Chapter 39: Way Back (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 39: Way Back (2)
The rain fell from the heavens in a violent, relentless downpour.
The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, and each drop that struck the earth felt unnaturally heavy. We sprinted madly through the forest, swallowed by the oppressive darkness. Even with my qi enhancing my body, my legs felt like lead.
After running for what felt like an eternity, my mind began to wander.
How far have I come?
How much time has passed?
How long… how long…
How long have I managed to survive…?
My legs were scraped raw, screaming in agony, begging me to stop and rest. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.
A warm liquid trickled down my hands.
Was it just the rain?
I tried to cling to that naive hope, but I knew better. The warmth was unmistakable—it was blood.
I gritted my teeth and pushed on. Stopping was not an option.
[Wake up!]
I shouted, but there was no response from the weight on my back. I poured more qi into my movements, surging forward even faster. Time was running out. I could feel more blood soaking my hands.
[Fuck… Wake up!]
I yelled again, but silence was my only answer. So I held onto her tighter, vowing not to let go.
Why am I wasting so much energy like this? I wondered. Why couldn’t I just abandon this girl? I knew she was nothing but a burden. So why had I carried her all this way? Why was I still running myself to death for her sake?
I had no answer. So I just kept running.
My eyes began to bleed. A sharp pain flared in my lower dantian, a clear sign my qi was completely depleted. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. Then, I felt something else begin to slip away. With my qi exhausted, I was now burning my life force. The sensation of my very vitality seeping out made my lips tremble.
[…God dammit.]
The breathing from the person I carried grew fainter and fainter. My own heart beat frantically, a stark contrast to the fading life behind me. The presence that had been chasing us was gone, but I didn’t dare stop. I couldn’t be sure we had truly escaped that monster.
Where am I? How far have I run? My legs had gone numb long ago, shaking uncontrollably.
Suddenly, I spotted a cave entrance in the forest. I could barely see, but I had no other choice. I staggered inside.
As I ventured deeper, the sound of the raging storm faded, replaced by the eerie stillness of the cavern. Fighting through my exhaustion, I stumbled into a wider chamber. The moment I released the last vestiges of my qi, I nearly collapsed. Every bone in my body shrieked in protest, but my first priority was to gently lay down my companion.
A deep, straight gash on her chest wept blood freely. She was still breathing, but her breaths were shallow, her life flickering. With a trembling hand, I hovered over the injury and tried to channel qi to staunch the flow. I had none left to give, so I fed it my life force instead. It didn’t matter.
[Shit… Why won’t it stop bleeding…]
Despite my efforts, the blood continued to flow. I swayed, dizzy from the immense energy expended in such a short time.
[Why, just why…]
A weak hand feebly grasped my wrist.
[S… t… o… p…]
The voice was barely a whisper, clinging to the edge of death. I shouted in frustration.
[What do you mean, stop!? Just shut up!]
[…At this rate… you will die… I… am… okay…]
[Shut up! Why did you do something so stupid when I never asked you to!? This is all your fault, so I’ll do whatever the hell I want!]
So please, just shut up and focus on living.
I couldn’t voice that last thought. She had already lost consciousness once more.
She had to live.
She couldn’t die in a place like this.
I could not let her die here.
[But what am I supposed to do… God dammit…]
Using more energy would mean I’d collapse too. And she would inevitably die. I clenched my teeth, pushing myself further, but my body was rebelling.
[Please… Please…!]
I was desperate. This shitty world had never given me a single break. Now, it had pushed us to the very edge of the cliff.
[Just once… Just once, help me. Can’t you help me just this once…?]
You’ve been so cruel to me until now. Surely you can extend a hand just this one time?
I know I’m unlucky, but is it too much to ask for help just once?
It was a futile prayer. Complaining to the heavens never yielded an answer. They had never been on my side to begin with.
How long has it been? How much life do I have left?
Just as the last embers of my life force were about to gutter out…
[How pathetic.]
My qi froze solid.
Not by my own will, but by another’s.
The voice that came from behind me locked my body in place.
Since when…?
There was only one entrance to the cave. Even while distracted, it should have been impossible for someone to approach without my notice.
[…It wasn’t very entertaining. I’ve never been fond of hide-and-seek.]
I struggled to breathe. Merely from its proximity, every muscle in my body screamed in agony. It felt as if all the air had been sucked from the world. Shivering, I forced my neck to turn and looked.
Despair.
Sheer despair stood where I looked.
[There is nothing more pathetic than a human clinging to meaningless hope.]
[You… what are you…]
[You have quite a mouth on you, for a runner…]
It was a monster. There was no other word. The entity gazed at us and smiled.
No, to be precise, it was smiling at me.
I couldn’t discern its features or clearly make out its voice, yet I could perceive its smile with unsettling clarity.
[How amusing. Even in your current state, you still dare to bare your fangs.]
The darkness filling the cave suddenly intensified.
No… it wasn’t that it grew brighter. The existing shadows were simply devoured by an even deeper, more absolute darkness, until they ceased to exist.
[…Fuck.]
The curse slipped out. I tried to resist, but the sensation slowly seeping into my bones was undeniably pure fear. This was a power far beyond human capability.
The thing spoke, watching me tremble.
[You asked who I was.]
Within the cave, whose very space seemed to be constricting, a vortex of raven-black wind erupted. That wind devoured the last shreds of hope I clung to and utterly crushed the final dregs of courage within me.
With a single step, I understood.
If it wished, this entity could take everything from me with the flick of a finger. It was only being indulgent because it found my struggle amusing.
