Translated by : betterdaysChapter 196 – Elven Forest (1)
Zzzz….zzzz… zz..
It was even before the carriage left the City of Endless Night.
The Crazy Heavenly Demon’s lips, which had been closed up till that point, opened.
Lee Sungmin, who was sitting in the horseman’s seat, looked back in surprise.
Frau, who was taking care of the Crazy Heavenly Demon, also looked surprised.
“Don’t wake him.”
Frau warned Sungmin. The Crazy Heavenly Demon was in an incredibly fragile state. If his body exerted any more energy, his body would surely break down at a rapid rate, followed by death.
Frau’s sorcery was barely keeping him alive, but even that was only a temporary fix and had some limitations in the spell workings.
Lee Sungmin moved from the driver’s seat to the luggage area. He looked down at the burnt body that no longer resembled the man known as Byuk Won-Pae, or the Crazy Heavenly Demon, lying on the floor, exhaling a small and faint breath.
“……Mister.”
Let me go.
The Crazy Heavenly Demon was no longer even a shell of his old self. Burnt skin, faded irises, hair was burnt black in the tips that somehow remained. He was just barely conscious right now and mouthed some words to Lee Sungmin.
Please let me go. Lee Sungmin’s shoulders trembled and reached his hand to reach out to the Crazy Heavenly Demon’s hand.
“Mister….”
Byuk Won-Pae could no longer speak.
Lee Sungmin bit his lips and his gaze lowered to the ground. There were all kinds of thoughts running through Lee Sungmin’s head at that point.
Going to the Hujal Mountains just to meet a demon that may not even form a contract with him to save the Crazy Heavenly Demon’s life. It just sounded whimsical in the very essence of the deal itself.
Lee Sungmin had used all his resources and tried his luck through Neville and Erebrisa, but to no avail, all the doctors he had contacted had said the same thing. Because the Crazy Heavenly Demon had burned his life force down to the very core, it was impossible to save him through any means.
“I’ve had enough time in this life.”
A trembling voice from the covers in the back of the carriage sounded out to Lee Sungmin. It was a raspy voice that contained sorrow and pain with it.
“There’s not much that I didn’t achieve with my own two hands. I was able to carry out my vengeance.… yes, I don’t think it’s been such a bad life.”
“Ahjussi.”(T/N : this is a term used in Hangul for older men that have grown and matured.)
“It’s okay, just let me go.”
Lee Sungmin wasn’t able to see Byuk Won-Pae due to him being underneath the covers resting, but Lee Sungmin thought he was probably smiling right now.
“It was my last duty I needed to fulfill in my life. Even if I lost my life in the process, it was mine and nobody else’s … so please respect my decision.”
Lee Sungmin closed his eyes as he heard Byuk Won-Pae speak through raspy breaths.
Even if Lee Sungmin thought it was improper to allow the Crazy Heavenly Demon like this. It was his life, so in the end, it was worthy to respect him.
There was nothing Lee Sungmin could argue against that remark. Still, he felt like he wanted to say something.
Lee Sungmin opened his mouth. But in the end, there was nothing he could say. After a short period of silence, Lee Sungmin barely spoke.
“……I was late…… I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. If you had been there from the beginning, you might have lost your life as well.”
The Crazy Heavenly Demon’s voice was growing fainter by the second with each word he spoke.
His head was resting underneath the covers of the bed in the wagon. The Crazy Heavenly Demon’s eyes that could barely be seen, were trembling slightly.
Lee Sungmin clenched his fist tightly. He clenched it so hard that his fingernails cut into his skin and started to bleed.
“The Blood Ring Martial Arts.”
said the Crazy Heavenly Demon.
“It’s the martial arts that I had created myself. It might not suit you well with your other martial arts that you have knowledge of… but please, I wasn’t able to perfect the technique to the level of transcendence. But… if it’s you, and you are able to reach that realm… Please don’t forget about it.”
“I won’t…”
“That’s all I could ask for.”
The Crazy Heavenly Demon’s pace of breathing had been slowly decreasing.
“Do you know the name of this old man?”
“……Byuk Won-Pae.”
“I was known more commonly as the Crazy Heavenly Demon, that people tended to forget my real name. Whoooo… Now that I think about it, it certainly was an accurate depiction of those years I spent rampaging haha……!”
