Proofread by : Hogu* * *
The rumors that were circulating about Kim Jonghyun and the ‘Devil of the North’ had piqued Lee Sungmin’s interest as of late.
Lee Sungmin had traveled to the northernmost City within Eria, Travia. There, Lee Sungmin had his first encounter with the group known as Predator, and had learned of them in depth during his time there. This was thanks to his frightening encounter with Geniella, the Vampire Queen and who was one of the 5 Black Stars of Predator.
However, she was not the only ‘Black Star’ that Lee Sungmin had met in Travia. Lee Sungmin also had an amusing encounter with the King of Lycanthropes : The Mad King Juwon.
What was interesting was that all of this was joining together towards one man. The man Lee Sungmin had met several times, Kim Jonghyun.
He had first met Kim Jonghyun in Behenger when visiting the Black Tower, he had received help from him when he had killed the ‘Solitary Blade’ Dokgo, and reunited with him, lastly, in the North while staying in Travia.
Lee Sungmin had attacked Arbeth during the battle in the City of Endless Night, and he did not know that Kim Jonghyun was the Dark Wizard who eventually plundered everything from Arbeth after the fight and had even attacked Lee Sungmin at one point during the fight.
Therefore, Lee Sungmin did not have any bad feelings or impressions toward Kim Jonghyun.
Kim Jonghyun was viewed quite favorably in Lee Sungmin’s eyes. In fact, Kim Jonghyun could have threatened Lee Sungmin back then multiple times, and could have killed Lee Sungmin, but he did not for some reason.
Thanks to this, Lee Sungmin was flustered and confused when he listened to the rumors about the ‘Devil of the North’ being Kim Jonghyun. However, he had no choice but to harden his expression when he considered that Kim Jonghyun had massacred 7 villages while being in the North.
The Kim Jonghyun, that he knew, was a kind and friendly person. It was confusing to say the least.
‘The Tower Masters of the Magic Towers and elites from the Wizard Guild have all gathered together to strike him down.’
There was a large gathering of troops solely to catch Kim Jonghyun. The Murim Alliance had gathered its own troops, brought in the Murong Family’s Main Branch warriors, the Tower Masters of the Red, Green, White and Gold Towers. As well as the combatant Magic Corps, it was topped all off, with the Holy Church and the order of the Holy Knights and Paladins aiding in the subjugation.
Hundreds of people gathered just to catch a single Dark Wizard.
It was a rare sight to have a subjugation force of this level of power and size assemble together. Lee Sungmin believed this was overkill, but there was a sense of lingering anxiety about it all.
Lee Sungmin caressed the bracelet on his left wrist.
When he received the bracelet from Scarlett, he was not particularly conscious of its use. More than five years had passed since he was given the bracelet, but Scarlett had never conveyed a signal of danger through the bracelet in that time apart.
She had been doing well in the Red Tower, apparently as the new Tower Master.
Even now, with all the turbulence gathering in the North, the bracelet didn’t send off any signals.
But he couldn’t just ignore it. Hundreds of talented elites had gathered to kill one man. And it was almost certain to anybody looking at it, that Kim Jonghyun would be taken down.
No matter how brilliant he was and knowledgeable as a Wizard, this sort of force had only been realized in wars or large scale subjugations like when Heoju had been hunted down in the South, hundreds of years ago.
‘I won’t have to go.’
But was that really the case?
He couldn’t help but be worried due to the other forces that had remained silent throughout the entire time these forces had been gathering together.
It was the North. The land where the Vampire Queen, Geniella, and the Mad King Juwon were running rampant with power.
Had they joined hands with Kim Jonghyun? Rumors had stated that Kim Jonghyun was not fleeing even though a punitive force was gathering to catch him.
Lee Sungmin didn’t want to believe that Kim Jonghyun was willing to accept his death so lightly. Or did he seriously think he could run away from such a grand and gigantic force on his own?
[So…. Are you going?]
Heoju asked. Lee Sungmin did not answer immediately. If only the Wizard Guild had gathered, it would be a different story altogether. Now that the Murim Alliance and 5 Great Families were involved, Lee Sungmin could not move recklessly even if he was worried about Scarlett.
Moreover, the Murong Family had a very…. Bitter relationship with Lee Sungmin. At least on the public level. Unless Lee Sungmin could prove that it was an unjust accusation and present evidence, which he couldn’t, there was no way he could get away from it. It was especially so, now, that he was the direct successor to the Sama Order.
“…just in case you don’t know.”
Lee Sungmin put his hand over the beating Black Heart . He was indebted to Scarlett. Aside from what happened after the Mountain of Mush when Aine first attacked him. Without Scarlett’s help, he might have died there alone.
Besides, he had promised her. That if she ever fell in danger, he would go to save her to repay his favor to her for saving his life back then.
[You don’t want to regret it later, do you?]
Heoju murmured. Lee Sungmin nodded at the words.
