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Chapter 706: Annihilation and Flower (7)
Blink—
Seo Ran opens her eyes.
Next to her, Jeon Myeong-hoon and Baek are still sleeping, scratching their bellies.
She lets out a small sigh as she looks at them, then heads outside to prepare breakfast.
It's not bad that Jeon Myeong-hoon and Baek are staying with her at the request of the Seo Eun-hyun couple, but it's not particularly good either.
As she prepares breakfast with an air of finding it bothersome, she exchanges a few simple greetings with Oh Hyun-seok from next door, who is also up at roughly the same time and preparing breakfast.
Once the sun properly rises, she wakes Jeon Myeong-hoon and Baek and eats breakfast with them."From today, until Seo Eun-hyun returns, I'm your guardian. So for the next three days, treat me like your father and serve me well!"
"...Yesss."
Seo Ran, with an air of finding it a hassle, brings side dishes to Jeon Myeong-hoon and sighs.
'I feel like I've got a kid I have to look after now.'
But Jeon Myeong-hoon's reactions are always so absurd that she can't help but let out a chuckle, so it also ends up being a little fun.
Still, she doesn't show it openly.
'They're leaving in three days anyway.'
This, too, is a fixed outcome.
She sees the 'flow'.
That's why she doesn't show strong emotions about anything.
Unless it's something entirely new, like chatting with Kang Min-hee and hearing fresh information.
So, once again, she spends her day that's slightly changed but still dull and monotonous.
She wakes up, prepares breakfast, tidies up, and then cleans the house. Afterward, she completes the martial arts training assigned by her father and mother.
Then she eats lunch, and from that point on, it's free time.
During her free time, she always climbs Sword Peak Mountain to take a walk or ties a rope between trees to practice tightrope walking alone.
Then, as evening comes, she returns, prepares dinner, and eats.
After cleaning up, she climbs Sword Peak Mountain again for a bit before coming back down.
That is Seo Ran's daily routine.
One day, two days, three days.
She continues to feel stifled and bored in the endlessly repetitive daily life.
And...
Finally, three days pass, and on the morning of the fourth day—
"...Ah."
As Seo Ran opens her eyes, she notices that instead of Jeon Myeong-hoon and Baek, Seo Eun-hyun and Kim Yeon are sitting on either side of her, looking down at her.
"You're back, Mother, Father?"
"Yes. Have you been well?"
Seo Eun-hyun strokes her hair with a gentle smile, and Seo Ran looks at him with a slight pout as she responds.
"...Well, I guess I've been okay."
"Hoho, Daoist Seo. It seems you're sulking because your father came home too late."
"Ugh... Father, can you please stop with that?"
"Haha, sorry, Ran. But more importantly...I have something for you."
"Huh?"
As Seo Ran expresses confusion, Kim Yeon and Seo Eun-hyun stand up at the same time and pull her along.
"Happy birthday, Seo Ran. This morning, we're having rice cakes."
Out on the wooden porch where Seo Eun-hyun and Kim Yeon take her, Jeon Myeong-hoon, Baek, Oh Hyun-seok, and even Kang Min-hee from the Black Sect are gathered, lighting a thin candle stuck into siru-tteok.
"Back in our homeland, we always celebrated birthdays like this. Well, someday, when you reach the proper realm, I'll project the history and show it to you."
With a bright grin, Jeon Myeong-hoon seats Seo Ran and puts a strange cone-shaped hat on her head.
Then, Seo Eun-hyun and the others all begin singing a birthday song she has never heard before.
Seo Ran is a little startled by this bewildering way of celebrating a birthday, but soon a smile blooms across her face.
Everything is in a style she has never seen before.
None of the things Seo Ran sees belong to the 'flow' she's always sensed.
It's as if these forms came from somewhere outside that 'flow.'
For the first time in a long while...
Seo Ran finds it really fun.
Seo Ran celebrates her birthday with her mother and father, laughing together for the first time in a long while.
And the rest of the day is overall the same.
Seo Eun-hyun and Kim Yeon spend the whole day with her, strolling through the streets of Jeongyeong City, or taking her to see the theater performances or acrobatic shows she enjoys.
