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Chapter 98

Watching a small, lonely figure silently gazing at that very sight, Sung-Ha unwittingly spilled the words he was thinking, “Why do you leave Sun Shooter out there, Master?”

Sun Shooter was his master’s spear that pierced through numerous monsters and demons during the chaotic times of the past when Danger Zones weren’t contained and the Pilgrim’s Path wasn’t blocking the Abyss of Demons. Sung-Ha couldn’t understand why his master let such a spear, which his master handled as if it were his own body, rot away in this remote valley.

“Hmm...”

Thinking about Sung-Ha’s question, his master slightly tilted the teacup he was holding and then slowly replied, “Because it has already passed.”

“...I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I mean that both the strength and time to wield the spear have already passed by. Its power and golden hours have passed in my hands.”

Despite having quenched his thirst, his master’s voice when he continued was still dry, “So I sent it back here. Better to melt it down and forge something new out of it than to let it rot quietly.”

“Melt down Sun Shooter... that’s impossible.”

“Ha ha ha! Jin-Hwan also said something along those lines and then had it stuffed like that. It’s truly pitiful... cough, cough!”

“Master!”

At the sight of his master coughing due to a small laugh, Sung-Ha hurried to his side.

“I’m fine...”

But before Sung-Ha could touch him, he was stopped by his master’s wrinkled hand. His master then took a few more moments to settle his cough before getting up from the platform.

“Let’s go see if it’s finished.”

Like nothing happened, he walked past Sung-Ha and headed toward the workshop. Watching him go, Sung-Ha\'s mind filled with numerous thoughts.

With each passing year, his back seemed smaller and his hair turned more and more white. And within his coughs that burst out in the middle of the night, were specks of red...

***

Clang!

Sung-Ha’s ongoing daydream was suddenly shattered by the sound of metal. Realizing that he got lost in his thoughts looking at the platform, he turned his head toward the sound.

Clang! Clang!

A sharp sound of metal echoed from the workshop, and upon seeing the smoke from the chimney thicken, he furrowed his brows.

Is he forging something?

Since he hadn’t received his spear from Se-Hoon yet, he thought that Se-Hoon might be finishing it right now. As he listened to the continuous sounds of metal, Sung-Ha hesitated before heading toward the workshop.

I was planning to check out the workshop and see Master’s Sun Shooter anyway.

It definitely wasn’t because he was curious about the spear Se-Hoon would give him. Convincing himself, he peeked inside the workshop.

“Hmph...!”

And saw Se-Hoon about to strike a red spear, Sun Shooter, with his hammer.

Bang!

Before Sung-Ha could understand the situation, his body instinctively moved. He quickly closed the distance across the workshop, his fists clenched and ready to strike Se-Hoon’s face.

Meanwhile, the seemingly oblivious Se-Hoon continued to swing down his long-handled hammer with both hands.

“WAIT...!”

A desperate shout came from the side, but it was too late. Sung-Ha’s body was already in motion, his fist swinging with all of his might toward Se-Hoon’s head.

Whoosh-

Suddenly, the trajectory of the descending hammer twisted awkwardly.

Crash!!

In the blink of an eye, Sung-Ha’s body was flying back toward one side of the workshop, smashing a table and scattering the materials and tools on it everywhere. The workshop had become a complete mess.

Recovering a moment later, Sung-Ha saw Se-Hoon hanging from the ceiling. The sight was so bizarre that it briefly paused his thoughts.

“...What.”

Then, he realized he had been sent across the workshop floor.

“What are you doing?”

With the hammer slung over his shoulder, Se-Hoon was looking down at him disdainfully, prompting Sung-Ha to quickly stand up.

What the...

How could it be that he, who had swung his fist first, was the one tumbling across the floor? Trying to understand, his eyes soon drifted to his pants.

The knee of his pants was especially dirty, even among the dirtied clothes. Seeing the knee covered in soot, he realized what happened.

He struck my knee with the hammer to throw off my balance.

The impact from the hammer was so minor that he had barely felt any pain, but it was enough to make his punch miss and completely throw him off balance, causing him to roll across the floor.

Sung-Ha\'s face grew in disbelief as he looked in front of him at Se-Hoon. Even though he had lost his composure, considering the usual gap in their abilities, such a situation should have been impossible.

How much stronger has he become in that short amount of time...?

On top of his physical abilities, his skills had been honed—he was like a completely different person altogether. It was an absurd level of growth, one that left Sung-Ha absolutely speechless.

Ignorant of Sung-Ha’s thoughts, Se-Hoon suddenly said, “Ah. Is it because of this?”

He picked up Sun Shooter on the anvil.

“There seems to have been some misunderstanding; it’s all...”

Clack!

