The Incompetent Hero and Yeomhyeongok (4)

When I opened the door and stepped through, what met my eyes was a dazzling sky. After so long spent in pitch darkness, the sudden brightness was so intense it made my eyes ache.

"This isn't... the outside, is it?"

"Indeed not. It is merely an illusion projected by the formation."

Right. Nearly everything visible here was an illusion. The sun and clouds in the sky, the forest visible in the distance—almost all of it was pure falsehood.

The second floor: the Floor of Brush and Wisdom.

This level had been constructed by making full use of the magic of the Yeom Kingdom known as formations. To escape it safely, one had to grasp the formations laid out here and neutralize them. Yet the countless soldier dolls that began appearing on this floor would never simply stand by and allow challengers of the secret palace the leisure to examine, comprehend, and dismantle those formations.

"I already know the method for breaking the formations installed here. It is rather shameless of me to ask this of you after declaring I would accept no help, but could you keep the soldiers that appear from approaching me?"

"That much I can do."

Accepting the Emperor of Yeom's request, I drew the holy sword.

I had emphasized it several times already, but the level of the soldier dolls here was considerably high. Even setting aside their absurd physical resistance, their attack power was substantial and their movement speed was quite fast. Now that those traits applied in reality, there was even less to say.

I've never properly let loose with my power while my body was at a full one hundred percent.

When I faced the martial artists of the Moyong clan, I had suppressed my strength as much as possible and swung my sword carefully, because killing even one of them by accident would have been genuinely dangerous. So this was a slightly different case from simply holding back.

Clank, clank, clank.

"They've appeared."

"Quite the spectacle."

Soldier dolls began materializing abruptly across the blue plain. Though I had never been there myself, they called to mind the terracotta warriors of the real Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum—soldiers baked from clay. They advanced slowly yet steadily, shaking the ground with perfectly synchronized steps, pressing in upon us.

Their peculiar trait was that, despite being soldier dolls fired from clay, the weapons they wielded were forged from sturdy steel.

The weapons those things dropped had excellent performance and sold for high prices.

The drop rate had been set low to compensate, but the soldier dolls poured out endlessly in this secret palace, so a single run would still net at least ten weapons or more. If you could snag even one decent sword from them, nothing better existed as a weapon for Baekryeon.

If I could just obtain one suitable sword from them...

...Wait. Thinking about it, the drop rates only existed because it was a game. Here I can just smash them however I like and take the swords, right?

Shall I run a little experiment?

A single streak of light, drawn with perfect precision across the world. That flash swallowed the soldier dolls and cleaved them clean through.

Oh...

Watching them get sliced ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠apart in a single stroke despite their physical resistance, piercing straight through their defenses, left me in a rather good mood.

At this level, I could one-shot most boss-class monsters without breaking a sweat.

Confirming that, I reached for the swords they had dropped—only for the surrounding scenery to suddenly warp as the bright plain began to vanish.

"...Huh?"

"Ah..."

Damn it.

While sweeping away the soldier dolls with the Sword King Secret Arts, I had simultaneously smashed the core that had been maintaining the formation.

Third floor: the Floor of Endurance and Asceticism.

True to its name, this was a floor where one had to endure the trials of patience and hardship. The clear condition was to hold out for a set period of time against the endless tide of soldier dolls. Fail to endure, and the path to the next floor would never open.

"I have slightly improved upon the formation from the second floor."

"Oh..."

Exploiting the fact that the soldier dolls could perform only pre-programmed commands and were incapable of deep thought, the Emperor of Yeom erected a formation that prevented them from approaching us, and we passed through.

Fourth floor: the Floor of Green Mountains and Wind.

This floor tested superior light-foot techniques. One simply had to traverse the illusory mountain created by the formation as quickly as possible. Of course, merely climbing was not enough. Fail to subdue the soldier dolls that interfered along the way, and by the time you reached the mid-slopes you would find them gathered in such numbers that the mountain itself seemed to tremble.

"Quite an intricate formation. I never imagined the formation manuals I browsed as a childhood hobby would prove so useful."

"....."

And by completely rewriting the formation itself, he swapped our starting position from the foot of the mountain to the summit, and we passed through.

Fifth floor: the Floor of Spears and Women.

This floor was relatively simple. Defeat the two soldier dolls that appeared here. However, these soldier dolls stood on an entirely different level from the others—something akin to mid-bosses.

"...I shall have to face them myself."

"It seems so."

"Then... I can only hope I do not become the last."

Yeomcheon Great Art.

Though he himself called it an incomplete martial art, the movements he displayed were considerably impressive for something unfinished. Of course, midway through the fight he failed to overcome the numerical disadvantage of one against two and fell into danger, so I stepped in to help.

