Chapter 635: White (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 635: White (2)
Silence.
In a world scorched black, Woo Hyuk drifted in thought.
How truly quiet it was.
The world, once overflowing with noise, had fallen into an eerie stillness. Just a moment ago, it had been deafening.
-Kill.
-Accept.
-Praise.
These were different from the usual sounds he heard. Unlike the chaotic jumble of voices that were typically too distorted to understand, these were piercingly clear.
How long had they been speaking? It felt as if an eternity had passed.
Crash! CRASH!
Occasionally, the sound of a ceiling collapsing would ring out from nowhere.
-Praise…!
-Revere!
The voices persisted, relentless, as if attempting to brainwash him. They clamored loudly for a long time.
-Prai…
Then, at some point, the silence fell.
‘Hm?’
Sensing the change, Woo Hyuk slowly opened his eyes. A sudden wave of disappointment washed over him.
‘It wasn’t so bad.’
The repetitive voices were a bit tedious, but compared to the usual cacophony he endured, they were practically a lullaby. He had hoped he could rest a little longer.
‘The fact that the sound has stopped…’
Did it mean something was about to happen?
With that thought, Woo Hyuk sat up.
“Hmm?”
He tilted his head, confused by the scene before him. Night had fallen upon the world—a pitch-black night where nothing could be seen. The ground and the sky were veiled in an absolute, scorched black.
“Huh?”
Looking up, Woo Hyuk let out a small sound. He saw it clearly: the last remaining sliver of the white background was being swallowed by the darkness. With that, the world Woo Hyuk inhabited became entirely void.
“Heh.”
Woo Hyuk chuckled.
“Perfect weather for a nap.”
That was his first thought, rather than worry. In a world without a single ray of light, he felt he could sleep soundly if he just closed his eyes. As he considered lying back down…
“Come to think of it…”
A strange realization struck him.
“Why am I here?”
Why was he in a place like this? The question only occurred to him now. How had he ended up here?
‘I’m sure… toward the end…’
He thought he had followed someone and seen something. He wasn't sure.
“Does it matter?”
He decided it didn't. Using his arm as a pillow, Woo Hyuk turned onto his side. Whatever had happened, what did it matter now?
‘It’s so quiet.’
To him, the present silence was more important than any mystery. He sought sleep in the stillness. Unable to resist the temptation, Woo Hyuk was about to close his eyes when…
Tap.
“Hm?”
He felt a presence. Wondering who it could be, he looked over. Someone was sitting next to him. And what’s more…
-Gurgle… ghhh…
They were crushing something white and unidentifiable beneath them. It looked… like a snake, perhaps. He wasn’t sure; its appearance was too grotesque to be called a snake.
And the one crushing it…
‘…Who is that?’
He had never seen this person before. Dressed in tattered, worn black martial arts robes, the man’s build didn't seem particularly large. However, when Woo Hyuk looked at his face…
“…!”
Shudder!
The sensation that washed over him made him sit up involuntarily. Goosebumps erupted across his skin. The moment their eyes met, he was seized by an inexplicable, primal fear.
‘…What is this killing intent?’
Woo Hyuk’s body instinctively went on guard. The man wasn't doing anything; he wasn't even looking at Woo Hyuk. Yet, just by being near him, Woo Hyuk could feel the weight of death.
The man seemed to be killing intent given human form.
“…Who are you?” he asked, his voice thick with caution.
Slowly.
The man’s head turned toward Woo Hyuk. Seeing his face clearly, Woo Hyuk flinched.
‘…What?’
He looked familiar. The man’s face bore a striking resemblance to someone Woo Hyuk knew. Aside from the violet pupils, the scorched whites of his eyes, and the aura of death that radiated from him, his sharp features reminded him of a close friend. If that friend were to age, he would look exactly like this.
Gulp.
Woo Hyuk swallowed dryly in the uncomfortable silence. Just then, the man spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
Woo Hyuk stared blankly. He hadn't expected an apology out of the blue.
“…For what?” Woo Hyuk asked, not hiding his confusion.
“Thinking back, I realize it’s something I’ve never said to you.”
“Hm?”
Does he know me? Woo Hyuk wondered.
“How do I look?” the man asked. “The me that you saved. How do I look now?”
“…?”
