Chapter 308
Chapter 308
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 308
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
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Things had gotten seriously tangled.
‘Of all people, why did the sword have to go to her….’
Why had this sword ended up in the hands of a woman glaring venomously, instead of that kindly smiling old man?
“Um… Are these guys really Yo Ah’s friends?”
Baek Kyung approached, tilting her head quizzically.
Pfft…
The dragon, whose name they hadn’t yet heard, chuckled and responded to her.
“Suspicious, is it?”
“There’s more than one or two shady things about them. Isn’t it weird?”
Hm…
Baek Kyung spun around and around, trying to figure them out.
After repeating the motion for a bit, she gave up on discerning their true nature and asked the dragon.
“Fine. More importantly, why are you here? I don’t even see Yo Ah.”
“Yo Ah hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Hmm… Getting shadier by the minute. Hey, you lot. How did mortals end up in the Small Heaven Realm?”
Ha Mun answered.
“We’ve come to retrieve our master’s sword.”
“Sword? What sword?”
Swish…
He pointed to the Do Hyang gripped tightly in Baek Kyung’s hand. She looked around before realizing his finger was aimed at her sword, and she scowled.
“…This sword?”
“Heh heh heh… The successor of the swordsmith who forged Do Hyang has come.”
The dragon revealed this fact to Baek Kyung, though they had never mentioned such details.
“Do Hyang…”
Baek Kyung stared piercingly at Ha Mun as the dragon stroked his beard and spoke. Kang Seol had expected her to get angry, but her reaction was different from what he anticipated.
Snap!
Baek Kyung grabbed Ha Mun’s hand.
“Really? For real? You’re that Orgo’s…?”
She jumped up and down, clutching his hand.
“Huh?”
“Why is she acting like that?”
Those witnessing it were visibly flustered by Baek Kyung’s overly enthusiastic response.
“Yes, Orgo was my master.”
“Oh my god! Oh my god! What’s your name?”
“I am Ha Mun.”
“Ha Mun! Nice to meet you—I had no idea Orgo had a successor!”
The name Orgo.
Was that alone enough to excite her like this?
“Do you happen to know where he is now?”
“…No. My master grew disillusioned with the world and has been in seclusion for a long time.”
“Oh… A man who created something like this would have reason to. I wouldn’t want to breathe the same air as inferior scum either.”
At Baek Kyung’s words, Kang Seol and the others all turned to look at her face.
The dragon awkwardly fiddled with his eyebrows.
“You see… Kyung-ie has a thing for treasures. Especially well-crafted ones—she can’t get enough of them.”
“The universe shaped by his fingertips! Orgo must be the most perfect man since the dawn of humanity! Ahh… If only I could meet him just once… Humans have such short lifespans, yet they wander through life so profoundly.”
“He got so sick of your begging. That’s why he handed over Do Hyang.”
Only now did Kang Seol and his group understand the situation. It was hard to see Do Hyang as something willingly given. It was probably more like the dragon had forcibly taken it from him.
Ahem… Hmm…
The dragon cleared his throat awkwardly and said.
“Anyway. Kyung-ah. These children have come to take Do Hyang back from you.”
“…….”
Whoosh…
It felt like frost was settling in.
When a being like Baek Kyung grew displeased, the atmosphere turned into a frozen wasteland in an instant.
Even the judgment to kill them all on a whim might be possible for that whale-like creature. Such a verdict could easily fall upon Kang Seol’s group, who shared no minimal common ground like being the same species.
“Hmm….”
“Kyung-ah?”
“Hmmmm….”
“Kyung-ah?”
Baek Kyung scowled deeply at the dragon and shot back.
“Don’t talk to me. I’m thinking up an excuse to refuse right now.”
“…You rascal.”
“Ah, I’ve got it.”
Pop-!
She raised her right index finger and declared.
“This Do Hyang is specialized for fighting demons. It repels evil and infuses pure energy.”
Kang Seol and Ha Mun nodded.
It matched exactly the performance of the Do Hyang forged by Orgo.
“So you lot aren’t qualified to wield it.”
“Why not?”
“Have you ever seen a child handed a butcher knife?”
Child.
Baek Kyung acted with the arrogance befitting an illusory beast.
She had called not just Ha Mun, but even Kang Seol a child.
‘She’s got reason to be confident.’
They couldn’t get Do Hyang back.
Then how about this?
“If you won’t return the sword, then fight the Yaksha for us instead.”
“Yaksha?”
“Kyung-ah, these people are dealing with something called a Yaksha…”
The dragon explained the Yaksha to Baek Kyung. The more she heard, the more her expression soured with displeasure.
“What’s this Ghost Realm? What’s that Present Realm? If I leave Small Heaven, my power wanes, so I can’t go. If you’re so insistent, bring the Yaksha here to Small Heaven. Then I’ll deal with it personally.”
