrior Candidates. Among them was Hwangbo Donghyeon of the Hwangbo Family, who held an important position within the Martial Alliance.
“It is my burden to bear.”
I expected as much.
Given his upright character, he would surely reveal that his disciple, Jang Myeong, had committed these acts while possessed by madness.
Even though he could have lied.
I looked at Jang Myeong and said, “They might hold him accountable.”
Even if it wasn't Jang Myeong’s fault, the sects and families of the deceased candidates would not let this matter slide easily.
They might even demand Jang Myeong’s life as compensation.
At my words, Gwak Hyeong-jik bit his lip and remained silent.
I said to him, “I’ll be blunt.”
“What?”
“Come with me.”
Gwak Hyeong-jik looked at me as if I were being absurd.
“I told you I’d let you go, and now you’re talking nonsense...”
Before he could finish, I quietly pulled something from my robes and handed it over.
Gwak Hyeong-jik’s eyes widened.
It was the sect token of the Divine Healer of Ten Thousand Ailments.
To Gwak Hyeong-jik, who couldn't take his trembling eyes off the token, I said softly:
“You have to treat your disciple, don't you?”