Chapter 471
Chapter 471
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 471
Chapter Title: Saba Heaven (3)
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It was already common knowledge among those who needed to know that Yoon Jiyun, the founder of the Sacred Heaven Yoon Clan, had come from another world.
Given that, it was only natural that the people of this world had taken an interest in otherworlders.
After Yoon Jiyun, who had brought peace to the world, departed from Saba Heaven...
Factions like the Sacred Heaven Yoon Clan and many others had done everything in their power to draw the 'second Thunder Emperor' to their side.
They scoured the world for Earthlings, promising them immense support to win them over.
Of course, not all methods were gentle.
From abductions and threats exploiting those who hadn't fully grown, to inhumane crimes like human experimentation.
The reckless actions of certain organizations that stopped at nothing caused widespread chaos for a time, only subsiding once it became clear that not every otherworlder could become a Thunder Emperor.
But even if they didn't meet expectations, it was undeniable that their growth outpaced that of ordinary practitioners.
Even the least talented among them were at least geniuses, so continuing to support otherworlders wasn't a bad deal.
They'd eventually return to Earth anyway, but until then, they could serve as valuable mercenaries.
And if a true 'second Thunder Emperor' actually appeared? That would be hitting the jackpot.
And, as was to be expected...
The Sacred Heaven Yoon Clan, whose founder had been an otherworlder, was one of the factions operating such a sponsorship system.
"You'll be staying here from now on. It's equipped with everything you might need, and there's always a caretaker on duty, so just let them know if you require anything, and they'll prepare it right away."
Rusette, who had personally escorted Hun to his lodgings, turned to look at him.
Her demeanor was as calm as if she'd never been excited in the first place, but her still-flushed cheeks betrayed her inner thrill all too plainly.
'Well, from their perspective, he's no different from a legendary figure they've only heard about in stories.'
All those who had been active in the same era as Yoon Jiyun had long since passed away from old age.
In such circumstances, encountering someone who had come from the very place where that legend was still alive and active...
Hun shrugged and surveyed the lodgings.
"By the way, I heard there aren't that many otherworlders staying with the Yoon Clan... but this place is huge, isn't it?"
"It's not just big. The interior facilities are even more impressive than the exterior. You could probably live here luxuriously for years without ever stepping outside."
The massive scale rivaled that of a grand mansion.
To provide such accommodations to a mere guest...
It truly marked them as one of the world's top factions.
"And..."
Rusette's hesitant voice reached Hun's ear as he leisurely took in the mansion with Ramyu on his back.
When he turned to her, she bowed her head deeply and continued.
"Let me apologize once more. At the time, I was so distraught over Sohoe's kidnapping that I didn't verify things properly and committed a grave discourtesy."
"Ah."
Only then did he understand why a deep-layer practitioner like her had volunteered to guide him personally.
She must have been waiting for a chance to speak with him alone like this.
"It's fine. Given the circumstances back then, it was understandable. Besides, nothing really happened anyway."
"Still, a wrong is a wrong. If there's ever anything you need help with, don't hesitate to ask. Even if it's a bit unreasonable... I'll do whatever I can to make it happen."
A deep-layer practitioner symbolized a faction's military might in and of herself.
In truth, there was virtually nothing she couldn't accomplish within the clan.
Her word alone was worth a fortune in this world.
It was essentially a blank check.
'She's offering that so easily? From this seemingly rigid woman?'
It was natural to be wary of suspicious individuals.
Especially someone like Hun, who openly wielded extraordinary power.
And to offer a blank check without any actual schemes? It felt a bit excessive.
'...Ah, I see. Unlike other otherworlders who just receive sponsorship, I've already proven my worth.'
But add one prerequisite, and the story changes.
Hun had rescued a clan member kidnapped due to the Yoon Clan's inadequate response, even defeating upper-layer practitioners in the process.
Wouldn't treating him the same as the others be the real injustice?
From here on, they'd likely dangle various carrots to win him over.
'No reason to refuse what's offered. Who knows what might come up later.'
The kidnapping victim, Yoon Sohoe, had been summoned by the clan elders the moment Hun's verification was complete.
In fact, it was more surprising they hadn't called her immediately upon her return.
They'd probably waited briefly out of respect for Rusette's presence.
"The caretaker is here to greet you. Then I'll take my leave. There's a lot to handle with the aftermath of the kidnapping."
"Thank you for seeing me all the way here."
"It's nothing. And..."
As they exchanged farewells, Rusette bowed again.
This time, at an even deeper angle than her first apology.
"Thank you so much for saving Sohoe. That child is like a little sister to me... If anything had happened to her, I..."
Her voice trembled as she trailed off, unable to continue.
She hadn't seemed that emotional at their first meeting, but given the situation, she'd probably been holding it in until now.
Hun scratched his head awkwardly as he watched her retreating figure after her second expression of gratitude.
'Hmm... Maybe that blank check was just a genuine token of thanks.'
He shrugged and turned toward the lodgings.
First, he needed to lay Ramyu down and examine her condition more closely.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A dimly lit underground interrogation room.
"What do you think?"
"Hmm..."
Elders gathered in one place stared gravely at someone with serious expressions.
Where their gazes converged.
An ill-tempered old woman, her eyes displaying bizarre patterns, let out a sigh of admiration.
"Well, I'll say this much: it's impressive."
She examined the row of bodies laid out on one side, then roughly parted one's hair at the back of the head and glanced at the elders before spitting out her words.
"For starters, chakra definitely wasn't used."
At that, several visibly relaxed.
They'd checked once before, but her assertion eliminated even the lingering unease.
But her words weren't over yet.
"However... this seems even more dangerous than something using mana-charged chakra."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"How should I put this..."
The elders frowned at the old woman's pause.
Seeing their reactions, she smirked and continued.
