Chapter 27: A World of Martial Arts and Chivalry-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 27: A World of Martial Arts and Chivalry-1
The dull sensation that had slammed into my body vanished. In its place, a world of pitch black appeared.
"What... where is this?"
It was so dark I wondered if I’d gone blind. There was nothing but void.
— Ding!
A familiar window popped up with a familiar sound.
[Dimension Transfer Notice-3]
[The possession target will be overwritten by the existence known as Kang In-ho.]
[Number of Dimension Transfers: 4]
[Reason for Death in Previous Dimension: Derailment]
"I... died."
I died again. I hadn't intended to die, nor had I done anything to provoke Mina.
This meant I wouldn't necessarily die only at the hands of those obsessed with me.
Did I die the moment I decided to settle down in that dimension?
I even started coming up with hypotheses about being targeted by some cosmic forced misfortune.
No, that God might be a total bitch, but she wouldn't do something that petty.
Then, the fact I could derive from my fourth death was...
"The number of ways I can die has increased."
I concluded that I couldn't avoid death just by being careful around one specific person.
"......."
More than the fact that I had died, and more than having to start all over again in another dimension, one thing weighed on my mind.
"Is Lee Mina... doing okay?"
She was the first person I’d truly decided to try and make things work with. Who would have thought we’d part ways so absurdly?
"Ha. If I’d known this would happen, I should have at least kissed her."
It was already in the past. Something that couldn't be undone.
Trying to grab onto regrets was like trying to catch drifting cigarette smoke; you can't catch it, and the toxicity only makes you cough.
"So, where on earth am I?"
Enough time should have passed for my eyes to adjust to the dark, but I still couldn't see a damn thing.
And why was I lying down?
— Thud.
And it was cramped.
Was I trapped in some kind of box? Or a trunk?
Wait, am I starting this life confined? The difficulty level is way too high.
Setting aside the stuffiness, the realization that I was trapped in a narrow space made anxiety well up inside me.
I had to get out.
I pushed with my knees and hands. The lid lifted slightly, so it didn't seem like I was trapped in something like a car trunk.
— Clatter!
I pushed the lid with all my might, and a rush of fresh air hit my face.
What was with this refreshing air?
As I sat up, a faint light dimly illuminated the space.
A bedroom? A funeral altar? It was a space where concepts were bizarrely mixed.
"What is this freakish place?"
I tried to stand, putting strength into my knees, but my whole body screamed in protest. It felt as if I had been lying down for a very long time.
"It looks like a coffin."
Looking back at where I’d been lying, there was a perfectly rectangular coffin. It seemed a bit larger than a standard one, but a coffin was a coffin.
I carefully stepped out of it.
As my feet touched the smooth stone floor, a chill traveled up from my soles.
"And why are these clothes so flowery and draped?"
The soft fabric brushed against my skin. Even setting the design aside, I could tell at a glance that the clothes were high-quality.
I massaged my aching knees while taking in my surroundings.
"What kind of place is this, anyway?"
I couldn't get a handle on it. All I could tell was that it felt incredibly ancient.
*
"Who goes there?!"
A voice boomed from the entrance. I looked over to see two rough-looking men holding torches, staring at me.
Judging by how wary they were, they didn't seem to know I was supposed to be here.
"Uh... er..."
What was I supposed to say? I just woke up inside that thing?
"Speak the truth, or else...!"
The man on the left pulled something from his waist.
— Shring!
With the sound of scraping metal, a sword was drawn.
The blade, glinting as it reflected the light, looked sharp enough to bring back memories of my previous deaths.
"No way, another 'stabbed to death' ending is just ridiculous..."
They approached me slowly. They were extremely cautious, but I felt the same way. If things went south, they’d cut me down with that sword.
Even if I had to die again, I wasn't going to die by a blade. That was my thought.
Soon, we stood in a standoff with only two or three paces between us.
"How dare you enter this sacred place...!"
"Squad Leader, look at that! The coffin...!"
The gaze of the man called Squad Leader shifted over my shoulder, and his face turned pale.
"M-My God...! Every item in the Palace of Sacrifice belongs to the Sect Leader..."
"You bastard!! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
As the Squad Leader lost his words, the man beside him began interrogating me.
To my eyes, their attire was truly bizarre. They were wearing clothes that looked like they belonged in a historical drama, holding torches and swords.
And "Sect Leader"? Was this some kind of religious cult?
Their grim faces contorted even further as they stepped toward me.
This... was going to end badly.
In that case...
"Oh! Look behind you!!"
"What?!"
When both their gazes shifted backward simultaneously, I shoved them aside and bolted at full speed.
"Intruder!! There's an intruder!!!!"
I heard the shout behind me, followed by a massive swarm of torches rushing toward me from the distance.
Shit, I'm screwed.
How many minutes had I been running?
I ran frantically to get away from the torches. I didn't even have time to think if I was going the right way.
Following only my instincts, I sprinted down corridors and leaped over walls.
"It'll take those punks a while to climb over that wall."
I muttered as I glanced back at the wall I’d just cleared with all my strength, only for an unbelievable sight to unfold before my eyes.
"There he is! Catch him!"
