Chapter 313: The Dragon's Diary (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 313: The Dragon's Diary (4)
Splash.
The path ahead was pitch black, devoid of any light.
The only sound piercing the silence was the wet splatter of my feet stepping through puddles.
I tried to summon my flames to illuminate the way, but ironically, they provided no light at all. It felt as if some special power was actively suppressing all light sources.
“What is this?”
“I can’t see a thing, huh?”
It seemed the Sleeping Dragon was just as blind as I was.
How long had we been walking? Was this even the right path to the secret vault?
Frustration mounted with every step.
Why are all the secret vaults I visit so damn annoying?
I’d dealt with this before in the Golden Sky Yeon Clan’s vault, and now it was happening again. I wasn’t even sure if this was a vault. All we’d done was break through a Formation somewhere in the Heavenly Dragon Academy.
“I didn’t get to ask yet, but what are we looking for?”
The Sleeping Dragon finally spoke up. Took him long enough.
“What do you mean, ‘we’? I’m the one looking for it.”
“Isn’t it a bit unfair for you to set a boundary now?”
He spoke with a chuckle. He hadn’t bothered asking how I knew about this place, why I was going, or what my goal even was. The bastard had always been like this. He’d jump straight into anything that caught his interest, never bothering to understand it first. If nothing intrigued him, he’d look half-dead from sheer boredom. He was either sleepy or lazy.
The problem is that he barely gets interested in anything.
His nickname, the Sleepy Dragon, existed for a reason. To be honest, I was more familiar with his current, lethargic demeanor than any other.
Splash.
Hmm.
As I ventured further, the ground seemed to grow even wetter. What was this? Was it even water?
I crouched down and touched the liquid. It felt like water—clear and odorless. I didn't have the nerve to taste it, so I concluded it was water for now. I was just a little curious about why it was flowing here, and where it came from.
After walking for what felt like an eternity…
“Hmm.”
“I see the end.”
A faint light appeared at the end of the long path. That seemed to be our destination. Thank goodness; it wasn’t too deep of a basement.
As I continued toward the light, I glanced around. How far down had we come? I couldn’t quite tell, but it certainly felt longer than I’d anticipated.
Is it because of a spatial distortion?
It could be the Formation making it feel this way. When I went through the Golden Sky Yeon Clan’s vault, the path had felt unnaturally long, too. This must be the same phenomenon.
…I can’t believe a Formation is capable of such a thing…
Setting that aside, I was curious. I couldn’t help but wonder who could have set up such an advanced Formation.
Also, what do I do about this guy?
I was concerned about the Sleeping Dragon trailing behind me. If this path really led to the secret vault, could I really bring him with me? That might be a problem. Or maybe not? Perhaps I could offer him something from inside to keep his mouth shut?
At that thought, I shook my head.
But why would I give it to him?
If I found it, it was mine. Why should I share?
I think it’d be best to just knock him out for now and go by myself.
If he even thought about telling anyone later, I could just put a Shackle on him.
We are friends, after all.
Friends weren’t necessarily meant for things like this, but I was sure he’d understand.
Now that I think about it…
That bastard was like this on the Frontlines in my past life.
-You fucker…! I told you not to put a Shackle on me!
-If you don’t like it, then break out of it.
Whenever I tried to go into dangerous areas, he’d slap a Shackle on me and force me to stay behind. I knew his intentions were good, but it infuriated me to be left out. Moreover, the Shackle I used was actually invented by the Sleeping Dragon himself—though he created it much later in the future.
He’ll break out of the Shackle even if I put it on him.
Even if it was my own version, he was the original creator. I was sure he’d break out, though it would take him a long time.
So I guess I should first knock him out and—
Just as I was about to ambush him…
Thud.
“Hmm?”
Slam, slam!
The Sleeping Dragon swung his fist through the air, yet it produced a loud, solid impact.
“What are you doing?” I asked, sensing something was wrong.
[ Oh, we are fucked. ]
The Sleeping Dragon responded with a hollow smile. His words made my eyes widen. I understood what was happening almost immediately.
A second Formation?
They put a Formation inside a Formation?
If so, how was I able to walk through it just now?
It seemed like either only one person could pass, or there was some other mechanism at play, but I had no way of knowing.
…I know nothing when it comes to Formations.
In the end, I had to ask the Sleeping Dragon in front of me.
