142. Pure white smoke
142. Pure white smoke
Park Jin-woo’s bright voice echoes around for a while before disappearing.
Baek Eun-seol glanced at Park Jin-woo.
‘Geomsan’ is familiar only as a legend that gave birth to Geomseong, so I was quite perplexed because I never expected it to be such a hellish place.
“You are truly….”
I was dumbfounded when Jinwoo Park spoke playfully as if he were some kind of host.
It’s like pouring cold water on an extremely serious situation.
“… Then that’s right.”
Yoo Hyun-seong shook his head.
Baek Eun-seol also felt the same way.
‘If you try to look cool, you end up damaging your own image…’
He took out a sword from the subspace and held it in his hand.
Even in a world filled with cold blades, the solid feeling that can be clearly felt brings peace to the mind and body.
Baek Eun-seol focused her sharp eyes on the surrounding terrain and the presence of hostile life forms.
“The soil is just ordinary soil.”
Luna, who had been examining the dirt under her feet, reported while shaking her hands.
“The sun is rising normally in the sky.”
Then, Yu Hyeon-seong, who had been looking at the sky, reported.
Leah, who is practically useless in any field except combat, just stands there looking at Jinwoo Park.
It was regrettable that Seo Ye-rin, who was in charge of the surrounding area, and Ha Seong-jun, who excelled in magical analysis in various situations, were not there, but Baek Eun-seol decided to be satisfied with this much.
Because they had Park Jin-woo, a truly mysterious being who knew more about this place than anyone else.
Baek Eun-seol’s gaze quickly followed his.
“Hmm… .”
Park Jin-woo looks around while stroking his chin.
The leisurely smile on his lips was very reassuring.
“If you think about it, it’s an absurd situation.”
“I’m looking at a little finger-sized blade weed nearby,” said Yu Hyeon-seong.
Baek Eun-seol approached him and asked while looking at it together.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re here, senior. We’re here in a place that only legends tell us is off-limits to the Sword Master.”
Baek Eun-seol nodded.
“I agree. I won’t have this kind of luck again.”
“but….”
Yu Hyeon-seong took out a small dagger from the subspace and touched the tip of the blade with the weed.
Then, as if it were a real living thing, the weed made of blade leaves trembled and slowly shrank back.
“… I’m a little worried that His Majesty might get angry later.”
“It’s not a place he’s officially banned from, so it should be okay.”
“Well, just because you didn’t tell me….”
Yoo Hyun-seong, with a bitter smile, emits magic power from the tip of his sword.
And then, the moment he swung it like lightning… .
– Pacacacaca!
The blade weed leaves that had shot up like an explosion bounced off helplessly and fell to the ground.
“… I don’t know if His Majesty will actually look upon it.”
“It’s too late to worry. I wish I had done it before I came in.”
“… … .”
At those sharp words, Yoo Hyeon-seong hesitated for a moment, trying to say something, but ended up biting his lip.
Baek Eun-seol vividly witnessed the scene, but pretended not to see it and turned away.
Why don’t you know?
It was only after coming here that she remembered what Jinwoo Park had said, that he had asked Gongseong to create a spatial barrier.
Who on earth can blame whom?
‘You guys were so excited about going to Geomsan. Me and my juniors.’
Park Jin-woo noticed Baek Eun-seol’s gaze and looked back.
“why?”
“… I’m worried that the Sword Master will harm me in the future.”
“Don’t worry about anything.”
Park Jin-woo snickered and snorted confidently.
“It’s not like there’s any treasure hidden here, it’s just a measure taken because of its special nature. If you break through the spatial barrier at the entrance and come in, you’ll be happy to see me.”
“Can we say that we conquered that and came in…?”
Jinwoo Park made a face of obviousness to Luna who asked in a trembling manner.
“If you can somehow get through, it’s a conquest.”
“That’s… true, but.”
Baek Eun-seol said as she looked at Luna, who immediately agreed.
“It’s a word that encompasses both the degree and the apostle.”
“As long as the results are good, everything is good.”
“The result is more important than the process… That’s a very wizardly way of thinking.”
“I would like you to think of it as a common approach for gamers and wizards.”
Baek Eun-seol nodded her head coolly.
——————
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“hey!”
At that moment, Leah, who was standing at the front of the group and watching the direction of the sword, called out to them.
The group quickly gathers around Leah.
Leah spoke to them as they approached.
“The mountain moved.”
“Geomsan?”
Baek Eun-seol squinted her eyes and focused her gaze.
Yoo Hyun-seong took out his sword from the subspace and held it.
“for a moment.”
Park Jin-woo raised his hand, took out a sword from the subspace, and handed it to Yoo Hyeon-seong.
“Why all of a sudden…?”
“Keep it as a spare.”
“I have a few more spare swords….”
As he says this and refuses, Yoo Hyeon-seong forces it into his hand.
“It’s different from those mixed iron swords. It’ll be somewhat usable here.”
“Hmm….”
“Take it now. I guarantee you that it won’t be enough. Don’t regret it later and say, ‘Oh, I should have taken it then.’”
“… … .”