The Crazy Heavenly demon cracked a dry smile.
“I’m worried about Rubia. If you’re willing to do this old man a favor, someday……could you make sure that she’s doing okay?”
“Of course…… I will.”
“Yes…… it really does feel like I can rest with ease now. Thank you for everything, I can truly go without any more regrets.”
It was a blatant lie.
Byuk Won-Pae himself, who said the words, knew that he was lying to himself as he spoke.
A life without regrets. That was impossible for anybody.
No matter how well of a life you live, any real human being would have some regrets right at their very last moments. It was human nature to have some lingering attachments.
He had wanted to see what it was like past the wall of the Peak Realm. He wanted to at least see what it felt like to become a Transcendent Realm Martial Artist.
But the reality of life was cruel to Byuk Won-pae. It seemed that reaching Transcendence was a much more difficult Realm to reach than he thought.
Even though he had fought with his life on the line and even burnt up his life force, he wasn’t able to find an enlightenment at that moment and reach transcendence for even a brief moment. He felt a lot of disappointment.
The regret and disappointment was because he wasn’t sure if he would be able to do it again, even if he was given a second chance at life, he wasn’t confident in finishing the Blood Ring Martial Arts and reaching Transcendence.
So he wanted to give up. That was enough for him. The Crazy Heavenly Demon closed his eyes slowly.
“Give me a proper cremation. I don’t want my bones to rot in the soil and hold any lingering feelings down here with me.”
“Old man….”
“You’re not like me, so don’t waste what you have.”
The Crazy Heavenly Demon murmured. The words were too quiet to be heard by Lee Sungmin.
“Old man.”
Lee Sungmin tried to get him to respond once more. But, there was no answer this time.
The shallow breathing was slowly becoming too faint to even hear, and eventually… completely stopped.
Lee Sungmin looked at Byuk Won-Pae’s body with a blank expression.
Frau, who was sitting next to him, made a complicated expression and scratched the back of her head.
“……Is that really it?”
Lee Sungmin spoke out subconsciously. Was that really it?
Is this what it felt like to witness someone close to you die? Lee Sungmin placed his finger on Byuk Won-Pae’s wrist and checked for a pulse.Nothing.
His death felt too unfamiliar to Lee Sungmin, who returned from death in his previous life. Lee Sungmin’s shoulders trembled and started to shake.
Lee Sungmin’s eyes started to water up and he looked on with pain at the sight of the burned up body of Byuk Won-Pae.
Lee Sungmin chewed his lip out of anxiety, and tried to swallow back the lump in his throat that was threatening to make him cry.
Rather, if someone killed the Crazy Heavenly Demon he might have felt a little bit more comfortable with his death. If Chusung perhaps had not died and killed the Crazy Heavenly Demon, Lee Sungmin would be able to have feelings of rage and anger instead of pure sorrow.
If that happened, he could have an object of revenge, allowing Lee Sungmin to numb the feelings that were washing over him.
The worst part was that, there was nobody to grieve this man’s death with him.
It wasn;t the first time Lee Sungmin had witnessed death, but his walls were shaking. His rigid and stoic mentality that he had been accustomed to inside the trial of time, was breaking down and making him feel human once more.
Lee Sungmin himself had died, had been witness to several others’ deaths, and had personally taken the lives of others.
This man’s death however, shook him on an entirely different level than before. He felt like a father figure of sorts to Lee Sungmin, a colleague, and yet a friend at the same time. It pained Lee Sungmin to see this person’s life end like this.
“……I don’t need to go to the Hujal Mountains.”
Frau murmured to herself seeing the situation in front of her. She was inwardly considering it a good thing.
The spirits that resided in the Hujal Mountains were quite fickle. Yana was lucky enough to get what she wanted from the demon, but if Lee Sungmin had met the demon, there would be no guarantee that he would be able to negotiate with it, let alone survive the encounter.
Of course, Frau didn’t let the idea become known to Lee Sungmin.
“How long are you going to stay there?”, she unapologetically cut in.
“Just……wait a minute.”
“Just because you stay there and hold onto him, doesn’t mean it will bring him back. We have to send the body and soul on it’s way.”
Lee Sungmin raised his head when Frau spoke the cold words.