[ Can’t you break through? Do what you did last time. ]
It seemed even sound was blocked, so I had to mouth the words. Telepathy didn’t work either.
The Sleeping Dragon gave me a speechless look after reading my lips.
[ You think it’s that easy? ]
[ It seemed easy to me. ]
[ How about you try it then? ]
[ If I knew how to do such a thing, would I have brought you all the way here? ]
[ … ]
Ha. I couldn’t hear it, but I knew the Sleeping Dragon was laughing in disbelief.
Tap, tap.
I tried hitting the invisible barrier that prevented the Sleeping Dragon from entering. It didn’t feel thin at all.
Then…
[ Back off a little. ]
[ Hmm? ]
After saying that…
Swoosh—!
[ …! ]
I clenched my fist tightly. The Sleeping Dragon stepped back in shock. He’d realized what I was about to do. I immediately twisted my hips and swung my fist toward the barrier.
Slaaam—!
As my fist made contact, a monstrous sound echoed, and the ground shook violently.
Pitter-patter.
Dust fell from the ceiling, confirming the impact.
[ It didn’t break. ]
But the barrier remained intact. It seemed impossible to break through by brute force alone.
[ You’re crazy. You actually thought hitting it was a good idea? ]
The Sleeping Dragon’s shocked reaction was a rare sight. What was wrong with it?
[ We should first see if it’s possible to break it. ]
[ …If you knew a little more about Formations, you wouldn’t have chosen such a crazy idea. Especially with a Formation at this level, we need to be more careful. ]
[ I told you earlier, didn’t I? I wouldn’t have brought you here if I knew anything about them. ]
Tap, tap.
I tapped the barrier again, but it didn’t even crack.
It didn’t work.
There was only one reason I’d wanted to test my strength against the wall. It wasn’t because I wanted to bring the Sleeping Dragon with me after breaking it.
If it doesn’t break with this much force, then that bastard won’t be able to break it.
I was just testing to see if the barrier was strong enough to stop the Sleeping Dragon from entering. If it had broken, he would have been able to enter easily as well.
[ Can’t you do what you did last time? ]
Just like earlier, when the Sleeping Dragon had used his trick to break through the Formation, I asked if he could do it again. He shook his head.
[ I can’t. I don’t hear anything. This is a different formation than the last one. ]
I wondered what kind of crazy person could hear anything from a Formation, but I couldn’t argue—he really could do it.
[ …So you can’t enter, huh? ]
He nodded. It seemed I could just leave him here, then.
The Sleeping Dragon, seemingly reading my mind, suddenly sat down on the ground.
Isn’t the ground filled with water, though…?
[ What are you doing? ]
[ This is better than you knocking me out, so I’ll just wait here. ]
I hid my shock. That bastard… He knew I’d planned to knock him out. How sharp. But it was better for me this way, since he’d wait without me having to do anything.
[ Can’t you just wait outside, though? ]
I asked, puzzled. The Sleeping Dragon glanced back the way we came before answering.
[ I can’t leave. ]
[ What? ]
[ It’s blocked, for now. ]
I tilted my head. The entrance was blocked? As I processed the shock, the Sleeping Dragon continued.
[ It’ll open again after you do something inside. That’s how this type of Formation works. ]
His explanation made the situation feel stranger by the second.
How much time do I have?
The Sword Queen must be stalling the Qinghai Sword right now. I was already on borrowed time, and now I had to complete some task inside. What a shitty situation.
…Fine. I never had good luck anyway.
It wasn’t the first or second time things had gone wrong due to my misfortune. I had to give it a shot.
I left the Sleeping Dragon behind and ventured further in. I was concerned about him, but there was nothing I could do since he couldn’t leave or follow me. I had to press onward. That was the only solution.
Splash.
The sound of puddles grew louder as I approached the door. The water level was rising—it was now up to my thighs. It had only been at my ankles before. I needed to figure out what this liquid was. As far as I knew, there wasn’t any lake around the Heavenly Dragon Academy. Was it groundwater?
With that thought, I moved closer to the door.
Inside…
I couldn’t see what lay beyond. Was this because of the Formation, too? I reached out with my hand.
Woong.
When my hand touched the entrance, it caused a ripple. My hand passed through without encountering anything solid. It seemed there wasn’t another Formation here. One strange thing, though:
It feels like I’m entering through water.
The sensation was unpleasant, as if I were pushing through a liquid barrier.
Woong.
