Lee Sungmin was unable to run at top speed using the Dark Storm Arts. This was thanks to him overdrawing his powers that were borrowed from non-human origins.
Still, Lee Sungmin did his best to arrive quickly in Hadras, but it was impossible for Sima Ryunju, The Demonic Emperor, who was known for speed, to put up with any longer.
“You’re useless.”
Eventually, Sima Ryunju reached out to Lee Sungmin, grumbling in an irritable tone of voice.
He floated Lee Sungmin’s body in the air with a strong current of electrical internal energy, and carried Lee Sungmin alongside him as he continued his quick pace.
The enormous wind pressure that hit Lee Sungmin’s awkward and floating body was dizzying for him as he suddenly shot forward at the top speed Sima Ryunju normally traveled at.
When they arrived at the gate walls of Hadras, Lee Sungmin was still mid-air, and Sima Ryunju didn’t bother to stop the levitation for him as Lee Sungmin fell awkwardly onto the ground.
Seeing this, Sima Ryunju looked to Lee Sungmin and spoke.
“Sometimes… I have these thoughts about you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That maybe… this old man is really just raising a monster.”
Sima Ryunju murmured like that and began to stroll slowly with his hands behind his back. Lee Sungmin could see a building in the distance in the direction of where Sima Ryunju was walking.
Lee Sungmin tilted his head and followed his back, not knowing what Sima Ryunju meant by that.
“… Are you raising some kind of monster or something? I don’t understand.”
“It’s you.”
Sima Ryunju spoke without turning his head.
“In fact, it’s still a little vague how you will turn out. But you have plenty of potential to turn into a monster.”
“I’m sure you’re not talking about my talent or something right?”
“You should know that your talent is not considered monstrous. In fact, it’s just too similar to how one would work if they were a monster. They grow stronger through eating or consuming things.”
“Do you have to talk so down like that?”
“I think it’s better to give the right assessment to someone who is becoming unstable, rather than to lie about it.”
“Why did you take me as a disciple?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I like your attitude. You’re like a complete dog in terms of talent, which is perfect for me to teach.”
At the words, Lee Sungmin shut up, and Heoju giggled in his head.
[Huhuhu… at first he fell in love at first sight for this struggling little boy, but now he finds you to be an eyesore. How funny huhuhu…!]
‘Shutup please.’
Lee Sungmin cursed at Heoju, who was laughing at him. He was used to Heoju making fun of him as friendly banter, but he was actually feeling a bit distressed about the topic of becoming a monster.
“Then why on earth would you say something like that?”
“It’s a real and plausible possibility.”
Sima Ryunju replied.
“The possibility you have of turning into a monster is not negligible. What do you think would have happened if you had completely transformed into a monster in your fight with the Spear King? Those monstrous origins within your body are something not even I can fathom. Kang Seok may have been nothing but a ragdoll had you completely transformed and let that power loose.”
“…… Is it that bad?”
“It’s all speculation. Your talent is alright, but your ceiling is big and quite frankly, I don’t see a limit to it. It may be the effect of the entities within your body, but if it requires you to give up your humanity to tap into that power reserve, then… Whew! It’ll be quite the day to die.”
“What…….”
“You have a lot of potential.”
Sima Ryunju continued as he was still pacing in front of Lee Sungmin.
Lee Seongmin sighed internally, recalling his explosive power.
The power that he had tapped into against Kang Seok was not something of normal origins by any means. It wasn’t from Heoju, and it wasn’t something he could quite possibly fathom. It was something so powerful that he didn’t think anybody would be capable to stop if it had consumed his consciousness.
“The greatest worry and possibility this old man has about you turning into a monster is quite simple. What would happen if you were consumed and had no reason? Would you attack humans? Or would you just decimate everything without any reason? However… there is one group that might even worship this thing inside of you.”
“Predator.”
“The position of Predator has been quiet for decades now. But, they’ve started to move recently and are nothing to scoff at. Even this old man knows of the Vampire Queen, Geniella. She is not someone to be taken lightly.”
