The Place of Gu's Hidden Truths
When I last visited the Place of Gu, I saw something new in a familiar place. Things I could only perceive because I had learned Dosul. What I once dismissed as sorcery had lingered in the very site that became my origin. I saw it, yet I lacked the skill to analyze or comprehend it. My mastery of Dosul was still pitifully shallow. How could a child who had only just learned to walk read the words in a book? Even so, I refused to leave what lay there as an unknown. Whatever resided in the Place of Gu was likely tied to my own roots. So that day, while speaking with Baek Hwaryeong about Seol-ah, I made one more request. Would it be all right if I entered the Place of Gu with Baru someday?
Baek Hwaryeong had said she would look into it, and now she returned with an answer.
“Your destruction of the elders proved useful. The Divine Cult is, after all, a world that respects the strong.”
“Permission granted, then?”
“Think of it as a reward for handling matters well.”
I had assumed she wanted something in return, but it seemed this was simply an expression of gratitude. I had viewed Baek Hwaryeong too cynically.
“If you truly wish to repay me, treat Baru to some of that soft, fluffy fur.”
Any guilt I felt for doubting her vanished instantly. Yes, I had been right all along. How could I possibly believe this creature thought of me when she behaved this way in front of me every day?
“This is exactly why Baru dislikes you. Learn to hide your desires.”
“I do restrain myself, you know.”
“This is restraint?”
Then what sort of outrageous behavior would she display without it? Shocked by her words, I spread my Qi Sense throughout the entire area. Hmm. Baru had indeed hidden herself thoroughly. She had even layered several Dosul constructs while concealing herself, so it was no wonder Baek Hwaryeong struggled to find her. She might manage it once she learned how to pierce such spells while fighting the Blood Sect Leader, but right now she had not even escaped the Heavenly Demon Cult yet. It was only natural she remained clumsy.
“Follow me.”
“Oho. So you haven’t been eating your years for nothing!”
The leader of an entire sect really ought to choose her words more carefully. Why bring up age at a time like this? She could have simply said my wisdom had grown. Was she deliberately picking a fight to sour my mood? Since I owed her a favor this time, I would hold my tongue. But if she tried this again, I would smash her once and for all. She had best be careful.
Grumbling, I followed Baru’s presence. The forest became a desert. The desert turned into a rocky mountain. An eerie dead forest appeared, then a lake, before returning to woodland once more. An ordinary person would have thought themselves bewitched.
“What in the world…?”
Baek Hwaryeong looked half-entranced already. Even to my untrained eyes, the Dosul Baru had prepared was intricate beyond measure. I could not even begin to imitate it. It was fortunate I had grown weary of such things while dealing with the Blood Sect Leader; otherwise, I would never have kept up with these traces.
How strange. No matter how much she claimed to dislike Baek Hwaryeong, this was excessive. Was there another reason? Or had she simply decided she no longer wished to be treated as a plaything?
“Baek Hwaryeong.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Look straight ahead.”
Mazes of this kind were designed to bewilder people and impair sound judgment. Baek Hwaryeong’s mental fortitude was hardly weak, so I was not overly concerned, but caution never hurt. She must have been curious, yet she did not ask for an explanation. She simply nodded in silence.
After finally breaking through the Dosul, a single cave came into view. Hmm. Until now it had been ambiguous, but standing here, I understood. Another presence lingered beside Baru’s. Faint, yet clear and immensely powerful. I could not recall exactly when, but I felt certain I had sensed this energy before. As I pondered it, the memory surfaced. It belonged to the snake whose head I had severed on Mount Hua shortly after arriving in Hwaryong Muin.
The moment I realized this, the question in my heart was answered. This impossibly complex Dosul existed to protect that snake. How fortunate. Baek Hwaryeong. She did not hate you enough to prepare something this thorough.
“Baru.”
When I called out infused with inner energy, Baru soon emerged from the cave. Dust clung to her, perhaps from having been inside. She looked at my face and let out a dry laugh.
“How did you find this place?”
“There’s always a way.”
“…Hah. Right. It was my mistake to expect common sense from you.”
Baru smiled as she spoke, then spotted Baek Hwaryeong behind me and her expression hardened.
“Why did you bring that one?”
She truly did not like Baek Hwaryeong. The moment she saw her, she started complaining. When Baek Hwaryeong grumbled about what she had supposedly done, Baru hid behind me and began listing her faults one by one. Baek Hwaryeong tried to defend herself at first, but as nothing but unembellished facts poured from Baru’s mouth, she could only shrink back. Baek Hwaryeong. I understood how you felt, but your displays of affection were indeed excessive. You would do well to restrain yourself further from now on.