But before he could finish his sentence, Sung-Ha had swiftly stepped forward and snatched Sun Shooter away.

“What are you doing?”

“This is not something you can tamper with.”

“But I had permission to.”

“I never gave it.”

A chilling atmosphere enveloped the two. Then, after finally regaining his composure, Park Jin-Hwan intervened, grabbing onto Sung-Ha.

“I gave him permission. I thought using the blade of Sun Shooter to complete your spear was a good—”

“What do you mean by that?”

Interrupting Park Jin-Hwan, Sung-Ha turned his head toward him and glared, his eyes filled with rage.

“Are you saying I should be grateful because you intended to use it for me?”

“That’s not what I’m saying...”

“You were so vehemently against melting it down when my master suggested it, yet you’ve changed your stance so easily.... This is unbelievable.”

Since Park Jin-Hwan was among the few who still remembered his master, Sung-Ha felt an even deeper sense of betrayal and began verbally lashing out, “Was it your greed that kept Sun Shooter here? Or was it because you sought comfort in your past work now that you can’t even forge Hero equipment?”

“...”

“If that’s the case, then this situation makes sense. By using it to forge a new spear now and giving it to me, your name would circulate along with Lee Se-Hoon’s. What a great opportunity, am I right?”

“...”

Sung-Ha’s frown deepened at Park Jin-Hwan’s lack of denial.

“Say something...”

“Hey,” a low voice resounded, filling the workshop.

Startled by it, Sung-Ha trailed off and turned his head.

“Get lost. I have nothing for the likes of you.”

Se-Hoon’s eyes were calmer and deeper than ever before, giving off an unexplainable pressure that made Sung-Ha inadvertently recall the image of his master. His master’s eyes always seemed to tower over him, no matter how strong Sung-Ha had become.

Unsettled by the similarity, Yeom Seong-Ha tore his gaze away.

“Tsk...”

And stormed out of the workshop holding Sun Shooter in his hand.

With his departure, the frozen atmosphere in the tense workshop thawed, and Se-Hoon sighed.

“That insolent jerk...”

It was understandable that he was upset because it was something related to his master, Yeom Jin-Hyun, but he should still have watched his words.

Maybe I should at least be thankful that he didn’t resort to punching.

Upon comparing his current restrained behavior to his past rabid behavior, Se-Hoon wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disheartened. But before he could think about it, Park Jin-Hwan, who had been silently watching the two talk, slowly began talking.

“My apologies. I knew this would happen... I just didn’t say anything to him because I knew Sung-Ha would oppose it.”

“There’s no need for apologies. It was his fault.”

“That’s not entirely true. His words weren’t completely wrong.”

Glancing around the messy workshop, Park Jin-Hwan continued with a bitter voice, “He made me realize that I was recalling my own image, not the first sect master’s when looking at Sun Shooter.”

“...”

“Even though I know it’s all in the past... I just couldn’t let it go. Just recalling those memories made me feel like I was back in those times.”

Collapsing powerlessly into a chair, Park Jin-Hwan looked down at his hands, which were wrinkled and trembling with age. Then, he closed his eyes tightly and muttered, “I never realized how pitiful I looked...”

Se-Hoon could hear the deep sense of regret coloring his voice.

Everyone seems to worry about the same thing.

Everyone wallowed in nostalgia, wishing they could turn back time—it was a wish that anyone, not just heroes, could have, and Se-Hoon was no exception either.

It’s a tough problem.

Although everyone knew that wallowing changed nothing, they still clung to the past, not because they were pretending to be ignorant but because all they could do was look back at the path they’d traveled since they lacked the strength to move forward. There were no clear answers, and it was a moment that everyone would eventually face in their lives.

Thinking about the miracle he got to actually change the past, Se-Hoon slowly spoke.

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“...?”

Seeing Park Jin-Hwan’s puzzled look, Se-Hoon gave him a bitter smile.

“Whether it was by choice or was just compulsion... even trying to stand still is already hard enough.”

“...”

“Even if no one else understands, at the very least we should comprehend and alleviate our own suffering.”

Even if one continually refined and honed themselves, it would all be futile if all of the effort was just worn away to nothing in the end.

“You...”

“I’ll check the traps in the lower part of the village. You should take a break.”

Se-Hoon then left the workshop, grabbing the materials he needed before he left. The entire time, Park Jin-Hwan watched his back with a complex expression.

Se-Hoon was definitely trying to comfort him, but somehow, it felt like he was speaking to someone else too.

“How is he...”

***

“Tsk...”

Outside the workshop, Se-Hoon scratched his chin in awkward frustration. He had just been trying to use a decent material, yet the situation had turned into a complete mess.

My old memories also keep coming back... so annoying.

At first, he had thought Sung-Ha was behaving better than his Mad Dog days, but the more he thought about it, the more detestable Sung-Ha seemed.

