Chapter 71
Chapter 71
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: 65th Floor (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hanna charged forward and swung her sword at the nearest masked man.
*Thud—*
He couldn't even react before his head was separated from his body.
*What the?*
"The deputy... deputy commander, in a single strike... ugh."
I cut down the one in the middle, but the question still lingered.
"...They're no ordinary... urk!"
*Boom—*
Milli finished off the last one with an explosive arrow.
"These guys are way too weak, aren't they?"
I thought the same thing.
Bio had said this floor wouldn't be easy, but their level was far too low.
"Kkyuing!"
"Golden Dragon?"
The Golden Dragon, who had been nestled in Alpen's arms, leaped out and began to search the corpses.
It seemed he collected items from humans, not just monsters.
[You have acquired Iron Medallion of a Flying Heaven Corps Member x2.]
[You have acquired Silver Medallion of a Flying Heaven Corps Deputy Commander x1.]
[You have acquired Gold Ingot x1, Silver Tael x2.]
It seemed these guys belonged to the Flying Heaven Corps, but the loot was gold ingots and silver taels, not gold or silver coins...
It really felt like I'd stepped into a martial arts game.
"Hyeon-ung, should we help them over there?"
We had dealt with the three who came for us, but the others were still in a standoff.
"Tch, everyone, fall back!"
At the command of the man who seemed to be their leader, they vanished in perfect unison.
I felt we could have pursued them, but I decided to let them be for now.
Those guys hadn't insulted my companions, after all.
I approached the group that had been under attack, my companions following.
"Are you all right?"
"Don't come any closer."
Two men who looked to be in their forties gripped their swords, wary. Their arms and sides were slightly torn, and they were bleeding.
"We have no intention of fighting."
"He who comes is not kind, and he who is kind does not come. If you have no business here, be on your way!"
Wow, his speech was straight out of a martial arts story... but the content was a little baffling.
It wasn't our intention, but they overcame a crisis thanks to us. Was this really the right attitude, not even a word of thanks?
"Uncles, please stop. These people helped us."
Oh, so there was at least one person here with some sense.
It was a woman with her face hidden by a veil inside their formation. Her voice sounded quite young.
"Hwa-yeon, haven't we taught you not to trust anyone in the martial world?"
"That's right. They could be in league with the Flying Heaven Corps, trying to lower our guard before stabbing us in the back."
"Senior Brother Go is right."
This was absurd.
"Right about what? They look like they're asking for a beating."
Rina scowled and voiced her complaint, but the other party's expressions didn't change at all.
It seemed that, like Summoners, they couldn't hear my companions' words either.
"If you have no business here..."
"I remember your words, but I've never heard of foreigners in the Flying Heaven Corps. Please move."
With a sullen expression, the woman from inside the formation pushed the men aside, walked over to us, and bowed her head.
"Thank you for your help. We have been under constant attack, which has made my uncles a bit oversensitive. I ask that you, Great Hero, find it in your heart to understand."
"Great Hero." It didn't sound as bad as I thought.
"Great Hero? He doesn't even look thirty."
"Uncle Go! That's enough."
"Ah... understood."
He was completely cowed.
"Well, we didn't intend to help. The other side attacked us first, so we just responded."
"Even so, it is a fact that we received your aid. Might I ask for your name, Great Hero, or perhaps your title? I will not forget today's kindness and will be sure to repay it someday."
Wow, they even had titles. This world felt completely different from Elsia.
"I have no title. My name is Oh Hyeon-ung."
"...A wise bear. What a wonderful name. I will be sure to remember it."
It's the character for 'hero', not 'bear'...
I thought about correcting her, but since we wouldn't be acquaintances for long, I decided to let it go.
Hearing "wise bear" reminded me of my subscribers for the first time in a while.
"There's no need to repay me. Instead, could I ask you a few questions?"
"Yes, of course!"
First, the location of the portal was the most important thing for getting to the next floor.
