Chapter 246: Unintended Companion (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 246: Unintended Companion (3)
Crunch.
The Demon’s fangs sank deep into my shoulder.
Blood sprayed through the air. The pain was so intense I nearly blacked out, but I gritted my teeth and forced flames to erupt from my palm.
Fwoosh-
But the fire was pitifully weak.
A stark reminder of my lowly level. The sputtering flames seemed to mirror my own flickering life—a life as worthless as a bug’s.
That’s the message I was getting.
Screech!
The Demons kept coming.
An endless tide of them, like a black sea with no horizon.
I had long since abandoned any hope of survival in this despair.
[This is just ridiculous.]
I let out a bitter smirk at the hellscape before me. How could anyone hold onto hope in a situation like this? How many miracles would it take to survive? A couple wouldn't even scratch the surface.
[Hah.]
Maybe I should’ve cursed out that lunatic, the Snow Phoenix, while I had the chance. Or egged on the Sleeping Dragon when he called me insane and offered to take my place. Or given a different answer when the Celestial Sword wept and begged me not to go.
But it was all pointless now.
Even if I could go back, I’d make the same choices anyway.
[This shitty life.]
Looks like it’s finally ending. Maybe I should be moved that my efforts meant something, even after living so uselessly. Too bad I’m not the sentimental type. Warm thoughts like that just don’t suit me.
Rooooar!
The Demons roared, converging on my position.
Could I stop them?
Of course not.
I’d only managed to draw their attention—and even then, not all of it. This would only last a moment, but maybe that moment would be enough for… something.
I pushed my body to its limit.
Blaze.
Flames wreathed my body. They were weak, but it was everything I had.
The Qi in my Dantian evaporated in an instant.
[Ugh.]
Every injury screamed in protest, but I pushed harder. The flames grew brighter, hotter. I was using my own body as fuel, burning my life force to amplify the fire.
Since I was going to die anyway, what did it matter? Better to burn out than to fade into nothing.
[So this is what it feels like.]
Ironically, as I burned my life away, a moment of enlightenment dawned. Insights into controlling the flames, making them grow. Of course, I’d only understand this at death's door.
[My luck really is the worst.]
Rroooaarr-!
The Demons charged the flames.
They were like moths to a flame. The only difference?
[Guh…!]
There were far too many moths, and my flame was far too small.
Crunch.
A Demon bit into my arm. Its face would be scorched, but these brainless beasts didn’t care. They only saw prey.
[Damn it…!]
Blaze-!
I flared my flames, burning the Demon biting me to ash. I swept my arm in a circle, trying to erect a wall of fire.
Grrrr!
Roaaar!
But a mere wall couldn’t stop these mindless monsters.
[…Tch.]
They poured over it. My flames were the only light source, and Demons drawn to the light were gathering, their numbers swelling by the second.
Could I stop them?
[No.]
Stopping them was the wrong question. The real question was: could I survive?
But even that seemed impossible. The Demons kept coming, and my body was at its breaking point. Claws tore through my skin. Fangs grated against my collarbone.
The pain was immense, but annoyingly, my life refused to end easily. So I fed the flames more of my life, just to keep these beasts occupied a little longer.
[You stupid bastard.]
Trying to achieve something now, at the very end. If I had this in me, I should’ve tried harder when it mattered. Maybe then my life wouldn’t have been such a waste.
Was this clarity a side effect of dying? No, I’d probably always known. I’d just run from it, convinced that trying was pointless. That’s why I was filled with regret now.
A shadow fell over me.
A Demon stood right in front of me, maw wide open, ready to bite my head off. My body was already broken, blood loss severe. I had no strength left.
I closed my eyes under its shadow. This was it. I’d done well to last this long. My worthless life was finally over. Maybe I’d find some peace after death.
That was my final thought.
But then.
Drip.
Something wet hit my nose.
[…?]
I’d only closed my eyes for a second—long enough to die. Yet, I was still conscious. Was I dead and just didn’t know it?
I forced my eyes open.
[…Ugh!]
My body shuddered at the sight before me.
The Demon was frozen solid, mouth still agape. The droplet on my nose had been its saliva.
[What the…?]
As I struggled to process this, the Demons trying to devour me slowly closed their jaws and backed away. The fangs and claws embedded in my body retracted.
[Argh…!]
It was painful, but that wasn't important.
[…My wounds are healing?]