He shot a fierce glare at Frau. Frau laughed while looking right at Lee Sungmin’s eyes.
“If looks could kill, I’d be dead right now. You’d better control your emotions. Your body has become closer to the side of a monster’s, because of that, you will have a tougher time controlling certain emotions. Monsters love violence and if you leave your emotions unchecked, you could quite possibly lose your sanity.”
Frau’s warning was true.
Lee Sungmin also knew what she said was true. He still felt bitter though about Frau’s unapologetic tone.
However, it was also thanks to Frau that Byuk Won-Pae was able to deliver his last words of parting, to Lee Sungmin.
“……I’m sorry.”
Lee Sungmin bowed his head.
The funeral proceeded quietly. There was nobody besides Lee Sungmin and Frau there.
It was Frau who conducted it for Lee Sungmin.
Following the Crazy Heavenly Demon’s will, the body was burned. Lee Sungmin stared blankly at the pit of flames flickering in the night sky.
The body burned quietly with only the crackle of the embers and firewood to be heard around them. The body slowly fell into ashes and parted into the wind as it was blown away.
This was the end.
Lee Sungmin stood still and looked up into the sky. Rather than proceeding with his actions to prepare moving on, he subconsciously stood there in a daze and realized what he was feeling.
There was no one.
Not one other person besides him to mourn the death of the Crazy Heavenly Demon. Rubia was gone and Wijihoyeon was desperately ill inside of a forest.
Upon realizing his surroundings, Lee Sungmin sank his body in his spot. He was used to traveling alone for such long periods of time. But, why did it feel so lonely right now?
The loneliness was washing over him like a bucket of cold water.
His strong mind that he had developed and synchronized with his heart and body, was soft as tofu right now.
[Don’t be so depressed.]
Heoju murmured in the silence. It was clear that even the old yokai didn’t feel too comfortable with the loss of Byuk Won-Pae.From the lingering pile of ash and bone powder, something small and gray arose. It flickered with a dull color amongst the eerie silence of the night.
It hovered around the fire and then flowed into Lee Sungmin’s body. The power of Heoju that was contained within the Crazy Heavenly Demon’s body was absorbed back to the source. Lee Sungmin gripped his chest rightly.
The Crazy Heavenly Demon had died fulfilling his revenge. Lee Sungmin felt that he should be somewhat alright with the fact that Byuk Won-Pae seemed content with his own death.
‘……that doesn’t make any sense.’
[Yes, that’s why humans are weak in nature.], Heoju replied to Lee Sungmin’s thoughts.
After the funeral, Frau approached Lee Sungmin.
“Are you going to stay?”
“……No. I’ll be leaving.”
Lee Sungmin shook his head from side to side.
“There’s no reason to stay for me either. I’m leaving.”, Frau heartlessly voiced out.
Lee Sungmin had no more business here it seemed. There was no need to wait for Yana to come, and his business with the City of Endless Night had finished.
There was no reason to stay here any longer.‘What next?’Lee Sungmin lowered his bloodied hand that was bleeding from his fingernails digging into his skin earlier.
There was still business that needed to be settled in the South. Qian Zun was still here. The bastard who cursed Wijihoyeon was hiding in the Forest of the Elves, which happened to be nearby the City of Endless Night.
“Really? Then maybe this will be the last time we meet?…. Wait. Well actually, I don’t think so.”
Frau grinned and shook her head playfully.
“Your destiny is incredibly strong and pure. Perhaps…… I might have been caught up in your fate. I might meet you again someday but, I don’t know if it will be for good or bad when that happens.”
Frau muttered those words, and turned around. Lee Sungmin stared at Frau from behind without even saying goodbye.
After watching Frau leave, Lee Sungmin looked at the embers still on the floor.
‘Should I go back to the village?’
It reminded him of the survivors that Yana had saved from the village. He didn’t think it was necessary to deliver the message. He didn’t want to take in any more lingering attachments and feelings than he already had. It was depressing, but honest of Lee Sungmin.
Lee Sungmin bowed his head while looking down at the crackling firewood from the pit..
After, he turned around and left the City of Endless Night.When Lee Sungmin was finally settled with his emotions to a degree, He called Neville first and let him know about the events that had unfolded regarding the consummation of the Dragon’s Heart and not feeling a change at all.Before heading to the Elven forest, he wanted to know exactly what he needed to do and where he needed to go.
