He spoke quietly. However, his voice cut through the noise of battle. Feeling a new and frightening presence behind them, they hurriedly turned to see Yoon-seok.
“W-who are you!”
At first glance, they could tell he wasn’t normal. He wore a mask, had two precious swords around his waist, and held an alluring woman wearing a veil against him. Who the hell was that?
Swaaaaaaaaa-!
Only one thing came to mind after they saw the ominous black energy flowing out of Yoon-seok’s body.
“The Devil!”
Not an ordinary demon, but a devil. Yoon-seok took a step toward Asura.
“W-what are you doing? S-stop him…!”
The surrounding warriors weren’t a problem at all. Every time Yoon-seok stepped forward, the black energy around him gently pushed them out and created space.
“S-sir, let’s hurry and call for backup…!”
They were warriors who lived in Moorim. In other words, they wouldn’t have survived thus far if they were slow-witted. As soon as they saw Yoon-seok’s eyes shining through the mask, they knew that he was an enemy that they couldn’t handle.
“Hurry!”
At the same time as one warrior urged them, a red signal flare ascended the night sky.
Phewwwwww! Boom!
Something like this existed in Moorim? While Yoon-seok watched with amusement, those who appeared to be their commanders shouted to encourage them.
“Back up will be here soon! Even if you die, block him!”
Instead of preventing Asura from approaching, the warriors circled Yoon-seok. It sounded like their goal had been changed to preventing him from leaving this area until backup arrived. Well, it was a good thing. Yoon-seok approached Asura and knelt beside him.
“Are you okay?”
“Grrgh…”
It was still the same growling voice, but somehow, he appeared to say he was okay.
“Even if I told you not to fight, you should protect yourself.”
“Grrrrgh…”
Did that mean he was sorry? Probably, seeing how he carefully hugged and protected the sword.
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Grrgh grrgh…”
“Oh, was it because I said I’d take it back and recycle it if you didn’t earn your share?”
“…”
Asura nodded. Even after this, he appeared to be blaming himself for not paying for today’s meal.
“Never mind. You were just following what I said.”
“Growl…“
“What ‘but’? If you keep doing that, I’ll take it from you.”
Asura shook his head as if he didn’t want that either. Yoon-seok smiled and pushed himself back up. Meanwhile, Namgoong Jin-jin, still in Yoon-seok’s arms, wore a vague expression.
‘How does he understand that?’
Although he was a monster who couldn’t speak, could he still communicate because he was their master? Of course, what was important right now wasn’t nonsense like that.
“What are you going to do…?”
Namgoong Jin-jin asked Yoon-seok with a tiny voice. She had remained silent thus far out of fear for her family becoming involved. These warriors were from the sects; she didn’t want to see either theirs or Yoon-seok’s blood. Was he aware of that?
“Don’t worry; I won’t fight with them. It’s not worth it in the first place anyway…”
“…”
“Sura, I’m sorry I can’t get revenge, but let’s just move on.”
“Grrrrrgh!“
Asura nodded generously. Was he not angry with them? No, he even looked a little happy about it.
‘Was it because I called him Sura?’
Yoon-seok, who laughed and dismissed that idea, grabbed Asura’s nape. Then-
“You’re leaving? Don’t make me laugh! Where do you think you’re going!”
The commander of the warriors shouted. To be frank, it felt like they were begging him to kill them, but he didn’t see a point in arguing.
‘Where am I going?’
From beginning to end, they were asking the wrong questions. He wanted to leave, and there was nowhere in the world that he couldn’t go. If they wanted to block him, he would just break them. That was the attitude of a demon. It was also the way Yoon-seok chose to live.
He was surrounded by warriors in all directions, but there was no reason to slay them. No matter how hard they tried, they weren’t beings who could block Yoon-seok’s path.
Thud.
Just kicking off the ground gently was enough. Yoon-seok’s body rose like a rocket, and the warriors could do nothing but watch.
“He’s heading to Cheonma-dong!”
