Habits and Calculations
I rubbed my eyes and sat up. The moonlight filtering through the window frame was faint, and the room was pitch-black. It had to be very late at night.
"...Whew."
As I forced myself up, a terrifying face loomed right in front of mine. The moment I saw it, a violent shudder ran down my spine.
"Whoa, holy crap!"
[...?]
As I cursed and leaned my upper body back, the owner of the face—Dok-jon—looked at me with a puzzled expression.
[What is the matter with you?]
"...It's nothing. A bug just flew past."
It's because your face is too damn scary, I wanted to say, but I couldn't. I just shook my head instead.
[...A bug? I did not see anything pass by.]
The old man's observational skills were needlessly sharp.
"No, it did. A gnat."
[...Hmm. Is that so?]
Fortunately, when I glared and insisted, Dok-jon let it slide, figuring that must have been the case.
I let out a silent sigh of relief and scanned my surroundings.
Did the other old man not come back yet?
Yoo Chun-gil was nowhere to be seen. He had been incredibly busy ever since we arrived in Sichuan, so I didn't pay it much mind anymore.
The important thing was...
"...So, what were you saying? We're going to get the Daehwandan?"
[Oh? What is this? You were awake?]
"No, I heard it in my sleep."
[Ah, well... I see.]
How should I put it? Dok-jon's expression screamed, Wait, you actually heard that?
[...At any rate, it seems I must give you the reward I promised. What do you think?]
"...I'll gladly accept it if you're offering, but..."
I glanced toward the window.
"Do we really have to go in the middle of the night...?"
Judging by the darkness, it looked to be around the hour of the Tiger.
Was there a reason we had to go out of our way when everyone else was asleep? I asked him, feeling suspicious.
[Yes. It must be now.]
"Hmm..."
Hearing his response, I got out of bed. When I stood up without asking any further questions, Dok-jon looked puzzled.
[Why do you not ask more?]
"Pardon?"
I stared at him in disbelief, wondering why he was asking me why I was just following along.
"...Didn't you say we have to go right now?"
[Indeed, but you could have questioned it further. Why didn't you?]
"Well, I mean..."
I paused for a moment to organize my thoughts before continuing.
"Going to retrieve the Daehwandan at this hour suggests that we need to avoid other people's eyes. And since you're offering the Daehwandan before the request is even finished, you probably think the Daehwandan and the sword you're looking for are kept in the same place. Am I wrong?"
[...Uh, what...?]
"Furthermore, circumstances suggest they're inside the Secret Vault... but since guards are watching the main entrance, we can't go that way. Which means there's another entrance. And that's where we're heading now, right?"
[...]
The more I spoke, the stranger Dok-jon's expression became.
At first, he looked at me like I was just an odd fellow, but now, his gaze was directed at an absolute freak.
Why? Why was he looking at me like that? After staring at me for a long while, Dok-jon let out a hollow laugh.
[...What that fellow said was spot on.]
"Huh? Who said what?"
[Never mind that. Anyway... get up. It seems there is no need for further explanation.]
"Ah, yes."
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and stood up completely.
"Where should we go?"
[There is no need to go anywhere.]
"Pardon?"
[Because the entrance is right beneath your feet anyway.]
"What on earth does that..."
I stopped mid-sentence as a sudden realization struck me.
"..."
Remembering what had happened back at Cheongwol Gate, I spoke to Dok-jon.
"...Elder. Don't tell me you built secret entrances in every single guest room in the Dang Clan manor...?"
[...What? How do you know that? Did you predict even that?]
"...No, it's not a prediction. Just experience."
And a very similar experience at that.
I had only asked just in case, but it seemed my suspicions were correct.
"...Hmm..."
Unsure of how to react, I just stood there in silence. I had realized something by now: reacting dramatically never changed anything anyway.
It only tires me out.
Since none of these old ghosts were sane, it was best to just accept whatever crazy thing happened next.
"...So, what do I need to do? Do I open a drawer or something this time too?"
When I asked so casually, Dok-jon reacted with shock.
[What? Child, how on earth do you know that?]
"..."
Unbelievable.
I actually got it right.
Come to think of it, maybe these hidden mechanisms were actually quite simple.
I wondered how they even built a system where opening a drawer opened a secret door, but...
...Wait, they really are similar.
The rules were remarkably similar. It couldn't be a coincidence, considering the creator was the same.
Perhaps it's better to call it a habit rather than a coincidence.
Whatever the case, it didn't really matter. The important thing was...
...that there is a path leading to the Secret Vault from this very room.
Another passage to the Secret Vault existed.
That was what I needed to focus on right now.
In that case...
"Elder."
[Speak.]
"...If you had a shortcut like this, why didn't you mention it during the day?"
Why did we have to go to the Secret Vault with the Poison King in the first place?
If there was a shortcut like this, we could have just come here quickly and accomplished what Dok-jon wanted.
I couldn't understand why he waited until nightfall to bring this up.
To my question, Dok-jon replied:
[There was something I needed to confirm.]
"...With the Dang Clan Leader?"
[Yes.]
He needed to confirm something with his own son while entering the Secret Vault together?
What was it?
I wondered what he wanted to confirm, but I decided to let it go for now.
He didn't look like he was in the mood to answer anyway.
"...Then, what should I do first?"
The moment I spoke, Dok-jon pointed somewhere. It was the drawer right behind me.
[Open the second drawer.]
I immediately followed his instructions. Slide! The drawer opened. There was nothing inside.
Dok-jon pointed his finger once more.
It was an unlit lamp sitting on the table.
[Move that lamp on top of the drawer.]
