𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐𝟏
「𝙄𝙛 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡, 𝙞𝙩’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣.」
Since it’s a technique developed by Cheong-woon, the ancestor of the Cheong Family, it boasted a significant level of difficulty, even among advanced spells.
On the other hand, the fact that I still don’t even have a handful of advanced spells that I can use, to be honest, I’m not confident.
「. . .𝙉𝙤, 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙬?」
Thinking about it now, the Nine Dragons Pill I took is still circulating in my body.
If I use this state well, I might be able to somehow cast spells that were originally difficult to use.
I was briefly estimating and decided that it was possible, so I turned my gaze to Hwang Ji-hak, who was standing next to me.
「. . . . . . .」
We may have found the key to unlocking this secret, but is it alright to put it into action in this place?
This is the Hwang area, and it’s the secret place that has been passed down to them.
「𝙄𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨. . . . . . .」
However, if they were to find out that we discovered something in the Solitary Shade hall, it might end up as an offering to a dog for nothing.
I organized the possibilities in my head and opened my mouth to Hwang Ji-hak.
“Do you think it’s okay to reveal the secret of this place?”
“. . . . . . .”
Hwang Ji-hak, who was slightly agitated by those words, soon realized the meaning behind them and nodded his head gently.
“If there’s a problem, I’ll take care of it.”
Hwang Ji-hak has his own support base and a solid foundation in his family.
If I receive his help, the aftermath will definitely not be difficult to deal with.
Having received silent consent, I used the power of the Baryok Beads and the power of the Spirit Absorption trait to explosively increase my spiritual power without hesitation.
Whoosh,
“Dark Decay Disperse, Clear Spell Vast, Essence Remains Pure.”
As I chanted the mantra, several spell engravings were carved in the air, forming the shape of a spell.
Compared to modern spells, it’s a shape that’s a bit more irregular and closer to its original form.
The fierce energy flowing from there disturbed my spiritual power.
“. . .Whew.”
I thought it wouldn’t be easy, but it’s beyond imagination. It was quite difficult to control the spell because I was using the energy of the Nine Dragons Pill that hadn’t become mine yet.
However, I somehow managed to give it a form.
Anyway, since my goal now wasn’t elaborate use but a simple activation, I poured my energy into it without hesitation and completed the spell.
Whoosh!
Waaah!
“Bright Moon.”
Clang-!
As I formed the last hand sign, a clear, blue light filled my vision.
It was pure yang energy created by converting life energy, and it was emitting a glow.
And, it seemed that my expectations were correct, and before long, there was a reaction.
Clatter.
Click.
Inside the coffin of the Solitary Shade where the light had faded, a space opened up that was just big enough for an arm to fit in.
It’s the exact location that Sahwanjae pointed to earlier.
And in that place, there was perfect darkness that couldn’t be observed by human eyes.
The true form of the Solitary Shade hall was revealed.
“. . .There really was something. This is amazing. How on earth did you figure out the secret?”
“I’ve been good at these kinds of things since a long time ago.”
“That’s not something that can be explained with those words. Didn’t even the elders of the family conclude that the folktale was false?”
Of course, they would. If it was made this way, who on earth would be able to find it?
The founder of the Hwang family is a figure whose name and appearance were only revealed in the series, so his personality is unknown, but it’s clear that he was someone who didn’t think much about the future.
「𝙉𝙤, 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩.」
However, that person definitely wouldn’t have been someone from this era.
If Cheong Juhwa, who has the EX trait, were to grow, it seemed possible for her to do it on her own, but she doesn’t belong to the Hwang family in the first place, so it’s right to exclude her from consideration.
“. . .You really are special. You have something different from others.”
“That’s too much praise. It’s just that the situation worked out well.”
Anyway, now that we’ve found the hidden space, it’s time to check it out.
We sat down in front of the pitch-black hole and stared at each other with nervous expressions after thinking for a moment.
“It seems like we have to put our arms in there.”
“It looks that way to me too.”
It’s a truly malicious method that instills fear in those who experience it.
Hwang Ji-hak took a step back and said to me.
“It wouldn’t be right for me to just watch.”
That’s definitely true. If it wasn’t the person who solved the secret in the first place, it might have been designed not to react.
I ignored the slight feeling of anxiety and put my arm into the hole and into the darkness.
Slide.
Clunk.
Creak.
Contrary to my worries, there wasn’t any special device.
What I found inside it was a talisman full of traces of spells and an orange stone of unknown origin.
「𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.」
Ring!
【Memory Talisman】
▶A special talisman created to extract knowledge. Inside it is recorded the knowledge selected by the exorcist Hwang Hwi.
「𝙄𝙛 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙃𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙬𝙞, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚. . . . . . .」
It was the name that referred to the founder of the Hwang family. After thinking for a moment, I handed it over to Hwang Ji-hak.
“. . .Are you giving it to me?”
“It seems to contain knowledge related to the Hwang family, so.”
I already know most of the Hwang family’s unique spells anyway. Since it’s not something that means much to me, it’ll be much more helpful if I give it to Hwang Ji-hak.
