novelraw Chapter 253 : Floating Territory (7)
Chapter 253 : Floating Territory (7)
Floating Territory Joseon.
In truth, this was the entrance U-jin had been waiting for.
Before his regression, if the Floating Territory had not supported the Northern Subjugation Allied Forces, they would likely have been in a state of total annihilation by the time they finished the Downhill Wilderness.
The reason the Northern Subjugation Forces were able to somehow overcome the Downhill Wilderness and even challenge the conquest of the Orc Mountains in the first life was precisely due to the support of ‘Floating Territory Joseon.’
Of course, the situation now was much better than it had been back then.
“…As I thought, it was you. The one who stopped that fellow’s prank.”
At that time, they were virtually on the verge of death due to the Black Blood Disease alone, not to mention other factors like supply lines being cut off by the Veil of the Black Sea or the inability to use magic.
The soldiers, as well as the Heroes who had been holding out with their uniquely high endurance, had fallen ill one by one until the Subjugation Allied Forces were decimated.
Compared to that, while the situation was the same in terms of supply lines being cut and divine magic being shielded due to the Veil of the Black Sea, the current situation was much better since the Black Blood Disease did not exist at all.
“I thought you were unusual from the moment I saw you in Kunlun.”
“…….”
“As expected, you are no ordinary man.”
A bittersweet smile played across U-jin’s lips.
Kim Sat-gat’s comment about him being ‘not ordinary’ naturally brought back memories of his self from the first life.
Heh—
‘…I used to be more ordinary than anyone else.’
U-jin thought so.
He believed that the fact he could come this far was all thanks to Kim Sat-gat.
It wasn't just a matter of ‘their first meeting having great significance.’ In fact, he believed that Kim Sat-gat’s traces remained in every footstep he had taken.
From teaching martial arts to a nobody like himself, to being able to join the suicide squad, and the countless things he experienced in the suicide squad afterward.
Even the ‘regression’ that allowed him to be alive here today would have been impossible without Kim Sat-gat.
Though U-jin had traveled all over the continent and learned countless things from many different people.
The only person U-jin considered a ‘Master’ in the truest sense of the word in his heart was Kim Sat-gat.
“Then, let us go.”
Nod—
It was a given since they had already left the tent, but Kim Sat-gat’s opinion to borrow U-jin had been passed unanimously without any particular disagreement.
At first, Kanna Cartier tilted her head slightly at Kim Sat-gat’s words about taking U-jin instead of herself, but for some reason, she soon nodded her head and expressed her consent.
“I do not know if you will understand even if I tell you, but the mana utilization technique used in Joseon is called ‘Dojul’ (Taoist Arts).”
“…….”
“Utilizing mana is the same, but the parts that manifest visually are a bit different. However, there is no great difference in the essential parts, so do not be surprised.”
Heave-ho—
After coming out of the tent, Kim Sat-gat set up a staff between himself and U-jin.
He held it out to U-jin as if telling him to grab hold.
Following the request, U-jin wrapped his hand around the staff.
“Hold on tight. It will be a headache if you happen to let go.”
With a low warning, Kim Sat-gat tapped the staff—thump, thump.
The characters densely engraved on the staff, which had struck the ground twice, began to glow.
And with that.
Flash—!
The figures of the two men vanished into the sky along with the staff.
***
Clang—!
Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch.
The first of the five senses to stimulate U-jin was a refreshing sound of impact.
The distinct sound of a heavy piece of iron colliding with another.
Next was the metallic taste of blood reaching the tip of his tongue through the air.
The smell of acrid smoke floating faintly in the air.
Followed by the sweltering heat felt with a ‘whoosh.’
Even without opening his eyes to look, U-jin could immediately picture in his head where this place was that they had arrived at through Kim Sat-gat’s staff.
‘…A blacksmith shop.’
—Hey, water here!
—Try hitting it harder. Do you think you can forge like that? You might as well just do casting by flipping molds…
—The blueprint for this is wrong, you idiot!
The loud voices piercing through the typical noise of a blacksmith shop and the continuous heat proved that U-jin’s thoughts were not wrong.
‘…….’
It was a place that was a bit difficult to understand immediately.
Of course, using the unique warp technology of the Floating Territory, it wouldn't be strange regardless of where the destination was.
But he couldn't understand why, of all the various spaces in the Floating Territory, this place was chosen as the first destination.
However, rather than giving an explanation as to why they had come here.
Kim Sat-gat abruptly brought up another topic.
“He has a talent for smithing.”
“……?”
There was no subject in the words Kim Sat-gat spat out without context.
U-jin, who had tilted his head at first, soon understood those words.
Clang—!
The sound of a giant hammer, which had been heard uniformly and most loudly from a distance since a moment ago.
And when he thought about the reason Kim Sat-gat had come straight here without stopping by the Inner Palace first, an image came to mind.
Slowly—
When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw the blacksmith shop.
As he turned his head toward where the massive sound was coming from, a being with a somewhat familiar appearance was hammering a piece of iron the size of a human forearm.
A massive height that would easily reach 5 meters.
Giant horns sprouting from both sides of his head.
And sharp protrusions growing all over his right arm in a shape similar to the horns.
Even the ‘Pitch-black Greatsword,’ the symbol of a Dark Knight, casually tucked at his waist.