[I am…]
My heart felt like it had stopped at the slow, deliberate voice. My spirit, which had been hanging on by a thread, finally began to be extinguished.
I think it was around then…
[The Heavenly Demon.]
…that my world came to a standstill.
* * *
I estimated about two hours had passed since I started running with Wi Seol-Ah on my back. Thanks to my increased qi reserves, I could maintain a tremendous speed even while carrying someone.
“We’re moving pretty fast. Are you alright?” I asked Wi Seol-Ah, whose face was buried in my back.
There was no response.
“…Can you not hear me?”
I asked again, thinking the wind might have drowned out my words, but again, there was no answer.
Something felt off, so I slowed to a stop. I thought maybe the rushing air was the problem.
“What do you think? Is it too fast or—”
- Snore.
“…Hmm?”
Upon stopping, I heard a strange noise from behind me. I glanced back to find Wi Seol-Ah fast asleep, snoring blissfully. She hadn’t failed to hear me; she’d just been too busy sleeping.
“…You must be very comfortable, huh?” I said in a teasing tone, but Wi Seol-Ah was too engrossed in her snoring to reply.
A flicker of spite made me consider waking her, but I just smiled wryly and continued my run. Even after all this time, my qi felt abundant. The rate at which it replenished was surprisingly faster than the speed I was expending it.
I’d heard the Doe clan was renowned for having pure, dense qi. This kind of energy felt somewhat mismatched with someone like me.
Not that I’m complaining.
Frankly, I didn’t mind, as long as it wasn’t Demonic Qi. Any energy that didn’t slowly drive a person insane was fine by me.
I increased my pace. I had already passed the territory of the Tang clan. Having accomplished my goal, I prioritized reaching my destination.
Oh… I probably should have at least introduced myself to the Lord of the Tang Clan, who will be presiding over the upcoming Military Exhibition.
The fact that I only remembered his existence now, when I was already far away… Steward was definitely going to scold me for this.
But at least I got what I came for.
I had successfully prevented the Gaecheon clan from securing the secret vault. Now that I had a moment to think, the item the Gaecheon Lord obtained was likely that marble spat out by the snake. I wasn’t certain if the qi contained within that marble was enough to propel him to the Fusion rank, but it seemed the most probable scenario.
I supposed it was still impressive that I managed to absorb a significant portion of that energy, even if I couldn’t take it all.
Better than nothing.
But the moonlight marbles… Sigh, better not to think about that.
My qi fluctuated slightly at the thought of the moonlight marbles. If I dwelled on them any longer, I felt I might fly into a rage.
Some time later, I spotted a town in the distance. Feeling it was best to approach on foot, I stopped and carefully set Wi Seol-Ah down.
“Wake up. We’ve arrived.”
“Hmm…?”
Wi Seol-Ah rubbed her eyes, struggling to open them. Wanting to rouse her quicker, I gave her head a light bonk.
“Ow!”
Thanks to the surprise attack, Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes shot wide open.
“A servant who falls asleep on her master’s back, and even has the audacity to snore!?”
“I-I snored!?”
Wi Seol-Ah shot upright, shocked by my accusation. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah, and you were quite proficient at it. For a moment, I thought a tiger was chasing us.”
“Li-Li-Lies!”
“I swear to heaven I’m telling the truth.”
Well, not the part about the tiger, of course.
Wi Seol-Ah’s face fell into a look of utter despair after I made my oath. I heard her mumbling ‘No way… no way…’ under her breath as she trailed behind me. It’s not like I had asked her to fall asleep in the first place.
We entered the town with Wi Seol-Ah still in a state of shock. Our next task was to find the Gu clan members here. It shouldn’t be difficult. Thanks to my enhanced qi, my sensory range had expanded considerably. All I needed to do was locate Muyeon’s distinct qi signature.
And as luck would have it, it was closer than I expected. Even better, it seemed to be moving toward us.
“Young Master!”
From a distance, a figure clad in the distinctive attire of the Gu clan came running toward us. I didn’t know how he’d spotted us, but it was Muyeon.
He ran up to us, his expression a mix of relief and a hint of grievance. “Wh… Where have you been for the past few days—” He suddenly cut himself off, having clearly noticed the change in me.
He asked, confused, “…Did something happen?”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly. “I guess you could say that. Uhh… How should I put it…”
I wasn’t the only one surprised. I could now perceive things more clearly. Muyeon was a highly skilled martial artist.
…What the hell? He’s already at the peak of the first-rate rank at his age?
Muyeon had just barely reached twenty. It was strange. For a martial artist of his caliber to have remained unknown until the day I died was odd. And it was even stranger that I was unaware of him, despite him being part of the Gu Clan. I wondered what the story was there.
“Sorry, I had something to take care of.”
“B-But even so, you should have taken me with you! What if something had happened to you, Young Master? Do you know how worried I was!?”
“Sorry… but hey, nothing bad happened, right?”
That was true; our trip to and from the secret vault had been relatively incident-free. However, the fact that I’d disappeared for three days without a word was ultimately my fault.
Now, putting that aside, there was one question I needed to ask Muyeon.
“Say…”
“Yes…?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course… What is it?”
“Why are there two more… unwelcome presences here?”
In the location I had designated for our rendezvous, I could sense two presences that were completely undesirable.
Muyeon stood silent for a moment, seemingly confused by my question. “I thought the Young Master had summoned them…?”
“You thought I called those… those guests?”
“That’s what they told me, so I…”
I massaged my forehead upon hearing that. From a distance, I could sense two familiar qi signatures in the guest quarters.
Those uninvited guests were Namgung Bi-ah and Tang Soyeol.