People soared into the air, effortlessly gliding over the wall.
Wait, that wasn't a jump...
Not only did they clear the wall, but they were also running toward me while stepping on thin air.
"Agh!!! Flying cultists!!!!!"
I scrambled and started running again.
*
"Dammit."
I thought I was doing a good job of escaping, but it seemed I had been running exactly where they were herding me.
"A cliff..."
Before me was a sheer drop. If I fell from here, there wouldn't even be enough left of my bones to bury.
"That's far enough!"
And behind me were scores of people.
Holding torches and swords, they approached me with heavy breaths.
"The price for disturbing the Palace of Sacrifice shall be paid with your life."
So I’d die if I got caught anyway.
Well... there was no helping it then.
Whether I died this way or that way.
I’d rather die all at once; it would be easier on my mind.
Goodbye, this dimension. Whatever place this is.
I threw myself off the edge with all my might.
"Ah!"
A voice of pure shock rang out.
I was falling endlessly. The sound of wind whistling past my ears, the air resistance slamming into my face.
Surely, I’d turn into mush the moment I hit the ground.
Hoping to catch a branch or something, I flailed my body.
Then, something felt different.
"My falling speed...?"
The speed of my descent slowed down subtly.
I flailed my body again.
Gradually, the speed slowed even more, and I began to glide stably along the cliffside.
"Hahahaha!! I'm flying! I'm actually flying!!"
I screamed with joy at the unbelievable situation.
Great. I didn't know how it was happening, but for now, I was alive. Now, if I could just find a proper landing spot...
— Nudge.
"Huh?"
The moment my posture broke, my stable glide faltered.
My body began to plummet again.
"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit~~~~!"
Like a third-rate villain's exit scene, I fell toward the bottom.
*
Yunnan.
The rain that had started falling showed no signs of stopping, pouring down day and night.
Tents were pitched around a cave on a mountainside, resembling a military camp.
"......"
High up in a tree, a man stood using a branch as a foothold.
Though he should have been swaying in the torrential rain, his posture remained unshaken.
His gaze was fixed on one spot, watching something flying from afar.
When the object drew near, he reached out his hand.
— Flutter.
With the sound of flapping wings, a crow landed on his hand.
He opened the note tied to the crow's leg and remained silent for a long while before jumping down.
Despite falling from a great height, he landed softly on the ground.
"Is the Sect Leader inside?"
"Yes. She has been inside the entire time."
When he asked the guards standing at the cave entrance, they bowed their heads and answered.
After taking a deep breath, he entered the cave.
The cave bore marks of being artificially widened in various places, making it look more like a well-decorated villa.
Who would have thought this was a space meant for only a two-day stay?
The man knelt on one knee and bowed his head.
"I greet the Sect Leader."
The man spoke toward the darkness in the distance.
A brief silence followed.
"What business is so urgent that you dare disturb my rest, Sword Demon?"
The man flinched at the voice laced with slight irritation, but he soon caught his breath and spoke.
"Word has come from the Sect."
"What word? If it is some trivial matter, I shall take both your head and the head of the one who sent it."
"At the Palace of Sacrifice..."
"...The Palace of Sacrifice?"
"It is said... there was an intruder at the Palace of Sacrifice."
"...What?"
"And there were reports that the bedroom was disturbed by the intruder."
— Boom!
The very atmosphere began to vibrate.
The vibration spread from the darkness, shaking the entire mountain.
Trees with weak roots collapsed, and the impact caused earth and stone to slide down the slopes.
Anyone else would have thought it was a natural phenomenon, but the man felt clearly that it was the sheer presence of the person beyond the darkness.
Blood was already dripping from his nose.
The vibration continued, and his bleeding didn't stop.
— Step. Step.
Footsteps echoed from the other side of the darkness.
The footsteps drew closer, and the man closed his eyes as if bracing for death.
A massive presence. A pressure so heavy he could barely breathe crushed down on him.
"Open your eyes, Sword Demon."
"I obey the Sect Leader's command."
The man struggled to open his eyes and raised his head.
— Slam!
Immediately, the man's face was slammed into the floor.
"Who told you... to raise your head?"
"I apologize."
"Is the Spirit Demon there?"
At the Sect Leader's call, the man's shadow writhed.
Soon, a woman taking human form knelt on one knee, responding to the call.
"We return to the main Sect."
"Yes, I understand."
"Sword Demon."
"...Yes."
"I leave the front lines to you. Until I return, open the path to Anhui."
"I shall follow your command."
"Now, raise your head."
A woman dressed in black martial robes with a white overcoat looked down at the man.
She had jet-black hair tied back, blood-red eyes.
And a gold earring hanging from her left ear.
"What did they say they did with the head of security?"
"I am told he has been locked in the prison for now."
"Good. He must not be punished recklessly."
The Sect Leader spoke with a deep smile.
"They are the ones who failed to protect my disciple's resting place. I shall personally tear their limbs apart and burn their eyes out."
Black flames erupted fiercely behind the Sect Leader, heating the surrounding air.
Faced with that indescribable strength, the man bowed his head again in submission.
"Everything as the Heavenly Demon wills."