Woo Hyuk couldn't understand. Saved him? What was that supposed to mean? When had he ever saved this man?
“…When did I ever save you?”
“Throughout my life, I’ve tried to understand, but I have never once understood you,” the man said, ignoring the question. “That you would throw away your own precious life to save me. You, who did it without a shred of hesitation. I cannot understand it.”
Listening to those words, Woo Hyuk felt a surge of frustration.
“…Who are you? Who are you to say such things?”
“Do you regret it?”
Again, the man didn't answer. He simply continued his monologue.
“I hope you do regret it,” he said, his voice heavy and scorched. “I hope you resent me for it. You have every right to.”
“...”
“Back then. And…” The man looked at Woo Hyuk before turning his head away again. “In the future, too.”
“...”
No matter how he looked at it, Woo Hyuk couldn't make sense of it. He didn't know what the man was talking about or who he was. But…
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about, but…” Woo Hyuk found himself responding. He felt like he had to. “If I truly did save you, I must have done it because you seemed worth it.”
“...”
The man still wasn't looking at him, but Woo Hyuk saw his shoulders tremble slightly.
“I don’t know if you truly know me, but you asked if I regret it?” Woo Hyuk said bluntly. “I doubt it. I probably wouldn’t have regretted it. I saved someone worthy. That’s enough. That’s what I would have thought.”
That’s what I would have done. He spoke with absolute conviction.
“Besides, you started off wrong.”
“Started?”
“That’s right.”
I’m sorry. That was the first thing the man had said. For some reason, Woo Hyuk didn't like it.
“‘Thank you.’ I think that would sound a little better.”
“Ha.” The man let out a small, dry laugh. “You’re still an idiot.”
“What…?” Woo Hyuk stared, dumbfounded by the sudden insult. And yet, the tone felt incredibly familiar.
“Damned bastard.”
“You’ve got a sharp tongue for a first meeting. Is everyone who looks like that the same…?”
Rustle.
The man stood up. Woo Hyuk waved his hands, flustered.
“A joke! It was a joke…! I was just kidding…!”
He’s going to hit me. Woo Hyuk instinctively looked for an escape route. Fortunately, the man seemed to have no intention of striking him. He calmly approached Woo Hyuk, looked down at him, and spoke.
“Now, get up.”
“Pardon?”
“My hand is starting to hurt.”
“…Huh?”
Just as he wondered what that meant—
Smack!
“Gah!?”
Woo Hyuk’s head snapped to the side. He clutched his cheek as a stinging pain shot through it. He’d been hit. But…
‘He wasn’t the one who hit me.’
The man was standing perfectly still. What was going on?
Smack!
“Gugh!”
He was hit again. And it didn't stop there.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
With a series of sharp cracks, Woo Hyuk’s head was whipped from side to side.
“Ugh! Stop!” he yelled, not even sure who he was shouting at.
Through it all, the man just stared down at him. “Get up.”
Smack!
“No! Wait—!”
Smack! Smack!
“I said, get up.”
SMACK!!
“You son of a—!!”
Unable to bear the pain, Woo Hyuk finally screamed. “I’m getting up! I’ll get up, so stop hitting me!”
Bolt!
Woo Hyuk shot upright, shouting.
“Hah… hah…”
“Oh. You’re up.”
It wasn't the deep, scorched voice from his dream, but a younger, familiar one. Woo Hyuk turned his gaze. There stood Gu Yangcheon, looking at him with a raised hand.
“…You… ugh!?”
Woo Hyuk flinched. His cheek hurt like hell and felt incredibly hot.
“You just wouldn’t wake up, so I tried something. Looks like this was the answer.”
Don’t tell me the pain and the sounds I felt just now…
“…You were actually hitting me?”
“You really wouldn’t wake up.”
Woo Hyuk, his cheek now visibly swollen, retorted, “…You could have just woken me up with your Qi.”
If he wanted to wake him, he could have circulated his Qi to rouse his senses. It was a delicate method, but for someone of Gu Yangcheon’s level, it should have been simple.
Gu Yangcheon gave an awkward laugh. “Well, that’s not so easy to do on you anymore.”
“What’s that supposed to—?”
Woo Hyuk stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening. He sensed something strange. He examined his own body.
“Huh?”
