Lee Sungmin approached the corpse on the floor. It had been quite a long time since the last time he had seen a dead body. The corpse was wearing the robes of the Volcanic Sect, but its condition surprised Lee Sungmin.
“This… what… ?”
Lee Sungmin muttered those words, feeling flustered. The cause of death[1] was from a deep sword wound on the chest, but that wasn’t the only issue.
The body was dry and twisted like a mummy. The moment he leaned down to take a closer look, Kim Jonghyun stepped forward to stop him.
“Don’t touch it.”
“Yes.”
He didn’t intend to touch it. There was no knowing what would happen after touching a strange corpse like this. When Lee Sungmin stepped back a few steps, Kim Jonghyun stepped forward and looked at the body.
“Indeed.”
Kim Jonghyun, who looked at the body in contemplation, said while stroking his chin.
“I heard Ghost Blade was practicing the dark arts… Hu-hu! I thought they were all simply put under a hallucination spell, but it wasn’t that simple. Indeed. That’s why I’m going to say this was Ghost Blade’s doing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know about energy drain?”
“Yes.”
“Energy drain abilities come in very diverse forms. Vampires also use a form of energy drain, and what was that thing with the qi called… The absorption method for that is also an energy drain. There are many different types of methods. But the common point is this. Energy drain takes energy from the opponent and uses it as their own.”
Kim Jonghyun said, holding up an arm of the malformed body.
“I’m not sure what kind of energy drain Ghost Blade uses. However… I know one thing for sure. He will still be strong, even at this moment.”
While saying so, Kim Jonghyun stood up.
“I need to change the way I’ve been pursuing him. Until now, I was just divining his location and letting the Volcanic Sect Warriors chase him based on that. But if he’s draining them of energy, this kind of method only works out in favour of Ghost Blade. I have to drive him into a corner and kill him for sure.”
(t/n: he’s directing them and the volcanic sect follows?)
The conversation he had with Dok Bejun yesterday passed through Lee Sungmin’s mind.
‘Have you ever faced a wall?’ Dok Bejun faced the wall and despaired. Could he take it lying down? No. Dok Bejun used a means other than the sword to cross the wall.
He could not blame Dok Bejun. He did not have the right to do so. Lee Sungmin and Kim Jonghyun started moving again. The corpses … their numbers kept increasing. It wasn’t just the bodies of volcanic factions warriors.
“He has crossed the line. He has crossed too many lines. This will no longer end with the Volcanic Sect simply killing Dok Bejun.”
The corpse of a mage wearing a robe. The corpse of a mercenary in armor. The bodies of guild members in black clothes clinging to their bodies.
“I can’t understand the basis on which he’s running. Is he confident that he can take them on all that once? Or is it that he’s letting out a final struggle now that he’s been driven into a corner? Eventually, only the ruin awaits him on this path.”
Lee Sungmin was forced to sympathize with Kim Jonghyun’s murmur. Dok Bejun … He was heading toward ruin. Even if he succeeded in killing only Master Sungha and escaped, he would still be the Volcanic Sect’s target and be pursued forever. The situation had already escalated from being a mere fight between Ghost Blade and Master Sungha alone. Significant damage had occurred to the magician’s guild as well as the mercenary and information guild.
“Even if he’s lucky enough to escape from here. Ghost Blade will not be able to live in Eria.”
Kim Jonghyun waved his hand as he said that. A crow that was wandering in the sky came down and approached his ear. Kim Jonghyun whispered with a small voice in the crow’s ear. As soon as he stopped speaking, the crow flapped its wings and soared upward.
“It’s nearby.”
How far had they traveled? Kim Jonghyun stopped moving. The sun was fading, and fist-sized black spheres were orbiting around Kim Jonghyun’s back in the sunset.
“Since we traveled much faster, it will take a little longer for the volcanic faction’s warriors to arrive. As a matter of fact, I played a small trick in the information delivered to them. So that they come a little late.”
“Why?”
“Did you not want to meet with Ghost Blade?”
Kim Jonghyun said so and smiled.
“I’m going to let you both meet. I’m curious. Just what the hell do you want to do when you meet Ghost Blade. I”m also curious what will happen to the flow of time when you both meet. I’m really curious about that. I can’t merely remain an observer.”
Lee Sungmin could not understand all of Kim Jonghyun’s words. However, he could sense that Kim Jonghyun was deeply interested in this.
Ghost Blade Dok Bejun was standing tall. Lee Sungmin thought he would be running away in a hurry and didn’t expect him to be standing tall like that. He felt quite surprised. Lee Sungmin stepped forward quietly.
“You’ve never learnt stealth, have you?”
Ghost Blade, standing with his back straight, muttered those words. Surprised, Lee Sungmin stopped walking.
“No need to be surprised. Although, I never thought you would come here.”
“… Did you wait for me, knowing I was coming?”
“That’s right. I remember your spirit. If it was someone else by chance… I wouldn’t have been waiting like this.”
Ghost Blade muttered like that, turning his body. He stood in front of him with an extremely calm expression.
“Are you also here to kill me?”
Ghost Blade asked.
Lee Sungmin hesitated to answer. Should he hold the spear behind his back? Looking at Lee Sungmin, who stood there with fidgeting hands, Ghost Blade no longer asked. Right. He was Ghost Blade. The person in front of Lee Sungmin now was not a martial artist called Dok Bejun, but the heretical practitioner Ghost Blade.
“… I have something to ask.”
