Chapter 161: Flame Wheel Art-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 161: Flame Wheel Art-2
The news of Yeom-jin’s death changed their daily lives.
So-yu couldn't even cry out that she would avenge her master immediately. This was because, upon the death of the master she had followed like a parent, a tidal wave of loss had engulfed the flames of rage.
Perhaps it would have been better if she had raged and run wild, swearing revenge?
In-ho wondered.
After hearing the news of Yeom-jin, So-yu had simply collapsed.
Like a piece of electronics with its power cut—thud.
There had been no warning in that movement.
In-ho spent what little money he had to call a physician. The doctor felt her pulse and prescribed several herbal decoctions. However, there was no significant improvement. In-ho continued to press the doctor, but the only answer he received was that since the illness was rooted in psychological trauma, there was nothing he could do to resolve it.
"......"
In-ho dipped a towel into cold water, pulled it out, and wrung it dry.
When he gently placed his hand on So-yu’s forehead, it felt like a ball of fire. For three days, the fever had not broken.
In-ho’s heart grew heavy as he watched So-yu sweating and mumbling in her delirium.
"Flame Wheel Master this, Flame Wheel Master that... but she’s still just a kid."
By Korean standards, his master was not yet an adult. He understood well that no matter how many hardships she had endured, she was not at an age where she could truly process such a loss. Even he, who had lived for over thirty years in his original world, was not accustomed to loss.
He wiped her sweat with another towel. Despite his care, So-yu showed no signs of opening her eyes.
It was a wait without a promised end.
Thinking he had finished what he could for now, In-ho opened the door and stepped out. He sat on the edge of the wooden porch and stared blankly up at the sky. The moon, rising hollowly, was faintly illuminating the world.
"And I’m out of money, too."
He had exhausted almost all his funds calling the physician and finding a room for So-yu to lie in. If a few more days passed like this, his travel expenses would be completely gone.
He was in a situation where he had to work.
In-ho planned to look for a job that wouldn't take too long. He had already thought of what to do. He intended to do deliveries at the market. If he used his footwork, he could handle many deliveries quickly and accurately.
Of course, some might criticize him, saying it wasn't a job for someone who had learned martial arts. But he wasn't in a position to be picky.
"...If even the Grandmaster was defeated, then who on earth was it?"
Grandmaster Yeom-jin was not a martial artist weak enough to be easily taken down. Because the information provided by the messenger from the Alliance was so sparse, In-ho had many questions regarding the Grandmaster’s death.
The message simply read: [Yeom-jin. Deceased.] along with the information that she had been killed by the Unorthodox Sect, with whom she had a long-standing grudge.
There were too few clues.
"Come to think of it, I only heard it was the Unorthodox Sect, but I’ve never heard which specific groups they are."
In-ho slapped his knee as if just realizing this. He thought back to the martial arts novels he had read for fun.
"......"
He stared intently at the unresponsive sky. Not satisfied with just looking up, he lay down on the porch and closed his eyes for a moment.
He was tired.
Mentally and physically.
Since he started nursing So-yu, he hadn't been able to sleep properly.
"Let’s just sleep for thirty minutes. I have to go to work tomorrow..."
Without resisting the approaching Water Demon of sleep, he muttered to himself.
Perhaps it was because it was a shallow slumber?
He had a dream.
As if the sky itself were cracking, fissures appeared in the clear blue. Five cracks, like a windowpane on the verge of shattering.
Something was emerging from those cracks.
*
"...Hey."
"Ho..."
"In-ho..."
He heard a voice calling his name from afar. Very faintly.
But In-ho did not miss that small sound. It was thanks to his senses, which had been sharpened through his life in the wilderness.
"...!"
He bolted upright and looked around.
"In-ho..."
So-yu’s voice came from inside the room, and In-ho immediately kicked the door open and rushed in.
"Master!"
Inside the room, barely lit by the moonlight, he saw So-yu looking at him with her eyes open.
"Are you awake?"
So-yu had finally woken up after nearly three days.
"How long..."
At the sound of her raspy, cracked voice, In-ho handed her the water he had placed nearby. After gulping down the water In-ho gave her, So-yu spoke to him in a voice that was slightly clearer than before.
"How much time has passed?"
She was likely asking how long she had been lying there.
"It’s been three days."
"Not... that long, then. I thought I had been down for a month."
So-yu managed a weak smile.
"Master, wait a moment. Let me check your fever."
In-ho placed his hand on her forehead. Her temperature had clearly dropped. It was his first time seeing a fever break so quickly in such a short period.
"My body is fine. I just have no strength because I haven't eaten."
So-yu moved her arms around to show him she was okay.
"Anyway... thank you for nursing me. I truly have no one but you."
The words 'I have no one but you' seemed to carry a lot of weight.
"First, you need to rest for a few more days."
In-ho spoke, worried that her health might have been compromised.
"Yes, I understand. If you say I should rest, then I must."
So-yu readily agreed with In-ho’s words.
"That’s a relief, then."
Perhaps because his worries had eased, In-ho said while stroking his chest.
"What is?"
"I have to go to work at the market starting tomorrow. I was worried about leaving you here, Master. Now that you’ve opened your eyes, I can feel at ease..."
"Work? The market?"
So-yu tilted her head.
In-ho didn't feel any particular sense of dissonance at that flat, toneless question.
"Ah, we’re out of travel funds, so I need to earn some money. We spent quite a bit while staying here."
"And?"
"So, while you’re recovering your health, Master, I’m going to go to the market and do some delivery work..."
"And?"
"...Master?"
In-ho looked at So-yu again at her strange reaction. Her eyes, reflected in the moonlight, were devoid of life.
"And so, where are you going, leaving me behind?"
So-yu asked, her head tilting slightly to the side.
"......"
At that eerie sight, In-ho fell silent.
"Are you planning to leave me too?"
Just as In-ho was about to answer So-yu’s question—
Click.
The door closed on its own.
Rustle.
Throwing off the covers, So-yu, who was drenched in sweat, grabbed In-ho’s shoulders and pushed him back. Losing his balance, In-ho fell flat onto the floor, and So-yu climbed on top of him, pressing her face against his chest.
"Don't go anywhere. At least you... at least you must stay by my side."
"Master, it’s only for a little while. If I just work in the morning..."
"No, never leave me. You just need to stay by my side constantly. That is enough for me. You are the only one I have left. I will never let you leave my side. Never. Never. Never. I will not lose you. If you run away, I will cut off those legs of yours. So don't say another word and stay glued to my side. From the break of dawn until the sun sets."
"Master..."
For some reason, In-ho felt that his master’s internal energy had become even stronger.