Perhaps it was because of the robe he was wearing, but the guard at the gate bowed his head and asked him politely,
“Where are you going?”
Braden was a city that was heavily influenced by the Shaolin Temple. Lee Sung-min would be treated respectfully in Braden as long as he wore those robes, even if he wasn’t a real member of the Temple.
“I’m going to Drimoor.”
The guard nodded at Lee Sung-min ‘s answer. Lee Sung-min passed the gates on foot. Even if Braden and Drimoor are relatively close cities, it will take a month if you walked without riding a horse.
The reason he initially came down to Shaolin so suddenly was to run an errand for Grandmaster Bulyoung. He was to pass a note to the Volcanic Waves Sect in Drimoor. Originally, Jihak was supposed to do the job, but he had handed it over to Lee Sung-min as a way to repay for teaching him.
The Volcanic Wave Sect is one of the oldest traditional Daoist sects that is famous for swordsmanship. Although the style is famous and similar in power to Shamanic styles, most people consider the Volcanic Sword to be slightly inferior to the Shamanic Sword. The traditional Big Dipper style versus the more modern Great Mountain style. Great Mountain is Shaolin, and Big Dipper is Shamanic. There is no Volcanic Sect involved.
Although it is considered to be a bit inferior, the Volcanic Sword is different from the Shamanic Sword from its core. Volcanic swordsmanship is elegant and graceful, with circular swings and gorgeous movement. On the other hand, Shamanic swordsmanship favored weight and blunt force instead of splendor, and consistency over change.
Originally, a volcanic wave is called a volcanic wave because it originates from a volcano. However, this is Jungwon’s story. Since Eria lay at a moderate height above sea level, there were no volcanoes there. Despite this, Shaolin named a mountain a volcano and established the main school there.
It was a good time to finish off his stay in the temple. The ambassador’s errand was only an excuse. Although his time in Shaolin was valuable, Lee Sung-min had a reason to go to Drimoor. It was because he had to meet Denir, the god of time, as Mush had asked him to.
“Nevel.”
The sun was going down as he walked away from the gates. After preparing to stay in the wild for a while, Lee Sung-min called Nevel. In the entirety of his three-year stay in the Shaolin Temple, he had never gotten in touch with Nevel.
“Long time no see.”
Nevel, who soared out from the shadows, seemed to have remained unchanged even though so much time had passed. He bowed toward Lee Sung-min. Lee Sung-min glanced at the unchanged Nevel, and opened his mouth.
“Please connect me to Selgerus.”
“Okay.”
Nevel didn’t ask what happened over the past three years. He went into the shadow of Lee Sung-min and hid inside. After a while, the space in front of Lee Sung-min was torn into shreds.
“I thought you were dead.”
Just like Nevel, Selgerus did not change much either. As a dark elf, she aged much more slowly than humans did. Lee Sung-min smiled bitterly.
“Did you want me to die?”
“Of course not, Lots of things have changed. Then again, humans grow a lot older in three years. ”
Selgerus said as she took off the thick gloves she was wearing. She asked, rubbing her sweaty hands on her apron.
“Are you calling me to report your survival?”
“Ah… That’s not it.”
Lee Sung-min said, opening a subspace pocket. The spears and armor that were pulled out from inside looked old as if they had been tossed about by the wind and waves for three years. Selgerus’ eyebrows stiffened into a frown.
“There was a bit of a situation, and I’m now unable to use them due to their age. Can they be repaired?”
For three years, Lee Sung-min had not used this spear and armor. The reason he placed it at the entrance of the cave was to use it as a symbol, a reminder of his arrogant and negligent self. He had run away from reality, and so placed the spear and the armor that he had been using as a symbol of his atonement in a place where he practiced every day. He wanted to escape from his weakness.
“It is possible. It’s my first time seeing this kind of armor. May I take a look? ”
“Oh, yes. Of course.”
Nevel delivered the armor and spear to Selgerus. Selgerus was more interested in the armor than the spear.
“This… It’s an artifact. The enchantment that was the focal point has disappeared, though the auxiliary enchantments are still functioning properly.