I fully stepped through the entrance. Thankfully, the uncomfortable sensation vanished immediately.
Shine.
Upon entering, I had to close my eyes against the sudden brightness. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust before I forced them open.
“…!”
The sight inside was so shocking it made me gasp.
What is this?
A massive tree root covered the entire room. It wasn’t dark like the path I’d come from. Because of that, it felt strange that I could see everything so clearly.
…There isn’t even a torch.
Nothing in the room was producing light, so why was it so bright? Moreover,
The water…?
The water from outside hadn’t seeped into this room. Something was strange here.
This is.
Feeling uneasy, I splashed some water with my foot. Then,
“…!”
The water droplets appeared to splash for a second, but then stopped mid-air.
Is this perhaps?
It was the same sensation I’d felt before. I recalled when it happened last—it was in Henan, just like this time, though further away, in Shaolin. This was the same sensation I’d felt when I met the hero of the past, a friend of Elder Shin: the Light of Might, Cheolyoung. That eerie sensation of time coming to a halt. It felt just like back then.
Did that mean…
That this place also relates to them?
I wasn’t certain, but this was far too rare to be a coincidence. It was a reasonable assumption.
It appeared that time was only frozen within this room.
What is the room like?
Unlike the path, where water reached my thighs, this room had only shallow puddles that barely touched my feet. There were also objects covered by mysterious cloths.
Judging by this…
It seems this is a secret vault after all.
How could it not be, looking like this? Besides, the Golden Sky Yeon Clan’s secret vault had nothing but a giant snake, and they still called it a vault. Furthermore, the cloth coverings were clean, as if they hadn’t been here long. Could it be because time was frozen here?
Nice.
This wasn’t bad at all. It meant the treasures here were likely in pristine condition.
After calming myself, I moved closer to the covered objects. I couldn’t bring all of them back, so I had to choose what was needed.
What was needed.
What did I need? I likely needed rare herbs to strengthen myself, but without knowing what was here, I had to take a closer look.
…If time was frozen here, did that mean I had time to spare? It might be possible, but since I didn’t know what was happening outside, I couldn’t afford to waste a second.
Was it like this back then, too?
When the Heavenly Demon found this place in my past life, I didn’t remember it feeling like this. Just what had happened between the time I found this place and when the Heavenly Demon discovered it? I didn’t know.
I also needed to find what the Sword Queen had asked for. What was it again? The Stone of Mount Hua? I didn’t know what it looked like, but she said it was Mount Hua’s treasure. I wasn’t sure why she believed it was here, but did that mean her goal was to retrieve Mount Hua’s treasure from this place?
If I thought about it that way, it totally seems valid.
Though it was still hard to be certain. The Sword Queen didn’t seem like someone who’d go this far for a mere treasure.
What even is a treasure, anyway?
It might be a symbol, but it was still just an object in the end.
Though it’s not exactly like that if I think about the Thunder Fang…
Some treasures directly aided martial artists, while others were more symbolic. The treasure I delivered to Mount Hua, or the one back in my clan, were examples of that.
I shouldn’t be judging, considering I snuck in here searching for treasure myself.
I didn’t feel great about it; it was like I’d become a thief. Wait, maybe I actually had.
But no one owns this place, so whatever.
I decided to think about it that way. Better I take them than let the Heavenly Dragon find them later.
First, I need to check what’s even here.
I reached out to the nearest object. I needed to take off the cloth to see what was underneath.
Right as I was about to grab the cloth…
-Stop.
A voice sounded from behind me. It was heavy and deep. I immediately channeled my qi and spun around toward the source.
“…!”
A figure stood there, one I hadn’t noticed until now. Wait…
…Could I even call this a person?
More accurately, it was a human-shaped figure. It was difficult to consider it human, as the figure was half-transparent.
…What is this, a ghost?
As I steadied myself against a surge of fear, the mysterious creature in front of me began to speak.
-What… are you?
They appeared to be just over thirty, with golden hair that reminded me of Wi Seol-Ah. Judging by their hardened physique, they seemed to be a close-combat martial artist like me. This was no ordinary person.
The man with golden hair stared at me with a strange expression.
Who was I?
“…I should be the one asking you that.”
I was more curious than he was. What was he?
Just as I debated whether to ready myself for a fight, the man spoke again.
-You are…
After observing me closely, he spoke with a cold gaze.
-Not Shincheol.
A familiar name left his lips.