"I'm a Sum..."
I was about to reveal I was a Summoner and ask about the portal, but I couldn't.
[Warning! The 65th floor is set in the martial world, a land of righteousness and chivalry.
Remarks that do not fit the setting of the 65th floor (e.g., disclosing information about Elsia or Summoners) may result in you being designated a public enemy of the martial world.]
"Great Hero Oh? What were you just saying?"
"Ah, that is... I'm craving some ox-head soup. Is there a good place nearby?"
...Phew, I barely averted that crisis.
The veiled woman seemed a bit flustered by the random question.
Well, at least I didn't reveal I was a Summoner.
"Ox-head soup? I'm not familiar with that dish. Uncles, have you ever heard of ox-head soup?"
"Never heard of it."
"I don't know about ox heads, but if you follow this road, you'll reach Hoeyang County. The Cheongjin Pavilion there sells a dish made with a broth of ox bones."
"Thank you."
That was a close call.
"Great Hero Oh, if you're headed to Hoeyang, would you consider traveling with us? We are also on our way there."
"I don't see why not."
I glanced at her uncles, but the veiled woman assured me it was fine, so I agreed to accompany them.
"Hyeon-ung, doesn't the road lead straight there anyway?"
"I think she's hitting on you, old man."
"Hitting on me? Don't be..."
"Hitting on you?"
Since she couldn't hear my companions, it seemed she misunderstood.
"It's nothing."
"Are your companions unable to speak?"
"They may not speak, but we can communicate with our hearts."
"Wow! All of your companions?"
I just made something up, but thankfully, she seemed to believe me without any suspicion.
"That's right."
"Could it be the Voice of the Enlightened Mind? You must truly be great masters."
I had no idea what the Voice of the Enlightened Mind was, but I saw no need to correct her.
After walking and talking for about twenty minutes, I managed to gather a good deal of information about the 65th floor.
The veiled woman's name was Go Hwa-yeon.
Her two uncles were named Go Jeong-pal and Go Du-pal, and they were all from the same sect.
She was twenty this year and was on her way back to her family home after receiving treatment from a famous physician.
Of course, just as there's give and take, the more information I received, the more questions were thrown my way.
Fortunately, when asked about my identity after they saw my companions, I said I was from the Western Regions and had returned to my homeland after growing up there.
"So that's why you don't know much about the Central Plains."
"Which sect are you from? Seeing how you dealt with those Flying Heaven Corps men so quickly, you must be quite skilled."
"You haven't revealed your sect, have you? Mine is passed down to a single disciple, so you wouldn't have heard of it anyway."
They had revealed they were from the same sect, but not the sect's name.
"Uncles, Great Hero Oh is from the Western Regions, so wouldn't it be all right to tell him?"
After a moment of hesitation, they nodded.
"We are all members of the Sun and Moon Divine Cult."
The Sun and Moon Divine Cult?
"I've never heard of it."
"Me neither."
Hanna, Rina, and the others all shook their heads.
My companions, of course, had no idea.
It sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.
I wasn't completely unfamiliar with martial arts novels, but I preferred fantasy.
The same went for games.
"It seems you don't know much about our Divine Cult."
Is it famous?
Then again, even I, who didn't follow martial arts stories, felt like I'd heard the name before, so it probably wasn't some unknown place.
"As I said before, this is my first time in the Central Plains..."
"That's understandable. Great Hero Oh, what sect are you from?"
...Uh... um, I guess I can just make something up, right?
"My sect is the Golden Dragon Sect."
"Golden Dragon Sect? I've never heard of that sect."
"More importantly, you're from the Western Regions, but your sect's name is in the style of the Central Plains?"
Go Du-pal tilted his head, giving me a suspicious look.
Is it that strange?
"I heard the Founding Ancestor was from the Central Plains, like me."
"I see."
"Great Hero Oh, then that sacred creature on your shoulder is perhaps..."
