The Four Heavens (1)
"Whew..."
Thud.
"Ha."
Thinking that he felt strangely less out of breath than usual, Lee Jin-hyuk stopped moving.
'Strange. There hasn't been any significant change in my Stamina stat.'
Tilting his head, Jin-hyuk took a step forward.
"I've arrived."
Looking at the bustling, colorful marketplace, Jin-hyuk smiled.
"Sichuan."
Sichuan.
Thanks to its basin-like geography surrounded by rugged mountain ranges, this region was well-defended against external invasions.
In this very province, there was a family that wielded an influence rivaling that of an emperor.
The Dang Clan.
A place renowned for its mastery of poisons, hidden weapons, and medicine.
There was even a rumor that the poisons concocted here had killed half of all rankers, while the medicine developed here had saved the other half.
In the lands of Sichuan, one could never escape the grasp of the Dang Clan.
Yet, as long as the Dang Clan stood, no one could ever hope to invade Sichuan either.
Ruling over the region of Sichuan, the Dang Clan reigned almost like the kings of their own independent nation.
"..."
"..."
As one might have guessed, clashing with the members of the Dang Clan in Sichuan was never a wise choice.
Perhaps it would be different elsewhere, but not here.
They repaid favors twofold and vengeance tenfold. Moreover, if anyone dared to touch a member of the Dang Clan, they would swarm like hornets to exact their revenge.
That was why Jin-hyuk had intended to avoid any entanglement with the Dang Clan until he met up with Dang So-wol or Kaelion.
Yes.
He had tried his absolute best to do so.
"Bwahahahahahahaha!"
"..."
"Villains like you who torment our animal friends! This is your punishment! Hahaha!"
—Peep! Peep!
A booming voice echoed from afar, carrying a force that felt almost like a sonic martial art.
Hearing that boisterous, yet all-too-familiar laugh, Jin-hyuk pressed his hand to his temple.
'He caused trouble.'
Whenever Russell laughed like that, it meant he had caused trouble.
'Of all places, in Sichuan. And right near the Dang Clan, no less.'
He shook his head.
'Maybe I should have kept him by my side when I was dealing with Hades.'
After all, why else would that guy have been running around the lands of Xizang, beating up every Green Forest bandit he laid eyes on?
He was nothing short of a walking time bomb.
'Wait... this is bad.'
If Russell had lost his temper enough to throw punches, it was ten to one that it involved animals.
He usually left livestock alone, so he wouldn't have gone into some innocent farmhouse to cause a ruckus.
Besides, there weren't many farms around here to begin with.
'If someone is handling animals here...'
It was likely the Dang Clan.
Since they dealt with venomous beasts and all kinds of poisonous creatures, they were highly likely to trigger Russell's animal-detection radar.
From Russell's perspective, the Dang Clan members—who subdued, tortured, and extracted venom from these creatures—would be nothing but "villains."
'I need to check this out quickly.'
Movement Skill Activated
"Hahaha!"
"..."
Sure enough, standing before a laughing Russell, who had his hands on his hips, were several martial artists dressed in green robes, sprawled on the ground.
'I seriously want to crawl into a hole.'
Regardless of the crowd watching, Russell was laughing heartily, completely shirtless.
Sssss!
Skreeech!
Seeing the spiders, bees, snakes, and centipedes gathered behind him, Jin-hyuk felt an overwhelming urge to hide.
—Peep?
But he couldn't even do that.
"Jin-hyuk? Jin-hyuk is here?"
—Peep!
Divine Beast Elruin has activated a skill.
As if determined not to let him go this time, Elruin crossed the short distance in an instant and threw herself into Jin-hyuk's arms.
'This little one.'
Because of this, it became an established fact that he was accomplices with Russell.
Of course, it didn't really matter.
They were bound to travel together from now on anyway, and Jin-hyuk himself felt that he had been neglecting Elruin far too much lately.
"I'm sorry."
—Peep! Peep!
"Right, right. Let's not separate anymore."
After gently soothing Elruin and placing her on his shoulder, Jin-hyuk stepped forward.
"Hahaha! Jin-hyuk! You've come, my friend!"
"..."
Those words felt like a brand being stamped on him.
"Lee Jin-hyuk? That legendary player?"
"That's right! It's him! The one with the Mythic-grade equipment crafted by Eike!"
"...I heard he became a ranker recently."
"Rank 1,000! And he even has the alias 'Overwhelmer' now..."
The surrounding crowd instantly erupted into a clamor.
No matter how experienced Jin-hyuk was, having all eyes on him in the middle of Sichuan was bound to make him feel awkward.