“What kind of….”
She was acting entirely on her own whims.
She didn’t want to return the sword, nor fight the Yaksha in its place.
In short, she was throwing a tantrum right now.
‘She has no intention of giving it back.’
Anyone would have to assume as much.
That Baek Kyung was obstructing them.
The problem was, in any other situation, they’d tell her to quit talking nonsense and subdue her—but Baek Kyung wasn’t someone methods like that would work on.
‘In the worst case, it could lead to a clash….’
As Kang Seol considered even that possibility, the dragon spoke up.
“Kyung-ah, that’s too unreasonable.”
“Unreasonable? You said unreasonable? The unreasonable one is Lord Yu-seon letting humans into Small Heaven!”
“Heh heh… Didn’t I give you Do Hyang so you’d show some understanding?”
Baek Kyung screamed.
“Then if I return Do Hyang, can I just kill all the humans who visit Small Heaven….”
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.
Sssssssss…
It felt like the weather was changing right before their eyes.
Even in the brightness, there was an ominous premonition of rain.
No single person could emit such an aura. A bizarre power poured from the dragon.
‘I, I can’t move my body!’
Everyone present except Baek Kyung shared Kang Seol’s thought.
“Think wisely.”
“…….”
“This is because I care for you.”
The old man’s eyes had turned into those of a reptile.
Eyes that sent chills down the spine and stirred disgust.
That cold yet lonely warmth halted Baek Kyung’s arrogant behavior.
“…Fine, let’s do this.”
“Heh heh heh! You’ve finally come around.”
Baek Kyung rummaged in her bosom and pulled something out.
Jingle…
‘A bell?’
She tied the bell to the tassel on Do Hyang’s hilt.
“If any of you can remove this bell from Do Hyang before the sun sets today, I’ll hand it over.”
“Hmm…”
The dragon stroked his beard.
Then he glanced at Kang Seol.
Right at that moment.
Crash-!
“Are you kidding me!?”
The Du Yeok Si Ni, who had been hiding, burst through the door of the dragon’s house.
“Whoa!”
The dragon clutched his head.
“So it was you after all? I wondered what that foul smell piercing my nose was.”
“Acting all generous while setting impossible conditions! Is this okay, you old fart?”
“Hmm…”
The dragon looked at Kang Seol.
“Is it alright?”
Kang Seol pondered briefly.
‘…Can we do it?’
Was it truly possible to take the bell from that illusory beast?
Even if they brought hundreds or thousands, they’d all shake their heads.
There were things in the world that couldn’t be done with bravado and courage alone. So, they put their heads together.
‘Think it’s possible?’
His voice, sent into the void, returned as another’s.
The response held no hesitation.
- …Yes.
Kang Seol nodded.
“It’s possible.”
“…What?”
With a firm expression, he said.
“We accept.”
“…….”
As everyone wore shocked looks, Baek Kyung gritted her teeth and sneered at him.
“You’re stupider than you look.”
* * *
In the languid afternoon hours.
Du Yeok Si Ni and Ha Mun approached Kang Seol, who was focusing alone.
“Honestly, it’s impossible.”
“I think the same.”
“I’ll try sweet-talking that old man, so let’s call off this bet.”
The two strongly objected.
Kang Seol, suddenly curious, asked about the others’ opinions.
“…Lady Seolhong and Lady Chiwu seem to trust you, while Lady Jin Ryeo is taking a nap.”
“Question: unless it’s a newborn baby, how can a human sleep that much?”
Kang Seol smiled faintly.
“Sigh… What the hell are you plotting, you bastard. Baek Kyung is a true illusory beast. Don’t underestimate her just because of her appearance. She might even be more dangerous than the Yaksha. No, long-term, the Yaksha is riskier.”
Ha Mun asked Kang Seol.
“…Are you confident?”
“Do you have a plan?”
Kang Seol nodded and replied.
“I do.”
“…I see.”
“…Alright. I’ll think of another way too.”
Ha Mun and Du Yeok Si Ni withdrew.
Now he could focus again, Kang Seol thought, adjusting his posture—when.
“What’s your scheme?”
“…You startled me.”
The dragon had snuck right up behind Kang Seol and spoken.
- Whoa, that scared me!
- Viewers’ hearts are gonna give out!
- Why do we have to be the ones scared!
“You can see the future anyway, right?”
“I only peek at what’s necessary—otherwise, you lose too much. And isn’t it more fun to check curiosities yourself?”
First impressions were spot on.
This dragon was an eccentric.
It was hard to believe he was kin to that scheming fog giant.
“The power inside you, right?”
Flinch…
“Hot yet cold at the same time. A profound aura.”
“Nothing I can hide, huh.”
“…Want me to make sure you beat Kyung-ie?”
