Chapter 172
Yu-hyun looked around.
The sky was clear, and below it, he saw wooden buildings and stone walls built in the old Chinese style.
There was no one around.
The atmosphere itself was strange.
‘What’s going on? The city is so big, but there are no people.’
Upon closer inspection, he saw that many buildings were damaged and collapsed.
Yu-hyun sensed that a huge fight had swept through this place once.
‘Did a war break out? I’ve heard a lot about the martial world where the righteous and evil factions clash.’
It was one thing to come to a completely unfamiliar world, but there was another problem.
He couldn’t see Kwon Jia and Kang Hye-rim, who he thought had entered with him.
‘Did we enter a mind world where we get scattered as soon as we enter? This is troublesome.’
Sometimes, there were places like this.
The entrance they came in would disappear, or the people who came in together would be separated.
The last time they entered the Moby Dick mind world, the entrance also disappeared after they entered.
Of course, that meant that the difficulty of the mind world was higher than other places.
‘This is a headache. It’s not even a story from Earth, so I don’t know what conditions it has. I have to focus on rescuing Seo Sumin and Kang Yura first.’
Kwon Jia and Kang Hye-rim were not easy to deal with wherever they went, so he had no choice but to trust them for now.
Fortunately, the entrance he came in was still near Yu-hyun.
At least, he had a way to get out if he found it.
‘Usually, in this situation, you can’t communicate without the special walkie-talkies made by the association. But I’m different as a teller.’
Because they were bound by a contract, telepathy was possible as long as they were not too far apart on a national scale. Yu-hyun immediately sent telepathy to both of them.
‘Are you both okay?’
-Ah! Yu-hyun! Yes, yes, I’m fine.
-Me too.
‘Where are you?’
-Um, well. I don’t know. But I’m in an alleyway where there are a lot of shady people around. The stench and stuff is really bad.
-I’m in a bamboo forest. I can see a city far away, but there’s black smoke coming out of it. It looks like there was a fight.
‘Black smoke?’
Yu-hyun looked around.
He saw collapsed buildings, but no smoke.
That meant that Kwon Jia was looking at a different city.
Yu-hyun realized that this mind world was much bigger than he thought.
Then, it might take longer than he expected to find the two of them.
‘At least I can find them right away if I’m close enough through the books, but it’s difficult if it’s this wide.’
He didn’t think that Seo Sumin or Kang Yura would go somewhere and be guests.
At least if Seo Sumin was with Kang Yura, they would be able to hold on for a while.
‘It seems like it will take some time to join up since we don’t know the terrain or each other’s locations.’
-Ugh. Then what do we do?
‘First of all, please focus on finding the civilians who got caught up in this. We’ll join up after that. Please.’
-Okay.
-Got it.
Kwon Jia and Kang Hye-rim also knew that the situation was quite serious, so they decided to follow Yu-hyun’s will.
After finishing the telepathy, Yu-hyun crossed his arms and thought about what to do next.
He wanted to sort out the order and move accordingly.
In the meantime, the library opened and the spirits poured in.
“Ah, spirits. Hello?”
The number of viewers reached 9,000 in an instant.
And not only that, but the number of viewers was still increasing slowly but surely.
Maybe if word got out that this mind world was another unusual place, it would soon break through the 10,000 barrier.
[The spirits are interested in the new mind world.]
[The spirits are puzzled by the three-split screen.]
[Some spirits nod their heads as if they recognize the place.]
‘Recognize the place?’
Yu-hyun wanted to ask the spirit what he meant, but he knew he couldn’t.
The spirits were always watchers.
And all they could sponsor was a little bit of points.
Even if a human from Hage asked them something curious, the spirits could hear it but not tell them anything.
The system strictly blocked it.
‘Of course, it’s not without loopholes.’
It’s possible for some spirits to blabber something without being asked by this side.
However, depending on how much information it is, the Genesis system will decide whether or not to sanction it, so the spirits don’t say much because they don’t want to get into trouble.
He thought he might get some information, but it was a shame.
Yu-hyun briefly explained to the spirits what had happened.
“Spirits. This world of thought is a bit unusual, so as soon as we entered, we all scattered. I apologize for not being able to stay together.”
There were spirits who came to Yu-hyun’s library because they wanted to see Gwon Jia, and there were spirits who came because they wanted to see Kang Hye-rim.
