Chapter 133 – Blurred, Suddenly (3)
“When I saw him there, that was the first thought that came to mind. Do you know why?”
His vigor was extremely ferocious, and he wouldn’t cease his movements no matter how much blood he shed. The birth of the new disciple, unveiled during the last public performance, was undoubtedly a shocking spectacle for many martial artists.
“Blood in a human body has its limits, but the person I saw was different. He seemed to be dying, yet not dying. Even when his entire unarmed body was drenched in blood, he still continued to spurt it out.”
“Are you saying he’s a fictional Blood Horse? Isn’t that a severe exaggeration?”
“It’s not an exaggeration. The leader of the opposing Demonic Cult screamed in terror.”
“Impossible! Hong-Yeon of the autumn leaves?”
A warrior who had been attentively listening at the table suddenly stood up, startled. Though rumors tend to become exaggerated, this one wasn’t entirely false.
“I think he has manipulated his own blood somehow. I heard he attacked the entrance to Do-won a few days ago, and according to the warriors who were there, he used a kind of sorcery typically wielded beyond our realm.”
“Aha, so that’s why they call him the Blood Horse!”
With the rise in volume and excitement, the other warriors in the inn couldn’t help but take interest.
“What are you discussing so fervently?”
“We’re talking about the Blood Horse!”
“Oh, I’ve heard the stories going around lately. I saw him myself; he was a ruthless man, devoid of blood and tears.”
“I’m intrigued! Do tell more.”
“Well, he left Hong-Yeon’s face bloodied as she attempted to surrender. He was utterly merciless.”
The prowess of Hong-Yeon, the leader of the cult that worships the Heavenly Demon, was so exceptional that merely speaking about it seemed painful.
Munmu Gyeombi. Hong-Yeon possessed everything from managing Do-won to martial arts skills, and even outstanding beauty that was the cherry on top. As a result, she was so renowned that there was not a single person in Do-won who did not know her name.
Yet, Hong-Yeon couldn’t even sway an unnamed man?
There was no more tantalizing gossip for the warriors.
“We can’t discuss this without a drink. Hey, take a look at this! Bring me a cup of bamboo leaf wine!”
The guest hall grew boisterous.
Heaven listened quietly to the stories that flowed around her.
“Yes, I’m going.”
Heaven worked as an employee at the guest house situated in the upper part of Do-won, concealing her identity as a disciple of the Heavenly Demon.
It was due to Heaven’s personal desire to observe her subordinates more closely, rather than for her livelihood.
“Shake it and drink.”
Heaven moved seamlessly, carrying food and alcohol.
The wide white clothes Heaven wore swayed gently with her movements.
As Cheondo watched the gentle sheep, her tail wagging in an endearing manner, many warriors couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
For two hours each day, she devoted herself to this task, even if it meant sacrificing her own rest.
Nevertheless, her innate eloquence and beautiful singing transformed her into a symbol of this place.
“But what’s the story you’re telling?”
“Ha, you must be curious. It happened during this public performance…”
As Cheondo listened to the guest’s lengthy tale, she couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
Unbeknownst to her, a man had appeared before her, a disciple of the Heavenly Demon. The story that was now circulating throughout Dowon was about someone Cheondo knew.
Blood Horse – that’s what some called him. He had fought so fiercely, spilling blood, that others saw him in this light.
‘Why so desperate?’ Cheondo wondered.
A man known for his jests and strong character. Lately, the distance between them had diminished, making their relationship somewhat burdensome, but for Cheondo, he was still a good person.
Cheondo had always been confident in her ability to read people.
Granted, she was still young and inexperienced in many aspects of life.
However, after just a few encounters, she could accurately discern the type of person someone was.
‘…It changed overnight.’
To Cheondo’s eyes, Lee Si-heon had become an enigma.
It had only been a few days since she had considered him a trustworthy person, but now he seemed completely different.
Above all else, the fight he had shown her that day.
The sight of him nearly killing an opponent who had no intention of fighting back was painful for Cheondo to watch.
What could have caused him to become like this?
Or had he always been this way?
As he continued to fight with his severed arm reattached, his bloodied face bore an expression of madness.
Only time would tell if this would serve to propel him forward or hold him back.
‘Ah, what am I even thinking? Worrying about someone who didn’t even tell me their name.’
Hmph, Cheondo exhaled through her nose.
Not revealing their name until the very end. Well, in that case, she might as well call them whatever she wanted.
…Perhaps she should think of a decent name.
Cheondo decided that this idea wasn’t half bad.
* * * * *
The day after the rain ritual.
As soon as morning arrived, she hurriedly changed her clothes and left her room. Though the lingering pain in her arm still bothered her, it wasn’t as if she had been in pain for merely a day or two. The ability to heal herself, coupled with the immense power of the world tree known as God, had been a great help to her now.
– Squeak.
Upon exiting the building, numerous gazes were fixed on her.
Rumors had spread, and the attention she garnered was no different from that in the academy, politics, or the martial world.
The rumors spread rapidly, likely due to the confined nature of Do-won.
‘If only it weren’t so bothersome.’
He diligently moved his feet, ascending to the mountain’s peak.
The training ground for Heavenly Demon and Heaven.
As expected, an elder was seated cross-legged there, surveying the surrounding mountain range.
“Has the Blood Demon arrived?”
“Blood Demon? What kind of title is that?”
“Considering how much blood you spilled, it’s no wonder the underlings call you Blood Demon. Such fools.”
When harnessing the power of the World Tree, one’s ability to regenerate blood is accelerated. It’s only natural that, with divine power mending even the body’s tissues and nerves, not a single drop of blood would be wasted.
The healing power is always active during battle, so injuries result in substantial blood loss.
“So, how did it go?”