"Ugh...!"
Someone ground their teeth and struggled to stand, glaring at Jin-hyuk.
Though his green robes were completely tattered, they clearly bore the large character for 'Dang'.
His joints seemed completely shattered, yet his eyes were still brimming with venomous malice.
"To think that... that famous 'Overwhelmer' and 'The Mighty' were in league with each other."
"...There seems to be a misunderstan—"
"What misunderstanding?!"
Grind!
As if consumed by rage, a thick, viscous energy erupted from the green-robed man.
It was a poison so potent that it momentarily corroded Russell's body, even with his skill active.
"How dare you attack our Dang Clan in the lands of Sichuan! And you struck first!"
Seeing the venom-filled eyes and the youthful face of the speaker, Jin-hyuk broke into a cold sweat.
"Wait."
"Silence, you scoundrels!"
A dagger in one hand, and countless needles and poisonous smoke in the other.
Though he looked far too youthful compared to the peak version Jin-hyuk had met before his regression, there was no mistaking him.
Along with Namgung Hun, he was a High Ranker who would later be called one of the "Four Heavens" of the Orthodox Murim Alliance.
It was undoubtedly Dang Jun-seong.
The problem wasn't what Dang Jun-seong would become in the future.
It was that he currently held the position of Young Master of the Dang Clan.
The Young Master was not merely the son or daughter of the family head; it was the title given to the one who would inherit the clan. In a kingdom, it was equivalent to the Crown Prince, not just any prince.
Yes.
That reckless madman, Russell, had gone and laid hands on the Young Master in the Dang Clan's own territory.
"Russell, you crazy... bastard..."
Sighing deeply as if the ground might cave in, Jin-hyuk glared at Russell.
"Can't you go a single day without causing trouble?"
"But Jin-hyuk!"
Russell puffed out his chest proudly and shouted.
"That guy was tormenting our animal friends first!"
Sssss!
Kuuu!
The venomous creatures behind him nodded their heads in unison.
Grind...!
Regardless of their excuses, Dang Jun-seong's mana and poison were surging higher and higher.
It was especially dangerous when members of the Dang Clan were extremely agitated or enraged.
This was because the poisons and hidden weapons they unleashed rarely distinguished between friend, foe, or innocent bystanders.
"Overwhelmer! The Mighty! I don't care how strong you are, or how famous you've become!"
Whoosh!
"This is Sichuan!"
Swish!
As if they had been lying in ambush beforehand, daggers flew in from all directions in an instant.
"Sigh. This is going to be a pain."
The Dang Clan's attacks were tricky to deal with.
On top of that, they were too worked up to listen to reason, and Jin-hyuk had to protect both his divine beast and the venomous creatures Russell had brought along.
He felt a massive headache coming on.
Grind!
Still, he couldn't just stand there and do nothing.
Under normal circumstances, the Dang Clan would ensure civilians weren't harmed, but in their current state of fury, there were too many variables.
Moreover, Jin-hyuk had a lot of things to protect.
The protective dragon barrier, originating from his skill, enveloped the entire area.
Neither poison nor daggers could pierce the densely woven dragon scales.
Furthermore, because a portion of his holy fire's power was infused into it, status-inflicting substances like poison were completely blocked at the source.
—Peep!
Showing no fear of battle, Elruin puffed up her feathers as much as she could and prepared to fight.
"Young Master."
Jin-hyuk, on the other hand, focused entirely on defense to resolve the misunderstanding.
"Please calm down first..."
"Young Master!"
"What is the meaning of this?!"
But then, something strange happened.
Men with bald heads that gleamed in the sunlight appeared.
Monks who had clearly come from a temple were approaching, enveloped in golden mana.
'What the...?'
Jin-hyuk's eyes widened as he saw them.
"...Shaolin?"
"Young Master! Stop!"
"How dare you try to harm the benefactor of our Shaolin Sect!"
'Why am I your benefactor?'
Jin-hyuk couldn't understand it, but it seemed the situation might take a turn for the better.
If Jin-hyuk remembered correctly, the current leader of the Murim Alliance was a figure from Shaolin.
No matter how much the Dang Clan was treated as unorthodox among the orthodox sects, they were still part of the Murim Alliance, so they wouldn't dare push things any further.
—Or so Jin-hyuk optimistically hoped.
"Halt, Poison Dragon!"
"You damn bald head!"
"..."
"Is it you again?!"
What caught Dang Jun-seong's eye was a monk with a lean but exceptionally solid build.
With thick eyebrows and a stern impression, his name was Hyeon-beop.