The lethal injuries that should have killed me at any second were sealing shut instantly. The pool of my blood vanished from the ground. My torn body was knitting itself back together in a way I couldn't explain.
[…What… is happening…]
As I tried to make sense of it,
Grrr…
[…!]
The Demons around me began to retreat. One step, then another. Then, they slowly, one by one, began to lower their heads.
[What the hell is this?]
These mindless beasts… were bowing to me? A dream? It had to be a dream after death. There was no other explanation.
Startled, I stumbled backward.
Thump.
My back hit something solid, stopping me. I was in an open plain; there should be nothing behind me. I spun around, thinking it was another Demon.
[…!]
The instant healing, the bowing Demons—none of that mattered anymore. A far bigger problem was right in front of my eyes.
[A… tree…?]
It wasn't a wall I'd hit. It was a tree. A colossal tree, so immense I couldn't see its top. Its sprawling branches blotted out the sky, yet they were completely barren, devoid of a single leaf—a giant, dead tree.
The bigger question was how such a tree could appear out of nowhere.
[…How?]
Something this size couldn't have gone unnoticed. Where did it come from?
As incomprehensible events piled up,
-Found you.
A voice echoed in my ear.
[Who's there!]
I frantically looked around, but saw no one who could have spoken.
-So you have finally come.
The voice continued, indifferent to my reaction.
-The sacrifice to continue this long and arduous cycle.
After searching fruitlessly, my gaze was drawn upward, to the tree itself. It was impossible, but…
[…Could it be…]
Was the tree… speaking?
-A pleasure to make your acquaintance.
Its greeting was soft, yet carried a sublime pressure that made me nauseous. My Dantian quaked; my whole body vibrated.
-I am the Fifth World Tree of this False Land.
My consciousness began to haze. My weakened body started to crack under the weight of its voice.
-I am called Muah.
As soon as I heard its name, my body felt like it was melting. Then, I felt roots, emerging from nowhere, wrapping around my violently shaking form.
This meeting in hell was the starting point—the reason I would later be forced to kill all the other young prodigies, and why the Heavenly Demon would take an interest in me.
* * *
The seed of the Giant Tree.
That memory surfaced instantly upon hearing the Beast mention a 'seed.' My recollection of that day was foggy, hazy. It told me to think of it as a dream, but I knew better. I was acutely aware it was real.
"...What is that?"
The bastard fell silent after my question, but I wasn't in the mood to wait. As I reached for the marble…
[Wo…rld!]
It replied hastily. Its voice was labored, huffing and puffing, but I couldn't afford to care.
"World? What world? Explain clearly."
[…Seed is… seed… Tree… is world.]
"God damn it. Do you call that an explanation? Do you have a death wish?"
I knew it couldn't speak well, but that pathetic answer still pissed me off. I considered just grabbing the marble.
[…If the tree… grows… it ends.]
…
My hand froze.
What kind of terrifying statement was that?
"This seed… if the tree grows, something ends?"
[Grr.]
"This world? If not that, then what ends?"
[Grr…]
"Stop grunting and give me a real answer, you fucker."
I didn't know what it meant by 'end,' but…
"...Why is something so terrifying just sitting here?"
That was the most baffling part. If the bastard was telling the truth, this was a world-ending threat, just stored carelessly in this place.
[Grr?]
Its reaction seemed to ask how it could possibly know.
"I'm going to lose my mind."
I didn't know if it was lying. I couldn't believe a marble brought here by the clan's ancestors was so catastrophically dangerous.
"And what did you mean about it exploding if I touch it?"
[…Impossible… to handle.]
"Yeah, so tell me what's so impossible about han-… Wait, you bastard. Were you planning to absorb this if I touched it?"
[…]
"Then it's your problem, not mine! If it's dangerous, just don't eat the damn thing! Is that so hard?"
"You're insane. You've ruined my life by sucking up everything you come across out of sheer hunger."
[…Grrr…]
The Beast whined in frustration, but I wasn't wrong. I was always the one suffering the consequences of its gluttony.
"I'm seriously going to go insane."
I rubbed my throbbing forehead. What were the clan ancestors thinking? Where did they even get this thing, and why leave it here?
"...Does Father know about this?"
I hadn't known the marble held such a secret. I just thought it was an important artifact to be checked periodically. But if this was true, did Father know?
I doubt it…
'It explodes if touched'… 'I can't handle its power'… It sounded like the marble could explode and plant its seed in the world.
