novelraw Chapter 232 : Treasure Map (2)
Chapter 232 : Treasure Map (2)
Chapter 232: Treasure Map (2)
After descending along the mountain pass, the three arrived at Namhwa Village, the first settlement beyond the border of Shaanxi Province.
It was a tiny village, incomparable to Hwaryeong County, which lay under the influence of the Mount Hua Sect.
Just as Sewoon dismounted from the carriage at the hitching stone, Nameless, who had been scanning the surroundings first, spoke in a dazed voice.
“……Is there some kind of festival going on?”
Just as he said, Namhwa Village was bustling from the very entrance.
Every old marketplace and narrow alley was packed tightly with outsiders and villagers alike.
Street vendors had spread their wares along the roadside. Beside them, innkeepers and restaurant owners were locked in heated arguments with customers.
“After eating that well, what kind of nonsense are you pulling now!”
“No, there’s a limit to ripping people off! How can a bowl of noodles in some backwater village cost this much!”
“So what, are you planning to dine and dash?”
“What do you mean there are no rooms?”
“Look around you. Everywhere you go, it’s fully booked.”
As Sewoon watched the scene, a strange light surfaced in his eyes.
‘This is odd.’
Namhwa Village was a place Sewoon had visited several times before his regression.
But in his memory, it had always been a quiet rural village—he had never once seen it like this.
Occasionally, when unavoidable situations like landslides blocked other routes, people would flood into nearby villages.
‘But this isn’t even a border choke point. And besides…….’
Sewoon naturally swept his gaze across the village.
Amid the crowded throng, he spotted several individuals who, like themselves disguised as merchants, were concealing their identities with things like human-skin masks.
Yet to Sewoon, who had reached the Extreme Manifestation Realm, every face beneath that layer of skin was clearly visible.
Those gathered here were all individuals of considerable skill—enough to leave an impression even in Sewoon’s memory.
There were the Three Ghosts of Bamboo Slaughter, infamous masters of the unorthodox path who wielded bamboo spears as their primary weapons.
There were also Taoists from the Zhongnan Sect, one of Shaanxi’s renowned sects, outwardly posing as ordinary scholars.
And even figures from the Green Forest Bandits, carrying grotesque weapons including massive great axes.
Martial artists of every stripe—orthodox and unorthodox alike—had gathered here.
“Doesn’t it feel strange?”
At that moment, Seori whispered softly to Sewoon.
“For a village this small, there’s no reason for this many martial artists to gather all at once.”
“That’s not all. Every last one of them has eyes that make my skin crawl.”
“What?”
Nameless picked up on her words.
As he observed the martial artists moving about while concealing their true intentions, Nameless spoke in a chilling voice.
At first, it sounded like a random comment about eyes.
“They’re the kind of eyes clients used to have. Eyes driven mad by the desire to obtain something.”
“……!”
Driven mad in pursuit of something……
At Nameless’s words, Sewoon slowly searched through his memories from before the regression.
He tried to recall whether there had been any incident tied to this village—if not around this exact time, then at least at some point.
But no matter how long he pondered—
‘There’s nothing.’
No incident surfaced in his memories.
The implication was simple.
‘This is a newly created variable.’
It meant that this situation had arisen as a result of his own actions.
As Sewoon sank into thought, Seori tilted her head.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“He’s always like that. If we wait a bit, he’ll come up with some absurd solution.”
“Oh.”
As the two waited, exchanging banter—
“Hoo.”
“……!”
At last, Sewoon finished his thoughts, let out a sigh, and turned to them.
“Since things have come to this.”
“Since things have come to this?”
“Let’s eat first.”
“…….”
Sewoon hadn’t come up with any special solution after all.
“Welcome!”
Greeted by the lively shout of an inn waiter, the three entered the inn.
Inside, the inn was nothing short of chaos.
It was packed wall-to-wall with martial artists, leaving barely any room to step.
The waiter guided them to a single corner table.
“Wow, you folks are really lucky! A seat just opened up!”
“That’s fortunate.”
“What would you like to eat?”
“What’s good here?”
“Well, the noodles are tasty, but our inn’s best dish is definitely roast duck!”
“Alright, then bring that, and add a bowl of noodles for each of us.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
Sewoon stopped the waiter, who was about to dash off to the kitchen.
He then casually produced a few iron coins from his sleeve.
The waiter’s eyes immediately lit up.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Ask away!”
“Why are there so many outsiders here?”
“Ah, it’s been like this for about three or four days now. From then on, outsiders suddenly started pouring in.”
“Hm. What I asked was the reason.”
“Ah.”
As Sewoon looked disappointed and moved to retrieve the coins, the waiter hesitated again and again before leaning closer and whispering.
“Well, people have been whispering here and there. The word I hear most often is ‘map.’”
‘……A map?’
Sewoon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Seori and Nameless exchanged glances at the same time.
Was it just an ordinary coincidence?
And if not……
[Sewoon, something about this feels strangely off.]
[That was what he thought as well.]
[Why were they exchanging telepathy just between the two of them? They should tell him as well.]
After finishing the telepathic exchange with Nameless, Sewoon spoke to the inn waiter, who was fidgeting like a dog desperate to relieve itself.
“Much obliged. Here—this is a gift.”