"Their minds have been completely corrupted by mental contamination. Even if they wake up, they won't be fully functional. Good grief, this is the most vicious malice I've ever seen in my life. It's more miraculous they survived having this poured directly into their heads."
If it had been an attack using the same chakra, there might have been a way to mitigate the aftereffects.
The old woman clicked her tongue as she finished speaking.
The elders exchanged serious looks.
All present were highly capable individuals, so they immediately grasped the implications.
"What do you think?"
"Well... since that ability user has come into our fold, it doesn't seem like bad news."
"We can't take it that lightly. It could end up being a double-edged sword."
"Come to think of it, he's from the same country as the founder, right? Apparently, Sohoe said she's even met him in person..."
The elders—Yoon Clan's leaders—traded opinions.
They were the grandchildren's generation of those who had founded the clan alongside the progenitor.
They were the primary contributors who had struggled and raged to preserve the clan's position without letting it decline, carrying on the previous generation's glory.
Their gazes returned to the culprits of the kidnapping incident.
"At any rate, one thing's clear. This Hun fellow is different from other otherworlders."
"I hear otherworlders aren't that strong right after crossing dimensions."
"Who knows? He might have been hiding his power after some time here."
"Even without chakra, he did this much. If chakra were added on top..."
Heat flickered in the eyes of the quietly conversing elders.
The clan's infinite glory.
That was the value they had pursued their entire lives.
For that glory, they hesitated at nothing.
They avoided actions too far beyond the pale, as they could undermine their goals, but for anything mildly unethical, they rationalized and compromised with reality.
In such a situation, an irregular had fallen into their hands—one that, if properly honed, might rival even the heavens.
'If we can control him as we wish...'
'We might not only navigate this turbulent era but recreate the previous generation's glory.'
They could feel with their own skin that the world's situation was growing precarious.
This Yoon Sohoe kidnapping was a prime example.
For a clan heir to be abducted within the Sacred Heaven Yoon Clan's territory?
How could such a thing be possible?
They were tracking the culprits and devising countermeasures, but in contingencies, more cards were always better.
The elders nodded to one another.
They seemed to share similar thoughts.
Thus, the Yoon Clan's leadership turned their attention to Hun.
...Whether they could truly bend that ghost who had traversed countless worlds to their will remained to be seen.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Hun let out a small sigh.
A full day had passed since Ramyu lost consciousness, yet she showed no signs of waking.
When he first awakened, it had only taken a few hours.
'Her body's not in any serious trouble. If anything, despite not eating for a day, she's brimming with an oddly vibrant energy.'
That made it tricky to intervene right away.
He didn't know the exact situation, and tampering blindly could worsen things.
'If I could extend 'Mental Resonance' deeper into her subconscious, I could communicate with Ramyu and find out what's wrong.'
But with his current skill level, such fine control was impossible.
He'd only started handling this ability recently, after all.
Blasting a hole through barriers and reversing thoughts was one thing, but reaching her deep psyche without damaging her mind required greater proficiency.
'In the end, to learn anything now, I need to raise 'Mental Resonance' to a higher level. But that's not something that happens easily.'
That was the orthodox view.
In general.
"Greetings, Mr. Hun. I'm Yoon Soso, here to assist you with your chakra awakening."
And yet, most conveniently...
That method existed.
"Chakra is the power that opens the inner microcosm to manifest phenomena. Theoretically, nothing is impossible. Limits are set only by the practitioner's level."
A voluptuous beauty in her twenties—Yoon Soso, a mid-layer practitioner—continued her gentle explanation, filling the air with a fragrant scent.
"I wield the chakra of scents, allowing me to freely combine and amplify any aroma in the world. I can blend the calming Lapira flower, the analgesic Pupuri, and the regenerative Talum incense to aid the sick. Or mix invigorating and muscle-enhancing scents to support in battle."
She smiled with her eyes whenever their gazes met, as if under orders from above, but thanks to 'Mind Hub,' Hun maintained his cool composure, meeting her gaze with steadfast eyes.
'Made with chakra? Nice fragrance.'
He briefly entertained that irrelevant thought.
Yoon Soso's lips twitched faintly under his stare.
'What is this...'
She'd been confident at their first meeting, but now she felt overwhelmed by the inexplicable pressure emanating from him.
No, she quickly realized what that pressure was.
Passion for learning.
It blazed so intensely that it was palpable.
'Impossible. His eyes haven't changed at all...!'
As Hun had predicted, she was assigned to him on orders from above.
She wasn't just any practitioner; she had awakened four chakras, all raised to the mid-layer—a highly special operative.
'Scent' was publicly known, while 'Emotion,' 'Charm,' and 'Secret' were privy only to the upper echelons.
Yoon Soso was optimized for honey traps, for example.
'What's wrong with this guy? Impotent? No, it's something else...'
No matter how advanced one's realm or how strong their mental fortitude, her layered charms weren't easily pierced.
After all, her art wasn't crude manipulation via chakra but naturally arousing innate human emotions.
'It's definitely taking effect. So why? Why isn't it working?'
But she couldn't show her frustration.
She was a professional in this field.
Having awakened four chakras, her instruction was practical and highly useful.
'I see. Just having many chakras isn't always better.'
Hun nodded, his face alight with scholarly zeal.
Filling the foundational inner image of the microcosm with one element versus distributing it across many couldn't yield the same result.
To pursue the ultimate, focusing solely on one chakra was the right choice.
Unless, like Yoon Soso, one had already grasped their limits early.
'One chakra per inner image...'
Hun tilted his head.
But one question arose here.
'So what about someone like me?'
He closed his eyes gently.
And contemplated his inner self.
The inner images, divided into thirteen total via 'Avatar,' 'Mind Hub,' and 'Persona.'