Kang Seol’s expression hardened at the dragon’s words.
- As expected of gramps!
- Knew we could count on him!
- Sorry for thinking you should die earlier!
- Lol, he thought that far ahead…
Kang Seol pondered briefly, then shook his head.
“No need, he says.”
“What? Heh heh heh! Such rude manners! That’s what the one inside said?”
Kang Seol shrugged.
“What do you think?”
“I…”
“Things beyond understanding are worshipped. Luck, fate, and such. In a broad sense, me helping you might just be you getting lucky, no?”
Hearing that.
Kang Seol recalled someone’s words.
- It’s not about it ending. It’s about ending it! With these hands!
Jamad, screaming covered in blood.
“Relying on luck is a bad habit.”
“Heh heh heh… Interesting. I can look forward to it, then?”
Kang Seol nodded and sent the dragon away.
Finally alone.
“It’ll be just one moment, right?”
- Yeah, the chance is only once.
Uru’s response came.
‘At the moment she lets her guard down, go all out from the start. Just… the transformation worries me.’
- No need to worry. We’ve grown a lot in All Phenomena, so this is just verification.
Nod…
Kang Seol nodded and focused his mind.
A voice flowed in his head.
- Remember, the moment you pass through the gate of the void is the turning point.
* * *
Baek Kyung couldn’t leave until sunset, so she yawned and sprawled out.
“So? How long are you gonna not even try?”
“Wait, they just set off.”
Chiwu said the same, lounging about. She had no intention of taking the bell.
No, not just her.
The others—even Du Yeok Si Ni—only chatted with the dragon, showing no interest in the bell.
As they acted like they couldn’t care less about the bet, the anxious one was actually Baek Kyung.
‘Given up?’
No, one guy was missing.
She’d seen him muttering to himself earlier, but no sign since.
Baek Kyung sneered at his weakness.
‘This’ll be an easy win.’
Could a human defeat an illusory beast in the Small Heaven World? Immortals maybe, but a human who just luckily stumbled in?
‘Ridiculous!’
The sun was dipping low.
Sunset was near.
Smirk…
Baek Kyung shot up from lying down.
“Ah, so boring.”
She planned one last prank.
To make him feel the gap between them bone-deep, a nasty trick.
Thud…
Baek Kyung casually set Do Hyang down against a nearby rock. At that instant, everyone’s eyes turned to the sword.
Pretending not to notice their gazes, Baek Kyung turned away and stretched exaggeratedly.
Right now, Baek Kyung wasn’t looking at Do Hyang.
She hoped someone would rush the sword.
And she wanted to see their face twist in pathetic defeat from the overwhelming gap.
Pop-!
It came.
That guy.
He was here.
‘No chance!’
Baek Kyung quickly half-turned her head.
She saw Kang Seol charging toward Do Hyang.
Clumsy, she thought.
Slow, she thought.
Predictable enough to yawn.
Time was fair, but it often felt unfair to those who couldn’t grasp it.
Probably felt that way to that man right now.
It was exactly that.
Kang Seol felt time slowing.
No, it was because Baek Kyung was too fast.
Not just the surroundings—even he himself seemed too slow.
One moment.
The prepared moment.
Kang Seol repeated to himself as he charged fiercely at Do Hyang.
The instant he was about to reach it.
“…That’s far enough.”
Fwaaaah-!
Kang Seol and Baek Kyung crossed at tremendous speed.
Smack-!
Everyone’s eyes searched for something.
The very item that started this bet.
Do Hyang.
Whose hand held Do Hyang?
And when they found it, sighs poured from their mouths.
“Ah….”
Sigh.
“Hahaha! You idiot! Heh… Ahaha… My stomach hurts from laughing so hard….”
Baek Kyung laughed hysterically, clutching the sword.
“Ahahaha! You’re faster than you look? Still no match for me… Huh?”
It felt empty.
Sensing something off, Baek Kyung checked Do Hyang’s tassel.
Gone.
The bell… was gone.
Baek Kyung’s gaze turned to Kang Seol.
The others’ eyes were already on him.
Sizzzzzzz…
The ground was melting.
Acrid smoke rose.
It was where Kang Seol had stepped.
Flames licked up from his footprint, the trace he left.
Kang Seol’s appearance was one none present had seen before.
Clad in sleek armor, long hair spilling from the helmet slit.
The helmet twitched.
“Kahahahat!”
Whoosh-!
Flames erupted from the cloak draped around him.
The dazed Baek Kyung stammered in panic.
“You… You’re that guy from back then….”
Kang Seol, who had finally secured the bell, said.
“…That’s far enough.”
[Assuming the form of Knight ‘Crimson Lotus Knight Karen’ and Night Raven.]
[Absorbing ‘Crimson Lotus Knight Karen’s’ stats.]
[Job: Knight status.]