𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟖𝟔
“. . .she has been doing outrageous things.”
Well, for her, it might have been the fastest way to grow.
However, since it was not something that could be done with ordinary thinking and determination, I could realize how determined Seo Ji-an was to join this journey.
“Amazing. Sister. If you just refine your energy a little more, you will be as good as a great yokai.”
“. . .Who is this?”
“Well, it’s a long story. I’ll explain later.”
Even though we were honest about our evaluation of her skills, we knew that it was not an empty word.
「𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩, 𝙩𝙤𝙤. . . . . .𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧.」
Thanks to the many experiences we had and the good conditions, everyone in the group had already passed the 70-level threshold.
However, even Han Seo-ah, who received a large growth bonus due to her Long-term Chronic trait, had only reached level 73 a few days ago, so Seo Ji-an’s achievement was all the more surprising.
“Anyway, welcome. I’m glad you’re safe.”
In the end, we were able to fully join forces, giving us a huge power that was beyond our original expectations.
Even if we were facing Taotie, the great yokai that everyone recognized as powerful, we didn’t feel like we would lose at this point.
We celebrated Seo Ji-an’s return and strengthened the achievements we had gained with an even stronger bond.
And 2 weeks passed, leaving about two and a half months before we returned to the present world. We finally decided to take action.
“As you all know, we have to decide everything within the next two and a half months.”
We had to gather all sorts of clues and defeat famous yokai to find out information about Polar Night, and in the process, we had to defeat Taotie if possible.
Of course, it would not be easy, but there was no more room to back down.
The time had come to really settle the score.
“I will also join the Donors from now on. I would also like to summarize Polar Night’s movements that I know one last time.”
Polar Night first appeared 400 years ago, and at that time, it did not show the absolute power that it does now, but even then, its own power was so strong that clear records were left.
“When Polar Night first appeared, the one who defeated it was the ancestor of Jinyeon Mountain’s former owner and my master, Master Yuhak.”
After that, the creature that had not shown its face for 300 years finally started to cause chaos again, and that was the birth of Polar Night, the absolute king who ruled over all yokai.
“At that time, Polar Night had obtained the power of all kinds of yokai and was an existence that could not be opposed. In the end, my master, Yugong, used the divine object Scapula Chamber to seal the evil that filled the world and weaken Polar Night’s power.”
While capturing and imprisoning all the famous yokai he encountered, Yugong encountered Polar Night and a full-scale war broke out. In the end, Yugong is said to have succeeded in burning his own life to inflict a great wound on the creature.
“So Polar Night entered a long recovery period, and I was preparing to follow in my master’s footsteps and embark on the same journey again while training on Jinyeon Mountain.”
At that time, we came to find Ho-chung, and this is how we got to where we are now.
Ho-chung also called Yugong his master, but he said that he only considered himself as such because he had learned and achieved the teachings that Yugong had left behind, and that he had never actually met him.
“However, I truly consider him my master, so I will do everything in my power to help the Donors completely eradicate Polar Night.”
We had heard this part before, but this time Ho-chung added his own opinion.
“Watching your actions so far, I have also felt something from the sidelines.”
“What is it?”
“It is that you cannot know the complete truth unless you experience it yourself.”
In other words, Ho-chung was saying this just before throwing the last pitch.
“You cannot trust any record before you verify it yourself. So it might be better to refer to the past history, but also to constantly question it.”
It seemed that Ho-chung had sensed that there might be some undisclosed secret in the past history.
We nodded at Ho-chung’s words and finally left Jinyeon Mountain to make our final pitch for the battle.
“The first thing we need to do is. . . . . .meet my master.”
As Shin Pyo-eul said, we needed to meet Seocheon before we could take any real action.
Shin Pyo-eul had a somewhat complicated expression because she had learned about the many truths that Seo Cheon-ye had been hiding, but on the other hand, she did not seem to care much.
“In fact, there are secrets that are not good for anyone to know. The hardest part must have been for the master herself.”
We used Guimei’s art that Shin Pyo-eul had learned to summon clouds and use them as a means of transportation.
It was a very difficult technique to master, so I had given up on it a long time ago, but Shin Pyo-eul had unexpectedly prioritized learning various techniques rather than increasing her firepower, and she was eventually able to master it.
“Actually, your skills are already much better than mine. . . . . .I thought it would be more practical if I focused on something else.”
Even so, it must not have been an easy decision, and I tried to soothe my uselessly bitter heart by repaying Shin Pyo-eul’s devotion.
As we moved along, we were able to reach Hubak, the city across from Cheongra, much faster than we had expected, and I was impressed by the landscape of the quite developed city in the meantime.
“Did Oppa say he came here last time?”
“I think so.”
“I came too, even though I just passed by. No, maybe it’s natural?”
Well, Sophia had also passed through Cheongra on her way to Jinyeon Mountain just like me, so she might have crossed paths with me one way or another.
We entered the city right away, had a light meal, and headed to the Pyeong Clan’s house that we had visited last time.
Stop.