I picked up the lamp and placed it on top of the drawer. Then...
[Now, infuse it with your internal energy.]
Dok-jon said. Without hesitation, I channeled the Cheongwol Mind Method in my hand.
Channeled the signature internal cultivation method of Cheongwol Gate.
Hummmm—!
A blue energy slowly seeped out and wrapped around the lamp.
At that moment...
Creak—!
A sound echoed from the floor. I pulled back the blanket, and sure enough, a square opening had appeared.
There was even a ladder. It was exactly like the one I had seen at Cheongwol Gate.
[Well? Is it not fascinating?]
Dok-jon asked me proudly, looking triumphant at the unfolding scene.
He seemed to take immense pride in it.
"...Ah, yes. Truly fascinating."
I played along, giving him the best reaction I could muster. In reality, having already seen it at Cheongwol Gate, I wasn't all that surprised.
[What is this? Your reaction is rather dull.]
"No, it's just that I'm so shocked I can't even process it properly."
[Ah, is that so? Well, that is understandable then.]
"..."
I hadn't realized it before, but Dok-jon was surprisingly gullible.
Anyway.
"...Should I go down now?"
[Yes.]
With Dok-jon's permission, I climbed down the ladder.
This, too, felt familiar.
The only difference was that while I had to climb down for what felt like ages at Cheongwol Gate, this shaft wasn't nearly as deep.
Splash.
The moment my feet touched the ground, a damp sensation crept up my legs.
The space below was pitch-black. I immediately circulated my energy and focused power into my eyes.
In my newly brightened vision, an entrance appeared ahead.
[Walk slowly. There is nothing down here that should pose a major problem.]
"...If you say 'no major problem,' does that mean there are minor ones?"
[It is fine. Even if something triggers, at worst you will only lose a few toes... I jest, child. Come down from the ladder.]
"...Don't make jokes with a face like that. It's actually terrifying."
I tried to climb back up immediately, but he stopped me.
Casting a suspicious glance at Dok-jon, I walked forward. Just as he said, there were no other traps.
After walking a short distance, a door came into view.
There was no doorknob. It seemed it had to be opened through some special method.
As I stared at it...
[Now, that door...]
Dok-jon began to explain how to open it, but...
Slide.
[Hmm?]
My hand moved faster.
[Child, what are you... Huh?]
Dok-jon tried to question my actions, but...
Trace, trace.
Seeing my hand move, Dok-jon shut his mouth. After I traced a few lines without hesitation...
Rumble—!!!
The door in front of us slid open.
"Oh, it worked."
As I nodded at the opening door, Dok-jon stammered out a question.
[...How? How did you do that?]
"Pardon?"
[I have never taught you how to bypass this mechanism...?]
"Ah, this?"
It was no big deal.
"I noticed there was a pattern."
[...A pattern?]
"Yes."
I had sensed it when we opened the mechanism earlier today, but there was a peculiar rule to disabling Dok-jon's security devices.
"There are dots on the wall. You just have to connect them, right?"
[...!]
At my words, Dok-jon's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
[You actually saw those...?]
"Yes. They were so small they were hard to see, but once I focused, they stood out."
Though they differed in size and height...
...the shape was the same.
The arrangement of the dots was identical, and the same underlying rule applied.
He had rambled on about how to move my hands and which way to turn, but in the end, it boiled down to one thing.
How to connect those dots.
That seemed to be the key to opening the mechanism.
[...But there are dozens of dots, are there not?]
Dok-jon asked, looking utterly bewildered.
He was right. There weren't just one or two dots. To open the door, one had to connect six dots in total, but there were dozens of those tiny specks scattered across the door.
Since the door was made of stone, they just looked like natural imperfections at a glance.
If he wanted to know how I managed to find the correct dots under those conditions...
"I calculated it."
[...What? Calculated?]
"Yes. Since the shape formed by the dots is always the same... I just established a baseline, estimated the scale, and calculated the positions."
[Ha! How could you possibly establish a baseline among so many dots?]
"Haha, come on, Elder."
I scoffed playfully at Dok-jon.
"You were kind enough to make two of the dots noticeably larger than the rest. How could I miss them?"
[...]
Out of the countless dots, one to the north and one to the south were of a different size.
Those were the baselines. Using them as reference points, I could estimate the scale and distance to locate the remaining four dots and connect them.
[...You found them... in that split second?]
The further I went into my explanation, the more distorted Dok-jon's expression became.
Why was he acting like this?
"I just calculated and connected them. Why are you so surprised? It's simple once you know the rule."
[Simple...? No, it cannot possibly be simple...]
He looked like a machine that had short-circuited.
As I watched him, Dok-jon eventually snapped out of it and asked another question.
[No, no. Setting aside how you found them... Child, as I said before, tampering with the mechanism incorrectly could have triggered a major disaster. It makes no sense that you would take such a dangerous risk knowing that.]
"...Ah."
Well, he did have a point. It could have blown up if I messed up, but...
"That's true,"
I told Dok-jon in a flat tone.
"But I knew I wouldn't get it wrong."
[What...?]
"Looking at it, there was zero chance of failure, so I just went ahead and did it."
[No... just like that, without a second thought...?]
"Yes. There's no reason to hesitate when you know you won't fail."
[...]
"It worked out in the end, so isn't that all that matters?"
[...Ah, uh... right.]
"We can go in now, right?"
Leaving the dazed Dok-jon behind, I stepped through the open entrance.
[...That child is just as twisted as his master.]
Dok-jon muttered with a somewhat complicated look.
But because he spoke in such a quiet whisper, I didn't hear him murmuring behind me.