“Is she that strong?”
“This old man had encountered that particular vampire a long time ago. We didn’t fight because we didn’t have any manner of enmity with each other, but at the time, I was not confident that I would be able to face the monster she had worshipped that was known as the Predator of Massacre. And it’s the same even now. I’m not in the position to fight against that being, since it is not real, or against their organization right now. Even Beyond the Heavens and Musin were unable to wage war against them. Predator as an organization, let alone Geniella, is that powerful.
Lee Sungmin was bound to be a little surprised at the words. He knew very well that Predator was strong, and he already felt the monstrous power that Geniella had. But even his master, Sima Ryunju, was unsure of just how powerful the Predator of Massacre would be, let alone his chances of winning.
“The Predator of Massacre. It’s an unidentified monster so far, but they’ve prophesied that it really will come to existence one day. I….I think you’re the closest thing to the Predator of Massacre. What you have inside of you is something that has an intense bloodthirsty aura that is so thick that sometimes I’m unsure if you’ve honestly gone and given up on your humanity.”
“So… I’ll end up becoming a monster in the end?”
“If you give up being human, you’ll be a monster that has the potential to grow stronger than any other being in existence. Although you’ve taught yourself a cover of martial arts and insisted on being a ‘human’, you would be much more powerful as a monster.”
“……I don’t want to be a monster.”
“If you ever become a monster, I intend to kill you on the spot.”
Sima Ryunju spoke the bone-chilling words in a calm voice. Lee Sungmin’s expression hardened considerably.
“If that happens, you’ll be a wandering natural disaster, and you’ll do many things that you don’t want to do. I’m not saying I’m going to kill you because you’re dangerous. If you have no intentions of doing those things, then I’ll know it really isn’t you anymore. Although you’re a brat and someone that I am still learning more about every day, I don’t want to see you become like that. If that did happen, I would only kill you as the dying favor of a disciple being sent off by his master.”
“…… I don’t want to die, so I’ll have to hold on to being human anyways.”
“You’re a man of many things, but I’m not sure what you’ll become in the end.”
Before Lee Sungmin knew it, the building that they were moving in the direction of was right in front of them.
“Especially the question I have is the soul of that monster that is with you. It is the Great Yokai from 400 years ago. There were Dragons, many great Sorcerers, Wizards, Priests and Martial Artists that had joined in the subjugation of that monster. Yet, of all things to be tied with your body…. Why was it that monster and what happened to it to find you?”
[It was because the boy had come to the place I was at, and I knew that he was the one I needed to meet.]
Heoju answered the question of Sima Ryunju instead of Lee Sungmin, as he rose up into his spirit form and sent the open telepathic message for both to hear.
Heoju was sealed in the Sleeping Forest and was waiting for someone to come to him. Not only that, but it was considered to be one of Lee Sungmin’s biggest encounters of his fate.
If fate was truly drawing the strings, like the Gods had talked about, then Lee Sungmin’s meeting with Envirus and Heoju could be considered something of the strongest encounters of fate.
[But my death… Dragons, sorcerers, wizards, priests and so forth. Hmmmm…]
Heoju, who was reflecting on Sima Ryunju’s question, pondered. Heoju barely had any memories of his death for some reason. But he did remember a few things. With the amount of forces that had come to kill him and subjugate him, it was not enough to bring him down in his prime.
[No.]
However, Heoju denied that he had died due to them.
[As far as I remember, with that level of a force, this old man would have never died to it. Also, many dragons? Only a few of them gathered with the humans, but nothing more than a few. Also, an overgrown lizard is still merely a lizard. Not to mention those pathetic humans. Even the Dragons’ magical attacks had little effect on this old man, and you think that those humans, despite being stronger than the ones now, were stronger than Dragons?]
‘Then why the hell did you die?’
[I don’t know…. I really don’t know. Why and how did I die? There is no way I would have died a force like that. I’m sure of it, and I’m not simply being overconfident or boastful. Maybe I was poisoned or something?]
