Chapter 320: Ironclad (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 320: Ironclad (4)
Woong.
The moment Cheol Jiseon sensed a presence, a barrier shimmered into existence around him.
He steadied his breathing, forcing down the tremor in his limbs as he turned.
The one he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
“You must have waited for a long time.”
“Not at all…”
Cheol Jiseon turned toward the voice behind him.
A handsome man stood there, a gentle smile gracing his lips.
The Meteor Sword, Jang Seonyeon.
He had come for Cheol Jiseon.
Cheol Jiseon remained perfectly still, his gaze locked silently on Jang Seonyeon.
From a distance, Gu Yangcheon observed the pair.
Hmm…
I watched, but the barrier prevented me from hearing a single word.
I would have listened if I could.
To hear anything, I’d need to get closer, but using my qi to breach the barrier would instantly alert Jang Seonyeon.
His personality was trash, but I couldn’t deny his talent.
As far as I was concerned, he was lower than garbage, yet his skill was undeniable.
I sat beneath a tree and observed Cheol Jiseon and Jang Seonyeon.
When Cheol Jiseon had confessed earlier, he mentioned he had to meet Jang Seonyeon afterward.
Hmm…
Cheol Jiseon’s expression from before lingered in my mind.
For some reason, he had looked at me with sheer terror etched on his face.
Why, though? I told him I would let him go.
I hadn’t lied.
I had told him I’d let him go, even though I fully intended to kill him later.
So why did he get scared right then?
If that wasn’t it, perhaps it was when I told him to obey Jang Seonyeon’s orders.
That was a possibility.
Cheol Jiseon was smart, but he probably never expected me to say such a thing.
Maybe he thought I had no real intention of letting him live and that he should side with Jang Seonyeon regardless.
But that was his problem if he interpreted it that way.
It wasn’t something I needed to worry about.
Still, I hoped Cheol Jiseon would follow Jang Seonyeon’s orders.
If Cheol Jiseon genuinely wanted to stand by my side…
There was a way I could make use of his power.
But I needed more time to think. This was unexpected.
If Cheol Jiseon was indeed the future strategist of the Murim Alliance, as I remembered from my past life, then his intellect was a truly dangerous weapon.
Though I didn’t know if the current Cheol Jiseon possessed the same power he would in the future.
The important part was that it was a dangerous power.
It could definitely be useful, but I had to decide if it was worth the risk to accept it.
What if I turned him into a Demonic Human and placed a Shackle on him?
That was the first thought that crossed my mind when I considered making him my servant.
If I turned him into a Demonic Human, I could control him completely.
However…
Just… not yet.
I didn’t want to.
I was reminded of Yeon Il-Cheon calling me a calamity.
I also didn’t want to repeat what the Heavenly Demon had done in my past life.
“…”
I didn’t ponder for long.
I shouldn’t even be hesitating.
I was letting my emotions cloud my judgment when I should be using every tool at my disposal.
Yet, this was the final line I was willing to cross.
The one that would either transform me back into a Demonic Human or allow me to remain a normal martial artist.
I knew instinctively that there was no going back if I crossed it.
I rubbed my left arm as an ominous feeling settled in my gut.
It was where the bandage was.
Please wake up now.
The old man had appeared and helped me at a crucial moment, but he had fallen silent again, unresponsive to my calls.
Because of that, Elder Shin’s words echoed in my mind.
-Trust in yourself.
To trust in myself.
It was incredibly difficult.
If it were easy, I wouldn’t have lived the way I did in my past life.
“What a pointless thought.”
It was a bitter regret.
I was no different in this life.
Just focus on the future. That’s what matters now.
I needed to organize the information I’d gained in the secret vault.
And I still needed to unravel the mystery of the bandage on my arm.
Since I hadn’t gained anything special from the vault, I had to find the fastest path to reach the Fusion Realm.
Was it the White Demonic Stone, after all?
I considered the method of explosively increasing my qi capacity to achieve the Fusion Realm.
If I could get the White Demonic Stone buried deep beneath the ocean, I could ascend to the next level.
If that wasn’t an option…
I’d need the legendary herb from Shaolin.
The herb was less potent than the White Demonic Stone, but it could still make the leap possible.
How absurd.
The thought left me speechless.
Where would I even find a legendary herb like that?