“You’re not in a position to be arrogant. You still have a long way to go. Struggling against Hong-Yeon, of all people.”
“I wouldn’t say I struggled, exactly.”
“Bold words, coming from someone who lost an arm.”
The old man took the jesting remark seriously.
“Because of you, there’s more work to be done. You’ve turned her into a thoroughly terrorized victim.”
“…Well, yes.”
From the moment his arm was severed, it was no ordinary duel. Perhaps she truly intended to kill me.
Even though she may have acted that way because she was confident in recovering through the elixir, to me, at least, the leader’s actions felt that way.
“So, you want me to supervise your training from today?”
“If not, I wouldn’t have come here.”
“Your audacity has grown, sucking the life out of your own mother’s backbone.”
Laughing in disbelief, the old man turned to look at me. His keen, sharp gaze scanned my body with three hundred eyes.
“I don’t know who trained you, but your body’s balance is good. The stability and capacity of your qi will be resolved over time.”
“Is there any way to shorten that time?”
“Aren’t I speaking right now? Be quiet and listen.”
With that icy remark, I hastily closed my mouth.
“Your strength lies in your broad range of talents, but your weakness is also that broad range of talents. You possess exceptional abilities in both sorcery and martial arts. The question is whether you should choose a specific field to concentrate on, or fully utilize your wide breadth of talents.”
The subject at hand was potential.
When Heaven trained me, she made sure I could develop my skills evenly across all fields, including magic.
Indeed, this approach would be beneficial for me in the very distant future. If I had the potential to master various talents one day, expanding my scope would prove to be much more versatile. However, the time granted to me now was far too short to nurture such an extensive range of skills. I couldn’t predict when the catastrophe would occur.
“There’s no need for me to tell you such an obvious fact. If you desire to stand out, it would be best to cease practicing sorcery here.”
“Yes.”
“And… you must have a shortcut, right? How long do you intend to hide the king’s power?”
Did he know that as well?
“Do you know about this power?”
“Among those who have reached a certain level with the tree spirits, there’s likely no one in this world who doesn’t know of this power. If word gets out, quite a few people will target you.”
The old man asserted.
“Using that power, rapid progress wouldn’t be a challenge. That abnormal regenerative ability of yours must also stem from it.”
“That’s true. However, I’m not even sure how to properly use this ability.”
When one’s flesh connects with a tree spirit, they gain a portion of that spirit’s power. If the opponent happens to be a World Tree, they would acquire even greater abilities.
That’s the extent of King Mokryeong’s power that I know of. Up until now, it has never been prominently displayed. The World Tree of time and others may envy and value my power, but it has never truly felt real to me.
‘Indeed, the power of the grimoires and fruits is extraordinary.’
The amount of mana I gained by consuming peaches and elixirs surpassed the mana I had increased through meditation and forcibly gathering it myself. Although the effectiveness decreased when consecutively consuming fruits from the same tree, the overall effect was still considerable.
“The way to harness that power… involves slaying the World Tree or plundering it, I suppose. Alas, that’s not something I can teach you.”
The old man planted his feet on the ground and rose to his feet.
“Your talent is more than sufficient, and your skills are not too shabby either. What do you believe you must nurture further in that regard?”
I contemplated the old man’s words.
Talent. My potential had been assured since I first arrived in this world.
20 surpassing 10.
Back then, the common sense I applied when selecting my innate abilities and temperament stemmed from the World Tree’s arbitrary planting, so there must be individuals with a potential exceeding 10 somewhere.
Even when considering the present-day Heaven, she doesn’t seem like a person with a potential of 10. After all, Heaven belongs to the younger generation.
Yet, my potential was never low. I had cultivated my technical skills considerably over time. However, there was something I lacked.
After pondering deeply, I slowly parted my lips.
“Is it actual combat?”
“It seems the question was too easy.”
Time and real battle experience.
The old man nodded impassively, his expression unchanging.
“The best foundation for humans and trees to grow is in extreme situations.”
In the worst circumstances, the body becomes more resilient, and the mana gathered to survive forcibly expands the vessel.
The old man, having said this, examined my complexion before moving closer.
“Do you think it’s absurd? But this is the truth. Thousands of years ago, from the moment when the origin of mana, which you know, emerged from an unknown source, all the laws had already been distorted.”
That was true.
No matter how much we delve into analytical mechanics or the study of magical forces, we still remain in the dark about their fundamental principles.
Human muscles, seemingly unremarkable in composition, can become incomparably strong when infused with magic. It was common knowledge in this era that the inherent magical power within a body serves to fortify it, and that the accumulated magic could be harnessed for spellcasting.
I once read about it in a book.
Proponents of the magical force theory argue that the world is, in essence, composed of magic.
Regardless, it is a fact that in dire circumstances, the body is capable of absorbing more magical energy.
“The real issue lies in facing the worst situations. In Do-won, those who stand at the brink of death are the strongest.”
The old man opened his palm and then clenched his five fingers together into a fist.
“In that sense, you’ll find it difficult to withstand such trials. A person who has grown so accustomed to pain, what sense of death would they experience?”
As the saying goes, I would surely die like this. I had few memories of floundering when that thought crossed my mind.
“Truth be told, you’ll have to die a few times before you can truly distinguish yourself.”
The old man laughed sinisterly.
“Let’s see how many times your heart stops today. If you follow me to the end, I’ll help you develop skills twice as powerful as you possess now.”
I mimicked the old man’s stance.
Since we practiced the same martial art, our postures were quite similar.
The slight difference was likely due to the personal modifications I made to suit my own body.
“Am I going to die?”
“Yes.”
I held my breath, scattering thick, black magical energy.
To think I would die.
“It’s all right.”
It wouldn’t have been a bad experience.