His body had changed. Other than his robes being inexplicably tattered, there didn't seem to be anything wrong externally. But the inside was completely different.
‘…My Qi.’
It was immense. An enormous volume of Qi was circulating through his meridians. Woo Hyuk was already part of the Meteor Generation. As one of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes and the greatest young prodigy of Wudang, his Qi was by no means small.
But his current level was on a completely different scale.
‘…It’s overflowing.’
It was a vast, surging tide. He couldn't even comprehend the depth of it. Moreover…
“…!”
As he assessed the flow, Woo Hyuk noticed the strangest part.
‘Why is my Qi…!’
The Qi that should have been settled in his Lower Dantian was near his heart—it was flowing from the location of his Middle Dantian.
“Tsk.” Gu Yangcheon clicked his tongue. “A guy who was already pretty strong… to think you’d gobble up a fateful encounter too.”
“A fateful encounter…?”
“Ah, shit… what a fucking waste…” Gu Yangcheon sighed heavily. “…Such a waste… a real waste…”
“…What the hell are you talking about? What’s a waste?”
“There’s something, you bastard! If only I had taken that, I would have…” He cursed as he looked Woo Hyuk up and down. “Still, it looks like it worked properly, thankfully.”
“…?”
“Looking at your state, you don’t even know what you’ve gained. Is this a problem that arose during the transfer?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Forget it. As long as it turned out well, that’s all that matters.”
Without answering, Gu Yangcheon stood up. Seeing him, Woo Hyuk asked in surprise, “Are you hurt…?”
“Hm? Ah.”
Gu Yangcheon’s body was a mess. His upper body was covered in deep sword wounds that were still bleeding, and he was covered in scrapes and scratches. On top of that, his breathing was ragged—proof that he was utterly exhausted. For that monster to be tired, what on earth had happened?
“Just a few scratches,” he answered nonchalantly, but it looked far more serious than that.
Woo Hyuk looked around and noticed their surroundings. “This place is…”
It was collapsed and destroyed, but the space was familiar. He had definitely come here with Yuseon…
“Yuseon…! Where is the First Young Lady?”
“...”
At the question, Gu Yangcheon made a sour face. “Originally, I had a lot of questions for you, you know?”
“...”
Woo Hyuk pressed his lips together. There were things that needed to be said. There were things Gu Yangcheon had to ask him, and conversely, things Woo Hyuk needed to ask Gu Yangcheon.
“So. Get it ready.”
“…Ready?”
“Yeah, ready.” Gu Yangcheon dug in his ear with his pinky, looking annoyed. “It’s obviously going to be a long story. So let’s both prepare a three-line summary.”
“...”
“Neither of us likes long chats, right? It’s a pain.”
It was supposed to be a serious situation, but Gu Yangcheon, as always, was irreverent. A three-line summary? He was truly a madman.
‘This guy really is…’
A being Woo Hyuk could never understand, no matter how much time passed.
“Well then, I’m heading out first, so take your time.”
“What?” Woo Hyuk was taken aback. “You’re leaving?”
Leaving so suddenly? Leaving him here?
Looking at the bewildered Woo Hyuk, Gu Yangcheon said, “Originally, I was going to take you with me when you woke up.”
That was true. Although his purpose had changed since he first arrived, his main objective had been to retrieve Woo Hyuk.
“But things have gotten a little urgent.” Gu Yangcheon wiped away cold sweat and glanced toward the distance. “Fucking hell, that thing is a pain in the ass to the very end. Why does nothing ever go smoothly?”
“…Yangcheon…?”
“At your level now, there shouldn’t be any problems. Find your own way out.”
As if he had no time to explain, Gu Yangcheon dropped into a stance, bending his knees to leap.
Fwoosh!
For an instant, flames enveloped his body. He shot forward, but just as he was about to leap, he looked back at Woo Hyuk.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m… hmm.” He hesitated, biting his lip briefly before speaking again. “Thanks. For staying alive.”
“…?”
Woo Hyuk was about to ask what he meant, but—
FWOOSH! KRAAANG!
Wreathed in flames, Gu Yangcheon smashed through the ceiling and vanished.
“...”
Left alone, Woo Hyuk felt a strange, bittersweet emotion. It was as if he were feeling it himself, yet at the same time, as if the feeling belonged to someone else.