“This is not a very good place to share a story, and I don’t feel like it either…”
Ghost Blade muttered that and turned away. The sun was setting.
“I guess … it doesn’t matter. It will be night soon.”
“If. What if. I… If I hadn’t met you. If I hadn’t met you at the volcano’s entrance.”
“What do you want to say?”
Ghost Blade tilted his head at Lee Sungmin, who couldn’t organize his words. What do you want to say? I don’t know. Lee Sungmin chewed his lower lip. Nevertheless, he had to ask.
“If I did not meet you at the volcano’s entrance, and told you … If I hadn’t told you why Master Sungha refused to duel. You… What would you have done?”
“You’ve asked something strange.”
Ghost Blade murmured in a small voice. He couldn’t easily answer this ‘strange question’. Ghost Blade opened his mouth after a while.
“If that had been so, I would have given up on Master Sungha.”
After hearing the answer, Lee Sungmin hesitated not knowing what expression to look at him with.
“I would have thought that I still had insufficient qualifications to fight Jang Mun-in of the Orthodox Sects and stepped back. However… When I heard you say the reason why Master Sungha refuses to duel with me – that my qualifications were not important, and the fact that I used unorthodox methods was more important.”
As Ghost Blade muttered, he lifted his head and looked up at the sky. The night was approaching.
“For that reason alone, no matter how long I waited, I knew I wouldn’t ever have the chance to fight Master Sungha. So I crossed the volcano’s entrance at night. And even though I knew it was offensive, I fought against him. Because he rebuked me instead of fighting … I ended up committing a greater offence.”
“Why did you kill him?”
“The sword has no eyes. Master Sungha was strong. He was an opponent who couldn’t be beaten without having the intent to kill. But… But of course.”
Ghost Blade looked towards the sky. Looking at his expression, Lee Sungmin felt his hair stand up.
Ghost Blade was smiling. As if he couldn’t be feeling any more joy, as if he couldn’t be more satisfied than that. He was smiling that way.
“I enjoyed the fight against Master Sungha.”
Ghost Blade shook his head.
“I knew the world was wide. Among the opponents I’ve fought before, Master Sungha was the strongest. It was a sudden fight, but it was worth it. Probably Master Sungha also died with satisfaction.”
It was distorted. Ghost Blade’s words were twisted with madness such that no trace of reason could be found. As he listened to those words, Lee Sun-min felt like he had swallowed poison.
Because of me. Because of my words, Master Sungha, who should not have died, was dead.
“But. Why are you asking that?”
Lee Sungmin did not answer. He thought about whether or not to pull out his spear and stretched his hand toward his back. He held the spear firmly.
“He has died because of me.”
“You are speaking nonsense. It’s me who killed Master Sungha. My sword killed Master Sungha.”
“If I hadn’t met you, Master Sungha would not have died.”
“Haha! That’s funny. Why would you feel responsible for this? It was a coincidence that you and I met at the entrance of the volcano.”
“Not for me.”
He brought the spear forward. Ghost Blade’s eyes narrowed when he saw it.
“You… You really overestimate yourself. I must admit that you have far surpassed your age. But you can’t beat me. Though I was desperate, I still crossed the wall. Do you think that you, who hasn’t even reached the peak of transcendence, can knock me down?”
“I know I can’t win against you.”
Lee Sungmin did not trust himself. Rather, he knew himself better than anyone else. He was not at all confident in his abilities, and also had a lot of self-hatred.
At the same time, he was afraid of death. He knew what death felt like, so he was even more afraid of it. Nevertheless, Lee Sungmin did not retreat. The reason was simple.
Responsibility.
Lee Sungmin couldn’t wrap his head around this strange feeling. He had lived before, so this case must have existed before as well. Since Lee Sungmin lived a different life from his previous life, there must be a person who was caught up in these changes and deviated from the original flow. Since Lee Sungmin acquired the Martial Skeleton Physique in Genavis, the no-class, who should originally have it, did not get it. Lee Sungmin also took the Genuine Heavens Cultivation Manual from the bookstore.
There was no end to it. During the eight years that Lee Sungmin lived, many people would have lived different lives because of him.
He knew there was no end to thinking that way. He also knew it was contradictory to turn a blind eye to those things. It’s no big deal. That’s what Kim Jonghyun said. After all, it is self-satisfaction. Lee Sungmin also knew. Your actions, your thoughts. In the end, he only sought a sense of self-satisfaction that was full of contradictions. It was nothing more than an impulsive act that couldn’t be explained logically.
He admitted it was rather difficult to face this sense of responsibility that he was feeling right now. He wanted to meet Ghost Blade and talk to him. But there was no need to do it anymore. He knew that it was because of his own existence that Ghost Blade deviated from his original path. Because of this, Master Sungha died.
So he had to take responsibility.
[Are you going to fight Ghost Blade? I’m telling you in advance. I can’t help you. I’m not very good at combat.]
[I am going to delay him to buy time.]
He lowered his stance. Ghost Blade raised his arm and held the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist as he watched Lee Sungmin stand in front of him, holding his spear.
[I will hold him off until the Volcanic Sect’s warriors arrive.]
[What… In that case. Stay strong.]
Kim Jonghyun did not stop Lee Sungmin. Rather, he seemed to be quite pleased by his actions. Ghost Blade pulled out his sword.
“I don’t avoid any fights.”
Ghost Blade murmured.
Lee Sungmin ran forward.
This translation belongs to Centinni.
***
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