Sixth floor: the Floor of Clouds and Rocks.

There was nothing here. Only a massive door and the sword marks engraved upon it. The sole method of passage was to strike sword energy into the door along the prescribed sword path. For reference, obtaining the Sword King Secret Arts allowed automatic analysis of that path so you could simply slam it in—but if you arrived here without the Sword King Secret Arts, progress stopped cold. To advance further you would have to challenge repeatedly until Baekryeon triggered her enlightenment event. Completing that event randomly raised all of Baekryeon's skill levels by one to three.

Looking at it that way, the skill-up event feels a bit wasteful, but since you have to go back and forth multiple times to see it anyway...

"...The sword path. This is the sword of Zhongnan."

"You recognize it?"

"I have seen it once before. Yet... the path left here is heavier... deeper. And... it seems the door will not open unless the correct sword path is carved into it."

"Can you do it?"

"I shall have to try."

Gripping a sword obtained from the soldier dolls, he swung. Comparing the Zhongnan sword he had once witnessed with the path engraved on the door, he continued, and continued, and continued. At the same time, soldier dolls gathered around us.

That was the truly vicious part of this place. In the game, once you reached here Baekryeon would enter a combat-withdrawal state while studying the sword for enlightenment. You already had a brutal fight on your hands, and now four people had to clear multiple waves of soldier dolls.

Doesn't matter with me here.

After some time had passed, the Emperor of Yeom finally succeeded in carving the correct sword path and opening the door.

Seventh floor: the Floor of Focus and Resonance.

This place was also thoroughly irritating. Lore-wise, the soldier dolls here had undergone special treatment, making complete elimination impossible unless you struck a specific core. In the game it was designed around the assumption that critical hits would land. Didn't have crit gear equipped? Then just die. There was no answer. What were you supposed to do with a base five-percent crit rate? And you even had to land a critical on the finishing blow.

"These are clearly no ordinary soldier dolls."

"What will you do?"

"If I am to face the others with any dignity, I must accept as little of your help as possible. I shall figure it out myself."

Perhaps thanks to having learned the Zhongnan sword on the previous floor, the Emperor of Yeom's movements had clearly improved. It was only a half-baked acquisition, yet those movements were unmistakably those of a martial artist. Of course, the limits of that half-baked learning soon caught up with him; he fell into danger almost immediately, and I swept the soldiers away in his place.

Eighth floor: the Floor of Yin and Yang.

"Huh?"

"Hm?"

What the hell? Why is this just open?

Originally you were supposed to gather Yang essence and Yin essence and slam them into that Yin-Yang Jade to open it. Yang and Yin essence did drop from killing monsters, but the rates weren't particularly high, and more importantly the monsters were ridiculously strong, making it a tedious ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stretch—so why was it just sitting open?

Ah.

Ninth floor: the Floor of Flow and Resistance.

The first thing I felt upon entering was a powerful current of mana. This too had been forcibly created through a formation to produce a specific flow of mana... but even the Emperor of Yeom would find it difficult to alter a formation amid such a torrent of energy. There was only one way to advance here.

Surrender yourself to the flow.

Entrust your body to the current, drift wherever it pointed, and you would eventually reach the space of resistance—that is, the door leading to the next floor.

"Kh...!?"

"...?"

Yet that flow was strange. Something... something vast seemed to have completely twisted and scattered the current...

"Ah."

It was me. Fuck.

Tenth floor: the Floor of Snow and Dragon.

Though this was supposedly the tenth underground floor, the place was filled with snow. It was not snow produced by a formation—simply a vast accumulation of yin energy. The snow that formed as a result eventually took the shape of a single dragon, and only by subduing that dragon could one obtain the key to the next floor. Of course, soldier dolls poured out here in exhausting numbers as well.

"Yeomcheon Great Art."

Flames slowly melted the snow. At the same time, the Emperor of Yeom advanced steadily toward the dragon that fixed its gaze upon him. I dealt with the soldier dolls approaching from the surroundings while watching him.

Perhaps thanks to the elemental advantage, the Emperor of Yeom somehow managed to defeat the snow dragon. But the cost was so great that he needed time to tend his wounds before fully advancing to the next floor.

Eleventh floor: the Floor of Plum Blossoms and Fragrance.

"Fragrant."

"Yes. It is."

Crimson plum blossoms in full bloom. The scent drifting from those red blossoms felt as though it soothed the spirit. One might think this place had been prepared as a rest area for secret-palace challengers who had fought fiercely from the first floor through the tenth... and that would be a grave mistake.

A strong wind suddenly whipped through, scattering plum blossom petals in every direction.

This was the problem.

