A Stolen Legacy
Ruuuumble!
To be honest, he hadn't expected it to succeed.
That was the thought that crossed the old man's mind as he watched the shifting wall.
“...Ha...”
The old man let out a dry chuckle as he watched the young man leaning on his sword, gasping for breath. It was utterly absurd.
He actually did it just because I told him to...?
He had only told him to look for it as a joke, yet the boy had actually pulled it off. It made no sense.
...I could accept him applying the Moon Eye.
The eye that sees the truth in the darkness.
It was a power one could wield only after opening the Moon Eye and becoming accustomed to the mind method. It didn't just allow one to see clearly in the dark; it granted the ability to perceive far more. However, that required the mind method to reach a certain level.
And yet...
“What is that fellow?”
That brat, Bang Seong-yeon, had opened the eye as if it were nothing. Adding a rotation to the mind method and channeling it to the eyes—it was easy to say, but enduring the strain was a completely different story.
“How...”
It was baffling to watch him pull off something he hadn't even been taught as if it were second nature.
Honestly, up to that point, it was still somewhat acceptable. At least, it was if the old man compared it to himself. In his past life, he had opened the Moon Eye the moment he mastered the mind method, and he was able to utilize its applications in less than a fortnight. But...
“What is he?”
Bang Seong-yeon was different. He was different from geniuses who possessed pure, unadulterated talent.
He clearly lacks any talent for martial arts.
Calling him a genius was highly debatable. His martial instincts were remarkably dull. He was slow to realize how to move or how to seize the flow of a battle. And yet...
Once he is shown, he executes it flawlessly.
It wasn't about abstract concepts. Once he experienced the sensation through possession, he executed the technique with absolute precision. Seong-yeon claimed that since he had felt it directly once, all he had to do was memorize it and replicate it.
What absolute nonsense.
The flow of a mind method was incredibly delicate, with countless variables unfolding at any given moment. To memorize all of that in an instant and execute it? And with his own body, no less? It was impossible.
And yet, he had done it again.
“The passage is open,” Seong-yeon said.
The wall shifted, revealing an entrance. As Bang Seong-yeon prepared to head inside with a nonchalant expression, the old man called out to him.
“Child.”
“Yes?”
“How did you know?”
“Know what? Ah.” Seong-yeon smirked as if realizing what the old man meant. “It was obvious, so I just figured it out.”
“What did you say?”
“You practically pushed me into it, so why are you pretending not to know?”
“...What?” The old man frowned at Seong-yeon's words. What was he talking about?
“First with the lines, and then with opening the entrance. You dropped hints one by one for me to figure it out.”
“...”
It was true. He had indeed urged him to use his mind's eye more deeply, and he had dropped clues for him to pick up. However, that wasn't what the old man was asking about right now.
“Setting that aside... I am talking about the moment you unleashed the Moon Wave at the very end.”
“Yes? Go on.”
“Why didn't you slash the wall?”
At the moment his qi-infused sword brushed against the wall, Seong-yeon had narrowly avoided cutting it, letting the blade merely glide past.
“Why did you do that?” The old man couldn't understand. Why had Seong-yeon made such a choice? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find an answer, so he had to ask.
“Here you go again,” Seong-yeon said, looking thoroughly annoyed. “You already knew, so why are you acting like this?”
“...”
It seemed the boy was misunderstanding something. Did he think the old man had planned and predicted even that final strike? Yoo Chun-gil decided not to correct him. If he admitted the truth, the boy would probably get cocky, which would be highly irritating.
“...Just answer the question.”
“Hmm.” At the old man's urging, Seong-yeon wore a peculiar expression before finally speaking. “There were no marks on the wall.”
“What?”
“The blue lines were clearly drawn, but there were no other sword marks.” Seong-yeon stroked the wall. Indeed, there were no other traces.
“I knew I had to use my qi to do something... but since there were no marks, and it didn't seem like the wall was regenerating on its own, that left only one possibility.”
His voice remained as calm as ever as he continued his explanation. “I had to cut the wall using only my qi, without letting the physical blade touch it.”
“...!”
“I'm right, aren't I?” Seong-yeon asked, looking at the old man. Yoo Chun-gil stared into his eyes for a moment before finally nodding.
“...Yes. That is correct.”
“What's with that reaction? Did you have to check the answer key first?” Smirking, Seong-yeon walked into the passage.