He was a player with the alias 'Supreme Vajra' and would later become one of the "Four Heavens."
'Those two are supposed to be rivals among the rising stars at this point in time...'
"Did you shave off your common sense along with your hair?!"
"..."
Sure enough, the moment Dang Jun-seong saw Hyeon-beop, he began to foam at the mouth in rage.
"Please calm down first! This is a matter of the Murim Alliance..."
The Shaolin monks had come here on Murim Alliance business.
However, this only served to fuel the anger of the Dang Clan members.
"Does being from the Murim Alliance make you all-powerful?!"
"They were the ones who attacked us first!"
"How dare you bring up the Murim Alliance in the lands of Sichuan?!"
The other Dang Clan members, not just Dang Jun-seong, began drawing their daggers and hidden weapons.
Seeing the poisonous smoke rising, they were clearly worked up to the extreme.
'Damn it.'
Seeing this, Jin-hyuk quickly threw himself forward.
'Of all the sects to show up, it had to be Shaolin...'
At this point in time, Shaolin's prestige was immense.
They were the foremost among the Buddhist sects.
They wielded such powerful influence that they were called the Mount Tai and Beidou of the 10th floor, and the leader of the Orthodox Murim Alliance was also a Shaolin figure.
Of course, their influence and religious views were not limited to the 10th floor; they shook the entire Tower.
And that was the problem.
Because the Dang Clan specialized in poisons and hidden weapons, they were subtly looked down upon even within the Orthodox Murim Alliance.
For such people, their strongest pride and self-respect lay in one thing: that here, in the lands of Sichuan, their influence and authority were absolute.
Yet Shaolin had come here to interfere with the Dang Clan's affairs?
For the Dang Clan, who were already harboring deep resentment over the Alliance's treatment, gaze, and attitude, this was absolutely unacceptable.
Even with a proper justification, it would be hard to tolerate, but now their Young Master had been attacked first.
For Shaolin to come all the way to Sichuan and recklessly interfere in a matter concerning the direct bloodline's grievances?
'Shit.'
Having spent a considerable amount of time in the Murim before his regression, Jin-hyuk knew all too well that this situation was spiraling out of control.
"Using fists! You might not have hair, but you've got romance! Hahaha!"
"You crazy bastard..."
Jin-hyuk glared at Russell.
"Are you really this relaxed when you're the one who caused this mess?"
"But those guys are the villains! Using poison and tiny weapons like cowards."
"What? Cowards?!"
"The Mighty!"
Russell's words only served to infuriate the Dang Clan members even further.
"Hear me, Dang Clan!"
Dang Jun-seong shouted as he tapped his own pressure points and forcibly snapped his bones back into place.
"Damn bastards. We are members of the Murim Alliance too, yet you don't even think of helping us...!"
His aura was so ferocious that for a moment, it felt like a chilling intent to kill.
Everyone present was startled by the aura, which felt like a venomous snake cornered at the brink of death.
"Kill the intruders who have invaded Sichuan! In the name of the Dang Clan!"
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
The rage stemming from his broken body, and the fact that Shaolin—a pillar of the Orthodox Murim Alliance—had refused to help them, combined with a myriad of complex emotions.
"How dare you attack our benefactor!"
"He is the pride of our Orthodox Murim Alliance!"
"They act like unorthodox scoundrels anyway..."
"I heard they had bizarre temperaments, and it seems the rumors were true! Protect our benefactor!"
Believing that Dang Jun-seong had finally crossed the line, Hyeon-beop and the other Shaolin monks began to manifest their golden mana.
It was a brilliant light, entirely different from the blood-red mandala of the Potala Palace he had seen in Xizang.
With one chaotic event unfolding after another, Jin-hyuk's head spun.
"I've had enough of this."
His patience exhausted, Jin-hyuk quietly raised his sword.
He had thought of the quickest and simplest solution.
"I need to shut them up first."
—Peep?
His eyes flashing, Jin-hyuk stepped forward.
Dragon's Pressure
"Gah?!"
"W-what is this...?"
Shhhhhh!
Feeling a crushing pressure as if they were facing a dragon—no, an entity of even more primal terror—every player in the area began to tremble.
"Everyone, quiet."
Thud.
As Jin-hyuk rested his sword on the ground, the earth shuddered in response to the vibration.
The Shaolin monks and the Dang Clan martial artists alike fell silent, slowly turning their heads toward him.
"From now on, if anyone moves without my permission, the consequences won't be pleasant."
Before they knew it, his eyes had grown cold and indifferent.
"So calm down."