Whenever Seo Ran sees the tightrope-walking acrobats, her face flushes slightly red, and Seo Eun-hyun smiles gently as he watches her.
And...
At last, night falls.
"You want to go up Sword Peak Mountain? You always said not to enter the mountain recklessly at night..."
"Tonight is fine."
Seo Ran tilts her head as she looks at Seo Eun-hyun and Kim Yeon, who say they want to climb to the peak of Sword Peak Mountain with her.
"Well, I'm happy to hike with Father and Mother for the first time in a while, but...I don't know why we're going now. Especially since Father always said, as a ginseng-digger, that going into the mountains at night is a bad..."
"Hm, forget that just for tonight."
Seo Eun-hyun smiles as he strokes Seo Ran's head.
"Because tonight, there's a gift for you on Sword Peak Mountain."
"...Huh?"
"Let's head to the summit first."
Seo Ran feels both curious and a bit expectant at the mention of a gift from Seo Eun-hyun.
What kind of gift could he be giving her on this dark night?
And finally, when they reach the summit of Sword Peak Mountain under the dark night sky—
"Alright...it's starting. Watch closely, Ran-ah. What your mother and I have worked hard to weave together..."
Piyuuuung!
Far in the distance, something launches into the sky from within Jeongyeong City.
Peoooong!
Then, it explodes in midair and begins to fill the sky with incredibly beautiful fireworks.
"It's the age of gunpowder. And from that age, we've created...fireworks."
Seo Eun-hyun exchanges a proud smile with Kim Yeon.
In their homeland, fireworks aren't anything rare.
But in this world, fireworks are not so widespread among mortals as the development of gunpowder here isn't smooth.
And so...
The fireworks Seo Ran sees now are the first in her life.
'Ahhh...'
It's beautiful.
At the sight of fireworks she has never seen since birth—
And at the shift in the flow of fate that has allowed such fireworks to exist, she feels an indescribable awe as her mouth falls open.
Each firework explodes in a different shape, and even the way they burst is never the same.
Because of that...
Every firework that Seo Ran beholds feels like a new show, as if she's seeing it for the very first time.
She smiles brightly, feeling the greatest joy she's ever felt in her life.
"...Mother, Father...did you two prepare this? For me...?"
"Well, we had a bit of help from some others too."
"..."
"Hoho, Daoist Seo. Are you moved?"
To the point that she even lets Seo Eun-hyun's teasing joke slide once...
She is unable to take her eyes off the beautiful sight, naturally opening her mouth.
And at the words she utters, Kim Yeon and Seo Eun-hyun wear warm, tender expressions that are rarely seen from them.
"...Thank you. Mother, Father..."
Like so—
Seo Ran's family gathers together and watches the fireworks late into the night.
Seo Ran dreams.
Shwaaaaaa—
For some reason, she finds herself stepping into a garden surrounded by [Black Flowers].
At the center of that garden lies a narrow path, and at the end of that narrow path, something awaits.
Seo Ran, as if entranced, walks along the narrow path and reaches the end.
"Ah, Sir Mountain Spirit?"
And what she sees at the end of that path is...
The same 'Mountain Spirit' who has continued to appear before her until now.
"It's been a while. By the way...you're a lot bigger today? You look different than usual..."
"...That's because there's no longer any need for me to stay cautious."
"Pardon? Cautious about what?"
"In order to entertain you, who grew bored of the already-experienced fate and prepared to overcome it...they wove together the age of gunpowder. Thanks to that, my opportunity came much sooner than expected. Especially with the beginning of that age of gunpowder, when you and they shared happiness and became immersed in fireworks. That was the most decisive. I give you my thanks, Ran-ah."
"Huh? Sir Mountain Spirit?"
Seo Ran trembles at the 'Mountain Spirit's' words, which carry a strangely ominous tone.
"It is thanks to you. Because you were born, their weakness came into being, and because you were born, I gained a medium to progress their beginning, development, twist, and conclusion. Because you were born and received their love...a new era thus began, giving me room to intervene, and thanks to you, they have become trapped in this world."
The 'Mountain Spirit's' grin gradually stretches into a grotesque smile.
Squirm— squirm—
At the same time, black flowers begin to bloom from the body of the 'Mountain Spirit,' and his form shifts into something resembling a grotesque worm.