The old man quietly watched his retreating back.
Fascinating.
It truly was.
To think there exists a human I cannot comprehend.
Such a thing had never happened in his entire past life.
Seong-yeon walked a bit further through the entrance. A heavy thud echoed behind him. When he looked back, the entrance had already shut tight.
“How are we supposed to get out later...?”
“Do not concern yourself with that. There is always a way.”
Seong-yeon had asked out of anxiety, but the old man simply brushed it off.
Why is he acting like that? Seong-yeon wondered, looking at the old man's face. His expression was somewhat subtle.
Didn't I get it right? He had clearly given the correct answer, yet the old man looked displeased.
Ah, could it be...
...because he doesn't want to give me the sword?
The old man had promised to give him something better than the heavy iron sword if he solved the puzzle. Was he making that face because he regretted it?
It's highly likely. Knowing the old man's temper, it was entirely possible.
He's already dead, he should let go of his greed.
Seong-yeon couldn't understand why the old man was coveting someone else's heavy iron sword.
Walking a bit further, another door came into view. He grabbed the handle and pulled.
Screeech!
The rusty door resisted slightly, but with a bit of force, it swung open. He stepped inside immediately.
The second vault. The moment he saw it, his eyes widened.
“...This is...”
“Tsk, tsk.” Yoo Chun-gil chuckled as he surveyed the room. “Fortunately, this place is intact.”
“...”
The vault was narrower than the first one, but it seemed packed with items. They didn't look particularly valuable, though... most of it seemed like junk.
“...You're saying there's another elixir here?” Seong-yeon shot Yoo Chun-gil a skeptical look. It looked like a literal junk room. Was there really an elixir here?
“I do not appreciate that suspicious look of yours.”
“Well, this place doesn't look like it would hold any elixirs. And what is this?” Seong-yeon picked up an object rolling around near his feet. “Is this... a wrist guard? Ugh, dust!”
The moment he lifted it, a cloud of dust erupted. Why did he even keep something like this here?
“Ah, that. I snatched that from the Tyrant King back in the day.”
“...Excuse me?”
Who?
Seong-yeon froze slightly at the name. “From whom...?”
“The Tyrant King. A man of few words, but incredibly eccentric.”
“...”
That wasn't what he was asking. Did the old man think he didn't know who that was?
The Tyrant King... the hegemon of Xi'an.
The Tyrant King, Muk Yeok-seong. He was the absolute ruler of the Xi'an region and one of the current Five Kings of the Murim.
“...Why is the Tyrant King's possession here?”
“I just told you. I snatched it.”
“I mean, why did you steal it?”
“It was a hobby of mine.”
“A hobby...?”
“Yes, a hobby.”
What kind of hobby resulted in having such an item here? As Seong-yeon stared at him in bewilderment, the old man asked, “Why? Do you want it? I can give it to you if you'd like.”
“...”
Seong-yeon hesitated. If asked whether he wanted it, the answer was a resounding yes.
It's not just any item; it's the Tyrant King's wrist guard.
There was a high chance it was an extraordinary treasure, and even if it wasn't, he could sell it or find a good use for it. However...
“...No, thank you.” Seong-yeon quietly placed the wrist guard back on the floor.
“Why? Your eyes were practically screaming that you wanted it.”
“I told you before,” Seong-yeon said with a sigh. “...One must never carelessly touch a ghost's belongings.”
Items left behind by the deceased had to be handled with extreme caution. He couldn't risk having the lingering karma of the dead cling to him.
“Ha! You were drooling over the elixir and the heavy iron sword just a moment ago, and now you're backing out?”
“Those were items you intended to give me. And since I paid a proper price for them, it's fine.”
“Then what about this? I am offering to give this to you as well.”
“Stop lying,” Seong-yeon retorted flatly. “You had no intention of giving it to me.”
“Haha...” Yoo Chun-gil looked like he had been caught red-handed. Indeed, the wretched ghost had no intention of giving it away in the first place. He was merely testing him.
“You certainly are quick-witted.”
“Thanks for the compliment. Stop playing around and give me the real elixir. We don't have all day.”
“Hmph.” Yoo Chun-gil sighed with regret. Seong-yeon had no idea why the old man had been playing pranks ever since they arrived.
“Hurry up.”
“It is over there,” Yoo Chun-gil finally pointed. It was a box wedged among the antiques.