Only after Baek Hwaryeong finally uttered an apology did Baru shrug with satisfaction. Seeing her hide behind me and puff up with pride was less impressive than it was endearing. Well, if it made her happy, then it made me happy too.
“Is that snake inside?”
“Yes. It will still take a long time to regain its authority and power as a divine spirit, though.”
So the daily efforts of restoring this mountain with Baekju had finally borne fruit.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you. Would you like to come in and see?”
“No. I’m fine.”
From what she said, what lay inside was still a mindless serpent. What would I gain from looking at it? I was not particularly fond of reptiles. If it were a fluffy baby fox, I would gladly enter, but a snake? I would pass.
“More importantly, Baru, are you unable to spare any time right now?”
Even at a glance, it seemed she needed to remain by the snake’s side.
“Do you need me somewhere?”
“It’s not urgent.”
The Place of Gu would not disappear if I delayed a little, nor would Baek Hwaryeong, who had granted permission. Depending on the situation, I could even smash the Heavenly Demon Cult’s brats first and go sightseeing afterward. Prioritize your own circumstances.
“It’s all right. I’ve set up a formation this solid, so that fellow won’t be in any danger. Besides, Baekju is on this mountain. She’ll drive away any ordinary threats.”
Hmm. Is that so? Then I would not refuse.
“So what is it you need me to do?”
“Nothing much. Just analyze one spell.”
It would not take long.
*
“We meet again, Hwaryeong-nim.”
Han Seo-woo, whom I had parted with not long ago, looked utterly exhausted. I had not even worked him to death, and I had focused more on grinding his teammates, so why did he wear such an expression? I could not understand it.
“Thanks to your detailed feedback, Hwaryeong-nim, the entire team is in an uproar. We’re busy overhauling everything from the ground up.”
“Are you sure it’s all right for you to be here?”
“When Master asks, I have no choice.”
His words carried the weary resignation of someone burdened with a demanding teacher. She might be eccentric, but her skill was exceptional, so he would simply have to endure it. Han Seo-woo dropped us and Baek Hwaryeong off at the Heavenly Demon Cult before immediately logging out of the game. His claim of being busy had not been an exaggeration.
Still, did he really have to leave? I doubted his presence would help much even if he stayed for the meeting. Given his vocabulary, things might actually go smoother without him. I hoped all my help would not go to waste and unravel again… Hmm. I would have to check on him again later.
After Han Seo-woo vanished, I headed straight for the site where the Gu ritual had taken place. This time, no one tried to stop me. Baek Hwaryeong must have spoken to them beforehand. They merely watched me with eyes full of fear and reverence.
“Oho. This is… rather fascinating.”
The moment Baru entered the Place of Gu, she looked around and let out an admiring exclamation. What did she see with those eyes of hers? I could not even begin to guess, since I still could not match her vision.
“Do you think you can interpret it?”
“Wait a moment. It’s quite complex.”
The way her eyes sparkled suggested the magic here was no trivial matter. Come to think of it, this place had always been extraordinary. Even when the Heavenly Demon Cult collapsed and everything burned, this site had remained standing. I had wondered what secrets it held, but if even Baru found it intriguing, then it made sense.
While I waited with my pipe in my mouth, Baru wandered through the building, absorbing the spells with her eyes. She muttered to herself, moving energy this way and that, but I could not tell what she was doing. My own level was too low to even speculate. When she finally returned, her brow was deeply furrowed.
“Min-ga. Do you happen to know how to activate the spells here?”
“I do.”
After all, I had once presided over the rituals in this very place. Of course I knew.
“But there aren’t enough people, so the ritual won’t start, will it?”
“That doesn’t matter. I just want to see how the energy moves.”
“Understood.”
When I spread the inner energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art through the building and activated the ritual, Baru watched the flow with a furrowed brow. The moment it halted midway due to insufficient participants, she tapped her lips in thought before nodding.
“I see. So that’s what felt familiar about this ritual.”
“Isn’t it similar to the Blood Sect’s magic?”
That was how it appeared to me. I offered the guess, but Baru shook her head. There were similarities, she said, but they differed in their fundamental nature. If it was not the Blood Sect’s magic, then what had triggered her sense of déjà vu? As far as I knew, nothing else resembled it.
“The magic in this place,” she said, “is endlessly similar to the martial art you use.”