The creature with the face of an old man atop the body of a wriggling worm laughs.
[Ran-ah, you've always wanted to escape from the suffocating flow of fate...and that is something inevitable. You were born with the [fate that overcomes fate]... How suffocating it must have felt to live in a world where fate repeats endlessly, and how much must you have wanted to overcome it.
[But...there's no need for that anymore. I shall save you. From now on...you no longer need to feel the suffocating fate again.]
Seo Ran takes a step back.
For some reason, this version of the 'Mountain Spirit' feels truly terrifying.
[Unlike the Liberation Law Talent of Bong Myeong, I lack the ability to lead the progress of a new civilization...but I am the First Zero King.]
Kugugugugu!
The presence of that being in her dream begins to gradually grow larger.
[The Enders of much more advanced civilizations manifested their civilizations in Mount Sumeru. However, with their decline, those civilizations fell and became ancient forces embedded deep within the Akashic Records. I am the one who can draw forth those ancient forces...]
Kururung!
Crushed beneath and gradually dying under the presence of that being, Seo Ran begins to gag and choughs as she asks.
"Y-You...who... You're not...Sir Mountain Spirit..."
[From this moment on, I shall become the Guide of Seo Eun-hyun, the only Ender who has yet to awaken to his fate.]
Kugugugugugu—
Thus, Seo Ran is swallowed by the overwhelming presence of the giant worm and loses consciousness within the dream.
"Heok! Heok...heheok..."
Seo Ran jerks upright.
It's the first time she's had a dream.
But even though it's her 'first' experience, it isn't enjoyable.
Rather, an ominous and grimy feeling creeps across her whole body.
'What kind of dream was that?'
Just as Seo Ran is taken aback and looks around—
'Huh...?'
Seo Ran's mother and father, who normally sleep on either side of her, are nowhere to be seen.
Seo Ran tries to read the 'flow' to find Seo Eun-hyun and Kim Yeon.
But at that moment, she flinches in shock.
'Wh-What is this? The 'flow' of the entire world is...'
The massive flow of fate of the entire world is undergoing a mad upheaval.
Seo Ran hurriedly rushes out of the master bedroom and looks up at the sky.
At that moment, something in the sky enters her sight.
Piiing—
Far in the distance, a single streak of light falls from the starry sky beyond the far horizon.
Kugugung!
She suddenly feels as if the ground is slightly trembling beneath her feet.
At this series of celestial phenomena, Seo Ran grows panicked and starts searching for Seo Eun-hyun and Kim Yeon.
And finally, she sees Seo Eun-hyun and Kim Yeon standing as if entranced atop the roof of their home.
And beside them, she also sees Oh Hyun-seok from next door.
"Father! Mother! Uncle Hyun-seok! What are you all doing!?"
Seo Ran shouts at them, taken aback.
But...
All of them remain silent, their faces stiff, not responding easily.
"...Honey..."
Yeon softly grips my shoulder.
I curl the corner of my lips into a bitter smile.
"...It's alright, Yeon-ah. I won't be taken down by something like this."
I've been had.
I have been completely caught in the trap and scheme of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
I glance at Sword Peak Mountain.
The connection to the main body is severed.
Currently, the only ones who have placed their main body outside the Unruly Realm along with their main consciousness are Oh Hye-seo and Hong Fan.
Everyone else, aside from those two, has placed their main consciousness within this Unruly Realm, leaving their main body outside.
'On top of that, divine powers, Immortal Arts, and mantras—none of them are activating properly. A force suppressing all supernatural abilities to the maximum has spread across the world… Was it because we got too caught up in the fireworks last night...?'
All sorts of hypotheses flash through my mind, but only one conclusion remains.
I look down at Seo Ran, who calls to us from below with a confused expression.
'No matter what happens...I will protect my child.'
A world that resembles Bong Myeong's, yet unlike that one, is a world truly devoid of any miracles or supernatural powers, gradually reveals itself and begins to impose its law upon us.
And so we wait for the next day, having lost all miracles within the trap of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable.
The true power of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable was not the Annihilation Flower.
Destruction disguised as the flower of happiness, leading the opponent into decline.
This is...
The Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable's true power.