Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Letter
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Once the events involving Baek Hyun spread through the Starpoint Sect, the sect was thrown into chaos for a time.
The incredible good news that an ancestral martial arts manual, thought to have been completely lost, had been discovered.
And at the same time, the unprecedented incident of Malevolent Spirits appearing on Starpoint Mountain, a place they believed safer from such threats than anywhere else in the world.
It was only natural, in a way.
The sect's leadership, driven mad by the news that Malevolent Spirits had appeared in their own backyard, immediately mobilized the sect's elite forces.
They began combing every inch of the Starpoint Mountain area, which they had half-neglected until now, to track down any intruders who had entered the sect's territory.
At the same time, research and verification of the Vast Cold Moon Shadow Step that Baek Hyun had discovered was underway.
After thorough verification and study, they confirmed that the handwriting matched that of 'Moonlight Sword,' an elder of the Starpoint Sect from long ago.
Moreover, the value of the Vast Cold Moon Shadow Step martial art was greatly recognized, and it was adopted as one of the sect's highest-level techniques, scheduled for release to First-Generation Disciples and above.
The current sect leader and elders greatly praised Initiate Disciple Baek Hyun for finding this excellent manual and even subjugating the Malevolent Spirits hidden on Starpoint Mountain.
They unanimously agreed to bestow a grand reward upon Baek Hyun for his tremendous contribution to the sect.
It was an unprecedented event for a disciple who hadn't even taken the formal entrance exam to have his name remembered by the sect leader and elders.
And the person responsible for all these changes and events, Baek Hyun himself...
"Kyaa~ This abalone dish is to die for!"
"...You really haven't changed at all, have you?"
As always, he was devouring the high-class dishes Jang So-ya had brought to their secret spot where no one came.
Jang So-ya looked at his friend, who was eating more voraciously than anyone, and spoke up.
"You disappear without a word for days, then suddenly you've found a manual, reached the Peak realm... What the hell are you, really?"
"Ha, you've been watching me for months, young master from a merchant family, and you still don't get it? Don't famous merchant houses pride themselves on having a good eye, sizing people up completely?"
"That's exactly why I joined the Starpoint Sect—I don't have that eye."
"Oh, well, in that case, no words of wisdom here. Good luck. People without family talents usually have something else going for them."
"Thanks... my ass! What the hell are you doing to reach Peak at your age?!"
Jang So-ya grabbed Baek Hyun's collar and shook him with all his might, but Baek Hyun simply gazed back with the serene face of someone enduring a kitten's kneading paws.
Realizing the gap between them was beyond imagination, Jang So-ya released the collar with a sigh and continued.
"Sigh... Fine, you were always extraordinary. But I didn't know you were this much of a monster. You started learning martial arts later than me, yet you're at Peak the same age as me... Did you eat spirit herbs like they were rice?"
"Well, something like that. The spirit herbs I asked you to sell? I ate all the ones I needed first, then gave you the rest."
"...You really ate them like meals."
At a loss for words, Jang So-ya quietly moved his chopsticks for a while before suddenly remembering something.
"Oh, speaking of spirit herbs, the ones you entrusted me with? All sold. Some mysterious person in black bought them all at a premium."
"Oh, good news. How much did we make altogether?"
"They swept them up at double the market price, so even after our merchant group's commission, it's enough for you to live off forever.
But that's not the point right now... A few days later, the buyer came back asking for the seller's identity."
-Freeze-
At that moment, Baek Hyun's chopsticks, which had been moving nonstop, halted.
"So... what did you do?"
"What could I do? You think our merchant group would carelessly leak a friend's info? Of course I said we couldn't. But the guy in black asked us to pass a letter to the seller instead.
If it were nothing, we'd handle it ourselves, but it was unusual enough that I thought you should know."
"...A letter from someone I've never met. Yeah, that's unusual. So, what did it say? Was it a threat or warning?"
"No, no. We checked thoroughly in case something weird was up, but it was just a normal note. They didn't open it since peeking felt wrong... Want to?"
With that, Jang So-ya handed over a crumpled ball of paper from his waistband.
A shabby, makeshift scrap that hardly qualified as a letter—precisely the kind no one would notice.
After a moment's thought, Baek Hyun picked it up with his chopsticks, still holding food.