“Hurry up and call the headquarters!”
“We have to stop him there!”
He could tell that they were urgently contacting somewhere, but Yoon-seok didn’t give it much thought. No matter who they contacted, they couldn’t arrive faster than him.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Yoon-seok quickly flew to his goal, with one arm wrapped around Namgoong Jin-jin’s waist and the other around Asura’s neck.
“Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
“What? Oh, no! I’m okay. Thank you, though.”
“Thank you? For what?”
“Those people earlier… for not killing them.”
“I’m a demon, not a murderer.”
“…”
Namgoong Jin-jin silently nodded. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what the difference between a demon and a murderer was, but when Yoon-seok said that, it felt like they were different in many ways.
“When I arrive at Cheonma-dong, I’ll drop you off nearby before I go in. Will that be okay?”
“Yes. There are many people from the family around there anyway, so I can join up with them.”
Yoon-seok continued without any hesitation now that he had a solution for Namgoong Jin-jin. The day slowly brightened, and the sun appeared between the ridges. It was then, as it began to crest fully over the peaks, the turquoise lake located in the plateau hidden between the rugged mountains came into view.
“…”
Horizon Lake. For reference, before Cheonma-dong was known to be located in this lake, only a few people knew its name, let alone its existence.
“There are a lot of people around.”
“Yes. This is the first time I’ve seen it.”
Yoon-seok used his energy to conduct a quick scan. There were a few thousand people in terms of number alone, a mix of the righteous and evil sects and the demon cult. To his surprise, several people recognized Yoon-seok’s existence even though he took care to hide their tracks.
‘Interesting.’
He didn’t know whether they were all 20th-floor rankers. However, the energy they radiated was formidable. It appeared they were still figuring out the situation as Yoon-seok showed up, but if he tried to approach, they would likely intercept.
Thump.
Yoon-seok landed and dropped off Namgoong Jin-jin near the warriors who possessed purer energies.
“What are you going to do now?”
Of course, she must be curious. Demon Cult, Moorim Alliance, and the Black Sword Sect of the evil factions. These three groups were the three divided parts of Moorim that had already signed a treaty to prevent anyone from entering Cheonma-dong. There was an underlying tension around the lake.
The moment he approached, he would become the target of all three organizations.
“To enter Cheonma-dong, we need to get past them, is there any way?”
There was, although it wasn’t something smart enough to be called a plan.
“Yes. Can you take care of my creature?”
“…?”
“I think it would be too much to take him to Cheonma-dong. You just have to take care of him for a month.”
Yoon-seok didn’t speak of his plan. However, perhaps she understood that he couldn’t tell her, as Namgoong Jin-jin didn’t insist on asking. Instead, she asked something weird.
“If it’s to that extent… we’ll protect him for the time being. Then, can we see each other again next time…?”
“That’s… I don’t think so.”
“What? Why? Are you going to leave it to me forever?”
It wasn’t like that since Asura would naturally follow once the time was up for him. When he offered a rough explanation, Namgoong Jin-jin gently bit her lip.
“But So-so hasn’t thanked you properly yet…”
“You don’t have to think of it as a debt since I’ve already received help. Thank you. Please tell the Elder that you have been of great help.”
“…Yes, I will.”
The mission was over, but Namgoong Jin-jin hesitated to leave. Was it because he didn’t do this? When Yoon-seok gave her an official salute, Namgoong Jin-jin turned and left with Asura.
“…Grrgh?“
When Yoon-seok saw Asura look back at him several times, he felt like a parent leaving his kid by the waterside. Well, it wouldn’t be a big deal because he told him to follow Namgoong Jin-jin’s commands without causing trouble. After confirming that she joined a group she seemed to know, Yoon-seok turned to look at the lake.
To be exact, he looked closely at the stone tomb that emerged from the center of the lake.
‘Is it about 1km?’