The armor is automatically worn when you activate it. In addition, some damage is automatically repaired over time.
I don’t have to touch it since it was managed properly. There should be no major problems. The spear is the same. ”
Lee Sung-min sighed with relief. He had been worried that he couldn’t use his expensive equipment anymore due to his neglect over the three years, but it didn’t seem like that was the case.
“Do you have any additional requests you’d like to add?”
“There is nothing else at the moment. Please repair it for now. ”
“Okay. It will take about three days. ”
“Ah… If it’s okay, could you take care of them for the time being? ”
“Why?”
“I don’t think it’s suitable for me yet.”
In response to Lee Sung-min, Selgerus opened his eyes wide into a circle. She nodded her head while looking at Lee Sung-min and smacked her lips.
“What? It’s not difficult to take care of it, but I’m telling you just in case. Is it alright for me to take a look at it occasionally when I’m free? ”
“Huh?”
“It doesn’t fit in your hands well anymore, is it? You said it didn’t suit you? Surely you didn’t mean to say it like that?”
“Of course not. It’s… a really good spear. Too good for me to use as I am now. So I’d rather not use it right now. ”
“That’s the best praise for a blacksmith. I will improve it as a warm-up every time I get bored.”
“If it gets better, then it’ll just be harder to use, though… ”
“Then you’ll just have to work harder.”
Selgerus said with a smile. After talking to Selgerus, Lee Sung-min told Nevel.
“I want to buy the information.”
“What information do you want?”
“I’d like information on the Ghost Blade, Dok Bejun and the Silent Flare, Baek Sogo.”
“It’s not that difficult. The three are martial artists who have become famous in recent years. What would you like to know? ”
“Please tell me about their current location.”
“Okay, I will tell you tomorrow.”
“Oh, and… I would also like information about the Minor Heavenly Demon, Wijihoyeon. ”
“Okay.”
Nevel replied with his head bowed. That was the end of our talk.
A little over one day later.
[Can I give you the information now?]
Nevel’s voice sounded in the mind of Lee Sung-min, who was walking on the road leading to Drimoor. He stopped walking and nodded.
“It is information gathered from information guilds linked to Erebrisa. You can be confident it is accurate. ”
Nevel was holding a small crystal ball. As Lee Sung-min looked at it, Nevel smiled and said.
“There is information inside.”
Although the information fee was a little expensive, he didn’t have any difficulty in paying as he didn’t spend any money while living in Shaolin. When he had paid, Nevel handed the crystal ball over.
“How do I use it?”
“Try infusing qi into it.”
Following Nevel’s instructions, Lee Sung-min infused some qi into the crystal ball. Then the crystal ball turned gray, and the information he wanted was conveyed in his head.
The first thing he learned was information about Baek Sogo. Baek Sogo was making a name for herself as a knight errant, providing countless good deeds to helpless people. She was currently staying for a week in the large city of Louves. This was because she had no clear purpose and was travelling aimlessly.
Baek Sogo as a knight errant? If anyone was making a name for themselves, it was Ghost Blade Dok Bejun who was known to be a fighter. He was engaged in non-stop action as he visited famous martial artists and clans to spar. Lee Sung-min looked a little surprised after hearing about what Dok Bejun was doing.
‘He’s heading to the volcano?’
It was information that was based on an educated guess made by the information guild. Currently, Dok Bejun is headed to Drimoor, and among the Murim in Drimoor, only the Volcanic Sect were of interest to Dok Bejun.
Lee Sung-min thought he might end up meeting Dok Bejun at the Volcano if the guess was correct. It wasn’t that he had a big connection with Dok Bejun on Mush’s mountain, but it would be nice to meet him again, who had also experienced the mountain.
‘Actually, if you think about it, Dok Bejun never had a chance to see my face.’
When I met Dok Bejun at the mountain, he had lost his sight in both eyes.
Following Dok Bejun’s whereabouts, information about Wijihoyeon was narrated inside his head. After checking the information, Lee Sung-min swallowed a gulp.
‘It is different from my previous life.’
