Chapter 98
CHAPTER 97: The Chairman's Reckless Inquiry
“Nice to meet you. I am Jeongmyeong, the 4th Seat.” He introduced himself with a childlike gaze, accompanied by a massive, broad-shouldered man. His gentle features added a plush, comforting warmth. Following his cue, we settled one by one into the provided chairs. “And this gentleman beside me…”
Once we were all seated, Jeongmyeong pointed discreetly toward the elderly man on his upper seat. Our gazes followed his finger to the figure seated there. The man wore no outer garments despite the cold winter air, draped only by a long yellow cloth across his arms and neck. His body housed muscles fierce enough that even the goblins of Gaya would yield a step—each deep breath causing the tightly packed muscles to twitch as if alive, radiating an overwhelming pressure that could crush even the bravest. Human prime is universally said to begin before age thirty and peak just before the spring of life, then decline sharply. Yet before us sat not an elderly man in decline but one flaunting solid, unyielding muscle as if mocking the natural order of aging. …Is he even to be called an old man?
“Euuu…” Teraden looked at the man and clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Hmph.” Jeongmyeong let out a dry cough in response. “Well now, please focus on me. To introduce this gentleman briefly: his master…”
CRACK!
Before Jeongmyeong could finish, the old man suddenly backhanded him across the head. “Ouch!” Jeongmyeong winced, clutching the spot with a soft groan. “Master is only called that when it’s just the two of us. In front of others, you should call him the Elder or 1st Seat.” “I’m sorry, Master… I mean, Elder!” “Tch, I have matters to discuss with these children. You may withdraw.” “Yes, understood.” Jeongmyeong rubbed his head, pouting like a child as he left the room. The scene strangely reminded me of something I’d seen before. With Jeongmyeong gone, only the old man and us remained. The old man introduced himself in a terse, powerful voice. “Once known as The One, I am now the 1st Seat, Chairman of the Seats, and the lord of this city—Unhak.” “The One?!” “The one I know?” The word The One had been mentioned by Eper before we entered the continent’s pinnacle. His appearance and aura already suggested an extraordinary lineage. Yet the moment the title escaped Teraden’s lips, he couldn’t contain his excitement and shouted. “Yes, though it’s been a few short years…” “Wait, but why did you paint your body like that?” “Paint? Kid, watch your manners. Looks like something’s stuffed inside that head. Want me to smash it open?” SMASH! Unhak held up his clenched fist, bulging veins and the size of a marble making it look deadly. Teraden, quick on the uptake, broke into nervous sweat and averted his gaze. “…No.” “Well, no matter. The reason this old man summoned you today is—” Unhak clasped his hands, leaning forward with a serious demeanor. Everyone’s eyes locked on him as he suddenly smiled again. “Nothing special. I just felt curious and called you over.” “Huh?” “Your family has drawn far more attention from the continent than you realize. Every move, every word has become fodder for discussion.” “…” “The one who inherited The One from me is of the same lineage. I summoned the children of this generation to see what sort of youths they’ve become. Since I’ve had my fill, you may leave now.” Eper had clearly promised us this meeting would benefit us. But the man before us was merely gazing indifferently. Since Eper wasn’t one to spout empty words, perhaps this was some test he’d arranged to gauge us. Would we leave straightforwardly, or use our wits to turn the situation to our advantage? “What? You came expecting gains but it turned out to be the end?” Unhak’s blank reaction surprised Teraden. “Who said that?” I answered in his place. “The 6th Seat, Ren Eper, who guided us here.” “What? 6th Seat Eper said that?” “I believe he would never fabricate baseless words. Even if false, the Chairman erasing them as if they never existed would be somewhat embarrassing, wouldn’t it?” “Eh?” Unhak raised an eyebrow, then stared at me with hazy eyes. “You don’t look like the sneaky type. Quite the schemer.” “I’ll take that as a compliment.” “Heh heh heh! Bold one.” Unhak threw