And the moment I turned my gaze to the other item, I was faced with an unbelievable sight.
【Soul Stone】
▶A stone containing the soul of the exorcist Hwang Hwi. When the inherent spell is activated, Hwang Hwi’s soul can be summoned and rooted in the target’s body.
Can only be used on bodies whose souls have recently departed.
To be honest, that was something I hadn’t expected at all.
No, just what on earth did the founder of a prestigious family do?
「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙨.」
Seeing that his soul is completely contained like this, it’s hard to think that someone else forced him.
In other words, Hwang Hwi, the founder of the Hwang family, put his own soul into this stone for some reason and hid it in the Solitary Shade hall.
“What is that jewel?”
“. . .It’s like a spiritual tool that amplifies spiritual power. Can I take this?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I obtained it in the first place.”
Since it wasn’t something I could carelessly entrust to someone else, I asked Hwang Ji-hak for his understanding and immediately put the Soul Stone in my arms.
Like that, we achieved our goal and got out of the Solitary Shade hall.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
“. . . . . . .”
Hwang Ji-hak, a second-year student at Cheonghwa Academy and the rising star of the Hwang family, was deep in thought as he recalled the events that had happened just a few hours ago.
「𝘼𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙃𝙖𝙣 𝙆𝙖𝙣𝙜-𝙮𝙤𝙤𝙣. . . . . . .」
Thinking about it, he had been like that since before. He had something that couldn’t be found in other people.
That’s why Hwang Ji-hak wasn’t too worried when Han Kang-yoon was in a slump, and he didn’t doubt that he would overcome it.
In the end, that belief became a reality.
「𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚.」
Now that he thought about it, Hwang Ji-hak, unlike the others in the family, believed that there was a secret in the Solitary Shade hall.
It was thanks to his half-brother, Hwang Jae-hyuk, who was five years older and whose whereabouts were currently unknown.
Hwang Ji-hak, who had come out of the room and sat on the eaves, quietly recalled his memories with him.
『Hyung-nim, why do you always go there? I heard that it was long ago determined to be a false rumor with no form.』
『If you put it like that, their words are the same. Ji-hak. Like I’ve said many times, exorcists should always judge the situation themselves.』
『. . . . . . .』
『The elders don’t seem to have noticed, but I definitely felt it. The quiet ripple I felt from inside it. It was definitely calling me.』
Hwang Jae-hyuk, who had been enthusiastically investigating the Solitary Shade hall for a while, said that he couldn’t solve the secret with his current level and that he would challenge it again after growing someday.
However, four years after that, Hwang Jae-hyuk went missing during a mission.
And he still hasn’t returned.
「. . . . . . .」
Everyone in the family, including his father Hwang Jeong-wook, said that he must have died, but this time, Hwang Ji-hak believed in his own judgment.
Hwang Jae-hyuk is definitely alive, and the day will come when he will see his face again.
With those thoughts, Hwang Ji-hak took out the special talisman that Han Kang-yoon had given him and infused it with spiritual power.
Whoosh.
「𝙄𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧.」
The person who made this must also be someone related to the Hwang family, so maybe it’s only natural.
Hwang Ji-hak released enough spiritual power and attached the talisman to his forehead.
Then, he felt something explosively flowing into his head.
「𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨. . . . . . .」
Just like Han Kang-yoon said, knowledge related to the ancient Hwang family.
Among them were spells that even Hwang Ji-hak, the next elder, was seeing for the first time, as well as information about the family’s history that he didn’t know before.
And at the end of it was part of the memory of the person who left this talisman.
『Did you open the Solitary Shade hall? First of all, congratulations.』
The person looked younger than expected, and for some reason, even his way of speaking felt playful.
『That means it’s one of two things. Either you’re a genius who surpassed Hwang Hwi’s expectations, or you’re the true descendant of the Cheong family that he told me about.』
「𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮. 𝙄 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮.」
Hwang Ji-hak continued to read the memory while feeling agitated.
『Either way, I’ve fulfilled my duty with this. I don’t know what will happen after this. I’ll leave the timing of using the Soul Stone entirely up to your judgment.』
Rustle.
That was the end of the memory. And Hwang Ji-hak was able to realize several facts after looking back on all the memories the man had left behind.
“. . .I see, so the Hwang and Baek families were originally one.”
It was a truth that he had never heard anywhere. He had never heard anything like that from the elders of the family.
And on the other hand, he was bothered by Han Kang-yoon’s behavior from earlier when he had hurriedly taken the jewel for some reason.
「𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚?」
Since there was no information about it in the Memory Talisman either, Hwang Ji-hak didn’t know what the Soul Stone was used for.
However, that’s why knowing its true nature.
「𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚. . . . . . .」
The true descendant of the Cheong family that Hwang Hwi mentioned might be referring to Han Kang-yoon.
Hwang Ji-hak, who realized an unexpected secret, closed his eyes for a long time and fell into deep thought.
In fact, he thought about the appearance of his close friend, who might be the true descendant of the powers that are now called the Three Great Houses.