Chapter 177: Pieces (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 177: Pieces (3)
Iron Fist Yeon Il-Cheon had lived during the era when the Gate of Demons first appeared.
He was a pivotal figure who had averted countless disasters, eventually rising to become the zenith of his time.
Moreover, he was one of the Five Heroes who confronted the Blood Demon’s Blood Disaster, playing a crucial role in its resolution.
And that very same Yeon Il-Cheon…
…also experienced regression, just like me?
My eyes widened at Elder Shin’s words and refused to return to normal.
What else could he have meant by saying Yeon Il-Cheon had “traveled through time”?
Is that why…
Suddenly, it made sense why Elder Shin had so readily accepted the fact that I was a regressor.
He had encountered someone with a similar experience before. Having met a person who’d lived through such a situation, my own story must have seemed less shocking.
Elder Shin’s reaction was far more understandable now.
Huh. So I wasn’t the only one.
I had believed I was the sole regressor in this era, but if Elder Shin was to be trusted, and Yeon Il-Cheon truly had regressed, then…
How do you know this?
—What do you mean, how? I know because he told us himself.
Elder Shin’s matter-of-fact reply left me momentarily speechless.
He told you… himself?
—Hmm, yes. That’s what Il-Cheon confessed to us. Right before our final battle against the Blood Demon.
He had told them he had regressed—that this was his second life.
And you just believed him?
—Well, it wasn’t easy to accept, but it wasn’t impossible, either.
Why not?
—Because his level of power was otherwise impossible to achieve without some extraordinary opportunity. After hearing his explanation, all the pieces finally fell into place.
Overwhelming talent that crushed everyone around him.
The nigh-impossible feat of single-handedly stopping calamity.
His decisive actions, as if he had already foreseen everything.
The Shincheol of the past finally understood: if Yeon Il-Cheon’s words were true, then all of it made sense.
I swallowed hard, utterly stunned by the revelation.
Elder Shin spoke again, this time with a warning.
—Don’t breathe a word of this to that old sucker.
Not that I had any intention of telling him in the first place. Still, it was strange hearing Elder Shin say it himself.
…Understood.
I accepted his warning without protest.
My mind was already racing with the fact that there had been another regressor besides me.
Did the Iron Fist truly experience regression?
But how? What was the mechanism?
I had regressed for reasons unknown even to me. Perhaps he had known the cause.
[Are you two finished talking?]
Cheolyoung’s voice cut through my thoughts. He seemed aware I’d been speaking with Elder Shin.
[You’re as sharp as ever.]
[I’ve always said it—you’re the dull one, Shincheol.]
Elder Shin let out a fake cough at Cheolyoung’s remark.
…Hoh. So he was pretending to be perceptive all along.
It seemed this old man—who constantly berated me for being slow—wasn’t so sharp himself.
[…Cheolyoung.]
[I’m listening.]
[Are the others in the same state as you?]
A heavy silence fell as Cheolyoung seemed to ponder the question.
Just as I thought it was another query he couldn’t answer…
[…I can fortunately answer this one.]
Cheolyoung’s fish-like mouth moved.
[It seems you wish to seek out Il-Cheon.]
[Yes. That bastard might have the answers I need.]
[Shincheol, I understand how you feel, but you won’t be able to.]
Cheolyoung’s tone was firm.
[Because Il-Cheon no longer exists.]
[…Why?]
[…]
[You fucking bastard—why respond if you can’t even give a reason?]
[Fate. We simply couldn’t overcome fate, Shincheol.]
[So? You claim the Blood Demon dreams of resurrection, yet you’re running away?]
[I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. As I said earlier, you were our last hope.]
Elder Shin seemed to wonder why Cheolyoung kept calling him their “hope.”
The reason he remained in this land, the meaning behind his empty memories—it was all connected.
He had sent me to Shaolin likely in search of those answers. I understood that, which was why I had come.
[All of you… No, all of us. I don’t know what we dreamed of, for things to end up like this.]
Elder Shin’s voice was calm, unlike before.
[Even if things didn’t go as we hoped, I never took you for someone who would be so easily crushed and dissuaded.]
[…]
Cheolyoung had endured hundreds of years alone.
Centuries of solitude inside a treasure.
His experience was far different from Elder Shin’s, who had only just awakened after being sealed away.
If I were in his place, could I have endured that long?
I’d probably have gone mad from the passage of time, ended up living like an actual fish.
[Hah. Well, if you see me as pathetic because I’m exhausted, then so be i-]
[What? Why would I see you that way?]
Cheolyoung seemed taken aback by Elder Shin’s words, as if he didn’t understand.
Elder Shin went on, looking straight at him.
[I may have hated you and looked down on you all my life, but I never saw you as pathetic.]
[…You piece of shi-]
[So if you’ve let go of hope, then I’ll simply pick it up again.]
Elder Shin’s words were light, yet resolute.
[That was the promise we made, after all.]
[…You.]
[If you and I had switched places, would it have been any different?]
Cheolyoung remained silent even after Elder Shin finished.