his head back and laughed heartily, then stroked his chin, muttering to himself. “So what shall I give you? A clue about the next gate? No, that breaks fairness. Hmmm… this is about right.” Smiling broadly, Unhak began to speak. “This old man was once The One, as I just said. For clarity, the former The One before me was Ren Lan, 7th Seat of the Seven Pillars, and the grandfather of the 6th Seat you mentioned, Eper.” “Lan-nim’s grandfather?” “Yes. This old man honed his strength together with your father Amerk and 5th Seat Cheongtong decades ago. To rise higher.” Unhak gestured to the quiet young man beside him. “At some point the three of us visited the The One of that era. We challenged him, saying we would defeat The One itself. Truly foolish, thoughtless talk.” “What happened then?” “What happened? We were soundly beaten right before crossing the River of the Underworld.” “Gah!” Junior gulped in surprise as Unhak continued. “From that day on, this old man became his disciple. The teachings I am about to impart are what this old man received from him. During the Danju Selection, reflect deeply on them. They will be of great help.” * * * The next day, returning from Hwabaek to Gukhak. “That’s utter nonsense! Did you even understand?” “No, I didn’t get it at all.” “Maybe he just said whatever came to mind?” “Still, he didn’t seem like the type to spout nonsense.” “Did something happen yesterday?” Junior, who had no idea of the events, tilted a question mark on his face. Yesterday, as an outsider rather than a prospective Seat, he had been unable to enter the building and thus missed the encounter. He hadn’t heard Unhak’s final, subtle words. ‘The lightest thing in this world and its opposite—the heaviest. What is their difference?’ ‘…?’ ‘This old man hasn’t found a clear answer yet. I look forward to seeing what answer you will discover.’ Unhak’s teaching was as incomprehensible as the prophecy of the Seven Stars that Jin had once mentioned. “Can you guess, Jubern-nim?” “Um… I’m sorry. I don’t know either.” After a long pause, Junior admitted he didn’t understand. “I’ll keep pondering it in the future…” Just as Junior promised to cooperate… SWOOSH. He suddenly drew his blade and blocked our path. “Who are you?” He radiated extreme vigilance toward the empty space. Unlike his usual self, he was extremely tense. “Jubern-nim? Why…?” “Mama! Get behind me!” Jun also reacted fiercely upon sensing something amiss, shielding Jin. We soon understood why. A man had emerged from the bare branches of a withered tree. His ash-gray long hair whipped in the wind as he staggered. He appeared to have just passed his prime. Heavy. The moment we faced him, that single word came to mind. It wasn’t a mere illusion. The air around him grew heavy, suffocating, making every breath difficult. “Hmm? More than I expected. I don’t know who you are. Just kill them all.” Instinctively, I knew that the man tilting his head had more than enough power to realize the words he’d just spoken. * * * Inside Lan’s office in the Imperial Capital. “Pillar-nim!!” SWOOSH. Unlike the uproar of Tal that had rushed from afar, Jin carefully opened the door. Even though time was urgent, the place was occupied by the Seven Pillars, so one couldn’t simply burst in. “…” A faint crack appeared on Wolhyang’s forehead from the disturbance of their intimate moment. “Pillar-nim…! Eeek!!” Facing Wolhyang’s cold gaze, Jin flinched and jerked back. “…Hmph. What happened that you’re making such a fuss?” “An urgent report from Hwabaek!! Maru-nim has awakened his Ineung!” “…?” Tal’s shocking news caused Wolhyang’s horizontally slanted eyes to stretch vertically. “Maru-nim? What happened there?” “The head of the escort party is returning with them now, so the details will follow shortly…” Startled, Lan’s instincts caught something, his face turning grim as he rose. With an expression of stone, he soon shot past Jin at a speed too fast for the eye to follow. WHOOSH!! “Pillar-nim!!” Lan vanished into the distance so swiftly that Jin’s shout seemed to echo endlessly. He headed immediately to the place where multiple powerful auras mixed with something familiar. Naturally, Wolhyang pursued him, and Feltics—who had also been in the capital and sensed the anomaly—rushed after Lan.