“Wait, state your identity and purpose!”
“I’m Han Kang-yoon, who received the previous family’s request. You will see if you look at this token.”
“. . .That’s right. Wait a moment and I’ll send a message.”
When I showed him the token I had received when I accepted the last request, one of Pyeong Won-myeong’s subordinates who had been standing behind him appeared and checked my face.
“Oh. . . . . .You’re the young Taoist from that time. Have you made any progress?”
“Yes. I have obtained various pieces of information, so I have come to talk to you. Where is Pyeong Won-myeong-nim?”
“He was in the main hall until a while ago, but since he has received a message, he must be preparing to greet you.”
I asked if I could bring my group with me in case there were any problems, but fortunately, there were no restrictions on entry.
So we headed to the prepared reception room and were able to face Pyeong Won-myeong, one of the family’s real powers.
“It’s been a long time. I am very happy to hear that you have made progress.”
Pyeong Won-myeong was really treating me with a warm expression, which meant that Pyeong-eun-ha’s condition was not serious.
Well, it was an issue involving five great yokai, so it would have been impossible for ordinary exorcists to even approach the truth.
“So how. . . . . .have you found a way?”
“To get to the point, we have found enough possibilities. However, there is one person I must speak to before that.”
Pyeong Won-myeong’s hands trembled with excitement at my words.
“T-That’s right. What do you need? I will help you as much as I can.”
“I need Seo Cheon-ye’s help. Is she still staying at the mansion?”
“Oh. . . . . .She is staying here, but she left the mansion this morning because of a sudden change this morning. Would you like to wait until she returns?”
It was a difficult situation, but I had actually guessed as much, so I turned my head and opened my mouth towards somewhere in the room.
“You lied to Wonmyeong-nim. In fact, aren’t you listening to our conversation from this very seat?”
“What! How can that be. . . . . . .”
Pyeong Won-myeong shook his head as if he didn’t know what I was talking about, but my guess was not wrong, and Seo Cheon-ye’s voice came from the window frame of the room.
“Tsk. I guess I can’t do this. . . . . . .”
Swish.
Thud.
The girl who had landed on the floor after spinning around in the air once, just like when we first met, quickly glanced at everyone in the room with her indifferent eyes.
Pyeong Won-myeong said to Seo Cheon-ye.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Look, Pyeong Won-myeong. I’ll tell you for sure, there are many more causes and effects intertwined here than you think. Honestly, I don’t want to get involved because of our friendship.”
“What the. . . . . . .”
Regardless, Seo Cheon-ye sighed deeply and addressed us with a pale face.
“You brought them all. . . . . .Seven humans I haven’t seen before, all your group? I know your identities now.”
“. . . . . . . .”
“I thought it was strange. . . . . .I almost thought the world was getting bigger as I got older because a monster I had never seen or heard of suddenly appeared.”
Listening to her words, I felt like she didn’t know my identity last time.
When I asked her about it, Seo Cheon-ye replied.
“Taotie came and told me everything without even asking. Let’s eat well and catch them all.”
It was literally one of the possibilities that we had been worried about, so we began to stare at Seo Cheon-ye with great tension.
However, again, it didn’t feel like she had any other intentions.
“Of course I refused. Why would I do something good for others?”
“. . .That’s a relief. Honestly, I didn’t want to fight Seo Cheon-ye-nim.”
Seeing our reaction, Seo Cheon-ye clicked her tongue once and finally sentenced Pyeong Won-myeong.
“Get out. I’m going to talk seriously from now on.”
“. . .Seo Cheon-ye, if it’s something related to our young lady, I have the right to listen too.”
“No. You don’t. This time, it’s not something you should be stubborn about.”
Swish.
Thud.
As Seo Cheon-ye’s words ended, Pyeong Won-myeong collapsed as if he had fallen asleep, and a barrier was spread over the entire room in an instant for the purpose of noise cancellation.
“So, you guys. Are you going to catch Taotie in the end?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s unconditional, but I think that’s probably what will happen. Isn’t this an opportunity for Seo Cheon-ye-nim as well?”
Honestly, I had a little question.
Seo Cheon-ye must have also created such an agreement in order to contain the great yokai, so wouldn’t our existence, which could eradicate the great yokai while ignoring that influence, be a godsend for her?
“Guimei you see here is also cooperating with us, so all that’s left is Taotie. It would be better if you could lend us your strength on this occasion.”
“Ah. . . . . .That was Guimei next to you? I don’t know why I can’t figure it out even after seeing it several times.”
When we did not back down and asked questions, Seo Cheon-ye hesitated and considered her answer.
“Why are you asking that? Is there a problem that we don’t know about?”
“Well, there is a bit of a problem. . . . . .The restriction I put on Taotie is very special. . . . . . .”
Seo Cheon-ye, who had been watching closely, began to speak in a voice that sounded like a guilty person.
“T-That is, so. If Taotie is threatened by another human being. . . . . .I have to protect it according to the restriction.”
At those words, the room was filled with silence for a moment.
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