To the Celestial Realm
The phrase "nearly died" was no exaggeration. The dragon recalled the moment it had rushed to this island upon sensing an energy that should never have existed, only to come face to face with that calamity. An ominous aura that seemed poised to devour everything around it, and the cold eyes standing at its center. That sight was a nightmare incarnate, stirring the primal fear within all living things. No matter how exalted the dragon's rank, it could not help but feel terror before it. The dragon had come intending to issue a warning to whoever was disturbing the peace of this world, yet before that living embodiment of fear, it lowered its head. It had no choice. Otherwise its neck would have been snapped and its body sunk beneath the sea.
At least the calamity was someone it could reason with. Though the energy she carried was nothing short of a disaster, it was fortunately guided by a human. Whether one could still call a human capable of controlling such a calamity "human" remained debatable. Having barely kept its life under that mercy, the dragon rested its chin on the stone wall and let out a long sigh.
"How peculiar. I was certain no martial artists or Taoist practitioners remained in this world."
They had existed in the distant past, yet in the modern era they had become nothing more than remnants of imagination. With their lineage completely severed and forgotten, how could the very existence that ancient martial artists once dreamed of appear in reality?
"Did it simply drop in from another world?"
The dragon chuckled at the absurd thought, then sighed again. What was it supposed to do about this? If that person returned and declared they would wield Dosul here once more, how could it possibly persuade them otherwise? Was persuasion even possible to begin with? Was it doomed to rely solely on that person's whims and mercy? There was no answer. No answer at all.
"If that person truly came from another world, then I must curse whoever brought them here."
*
As usual, Baru had been casting Dosul late into the night to breathe life into the mountain. Once the work was roughly finished, she stretched with a satisfied groan. Thanks to Baekju's arrival and assistance, things were progressing smoothly. At this rate, the mountain's restoration would soon be complete enough for that fellow to show its face again.
"Baekju, let us stop here for today."
"Shall we?"
"Indeed. You worked quite hard because of that Min-ga fellow, did you not?"
Min-ga. Just thinking of that fellow gave her another headache. Why did that one always move so arbitrarily, following every passing whim? If it were some fool who did not know its own place and acted as though it owned the world, Baru would not have spared it a second thought. Such creatures could struggle all they liked and still achieve nothing of consequence. But Min-ga was different. That one could become a calamity with nothing but the realm of nothingness it possessed. And it understood better than anyone what it was capable of. So why did it act without considering the consequences?
"Even now, it sends chills down my spine. If what Min-ga attempted had actually succeeded, what would have happened?"
"What do you think would have happened? Mount Hua would have become a barren mountain."
"Would it have ended with only that?"
"...I do not know."
Neither Baru nor Baekju could predict what would have occurred if Min-ga's technique had been completed. No such Dosul had ever existed before. Dosul was not merely drawing paths with energy. It was tracing the paths already present in the world itself—their color, their shape, the quantity of energy they contained. A strong mountain breeze did not become a storm. A storm was not merely violent wind; it contained far more diverse and numerous paths within it. Having abundant energy did not mean one could replicate it. Yet Min-ga had tried to create something simply by pouring in more energy. That was not Dosul. It should not have been called Dosul at all. How could one call it Dosul when it was not requesting the world to manifest a phenomenon, but threatening it into doing so?
Normally, such an act would have been rejected by the world and dispersed. But what Min-ga attempted was different. What should have vanished remained, manifesting the phenomenon anyway. The mountain breeze that should have scattered returned as a fierce gale. The world had been unable to withstand Min-ga's threat and yielded, at least partially. If the world had completely submitted and granted Min-ga's will without resistance, what would have happened? It was something no one living in this world could know, for no one had witnessed what came after.
"Let us not dwell on it any further. It has already returned to nothingness, has it not?"
"For now, yes."
The word "for now" had never sounded so terrifying. Baekju was right. Min-ga had yet to regain her original realm. If she ever reached that height again and attempted the same thing, what would occur?
"In any case, there is no point in worrying about it now. Let us speak of something else."
"Why is it that Min-ga can use Dosul?"
"Precisely."
The former could be understood, however reluctantly. If Min-ga had threatened the world with her own will, then it was not entirely impossible. Unreasonable, yes, but that fellow had a habit of doing unreasonable things. This, however, was entirely different. It ignored the fundamental premise of Dosul itself.