In the end, the real answer was that I needed to strengthen my mind.
When I considered the conditions for reaching the Fusion Realm, I had enough qi, and while my physique was slightly lacking, that wasn’t the main barrier.
This meant my mind was the problem.
‘I have so many problems in this regard, I don’t even know where to start.’
It wasn’t just one or two issues plaguing me; I didn’t know where to begin.
But I had to do it.
I had to start now if I wanted to surpass the Fusion Realm and aim for higher levels.
If I relied on the White Demonic Stone to reach the Fusion Realm now, I’d hit my limit far too quickly.
If I chose that path, no matter how many Demons I hunted, I’d never reach the next stage.
Starting from that level, qi alone wasn’t enough.
There’s no way, seriously.
There was a shortcut, but I knew I wouldn’t reach my ultimate goal if I took it, so I found myself back at square one.
That’s why martial arts could be so frustrating.
There were no shortcuts, but I needed to reach my goal quickly—and there wasn’t enough time.
There simply wasn’t enough time for me to train properly.
After thinking for a while, I stood up.
Yes… that’s the only way.
Reaching the next level through normal means while saving time.
The problem was, I’d need that bastard for this method to work.
Though the problem was that I needed that bastard if I wanted to use this method.
I thought about it while staring at Cheol Jiseon.
Originally, I would’ve given up on this method after killing Cheol Jiseon,
But he was more useful than I thought.
Cheol Jiseon’s willingness to side with me over Jang Seonyeon gave me reason to consider giving him a chance.
A little more.
I wasn’t certain yet, though.
I still planned to observe him further… but my opinion of him was slowly shifting.
The Heavenly Dragon Academy was a sanctuary for me.
Once I left this place, I’d need to kill whoever stood in my way, gather the important people, and make preparations for what lay ahead.
If I couldn’t trust anyone and had to act alone, then I needed to eliminate those who would potentially become my enemies in the future.
That was the simplest and fastest way.
I kept rubbing my left arm while watching, and it seemed that Cheol Jiseon and Jang Seonyeon’s conversation had concluded.
I could no longer see Jang Seonyeon’s disgusting smile, as he had left the scene.
Seems like there were no issues.
I only had one reason to watch Cheol Jiseon, despite already knowing everything.
If something went wrong between them and Jang Seonyeon tried to harm Cheol Jiseon, I’d have to intervene.
Jang Seonyeon wasn’t the type of bastard to kill Cheol Jiseon just because his plans went awry, but I had come just in case.
Thankfully, nothing seemed to have gone wrong.
Once Jang Seonyeon and Cheol Jiseon left, I stood up as well.
“How much longer, I wonder.”
In a few days, Jang Seonyeon would likely reach his limit and begin to act.
All I had to do was wait.
I felt a thrill of excitement at finally being able to get rid of him soon.
I forced that excitement down.
Tingle.
“…!”
I quickly scanned my surroundings.
“…What was that?”
It felt like something had just brushed past me.
I sharpened my senses, but there was no presence to detect.
“Was it just my imagination?”
I would’ve investigated harder if the sensation had been stronger, but it was faint.
Shaking off the thought, I made my way back to my room.
The next day arrived.
Morning sunlight streamed through the windows.
While the other students were making their beds and preparing for the day, I remained in bed, disheveled and dumbfounded, my hair a mess from just waking up.
“…Hmm?”
I wiped the drool from my face, still questioning what had just happened.
The others had stopped what they were doing, all staring in my direction, their faces frozen in shock.
Following their gaze, I saw someone kneeling on the floor, staring right at me.
Their pale hands resting on their knees and their golden eyes staring directly into my soul—they didn’t belong in this room at all.
“What did you… just say…?”
“I like you.”
Just as I was about to ask again, wondering if I had misheard, their elegant voice repeated the words.
The same words as before, the ones I thought I had misheard.
“…Uh… Wha?”
I pinched my arm, wondering if I was dreaming, but the sharp pain told me otherwise.
It wasn’t a dream, then?
Maybe I could actually feel pain in my dreams.
That seemed more plausible than this bizarre reality.
As I stood there, unsure what to do, the woman continued to stare at me with those same, unwavering eyes.
The woman who had come to me early in the morning to say something so unexpected was none other than Wi Seol-Ah.