"You bastard, why pick it up with chopsticks! Now my hands are greasy!!"
Ignoring Jang So-ya's irritated complaint, Baek Hyun dropped the paper onto his palm using the chopsticks.
Why had this person sent him such a thing?
With that thought, Baek Hyun quickly unfolded the paper and checked its contents.
"...Ha, look at this punk."
For the first time since possessing this world, he couldn't help but smile with pure joy.
A short phrase scrawled on the paper.
Written in Hangul that no one but another Korean could recognize, a casual, perfunctory line he'd never seen since arriving.
It felt more welcome than any message he'd ever received.
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A single sentence so simplistic it bordered on rude.
But Baek Hyun instantly grasped its meaning.
To confirm even the slightest possibility without leaking info, minimizing any risk.
After discarding useless expectations, the line that remained.
Though absurdly short and devoid of details, sending this note achieved a definite effect.
"? What's this? Just a doodle? Or... some kind of code?"
If the recipient were an ordinary martial artist, not a possessor, they might find it odd but toss it aside.
This era hadn't even developed Hunminjeongeum, the origin of modern Hangul.
No matter how brilliant, anyone native to this time couldn't distinguish letters from drawings.
Using Hangul alone prevented leaks of conversations between possessors.
Of course, even unknown script isn't impossible to crack with a full page—patterns and context could be analyzed.
But not with this length.
Too short for any rules, traits, or context to be discerned physically.
In short, the sender could verify if the target was a possessor without any risk.
That alone made the note's purpose more than sufficient.
'There really is one... Another guy who possessed into this world besides me...!!'
Baek Hyun desperately suppressed the surging emotions and twitching lips, rapidly turning his mind.
Who could it be?
Who was this rude greeter?
And how did they suspect he was a possessor?
'First, the casual greeting suggests someone I was close to before possessing...'
He didn't have many close players, but they were all rottenwater top-10 rankers, plenty likely to possess.
From the note's delivery background, he could narrow candidates significantly.
Per So-ya, the deliverer was a mysterious 'man in black.'
One with wealth to buy his expensive spirit herbs at multiples of market price.
The sender must have significant ties to this man in black.
'Probably the sender's servant. Swept up herbs for cultivation, learned the Starpoint Mountain seller was me, and was told to deliver the note.'
Wealth to buy out herbs after four months possessing, and a loyal servant.
Even rottenwater needed favorable conditions for that.
Baek Hyun himself focused solely on training, handling worldly matters limitedly through So-ya.
In a righteous high sect, detached from the secular world, amassing wealth and power quickly was tough.
Thus, excluding close gamers who picked Nine Great Righteous Sects: 'Wudang Beetle' and 'Without a Single Shortcoming.'
Remaining candidates...
Zhuge Clan's '97-Year-Old Grandma Kim Sam-soon's Final...'.
Sado Alliance's 'YSG'.
Heavenly Demon Cult's 'Carnivorous Dinosaur'.
Three in total.
'Carnivorous Dinosaur,' that mad concept freak, would've written 'Krawr' or similar for verification—exclude him too.
'YSG or Kim Sam-soon, one of the two.'
At that thought, Baek Hyun couldn't help but chuckle.
To think those two he'd hoped possessed early on actually had...
The best possible situation.
'Whichever it is, they're reliable. No starting from zero.'
Sam-soon made nearly every guide for Dominating the World—smart as hell.
YSG was PvE king, specialized in clears not PvP.
Absolute #1 story speedrun, PvE rankings dictatorial like Baek Hyun's PvP—rottenwater of rottenwaters.
Those two would already be uncovering and strategizing the remake's black幕.
'If I slack like this, I'll just freeloading.'
Baek Hyun shoveled the remaining food into his mouth, brushed his hands, and stood.
"Mmm, your cooking skills are improving. Tell your mom I ate well again."
"My mom's a warrior, can't cook. More importantly, why stand so soon?"
"Got things to do."
With that, Baek Hyun gripped his new sword and dashed off toward somewhere.
Even if PvE wasn't his forte, freeloading offended his pride.
So he'd contribute to the story clear his way.
'Planned to leave it to senior brothers, but... I'll find it myself.'
The black幕's minion possibly hiding on Starpoint Mountain.