Those plum blossoms were all sharper than most blades. In the game it was a time-attack maze where your health steadily drained at set intervals until you escaped.

For now, here I should...

I had said I wouldn't help, but the Emperor of Yeom had expended considerable stamina reaching the tenth floor. So for this place...

"I am fine."

"!"

"I believe I am beginning to understand... the meaning of this place."

Yet the Emperor of Yeom kindled his own flames and traversed it.

Twelfth floor: the Floor of Lake and River.

"Emperor of Yeom, your condition does not look particularly good."

"I am fine. The plum blossom fragrance just now was so rich and sweet that my spirits have improved."

Even as empty words, the Emperor of Yeom's condition could not be called good. His complexion had worsened to a noticeable degree, and the aftereffects of facing the snow dragon had yet to fully settle. On top of that, he had constantly expended energy to burn the plum blossoms while crossing the plum-blossom hell...

"That's enough—rest. I'll finish the remaining two floors myself."

"You will...?"

The Floor of Lake and River. The clear method here was simple: split the lake with a single-point concentrated attack that pierced both lake and river, then strike the device within.

But I had already cleaved something greater than a lake.

"Great Sea Cleaver."

KRAAAANG!!!

I had split the great sea itself—what was a mere lake?

Thirteenth floor: the Floor of Blue Sky.

"Truly... I can scarcely believe we have arrived here."

"Rest well. There don't seem to be any particular mechanisms here."

I spoke while gazing at the single soldier doll blocking the door directly ahead. On this Floor of Blue Sky, only one soldier doll appeared. Defeat it, and it was over. But facing this one was extremely difficult.

Clank.

"Already fully prepared for battle, I see."

"That stance is... the Namgung..."

Imperial Sword Form, First Stance.

"I've already seen that at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. So I have no business with you."

I cut it down in a single stroke.

In truth this place consisted of fourteen floors. Of course, the fourteenth required no fighting. It was a treasure vault, so one could simply take one's time and gather the treasures at leisure.

"We have truly... come here. A place no one has reached since the first Emperor of Yeom..."

"Congratulations."

"Not at all. This was your strength—what did I accomplish?"

Standing before the countless legacies amassed by the first Emperor of Yeom on the fourteenth floor, the Emperor of Yeom shed tears ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of emotion. At the same time,

"Someday I must bring the heads of every clan and the sect leaders of every school back here."

"Bring the clan heads and sect leaders?"

"Indeed. Those thirteen doors each bore the symbols and aspirations of the various schools and clans. In other words... the first Emperor of Yeom must have wished for this place to be conquered not by the Yeom clan alone, but by the combined strength of every school and clan."

The intentions of someone long dead were none of my concern, but if that was the case, then so be it.

"If there is anything you need, take it. You have contributed greatly in reaching this place, and thus possess the right."

"I'm fine."

Come on, what's the big deal?

In the game the treasure vault held many treasures, yet the items you could actually take were limited. I wondered what sorts of things might actually be here in reality—might as well take a look.

"I too must check whether there are any technical manuals for the Yeomcheon Great Art."

And so, the moment we all began to move forward together, an earthquake struck.

"?!"

"What in—?!"

The treasures of the vault split apart, revealing a massive door that had remained hidden there. A door engraved with the character for Flame and the shape of fire itself appeared.

"Th-this is...?"

"A door leading to the next floor...?"

Uh... I never saw anything like this even in the game.

"...Shall we go?"

"...We ought to."

This might actually be exciting.

Challenging an unknown place was better than running a maze I already knew inside and out. When we opened the door, a staircase descending further downward came into view, just as before. With each step I took toward it, the surrounding ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠air seemed to grow hotter.

"Since the character for Flame was there, do you think fire-related traps or something will appear?"

"Most likely."

What exactly would emerge? My heart pounded as I advanced.

And at the end of it, what I saw was... an enormously large egg.

An egg, moreover, wrapped in endlessly burning flames.

And in that moment, a woman's voice began to etch itself into my mind.

"At last, the descendant of that child has come to find me."

"?!"

"Th-this voice is...?"

"Now I shall be freed from the long covenant and released from this stifling cage."

Crack-crack-crack.

The egg split. At the same time, flames leapt upward in wild succession. Then the flames began to surge with increasing regularity, as though a heart were pulsing. Even as that happened, the egg continued to shatter, transforming into pure white light that gathered into a single form.

It was a person.

She transformed into the figure of a beautiful woman with fiery red hair streaming like flames, crimson eyes that seemed to hold fire within them, and pure white wings that shone with a faint golden light.

"My name is Juzaku. Descendant of the covenant-maker, the time has come to fulfill the ancient pact."