A being of terrifying appearance that would make anyone think of the words ‘Leader of the Oni’ wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked back at U-jin.
“…It’s been a while, brat.”
At that low yet dignified greeting that pierced through the noise of the forge, U-jin unconsciously curled the corners of his mouth upward.
Setting down the hammer and the piece of iron he was holding, Shuten began to walk over.
Thump—
Thump—
The massive footsteps shook the ground enough to make one turn their head.
But the people in the forge either were used to it or uninterested, as they merely glanced once and focused back on their given tasks.
It was the typical atmosphere of the Floating Territory’s blacksmith shop, where finishing the task given to oneself was more important than anything else.
As Shuten approached, a black wing tattoo could be seen on his left forearm.
Solo Dark Wing.
Above that tattoo, which signified that he was a Titled Demon who had received a title from the Demon King, was mangled skin.
It looked as though it had been branded.
Seeing Shuten completely integrated into Joseon, with his former appearance as a Titled Demon of the ‘Demon King's Territory’—once known by the title Baron of Wrath—nowhere to be found, U-jin burst into laughter despite himself.
If this was the case, it made sense to come straight to the blacksmith shop.
Unlike the first life, the U-jin of the second life had no real relationship with Kim Sat-gat.
At most, it was that time he had encountered Isaac Einstein’s clone in Kunlun, and even that connection existed because of ‘Shuten’ acting as a medium.
To explain the relationship between Kim Sat-gat and U-jin after the regression, Shuten’s existence was essential.
“You seem to be doing better than I thought?”
When U-jin asked first, Shuten curled his lips and nodded.
Heh—
“I have to do well until I take that guy’s head.”
“…….”
“…I’ve heard the stories.”
U-jin tilted his head briefly at the sudden change of subject, but his confusion didn't last long.
Since the last conversation he had with Shuten after the regression was also their first, it didn't take long to recall the contents of that conversation.
『…To put it simply, I’m going to form a party to hunt the Demon King.』
『…….』
『I’m not just talking about gathering a few people to form an assassination squad for the Demon King. I’m talking about creating a third organization that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Demon King's Alliance and the Order's Alliance, which currently divide the Upper Plane.』
『The members will likely be diverse. It will mainly be a cradle for the non-mainstream. There will be Demons like you who were backstabbed and placed on the wanted list.』
『There will probably be Demonic Species who were turned after being caught by the Hero, like this guy here, and strange Hero candidates like me.』
『And even Vampires who have spent their lives in hiding, like that one over there, will participate.』
『…It sounds like an excessively grandiose goal for a mere Hero candidate to discuss.』
『I’m not telling you to join right now.』
『…What do you mean?』
『…I’ll prove it first. That I’m not just a mere Hero candidate, but a real Hero who can plunge a blade into the Demon King’s heart.』
『…….』
『…Once I leave the Kunlun region, I will head straight for the ‘Shandong Peninsula’ in the eastern part of Murim. There, I will rebuild the organization known as the ‘Demonic Cult,’ which once occupied nearly half of the Murim Empire.』
『Based on that Demonic Cult, my organization for hunting the Demon King will begin to be formed in earnest.』
『…….』
『If I fail, my words about hunting the Demon King will just be the nonsense of a mere Hero candidate. But if I succeed, wouldn't it become the ambition of a fairly trustworthy fellow?』
『…Can you do it?』
『I have to.』
『…….』
『Because it’s something that must be done.』
『…I like that answer.』
Well, since he had sought out Kunlun for that reason in the first place, it was only natural that looking at Shuten would bring back the ‘Demon King Hunting Discussion’ they had shared.
“…Well, the shape of it is a bit different from what I imagined. But still, what you said wasn't entirely a lie.”
“…….”
“I still don't understand what it means for that one brat to be the Demonic Cult, but the news about the Beastkin was certainly surprising even to me.”
“…….”
From the recent news coming out of Shuten’s mouth—specifically the remark about the ‘Beastkin’—U-jin could tell that Kim Sat-gat had been continuously conducting follow-up investigations on him.
Among those existing in ‘Floating Territory Joseon,’ the individuals who could descend to the Upper Plane were extremely limited, and Kim Sat-gat was almost the only one whose footsteps were free enough to make such time.
Since Shuten couldn't have conducted such an investigation himself, it meant that Kim Sat-gat had relayed the information to Shuten while he was looking into it separately.
U-jin tried to ask something about that, but Kim Sat-gat cut him off and intervened.
“If the conversation is going to be long, let’s postpone it until later.”
“……?”
“There is plenty of time, but according to protocol, there was somewhere else we had to stop by first. I pushed that aside to come here first. It’s difficult to spare much time, so we just stopped by so you could exchange greetings.”
“…….”
“If you need a long talk, you can come back later, so let’s just share a quick handshake and move on immediately.”
As U-jin had thought, it seemed to be a route taken at Kim Sat-gat’s discretion.
Hmm—
Nodding at Kim Sat-gat’s request, U-jin rummaged through his clothes before taking a step.
The reason was simple.
He hadn't predicted that the first place he arrived at upon ascending to Floating Territory Joseon would be a blacksmith shop, but once he realized it was, something had come to mind.
Rummage—
The item U-jin pulled out from his clothes and handed to Shuten was...
Clack—
“If you have time while I’m away, please take a look at this.”
It was the prototype he had received from Emily.