It was much smaller than the one in the first room. While that one required two hands, this one could easily be lifted with one.
There's actually something inside this one, right...?
With an anxious heart, Seong-yeon grabbed the box and tried to open it—but it wouldn't budge.
A familiar sensation washed over him. Just in case, he circulated his mind method and applied force.
Click.
Sure enough, the box reacted.
“...Son of a...”
“...Let me ask first, is this also a creation of the Tang Clan?”
“Oh... It seems you finally have an eye for these things. Yes, that too is one of their marvelous masterpieces...”
“I don't need to hear the rest.”
“Ptooey.”
“...”
It was an incredibly childish reaction. Whatever. As long as it opened, that was all that mattered.
“Whew...”
As the box opened halfway, a magnificent fragrance wafted out. It was incomparable to when he had opened the empty box. Finally, the box opened completely.
“...Ha...”
Seong-yeon gasped as he looked at the contents.
It was an elixir. There was no doubt about it. Otherwise, it wouldn't emit such a brilliant, pure fragrance.
What was unusual was...
It's blue.
For some reason, the elixir was blue.
“Fortunately, that one was still here.” Judging by Yoo Chun-gil's reaction, this was indeed what they had been looking for.
“...Is this...”
“Swallow it quickly. Once opened, the longer it is exposed, the more its efficacy will—ah, you already swallowed it.”
Seong-yeon had popped it into his mouth and swallowed it before Yoo Chun-gil could even finish his sentence.
“You told me to eat it.”
“Still... normally, wouldn't one at least suspect whether it is dangerous before consuming it?”
“If you were going to pull that kind of crap after we came all this way, I'd rather just eat it and die.”
“...You are something else.”
Seong-yeon meant it. If Yoo Chun-gil had planned to pull something at this point, dying would be preferable.
Besides...
I can tell just by the scent.
Although he had never seen a Great Pill or a Jasodan before, he could tell this was an extraordinary elixir.
“Sit cross-legged.”
The moment the words left the old man's mouth, Seong-yeon sat down on the floor and assumed the lotus position.
By the way...
“What kind of elixir is this? Looking at its appearance, is it perhaps the Nine Dragons Pill of the Wudang Sect?”
While not quite a divine pill, it was a highly valuable elixir refined by the Wudang Sect. He had heard it possessed a bluish hue. Was this it?
Even if it's not on the level of a Great Pill, I'd be more than grateful for a Nine Dragons Pill.
He was in no position to be picky. Just being able to consume it was a blessing. With that thought, he prepared to circulate his qi.
“Ah, that,” the old man said, picking his nose. “It is the Blue Moon Pill.”
“The Blue Moon Pill?”
It was a name he had never heard in his life. Did such an elixir even exist?
“It is a legendary pill reserved only for the leader of Cheongwol Gate.”
“...Excuse me?”
The additional explanation sounded bizarre. ...Only the leader could consume it?
“I stole it and hid it away back when the next leader was supposed to take it. I never expected it to be used like this. Quite fortunate, isn't it?”
“...What?”
Stolen and hidden away? And if it belonged to the next leader...
Doesn't that mean Wolseongeom was supposed to consume it?
Seong-yeon's eyes widened as he yelled, “Why are you telling me this now?! You should have told me before I swallowed it!”
“I forgot to mention it. Besides, you're the one who happily gulped it down, and now you have the audacity to get angry at me?”
“If I had heard that first, I would have actually thought about it!”
“As if you would have... Ah, there is one more thing I forgot.”
“...What is it?”
As if the previous revelation wasn't shocking enough, there was more? Seong-yeon asked, filled with dread.
“In a moment, the energy will explode within your body. If you cannot endure it, you will die.”
“What?”
“It would be troublesome for me if you died, so I shall trust that you will survive.”
“No, you crazy old bastard, what kind of insane nonsense is—!”
Thud!
“...!”
A massive tremor shook his body. He instantly shut his mouth and clutched his chest.
“Tsk, tsk.” Yoo Chun-gil's laughter echoed.
“I promise you, just endure it. If you can just endure it...”
Thud! Thump, thump!
A series of violent shocks erupted within his body as if something were exploding.
“...A new world will unfold before you.”
Ruuuumble!
With Yoo Chun-gil's final words, Seong-yeon's consciousness was swept away and vanished beyond the explosion.