It wasn’t that Wijihoyeon, the Minor Heavenly Demon, wasn’t well known in his previous life. However, it was only after the dungeon incident that Wijihoyeon had made her name known. In addition to Baek Sogo and Dok Bejun, the dungeons at the time had many high-ranking masters and excellent wizards.
After wiping out all of them and conquering the dungeon alone, Wijihoyeon reigned supreme as an untouchable monster.
But that wasn’t what had occurred in this timeline. Unlike the previous life that Lee Sung-min remembered, Wijihoyeon had made her name known from an early point in time. He had heard about Namgoong Hee-won a year ago, but since then, Wijihoyeon had also become a force to be reckoned with.
In the information received through the crystal ball, the recent appearance of Wijihoyeon was also inscribed. It was as clear as seeing it with both eyes. Lee Sung-min trembled as he recalled the appearance of Wijihoyeon engraved in his memory.
She had long hair and didn’t even bother to dress up. A fur coat was worn as an outer layer, and underneath it were tight clothes that did not hide the curvature of the body. Her slender shoulders were wrapped in silk, making her look much older than she really was.
Compared to Baek Sogo and Dok Bejun, there was a lot of information about Wijihoyeon. As such, the name of Wijihoyeon was creating a big storm in the current area. The followers of Wijihoyeon called themselves the Heavenly Demon sect and refused to leave her side. There weren’t too many, with about 20 people, but everyone seemed to at least be a Master at Peak level. Thanks to this, even though there were not many of them, there was still a strong force backing Wijihoyeon.
In particular, it was the prestigious households centered around the Conservative Faction and 4 Generations that were holding Wijihoyeon in check. They, being part of the orthodox sects, did not look too kindly upon Wijihoyeon, who was the Son of a Heavenly Demon; driving them to unite to suppress her. Wijihoyeon had most recently been witnessed near the northern city of Gerar, with many information guilds tracking her movements.
She was heading to clash with the Bloody Heavenly Demon, Baek Museun.
Bloody Heavenly Demon Baek Museun was a monstrous fighter that was wreaking havoc in the northernmost part of Eria where the ice caps accumulate. He had more power than the nobility in that area. The Minor Heavenly Demon Wijihoyeon was headed to Trigia, a northern city that can be said to be home to the White Museon and the Blood Clan Alliance. The information guilds had predicted that the two Heavenly Demons would clash due to their natural inclinations.
‘This is also different from what had happened in my previous life. Wijihoyeon and the Bloody Heavenly Demon never clashed. Wiji Hoyeon was in central Eria, and after the Bloody Heavenly Demon completely occupied the north, she moved south … ‘
Why are events occurring so differently from what had happened previously? It is not only the movements that are different from the previous life, but her outfit also changed significantly. That she gave up the male act at all… Does that mean that Wijihoyeon’s values are different from her previous life?
Lee Sung-min was worried, but that didn’t mean he could head north right now. He needed to run an errand for the Grand Master, and also meet the god of time, Denir. What could he do if he went north now?
He had to do what he could. That was especially clear to him while he stayed in the Shaolin Temple. What he should do now is head to Drimoor. Lee Sung-min looked down at the crystal ball that turned gray, then looked at Nevel.
“Are you satisfied with the information that was passed on?”
“Yes.”
“The crystal ball is single use only. It’s not of great value, so it would be better to throw it away.”
Nevel bowed his head.
“I look forward to seeing you next time.”
Nevel disappeared, and Lee Sung-min strengthened his grip on the crystal ball held in his hand. The crystal ball, which was already cracked, shattered and fell to the floor. Lee Sung-min took a deep breath, bringing to mind the appearance of Wijihoyeon once again.
Since we separated at age 14… It has been eight years. He was 22 years old now.
The appearance of Wijihoyeon eight years later had changed so much that it was hard to imagine what she looked like as a child.
She was beautiful.
She had beautifully changed.
‘But her breasts weren’t that big.’
Lee Sung Min laughed and felt refreshed when he recalled Wijihoyeon’s last words to him.
This translation belongs to Centinni.
***
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