Yu Hyeon-seong, who had been hesitating, nodded and picked up the sword.
The pure white sword had [Brian 33] engraved in small letters. After confirming the name, Yoo Hyun-seong frowned and became lost in thought.
“Brian… Brian? Why does this look so familiar…?”
“Brian, the Swordsman.”
Baek Eun-seol, who was checking the long sword next to her, reacted to those words.
“Until three years ago, this prosecutor was known as America’s next-generation guardian.”
“ah!”
“He was a pioneer who had been researching the technology to reprocess magical power into elemental form, but one day he was found dead in his home, causing quite a stir. It was said that none of his belongings had ever been auctioned off… .”
Park Jin-woo shrugged his shoulders at Baek Eun-seol’s questioning gaze.
“It’s loot. I got it from fighting the cult.”
“So the culprit who murdered Brian was the church?”
“Huh? Really?”
Jinwoo Park, who had been lost in thought for a moment, shook his head.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there either. But since the church kept it, it’s highly likely.”
As Jinwoo Park said that, he took out a few more items from the subspace.
It was a blunt iron ring and a leather breastplate that looked clean and well-maintained, and Jinwoo Park handed them over to Leah and Luna respectively.
“Take this too. It might come in handy in an emergency.”
“Can I, can I receive something so precious…?”
Unlike Leah, who put it on her finger without even looking at it as soon as she received it, Luna hesitated for a moment like Yoo Hyun-seong.
It was because the equipment was of such high quality that the magical power flowing along the grain of the leather breastplate was visible.
“Take it. Honestly, it’s a dangerous place until you enter the inspection area, so if there’s nothing like this, I feel uncomfortable.”
“Yes… in that case… .”
Luna nodded and put on her leather chest armor, grumbling.
Finally, Baek Eun-seol silently stared at Park Jin-woo.
Park Jin-woo raised his eyebrows as their eyes met.
“why?”
“…hmm.”
The moment Baek Eun-seol, disappointed, turned her gaze away, Park Jin-woo took out a shiny object and threw it.
Tak- Baek Eun-seol, who had caught it in mid-air, looked at it with a puzzled look.
“Zippo lighter?”
“It’s like a talisman, so always carry it with you.”
Jinwoo Park smiled and pointed to the heart.
“Because maybe one day it will save my life.”
“… After studying curses, you end up believing in all the superstitions.”
“Isn’t there anyone as superstitious as I am?”
“Every time I strengthen, I look for my ancestors.” Jinwoo Park cleared his throat as he added what seemed to be a monologue about a game.
After a while, he spoke to the group.
“I’m going to set off now, but I have three requests to make.”
“What?”
“I’m worried because my junior asked me to do three things.”
Park Jin-woo continued speaking with a serious expression.
“Don’t think you’re alone, and use every bit of your strength. And don’t let fear consume you.”
“… That’s all… .”
The moment Baek Eun-seol was about to express her doubts.
– Karararararang –
The sound of countless thin pieces of iron hitting each other could be heard from all directions, and pure white smoke began to pour out from the top of Geomsan Mountain like volcanic ash.
“What is that?”
“I, I don’t know. Mr. Jinwoo! What should I do? Should I run away?”
The group is embarrassed by the sudden situation.
The pure white smoke covered the mountain at an incredible speed, and soon even swallowed up the grasslands spread out in all directions.
Leah, who had been watching, gathered all the cold magic power above her head.
The atmosphere affected by magic froze, creating a giant chunk of ice.
Without hesitation, Leah fired it towards the white smoke that had gathered close by.
– Whooooow…!
– … … .
Leah, who had been listening, said.
“It’s strange. I can’t hear the sound of it colliding.”
“Just in case, it’s better to protect your respiratory system….”
“Stop it. Junior Park Jinwoo, you know, right?”
Baek Eun-seol frowned and pulled her waist back.
“What is that? How do I deal with it? Explain…”
“Just do what I tell you to do.”
“…Can you do it, what did you just say?”
Park Jin-woo met eyes with four people.
He said, winking one eye shut.
“See you inside.”
“Junior?”
The moment when Jinwoo Park raised his thumb while smiling like a mischievous child.
-Whaaaaah-!
Baek Eun-seol tightly shut her eyes due to the pure white smoke covering the world.
I suddenly worried that it might be Germany, but if that was the case, Jinwoo Park wouldn’t have been able to be so calm.
Baek Eun-seol calmly opened her closed eyes and took a deep breath.
We faced a coniferous forest with sharp blades coming from all sides.
“What the heck… Junior! Junior Park Jinwoo!”
Baek Eun-seol pulled out her sword and shouted urgently.
But no matter how much I shouted and looked around, I couldn’t even find a shadow of Park Jin-woo.
No, it wasn’t just that.
“Junior Yoo Hyun-seong! Moon Spear… Luna! Leah!!”
The other three people who had been nearby until just now were also nowhere to be seen.
Complete isolation.
A storm of encroaching blades.
Baek Eun-seol gritted her teeth and faced the countless falling blades.
* * *
“J, Jinwoo-! Jinwoo-! Where are you? Jinwoo-!”