The Giant Tree, huh.
My thoughts returned to the tree I'd met in the past.
-Will you make a contract?
That shitty tree, offering me a 'choice' that was really an ultimatum. I never wanted to see it again.
…But I have to go back.
No matter what, I had to return to the abyss I fell into in my previous life.
Secrets were hidden there.
How many years had I spent in that abyss? At least a decade. Many died there, but a few survived for a long time—the Sleeping Dragon, the Snow Phoenix, the Heavenly Sword. They entered in their early twenties and left in their thirties. That was the normal flow of time.
…What a fucked-up world.
But when they returned to the normal world, they discovered that only ten days had passed since they fell. The prodigies who had died in the abyss were alive again, returned to the world exactly as they were before they fell, as if their time in the abyss had never happened.
And most crucially, no one remembered what happened there.
The sacrifices, the betrayals, the pleas for mercy, the bonds formed… all forgotten.
By everyone except me.
It was only then that I understood what that bastard had meant.
False world.
A place where time and reality were twisted and broken. That was the Abyss.
And I planned to enter it again soon.
[Grr… Gr.]
The Beast suddenly began thrashing as if in pain. It had been acting strange since it started answering, but this was the first time I'd seen it this agitated about anything other than hunger. What was the problem now? Was I asking too many questions?
So, the bottom line was: I couldn't touch the marble.
The temptation to grab it out of spite was strong, but I couldn't risk it. Not if there was even a chance the Beast was telling the truth about it ending the world.
To be honest, the urge to just take it was still there.
This impulsive feeling is a problem too.
It felt like the marble was beckoning me. Whether it was real or not, I needed to get away from this disgusting sensation as soon as possible.
But can I really just leave it here?
It felt wrong to leave something so dangerous just sitting there, but I also knew there was little I could do, especially with that barrier protecting it.
…Maybe I should ask my father.
This was an artifact brought by the ancestors. If I tampered with it without permission, I'd likely face severe punishment from Father.
"It's still impossible for me to stand up to him…"
I wondered if that would ever change.
After staring at the marble for a moment longer,
Splash-!
I turned and leaped away.
"I'm not letting this go."
[Grr…]
"You'd better give me a proper explanation later."
[…]
The bastard curled up, avoiding my stern words, but I had no intention of dropping this.
The world is vast, I get that.
But every hidden secret I stumbled upon was overwhelmingly huge. My head was throbbing from all the revelations.
Rubbing my aching temple, I went to find Moyong Hi-ah, who was supposed to be waiting outside. We needed to get back to camp before it was too late.
When I reached the edge of the forest, I saw Moyong Hi-ah standing stiffly in the same spot. She turned as she sensed my approach. Our eyes met, and she took a step toward me.
"Did you finish your business?"
"...Uh, yeah, sort of."
Had I? It didn't feel like it, no matter how I thought about it.
Moyong Hi-ah seemed to pick up on my awkwardness, her expression shifting slightly, but she didn't press further. She probably knew I wouldn't answer even if she asked.
…She can be very perceptive.
I let out a light sigh and began to walk.
"Young Master Gu."
Moyong Hi-ah called out to me softly.
"What?"
She held out her hand to me. I frowned slightly at her pale, elegant hand.
"What are you…"
"May we hold hands?"
"What?"
I stared at her, wondering if I'd heard correctly. Moyong Hi-ah's expression remained perfectly neutral. What was this about?
Seeing my bewildered reaction, she gently took my hand.
"…I see. Not yet."
"...What are you doing?"
"It's fine. I have plenty of time."
She released my hand, passed by me, and started walking ahead without a trace of regret.
"...What? What was that?"
Her sudden, bizarre behavior made me momentarily forget about the marble. I noticed the tips of her ears were tinged red. She was embarrassed too? Then why did she do it?
Could it be…
A thought occurred to me. Was she trying to comfort me because I looked troubled?
No way.
This was Moyong Hi-ah we were talking about.
"...Nah, impossible."
Even as I denied it, thinking back on our recent conversations, I realized the current Moyong Hi-ah was very different from the one in my past life—just like the Demon Sword.
Was that good? I couldn't say for sure. But it wasn't bad, either.
Watching her slow, retreating back, I followed after her.
By the time we returned to camp, the sun was beginning to rise.
"...Where… have you two… been?"
And Namgung Bi-ah was waiting for us, her eyes cold enough to pierce through steel.