But this silence seemed to contain a response of its own.
[If you need rest because you’re exhausted, then rest.]
[Haaah. It seems you still haven’t let go of that rotten personality of yours.]
[Huh? What do you mean, “still”? I’m the same as I’ve always been.]
It felt strange.
An aura of a Taoist—something I never sensed from the usual him—now emanated from Elder Shin.
[Rest if you wish. And if you were waiting for me…]
Elder Shin’s voice was eerily calm.
[I’m sorry. It seems I was quite late.]
A man with no memory of the events was apologizing to his friend.
Even though Elder Shin couldn’t possibly know what he was apologizing for.
Yet he apologized anyway.
How could someone be like that?
Despite having lived no short life myself, I couldn’t comprehend it.
Is this a difference in mindset?
Was this how the mind of a hero who had saved the world worked?
It felt like—for the first time in a long while—his heroic side was showing, if only a little.
[So give me some information already, you old sucker.]
…
I take back everything I just thought.
[Shincheol.]
[Yes.]
[Do you intend to stop the Blood Demon?]
[Why ask the obvious?]
He replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
[That’s what we tried to do back then. If the me of that day failed, then the me of now must finish the task.]*
I truly didn’t understand how he could say such things so casually.
[I told you we’re out of options. You were our last hope…]
[I’m sorry, Cheolyoung.]
Huh?
Within this timeless space, I caught the faint scent of plum blossoms.
The Taoist energy inside me should have settled along with Elder Shin’s emotions.
So where was this fragrance coming from?
[If you’ve lost hope, then you find it and take it back.]
[…]
[That’s how we lived our whole lives. You may have lived centuries longer, but I’m still the same as I was.]
[…Shincheol.]
The white fish’s long whiskers emerged from the lake and pointed toward me.
[Is it really possible? Is this child your hope?]
“No.”
I immediately refused. The idea was absurd.
Hope? My ass.
I wanted no part in this whole mess. I was already busy enough—no way was I taking on more.
But contrary to my response, Elder Shin spoke in a tone that suggested he was smiling.
[Something like that.]
“What nonsense are you spouting? What do you mean, ‘something like that’?”
[Oh, don’t back out now.]
“Back out? I haven’t even done anything yet!”
[Well, you were already planning something similar. Might as well get it done your way.]
“Why are you acting like this is some quick errand?”
I didn’t even know if the Blood Demon would resurrect. Getting involved didn’t sound appealing.
I already had my hands full with bastards like the Heavenly Demon and Dok Gojun.
If the Blood Demon joined the party, my mind might just explode.
[You little… I’m the one who turned you from a useless idiot into a somewhat capable one.]
“What the hell are you talking about? I raised myself without any help.”
Well, I didn’t know if I’d done a good job, but it couldn’t be that bad.
Let’s be honest—the only thing Elder Shin ever did was curse and shout at me whenever he got the chance.
[You used me whenever it suited you! How dare you not return the favor!]
“Why are you like this after just waking up…”
Ugh. I should’ve let him keep sleeping if I knew he’d be like this.
I’d been glad for a moment when he returned, but now it was just regret.
Noticing my reaction, Elder Shin chuckled softly.
[Ha. I’m joking.]*
It really didn’t seem like it. Not at all…
While we were bickering, Cheolyoung spoke up.
[I had missed that side of you.]
The words seemed meant for himself rather than anyone else.
Elder Shin didn’t ask what he meant. It seemed he already knew.
[Shincheol.]
[Yes.]
[No matter what I say, you won’t give up.]
[You know me well. Could you even come up with something convincing in the first place?]
[…]
Cheolyoung had no retort.
[I’m only doing what I must, Cheolyoung.]
[Do you believe we are the only ones who should bear this duty?]
[Hearing that from you—the most complete among us—it doesn’t suit you.]*
Suddenly, I felt a hand touch my shoulder.
I immediately swatted it away. The sensation was uncomfortable, even if it was just a mistake.
[If I’ve decided this is what I must do, who is to disagree?]
[…]
Splash.
A soft splash echoed as the fish swam, yet the world remained frozen.
Cheolyoung broke the silence.
[The Blood Demon separated his soul and body, scattering them across the land.]
[What do you mean, scatter? I thought he was sealed.]
[I said that was the best we could manage. The last resort Il-Cheon chose.]*
Separated and scattered?
I understood dismembering a body, but how does one sever a soul?
[His body lies in the Abyss, his soul in the east. His consciousness was split and sealed in several locations. Lastly, his five senses were sealed beneath the ocean.]*
I couldn’t grasp it. A separated soul and body, a fragmented consciousness and senses—it was beyond my understanding.
But that wasn’t the important part.
Elder Shin seemed to share my thoughts.
[…If that’s the case, how can you be so sure the Blood Demon will break the seal?]*
It hardly sounded like a seal. It seemed a fate worse than death itself.
Cheolyoung fell silent at the question. Meaning he couldn’t answer.
[…Fine. Then can you at least tell me where to start?]*
As Elder Shin prepared to ask something else, the fish’s long whiskers brushed past me.