Several ferry boats with warriors manning them floated on the lake. Their purpose was to prevent those who tried to break into Cheonma-dong, and there was a large portion of the warriors were good enough to detect Yoon-seok’s presence. For reference, they were heading toward the place where Yoon-seok had appeared.
‘In other words, it means this is the right time to do it….’
Yoon-seok took a deep breath while stretching out his stiff body. Namgoong Jin-jin asked how he would reach Cheonma-dong through the Three Powerhouses of Moorim. The way Yoon-seok prepared was extremely simple: running.
So fast that no one could catch him.
Boom-!
The moment Yoon-seok’s knee bent and straightened out; his body shot forward the sound of a sonic boom behind him. It took him about 2.5 seconds to cross a distance of 1 km. It was a difficult speed to chase with the naked eye, but…
Whoosh!
Some were able to react. There were as many as twelve people who perceived him, including both those on the lake and surrounding it.
‘Are they already on guard?’
An arrow fired from a ferry in the northwest direction, but it wasn’t a common projectile. No, it was more like what a siege weapon might fire, between a spear and a harpoon. If Yoon-seok had a deep knowledge of Moorim, he would have known only just by looking at the arrow that its owner was none other than the second-in-command of the Black Sword.
It was fired from the Tyrant Bow Samayul.
‘As expected, is he a challenger?’
Yoon-seok heard the brief command chanted before the arrow was fired.
‘Dammit. Why are there so many monsters?’
If that were a normal arrow, he would’ve ignored it. Aiming at him while he ran at this speed was a pointless task, but this was different. The speed of the arrow was dozens of times faster than he was moving. It reached him near instantaneously.
Boom-!
Yoon-seok lifted the Judgement Sword to deflect the arrow’s path. Then, the arrow rounded back through the air.
Plorkk-!
It penetrated the fabric covering the back of his neck. Fortunately, his increase in durability prevented his head from being completely blown off, but the arrow held a debuff effect.
「You have been shot by the Moon’s Spirit Arrow.」
「Fall into the Target state for 1 minute.」
He had never heard of the condition before. However, he could soon find out what the effect was. Soon after, dozens of arrows were fired at Yoon-seok, and unlike before, they chased Yoon-seok while ignoring the laws of physics. These arrows possessed tremendous power, unlike the first shot earlier.
‘Endure and breakthrough.’
Yoon-seok chose to intercept the arrows one by one using his sword instead of boosting his stats with King of All Swords. This method was working quite well. At this rate, he thought he would reach his destination safely.
Unfortunately, Yoon-seok’s opponent wasn’t only this mysterious archer. Though they were a step behind in reacting, there were still 11 people who moved in reaction to Yoon-seok. Each of them was a monster who didn’t feel restricted at all by the hundred meters of the distance separating them.
“Infinite Check.”
The Arch Hunter’s hunting gloves were activated as an invisible sword hit him from behind.
“Interchange.”
Yoon-seok’s magic power began to leak out.
“Interference.”
His left ear was cut off by a sword but didn’t regenerate. These things happened in 0.5 seconds while he was crossing the last 200m to his destination.
‘Did I underestimate them?’
Yoon-seok admitted that he was arrogant. It wasn’t only 1km, and it wasn’t only around 3 seconds. This place was Moorim, not Earth. There was no need to see bloodshed? He just had to run fast so that no one could chase him?
He should’ve gone out with all his might from the start. No, even now, he must use everything to penetrate this short distance.
‘Demonify.’
His bones and muscles swelled, and horns sprouted out. His majestic wings unfolded with a burst of wind pressure. In addition, his ear that was cut off returned, and his infinite magic stopped the hemorrhaging of energy.
Creakkkkkkkkk…!
Dudududududu!
The space on all sides around him distorted, and the ground shook. The morning sky was colored dark, turning so dark not even the stars or the moon could be seen. Suddenly, he remembered what Namgoong Jin-jin said at some point during their journey.
“…”
The Horizon Lake. It existed since ancient times and had been named because it contained 10,000 kinds of skies.
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