Chapter 126: Bulgaram (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 126: Bulgaram (2)
As of today, I am officially withdrawing my support for Kang A-rin.
In any case, Kang A-rin had been my light, my pillar.
Both mentally and financially.
I never imagined she would so readily hand over a massive sum like 15 billion won.
It must not have been an easy expense for her, either…
‘…’
No, on second thought, it might have been a very easy expense.
Still.
“I’ll be sure to pay you back.”
I had to at least say that much.
I had no intention of just taking it without paying her back. Given enough time, it was an amount I could more than repay.
But before I could even finish, Kang A-rin gently pinched my arm.
“No.”
She was now carefully holding the sleeve of my shirt.
“I did it because I wanted to. Just… think of it as a gift.”
I let out a small chuckle at her words.
Kang A-rin looked me straight in the eye.
“And… you know. What I said earlier.”
She hesitated for a moment.
“The person you look for when you need them…”
Her voice grew a little softer.
“I hope I’m the first one you think of then.”
I was at a loss for words for a moment, but I could tell her feelings were genuine.
Truthfully, though, she didn’t need to say that.
Whenever I needed help with something, the first person who naturally came to mind was already Kang A-rin.
It was less that she was someone I had to take care of, and more that she was someone who handled herself well and, in turn, took care of me.
If anything, I had been trying to distance myself, thinking, ‘I can’t keep relying on her.’
I opened my mouth, a wry smile on my face.
“Aren’t you going to spoil me at this rate?”
Kang A-rin smiled faintly at my words and pressed herself a little closer.
“It’s okay. I’ll allow it.”
Her words were a comfort.
I could feel the slight weight of her leaning against me, the warmth of her arm touching mine.
A corner of my heart felt warm.
It definitely wasn’t because Kang A-rin was pressed up against me.
*
Ha Tae-sung sat in his chair, the atmosphere heavy.
Puffs of cigarette smoke filled the room.
“Is it today?”
“Yes.”
I nodded in response to the old man’s question.
Ha Tae-sung slowly scanned my face.
One of his eyebrows twitched upward slightly before he forcefully stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
Tsk. The cigarette tip flared, and a faint wisp of smoke scattered.
“You look composed. Guess you’re not nervous.”
His voice was lower than usual today.
He always pretended to be indifferent, but today, a subtle tension was visible on his face.
I took a moment to steady my breath before answering.
“No, I am a little nervous.”
Until I reached the ‘real door,’ it was an unknown world.
Even for me, it was impossible not to be nervous.
Of course, I had made various preparations for it.
“…You don’t have to push yourself too hard. No one has ever…”
“I will succeed.”
I said it with confidence.
Ha Tae-sung gave a bitter smile.
Then he rose from his seat and casually patted my shoulder once.
The faint, bitter scent of tobacco clung to his hand.
“Don’t get hurt. You have to live to see my granddaughter get married.”
“Married? What are you…”
He said it like a joke, but it was clearly laced with worry.
I smiled slightly and nodded.
“I’ll be careful.”
Ha Tae-sung was silent for a while.
He let out a long sigh and stared out the window for a long time.
“Just do what you can.”
“…”
A short, heavy sentence.
Those words left a particularly deep impression.
That was all.
I gave him a slight bow and left the office.
The members of Vanquisher were standing in the hallway.
They had apparently just succeeded in clearing a dungeon.
Even though they should have been resting, it seemed they had come out to see me off.
Every one of them looked utterly exhausted.
Any other time, we would have exchanged brief greetings and dispersed, but today, no one made a move to leave.
“You all worked hard. I’ll be back.”
I was the first to speak.
“We’ll be waiting.”
Park Gwang-cheol stared at me for a moment.
Thump. He clapped my shoulder once.
With that, the other members followed suit, each patting my shoulder before returning to their rooms.
It was their own way of cheering me on.
I could feel their consideration.
I smiled slightly and nodded to each of them.
The last one remaining was Sion.
She approached quietly and, without a word, wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.
She had a light frame, but the weight in her arms was definite.
Her low voice was almost a whisper in my ear.
“Don’t… get hurt.”
I found myself patting Sion’s back.
“I’ll be back soon.”
After the short embrace, Sion looked at me one more time, as if she couldn’t bear to let go.
I gave her a small smile.
With everyone’s eyes on my back.
Now, it was time to cross the fire.
*
The Association lobby was quieter than usual.
It seemed they had cleared a path specifically for my entry today.
“Hero Jung Hae-in! Please prepare for the final check!”
I entered the waiting room the Association had prepared and began to check my equipment one last time.
[Yaksha’s Purgatory]
Befitting its name, the gi was a dazzling, pure white.
As I rolled up my sleeves and slipped my hands through, the gi contracted as if it were alive, fitting itself perfectly to my body.
When I adjusted the collar, a strange chill seeped between my skin and the fabric.
I slipped on a black robe over it.
Next was my weapon.