I assumed that Celine had arranged them according to their preferences, but I preemptively apologized in case they felt uncomfortable.
‘Celine. I’ll leave the rest to you.’𝓃૦𝑣ℯ𝘭𝔟𝔦𝗻.𝙣𝒆𝙩
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-Understood.
I ended the communication with Celine and summoned Baekhyo.
The small ball of fluff that I first saw had grown to the size of a normal adult owl. However, unlike its enlarged body, its round eyes were still the same.
“Baekhyo. I need you to scout the area.”
Hoot.
Baekhyo let out a slightly louder cry and nodded its head before flying high into the sky.
If I could share Baekhyo’s vision properly, I would be able to get a rough idea of the terrain around here.
At the same time, in case Baekhyo’s sight did not reach inside the buildings, I also moved myself to check them out.
***
Shamath confirmed that Yu-hyun’s group had entered the world of thought.
He licked his split tongue and planned what to do next. They had not been in there for long, so there was no need to chase them right away.
‘Lao Chen. Can you hear me?’
-Yes, Shamath. What are your orders?
‘For now, just wait nearby. There’s no need to go in right away. And tell your subordinates the same.’
-Understood.
Lao Chen did not argue with anything Shamath said, and always answered with an affirmative.
To him, Shamath was a divine apostle who had to be trusted and followed unconditionally.
Shamath knew that and often exploited Lao Chen for his own benefit.
He was an excellent man for a chess piece who did not complain.
Shamath looked at the entrance of the world of thought where Yu-hyun had disappeared and rolled a small bead on his palm.
‘I wish I didn’t have to use this personally.’
The bead in his hand had a pure white light in it.
It looked like a beautiful pearl at one glance, but it also looked like a white pebble at another.
However, unlike its appearance, the power contained in the bead was something that even Shamath could not handle.
‘What a waste to use this for killing one human from the lower world and a proxy-level teller.’
It was like giving a dragon sword to kill a chicken instead of a butcher knife.
The bead that was given to him by Paradise along with the seed of story was called [True Body Relic].
Relic was the trace left behind by burning the corpse of a high monk and it was an item of holy relic level.
The relic, which was the crystallization of law power, was very rare even if you burned the corpse of a great monk.
In the end, the existence of the relic itself was a by-product that proved the existence of its original owner.
And the grade of the relic also varied depending on who its owner was.
The one that Shamath held was one of the best among those relics.
If he were his usual self, he would not even be able to touch such a treasure.
‘After all, it’s the relic of that Enlightened One.’
The Enlightened One Sakyamuni.
He ascended to the star position after becoming an afterborn and surpassed the fourth generation spirits to reach the first generation position.
He was once a human from the lower world.
Everyone knew him as a first generation spirit, but in fact, he left behind his trace before ascending from being a fourth generation spirit.
And that trace was none other than the True Body Relic.
The True Body Relic was a rare item that only existed in eight islands and four horses throughout this universe and all mixed worlds.
Its value was indescribable in words.
The problem was that Paradise gave him such an item just to kill one human from the lower world.
It was not just using a butcher knife to kill a chicken, but giving him a dragon sword instead.
‘Should I just sneak it away?’
Shamath thought that far and shook his head.
‘No, no. I shouldn’t do that.’
Shamath suppressed his desire.
He was cunning, but he also knew how to restrain his desire more than that.
Shamath had seen many people who ruined their lives by acting on their greed.
He took them as negative examples and always hid and did not show his desire.
He despised being swept away by desire itself.
Shamath thought that Paradise gave him this and entrusted him with the mission because they knew his disposition.
‘That’s probably the case. It’s an order from the Great Sage. I can’t mess up over one item. As long as I succeed in this mission, Paradise will reward me generously anyway. There’s no need to take unnecessary risks.’
Although the reward would be insufficient compared to the True Body Relic, Shamath decided to be satisfied with that.
‘That was close. Is this really the True Body Relic? They say it’s the source of all delusions and the crystallization of them. I guess the rumors are not to be ignored.’
I felt like my sanity was being devoured by the blade, even though I was just holding it with my gloved hand. And that was even with the [Genesis’s Protection] that blocked mental attacks.
What if I used this on a human of the lower realm?
Could they withstand the delirium of someone who had ascended to the seat of a spirit?
‘I don’t know why you gave me this, but I’m curious what would happen if I used it.’
Shamath wanted to see that scene.