Luna cried out desperately as she walked on the dirt floor.
The sharp blades jutting out from the roadside glowed menacingly, threatening the path ahead.
“Ugh…!”
Luna shrugged her shoulders to protect herself from the bladed plant’s attack.
The breastplate worn on the upper body provides some peace of mind.
“Lee, Ms. Leah! Mr. Yoo Hyeon-seong! Senior Baek Eun-seol-!”
I called out other people’s names, but there was no answer.
Where did the pure white smoke go? All I see before my eyes is a world made of blades.
“What the heck is this… Huh, ugh…!”
– Thump!
Luna, who had been walking cautiously, suddenly stopped.
– Thump! Thump! Thump!
My heart was pounding and my breathing was ragged.
The blood flowing through the veins became hot.
– Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
I couldn’t control my beating heart.
Cold sweat flowed down my forehead and cheeks like a waterfall.
Luna closed her eyes tightly and focused on just one sense.
smell.
It was only through it that I traced the scent of one person.
The scent of the person who was with me until the moment I was swallowed by smoke.
‘Mr. Jinwoo… .’
– Karang~ Karararang~
The sound of metal rustling between the leaves of the blade swaying in the wind lingers in my ears and then fades away.
The wind blowing from Geomsan was closer to a chorus of blades.
‘Why… why can’t I feel anything?’
Even the howl of the sword spreading from the mountaintop is this clear.
No matter how much I focused my sense of smell, I couldn’t smell Park Jin-woo.
As if it had never existed in the first place.
‘Spatial travel…?’
Park Jin-woo did that.
The barrier at the entrance was installed by the siege forces.
So maybe this too could have been a space magic trap set up by the siege.
‘That’s right… If it’s teleportation… .’
…but the scenery here was identical to the one just before it was swallowed up in smoke.
I had to force myself to think that way.
“… … .”
Luna, who had stopped for a moment to focus on her sense of smell, took another step forward.
My legs kept shaking due to the strange phenomenon that was being transmitted from my body, but I somehow endured it and continued forward, one step at a time.
The destination is Geumsan Mountain, visible in the distance.
This blade was the only landmark in the world that existed.
– Thud… thud… thud… .
– Startled.
“Ugh!”
Eventually, Luna, unable to take even a few steps, collapsed on the spot, clutching her heart.
The canine side kept tickling and even gave off a faint smell of blood.
I kept feeling nauseous because of something welling up inside me.
“Ah, ahhhh…!”
My head hurt so much it felt like it was going to split open.
The area before my eyes kept turning red.
“No, no… no…!”
Luna’s screams, writhing in pain, suddenly stopped at one moment.
My whole body trembled with a fierce impulse.
blood.
I was hungry for fresh blood.
“Blood… ah, blood…!”
A bright smile appeared on Luna’s lips.
The blood flowing from the fangs had already dyed Luna’s lower body red.
– Kak! Kak! Kak!
Luna walks in search of fresh blood.
The blades of the swords near her where she passed were crushed and shattered without her even touching them, scattering debris on the floor.
The debris scattered like that turned to dust before it even reached the ground.
It became pure white smoke and stayed there.
* * *
“go away!”
– Kwaaaaang-!
With a simple explosion of magical power that was almost foolish, shards of the blade rained down in all directions.
With the debris pouring down like rain in the background, Leah poured out all her power and recovered what was left of it.
– Sigh.
Then, a sharp pain leaked out from my lower abdomen.
A pain like cutting open a healthy internal organ with a knife.
But it was also a pain that was very familiar to Leah.
“Haa. Let’s rest for a bit… .”
It was an act of destruction that was repeated countless times.
It felt great to be able to use my magic without worrying about destroying people or things around me, but that only happened once or twice.
His stamina had long since been depleted from having been punched dozens of times.
“Rest… and then… do it. At this rate, before we even get there… .”
– Charrrrrrrr~
“…ah.”
Leah’s face unusually distorted at the sound of the clear blade ringing again.
I was already nervous because I was separated from others, but these blades of wood or leaves kept swarming out and causing trouble.
As if trying to block the road to Geomsan.
“Huh. That’s a small thing.”
Leah raised her head, which had been bowed.
– Charrung- Charrung-
My eyes widened as I took in the sight before my eyes.
There before my eyes was a person I should never see, and who should definitely not be here.
– Charrrrrrrr-
The sound of a blade that had been faintly heard in my ear gradually faded away, and soon someone’s voice lingered behind me.
“On the topic of dolls.”
The low, gravelly voice of an old man.
A sharp gaze that seems to be looking down from just above your head.
“You’re acting wild, you guinea pig.”
Even the feeling of annoyance disappeared from Leah’s face, and in its place was an utterly expressionless expression.
Leah hesitated for a moment, her mouth wide open, and then called out to the other person.
“Your Majesty….”
“Yeah, it’s been a while.”
The old man, the head of Winter Lake, looked down at Leah with a stern gaze.
“You’ve been really busy lately. How dare you, a fake doll imitating my granddaughter….”
fantasy,