Heoju grumbled in annoyance, as it was difficult for him to recall what had happened on that day and what had happened afterwards. He surely wouldn’t have died to a couple Dragons and humans in his prime. Hell, he had even ripped a live Dragon Heart that was intact, right out of the chest of a Dragon, by overwhelming it all by himself. But more than that, Heoju was also curious about something else.
Why was he sealed in the Sleeping Forest of all places, and why did he perfectly know that Lee Sungmin, the weak and pitiful human, was the person he had been waiting for?
What exactly was inside that Forest to be able to hold him there?
Tata- tat-
The question was unanswered for now with the information they had. Lee Sungmin stopped walking as he heard the sudden footsteps of a person approaching them.
“You must have been in quite a hurry.”
Sima Ryunju murmured. Sima Ryunju quickly cast up a shadow of black lightning and disappeared while leaving these words behind.
“I’ll give you some time for now. We’ll have a lot to talk about later.”
Thanks to Sima Ryunju’s consideration, Lee Sungmin was able to face the owner of the footsteps he had heard. Baek Sogo. There were many things that had happened since the last time they had met, and a lot to talk about.
Her hair, which was once a jet black, was close to an ashen gray or white, and her eyes were deep and fathomless, as if there were no ends to their depth.
This alone made Baek Sogo stand out to be quite different from the last time they had talked.
“….. Baek Sogo.”
Lee Sungmin spoke out to her in a quiet voice. Meeting her here, of all places, was quite unimaginable. He had wondered when he would ever have the chance to see her again. He had been hoping and wishing deeply that she was even alive. At his thoughts, Lee Sungmin had no idea what to even say.
‘Should I make an excuse?’
Lee Sungmin toyed with the idea that popped into his head. It was because the Baek Sogo he knew was a very morally upright and individualistic person with her ideals.
When Lee Sungmin had seen her in the dungeon, she was still part of the Murim Alliance. Her beliefs would have aligned with theirs, in which portrayed him as a bloodthirsty murderer.
After the dungeon incident, Lee Sungmin had no idea what had happened to her until somewhat recently; which was only a vague summary. She had gone back to the Mountain and Mush, as well as taken the Trial of Time given by Denir. Not only that, but she had become the apostle of both Mush and Denir.
Sima Ryunju had spoken to him about this, and had shocked Lee Sungmin greatly. Just what had exactly happened to her?
Even if she had gone through the Trial of Time, where Lee Sungmin had nearly broken himself multiple times from being alone, he was sure that Baek Sogo would not have changed her idealistic nature.
But… even if she had left the Murim Alliance, what would she think of him?
He had killed, or been framed rather, of killing both Zhuge Taeryong and Murong Seojin. Even among that, he had become the successor to the Sama Order, heir to the Demonic Emperor, which was the umbrella for all those who practiced on the unorthodox path.
How could she possibly accept him now? Lee Sungmin was distraught and wanted to come up with an excuse. In the end, he was still feeling weak, like his old self around her.
“…… Baek Sogo….”
Lee Sungmin repeated her name in a quiet murmur. Baek Sogo, who had been remaining silent the entire time, shook her head.
What did that mean? As Lee Sungmin was just about to ask what her action meant, Baek Sogo came up right in front of him in the blink of an eye. Her skin and hair smelled like mellow flowers, and he could feel her breath.
“Lee Sungmin…”
Baek Sogo opened her arms wide and hugged Lee Sungmin tightly. Lee Sungmin was embarrassed and became rigid like a tree trunk, not knowing what to do.
Baek Sogo closed her eyes and hugged Lee Sungmin’s body even tighter. Lee Sungmin glanced down at Baek Sogo’s head that was buried in his chest, and forgot what to say.
“…… Long time no see.”
Baek Sogo whispered and continued to speak.
“I’m glad you didn’t die. I really am so glad to see you again. I was just worried you might be hurt….. I’m glad you’re alright.”
“……You do-“
“I’m sorry.”
Baek Sogo said in a trembling voice., cutting off Lee Sungmin’s awkward words.