Aldebaran’s Fang, Catastrophe.
I tapped the hilt a few times with one hand to get a feel for it.
I fastened it securely to my back.
And then, the artifact I’d brought to keep from getting lost.
[Compass of Salvation]
[Points to the right path like a ray of light, even in the abyss of despair.]
The palm-sized metal device vibrated faintly at my fingertips.
If I lost my way, this thing would be my last hope.
[Magma Booster]
[Absorbs ambient heat and converts it into a defensive barrier.]
There was also this, but I probably wouldn’t need to use it.
It was just insurance in case the gi couldn’t hold up.
“I’m ready.”
I told the Association staff member.
I pressed down on my gear here and there, making sure everything was in order.
Once I finished all my checks, I immediately nodded to the staff.
It wouldn’t take long.
Time inside would likely flow extremely fast compared to time outside.
So, even after I accomplished everything and came out, not much time would have passed.
The door slid open behind me.
The entrance was a simple, unadorned door made of rough stone.
Like a secret passage in an old castle, it had only a small keyhole in the center.
“Here you are.”
I took the cube containing the key from the Hero Association President.
“I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
The President’s brief words of encouragement followed.
I bowed my head silently and clutched the cube in my hand.
And immediately.
Clink!
I infused it with mana, shattering the cube.
With the clear sound of breaking glass, the key inside tumbled across the floor and landed in my palm.
The moment I held it, a faint heat spread from the key.
I took a deep breath and slowly inserted the key into the hole.
The cold, metallic scraping sound tingled at my fingertips.
As soon as the key was in, I felt the entire wall begin to vibrate faintly.
Click.
The lock released, and the entire wall began to slowly crack open.
“Hk…”
Immediately, an insane heat and a crimson ray of light burst through the gap.
It felt as if the flames beyond the door were trying to swallow me whole.
Sweat beaded on my forehead.
Just taking a single step felt like diving into a volcano.
The flames and heat pressed in, threatening to tear apart not just my body, but my mind as well.
I steadied my breath and narrowed my eyes.
I adjusted my gi one more time and tightened my grip on Catastrophe, which was slung across my back.
A drop of sweat trickled from my forehead down my chin.
Endure it.
Gritting my teeth, I took one step forward, into Bulgaram’s Workshop.
*
At that same moment, at the Arcadia Cult.
Beneath the dome of a massive cathedral, at a long, round table in a sprawling conference hall.
Opinions were divided, and voices were growing louder.
As always, the Saintess Faction and the Hero Faction were locked in a war of words, each asserting their own beliefs.
For Cheon Yeo-wool, this was, as always, a tedious and pedantic affair.
There was no tension.
Morning light streamed through the window, and Yeo-wool quietly traced a circle on the table with her finger.
She let the voices drift in one ear while her other eye secretly glanced at her watch screen, killing time.
I wonder when he’ll call.
It was almost time to head to the Vatican.
It was then.
Suddenly, a large system notification window popped up in the middle of her vision.
[Where flames swallow blood and molten iron pounds the heart. Bulgaram’s Workshop shall finally test its new master.]
Ornate red letters filled her sight.
So it’s today.
A subtle smile played on Cheon Yeo-wool’s lips.
Jung Hae-in had entered the workshop.
He would surely achieve what he set out to do and emerge victorious.
“Wh-what is this?”
“Is this for real?”
The Sect, however, was in an uproar.
The atmosphere on the Saintess’s side was calm, but on the Hero’s side, Bishop Seong Young-il shot to his feet.
After all, the next challenger for Bulgaram was supposed to be Yohan.
That had been the internal expectation.
The Hero Faction was completely blindsided.
“What is the meaning of this?!”
He hastily raised his watch to call the Vice President.
But the answer he received was unexpected.
“What…? The TV…?”
The moment he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, every eye in the Sect was fixed on the screen.
An emergency official briefing from the Association was being broadcast.
The Hero Association President, with a grave expression, began to read from a script.
—The hero who rendered distinguished service in the recent Apostle War has been appointed as the new challenger for Bulgaram’s Workshop, and we are officially…
The expressions of the Hero Faction members twisted in an instant.
“Damn it!”
Seong Young-il slammed his watch onto the floor.
The meaning of the broadcast was simple.
“Who the hell is it?!”
It meant the Association was officially pushing this person as the star who would lead the next generation.
Yohan’s face also began to contort.
Soon, the President’s voice once again echoed from the speakers.
—The individual in question was once known as Mukgui…
The screen changed.
A photo of a boy in a white gi and a black robe filled the screen.
—He has cast off the dark moniker of the Silent Ghost and will now be known by a new name. Hero Jung Hae-in.
For a moment, the Sect was plunged into silence.
And in that silence, only one person…
Only Cheon Yeo-wool, her eyes fixed on the TV screen, whispered happily.
“He’s so handsome~”
A beaming smile she couldn’t possibly hide spread across her lips.