Lee Sungmin lived in his previous life until he was 27 years old. Since the time of his death had passed in this life, Lee Sungmin now knew nothing about the events that would take place in the world from now on. Therefore, he had to be cautious.
He didn’t know what Kim Jonghyun was up to, and he certainly didn’t know if Scarlett would be in danger.
“Where are you going?”
The first thing Lee Sungmin had done after making his decision was to go to Sima Ryunju, and ask for permission to the Headquarters temporarily. Sima Ryunju, who was sitting in a comfortable position inside his office, asked back in a soft voice when Lee Sungmin said he would leave for a little bit.
“I’m thinking of going North for a while.”
“Is it because of rumors circulating about the so-called ‘Devil of the North’?”
Sima Ryunju didn’t beat around the bush, and immediately cut to the chase. It was about the hot topic of Kim Jonghyun and whether he would confront the large forces pursuing him, or flee.
“How did you know?”
“Because he’s the most famous guy being talked about lately. He didn’t only massacre seven villages. He exterminated them and piled up the bodies at the entrance of the village, right? It wasn’t exactly normal deaths that we’re looking at, either. He pulled out all the hearts in the villagers’ bodies. Of course, he deserves to be called a devil for such a gruesome thing.”
Sima Ryunju asked suddenly, with a smirk.
“Why? Are you acquainted with that man?”
“That’s not true.”
“Then do you have an acquaintance among the villagers who died?”
“No.”
“Then, you must have an acquaintance from the punitive force going to capture him.”
“Yes.”
Lee Sungmin answered somewhat honestly. Sima Ryunju spoke, revealing a smile.
“This old man doesn’t mean to stop you. It is your choice to throw yourself into a dangerous situation like this one. I don’t know what that devil is up to, but I am somewhat curious. He killed seven villages and even committed such blatant atrocities like it was nobody’s business. There’s definitely a reason for it that I don’t know of, in play here.”
Sima Ryunju said so and pointed to the mask on his face.
“Are you going to hide your identity or not?”
“I won’t be accepted there… you know that much at least, so I’m going to have to hide it.”
“You’re not trying to hide your face with a hideous mask, are you?”
“There’s a way to change your face with a skin mask.”
“Well, if you want to avoid any unnecessary and troublesome quarrels, you should definitely hide it. But, keep this in mind : If you go there and reveal your identity to the group…… huhuhu! Things will be quite fun to watch from here.”
The eyes of Sima Ryunju curved into upwards crescents through the mask.
“If I were a part of the Murim Alliance, and I noticed the heir to the opposing Sama Order unarmed without any backing… Well, I would definitely kidnap him and torture him at any costs.”
“Don’t you think I’m being a bother to you by going on this trip?”
“Maybe if you look at it from the point of the entire Sama Order, but I don’t intend to restrain your freedom of action for that reason alone.”
Said Sima Ryunju.
“If you die, this old man can just go ahead and trample on those Murim Alliance weaklings under the pretext of revenge for your death. If you’re captured willingly, you can just allow yourself to be taken to the Black Dragon Association and kill even more of their figureheads when you get close enough. That will surely make Beyond the Heavens move.”
“What if I face a group of people who I can’t handle?”
“I don’t think you’ll ever die unless you come in contact with Wudang of the Sword, Kang Seok, Wolhu, or even Musin himself. If that happens, I won’t just stay still. You can bet anything I will be right there to kill them with my very own two hands if that happens.”
Sima Ryunju’s voice contained an unnerving rage within the calm tone his of voice.
Even though the Murim Alliance and Sama Order were at odds, it almost seemed like the Murim Alliance was not a worry to Sima Ryunju, rather than Beyond the Heavens themselves.
Lee Sungmin could not understand such a fluctuating attitude.
For the past week, Lee Sungmin was able to see simply how ironic the name of the Sama Order was, for the organization.
In terms of organizational power, the Sama Order was not comparable to the Murim Alliance in the slightest. In Lee Sungmin’s view, if an all-out war broke out, the Sama Order would be forced to surrender after a brutal defeat.
“Are you confident in the face of an all-out war?”
“I wouldn’t say I’d do it if I didn’t mean it after all.”
Sima Ryunju answered without hesitating in the slightest.
“Unlike what you see, the Sama Order is not that weak. It’s not like this old man has been out of complete contact for over a hundred years. And… we should fix that thinking of yours.”
Sima Ryunju raised his hand to point to Lee Sungmin.
“Although the number of Divinities left in Beyond the Heavens is a good amount, it is not an urgent problem. I figure you can deal with both Do Zun and An Zun on your own, and as for erupting into all out war in the next month?…… I don’t think they will be going to go to full-scale war. I’m afraid Kang Seok is a very… worrisome variable.”
Sima Ryunju mumbled and crossed his arms.
“I honestly don’t know how they will proceed. But, it’s not that I’m not confident. In fact, if the Minor Heavenly Demon came to the Sama Order, there would be no need to worry about the difference in power.”
Sima Ryunju laughed out loud.