“Hehe. Sir, thank you truly!”
Pocketing the iron coins, the waiter dashed toward the kitchen with a face that clearly said he had struck gold.
A short while later, steaming dishes were brought out, and Sewoon spoke.
“Let us fill our stomachs first.”
Seori and Nameless hesitated to lift their chopsticks, still keeping watch on their surroundings, but—
“I have a feeling things are about to get violent.”
“!!”
At Sewoon’s ominous remark, they immediately began emptying their plates.
Not long after—
Creeeak.
The door of the inn slowly opened.
A man stepped inside.
Wearing gray clothes like filthy rags and keeping his head lowered, the man searched for a seat.
He looked like nothing more than a weary charcoal burner who had come down from the mountains.
But in that instant—
Ssssh.
As if on cue, the air inside the inn shifted.
Sewoon detected the change immediately, yet showed not the slightest reaction outwardly.
‘They were waiting for him.’
As that thought crossed his mind, the inn waiter—the same one who had taken money from Sewoon—approached the mysterious man.
Judging that a charcoal burner dressed like that could not possibly afford a meal, the waiter spoke with a faintly contemptuous expression.
“Ahem. Sorry, but we don’t have any seats available.”
“A single bowl of noodles will do. Is that not possible?”
“I am truly sorry. We would like to serve you, but—”
Just then—
Tap.
Someone slammed chopsticks onto a table.
“Heh heh. Waiting this long was not without its rewards.”
“!?”
Swoooosh!
At the same time, an explosive surge of aura erupted from a single spot.
It felt as though a Mountain Lord had suddenly appeared inside the inn.
As the inn waiter staggered, momentarily dazed by the sudden pressure—
A massive man draped in tiger hide rose to his feet and strode toward the entrance.
Grrr!
A gigantic dog—like a wolf or a feral hound—followed at his heels.
The moment Sewoon saw him, he recognized who it was.
‘Seo Dongtak, the Great Tiger Mountain Lord.’
One of the five Great Heads, ranking directly beneath the supreme leader of the Green Forest Bandits.
A notorious unorthodox master, infamous for his brutality.
As a major figure of the unorthodox path revealed himself, others seated nearby subtly reached for their weapons.
Yet whether he noticed or not, Seo Dongtak stopped squarely in front of the mysterious man, brimming with confidence.
“Hey, waiter. Get lost. I have something to discuss with this fellow.”
“Y-yes! I understand!”
The waiter fled in haste, his face drained of color.
The mysterious man then spoke with an expression full of fear.
“W-why are you doing this?”
“Do you really not know?”
“P-pardon? Sir, do you know me?”
“No. I do not.”
“……T-then what does that mean?”
As the man blinked in confusion, Seo Dongtak curled his lips into a greasy grin.
“But you know me.”
“……!”
For a brief instant, a strange light flickered in the man’s eyes—something only Sewoon noticed—before vanishing.
“Sir. I swear to the heavens, this is the first time I have ever seen you.”
“Oh dear. Swearing on the heavens so lightly. You may invite Heavenly Retribution.”
“……!”
Seo Dongtak continued, fixing him with eyes like a starving wolf driven mad by hunger—befitting the beast in his sobriquet.
“Donning a charcoal burner’s clothes while fleeing in haste was clever, I will give you that. But—”
He glanced at his hunting hound, which was snarling and drooling as it eyed the man.
“A scent ingrained into the body cannot be hidden.”
“……!”
“You really thought you could hide your identity after slathering yourself so thoroughly in the Pursuit Fragrance of the Green Forest?”
“…….”
At Seo Dongtak’s final words, the mysterious man fell silent.
Flash!
At that moment, Seo Dongtak’s subordinates moved in unison to block the inn’s exits.
A thick killing intent spread through their eyes.
Cutting off all escape routes, Seo Dongtak spoke with venom in his tone.
“Heh heh. Now there is only one way for you to live! Spit out what you stole from our Green Forest, right now!”
Then—
“Why would that belong to you?”
The man who had remained silent finally spoke.
Whoooom!
Crash!
At the same time, a mighty wave of aura—no less powerful than Seo Dongtak’s—surged forth like a tidal wave.
As Sewoon quietly observed that energy, a strange light surfaced in his eyes.
‘That aura is……!’
It was an aura that remained vividly etched in his memories from before the regression.
Sewoon instantly realized the true identity the man was hiding.
Just as the man’s aura filled the entire inn—
“Enough!”
Boom!
Seo Dongtak stomped the ground, shattering the opposing aura.
Then he shouted loudly for all to hear.
“Fine! Just keep staring like that! If anyone dares interfere with our Green Forest’s affair, that person—and the Green Forest itself—will bring calamity upon everyone here!”
“Everyone, listen!!”
Before Seo Dongtak could finish, the mysterious man shouted.
All eyes in the inn turned toward him.
“To anyone who helps me, I will give half of the outcome!”
“……!”
Every listener pricked up their ears.
Those who knew what he carried, and those who did not.
“You bastard!!”
Bang!
Seo Dongtak launched himself forward, stamping down with his full movement art.
At that very moment, the mysterious man roared out a revelation that shook the room.
“I hold the Treasure Map of the Heavenly Demon!”
……What?
Sewoon’s eyes widened as if they were about to burst.