"That fellow did not deceive the world."
"Exactly."
"It drew the picture and received the world's recognition on its own merits."
"Yes, that is correct."
"How can Min-ga receive the world's recognition without becoming one with nature?"
The fundamental premise of Dosul was to become part of nature itself, thereby earning recognition for the picture one drew upon the world. That was why divine spirits born of nature handled Dosul so adeptly. Those who belonged to nature from the beginning could draw upon the world while ignoring that premise. But Min-ga was different. She was human. Born human, raised human, living as a human. One who possessed a self too proud to return to nature's embrace. How could such a Min-ga wield Dosul on her own?
"I do not know. I have never seen anything like it. Could it be because she is an outsider?"
"I do not know either. I have never encountered an outsider who wields Dosul."
Though Baru had left her mountain dwelling and come out into the world alongside Min-ga, her sphere of activity remained limited to Mount Hua or Min-ga's side. She had met far more people than before and experienced countless new things, yet the world still held far more unknowns than knowns for her.
"We should ask the other outsiders."
"If there is one present at this hour, it would be Na-seol."
That fellow seemed busy lately and spent less time in this world than before, so Baru could not be certain whether she was here or not. Baru and Baekju returned to the grounds of Mount Hua and surveyed the area. Fortunately, the Na-seol they sought was still present. She was not training as usual, however, but conversing with Hak Yeong-chung.
"Hak Yeong-chung. How curious. Why are you still here?"
Did he not usually remain here during the day to teach the outsiders before returning to manage his own forces at night? This was the first time she had seen him lingering at Mount Hua so late.
"I have had some free time recently."
"Hmm. So you finally managed to organize things so your forces can operate without you. It seems the effort has borne fruit."
"What are you doing with Na-seol at the moment?"
"I was giving her instruction."
"Oh?"
In that case, she would have to wait. "Is there a reason you are here? If it will not take long, I can step aside for a moment."
"Then I shall ask for your understanding briefly."
After Hak Yeong-chung stepped back, Baru posed her question to Na-seol. Were there any among the outsiders who wielded Dosul? And if so, how did they use it? Na-seol answered without hesitation. There were those who used Dosul, and they generally did so by employing the special powers unique to outsiders. However, this had nothing to do with Min-ga.
"Why is that?"
"That person does not use the powers of an outsider at all."
Which meant Min-ga's status as an outsider had no connection to the phenomenon. It was a peculiarity unique to Min-ga herself.
"Thank you for answering. You may return to your training."
"It was nothing."
Baru watched Na-seol smile awkwardly, then glanced at her chest before adding one more thing after her farewell.
"I do not know what you are doing, but take your time. Rushing will only lead to failure."
"Pardon? Ah, yes."
In the end, the conclusion they had reached after an entire day was that they could not understand Min-ga's peculiarity on their own. As Baru sighed, Baekju, standing beside her, offered an awkward smile.
"Baru, why not ask the Shinseon? They possess far more knowledge than we do."
"...That is a good idea."
Yes. If they could not solve it themselves, they simply needed to reach out elsewhere. Normally, meeting the Shinseon would be difficult, but with Min-ga present, the story changed. That fellow seemed curious about her own peculiarity as well, so they would take Min-ga and visit the Spirit Realm.
*
"Let us go to the Spirit Realm!"
The day after their plan to confront the wall in reality had failed, Baru spoke up the moment Ara connected to the world of Hwaryong Muin to learn about other forms of Dosul.
"The Spirit Realm?"
"Indeed! The Shinseon there have spent their entire lives accumulating knowledge about Dosul! They will surely know something about your peculiarity!"
Peculiarity. Was she referring to the phenomenon of being able to use Dosul without bowing to the world? Hmm. The suggestion was rather appealing. Unlike that foolish snake yesterday, the Shinseon were far more likely to provide a proper answer.
"Very well. Let us go."
When Ara nodded and extended her hand, Baru immediately understood her intent and grasped it. As she manipulated the window to move toward the Spirit Realm gate, Baru suddenly spoke as though she had just remembered something.
"Ah, Min-ga. Please, do not do anything so crude as destroying the Spirit Realm gate this time."
"We'll see."
If they could pass without breaking it, there would be no problem. But if not, then breaking it would be necessary. At Ara's indifferent reply, Baru stared at her for a moment before sighing.
"I fear we may become the Shinseon's public enemy at this rate."