“It’s none of your business though since your only job is to be my successor. So! When are you going to leave?”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, so I’m going to leave right now.”
“It’s a long distance from here to the North. It would take several months even if we go at your speed. Are you going to use one of your favors with Oslo?
Lee Sungmin nodded at Sima Ryunju’s question. The outcome of events could turn disastrous very quickly if Lee Sungmin took his time.
[You’re a good student, at least….hahaha!]
‘Just shut up.’
Heoju giggled as the two of them left Sima Ryunju’s office.
In any case, if Lee Sungmin died or became a prisoner of the Murim Alliance, didn’t Sima Ryunju say he would not hesitate to act in revenge?
Upon returning to his room, Lee Sungmin summoned the Fairy Queen. It was the first time he had called upon her since their last contact with each other in the Forest of Fairies.
The white light gathered in front of Lee Sungmin and became a white and beautiful white figure of a mythical horse with wings.
The Pegasus stared at Lee Sungmin with clear eyes and bowed its head. Lee Sungmin climbed onto its back, caressing the mane of the Pegasus with his hands.
[There’s two more left favors left after this. So, where are you going since you can only go to places you’ve been to before?]Heoju quipped.
‘The closest we can get to Edor, is from Travia.’
Lee Sungmin recalled Travia as he brushed against the Pegasus’ mane and closed his eyes gently. Then the Pegasus let out a snort and kicked the ground.
As this all happened, a sense of distorting space could be felt all around Lee Sungmin, as space stretched and expanded in front of his very eyes.
When the warp was finished, Lee Sungmin was in the middle of the sky in Travia. The sudden chilly air of the north did not invade Lee Sungmin’s body heat due to him transcending his human limits.
Lee Sungmin covered his face with the previously purchased skin mask he had bought through Neville before arriving.
The skin mask he used the last time, when he had raided the Namgung Family Main Branch, was already well-known and people were actively searching for that identity, so he was forced to choose a new one.
After finishing his preparations, the Pegasus turned into a white light again and disappeared. Immediately, Lee Sungmin fell down, but without any faltering movements, he slowed down the fall and landed in a deserted area within a stretch of alleys.
[This isn’t good.]
There was a sudden and worrisome-sounding murmur from Heoju.
[I don’t know about the others, but she definitely must have detected a spatial movement. It’s likely she will come…….]
It was the moment when Heoju had been warning Lee Sungmin of her appearance, that the shadows between the alleys of the deserted walkway Lee Sungmin had landed in, wriggled. A woman with brilliant and bright, red hair suddenly rose under the greatly enlarged shadow.
“……You?”
Geniella, who had emerged from the shadow, looked in surprise at Lee Sungmin.
The Vampire Queen was a monster who had lived for hundreds of years and was considered the strongest of the Black Stars within Predator.
‘It’s true.’
Even though Lee Sungmin had crossed into the Realm of Transcendence and had been completely assimilated with his new Realm. On top of learning an incredibly high-level technique from Sima Ryunju, in the Dark Storm Arts, he still felt overwhelmed by Geniella’s sudden appearance.
“……Long time no see.”
When Lee Sungmin had first met her in Travia, Geniella had a favorable attitude towards Lee Sungmin. He wasn’t sure, but he was still hoping she held that exact same attitude towards him. Lee Sungmin said hello to Geniella first, gauging the atmosphere.
“You’ve changed a lot. I couldn’t even recognize you at first by observing your level.”
To be honest, Geniella initially imagined a Dragon had appeared. The sudden fluctuation of space was evidence of warping, and warp magic was a magic that only dragons and their equivalent transcendent-level rivaling opponents could possibly use.
It was impossible for even Geniella to pull off a perfect long-distance warp like the one Lee Sungmin had just used.
“What was that just now…? I’m sure there was a long-distance spatial movement I detected.”
“I didn’t do it myself. I merely got help from someone.”
“Help…?”
Geniella squinted at Lee Sungmin’s carefully. She narrowed her eyes right at him ,scrutinizing his facial muscles to see if he was lying.
“Ah I see…”Geniella’s eyes were the eyes of a Transcendent Vampire; a being that could see through almost all illusions, sorcery spells, and techniques.
“You… ..are blessed by the Fairy Queen. I didn’t know it was possible for a human to tame a Pegasus, so I guess I was right… No wait, should I even call you a human being?”
Geniella fully grasped the condition of Lee Sungmin in a mere glance. Lee Sungmin had several different elements that made up the composition of his mutated body, but the most glaring aspect that stood out to Geniella, was the presence of the Draconic Magical Energy within Lee Sungmin’s heart.
It was the answer to the question that Geniella had asked earlier, but on the contrary, Geniella was forced to feel even more confused.
“……hmm.”
Geniella, who was looking at Lee Sungmin with her eyes narrowed, opened her lips.
“You.”
Geniella’s lips were slightly lifted.
“You’ve turned out to be very delicious.”
Sharp fangs shone between the thick and luscious lips.