Go Hwa-yeon pointed at the Golden Dragon.
"Kkyuing?"
"The sacred creature of our Golden Dragon Sect. The Golden Dragon. He has been with our sect since its founder, and the same goes for Nyx here."
They all nodded with expressions of understanding. It was strange.
Other Summoners would have treated it as complete nonsense.
But to these martial artists, it seemed quite plausible.
After walking for another ten minutes, a downward slope appeared, and I could see a town in the distance.
The tiled roofs gave it a slight Joseon Dynasty feel, but as we got closer, I saw many Chinese-style pavilions as well.
Despite the late hour, there were surprisingly many people on the streets, and their attire was also Chinese-style, like Go Hwa-yeon and her uncles.
"Well then, we'll part ways here."
"Um, Great Hero Oh, we plan to stay at the Songhwa Pavilion. It's an inn run by our sect. The Cheongjin Pavilion you asked about is also nearby, but if you'd be willing, perhaps you could join us..."
I had no reason to refuse, so I nodded.
"This way!"
As I followed Go Hwa-yeon, Rina tugged at my clothes from behind.
"What is it?"
"Old man, how long are you going to stick with these people?"
I thought it would be easier to follow them since I was unfamiliar with the environment, but she looked very displeased.
"For a while? We still don't know much about this place."
"Didn't we get most of the information on the way here? She keeps her face covered, and I have a bad feeling about them."
A bad feeling?
I could understand it if she meant the uncles, but Go Hwa-yeon was quite favorable toward me.
"Great Hero Oh? Are you not coming?"
"I'm coming."
I told Rina we wouldn't be with them forever and asked her to bear with it for a little longer, then followed Go Hwa-yeon.
We walked for about ten minutes, and the path seemed to be getting more and more secluded.
Rina's words might have amplified the feeling, but soon, a small, three-story wooden pavilion came into view.
"This is the Songhwa Pavilion."
"All the lights are out. Are you sure it's open for business?"
"It's because of the late hour. Let's go in."
It was late, but the other pavilions we passed were brightly lit. This place was dark and gloomy.
I thought to myself that I would never have entered if I were alone, and stepped into the inn.
As I opened the door and went inside, I saw a few lanterns hanging, so it seemed they were indeed open.
An old man with white hair, perhaps the innkeeper, was dozing off at a wooden counter.
*Knock, knock—*
Go Du-pal approached and tapped the table a couple of times, causing the old man to wake up with a frown.
"Who the hell is it at this hour..."
"Hell?"
Go Du-pal retorted with a scowl, and the old man, startled, scrambled out from behind the counter.
"A thousand years to the Heavenly Demon! The Divine Cult returns! Gui-ong greets the Young Lord and the Protectors."
...Young Lord?
No, wait a minute. Before that, Heavenly Demon?
Now I remembered.
The Sun and Moon Divine Cult was another name for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, also called the Demonic Cult, was a staple villainous group in martial arts novels.
"Please rise. We have an outsider with us."
"Ah, he is not of the Cult?"
"He helped us when we were attacked by the Flying Heaven Corps on our way here. He says he's from the Western Regions."
"Oh my, such a thing happened. Those wicked bastards of the Martial Alliance. Are you all right?"
I thought I might be mistaken, but listening to their conversation, it seemed my guess was correct.
...The only group that would call the Martial Alliance wicked was the Demonic Cult.
Why didn't I think of the Demonic Cult...
"Fortunately, neither of them was seriously injured, and we've administered first aid, so they're fine. More importantly, has my father arrived?"
Wait, if Go Hwa-yeon is the Young Lord, then her father would be...
"Yes. The Cult Leader arrived half a shichen ago and is on the top floor."
Good grief. If he's the Cult Leader, does that mean he's the Heavenly Demon?
"We were quite delayed because of the attack. Um, Great Hero Oh? I know it's very late, but would you be able to spare a moment? I would like to introduce you to my father."