And he wouldn’t have to wait long.
***
Yu-hyun explored the city, but he didn’t find anything worthwhile.
The houses were all empty. Judging by the lack of belongings, they must have all evacuated.
‘The people of this city finished their evacuation before the fight broke out.’
He recalled what Kang Hye-rim had said.
She had seen people in ragged clothes around her.
There was clearly a difference between places.
After searching the whole city like a comb, Yu-hyun decided that this place was a bust.
He had to move somewhere else.
But he didn’t know where to go, since he was still unfamiliar with the geography.
Crunch.
He heard a faint sound in his ear.
It was so small that he could have believed it was a mouse passing by.
But Yu-hyun’s eyes narrowed.
[Yu-hyun.]
‘I know.’
Baek Ryeon warned him.
Yu-hyun nodded and focused his senses.
He started to feel the presence of people outside the building he was in.
He immediately shared his vision with Baek Hyo.
From the rooftop, he saw people in black clothes moving in an orderly manner.
‘They’re pretty skilled.’
They moved in large numbers, but their footsteps were barely audible.
In no time, more than 50 people in black surrounded the house where Yu-hyun was.
The enemy was a fantasy entity manifested in this world of thought. And if they were fantasy entities of this martial world, they must be martial artists.
Yu-hyun pretended not to notice and went outside.
In the middle of the garden, an old man was sitting on his back.
There was no one else around. But he could feel that many people were watching him from behind the walls, on the roofs, or in the thick bushes.
“This is interesting.”
The old man saw that Yu-hyun was alone and snorted as if he had been nervous for nothing.
Yu-hyun also examined the old man’s appearance.
He was an ordinary old man.
He was short, slightly hunched, and had white hair.
But there was one thing that bothered Yu-hyun’s nerves.
‘He looks like he’s trying to appear as a good person.’
The old man had a pleasant expression.
If he smiled with that face, he would really look like a kind person.
Yu-hyun felt a sense of incongruity.
The old man’s appearance was not natural, but artificial, made to look that way for someone else’s sake.
‘But there’s no need to point that out.’
He had to avoid conflict as much as possible in this situation.
Yu-hyun stood in front of the old man and asked politely.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Kang Yu-hyun. Who are you?”
“I’m Hwang An Jun. But more importantly, do you know me?”
“No. But I thought you must be someone important, since you have so many people following you.”
“That’s true.”
Hwang An Jun didn’t seem surprised that Yu-hyun pointed out the hidden people.
He also knew that Yu-hyun was not an ordinary person.
“So. How did you end up here, Kang Grandmaster?”
Kang Grandmaster?
Yu-hyun felt strange about that unusual title. But what could he do?
This world had its own rules.
“I’m looking for two people.”
“Hmm, people? Who are they?”
“Yes. Have you seen two soldiers wearing unique outfits? They’re about sixteen years old.”
“Two soldiers who just reached puberty (破瓜之年) wearing unique outfits? Unfortunately, I don’t remember seeing them.”
“Is that so?”
Yu-hyun didn’t feel sorry.
He could give up on this city with that answer.
The old man suddenly became curious and asked.
“You don’t seem to be wary of me?”
“You don’t seem to be hostile to me either?”
“Well, I thought you might be a spy sent by the faction at first. But when I saw your outfit and your casual attitude towards this side, I realized you were just a third party unrelated to this matter. The faction bastards always talk stiffly and act formally.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“You take that as a compliment? You’re quite an unusual person indeed. Where did you get that unique outfit?”
“I got it from the west. I had some connections there.”
“Oh. You’ve been far away.”
“I’m a wanderer. I just go wherever I can. But what’s going on around here? Is there a war or something?”
“You’re a wanderer and you haven’t heard the rumors?”
“I was too busy looking for people.”
They had enough of each other’s talk.
Hwang old man knew that Yu-hyun was not an enemy, and Yu-hyun also knew that he was not hostile to him.
Skilled people could recognize each other.
Yu-hyun wanted to get some information about this world of thought from the old man in front of him.
“If you don’t mind, could you tell me what happened here?”
“Well, I don’t have anything to hide, so I’ll tell you. But we should move to another place, just in case there are eyes watching us here.”
Hwang old man stroked his beard once and turned his back.
At the same time, the presences that surrounded Yu-hyun quickly moved away.
Yu-hyun followed the old man.