He was just going to use Sun Shooter to forge Sung-Ha’s spear; what part of that could even be a problem?

It seems like Yeom Jin-Hyun already gave permission too. So why is that guy making such a fuss all by himself? That little piece of sh*t.

Se-Hoon continued muttering curses under his breath all the way down the hill. Then, upon arriving at the empty village—

Swoosh-

His surroundings were suddenly enveloped in darkness. But rather than it being due to his vision being directly blocked, the spell had absorbed all the light in the area. Thus, since it only affected a specific area, he should be able to just quickly step out of it, however, he wasn’t given the chance.

Whoosh!

Skilled assassins had appeared out of nowhere, blocking off all avenues of escape.

Five shadows rushed into the dark curtain surrounding Se-Hoon, their presence melting into the darkness. A split second later, a chilling sound resounded from within.

Shank!

It was the sound of blades piercing through flesh.

While that was going on, a middle-aged man watching the audacious daylight assault from on a mountain calmly said, “Not bad.”

Despite the distance, he was able to clearly watch their movement. Yet even to him, the sensation of their presence was so faint that it was barely noticeable—his A-rank eyes had been deceived by their strange characteristic. The man turned his head to look under the tree’s shadow.

“Those Silent Shadow Squad guys. Did you say their physical abilities were around C-rank?”

“That’s correct.”

“Their skill in hiding their presence could easily deceive even B-rank heroes... the modifications they underwent are truly fascinating.”

However, despite his words of admiration, there was an undertone of discomfort in his tone. Yet, from the unchanging chilly gaze still directed at the assassins, the shadow he spoke to didn’t seem bothered.

“They have other abilities too. They could have shown them, but the target didn’t resist,” the shadow replied.

“Well, we’ll see them eventually. I’ll give a nice report to the Sect Master, so don’t worry.”

The man then glanced back, looking further up the mountain, and questioned the shadow again, “What about the barrier?”

“It activated as soon as the targets ascended the hill.”

“Good. Then I’ll leave the old man in the workshop to you.”

Leaving behind those words, the man began to walk up the mountain. Shortly after, a different voice emanated from within the shadows.

“They don’t even know who they’re dealing with.”

“What would a banished mentor know? They’re all just disposable pawns anyway.”

Appearing like he had always been there, an old man sat on a rock behind the shadow, watching them.

“Once this is over, make sure to clean up that mess too. He had a protective charm on him, so make sure to confirm the kill.”

“Understood.”

Hearing the shadow’s confirmation, the old man gazed back down into the darkness they had created.

“All this for nothing...” the old man muttered briefly before disappearing.

Seeing that the old man had left, the shadow, the masked Silent Shadow Squad leader, turned his gaze toward the village.

The ambush was good, but their cleanup is horrible...

What were they doing, seeing as how they still weren’t out?

Frustrated at how he had shown his subpar side to the old man earlier, he signaled to his other subordinates.

Swoosh-

Appearing out of thin air, a few other shadows that were hidden throughout the village revealed themselves and entered the darkened area.

Slice!

But immediately after their entrance, a sharp noise sounded and a ball wrapped in black cloth rolled out from within. Instantly recognizing that it was the head of one of his subordinates, the squad leader’s eyes widened in shock.

What...

What happened?

Though flustered, he instinctively signaled his remaining subordinates to strike once more.

But at that moment, a black spear shot out from inside the darkness.

Watching the sleek spear, all-black from the blade to the shaft, flying toward him, he was stunned since it suddenly disappeared.

It wasn’t that it had just been hidden briefly, it had apparently vanished from this world.

Did it disappear because he ran out of mana after conjuring the spear?

If so, he judged that it would be better to continue moving stealthily while hiding his presence instead of trying to dodge the spear.

Rustle-

Seemingly taking advantage of his thoughts slowing his reaction time, a narrow line appeared out of thin air in front of him, and the black spear reappeared, striking him.

Shank!!

“Argh...!?”

Though he tried to dodge it, the spear managed to pierce his thigh.

Enduring the searing pain, he urgently turned his gaze back toward the village and was flabbergasted by what he saw. The darkened area had already been cleared, revealing the bodies of his subordinates, all fatally struck or beheaded, scattered in a grim display.

And standing in the middle of it all was Se-Hoon.

Swoosh-

Having never moved an inch from his initial spot, Se-Hoon then pointed the Eternal Nocturne’s Phalanx at the squad leader.

“Vision of the Abyss.”

Darkness burst forth from the black spear, engulfing the squad leader.

1. A wooden platform is a traditional piece of furniture in Asia, designed for sitting or lying down on. It is commonly placed in courtyards or gardens, where people frequently use it as a seating area. ☜