“Hmm…?”
Was that my imagination?
Before I could ponder the strange sensation, Cheolyoung spoke.
[Find Myung.]
[Huh? You’re saying Myung is still alive?]*
…The name Myung.
I’d heard it a few times from Elder Shin.
The Thunderous Sword, Namgung Myung.
Elder Shin had compared Namgung Jin’s movements to the Thunderous Sword’s during their duel.
He’d described him as annoying but immensely talented.
…And now I’m told this esteemed figure exists somewhere in the world, in a form similar to that fish?
Mount Hua’s treasure was a rock; Shaolin’s was a fish.
I wondered what the Namgung Clan’s treasure was.
Not that I was particularly curious.
[So I should start by looking for Myung?]
[That’s the best answer I can give you at this time.]
[Well, it’s not what I hoped for, but alright. At least we’re not completely out of options… Then, Cheolyoung, where is Myung now?]*
Cheolyoung swished his tail.
[I don’t know.]
[…Hmm?]
“…?”
What?
[You… don’t know…?]
[How would I? I’ve lived in this lake for centuries.]
[Then what information do you even have, you bastard!]
[Good grief… I already said I can’t tell you even if I knew. Why don’t you understand?]
[Brat, go capture him and cook him right now.]*
“Cook him? How can I just cook another clan’s treasure?”
[Why not? My clan’s treasure gets tossed around as a prize for drinking bets!]*
“Well, it was Mount Hua, so it made sense…”
[You brat! What did you say…?]*
As Elder Shin fumed, Cheolyoung calmly stared at me.
He was probably looking at Elder Shin residing within me.
[Shincheol.]
[Don’t call me so calmly as if nothing happened, you bald bastard.]*
Elder Shin retorted angrily but fell silent at Cheolyoung’s next words.
[…It was nice seeing you.]*
It wasn’t my imagination.
His scales had definitely lost their luster compared to when I first saw him.
Elder Shin seemed to notice too; his roaring voice softened.
[Are you leaving?]
Cheolyoung sounded weary. Considering his earlier talk of letting go, it seemed he intended to depart—
[What do you mean, leaving?]
[…Hmm?]
Elder Shin sounded confused by the unexpected response.
[…Weren’t you thinking of leaving?]
[To where?]
[Heaven…?]
[What heaven? I’m already dead. What nonsense are you spouting?]
[Well… you were setting that mood!]*
Hahaha!
Cheolyoung laughed with his fish mouth.
[Well, I wanted to, but I can’t. It seems the shackles on me aren’t so light that I can carry them away.]
[Then…]
[However, it does seem I can rest for a while.]*
Crack.
I flinched at the harsh sound.
Cracks were spreading throughout the surrounding space. Was this strange dimension finally breaking apart?
[Child.]*
I turned my eyes to Cheolyoung as he called me.
His once beautiful, colorful scales now looked dull and gray.
Is it okay for him to look like that?
He could hardly be called the White Fish of Purity anymore.
[I may not know how to read Heaven’s energy, but I’ve grown better at reading the world after all this time alone.]*
Craaack.
More cracks spread as Cheolyoung spoke. The space felt like it could shatter at any moment.
Just before it collapsed completely…
[Shincheol may want things from you, but don’t worry too much about them.]*
Those were his final words to me.
How could I not worry?
[In the end, all of this began with us. It’s not your burden to bear.]*
As he spoke, I interrupted.
“Can I ask you a question?”
[Ask.]
“You said you knew the Blood Demon, right?”
He seemed surprised by my question.
[…Yes. I know him. Very well.]
“Then do you know his name? The Blood Demon’s true name?”
He seemed to wonder why I asked.
I cleared my mind, which had been crowded with thoughts, and listened.
My premonitions about misfortune were never wrong. Not once in my life.
If that was a talent, then I was a prodigy.
But this time, I desperately prayed my premonition was wrong.
The question I had held onto for so long, I finally asked at the last moment.
I had originally planned to ask Elder Shin if he knew the Blood Demon’s name.
The wording had changed slightly, but the answer I sought was the same.
[Why do you ask? Isn’t it recorded in the histories?]*
Cheolyoung was right.
The historical records never mentioned the Blood Demon’s name.
They only glorified the achievements of the Five Heroes and the peace they brought.
I had never found it strange until now.
“Is this also something you can’t answer?”
[…What a fascinating child. Not only are you brimming with talent and have absorbed Shincheol, but you weren’t even surprised to see me.]*
I had already experienced far stranger things. This was nothing compared to regression.
[Hmmm… The Blood Demon’s name… Yes, I know it.]*
Craaack!
As the sky cracked apart, Cheolyoung answered with clear pronunciation.
[Dok Gojun.]
I clenched my fist, grinding my teeth unconsciously.
As expected, my premonitions for disaster were far too accurate.
Look no further than now.
[Yes. The Blood Demon Dok Gojun. That was definitely his name.]*
I was right again.
Haha.
Goddammit.
How truly talented I was.