“Huk! oh…… I can’t believe it! A human was able to consume a full Dragon Heart successfully?”
Neville had connected Lee Sungmin to the Blue Tower Master who wanted to purchase the Dragon’s Heart.
Wearing the blue robe worthy of his title, he was staring at Lee Sungmin’s face from beyond the passage that Neville had connected with astonishment.
“I can’t say I would have any experience or knowledge regarding anything like this because it’s unprecedented. I have never heard or seen records of a human being consuming a Dragon’s Heart to know what the changes could be.”
The Blue Tower Master spoke as he looked up and down at Lee Sungmin’s body, examining him.
“If you have a chance someday, stop by the Blue Tower. I think I can give you some better advice hopefully in person.”
It was not just the Blue Tower Master that had repeated those similar words. The other potential buyers that were eager to buy the Dragon’s Heart or process it, had no clue either.
[It’s just my personal opinion.]
After the several discussions Lee Sungmin had with other wizards and sorcerers, Neville carefully opened his mouth.
[The Dragon Heart is a vessel that contains a tremendous amount of magical power. Dragons have lived for thousands of years and are free to use their magic through their language, known as Dragon Tongue. Although they are not easily seen in this world at this point in time.… Until just a few hundred years ago, although incredibly few in number, there were some Dragons that were considered comparable to the Gods residing in Eria. Of course, those Dragons had not been hunted and suddenly disappeared without a trace. But the fact remains that there has not been a single, completely intact Dragon’s Heart like the one you found. All Dragons are the same, in the fact that right before they are killed, they will collapse their heart on the inside, rendering the heart useless for their killer’s purposes.”
Neville swallowed his saliva and regained his composure.
[To be able to somehow attain a completely intact Dragon Heart, you must kill it before it collapses it’s heart and kills itself. And to do that, you have to have the power to completely overwhelm the Dragon itself.]
[Ahem!]
When Heoju heard what Nevile said, he remained prideful and coughed blatantly.
[Even the fragments of Dragon Hearts have tremendous magical value and enormous power. But…… I can’t believe you took a complete dragon heart, not just some fragment. The human body is not compatible to hold such a vessel of large power, nor can any human being bear the baby of a Dragon. Whatever the way, if you took it whole, common sense would say that your body should have exploded on the spot.]
“But I didn’t explode.”
[That’s why it’s unprecedented. And…… this is my personal opinion. Perhaps the power of Dragon Heart is hidden deep within your body. But that would only be possible if you could somehow contain all the magic power and not let any of it leak outside. Which clearly would have been impossible for you.]
However, the magical power had not dissipated nor leaked into the surroundings when Lee Sungmin consumed it. Lee Sungmin could be sure about that. It also seemed the most logical explanation, that the Dragon Heart would be hidden deep within his own body. And sadly Neville must not know that Lee Sungmin had truly completed such a feat.
[Maybe it’s the body’s defense mechanism. If it was recognized and digested like an internal energy pill or elixir it might have worked, but maybe it might have judged itself that the body would not be able to withstand it and hid it within itself.]
Neville was not sure because it was truly an unprecedented case. However, Lee Sungmin considered what Neville said, to be quite plausible.
So far, the black heart had evolved his body to survive even in the face of an incredible crisis. What was ridiculous was that it was truly fraudulent and had happened many times. It wouldn’t make sense to fail now.
Taking in a whole Dragon Heart this time was also a crisis that might have caused his body to explode. Perhaps the Black Heart was suppressing the power of Dragon Heart so that Lee Sungmin could hold it in and not explode on the spot.
[I’m sorry for the nonsensical words of mine.]Neville realized he had overstepped his bounds as a broker, and quickly bowed with an apology.
“No, thank you. It’s been the most useful information out of everything that I have received today; even if it was just a conjecture.”
Lee Sungmin replied, shaking his head with a smile.
“Oh, and I have additional information I’d like to purchase please.”
[What would you like to purchase?]
“It’s about one of the Ancient Forests.”
Lee Sungmin proceeded to speak in a quiet voice as he darted his gaze around to make sure he was safe.
“I want to know the location of the Forest of Elves.”